Dear Anonymous,
Since having my baby, it takes me a bit longer to get on here to tend to my blog, so I apologize for taking so long to respond. I also realized that my bio page needed to be updated, and on that page it points out that I am an Army brat, and veteran of the U.S. Army. That being said, I am very well aware of the world outside of my doorstep, having lived in Turkey for two years as a child, and also spending time in South Korea as a soldier.
The main purpose for this particular post (Thaddeus-Matthews-and-his-black-on-black-hatred), was the fact that because she didn't think like him, meant that she wasn't "black enough" to represent that district. The hate that you point out that is directed at President Obama in most cases is not hate, but disdain for someone who has utter hostility for those of us with faith, and those that don't agree with him. Besides, what our President is going through is nothing compared to what President Bush went through. Do you remember the film "Death of a President"? That movie was made while President Bush was still in office. Do you see a movie depicting the assassination of President Obama? I didn't think so.
So you say you don't want to seem anti-American, then proceed to attack my country for our "race relations, women's equality, respect for gay people etc., religious toleration". You then say, "we see your terrifying gun laws (the right to bear arms was removed in Britain in 1487), your ignorance of other religions, your certainty that God is on your side, your lack of effective public health care free at the point of delivery, your treatment of prisoners, your attachment to the death penalty (very odd in a country so largely Christian) and most worrying of all, your incredible insularity and lack of understanding of the world around you (a hangover from isolationism I suspect)."
OK, let me address these one at a time:
Race relations right now are set back because of the rancor and wedge put there by our President and the Attorney General. Anyone who criticizes the President is deemed racist or sellouts by the left, and the media doesn't bat an eye, because they are following their "beloved savior".
Women's Equality:
Plain and simple women are not men. I am the mother of six children, and would not expect to be treated the same in a workplace where I spend more time home than my husband. Our military is the best example of what I mean. When I met my husband we were both in the Army, and I outranked him. Pay is equal across the board based on rank, and time in service. But if I take more time off to tend to children, I can't expect that after I have run out of leave, that the military would want me to stay in. That is why they have an option to discharge a service member for family hardship. More times than not, it applies to the female service member. I am not equal to a man physically, and whether we want to admit it or not, women are not equal to men physiologically. We are equal in dignity and equality, but there are innate, inherent differences, and those differences have a purpose. We are not the same. Period.
Gays:
Respect for gays is not the problem. What we don't like is being told we need to accept what they do, and if we don't we are hateful. Telling gays that marriage is between a man and a woman is not hate. It's the truth. We don't walk around beheading gays like they do in some countries.
Religious tolerance and our "ignorance":
The trampling of religious rights is not coming from the people, but from our government. We are not intolerant or ignorant of other religions. What we won't tolerate is one religion telling the rest of us that we must submit. At least we still have the spine to stand up to them. We are very mindful of how we come across to other nations when it comes to religion. We don't know that God is on our side. Maybe He is, maybe He isn't. We have a great deal of people in this country who are not religious, but still served this country in our armed services. So what is their reason? Simple. They would rather take it to the bad guys, than to let them on our shores. Maybe you should do a little research on the pulse of America, and our knowledge of religions.
Health Care:
Simply put; Nothing is free. We cannot afford to pay for everything for everyone. We cannot afford cradle to grave everything: Food, housing, clothes, work, health-care, and overall I-do-whatever-I-want-and-you-pay-for-it happiness. If you choose to live a risky life, I should not have to be burdened with the costs of your decisions. There is a reason that people come here for their medical care from other countries. We have the best health care system in the world, and it's because of competition within their ranks, not because the government controls everything. All we need to do now is watch Europe go bankrupt and know that we cannot allow that to happen here.
Abortion:
Take out the word "abortion" and use the word "slavery" instead. That's how evil the arguments for abortions have become. A woman has the right to do what she wants with her body, but the baby is not her body. That child is an innocent person who did not ask for anything. Our laws on abortion are flawed. Yes we still have that debate here, and will continue to have it, because if we were to treat slavery the same way a lot of people want us to treat the wholesale murder of the unborn, by being silent, I could very well still be a slave today. I am a descendant of slaves, and I am always mindful of how far we have come as a nation. We have a duty to protect the least among us. Pro-Lifers will never give up this fight.
Gun laws:
I have a right to own a gun, and will use that right freely if someone comes to my home to harm me, my husband, or my children, and woe be unto those who come to do ill will here. I will not sit and wait for the police to show up, and pray that I survive long enough, or that the bad guy will just go away. The government will never tell the American people that we can't own guns, not without a fight on their hands. Our right to own firearms is why we have a nation, and even the Japanese military knew during WWII that a land invasion of America was impossible for that very reason.
Treatment of prisoners and the death penalty:
Not sure who you are referring to here. If it is the terrorists, then I don't give a damn how uncomfortable our guys make them feel. I want our Special Forces, and C.I.A. to keep us safe, and if you are unwilling to accept the fact that there are people out there that want to kill you just because you exist, then I feel sorry for you. If you are referring to our prison population, then I say you have not done your homework again. Our Department of Corrections are so hoping that the prisoners will be rehabilitated, that they give them the opportunity to earn a G.E.D. or a college degree. As far as the death penalty, I wholly welcome it! My husband's ex-best friend killed five women in Arizona. Three of the women he killed by strangling them with their own hair. Two of them were mothers. After killing all of these women, he kept the bodies, and continued to have sex with the bodies, until he dumped them like trash. He is on death row, and I will pray for his soul, but he does not deserve to spend another day of his life on this earth. Yes, we are a Christian nation (regardless of what our President said), and as such, we pray for their souls, but God Himself instituted the death penalty for murderers (Genesis 9:6).
Insularity and lack of worldly knowledge:
As I said before, we have plenty of worldly knowledge, and no we are not isolationists. We welcome people legally, and we encourage it. The numbers do not lie. Immigrants choose our country more than all other nations combined. After 9/11/01, we had every right to impose measures that would protect us. Some worked, some didn't. But make no mistake, we are a very welcoming nation, and I would think you would've picked up on that on your travels here.
Since you didn't leave your name, I don't how to address you, but I hope that I have answered these inquiries. I have lived outside the borders of this country, and was glad beyond measure to reach her shores again. So please, in the future, don't assume that I live in a bubble. I have seen the world, and while I can see the pride you have for your homeland, I have the same pride in mine.
