An angry liberal in a conservative world

[hkellick]

If there was something the last... well, since November has shown me it's.. how suddenly conservative the nation feels.

Things are looking bad for those of us liberals who are interested in neutering the ever-expanding power of corrupt companies, of educating the masses of illiterate people, of making the world a safer place by NOT causing world-wide chaos, of making sure that every man, woman and child, despite their sexual orientation, or gender have rights over their own body.

We are besieged on all sides by a very powerful and scarily well-organized christian coalition. And the democrats... are becoming scarcer and scarcer.

I can't begin to tell you my disgust at every battle we liberals are fighting.

The Alaska Wilderness is all but toast, soon to be an environment disaster and for what? Will it bring the price of gas down? Even Bush has said No, not really.

The war in Iraq is "going well", if you don't count the fact that there's still a shit load of American kids overseas and they're still being picked off in groups of three or four by angry Iraqi insurgents.

The war against a gay rights and a woman's right to even the most PRACTICAL of birth controls is soon to be at the forefront.. and.. you're going to lose. Women will probably lose abortion again. They may lose ability to get birth control. And.. for what?

I think there's a sort of.. attitude inside the republican party of "Grab what you can now and don't worry about tommorow." Every one of their policies seems, to me, to make the world a WORSE place for tommorow, not better.

It completely boggles the mind. It's like they can't see through the reality of the situation and.. guesstimate where things go from there.

Take away birth control and.. what? Do you think men and women will stop lusting?
I heard something that shocked the hell out of me on kiwiria's journal yesterday. Someone commented to her that.. she thought that Catholics didn't cheat. And she was devastated that her husband of 10 years did.
Lust.. is. Men and women lust. Taking away birth control won't stop us from lusting, it will just mean we have more babies to feed.
Well, babies are good, right? We all should have babies.
Except... no. Take a look at Africa or Asia, places where birth control isn't always practiced, if at all. Sure, America's richer than Africa or Asia, but there's still only so many resources at our disposal.. for food, for heat, for shelter, that.. eventually you do run out.

I could go on... I really could, but... chances are, you know.

I know that history goes in circles. We gain rights, we lose rights. The country becomes progressive, the contry becomes conservative. It's just.. worrying, aggravating, upsetting.

I just hope things don't go too far right. To the point where we've screwed ourselves royally.
And keep fighting to make sure the republicans don't get their way. They've got the white house, the senate and the house and now they're going after the judges. That's the scary part.. They're smart, the opposition, and very well organized and so far they've gotten their way.
I hope eventually we get our act together as well as they have and can kick their backwater asses out of power. Please.

Comments

[phoenixsong]

Well, technically she said she thought Christians don't cheat. Her husband is a pastor, and Catholic priests can't marry (unless they convert as married clergy).

Either way...if things keep going this way, can we move to Canada? Please?

(Though I'm still hopeful that, after all, there is only so much that can be done in 3.5 years, and Bush is losing poll points fast...)

[peachtess.livejournal.com]

I don't have tv atm so I don't hear the latest news. Where did you hear the thing on birth control? They better not make it illegal. It took too fucking long for it to end up as a covered prescription for most health insurance plans and there is still some that won't cover it. I really am getting more and more turned off about going back to the states.

[phoenixsong]

lite sent me this article summarizing things the other day:

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2005/04/27/birth_control/index_np.html

There are actually pharmacists who are denying to dispense BC pills prescribed by a woman's doctor, because they believe the pills cause abortions rather than preventing pregnancy, and they therefore have a moral objection. Moreover, some of them that have made the news recently refused to transfer the prescription elsewhere, because they felt doing so was still enabling an "abortion" and causing them to sin.

*patooie*

[peachtess.livejournal.com]

Hmm..this seems to be about only one type of birth control..the "morning-after-pill"..so its not the standard pill women take everyday. Its still utterly stupid though because its not an abortion. You have to take it at the latest 72hrs after sex. I know from my bio classes that its impossible to actually *be* pregnant in 72 hrs. Its just not enough time for the sperm to make it to the egg. So its still prevention. I swear when people come up with these dumb ideas do they even BOTHER with research? Sheesh..=P

[phoenixsong]

OK, that article may have only mentioned the morning-after pill, but others in recent weeks (I'll try to find them) have included pharmacists that have declined to give unmarried women birth control pills after asking the women if they are to be used for contraception.

[lawchicky.livejournal.com]

The US government is not going to take away birth control pills. The repubican party ideas have to do with abortion, not birth control pills. Republicans love corporations like drug companies, and wouldn't try to eliminate their business. Even the abortion "plans" are far-fetched. Whether or not a woman has a right to an abortion has to do with decisions made by the Supreme Court (any legislation would have to ultimately pass their muster) and by policies passed by your state government. This November, people should pay good attention to their gubernotorial (sp)races.. no one realizes how important it is to elect good candidates to their respective positions in Congress and in their state government.

[lite.livejournal.com]

The party as a whole? I dunno. Some "good christian pharmacists"... yes. Society as a whole.. maybe?
There have been alot of articles around my friends page. I'll see if I can find one and comment with it.

[elbinia.livejournal.com]

I also get angrier and angrier at the current administration. All of the things they are trying to do are being done in such insiduous ways, many people will not even notice their rights have disappeared until it is too late.

[angiepenguin.livejournal.com]

Have you listened to Air America (http://www.airamericaradio.com/)? It's a radio station that has affiliates all over.

It's the only place on the radio that *isn't* all Gung-ho for Bush.