I think we should all be able to agree that traditionally college campuses have been a breeding ground for liberal ideals, and if the radical right is to be believed the "damn Jew run media" is liberal as well. I think we can also agree that an overwhelming majority of city dwellers vote democrat. Let's take a look at why this is.

Well, college campuses are places of higher learning (except for schools like BYU, which incidentally offers the nations only masters program in polygamy). It only makes sense that as these kids meet new people from different cultural backgrounds and learn more about the world outside our borders they start to see the conservative agenda in a less than favorable light. On to the media, shouldn't we take into consideration that the people that get paid to go into the dark places in which politicians lurk and the smokey back rooms where foreign policy is set come out of these places with liberal points of view? If the conservatives are right about the medias liberal bias it is more than just a little telling that the people who spend their professional lives digging into political misdeeds as well as the ramifications of policies both foreign and domestic have developed a liberal outlook. And last but not least the enlightened city dwellers. Those of us that call a city home see something everyday that most card-carrying republicans don't see in a month...the urban poor. City dwellers whether black or white understand that we are all part of a larger community and that to better the least of us is to better us all. (This is in gaping contrast to the rural communities that consider themselves open minded because they only burned a cross to run the new black family out of town instead of lynching them).

The one thing that all of these groups have in common is an understanding of what the world is actually like (unlike rural areas who, let’s admit it, only exist to produce food stuffs for the places where things of actual importance occur). I just got a telephone call for those of you that don't equate a broader sense of community with liberalism. It's the jerk store. They ran out of you.

Moody

I begin the second day of my blog with my head hung in shame. Which, ill have you know, makes typing more than a bit tricky. The reason for my shame is that late last night i found myself taking part in the worst kind of partisanship. I was bumming around "recently updated blogs" and I stumbled across several blogs by some passionate armchair politicians whose beliefs are shared by a more...how should I put this...I don’t know, lets say "rural" portion of society. As one might guess i felt rather strongly about the dialog being shared by these, I can only assume, southern baptists. No shame in that, you say? Well, while some of these blogs were rather callous towards the plight of the less wealthy members of our society and one in particular (by a lady that sees the world through blood colored glasses) was borderline racist, the way in which i responded to these ideas was less than dignified. The first thought that crossed my mind this morning when I woke up was "what right did I have to go and poop on their fascist circle jerk?" With the idea quickly dawning on me that my "intrusion" was not the problem. The purpose of this medium is for ideas to be shared universally. The problem was that i addressed my qualms with these archaic ideas in a decidedly belligerent fashion. This seems to be an on going theme in all blogs political. We all stay within a realm of blogs that pat us gently on the back while whispering, "You’re right, you’re right". When we do step out of our comfort zone we generally go looking' for a fight. It occurs to me that not only is this counterproductive but down right juvenile. We've all heard the cliché' "kill 'em with kindness", and if we're ever going to compromise enough as a nation to get to the point where we're all mutually unhappy then it seems that this may be the only route for both sides of the aisle to take.

This is not the beginning of a kinder gentler Moody by any means. I'm sure within the next hour or so I will read something sufficiently red-necked to raise my ire once again and off into the fray I shall go. Call it a moment of clarity that I wanted to capture in words before our backwoods compatriots bring out the beast within once more. The phone just rang. When I answered it the voice on the line said "For last nights transgressions and the plethora of angry comments you will make in the future I am calling on behalf of the jerk store, you’re going to need to come down here because we just ran out of you"

Moody

P.S. (pre-script if there is such a thing): I’m sorry. I know it’s really long but for conservatives that truly want an insight into the mind of a liberal i think this will be a good place to start.

This is my second posting on the first day of my blog which I don’t think is that uncommon but two a day will probably be more than you'll usually get out of me. The reason for my second post is, well, let's call it a sense of responsibility. After going through a number of posts here at blogstream it seems that this is a predominately religious bunch, and seemingly more Christian than not. If this is (as it appears to be) the case, then undoubtedly the majority of you have a soft spot in your heart for me and my kind...the liberal.

