Actions speak louder than words...

[grdell]

I have friends who are conservatives/republicans/what have you. Whenever I'm around, they're always doing their best to assure me that they don't personally toe the party line when it comes to things like gay marriage. It's as if they're trying desperately to convince me that they're not evil or something.

But you know what? I think it all rings a bit hollow. "I personally support your rights." Nice sentiment. Now put your money where your mouth is. Because what I see is that they say that and then go out and do their part to put someone in power who's going to take those rights away (or at least make sure that they stay out of reach). Is that hypocritical, or is it just me?

Now I know that there are other issues at stake. For the politically-minded, that is one issue out of many and you have to go with the candidate that you feel more closely aligns with the majority of your ideals. And if you have to throw a few friends under the bus to do your part to ensure the prosperity of the nation, then fine. Whatever.

But there are those of us who are not politically-minded and yes, we wear the blinders of our "disproportionate priorities." But you know what? That's our prerogative. I happen to know that the economy is a massive behemoth of a monster that simply cannot change overnight. It's not physically possible. So anybody who promises some miracle fix is deluded, lying, or stupid. That's just one example. But my point about that is that it's out of my scope. I neither know how to fix it, nor do I immediately care. But something that's a good deal more important to me - and more immediate - is in the headlines, and I don't feel that I'm asking too much for the government (and especially those fuckwad hypocrites who claim to want less government yet push for this) NOT to take AWAY something from me. Stop trying to outlaw it. Stop trying to create a goddamn constitutional amendment for fuck's sake. We all know how well prohibition worked, don't we? And just think how stupid past generations would have looked if the state-level anti-miscegenation laws had made it into the constitution.

Am I ranting? Fuck yes, I am ranting. But it comes down to a personal conflict of whether or not I want my friends looking me in the face and apologizing to me as they stab me in the back. If that makes any sense.

[Callie Del Noire]

Why do you think I disagree with the party so much?

I'm conservative in many ways.. Yes. DO I support the death penalty, reformed (and lower ) taxes, and a lot of the FISCALLY conservative moves..

Socailly conservative? No. Too many times in our past legally setting moral issues.. only builds to a backlash. I've got a lot of friends who are LGBT.. and two of my best mentors in service were in the closet during the period of Don't Ask/Don't Tell and before. This would have denied the miltary of two of the best teacher and workers I ever worked with

What you do.. when it is between you and yours.. is none of my damn business. To quote Barry Goldwater.. "I don't care if a soldier is straight..only that he shoots straight."

And I don't support a lot of the GOP because when they regulate these practices.. will they ban my books, my outlook?

I won't apologize for their fear.. I understand it.. but I don't support it or condone it..and when I hear it.. I make them think and I challenge it.

[Zeitgeist]

It's my understanding Obama didn't support gay marriage when he was elected, and yet many Democrats held their nose and voted for him anyways.

I too find it hollow when I hear liberals say they "support the troops" but not the mission. It is an all volunteer force, so that doesn't really fly.

[Callie Del Noire]

It's my understanding Obama didn't support gay marriage when he was elected, and yet many Democrats held their nose and voted for him anyways.

I too find it hollow when I hear liberals say they "support the troops" but not the mission. It is an all volunteer force, so that doesn't really fly.

My problem with the Democrats.. is the folks that came up in control in the 70s and later left their base foundation (labor) out to dry..now that labor is politically and financially neutered they are without a real support base.

[Stattick]

It's one of the GOP's greatest victories. First they attacked organized labor (Unions and such) by equating it with communism, and equating communism with the Evil Empire of the Soviet Union. Then they double downed on it by equating organized labor with organized crime. With those two things in place, they were able to chip away at organized labor for decades, and the Democrats couldn't say boo about it without being painted as a Commie, a Crook, or both.

[Callie Del Noire]

It's one of the GOP's greatest victories. First they attacked organized labor (Unions and such) by equating it with communism, and equating communism with the Evil Empire of the Soviet Union. Then they double downed on it by equating organized labor with organized crime. With those two things in place, they were able to chip away at organized labor for decades, and the Democrats couldn't say boo about it without being painted as a Commie, a Crook, or both.

Not to mention that labor was shunned by all the 60s activists who took power in the DNC during the 70/80s. Wonder why big labor backed Reagan? The folks who came into control of the DNC after watergate IGNORED them. intellectuals and progressives who didn't consider that labor was a foundation stone of the national party. So now you don't have them to help out. Why? Because labor wasn't something they though about for the last 30 years while the GOP gutted it. (They had the fundies backing them, why would they want unions or their side?)

[Vekseid]

It's my understanding Obama didn't support gay marriage when he was elected, and yet many Democrats held their nose and voted for him anyways.

I too find it hollow when I hear liberals say they "support the troops" but not the mission. It is an all volunteer force, so that doesn't really fly.

He was mum on the subject. Liberals are actually honest enough to acknowledge that Obama has many, many flaws. Because Obama is not a liberal. He's running around where Reagan was. Doesn't change the fact that Obama has since embraced it, while Romney has made his position very clear.

You were in the military. You know what quitting early means - and many have, regardless. "Well you can go over hear and risk death, or you and your family can starve." Peasant levies were also volunteer forces by the same token.

And then conservatives vote down bills to actually properly armor the troops. They want them dead because veterans tend to come back liberal. Even try to suppress their ability to vote. Very slick of them.

Conservatives don't support our troops. They want them suffering, and dead. Or they'd vote for things like proper helmets, modern body armor, and so on. But everyone saw the grin on Mitt Romney's face when discussing five dead Americans.

My problem with the Democrats.. is the folks that came up in control in the 70s and later left their base foundation (labor) out to dry..now that labor is politically and financially neutered they are without a real support base.

Democrats still attack labor every now and then. Calling them liberals is just a matter of convenience - we don't have a liberal party in this country, and won't for some time yet. I'm fairly certain that it will happen, though.