Allyson walks to the podium at the head of the crowded room and looks at everyone. She straightens her tank top unnecessarily, shuffles her feet a bit, and then leans against the podium and adjusts the microphone.
Hi. My name is Allyson, and I’m a new Conservative.
Hi, Allyson!
The past few days have really changed my mind on a number of subjects. I’m still not a huge Trump fan, but after watching what happened on Saturday, many of my previous concerns have waned. I’ve been reading and educating myself, listening to others, and generally trying to get a better grip on the whole political situation going on. I’ve taken another step to the Right, and while I still consider myself a “small L libertarian,” I think that by society’s standards, I’m now a Conservative.
This is going to be a real ramble of a blog entry, so bear with me. Please.
That puts me in a weird place. I feel like I can’t tell my friends. I haven’t been able to talk politics with them in ages, but it’s been a relatively comfortable silence on both parts. But this? I can’t tell them I’m “on the Trump train.” I’d be ostracized. And yes, I know how that sounds, and yes, that’s part of why I took the step to the Right.
I’m going to say this now, because I have to. I have watched the videos of the assassination attempt a good 40 or 50 times. I’ve looked at different angles, read experts’ opinions, and done my best to do due diligence. The timing and way this played out FEELS too convenient and too well done, and I am absolutely terrified that this was a fake out by Trump and/or his team. My thinking brain tells me that no one, not even the most brash person ever, would have a live bullet come that close to their head on purpose. But my lizard brain is still concerned that somehow, this was just a fake out.
A lot of people have changed their mind about Trump because of Saturday’s attempt on his life. I desperately hope that everything I saw was real (not that I wanted an attempt on his life, but just that the situation as presented is real). If it turns out to be some kind of fake out, I suspect I’ll just walk away entirely and stop dealing with politics. I don’t think I’ll be able to handle it.
So where does this leave me? Well, I guess I’ll look into the Log Cabin Republicans first. That’s the only alphabet soup group I know of under the Right umbrella. I’ve been told over and over that the Republicans have a really big umbrella and that I’m welcome, so I guess I’ll challenge that, and see what happens. I’ll keep trying to tamp down my fears. I absolutely will NOT quash my concerns, though, and I’ll continue to question everything and everyone. I believe that’s not just a right, it’s a requirement of every citizen. We should question and challenge a lot of what the government does.
Things that I’m concerned about vary.
There are some slurs that Trump made that have stuck in my brain, and that continue to bother me. One is, “Go back where you came from.” I hate that phrase. I understand what he said, and may even understand why he said it. But it’s so … vile. It makes me angry in a way that a similar phrase does not. “If you like that country’s rules, you should go live there,” is perfectly okay to me. It puts the choice in the hands of the person being talked to. If you don’t like it here, you can leave. That’s so different from, “get out of here,” or “go away.” It feels ridiculously hateful, and I don’t like hearing things like that out of the mouths of people who are in charge of the country.
I get worried because a lot of Republicans have told me that Trump’s “mean tweets” are nothing, and what he’s done is everything. I don’t think that’s true. If Trump were mouthing the same things Joe Biden is currently, but was still doing all the other stuff he’s done, would you have the same opinion? What if he were quoting Marx or Mussolini or Stalin and suggesting we do what they did? Words are not actions, but words do lead to actions. If you’re always saying negative stuff, it’s likely that’s where your mind is headed. As my driving instructor was fond of saying, wherever you’re looking, that’s where the car is going to go. I will say that the mean tweets seem to have gone by the wayside this time around. For that I’m grateful. I do want to know what’s going on in Trump’s head, but I don’t want to be assailed by it on X.
The Far Right seem to get a lot more media time than anyone else in the Right. I mean, I never see a gay Conservative up giving talking points, and I sure would like to. Note, I don’t want “gay talking points”… I just want to hear from some of these Republicans who are on the alphabet spectrum. I have appreciated many of the women Republicans I’ve seen and listened to. But that far Right stuff is over the top. It’s what hits the media all the time. I hear politicians demanding women no longer be allowed to vote (that’d be John Gibbs, who at the moment is dealing with being fired by other Republicans, so maybe that’s being taken care of?)… abolition of birth control (this is a tough one, because I know lots of people who have no issue with it, but apparently there are a lot who DO have issue with it… and on top of that we have the Left equating abortion and birth control when they are not the same thing… (NBC, AP). I’m bothered by the idea of mass deportations and evictions of immigrants from the country (legal and illegal), without taking into account what they give to the country (taxes, volunteer time, etc.).
