My life was not always political. Before I was old enough to care, I considered myself an apolitical person. Then 9/11 happened. As I looked out at the smoke filling the air from Washington Rock in Jersey, something changed. It wasn’t sudden, but the change grew.
I became very political. I started to listen to the talking heads on the radio. Rush, Sean, etc. Without realizing it, I started to become a puppet. President Bush became a hero of mine. The man could do no harm. I spent plenty of energy debating in defense of him especially throughout the 2004 election.
I started reading pro-Bush sites, and pro-war sites to the point that it became a habit. A bad habit. This was becoming a sickness.
Now, I am definitely a conservative person. And that is the problem. I started to realize that everything that today’s Republican party stands for is contrary to what it used to stand for. Conservatives historically do not like war. That is a liberal thing. Conservatives build up the military, they do not deplete it. We certainly don’t create a deficit so monstrous and out of control we have to devalue the dollar!
I began to realize that I am not a republican. I am a libertarian. I still think abortion is wrong and should be illegal. Abortion is not a political issue, but a rights issue. Any living human has a right to have a chance at life. Even the republican party has gone soft on that.
In some ways, I am still overcoming my mental disorder of being a republican the last few years. I no longer use the excuse of voting for the lesser of two evils, because I am now convinced that both parties are so evil that it is beyond measure.
I’m voting for Ron Paul. Despite what Rudy thinks of him, Ron Paul has a clear head on his shoulders. He deserves a fair chance to debate his goals and objectives. McCain and the rest of the bunch have had their chance.
Arrogant New Englander 
May 18, 2007 at 4:47 pm |
I cant understand why anyone would be against abortion for the reason they consider a collection of cells, that have no cognitive abilities at all and no central nervous system.
May 18, 2007 at 5:44 pm |
To reply back:
Why anyone would be against abortion:
— This is a human being
Collection of cells with no cognitive abilities at all
— Unfortunately, we have no way of knowing if this is true or not. You understand that while these “stupid cells” are developing, they are doing some amazing things like growing a heart, brain, eyes, etc?? Plus, these cells will eventually be able to think and act with reason. So, should we terminate a life simply because it has not grown to be as intelligent as you and I?
No central nervous system
— The central nervous system is now known to start development from at least 18 days of conception. So your argument now states that a baby only 2 weeks in development is a full baby. You’re starting to get on the right track then!
May 19, 2007 at 8:31 pm |
Abortion….
I agree it’s a rights issue, but I’m concerned about the woman’s rights. Before you say getting pregnant is a choice I will only say—
1-Abstinence only education means there are a large number of women out there who don’t know the truth about pregnancy prevention, conception or any of that. I was a sex educator in college in the late 90’s and I was shocked at the misinformation then, and that was almost 10 years before Bush was funding abstitence programs. If you want to reduce abortion, the first thing you need to do is ensure that all women know the facts about preganancy and how to prevent it.
2-Many health plans don’t cover birth control (or make it so expensive as to be prohibitive). The second step to getting rid of abortion is to make birth control FREE and available to everyone. There can be no age barriers. Just free and available. Period. People may not like it, but the average age for a girl to lose her virginity and become sexually active is 15. When you create barriers that prevent her from accessing birth control for 3 more years without parental permission, you’re setting up over 1000 days where she could end up pregnant.
3-Plan B (which only prevents ovulation-it doesn’t undo conception that may have already occurred) needs to be available and without age limit at ALL pharmacies. Cheaper would be nice too. It’s almost 50 dollars near me. My husband and I had a condom break a few months ago, and I decided to investigate the option of Plan B. I was shocked at how much it cost (and that my insurance wouldn’t cover it without a dr’s prescription-which meant I needed an appointment-and with a 48 hour clock ticking that was hardly doable) and how difficult it was to find a pharmacy that carried it. I ended up not doing it-we’re married, and it might have meant some health hardships for me (I had back surgery last year and we’r enot sure that my back could handle a full pregnancy without ending up on bedrest) but we said “what the hell”. I wasn’t pregnant, which was a relief. But if I hadn’t been in the position I am today, I would’ve coughed up the 50 bucks in a heartbeat.
4-How about people get off their asses and finish the male birth control pill? This has been in development for YEARS. No one has finished it. If both the man and the woman were on the pill and using condoms, the chance of an unwanted pregnancy would be close to nonexistant.
Until birth control is free and comprehensive there is a need for the availabilty of abortions.
I will just say I’m glad to hear you’ve recovered from your illness. And really, blind support of Bush and the Republican party is just that.
May 21, 2007 at 12:17 pm |
On abstinence – other methods may prevent pregnancy, but they cannot 100 % prevent STDs. This is why abstinence is the most logical method for avoiding pregnancy and STDs. I waited. It was worth it. This form of birth control is free.
Are you aware that the founder of Planned Parenthood was a racist elitist that wished to wipe out minority races, abortion being the main method? She was a blood thirsty feminist in the truest sense.
My wife took the pill for about 5 years. We are just starting to read about the side effects. For something that has been in widespread use for about 30 years, the problems caused by the pill are still a mystery. We even wonder if breast cancer is tying in. Why the sudden rise in this form of cancer?
Thanks, the democrats and republicans are both pathetic. We will have Hillary for president. This will suck big time.
May 21, 2007 at 1:30 pm |
Abistence is a nice idea but it doesn’t happen. Over 50% of all teens who pledge abstinence aren’t successful.
Beyond that, I’d have less of a problem with people telling my child to not have sex if
A-They were still given comprehensive sex ed, so if they did choose to have sex they could be safe
B-There were no religious strings attached (and there so often are)
C-It wasn’t so sex-negative–ie they encouraged masturbation actively
AND
D-It was presented as a choice.
I want my kids to grow up with a healthy view of sex. I don’t trust my children’s school to do a good job of educating them, so I will. For my family, that means honest discussions about sex, pregnancy prevention, STD/STI education, the proper way to put a condom on, and no questions asked permission to go on birth control. We’ll probably also stop hiding the porn when they’re 15/16.
May 21, 2007 at 3:30 pm |
That’s a problem right there. I believe pornography can become an addiction. To the extreme, all serial killers have admitted to getting into pornography. Why is our society so darned sex-crazed?
I want my kids to grow up with the healthiest view: Remain pure until marriage. They’ll in turn make their choice. Hopefully the right one.