Here We Are
At it's heart, this post is about politics I suppose. But, not in terms of policies or taxes or positions. This is about right and wrong.
I don't know how to put this, except, it is wrong to vote for someone because of the party they belong to, regardless. Case in point, Roy Moore in Alabama. This guy has been stripped of his seat on the Alabama Supreme Court, twice, for disregarding federal court orders. Yes, I can count on no fingers the number of other elected judges I have seen removed from the bench outside of elections. This cat has had it happen twice.
Were this person a Democrat, I imagine 99% of the population of Alabama would use more colorful language to describe such a scofflaw. Regardless of party or ideology, someone that does not accept the rule of law is probably a poor choice to put into positions of greater influence.
Add to that, he believes that homosexuality is a crime that should be punished. He believes that Muslims should not be allowed to serve in elected office. These are not just opinions, these are statements he has made, on the campaign trail as he campaigns to be a United States Senator.
When pushed, he had no idea what DACA was. He has struggled to name world leaders or to describe American foreign policy and positions. Senators approve treaties, trade agreements and confirm appointments for government positions, beyond voting on legislation. Having an uninformed bigot in that seat would seem to be a problem.
We have not even discussed the latest unsavory detail about this titanically unqualified candidate. I won't even argue or offer my personal opinion on the veracity of the claims that he had inappropriate relations with 4 different teenagers, one as young as 14, while he was in his 30's AND an Assistant District Attorney. It does not matter to my point, whether he is guilty or not.
What really angers me is not the allegations. What angers me is that there is a huge swath of the Alabama Republican Party, leaders and county chairmen, that stated flatly, even if it was true, I would vote for him over the Democrat.
Let that sink in, a huge chunk of the electorate would be okay with a child molester serving as their Senator, rather than a Democrat. (And, in particular, a Democrat that prosecuted and convicted the Klan for killing little girls, not just some regular Joe like me.)
Being a child molester is abhorrent, evil, so low that I can't come up with decent words to describe it. The only thing lower, is allowing a rapist, a pedophile, to get your vote over someone from the other party. I don't know what is wrong with America, but it is really sick, especially around the bottom areas on the map.
If you put it all together, it makes sense though. We did the same thing as a nation as a whole. We ignored the same charges about a Presidential candidate. I cannot tell you how many times I heard those same words. Even if it was true, I would vote for him over Hillary. Likewise, I don't care if she did give classified material away in her email, I would still vote for her over Trump.
Two things, that go with that statement. First, you spent no time trying to figure out if it was true, because it did not really matter to you. Rapist was fine, it beat Hillary. Traitor was fine, it beat Trump. Second, your vote was not about who could do better at running America, it was about how much you hated one candidate. For you, a violent criminal or criminal agent of espionage was preferable over any other choice.
It amazed me how people could believe just patently false information about candidates, every day. Believing everything on Fox or Breitbart just seemed completely wrong to me, anyone with a brain could figure out the facts and that a lot of it was a lie, IF THEY WANTED TO. Believing everything on MSNBC or MoveOn.org just seemed completely wrong to me, anyone with a brain could figure out the facts and that a lot of it was a lie, IF THEY WANTED TO.
We just did not and do not. Pedophile beats Democrat. Honestly listened to grown people in positions of authority say that specifically. I look at it, and where those comments are coming from, and I think it shows. Alabama is a leader on all the wrong lists, obesity, poverty, education, child mortality, income, opportunity, health, addiction, economic diversity. Alabama is a loser on all the right lists, good places to live, college education, wealth generation, economic growth, health services, average age at death.
These things are not divergent. People so fueled by hate and bigotry cannot come together and create a dynamic and successful community. There is no way that community is going to excel, because at its heart it is fueled by hate and ignorance, propped up with intellectual laziness and self righteous stubbornness in the face of facts. That it is part of America befuddles me.
Except, we saw the same thing nationwide. We accepted either a fraud, tax cheat and serial rapist; or a corrupt, undisclosed foreign agent and serial lier, as our choice for candidates for President of the United States. Neither was the right choice, and both of those candidates received more votes than any other Presidential candidate in history. They hold the #1 and #2 spot for vote totals.
So, when I look at Alabama Republicans, it makes me sick. But, when I look at Democratic party leaders that knew Hillary just as well, it makes me sick. Honestly, this is the best we can do right now. I kind of think that sucks, but most don't seem to care. Don't pay attention.
