We Should Agree?

There were times in our political history that there were ways of agreeing on basic concepts in spite of our differences. Compromise wasn't always considered to be a dirty word or a sign of weakness. Below, I've listed a few basics that we have always agreed on or we at least should agree on no matter what your political affiliation.

Money should be limited and disclosed in politics. The current conservative leaning Supreme Court overturned our entire history with Citizens United.

Child labor laws are a good thing.

A minimum wage should be a living wage.

Government is not evil, it should be made of the people, by the people and for the people without people in Government trying to sabotage it's efforts in an attempt to privatize everything for a profit.

The Social Safety Net is not up for debate or for sale to the highest bidder. Medicare and Social Security are not giveaways but they allow people to retire and live in dignity without depending on cat food to survive.

Rape is always wrong and the victims shouldn't have to be placed on trial or pay for the medical assistance they require.

There is zero medical evidence to support the theory that rape victims can't conceive a child during the act.

Rape victims should not be obligated to carry the offspring to birth whether the act is done by a stranger or God forbid, a family member.

Rape victims that do conceive a child and give birth should not be under any obligation to the father to interact with them or allow them to see the child.

Abortion should be legal at least for a certain early time frame. Late term abortion should be a last resort and allowed in instances of danger to the mother's health.

The term "no free lunch" doesn't just apply to no work = no pay or food for individuals, it should also be applied to raising taxes are necessary in order to pay for the common goods...roads, bridges, etc. When the budget doesn't balance, it becomes necessary to raise taxes, especially on the wealthy.

The Country comes first, even if it means your opponent gets the credit for the idea or success.

Wealthy corporations don't need tax breaks for exporting American jobs or subsidies when they are making record profits.

Public education should be funded and guaranteed. We frequently hear how throwing money at education isn't the answer but shouldn't that apply to the military budget which trumps education spending by miles?

Politics and religion should not be mixed and the founding fathers were not mostly Christians. There should not be a religious test to run for office but your religion can and should be examined in order to ensure that you will put the Country over your faith and not use public office as means to end the world and force a religious Armageddon.

Racism has always existed and is alive and well. Civil rights and integration are needed and legitimate.

Women are equal to men and should have all the same rights, including thinking for themselves and voting.

Voting is a right and efforts to restrict voting, especially in ways that hurt certain citizens who vote certain ways is not only wrong but should be illegal.

Crazy people should not be able to own guns. People shouldn't be able to own cop killing weapons. We've reached a point where the NRA owns one political party and has placed a down payment on the other one. We are unwilling to make any restrictions on gun ownership. The NRA has a stance that anyone should own any gun for any reason and when the U.N. and the world try to ban even the trade and sale of illegal handguns, it becomes an attempt by the President to team up with the U.N. to take everyone's guns away...according to the NRA and fox news.

It's nobody's business what takes place in a bedroom between consenting adults.

We have a right to privacy.

And immigration policy straight from the Statue of Liberty- "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free."

Behind the Closet Door

Behind the Closet Door

I write this looking back at 45 years of history in my own life. I can't speak for anyone else but I can speak with authority about my own life and experiences. To say that my views and beliefs have changed many times in my life would be an understatement but I feel that my current convictions are built upon bedrock. Others may not know why they feel the way they do and might not be able to defend themselves but I swear in a fair and logical fight, I could go undefeated. 

When I was very young, it wasn't unusual to have friends and relatives spend the night and hang out. I remember one specific night, one of my friends stayed the night and we shared my twin bed. There was a very brief moment when we touched hands and although neither of us went any further than a light touch, it was just understood that we at least considered it. As far as I know, I've always been heterosexual but I can honestly say that I have had moments when I felt more or less masculine than others. There were also times in my life when others would confide in me about their closeted lives. I remember once when I worked at Wendy's, there was a female co-worker who I noticed copied my style (rolled up sleeves, hat tilt, etc.) and at one point, as we were cleaning up the pans after hours, she walked over and told me she was going out of town for the weekend to see her friend. I nodded in agreement and then she said "girl friend". Again, I just nodded and she then asked me if that bothered me? My response was, why should it? To say the least, we became pretty good friends after that and I never told the other workers anything about what I knew. There were also times that I knew that others were gay without them ever telling me and it just didn't matter. 

I've attended church throughout my life and I've watched as church has evolved from accepting racism openly to pushing it beneath the surface. Church remains the most racially divided establishment in America in my opinion. Although churches and pastors have always seemed to speak out against homosexuality, it has taken a nasty turn over the past few years. Many churches and members have begun to be militant against the sexual preferences of others. It has become commonplace for religious people to make fun of the gay community and to even endorse violence against LGBT individuals. I can't help but feel that the tide is turning and eventually, churches will evolve on this issue just as they have on slavery and the roles of women in the church. It becomes really difficult to cling to old testament segments without taking the whole of the law upon yourself. One must not pick out the hatred of same sex couples and not cling to the scriptures that ban mixing of cloth, eating shellfish or killing blasphemous children. There are other common sense reasons for changing the views on homosexuality that include the fact that as a rule, child sexual abuse doesn't come from homosexuals but rather heterosexuals. How would the churches who preach that the King James version of the bible is the only true word of God react if they found out that King James was in fact gay?

In the end, it comes down to the closet. While bigoted people would desire that all LGBT people remain in the closet, they fail to acknowledge or remember that they are the one's who are compelled to go into the closet. Matthew 6:6 tells Christians to go into their closets and shut the door and pray to their father in secret. There was never a commandment for gay people to hide and remain in the closet. 

I'm a free thinker and count myself as blessed to have friends of all races and all sexual orientations. I simply can't imagine life in an all straight culture or worrying about what everyone else chooses to do in the privacy of a committed relationship or behind closed doors. There truly isn't an in your face gay agenda that could ever equal the attacks made by well meaning, God fearing folks against anything LGBT. It is funny however that the most racist and sexist people in the world tend to shut up and behave while in the presence of the people that they are most disgusted by. Some day, society will be accepting of others because morality has nothing to do with skin color or who you choose to love or marry and it has nothing to do with your religious standing. Laws would exist regardless of faith or sexuality. Think about it.

TSD - 08-03-2012