Rights

You have a right to your opinion- I have a right to mine
Just because it's your opinion, doesn't make it correct
You have the right to be a religious as you chose- I have the right to be as free from religion as I may chose.
You do not have the right to impose your religion or morality onto others or kill, hate or harm in the name of any God.
You have the right to watch fox in your home- I have the right to ask for the channel to be changed at any business or restaurant that I may enter.
Watching fox has nothing to do with patriotism or freedom.
You have the right to be an obnoxious jerk face- I have the right to ignore you or respond in kind.
Daring to speak up or return fire isn't disrespectful.
You have the right to hate the government- I have the right to love it and defend it.
Government workers aren't the problem but are people so stop being jealous.
You have a right to go broke because of medical problems- I have the right to healthcare that covers us all and doesn't break the bank.
Being sick shouldn't be a matter of living only if you can afford care and it should be illegal to profit from the misery of others.
You have the right to defend corporate welfare- I have the right to defend human welfare.
Corporate welfare is 10 times higher than human welfare.
You have a right to right wing radio- I have the right to demand equal time for Liberal causes on the public airways.
Conservative media has a monopoly on the airwaves and it's not because it's preferred by the public.
You have the right to call yourself an independent or libertarian- I have the right to point out that you're hiding behind those titles when every viewpoint syncs up with the republican party.
Tea Baggers are also nothing but republican junk yard dogs.
You have the right to make up facts and pull figures from dark orifices- I have the right to call you a liar.
Every issue or opinion doesn't have two sides, sometimes there's a right and wrong side... period.
You have the right to be racist or homophobic- I have the right to point out these issues and make you feel embarrassed for being that way.
This is a case where a right is actually a wrong.

TSD-

The Civil War 2012

I've lived in the South my entire life so I have plenty of skin in the game. Some misunderstand my criticism of the South as hatred and some get defensive and want to rally around the South at all cost. The only way to make the South a better place for us all is to be honest and open about the good and the bad. Don't get me wrong, I know that there should be free speech and people have the right to have and to hold any feelings that they want however, just because someone has an opinion or feeling, it doesn't mean it's a good thing or justified or proper. We still have an alarming amount of people living under the mantra of "the south's gonna rise again". This basically amounts to a belief that the South was right in the civil war and that we were somehow wronged by the Northern aggression during the civil war. The pressure to not be openly racist and hateful has been a good thing and much of the sentiment as well as the rebel flag society has gone underground. There are a few brave souls who get rebel flag tattoos or run around with a huge flag attached to their truck but the more refined rebellion has now embraced the don't tread on me flag. It often feels that the civil war is being fought by the die hard South but just not with guns on a battlefield. The politics of the South has been co opted by an opportunistic republican party that considers Southern conservative voters to be their property and pet. The powers that be pour the hate, the racism, the fear and the religious guilt into the South through a funnel. The funnel runs through some churches, through conservative talk radio, through fox news and through peer pressure. This influence is unfiltered and hits the desired target at full force. The feeling of we'd rather be morally right that protect our best interest or provide a better future for our children is unbelievable and dangerous. You can't be in charge of your life as long as you're a pawn on a chess board. One day, I can only hope that we will wake up and realize that different doesn't equal evil and see that letting go of the past grudges does not make us weak. I crave an honest and open debate about real issues. The government is not out to get you and is not to be feared. We are the government even if there are republican elements that aren't capable of ever accepting a Democratic leader as fairly elected or legitimate. The facts are, the South isn't going to break away from the United States again, it's not the job of the South to "save" the rest of the heathens up north or out west and until we decide to think for ourselves and not be used, the South will never be all that it can be. Never find pride in ignorance and instead of trying to find an enemy to attack or rally against, can we find a way forward?

TSD