The Code of "Morality"

Like a lot of us in the reality based community, I woke up this morning hoping last night had been a really bad dream. It wasn't. I've decided to swear off pundits and spinners, so I was watching C-Span's morning call-in show. I was amazed at how many of the callers said they had voted for Bush because of "morality." It was still early and the caffeine levels in my blood were low, but I pretty quickly realized that "morality" is right wing code for "sex."

What they meant by "morality" was "gay marriage" and "abortion."

To them, war, destruction, death, poverty, and suffering are not moral issues. They are POLITICAL issues. To me, and I would guess to anyone with half a brain and a passing familiarity with a dictionary, it's pretty clear that "morality" encompasses a lot more than sex.

John Kerry in recent days on the campaign spoke at a church, and started out talking about a passage in the gospel of James, "Faith without works is dead." He used this as a springboard to discussing all the many ways in which good works in the context of religous faith can make the world a better place. Like Kerry, I was raised Catholic, and so I immediately recognized the comforting familiarity of the concept that those who want to serve God need to serve their fellow human beings. As someone who has studied history and religion, I also recognized it as one of the major historical divisions between Protestantism and Catholicism. Right wing fundamentalists will assure you that "Man is saved by faith alone."

There is a hostility toward the notion of "doing good" that permeates much fundamentalist discourse, ridiculing it as the idea that we can "earn" our way into heaven with good works, and thus freeing them from lifting a finger to help anyone else (or frankly, even themselves, as the armies of the fundamentally faithful but barely solvent have screwed themselves royally by voting for every billionaire's favorite president). This is, as Church Lady would say, very convenient.

If human suffering is not a moral issue, nothing is. That people voted in large numbers for a party dominated by sneering, wealthy, often multiply-divorced, corporate hacks who are manipulating the fear and piety of their followers to ensure their continued power is horrifying but true. Democrats have done more to reduce abortions by their social programs than any number of clinic protests will ever dream of accomplishing. And civil unions have never harmed a single hair on anyone's head. But that's "morality" without "reality" for ya.

Comments

[Travis]

Very well written.

This morning I feel like I have been hit in the pit of my stomach with a Mac truck, although I suppose I should have expected it.

The very word "morality" frightens me. As does "religion". Intellectually, I KNOW that not every Christian in this country believes I should not be married. Heck, I sit next to a couple. But when I see 11 states permanently barring gay marriage in their constitutions, some of those states even bar ANY type of legally recognized relationship between people that are not heterosexual and married, I begin to check out airfares to Canada, or wonder how far away the concentration camps are. I suppose that's reactionary, and way far out to left field (or probably better described as right field), but that's how I feel. Morality has been the watchword for every neo-conservative campaign I've ever seen, and the implication that if I don't agree with the "morality" of the religious conservatives, I am somehow decadent, immoral and evil. I guess the thing that's the most frightening is I sometimes wonder if they're right. When I wonder if they are, the world is a darker, lonelier place for me.

Mostly I'm frightened today, I suppose. And sad, very sad.

Travis

[Ginger]

What a sad day for this country. What a sad direction this country is headed. However, don't lump all Protestants together. Protestants are as polarized as this country. Only the right wing faction of the religion fall under the moraility umbrella.

I firmly believe that the morality voters were drawn to it by their ignorance and fear of what they didn't understand. The Republicans played on that ignorance. The average country bumpkin doesn't understand homosexuality and this ignorance causes them to fear it. They also believe all the other myths such as by registering their guns, they are giving the government the right to come in and take them away. They believe in conspiracies, grassy knolls and even fear equal rights.

Sadly, the election was won with a combination of getting out the masses of uneducated and ignorant by using fear tactics and by the greedy with much to gain by a Republican victory. The corporations that rape the country joined forces with the ignorant who believed the dirty tricks financed by the greedy. What a pathetic path we are headed down.

I too am frightened. I am frightened for myself, my family, my country but mostly for my friends that I care deeply about who have been most hurt by this mandate.

[sixties1]

Heartbroken.The worst day in my 50 years on the planet.My last election where I go into this with so much hope and end up so defeated that the TRUTH should PREVAIL,
To think that the next 4 years will send us backwards further into the dark ages-where our hard fought rights for us as humanity will be systematically plundered by bible proselytizers who believe their god is the only one.that human beings cant change their own rights -such as the hope of stem cells to save lives,or civil and legal rights of gay couples.the planets environmental rights ,plundered further..not to mention more anger to come squarely directed at the united states and Bush ,more hatred over our invasion in iraq. is iran next.is korea next..more years OF bad relations with our foreign allies and no diplomacy necessary says Bush .if that was leadership-for what the world needed in 2002, IT still ISNT in 2004. More danger lurks in more underdermined programs caring for the environment,outsouncing,welfare,death penalty,the poor,education..

All that mattered, THAT matters IS the corporate tax breaks,the defense contracts, more money,more power, more materialistic heartless rape of hope. Its sad that those who SAY they are really people of god -have no heart for mankind TO have any rights to LIVE, to work, to believe in a future that doesnt exclude the poor,the middle class,gays and everyone else who BELIEVES as they do.

