Tag: Abortion

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I wonder how long…

I am not sure how smart this was of us.  I do wonder how long it will stay up in this super Republican neighborhood, being the district that elected Todd “Legitimate Rape” Atkins and Ann “What Climate Change” Wagner, but it is an important issue for us.

This is part of the reason I am so angry with the current Republican party.  They are essentially trying to push their minority religious beliefs on the majority.  Abortion is obviously a very charged subject, and I cannot imagine it ever being a very easy decision for any woman.  But I strongly believe that Continue reading “I wonder how long…”

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Quote of the Day – Heather Cox Richardson

“As I try to cover the news tonight, I am struck by how completely the Republican Party, which began in the 1850s as a noble endeavor to keep the United States government intact and to rebuild it to work for ordinary people, has devolved into a group of chaos agents feeding voters a fantasy world.” ~~ Heather Cox Richardson from Letters from an American

Normally I let the quotes speak for themselves, but I feel a few comments are in order. Heather Cox Richardson is a Continue reading “Quote of the Day – Heather Cox Richardson”

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Missouri religious leaders sue to overturn Missouri’s ban on abortion

One of the guiding principles of my life is live and let live.  If I were being honest, I would have to admit to falling short of this goal far too often, but it is a light I steer towards.  In that same vein I have a mantra I recite whenever I am speaking or thinking about religious beliefs or sexual orientation, “Life is tough, whatever gets you through the day, whatever gets you through the night.”

My issue with many Christians, especially Evangelicals and Catholics, and Continue reading “Missouri religious leaders sue to overturn Missouri’s ban on abortion”

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Barry Goldwater Quotes Highlighting Changed Republican Party

A friend of mine sent me some Barry Goldwater quotes that are timely for our current political situation.

Unless you are of a certain age, or are a student of American history you may not know who Barry Goldwater was.  He was a five term senator from Arizona and ran on the Republican ticket for President in 1964 against Lyndon B.  Johnson.  He scared the bejeebers out of a lot people with his hawkish position on the Vietnam War and extreme right wing positions. He lost in a landslide.

While a Republican, he was very much to the right of most of the run-of-mill Republicans.  He was considered an extreme right-winger, an ultra-conservative.

All of which make the follow Barry Goldwater quotes very interesting as they reflect the opinion of one of the most conservative members of the Republican Party in the 1960s.  The MAGAs would ride him out of town on a rail today, if he said such things.

“Abortion is “a decision that’s up to the pregnant woman, not up to the pope or some do-gooders or the religious right. It’s not a conservative issue at all.” 

“Mark my word, if and when these preachers get control of the [Republican] party, and they’re sure trying to do so, it’s going to be a terrible damn problem. Frankly, these people frighten me. Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can’t and won’t compromise. I know, I’ve tried to deal with them.”  

Well the preachers did get control of the Republican Party, quickly followed by the crazies.  Now we are all paying the price.

But then there is this quote which to my mind undoes it all.

“I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.” 

Oh well.

And so it went back in the 60s.

 

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A Polemic – Which Is the Greater Sin?

I really do not believe in the concept of sin, at least in sin as defined in the Christian Bible.  The idea that there is a god that will condemn the soul of one of his creations to burn in the fires of hell for all eternity for some behavior during their all too short life span is more than I can give credence to. But then I also do not believe in the concept of heaven or hell.  I have no idea if we have a soul or not, the rational part of me believes that death is simply the extinguishing of a light, no big deal.

However, I do believe that there are any number of human behaviors and actions that can be classified as “sins”. For me a sin is any action or behavior that damages another being either physically, mentally or emotionally.  I would also put into the definition harming the environment, the planet, the overuse of resources, basically any unethical behavior that reaches Continue reading “A Polemic – Which Is the Greater Sin?”

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Marching to a Theocracy

When the Founding Fathers spoke of Religious Freedom, what they really meant was freedom from religion. They were very adamant about avoiding what was so common in Europe at the time, state sponsored religions. There was a very strong push in the infancy of our country to set up a state church.  Fortunately, we more or less escaped that calamity.

I have always thought of the United States as a religiously diverse country.  This belief arose because there are so many different protestant religions in this country.  The reality is that, according to the Pew Research Center, the United States is around 78% Christian1.  This puts us in the middle of the pack as far as religious diversity is concerned.

Some 223 years after our constitution went into effect; Continue reading “Marching to a Theocracy”