The Two Things We're Not Supposed to Talk About ... Politics & Religion ... Oops ...

Okay ... so the two topics one should never discuss with other people if you want to remain in their social graces ... I am about to tackle ... what can I say ... apparently I need to put it out there ...

The only two things that I know for a fact ... that I'm 100% sure about ... is that not one person who reads this will 100% agree with me ... and not one person who reads this will 100% disagree with me ... because ... well ... I play both major sides on both of these topics ...

So ... I guess I will start with religion because it will lead into politics better than the other way around ... first and foremost I am for the separation of church and state ... I believe that while moral compasses may be guided by religion and a moral compass plays a role in politics, that a separation still needs to exist ...

My background ... I am a cradle Lutheran ... baptized, confirmed, married, and all three of my children baptized in the ELCA church ... that would be the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America ... for those of you unfamiliar with the Lutheran Church ... they are not all alike ... there are four major "branches" of the Lutheran church ... and others that are smaller ... the main other branch that I'll be referring to here is the LCMS church (Lutheran Church Missouri Synod) as they are the next largest branch of the Lutheran Church ...

So ... when I say was confirmed in the ELCA Lutheran Church ... this does not mean the same thing that it does in many other churches ... in many churches confirmation means that you learn about the church and their history, you learn about their beliefs ... and then you say "yes, I believe what you believe" in front of the whole congregation ... oh happy day ... that isn't what it's like to be confirmed in the ELCA ... in the ELCA we were encouraged to learn about
ALL other religions ... we studied religions from all over the world ... we studied other sectors of Christianity ... we studied Wicca and atheism ... we were required to read the Catechism of the Catholic Church ... we were required to read parts of the Book of Mormon ... we were required to read various versions of the Bible ... and let me tell you those versions are very different ... we read parts of the Quran ... we studied the teachings of Buddha ... we learned so much ... and the last book we were handed was Luther's Small Catechism ... and then we learned the history of the Lutheran Church ... the history of the ELCA ... the history of the church where we were ... then we had to decide whether or not we wanted to be a part of it ... 3 of fellow would-be confirmants declined to actually be confirmed ... stating they either didn't agree or didn't believe the same way ... and they were embraced by the church ... by our pastor ... for being honest ... 

First off I think Martin Luther is one of the most disregarded civil rights activists in history ... while many who study religion wouldn't question that ... those who study history have rarely heard all the tales ... all the fights he fought on behalf of the poor ... the sick ... the dying ... and he turned on the Catholic church creating the first of all the non-Catholic, Christian religions ... I could get more into the history ... but unless you're genuinely interested I think that the point is kind of moot ...

I still believe in the teachings of the ELCA Church ... a church that believes in including people ... not excluding people ... everyone is welcome at their services ... everyone is welcome at communion ... a church that teaches that hell is the absence of God ... the absence of love ... and that the only people that go to hell are the ones that choose to go ... because God is an all loving, unconditionally forgiving God ... I could never believe in a God that hates ... a God to be feared ... I believe in a God of love ...  the ELCA was the first established church to conduct homosexual marriages ... before it was the "cool" thing to do ... and recently the ELCA became one of the few established churches in the country that allows openly homosexual pastors to become ordained ... and to lead churches ... I could go on about all the many beliefs of the ELCA church ... but, I think I've made my point ... now the LCMS church ... which is the affiliation the high school I went to carried is very different ... they believe homosexuality is a sin (even expelling a good friend of mine for being openly gay) ... they believe that the altar of communion is only open to those that have been through confirmation or other classes and proven they know and believe the beliefs of the church ... my senior Bible teacher almost failed me because I had the audacity to defend the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and say they were ... wait for it ... Christian (gasp) ... I finally pulled out some definitions ... and Christian means that they believe that Jesus Christ lived and was the living Son of God ... ummm yeah ... pretty sure Mormons believe that ... anyway ... the LCMS church is very exclusionary ... very think inside the box ... very "if you don't believe like us you'll go to hell" ... I don't think the bulk of people in the LCMS really believe that ... but that is the message they put out there ...

I believe that Jesus Christ has been archaeologically and scientifically proven to be a historical character ... I believe that He was an amazing civil rights activist ... tending the poor, the weak, the dying, the broken, the criminals ... I believe Jesus Christ in the day and age we live in today would be the ultimate Democrat ... the ultimate Liberal ... sorry to say it to my religious right friends ... but He would ... He would support welfare ... He would support our freedoms ... He would pray for our criminals ... for our addicts ... for our homeless ... for our jobless ... for our people ...  I could start quoting Bible verses to prove it ... but there is no point ... anyone who has actually read the "good book" knows that he was the ultimate in compassion ... the ultimate in giving ... the ultimate in understanding ... the ultimate in forgiveness ... and He rarely passed judgment on others ... I personally have faith and believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God ... but it is a struggle that I go through sometimes to maintain that faith ... in a world full of science and facts ... it is hard sometimes to have faith in something you can't prove ...