Religion is another one of those things that concerns me. Being a person who is openly not Christian (but also not bothered by Christianity, per se), I worry when I see religion being placed into schools. I worry about the wording of some of the Republican platform (“…use existing Federal Law to keep foreign Christian–hating Communists, Marxists, and Socialists out of America.” —RNC Platform). American hating, sure. USA hating, okay. But why Christian hating? We have people of all religions here, and hating Christianity doesn’t make you less of an American. Hating *America* makes you less of an American. Under a later section in that document, they talk about the “freedom to pray” but only mention the Bible and Christianity, as if other religions just don’t exist. Either you have the FREEDOM to pray, or you don’t. If it only includes Christians (or worse, a specific flavor of Christian), then it’s not freedom. Even later in the document, they talk about protecting religious freedoms, but then only mention Christianity (…To protect Religious Liberty, Republicans support a new Federal Task Force on Fighting Anti-Christian Bias that will investigate all forms of illegal discrimination, harassment, and persecution against Christians in America…”). Like… what happened to the rest of us?
A short rant about religion:
I am pagan. I often wear a pentacle, but it’s no more “in your face” than the average Cross or Star of David. I don’t push my beliefs on others, and generally just do my own thing with my own people. As a young adult, I experienced several acts of hatred that cemented my view on religious freedom. First, I was “exorcised” by a woman at a public restaurant, in front of about a hundred people, because I was wearing a small (1 inch) pink pin that read, “The Goddess is pro-choice.” She did the whole talking in tongues thing, waving hands, etc. It was an experience that I never want to repeat, and in fact I recently declined to be part of a local ren faire because the owners spoke publicly about exorcising those who don’t belong to their brand of Christianity. Second, I had a fairly large Cross burned on my front lawn. I’m not sure what spurred that, as I wasn’t involved in any activism at the time. We didn’t even worship outdoors, back then, because we were still somewhat in the closet. I’d say the cross was about a foot tall, on its own, made of fat wood of some kind (it burned *really* well), with a longer stave that went into the grass of my lawn. Yes, there were cops called. No, they never caught anyone. Third, several weeks after the Cross incident, I had fist sized rocks thrown through my large front picture window (breaking it), which had Bible verses tied onto them. Again, cops were called and no one was caught. So when I say I’m for religious freedom, I’m coming from a very suspicious place, and I’m not willing to budge a single inch. I have personally experienced some of the worst of it (in this country… I realize that elsewhere in the world, I’d have been burned instead of the Cross) and I don’t want anyone else to have to go through that. I am a vigorous protector of the right to believe, celebrate, and worship in any way you wish, provided it harms no one (ie if you want to practice Voudon and sacrifice a chicken which you eat afterwords, fine… but if you want to practice some freak cult stuff that insists on human sacrifice or harming, then no, that’s not covered).
There are a LOT of things in the Republican platform that I agree with and am very happy to see. This post is not about those things, though maybe a future post may be. I guess it’s important to me to talk about the negative things here, on this blog, because you are the Republicans and Conservatives I have come to know. I’m looking for assurance, consideration, and welcome as I make more baby steps rightward.
Also, f you’re a woman and you’re reading this, talk to me about your views on birth control, abortion, and medically necessary abortions (ie the woman’s life is immanently at risk, or the baby has died in the womb). I like you guys, don’t get me wrong, but I’d very much like to talk to more Right leaning women. I want to talk to others who’ve navigated these waters, and how to deal with some of the feelings I’m having.
Comments
24 responses to “Be Gentle With Me…”
No sane person would allow ANYONE to fire live ammo at them, especially not from 150 yards where the margin of error is significant. Trump survived by a mere centimeter. Not even the finest marksman in all of history could guarantee hitting an ear without exploding the cranium. This was NOT a hoax set up by Trump and his team. Only an abject moron would believe it was.
One likely scenario is the deep state including the FBI, Secret Service etc have been routinely allowing massive gaps in security at Trump rallys hoping that eventually some wacko would take a shot at him. This seems feasible as they apparently knew this kid was there with a rifle yet did NOTHING till after he was allowed to fire the rifle. Active complicity.
