gingerash's Blog

OK.  With all of the talk of the upcoming 2012 US presidential election, I have been following some of the upcoming candidates and really becoming more politically minded lately.  I live in the southern part of the US (aka the Bible Belt).  A lot of people down here are conservative/Republican Christians.  I'm a Christian myself, but I just can't seem to agree with a lot of the modern Republican party's viewpoints.  I consider myself a libertarian (socially liberal and fiscally conservative).  I have heard people compare libertarians to anarchists.  I am not an anarchist.  I believe that the government serves a purpose, but I think that largely, (mostly the federal government) is overstepping its bounds.  Here's a run-down of what I believe, politically:
- anti-war.  I think that the the only good reason to go to war is to protect our country from attack.  We shouldn't be policing the world.
-anti death penalty.  This is something that's become important to me.  The US is one of the last civilized countries to practice this barbaric ritual.  I find it ironic that so many "pro life" people support the death penalty, almost celebrate it.  It is not a deterrent to crime, and it costs more (with court costs and appeals) to execute an inmate than to imprison them for life.  If one innocent person is executed, that is too many.  This is not a power that the State should have.
-supporter of LGBT community.  I was very excited to hear that DADT was overturned.  What took them so long?
-anti abortion.  I don't think that it should be legal.  At very least, it should be up to the states to decide.  I'm not here to judge anyone who has personally had an abortion.  I do think that young people need to become more educated on birth control.  I think that the whole abstinence only thing is nonsense.  

Basically, I believe in civil rights and equal treatment for all people.  I believe that the government has no right to regulate our personal lives.  I think that homosexual couples should be given the same legal rights as hetero couples.  I am PRO separation of church and state.  How many other countries throughout history have tried to mix the two, with disastrous results?  Also, my faith in Jesus is something too sacred and important to be mixed in with politics.  Again, I take a look at all of these self proclaimed Christian politicians who support multiple wars, death, violence, oppression of certain segments of societies...sometimes I wonder if we even worship the same God, Jesus... the One who hung out with sinners and prostitutes but condemned the religious that thought that they were too holy and didn't need Him.  The religious people were the ones who murdered Him.

Anyone else feel this way, or am I the only one?