Where do you stand on other controversial issues?

WillowMaiden · Jul 23, 2012

Abortion? Prochoice

Death Penalty? Pro. I don't see anything wrong with it. You spend nearly the same amount of money keeping the prisoner imprisoned for years and years anyway. The lines on what criminal behavior constitutes the death penalty should be drawn, but they are also difficult to draw. Then there's wrongful convictions that go unresolved for years and it isn't until the person's already been killed that someone goes "oh hey, that person was innocent." It's an iffy subject, my opinion on it varies from case to case, but I'm still pro in general because if I get to a case in which I think it constitutes, then I say strap that guy or gal in for the night whereas someone who is anti doesn't want any sort of death as punishment. I think careful inspection of each death penalty case is needed before flipping the switch. The fact that I support there being a switch at all is what makes me pro.

No fault divorce? Not sure what this is. Lemme look it up...Divorce in which neither person has to show wrong doin just for them to get divorced. Yes, I support this. Why should one or both people have wronged each other in some way. Not all divorces should be nasty and full of betrayals. Sometimes people just don't work out and don't want to be legally tied to each other anymore. It's better than plotting to kill each other or cheating not because they developed feelings for another, but just so they can get divorced. That's just causin unnecessary hurt.

Stem Cell Research? Definitely pro. Abortions happen whether legal or not, but at least the fetus will be used for something productive and good (it would be helping another life, a baby that lived and is trying to hold on to said life) instead of just tossed in a medical waste bin. The only reason I even bring up abortion is because it's always anti-abortionists who don't support this because they think abortion is wrong. This isn't about abortion anymore. Why? The baby is already out, there aint no puttin' it back in there. So just get over that aspect of it and think about the subject at hand, which is what to do with the already aborted (or just miscarried) fetus.

Pornography? Most definitely pro. My right hand and I are engaged. :icon_wink

Affirmative Action? Giving minorities jobs because of some white guilt when they know the minority is not qualified--against. That's no way to get respect. It still makes the racial minority look bad because it's like saying we can't do anything for ourselves, not even get good jobs. They have to be given to us. Fuck that. That's not true. We don't want handouts, we just want to be seen as people who can do something. I think the real purpose of this was just to make it so that a racial minority was at least looked at as a possible candidate for a job and if they did have the skills necessary then there would be no reason to reject them. This is supposed to stop people from denying qualified racial minorities jobs simply because of their race. As we well remember, there was a time where a racial minority wouldn't have even been asked if they could do the job, people would just assume they couldn't due to them thinking racial minorities were not as smart as a white person. Honestly, I hear people say that affirmative action is doing the first definition I gave, but because I haven't seen this first hand, I ask myself (and people who say this) is the person really only being hired out of white guilt or are you just assuming the person is only being hired because of that due to your own personal beliefs that right off the bat this person is not qualified for a position (most likely because of their race), therefore the only reason this person could possibly be hired is because of some "reparations scheme" and not because, gee he or she actually knows what the hell they're doing? Mmhm. Think about it.

Medical Marijuana? Yes. Cancer's a bitch and no one wants to take on that shit sober. Never had a drink or a smoke in my life, but if I was fixin to die soon, bet your ass I'd be takin a shot and a puff.

Marijuana legalization? Sure, why not. This coming from a future drug rehab counselor. :lol: Thing is, I know some people know their limits and for others it can be a gateway to even harder stuff and a terrible life of addiction. When the latter happens, I'll be there.

Gun Control? - Meaning what exactly? Taking people guns away all together?--No, don't support that. Hello, Zombie Apocalpyse. Limiting how many guns a citizen can own and making some kind of rules and regulations as to how they use said weaponry?--Yes. In light of this Colorado thing that's happened, someone needs to crack the whip something fierce. A guy shouldn't have an arsenal in his studio apartment.

