On my facebook page, I have my political views listed as "very liberal". I'm not really sure that I'm a raging liberal in any sense of the word, but the majority of my views are definitely to the left. I was thinking about this while going to sleep last night, right after watching Hillary Clinton on the Daily Show. I'm not a huge fan of Hillary. I am happy that there is a woman running for pres, but I think she may be just a little too close to center for me. Also, she voted for the Iraq war (none of this garbage about how she didn't know Bush would actually go to war. Shit, my cat knew that). I also think that Republicans would come out in force to beat her. So here are my stances on a few things.
1. Feminism: I think it's gotten this horrible image from Rush Limbaugh and his ilk. I am not a Femi-nazi. I don't think most feminists are. I think that I can do anything a man can do, and I have. I majored in a historically male subject in college (chemistry) along with 4 other females in a class of 8 people. I played low brass in marching band. I am in the most male dominated medical specialty (10% female at last count). Do I think women are the same as men? No. Despite years of weight lifting and being an overall good athlete, I am still not as strong as my husband and I never will be. I don't think this is true for all women of course, but in general, we are not built to be as strong or big as men. For careers like fire fighters and construction that require pure strength, I think that any woman who can do the work should be allowed. I feel the same way about girls that want to play boy's sports (such as wrestling). If there isn't a female only league, don't ask for special treatment if you want to play with the boys. Just get out there and do it.
2. The environment: I am about as far left on this one as you can be. Darren and I recycle
everything (the crap just piles up everywhere waiting for recycling day). I take soda bottles home from work with me. And yes, I do know that recycling isn't 100% efficient, but it's at least something. As for global warming, it's real, and we really need to do something about it. I always think of the old atheist argument: even if you don't believe in it, you'd better act like you do just in case you're wrong.
3. Gay marriage and equal rights: I read a story in my hometown newpaper yesterday that stated that two gay men were not allowed to adopt a child because they are gay. This just saddens me to no end. This was a child in foster care looking for a secure home, and he was denied because he would have two dads. Look, people are born gay or straight, so the argument that living with two men would make the child gay is asinine. As for the idea that the child would learn to think that a homosexual relationship is not devious or an abomination, I say I'm all for it. The majority of the right's arguments against gay marriage and homosexuality in general is that it is an abominable lifestyle, full of promiscuity and disco. But then they turn right around and prevent these same people from participating in the loving, monogamous, permanent relationships we call marriage. Gays getting married won't hurt my marriage one bit. The government has no right to impose a Christian view on a secular institution. If a church won't allow it, fine. Don't even get me started on why this is not a slippery slope (what about three people getting married, or to animals, or children?). Laws set limits - that's why you can't drive when you're 12.
4. Death penalty: does nothing to prevent crime and uses my tax dollars to kill (possibly innocent) people, thus making me a part of the killing process. Again, don't get me started on how unfair the criminal justice system is to poor people and minorities.
5. Abortion: this is one I actually have no strong stance on. I hate it, but then again, I don't think it's my job to tell people what to do. I don't believe in abstinence-only education, and I think that there needs to be more education regarding birth control options. I would love to see abortion ended, but only if preventative options were really available to people.
That's enough for now. I may eventually touch on my views of taxes, foreign policy, immigration, and others, but my hands are tired.
Triathlon training week 13: run 0, bike 57, swim 4300; totals 69.03/287.41/38750 (22mi). I hope to get back to running next week, but I need the all-clear from my doc first.
Darren and I went out last weekend for my long-delayed foray into a moving bicycle. This was a rather harrowing ordeal as neither of us knows the first damn thing about bikes (if you need information on completely useless topics, like Star Wars or osteoconductive matrices, we're your guys). We initially went to a store a few blocks away, and they were about as helpful as asking my table lamp for advice. But, they did point us the way to a nice used bike shop in University City. Our friend Nate (a cycling psycho) also recommended it and lent me a nice book on how to find a good fit. So, we headed over to Firehouse Bikes to try to find a salesman with a clue that we had no clue. We found Sam. He was very nice and let me try my hand (legs?) at a few. Please remember, I have not really ridden a bike in about 15 years. When I got onto the first bike, on the sidewalk, I nearly fell over (I did hit a concrete planter). Most of the problem was that I have never used toe straps before and I couldn't get my feet into them. I eventually got the hang of it and was able to test-ride three bikes without killing myself.
