5 Examples Showing the Differences Between Liberals and Conservatives on “Religious Freedom:” Part 2

3. Birth Control

Liberals: This kind of ties in with the abortion issue. See, most liberals (as I said earlier) aren’t pro-abortion. And the best way to lower abortion rates is to increase the accessibility and availability of birth control. Even if some liberals might oppose some methods of birth control, they don’t mandate that other people must be restricted from using them. Again, liberals support the right for Americans to choose for themselves. And being that for many women birth control is an actual health issue, not just a way to help prevent unplanned pregnancies, it’s vital that health care plans offer access to these contraceptives. For liberals it’s about people having the choice to choose for themselves. If people want to use them, great, they have the freedom to do so. If some people object to contraceptives, that’s fine too, they don’t have to use them.

Conservatives: Many conservatives oppose birth control. They believe it’s against their religion. If it were up to many of them they’d do as much as they could to limit and restrict access to all forms of contraceptives. Even in the Hobby Lobby case, one business owner argued that their business should have the right to deny thousands of women the choice of birth control methods based on their religious beliefs. By winning that case, one person’s religious beliefs are now being forced on thousands of women who might not share them.

4. Prayer in School

Liberals: This one is pretty simple – keep religion out of public school. If some students want to personally pray while they’re in class, they’re more than free to do so silently to themselves. I know I did. But guess what, nobody ever knew. Because I kept it to myself. Religion has no place in a place of public education. No one is saying people can’t pray to themselves in class, we’re just saying public schools shouldn’t promote or organize religious prayers or events. That way nobody is forced to observe the religious practices of religions in which they do not believe.

Conservatives: Many conservatives believe that public school should include religion. Heck, many believe that creationism should be taught alongside evolution. They also often support organized prayer in school (Christian of course). If conservatives had their way millions of American students in public school would be forced to observe religious practices that they do not follow. The right to freedom from religion for those students (and parents) who don’t want themselves or their children subjected to religions that they don’t follow or believe in would be violated.

5. Freedom of Religion in General

Liberals: For liberals, it’s pretty simple. If you want to believe in a particular religion, you’re free to do so – privately. People can go to church 7 days a week if they want to and read the Bible every single day. People can believe in whatever religion they want. If people chose to not believe in any kind of religion at all, that’s perfectly alright too. The issue is that every American is free to live their personal lives as religiously, or as detached from religion, as they want. If someone believes that all homosexuals are going against God, that’s their right to personally feel that way. Just don’t try to tell others they have to share that particular view. In the liberal world, every American gets to choose for themselves. In the liberal world every single religion is viewed equally and not one single American would be forced to follow laws based on a religion in which they do not believe.

Conservatives: Many believe that this country was founded, and should be based on, Christianity. They want laws to written from scripture. To them our First Amendment only applies to Christian Americans and not Americans who follow other religions or don’t follow any religion at all. Many conservatives believe that denying them their right to impose their religion on others violates their rights – yet they don’t seem to believe that others who don’t share their same religious views should be given any kind of religious rights. Under their ideology, one religion would rule over 330 million people.

Notice the difference? When it comes to “religious freedoms” and conservatives, it’s all about them forcing their views on others. When it comes to liberals, it’s all about keeping religion private and out of government so that not one single American is forced to adhere to laws based on a religion they don’t follow.

So, while conservatives go on and on about “religious freedom” what they really mean is their “right” to have one religion ruling over 330 million Americans. When it comes to liberals, it’s about actual freedom. It’s about letting every American decided for themselves what religion (if any) that they’ll follow.

Because true “religious freedom” is about letting every individual decide for themselves whether or not they’ll follow a particular religion. It’s not about telling millions of Americans that they must adhere to the rules set by a certain religion whether they believe in it or not.

5 Examples Showing the Differences Between Liberals and Conservatives on “Religious Freedom:” Part 1

I’ll give conservatives this much – when they latch onto a piece of propaganda, they sure as heck dedicate themselves to it. For years they’ve been trying to violate our First Amendment by interjecting religion into our laws. And on some levels they’ve been successful.

But generally they’ve been defeated because our First Amendment is pretty clear that laws cannot be based on religion.

Though the newest “trick” Republicans have tried to employ is the argument they call “religious freedom.” Essentially it’s their way to try to discriminate against people, or deny others their rights, based on the argument that not allowing them to discriminate against certain individuals based on their religious beliefs is somehow a violation of their “religious freedom.”

Though I find it amazing how these people have convinced themselves that attempting to restrict the freedoms of others is somehow “defending liberty and freedom.”