It’s also possible that this kid was actually recruited and aided by the FBI/CIA etc and they are CRIMINALLY complicit. We will never know for sure. All evidence has been rounded up and buried by the FBI. The only thing we can count on is those in control are lying to us.
As for your conversion to “conservative”…..you aren’t there yet. You are still a slave to your feelings. You must acknowledge that feelings exist but you must ignore them and THINK. The rank and file left allow their emotions to rule. Thus they are simply tools for the criminals in power.
You must learn to ignore emotion and embrace logic. Only them will you have a chance to be free.
Hi Dan,
Thanks for making me feel so welcome! Trust me when I say, I’ll continue to enjoy my feelings, thanks. I’m not Vulcan, I’m American. There’s a difference. 😉
I enjoyed this article. I will need to read it again and more slowly. Some of it reminds me of the story of my wife, who gradually went from a McGovern-voter to a Libertarian to now a Republican voter. Like you, she has concerns about Trump but they are nowhere near strong enough to make her support Biden (and that was already true months ago).
On religion: I disagree that hating the US is bad but hating Christianity is somehow acceptable. Hating a religion is a form of bigotry, and choosing the majority religion as the target of that bigotry does not make it any better than antisemitism, or hatred of Hinduism, or hatred of paganism.
I’m always amazed by the ludicrous assertion that Trump is an antisemite. Seriously? His son-in-law is not just a Jew but an Orthodox Jew, seriously keeping the Sabbath and all that. Her daughter converted to marry him and, like him, appears to take it seriously.
For years now I’ve seen repeated claims that Republicans would suddenly start supporting gun bans now that blacks are buying whatever type of gun is the bugaboo this week. Those claims come from leftist commentators, who are clearly projecting their own racism onto people who don’t feel that way. The predominant reaction to blacks acquiring (legal) guns is “great, welcome!”
Along those lines: a role model I like a great deal is Oleg Volk. Have you seen his work? Look for it…. he has hundreds if not thousands of photographs to illustrate the right to keep and bear arms. His models vary widely; plenty of woman, blacks, old people, people in wheelchairs, etc. He has a whole series of images on the theme “clinging to their guns and religion” each showing a person holding a rifle, with a religious symbol in the background. One of them shows a pentacle; another a star of David; another a crescent (and the woman model is wearing a head scarf). All this feels very natural and very welcoming to me.
pkoning, you said: “I disagree that hating the US is bad but hating Christianity is somehow acceptable. Hating a religion is a form of bigotry, and choosing the majority religion as the target of that bigotry does not make it any better than antisemitism, or hatred of Hinduism, or hatred of paganism.”
I said: “I worry about the wording of some of the Republican platform (“…use existing Federal Law to keep foreign Christian–hating Communists, Marxists, and Socialists out of America.” —RNC Platform). American hating, sure. USA hating, okay. But why Christian hating?”
Perhaps I worded it poorly. I dislike that Christianity was picked out as somehow special, that we have to be up in arms over Christianity being hated, but never mind the other stuff. I would be fine with the platform saying “use existing Fed law to keep foreign American-hating Communitsts, Marxists, and Socialists out of America.” That would be right, completely. But *just* Christian hating ones? No, that’s not a good look.
I don’t get the whole “Trump is antisemitic” either. He was the first President to recognize Israel. He’s always been pro-Israel.
I haven’t seen any of my left friends saying that Republicans are going to start banning guns. I have seen a lot of them confused over why Republicans *aren’t* banning guns now that one of their own has been shot. It just doesn’t compute for them. They also don’t get why the crowd didn’t panic and run all over the place, and even when it’s explained in simple terms (“That’s because they’re largely gun owners, and they know that running in panic simply causes problems for police and Secret Service, and for any first responders coming in.”) they just can’t fathom it.
I have a friend in NYC who, when local Blacks started picking up firearms legally, decided that they would give free lessons to any woman who came in to learn, and half price for people of color. He did this because he felt that it might encourage them to come learn how to properly handle, clean, and fire their new weapons. He’s had a ton of good response over the past few years, and is a really good person.
