Posted by
Bill Crawford on Saturday, June 07, 2008 11:05:33 PM
I am a conservative. I have been since my worldview reached a limited maturity in high school. That's more than enough time to be accused of just about everything in the book.
I am a logical animal. I see people who disagree with me, and I take it as a disagreement in premises. This favor is rarely returned. My views are often presented back to me as some sort of personal deficiency, sometimes a personality disorder, sometimes a lack of intelligence or self-awareness.
It stands to reason then that my failure to support Barrack Obama this fall will not be a disagreement with him on the issues, but a fear of a Black person in the White House. I suppose there are people out there, even conservatives, that will reluctantly pack their bags and go on a guilt trip. I could declare myself color blind, I could list my Black friends, I could show them my Barry White albums or my knowledge of Grandmaster Flash. No matter. There never is an answer.
It is the basis of my intrigue in the possible candidacy of Colin Powell in 1996, despite my reservations about his obvious 'Vietnam Syndome' views towards the projection of military power in the modern world. Part of me wanted to campaign for a Black man and maybe shut these people up for good. Alas, that will never happen.
I think the California Supreme Court decision on gay marriage is nuts. I have my reasons, mostly because it doesn't even try to be consistent with current laws, and carves a right for one-on-one same sex marraige out of thin air. No matter. I am a homophobe.
I support the war on terror, and believe it will have to get even more aggressive to stay effective. I never served in the military, so I am a chicken hawk.
When I venture in to a debate with any of this, I am often forced to definitively prove a state of mind, which is something that is beyond the scope of even a licensed psychiatrist. So I walk away. End of discussion.
When the campaign for Presdient heats up this summer, and Barrack talks about unifying the country while his supporters talk about how criticism of him is inherently racist, you'll have to excuse my laughter. You don't think it is coming? Watch what happens when the first political commercial has McCain in color and his opponent in black and white- a political staple as old as the hills.
I will not buckle to this crap. I am a conservative.