Brace Yourself: My Opinion of an Opinion (Whoa!)

Posted on 11. Mar, 2010 by Justin Veals in Politics

After reading your response to my short blog on the two parties, I find a few things that you should have done more research on before bashing me so hard.

First of all, there is no direct tie to Jefferson and the modern Republican Party as it was not even founded until the 1850’s. The parties of which our founders were part of really bare no semblance to the existing two. I also believe that we all have equal ownership over our founding fathers and can use their knowledge, no matter the point of contention. Also, I was attacking both parties in my rant, not just your precious little GOP. I stated very clearly where my party has drifted from its ideals, none of which you mentioned in your blog. Oh and FYI, no one brings up Nader to make a point unless they are trying to be an asshole. If that was your objective, then mission accomplished, and I mean really accomplished not like Bush-on-an-aircraft-carrier accomplished.

I do see that you took some great offense to that fact that I called republicans “Bible-Clutchers”. I stand by my generalization. If there is another face to the GOP, please show me. I was in no way saying that one party is more religious than the other (nice graphic BTW), but politically you must admit that it is the Republicans who are trying to squeeze Jesus into law books.

You try to make some connection between issues and religion that does not hold much water. Saying a party “clearly stands” for something is not the same as saying everyone in the party believes in this. Religious dogma and political dogma are similar, but one of them doesn’t involve a person believing in an invisible friend that will lead them to salvation if they ask the right way.

Finally, I would like to point out that you seem to have totally missed the point of my post. The rights of the minority are under attack in this country. All across the nation, the civil liberties of minorities are being put to popular vote. This is not democracy in action; this is not our great republic doing what is right; this is Mob Rule and goes completely against the tenants of our great nation. I guess it is easier to pick apart my view of the GOP than it is to take a stance for minority rights.

Oh and that quote you used in the beginning of your post, ““I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.” I think some explaining need be done about that. It is from a letter that Jefferson wrote Benjamin Rush in 1800 in response to Rush’s warning about the Philadelphia clergy attacking Jefferson (Jefferson was seen as an infidel by his enemies during his election for President). The complete statement reads as follows:
“The returning good sense of our country threatens abortion to their hopes, and the clergy believe that any portion of power confided to me, will be exerted in opposition to their schemes. And they believe rightly; for I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man. But this is all they have to fear from me: and enough too in their opinion and this is the cause of their printing lying pamphlets against me.”

Jefferson believed that our civil rights have no dependence on our religious opinions, any more than our opinions in physics or geometry. Do you really believe that most republicans feel the same way Jefferson did?

I have much more to say about Republicans, but I think this quote by JFK sums it up.

“We have all made mistakes. But Dante tells us that divine justice weighs the sins of the cold-blooded and the sins of the warm-hearted on different scales. Better the occasional faults of a party living in the spirit of charity than the consistent omissions of a party frozen in the ice of its own indifference.”

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