The goal of this update is not to enrage or enflame, as you may well be thinking, but rather to educate those non-liberals out there as to what leads a wayward soul such as mine down such a dark and twisting path. To put it more succinctly i will try to illustrate what a liberal thinks and how one finds themselves harboring these blasphemous beliefs the only way i feel i can fairly manage it, by talking about me. My story will inevitably parallel many a modern liberal's story(although by no means do i represent anyone other than myself).

Okay, where to begin? Well, the beginning, I suppose.

THE MAKING OF A LIBERAL

Contrary to what the religious right may believe liberals are not hell spawn puked out of a volcano on a Satan worshipping island of brown people and shipped to the U.S. to subvert their vision of a moral society. We, like all humans, are born. Myself being a human came into the world in this very same way. I was born in a biggish hospital in the suburbs of St. Louis, Missouri at a hospital called
St. Johns. Shortly there after i was baptized into the Catholic Church. "How can this be?" you ask? A Christian turning from the light into a lucifrerian embrace provided us by supporting such views as "pro-choice" and "pro gay marriage"? I know. It’s nuts isn't it? Maybe by the end of this you'll see how. I know it’s early in the story but this is a pivotal moment in the development of a liberal (in my case at any rate). In the life of a Catholic there are at least three big ceremonies. First is the baptism, original sin etc. etc. Second is your "first communion". The first communion is when the village elders, as it were, deem you responsible enough to partake in the consuming of both the body and the blood of Christ (I’m not even going to get in to how that little bit of cannibalistic weirdness makes me feel). This occurs when you’re, I don't know; say 10 or 11 years old. I'll get into the third ceremony later. But it is here, in between the baptism and my first communion, which the first tiny drops of liberalism mingled w/ the holy water of my upbringing. I was of course, brought up catholic, as such, I was taught to pray, and while a boy I did so. The kicker was I never felt a thing while I was praying. Never. These weren’t just recited prayers. These were nightly prayers tearfully begging him to help mommy and daddy get along as well as asking for help in dealing with the cruelty of friends who, like all children of that age have the thoughtless ability to like you one day and hate you the next. I’m sure there were prayers about math test and other such trivialities but my point is that I was really trying to talk to god. Not only were my prayers not answered but I never felt as if anyone was even listening. So as I worked my way toward my first communion I was at a loss.

My first communion comes and goes and I’m still praying to what to me seemed like the ceiling more than any all-powerful deity. Did I give up? Hell no! :) For we are taught to "have faith" and with my faith I just kept on plugging away. Then comes high school and the third ceremony in the Catholic religion and as I approached my "confirmation" I was filled w/ more than a little doubt. The afore mentioned Confirmation is the 3rd ceremony in one's journey toward full-fledged Catholicism. A confirmation is when the church asks you personally if you will take on the mantle of a tried and true Catholic. Now that I think of it, its kind of like the Jewish bar or bat Mitzvah respectively. Here is where my anti-epiphany came. As part of the process they ask you if this is what you truly want and believe, and it occurred to me that No, it wasn't at all what i wanted and after years of blind faith I came to the conclusion that i couldn't honestly say that it was what i believed either. Wow, huh? That, my pious friends, is what a break from the church looks like. Of course I was confirmed anyway because for me it was just a pain the rear, and i was afraid that if I didn’t get confirmed it would really hurt my mother.

