As I Live and Breathe

jilllian:

soonerterp:

ashleefo-fashlee:

brave-slut:mohandasgandhi:nonduality:serpentine:colorlines:

“But then there’s the simultaneous, countering trend: SB 1070 has also lifted up the most vitriolic elements of the anti-immigrant movement and as of today, politicians in 21 states are following Arizona’s lead. We’ve found five states in which legislators have introduced laws that mirror the one in Arizona and 16 in which politicians say they plan to introduce bills. As I reported in ColorLines last month, these copycat bills are not merely following Arizona’s lead. Rather, the bills are the fruits of a concerted political strategy seeded by the far-right group Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), which has taken money from a eugenics foundation and was created by a man who warned of a ‘Latin onslaught.’” (via COLORLINES - Mapping the Spread of SB 1070)

 NO MARYLAND. NO. NOT MY STATE. DON’T PULL THIS SHIT.

Oh Oklahoma. Doesn’t surprise me any, this is a fucking racist ass state. 

As if I didn’t need any more reasons to be reminded of my love-hate relationship with Oklahoma, here’s another. The reactionary conservatism (and increasingly Tea Party-ism) of Oklahomans is unwrenchingly shameful.

Actually… (here’s where I lose about half of my followers)…  The Tea Party Movement is run by a bunch of Constitutionalists.  They are not, in fact, right wing nutjobs.  They believe, and I do not disagree, that our government is bloated, absolutely out of control, and that politicians are generally disgusting liars regardless of their party affiliations.  They believe that we need to reform our government, and very quickly, because of the mass of debt we are leaving to future generations of citizens of this country; I don’t disagree with them there, either.

I am very sad that too many of the Constitutionalists I know drag their personal and religious beliefs into their point of view and make it public; social issues have no place being handled by government. I suppose with all my political conservativeness and my socially liberal beliefs, maybe I’m just a libertarian at heart.  The fact remains that where they stand on issues like government spending are on very hardy common-sense footholds, and did they not drag the social issues into their propaganda, I’d probably be a Tea Party member myself.  I recently attended the Taking Back Our Country tour; it made me sick that I saw a few people wearing Fallin stickers and it bothers me that Glenn Beck and Karl Rove have to bring God into their common sense politics.  God can have a place in your heart and in your house, but he has NO place in my government.  It’s why I don’t associate myself with those people much despite agreeing with most of their political talking points: I support same-sex marriage, I’m pro-choice, and I dislike God being shoved down my throat probably even more than the next guy.

So, veering onto the topic of this post: my politically liberal friends, as you bash the hell out of the AZ bill, I sincerely hope you have read the text of the bill itself.  It strictly prohibits profiling.  It’s merely an extension of federal laws already in place.  I’ll admit that it isn’t perfect, but I support it as well.  If its execution is done wrongly by a particular official, it’s because the heart of that official is bad, and they will be caught and punished for their actions when they use their power improperly because a citizen mistreated will go to the media you can be assured.  The government is not responsible for the improper behavior of its citizens; it’s a little thing I like to call Personal Responsibility.

And, with all due respect SOONERTERP, because I really do like you outside of politics, I’m going to have to unfollow you here.  Your posts full of vile hatred for the “right-wing nut jobs” and the “Tea Party types” and the way you sometimes seem to spit the word “Republican” like it’s filthy… I find it hard not to take that personally.  Not all of us who are politically conservative are inherently dumb, or uneducated, or lying crooks, or Bible thumpers; not all of us are worthy of such venom.  We just think less government is worth more in the end, and we believe in personal responsibility in all realms of life.

If anyone actually read this entire thing… thank you for listening.

I consider myself a liberatarian, and I agree with what you’re saying about separation of church and state.

But I’m sorry, I simply cannot fathom how anyone can say that Glenn Beck speaks from a position of “common sense”. The man is an outright sensationalist, melodramatic talking head, if not an all-out liar.