Politics and Poker

I try to be non-political on Facebook because I have so many friends from different walks of life. In most cases our friendship has nothing to do with politics so I tend to stay neutral. I believe the time has come to speak.

One of my favorite writers and directors in Hollywood is Aaron Sorkin. I doubt we could be anymore different in our beliefs but I can recognize good writing. In the movie “The American President” President Andrew Shepherd confronts an adversary with this speech. “America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship. You gotta want it bad, 'cause it's gonna put up a fight. It's gonna say "You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours. You want to claim this land as the land of the free? Then the symbol of your country can't just be a flag; the symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms. Then, you can stand up and sing about the "land of the free".

I am disappointed that we have reached a point where “Free Speech” (or abridging the freedom of speech) seems to only go one way. I see this on both sides. I am a very conservative Christian. I’m a Bible reader not a Bible thumper. I hear people screaming that religion has no place in government; well I would say that government has no place in religion. Remember this little phrase?

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;”

If I freely exercise the tenets of my faith I’m called a bigot, a homophobic, a racist etc. If I believe in traditional marriage, if I believe life begins at conception and if I believe bathrooms should be for girls only or boys only I’m intolerant. Why is it that the other side doesn’t feel the need to respect my opinions? If I don’t want to make a cake for a gay marriage why should I be forced to? But even more than this, why would a gay couple WANT a cake made by someone that didn’t want to make it? I certainly wouldn’t want a service provided to me by someone that was against my life choices. The only reason I can think of for one group to force another group is to bully or to impose their opinion on me. It would be different if my service was the only one available, but it’s not. Why not just go to someone who wants to serve you. Because that would be tolerance, instead we must make someone right and therefore someone wrong.

Regardless of what some say I don’t equate gay rights with the Civil Rights of the 1960’s.  I’m sorry I just don’t. I don’t know if one’s sexuality is a result of nature or nurture. I know that those who are open-minded will find science on both sides. The color of ones skin however is an immutable fact; thus making their situation different from other ‘so called rights’. If we are to consider the Declaration and the Constitution we really have very few “rights”. “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.” & “among these rights are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. The original text said property instead of happiness but the founders were afraid the slave owners would use the slaves as a means of growing their property.

It reminds be of a child who has lost the absolute difference between needs and wants. I remember my daughter as a young girl coming and complaining about how she desperately needs something i.e. new jeans… At this point I would again explain to her the difference between need and want, “you need air, you need food, you need water, you may even need a home but surely you recognize that you don’t ‘need’ new jeans, you just want them.” This is when I became an expert on eye rolling and stomping feet.

Of course I want all American’s to have a nice middle class life or more, but raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour is not how you do it. It’s not done by handing out things it’s done by providing opportunities. It’s just that many people don’t want to work for it they want it given to them.

As an example, I would love few things more than to play the piano; I just don’t want to learn to play. I want God to wave his hand and make it happen. I have a feeling I may be waiting for a long time.

Isn’t it time that we can a least agree to disagree. Why must someone be wrong in order for someone to be right? The people who yell the loudest about tolerance seem to be the least tolerant. Until we can respect each other as humans we will never be able to join together and move forward as Americans.