To quote Jo: I, too, have an asshole.

[mugglechump]

These are a few things that have been on my mind lately. It's mainly political, so feel free to skip.


The fact that I'm not voting for Obama does not mean I'm a racist.

The fact that I'm not a proponent of gay marriage does not mean I'm a homophobe.

The fact that I believe there are inherent differences in men and women, and that that is a good thing, does not make me weak.

The fact that I believe morals, personal responsibility, and accountability are important not only in our leaders, but in ourselves might make me old fashioned. That's not a bad thing.

If you can't conceive of a reason why I have these opinions beyond the knee-jerk charges of racism, hate, etc... that shows your narrow-mindedness, not mine.

If you are going to preach 'tolerance', remember that it applies to everyone or no one - from the lovely gay couple next door to the family that teaches their children that homosexuality is a sin. (I'm using homosexuality as an example, I could just have easily have used race/sex/religion. Keep your eye on the forest, not the trees.)

'Tolerance' and 'approval' are not synonyms.

There is a difference between flip-flopping based on the current polls, and changing your position because new information has made you realize you were wrong. In the same vein, being wrong is not the same thing as lying.

Bristol Palin's pregnancy doesn't prove anything about abstinence only sex ed. Quit bringing it up and thinking you're terribly witty. If you truly believe that teaching children to put a condom on a banana is going to eradicate all teen pregnancy, you're delusional. The fact that the 'failures' of a more liberal sex education would be encouraged to run off to the local abortionist doesn't make the program more successful, it just makes the 'failures' less visible. Personally, I don't think publicly funded schools should be in the business of teaching sex ed at all. People seem to forget what parents are for.

The media needs to leave Elizabeth Edwards alone. I don't care when she knew her husband was running around on her with the new age trollop. The woman has spent the last several years going through amazingly difficult trials and, regardless of her political beliefs and whether I agree with them, she's conducted herself with dignity and grace the whole time. If she wanted to keep something this hurtful to herself and not share it with the general public, it seems to me that's her prerogative. The woman is dying. Leave her alone. If the world truly needs to hold someone accountable for the scandal, here's a crazy thought - how about the fellow who couldn't keep it in his pants and the whorish bitch he bedded?

There's more, but I'm running late.

And now I need to shower and go to the DMV. *whines* I don't want to.

Comments

[seegrim.livejournal.com]

Re: Elizabeth Edwards?

Seriously. Can we give the woman the dignity she deserves? Is it really that much to ask?

And you have a very good point--tolerance is only tolerance if it goes both ways. I'm pretty liberal, and I can still agree with that.

[mugglechump.livejournal.com]

I've been flabbergasted by all the 'When did she know?' crap. Who cares when she knew? She certainly wasn't under obligation to share her humiliation with an unsympathetic world press.

So very stupid. You'd think the whole 'she dying' thing would get her a little slack.

[jo_anne_storm]

*claps hands* Yay for having an opinion! And for expressing it as something other than "you're wrong, rot in hell". =-D

Yuck about the DMV. =-(

[mugglechump.livejournal.com]

The DMV is seriously yucky, but I survived!

And thank you. I try not to fall into the 'you're wrong, suck it' trap. Dissenting opinions are healthy. :D

[amazonmink.livejournal.com]

AMEN.

Good luck in hell the DMV.

[mugglechump.livejournal.com]

I have conquered the beast! (Or at least lived to sit through it another day.)

[persephone33.livejournal.com]

I JUST renewed my license online. On the comfort of my own couch. And no one was rude to me.

[brendanm720.livejournal.com]

That's the way I like to do it.

I'll have to do mine next year, But they make you go in every 8 years or something, so I may have to drive up to Sutton's Bay, because the DMV here in Traverse City is a BITCH.

[mugglechump.livejournal.com]

I totally should have driven to the mini-DMV in Purcellville. It's in a bus depot and no one realizes it's there. I've never had more than one person in line ahead of me. Even with the 30-40 minutes drive each way, I probably would've saved time.

[brendanm720.livejournal.com]

Sutton's Bay is about the same distance away as Traverse City DMV, so it's no skin off my... teeth... to go up there instead of over to the other one.

[mugglechump.livejournal.com]

*sigh* I'm envious. Unfortunately, my transaction had to be done in person, as it required me presenting my grandparents' death certificates and will.

[persephone33.livejournal.com]

Oh, dear. I'm so sorry. That's never pleasant.

[goddessvicky.livejournal.com]

::hugs:: I totally completely respect your opinion. Not that you needed to hear it, but I do. :)

And whoever would call you a racist because you're not voting for Obama? Really? ::shakes head:: That's pretty ridiculous.

[mugglechump.livejournal.com]

I may not need to hear it, but it's nice to hear all the same. :D

And yeah. A conversation like this is fairly common these days:

Person 1: Are you voting for Obama.
Person 2: No.
Person 1: Why? Because he's black?

*sigh* I'm always tempted to respond that while my decision has nothing to do with race, it's obvious that that is the main reason for their support.

