I largely avoid discussing politics, in writing or in
person, because I can’t stand the often mean-spirited divisiveness that it
generates among friends, co-workers and sometimes strangers on the street,
especially when on Facebook. I don’t
necessarily want to know all the political opinions of my Facebook Friends, and
have often wondered how that person who seemed so nice in my day-to-day
dealings with him or her can be so misguided and hateful. I never de-Friend anyone, but I made an exception
for a perfectly pleasant-seeming former casual acquaintance of mine who turned
out to be a raging Neo-Nazi lunatic on Facebook.
I am not afraid to say that I am absolutely crazy about
Hillary Clinton, as a person and a politician.
Essentially, I not only supported her for the presidency, I support her
for anything she might like to do, and I think she is one kick-ass Secretary of
State. Of course, everyone knows that
I’m liberal, even when I don’t come out and say so, but for me being liberal is
more about being open-minded to all philosophies and lifestyles than it is
about taking a particular political stance.
In fact, when I first registered to vote I tried to register as an
Independent, unaffiliated to any particular party, but the registrar in
Clarion, PA (where I was going to college at the time) had never heard of such
a thing, and was not prepared to register an Independent. So I am a Democrat, which is okay, because it
means I can vote in primaries, and had the chance to proudly cast my vote for
Hillary for President.
However, I have a hard time keeping quiet when it comes to
civil rights and what I perceive as discrimination against any particular group
of people. You see, I actually believe
that all people are created equal and should have rights to equal treatment
under the law. Maybe I got mixed up a
little in all those history classes, and my numerous viewings of the musical 1776, but isn’t that the foundation of
the United States of America? I was
under the impression that our nation was created so that all the people in it
could live their chosen lifestyles in peace, free from persecution. I really hope that is the case, because I
still get all weepy and in the mood to sing patriotic songs just thinking about
it.
So, I have to say something when a national campaign focuses
on weight rather than health, essentially targeting chubby kids and setting
them up for ridicule and self-esteem issues.
I cannot understand why anyone, anywhere, would be against all people in
our country having access to affordable health care.
The right to bear arms aside, I cannot fathom why, in a day
and age when we can no longer go to our office job, or high school, or a fast
food restaurant, or the local shopping mall where our congressional
representative is appearing, or religious services or the movie theater without
risking being shot to death that any right-minded person would have a problem
with enacting some reasonable gun control laws that keep assault weapons out of
the hands of your everyday miscreant. And do not try to tell me that people
kill people, not guns. If the shooter at
The Dark Knight Rises came into the movie theater that evening with the
intent to strangle or even stab people, it seems unlikely that so many lives
would have been lost.
Now let’s talk about love for a minute. In America we should all have the right to
love whomever we choose to love, and live freely and openly with our partner or
loved one without fear of persecution.
It should go without saying that any couple in this country should have
the right to legalize their union in marriage.
We all have the right to believe whatever we believe about this, but as
Americans we should not have the right to impose our beliefs on anyone
else. And to those who try to justify legalized
discrimination based upon what the Bible says, that is exactly why we have
separation of church and state in this country.
We have a right to practice our own religious beliefs, but a
responsibility to not interfere with others’ right to practice theirs. And if I understand it correctly, that’s what
America is, or should be, all about.
Well, now I feel better. I promise next week I’ll talk about something
banal like the weather.