So, now I step out into the world with the knowledge that what adults say just might be fallible and I end up with a circle of friends composed of really great kids (16-18). Some are old friends and some are new and the one thing they all have in common is a need to examine what those in authority say, and a sense of morality loosely defined by the Judeo-Christian ethic.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF A LIBERAL

Here, in my late teens, I have the right mindset for accepting alternate views of the world around me. The need to examine precepts set down by authority figures was in no way just to get a rise out of "the man"(well not entirely anyway). There was a sense that truth wasn't always the first thing handed out at the information station. So I questioned. Also, the Judeo-Christian ethic I spoke of earlier was used, to my mind, in a much more pure form in my circle of friends (and still is). There was no fear of god or thoughts of a reward of heaven. We followed these ideals as a sense of right and wrong only enforceable by the people we surrounded ourselves with. It was more about the "Golden Rule" than any kind of religious mandate. That being said the late teens are not an easy time for anyone and mind expanding experiences (i.e. adult like) started to occur. MY VIEWS ON ABORTION were gained when a member of our troop became pregnant. It happened through what I can describe only as a series of bad decisions. She was young, in high school, and the boy who had participated in the conception was by no means in any way fit to parent a child. She lived with her father who would have assuredly kicked her out of the house and her mother, who lived hundreds of miles away, had no means of supporting her let alone her and a new baby so the decision seemed fairly simple. Drop out of high school and have the baby living where ever a friend or relative had a bed for a night (affording the baby a life no one should have to endure) or, go down to planned parenthood and have an abortion whatever the conscientious ramifications may be. This is where it dawned on me. Regardless of your opinion on this matter the option should be left open for people with no other choice.

Wow, digging into your past like that can be a bit tiresome. Anyway, I suppose it is now time for the next hot-button issue of the day. GAY MARRIAGE. This one was far less complicated for me. I didn't feel and still don't feel like homosexuals have a choice as to whether they are gay or not. I came to this understanding by doing a little self-experimentation (LOL it's not what you think). I pictured what it would be like, in my minds eye, to have sex with a man. Any straight male and probably straight female will tell you that the idea is for lack of a better word repugnant. Now with that knowledge firmly in hand I determined that gayness wasn’t a choice for me so why should heterosexuality be quantified as a "choice" for homosexuals. So I postulate that it is not a choice, and if it isn't a choice then why should anyone be punished for it, (i feel the same way about this whether there is a choice or not but that is for another time).


THE VIEWS OF A SEMI-MATURE LIBERAL

I'm a 27-year-old male living in a major U.S. city. How have my views evolved since then? Stay tuned for the minor details of a liberal mind, but on the two major issues that seem to be the most divisive in today’s political realm this is where i stand.

Abortion: You don't have like it for it to remain legal. I mean really, what do you care if it’s legal or not. The people that use this soccietary necessity will be the ones to pay the ultimate price if you feel it is a sin. Some may invoke the rights of the baby, but this just doesnt hold water in my opinion for if a mother is forced to bring a baby into a world in which it is not wanted it feels to me like this crime is more egregious than any other fate that may befall the preborn.

Gay Marriage: The only argument I’ve heard for not allowing gay marriage by the U.S. government (namely G.W.) is that we must protect our traditions (remember separation of church and state keeps religious rules separate from law). Traditionally speaking we are not a nation I would like to have over for dinner. I suppose the most striking tradition we have taken part in is slavery. You may think this a bit mellow dramatic but legitimately we have had slaves, as a country, for longer than we have not. Manifest Destiny was also a tradition. If you aren’t familiar with this term ask the closest Native American what it means. Tradition can be good but just because a nation has done something long enough for it to become a tradition doesn’t mean it’s a good thing or even the right thing to do.

I hope this helped to explain how we liberals might have come by our ideals, and just maybe showed you that we feel just as strongly as you do that our views are the MORALLY right thing to do. For the second time today a phone ringing interrupts my blogging. Let me get this and ill be right back. You’re never going to believe this but liberal bashers, the jerk store just called. They ran out of you.

P.S. (an actual Post Script this time :D) I hope some of you have found this long-ass gathering of text in some way enlightening and or helpful.

Moody

Let's start the inagural post of my first blog w/ a valuable life lesson: freshly boiled pasta is not sufficiently hot to heat up cold chili.

