Perspective Plus discussion

We are all are aware of Arizona's failed attempt to deny basic rights to people based on religious beliefs. I read in this Sunday's paper that Ohio also tried to propose a similar law, but that it never made it past committee. The idea is "trying to protect religious rights" and nothing more, yet you are stepping on the basic rights of others that I thought had been long decided by the civil rights movement in the 60's when segregation and Jim Crow laws were revoked.

This type of law just reinforces the idea that it is alright to deny others a basic right because the long held shield of religion is being held up yet once again to justify a narrow opinion. Yes, we are in a world where any type of seeming like if you do not like current public opinion means you are a bad person. Is it o.k. to privately hold an opinion? Yes. Is it o.k. to voice your opinion? Yes. What is not o.k. is using a flimsy reason to deny basic rights to a group you don't like.


We have a very strong "my rights are more important than your rights" trend in this country and it needs to stop. You don't have to agree with me, not I with you, but there needs to be a balance of opinions. You are entitled not to like certain people but you are not allowed to just simply say "no, you can't come in here because I don't agree with your lifestyle/color/size/tattoos/piercings, etc.


Ah, you wondered where I was going with this didn't you? Here we go folks, this is more than just gay rights, this the rights for all. This is an Acme axle greased slope of danger here. It starts with a "reasonable" argument, sometimes taken up by the media,and now social media, a rallying cry of what is wrong, needs to be fixed, or why we need to stop this nonsense in it's tracks. It starts as a "fight for religion" and ends with every one being segregated because we can't get along.

All of this leads to a dangerous level of "who's next?" You may be agree with the AZ law and wished it had passed. That is your opinion and that is fine, but stop a minute and think about this for a minute. Let's say that passed and other states quickly passes similar laws. "Now, since the gay's are in their place", they think,"Who else do we need to deal with?" and the next thing you know, "Oh, well you're fat, so I don't shouldn't have to sell you this food, after all it's for your own good."

See where I'm going here? You don't have to agree with me or hate the law proposal, but you do need to see where ideas like this can lead and ask yourself if this really is a good idea. Way to many of the arguments that are being used to support the ideas being spewed about this law are the same xenophobic ideas that were once used to deny the Irish jobs, the Chinese jobs,the Italians, the Polish, and others throughout the course of U.S. history. Blacks and women have also faced similar arguments as to why they should not have jobs or basic rights.

It all comes down to a few people who do not want to allow the idea that they maybe wrong, and that does not sit well with many people. Yet who are we to impose our faith on others? It is like the Hobby Lobby lawsuit against NOBamaCare because they are a small family owned company that does not believe in birth control and they don't want to have to provide coverage for their employees. If you can tell me and prove that every single person working for you has the same belief, then I think you have a case. If not, you lose. You may feel one way, but not everyone who works for you may feel that way and it is not right to force them to suffer because you don't feel that way. Does this mean if you are Christian Scientist you don't have to provide healthcare options for your employees? No, so why should this be any different.

It starts this way, a seemingly reasonable argument and then all of a sudden you are "health issue" and boom! you are being denied service because you're fat. Personal faith and politics do not mix, and we are going to pay a steep price if we don't stand up for ourselves or we are going to see what happens when "well we conquered them so who's next?"

Will it be you?

Quite honestly, I think it's worse than the possibility of extending the restriction of rights to other groups. I've been studying genocide for a long time now, though, so I may be seeing things through genocide-colored glasses. Nevertheless, segregation is usually the first step towards the decision to eliminate a people entirely. Maybe we'd never get there. I hope not. However, there are plenty of steps along the way. We start with giving businesses the right to segregate, and next we'll have laws applying that segregation to other places, like, say, hospitals. And you know what "separate but equal" taught us? It's never equal. So then you have people not receiving the same level of service in the places that are segregated. Anyway, I have a lot of this stuff swirling around in my head and I doubt I can be very coherent about laying it all out. What it comes down to, I think, is that we are not somehow safe from becoming citizens of a fascist state. We think we are, for some reason, but we're not. Kim, I agree that there are those who would like to make laws restricting the rights of fat people, in addition to all sorts of other unfit people. The history in this country of doing that sort of things is still quite recent. There are people who never accepted Civil Rights still living in America. Quite a number of them have become vocal politicians and political pundits.