As for politics blending with religion ... I believe that nobody should be discriminated against because of their religion ... I believe no religion is "better than" any other religion ... every religion on the planet has extremists that do awful things in the name of their religion ... none are any better than any other ... I believe that if a sports team in a public school wants to say a prayer before entering the field that should be allowed as long as nobody is forced to participate ... but I also believe that if you truly want your religion to be part of your child's education ... then you should send your child to a religious school ...

So, now on to politics ... and some of you are about to see how middle of the road I truly am ... okay here it goes ...

I'm Pro-Choice ... however ... I think that the law needs to be changed and as much as my women's rights friends would protest ... I believe that the father should have a say ... if the father is willing to take the baby and raise it ... I don't think it should be the mother's decision alone ... I had to sign a permission slip for my ex-husband to get a vasectomy ... but I could have walked into a clinic and had an abortion without even telling him ... and I think there is a problem there ... I'm not sure what the answer is ... but there is a problem there ... I also completely agree with the statement that "abortion stops a beating heart" ... anyone who wants to argue with me on that can look at my ultrasound from my second child ... two weeks after conception ... with a clearly thumping little heart ... this is the timeframe when most women discover they are pregnant ... I also am not against the "vaginal ultrasound" that is being displayed by the liberal agenda right now as being crude and unnecessary and such an awful thing ... in order to have an abortion ... chemical or surgical ... they have to make sure you are pregnant, the pregnancy isn't ectopic and find out the age of gestation ... in early pregnancies, that kind of ultrasound is the only way to do it ... I've heard reports from liberals stating it's like getting a pap smear and it's painful etc ... it's not ... I've had them ... and I would relate it more to products you would find in an adult toy store than a pap smear ... I don't believe that abortion should be a form of birth control ... I think it should only be used in situations of last resort ... but I don't think that it is the government's place to define what those situations are ... which unfortunately leaves it in the hands of medical professionals and the pregnant woman ...

I am a huge activist and proponent of GLBT rights ... they are people ... they are not second class citizens ... I believe that same sex marriage is a right that they are and should be entitled to ... and in some ways I think this because I think they should be entitled to a divorce process ... many problems are caused because they are left with no legal grounds when they break up ... I think that schools should not promote any kind of sexuality ... but should be accepting of all kinds ... now here's the kicker ... I supported "don't ask don't tell" ... mostly for logistical reasons ... but I am actually upset it was over turned ... I do believe that people shouldn't have to live a lie ... but ... logistically ... housing ... where do you house a gay man? ... with the straight men? ... with other gay men? .... with gay women? ... also ... many times groups in the military are purposely separated by gender in order to improve concentration and keep everyone safe ... I have heard submarines being used as an example of this ... if there are reasons for separating genders  ... you would think that there would also be reasons for not allowing gay men in the same situation ...  so ... while I believe strongly in GLBT rights ... I agreed with "don't ask don't tell" ...

The war against terrorism I am in full support of ... using it as an excuse to fight wars against countries that have nothing to do with terrorism I'm against ... securing the rights of abused people all over the world with the great military power of the United States is something that I am for ... I believe that standing up for what is right is something that should be done and if a tyrant is killing hundreds of thousands of people for his own purpose that as the country we are we should take a stand and make it stop ... I support the men and women of the military one hundred and ten percent even when I disagree with their mission(s) ... 

I have a fairly strong military history in my family and also my friend base ... the US Flag that was presented to us at my grandfather's interment is nicely shadowboxed and displayed in my mom's living room ... my grandfather was in the US Army Corp of Engineers during WWII where he spent time in Egypt, Israel and Turkey building prisons and being a prison guard for prisoners of war ... my uncle was in the USMC ... and served in Vietnam ... I watched my father break down and cry at the Vietnam memorial wall as he found names of fallen friends ... people he knew ... that fought and died there ... my Godfather and Godbrother are career US Coast Guard ... my ex-husbands grandfather was career US Navy ... as was my boyfriend's grandfather ... when I look at my Facebook friends ...  someplace between 10 & 20 percent either have been military, have a spouse that's military or were raised by someone that was career military ... I have tremendous respect for those that serve and the families they leave behind ... and whether I support a mission or a war or not ... that never changes ...