I’m not familiar with your artist mentioned, but I’ll go look him up. I do get open carry and conceal carry views pretty much daily where I live. A lot of people carry, and that’s never been an issue for me. 🙂 I like to shoot, and have since before I moved to New England.
Oleg is a professional photographer; look at olegvolk.net.
He’s also an immigrant, as I am. I came from a socialist country that’s approximately democratic; he came from Russia which is decidedly not so. Our views on freedom, the merits of the USA, and the value of guns are pretty nicely in sync. Oleg expresses it very skillfully in pictures (check his collection, on that website: thousands of compelling images, like memes in a way but much more artistic merit). He also writes on the subject from time to time, quite well.
On the free lessons bit — are you familiar with Operation Blazing Sword? Check it out. It was started by Erin Palette, right after the Pulse massacre, because she wanted to connect her gay and trans friends with gun ownership and gun training. What started as an idea morphed almost overnight into thousands of firearms instructors volunteering their time for free introductory training, all over the country.
Try this for example: https://olegvolk.net/gallery/index.php?/search/1659 — the second and 6th image are the ones I referred to. There are many, many more that are equally good.
the whole concept of America gets lost in politics and division… the idea was one religion isnt betterthan another. you once were free to practice whatever religion you liked OR not practice a religion… the liberals war on everything caused weak people to “hate” certain religions because they were told to.. ALL religions have their faults and good. christians used to KILL those of a different faith or beliefs if they refused to convert…. kinda sounds familiar huh?… like everything theres good people and not so good people in religion… mocking one for their religion is gonna net an elevator ride DOWN. my dogtags say Christian but I am a Spiritualist these days. My church is the land that I walk on and the people in my life.. as a parady on an old Sammy Kershaw song- the 3 things I don’t talk about- Politics, Religion and EX wives.. live YOUR life YOUR way..
Among the “pagan community” (and I use that term loosely because it’s more like a rave full of rabid ferrets in a tub full of colored blinking balls, but I digress), the fact that Christians used to torture people into changing religion often gets touted about. I dislike it when someone does that, though. It’s fine to admit it happened, yes, but it shouldn’t ever be paraded around as a way to say Christianity is “more evil” than any other religion. I always take the time to point out that the Roman pagans used to take those early Christians and dip them in sheep fat and then use them as patio candles. The Christians learned it from the earlier pagan religions, who learned it from wherever.
Hatred and fear of other belief systems isn’t a religious thing, it’s a human thing. Whether you believe in a Higher Power or not, I believe much of our purpose here on Earth is to be better than that. If we just have this one life to live, as the atheists say, then we ought to make it a damn good one because that’s all there is. If the Christians are right, and how we act here dictates where we spend the afterlife, then we’d better be on our best behavior. If the Jews are right and our souls are recycled after they’re washed in the underworld, with only the good ascending to God, then we ought to aspire to be as good as we can. And so on. In my own religion, we believe in “as above, so below,” and that what we put out into the world is what we get back. I also believe that what we put out comes back not just in this life, but in our next life, so it behooves me (us) to continually improve our mental, physical, and spiritual situation.
not “parading” what I said.. just pointing out that no religion is perfect, perfect for you. the finger pointing and claims of “that religion is bad” furthers dividing people.. division is killing our Country..
Some religions are objectively bad. Islam for example…
I understand your situation, I’m from New York and my family are all liberal and beyond while I been drifting right for years. I pretty much hold my tongue around family and school friends. Like many people I know I started as a middle of the road Democrat in the 80s and my positions mostly stayed the same except that makes me a moderate Republican now. As a Jew religious freedom is very important to me and the only good to come from 10/7 has been the exodus of Jews from the Left as it becomes obvious the Leftists are the biggest Jew haters.
I am ambivalent about Trump but know Biden is terrible, but I knew that 15 years ago.
I’ve always been the more liberal one in the family (though that title has been overtaken by one of our kids, at this point, who’s now an adult). But moving Right, I keep worrying I’m going to get teased or whatever. I haven’t been, and my rational brain knows that’s silly, but again… lizard brain rules sometimes. I just have to acknowledge it, and move forward. Little steps.
