Hate, Religion, Service to Country and Why I want to Support Obama
Filed under Politics and Culture.
A friend of mine sent me one of those standard form-emails soliciting money and asking me to support the McCain campaign. As I started to politely reply back to him with a “no thanks”, I started to get more and more mad at just how ridiculous and frankly saddening it is to see educated people support McCain. Yes, I said educated. If you support McCain and you consider yourself educated and take offense to that, then I say… clearly you are not educated enough. Go back to school. Take some history classes, take some military science classes, take some leadership classes, take some finance classes, take some political policy classes, take some foreign policy classes, take some religion classes, take some constitutional law classes. But don’t just sit there and blindly follow along because you go to church every Sunday morning and you think God and country will make everything ok in your life.
Here is my reply to his email:
No thanks. I do like John McCain as a person but there is no way I’m supporting the Republican party running this country into the ground any longer. You know, I was president of the Republican club in college for 4 years… but Republicans are completely off track, ruining this country, hiding behind the bible and hate. God and country doesn’t pay the bills. Bush has killed more Americans then Osama… and don’t give me that crap that it’s about Terrorism. Anyone with a high school diploma knows Iraq is about Oil. Saddam hated Al Qaida too… no reason for us to have gone in there. As a former Army Captain, I respect your military service, but to support the policies of McCain… well it’s almost too ridiculous to even write an email about. Patriotism is fighting for what you believe in, not blindly following the flag.
Good luck with the campaign none-the-less
Some say we are entering the age of enlightenment; that mankind will begin to govern itself based on fact, science and proof in the theories that work and that make sense. Not blind faith in religion, segregation, hate, isolationism and ignorance. That as the human race begins to become more and more educated, they will see that we are all part of something larger then ourselves. That we are smart enough to see there are 2 sides to every issue. That there is a cause and effect and sometimes we are the cause not the answer.
Religion is not policy. Hate is not peace, capitalism is not crushing the poor, diplomacy is not weakness, and equality is not fear.
I’m so unbelievably mad at the state of our country. I’m so mad that we have allowed Americans to die because of ignorance and failed politics. When George Bush was younger, he was an alcoholic, cocaine snorting, failure of a son who squeaked through school with a C average. And I’m supposed to follow him? When I was 13, I was in the Air Force Auxiliary; when I was 17, I left for Military college. I didn’t have a damn drink until I was 20 years old. I was an honor student and was actually president of our college republican party for 4 years and worked on the campaign of a state Senator. I was a police officer at age 19. I was an officer in the Army until 30. No drugs, no smoking, no cocaine, no nothing. I believed in service and country and I spent a year in Korea. And now I see this country falling apart at the hands of George Bush and a Republican party trying to keep things just as they are. Well Fuck You. I didn’t bust my ass serving my town, my state and my country to have a government of idiots. They basically just pissed all over what an entire generation considered to be loyal service and everything I ever believed in.
And on top of all that, guess what, I’m gay… and they say I can’t have equal rights or get married. Apparently their god says marriage is between a man and a woman. Apparently their definition of religion dictates my freedoms and my taxes and my rights. Apparently, the separation of church and state only applies to everyone else’s church but theirs. If I was a straight atheist I would be allowed to marry without any problem. The republican party is now a party of convenience and contradiction on a crusade to rid the world of anyone different from them in the name of freedom.
I would say to them, tread carefully. In the age of enlightenment and education, they will be the minority and their policies and beliefs and hate will be their prison.
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On September 2nd, 2008 at 11:21 am
Right on brother! I’m with you all the way.
On September 25th, 2008 at 11:38 pm
As always Joe-e, your articulate as hell! If Obama doesn’t win, I shutter to think what we’re in for next…..
On September 26th, 2008 at 9:48 am
You said it so well. I’m proud of you Joe. In the aftermath of 9/11 and with the growing militant right of the Republican party and their followers, Fadel and I have questioned are future here in the USA. But when Barack Obama came into our lives hope was found. Maybe one day our gender, our sexual orintation, our ancestory, our spiritual beliefs or our financial status won’t matter. We as a people can come to gather on common ground and be able to enrich each others lives with our unique personalities, our experiances and our wisdom. And if anyone can be an example for that, it is Barack Obama, the next president of the United States.