Do unto others?

I am boiling mad. After watching the speeches in the RNC, I am truly dispairing for the future of our country. I can't even go into every issue that upset me- there is neither time, nor space, nor am I willing to undergo the mental stress of recounting every unsavory line.

Let's start out with Ms. Palin's ever-so-sensitive "I guess a mayor is kind of like being a community organizer, except you have actual responsibility" comment. Someone has clearly never done community work in an underserved community. I have. You are forced to work under CONSTANT budget constraints, against stark resistance from people who resent you coming in from a position of privilege. But you have a responsibility- a responsibility as a human being, to help the downtrodden, people who society have systematically left out of the process. They don't have the education, the money, the healthcare, the opportunities that you do, and thus it is your MORAL responsibility to help out. A responsibility that Barack Obama accepted instead of going straight to law school or working in finance or doing whatever the hell he wanted to that he could have because he is that smart. And I'm sorry, that is FAR more Christian in a meaningful way than Palin's book banning and abstinence only sex education (*cough* pregnant daughter *cough*)

What also bothered me was Palin and MccCain's clear "We don't give a shit what others may think" attitude. Palin implied that Barack Obama shouldn't be concerned with reading suspected terrorists their rights. The Geneva Convention says differently. Palin says that the fact that Harry Reid can't stand John McCain is even more reason that we should vote for him. Is this the attitude with which we want to approach world leaders when our international image is already fucked up beyond recognition? This is more of the same, more cowboy bullshit diplomacy.

And what kind of minimalist government is Ms. Palin alluding to? A government that institutionalizes spying on its citizens via the Patriot Act? A government that opened up a prison on international shores so it could torture prisoners? Oh, maybe she meant the government that has funneled BILLIONS of tax dollars in an unnecessary, unfounded war. Or perhaps she is referring to the government SHE envisions, where abortion would be illegal, and gay couples STILL could not marry their partners.

I think what she and most "conservatives" these days mean by "minimalist" is that the government can invade all the foreign countries it wants, invade our personal space, and take away liberties like free speech, as long as not a single cent of tax dollars is spent on helping poor people of color. Let's not give them a cent for better health care, or better education, or better lives. Back off government, let us in the ivory tower keep our millions and build movie theaters in our homes, while poor urban working class die because they can't afford to go to the doctor or pay for the perscription drugs they need.

Praise the lord Sarah and John, that is real damn Christian of you.