The winter of my discontent
I feel the way the country has been handled the last four years, it is possible we are on the tipping point of a slide into the Christian equivalent of an Islamic republic.
All civil liberties are being eroded. The religious right and self serving elite who have hijacked the republican party start with the weakest members of society, the elderly and the children, and rip away all social support to enable billions in tax breaks for all their friends. They then chip away at programs like Planned Parenthood, not with a withdrawal of funding (which hardly existed to begin with) but by revoking the basic rights and privacies of the patient. After this is done, and the women, elderly and children become second class citizens, they attack affirmative action and naturalization laws. Soon, we will return to a country where men like Chief Justice Taney can once again rule the Supreme Court (1836 – 1664).
My thoughts are drawn to this because of what is happening right now in our country. The religious shift is unprecedented in American culture, and (as President Jimmy Carter, a born-again Christian, mentions in his new book) this type of swing has had catastrophic effects on all powerful nations that try to combine “their” god and their government.
I am not speaking of “In God We Trust”, I am speaking of:
No rights (freedom of religion)
No privacy (freedom of choice)
No melting pot ( one religion = persecution of others)
As Americans, I firmly believe that what makes us great as a nation is our ability (until recently) to say “We don’t do that. We don’t torture, persecute or destroy personal liberties. That is why we are the best.”
This administration has changed everything. I used to be proud to be an American. This administration took that away from me. Men like Cheney, Libby, and Rove have stripped me of my national pride. I am the granddaughter of an Iwo Jima Purple Heart WWII vet, and I see almost no dignity left in the America of today.
I can only pray (yes I am someone who believes in God and prayer) that our system is not so corrupt that is may still work in the 2006 and 2008 elections. To continue to have faith that the democratic process will take its course and work out the fallibilities.
As a true American, I have faith in the people of my country, even if I don’t trust the leaders.
posted by Liz @ 10:16 PM
4 Comments:
People have been using religion to exploit others since the beginning of time. And it's going to take a lot more than prayer to change anything. I saw an interesting documentary recently about the religious right and their huge campaign to get W. into the White House. They made a concious effort to politicize their religion, and that's exactly what happened. Also, have you heard of the Wedge Report:
http://www.antievolution.org/features/wedge.html
These freaks (in Seattle, btw) are spearheading the Intelligent Design campaign. Look at the "goals" section. It really makes me sick.
When I said “I can only pray”, I was using it as a phrase, not an actual game plan. I vote, I discuss, and I take part in the process. What makes me sick are the people who complain about what is going on, and never actually vote. They boggle my mind, especially anyone who is not white and male. Maybe that is a bit harsh on our sex, but it is true. Less than 100 years ago, we were denied the right to vote. I can conceive of no fathomable excuse why a woman would let her voice be muffled. Her vote is the future of the quality of her life. Why would anyone miss the chance to participate?
I know, it's sad. Of course, sometimes the decision isn't left up to the voters. Let me try to think of an example -- oh, yes! The 2000 presidential election!
Are you ever going to post again?
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