the moral dilemma
by Paige Cram
Published: February 11, 2008
Mitt Romney went out in a blaze of glory last Thursday, unabashedly proving himself to be quite the religious zealot.
“We face a new generation of challenges: challenges which threaten our prosperity, our security and our future,” he said in his speech. And what are these challenges according to Mitt? The “tolerance for pornography… and sexual promiscuity, combined with the twisted incentives of government welfare.”
I generally don’t think that statements like this deserve attention, but enough is enough. After the administration we’ve had for the past eight years and the mess they’ve made of this country, I’m tired of having the issues confused by religious propaganda.
This country is facing challenges all right. The challenge of a failing economy resulting from wasteful spending on a war for oil and rewards for big businesses that ship jobs overseas. The challenge of an energy crisis that’s been ignored for too long. The challenge of the collapse of social security, the rising cost of education, a tarnished international reputation, children without healthcare. The challenge of an entire region of this country still waiting to be rebuilt.
But no, let’s not discuss those topics. The real issue here is the rampant immorality that’s tearing this country apart. And who’s to blame? According to Romney it’s anyone who votes Democrat: “The liberals haven’t given up,” he said with a warning tone. He then went one step further, saying that allowing Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama to win the presidency would be as good as a “surrender to terror.”
That’s the man I want as my next president - someone’s who’s not above taking a cheap shot on his way out.
You want to know what’s really tearing this country apart? It’s fear. It’s the fear that has been used as a platform since September 12, 2001. It’s the fear that has been the tool of the Republican party, and we’ve proven election after election, that when we’re afraid, we won’t take risks. And now, when we’re finally facing an election where dramatic change is possible, politicians like Romney want to keep us afraid so we’ll stay on their side.
But here’s a newsflash for you, Mitt. The American people are tired of your game.
While politicians like you aren’t doing so well in the primaries, Barack Obama has gathered an unprecedented following in the past few months. Why? Because we’re ready to trade fear for hope.
You can preach all you want about unrestricted sexuality, and how wrong gay marriage is, and how God is the only thing that will save us. But you know what? There’s a new generation in town. A generation that is finally ready to have its voice heard, and the things that matter to you don’t matter to us. We care about equality, about empathy for our fellow citizens, about health and charity and peace and prosperity for all, not just the few.
You might be surprised that for a generation that is so “morally deviant” and non-religious, we’re surprisingly passionate about our values. Yes, that’s right. I said values. No, the Republican party does not have that word trademarked, and just because our values are different from yours, doesn’t mean that it is us “dirty democrats” who are ruining this country. It’s you, your party and your politics that have put us in the position we’re in.
And we’re going to be the ones who will put it back together. By not being afraid. By uniting. By believing. And by remembering one of the principles that made and kept this country great for so long: the separation of church and state.
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