As for Jew haters, I met a lot. I trained as an interfaith minister (seminary), two year very intensive program. During that time, I was asked to devote a chunk of time learning about Judaism (we spent a lot of time on the Big Five: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism). Because of where I am, I couldn’t get into a synagogue (it was Hannukah), so I did a lot on my own. But in the process, I did a lot of online and in person interviews with Jewish friends and acquaintances. I learned a lot about how poorly they are sometimes treated, and I work very hard not to do the specific things they said bothered them most. 🙂 I maintain a pot that has never had any meat or cheese in it, to feed a couple of Orthodox Jewish friends who are in the Ren circuit, and they’ve been incredibly appreciative because they know they can eat safely at my camp.
I’m coming around to Trump. Hearing from others who know him is helping. Listening to AWA about some stuff helps, too. Honestly, Vance is helping, too, as he’s someone I didn’t know well but considered a responsible and respectable guy. I have a couple of LGB friends who got to meet Trump, and they said he was incredibly polite, friendly, and inclusive. So… I’m working at being better. 🙂
I’m going to echo Dan, albeit a bit differently. The risk is that my comment is missed, because of the subject.
What Dan was mentioning is not being a Vulcan, as you put it.
From your main post it comes across as though you’re “tone policing”. In other words, it’s less about the message, it is more about how the message is delivered.
I’m familiar as I was in the .mil for 20 and now work in the private sector. Lots of tone policing happens to me all the time.
We aren’t advocating for being Spock, it’s more about seeking to understand. It is easier if your avoid the feelings you have upon receiving messaging and focus on what is actually being said. It’s harder than it sounds, especially to those that haven’t done it often. Practice will help.
Example, there was a school shooting near where our daughter went to school a couple of years ago. My wife kept demanding that “something be done” to keep our daughter safe. She was operating off of feelings. I took her to the school our daughter attended and showed her the security measures in place, plus the added facets the superintendent put into place after the shooting. No amount of explanation or logic would pull her from the feelings perch until physically shown. We spoke afterwards and about that incident recently and she has since learned to try and avoid letting the emotion cloud the logic. It’s resulted in her becoming even more conservative.
Food for thought and worth what you paid for it $0.00.
I think there’s a certain level of importance in how a message is delivered. It’s not the only thing, or even the main thing, but it IS a part of the message. For instance, I can say the same few words, and my kids know if I’m happy, sad, or angry. The tone IS part of the message, even if it isn’t the whole of it. I do understand the idea of not letting your feelings lead you or block your view of a situation. But that doesn’t mean “ignoring emotion” as Dan put it. If you’re feeling something that overwhelming (and all of us do at some point), then you should figure out why. Is it the music being played (a valid thing btw)? Is it the tone of voice? The color of skin of the messenger? Their clothing? Their facial expression? Knowing why you’re reacting (instead of acting) is really important.
And of course, some of this comes out of my abusive past. I wasn’t allowed to emote as a kid. By the time I was 8, I was expected to be the perfect little adult, prim and proper in all things. I must not cry, whimper, hug, or call out in loud happiness. I must always be calm, with my face largely unmoving. Always. When I moved out of my parents’ house, I went on an “emotional vomit ride” for many years. When AWA met me, I was at the tail end of that, and he honestly helped me work my way through the worst of the last of it. While it wasn’t a great part of my life, I think it was an important part, because it let me reclaim something that had been ripped away from me as a child. Now, I emote… but I try not to emote AT people. If I feel overwhelmed, I try to find a way to excuse myself, and get things under control, then return and listen and learn (both about the message, and about my own emotions). But I’m not going to ignore my emotions, ever again. I won’t let the rule me; I will rule them… but they are there, and they aren’t going anywhere.
I get what your wife went through (though not the subject…). When something happens once, it’s hard not to assume it’s going to happen again. The best you can do is talk it out, admit your feelings and then move through them. Own them, rather than letting them own you. Or at least that’s how I approach it.
Thanks.
Welcome to the conservative side of the political aisle. And, yes you are welcome here.
While we are a safe distance from perfect, we are not the evil, unthinking, hate-filled people the media makes us out to be. We are just your average folks who just want to be left alone. We want to be able to make our own decisions about our family and finances. We want to be able to worship as we please.
It is unfortunate that you cannot share your position with friends. I wish it was different.
Hop on board. The rest of the year is going to be a fun ride!
