Maybe nobody is right

After a very long and exhausting trip, I came home, checked my email and found an email urging us to "protest the ban on gay marriage." This email hit at the very heart of what pisses me off about Madison: Political speech is great until you don't like what is being said. Now I should point out, that I'm a Democrat and in the rest of Wisconsin, people generally consider me to be a flaming liberal. Furthermore, I voted against the amendment. However, it really pisses me off when the Madison breed of liberal feels so right that he concludes everyone who disagrees is a backwards, ignorant bigot. I've selected some excerpts of this inflammatory and poorly-drafted email to make my point.

"The same people [Republicans] who claim to be protecting American families - by putting up these bans - refuse to provide the affordable education or health insurance that our families need."

Let's parse this statement for a moment. Last I heard, the educational system in America hasn't collapsed. In fact, Wisconsin Republicans have voiced support of stabilizing UW tuition increases. As far as healthcare, I don't see Republicans standing at the hospital doors, denying passage to poor people. We have a nation-wide requirement that hospitals provide emergency care to everyone regardless of the ability to pay, Medicaid, Senior Care, Medicare Part D, and several state and local assistance programs for expensive medications and procedures. What is the author of this email suggesting-that we make healthcare completely free? Free to who? Everyone? That sounds fine and dandy, sign me up. I'll let someone else figure out to pay for it. Something tells me that when our taxes are at 60 percent for marginal, but universal healthcare (like Canada), people here will have something else to bitch about.

These same people keep sending our family members - and none of their own! - to Iraq to die for a war that serves only their interests.

Alright. Where to start with this one. Well, by "these same people," I assume he's talking about the nearly three quarter majority that authorized the use of force in Iraq. Gee, the last time I checked, Congress wasn't made up of nearly three quarters Republicans... so "these same people" necessarily includes more than the evil Republicans he eludes to. "And none of their own." This line just kills me. There's not one Republican with a family member in Iraq? Apparently the piss poor educational system put in place by the Republicans has landed an entire class of poor people in Iraq! Give me a break. Finally, apparently this war serves only "their interests." Again, I have to point out the fact that a LOT of Democrats, in the wake of 9/11 voted to authorize this war. Bush didn't do it unilaterally. So whose interests are we serving now by staying put? Well, how about the world's?? What does the author of this email think would happen if we pulled out all of our troops tomorrow? Think there MIGHT be some chaos? I didn't agree with this war to begin with, but now that we've radically overthrown a government, the responsible thing to do is make sure their government is up and running. What kind of example would we be setting if we let Iraq split into chaos and civil war?

Democracy isn't about making everyone happy. It's about winners and losers. Yet, Madison generally assumes it should hold some great cosmic veto over decisions it labels unwise. People were going to be pissed no matter how the gay marriage amendment turned out and everyone is entitled to their opinion. But come on. If you get access to the UW student email list, then at least base your argument on facts and not a blind attack on national Republicans who didn't have a thing to do with the Wisconsin state constitutional amendment. People come here to get educated, so maybe we should spend time educating them on who to blame. It was the voters of this state that ultimately passed the amendment, not the assembly, state senate, U.S. Congress or Bush. By projecting blind fury and a sense of moral entitlement against the political affiliation of half this nation, people pereptuate the stereotype that Madison is filled with nothing but a bunch of left-wing nutjobs.

Today, I had to agree. We don't live in a perfect nation, but we don't live in a socialist nation either. By defining the "bad guys" as the people who believe something different, the author of this email is engaging in the same type of behavior that causes holy wars in Israel, riots in L.A., and blind hate all over the world (Except for the rest of the Big Ten...I hate those guys). Proponents of gay marriage have a good case on the facts, so they should rely on the facts, instead of alienating alot of good people who don't hate anyone solely because of their political affiliation.