This rant is inspired by my continued frustration with reading the mindset of at least a sub-population of conservatives. CNN recently posted emails from people in response to the controversy over the US attorney firings and the calls for AG Gonzales to step down. Reading some of those emails gives a person insight into the simplistic, naive, and dangerous mental processes that result in what can be stereotyped as the typical Republican/Conservative. I use the term loosely though, as not all republicans are necessarily narrow-minded imbeciles. Some simply believe strongly in fiscal responsibility and minimzing federal influence into state's rights and although I disagree with some of those positions, I respect people who define a "Conservative" by those criteria. Those "Conservatives" are not whom I will be ranting about below.
CNN asked for opinions about the calls for AG Gonzales to resign and they provided a nice cross-section of responses spanning the political spectrum.
Some of the responses I found a bit idiotic and lacking any sound reason I've quoted below:
In the private sector if you get sacked, you get sacked. You don't whine about it.
Yes, these people are clearly pussies who are whining about being fired from their jobs because of their political views. A person should be capable of firing a competent employee for whatever reason they want whether it's their gender, their hair style, their race, or their political affiliation. There is nothing wrong with that at all. I wonder if this guy would be fine with his liberal boss firing him because of his opinions on the AG Gonzales scandal?
Don't all of these attorneys serve at the pleasure of the president? I thought they did, so what is the big deal?
The big deal is this administration has been consolidating power since 2001 and firing liberal US attorneys to replace them with conservative ones is yet another uncovered scandal which shows how totalitarian this administration is. They wish to control as much of the law as possible to allow them to get away with as much criminal activity as possible.
This is perfectly reasonable. Look at past presidents and look at how he is handling it. It is not disgusting; it is politics. If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen
Yet another classic, "if you don't like it then leave" attitude common to republicans. When it suits them they take this position. When it doesn't suit them it's a "war on christmas" or a "gay agenda" or the "liberal media" trying to "destory America". There is no war on christmas. Celebrate it every day if you like. We're fine with that. The gays have no agenda other than equal protection under the law. It's in the constitution you know-that thing you pretend to love so much and wave your flag for. That thing the president has been disregarding and mocking for 7 years now. And the media is not liberal. It only seems that way because the 'Fox current events discussion show' is so unbelievably right wing that anything less seems liberal. We hate the mainstream media. They don't report what needs to be reported. They don't ask the tough questions. They're not liberal. They simply don't have enough of a clue to have a position.
Is this the first time it has happened? Is it the first time politics played a role? Are we worried they won't find another job? I think we should all move on to more important issues.
No, I'm sure it isn't the first time. And it was just as improper every other time it was done regardless of who was AG at the time. Politics should never play a role in the justice system. Justice is supposed to be blind remember? That's what that statue means of the woman blindfolded holding a balance. More important issues? How vocal are you with the 3000+ American soliders you "support" that have been killed in Iraq? How much do you care about the ones who are still there? How much do you care about the ones being sent back against doctor recommendations about being "fit for duty". How much do you care about the conditions at Walter Reed? But it's ok, because you wave your flag and you have that yellow ribbon on your bumper that says you support the troops.
Then I read another story like this one:
A California woman whose doctor says marijuana is the only medicine keeping her alive is not immune from federal prosecution on drug charges, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday.
<snip>
the issue before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was narrowed to the so-called right to life theory: that marijuana should be allowed if it is the only viable option to keep a patient alive.
Typically a republican stance, marijuana is considered an illicit substance and illegal in this country. No one has ever died of marijuana and it has demonstrated medical value. Our prisons and legal system are flooded with cases involving marijuana violations whether it be a few plants growing in someone's house or a truck with hundreds of pounds. And while our legal system prosecutes those people and rules that a woman must break the law to continue living, child molestors and killers are being released and re-released into society only to commit unspeakable gruesome acts.
Couey's criminal past:
Couey has an extensive criminal record that includes 24 arrests for burglary, carrying a concealed weapon without a permit and indecent exposure. In 1991, he was arrested in Kissimmee on a charge of fondling a child under age 16. During a house burglary in 1978, Couey was accused of grabbing a girl in her bedroom, placing his hand over her mouth and kissing her. Couey was sentenced to 10 years in prison but was paroled in 1980.
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Conservatives, there is not a liberal agenda. Liberals want equal rights for all people, a government run by the people, for the people-not by the lobbyists for the corporations. Fox news lies to you-a lot. Bush used the middle and lower class tax cuts as a mask for the billions he gave to the oil companies and the rich. The Dems don't want to raise taxes. They don't want you to give back your tax cuts. They want the rich to give back theirs. America tortures prisoners. It's not right-even to a real terrorist. Not everyone arrested is guilty of a crime. Therefore some people being held at Gitmo are innocent and are being tortured. It's been proven already and the government has apologized for it in the past. It wasn't just 'that one guy' either. It's still happening. I'll say that again, innocent people are being tortured. They can no longer request to go before a judge to hear the accusations against them thanks to the Military Commission Act. The US constitution and the writ of habeus corpus was meant to ensure that "no person" shall be denied the right to hear the charges against them. It doesn't say 'no US citizen'. It was written to guide the US in a fair track when prosecuting all people-not simply to protect US citizens. The founding fathers wanted to make sure the US was acting fairly to all people. We are not trying to deny you the right to your church and your religion. We believe in religious freedom and the country was founded on that. But we do not want the US to be governed by the Bible anymore than you want it governed by the Quran. The door swings both ways on tolerance. Finally, the US is occupying Iraq. We are not hunting terrorists over there. We are playing police in a country that is in the middle of a civil war. Soldier are dying from guerilla warfare-not terrorism. A continued presence in Iraq will not change the outcome on the country-only kill more americans. If you support the troops then do everything you can to get them home.