As to Rip's orginal question (from that other thread):
"I am particularly interested in replies from our friends that are left of center, the FD-ski's, the Weazels, the
Nash's, etc. Whats your take on this? National security issue or infringement on ones rights?"
Not much of either I think. "If I pick my nose on TV - you guys blow something up within 2 days". Nah... I don't see it. I *did* have a old drywall guy in fixing stuff who was listening to bin Laden's speech on the radio with us who said "Hhm... that guy has a point". Now - that aint the way I personally see it, but rest assured there would be others who would. And who am I or anyone else to say that his and their perspective is wrong? It's all subjective really isn't it? So maybe that's the kinda thing they're worried about? And I don't blame em. When you need your citizen's support you wanna see that it not get undermined. Makes sense to me.
Anyways, about the right wing left wing stuff...
Hippies annoy me, tree huggers annoy me. I don't enjoy eating granola. Poseur "anarchist" kids with spray paint are a joke. I hate my Gov spending money on stupid make work projects. I dabbled in hackeysack but it looks kinda goofy to me now. I like the dolphins as much as the next guy I guess but I think organizations like Green Peace have become some kind of parody. I have leather shoes and I really enjoy eating meat. Hemp is ok in theory but I don't care for the fabric myself... and I fly war games.
I like that a woman has the freedom to choose. It costs me, but I like knowing that people are being taken care of. I like walking in districts with many different immigrant cultures, and I like talking to my cab drivers (or for some here - the "rag heads"). I like that religion is something to be discovered and explored, not mandated. I like that so-called family values are up to the families. I like to know that my tires can cut corners but that the companies who manufacture my tires cannot, software companies aren't forcing honest folk out of business, or that the turkey at Thanksgiving dinner won't cause a huge botulin induced vomit-fest. I may not like every viewpoint in particular, but I like differing points of view. And I most certainly do NOT like being told by Ari Fleischer that I "need to watch what I say, watch what I do". Orwellian? I think maybe.
So... I dunno... What am I? There really AINT that big a difference between the Dems and the Republicans. One could easily argue that they are essentially the same party in fact, and that they are perfectly content with having the populace expend their energy debating minutia such as this instead of *really* questioning them (seriously).
However, if forced to choose, it just seems to me that the Dems really seem more to be of the people, for the people. I like that. I just don't see that with the Republicans. I mean... well no, I just don't. There are many ways one can look at the term "big government".... and I personally think that term is far more suited to the Republicans. Is it big government when they put up, say, a bunch of costly social programs? Or is it big government that would rubber stamp legislation allowing them to sniff around at my Internet traffic? Well, it's both. So I guess it's a matter of your own personal values, and which big government most aligns itself to them.
I dunno if this has become a commonplace term or not, but 10Bears said something I found to be hysterical. He called Rush Limbaugh's listeners "dittoheads". Nailed it. "Amen brother Rush, you said it!" But that is by *no* means territory held exclusively by the Republicans. We're all guilty of it. And well, that's probably exactly how *both* parties would have it... and we're such cooperative citizens aren't we?
Yeah... lets spend more time debating the nuiances of so called left and right and less time actually in fact really *examining* just wtf they've BOTH been up to at home and abroad for the last 50 years.
Personally... my thinking goes... If you've bought into this left/right and Dem/Rep stuff to the degree that you are becoming the epitome of cliche... you aint really bringing much to the table.
[ 10-15-2001: Message edited by: Nash ]
