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The not-so-grand old party is fond of saying that they're for "limited government", and keeping government out of peoples' lives. How they can say that with a straight face is so far beyond me it'd take light years to reach it.
Sure, the Republicans will stay out of your life...until you want to get an abortion, marry someone of the same gender, smoke some pot, or look at some porn. If you're one of them "evil-doers" the GOP will be all over you...but if you follow the 'rules' like a good boy, Big Brother will leave you alone. I honestly do not know how any person with a rational mind can say that the same party who says who you can marry and when and if you can't get an abortion is the one that stands for limited government.
Personally, I think one reason the GOP got smashed on Nov. 4 is in part to their growing focus on social issues. Their obsession with gay marriage, abortion, and other hot-button social issues seems to have lead them astray from the platform the party was originally founded upon. Now, I'm certainly not one to give any Republicans advice, so pay attention because this is probably the only time it will happen, but I think that if the Republicunts want any chance at reclaiming the ground they've lost, they should move away from this focus on social conservatism, and back to their basic philosophy. People don't want politicians making decisions about their personal lives. They don't want someone in a suit and tie preaching about what's morally right. At least I don't. If you want government to control your vagina, that's your business. But my metaphorical vagina belongs to me.
And on that note, let's talk about another hypocrisy of the Republican party. Seems funny to me that the same party that preaches about protecting sacred life is the first one to drool over the death penalty and gun rights so nuts like Sarah "Bible Spice" Palin can go shoot defenseless animals. Forget about animals and the guy who may or may not have committed those murders, we're gonna worry about a woman we don't even know who wants to abort a three-week-old fetus in a town we've never heard of for reasons we don't care about. While we're on our way, let's shoot a couple polar bears and fry some dude in the electric chair without a DNA test....culture of life indeed.
We all know about President-elect Obama's aptitude for giving a speech and running a political campaign, but the President-Elect has another talent that few know about: doodling.
During a lobbying junket in Washington in early 2007, activists from the advocacy group Neurofibromatosis, Inc. gave then-Senator Obama an index card on which to create a doodle that would later be auctioned for the charity. Obama agreed to create a doodle, and drew the picture while presiding over a Senate session. It captures a moment of time in the Senate chamber and features Senators Chuck Schumer, Harry Reid, Dianne Feinstein, and Ted Kennedy.
In May of that year, Wayne Berzon of Northbrook, Illinois bought the drawing on eBay for $2,075, far more than any of the other celebrity doodles fetched. Now, a year and a half later, the doodle, which is hand-signed by Obama, may be worth far more than Berzon may have realized when he purchased it. The financial executive and school board member says he's gotten a number of offers for the piece, but won't sell it unless "the price is right." Berzon, who collects art and memorabilia, says he likes the idea that the doodle may one day wind up in Obama's Presidential library.
Prop 8 has become a national hot-button issue. Since its passage last week, protests have erupted not just in California, but throughout the country. I don't live in California; I live in a state in which a similar proposition passed overwhelmingly in 2004. And as much as I was against it when it was introduced in my state, I was just as against it this time in California.
But like I said, I don't have in California, so I had no say this time. But thousands of people did. And many of them voted to take away the rights of gay couples to marry. For those people, those who voted yes on this horrible proposition, I have just a few questions because I honestly do not understand that mindset.
Why? What is it to you? Why do you care so much whether two men or two women want to enjoy the same union that you are allowed to enter into should you so choose? These people are not trying to get any "special privileges" like the other side is so found of touting. They are not trying to get any special treatment. They're not trying to take anything away from you. They just want to be treated as equals. They want, for once, to be treated as normal human beings, part of the same creed and bred from the same human race as everyone else. But you, for some reason, feel that it is okay to treat them as second-class citizens. And to make it worse, you claim to rectify it by saying "sorry, the real thing is reserved for straight couples, but here's something almost as good...".
These people are not asking you to embrace what you call their "lifestyle". They are not asking you to embrace what you call their "agenda". They're just asking for the same right that you have: to enter into a marriage with someone they love.
I've heard a lot about the "definition of marriage". Well my definition seems to be a bit different from everyone else. My definition of marriage is a union between two people who love each other, who are committed to each other, and who want to spend their lives together and embark on a journey together, for better or worse, be it two men, two women, or a man and a woman. Or if you're a Mormon, a man and 20 women. (Okay, that was a cheap shot, but you had to know it was coming). These people only want the opportunity to be a part of a joyous union. They only want the chance to have the basic rights that you get. They want to experience the joys of a marriage with someone they love. They want only to be happy. And you voted to take that all away.
