What the hell is wrong with this country? In the last few years, I’ve asked this question so many times I’ve lost count. It seems like, for me, that over the last decade and a half, our values of decency and commitment to justice have taken a plunge as our need to be right and to feel ideological fulfilled have taken over. In this last year alone, women’s rights are under assault, the voters rights act has had a significant marker in it ruled unconstitutional, a beautiful city has been bombed, gun ownership activism has exploded, and now one George Zimmerman has been ruled innocent of murdering a young man. I’m beginning to wonder if there is any compassion left in this nation.
You can’t even comment on comment boards without a steady stream of hate laced profanities (cursing or not, the things these people say are profane) labeling you an idiot for expressing your views. I remember how we were on the way to a global community back in the ’90’s and everyone seemed so accepting of everyone else. Then 2001 comes along where a group of right wing lunatics attacks us where we’re most vulnerable and suddenly we take on the attitude that everyone is horrible and we shouldn’t have anything more to do with them. Ideological divides worsen, we keep electing tyrants into office who have only their own interests, and those of their richest constituents, at heart.
What happened to scientific advancement? Apparently it’s dead because NASA keeps getting the most important scientific missions scrapped due to budget restrictions from Washington. Who needs science, right? It didn’t give us cell phones, or better battery lifespans for our vehicles or fun little gadgets. It didn’t provide us with ways to make our food safer to consume or give us better defenses from new and unusual diseases. When did space science ever enrich our nation? Certainly not with satellite technology or improved synthetic materials for clothing or enhance our communications networks. Nah, none of that. No, here’s what we really need to do: give more money to our armed forces because they obviously need more toys to play with. OH WAIT! The pentagon specifically said that they DON”T WANT more expensive ships and equipment because they already have a surplus! Ah, but what do they know. They’re just a bunch of grunts who don’t think.
And while we’re on defending our country, let’s make MORE guns MORE easily accessible to the public! Because THAT will solve our ongoing violence problem. Let’s make sure everyone and their nanny are packin’ heat as we never know when we’re going to have to make a last stand against a school shooter or a zombie horde. In case you haven’t realized yet, I’m being rather flippant about the whole state of our nation.
I do believe in a second amendment right to bear arms. But I also recognize that the amendment was drafted as a concession to states who were weary of being federalized under the umbrella of a strong central government. They keep their militias, and the government doesn’t form a standing army. But then they did and the amendment lost its necessity. Yet we kept it around so that people could defend themselves. But apparently that means the public has a right to military grade hardware as well. Sigh. I’m rambling now. I’m just furious at how this nation is turning out. Furious at how states are fighting to prevent women from having access to proper medical care all because of some far right wing ideal that abortions are immoral. It’s none of their business! How about cramming your beliefs down my throat?! Isn’t that immoral? Or is it because it’s your morals and not mine that therefore you’re more correct because it’s YOU!?
Remember the whole ‘pursuit of happiness’ ideal that we used to expunge so much years ago? Well right now it seems like the only people allowed to pursue their happiness are those on the fringe elements of our society. And guess what? They’re winning. They’re winning because the vast majority of America is fed up with our political institutions. We have no more faith that congress can pass a law that isn’t asinine or even do something useful. We’re fed up with the presidency being the choice between two turds. We’re tired of the ideological arguments continually being waged and have taken a step back to let them fight it out. But whoever wins that war, we all lose. Because our voices are not being heard over the hyperbole and the hate speech. The same nonsense that is being spewed all across the web. The same nonsense we hear from our supposed leaders. The same nonsense we hear even when we go to the damned store!
There’s at least one good thing that came about this year: same sex marriage. For every two steps back, I guess we take one step forward. But even that good thing is being met by a wave of hate and prejudice. I hate to break it to the haters, no wait–I don’t hate to, so I will, same sex marriage will NOT void traditional marriage. It just opens the gates to more people having the option to be married. It’s not the end of the world. So haters, stop trying to disenfranchise voters, stop hatin on the gay community just because they want to love someone, stop trying to turn this nation back to the wild wild west (because that didn’t work out so well the first time), and for the love of GOD stop saying this is a CHRISTIAN country and THEN turning around and saying poor people are leeches that don’t need to be protected! Because, news flash, that’s what Christianity is all about: protecting the needy! Good Christians don’t give all their money to rich people who will turn around and screw the nation.
Seriously, what is going on in this nation?
iCentrist 