Its exclusive of them, noninclusive of what GOD really intends. Misinterpretrations of scripture that endangers growth and the right to believe,worship ,at a cost of all others beliefs. Exclusionism. And Church and State were never meant to join this way.
The constitution was not created nor meant for SELF interpretation by one religion .
A Bad day in history..A Very bad day..They fought with FEAR.
They won but WE ALL WILL LOSE much worse NOW, with this kind of Leader for four more years.
I cry for the United States Today..Deep sincere tears. Last night it was still PURE hope.
TODAY I mourn. Because -this is exactly what we FEARED .So many so blind led by someone so wrong at such of cost of suffering and danger STILL..
Why.
Democracy lives in US. We will not end or falter-in our fight back for all that they try to take. We will not be silenced.
Ever.
Keep the flame of real freedom lit. Its called DEMOCRACY.
We will NOT let them distinguish our hope.
Sixties1

[Debra]

There are so many parts of this election that makes me feel like I have been hit by the proverbial truck. The disbelief that there are so many voting for Bush and against humanity. That both sides were so stupid as to debate how big the turnouts were and how that was in Kerry's interest, while missing that it was often the gay marriage bans that pulled them out of the woodwork... to the sheer realization that for another 4 years Bush has time to further corrode our rights.

I looked at the Repub. gains, all the Bush states... yes I KNOW that many cities were for Kerry... we are only about 3 percent in the voting minority... and that its the boonies that made Bush win them, but its so discouraging to know how many there are willing to support Bush and how many were unwilling to stand up and help remove him. I am not sure which group disappoints me worse.

Our country is too isolated, too insulated... we can't look around and see that our homophobic, xenophobic right-wing nuts are ruining our country. We are allowing religious rights to destroy the things that makes this country one of the best. When we allow the religious views of the few to erode rights, take away rights, stop rights from being confirmed by our government, something is very wrong.

I admit it... I truly believe the majority of Republicans are backwoods, homophobic religious right-wingers. The minority of people who have OTHER issues (i.e., not homophobic, xenophobic, gun issues) and those who are in control of the Republican Party push the issues of the larger group in order to get their votes. So to me, the people who vote with them either vote for the other issues and don't CARE about humanity, or they agree with the "right-wing religious, homophobic nuts." That said, I find it appalling that people who claim to not be aligned with the right-wingers can push aside their ethical conscience and vote for them. It wins only on the coattails of the religious right-wingers. It wins only by denouncing humanity of all people, both for women and gays. If your party can only win with nutjobs, something is WRONG and dirty. And they will keep being wrong as long as people who disagree do not leave the party until it is changed. A country that ignores the rights of its people, who push religious/personal morality, are following a path to disaster. It has been followed before and we are not learning from it. So in truth I don't even respect those who have RELIGIOUS convictions, because our politics should not be about pushing our personal religion onto others, but about demanding true religious freedom for all.

I feel so disheartened. With stakes that high, with a horrific person like Bush, with a solid team like Kerry/Edwards... and this was the best we could do? If every one of us had just taken one buddy who rarely votes to the poll, we could have done it. I just feel hopeless. I guess on the plus side, we're only in the minority by 3 percent, but we didn't put in the effort... or else the nutwing right were so galvanized by their homophobia that we truly are lost.

I never felt the impact like I do now with the term 'disenfranchised" ... but that's how I feel about my place in this country.

Until last night, when I thought about Republicans I was just mad and often challenged them to tell me what the Repub platform was... few could. Most people (like on CNN) chose one or 2 things and are CLUELESS about the rest. So I put it down to ignorance.

But right now, its crystal clear to me that the issues that are important people DO know... and to me, anyone who voted Republican voted against humanity, against more than just a person's right to be gay, have an abortion, or have their relationships honored ... they voted against basic human dignity. No matter what they do or don't know about anything else, the majority DO know where the Republican party stands on those areas, and they chose to vote with them. And that, to me, is beyond sad: it is truly disheartening to know.

I hope that I can get reenergized. That I can work to help make more of a difference for the next time. But for right now, the next four years looms like a tidal wave.
Debra

[Brent Parry]

We must learn to defeat the "righteous right" with their own tools. Remember, it was only after Ronald Reagan was suffering from Alzheimers that Nancy saw the value and validity of stem cell research.
When we find the "r r" who have died from this terrible and unwanted war, suffered the pain of losing a loved one to AIDS, or watch one of their own put to death in the name of justice, we will have an ally because they will have reached the understanding that cannot be learned.

[Gina]

Christie, you are right on the money here. I have just come home from four days trying to turn out the vote in Colorado. The state went for Bush, but at least Ken Salazar was elected to the Senate.

We walked miles of cul-de-sacs in Westminster, Colo., yesterday with McMansions on them, with new SUVs in the driveways. We were "flushing out" Kerry voters, so our list was targeted to them exclusively. That meant we were going blocks between houses. After the day, I knew we would not win.

The neighborhood were full of churches, and I am sure many of these people attend them. But what do they do besides show up? Good works? How can there be many in communities where all the money goes into more "things" for these families and their children?

You are so right: The corporate hacks have used gays and abortion to turn out the faithful en masse. Smugly righteous in their suburban enclaves, they are the perfect compliant consumers.

God help us all.

[Juno888]

..I was raised Catholic, and so I immediately recognized the comforting familiarity of the concept that those who want to serve God need to serve their fellow human beings.