Religious language used for nation purpose (on currency, in the pledge)? I'm not Christian, but this doesn't bother me. Fact is, this country was built from Christianity and that's why that stuff is in there. It's not like it's putting me down as a non Christian, I just chop it up to American History and pay the lady for my Iced Hot Chocolate. Aint like it's burning my finger tips or making me feel unrecognized as an American to touch a bill with some religious writing on it. As far as the pledge, I think that is adults using their kids to make their religious point of view known. I've never been Christian, my family's pagan been that way for generations. As a kid, I didn't like reciting the pledge of allegiance because I was sleepy as all hell and just wanted to sit down, not because I felt forced to convert to Christianity. I think that goes for all kids and it's the parents that are putting up a stink about it because of their own views. S'not a big deal, your kid will still be whatever you raise them to be (until they get to a certain age and decides to become something else if they want) but even that wasn't influenced by them reciting a pledge of allegiance with the word "God" in it in grade school. Also, if kids go to a religious school, then they recite whatever religious creed the school has them recite. That goes for all religious schools; muslim, hebrew, christian in the like. Don't take your kid to a school of a religion you don't support, especially if you're the type that'll raise hell about it. Jeez, people. I didn't even know this was a thing. This is a non issue because it is literally hurting no one or doing any other kind of damage. Sorry to say, but anyone who puts up a stink about this is just being a little whiny I think.

Obamacare? Yes.

Bye, bye. :smilewave

TheAMan · Jul 23, 2012

Abortion- Pro Choice but only in cases of rape or incest or when the baby threatens the life of the mother

Death penalty- against unless the person poses a severe risk to society (the DC sniper)

No fault divorce- don't care

Stem Cell Research- cool with me

Pornography- im fine with it

Affirmative Action- in favor of

Medical Marijuana- support it

Marijuana legalization- legal but taxed heavily along with cigarettes while I'm at it

Gun control- yes too many people are dying from senseless deaths just look at what happened in Colorado

Religious language used for nation purpose- yes

Obamacare- 100% support it. Everyone should have health insurance and we shouldn't have to pay for those who don't have it.

PillsHere · Jul 23, 2012

Abortion: Prochoice, but I don't support or condone abortion. I do believe it's the woman's right, and in circumstances of rape completely acceptable. I just despise when it's used as a back-up form of birth control because they were screwing around and messed up.

Death Penalty: Against. I believe no one should have their life taken, even if they've taken a life, based on laws of right/wrong. They don't exist, even if the world wants to pretend they do. It's all a matter of opinion, nothing more. They deserve to be punished based on those laws, yes, and perhaps removed from the world. We'd have plenty of room for these criminals if they didn't lock people up willy nilly for years and years based on petty crimes.

No fault divorce:Support. There shouldn't need to be a reason, simply not loving, being attracted, or whatever should be enough to constitute for divorce. Why would two people who no longer even like eachother have to be married?

Stem Cell Research: Support. It seems to be doing a lot of breakthrough things and advancing our ability to make people healthy again or help those who have had their lives ruined in accidents. Who knows where we could be with it in 10 years.

Pornography: Pro. I'm not sure what's wrong with it, if people are comfortable showing off their body or even performing on camera, good for them.

Affirmative Action: Support but not the way it's represented. I believe everyone should have equal oppertunity and be treated equally, but affirmitive action seems like a "make up" check because of our past crimes. They even seem to describe it as such, which is not what it should be about. People should not be discriminated against for whatever reason, but we shouldn't enforce something based on "We did this in the past so this is our way of saying sorry."

Medical Marijuana: Support, of course, especially if it's needed. It'd be like out lawing pain killers or morphine.

Marijuana legalization: Pro, though I don't support any form of drug at all, to each their own with what they want to do with their body.

Gun Control: Rules in place, yes. But not taking away the right to own them all together. It's easy to feel they should be taken away in light of recent events, shit like that seems to happen a lot lately, but there's always going to be people like that and they will find a way to harm others if they want to, removing guns won't correct the situation.

Religious language used for nation purpose (on currency, in the pledge): Not for nor against. It doesn't bother me.

Obamacare: Yes and no. The ideal of not being turned down for health insurance regardless of your health is great, but the ideal of getting fined, I believe? For not having it is ludacris. Many people, especially young adults living on their own simply cannot afford another bill such as health insurance.

Snowy · Jul 23, 2012

Abortion? Pro-choice. Why would you want to bring up a baby in less-than-desirable circumstances? They'll just turn out miserable and hating life. I'm okay with it as long as it is before it develops a brain.
Death Penalty? Definitely for. In fact, I think it should be more highly enforced... why continue to waste food on people who are, quite bluntly, worthless to pretty much everyone else? Food and resources could definitely be better spent elsewhere.
No fault divorce? If people want to get out of a marriage, let them.
Stem Cell Research? For.
Pornography? Whatever happens happens, I couldn't care less about it regarding this issue.
Affirmative Action? Against. Whoever is most qualified should get the job, regardless of 'quotas', which, in my opinion, is offensive in itself.
Medical Marijuana? Against.
Marijuana legalization? Against.
Gun Control? Against. In my ideal world, there would be no guns. If they were to be outlawed, there would probably be a huge black market for them, though.. It would just have to be very tightly enforced and monitored.
Religious language used for nation purpose (on currency, in the pledge)? Against. Gee, I seem to remember one of the reasons for America being founded was freedom of religion. I understand that it's not shoving religion down someone's throat, but still.. it seems a bit hypocritical.
Obamacare? For.