So I thought I’d give 5 examples showing the differences between how liberals and conservatives view “religious freedom.”

1. Abortion

Liberals: Tend to support the right for a woman to decide for herself whether or not she will have an abortion. Even many Christian liberals are pro-choice. Though I’ve rarely met anyone who’s “pro-abortion.” There’s a difference between supporting someone’s right to have control over their own body and liking the decision they make. I’m pro-choice yet anti-abortion. Being pro-choice means that every single American woman has the right to decide for herself what she should do with her own body. If you want to have an abortion, go for it. If you don’t, then you don’t have to. But the point is, liberals support the right for every woman to have the freedom to choose for themselves. If a woman objected to abortions based on her religion she wouldn’t have to have one. But that would be her choice, someone else wouldn’t be making that choice for her.

Conservatives: Under their system of beliefs, abortion would be completely banned. No woman would have the right to have control over her own body. The moment she became pregnant she would lose almost all control she has over what happens to her body over the following 9 months. Under their belief system, every single American woman would be forced to adhere to the religious beliefs of a certain percentage of the population whether they shared those views or not. A woman who didn’t believe in any kind of god whatsoever would be forced to abide by laws restricting the control she has over her body based on a God in which she didn’t believe. Where under the liberal pro-choice banner every woman has the right to choose for herself, if conservatives had their way every woman in the United States would lose the freedom to choose for themselves.

2. Same-sex Marriage

Liberals: Most liberals support same-sex marriage. Under liberal beliefs every American (gay or straight) would have the freedom to marry whomever they love, as long as it was another consenting adult. Americans would have the freedom to choose for themselves who to marry. It’s pretty simple: If you don’t support gay marriage, that’s great, nobody is forcing you to marry someone of the same-sex. But at the end of the day, nobody’s right to marry another consenting adult is restricted – and no church’s right to perform those marriages is restricted either.

Conservatives: Most conservatives believe same-sex marriage is against what the Bible defines marriage as. If conservatives had their way, millions of gay Americans would lose their right to marry whomever they love based on the religious views of other people. Under this situation (as we still see in many states right now) rights of Americans are restricted based on the views of others. So even if a Christian church wants to marry a gay couple, if the state still doesn’t allow gay marriage, that church’s “religious freedom” is restricted because a few other churches don’t believe that they should have that right. Under conservative beliefs on marriage, millions of gay Americans would be denied their rights to marry the person they loved.

Justices Scalia And Thomas Might Be Impeached After Democrats Introduce Bill

Justice Roberts is adamant that the justices can police themselves, in spite of evidence to the contrary. And,

“Without buy-in from Roberts, any attempt, even by Congress, to require the justices to give themselves a written code of ethics is probably a tough sell. The new bill, if it could even pass through the full Congress (also doubtful), could set off an epic separation of powers battle between the two branches of government.”

Liberals have pushed Justice Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from hearing the health care case, since his wife protested against the legislation and raised money to contest it.

Much of the Supreme Court’s caseload comes from:

• Challenges to federal statutes or 
• Government policies that the solicitor general must defend 
• And the court frequently seeks governmental discretion regarding whether a case is ready to be reviewed.

Given that there are only nine justices, when one of them recuses him or herself the result is an “evenly divided court” that will not “create a national precedent” and will not the “lower-court ruling in place.”

Both Thomas and Scalia have been criticized for their conservative Republican affiliations. They have attended multiple Republican donors events, many sponsored by the ever- present Koch brothers. For example there was the meeting at Palm Springs of “a secretive network of Republican donors”, organized by Koch Industries “longtime underwriter of libertarian causes.”

Professor of law at Northwestern University Steven Lubet teaches Legal Ethics courses and says,

“There is nothing to prevent Supreme Court justices from hanging out with people who have political philosophies.”

But the Koch event was not just a bunch of buddies hanging out. It was a “twice a year” political meeting “to review strategies for combating the multitude of public policies that threaten to destroy America as we know it.”

And we do not know what Thomas and Scalia did for Koch. Given the Kansas brothers’ history of intense “political involvement. Legal ethicists are urging for more disclosure.”

Law professor at New York University [NYU] Stephen Gillers said,

The War On Whites: Why The Conservative Media Sells Excuses For Racism

In the wake of the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson or the suspicious death of Victor White III while in the back seat of a police car here in Acadiana, the typical response from the Fox News crowd is to deny and deflect the fact that racism is still alive and well in America.

Instead of acknowledging the fact that a disproportionate number of black men make up the prison population in the United States, they blame groups like the NAACP for stirring up racial tensions. Rather than accepting that “stop and frisk” police activity was heavily targeting minorities, they pretend it’s necessary to prevent crime – all while claiming that President Obama is trying to take away their freedoms.