[goddessvicky.livejournal.com]

::snort:: Those are the type of people who I really worry about. The ones that are ONLY voting for Obama because he's black. I understand that this is a very important issue, but do your RESEARCH. Find out if you agree with his POLITICS. You might actually FIND yourself like McCain more! Don't just vote for someone because of the color of their skin... and don't assume those who AREN'T voting for him aren't voting for him BECAUSE of the color of his skin.

::sigh::

I just want people to make an educated decision either way. If you do your homework and actually like and respect your candidate, I don't think you can make a wrong choice.

[castoffstarter.livejournal.com]

I really feel that none of these points, alone or together, make any kind of deeply reactionary statement. They're actually pretty midline; this focal point is how I see most of the US population thinking. But maybe that's just my Midwest bias, Idk. It's probably because I agree with you, haha! I love when you bring your ideas to the table; you always make me feel normal for how I feel about politics.

[mugglechump.livejournal.com]

You're totally normal - about politics! *wink*

I think most of the statements I made are pretty much common sense, though the reasoning behind them may be farther from the middle.

[leaper182.livejournal.com]

Can I ask why you're not a proponent of gay marriage?

I'm not trying to start a fight -- I'm just genuinely curious.

[mugglechump.livejournal.com]

You may, and I don't mind answering. I'll try to put something coherent together tonight. At the moment, I'm running late for work. :D

[jandjsalmon.livejournal.com]

*hugs you*

I hate when people make you feel 'wrong' for what you believe. Not everyone in this world is exactly the same, and we should be pleased/grateful etc. that we live in places where we are allowed to have an opinion, but then again.. that is just my humble opinion.

Too true on Mrs. Edwards - AND on young Bristol Palin. Firstly - because you're right - Elizabeth wasn't the one stepping out but all the media attention just makes everything all the worse for her - and secondly - because Bristol isn't running for VP so everyone should shut the hell up about her. (but then again - I felt the same when the Bush girls stirred up news about drinking underage - they weren't the ones sworn into office and Bush may or not be an idiot - but he's a parent, and parents have to deal with stuff like that - WOW tangent)

but anyway - YAY for clicking the cut and not engaging in wank. :* (though I AM using my new icon... which is kinda funny - since I'm not even American. hee hee)

[mugglechump.livejournal.com]

Exactly. This is a debate that can't take place in many countries, a fact that makes me very proud and pleased to live where I do.

And how much do I love that you have a McCain/Palin icon? Seriously, I kind of want to import you.

[jandjsalmon.livejournal.com]

Oh trust me - the NDP win here in our election in October, Jay and I are moving down there. They are sooo much farther left that the democrats the Nobama looks like a right-wing facist in comparison. I'd take that anyday. ;)

[spottedcat83.livejournal.com]

Tolerance and approval are, indeed, different things. I tolerate a whole bunch of stuff, and do it politely and even respectfully, even though I don't approve of it.

I don't ask that everybody be just like me, either, though I must say, if they were, there would be less trouble in the world. Of course, if everybody was exactly like me, the world would be QUITE boring. But it would be relatively low-stress. I think.

Take along some reading material to the DMV. You may be there a while. Talk about boring, it's hard to be more boring than waiting around at the DMV.

[mugglechump.livejournal.com]

It would be boring if everyone were the same, but you're right, if we shared certain opinions there would be a lot less hassle.

I really need to remember a book next time I go to the DMV. I didn't think of it before I left and, boy, did I regret it!

[water-jade.livejournal.com]

The fact that I'm not voting for Obama does not mean I'm a racist.

Do people actually think that? Do you think I think that? That's the silliest thing I've ever heard. You're not voting for Obama because you believe more strongly in McCain's policies and plans, right?

The fact that I believe there are inherent differences in men and women, and that that is a good thing, does not make me weak.

I totally agree. I mean, take track, which I face every day. Men pole vault consistently 3 feet higher than girls. So I had to deal with being better than guys who could vault higher than me, but it was okay. I mean, it just makes women and men separate, which is kind of how it is already. Also, we can't get drafted! So I agree, even if that's not quite what you meant. >.>

The fact that I believe morals, personal responsibility, and accountability are important not only in our leaders, but in ourselves might make me old fashioned. That's not a bad thing. Yes.

I'm glad you posted this, dear, and I'm glad that even though you think all of this is political and we agree on very little that's political, we can feel the same about some of this, and I can at least understand the rest. *hugs*

[mugglechump.livejournal.com]

A lot of people do seem to think that, unfortunately, but no, I don't believe you are one of them. The racist charge usually manifests itself in a conversation that goes:

Person 1: Are you voting for Obama.
Person 2: No.
Person 1: Why? Because he's black?

Because, you know, there's nothing else I could possibly object to about him, right? People are just ignorant sometimes.

And yeah, I'm voting for McCain/Palin because they represent my views better than the Democratic candidate. Not perfectly, mind, but better.

I'm glad we can agree on some of these things, too. I expect that the core of our beliefs is probably fairly similar. Where we disagree is in the best way to achieve the things in which we believe. And that's not a bad thing. It's always useful to hear differing opinions. They open us up to other thought processes, which helps us understand each other, even when those other opinions only serve to reinforce our own.

*loves*

[elle-blessing.livejournal.com]

I <3 you.