Thanks for the welcome. I don’t think any political animal/platform/people can be perfect. We’re all human, and no matter how much self policing we do, stuff sneaks in when we’re not paying attention. I’ve known for a while that the Right isn’t evil and unthinking (AWA will verify that). I know the Left lies all the time because I’ve watched it unfold. The concern is whether the Right is lying just as much but in different ways, and I’m slowly coming to the conclusion that the Right doesn’t lie, for the most part. Sometimes it manipulates things a bit to make it sound better, but generally y’all just kind of march forward rather brashly.
I, too, want to be free to worship as I please (and for my children and your children to be free from indoctrination to ANY religion, while giving **parents** the right to make children attend religious services until they’re old enough to make their own decisions). I want the government to be smaller (no, smaller than that… smaller… put even more government away… still smaller). I am firmly of the belief that the government should not be touching pretty much anything that doesn’t have to do with the entire country as a necessity (so … interstate highways maybe… quality of medical care across the country maybe… type of insurance definitely NOT… ). The government has what I can the “negative Midas” touch, in that everything it touches turns to shit. Therefore, it should touch as little as possible. National defense, national safety (whether that’s FEMA or something else), the three branches… basically what Ms. Google says: “Taxation and tariffs, Borrowing money, Regulating commerce, Establishing naturalization and bankruptcy rules, Coining money, Creating post offices and roads, Securing intellectual property, Creating federal courts, and Declaring war.” I might have missed some, but that’s the basics.
I want the national debt to go down. If that takes a frickin’ GoFundMe, so be it. I’m willing to give it a whirl. If that means we have to observe austerity measures for a few years, then so be it. We’re the richest country in the world and we can do that. I’ve lived *really* poor before, and I currently live upper middle class. I’d choose poor here over middle class elsewhere. And I want to see American made stuff again. When I can, I buy American made. I support locally made stuff first and foremost. I only lapse in judgement around the holidays, because if I buy American made, I can’t afford it (even if I’m just buying supplies to make stuff myself!).
As for friends… yeah. That one hurts. I don’t talk politics with friends, for the most part, for a lot of reasons. The only one I’m adamant and public about is my dedication to “shall not infringe.” I’m loud about that one. I’m glad that most of my friends (all of my good friends) know enough not to get into contentious arguments with me. On the rare occasion we try to cross lines, mostly we try to listen. The problem isn’t them. It’s everyone else. I’m friends with a half dozen to a dozen people at ren faires, and I could mention Trump to them and only get a bit of side eye. But the entire rest of the faire would bounce me out and I’d be blacklisted. I can’t afford that, as it’s where my bread and butter is. Bleh.
” I know the Left lies all the time because I’ve watched it unfold. The concern is whether the Right is lying just as much but in different ways, and I’m slowly coming to the conclusion that the Right doesn’t lie, for the most part.”
Well, the right lies plenty, but… the real question is “What, exactly is the lie?” (The second question is “Who determines the ‘lie’?”)
I remember seeing a list of “lies” that Trump supposedly said during the last debate. Of the 15 biggest, I think something like nine of them were exaggerations at worst. I do not care if Trump did not really see the lowest ‘this’ in history, or the highest ‘that’ ever. Digging through statistics and finding out he was wrong does not make it a lie. The rest of the 15 were similar “lies.” Either quoting a stat wrong, or whatever. Meanwhile, no one is calling out the left for their lies. (Biden claimed he was endorsed by the Border Patrol union? Where is the outrage?)
The point is, most any statement can be called a lie if you dig deeply enough. Especially in politics.
What I do agree with is the difference between the left’s lies and the right’s. The left, when they lie, do so like a five year old caught being naughty. The last piece of chocolate cake is missing, your child has chocolate around his mouth, but he swears he did not eat it. A leftist will tell you the sky is orange, but demand you not look up. That is why you have seen it so obviously.
I do not expect 100% absolute truth out of everyone’s mouth all the time. It is OK, in my book, to exaggerate, to get stats wrong, to embellish. Where is the harm? But, to call someone out, and destroy their reputation over meaningless fibs? That is just evil.
And, that is what the folks on the left do to anyone on the right who runs against them. Way too often.
Well put!
