First things, first, the United States of America is not now, now has it ever been a Christian nation, and if it was, Jesus, himself would have descended from heaven and personally smacked the fuck out of every slave owner in the south and would have personally delivered floods and pestilence for the manner in which us white folks forcibly removed myriad natives from the lands they had occupied for centuries. To think that the vicious manner in which our forefathers treated anyone that wasn't white and didn't have a penis as the founding of a Christian nation, even in spite of the words of three of our first four Presidents (Adams, Jefferson, and Madison) is to be so completely blind or stupid that you should be sterilized and probably flogged with barbed wire. This sentiment is a complete lie and runs against not only our documented history of being complete dickwads, but against the words of the two men who authored our National Manifesto, in Jefferson, and the very plan of Government we still employ in Madison. I know it sounds nice to think that without the Bible and commandments like "Thou shalt not kill." we wouldn't have ever outlawed murder, but our founders found a different interpretation of that commandment to mean "Thou shalt not kill other white men, unless they're loyal to Great Britain, black and red and brown people are okay."
The next person that tries to sell that rotten bag of goods to me gets beaten with the pointy end of a claw hammer.
I don't begrudge people their faith, but please stop trying to revise American history to include your faith. Yes, I know there were men of faith that founded certain colonies, but those guys were here because they were too uptight for 17th Century Great Britain. They came here for "religious freedom" but only their own. If you ran afoul of the Puritans, you got burned at the stake, or banished. It's not like the Pilgrims hit Massachusetts Bay, and, suddenly, there were Buddhists and Hindus and Jews just walking the earth in this country. Also, while Plymouth was founded by good Christian folk, the original colonies in Virginia and beyond were created for the most American of reasons: to make dat cheese, fool. These were also the FIRST colonies of British people on this continent, but we don't usually hear that in the lead-up to Thanksgiving.
Finally, this country nearly imploded, and waged the deadliest war in its history over the rights of white people to keep black people as slaves. I know it's been argued that it was an issue of states rights versus federal tyranny, but the issue the Southern (Confederate States of America)States wanted to determine for themselves was whether they could continue to enslave an entire race of people based on their skin color. I'm sure somewhere, the Almighty was smiling down upon the battlefields at Gettysburg and thinking to himself, "these motherfuckers are totally doing my will, and I will continue to bless this country and its people from one ocean white with foam to the other. Only after they whack that goofy bearded bastard in the funny hat, though."
If you're not rolling your eyes at that last statement, leave now, because it's going to get worse.
Next, our government was not meant to only feature TWO parties. I know it started that way with Adams' Federalists against Jefferson's Democratic Republicans, but just because it starts that way doesn't mean it's the way it's supposed to be done. To borrow from Chris Rock, "you can drive a car with your feet if you want to, it doesn't mean it's to be done."
We're witnessing the folly in only employing two extremely powerful political parties as I type this. When there's only two, it becomes "us against them" and you begin to view your own fellow citizens as enemies. We saw the same thing in the 1840's and 50's, yet didn't learn a fucking thing. Why? Because, generally, we're lazy, stupid and self entitled. I literally spent this afternoon attempting to explain to a Romney WHY he couldn't, by himself, repeal "Obamacare' and replace it with his own plan just because he promised he would in some stump speech in Jack's Asscrack, Oklahoma.
Since the ACA passed, so-called "conservatives" have been screeching loud and at frequencies only dogs can hear to have it repealed. They tried doing so through the courts, yet their own, hand-picked Chief Justice actually sided with the Constitution rather than their screeching. It was almost like seeing Lex Luthor have Kryptonite used on him. Then they really got pissed, and have started working to repeal it within Congress. The only problem I can see there is that they only control the House, and, last I checked, Obama can still veto anything they put in front of him. I'm reminded of a phrase my old football coach used to use about "pissing up a rope."
