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Monday, September 8, 2008

The Dancing of Politics

I’ve been pretty quiet on the topic of politics on this blog and for good reason: I can get pretty passionate about my views, and I can piss people off. I’ve had a lot of things bouncing around in my head with conventions happening and elections looming. I’ve decided to just spit them all out in one post and be done with it (well, unless someone does something else incredibly stupid to expound upon). In the end, I’ve decided that it’s my blog and I can write whatever I want, so I might as well take advantage of it. And on the blog, people can only comment and not try to stab me through the heart with a campaign-sign stake. Don’t expect any deep political analysis as that, frankly, bores me to tears. These are just my opinions and observations. Where to begin? (Click through to find out.)

So Sarah Palin is McCain’s choice of a running mate. Of course, she is an obvious ploy to grab Clinton supporters, but most of us aren’t that stupid. It’s like trying to trade a match for a flashlight. With the match, you might be able to see for a bit, but you’re going to get burned and be back in the dark soon enough. She doesn’t even make sense in that context since there are definitely more qualified women that could have taken the spot. She also appeals to those Americans with backwards views (of which there are far too many) since she claims to hold many of them herself. No birth control, sex education, or abortion for her, and, thus, she has a 17 year-old daughter who is knocked up. You can burn me in effigy if you want, but the claim that her family isn’t relevant to the political debate is pure garbage. When policies that a person wants to forward on a national level don’t even work in her own household, how in the hell is that not relevant? She doesn't even think abortion should be allowed in the cases of rape and incest. As far as I'm concerned, someone who would force a woman to carry a child after a rapist has forced it inside of her is no better than the rapist, who is among the lowest scum on Earth. And then there’s also the fact that she is under investigation for unethical behavior in her gubernatorial role in Alaska. This is the woman that supposedly fights corruption. From what I can tell, with her personally motivated firings of officials, the only reason she fights corruption is to eliminate the competition. The truly corrupt like the field all to themselves. Yet, people are actually falling for her rubbish. Frankly, Obama’s choice wasn’t much better. In Biden, he chose someone who flies in the face of his message of change. Biden is about as old-school politics as you can get. Obama had a chance to impress with his first major decision and blew it with his selection.

By the way, can you tell that I didn’t drink the Obama Kool-Aid? Yes, I was a Clinton supporter despite the fact that I’m not a Democrat. I thought our country could use a real leader for a change, but the Democrats wanted Dr. Feelgood instead. Although I am not a racist, honestly, race does play into my opinion, because I find it extremely galling that a black man would endorse a separate but equal solution for anything, which is exactly what he has done for the gay marriage issue. Shame on you, Senator Obama. Shame on you. And shame on you for further explaining your stance as a product of your faith. Faith should never decide policy. That’s exactly why many of us want power out of the hands of the conservative nutjobs, so we don’t have to deal with that kind of garbage. That being said, I probably will vote for him only as a vote against McCain. I was hoping to actually cast a vote for someone that I wanted to be President for a change instead of casting a vote against someone, but that wasn’t to be. I’m beginning to think it never will be. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind sitting out this election, but there’s a gay-marriage amendment I have to vote against.

Yes, you read right in that last paragraph, I am not a Democrat. I am not a Republican either. I have no party affiliation. It is my opinion that it is the parties together that comprise the greatest single threat to America. In their efforts to preserve their power, they pervert our system for their own gain and fundamentally change that system so they can continue to rule. Yes, the Democrats may be the lesser of two evils, but make no mistake about it, they are evil and bear a large part of the responsibility for the decay of our government right along with the Republicans. We have a situation in this country now where people are more loyal to party than nation. It’s no longer about what’s right, it’s about what the party wants, and people think the party needs to win because they are members. In that sense, the system has become like a football game where people cheer for their team and are more concerned about winning than putting someone competent in power. This was never clearer than in 2000 when everyone just wanted their side to win and seemed totally unconcerned with having a fair and accurate election. Real Americans would have wanted the real story, but, unfortunately, there don’t seem to be many left. Lest you think that my opinion of the parties is revolutionary or outlandish, I leave you with the words of a guy named George Washington in his Farewell Address in 1796:


I have already intimated to you the danger of parties in the State, with particular reference to the founding of them on geographical discriminations. Let me now take a more comprehensive view, and warn you in the most solemn manner against the baneful effects of the spirit of party generally.

This spirit, unfortunately, is inseparable from our nature, having its root in the strongest passions of the human mind. It exists under different shapes in all governments, more or less stifled, controlled, or repressed; but, in those of the popular form, it is seen in its greatest rankness, and is truly their worst enemy.

The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of public liberty.

Without looking forward to an extremity of this kind (which nevertheless ought not to be entirely out of sight), the common and continual mischiefs of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest and duty of a wise people to discourage and restrain it.

It serves always to distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administration. It agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which finds a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passions. Thus the policy and the will of one country are subjected to the policy and will of another.

There is an opinion that parties in free countries are useful checks upon the administration of the government and serve to keep alive the spirit of liberty. This within certain limits is probably true; and in governments of a monarchical cast, patriotism may look with indulgence, if not with favor, upon the spirit of party. But in those of the popular character, in governments purely elective, it is a spirit not to be encouraged. From their natural tendency, it is certain there will always be enough of that spirit for every salutary purpose. And there being constant danger of excess, the effort ought to be by force of public opinion, to mitigate and assuage it. A fire not to be quenched, it demands a uniform vigilance to prevent its bursting into a flame, lest, instead of warming, it should consume.

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