Greetings from the Land of Enchantment

Pandering

I have to admit that I'm discouraged--and not by this alone. Initially, I decided to respect Obama's decision, to give him the benefit of the doubt. As I've found myself doing repeatedly throughout this transition period. But in the end, I agree with Glenn Greenwald, if the left, liberal, whatever you want to call people who just generally feel like the government shouldn't be messing with individual lives and choices(hey wait! isn't that a conservative principle? Now I'm getting really confused)continue to kowtow to the right's divisive, hate-mongering in the name of 'morality', we've already lost--and will continue losing the 'battle for the minds and hearts of Americans'.

Why is it okay to be a christian and be filled with hate? I grew up in a church like Rick Warren's. I grew up with people who were 'good, kind, decent' people who in the same breath had no qualms about condemning half the world. It is a fundamental flaw in the interpretation and practice of christianity. And in the same way this kind of perverted christianity has been cultivated here, so has islam been twisted around the world. Or perhaps it's just a fundamental flaw of religions in general.

In fact, if you look at the historical record, universal respect for human dignity, tolerance and peace are humanist principles, not religious principles. They have grown within the psyche and collective consciousness of the human race despite religion--not because of it. It's time we 'liberals' claim the right to fight for our principles as vociferously as the 'right' claims theirs. Why is it acceptable to deny science and promulgate ignorance and myth as fact? Why is it acceptable to universally and unapologetically deny an entire class of people their rights based on what they do in the privacy of their own homes? Why are these arguments even accepted as reasonable public discourse? Why isn't it called what it is? Hate-mongering, ignorance, and zealotry.

Choosing Warren feels like pandering. And it doesn't feel too good.

posted by Sat Purkh Kaur Khalsa @ 9:40 AM