Posted in Uncategorized on July 7th, 2006
Lately I’ve been getting called out by my left-leaning friends. The truth is, I don’t have any conservative friends. Even though some of you might think I sit around all day listening to Rush Limbaugh with all my far-right, neo-conservative, religious buddies, the truth is, I’m all alone for the most part on my opinions. I do have some religious family members who do lean to the right, but I normally only see them during family functions and my wife won’t let me talk politics with them anymore. (Man, you start one little fight.) Anyway, lately people have been asking me where the “hippie” part of my persona has gone. They’ve even gone so far as to tell me I should change my name, since I only have conservative opinions anyway. “The Conservative?” that doesn’t sound like a site I would want to visit. So, in the interest of being fair, I went over my past posts just to check, and I’ve got to tell you, I don’t get where they’re coming from.
My first column, fresh out of the box, was on legalizing Marijuana. The response on that has been very good by the way; with any luck it’ll find its way to people who can support it better than I can. Definitely a Liberal piece though. The second one was an attack on a Ku Klux Klan member in the Senate. I would like to think that’s something a ”hippie” would support. Don’t hippies try to expose when the establishment is secretly supporting racism? (Or should we only expose Republicans?) The third one, on Katrina, I took a more conservative stand on, but only because I thought the whole thing was fermenting racial division, and not being reported accurately. Honesty in the media is something we should all support, especially hippies. Next I took on Roe vs. Wade, I didn’t give my personal stand on it, as it was a educational piece, but for the record, I am Pro-Choice. Next I took on the issue of bigotry against Christians in our Universities. Hippies, I thought, were always against bigotry. Apparently some of you think it’s O.K. to be bigoted against Christians, but as a hippie, I take the love your enemy point of view. Freedom vs. Security was done as I pondered how far we should all go, if you read it carefully you’ll find I didn’t even take a firm stand, left or right. The Iraq War piece was easily the one I caught the most shit on, I thought I was safe on that one, as I made it plain that I was against this war from the start, yet my friends on the left attacked me for thinking it could be won, (sigh). Every piece, every time, my friends on the left felt I was too easy on Bush, gave too much credit to the conservatives, attacked the advocates too much, and reaffirmed their belief that I was slowly drifting to the right. And now, in my darkest moment of self-reflection, they are trying to take away my hippie creds. That, I will not tolerate.
I think that it’s the definition of “hippie” that’s changed, not me (at least not completely). I’m still the guy who picks up trash along my road. I refuse to even throw a gum wrapper on the ground. I hate trash. It’s like spitting on our mother to me. I love being in nature and being part of it. That’s why I hunt and fish, I want to know everything about nature, as a participant, not as a observer. You can’t learn everything about nature from just watching. That’s pure hippie to me. I don’t trust the establishment, you know, the folks in charge, they have their own agenda and it’s usually not the same as mine. That includes both our political parties. I never saw hippies in the ’70s supporting the Democratic Party, that’s something you guys started more recently. In fact, most of us supported third parties.(I myself have voted for Ralph Nader 3 times). I’m anti-war. Isn’t everybody? I’ll only support it when it looks like not having it is worse. Some of you people on the left need to understand that not taking action can be worse than taking action. Look at what inaction did in Rwanda. I’m Pro-choice and Pro-Womens rights, but sometimes, what is being advocated by the left is not what’s best for women, women on the right represent women too. In short, I’m a rabid environmentalist; a crusader against racism (all racism, not just the fashionable advocacy of the moment), anti-war, pro-choice, and a firm believer that government has a responsibility to take care of those that CAN NOT take care of themselves. I don’t buy into the politics of hate and fear. I don’t hate Bush, as much as you’d all like me to, but I’m trying to give you the truth, and not be a tool for either side.
I’m going back down to my room in my basement now. I’ll pick up my guitar and play “All you need is love” while staring at my Pink Floyd posters under the gentle light of my lava lamp, like I do a lot when I’m reflecting. This old hippie may have changed a little while growing long-in-tooth, but I’m not ready to abandon my roots just yet. Challenge me all you want, I love debate anyway, but don’t try to take away my right to call myself a hippie, it’s still what makes me……..me. H.C.
