Neocons love slavery and dictators as long as they are the slavemasters and dictators. They hate democracy. They love money.
As far back as the 1980s, I detected a systemic change in our Democracy. Using the cover of anti-abortion slogans, neoconservatives began to undermine women’s health care. Phony abortion clinics are not new. They began cropping up in the 1980s from my experience.
But, it was after the Iran-Contra hearing, when I heard a radio show featuring Oliver North, one of the prime participants in Reagan’s Iran-Contra affair. Also, on the program was a “preacher.” Oliver North and the preacher were using a crafted form of conversation salted with neocon slogans and “bible quotes” that twisted the meanings of words like freedom and liberty.
I recognized the new conservative agenda. Destroy Democracy, Enshrine “white males”.
I wrote the following letter to Mr. North. What surprises me about the letter was the accuracy of my observations. Yet, even though, I spoke out at democratic meetings, contacted my elected officials outlining the neocon agenda. They all thought it was a passing phase, nothing to worry about.
1995
Dear Mr. North:
Thank you for helping me crystallize why I am a Democrat and a Unitarian Universalist. I realized that for “conservatives” and “christains” your world must be defined in a single, black and white definition of behavior and belief. Whereas mine is made of many wonderful colors and lifestyles.
I listened to your “christian” guest as he choose quotes to support his opinions, beliefs and “facts.” Like when the two of you debated Thomas Jefferson’s history, the question of his “christianity” and his “illegitimate” children. Your guest quoted the bible “….and ye shall know them…” to support his belief that Jefferson was agnostic, meaning your guest deemed himself a judge and therefore knew what was in Jefferson’s heart. He simply seeks to gain power through denigrating others.
One of your desires is to make sure that the “white, European, males” that came to this country and founded a nation are honored in history. Those same men and their communities also killed, and persecuted the natives that lived here. We supported our actions to kill Native Americans by labeling them as “heathens” and “non-christians.” I find it odd that in order to win your moral war you must label the enemy as “non-christian.”
These same men deemed women and blacks as unfit to vote in their own nation or to get an education in order to improve their lives. When you do not incorporate that history into the history you wish to see, it is a blind and prejudiced history. I am ashamed of the communities and nations that call themselves “christian” and who then denigrate anyone who is different from them. Killing a culture and its religion is not christian.
In addition, my religious beliefs are personal and my guide is god, not the god as defined by “christians” because humans are flawed and can never know the complete love of god. When they chose to designate themselves as spokespersons for god they stop listening to god. I refuse to call myself a christian and I will die for my beliefs. One belief I have is that I tolerate the religious beliefs of others. That does not mean I allow any and all behaviors or that I have no standards.
What I think you’ve chosen to label as “christian” is a philosophy, you have defined as to what this nation represents. Yet, one fundamental principle of this nation is individual liberty. You forgot that many of the people who came to America were fleeing religious prosecution. They founded a country to allow religious freedom. While many of the early settlers were Catholics and Protestants, many were Jewish, Quaker, Puritans, and from other sects. America even has many homegrown religions like the Church of the Latter-Day Saints (Mormons). Are they considered “christians?”
Your guest used threats of damnation and hell. Yes, there is hell but it exists within each person and it is the quality and actions they take in their life that demonstrates their beliefs. People create their own hell. He is attempting to import his hell to me and I refuse. Each day I try to live my life to match my values and it is not easy. I seek “god’s” guidance often. But I do not seek my “salvation” through the opinion of others but in “god’s” opinion of me, he is the only judge.
I am celebrating “Independence Day” in particular for the sole principle that America allowed many groups of people to come to this country and live relatively free of political and religious persecution. I will fight for that right which you and your “christian” friends seem to want to terminate. You are practicing a mix of religious and political persecution, you feel that your political beliefs are not adequate, so you supplement them with religious fervor and fear.
Your political beliefs seem to revere “democracy”, I revere democracy, too. We are a standard to the world. Other nations seek to emulate the United States. But “democracy” does not equate to “christian.”
Regarding the budget deficit, it is my understanding that the current deficit was greatly increased during Reagan’s term in office. Why don’t I hear about this on your show? You act as if today’s political situation is entirely the fault of Democrats as if Republicans never existed before today. Republicans contributed an equal share to our current problems. Republicans are not saints.
I resent the fact that rather than use the political process to negotiate your differences with Democrats using the best knowledge available, Republicans choose to call the current Democratic leaders childish names and denigrate them in such a way that shocks me. I am watching adults act childish at the expense of the American people. Republicans are participating in a coup by refusing to acknowledge President Clinton as the nation’s leader. Republicans are using misleading information and seditious language to regain power they think they have lost.
When I hear “conservatives” support the ownership of machine guns and rocket launchers, I know they are not “conservatives.” They are people seeking to gain power illegally through fear like the mafia. Yet, in the 60’s armed groups of dissenters were hunted down by the FBI. How are those groups different from the current militia groups or the NRA? I grew up in the 60’s. I watched the government send police and federal troops to use dogs, mace, water hoses, and guns against unarmed citizens who sought a public arena to question the actions of the government. These dissenters have been labelled “liberals” by “conservatives.” Yet, “conservatives are currently using the exact same tactics, so what’s a “liberal?” You accuse liberals of trying to destroy this country, I accuse you of the same thing.
The trouble is I think you are genuine in your desire to strengthen this nation but your solutions are simplistic and flawed.
I do appreciate the fact that many people before me gave their lives to protect my individual freedoms.
I may be naive to believe that someday war will not be the way we solve problems but if another nation sought to destroy my country, I would go to war, too, that was the only option.
I find it funny that you choose military service as a gauge of national loyalty. You eliminate many women from this test. Yes, women went to war, too, and many stayed home to support their families and communities.
The values and attributes of honesty, hard work, integrity, maturity, responsibility, family, education, ethics, and national and community loyalty are not the sole domain of “christians.”
.
charylife 