This piece of writing is about one of the biggest conspiracy theories ever put out by political fringe groups and extremists ever, hands down. It was undoubtedly proposed by right-wing extremists, and is quite honestly one of the most nonsensical theories I have ever heard.
The Birther Movement (www.birthers.org) centers around the idea that President Barack Huessein Obama is not a natural born citizen of the United States. Fine and dandy to be suspicious, but let's not scream foul in the face of amazingly overwhelming evidence that your theories are false.
One header on the Birther's website has 4 pages on why Obama's Birth Certificate, Selective Service Documents, Birth Announcements in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, and Letter from the Hospital are all forged.
-The Birth Certificate section links you to "Atlas Shrugs", a blog from right-wing crazy Pamela Gellar. So that's not reliable.
-Click on Selective Service Documents, and it takes you to Debbie Schlussel, a staunchly conservative commentator. While typically reliable, the article proves absolutely nothing.
-Go down to Letter to the Hospital, and it takes you to World Net Daily, the conservative version of "Enquirer" or "Star". Automatically not reliable, as it is a gossip tabloid.
-Finally, "Birth Announcements" teleports you to Western Journalism, and an article that says a "Certification of Live Birth" does not confirm that a person was born in that area. Where would The Honolulu Star get that, then? Japan? A phone call from a remote mountain village in the Tibetan wilderness? They also cite World Net Daily as a source, which is not reliable.
This whole movement is based on nothing more than conspirical speculation, and is honestly not a movement at all. A movement has to MOVE for something. These theorists are loosely banded together under an unfounded belief.
This was simply a post defending our Commander in Chief. The leader of our great nation, who were are all patriotically obligated to serve regardless of political affiliation. The Birther Movement is a mockery of our intelligence as a nation, and should be disregarded as nothing more than a smear on our image.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Large-Scale Laryngitis
In a perfect democracy, every citizen has a voice. An opinion. A say in what does and does not become law. Unfortunately, this is not a perfect world. In a perfect world, the government is for the people, by the people. Not the abundant ego-petting, image-fluffing, across-the-aisle sniping that is oh-so prevalent in Washington today, and has been since 2000.
Since 2000, every powerful politician has slowly become more and more out of touch with the needs of the American people. They're more concerned with their own career and making more and more money than they are with fixing America so that the average citizen can have food, water, a job, and the materials necessary to live.
The Bush Administration was no better than the current one, at least for the last 2 or 3 years of the tenure. The spending was off the charts, and that contributed to the massive deficit faced today. The Obama Administration, instead of tightening their belts like the rest of America is forced to do during this recession, proposes RECORD spending. They propose environmental reforms that impose unfair restrictions on businesses in times like these; restrictions that will ultimately lead to increased prices and less affordability for consumers. Fixing an ailing economy became the third or fourth thing on their list after they took over, while the unemployment rate rose and the recession deepened. They were more concerned with passing socialistic health care that people didn't want, and still only works some of the time. With more and more of America running on jobless benefits, the GOP filibustered an extension of the benefits (damn you Jim Bunning) that keep food on the table for families. If that isn't a symbol of the rift between Washington D.C and the rest of America, I'm not sure what is.
This goes back to entitlement. THEY got elected to the seat, so THEY feel they can do as they please. They forget that the PEOPLE elected them, and that THEY serve the PEOPLE. There is no accountability today, at either the state or the federal level. Our governor ran this great state into the ground and stripped away college funds from tens of thousands of kids. Our U.S. Representatives are focused on legislative victories in the most minor areas, instead of ensuring the survival of the citizens. Even state governments on the west coast are diverting their attention to some of the most pointless issues, like Los Angeles and parts of New Mexico boycotting Arizona over SB 1070. That is not a pressing issue at this time.
The American people have come down with a widespread case of arrogance-induced laryngitis. Arrogance on the part of our politicians. We have no voice. The only cure here is to, pardon the quote from "Swing Vote", break the cycle. Every election, we remove people who have failed us and replace them with people who are going to fail us. People who have mastered the art of persuasion and image-enhancing. People who make empty promises. People who sit on their government-provided thrones in Lansing, Washington D.C., and state capitals all over the United States and do nothing but pad their resumes for the next election. We need to break this damaging cycle.
While I do not agree with some of their methods, the Tea Party is a great model. A protest group that demands accountability and transparency, the former missing from the government entirely, and the latter from the Obama Administration. In the interest of fairness, on the left side, I'd like to cite MoveOn.org, which was a major leftist player during the reign of the Bush Administration and continues to be a liberal haven.
This is also aimed at my generation. Get out and support someone. Just because you can't vote doesn't mean that you can't help on the campaign trail. Talk to your parents, see if you can influence them. It's primary season as well, and many candidates would love to have your help. This is a call to action. Show them we still have a voice.
Since 2000, every powerful politician has slowly become more and more out of touch with the needs of the American people. They're more concerned with their own career and making more and more money than they are with fixing America so that the average citizen can have food, water, a job, and the materials necessary to live.
The Bush Administration was no better than the current one, at least for the last 2 or 3 years of the tenure. The spending was off the charts, and that contributed to the massive deficit faced today. The Obama Administration, instead of tightening their belts like the rest of America is forced to do during this recession, proposes RECORD spending. They propose environmental reforms that impose unfair restrictions on businesses in times like these; restrictions that will ultimately lead to increased prices and less affordability for consumers. Fixing an ailing economy became the third or fourth thing on their list after they took over, while the unemployment rate rose and the recession deepened. They were more concerned with passing socialistic health care that people didn't want, and still only works some of the time. With more and more of America running on jobless benefits, the GOP filibustered an extension of the benefits (damn you Jim Bunning) that keep food on the table for families. If that isn't a symbol of the rift between Washington D.C and the rest of America, I'm not sure what is.
