Dave Whitaker in gray
18 WAYS TO BE A GOOD LIBERAL
A much better title would be, "18 Ways to Practice Scapegoating in Order to Avoid Having to Think."
1. You have to be against capital punishment, but support abortion on demand.
As an independent, I'm dead set against capital punishment. Kill somebody, they quit hurting: I want the worst criminals to hurt, not die. Besides, if the wrong guy happens to be convicted, it's kinda hard to unkill somebody. As far as abortion goes, if you don't believe in abortion, don't have one.
2. You have to believe that businesses create oppression and governments create prosperity.
An independent might point out that our laws are tilted in favor of big business, insurance companies are fifedoms who control most of the money, our banking system sucks, and our government has been a defacto oligarchy since its inception. Somebody like me might also remind folks that our lack of some form of national healthcare is a disgrace.
3. You have to believe that guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens are more of a threat than U.S. nuclear weapons technology in the hands of Iran or Chinese and North Korean communists.
Personally, I think gun control means hitting what you aim at. Folks in the rural South and Southwest are invariably polite - and invariably armed.
4. You have to believe that there was no art before federal funding.
Good art sells; poor art too, even mine.
5. You have to believe that global temperatures are less affected by cyclical changes in the earth's climate and more affected by soccer moms driving SUV's.
Ever wonder why China and India didn't sign the Montreal Protocol? Why the US rightly refused to sign the Kyoto Accords? It's much easier to believe the nattering of politicians than to make informed choices.
6. You have to believe that gender roles are artificial, but being homo***ual is natural.
Personally, I figure other folks' consensual bedroom activities are none of my - or society's - business.
7. You have to believe that the AIDS virus is spread by a lack of federal funding.
In point of fact, the spread of the AIDS virus in the US was encouraged by Reagan's adoption of a head in the sand posture and Congress' refusal to allocate funds for public education. Doubters might want to read, "And the Band Played On."
8. You have to believe that the same teacher who can't teach 4th-graders how to read is somehow qualified to teach those same kids about ***.
I believe the desire for political correctness that created an administrative buffer between student and teacher and a policy that stopped the corporal punishment of miscreant students in public schools has created an entire generation of kids who don't respect themselves, society, or education.
9. You have to believe that hunters don't care about nature, but PETA activists do.
As an avid hunter, I'll admit there are good and bad hunters. On the other hand, PETA has never given any animal feed, water, or shelter. Easy choice.
10. You have to believe that self-esteem is more important than actually doing something to earn it.
LMAO! This drivel is going to be a tough sell to anybody who ever rodeoed, whatever his politics.
11. You have to believe the NRA is bad because it supports certain parts of the Constitution.
One can only wonder why the author thinks the NRA doesn't support all of the Constitution.
12. You have to believe the ACLU is good because it supports certain parts of the Constitution.
One can only wonder why the author thinks the ACLU doesn't support all of the Constitution.
13. You have to believe that taxes are too low, but ATM fees are too high.
Then again, one might wonder why the country is fast going broke because we're fighting an undeclared war based on a sitting president's lies about WMDs, non-existent nuclear material, and whatnot - and meanwhile, we've outsourced our heavy manufacturing capability to stateless multinationals and our balance of trade is tilted percariously toward China. Did I mention we lost the "War on Drugs" long long ago - but keeping it in the news helps to keep the public from thinking about stuff that matters - stuff like our kids dying in an Iraqi civil war.
14. You have to believe that Margaret Sanger and Gloria Steinem are more important to American history than Thomas Jefferson, Gen. Robert E. Lee, and Thomas Edison.
Worse yet, some fool might get to thinking that any of the above are as worthy of remembering as Sam Houston, William Travis, Davy Crockett, et al.
15. You have to believe that standardized tests are racist, but racial quotas and set-asides are not.
Anything that tilts the public table, one way or the other, is both illogical and unfair.
16. You have to believe that the only reason socialism hasn't worked anywhere it's been tried is because the right people haven't been in charge.
A less indifferent student of government might have noted that various forms of socialism "work" in much of the West, including most of Western Europe and the UK.
17. You have to believe yhat homo***ual parades displaying drag queens and transvestites should be constitutionally protected, and manger scenes at Christmas should be illegal.
LAMO! Do you think tax money should be used to support either activity?
18. You have to believe that this message is a part of a vast, right-wing conspiracy
I believe this message is the work of folks who haven't bothered to think about society's problems because it's lots easier to find a handy scapegoat than it is to think. What the hell, the model has worked for despots throughout history and is working in America right now.
GOD BLESS AMERICA
If one subscribes to the notion of a higher power, then a more timely prayer might be: GOD SAVE AMERICA FROM THE AVARICE OF ITS LEADERS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE!