An open letter to the GOP

[enders-shadow.livejournal.com]

Dear GOP,

I know you talk the talk of "freedom" and "liberty" but I am not sure those words mean what you think they mean.

I know that in the US House there are a number of bills to start the end of the war on drugs. The best of these bills, IMO, is the one that would legalize and tax pot (the safest of the illegal drugs) and treat it like it was alcohol. I know that Ron Paul, if he was still in the house, would join in this. As it currently stands, the six sponsers of the bill are all democrats.

I'm sure you understand, as the party of "freedom" and "liberty" that my personal decision to put a substance into my body is my decision; my smoking of pot is like my swinging of my fist--I am free to do it until I hit your nose. And if that should happen? Arrest me for hitting your nose!--not for smoking pot.

So please dear GOP, end the drug war.

I know that there are those of you in the GOP who absolutely HATE unions. You think they drive up prices, drive jobs overseas and are corrupt. Well I am not going to argue with you on those points (don't take that to mean I think you are correct, but I am simply not going to argue about them)
I am, once again, going by your playbook of freedom and liberty.

I should be allowed to join any organization I want--that includes, but is not limited to, a trade union.
Any GOP member that thinks we need to OUTLAW unions and to eliminate their collective bargaining power is impinging upon my freedom! I deserve to be FREE and be permitted to bargain with my coworkers.

Please GOP, end the war on unions.

I am about to open what is possibly the nastiest can of worms in American politics--abortion.
I understand the POV that life begins at conception--I disagree but I understand.
I understand that once you have that premise (and we all share premise #2, that ending human life is bad, and when it must be done requires justification) and the second premise, then you start to see abortion as murder; nobody supports murder.

While I understand your position I do not agree with it; I am not going to ask you to stop fighting against abortion--that would be like you asking me to stop fighting against murder. I am going to say this: try to understand the other side. Understand that millions of people DO NOT think life begins at conception and thus abortion is not murder. Calling people who support abortion murderers does nothing but make the issue impossible to discuss.

Please GOP, stop calling those who disagree with you murderers (or anti-christs, or nazis)


Oh, and as a parting message. Can anyone explain to me why the GOP of Arkansas gives a fuck about tattoo's and body modification? The Arkansas legislature has passed a bill (SB 387) that outlaws scarification. Never heard of that before? It's like a tattoo, but without the ink.



You know, I could go on, and ask you about the concept of freedom and liberty that comes into play with restrictive voter ID laws and the elimination of election day registration, but it's friday, and I need a drink.


But really GOP, all I want is for you to sober up. It's way more fun to have a real debate with real thinkers than with the drunk as fuck TEA party (which, btw, has admitted to engaging in politics, making the IRS thing a non-issue, since they were just doing their damned jobs)

Comments

[kylinrouge.livejournal.com]

Your mistake is taking them at their word. What they stand for and what they claim to stand for are two different things.

[sandwichwarrior.livejournal.com]

I'd say "Right back at you Buddy!" but I'm sure Obama and Kerry are only acting like chickenshit neo-cons to be ironic.

[enders-shadow.livejournal.com]

Hipster president.

[kylinrouge.livejournal.com]

Since my comment makes no distinction for the Democrats, I can only assume your comment is aimed at me personally. I'm not two-faced, sorry.

If not, stop projecting the entire Democratic party onto an independent individual such as myself. It's rude.

[nairiporter.livejournal.com]

And you knew they were Obama-supporting liberals, how exactly? Mind-reading abilities?

[geezer-also.livejournal.com]

In my area seat-belt, and helmet laws were all passed by democrats. Did you know that there are places where you can't smoke in your own dwelling place? You can't smoke in your own car if you have a child under a certain age; In fact there is a whole city where you can't smoke out side...freedom and liberty?

You last sentence is just rhetoric; here is one article (granted it's wikipedia) but it's a start on explaining the limits of what pacs can and can not do as far as engaging in politics: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/527_organization and still qualify for special tax status..

[enders-shadow.livejournal.com]

You know you are talking to someone who has, on occasion, smoked marijuana cigarettes, right?
I know all about the fact that I am not allowed, by law, to smoke in my own dwelling place! (or outside!)
Hell, I can be arrested just possession smokes!

When's the last time someone went to jail for not wearing their seatbelt?
Now, how many human beings are sitting in a cell because some the GOP is on a war against drugs?

iirc, you think caffeine should be outlawed; i find this 'seat belt/helmet law' false equivalance to be nonsense
and Bloomberg wanted a soda ban, BFD?

It feels like you are dodging the issue that the GOP is doing dumb things when you point elsewhere.

