As far as social issues are concerned, i'm about as liberal as they come. I think that the best way to stay into the battle is to see things that not only upset you, but give you hope that things can get better. So, these are a few things that have me fired up.
Arrested For Feeding The Homeless.
Apparently you can no longer feed the homeless in this country. Ok, maybe not in Orlando, Florida at least. Last week, three members of the activist group "Food Not Bombs" were arrested for violating a city ordinance that requires a group to obtain a permit in order to feed 25 people or more in any of the downtown parks. I understand that the law is the law, but most sane people would agree that this is a stupid law. The fact that an activist group has to feed the homeless means that the city of Orlando is apparently not doing their job. Hopefully this will be changed because it looks awful to be the city that arrests you if you feed homeless citizens. Yes city of Orlando government. They maybe be homeless, but they are still citizens.
Dear Joplin, Missouri, You're On Your Own.
People call the republicans heartless all the time. Many republicans get upset and say that it's not true. Try explaining this one. Eric Cantor (R-VA) pretty much told the citizens of Joplin, Missouri, who were devastated by tornados, that they are on their own. That the funding for them must be paid for by spending cuts in other areas. It's important to note that we pretty much have an idea where that would come from. It's pretty clear that he doesn't want to cut anything from defense because republicans love blowing people up. So it'll probably come from the usual suspects. Planned Parenthood (because they feel women are things that don't deserve rights) or PBS (because apparently the republican overlords at Fox News think Big Bird and Elmo are just too damned liberal for their tastes.) How about cutting it from education because we know republicans like their voters stupid. I mean look at how many people follow Sarah Palin. It's bad enough that you are deemed heartless, but when Donald Trump calls you out, I think it's time to re-evaluate your position.
These Are The People Who Lead (Or Want To Lead) Us?
Sarah Palin apparently thinks she can be president. She's right. Lets be honest. George W. Bush was elected for a term (that's right. ONE TERM!) so anybody can be president. However, i'm sure that George W. Bush could get this right while drunk. Paul Revere warned the British that they were not going to be taking our guns. There are a lot of things wrong with that sentence so i'll settle for saying that it's all wrong. Sarah Palin spent a lot of time claiming that President Obama (at the time candidate Obama) palled around with terrorists. Maybe she should spend some time palling around with a history book. Lets move on to Michele Bachmann. Mrs. Bachmann is catching trouble from everywhere. Amy Myers challenged her to a debate on the U.S. Constitution. Lets be clear that if you are a smart gambler, you'll bet on Amy Myers. Unfortunately that debate probably won't happen. Just when you think she's in the clear, some kid that you might have heard of challenged her on a law that would allow creationism to be taught in science classes in public schools. His name is Zack Kopplin and it's fair to call him an adult because he's pretty much the embodiment of what an adult should be. His campaign to have the Louisiana Science Education Act (or creationism bill) repealled is completely amazing and you would be insane to say otherwise. You have to be impressed by people like Amy Myers and Zack Kopplin, but puzzled at how people like Michele Bachmann and Sarah Palin not only gain large followings, but access to political power. Luckily the future is a little bit brighter.
Fighting Back Against The Religious Right.
This is something that really sticks in my eye being an atheist myself. The fact that the religious right is trying to impose their beliefs on everybody. It's not like they are trying to include all religions like the Universal Unitarians. They are specifically trying to turn this nation into a christian theocracy. Not to mention that several public schools have decided that it is their duty to assist them. The cases of Jessica Ahlquist, Damon Fowler, and Harrison Hopkins come to mind. The Rhode Island ACLU has filed a lawsuit on the behalf of Jessica to have a prayer banner removed from the school. Jessica couldn't be any more right in this case. The response she has received from some of her peers and complete strangers has been typical. Vile insults are what you get when you speak out against those who slowly (and sometimes quickly) wish to impose a theocracy on us. However, at least Jessica can depend on her parents. The case of Damon Fowler just goes to show you how out of whack some religious people can be. Damon Fowler stood up against a planned school prayer at his graduation ceremony at his high school in Bastrop, Louisiana. The response from his community has been disgraceful. He's been threatened and demeaned by them. He was even disowned by his parents. This is by far one of the most disgusting acts i've seen as far as the religious majority imposing their will on everybody and throwing temper tantrums when they don't get their way. Harrison Hopkins also fought against those who wish to endorse religion in the public schools. The fact that any of them had to fight against this is completely ridiculous. The silver lining is that people are in fact fighting against it.
Those are just a few things that have me fired up.