They don't recognize their impact and hatred for people of this nation.
On another note, I do. In fact KBO and I saved a man's life yesterday.
We were going to meet some other cool blogger people for dinner. When I got out of her car I noticed a man laying on the sidewalk. I was speechless and just pointing. When she came around the car to start walking down the sidewalk he started to seize uncontrollably. I have seen people have seizures, but never some as long and as convulsive as this one he was having. I immediately called 911 and gave them the location. They asked me a series of questions that I could not answer (does he have a history of seizures, is he diabetic). I interrupted the man a few times to let him know that I did not know the guy and so could not answer his questions and he told me that I still had to tell him "I don't know" when he
asked them. KBO talked with and tried to calm the man down and make sure he didn't get up while I was on the phone with the operator. The ambulance came and the paramedics started to try and assist him.He did not want their help. He said that he did have history of seizures, that he had been taking medicine for them before, but had stopped.
This made me super pissed. Likely, he does not have insurance, and can't pay the exorbitant price for the ambulance let alone the hospital care. He said he wanted them to just take him to his daughter's house. They said they would at least give him some oxygen. Then they sent us away. A few minutes, after we had met up with our company at dinner, we heard an ambulance with sirens pass by -- likely him.
It took me awhile for all the adrenaline to pass through my body and for me to stop shaking, slow my heart beat, and for me to just generally calm down from my anger at the whole situation.
Insurance is another issue people should seriously look at when trying to pick a candidate. Not that some people are really looking to "pick" a candidate -- they will just go with whoever their friends/church/Fox News etc tell them to vote for.
your first paragraph demonstrates a great deal of ignorance on the conservative viewpoint. To claim that they "don't think about the implications of many of their other stances on the citizens of this nation" is very unfair. Furthermore, to insist that "church leaders tell them to vote against abortion" assumes that you know exactly what their churches are teaching, which is presumptuous and naive.
ReplyDeleteI'm not saying that all people learn their views strictly from churches, but, I have been in MANY conservative churches and have heard the ministers and the associate ministers tell their congregations that they would not tell them exactly WHO to vote for, but that the congregation should vote against abortion and against gay marriage -- which basically lets them know which party to vote for.
ReplyDeleteGranted, I have not been in every church. But I do know what I have heard in the ones I have been in in the mid-west (including my parent's church), and the south and the various ones I have seen on TV on Sunday mornings and late Saturday nights. So I am not presuming anything. I am basing it on what I heard and saw.
They have shared their views with the congregations in just this manner. Several that I have been in have had sign ups to help support and rally for the Republican candidates for offices in the area and in national elections. They did not even offer information or the opportunity to see the views of any other party members.
I know that not every church does this. There are several churches in existence that try to make sure their people look at other bigger/smaller issues. There are many churches that help the people see that there is more than those two issues to think about. There are several churches that open their arms to people who are different than themselves and that may have a different sexual preference than they feel is right for themselves.
However, the people that listen to their ministers (as many do since they believe that they are speaking on behalf of a higher being) vote based on what the minister, and the elders, and the deacons, etc. say. And by voting in that manner, which many church members do (the ones that I have spoken to, the ones that I have heard/read in interviews, etc) they are not really looking at the other issues involved in politics and involved in how to select a person for a major office. In doing that, they are not considering the major issues that impact themselves and the people around them.
A vast majority of people who vote are uninformed and do not really find out more about the candidates than what is easily presented before them. They are easily influenced by the people around them whom they trust unconditionally.
