On Various Issues...

ON POLITICS, BUSH, WAR and GAY RIGHTS

Alright, the serious discussion of politics now.

As most of you should know by the great almighty Americans have, through their excellent, clean, simple, unbiased, uncomplicated system of democracy have elected George Bush for four more years.

*gag*

even my own sarcasm makes me gag

Alright... I'd like to make sure I have American voting right to begin with.

Every state votes on many different issues at the same time. This year: Representative to the House of Representatives; Senate members (this previous two only in states that are reelecting one this year), a Govener (again only every so often), and the President of the United States. Also on any amendments the state wants to pass (example: the amendment banning gay marriages this year. I'll get to that). The votes are counted and whoever recieves a majority is sent to whereever they are going or the amendment is passed, except in the case of the president, instead of which the party which won that state is given X electoral votes (x being a number depending on the population of the state in question) to be given to people of that party's selection. Obviously all votes are given to people guarenteed to vote for who they want as president (be it Bush or Kerry or god-forbid, Nader). Then, the votes are simply assumed to go the way the party's split and then whoever gets the most votes is elected as President of the US of A.

*raises eyebrow*

Alright, onto politics.

I've only heard George Bush's speech at the RCN, and I haven't heard much about Kerry. But everyone knwos that Nader isn't getting elected, therefore it's Bush or Kerry right.

So, this is what I got from Bush's speech.

He's against gay marriages, finds the idea a terrible one and basically rejects the whole concept. So much for believing in freedom of choice. Also, based on other policies, he's against any other form of deviation... basically anything beyond normal, straight, unkinky sex. My god, the man's a prude.

He's a christian fundamentalist. He believes that God is on their side and because they are doing God's will in the world that they are doing right in Iraq and anywhere else they go. This seems an incredibly pompous attitude to take in the world and indeed sounds like he is perpetuating ji-had, or a holy war, but this time it's the christians versus the muslims. Crusades IV anyone? this time fought with cruise missles. I thought we were beyond all of this crap, with God being on people's sides and everything. This is supposed to be the tolerant 00's. Comeon people!

He has a lot of socialist programs in mind. Vast improvements to healthcare, education, housing, welfare, pensions. I like his ideas, I think he has many good ones in this department. So he's not a complete asshole. But...

He has no clue where he's getting his money from. He wants to "reorganize" the government. Yeah and lose all the jobs that go with it. And you probably won't save the money you need just from cutting your own costs to fund all his programs. Where's he going to take his money from? the military? with a war on, yeah right. education, healthcare, etc? yeah right, that's what he's putting more into. So hello tax hikes galore or hello election promises broken. or hello national debt.

Honestly, Canada's got an okay healthcare system. Quebec has an awesome education system and our healthcare, for the most part, is pretty good. Seeing a specialist can be a bitch here though. Welfare, pensions, etc all pretty damn good. Why? Canada is one of the highest taxed countries in the world and Quebec is canada's highest taxed province.

*shakes head*

So bush's platform is shit. Honestly, I haven't looked at Kerry's but... well lets see. Bush is christian fundamentalist, he's anti-gay, anti-bi, anti-kink and he's got no clue where his money's coming from. Could Kerry be any worse? I doubt it.

But they've elected him, so we've got him for four more years. but after that... he's gone! for good! yay!

