Election 2016

In the 1960’s feminists demanded equal opportunity for women and the right to be treated equal to men.  In the 1970’s homosexuals demanded to be left alone.  Anybody interested in a classic definition of “liberty and justice for all” could easily agree with these two positions.

In December 1989, a protest/riot was held at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. It was at this point I knew these groups did not just want equality and tolerance. They wanted people to believe what they believed. They wanted justice for themselves but not justice for people who “thought” different from themselves. The Catholic Church never did anything against these groups but in fact was giving aid to the suffering and dying of these groups. The Church denounced violence toward homosexuals which means it agreed that they should be left alone. But that wasn’t good enough because the Church did not think and believe what homosexuals and feminists believed. These groups wanted Catholics to stop believing that sodomy, birth control, and abortion were wrong. Catholics should just stop using science and reason which is the source of these beliefs. Stop thinking as they do or they will continue to be molested by these groups.

These groups have went past the reasonable goal of equality and tolerance to intolerance of those who disagree. They demand “respect” but wear a “Buck Fush” t-shirt. George Bush with a Republican held Congress started a program to fight AIDs (PEPFAR). Of course that doesn’t matter because too many Republicans don’t have the “correct beliefs” as defined by these groups. If you don’t have the “correct beliefs” you are called names by these groups. I believe the name calling is caused by their laziness; too lazy to understand why their opponents believe what they do. And too lazy to develop a rational response. Name calling also dehumanizes people, so they might feel better about treating them unjustly.

President Obama entered office in 2009, with a Democratic held Congress. He pushed for and quickly got the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). With the Act came a requirement from the Department of Health that employers pay for birth control and abortifacient drugs. This requirement went against the reasoned conscience of many employers; mostly evangelical and Catholic Christians. The President and the Democratic Party could care less about the First Amendment rights of these Christians. It wasn’t enough that these groups want to engage in what many people believed to be evil, these groups want the people with “incorrect beliefs” to participate in the evil. Participate by forcing them to labor for evil. Labor by forcing them to pay, forcing them to take pictures, arrange flowers, bake cakes, and supply abortifacient drugs.

The claim for tolerance and equality is now socialism (forcing others to pay) and an assault on individual conscience. Obama and the Democrats have become bullies. They bullied for eight years while losing in the courts. It was clear from the rhetoric of Hillary Clinton and Gary Johnson that the bullying was not going the stop. When Hillary Clinton was advised by her husband to attend a St. Patrick’s Day parade at Notre Dame, she said she didn’t need “those” people.

Exit polls showed that about 10 percent of votes for Trump were actually votes against Clinton. I count myself among that ten percent. I want the bullying to stop.

After the election, many progressives had an emotional meltdown. I believe the meltdown came from the bullies believing the bulling will stop. Because Donald Trump is such an unknown, I’m not sure that is true, but I can hope. Hope that some justice may be restored or hope somebody in the White House might care about “those” people.