Obama 3 Dogma 0

Continuing to deliver on promises made to the American public during his presidential campaign, President Obama announced that he was going to overturn another of President Shrub’s rigidly dogmatic public policies and allow funding for research on new stem cell lines. There is the predictable hue and cry from the right over the “sanctity of human life,” which to them means the sanctity of their right to interfere in your life. Apparently those suffering from Parkinson’s, heart disease or diabetes are much less sanctified. Empathy for actual people has never been this group’s strongpoint. Lest anyone misunderstand this blog’s point of view, Real People > Minute Glob of Cells.

This follows several other progressive decisions from the first month of Obama’s presidency that lifted public policy from the grips of the Self Righteous Right.

There were the two ridiculous abortion policies overturned: the so-called “Gag Rule” which withheld funding to any international group that provided or even mentioned abortion, and the “Conscience Rule,” which allowed doctors to refuse to perform abortions and pharmacists to refuse to fill contraception or “Morning After” prescriptions. The latter part of this always struck me as asinine, if not criminal. It’s like if a vegan was a cashier and refused to ring up your bologna sandwich.

Both of these violate what I consider to be the values of my primary philosophy, which is where one person or group does not get to insert their morals or values into my life. In other words, it’s the Mind Your Own Goddamn Business philosophy. I have no problem with people believing in or taking comfort from any belief system they want. The problem I have is when they try to make their particular belief system public policy for the entire nation, godless heathens and all. Our nation was set up to ensure that that never happens... namely the separation between church and state.

Name one successful Theocracy out there. I can think of Iran or the Taliban, who have been successful in covering their women with bags, but not successful by any reasonable standard. Funny how these are two of the nations or organizations that we most vilify, yet here these people are, trying to be just like them. I say, you want a Theocracy, go to where the Theocrats are. I’ll even provide the sunscreen.