My election plea

they are your beliefs and your beliefs alone.  Please do not try to force them on everyone else.  Respect others' rights to their lifestyles and beliefs.  

I'm not going to preach on whom you should vote for.  I do ask that when you vote and especially if you live in a state that has initiatives, measures, or propositions, that you consider this:

Many people in the US live with ideals and morals in mind that are shaped by their religion, a "book", and/or a belief system.  And that's perfectly fine.  But understand that millions of others do not share those exact same beliefs and morals.  That doesn't make them "wrong", only different from you.  For as much as your heart tells you that your beliefs are "correct", "right", "moral", even "mandated by God", please see that this is a nation conceived in liberty.  Liberty for ALL.  Especially those different from you.  It can be millions of others, thousands... even if it were just one single person - this country must have a foundation of laws that does not restrict for even that one different person.  Religion, gender, race, creed, ethnicity, sexual preference...  Our nation must be a nation of laws based on liberty for even the one individual who deserves the same rights as you and me.

Many people feel that we should be a nation of "majority rule".  That if 51% of people vote for a candidate, on an initiative, measure, or proposition that restricts the civil liberties, the rights for the other 49%, that it's OK.  Even if it were 99.9999% voting to enforce their belief structures on 0.0001% and restrict the rights of those few, I would still say that's wrong.  Of course their are limits.  I'm not promoting that we should protect the rights of someone who wishes to practice a religion of human sacrifice.  But within the secular (and continuously debated) laws of our land, simply respect others different from you and accept that they deserve the same rights as you.

I know this is difficult for many to read.  Your beliefs and your faith is strong in your heart and you want others to think and believe like you.  But that's what makes this country so great - we are the melting pot and viva la difference!  Your morals and beliefs are good.  Your religion is good.  YOU are good.  And that pertains to you.  But they are your beliefs and your beliefs alone.  Please do not try to force them on everyone else.  Respect others' rights to their lifestyles and beliefs.  Many people have fought and died to protect these rights for people very different than them.  Please consider that when voting for a candidate, measure, initiative, and/or proposition.

Thank you.  Preach mode, OFF.

If you are talking about any of the rights as laid out in the constitution then I'd agree (that being said where is my fully automatic machine gun?  The 2nd amendment says I should be able to have one..)  However I suspect you are trying to refer to "rights" outside the scope of these.

With this I totally disagree.  That's basically saying people should get whatever they want.  We cannot disagree with anyone even if they don't want to be part of the system because otherwise we're bigots, or racists or homophobes or we hate women or dogs or cats or whatever... I guess it comes down to the definition of "rights".  If a law passed that truly infringed on a person's rights then I'd assume it would be brought up in the court system and then deemed unconstitutional.

So I ask this: If you do not vote on your beliefs (whether they be religious, political, emotional or intellectual) then what do you vote on?  It's a nation of opinions.  I have mine, you have yours.  We try to understand each others' position but at the ed of the day you will act on your beliefs and I on mine.

I'm voting for BFD!!  But, please clean up that typo, 'k?

If you are talking about any of the rights as laid out in the constitution then I'd agree (that being said where is my fully automatic machine gun?  The 2nd amendment says I should be able to have one..)  However I suspect you are trying to refer to "rights" outside the scope of these.

With this I totally disagree.  That's basically saying people should get whatever they want.  We cannot disagree with anyone even if they don't want to be part of the system because otherwise we're bigots, or racists or homophobes or we hate women or dogs or cats or whatever... I guess it comes down to the definition of "rights".  If a law passed that truly infringed on a person's rights then I'd assume it would be brought up in the court system and then deemed unconstitutional.

So I ask this: If you do not vote on your beliefs (whether they be religious, political, emotional or intellectual) then what do you vote on?  It's a nation of opinions.  I have mine, you have yours.  We try to understand each others' position but at the ed of the day you will act on your beliefs and I on mine.

People vote because they want to force their beliefs on others...really?  NO, people vote because their values and opinions are more alligned with one candidate than the other.  And if you want to talk about forcing something on others...OBAMACARE!

The notion of "Liberty for All" including those different from me
has its roots and developed within the Judeo Christian tradition.

If I'm part of that tradition, then are you saying I should oppose
"Liberty for All" since it's essentially a religious concept?

+1

**edit** and I really want a fully automatic machine gun too (no sarc font)

**edit** and I really want a fully automatic machine gun too (no sarc font)

Not speaking for BFD but only my impression of what he was trying to convery. I think he was referring to the initiatives and not the politicians like the one in Minnesota giving marriage rights to gays.

I would say difficult and ever-changing.  If it were easy, everyone would be doing it.

Agreed

No.  I'm saying that if YOUR Judeo-Christian tradition calls for "liberty for all", ain't nothing wrong with that.  But someone else that has a tradition that calls for "change the laws so that everyone else who doesn't believe in my traditions doesn't get the same rights as me", that I have a preachy problem with.