I wish all Americans would learn their history and learn some good critical thinking skills at the same time, however, it seems to me that what's happening instead is polarization and brainwashing. You don't ever have to listen to the arguments of someone you don't think you agree with if you don't want to anymore. You can choose which news channels to put on. You can only listen to Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh for the rest of your life, if you choose. Ethical journalism doesn't exist anymore (the left-wing outlets aren't much better). Plenty of news sources are actually entertainment, not journalism, and accuracy and fact-checking have been thrown out the window as bad for ratings.

I could go on, but at this point I'm just ranting. Consider me the weirdo on the corner with a big placard that says "BEWARE" (as opposed to "REPENT"). Fascism is rising in this country, and the fascists have succeeded in scaring everyone about "socialists" to divert them from being scared of the fascists. Not the first time this has happened in history, by the way.

It all comes down to "those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it" kind of mentality. We went for years in this country fearful of "the dirty Commies" taking over, denouncing Franco, and others for their hamfisted leadership and vowing "NOT in MY country!", yet we have slid further and further into that quagmire as we have allowed our freedoms to be highjacked in the name of "not letting the terrorists win!" *cough* Patriot Act *cough*.

The all mighty NSA and Homeland Security nonsense only increases this sense of doom and gloom for our country. Freedom of speech is a "protected right" that is being chipped away more and more. Privacy is a joke, mostly because we have allowed ourselves to be led to this point with apps and other social methods of "keeping us social" but really we are just spoon feeding Big Brother. So, with all of this "openness" there are some groups who feel threatened and they are acting like any other cornered animal, they are lashing out, yet we all have to suffer. We are in a new and scary place in this world. We are seeing dictators being brought down with social media and other leaks of documents that force us so to really see what is truly going on behind closed doors.

Blame Watergate, blame the sexual revolution, blame Obama, blame Bush, blame Putin, blame Reagan, blame F.D.R,but blame is easily passed. At one time the Jews were blamed for the failing of Germany and were the excuse to start a holocaust that at it's time was the biggest mass genocide in history. (I many be wrong, but I believe that there have been more massive ones in Africa in recent years that are still being tallied. Pleas correct me if I am wrong.)

There is always a "reasonable cause", a "reasonable argument" for any action, which is used to justify "why this has be the way it is" and a list of reasons that seem to sway others to the side of whomever they are targeting. Religion has been used since it's inception as a way of explaining the world, to control the people and get them to do what the leaders wanted. Yet, you shove people too far too long and they will rebel. Faiths split, because of lack of rules or too many rules, politics and various other reasons, yet holding onto the same core beliefs.

"Reasonable arguments" have been all throughout history as a way to justify who is not "desirable" or "unfit". These were the same type of arguments used this county to justify the treatment of the native tribes,why slaver was a good thing, why women should not be allowed to vote, why any thing that was the way others wanted it to be arranged.

Sophia is correct in her assessment of Fascism creeping up on us in this country. We are slipping into a comfortable position here as "well, as long as it's not me, who cares?" and we walk away. All of this is a big distraction from the fiscal cliff, NOBama care, and other larger national issues because our government does not want us to think. Thinking people are dangerous to the status quo. People who think for themselves are dangerous because they are aware of how stupid and greedy those in charge are.

Have you ever wondered just why our country has such a lousy education system unless you can pay for it? Keep the masses uneducated, and they can't realize when they are slaves. Slaves were kept uneducated for a reason. Education leads to freedom of thought, which leads to revolutions. Social revolutions are becoming more common, but a revolution without a plan or support will fail. Education helps with that, so see the education argument.

The internet has allowed for a sharing of information that we have never seen before,but it does allow for any Tom, Dick or Harriet to spout whatever opinion, "fact" or mish-mashed version of what they feel is the truth out there for others to either ingest or reject. The idea of a critical argument is a dying idea. We are slowly tightening the noose and we don't even realize it.

Well, if you all no longer hear from me, we know that the NSA has taken me from my bed in the middle of the night and I am an dark hole being reconditioned so that I am no longer a thinking person.

Nice knowing all of you.