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Carol,

Come back toward the light! You are not a Democrat!

Have you noticed in my category list “totalitarian liberalism” and “totalitarian social conservatism”? Totalitarians are people who insist on everyone giving up their autonomy to a designated person or persons, either a religion or government, supposedly due to their greater wisdom — although usually due to their greater sociopathy — and who have detailed lists of how other people should think and act.

Hah!

Conservatism in one word is about liberty. Fiscal conservatism is based on the reality that you cannot have liberty if your government takes most of your money and only leaves you in control of enough to get by on. That’s why fiscal conservatives constantly fight to reduce taxes and the size of government. But those are the only principles that really count in deciding whether to identify yourself as a fiscal conservative.

To be honest, when I switched my registration from Democrat to Republican in December 2008, I ignored the Republican platform. I recommend you ignore it, too. I became a Republican because I think independents are wishy-washy, always looking for the best deal, loyal to no one and to no principles — I just despise that. I think we are fighting for the life of the U.S. as a capitalistic democratic republic and that it’s best to join the team that’s fighting for that cause. The Democrats are fighting to make the U.S. a socialist country and to bring America down as a world power — unless you support those goals, you are not a Democrat.

However, totalitarian social conservatives have made themselves the face of conservatism and the Republican Party, and they like to make you think they are calling the shots. But they are among people who love liberty and respect individualism, which means they are allowed to be themselves but there are plenty of other people in the tent who disagree.

And I do have some serious disagreements with the totalitarian social conservatives who want to fool people into thinking they control who gets to identify as Repubican and fiscal conservative. For example, I oppose Creationism and Intelligent Design. My father’s life’s work shows what should be taught in schools — that the origin of life is an axiom of biology. (Others have demonstrated that Darwin’s theory of evolution is correct and one of the most well-established in all of science.) It was a satisfying moment last year when I realized I didn’t have to sign on to the religious doctrines of Creationism and Intelligent Design to call myself a fiscal conservative. Totalitarian social conservatives are welcome to teach Creationism and Intelligent Design to their own converts in their own buildings on their own time and their own dime. However, I think it is truly evil to want either or both of these religious doctrines taught in public schools — not just factually and scientifically wrong, but genuinely evil because it is a way for religious groups to steal public money to promote their religious doctrines and try to make converts AND destroy a branch of science at the same time. It is not possible to denounce this enough.

Also — like you — I support a woman’s right to choose whether to carry a pregnancy to term. My perception is that totalitarians, both religious and secular, want to get as many followers as fast as possible, so they always do two things towards that end: outlaw abortion and homosexuality. In the battle women face to maintain our equality in every country and every generation, we MUST protect first and foremost the right to refuse to carry a pregnancy to term or dictators, whether religious or secular, will find an excuse to reduce us to being baby-makers who are the property of men. The pro-choice position is one of liberty and equality for women — without it, we’re property.

Although totalitarian social conservatives got control of the Republican platform and put their anti-choice doctrine in it — that’s not for eternity. Once we save this country we can re-visit that poison plank, which I intend to yank out and replace with one that supports a woman’s right to choose based on the principles of liberty and equality.

Totalitarian social conservatives in the Republican party also want to appropriate the apparatus of the state to impose their religious doctrines regarding homosexuality on the public and they come up with various excuses as to why homosexuals should be second-class citizens, either for religious reasons or based on speculation about whether we will bear or raise children (20 percent of same-sex couples have children). There is no such thing as a good reason why homosexuals should be second-class citizens. Furthermore, about 12 to 16 percent of these people will be damning their OWN homosexual children to second-class citizenship (based on the estimate that six-to-eight percent of the population is homosexual and each homosexual has two straight parents). A religion or philosophy that encourages people to turn on their own children in any way is the very definition of totalitarianism.

Totalitarianism and the love of conservatives for liberty do not mix — and I think that love of liberty will win.

So, my dear, ignore your totalitarian friend. You are a Republican if you oppose socialism and want America to continue as a capitalistic democratic republic. You are perfectly at liberty — that word again! — to define yourself as a fiscal conservative and a social liberal. You are allowed to be pro-choice and support equality for homosexuals. You are even allowed to be a libertarian! The Republican Party has a very big tent, it serves the best fiscal policy, and I am rounding up all the gays I can to move in and make it fabulous! Now you get busy and bring in the pro-choicers!

Cynthia