I suppose before I launch into real discussion on the matter of politics I should try to give you a picture of where I'm coming from. Some of this you may have gleaned from my earlier posts on different topics. Other elements of this is going to be new and possibly seem contrary to what you expected. Either way, I hope this isn't going to be a boring, "Let's hear about ME" post. If it is, I apologize.
To begin, I suppose I should tell you how I was raised. Not every detail mind you, but the political climate within my home as a child should be considered because it does have some significance to my views today. My parents are registered as Independent. For a brief period of time when I was quite young, my father was registered as a Republican and my mother was registered as a Democrat. Then they became disgusted with both of the parties. I believe they've since changed their affiliation. I'm not entirely sure, as it has been a while since I discussed the matter with them.
I was taught that the rights explicitly protected by the Constitution are vital to the health and well being of the nation. I was also taught that there are various other rights that are implicitly accepted and we need to use our explicitly stated rights to vigilantly defend them. What is an example of this? Well, the Fourteenth Amendment protects our right to due process. The Roe vs. Wade decision falls under the protections of this amendment. This is because it protects our privacy which was violated in this case by a violation of due process (the privacy matter could make it possible that it also that this decision is under the auspices of the Fourth Amendment as well).
Now, one may ask, how is this an example of using an explicitly stated and protected right to defend an implicitly accepted one? Well, this is a clear case of the First Amendment being applied to defend an undefined right (the right to privacy). The act of demanding redress of grievances is protected by the First Amendment and that is precisely what happened by the plaintiff in the case of Roe vs. Wade.
If the plaintiff in this case had not exercised their right to demand redress of grievances and appealed to the Supreme Court, the implicit right to privacy regarding one's body would never have been upheld by the Supreme Court's decision to overturn the initial findings in the case which argued that abortion was illegal. Now, I won't get into the abortion debate at this time, because it'll take me far afield from the main topic of this post. I may do so at a later time, however.
On some issues, I could be described as a conservative. I strongly uphold that minimal government involvement in the daily affairs of the people is best. To put it bluntly, I believe that the role of the federal government is to regulate interstate commerce and to preserve the nation at large in the face of foreign threats, by taking action that is approved of and supported by the people. I believe that the best economic policy the federal government can take is a laissez-faire one, allowing the market to adjust according to it's internal forces. On other issues, I could be described as a liberal. I believe individual freedoms is vital to the well being of the nation. In this respect, I am a classical liberal. I also believe that all people in the nation have the right to adequate education and to live with out fear of discrimination. This could place me as a social liberal.
I believe that the Second Amendment is specifically talking about the right of individuals to own and bear arms. This right is vital for the people to maintain their liberty and the prevention of tyranny. One may ask why and my response is relatively simple. If you look at the Declaration of Independence, you find that the framers of this document upheld that the people have the right to change and/or abolish their government if it become oppressive. The right of the people to bear arms ensures that if the people can not change and/or abolish their government by peaceable means when it becomes oppressive that it is then required to do so by force.
I am opposed to the current military engagement in Iraq. I believe it is empire building, that the war is illegal, and it is unjust. I also believe that the current administration has sanctioned war crimes, including but not limited to the torture of prisoners of war, the abuse of non-combatants, and the establishment of concentration camps. I am infuriated by the President's suspension of habeus corpus and I fully support the calls for his impeachment. I also believe that the President should be tried for treason on the grounds of his actions and the actions of those who operate under his auspices are directly injurious to the rights (explicit and implicit) of the people of the United States and actively undermine the nation's well being.
Some people may insist that my beliefs and feelings on this matter make me a traitor to this nation or an apologist for the 'terrorists.' If anyone says that, I'd like to contend that they are fools. Yes, my words may be argued as encouraging insurrection and sedition. If that is the case, it is because it is the only way that the efforts of the people who founded this nation can live on. I was raised to have a keen understanding of why the Revolutionary War occurred.
As the proud descendent of people who fought in the Revolutionary War, I know what the word patriot means. I get angry when I see it bandied about and put as equal with the term nationalist. I get angry when it is thrown about as a synonym for a veteran or active member of the military. I am made especially angry when the political pundits throw the term around for any person who agrees with their views or use it for other propagandists. Some may say that I hate this nation because of my political views.
Nothing can be further from the truth. I love this place. It is my home. My roots run deep here and I want to see the nation prosper and flourish. That, however, can not happen if we tolerate tyranny. Facisim is a form of tyranny and I believe that is what is in the midst of being insituted here. I am obligated to oppose it not only on the basis that it is opposed to what the ideological principles that lead to the founding of the nation but on the basis of my family's own history.
Aside from my being the descendant of a true Patriot, I am also the descendant of people who left Germany to escape the facisim of the Third Reich. Opposition to such things is demanded of me by my blood, you could say. I am deeply troubled by the changes that have been coming over the country in the last decade. I do not wish to see another civil war happen in this nation. At the same time, if that is the only way to preven the nation from becoming a different version of the Third Reich, then so be it.
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