Thread: February/March Applause Nominee winner!

The Political Forum staff has reviewed many posts nominated by others for February and March and voted on which of the these posts appeared to best meet the criteria established by the Mission Statement for Political Forum. There was a tie vote so the following two members/posts are being recognized.

As somewhat of a surprise to us was that both posts were made by new members that have just joined Political Forum this year, Kaliyo and Texsdrifter, and we congratulate them for their contribution.

Originally Posted by Kaliyo

Hi there, this is my first post. I decided to come to a political forum to maybe get some feedback from some people and hopefully not trolling.

Anyways, I feel like the religious right is starting to take over the government. At the very least they have taken over the Republican party which might as well be called the Christian Fundamentalist Party at this point. I actually like some of the classic Republican ideals myself, but I don't see these being practiced by the majority of the Republicans. All I ever see them talk about is moral issues like gays, birth control, and passing legislation based on their religious beliefs. Look at the candidates that we've had so far: Perry, Bachman, Santorum, etc. Who could vote to have their rights taken away?

I have nothing against religion. I don't personally believe in any religion, but I am not some rabid anti-theist. However, I do believe that I have the right to live my life without people forcing their religious beliefs on me.Maybe its just because I am located in Tennessee,( a state where the notorious "Don't Say Gay" bill was passed) that I feel this way, given the power of religion here.

Things like the bill in Arizona that gives employers the right to fire a woman if she uses birth control are things that scare me. This is EXACTLY the kind of thing that would be passed in Tennessee. I really don't see how someone can do that. Doesn't that violate HIPAA laws? Can a Jehovah's Witness tell someone they can't have a blood transfusion? After all, their religion tells them that's wrong.

They think that their religion should control everyone's lives. Schools aren't supposed to teach basic biology or sex education because it might offend them. Why can't they just let their kid stay home on that day? Do my kids and everyone else's kids have to get the education they think is correct?

Not only do they obsess over violating the private lives of others, they also don;t make any sense with their reasoning on things :

I realize that they loathe abortion. That's fine. But they also hate contraception which PREVENTS abortion since no ovulation happens in the first place. They don't want abortion or contraception, but they don't want to support "welfare babies" with their taxes either, which would be the result of making contraception harder to get. Also they don't want sex education which could prevent pregnancy as well.

Another thing I don't get: if they want religious laws passed, then what religion gets the pass those laws? Even in Christianity there are many denominations. Catholics and Protestants obviously don't believe in the same thing. Why would a Catholic get to pass a law against birth control, when many Protestants don't have any problem with it?

I'd like feed back from different people. Also, just for the record I think ALL politicians are sleazy liars, not just Republicans.

The second post is:

Originally Posted by Texsdrifter

Redneck is a term embraced by mostly lower class individuals much like another insulting term I will not use as been embraced by another lower class group. Are some of them racist sure just like any other demographic. However to brand them all the same is stereotyping. I live in the "backwoods", I am not liberal or conservative. I have no feeling of superiority over any other race. I grew up in the inner city, I prefer to raise my children in a more rural setting. While some rednecks are racist so are some African Americans, Hispanics, Native American, Asians, Europeans, or any other group. Most people who are racist do not know much about the people they hate. They judge an entire race or class based on what they see on T.V. or a bad experience with a few individuals. Humans for some reason look at differences from themselves as reason to hate. Race is a visual difference that receives the most instant attention. In society's with little racial diversity they must look for either political or religious differences as a reason to hate. To judge someone based on differences is a agent for addressing ones own inferiority complex. I am proud of my "redneck" heritage just as I would expect anyone to feel pride in their heritage. It does not mean I respect the opinions of others with the same background. The label is actual derived from our tendency to sun-burn on the back of our necks. That is a result of performing hard labor outdoors I suppose some think the "white-man" should have evolved past performing such mundane task. Yet it actual should show we are like any poor hard working individuals. Some of us are stupid and racist that just further proves there is no superiority of the "white" race. Which is what I personal thinks insults some people who would like to believe they are superior.

Once again the Staff invites the members of Political Forum to nominate posts that they believe reflect the highest standards of Political Forum for all of us to participate in "vigorous respectful debate" so please PM us so that we can add your nominations to the selection process.

Shiva_TD
Site Moderator

Attention Members:

Here is an opportunity for each of you to show your respect for the "opposition" in our political discussions and debates. We often find other member that we disagree with politically but were we maintain an atmosphere of respect in our discussions. We respect these individuals even though we might disagree with them and there is a sharing of mutual respect "across party lines" so to speak.

If you enjoy debating with a specific member of the "opposition" and believe they've presented a really good argument (that you obviously disagree with LOL) then send me a link to the post. I want to include these types of posts in the moderator's discussion on recognizing the quality members of Political Forum that engage in vigorous respectful debate.

Thanks in advance,
Shiva_TD
Site Moderator