What Do You Actually Believe

What Do You Actually Believe?

I firmly believe that a person can be judged fairly by their core principles…if they even have any, which I am sadly finding is becoming more and more rare.

I loathe hypocrisy and intellectual dishonesty, yet both permeate society today. Few things simultaneously amuse and infuriate me as easily as pinning someone into an ideological corner, which takes very few sentences. Allow me to demonstrate using a hypothetical conversation with someone who holds staunchly stereotypical liberally leaning political and social views as follows:

                ME: So, you’re pro choice?

                HIPPIE: absolutely. Her body, her choice.

                ME: What about the potential life inside of her?

                HIPPIE: Her body, her choice.

                ME: So, you believe in personal choice?

                HIPPIE: absolutely. Freedom, man.

                ME: So, you support my choice to exercise my 2nd amendment right and own firearms?

                HIPPIE: no way, man. Guns kill people.

                ME: So does abortion

                HIPPIE: A fetus isn’t a person

                ME: An abortion definitely prevents life from occurring. Using a gun to protect myself saves a life and maybe takes one in the process. So, I ask again, are you pro-choice?

                HIPPIE: You’re a Nazi.

People who follow ideology and Dogma are the most phony of them all, and so easily exposed, as we’ve seen demonstrated yet again with major news events of the past week. If you don’t already know the story of Kate Steinle, you’re either dumb, ignorant, or senile. Google it. This column isn’t about her, it’s about the aforementioned hypocrisy and intellectual dishonesty of all who claim to be socially and politically aware and/or involved.

Now that I’ve easily taken down Liberal Dogma, allow me to do the same with Conservative ideology. You’re welcome.

Conservatives scream loudly from the rooftops about the concept of States’ Rights, something I am in full support of…the difference is, I actually mean it when I say it. I understand and agree with Thomas Jefferson’s theory that the states would represent, ultimately, 50 different laboratories of Democracy; the idea is brilliant in its’ simplicity; like minded people live in like minded places and make laws that they support and believe in. People that don’t like such laws can move elsewhere. Conservatives LOVE this concept when it suits them! When Arizona tried to pass SB1071, a law that essentially allowed law enforcement to demand documents from anyone without probable cause, conservatives CHEERED the idea of Arizona enforcing immigration laws since the federal government wasn’t doing so to Arizona’s satisfaction. The idea behind SB1071 was simple; see someone who may be an illegal citizen, demand to see their ID and, if they are illegal, bring them in and deport them. When the law was signed, immediately there were legal challenges based on human and civil rights and conservatives screamed “STATES RIGHTS, STATES RIGHTS!” Ultimately, the bill was killed and conservatives were infuriated at the injustice.

YET, when cities and states across America declare themselves to be sanctuaries for illegal aliens on the basis of human and civil rights, conservatives abandon entirely their love of states’ rights and cry that such places are violating Federal law…y’know, like Arizona was wanting to do when they cheered SB1071.

Conservatives do the same thing when a state legalizes marijuana or passes strict gun laws…how DARE, for example, California not recognize any other states’ gun laws? Well, gee, Mr. right-wing-whacko…I thought you were a believer in states’ rights? I mean after all, you loudly and proudly support Texas essentially banning abortion (a de-facto right akin to the 2nd amendment based on Supreme Court decision), by creating asinine ways to shut down clinics who provide such services under the guise of states’ rights, yet somehow, you can’t and don’t support California’s decision to not agree with Arizona, Texas, Montana, or anyone else when it comes to guns? Which is it, asshole?
We see this all of the time in society, politics or not. For decades narrow-minded dumbasses have tried eliminate smoking in society using a variety of arguments ranging from the drag it places on the health care system to the provably false Kennard of “second-hand-smoke.” But when other behavior-controlists come along and argue for tax hikes and/or various forms of banning fast-food, soda, or liquor using THE EXACT SAME PRESMISES as the anti-smoking crowd, suddenly those folks lose all sense of the basis for their argument. This is why you shouldn’t try to control people based on narrow-minded self interest…eventually, someone with the exact same argument but a different self-interest (one that attacks something you enjoy) will come along and screw you with it.

Conservatives scream about the need for free speech but want to ban pornography. Liberals scream about the fake “war on women,” and then turn around and defend almost any liberal accused of harassing or assaulting women who happens to be a fellow liberal. Conservatives scream about freedom of religion…unless you’re a Muslim. Liberals hate cops and claim they’re mad with power…until they need one. Conservatives believe in the rule of law, and scream about defending the Constitution unless you happen to be an American citizen who commits a terrorist act on American soil, and then suddenly they want to send you Guantanamo Bay, violating every law of our land. Liberals lecture us all about Global Climate Warning Change as they fly around in private jets, drive massive SUV’s and create Carbon footprints Godzilla couldn’t match. Conservatives demand that we honor the constitution and then support totally unconstitutional DUI checkpoints, a transparently obvious violation of the 4th amendment. When radical Islamic terrorists murder crowds of people, liberals say not to judge all Muslims by a few individuals. Yet when a white police officer shoots an armed black man, liberals proclaim white cops as racist. President Donald Trump pardoned Sheriff Joe Arpaio after Arpaio flagrantly ignored a court order…so much for that rule of law thing. Hillary Clinton was single handedly responsible for the deaths of 4 Americans in Benghazi and then became her party’s Presidential nominee. President Bill Clinton famously declared “the era of big government is over,” where the hell is that Democratic Party? Republicans constantly bemoan the size of government and then grow it exponentially. (Prior to Obama, W. Bush was the president to expand the size of government more than any other in history…even FDR for God’s sake).

I could go on and on, but my hands are starting to hurt as much as my head. For fun, Google “liberal hypocrisy,” and then “conservative hypocrisy,” and test yourself on your own intellectual honesty.
In the end, it all comes down to the mantra of 21st century America…you have a right to your opinion and choices, as long as they agree with mine.

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