Lies

Okay, I'll admit it: I am a huge Violent Acres fan.

There. It's all out in the open now.

I've wanted to feature most, if not all, of her posts, but up until now I haven't even featured one. I'm not sure why, really. Maybe I didn't feel like getting into the debates that would undoubtedly arise. Maybe I wasn't in the mood to explain why I like her blog. Maybe I was just wussing out for no apparent reason.

The first post of hers that I really, really wanted to share and discuss was the abortion one, which really threw me. In the end, I can't say that I wholeheartedly agree with her--last time I checked, humans couldn't predict the future, despite what some celebrities say, and so how often would a case arise where you know something terrible will happen to a child? But I don't work in social services. Maybe that sort of time comes more than I want to believe.

At any rate, V makes me think, and that's why I read her.

Today she gets into politics, and her laying bare of the hypocrisies within the various groups who lobby in Washington is so near to the frustrations I feel when I try to make political decisions that finally I was moved to write. Maybe I'm still being a wuss--presenting V's opinions when I should just present my own. But she just says it so well:

The Democrats want me to believe that anyone who doesn’t support government sponsored programs that promote a victim mentality (such as welfare and social security) is a cruel, intolerant, selfish asshole. The Democrats want me to pay minorities for past atrocities (Through affirmative action, etc) committed against their ancestors based completely on the color of my skin. If I argue or point out the fact that my ancestors did not even live in America when slavery was rampant, they call me a racist. Should I be against gay marriage but completely supportive of homosexual civil unions, I am a homophobe. The Democrats want me to believe that supporting speech that is hateful strictly based on a person’s constitutional rights is akin to agreeing with the person being the jerk.

I am starting to wonder if ‘Intolerance’ is the Democrat’s big lie. It seems to me that they use that word as a weapon to demoralize people and create social stigma around any idea that is contrary to their own. Excuse me if that doesn’t seem very tolerant to me.

The Republicans want me to believe that anyone who is an Atheist possesses no morals and will someday commit a crime. They tell me that I only resent being spied on because I have something to hide. If I support abortion because I believe it is more merciful to end a life than to bring it into the world unwanted and abused, they accuse me of being a heartless murderer. If I say it is better for a child to be raised by a gay couple as opposed to being completely abandoned, the Republicans say I lack family values. If I insist that school should be a place for education and not religious training, it is obvious to them that I don’t give a shit about the children.

Perhaps ‘Family Values’ is the Republican’s big lie. That phrase is being used to shame the opposition into supporting religious agendas in a country that prides itself on religious freedom. Just because I am not a Christian does not mean that I do not see the value in a strong family unit, nor does it make me a criminal.

The Feminists tell me that men and women who complete the same job do not make equal pay. If true, I agree that is unfair. However, when I make note of the fact that men do not get equal rights in family court, I notice that the feminists are suspiciously quiet.

Is Feminism about equality or superiority? Do they even know anymore?

Some scientists say global warming is a very real phenomenon. They say that unless we act now, there will be tragic consequences for the future. Other scientists say that the Earth has gone through varying climate changes for billions of years. They note the tropical climate back when dinosaurs walked the planet and the ice age that soon followed.

Who shall I believe when both groups hold their hands out for more grant money?

Her post is actually about how everyone lies, how lying is accepted, encouraged, ignored, and forgiven in this country, and how that makes it pretty damn hard to raise a child not to lie. She makes some good points there. But this little bit about political groups was what really spoke to me.

Sometimes, when I get to thinking about all the things that don't seem to work in our political system, I want to just give up and move to another country.