Kidd · Jul 23, 2012

First off, Aldrick, thank you for the post. It was amazing, but I've clipped together some of your quotes for brevity.

Aldrick said: ↑

Regardless, the goal is the same: To get out of prison the easy way (death) or the hard way (fighting through the justice system). If the hard way is closed off to me, that leaves only one other option. I suppose I could also plan an escape, which I'd probably make an attempt to do first. However, the goal of getting out doesn't change.

...Of course, that's just another reason to oppose the death penalty. It doesn't change the fact that they're going to die eventually (and therefore burn in hell), but if your goal is to punish people, then individuals such as myself would be punished more by keeping us alive.
Click to expand...

Yes, and I don't mean to offend you with this because I think you're making very valid points and I have taken a lot that you've said into consideration here and we agree on a lot, but isn't this a senselessly pedantic point to make? None of us, you and I included, are getting out of this alive regardless of what happens as you've said. So why bother locking them up at all if we're going to live under the assumption that neither good nor evil exists in a tangible way, and if the only thing we're going to deem as truly valuable to the justice system is stone cold logic and reason? (Which is a point I agree with to a very limited extent.) Correct me if I'm wrong, but the impression I've gotten from your posts is that any motive beyond our own logical self-interests (as a collective and individual) like human suffering or emotion or simple belief or more specifically, hope, is trivial and beneath any weighty consideration.

I don't want to hijack the thread and turn this into a philosophical debate, but the criminal justice system does not operate on the idea that actions are amoral. It operates on the idea, as you have already said, that we as a society through the mouths and pens of our duly elected representatives, have decreed a particular action is harmful to society, and people who commit it deserve punishment or rehabilitation, period. I don't think it's fair or reasonable to view the system, especially specific issues such as the death penalty, through a lens it was never meant to be put under.

Aldrick said: ↑

In fact, if your goal is to punish people, I can think of many things worse than death and prison. And ultimately, if you believe in hell, they're still going to die in the end, so they're still going. If your goal is vengeance and punishment, why not make their remaining years as miserable and horrific as possible?
Click to expand...

I can think of many things worse than death too, and there are plenty of correctional officers who take that exact mission upon themselves every single day by holding inmates to the absolute letter of the law, by conducting searches that fall just within the edge of reason and legality, and through other means. There are sadistic men and women drawn to power. That's not my policy. I believe that regardless of how despicable an inmate is in my own eyes, they are still a living being, and therefore deserve compassion and fairness and respect on a day-to-day basis, even if their execution has been decreed for what they've done.

Aldrick said: ↑

No, that's how they rationalize it. That's how some of them justify their actions to themselves and others. The reason they do those things is because it's their job. They are paid to do them, and they are expected to perform according to their contract. For a soldier, it is to show up and murder whomever the state instructs them to murder. For an executioner, it is to show up and murder whomever the state says is guilty and deserves to be murdered.

Cloaking the actions in notions of freedom, democracy, justice, etc. Is nothing more than an attempt to give the actions an appearance of rationalized morality. It's an attempt to say, "Yes, it's murder but it's not - you know - the bad kind." It implies that there is a good or bad kind of murder.....I touched upon this line of thinking at the start of this post when I spoke about the contract killer vs the state executioner. Murder is an action.

The action of murder is the act of taking another living creatures life. If you kill the chicken to eat it, you murdered the chicken. If you kill the cow to eat it, you murdered the cow. If you don't like the kitten and you kill it, you murdered the kitten. If you take a prisoner and execute him, you murdered the prisoner.
Click to expand...

For me personally, it's my job because I want it to be my job. Because I enjoy it. It feels good to help victims, help offenders, to bring closure to people so they can move on with their lives in a healthy and constructive way. More importantly though, we will never see eye to eye on the definition of murder. You cannot simply disregard parts of the definition to suit whims. You're not the first person to raise that though. Other people on EC have made the same one before to me. "The bad kind" as far the criminal justice system is concerned about at least in theory is the illegal kind. The kind that violates due process. Murder is a legal term. It's like any name or any number. It may have been arbitrarily assigned, but through the masses, through society as a whole, has been acclimated to reference a specific trait and virtually nothing beyond that, unless we're going to include pop culture references.