I will try to put this in its simplest terms. Unless the GOP gains what amounts to the same level of "fillibuster-proof" majority the Democrats had from 2009-2011, Obamacare is here to stay for a while. Fighting it is like fighting the Borg or me buying a girdle and wig. Underneath it all, I'm still a fat, bald fuck, I'm just "fighting it." It's like seeing your pet hamster on a his exercise wheel. He can run until his heart explodes, but he never got anywhere. I have more metaphors, but I don't want to shoot my wad in one paragraph.
The one thing about this whole health care debate that really chafes my sack is this. When we're talking about health care, we're not talking about buying a cheeseburger or a car, we're talking about people literally living and dying. It's not a fucking luxury, it's a necessary service like having water or education.
Let me make sure I completely understand some legal issues related to my responsibilities as a parent. I'm legally required to educate my child, either through public or private facilities, but I'm not legally required to ensure he has access to health care. My son being stupid, at least by itself, won't kill him. His not seeing a doctor for strep throat will. At what point did seeing a teacher, nine months out of the year become a legal right and responsibility, but seeing a doctor that could save your life became a luxury?
Access to quality health care, in a developed economy, has become a basic human right. My education has taught me that my government exists to preserve and provide for my basic human rights. Should I decide, and have the means to pursue higher quality care, that is my option, just like it's my option to send my son to private school over public school, or to buy a Honda or Ferrari with which to transport him there.
Here's the part where I'm sure the word "socialism" will enter your brain, and that's okay. For some reason, we Americans have been taught to fear 'socialism" as an infringement on our personal liberty. That's okay, too. The thing is, our current, completely privatized system has been fucking people out of their hard earned money for decades, and killing a lot of people we love and care about, needlessly, all while charging the average citizen about $5000 more for the privilege of getting care that is well below the standards of care enjoyed at a huge discount by our buddies in Canada, England, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. I'm all for perpetuating the status quo, when it's working, but our status quo hasn't been working since the Nixon administration.
Trying to remedy the situation in and of itself isn't socialism, but the examples we have of health care working in developed nations has shown us that, at least in this case, socialism is an improvement over what we currently have.
If you believe our current President to be socialist, well, you have problems I can't fully address or correct in this blog. Fortunately his health care reform package goes into effect in January, and maybe you'll be able to afford the treatment you need, then.
While I don't fully agree with everything from the ACA, I can't envision it being any worse that the current system. If it turns out to be, then so be it.
Finally, and probably most importantly, I believe our current political system is completely lacking in both integrity and accountability. I trust neither the plastic smiles of those pursuing office, nor the machine that places them in front of me for my vote. Our elected officials ceased being "civil servants" the minute it became a career option. Not a single one of them acts in the interests of the common citizen, they act only to maintain the office to which they've ascended. As a society, we fail to hold them accountable for this because we, by and large, we no longer interest ourselves with the civic duties inherent to being citizens in this republic. We've reduced ourselves to pathetic fanboys of our particular side while ignoring the tangible impact these dickwads have on our daily lives. We're consumed by out of context sound bites, finger pointing, and an "you're either with us or against us" ethos that is killing the nation many of our ancestors built for us.
I love my country, and I proudly served it in its armed forces, but as I read and listen to what passes for political discourse I become more and more disillusioned with the people that comprise it. That disillusionment is turning into disgust, and my sympathy is at an all time low. You get the government you deserve, and unfortunately, most of you deserve this farce.
You stopped educating yourselves, and chose a side where you're fed distorted information which you swallow like mother's milk. You are not my enemy, but my fellow citizen. Yet you choose to dismiss anything I say, whether it's based on fact or logic, as the ramblings of the "other side."
Unlike you, I never chose one side or the other, and even if I had, it wouldn't blind me from the simple fact that the two sides are no longer about ideals, but your financial standing. Both "sides" play for the same team, and it isn't yours or mine.
I suppose I could have just posted this video, and save myself carpal tunnel and some time, but my buddy George puts a nice bow on this whole thing. I actually have two of his videos to share, because they're very poignant and very true. Enjoy, then go fuck yourselves.
I don't agree with everything you said, but damn if it isn't refreshing to discuss morals without ideologies.
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