I consider myself a “small-‘l’ libertarian”, not a full Republican, because of a lot of the same reasons you state. The overt promotion and defense of Christianity (or a more specific flavor thereof … but not Catholicism, never that) — regardless of other religious beliefs that are persecuted equally or more in this country — along with the over-the-top restrictions and/or prohibitions on abortion and birth control, along with “standing up to” the “LGBTQ agenda”, etc., while at the same time dropping 2A rights … it’s just too much to call myself a Republican except in very generalized terms.
(On that note, does it seem to anyone else that the GOP is setting itself to be the “anti-Left” rather than building its own platform on its own terms? It just seems very reactive rather than proactive, like “They say they want it, therefore we fully oppose it.” Did nobody tell them that, when you state you stand against everything that guy stands for, you’re essentially letting that guy dictate your policy positions? Or that the answer to extremism in one direction is not always extremism in the other direction? I’m guessing none of the above.)
A couple of your points in particular resonated with me:
I absolutely will NOT quash my concerns, though, and I’ll continue to question everything and everyone. I believe that’s not just a right, it’s a requirement of every citizen. We should question and challenge a lot of what the government does.
No, and you are 100% correct in NOT quashing your concerns. I’m right there with you. Voting based on what you’re told instead of investigating and deciding for yourself — especially when you’re basing your position on what the government has told you (which will always support the government’s own interests and not yours) — is a clear form of “citizenship malpractice”. The Founding generation fought and died so that our rights to vote for our own interests, based on our own consciences, would be honored and respected; handing that vote to the same government of which the Founders were rightly suspicious, is a disservice to the citizenry and a slap in the Founders’ faces.
The Far Right seem to get a lot more media time than anyone else in the Right. […] It’s what hits the media all the time.
Keep in mind, that’s intentional on the part of the media (a.k.a. the Democrat Party propaganda arm). They’re trying to create the illusion that there is no centrist or “moderate” position; either you’re a “reasonable” Democrat, or you’re one of these batsh!t-insane Far-Right Crazies — and there’s nothing in between. By representing the Far-Right as average GOP voters (just like when they try to represent mass-killers as average gun owners), it whips up the Leftist voting bloc into a GOTV frenzy. They do that on purpose.
In any case, excellent post. Thank you for that.
Archer, you ask if it seems the GOP is going “anti Left” instead of its own platform, and I wanted to answer that. I actually don’t think that’s true… now. I think for the last ten years or so (before Trump was in office but not as far back as Bush) there has been this trend to just pick whatever the Left was, turn it 180 degrees, and call it Conservative. But listening to Trump speak at the RNC, listening to the *speakers* at the RNC, I think that has changed. I’ve seen outspoken gay people in MAGA hats, and heck, Amber Rose got up and spoke, and if that isn’t unique, I dunno what is. Rappers are making songs about Trump’s assassination attempt… I mean, the GOP today is not what it was a year ago. Yes, I’ve changed, but I think maybe, just maybe, we both moved north (rather than Left, if that makes sense?).
Thanks for the words. Even when I don’t agree with people here, I do read *everything*, and I do think about it and talk with friends to hash out ideas. For myself, if I’m going to disagree, I have to know *why*, and not just know it, but be able to express it. So I’m working that a lot right now. I’m really uncomfortable LOL… But it’s the kind of discomfort you get after a chiropractic adjustment, and it hurts but it’s because everything’s finally sitting right.
First off, welcome to being a little more on the ‘right’ side. I know it feels weird at first—new stuff always does—but I think you’ll find a home here.
Secondly, kudos to you for having the strength and courage to challenge your existing beliefs and make changes to them. And publicly mention it. Not an easy (or quick) task by any measure, I think it’s something far too few of us do.
Keep that questioning mind!
I have no difficulty in the least believing the incident was real, but so much of what I’m seeing suggests it was not a lucky loner. And I’m not surprised by that at all.
Yes, Trump tends to stick his foot in his mouth. He wasn’t my first choice either time. But ultimately we’re all fallible human beings, and much of politics has become just being seen as less ‘bad’ than the other guy—unfortunately.
In regards to some of the other issues (e.g. alphabet, birth control) I believe a lot are not willing to speak or negotiate in good faith, and tackle head on the genuine objections to each issue. Instead they favor attacking others in place of it. Which is why nothing gets resolved.
And now for the main reason I opted to reply to your post:
As a Christian (though I have started to dislike the term due to my own experience with seeming “CINOs”), I was appalled to read of your “rant” and your experience with Christians.
