What HAS America Become?

www.examiner.com/christianity-culture-in-fort-worth/what-has-america-become-by-ken-huber-of-tawas-city

I am so damned tired of having this editorial shoved in my face. I have had four different people enthusiastically e-mail it to me and I have seen it pop up on Facebook half a dozen times, at least. Why? The people who post it to me know my political/ethical leanings and yet they still send it to me. Do they read it and, in their soft-brained way, think to themselves, "Yeah! That says it all! I'm gonna send it to Judi, cuz she won't possibly be able to argue against this cuz it's SO STRONG!" Idiots.

This kind of crap scares me because most people who read it don't think. It is just so easy to eat it up, to let it feed their hate and their lack of understanding and consciousness. And it's crap. They're eating crap. And they like it. Did I say idiots? Because I mean IDIOTS. The general response (and I hate to say it . . . the typical response) by most Americans who read Ken Huber's editorial is full proof that the major problem with America is not any one of the issues Mr. Huber raised, rather it is a problem with Americans having lazy brains.

So here's my response:

I don't see anyone tolerating lies from Congress or any other branch of the government . . . except those who choose to remain willfully ignorant. Our government is still under the scrutiny of the people, as evidenced by our constant posts on sites like Facebook, personal blogs, news media, etc.

Disliking anybody solely on the basis of their ethnicity is ignorant and hateful.

The government, while still lacking in perfection, does have a legal system and law enforcement system that spends millions (if not billions) of dollars a year in an effort to apprehend criminals and provide justice for victims. If this weren't so we wouldn't be the country with the most criminals behind bars than almost any other country in the world.

A public school is run through public taxes. Therefore there is no room for God in public school unless it is taught academically as a form of religious study (and counterbalanced by a study of other comparable world religions). If you want your children to learn about God then do it on your own personal time. Is that not why they invented churches? Is that not why churches have bible studies and bible schools? School is a place to learn academics so that one may be able to sustain one's self in life as an adult. Teaching about (sexual orientation) tolerance is not a bad thing. It doesn't promote homosexuality, rather it's aim is to teach people not to be hateful and violent against that which they don't understand.

Abortion is a personal issue and should be left to the person who's body and life it affects. If the fetus you save is that of a welfare mother's you can't rightly complain about those on welfare anymore. If the fetus you save is gay will you still fight for it's rights? Abortion is a moral issue, not a legal issue. Leave the issue alone. It's none of your business if it doesn't affect you personally. Don't believe in abortions? Then don't have one. For more information on my opinion regarding human beings versus zygotes, please check out the following link:  pharyngula

As for the execution of criminals:  it is not necessarily a bad idea in theory; however, our criminal justice system is set up in such a way that it ends up costing tax payers more to execute a criminal than it does to keep the offender in prison for life. If one wanted to further the argument, one has to wonder how two wrongs ever make something right and how killing someone (who is already permanently behind bars) is going to teach them a lesson?

Labeling progressives as communists and/or socialists is nothing more than Tea Bagger propaganda aimed at getting people's panties bunched up in a modern "Red Scare". If one seriously takes the time to learn what it means to be progressive one can plainly see that there is no communism involved. Progressives are interested in the betterment of the country as a whole, not turning us into Borg. Furthermore, as I said before, it is a Tea Bagger agenda who's aim is nothing more than to raise fear in ignorant people of anything that is not like them. It is exclusionary fear-mongering, rather than inclusionary encouragement. A nation divided is a nation no more. Think about that.

Protesting against the President is always allowed. It is part of the American process. Burning the flag is always wrong. President Bush defiled our Constitution ("Stop throwing the Constitution in my face. It's just a goddamned piece of paper."), ripped Habeus Corpus from us, and removed more freedoms through the excuse of national security than have been won in the history of this nation all together. I believe our founding fathers would be horrified at the way the Bush administration abused and negated our Constitutional rights.

Pornography, whether one supports it or not, is something people can choose to ignore, choose not to purchase, choose not to watch on an internet site. It is not "in your face". A public park is public space provided for the good of all Americans, not just Christian Americans. Thus, if you love a nativity scene, set one up in your yard or enjoy the one provided by your local church (of which there are plenty). No one is saying that nativity scenes are wrong, or that they should be outlawed. Simply present them in an appropriate space. (In other words, just as pornography is not appropriate on PBS, please keep your nativity scene off our public parks.)

Human fetuses are not used for medical research unless they were already terminated through miscarriage or some other unplanned mishap; thus, deceased. These medical uses help us to find cures for diseases and other illnesses that end up saving more lives and in no way torture or cause distress to the fetus, as it is already dead. Animal testing, which is performed on live animals, simply to see if a shampoo will really make one's hair more glossy, or to see if Viagra will really keep a man's penis erect for four hours, is completely unnecessary and solves none of the world's problems.

Though there are those who take advantage of government subsidies (welfare, food stamps, unemployment, etc), it cannot be ignored that we are currently in a national economic crisis that has created a huge loss of jobs and suffering for many. Thank goodness for these subsidies, which keep food in our children's bellies and roofs over their heads. Thank goodness we live in a country that has a system set up in which we can be sure we are providing for our children, our future generation. Thank goodness we are not some third world country that allows our women and children to die on the streets, or in the desert, or in the mud.

Yes we have freedom of speech and everyone is entitled to their opinion. But you must agree that there is a problem with our system when it allows groups such as the Westboro Baptist Church to protest at the funerals of our fallen soldiers.

This editorial (by Huber) suggests that people should have their personal rights but complains that parents aren't parenting properly. While I agree that video games and ritalin are not the answers, would the government control of parenting make you any happier? I doubt it.

The Land of Opportunity has been raped by the corporations, which have bought out our lobbyists, our politicians, our jobs and our rights. The impact by those who accept government "handouts" is pennies in the bucket compared to the billions of dollars stolen from us every year by corporations. Research that before you blame the welfare mom (who you encouraged to HAVE THAT BABY!).

After having read my blog post do you not see the many contradictions in Huber's complaint/argument? Did he at any time mention the economy and the corporate attack on America? Did he at any time mention the environment? Did he at any time suggest anything that would have reflected his claim to Christianity and good morals in the way of inclusiveness and tolerance? No, he did not.

Maybe the government wouldn't spend so much time with committees and would spend more time getting stuff done if people were more vigilant and did their due diligence as regards information. You can write a piece like Huber's, which is full of misinformation, allegations, slander, and hate (really nothing more than an empty complaint), or you can actually do something. Gain knowledge, do your homework, and make an effort for real change. Stop whining like a little prima-donna; after all, one Paris Hilton in this world is enough.

It's easy to read this guy's article and agree with him. We all feel like victims these days and we are all looking for someone to blame. He offers us democrats, liberals and progressives on a platter. An easy feast. What he seeks to destroy in us are additives that we don't readily see but all require: tolerance, understanding, care, ethics, and social and personal responsibility. Like a MacDonald's Big Mac, it takes a lot of mental and emotional effort to step away from that food tray and choose a healthy meal instead. That Big Mac smells yummy but it's full of crap that isn't good for your mind, body, or soul. We have become a fast food nation and we demand everything instantly with very little effort involved for our gratification. Just add water and stir up the masses.

"Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, so must we see the need for nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood." ~Martin Luther King Junior, from "A Letter From a Birmingham Jail"