Yes, grasp the utter hypocrisy for a moment; they’re complaining about violations (real or imagined) of their 2nd and 4th Amendment rights. At the same time, you have right-wing pundits and politicians advocating for unconstitutional violations of the 4th Amendment and heavy-handed police tactics, just so long as they’re aimed at minorities. Here’s what the 4th Amendment says:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. (Source)

Remember how all of those people who supported Cliven Bundy in his defiance of the federal government showed up in Ferguson to protest the excessive force used against protesters? Oh yeah, that’s right – they didn’t.

As I said before, it’s proof positive to the likes of Sean Hannity that Obama is a ruthless (and at the same time utterly incompetent) dictator who hates America and white people when the Bureau of Land Management tries to kick a rich squatter off federal land. To hear the conservative media tell it, those who joined Bundy and even threatened to shoot federal agents are heroes and American patriots. You know, because there is a war on conservative values and against white people. On the other hand, when the death of an unarmed black teenager is protested, you’ll actually see comments on conservative websites and Facebook pages wishing the police would massacre the crowd and that a black teenager deserved to die for alleged shoplifting and jaywalking.

Several Questions I Want Republicans to Answer About President Obama

When Barack Obama was elected in 2008, I knew the right-wing freak out over our nation electing its first black president was going to be fairly intense. Though I really didn’t think it would be as bad as it’s been.

I figured there would be a lot of ignorance thrown his way, but I really didn’t believe that it would reach the level of unrelenting paranoia and hatred that we’ve seen.

And even after well over five years in office, you can’t convince many conservatives that their ridiculous conspiracy theories about the president that haven’t remotely come true are wrong. They still believe them.

Heck, depending on what poll you find, anywhere from 30-40 percent of conservatives still don’t believe President Obama was born in Hawaii. Ironic considering a tea party favorite like Ted Cruz, who many “birthers” want to run for president, was indisputably born in Canada. 

It makes absolutely no sense.

But there are some questions about President Obama I’d like Republicans to answer.

For instance, when is he finally going to come around and confiscate our guns? I’ve been hearing the NRA and their fellow gun nuts proclaim President Obama is out to confiscate our guns since he was elected in 2008. So, I’m just wondering, as we’re quickly approaching about the 75 percent completion mark of two terms in office, when exactly does he plan on doing this?

Another question I’d like conservatives to answer is what freedoms have they lost since he’s been president? He’s this big “freedom-hating socialist,” right? Well, what freedoms did they have prior to his election in 2008 that they don’t have now?

Speaking of freedom, when is this big government takeover of our health care system going to happen? I know we have a law that states Americans must buy health insurance, and that health care plans from private insurance companies must meet certain minimum standards, but I’ve yet to see a government takeover of our health care system. When exactly is that supposed to happen? Time is running out.

Oh, and where are those death panels? I’m really curious to see which sick American will be the first one the Obamacare death panels sentence to die.

Also, where’s all this socialism I’ve heard about? It’s been well over 5 years and all I’ve seen is record stock levels, high corporate profits and record-setting private sector job growth. If he’s a socialist, he’s the worst one in history.

And can some conservative please explain to me how has Obama made the United States less safe? Is it his high use of drone strikes against terrorism? His threatening military action against Syria if they didn’t turn over their chemical weapons? Or what about when he ordered the killing of Osama bin Ladin? I guess he needed to start two wars, while not accomplishing the goals of either, to be seen by conservatives as “making us safer.”

Another thing, if he’s really this radical anti-Christian Muslim, why has he come out in support of gay rights, more specifically same-sex marriage? You do realize that if he’s some kind of radical Islamic sympathizer in disguise, they too oppose gay rights? In fact, they’re even more fiercely against gay rights than many far-right evangelical Christian conservatives.

I guess the same question could be posed about his stance on women’s rights. Being that followers of radical Islamic laws aren’t known to be the most pro-women’s rights people out there. In fact, if he were really some radical-leaning follower of Islam, his social policies would be much more in line with conservatives than liberals.

And I’m sorry conservatives, but you can’t claim “Republicans in Congress have prevented most of this from happening.” Because, according to those same congressional Republicans, President Obama has acted unlawfully and unconstitutionally to wield his power, bypassing Congress to “rule more like a king or dictator.”

After all, isn’t his “massive abuse of power” the reason why so many of you think he should be impeached?

So, conservatives, please enlighten me. Because I’m really curious as to why so many of your conspiracy theories and outlandish claims against the president have yet to come true.

