Protesters gathered last Sunday in Augusta to support the gathering opposition to the gay marriage bills on tap in Maine. The event stayed civil, concluding without incident. The Christian Family Research Council organized the protest. The CFRC is an D.C. based organization.
This reeks of all the outside influence people tried to push on Maine during the contraception debacle at King Middle School last year. If Mainers requested the CFRC come to help their efforts that is one thing. If they come to Maine without an invite that is another. We are smart people. We have been making our own choices just fine since 1820 thank you very much. Mind your Ps and Qs. We’ll sort this out on our own.
A lot of people have been throwing this term around lately. Some cheer at its mention. Others become red with rage. What could illicit such strong emotions? (Parents: small children should leave the room.)
SOCIALISM
The old boogeyman is back and in a big way. We heard the term thrown around by McCain and Palin during the election. Clearly, voters weren’t phased by the charges that Obama was as red as Trotsky.
The stimulus plan has become labeled as socialist by the right. Beck, O’Reilly, and Limbaugh, have sounded the alarm. We are heading down the road to a socialist state if we don’t act now they warn. I don’t disagree, but is the anti-socialist cry a bit too late for America? Are we headed down the road to European socialism? Is this good or bad for America? In a short series, that I just decided to do this very moment, I will explore these questions from as many angles as I can stand.
Let’s get the easiest thing out of the way first. The largest problem I have with the S Word is it’s misuse. This has nothing to do with my support or opposition of Socialism. It really rubs me the wrong way when someone ignorantly tosses the word around in the wrong context. One of the biggest culprits is Elisabeth Hasselbeck of The View.
A little over a week ago the ladies on The View broke into yet another near riot. The catalyst this time was a new PSA released by Ashley Judd on wolf hunting in Alaska.
Elisabeth Hasselbeck, wearing pilgrim garb on The View in support of her puritanical views, today lambasted Ashley Judd’s PSA slamming Sarah Palin for supporting the killing of wolves in Alaska. She started out with a rational argument, noting that wolf downsizing is part of a predator control program to help the struggling caribou population — trust me, I’m not agreeing with the argument, but at least it made a modicum of sense — but THEN…
Hasselwreck [sic] threw in her usual dose of crazy by asking if Ashley also defends the hundreds of thousands of babies “killed in abortions” each year. Yes, from wolf slaughtering to a woman’s right to choose: a logical leap. When Joy Behar asked that she stay on topic, Hasselwreck [sic] said she would talk about whatever the hell she wanted to talk about, and demanded to know if she was at “the Socialist table.”
Ok that wasn’t that most impartial source to draw from, but they weren’t exaggerating much. I’m not trying to pick on Elisabeth Hasselbeck, other people on the show make asses of themselves (Joy) or have no idea what they are talking about (Sherri) almost as much as Elisabeth. Hasselbeck is just so loud and obvious about it.
To call the table “Socialist” is wrong. Socialism does not always come with a rejection of civil rights like free speech. I can evolve into such, like in Soviet Russia or China, but socialism does not mean a rejection of rights. Socialism points to government involvement in markets and ownership.
from Wikipedia Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating public or state ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods, and a society characterized by equal opportunities for all individuals, with a fair or egalitarian method of compensation.
If you want to speak out against Socialism infringing on your property rights I’ll back you. Do you disagree with that much government interference in the market? That’s fine by me. Please stop equating socialism with a moratorium on free speech. As far as I know, you can still say whatever stupid thing you want in Sweden and not be arrested.
A lot of people have been throwing this term around lately. Some cheer at its mention. Others become red with rage. What could illicit such strong emotions? (Parents: small children should leave the room.)
SOCIALISM
The old boogeyman is back and in a big way. We heard the term thrown around by McCain and Palin during the election. Clearly, voters weren’t phased by the charges that Obama was as red as Trotsky.
The stimulus plan has become labeled as socialist by the right. Beck, O’Reilly, and Limbaugh, have sounded the alarm. We are heading down the road to a socialist state if we don’t act now they warn. I don’t disagree, but is the anti-socialist cry a bit too late for America? Are we headed down the road to European socialism? Is this good or bad for America? In a short series, that I just decided to do this very moment, I will explore these questions from as many angles as I can stand.
Let’s get the easiest thing out of the way first. The largest problem I have with the S Word is it’s misuse. This has nothing to do with my support or opposition of Socialism. It really rubs me the wrong way when someone ignorantly tosses the word around in the wrong context. One of the biggest culprits is Elisabeth Hasselbeck of The View.
A little over a week ago the ladies on The View broke into yet another near riot. The catalyst this time was a new PSA released by Ashley Judd on wolf hunting in Alaska.
Elisabeth Hasselbeck, wearing pilgrim garb on The View in support of her puritanical views, today lambasted Ashley Judd’s PSA slamming Sarah Palin for supporting the killing of wolves in Alaska. She started out with a rational argument, noting that wolf downsizing is part of a predator control program to help the struggling caribou population — trust me, I’m not agreeing with the argument, but at least it made a modicum of sense — but THEN…
Hasselwreck [sic] threw in her usual dose of crazy by asking if Ashley also defends the hundreds of thousands of babies “killed in abortions” each year. Yes, from wolf slaughtering to a woman’s right to choose: a logical leap. When Joy Behar asked that she stay on topic, Hasselwreck [sic] said she would talk about whatever the hell she wanted to talk about, and demanded to know if she was at “the Socialist table.”
Ok that wasn’t that most impartial source to draw from, but they weren’t exaggerating much. I’m not trying to pick on Elisabeth Hasselbeck, other people on the show make asses of themselves (Joy) or have no idea what they are talking about (Sherri) almost as much as Elisabeth. Hasselbeck is just so loud and obvious about it.
To call the table “Socialist” is wrong. Socialism does not always come with a rejection of civil rights like free speech. I can evolve into such, like in Soviet Russia or China, but socialism does not mean a rejection of rights. Socialism points to government involvement in markets and ownership.
from Wikipedia Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating public or state ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods, and a society characterized by equal opportunities for all individuals, with a fair or egalitarian method of compensation.
If you want to speak out against Socialism infringing on your property rights I’ll back you. Do you disagree with that much government interference in the market? That’s fine by me. Please stop equating socialism with a moratorium on free speech. As far as I know, you can still say whatever stupid thing you want in Sweden and not be arrested.