I believe the tax rate on the 1% is high enough ... but the laws on tax shelters need to be tightened and all of the 1% income needs to be taxed ... I also believe that while I benefit from it something needs to change about the tax credit system ... there is no reason that my employer withholds $100 in federal taxes from me ... my tax status is exempt ... but I get a $6000 check in the mail because I have kids ... I benefit from it ... I shouldn't complain ... but I honestly think it's wrong ... and I think we could save a lot of money ($20 billion on Child Tax Credit alone) if we limited tax credits to only the amount that was paid in ... we have families all over this country that are literally being paid out of tax money rather than paying taxes ... I understand this is supposed to help stimulate the economy, but I still think that some changes need to be made ...  I also believe the corporations should pay more taxes and that tax shelter laws on them should be changed as well ...

I believe in the welfare system ... which will eventually be a whole different blog ... most people have NO clue how the system works ... but I believe in food stamps, I believe in medicaid, I believe in medicare, I believe in social security, I believe in unemployment ... I think the general public is highly uneducated about all of these systems ... what I will say here and now is that at least 25 percent of the nation is on one or another of these programs ... so when people on these programs are called names ... well ... entire groups are being insulted ... not just the few that might, and I mean might, be deserving of those names ... it is a somewhat broken system ... and needs some overhaul ... but I believe that compassion breeds compassion and if we show it to those less fortunate it will come back ten fold ...  and by the way ... I also think it's wrong ... that government employees have their own pension system rather than being thrown into the social security system with everyone else ... sure it's a great benefit for those involved, but I'm thinking it says something about the government's faith in the social security system ...I also think that people should really think about when they claim people are "living off the government" ... I know that often times this is a reference to those on social benefits as young able bodied people only, however ... the definition of living off the government could include; those on medicare, social security, recipients of federal and state level student aide, those employed by local, state & federal governments, the military and those that are on government and military pensions ... however if a retired judge goes out and spends his government issued judicial pension getting drunk and high that isn't publicized as "wasting our tax dollars" ... also ... the drug testing of welfare recipients proved to be a failure in the state of Florida where 98% of people passed ... the testing of those 98% costs exponentially more than the amount of money saved by not dispensing benefits to the 2% that didn't pass ... despite what many people think is common knowledge, most people receiving these benefits are good people that want out of the situation they are in ... a few bad apples make them look bad ... but it really is just a few bad apples ...

I believe healthcare reform was a necessary evil ... however ... Obama's original plan (that was put out to the public in 2006 before he declared he was making a run for office) was the best plan I ever saw for healthcare reform ... but then the rest of the democrats got their hands on it ... and then the republicans put their demands in and it was nothing like the original plan ... it has major holes ... but something needed to be done ... I believe that Santorum comparing necessary medications to iPads ... saying it was okay that drugs are expensive because people buy iPads was about the most heartless thing I've heard so far in this entire campaign ... I personally can't afford an iPad ... I don't know many people that can ... so to compare necessary medications to that proves that he is completely out of touch with most of society ... I think that we need to take care of our people ... and their health needs ... other countries have figured it out ... getting the greedy corporations out of the mix would be a good start ...

I believe the rising temperatures are mostly a result mostly of the Earth's natural warming period, but accelerated by our pollution ... however ... I think that we have polluted our home to all hell and recycling is a very good thing ... I also believe that in some areas of the country it is a lot of work and costs money to recycle and that often demotivates people from wanting to do it ...  I believe true organic food is a good thing ... but expensive ... and there needs to be more accountability for the companies claiming things are organic ... I also think that the FDA should monitor supplements more closely than they are ...

I'm sure that there are many more issues I could touch on ... and if you asked me I would ... however ... for anyone that knows anything about politics ... it's pretty clear at this point that I walk both sides of the line ... absolutely issue by issue ... politician by politician ... I believe the two best presidents of my lifetime are Clinton & Regan ...  the last election to the dismay of my parents and the pride of my grandparents I voted for McCain ... I believed he was one of the best middle of the road politicians that we have ever had ... now let me say I thought Obama was flipping fantastic ... before he declared his run for presidency ... then he was all party lines ... I hate party lines ... I hate that you can't have someone run for office with contradicting views ... I also thought Palin was good at first ... and then she turned into I don't even know what ... but her first few public speeches were really good ... I liked her ... not so much anymore ... I would love to see a real person ... a person that believed what they believed and didn't listen to the bosses of the DNC or GOP tell them what to do ... but I don't see that happening anytime soon ...