Your lack of concern about electing someone that is demonstrably unfit for office is not cute, nor is it excusable, nor is it a function of Facebook or Twitter or a sign of the times. It has happened multiple times in this nation, Grant was reelected, Chester Arthur was reelected, Nixon was reelected. We have done this before, it is not some new novelty of the internet age. It was wrong then, and it is wrong today.
And, the lack of concern, outrage and activism is pitiful. IF that hurts, I guess I am sorry a little bit. But, if you do not accept the fact that you have a heavy responsibility to be a good citizen, I really am not upset. We all have choices and we get defined by them, we get impacted by them, and we will be judged by them.
And, here we are. Pedophiles are cool, as long as we pass some tax bill that both sides agree is junk. It is absolutely inadequate in any way, shape or form. That is the only thing any two politicians, of either party, will agree on, it is junk. Just like the Health Care repeal was junk, the travel ban was junk, the ban on trans in the military was junk. This is what we get when our concern is partisan, not quality.
I disagree with a lot of the tax bill Reagan passed, but it was quality legislation, that both sides of the aisle worked on, fought over and came to agreement over. Don't believe the lies, but the ACA (Obamacare) was the same way. Hundreds of Republican amendments were adopted and included in the bill. I know that only Democrats voted for it, but there are big chunks of it that were written by Republicans, swear to God.
This sickness we are going through is going to cause us all pain. But like a bandaid, it is going to hurt by the same amount, regardless of how you remove it. Either we remove it slowly and endure the pain for a much longer period of time, or we just rip it off and get all the pain out of the way. And either way some blood and pus are going to come out. We seem determined to endure pain as long as possible, for the dumbest reasons possible. And, we only seem to be able to worry about the puss.
Hard to believe this is the America we have built, made and created for ourselves. Hate, anger and bigotry, that belongs to all of us. And, the whole nation will eventually look like rural Alabama, or rural Kentucky, or rural Mississippi, or rural Iowa, or rural Indiana, or rural Maine, or rural Arizona, or rural Georgia. And, if you don't know what that looks like, it will come to you soon, unless we demand better.
If you are not willing to be aware and be a participant, not much we can do. The rest of us decay to that level of apathy, regardless of our work. Then crazy things happen, things like Facism, Communism, Inquisitions. They are bred from apathy and willful ignorance, not bigotry or shared evil. They come from the neglect of people of good will, and result in the tarnish of all good in the whole people.
It matters who gets elected Senator in Alabama in December. It matters a lot. And, yet, here we are.
I don't know how to put this, except, it is wrong to vote for someone because of the party they belong to, regardless. Case in point, Roy Moore in Alabama. This guy has been stripped of his seat on the Alabama Supreme Court, twice, for disregarding federal court orders. Yes, I can count on no fingers the number of other elected judges I have seen removed from the bench outside of elections. This cat has had it happen twice.
Were this person a Democrat, I imagine 99% of the population of Alabama would use more colorful language to describe such a scofflaw. Regardless of party or ideology, someone that does not accept the rule of law is probably a poor choice to put into positions of greater influence.
Add to that, he believes that homosexuality is a crime that should be punished. He believes that Muslims should not be allowed to serve in elected office. These are not just opinions, these are statements he has made, on the campaign trail as he campaigns to be a United States Senator.
When pushed, he had no idea what DACA was. He has struggled to name world leaders or to describe American foreign policy and positions. Senators approve treaties, trade agreements and confirm appointments for government positions, beyond voting on legislation. Having an uninformed bigot in that seat would seem to be a problem.
We have not even discussed the latest unsavory detail about this titanically unqualified candidate. I won't even argue or offer my personal opinion on the veracity of the claims that he had inappropriate relations with 4 different teenagers, one as young as 14, while he was in his 30's AND an Assistant District Attorney. It does not matter to my point, whether he is guilty or not.
What really angers me is not the allegations. What angers me is that there is a huge swath of the Alabama Republican Party, leaders and county chairmen, that stated flatly, even if it was true, I would vote for him over the Democrat.
Let that sink in, a huge chunk of the electorate would be okay with a child molester serving as their Senator, rather than a Democrat. (And, in particular, a Democrat that prosecuted and convicted the Klan for killing little girls, not just some regular Joe like me.)
Being a child molester is abhorrent, evil, so low that I can't come up with decent words to describe it. The only thing lower, is allowing a rapist, a pedophile, to get your vote over someone from the other party. I don't know what is wrong with America, but it is really sick, especially around the bottom areas on the map.
If you put it all together, it makes sense though. We did the same thing as a nation as a whole. We ignored the same charges about a Presidential candidate. I cannot tell you how many times I heard those same words. Even if it was true, I would vote for him over Hillary. Likewise, I don't care if she did give classified material away in her email, I would still vote for her over Trump.
