Social Conservatism vs Bigotry

This country is built on the foundation of freedom to worship as we please. The founders remembered a time in Europe where the kings allowed only one religion. Because government and church were so intertwined great minds like Copernicus were executed as a heretics for simply believing the Earth wasn't the center of the universe. Our founders wanted to insure the same thing never came to pass in the new country.

Despite that dream this country has struggled to keep government and church separated, and all the courts have maintain that separation. Alcohol prohibition was one of the most violent periods in modern times. This prohibition was based on religious beliefs. Eventually the folly of the 18th Amendment was overturned. Today the country faces the same problems with the declared war on drugs. This country learned nothing from its previous mistake. No matter the political party in power, the war on drugs continues. I dare say the war on poverty has had the same disastrous effects.

This isn't about drugs or alcohol. This is about that same power being used to control segments of the population. Over the course of history there have been many laws created to control people by race, religion, or gender. FDR has been proclaimed one of the greatest presidents ever, yet he detained thousands of Japanese Americans in interment camps. There are few people alive today that look back on that imprisonment with anything but disdain.

In November of 2012 we watch as the Democratic presidential candidate won re-election by a landslide despite a suffering economy and 8% unemployment. Their entire campaign was based on a social agenda. The war on women was false, but they made enough believe it to be factual. They used the bigotry of social conservatives to their advantage.

Today the great social war centers around homosexuality. I have written time and time again how the gay marriage problem would go away if government removed itself from the equation. There is no need for government to remain involved in marriage. If the government simply taxed all people equally, contractual law can handle any potential problems. Despite the democrats' supposed stance in support of gay marriage, even they refuse to remove government from the equation.

It's been said that the only way the Republican Party can continue to exist is if they separate themselves from the Conservative movement. This battle has been going on for a very long time. I should make it clear that it's the social conservatives about which they speak. There are those social conservatives who fight vehemently against gay marriage. In some respect they have a legitimate argument. They believe the term marriage relates to their religious beliefs. I believe to some extent they have a valid argument.

The problem lies in how some argue. As someone who has read many of the Tea Party websites I have seen posters who can be described no less as bigots. I have seen some call for the death or incarceration of anyone who is gay. Because the site managers do not moderate this hate speech, they are seen as supporters. I know of one Tea Party site from which I was banned for defending the right of gays to exist, not just marry. The GOP will distance itself from these groups. This is also what has done, maybe unrepairable, harm to the Tea Party brand.

The most recent issue comes from the possibility of the Boy Scouts of America admitting gay youths. We will hear the homophobes screaming how Obama has gotten to the BSoA. The president recently spoke out in the matter, offering his support for the admittance of gays. This is not a matter for government. The BSoA is a Christian based organization and can choose to do what it pleases. I personally believe that their desire to leave the possible decision to local groups is the correct one.

Social conservatives are against homosexuality because they see it as a sin, or an abomination to God. In a free country people have the right to these beliefs. What they don't have a right to is forcing these beliefs onto others. The constitution is adamant that all people are equal under the law. We cannot impose laws for any one segment of the population if we are to be a free country and uphold the Constitution as the foundation of our laws.

I have come to the conclusion that we do need a third party in this country. The social conservatives should go their own way. Many have shown they can't work with those with different beliefs. If this happens we might can salvage the Tea Party brand and work to make the GOP the party of the constitution . There are those like myself that have tried to work along side bigots in an effort to save this country from bankruptcy. This unholy alliance has become harder with each passing day.

There is nothing wrong with the belief that a traditional marriage might be best for raising children. We do know that the broken family is a huge problem and causes many of today's ills. This also doesn't mean that a gay couple can't offer the same stability as heterosexuals. We will find bad parents in every gender and sexuality.

I typically avoid the abortion issue because it always brings with it extreme emotions. This is one area where I do understand the social conservatives. They are defending life. I personally find late term abortion criminal unless there are extraordinary circumstances. I also believe government should never pay for abortion unless there are extraordinary circumstances. It is wrong to take tax dollars from Americans and spend it on a procedure that brings about such strong feelings of disagreement.

No person is going to agree 100% on any political agenda except their own. What we should agree on is taking these decisions out of Washington and putting them in the hands of individual states. People from South Carolina are as different as the moon and the sun from those in California. For those who put their social agenda first and want a larger and more powerful federal government to advance their religious beliefs, it's time for you to form your own party. The Republican Party has never been for a stronger central government no matter the issue. We do not want a federal government deciding what is moral and what isn't.

Those of us considered the political right should at least agree that we need to limit federal power. We can then battle each other on the local level when it comes to social issues. Unless some of you can contain your bigotry and work with groups like Log Cabin Republicans or GOPride, then we don't need you. It's time for you to go form your new party. To defeat socialism and communism, we need only those that want a smaller, less powerful, central government.