I think what frustrated me about your blog post the most was the assumption that the conservative viewpoint represents hatred towards groups. The fact is that in both liberal and conservative circles, the crazy nutjob haters exist. In the marketplace of ideas in this country, we will disagree vehemently about important issues. However, to assert that a seasoned veteran of the United States Congress and a mother of five Governor of an American state would not consider potential implications of their actions is hard for me to swallow. Just like Obama/Biden have strong convictions, so do McCain/Palin. It is demonstrated in the service they have provided this nation on many levels. These are four incredible individuals, who are doing amazing things for women, minorities, and frankly all Americans just by their mere presence in this election. I have to believe that they are four individuals who have core values that drive them as people and that influence policy. So, you may disagree profoundly with what the conservative ticket says, but to call what they believe hate is too much.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous the First was kind to you. I admire his/her restraint and good nature. Unfortunately in your initial post you didn’t give McCain supporters any of the same respect. You portrayed them as cruel maniacs who follow religious figures and Fox news like zombies, kick puppies and cackle maniacally as they pop the sole balloons of redheaded stepchildren. The first anon. was also quite generous when they said that your “first paragraph demonstrates a great deal of ignorance on the conservative viewpoint.” In fact, your whole post demonstrates a great deal of ignorance, period. I might go so far as to say your entire blog does. For the sake of expediency, I’ll just focus on this post. It displays ignorance about politics, the constitution, current events and specific facts about the candidates. It also includes ridiculous assumptions and arguments resembling those that an eighth grader might make while failing Debate 101.
ReplyDeleteYou say: ”They support the fact that they are anti-abortion. They support the fact that they are anti-gay marriage.” Has it ever occurred to you that someone who is supporting McCain may be doing so in spite of the fact that the Republican party is typically against abortion and gay marriage? Has it dawned on you that even “evil” conservatives can be in support of a woman’s right to choose and allowing gays to marry? In a hypothetical situation, maybe a McCain supporter thinks McCain would be a superior leader regarding issues they consider more important, such as U.S. security, the economy or foreign policy. It isn’t going to matter if Steve can marry Fernando if they and their wedding cake are incinerated by terrorists or nuked off the planet while they’re reciting their vows. By the way, what is Obama’s stance on gay marriage? Because I’ve seen video of Obama specifically stating that “marriage is between a man and a woman.” Have you? How exactly do you think, if elected, Obama’s actions on that issue will differ from McCain’s? That would be an interesting future blog post for you.
You say: “They stick with them because their church leaders tell them to vote against abortion” Have you considered there could be McCain supporters who don’t even attend church? Obviously not, since you’ve reiterated the power you think their “church leaders” have on their political views. Why would you even assume that they go to church? If they do go to church, why would you assume that their church leaders would dictate such a personal issue and alienate part of the congregation? What’s hilarious is that such an “informed” Obama supporter would even go near the subject of “church leaders” and how they dictate to their congregations, considering Obama’s history with church leaders. It doesn't seem like such a wise choice to include that in your argument.
You say: “tells them to vote against a constitutional amendment to legalize gay marriage” I think it’s absolutely shameful that you are a freaking TEACHER and you know so little about the constitution and legal process that you think a constitutional amendment must be made to make gay marriage legal! Have you ever cracked a textbook or read a newspaper? Do you read anything much except “Stuff White People Like.com?” Don’t even bother to type the word “constitution” if you are that ignorant about its contents.
You say: “They want to keep taxes low. But they don't care that the tax system is disproportionate to people's incomes.” Again, you’re displaying a lack of knowledge about the tax system. Do you know the statistics about what percentage of U.S. taxes are paid by what percentage of the wealthy? If so, please state them. I’d like to see you make that same argument again after citing them.
Finally, you say: “He did not want their help. He said that he did have history of seizures, that he had been taking medicine for them before, but had stopped. This made me super pissed. Likely, he does not have insurance, and can't pay the exorbitant price for the ambulance let alone the hospital care.” So you assume that simply because this man didn’t want to go to the hospital that he didn’t have insurance? If you didn’t quiz him on that in between his convulsions, how can you make that assumption? I have insurance but have denied hospital visits twice after car accidents. Also, has it ever occurred to you that this man had a seizure because he made a choice to stop taking his medication? Don’t tell me—you’re blaming his lack of judgment on conservatives too, right? By the way, could you detail for me in one of your future political blog posts the specifics of Obama’s proposed medical plan, how much the premiums will cost, and what cumulative effect it will have on the medical and insurance industries? Thanks, I’d appreciate it.