Politics and Facebook

Quick disclaimer, I'm not in the business of defending Rick Santorum. I won't be voting for him in the primary, and I wouldn't vote for him for president for many of the same reasons I wouldn't have voted for Huckabee. He'd be an awful president.

But this is a response to the comment above, not a discussion of failed republican presidential candidates.

My initial thought when I read that comment was that the author, clearly needed to go back to second grade and leave the issues and problems associated with running the country to the adults. Based on that comment, he is clearly incapable of engaging in civil political discourse, the foundation of a democratic society. It's unfortunate, because I've met the young man in question, he's brighter than most, fairly well educated, with a well-defined worldview that if applied properly could add to the discussion. Instead he's chosen to regress to the level of a 10 year old.

You don't like Rick Santorum, guess what? Neither does 75 percent of the republican electorate. Tell me why you don't like Rick Santorum. Disagree with his position on religion, abortion and birth control? Tell me why. Explain to me like an adult, logically and calmly, why he's wrong and your right. (And if you want to guest blog your response here, email me. We can work something out).

Democracy is ugly. It's messy. It involves taking people with different ideas, priorities and goals and getting them all to live and work under the same set of rules. The only way democracy works as a long term solution is if people can talk about their priorities and differences with civility. You don't have to agree with me, but you do have to allow me to speak. And when I'm done I have to give you the same opportunity.


That, in a nutshell, is my biggest gripe with the American left. They, as a group, can brook no dissent, accept no alternate views, allow no disagreement with the Church of the Holy Left. You agree with them or you're a poopy-pants, booger-eating meany-face. Or your worse than Hitler. Or you should be murdered.



It's not enough for the left to say "I think you're wrong and this is why." You have to be evil, stupid, an affront to humanity to be silenced, humiliated and destroyed.

True love

Seen at the local Chili's during a (winning) Niner's game. I'm not sure how these two can be in the same room together.

Tebowmania

So the whole world hates Tim Tebow.

Who is Tim Tebow and why do we hate him, you ask? Tim Tebow is the second year quarterback for the Denver Bronco's, and has just lead his team to their first playoff spot since 2006. Oh yeah, he's also a vocal christian who prays after touchdowns, did a Super Bowl Commercial for Focus on the Family last year and inspired the NCAA to create The Tebow Rule.

And he's famously a virgin. Shocking, right? This a total aside, but can you imagine the self control that guy must have to still be a virgin with his national exposure and (presumably) women throwing themselves at him left and right? As a star college quarterback and successful NFL quarterback, he's probably turned down more women than I've ever met in my life. Not dated, met.

So why do we hate him again? Because he's 1-christian. 2-vocal about it. 3-virgin. Again, shocking, right?

What the hatred of Timmeh really comes down too, though, is bigotry. Bigotry, loosely defined, is an irrational hatred of people, groups or beliefs other than your own. Tim, for better or worse, very clearly has different beliefs than they society at large. He may share a religion with 80 percent of American's, but he clearly takes it more seriously than most.

People don't hate Tim because of anything rational, they hate him because he is different than they are. It's unfortunate for Tim, really. If he had been born anything except for a white christian male, it would be verboten to criticize his personal lifestyle choices. It would be racism, or homophobism, or insert your preferred "-ism" here. The only group that it is acceptable to hate anymore in the US are white christian males, or possibly Jews, if your the "wrong" kind of Jew.

Maybe he should convert to Islam.