Right+Left-Wing: Right-Wing

I'll take my anger out on the right-wingers first. I, generally, have a bias towards conservatives because much like libertarianism, conservatism views liberty to be more important than the flawed viewpoint of equality of results. However, there are still plenty of flaws that I have an issue with, and I intend to rip them a new one.

First of all, the Christian-right has to go. I have nothing against Christianity, being a Christian myself, but it has no place in politics. This whole ideology of regulating morality is absurd. I understand the concept of wanting to create a better world for everybody. I desire that for people, too, but regulating morality isn't the way to do it. I mean, nobody shares the same morals, so how could you possibly be right on what morals are for the “common good”? Simply put, you can't. It's just NOT possible. Just let me live my life the way I want to live, and I'll let you live the way you want to live. As long as we don't impede on each other's rights, there should be NO reason why we should be regulated.

For instance, the issue of Gay Marriage seems to be a hot button issue for a lot of America, especially the right-wing. I, like many Christians, disagree with homosexuality. I still feel that it's a lifestyle choice, but that's a different argument for a different day. While I may disagree with their lifestyle does not mean that I should be able to decide that they can't live their lives the way they see fit. I know most wouldn't agree with the way I live my life in its entirety, and I know most won't agree with the way you life YOUR life in its entirety. Who's right or wrong? Again, as long as I don't impede on your rights as defined in the Bill of Rights, you have no place to tell me how to live my life as I don't have the right to tell you how to live yours.

Another example of this morality crusade is the War on Drugs. While I understand the dangers of drugs, and I do not do drugs, I see no reason why others should be kept from doing what they want with their bodies. What people do in their homes and to themselves is none of our business. We don't have to like it, and we don't have to do it ourselves. We should just let it be and live OUR lives the way we want it, instead of deciding on how someone else should be living theirs. What if vegetarians were the majority and decided that eating animal meat should be illegal and they pass a law against eating meat? What would right-wingers think of that then? I know they wouldn't like it. After all, it's their bodies that they're putting the meat into. It's their bodies that are digesting the meat. Why would the right-wingers be putting up such a stink about this (and would rightfully be doing so)? Because it's not the vegan's right to tell the right-wingers how to live their lives and to regulate what is fine for human consumption. It's time right-wingers get off of their morality trip.

Another one of my dislikes about the right is the new neo-con ideology that we need preemptive war to stop our would-be attackers. Do you know how silly that is? Should I shoot someone on the street because they don't like me, and there's a “chance” that they could do bodily harm to me? Just because someone wants to do me harm doesn't mean that they will. Threats are not to be taken lightly, but deciding on a whim that these people are too much of a threat to be taken lightly and attack them makes us just as bad as them. Their ideology says that they're trying to protect their way of life, so they're fighting their oppressors. Isn't that what we want to do, as well? Don't get me wrong, I think their idea of us oppressing them is absurd, but it's their viewpoint, and if we attack them first, we just prove their thoughts to be correct, and THEY have no respect for themselves, so they're going to go all out and take as many of us as they want. Even if we start a war with them, they're going to harm us. The only thing we're doing is giving them even more of a reason to do it.

Yet another big issue I have with the right-wing goes along with what I was talking about before: preemptive strikes against would-be criminals. Again, sure it sounds like a good idea. Who wouldn't want to stop bad things from happening before they did? However, infringing on the rights of people is not the way to go about doing this. How dare my government spy on me and my family? The whole idea that it's protecting me is a farce. No, it's not protecting me. It's treating me like I'm a criminal. I don't want to be video-taped. I don't want my conversations listened upon. I don't want to be under the suspect of trying to commit an act of treason because I speak ill of my overbearing and unruly government.

The whole argument that if I'm not doing anything wrong, I don't have anything to worry about is just ridiculous. Yeah, if I am not doing anything wrong, the government will pass me over, and I'll be able to continue to live my life accordingly. However, that's not the problem. The problem is that my privacy was being invaded. I am not sure about everybody else, but I don't want my phone conversations or IM conversations listened to and read even if it's nothing more than a casual conversation about sports. It's the principle that the Bill of Rights is being ignored. I was given those rights by our fore fathers for a reason. I was to be able to speak ill of whatever I see fit whether or not the government or someone else likes what I'm saying. Why is the government now scrutinizing what I'm saying and possibly my words against me? That's not what our fore fathers intended. It was my actions that I am supposed to receive due process of law for, not my words or intentions. Just because I may intend to pay my bills this month doesn't mean that I am. Therefore, not only is my government capable of spying on me, but they're capable of arresting me for my words that are protected under my Bill of Rights. Something's wrong there, and the right-wing is ignoring it.

Just like the left wing, the right wing desires to increase the size of our government. As if our government isn't big enough, they want our government to now be a bigger police state to protect us. It's fine to want to be protected. We do have to give up some liberties in order for our government to protect us, but our privacy is not one of them.

Regardless, if our government knows everything about us, we may be "safe" from outside threats, but what about us being safe from our government? If our privacy is invaded and we put our lives in the hand of our government, we put our lives in the hands of inept and corrupt politicians who are only looking out for themselves, and certainly not for us. Not only do we then lose our privacy, but then the rest of our freedoms seem to fade. What's to stop our government if we, The People, no longer have the element of surprise? If the right wing doesn't want their freedoms, then they're free (how ironic) to give them away to whoever or whichever government they want to. I just don't want them making the decision for me to give up mine. I like mine, and I'm not about to lose them.

Overall, I think the right wing wants what's best for our nation. They want people to live a free life and one without worry, but they're misguided on how to achieve this. They want to give up essential liberties just so they may feel a little extra safe at night. That's fine if they want that, but I don't, and it's not their right to make that decision for me or anybody else. Our founding fathers gave us the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. They said this for a reason, and thanks to the right-wingers, they are probably turning in their graves.