Sometimes I forget that I’m no longer a competitive debater (a high school activity I adored, but which sadly ended more than 20 years ago), and will spend more time than I care to admit engaging with total strangers about random topics (usually about religion, politics, or cooking). As a self-involved blogger, I sometimes find it necessary to post some of my rants here. Go me.
This is inspired by the “Let’s paint a rainbow house across from the Westboro Church” meme on Facebook from several weeks ago, as well as the newest “Let’s whine about WBC threatening to picket the funerals in Boston” meme. I have avoided writing about this hate group in the past. I’ve hesitated mentioning them on any social media, or even discussing them aloud around anyone I know. I won’t even show a photo of them here or link to any site where you can read about them. I have an understanding about them I feel many well-intentioned people do not, so I want to share that now.
I know this is a few days behind the curve, but I have my reasons. At first, my reaction to this little display was one of indifference. “About time!” and “Duh!” were my only thoughts on the subject. When the video as a whole finally sank into my subconscious, the righteous indignation began to take form.
I’ve spent the last couple of days throwing around my share of heated words on Facebook and Twitter. Some of it has been diplomatic; most of it hasn’t. Mostly, I’ve grown impatient with the Left’s diplomacy. I feel that the United States has been pushed so far to the Right by extremists that the Left has been pulled to the middle. This forces the Left to lead with diplomacy and compromise right out of the gate instead of starting negotiations based on ideology (as conservatives do) and then working their way to the compromise. I could give examples of this all day (the healthcare debate is a great example), but that argument is for another time.
I am dealing specifically with the Connecticut massacre, U.S. killing sprees, and gun control here; I will keep my arguments relevant to those issues.
So this is a continuation of the conversation I cut and pasted into my previous post, Out of the Republican Closet: A Response. The conversation delves further into this homophobic douchebag’s delusions of grandeur. I am not mentioning his name this time. Not because I want to protect him, but because I want to minimize any traffic he gets to his blog. Here is our continued exchange, uncensored except for where I corrected some of my typos:
I haven’t made much of an attempt online in recent years to argue the morality of homosexuality. After years of dealing with hateful bigots, I decided instead to cut them out of my life and disengage. Hate is illogical and can’t be reasoned with. But this one set me off and I responded to it.
I am posting my response here, as the author of that blog will most certainly delete my response from his page (funny how facts and common sense are usually censored by narrow-minded bigoted assholes).
My response:
I know you guys are eager to start working on an “It Gets Better” video specifically geared for 1000 year old Jim Lehrer, but bear with me for just a few moments. I’m sure most viewers of either political persuasion can agree that tonight’s debate was less than groundbreaking. I also realize that most people have their minds already made up, and that nothing short of one of the candidates declaring they enjoy eating babies will have any impact on anyone.
But I spent an hour of my evening watching this, and want to pretend it makes a difference. Humor me.
*One last warning. I am unashamedly liberal, so this will be slanted against Romney.
I am not going to address the controversy over immigration policy, though conservatives need to keep in mind that George W. Bush and John McCain (along with 23 other Republicans, as Obama mentions) supported this brand of immigration reform. What I will address is this partisan lack of respect for the President.
Recovered Baptist 