Don't just live in a left or right wing media bubble. Expose yourself to a variety of views. Don't fear questioning your beliefs. If they are sound, they will stand. If they are flawed, the opportunity presents itself to upgrade them and get a little closer to the truth.
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Pro-Life is Mostly About Sex
Watching these GOP men slipping up and getting caught expressing their true hateful views on women, abortion and rape, calls to mind a pivotal event in my life that started me toward a path away from right wing ideology. In my early-teens, I was at church and the pastor went into a spittle flecked, red faced, vein bulging rage about abortion. He wasn't concerned with the life of the fetus, he was enraged that a woman could sin and then escape God's punishment by getting an abortion. Back then the anti-choice people hadn't become skilled at playing the “I'm so concerned for the life of the fetus” game. I watched over the years as the pro-life crowd has evolved the “I'm so concerned for life” strategy. It turns out to be an effective strategy, since it is a valid position if one really does care about life. But you know, you can tell if their concern for life is real or fake by whether their concern for the fetus ends at birth and whether or not they support life in other instances. How many times do you see these GOP politicians rant and rave about the life of the fetus but when it comes to helping out young single mothers with education, child care and enriched early childhood development, they couldn't care less?
There is a tried and true method that prevents almost all abortions without infringing on the rights of women. If the GOP was truly concerned about the life of the fetus and stopping almost all abortions, they would support responsible early sex education and easy free access to birth control. This has worked everywhere it has been tried and results in an abortion rate close to zero after subtracting for those abortions that are medically necessary. For example, see the Netherlands where they have the lowest abortion and teen pregnancy rates in the world. Contrast this to abstinence only states that have the highest teen pregnancy rates in the country. The Republican opposition to sex education and easy access to birth control is telling, it comes back to the attitude of my pastor all those years ago, the real concern is not about fetuses or life, it is about women having sex and not paying the consequences. That is what gets these GOP men into such a lather.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
If You Repeat a Lie Often Enough
This amazing video is composed of excerpts from one 30 minute speech before the Iraq war. A perfect illustration of the old adage, "if you repeat a lie often enough".
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Anti-Americanism
A few videos detailing the new anti-Americanism that has reached an unprecedented level, spurred on by intense hatred of Barack Obama. Why so much hate for Obama? He's just a moderate, just a little to the left of Bush. Is it because he stole their ideas and enacted a largely Republican health care proposal? Or could it be something else?
This video shows a roomful of Republicans reacting with cheers and high-fives upon hearing that the U.S. has lost the bid to host the 2016 Olympics.
This is a video clip of Republican Joe Scarborough expressing dismay at the way Rush Limbaugh reacts to America's failed Olympic bid. Shows that not all Republicans are consumed by Obama Derangement Syndrome.
Are Republicans actually obstructing the economic recovery so that the bad economy will benefit them in the coming elections?
Here is a link showing Republican distress over recent good economic news.
This video shows a roomful of Republicans reacting with cheers and high-fives upon hearing that the U.S. has lost the bid to host the 2016 Olympics.
This is a video clip of Republican Joe Scarborough expressing dismay at the way Rush Limbaugh reacts to America's failed Olympic bid. Shows that not all Republicans are consumed by Obama Derangement Syndrome.
Are Republicans actually obstructing the economic recovery so that the bad economy will benefit them in the coming elections?
Here is a link showing Republican distress over recent good economic news.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Which Party Would Be Better at Protecting Medicare
Remember
in 2010, those tea party Republicans prancing around with signs
decrying the evils of government and the evils of “socialized
medicine” and demanding that the government keep its hands off
their Medicare? Someone must have tapped them on the shoulder and
explained to them that their beloved Medicare is, in fact, pure
government run socialized medicine because now they are all for doing
away with Medicare and replacing it with another program they just
happen to call Medicare.
The
Republicans are using word tricks to fool people; they want to
completely do away with Medicare (and by “Medicare” I mean the
real government provided single payer healthcare) and replace it with
a completely different program (seniors go to private insurers with a
voucher and purchase their own healthcare) which they also call
“Medicare”. So the Republicans can claim they are not doing away
with “Medicare” because there will still be a program called
“Medicare”. It's kind of like “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”
where the aliens take over humans and assume their outward form but
inside they are really alien. So the Republicans take over Medicare
and it is still called Medicare on the outside, but inside it is
something completely different and alien.
This
Republican Vouchercare will phase in over a number of years and
completely do away with the real Medicare. When Romney claims Obama
is “raiding Medicare” isn't it ironic that that is exactly what
Romney wants to do? Here is Charlie
Crist, former Republican governor of Florida, “The $716 billion in
savings his (Obama's) opponents decry today extended the life of the
program by nearly a decade and are making sure taxpayer dollars
aren't wasted in excessive payments to insurance companies or fraud
and abuse. His opponents (Romney/Ryan) would end the Medicare
guarantee by creating a voucher that would raise seniors' costs by
thousands of dollars and bankrupt the program.”
Changes
are indeed going to be required in order to keep Medicare solvent as
the huge bulge of boomers retire. Since Medicare is a Democratic
program, Democrats are invested in the continued success of the real
Medicare. On the other hand, remember the tea party signs, the
Republicans are fundamentally opposed to socialized medicine as found
in Medicare. Which party do you think will do the best job of
protecting and preserving “the real Medicare” for the generations
to come?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)