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The principles that rule this blog

Principles that will govern my thoughts as I express them here (from my opening statement):


  • Freedom of the individual should be as total as possible, limited only by the fact that nobody should be free to cause physical injury to another, or to deprive another person of his freedoms.
  • Government is necessary primarily to provide those services that private enterprise won't, or won't at a price that people can afford.
  • No person has a right to have his own beliefs on religious, moral, political, or other controversial issues imposed on others who do not share those beliefs.

I believe that Abraham Lincoln expressed it very well:

“The legitimate object of government is to do for a community of people whatever they need to have done, but cannot do, at all, or cannot
so well do, for themselves — in their separate, individual capacities.”


Comments will be invited, and I will attempt to reply to any comments that are offered in a serious and non-abusive manner. However, I will not tolerate abusive or profane language (my reasoning is that this is my blog, and so I can control it; I wouldn't interfere with your using such language on your own!)

If anyone finds an opinion that I express to be contrary to my principles, they are welcome to point this out. I hope that I can make a rational case for my comments. Because, in fact, one label I'll happily accept is rationalist.

Sunday, February 01, 2009

Michael Steele, and those who oppose him

Someone posted a comment to my posting about Michael Steele, in which he called Steele a RINO and linked to a site in which Steele was attacked by a certain Steve Deace, a commentator on a station in Iowa, who attacked Steele.

Trying to find out something about this Deace, I found a blog post that said:

Steve Deace, the 1040 WHO commentator, should be donning a "Religious Bigot" t-shirt soon. A few weeks ago, he said that someone should send him a shirt that says, "Religious Bigot" on it because that is what it means today to be a believing Christian.

Back in 2004, as a sports commentator, he argued that Shawn Green (who is Jewish) should convert to Christianity so that he could play baseball on Judaism's holiest day, Yom Kippur.
I don't know if he ever apologized for it. More recently, he has picked most prominently on homosexuals, referring to them crudely as people who "have anal sex."

I don't think Christianity makes anyone a religious bigot, but Deace has certainly shown that a self-described Christian certainly can be one. If Deace wants the moniker, who am I to disagree?

So, I designed and sent him a shirt with the words "Religious Bigot" emblazoned on the front and back in red with red sleeves. He says it "looks awesome." I think it looks embarrassing. If you know a religious bigot who needs one, follow the link below, and you can send them their own Steve Deace "Religious Bigot " T.


If this is Steve Deace, it is clear that he stands for everything I oppose. And if Steve Deace opposes Michael Steele, that's one more reason to support Steele!

2 comments:

FeelsRight said...

Interesting blog you’ve got here. Relevantly, Michael Steele, born 1958, is a member of Generation Jones--the generation between the Boomers and GenXers--which has now taken over as America’s new leaders. Obama, and many in the team he has assembled, are Jonesers. The GOP is now led by Jonesers as well, including Steele, Sarah Palin, Tim Pawlenty and Mark Sanford. I’m a Joneser and totally relate to this identity, and all the recent big-time national media attention about Generation Jones. We’re not Boomers or Xers! I’ve read several articles recently that make a strong case for learning more about Generation Jones to grasp the changes we can expect now in politics and leadership.

Steele embraces his Generation Jones identity, and speaks about the importance of the new Generation Jones leadership, in this short video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbbVe_Twui0

There is an op-ed about exactly this topic in USA TODAY this week: http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20090127/column27_st.art.htm .

I’m very curious to see what Steele’s early weeks at this new job will look like.

Opinionator said...

That is an interesting comment. I hadn't heard this term "Generation Jones" before, but these generational things do seem to me to have some merit. I myself come from an earlier generation than the boomers; a generation that never did get the chance to hold the Presidency. It passed directly from the generation of George Bush the first, much older than me, to the generation of Bill Clinton (the Baby-Boomer generation) skipping over my generation entirely.

Of the names you mention, I don't know who Mark Sanford is, but certainly Sarah Palin and Tim Pawlenty are the rising future of the GOP.

But as you said, we ned to see what Steele does. I, for one, thing he's a good choice, as I said already.