Now... about the war in Iraq, which most of you may have noticed I stayed away from when prononcing judgement. I honestly believe that Saddam Huissen was an "evil" man, in my own eyes and that he does not deserve to rule a country, no more than Hitler did. So removing him from power is a goal I agree with. Were there better ways? Perhaps. I don't know. Maybe a cruise missle through his window without warning would have been better. But you know what? The Americans chose to goto war. People die in war yes and it is awful that people die and my heart goes out to anyone who's lost someone in a war. But some wars are neccesary. Was this war neccesary? That's really not our choice or ours to judge is it? We don't have a world picture view. We don't know what goes on in the White House or in George Bush's mind. For all we know, he didn't know he was acting on false information. If he did, he's still removing an evil man from power. His goals, you must admit, are good ones, at least in my eyes. And I've heard a lot about him using this to increase his own worth. I'd love to see the actual factual evidence for this and then if you have enough, go to Congress and get him impeached why don't you? I find a lot of people look down on Bush and just plain say that "war is wrong". Well you know... without war, the world would be a lot different. Wars are, it has been shown, the driving force behind human technology. Without war, we'd still be back in the stone age. A lot of you are goign to come up to me and say that "war is such a terrible thing that there can be no justification for it." and I'll agree with you. It is a terrible thing and I don't think you can justify it. But sometimes you must choose between the lesser of two evils... and war sometimes is the lesser of the two evils. Some people only understand force and against them, you must use force.

I find that too many people just blame Bush for the sake of someone to hate. I despise war, but when set against the evil of Saddam, I'm hesitant to say which is worse and thereforre will refuse to judge the actions of Bush in launching his campaign against Iraq. Feel free to have whatever opinion you like... but this is mine.

I have other reasons to hate Bush.

Heck I'll start with the anti-gay.

The viewpoint of someone who's anti-gay is just so... incomprehensible to me. I don't understand how people can be so intolerant. I mean sure, not everyone is gay and supporting gay people doesn't make you gay. People who think it does are idiots who you shouldn't listen to. But you should still support them even if you're not gay. And if you don't support them, then at least you should tolerate them. Historical evidence: go back many hundreds of years to Shakespeare or ancient greece and you'll find that love between men was a commonplace thing, not the forbidden taboo thing it is today. Where's the harm in tolerating people different from you? If you can tolerate people of different skin color, why not guys who like guys and women who like women and people who just like people? Do you think we're freaks or something? If we are do you care that much? I'm sorry it just seems so... so... stupid that a person can actually care so much that someone's different about him. Alright, you have every right to be uncomfortable around them, yes. I suppose most straight men are uncomfortable about gay guys who might be checking them out and the same goes for women. This isn't directed at you if you're just uncomfortable. This is about hte people who think it's wrong, it's evil, that we're all nutheads who're going straight to hell or hades or the abyss or wherever. Grow up and learn some tolerance people. Sheesh. And this means you Bush! Just because you aren't gay and dislike the idea immensely doesn't mean that every person in your country agrees with you. And so maybe you'll lose a few popularity points to those assholes who think like you. Which would you rather have... those few percentage points or standing up for the ideals upon which your country was founded? Heck our country wasn't founded on the same ideals yours was and we're more tolerant than you!

This ties into fundamentalism.

STOP. TRYING. TO. IMPOSE. YOUR. VIEWS. ON. OTHERS!

It's called freedom of choice. We have the right to believe what we want and you have a right to believe what you want. And you have the right to think in your own head that we're going straight to hell because we don't believe what you believe. Do you get to vocalize that? nope. Think it all you want, but don't make us hear it. Let us live our lives as we want to and in the end we'll find out who's right and wrong. What do you care if we're right or wrong anyways? More room in Heaven for you then :P

To set the record straight, I have no problems with any religion on this earth, including catholicism. I have a problem with anyone who can be described by taking a religion and adding "fundementalist" after it.

I do have problems with the policies of several religions and churchs, but you're welcome to believe in them all you like, as I'm allowed to have my problems.

My awful story about the Catholic church, don't know if I've told it already.

The Catholic church here made all of the people who were more than parishoners (ie choir members, alter boys, ushers, etc, etc, etc) sign a petition banning gay marriages in Canada at a federal level. Not within the church, but in the government. I mean if the Catholic church wants to ban gay marriages, that's all fine and dandy, they can do what they want and deal with their angry converts. But they have no right to impose their beliefs on Canadian law. Canadian law affects all canadians of all religions/belief systems, some of which do encourage gay marriages therefore no one church should be dictating or attempting to dictate the laws.