Sunday, October 26, 2008

Political Mud Slinging

I receive emails or see on websites almost daily negative things about both presidential candidates (John McCain and Barack Obama) being slung from supporters of the other. I rarely see links to unbiased websites or other sources to be able to research things about the candidates. I would be more impressed by a candidate that simply told the positive things about himself with facts to back it up, rather than given us negatives about the other candidate that are generally blown out of proportion.

Is there not enough good within themselves to win the election without dragging the other down and without stretching the truth or lying?

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Is it Wrong to Say That It Is Wrong?

I came across the name Orson Scott Card on the This Week in Tech (TWIT) podcast and in Twitter and Pownce posts. After the second thing that was of interest to me mentioned him I figured I would briefly take a look. I searched the archives of TWIT to see if I was remembering correctly that his science fiction work had been mentioned there. I seemed to recall that they were speaking of it in a positive light.

I should state up front that I have not read any of Orson Scott Card's work nor do I know much about him as a person. I was just struck by the language that was used as he and his work were discussed.

I was right Leo LaPorte had mentioned that he liked his work. I then saw a post by Leo following up since some of his listeners were upset that he liked his words. Leo defended by saying that he enjoyed his work, but did not agree with his politics. He refered to his views as homophobic.

I can follow that to some degree because I like some of Leo's work as well and don't agree with his politics. Especially the politics of labeling people as phobic.

I searched around a little further in different forums and found more talk of homophobia. A phobia being a fear. Does feeling that a practice is wrong means that a person is afraid of that practice or the people that practice it?

Are people that believe that it is wrong to kill animals for food scared of animals or of carnivors or omnivors? Since some people want to take God out of the role of law giver then who decides what is wrong and what is just fear?

This talk of being phobic is like a child calling someone chicken. I believe that taking potatoes out of a neighbors garden is wrong. What am I chicken? I believe that homosexuality is wrong. Chicken?

Can not a person express a belief without them being called names for holding that belief? It is as rediculous as the people that would ridule those that chose to be gay by calling them names or worse. Believing that a practice is wrong does not mean that you have to hate someone.

Some will argue that it is wrong when that expression of belief impacts others freedoms. Just like disallowing abortion impacts the freedom of a mother to not be burdoned by having to care for and raise a child. Or that allowing it also impacts the freedom of the child to live.

Sometimes we have to express that a practice is harmful to our society, even when it restricts what are allowed to do. We have laws against speeding because someone believes that it is a danger to society. Different states and localities have different speed lmits. Obivously those states with more restrictive speed limits are phobic.