Blog so long and some thoughts on certain Pro-lifers.

Damn, its been quite sometime since I've posted a blog. There are a couple reasons for this: 1) I've been busy applying for grad school. 2) I got tired of writing about my foot (its better now) 3) I have devoted a significant amount of time hanging out with the kids and learning what its like to live with someone who you're in love with and have children four days a week. If it weren't for my phone I wouldn't be able to check my email on the weekends.

I've applied to grad school at Portland State in the Political Science department. These events lead in to the main thrust of my post today. I've been doing lots of "required" reading. This has included issues of Foreign Affairs and other foreign policy magazines and various books, most notably Thomas Paine's "Rights of Man". I've also discovered (for my self) the commentaries and writings of Christopher Hitchens. In concert, these writings are starting to influence me, and the fact that I've been immersing my self in this genre of writing is having the unintended affect of making face ideas that have been knocking around in my head for sometime.

First off: I've been lazy and haven't registered to vote yet here in Oregon, but when I do, I'm going to register as non-affiliated. So far, there is no political party which I feel I could lend my support too. This ultimately is a good thing. This decision frees me from the political dogma that infects American political life.

I started my political life at an early age (even if it was a half ass one)when I got my junior NRA membership. If I was at all versed on one political issue, it was gun control. Though I don't remember most of my childhood. I do remember showing the card to people and openly talking about the second amendment. In high school I was known to call anybody who showed any liberal tendencies "pinko commies" or just "pinko". This way of thinking continued through high school until I was influenced by a cook at the Yacht Club I was working at.
My transformation (probably more in an attempt to look cool, rather than any general interest or heart felt belief.) was almost instantaneous. Before you could utter the word communist, I was sneaking in issues of the "Socialist Worker" and quietly reading Marx and Engels, in my bedroom. Midway through the school year I think I had settled in to the fact that I was a “liberal”, though I maintained some tenets of my former life.

During this time I somehow found my self involved in a Christian youth group with a severe evangelical tilt. I somehow managed to survive in this group and be non-political. But soon I was sorta kicked out of this group for attempting to follow the idea of the teachings of Christ and not go for the homophobic, hypocritical bullshit which is the hallmark of that corrupt way of thinking. The years between then and now are insignificant.

This brings us to now. Over the last few months I’ve been listing to nothing but political podcasts. Not opinion shows per-sea, but more news analyst. A short list of these would be pbs’ Washington Week. Slate’s Political Gabfest. Last and certainly not least is the amazing podcast from the Council on Foreign Relations. The podcast is a made up of a variety of talks given at the council from a wide range of people.

So where am I now? I’ve finally come to grips with the fact that I’m no longer a believer in god. Not quite an all out atheist, but more like Paine or Jefferson, a deist. If there is\was a god, he walked away a long time ago, and we as humans have evolved past the point of needing one. This is what the age of reason was all about.

All of this really started to sink in a few weeks ago when I was driving back from my old neighborhood to the house I share with Amy when stretched out for four or five very long blocks was a multitude of Pro-lifers, holding there loaded images and the supposed words of christ. I respect these peoples right to let their views be known. But what they really want is for us law to be dictated by religious law. If these people where to have their way we would live our lives as they did in the Dark ages !! This is no better than what Bin Laden and crew want for the Middle East.

This nation is a secular nation, founded by people who weren’t really Christians as the religious right would have you believe but ardent secularist!! Religious law has no place in our secular society.

Now I sound like a typical lefty, so I must insist that the left’s way of thinking is almost as bankrupt as the right’s. I have no faith in the Democratic party and I actually believe that we (the people) would be better represented through a parliamentary system of government, but thats for another time. I’ll just leave you with this. Why, during the course of nation building does the U.S. always set up a system of parliament with a Prime Minister and a President. Marinate on that for a bit.