I Am Bummed Out - And Afraid
Fresh when it gets here from
Julie Barrett
Thursday, March 25, 2010
I am not just afraid, but terrified that the recent calls for violence against Democrats who voted in favor of Health Care Reform (some of which have been carried out) are going to go overboard and lead to the deaths of innocent people.
This whole "lock and load" mentality is freaking scary. I happen to be a supporter of the Second Amendment, but some of these folks are clearly unhinged. This is domestic terrorism and should be treated as such.
I'd like to offer up a few observations.
The incivility I see I see on news site comment threads is astounding. Both sides get a share of the blame. Rather than state a point in clear, concise terms, these folks call each other names (I've been called both a liberal AND a conservative, which I'd find highly amusing if the tenor of conversation wasn't so disturbing), plagiarize articles from other sources, and repeat death threats. The latter disturbs me more than anything else. Please don't tell me what to think. Provide a good persuasive argument, and I'll respect you even if I don't agree. Respect is where the process of finding middle ground begins.
When George W. Bush was first elected to office, the cries of election theft went up on the left. The right told 'em to shut up, the people had spoken. Now that a Democrat is in office (voted in with a larger majority than Bush ever had, BTW), the tables have turned. The people have spoken. If you don't like it, do what the majority did last election and vote the folks in power out. It's as simple as that. We've had a majority Democratic House since 2006, and now that party holds a majority in the Senate. That's the way our republican form of government works.
(By the way, I was disturbed by the shrill, far-left voices that told the right to shut the hell up during the last administration. So yes, a pox on both fringe wings.)
I am still deeply disturbed by the notion that a woman must be forced to take an unwanted pregnancy to term at all costs (sometimes at risk of her life), and yet once the baby has been born that there is little or no support for that child. How can someone claim they love life and support this policy?*
How can someone insist people take personal responsibility for their health, yet put so many roadblocks in the way? I noted the other day that childhood asthma is a serious problem, due in part to urban pollution. I notice that (locally, at least) the same folks who take money from the polluters voted no on Sunday. Children with asthma stand to be turned down for health insurance when they reach adulthood. Again, how can someone claim they love life and support that?
I don't like what I see. Not at all. I call on Republican leadership to strongly condemn these threats (and acts) of violence and to stand behind the FBI and Secret Service to see that anyone arrested gets prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
(*If I'm going to mention abortion, I probably ought to clarify my stance on the issue. It's complex. I'm not sure I could terminate my own pregnancy unless my life was in danger. And then I'd have to give it some serious thought. It would have to be the only option. Similarly, I don't think I could counsel someone to terminate their pregnancy. On the other hand, if a woman is bound and determined to get it done, nothing is likely to stop her. Why not allow her to have it done safely, and perhaps offer some counseling about adoption? Perhaps the government shouldn't pay for elective abortions. I can get behind that. But in cases where there's a danger to the mother's health and there's the possibility that she can live to bring more children into the world, then it becomes a medical issue.
As part of that, we HAVE to teach our children about sex. The schools can reinforce the teaching, but there are no better teachers than the parents. I know it can be uncomfortable, but just saying "don't" without providing good reasons why doesn't do the job. If you tell a kid not to touch a hot stove, but don't tell them why, there's a better than even chance that kid will try to touch the stove, just to see if Mom and Dad were lying. To a teenager, sex is a powerful thing. You can't just say "no" without providing solid reasons. What are the consequences? Besides the obvious, what about blowing a chance at a good education because you need to support a child? I would expect abortion would be less of an issue if more parents stepped up to the plate to do the right thing.
And what about the victim of incest or rape? If we insist that they carry that baby to term by force of law, then by law we should make sure that baby gets care. As I said the other day, "pro life" doesn't apply to just one end of the birth canal.)
Filed under: Politics
Comments are closed
lisa said:
I think people now are just an incredibly angry for whatever reason. Maybe they were not hugged enough as a child, I don't know. Society as a whole is just angry and aggressive.
I have seen people come to serious blows over parking spaces and the last "it" gift on the shelves at Christmas. It is truly scary what will set people off. A boy in my son's classroom told me that his daddy told him when someone does something mean to him he should do it back TWICE as bad as he got it. I was floored.
I will be honest and say that this health care bill has unsettled me. There are so many points that unsettle me they are too numerous to mention. The way the votes were gotten also bothers me. But.......
On a lighter note, have you seen the video of Bush and Clinton in Haiti where Bush wipes his hands off on Clinton's shirt? Laughed for quite a while over that one!
Date: 3/25/2010 3:53:20 PM
Date: 3/25/2010 3:53:20 PM
lisa said:
I think people now are just an incredibly angry for whatever reason. Maybe they were not hugged enough as a child, I don't know. Society as a whole is just angry and aggressive.
I have seen people come to serious blows over parking spaces and the last "it" gift on the shelves at Christmas. It is truly scary what will set people off. A boy in my son's classroom told me that his daddy told him when someone does something mean to him he should do it back TWICE as bad as he got it. I was floored.
I will be honest and say that this health care bill has unsettled me. There are so many points that unsettle me they are too numerous to mention. The way the votes were gotten also bothers me. But.......
On a lighter note, have you seen the video of Bush and Clinton in Haiti where Bush wipes his hands off on Clinton's shirt? Laughed for quite a while over that one!
Date: 3/25/2010 3:53:20 PM
Date: 3/25/2010 3:53:20 PM
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