Now that thats out of the way id like to adress what is, in my opinion,a major problem with daytime television programming. I probably shouldnt say programing because the show in question is actualy an infomercial. Not just an infomercial, but what can only be described as the jesusiest of all of the god-fomercials. If you haven't guessed by now the "show" I am refering to is the Robertson familys'personal soabpbox, the 700 club. For those of you that don't know, the 700 club is a sounding board that Pat Robertson and his son Bubba (or whatever his name is) use for espousing their lovable brand of: rightwing rhetoric, through the television faith healing, on air cash drives, and on at least one occasion, assasination requests.

Now, before I lose those of you w/ a spiritual bent before I even get started, I'd like to say that I have no problem w/ Christianity, or any other organized religion, in principal. I myself am an agnostic. I can hear murmurs of "you're still going to hell", but eternal damnation aside, what this means is that i havent ruled God out quite yet.

Back to the 700 club. I, in my ultra-hip bohemian life-style, have come to watch "the 700 club" almost every day. It's sort of like a bible beater version of the Jerry Springer show. What I mean is that you are never sure what kind of stark raving madness is going to come out of these peoples' mouths. I'm not just refering to the uber-insanity that makes it to the news, but to the things they say on a daily basis which may be even more disturbing. Things such as (and I'm paraphrasing now)"There's somebody out there w/ bad back pain. The Lord is coming into your body and the pain is leaving. In Jesus name, youre healed.(then their female croney that im' sure would commit sex-crimes if she thought it was jesus's will, says) Amen". Theyre also fond of seemingly harmless phrases like "Yep, it's "skinny wednesay", coming up we have some tips for getting rid of the fat in those trouble (insert body part here) areas." These not quite newsworthy bits of crayziness are my reson for this post.

First, are these people really so favored by god that they can call down his "healing graces" from a television studio? Does God really like the Robertsons so much more than their audience that viewers would have to live a life of agony if the hosts didnt take the time out of their, oh so holy day, to heal them? I think not. The arrogance of this kind of thinking is maddening, and the fact that there are people out there who watch this balogna and believe someone in T.V.land just got healed and that their turn may be tomorrow is sad if not just a little funny.

Next we have the whole "skinny wednesday" thing. I'm not trying to say weight loss is a bad thing. This was just the most glaring illustration of the heavy handed misuse of power that these zealots perpetrate on a daily basis. When you claim to be a person of faith, and then go so far as to profess that you know what God wants, you have power over those that believe you. The Robertson family know this and they continuosly abuse this power by passing judgement on how a meriad of life's minutiae should be handled w/ one of the most ridiculous examples being weight loss. Which ,if you have seen the show, will remind you of the more powerful edicts that they pass down from upon high daily on the goddly way their viewers should conduct their politics. I,like many of you, am quick to say "if their dumb enough to beieve that B.S.? Bleep em'". Which, if their audience were all masters candidates and corporate executives I would probably be inclined to leave at that. But, this is not the case. Their audience is comprised of the people that are home during the day every day. Now dont get bent out of shape for I (as hard as it may be to believe) ,also, am home during the day. But lets face it guys, we, for the most part are the elderly, housewives, the uneducated ,and the unemployed; if not all of those at once. My point is, we are, in all reality, more likely to be persuaded by those w/ fancy words selling happiness. Not all of us are succeptable to this crap but i would bet the percentage of people looking for salvation is higher in those of us that dont have anything to do at one in the afternoon as a rule than those who do. Do the Robertsons know their demographic? Of Course. They air at a time when the people that are most succeptable to their wiles are watching t.v. and they tell those weak enough to buy into it what to do. From what to eat to how to vote, and when they get really upity they have gone to so far as to say who should live and who should die.

Uh oh, the phone is ringing wich i think will hence forth signal the end of my blog. Just a second. Let me answer it.... Oh, what do you know? Pat Robertson the jerk store called. They ran out of you.

Moody