Whether a political strategy to further polarize people or a heartfelt opinion, I for one find all the charges of racism from prominent Democrats and homophobia from local "progressives" personally offensive.
The left-wing big shots came out firing at the Tea Party folks, led by Jimmy Carter, who has decided those who object to the overreaching centralized socialism being enacted in Washington as ignorant, red-necked racists. As one that is happy to see so many people energized in a united effort to stop the madness in Washington, I reject Carter and company's characterization and am personally offended by it.
The local newspaper published an announcement in the weddings section of a pair of gay men who apparently were married in California. It stirred up outrage among many in the community, who wrote to the paper to excoriate them for publishing such an announcement and cancelled or threatened to cancel their subscriptions.
Again, the supporters of same-sex marriage wrote in to accuse those who expressed their anger over the newspaper's decision to publish the announcement of being the worst sort of knuckle-dragging bigots. Once again, as one who happens to agree that it's inappropriate to publish wedding announcements for same-sex couples, I'm personally offended by the accusation.
Getting past the name-calling, all I can do is try to explain my position on these issues.
Having followed the Tea Party movement, I know they're a large and growing group of ordinary Americans who are appalled at the path being pursued by the leadership in Washington. They are protesting outrageous government spending and corruption, for which both parties have long been guilty, but the Democrats seem to have turned into an art form immediately upon gaining control over the executive and legislative branches.
The simple fact that President Obama is leading and/or supporting these policies, including massively expensive and liberty-destroying nationalization of healthcare, energy, banking and automotive industries, simply includes him as a focus of the protest. However, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid and the rest of the Democrat leadership in Washington are equally targeted in this protest. The protest is aimed at the policies, not the people.
I find it hypocritical that the same party that chuckled or looked the other way as a large proportion of their constituency engaged in a daily slander of the previous President and Vice President, going as far as hoping for assassination or disease to remove them if Congress couldn't or wouldn't remove and imprison them.
Nothing even close has been evident in the Tea Party protests.
On the same-sex marriage issue, my objection is simply this: Marriage is defined by Judeo-Christian tradition as a union between a man and a woman as the foundation for a family. Although I believe homosexual behavior is a choice, no more than adultery or polygamy or even deviant sexual practices, I don't believe a free society should be in the business of punishing individuals who choose the homosexual "lifestyle".
But neither do the homosexuals have the right to force me to give up my own morality and celebrate their chosen lifestyle. If you want to call me homophobic, then what word would you use to characterize my "intolerance" toward adultery? Or my moral disagreement with couples who choose to co-habitate without the institution of marriage? Do I hate them all? If that were true, these days I'd be left with very few people I didn't hate.
There is objective right and wrong. I am guilty of things that are wrong, but I don't run around demanding other people respect or celebrate those behaviors. Instead, I try to do reform and do better.
How about this: I'll agree not to call you horrible names if you agree to the same.
No comments:
Post a Comment