November02: Womens' Rights

  On The Second Day of Voting, my Candidate gave to Mee.....
  Two Binders Full of Women!!
  On a more serious note, this post will address the Womens' Rights. I know that some of you will see this and think '19th Amendment. Yeah. Got it.' But it goes beyond that.
  Think about it realistically. There is NEVER equal rights, despite the fact that the documents of our country call for it. People are forever discriminated against based on their ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, age, political preference....it even gets as small as to the clothes a person wears. That is an unfortunate fact of life. So the statement that "women gained their rights a long time ago" is extremely ignorant. Women are to this day still extremely discriminated against in the workforce. And womens' rights isn't just a national issue; many countries in the world still haven't accepted their women as full-on citizens.
  So to me, the fact that this womens' rights issue is flaring up now extremely overdue. It has always been a problem in our society, but it has become magnified during this particular time due to Romney's healthcare proposal. In short, many of the healthcare aspects Mitt Romney addresses that he'll do if he wins the presidency happens to limit contraceptive availability and the option of voluntary abortion. It's obvious what he's trying to do; he is trying to make up for his religious affiliation by siding against abortion, hence winning him some Evangelical and Anglican supporters. But this strategy indirectly targets women and strips them of their capacity to make decisions for themselves, thus "neglecting our rights".
  Being a woman, it's obvious where I stand on the issue. But speaking from a asexual position, it is unjust what Gov. Romney is trying to do. Everyone should have control over their own bodies, and that includes women.
  Mitt really did dig himself into a hole with this whole womens' rights thing, and that "binders full of women" comment didn't really help the situation either.
  Look out tomorrow for my next Voting Day Countdown post!!

November01: Gay Rights

  So, to celebrate the election month, I decided to do a blogging countdown, similar to the Twelve Days of Christmas: The Six Days of Voting. Heck, maybe on the last day, I'll make a little jingle for it too.
  So each day, I will be posting about a different political topic. And on the First Day of Voting, I decided to start with something really controversial: Same-sex marriage.
  I'm sure we've all heard about it. (Or, at least I would hope that I have sophisticated people reading my blog who pay attention to political matters; no offense to those who don't, though!!) But to sum it up in a statement, the country is basically battling over whether or not homosexuals should have the right to be recognized as a married couple.
  But that's boring stuff. Now here's the fun part: You get to hear me rampage about my views on this topic.
  First of all, there's the question of whether or not marriage is an issue that should be dealt with within state jurisdiction or on a federal level. Regardless, states have taken it upon themselves to develop laws relating to marriage. I disagree with both, really; Marriage should be a CHURCH issue. I mean, don't people get married in church? So shouldn't it be up to the church whether or not to bind two people in holy matrimony? I do understand the cases in which the people getting married aren't religious; in that case, I believed it should be handled in an attorney's office. Just sign, date, and have a witness. Simple as that. Really, the only reason why the state is involved is because they make money off the marriage license. Besides that, it really is none of their business what to people want to do with their lives.
  My second problem s with the religious issue against same-sex marriage. I've literally had this argument with devout Catholics, and I tend to be able to shut them up. This is how it goes:
  -Devout Catholic: What they're doing is a sin! They need to be cast out of society.
  -Me: Ohkay....don't you sin?
  -DC: Yes, but I repent for it!
  -Me: You say that as if someone being homosexual automatically makes them an atheist. I know plenty of gays that attend church regularly.
  -DC: So not only are they sinning, but they're hypocrites! It's a sin, I tell you....God doesn't like it....it's a sin, it's a sin!!....
  -Me: WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU TO JUDGE HUMAN BEINGS? ISN'T THAT GOD'S JOB??
  -DC: Yes....
  -Me: Alright then. So why don't you just leave the judging to Him.
  -DC: I'm just trying to save them....Judgement Day will come, and God will punish them for their sins....
  -Me: Alright then. So just save all of your judging and casting aside for God to do on Judgement Day, mmkay?
**I don't want to give the wrong idea; I have nothing against Catholics. It's just that I've only had this conversation with Catholics, and they all tend to ironically go in this direction.** (One thing in particular that irritated me about a Catholic minister was after the death of Ted Kennedy. Ted was a Catholic, but was in support of same-sex marriage. After his death, an interview with his church's pastor reveals that the pastor does not feel as if he went to Heaven for his believe, and just wished that he would have come to the church and changed his opinion before he passed.)
  Of course, I always win these types of debates. But that's only because when dealing with this delicate situation, I don't let my religious views influence me. Which is another thing tearing this country apart; mixing the State with religion. It's literally just asking for trouble, and based on that, we've been begging for it for a little while now. (I also find it funny how religious views can also influence the way people vote; many Anglicans and Evangelicals wrote Romney off right when found out he was Mormon.)
  My main argument supporting same-sex marriage tends to (ironically) be an idea that leans more to the Conservative side: What others do in the privacy of their own homes shouldn't be that of my concern. I mean, seriously. Why do I care what my neighbor's sexual preference is? I don't! Why do I care if my female teacher is married to a woman? I don't! Why do I care if every homosexual in this country is married and considered a couple under legal circumstances? I DON'T! Like, really, I don't understand why it is such a big deal about what other people do in their privacy.
  So for me, gay marriage is a go. I would love to hear feedback on this, and hear your thoughts about same-sex rights. But to end off this post, I figured I'd end with a little quote from and episode of Law and Order..
                   "I say let them marry? Why shouldn't they be as miserable as the rest of us?"
Thanks for reading, and go vote!!