Our Moral Values: We Fight For Humanism, More Freedom & Democracy!

In This Cultural Divide Our Values Will Transcend This Election

This is a re-posting of a reply I wrote after being criticized for being too harsh on "the opposition." I feel that we are in a great cultural divide right now, and this is no time to surrender our principles in the spirit of unity. What we're fighting for is for more civil rights, more openness, more democracy, and for our country to remain a beacon of hope, an envied & admired leader in the world community. The powerlogs claim a mandate to radically transform our society, while the theologs make assertions that cannot be proven. We will not stand for such.


The progressive community suffered a blow, and it's OK to stand up and fight! Why is not OK to fight for more personal freedoms, for a more equitable distribution of the nation's wealth, for separation of church and state, for our country to be a respected leader in the world community?.... These values are good not just for the liberals, but for all people. Why should we make truce with those who want to make us pray to their god, follow their religious practices in our private lives, don't want us to love and sleep with whomever we like, and, for goodness sake, are opposed to science?! All those people ( perhaps as much as 30% of the electorate) indeed voted for Bush! Did they not? Today the Evangelicals declared that Bush rode on their coat tails! They argue that their religious agenda must be implemented now.

No, not all Republicans or those who voted for Bush are "bad people." I do think that most are well-meaning Americans, and even if we disagree with each other they accept that disagreement is allowed and it's healthy for our political system. They, and all the fiscal conservatives who voted for Bush, should re-examine the partner they're going to be sleeping with, and, how their vote empowered the fundamentalists, the totalitarians, and those with apocalyptic views.

We are going to fight, and we are going to fight hard for our rights, for the rights of all Americans, because even those " bigots, the anti-intellectuals, the selfish rich who vote their pocketbooks, those intolerant theocrats, the simpletons who care more about their guns than their children's healthcare, the arrogant morons with a microscopic worldview" would not like it if they were a minority in a Moslem theocratic state! Would they? That's why they fail to see that an open, liberal society is better for them too. Unless, it's their way or the highway!

America is a conservative nation. When Lyndon Johnson signed The Civil Rights laws said that the Democrats would lose the South for a generation.... Well, it turned out to be much longer than that. Simply put, giving rights to Blacks was resented in the South, was it not? Can anyone dispute that there is still racism in the 21st century America? Can anyone dispute that millions of our fellow citizens are bigots, narrow-minded, and intolerant? Can anyone dispute the fact that overtly-racist politicians (like David Duke) garner huge amounts of votes?! Can anyone dispute that if you don't go to church, are not a devout Christian you are considered "un-American" by those "pious and moral" citizens of ours?

No, unfortunately, they are not just a few of them here and there. Who elected to the US Senate that bigot from Oklahoma--who wants the death penalty for all doctors who perform any abortion at any stage? The answer is, the majority of Oklahomans who voted on November 2nd, that's who!


Please let's be realistic. If you don't attack those who want to limit personal freedoms, those who want to impose a theocratic state, those who want a closed society and are against science.... Then , we better pack up and leave for Canada or Europe. Surrendering our country without a fight is not recommended. There is still hope. At the very least we must do all we can. It's the right thing. Our values are worth fighting for.

Why not call on those hypocrites who wear their religion on their sleeves but use it only for selfish reasons? Why not call on those who wear the American flag on their lapels, while they spill American blood to enrich themselves? Why not call on those "uber-patriots" who talk about sacrifice when themselves sacrifice nothing?

I want my kids to grow up in a country where people are judged by their actions not by the color of their skin. Where love is love. Where they realize that there is a world outside our borders. Where they are taught history and true science. Where, even though they may not come from a wealthy family, they'll be given the opportunity through access to free education and healthcare to advance their lot. I don't care if you call this left or right, up or down, east or west.... I want my kids to promote freedoms, scientific inquiry, and lead a happy life through personal responsibility and real choices!
Let's do it the "Jesus way": Teach tolerance, love thy neighbors different as they may be, and help the sick and less fortunate of our society! Jesus didn't have just a personal relationship with God. He also acted! And, he taught that your faith means nothing if you don't actively care about and for your fellow humans.