Texas State Senator Slams Fellow Republicans, Admits Radical Conservative Policies are Ruining Texas

It doesn’t happen all that often, but every once in a while I’ll run across a Republican who said something that actually made sense.

It seems Texas Republican State Sen. Kevin Eltife is a little fed up with Republicans who seem more concerned with pandering to his party’s rhetoric instead of actually, you know, governing. 

He seems particularly bothered by a state debt that’s tripled since he was first elected in 2004. He also called out many of his fellow lawmakers for ignoring much-needed improvements to Texas’ infrastructure (particularly highways), and some towns that are running out of water.

“It’s real easy to run on, ‘We just need to cut spending, and we don’t need any new taxes,’” he said. “At some point, the public is going to demand that we fix these problems. We have cities that are about to be out of water, Wichita Falls is one of them.”

“If we’re so conservative, why are we doubling our debt?” Eltife asked. “You have to have leadership that lays out the problem and lays out the solutions. When you have leadership that is constantly running for higher office, you don’t address the problem. They are all running on ‘immigration.’ Who is running on water and TxDOT?”

And he’s exactly right. There are towns in Texas that are desperate for water, and roads that are in dire need of repair or expansion, but practically nothing is being done about either. Here in Dallas-Fort Worth almost all new highways being built are toll roads, which can often be quite costly to use.

I love how he called out Republicans for running on being anti-immigration (because it’s a “sexy topic”) but most seem completely disinterested in tackling some of the bigger problems the state is facing – like towns running out of water.

But this nonsense from Republicans isn’t just seen in Texas. You see it all over the United States. The Republican party is the ultimate talking points party. By that I mean they know what talking points to use to get their voters riled up, and that’s about all they care about. It doesn’t have to make sense, as long as it sounds right.

It’s how they still get away with claiming to be the party for “fiscal responsibility,” yet it’s been over five decades since a Republican president has actually balanced the budget.

But I’ll give credit where credit is due and commend Mr. Eltife for doing what most Republicans are too afraid to do – stand up to the radical, tea party nonsense that’s overtaken the Republican party.

Thirteen Facts About America Conservatives Would Like You to Forget

1. Conservatives opposed the Founding Fathers, the American Revolution and a lot of other righteous stuff as well.By definition a conservative is one who wishes to preserve and/or restore traditional values and institutions, i.e. to “conserve” the established order. No surprise then that 18th century American conservatives wanted no part of breaking away from the British Empire and the comforting bonds of monarchical government. Those anti-revolutionary conservatives were called Tories, the name still used for the conservative party in England. The Founding Fathers? As radically left-wing as they came in the 1770s. The Boston Tea Party? The "Occupy Wall Street" of its day.

Some of the other "traditional" values supported by conservatives over the course of American history have included slavery (remember that the Republican Party was on the liberal fringe in 1860), religious persecution, the subjugation of women and minorities, obstacles to immigration, voter suppression, prohibition and segregation.  Conservatives started off on the wrong side of American history, and that's where they've been ever since.
2. The United States is not a Christian nation, and the Bible is not the cornerstone of our law.
Don’t take my word for it. Let these Founding Fathers speak for themselves:
John Adams: “The government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion.” (Treaty of Tripoli, 1797)
Thomas Jefferson: “Christianity neither is, nor ever was, a part of the common law.” (Letter to Dr. Thomas Cooper, February 10, 1814)
James Madison: “The civil government … functions with complete success … by the total separation of the Church from the State.” (Writings, 8:432, 1819)
George Washington: “If I could conceive that the general government might ever be so administered as to render the liberty of conscience insecure, I beg you will be persuaded, that no one would be more zealous than myself to establish effectual barriers against the horrors of spiritual tyranny, and every species of religious persecution.” (Letter to the United Baptist Chamber of Virginia, May 1789)
You can find a multitude of similar quotes from these men and most others who signed the Declaration of Independence and/or formulated the United States Constitution. These are hardly the words of men who believed that America should be a Christian nation governed by the Bible, as a disturbing fundamentalist trend today would have it be.

Conservatives Totally Lose Their Sh*t After Falling For Satirical/Fake News Site’s Post On Obama

Tea Party hero Victoria Jackson linked to a satirical/fake news site thenpresented it as a fact. Jackson wrote about our evil Muslim President celebrating the Fourth of July at “a mosque” and she further added that he will “host Muslim leaders at the White House” on Independence Day.

Jackson declared, “Obama continues to slap America in the face and spit on her. I am outraged. If you’re not, you are uninformed.”

Victoria Jackson totally not drunk (image: The Blaze)

The National Journal’s satirical post is inundated with outraged Conservatives in the comments who demand the Usurper be tossed out of America, dammit.

