I am Joe's Ideology.

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When I was a Christian, I had a term for most apologetic debates: pinhead theology. It's a play on words, given that most of the arguments I saw amounted to asking, "how many angels can fit on the head of a pin?" The answer is, "it doesn't really matter."

Now that I'm a Secular Humanist (which is a long story), I have become passionate about politics. Unfortunately, I see a lot of pinhead politics. I'm no fan of Fox News, but bashing them does nothing to improve our nation. The same goes for Obama or Bush or anyone else. There's a lot in the news that doesn't matter.

What concerns me is the overall ideas of the world. How do we solve poverty? Hunger? War? What is the best way to govern a nation? What about religion? How far does free speech extend? These are important things. Worrying about Obama's kids at Thanksgiving means nothing. I don't care about Hillary's e-mails. I don't want to crucify any politician.

Should we hold our politicians to account? Absolutely, but we have greater issues at stake. In this journal, I'll focus on the bigger ideas. The truth as I see it, you could say. Feel free to comment; I love reader interaction.

--Joe

Table of Entries
Human Rights: The Basics

 

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Human Rights: The Basics

I am an American, and proud to be one. You won't find me in the rank and file of the "America can do no wrong" crowd, but you will find me in the "I love this idea" camp. America is a nation, but it was born out of ideas that--I think--were never truly realized. Like many other systems of government (Communism, for instance), the idea is great on paper (or parchment, in this case). When it comes to practical application, it's like a battle plan that comes in contact with the enemy: the what's it hits the fan.

Nevertheless, I love the idea of freedom as laid out in the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. I believe these documents have been abused and--in some ways--sent through a veritable shredder. Every man has the right to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. All men (meaning mankind) are created equal. These truths are self-evident, though the hypocrisy of our forefathers is also evident. They did not fully ascribe to these concepts as we should. The wonderful thing about the documents in which the idea of my nation was born is that they can be understood in the times in which they exist.

Whether or not a person is an American, I believe they deserve the aforementioned rights. They are entitled to these freedoms and given the responsibilities thereof. From my understanding of these freedoms and their responsibilities, I form my beliefs on everything from abortion to economics to the death penalty. In my next entry, I'll deal with the Right to Life, where I'll look at what that means in terms of the freedom and the responsibility of life.