THEY WERE WRONG. In the “exorcism,” in the cross burning, in the rock throwing. ALL OF IT.
Very, very wrong, and I am deeply sorry you went through that. Nothing in the Bible (particularly Jesus or Paul’s teachings, which are the most applicable to today’s church) supports their actions. Quite the opposite. I have been upset all day at this, so I can only imagine what you went through living it. Please know that is NOT how believers are called to act!
I don’t have any current “right-leaning women” that I know of who’d be able to discuss some of the birth control, abortion with you, but would like to offer a handful of suggestions:
First is a book. Pro Life Answers to Pro Choice Arguments by Randy Alcorn. While it’s not written by a woman, I think you’ll find he hardly ignores their view (he is married with two daughters after all), and you should find each of his answers well considered and logical, if not always comfortable or convenient.
Secondly, maybe go by a crisis pregnancy center and ask to speak to some of the workers there about their experiences.
Lastly, read some of the stories by workers in the abortion clinics (especially those who have since left because of what they were doing). I will warn you, some will be very graphic and disturbing. I gathered some in anticipation of a lesson years ago and can share them with you if you want.
Keep up with the baby steps! Thanks for your post, I enjoyed reading!
If I can help you in any way, let me know!
Hi Eric,
As to challenging my views, I do it all the time. I believe it’s a necessary, moral requirement of all human beings. It’s not even that I think we may be wrong and need to be right, but that as we grow older, we have a different perspective. What WAS right when I was younger, may not be right *now*. When I was younger, for instance, I hated liver. Today I love it. Change happens, and we have to embrace it or we suffer.
I hate the “vote for the less bad” thing going on. That is not how our Founders meant for this process to be. Voting should be passionate, and it should be about what the country needs, as opposed to an individual’s needs. There are plenty of things on the Left side that *personally* do better for me… but none of them are right for the country. I could not, in good conscience, vote for those things. I’m aghast at the “Vote Blue No Matter Who” thing going on right now, as if it doesn’t matter what sort of person is in office. It’s making me sick to my stomach.
Re my interactions with Christianity, the vast part of my experience with Christians has been good. I mention those negative ones because they are the ones I believe are behind things like the commandments in classrooms and such. They are not “good actors,” and not thinking about the country as a whole. Thank you for your words, though. I appreciate it.
I have spent time helping people at both crisis and pregnancy centers (where I originally lived, they were separate entities for a variety of reasons), and I know many positive and negative stories on both sides of the aisle. That time has colored a lot of what I believe about abortion and birth and adoption and such. It’s not easy, any of it.
Hi, Allyson, lots of great thoughts above (you, the other commenters and your responses). It’s been a long day and I’m a little brain-fried so I won’t try to say anything particularly insightful. Instead, let me ask you a question.
Are you sure that it’s you who’ve moved? Or, has the political spectrum shifted under you, and you finally hit your elastic strain limit and “snapped” back to where you started from?
Modulo some evolution on gun rights (which occurred rapidly as I started learning about them due to a crisis of conscience – another story), that’s more or less what happened to me.
(The “less” part is that I tend to be both stubborn and curious. If you tell me I have to accept something I will ask why; and I respond rather poorly to the “carrotless stick” approach. So the Progressives have done more to push me towards the Conservative side via browbeating, than I otherwise would likely be. And yes, I resent that. But this is perhaps a different discussion.)
AWA suggested that perhaps the Leftist tide had washed out and left me standing on Right ground unexpectedly… I’ve been thinking about that, but I honestly don’t think that’s true. It might be a small step, but I have actually moved Right in the past few months, and to a lesser extent over the past few years. 2A is part of it, as I’m an absolutist in that way. But I started WAY WAY left, back 30 years ago. Like… more left than the Green Party. But I’ve slowly been moving Right over the past 25 years. The first “real” shift was on 9/11. There have been others. Every time there’s a Big Scary Thing, the Left seems to run around screaming and shouting, and perhaps rioting to make it worse… whereas the Right sort of tightens its belt and asks where the shooting’s coming from.
Each of us has our own path to where we are, indeed. I have found it helpful to think back and reflect both how and why my views have evolved; and some of that, at least in my case, was simply growing up. *Shrug*
At any rate, thank you for another thought-provoking post.