[geezer-also.livejournal.com]

"iirc, you think caffeine should be outlawed;

Say what??? I drink 6-8 cups of coffee a day.
You realize I'm talking about smoking cigarettes.
Meh, I've never said the GOP doesn't do dumb things. If it doesn't bother you about Bloomberg wanting to ban big sodas why should it bother you the GOP doesn't want to legalize MJ? Heck I don't know anyone (you might) who's ever been actually arrested for JUST SMOKING mj. But I do know people who have gotten fined for not wearing a seatbelt.

Actually your post was kinda like let's point fingers on the GOP and maybe no one will notice the stupid things the dems are doing :D

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

Well, we all knew liberals are big-gubmint totalitarians-in-the-making anyway. But let's get back to conservatives and their obsession with freedom if you don't mind. Got anything to say about that, or shall we delve deeper into "No, U" territory?

[geezer-also.livejournal.com]

Actually, comparing policies is not exactly being "no u".
I honestly don't see how being against legalizing mj, being against most abortion, and even some of the other things mentioned in a rant post, truly makes the gop against liberty or freedom, or just plain hypocrites, but ymmv.
Nearly everything he brought up as been addressed on this forum many times, in a sense the op was not much more than an I'm bored, let's stir the pot rant, almost like Steve used to do.

Speaking of which, I'm curious as to who deleted the 2 posts from last night. Was it the poster or did they turn out to be from someone who was banned under a new name?

[enders-shadow.livejournal.com]

Here is the link:

http://talk-politics.livejournal.com/359611.html?thread=24713915

That is very old, and I apologize. You think that *tobacco* should be illegal, along with alcohol.

The poll does not keep the numbers as stats apparently, BUT, if you click "see answers" you answered only for caffeine.

Please accept my apologies. Do you stand by your claim that alcohol and tobacco should be outlawed for personal consumption? Cause it seems like that was your position there.

[enders-shadow.livejournal.com]

Reading through it, I found you say:

"Well, since one of the purposes for legalizing is to tax it, I'm not sure the gov't price would be that cheap..I could be wrong. But when I think of all the taxes on a pack of cigarettes (my drug of choice) I wouldn't bet the farm on it."

Yet, the poll does have you answering the question:

Which of the following drugs do you think should be legal for personal consumption?

The poll says you only checked off caffeine. So it's apparent your drug of choice is tobacco, and I expect you think it should be legal, yet, in the poll, you said only caffeine. Hence my confusion.

[geezer-also.livejournal.com]

http://talk-politics.livejournal.com/359611.html#comments

These are the only 2 comments I made on that thread.

I really don't see, in that thread, where my position was that alcohol and tobacco should be banned, however, in fairness, I know I have stated that they probably should be... but that it will never happen.
The poll question I clicked caffine for was "should be legal, so you are saying because I clicked nothing else I think all those other things should be illegal?

I accept your apology (of course) but I'm still trying to get my head around how you remembered that (even if you remembered somewhat incorrectly...I just read that post a couple of weeks ago, and I couldn't remember how I voted, only that I must have because the results showed; and why you would attribute a "conviction" to me based on nothing more than an internet poll with a discussion which for all intents and purposes didn't really involve myself in.

I apologize that I will not be replying to your other responses, but it seems to be heading off into what, when I say it, gets called talking about talking.

[anfalicious.livejournal.com]

Nice letter, but I don't think they're going to read it.

[dukexmachismo.livejournal.com]

Perhaps a staffer will read it to them.

[anfalicious.livejournal.com]

I was elected to lead, not read!

[telemann.livejournal.com]

Can anyone explain to me the equation on the woman's back?

[kylinrouge.livejournal.com]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euler%27s_identity

[luzribeiro.livejournal.com]

And if that should happen? Arrest me for hitting your nose!--not for smoking pot.

Guns don't kill people. People kill people. ;)

[the-rukh.livejournal.com]

Or monkeys, if they have guns.

[404.livejournal.com]

Why would anyone want to intentionally scar themselves?

[geezer-also.livejournal.com]

Maybe it's easier to get rid of later with plastic surgery than having a tattoo lasered off? I have no idea, just guessing, this is the first I've heard of this one....just wow!!!

[enders-shadow.livejournal.com]

That's the wrong question to be asking. The correct question is:

why would anybody care if someone else wants to intentionally scar themselves?

[peristaltor.livejournal.com]

I, too, am driven batty by silly language, to the point where I suspect those that use such language of deliberately obfuscating their meaning with negations (http://peristaltor.livejournal.com/145413.html). "Freedom?" "Liberty?" Non-specific non-sense, impossible to qualify . . . and very appealing to those that think they know what they heck the speaker is talking about.

[sandwichwarrior.livejournal.com]

^This

I find it funny that MLK's "I have a dream" speech comes across as positively reactionary (http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/colorblind/201112/colorblind-ideology-is-form-racism) in the eyes of modern progressives.

What a racist ;)

ETA: linkage