Not Quite

In response to Josh's November 04, 2004 Post

Bush is not a fiscal conservative, nor has anyone ever called him one. But, I do support spending a substantial amount of our budget on the military, which Bush supports. Give me rockets, bombs, and bears, I will figure out my retirement on my own, thank you very much.

Then again, the Republican Party has a lot of trouble getting any budget passed, be it balanced or otherwise, because the Democrats don't want them to get credit, only the blame. And, I understand why that is: the Republicans did the same thing for decades; congressional politics is more about posturing than actual progress, it is the nature of the beast.

I disagree with your assertion that the Republican Party wishes to intrude on state rights. First of all, only a minority of the Republican congressman supported a constitutional amendment, and they did so only because the fear (a valid one) of the judiciary deciding the issue for the states. This vocal minority wished to circumvent the courts, who in turn are trying to circumvent the state legislatures. The President took it as a personal cause because he believes that the definition of marriage is non-negotiable and should not be decided by the courts—it also served to motivate millions of Christians to vote for GW, which Karl Rove was counting on. President Bush never seriously thought the amendment would garner any significant momentum; he supported it because he felt it was the only sure way to insure the definition of marriage and hoped that his stand would serve to unite millions of concerned Christians. It turned out to be a pretty smart gambit.

Tangent 1

Personally, I don’t have a problem with Gay Marriage but a super-majority of the population does, and I do know that who we get to marry is not a constitutional right; it is an issue that should be decided by the states. The definition isn’t going to change anytime soon, if ever, through the legislative process. The people have spoken and very loudly so, however; these same people, by in large, support civil unions. Democrats, as well as Republicans, would be wise to push for civil unions in state legislatures. It would be a much easier battle, and one supported by both parties constituency. If this doesn’t happen, and it becomes Gay Marriage or nothing then there will be a huge fight within and between the parties. It will become the new affirmative action, where millions of people openly despise it, while giving tens of millions a reason to bolster their closeted bigotry. I know that Gay Marriage will one day win out, how it gets there is the question and, ultimately, the crux of the problem.

Back on Topic

Tangential thoughts aside, I want to point out that Reagan changed the view of Republicans on international affairs. Before, it was largely a party of isolationists, we did not needlessly meddle. That was the job of Democrats, who pushed us into Vietnam, Korea and even the first two World Wars. I think the old Democratic Party was right; the Republican Party was wrong, or at least not strong enough in their international zeal. Today the opposite is true: Republicans are proactive when it comes to international threats, the Democrats are reactive, with many not wanting to do anything at all, save for talk. Ronald Reagan is the reason for this ideological switch within the GOP. And, why we have steadily grown in power over last 2 ½ decades. JFK would be conservative by your standards; he actively sought to prevent the spread of communism. He was not reactive by any means; he instigated the beginning of Vietnam. The United States was not provoked, not any meaningful way, but he understood that it was a key nation in the spread of communism. LBJ took this as a mandate for limited, politically motivated war and made a fool of our nation.

Tangent 2

I find it laughable that people say George W. Bush was the first President to ever invade a country without provocation (which is a lie, we were provoked plenty) when Kennedy and Johnson did the same thing, even going further than Bush by invading a country that had virtually no dealing with this nation whatsoever. We had no interest there other than to stop communism. I know it was the right idea, it was just woefully executed.

Semi-Lucid Conclusion

See, I went off on another tangent, alas--I need to learn to stay on subject, my 7th grade English teacher would be disappointed, among other reasons.

You are correct in believing the Republican Party has changed. It has been for the good of both the nation and the party. Bush doesn’t perfectly represent all Republicans, in fact he is considered too moderate by many, too conservative by some, and not nearly strong enough in fiscal matters. Nonetheless, his positions are well known within the party and without. He is a strong leader, who often has to lead by example and not through consensus. I like that in a President and a party, so should you.

Go to Hell

The Car, The Incline, and The Man Who Brought Them Together

One hour ago, I went out for Taco Bell. I wasn't particularly hungry, but I am particularly fat. On the way, I happened upon a poor soul who was jumping up and down in front of his car, which was planted in the middle of the right lane; thankfully (for his sake) I was feeling magnanimous and didn't run his stupid ass over. I pulled in front of his car and inquired what the problem was. Keep in mind, his car was parked in the middle of street with no caution lights or any discernable light source within 500 ft of his location. He explained that he ran out of gas and asked if I would push his car 1000ft (give or take way too fucking much) to the gas station.

I had three major reservations with his request:

• First of all, I am morbidly obese and physically unable to push a car 10 ft, making the requisite 1000 foot distance all but impossible.
• Secondly, the nearest gas station was located on a slight incline, as was much the distance required to get there. And, as we all know pushing a car up a hill, slight as it may appear, often results in: Oh Shit, Oh Shit. SPLAT... If you’re God, why do you have horns on your head and an engorged goat vagina where you face should be?
• Finally, who in their right mind would run out of gas, in the first place? Then forget to use their emergency blinkers while stranded in the middle of the road. I had a strong inkling he wanted to rob, rape and pillage me.
  

I told him that pushing his car to the gas station was a bad idea; instead I would drive him there and fill up a container. I pushed his car 10 or so feet to the right and told him to turn on his emergency lights. As luck would have it, only one light worked. Since I don't routinely carry a gas container, I assumed the gas station would have one. You know what they say about assumptions; they require a non-retarded bitch to be true. The station attendant didn't have a container, nor did he have one to sell. I mentioned using a giant soda cup would work; the attendant shook his head and said he wouldn't allow it. Apparently my good deed was going to be more pushing than usual.

I drove to the next gas station, which happened to be part of a large retail store and purchased a container. Why did I purchase it? There is a very rationale reason why: The kid didn't have any money because he "left it at his apartment." The container only cost $3.50 or 3 1/2 Taco Supremes. It held one gallon and half, which cost $2.50 or 1 Chicken Quesadilla. After investing half of my potential Taco feast in a stupid kid and his inability to keep gas in his care, I drove him back to the car. The police were waiting, since this road was fairly well traveled, even at midnight, and it wouldn't do to have a car blocking a lane. I explained the situation to the officers, since the kid seemed to clam up at the sight of their uniforms and, for some inexplicable reason, could not speak. After he poured in the gas, I took my container and continued my lard induced journey. The kid did mutter, "God Bless You" or was it "God Damn It" when I pulled away.

The officers stuck around, though. They were still there, as was the kid, when I was coming home, fifteen minutes later.

The moral of the story: I am fat, oh and one should never stop to help a stranded driver. Odds are that they deserve it. I can only hope he was busted for drug possession.


Go to Hell