Monday, October 20, 2008

When Is Enough Enough?

Check out the below video. This is goes much deeper than the election. It's past the point of who is more qualified to be President. It terrifies me that there are people in this country that still speak this way and hold beliefs like this. Not only are many of the statements ignorant and incorrect, but what bothers me the most is how much anger and detest this segment is filled with.

Many of us poke fun at the candidate we do not endorse. We have debates on topics we are passionate and knowledgeable about, but when is that line crossed? Do we as one country - one body of people - allow such hatred to exist within our own borders? Should the candidates step in and scorn such behavior?

Beliefs aside I feel we owe it to ourselves and our country to educated people and make it known such behavior will not be tolerated whether from a Democrat or Republican, Liberal or Conversation. This is just not acceptable.

What are your thoughts on this?




6 comments:

Carol ReMarks said...

as a conservative republican (more center and independent by the day) I am embarrassed! Ignorant is right. We have them everywhere on both sides unfortunately. What do you do? I haven't a clue. You don't want to ignore them and let them get by with crap like this but what do you do? I haven't a clue.

Anonymous said...

I'll start out by stating that I'm politically an independent and a rather liberal one at that. I'm planning on voting for Obama. I don't hate McCain or Palin, I just don't happen to agree with many of their beliefs. But, with that having been said, it shames me to live in a country with these sort of people. I hate that the rest of the world watches broadcasts like these and then gets the impression that America is filled with nothing but racist bigots.

America was formed on the basis of religious freedom and tolerance, by people fleeing persecution yet here are these people talking about bringing "the good word" back into the White House, essentially. I respect everyone's right to believe what they want to believe and that's why I'm proud to live in America, a place where we have that freedom, but that also means keeping religion OUT of the White House, having a separation of Church and State, and I'm just worried that McCain and Palin, along with many of their supporters, don't share that belief.

Obama thinks White people are trash? Listen to the words these people are using to describe African-Americans? How do you think they feel about them?

And people have forgotten about 9/11? You live in NYC Jess, we grew up pretty close to the city, I was in the library watching Good Morning America live when the planes crashed into the Twin Towers. I remember everyone rushing into the library to watch the news. I remember the senior courtyard filling with people trying to contact their parents who worked in the city, trying to find out if their loved ones were alright. We remember it.

Carol ReMarks said...

My fear is that Democrats will think ALL conservative republicans are like these idiotic people in the video. I like reading your blog because it is civil over here. I know we have different political sides but at least we can still be grown ups. Ya know?

Anonymous said...

I mean, my entire family, except for my husband and his family, are Republicans, and they aren't like this, racist and bigoted, but my mother has been sending me e-mails and has been trying to persuade me to vote McCain at every chance she gets.

I finally told her last week that she could say whatever she wanted but that it wouldn't change my mind, that I respected her voting choice and that I hoped she would do the same.

This was after she told me she thought I shouldn't be allowed to vote because I don't have a job and how if you don't pay taxes you shouldn't be allowed to vote and that there should be a test that potentials voters should have to take to make sure that they're "informed" enough to make an "intelligent" decision when voting.

I told her that, technically speaking, my vote doesn't even end up counting, and neither does hers, but that everything ends up coming down to the electoral college, so she really couldn't blame me if Obama wins, because we live in a Democratic state, and she chose to raise her children here, so she's technically the one "throwing her vote away." I don't think she liked that too much).

Carol ReMarks said...

Melissa - she should be proud for raising an intelligent, level headed, tolerant, and free-thinking daughter. :-)

Anonymous said...

First – ladies thank you for your honest and open discourse. Frankly, these debates and discussions are the ultimate reasons why I spend the time on this blog. We live in a country that allows every single person to express their views and thoughts and this conversation between the two of you is a faultless example of the etiquette of debate. Respect. Honesty. Education. Your discussion simply proves why the Aljazeera segment it so terrifying. You both come from diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and lifestyles – yet there is an underlying level of reverence you show each other which is not presented by those Americans in the clip.

Melissa, I am in complete agreement with you on religious freedom and tolerance. I am as spiritual as they come – still I do not believe in organized religion. I think there are so many aspects from so many different religions and beliefs people should draw from. This is America. The President can practice whatever faith he believes – but forcing the “Good Word” on people is unacceptable. To be naive and closed minded to other beliefs is ignorant and does not have any place in government.

Abortion is a very complicated discussion and one not for this rant. I have two simple comments to make. Under no circumstance whatsoever should anyone yell at or berate an individual by calling them a “baby killer” as was shown in this clip. Secondly, I strongly believe this issue should solely be decided on by women. When medicine discovers a way for a man experience pregnancy and to give birth through his penis than can he have a say over what a woman does with her ovaries.

Lies Lies Lies…. Or maybe complete misunderstandings? NOT ONCE has Obama EVER spoke the words “White people are trash.” Where do these people pull this from? Maybe the robo calls the McCain campaign has resorted to are leading people to believe Obama is a terrorist? A bigot? A wolf in sheep’s clothing? Please correct me if I’m wrong, but I do not see such cheap tactics coming from the Obama campaign.

C.A. Marks – you are an educated, bright, fantastic woman (love your blog too!) and there is no way Democrats look upon all conservatives in a negative light. My whole family is Republican and I still love them!

Also, Melissa 9/11 sparks such emotions with me now as a New Yorker and because my father was the chief investigator for ALPA at the twin towers. I pray our children will never understand or experience such pain and heartache that we did that day. My father was jump-seating back into NYC on September 11th and I too remember my mother (who still works in the school) coming and pulling me out of class telling me to go home and call family. I agree with how the Bush administration first handled 9/11, yet along the way the “efforts” lost transparency and the lines blurred between Iraq, Afghanistan, and finding Osama. Although all separate initiatives - I have spoken with people that still to this day do not realize the differences. And come on – we can target and shoot a missile from 50 miles away and hit a cow dead on in the ass, yet we cannot find one man? What happened here? And why seven years later right before an election do they start intensely looking again - a political agenda maybe? As a New Yorker this upsets me terribly.

As a blogger, thank you girls for your honesty.