| Centuries ago, it was heresy to believe the world was round. We’ve come along way since then, but with each passing day I realize we still have a long way to go. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but how many of these people do you know? The anti-animal cruelty political Vegans/Vegetarians (not the ones who do it strictly for health reasons), who also wear leather, and/or use a number of everyday products like Antifreeze, hydraulic brake fluid, gelatin, deodorant, and even mouthwash which all contain animal by-products of one kind or another. (Go here for more info on Animal By-Products.) Or the Fundamentalist Christians who decry the agnostic and atheists as non-patriotic heathens? I guess they skipped that class on the US Constitution and the First Amendment. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” Ring a bell anyone? Please understand I am not attacking vegans or Christians, or anyone else for that matter. I am calling attention to the ignorant hypocritical mindset many of these people have. Like they say, knowledge is power. Stem cell research is proving to be another arena plagued by glaring hypocrisy. Bush’s pathetic middle of the road decision, on one hand pandering to his big pharmaceutical industry contributors, while on the other trying to appease the religious right, is bringing new levels to his own ignorant hypocrisy, and in doing so, has pissed off nearly everyone. How does the argument to only use the ‘existing strings’ make any sense? Either go for it or don’t. Why don’t they ever see the hypocrisy of having a double standard? It’s like the parents who are hooked on painkillers or still smoke grass but want their kids to remain drug free. Or the fact that only Republicans are entitled to their privacy. As Dan Rather rightfully inferred in his comments following Bush’s announcement on stem cell research, this entire subject is very complex, and so much deeper than “when life begins”, but let’s start there, as it seems to be the current focal point, and to which this issue seems to have been reduced in this country. The UK has been able to separate faith and science on this issue without a socio-economic meltdown, but for some strange reason our current administration wants to use every item in its rhetorical bag of tricks to keep that from happening here. Bush’s stance on being anti-abortion, unless it is incest, rape, or where the life of the mother is at stake, is in and of itself hypocritical. If you believe that abortion is murder – why should the circumstances negate the act? You can’t have it both ways. It either is or isn’t. But then Bush is the pure definition of a contradiction with his pro-life/pro-death penalty views. So, does it follow then, if you are pro-life, you are also anti-fertility and anti-birth control? Again, how can you have it both ways? Isn’t the argument always “What God intended?” It’s a fact that widespread education and use of birth control lowers the abortion rate. So why is this bad? Please indulge me in a short tangent on this subject, as it is a small pet peeve of mine. There are many people who don’t understand how the pill works. They think it “withers” the uterine lining making it impossible for a fertilized embryo to take hold. Nope. “You ARE the weakest link. Goodbye.” Hypocrisy and ignorance most always go hand in hand. In a nutshell, the two main ingredients do the work. Progesterone prevents ovulation, while estrogen keeps the uterine lining the same as it is during most of a women’s cycle, in other words it keeps it sticky and thick, not the slip-n-slide fast track to the ovum it turns into when a woman is ovulating. NO FERTILIZED EMBRYOS ARE HARMED, because no “fertilized embryos” exist. No ova ever leave the cushy comfort of the ovary, and since there is no fast moving freeway, the sperm can’t get to them either. Aside from the IUD, which is, in my opinion, too dangerous to be an option, none of the countless other forms of birth control from prophylactics to spermicidal sponges result in killing embryos. The whole idea is for the sperm and ovum to never cross paths in the first place. So, how can you be pro-life where birth control is concerned when there has been no “life” in the equation? It seems to me, birth control and education would be a plus for the pro-lifers. Maybe they just haven’t experienced that ‘education’ part yet. But ignorance is no basis for passing major legislation. Enough on birth control, what about various methods to increase fertility? I have heard many comments praising Bush for speaking on the use of the extra embryos that are currently discarded in the in-vitro process. Why waste the tissue that is currently getting thrown away? But again, murder is murder, right? So why are they happy? Oops, there’s that wacky double standard again. Once more it comes back to the “what God intended” argument. If “God intended” for her to conceive, it must follow then that “God intended” for the AIDS/crack mom to have more children than she can feed with the abusive boyfriend who can’t find a job. And also for the loving, well-established couple, who yearn for a child more than anything, to be barren, and denied parenthood. Do you suppose that “God” also intends for sick and twisted fathers to rape their daughters? For women to put their lives at risk continually putting their bodies through pregnancy until their uterus drops, or they die in childbirth leaving the grieving father to care for the entire brood and hold down a job? To put the lives of their other children at risk because there just isn’t enough food, love, and attention to go around, not to mention money or medical care? For childless couples to have no other means of conceiving when they want nothing more to have children of their own? For the woman who suffers from the pain of endometriosis not to have the relief that being on the birth control pill brings? Personally, as I am entitled to my own opinion, I believe that “God” gave us the amazing gift of intelligence and the ability to reason, think, and learn, and that it is our job is to use it to our best ability. “He” gave us the ability to invent countless ways to ease our suffering, and make the world a happier and healthier place for everyone. I have a feeling that if we lived, to some of the extremists’ “God intended” way of thinking, then we would be back before fire and the wheel, but then many of these people most likely deny the existence of Cro-Magnon man and the dinosaurs since they aren’t specifically mentioned in the Bible. Again, you can’t have it both ways. You can’t have “selective learning”; it’s either all science and technology or none. “God” has given us the tools for many things, it is up to us to be doggedly courageous enough to find them and use them wisely. From the various forms of food and shelter we enjoy today, to perhaps curing the devastation of diabetes, Alzheimer’s and perhaps even cancer and AIDS. Never forget - Centuries ago, it was heresy to believe the world was round. We’ve come along way since then. We still have a long way to go. Just imagine the possibilities…… |
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| Hypocrisy Inc. |
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| Wherefore within the second circle nestle Hypocrisy, flattery, and who deals in magic, Falsification, theft, and simony, Panders, and barrators, and the like-filth. Inferno, Canto XI Circle VI, The Heretics ~ Dante |