Bush supporters: Religious Fanatics on the Campaign Trail
Last night was the final presidential debate. Shenan and Alex were kind enough to TiVo it so I could watch with them after my class. Kerry did a great job debating, once again, in that he was prepared with statistics and factoids, he was calm and collected, and he stayed focused. Bush, I felt, did a much better job in this debate than in the first debate. He came back with numbers as well, something his first debate was completely devoid, and stayed calm and collected for the most part. Bush improved which made this debate much closer in terms of winner and loser, though Kerry still has a slight edge. It'll be a close race in 2 weeks time.
Didn't that sound like a pretty well thought out analysis of what I thought of the debate? Well, when C-SPAN finishes it's broadcast of the debate, it takes phone calls from viewers about their thoughts on the debate. This has led me to believe that the only viewers of C-SPAN who want to voice an opinion are religious zealot supporters of George W. Bush. I thought I'd fallen into the Spanish Inquisition and if I didn't condemn my heretic ways, I'd be flambéd over an open bonfire. Many callers, in typical fundamentalist Christian fashion, professed Bush the winner because he accepts Jesus as his Lord and Savior. It's as if they ignored him saying that it is okay for people to not believe in God and that is what is so great about our country--you can believe or not believe in whatever you choose! But no, no, no! Bush is a God-fearing man who takes his religion to heart and prays and that's why we should vote for him for President of the United States: he'll crush the terrorist-heretics! Crazies.
I didn't watch long enough to hear anyone make a comment on the homosexuality question which I felt was one of the tougher questions that allowed the candidates to either be political or honest. Kerry won this but not just because I agree with what he says ("I think if you talk to anybody, it's not choice."). A study came out yesterday linking male homosexuality to genetics. Bush stayed very political on this question, not wanting to touch what his opinion of it is.
As far as other controversial issues, Roe v. Wade came up and Kerry once again made his view clear that he believes people should have a choice, in this case, a woman has a choice with what she wants to do with her body in regards to terminating a pregnancy ("I believe that choice is a woman's choice. It's between a woman, God and her doctor. And that's why I support that."). I bet the fiery Christian fundamentalists were just alight with the fury of the heavens! Hee hee! These are the same folks who don't want to acknowledge premarital sex as something that's going to happen (abstinence is a nice idea, but let's get real) and the need for sex education in our schools with regards to safe sex for pregnancy and disease prevention.
With all these issues which have plagued our society since as far back as I can remember (with the exception of stem-cell research which can be lumped with the abortion issue for those Republicans), Bush's staunchest supporters, the religious right, are stomping on the campaign trail for him in those lovely states like Texas. It's a wonderful demonstration of how one common belief can bond an entire group. And one powerful member in that group (Bush) can affect the beliefs of the other members with his own opinions. If he came out against Pepsi Cola, I'm sure those fundamentalists would all drink Coke tomorrow. And this large group of voters will vote by their religious beliefs. It's frightening how people are willing to forgo forming their own opinion and just follow one dude.
The One, dude, wants to spread freedom by bringing it to the oppressed heretics in the Middle East. It's as if history has taught him nothing. This Yale graduate (mediocre student extraordinaire) was too busy with his secret society to study history. Forcing an idea on a group, whether it be freedom, religion, diet, is not going to work because either those people will always have to be forced to accept that idea or may decide to revert back to an the old idea, perhaps by the force of their own hand--ah civil war! But Bush won't worry himself with that, and the easily influenced religious right will accept what he says as truth. Like they accept what their pastor tells them during the sermon every Sunday at church, Bush is the ultimate pastor to them, spreading Jesus's good words and putting the fear of God in men. "Amen!" they'll shout from the highest steeple and the dark lord of the Sith will return for four more years to expand his Empire's control...
Didn't that sound like a pretty well thought out analysis of what I thought of the debate? Well, when C-SPAN finishes it's broadcast of the debate, it takes phone calls from viewers about their thoughts on the debate. This has led me to believe that the only viewers of C-SPAN who want to voice an opinion are religious zealot supporters of George W. Bush. I thought I'd fallen into the Spanish Inquisition and if I didn't condemn my heretic ways, I'd be flambéd over an open bonfire. Many callers, in typical fundamentalist Christian fashion, professed Bush the winner because he accepts Jesus as his Lord and Savior. It's as if they ignored him saying that it is okay for people to not believe in God and that is what is so great about our country--you can believe or not believe in whatever you choose! But no, no, no! Bush is a God-fearing man who takes his religion to heart and prays and that's why we should vote for him for President of the United States: he'll crush the terrorist-heretics! Crazies.
I didn't watch long enough to hear anyone make a comment on the homosexuality question which I felt was one of the tougher questions that allowed the candidates to either be political or honest. Kerry won this but not just because I agree with what he says ("I think if you talk to anybody, it's not choice."). A study came out yesterday linking male homosexuality to genetics. Bush stayed very political on this question, not wanting to touch what his opinion of it is.
As far as other controversial issues, Roe v. Wade came up and Kerry once again made his view clear that he believes people should have a choice, in this case, a woman has a choice with what she wants to do with her body in regards to terminating a pregnancy ("I believe that choice is a woman's choice. It's between a woman, God and her doctor. And that's why I support that."). I bet the fiery Christian fundamentalists were just alight with the fury of the heavens! Hee hee! These are the same folks who don't want to acknowledge premarital sex as something that's going to happen (abstinence is a nice idea, but let's get real) and the need for sex education in our schools with regards to safe sex for pregnancy and disease prevention.
With all these issues which have plagued our society since as far back as I can remember (with the exception of stem-cell research which can be lumped with the abortion issue for those Republicans), Bush's staunchest supporters, the religious right, are stomping on the campaign trail for him in those lovely states like Texas. It's a wonderful demonstration of how one common belief can bond an entire group. And one powerful member in that group (Bush) can affect the beliefs of the other members with his own opinions. If he came out against Pepsi Cola, I'm sure those fundamentalists would all drink Coke tomorrow. And this large group of voters will vote by their religious beliefs. It's frightening how people are willing to forgo forming their own opinion and just follow one dude.
The One, dude, wants to spread freedom by bringing it to the oppressed heretics in the Middle East. It's as if history has taught him nothing. This Yale graduate (mediocre student extraordinaire) was too busy with his secret society to study history. Forcing an idea on a group, whether it be freedom, religion, diet, is not going to work because either those people will always have to be forced to accept that idea or may decide to revert back to an the old idea, perhaps by the force of their own hand--ah civil war! But Bush won't worry himself with that, and the easily influenced religious right will accept what he says as truth. Like they accept what their pastor tells them during the sermon every Sunday at church, Bush is the ultimate pastor to them, spreading Jesus's good words and putting the fear of God in men. "Amen!" they'll shout from the highest steeple and the dark lord of the Sith will return for four more years to expand his Empire's control...
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