Aldrick said: ↑

The underlying assumption is that somehow vengeance is going to make the victim feel better. I disagree with this assumption; an act of vengeance isn't going to make someone feel better about having their entire family brutally murdered, but furthermore I disagree that the act of vengeance should even be the intended goal.
Click to expand...

I agree with what you've said, but it's easy to say that when we're not the ones tortured at night by the ghosts of our slaughtered families Aldrick. I have never had to face anything even remotely similar to what that Massachusetts man has endured, and I hope I never do. If he finds solace in those men's lawful execution, then I can only support that endeavor while still respecting the rights of the convicted. Although I desperately want to help offenders as much as victims, victims will always take precedence and rightfully so in my eyes. Their pain is, generally, probably greater. There are always exceptions, of course, but exceptions do not invalidate the rule in this case.

And I do view someone who has been sentenced to a life in prison without parole as a failure, by the way. And in the interest of economic cost and the safety of prison personnel and the other inmates, (which despite technological advances and streamlined procedure, fatalities and assaults have spiked dramatically and is now at the highest it's ever been and continues to climb) I support the death penalty for them. We are bound by the constitution, and I view a lifetime of solitary confinement as cruel and unusual since human beings are social in nature. I mean, even Thoreau had visitors at Walden Pond.

dasazn · Jul 23, 2012

I guess I'd consider myself a socially liberal Republican...maybe Libertarian. I dunno. Labels kinda suck.

Abortion?
Put bluntly (at the risk of offending people), once you can tell someone's pregnant, I think she can't have an abortion - but before that, it's fine...a rather middle of the road approach, I think.

Death Penalty?
Should be legal at least for the worst criminals...it gets them out of our hair.

No fault divorce?
Kinda-ish...if two people, after getting married, realize that there just isn't a spark, want to break up, I think they should be able to. I view marriage as a sort of "long-term friendship," so that's where this view stems from.

Stem Cell Research?
Without reserve.

Pornography?
As long as both parties consent.

Affirmative Action?
I'm Asian, and it works against me, so...NO.

Medical Marijuana?
As long as we can ensure that it's not getting into the wrong hands.

Marijuana legalization?
I oppose it more for the health issues (secondhand smoke, inhaling smoke in general) than the moral issues.

Gun Control?
Where we are is pretty good, although I think we may want to look at checking bulk purchases of ammo/gunpowder (the Colo. shooter had 6000 rounds of it...) the same way that we check bulk purchases of fertilizer (which can chemically converted into explosives).

Religious language used for nation purpose (on currency, in the pledge)?
As long as the government's not telling me I have to believe in something, I couldn't care less. Where we are is fine.

Obamacare?
Everything BUT the individual mandate. Unfortunately, this means I have no candidate to vote for this November (because of Romneycare's individual mandate), so I'm kinda tempted to write-in Stephen Colbert just for shits and giggles. Your thoughts on Colbert?

Given To Fly · Jul 23, 2012

Abortion: Pro choice, however it saddens me to see so many young people choosing abortion as a method of birth control, instead of being safe in the first place.

Death Penalty: Cautiously in favour, providing guilt can be established way beyond any doubt, and then only for the most serious crimes.

No fault divorce: In favour. If theres no love there, why stay together? Some people just drift apart. It's a fact of life.

Stem Cell Research: Cautiously in favour, provided safeguards are in place regarding ethics etc. Same goes for the GM foods debate.

Pornography: Not got a problem with porn. It doesn't really do anything for me though.

Affirmative Action: Not sure what this means... I get the impression it's some kind of so called positive discrimination - is that correct? If so I'm more against it than for it, but having said that I'm a white male so I'm probably biased there.

Medical Marijuana: Cautiously in favour, with proper controls.

Marijuana legalization: Totally against. Through my work I regularly come into contact with people who have fucked up their lives through drink and drugs. I know that they'll never be eradicated, but they shouldn't be made easier to obtain.

Gun Control: not really an issue in the UK. I know that the US has a strong history over the right to bear arms and all that so I can see why there are strong feelings. In the UK those who want guns for illegal purposes will always be able to obtain them, whatever controls are in place.

Religious language: Not got a problem with it in principle. Althoughi'm not religious at all.