I can only imagine what it must feel like. I am not gay, and have never had to endure being treated like a second-class human being. I've never had to endure being called horrible epithets to my face. Maybe that's the problem. Maybe these people, those who treat homosexuals as if they're some kind of poison to society, should have to walk one day in their shoes. Maybe if they knew what it was like to listen to a politician talk about gay people as if they were the plague, maybe if they knew what it was like to experience prejudice and vitriol, and ignorance, maybe if they could open their eyes and see beyond the tunnel vision of their precious religion...maybe then they would get it.
So if you voted for this proposition or you support their position, I ask you why? Why do you care if two people you don't even know and will probably never even meet want to marry? Why do you care what these people want to do with their lives? Why do you think that its okay for you to force your religious beliefs onto others? And why do you think its okay to push one biblical quote down our throats and completely ignore the other biblical quotes? You remember: the ones about "love thy neighbor". Or how about this one: "Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned, forgive, and ye shall be forgiven." Oops. Or maybe: "And be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." Strike two. Okay, let's try this one: "Do unto others as you would have done unto you". Swing and a miss.
I guess selectively picking and choosing whatever bible passages apply to your bigotry and ignoring the others is just part of your agenda.
It was Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. who said "Unless man is committed to the belief that all mankind are his brothers, then he labors in vain and hypocritically in the vineyards of equality." In this day and age, in this world of hate and division, where in any religious book does it make it okay to further that division, and further that hate? Where in your mind is it okay to deny a fellow human being one of life's most fundamental joys because of your personal religious dogma? Why is it that you think that allowing these people the opportunity to be happy in any way affects your life?
You might have noticed an ever-so-subtle shift in the tone of the posts around here; no, Joel has not turned into Sybil. I have been given the opportunity to take over the blog, and I humbly accept.
I look forward to bringing my own unique voice to the blog, and I hope I can continue to keep the blog enjoyable, interesting, and maybe even a tad funny. In my introductory post on my original blog, I encouraged my readers to help make the blog as interactive as possible, and now I echo that sentiment. I know I've got a lot of opinions, but I know you all do too. And I want to hear them. I don't want this blog to be a one-way read, I want it to be a conversation. Whether you agree with what I say or think I'm a flaming idiot, join in on the chat! I also think of this as a bit of a party, and you're all invited! So comment, e-mail me, and let me know what you think. Make this blog just as much yours as it is mine. I look forward to the conversation!
Well its finally over; after what seemed like an eternity, Barack Obama will be the next President.
Millions of us are celebrating all around the country and all around world, and rightfully so.
But after all the celebrations are done, after all the speeches and victory parties are over, after those whose candidates lost deal with the reality of their defeat, let's come together
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As much as I've always despised the way many people in my home state of Oklahoma have presented themselves, what I've seen in my state during this election has made me downright embarrassed to call myself an Oklahoma native.
The state of Oklahoma is clearly a "red" state. It will probably remain that way for some time
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After all the hypocrisy, misstatements, and outright idiocy that have saturated this campaign, I thought that all of the jackasses had come out of the woodwork. I thought that there was nobody that I could despise more than the idiots we've met along the campaign trail. Enter Joe the Plumber. Joe the misinformed, tax-evading jackass.
Ever since his name was first crammed down our throats more than 20 times by John McCain during the last debate, Joe the unlicensed tax-evading plumber has skyrocketed this campaign and himself to a whole new level of pathetic, and has become, in my eyes anyway, a symbol of everything that is wrong with this country
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John McCain recently said that VP-wannabe and animal-killer Sarah Palin is a "role model for women"...er, not so fast there, Johnnie Boy.
A role model for women Palin is not. A woman who thinks that women who have been raped should be forced to carry their rapist's baby is not a role model
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Aloha! I'm Kevan Dunkelberg, and I'll be your guide on this little journey. With a view from the left and a slightly warped perspective, I'll dissect the crazy world of politics, entertainment, and everything in between.
So why should you come along and listen to what I have to say? I've got a lot to say, but I know that you do too. For every opinion that I have, I know you've got one, too. And that's where you come in. I want this to be an interactive experience. So I invite you all to share your views, rants, opinions, and anything else you have to say! Comment, send me e-mails, and visit my message boards. Join in on the discussion and let's help change the world...or at least this blog...
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Comment by Kevan Dunkelberg
on A Question For Prop 8 Supporters
Mr Dissident
And as for the strong language: don't worry, I don't give a shit