I believe this country is screwed not due to a slip from age-old "moral" virtues, but due to half a nation of uber-conservative dim-wits who presume to be the purveyors of morality in the first place. The sense of entitlement in many Americans' minds is staggering, beyond reasoning, and seeps into every aspect of influence in this nation, under the guise of protest especially.

After reading various lines here and there when such a controversial issue arises, it's often quite easy to pick out who's pushing a personal agenda, which side a specific party leans toward, etc. - and recent blogs are no exception.

This is always where problems arise, since it's always those who are most stubborn that are closed off from debate, reasoning, and many times, common sense. For some reason individuals like these believe themselves and their ideals worthy in a discussion, yet depend on argumentative fallacy as a safety net when questioned or challenged in any way. This is actually a more prominent issue in America when it comes to the usual bullshit people want to argue over. I say as long as it's allowed to go on, we'll never find peace or solid ground on anything in this country.

As far as blogs are concerned, I just watched a referendum on fox-skinning morph into the Chik-fil-a incident, and finally to a completely unrelated, conservative (and not even American?) push into anti-abortion laws. As I should have expected, comments and questions on the issue resulted in the usual fallacious bullshit: assumptions on what I think or 'know', question-dodging, smart-ass quips, and finally, running off without answering. Although it's not quite p.c. to consider it set in stone these were from a staunch pro-lifer, I did, and was right. How could I always know these types of things come primarily from uber-conservatives, right-wingers, the self-righteous, and religious?

Cuz the problems are always gonna come from those that have an agenda. And where there's an agenda, there comes with it a severe need to push it on others. To those Americans with one to preach, the idea of discussion, logic, or compromise isn't an option. And when you live in a nation where such things are not only necessary, but your duty to uphold in the interest of all, you're making a mockery of what this country stands for. Case in point?

A lot of people don't seem to grasp what the power to protest means, or prefer to bastardize the concept with such dogmatic views, entitlement issues, and most lamentable, a complete disregard for the Constitutional outlines they claim to uphold. You protest in this country when someone's rights are not being addressed, or you protest when a group of citizens are being disenfranchised. You protest a double-standard in labor or education policy, or if and when you believe an individual is being unjustly incarcerated.

You don't protest when citizens gain the same rights you have. You don't protest when someone demands a right to their own choices or decisions on their own body and property, or in any situation that goes beyond a nation's call and into basic personal/human rights. You don't get to protest when you're simply bored or an attention whore, and you don't get to protest cuz you want others to live by your standards. Most importantly, you don't protest because you plain don't like that other citizens have liberties.

What's so fucking hard to get? The line between your notion of a perfect world and keeping balance in the real one is a lot clearer once you pop your head out of your ass.

Unfortunately, protest in this country is all about what it isn't meant for, rather than what it was designed to accomplish. For example, as far as religious dogma in itself goes, Constitutionally-speaking, it's beating a dead horse. Protest for the purposes of religious influence legally can't be acknowledged in America. Yet it's almost seen as p.c. not to remind citizenry they need some lessons in more than one subject. It seems as though protest is seen as entertainment this way - although in most cases, with the method in which it's abused, at least a good number of us can recognize it for what it is.