Two things, that go with that statement. First, you spent no time trying to figure out if it was true, because it did not really matter to you. Rapist was fine, it beat Hillary. Traitor was fine, it beat Trump. Second, your vote was not about who could do better at running America, it was about how much you hated one candidate. For you, a violent criminal or criminal agent of espionage was preferable over any other choice.
It amazed me how people could believe just patently false information about candidates, every day. Believing everything on Fox or Breitbart just seemed completely wrong to me, anyone with a brain could figure out the facts and that a lot of it was a lie, IF THEY WANTED TO. Believing everything on MSNBC or MoveOn.org just seemed completely wrong to me, anyone with a brain could figure out the facts and that a lot of it was a lie, IF THEY WANTED TO.
We just did not and do not. Pedophile beats Democrat. Honestly listened to grown people in positions of authority say that specifically. I look at it, and where those comments are coming from, and I think it shows. Alabama is a leader on all the wrong lists, obesity, poverty, education, child mortality, income, opportunity, health, addiction, economic diversity. Alabama is a loser on all the right lists, good places to live, college education, wealth generation, economic growth, health services, average age at death.
These things are not divergent. People so fueled by hate and bigotry cannot come together and create a dynamic and successful community. There is no way that community is going to excel, because at its heart it is fueled by hate and ignorance, propped up with intellectual laziness and self righteous stubbornness in the face of facts. That it is part of America befuddles me.
Except, we saw the same thing nationwide. We accepted either a fraud, tax cheat and serial rapist; or a corrupt, undisclosed foreign agent and serial lier, as our choice for candidates for President of the United States. Neither was the right choice, and both of those candidates received more votes than any other Presidential candidate in history. They hold the #1 and #2 spot for vote totals.
So, when I look at Alabama Republicans, it makes me sick. But, when I look at Democratic party leaders that knew Hillary just as well, it makes me sick. Honestly, this is the best we can do right now. I kind of think that sucks, but most don't seem to care. Don't pay attention.
Your lack of concern about electing someone that is demonstrably unfit for office is not cute, nor is it excusable, nor is it a function of Facebook or Twitter or a sign of the times. It has happened multiple times in this nation, Grant was reelected, Chester Arthur was reelected, Nixon was reelected. We have done this before, it is not some new novelty of the internet age. It was wrong then, and it is wrong today.
And, the lack of concern, outrage and activism is pitiful. IF that hurts, I guess I am sorry a little bit. But, if you do not accept the fact that you have a heavy responsibility to be a good citizen, I really am not upset. We all have choices and we get defined by them, we get impacted by them, and we will be judged by them.
And, here we are. Pedophiles are cool, as long as we pass some tax bill that both sides agree is junk. It is absolutely inadequate in any way, shape or form. That is the only thing any two politicians, of either party, will agree on, it is junk. Just like the Health Care repeal was junk, the travel ban was junk, the ban on trans in the military was junk. This is what we get when our concern is partisan, not quality.
I disagree with a lot of the tax bill Reagan passed, but it was quality legislation, that both sides of the aisle worked on, fought over and came to agreement over. Don't believe the lies, but the ACA (Obamacare) was the same way. Hundreds of Republican amendments were adopted and included in the bill. I know that only Democrats voted for it, but there are big chunks of it that were written by Republicans, swear to God.
This sickness we are going through is going to cause us all pain. But like a bandaid, it is going to hurt by the same amount, regardless of how you remove it. Either we remove it slowly and endure the pain for a much longer period of time, or we just rip it off and get all the pain out of the way. And either way some blood and pus are going to come out. We seem determined to endure pain as long as possible, for the dumbest reasons possible. And, we only seem to be able to worry about the puss.
Hard to believe this is the America we have built, made and created for ourselves. Hate, anger and bigotry, that belongs to all of us. And, the whole nation will eventually look like rural Alabama, or rural Kentucky, or rural Mississippi, or rural Iowa, or rural Indiana, or rural Maine, or rural Arizona, or rural Georgia. And, if you don't know what that looks like, it will come to you soon, unless we demand better.
If you are not willing to be aware and be a participant, not much we can do. The rest of us decay to that level of apathy, regardless of our work. Then crazy things happen, things like Facism, Communism, Inquisitions. They are bred from apathy and willful ignorance, not bigotry or shared evil. They come from the neglect of people of good will, and result in the tarnish of all good in the whole people.
It matters who gets elected Senator in Alabama in December. It matters a lot. And, yet, here we are.
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