this is for you, democrat, and you, republican, and you also, independent:
okay, so i had decided not to use this journal any more, but there is something that must be said. in america we have the awesome opportunity to have our own opinions and beliefs in every issue. and im proud to live in such a country....but i am furious about all the personal attacks that have been made recently about peoples' moral and political beliefs. not talking about religion and politics is common courtesy. if you can't carry on a civilized discussion with someone with opposing views, dont even touch the subject. im all about a good debate based on opinions backed up with facts. not personal attacks. not unsubstantiated information. eric, i must commend and dissent with you about your recent post. i was offended by that list. not all conservatives believe like that. some of that is even taken out of context about bush. but you, did, however redeem yourself at the end by making a point much similar to mine. ott, you cannot shut out the world because people believe differently from you. people are ending friendships and hurting each other and making awful attacks at each other over opinions and beliefs. i dont care what you believe, that is unamerican. we are each entitled to our opinions. whether you think someone's belief is right or wrong, you have no right to attack someone about it. im afraid persecution is not a freedom you're granted. since such is the trend, i will share some of my political and moral beliefs.
im a republican, do or die. but we, just like ALL other political parties, have flaws.
there never has been and cannot be a separation of church and state. our laws are based on the morals of the masses. most of these morals do stem from christianity. churches and other religious establishments get tax breaks. separation of church and state is not mentioned in the constitution. i just read through the constitution to be sure i was correct there. that phrase was used in the declaration of independence (im pretty sure that's the right document....but i may be wrong there), and it was used to ensure that the government would not force anyone to participate in any particular religion. the people did not want anything like the church of england to happen here. we do have the first amendment that says "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." in my interpretation, this means that we cannot have a "national religion" and that persons cannot be denied rights according to the religion he/she pratices.
i think our president must be a man of moral character. i do not agree with all of bush's ideas and decisions, but i do feel he is a step in the right direction bringing us to an america that once again is a country of high regard in areas other than just money or military power.
abortion is murder. that's it. while abortion does have an affect on the mother's body (most of them negative)....and i do understand that while in the womb, the baby is a part of her body, a woman does not have the right to choose whether another human being can live or die. i do not have the right to choose whether YOU can live or die...what is the difference between a living fetus that has it's own heartbeat? that baby is another human being. and no one else should be able to take his right to life away. there is no choice for the mother to make.
gay marriage is wrong. this is my religious belief. and no, God does not hate homosexuals. he loves them just the same. he just does not approve of the sin. much like God still loves me despite my sinful decisions, his love is no different for homosexuals. he does say that homosexuality is a sin. it's in the bible. in leviticus and in a couple places in the new testament. i can get an exact bible reference for you if you need it. i know it says "a man shall not lie with a man as he lies with a woman" and in the new testament where God lays out his plan for marriage, he talks about adultery, fornication, sodomy, beastiality and other sexual sins. marriage is a religious ceremony. it usually takes place in a church and is officiated by a church official. married couples get certain benfits. (not a separation of church and state). now, civil unions are another story. there is no reason according to that that gays cannot have civil unions. i do not agree with it....but that's my own personal opinion.
whether you agree or disagree with bush's decision about the war...you must bear in mind that he did not make that decision alone. congress could have kept us out of war. it was not one man's crusade as many people think. i have mixed feelings here. i do believe though, that the capture of saddam hussein was a very positive accomplishment. hussein has been terrorizing his own people in ways not so unsimilar from hitler. hussein was also on his way to genocide. also bear in mind that the people may be unhappy with hussein's capture because they are unhappy, but also it may be out of fear of the radicals there. they're still executing people who do not share their beliefs.
the media. as a person persuing a career that works very closely with the media, i have learned much here. the media is supposed to be unbiased, but it is not. if you pay attention to different news stations, this will be very obvious to you. cnn leans liberal while fox news tends to be conservative in their presentation of political stories. also, the media is a business just like a retail store or a restaurant. they want to make money just like anyone else. and america does not want to hear about the good. if the media constantly ran stories that were upbeat and positive, newspaper sales would drop drastically. america is obsessed with violence. violence is a form of entertainment here. just look at our movies and video games. the media runs what will make them money. i do realize that not EVERY story is negative, but most of them are.
i hate that independent parties arent given the same financial aid for campaigning. i dont think it's right that the election is REALLY just between two candidates. something needs to be done to give each party an equal chance.
so my point is, we're all different. we think differently. we believe differently. i believe that i stand firm in my own beliefs and can listen to you share your beliefs with respect and courtesy. im not going to attack you for your beliefs, even if i think you're wrong. i know im not going to change your mind. i know im not going to persuade you to believe as i do. but i love to discuss our various beliefs. i think i am able to discuss such issues in a calm and adult manner. so, whether you believe conservatively like i do, or if you're a liberal, or even if you consider yourself independent, we can all have our beliefs. we can discuss them. but we should not end friendships and hurt each other with our words. that's not what america is all about. so let's be americans. let's express our right to express ourselves. but let's do it respectfully. | 