I will tell you that I have made some observations ... about people that support either the Democratic or Republican party ... generally speaking (this doesn't apply to all) ... Democratic supporters are generally compassionate and giving, nonjudgmental and approachable, open to new ideas, accepting of different opinions, all about the good of the country as a whole not any one particular group of people, they engage in highly intellectual discussion and debate, and still love each other afterward ... they bring up facts, they don't personally attack, they have empathy and grace ... on the flip side ... generally speaking (again doesn't apply to all) ... the Republican supporters that I come in contact with in social media and see on TV ... have some negative attributes ... their opinions are rarely put out in intellectual, thoughtful and respectful ways (I have two very strong contradictions to this that I encounter on Facebook ... extremely thoughtful and respectful Republican supporters) ... there is often a lot of personal attacks and name calling ... there is a degradation of our President, our military's Commander in Chief that I don't understand ... 

For the record ... he has produced a birth certificate ... he is a Christian ... and all the controversy over him being a foreign born Muslim ... just makes those making those statements look like ignorant racists to those that know better ... so whether or not they are ignorant racists, it comes off that way ... I think that if people are going to personally attack someone, anyone, over politics that a line has been crossed ... I think everyone is capable of intellectual and respectful discussion ... sometimes they just choose not to ... 

I love intellectual discussion and debate ... I have them with my liberal friends all the time ... we debate social welfare, abortion, circumcision ... bring it on ... if you have facts and intellect and are not just going to start name calling and personally attacking ... well I would love to talk about anything ... abortion ... sure bring it on ... capital punishment ... why not ... the tax system ... absolutely ... but if it is going to be name calling, personal attacks ... and then when you decide you have nothing else to say you start talking about our president's ethnicity ... well then ... that's not intellectual and respectful ... the few conservatives that I have come up against intellectual debate I have learned a great deal from ... I respect their opinions ... I have one ... he's in that 1% ... and we went round and round about welfare ... and I completely understand where he is coming from ... and I'm pretty sure he knew where I was coming from ... we just agree to disagree ... and then have the proverbial beer together ... I just have issues when it comes down to degradation of the person you are talking to or of a political figure ... 

FYI I don't know any democrats that want free shit

I had amazing intellectual discussions with people based on these two pictures posted on facebook ... and I learned a lot ... and educated a lot ... both sides have skewed things ... 

ALL Republicans don't think ALL these things .

I believe that if you are going to degrade a president, or any politician/political figure that it needs to be done equally ... if you think it's funny that Obama flubbed some words in a speech ... well then ... let's take a look at some of Bush's speeches ... if you think that Obama is to blame for gas prices ... well, let's look at Bush's records on gas prices ... if you think Obama is responsible for the war we are in ... I'm not even dignifying that with a response ...  and if it were all in reverse ... I would say the same thing ... the stuff that came out after Bin Ladin was killed was ridiculous ... any president would have said the same things ... in fact I would venture to say that both Bush and Clinton in the same position would have really shown the spotlight on themselves and truly made it about them ... but the last time I checked the president is the commander in chief and many military decisions are actually made by the president no matter what their political affiliation ... again ... if you're going to bash somebody that is in a position of power ... do it equally ... don't just jump on some bandwagon because he's not the guy you voted for ... and rewind ... I am defending a guy I didn't vote for ...

I am sick of the name calling ... sick of the personal attacks and personal offenses ... but I am mostly sick of ignorance and a lack of intelligent conversation ... if you want to complain about the guy trumping our prime time TV shows or the opening football game ... that's fine ... but when the next Republican rolls around ... you better have the same complaints then ... because those things have nothing to do with the person in the office of presidency ... and everything to do with it just being the office of presidency ... those same issues ... most of the ones that I hear people complaining about ... would be issues regardless of which party held the presidency ... guess what ... when Bush gave speeches they interrupted my sitcoms and sporting events too ... because the office of the presidency is respected ... as it should be ... not because the president , himself, regardless of who he is thinks that he is somehow special ... but because the bulk of the nation respects the office and the title that it carries ... regardless of who holds the title ... 

When it comes down to it there are certain beliefs in a politician I can't vote for ... I can't vote for a politician that is strictly anti-abortion ... I can't vote for a politician that is absolutely against GLBT rights ... I can't vote for a politician that wants to turn us into India with a quarter of our population earning a living digging through trash because they want to get rid of the social welfare systems ... I can't vote for a politician that has openly displayed any kind of bigotry ... the list goes on ... but unfortunately like with most people ... it's not about who is the best choice ... but rather who is the better choice of not so good choices most of the time ...