December 23, 2008

• Here's another unpublished post from February that I thought was pretty interesting.  I think I might not have ever made it public because the end seems unresolved and unfinished, but I still think it's worth reading.

  Wednesday, February 17, 2008 - 1:42 PM

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  I've never thought of myself as an activist, but that's what my grandfather called me yesterday.  He cited my willingness to stand up for free speech, right to life, and integrity in administration, but I just see my desire to see change in policy concerning those things as just a natural following from my strong opinions about them.

  I have a friend who just recently became pro-life.  The reason?  His brother's girlfriend became pregnant, and following much deliberation, they decided to keep the baby.  They're naming my friend's nephew after him.  It's funny how drastically your opinions can change on certain issues once they hit too close to home.  My views on divorce, human rights for homosexuals (as opposed to gay rights), and disaster relief have changed significantly following recent events in my life.  Actively engaging in these debates, too, follows not from a desire to be an activist or cause a stir, but rather from strong opinions on these issues.

   

  My mother called me a political junkie today, as she arrived home to find me watching Sunday morning talk shows.  I'm up to three hours of commentary almost every weeknight, shows of which my mother tires far before I do.  She can't imagine why I would want to spend my Sunday mornings watching "old men yelling at each other" as well.  But Wolf Blitzer had NBA star Charles Barkley, who is actively supporting Barack Obama, on today.  (Incidentally, Barkley claims he is an independent, but also says he is "voting Democrat no matter what.")  As angry as that segment made me, it also made me think.  And that, in my mind, is good television.  Barkley said that the word "conservative" makes him sick to his stomach because "they're all fake Christians," "the biggest hypocrites."  (My Gross Generalization Detector started sounding like a Geiger counter pointed at a supply of enriched uranium at that point.)  Surprised and shocked, I listened to Barkley expound upon his view, saying that conservatives claim to be Christians, but that apparently "they didn't read the part of the Bible that says don't judge people."

  Yeah, Mr. Barkley, you're right.  All conservatives are crazed hypocrites who do nothing but judge and hate on others.  That's not a judgment in itself or anything.

   

  In short, I've been called a political activist, political junkie, and a fake hypocrite all in the last twenty-four hours, but it may surprise you to know that I'm quite okay with that.  We need to stop trying to avoid offending people, or political correctness will be our downfall.  I'm not "vertically challenged," I'm short.  I'm not "metabolically gifted," I'm underweight.  And I'm not just "opinionated" or "driven."  I'm a conservative to the core, and I'm unwilling to hide beneath the "independent" or "moderate" umbrella.  The archbishop of Canterbury in the United Kingdom stated the other day that allowing some aspects of Muslim Sharia law supersede the law in the land might not be a problem.  Well, guess what?  That is a problem!  Laws are in place for a reason, and the minute someone's personal religious views allow them to ignore the law of the country they're in, that country is doomed.  I'm all for freedom of religion, but that freedom is afforded under the first amendment to the United States Constitution.  You are free to practice your religion in any way you please, so long as the law of the land remains supreme.

  Similarly, we all make judgments, every day, and they're an important part of our lives.  If there's a big, black guy coming after me with a gun pointed at me, I'm going to run away.  It's not because he's black; I'm judging him based on the fact that I think he's going to kill me!

  • 2:26 pm
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