10 Founding Fathers Quotes That Will Make Conservatives’ Heads Explode

Conservatives insist their cruel and unworkable agenda is sanctioned by America’s Founding Fathers. As with their similar claims about Jesus Christ wanting America to oppress the poor and help the wealthy, these claims are blatantly false. The following 10 quotes prove this.

The Founding Fathers on regulating corporations.

1. “If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their money, first by inflation and then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them (around the banks), will deprive the people of their property until their children will wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.”

– Thomas Jefferson, 1802 letter to Secretary of State Albert Gallatin.

2. “I hope that we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of our monied corporations, which dare already to challenge our government to a trial of strength, and bid defiance to the laws of our country.”

– Thomas Jefferson.

3. “The power of all corporations ought to be limited, [...] the growing wealth acquired by them never fails to be a source of abuses.”

– James Madison

The Founding Fathers on war.

4. “He who is the author of a war, lets loose the whole contagion of hell, and opens a vein that bleeds a nation to death.”

– Thomas Paine: The Crisis No. V, 1797

5. “War is an instrument entirely inefficient toward redressing wrong; and multiplies, instead of indemnifying losses.” -Thomas Jefferson

The Founding Fathers on liberalism.

6. “As Mankind becomes more liberal, they will be more apt to allow that all those who conduct themselves as worthy members of the community are equally entitled to the protections of civil government. I hope ever to see America among the foremost nations of justice and liberality.” — George Washington

The Founding Fathers on religion.

7. “The Government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion.”

~1797 Treaty of Tripoli signed by Founding Father John Adams

8. “We have abundant reason to rejoice that in this Land the light of truth and reason has triumphed over the power of bigotry and superstition… In this enlightened Age and in this Land of equal liberty it is our boast, that a man’s religious tenets will not forfeit the protection of the Laws, nor deprive him of the right of attaining and holding the highest Offices that are known in the United States.”

~Founding Father George Washington, letter to the members of the New Church in Baltimore, January 27, 1793

9. “In every country and in every age, the priest has been hostile to liberty. He is always in alliance with the despot, abetting his abuses in return for protection to his own. It is error alone that needs the support of government. Truth can stand by itself.”

~Founding Father Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to Horatio Spofford, 1814

The Founding Fathers on taxes.

10. “As to Taxes, they are evidently inseparable from Government. It is impossible without them to pay the debts of the nation, to protect it from foreign danger, or to secure individuals from lawless violence and rapine.” –~ Alexander Hamilton: Address to the Electors of the State of New York, March, 1801

On the Fourth of July, A Look at Some of the Freedoms Southern States and Conservatives Have Opposed

It’s America’s birthday. The day when millions of people grill, spend time at the lake, probably drink a little too much and set off some fireworks (with safety in mind, of course).

And as we all know, when it comes to “patriotism,” conservatives seem to believe that they’re the only true patriots. You know, because us liberals clearly hate America and our Constitution.

I must make one point very clear, when I say “conservatives,” I mean conservatives. See, Republicans haven’t always been conservatives. In fact, it wasn’t until the 1950′s and 60′s when the Republican party decided to embrace the South’s blatant racism, hoping to lure white voters to their side. That’s when the Republican party become the “party of Southern conservatives.”

Because, as we all know, conservatives love to point out that Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves and he was a Republican.

Which is true, but he wasn’t a conservative.

It’s as if these people willfully ignore the fact that every state that fought with the South during the Civil War was also a state that opposed integration, the Civil Rights Act and now almost every single one of those same states is strongly Republican.

Clearly the party has changed since the days of Abraham Lincoln.

But as we all take a day to celebrate the Fourth of July, I say we take a look at a few of the freedoms Southern conservatives (modern day Republicans) have opposed throughout our nation’s history:

• Freeing the slaves
• Allowing women to vote
• Desegregation
• Interracial marriage
• The Civil Rights Act
• The Voting Rights Act
• Women’s rights
• Same-sex marriage

That’s quite the list of ignorance, bigotry and racism.

History shows it hasn’t mattered if it’s 1860, 1960 or 2014, states like Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Georgia, South Carolina – they all opposed (or oppose in the case of ongoing battles on women’s rights and same-sex marriage) every single one of those fights for freedom listed above. 

And “shockingly” every single one of those states is strongly Republican.

So, on this Fourth of July holiday, if you happen to encounter one of your conservative family members and engage them in some kind of political debate, I suggest you reference this article to showcase just how ignorant conservative ideology has been throughout American history.

Have a great holiday and stay safe!