Obamacare: Is this anything like the National Health Service in the UK? Medical care free at the point of use? If so then I'm in favour. It's true that it is a massive drain on taxpayers' money, but I'd rather see that money spent on healthcare than on bailing out the banks, or dropping bombs on [insert sandy country here].

dasazn · Jul 23, 2012

I'll bring you up to speed on the waste of money called the US Congress and it's big political issues.

Affirmative Action is when minorities that have been previously discriminated against (i.e. blacks and Hispanics) are given slightly more favor in a variety of things, including college admissions (at public ones, at least), employment, and government contracts in order to maintain diversity. It is, as one might suspect, supported predominantly by blacks and Hispanics, and severely criticized by Asians (who are get screwed by it in college admissions because they are a majority in most places of higher education).

Obamacare has many details in it, but the main sticking points are the individual mandate and the expansion of Medicare. The individual mandate stipulates that, by a certain date, all American citizens over 18 (or 26 if they're on their parent's insurance) must own health insurance or pay an additional 3% (I think it's 3%) income tax each year (exceptions made for low-income folks). Medicare is the federal government's health insurance program for low-income people, and the expansion is a sticking point because many believe it to be an overreach of the federal government's powers.

Just my own two cents about spending - yes, I'd rather the government spend money on something productive rather than blowing up some Middle Eastern country, but even more so, I'd like to see it cut spending overall because we had a massive deficit running near the US$1.3 trillion mark in just one year (2010, I think?). Also, we have a massive debt crisis, and I hardly think extra spending would help.

Hopefully that helps clears up some American politics for you.

Given To Fly · Jul 23, 2012

Thanks Dasazn, that explains things nicely I think. I don't think I'll ever understand US politics.

dasazn · Jul 23, 2012

No need to. Even we Americans don't understand it. Those who claim to are lying.

qboy · Jul 26, 2012

Abortion? - No specific opinion, however sexual education should be improved dramatically (and handing out free condoms in schools no questions asked is most certainly part of this - why is it only gay bars and night clubs that offer free condoms to their patrons?) so this becomes a method of last resort rather than a birth control method.

Death Penalty? - No, far too many people have been wrongly convicted, and even if it was 100% accurate who gives the right to one person to take a life but sentences another to death for doing the same?

No fault divorce? - Sure, why should people be forced to stick together when they hate one another's guts?

Stem Cell Research? - Sure

Pornography? - Provided there are no kids involved and everyone taking part is doing so under there own free will why not.

Affirmative Action? - Not sure what this means (reading comments this looks like positive discrimination in hiring employees - I can see the point in requiring the interviewing certain quotas of minority groups but the actual hiring should be based on the employing the person who is best suited for the job)

Medical Marijuana? / Marijuana legalization? - Sure, but as with tobacco should not be permitted in enclosed public spaces.

Gun Control? - Yes. The aftermath of Dunblane lead to a massive tightening of gun ownership in the UK in the wake of the tragedy, and since then there have been very very few people which have been the victim of gun crime (especially once drug-related gun crime is removed from the equation). The Raul Moat and Cumbrian shootings making the news in such a big way as they are so rare.

Religious language used for nation purpose (on currency, in the pledge)? - Not at all

Obamacare? - Seriously it doesn't go far enough. The NHS is much better but really should go farther and all be free at the point of consumption - essential dental work, eyesight, and medicine costs are too important for people to have to pay - the people who can't afford to pay these are often the most in need of them) (IIRC for half the cost of what you pay in the States we basically end up with a slightly better healthcare system when it's all said and done (when the matrix is based on lifespan and quality of life). Having more "cosmetic" work carried on a separate private system seams to work well (here it's not uncommon for the same professionals to do NHS and Private work where the only real difference is the facilities that private patients get the recoup in - better TVs, nicer rooms etc).

joeyblack · Jul 26, 2012

Abortion? for it
Death Penalty? not sure bout that one
No fault divorce? have no clue
Stem Cell Research? why not?
Pornography? YEAH BAYBAY!!!!
Affirmative Action? Blah
Medical Marijuana? fo sho
Marijuana legalization? should have been legalized
Gun Control? nah
Religious language used for nation purpose (on currency, in the pledge)?
IMHO religion has no place on anything made of funded by the government that is meant to be a service to or for the general population
Obamacare? the term erks me but yes i think we should have mandatory health insurance and coverage provided for those who can't afford it. how can someone possibly think it it ok for a doctor to ride around in a brand new bmw but yet that doc cant perform a life saving procedure cuz the person isnt covered???

Where do you stand on other controversial issues?

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Where do you stand on other controversial issues?

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