United Christian States of America

A lot has happened in the three years since the 2012 election when Rick Santorum was elected president and social conservative Republicans secured a two-thirds majority in the House and filibuster proof majority in the Senate.  Within a month of the election, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus presided over a reforming of the Republican Party into the United Christian Party.  President Santorum and his allies were able to push through Constitutional amendments to rescind the 13^th, 14^th, 15^th, 17^th, 19^th and 24^th Amendments. 

New amendments making the United States into the United Christian States, eliminating freedom of religion, banning abortions and contraceptives plus banning all political parties other than the UCP were also enacted.  Former leaders of the now banned Democratic Party were tried for treason, found guilty and executed on national television including former President Obama.  Any person of African or Latin descent who hadn’t “self deported” themselves were rounded up and sold to the highest bidder.  Gays and lesbians, such as myself, had their property seized and forced into “detainment camps” like the one I am currently in.

Public schools, colleges and universities were closed and sold off.  The military was ordered to burn Hollywood to the ground and all entertainment production has to be approved by the Department of Christian Standards.  The Department of Education was reformed into the Department of Christian Development.  The Departments of Housing and Urban Development and Health and Human Services were abolished, as were all social programs, including Social Security and Medicare.

The United Nations and NATO are no more.  Mexico is now a territory of the United States plus Iraq and Afghanistan are officially “protectorates”.  Iran is occupied after our successful invasion in 2014.  Now there are rumors that Saudi Arabia and other oil producing nations in the Arabian Gulf may be invaded as well.

Ah, the rumors.  Every day there is a new rumor or an expansion of an older rumor.  Rumors that only clergy belonging to the UCP may hold public office.  Rumors of executions on sight of Mormons and Muslims.  Rumors that gays and lesbians aren’t being deported, as the government ordered, but are instead being executed and buried out in the desert.

It is scary to think that all of what has happened since 2012 didn’t have to come to pass.  It is scary to think that President Obama lost the election because he tried to be Republican-lite and didn’t stand up for liberal ideals.  It is scary to think that Democrats thought they had an easy win and didn’t need to fight.

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I was never very good at storytelling, but this dystopian future doesn’t have to happen.  This is a future that President Obama and other Democrats can prevent, but they need to see the error of their ways.  They need to see that embracing long held Republican ideals is not the way to win over progressives and liberals.  Democrats can’t be wishy-washy on renewable energy, equal rights, abortion, fair taxation or the social safety net.  They need to be something more than “Not the Republicans”.

I Believe

I believe.

I believe that government is for the benefit of all the people no matter their birth status, the financial status, their political connections (or lack thereof) or their location.  I believe government should never be on the cheap and should be as big as needed.  I believe that taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society and yes, I believe that the rich should pay a higher percentage of their income than a person working at Burger King.

I believe in a strong public education system that isn’t forced to turn out automatons who only know what was the standardized test required to graduate.  I believe in open and honest sex education in our nation’s schools.  I believe that religion has no place in what our schools teach or how they are governed.  I believe that charter schools are anathema to strong public schools.  I believe that taxes should never be used for vouchers or tax credits or other incentives to send children to private and/or parochial schools.

I believe in strong regulation of business, making sure they provide safe products and/or services at reasonable prices.  I believe that businesses are not persons and should not be allowed to contribute to politicians or political parties.  I believe that businesses should actually pay taxes and not receive special tax breaks.  I believe that privatization of government services to be wrong.  I believe in strong private and public sector unions.

I believe in a strong social safety net.  I believe in Social Security and the financial security it provides our elderly.  I believe in single payer universal health care and short of that I believe in Medicare for all.  I believe in unemployment insurance and food assistance for the unemployed and the working poor.  I believe in public transportation and a high speed passenger rail network across the nation.  I believe it does take a village.

I believe in a strong, smart military.  I believe in marriage equality as well as equal rights for gays and lesbians.  I believe that my love for Michael is just as valid as the love my mom and dad hold for each other.  I believe those who enter our nation illegally in the hopes of a better life deserve our full protections and should not be demonized for political purposes.

I believe there is goodness in all, even Dick Cheney.

I believe.