This goes back to entitlement. THEY got elected to the seat, so THEY feel they can do as they please. They forget that the PEOPLE elected them, and that THEY serve the PEOPLE. There is no accountability today, at either the state or the federal level. Our governor ran this great state into the ground and stripped away college funds from tens of thousands of kids. Our U.S. Representatives are focused on legislative victories in the most minor areas, instead of ensuring the survival of the citizens. Even state governments on the west coast are diverting their attention to some of the most pointless issues, like Los Angeles and parts of New Mexico boycotting Arizona over SB 1070. That is not a pressing issue at this time.
The American people have come down with a widespread case of arrogance-induced laryngitis. Arrogance on the part of our politicians. We have no voice. The only cure here is to, pardon the quote from "Swing Vote", break the cycle. Every election, we remove people who have failed us and replace them with people who are going to fail us. People who have mastered the art of persuasion and image-enhancing. People who make empty promises. People who sit on their government-provided thrones in Lansing, Washington D.C., and state capitals all over the United States and do nothing but pad their resumes for the next election. We need to break this damaging cycle.
While I do not agree with some of their methods, the Tea Party is a great model. A protest group that demands accountability and transparency, the former missing from the government entirely, and the latter from the Obama Administration. In the interest of fairness, on the left side, I'd like to cite MoveOn.org, which was a major leftist player during the reign of the Bush Administration and continues to be a liberal haven.
This is also aimed at my generation. Get out and support someone. Just because you can't vote doesn't mean that you can't help on the campaign trail. Talk to your parents, see if you can influence them. It's primary season as well, and many candidates would love to have your help. This is a call to action. Show them we still have a voice.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
A Public Retraction
Earlier this year, I had the fortune of serving a two-week tenure as the Minority Leader of the Republican Party in Mr. Linton's 3rd hour AP Government class. This forced me to take an in-depth look at things on an issue-to-issue basis, from matters ranging from offshore drilling to environmental reform.
One of the more controversial issues that was brought up was nationwide legalization of gay marriage. I immediately adopted a "no way, no how" stance and saw to it that not a single Republican voted for or abstained from that bill. Why? Looking back, I don't have a good reason. It was a staunch conservative viewpoint, and in a split-second lapse in judgement, I opposed the bill. I now see just how "in the wrong" I was. I followed indoctrinating conservative and religious rhetoric with a one-track mind, and just let it chug along. My epiphany is as follows.
All PEOPLE are created equal. Black, white, Hispanic, homosexual, heterosexual, what have you, everyone should have the same human rights. Life. Liberty. The Pursuit of Happiness. Homosexuals should no doubt have the LIBERTY to do what they want with their LIFE and PURSUE HAPPINESS. It doesn't directly affect me or my rights, so there's no legitimate reason to ban it. It would in fact be morally wrong to restrict marriage to strictly heterosexuals. One of my main points was that "there would be a profoundly negative societal and civil effect". Stepping back and looking at it again, I don't see how I ever believed that. What's it going to change? Who cares if two men are living together in a house with a piece of paper that says they're legally together? Not I.
Another main objection is that "it's expressly forbidden in the Bible". So the government should not allow it? From my point of view, that crosses that ever-important wall of separation between Church and State that has guarded our nation from religious tyranny for over 200 years. I'm not fundamentally religious enough to see that infringe upon the way I live my life, so if it ensures that others have every right that is granted to them while they are in this country, then by golly, legalize it.
I was straight-up wrong. This has taught me not to go along with either conservative dogma or liberal rhetoric, but to listen to my own morals and beliefs. This post should stir up some controversy, and I'm more than prepared for it.
One of the more controversial issues that was brought up was nationwide legalization of gay marriage. I immediately adopted a "no way, no how" stance and saw to it that not a single Republican voted for or abstained from that bill. Why? Looking back, I don't have a good reason. It was a staunch conservative viewpoint, and in a split-second lapse in judgement, I opposed the bill. I now see just how "in the wrong" I was. I followed indoctrinating conservative and religious rhetoric with a one-track mind, and just let it chug along. My epiphany is as follows.
All PEOPLE are created equal. Black, white, Hispanic, homosexual, heterosexual, what have you, everyone should have the same human rights. Life. Liberty. The Pursuit of Happiness. Homosexuals should no doubt have the LIBERTY to do what they want with their LIFE and PURSUE HAPPINESS. It doesn't directly affect me or my rights, so there's no legitimate reason to ban it. It would in fact be morally wrong to restrict marriage to strictly heterosexuals. One of my main points was that "there would be a profoundly negative societal and civil effect". Stepping back and looking at it again, I don't see how I ever believed that. What's it going to change? Who cares if two men are living together in a house with a piece of paper that says they're legally together? Not I.
Another main objection is that "it's expressly forbidden in the Bible". So the government should not allow it? From my point of view, that crosses that ever-important wall of separation between Church and State that has guarded our nation from religious tyranny for over 200 years. I'm not fundamentally religious enough to see that infringe upon the way I live my life, so if it ensures that others have every right that is granted to them while they are in this country, then by golly, legalize it.
I was straight-up wrong. This has taught me not to go along with either conservative dogma or liberal rhetoric, but to listen to my own morals and beliefs. This post should stir up some controversy, and I'm more than prepared for it.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)