Lately I’ve been getting called out by my left-leaning friends. The truth is, I don’t have any conservative friends. Even though some of you might think I sit around all day listening to Rush Limbaugh with all my far-right, neo-conservative, religious buddies, the truth is, I’m all alone for the most part on my opinions. I do have some religious family members who do lean to the right, but I normally only see them during family functions and my wife won’t let me talk politics with them anymore. (Man, you start one little fight.) Anyway, lately people have been asking me where the “hippie” part of my persona has gone. They’ve even gone so far as to tell me I should change my name, since I only have conservative opinions anyway. “The Conservative?” that doesn’t sound like a site I would want to visit. So, in the interest of being fair, I went over my past posts just to check, and I’ve got to tell you, I don’t get where they’re coming from.
My first column, fresh out of the box, was on legalizing Marijuana. The response on that has been very good by the way; with any luck it’ll find its way to people who can support it better than I can. Definitely a Liberal piece though. The second one was an attack on a Ku Klux Klan member in the Senate. I would like to think that’s something a ”hippie” would support. Don’t hippies try to expose when the establishment is secretly supporting racism? (Or should we only expose Republicans?) The third one, on Katrina, I took a more conservative stand on, but only because I thought the whole thing was fermenting racial division, and not being reported accurately. Honesty in the media is something we should all support, especially hippies. Next I took on Roe vs. Wade, I didn’t give my personal stand on it, as it was a educational piece, but for the record, I am Pro-Choice. Next I took on the issue of bigotry against Christians in our Universities. Hippies, I thought, were always against bigotry. Apparently some of you think it’s O.K. to be bigoted against Christians, but as a hippie, I take the love your enemy point of view. Freedom vs. Security was done as I pondered how far we should all go, if you read it carefully you’ll find I didn’t even take a firm stand, left or right. The Iraq War piece was easily the one I caught the most shit on, I thought I was safe on that one, as I made it plain that I was against this war from the start, yet my friends on the left attacked me for thinking it could be won, (sigh). Every piece, every time, my friends on the left felt I was too easy on Bush, gave too much credit to the conservatives, attacked the advocates too much, and reaffirmed their belief that I was slowly drifting to the right. And now, in my darkest moment of self-reflection, they are trying to take away my hippie creds. That, I will not tolerate.
I think that it’s the definition of “hippie” that’s changed, not me (at least not completely). I’m still the guy who picks up trash along my road. I refuse to even throw a gum wrapper on the ground. I hate trash. It’s like spitting on our mother to me. I love being in nature and being part of it. That’s why I hunt and fish, I want to know everything about nature, as a participant, not as a observer. You can’t learn everything about nature from just watching. That’s pure hippie to me. I don’t trust the establishment, you know, the folks in charge, they have their own agenda and it’s usually not the same as mine. That includes both our political parties. I never saw hippies in the ’70s supporting the Democratic Party, that’s something you guys started more recently. In fact, most of us supported third parties.(I myself have voted for Ralph Nader 3 times). I’m anti-war. Isn’t everybody? I’ll only support it when it looks like not having it is worse. Some of you people on the left need to understand that not taking action can be worse than taking action. Look at what inaction did in Rwanda. I’m Pro-choice and Pro-Womens rights, but sometimes, what is being advocated by the left is not what’s best for women, women on the right represent women too. In short, I’m a rabid environmentalist; a crusader against racism (all racism, not just the fashionable advocacy of the moment), anti-war, pro-choice, and a firm believer that government has a responsibility to take care of those that CAN NOT take care of themselves. I don’t buy into the politics of hate and fear. I don’t hate Bush, as much as you’d all like me to, but I’m trying to give you the truth, and not be a tool for either side.
I’m going back down to my room in my basement now. I’ll pick up my guitar and play “All you need is love” while staring at my Pink Floyd posters under the gentle light of my lava lamp, like I do a lot when I’m reflecting. This old hippie may have changed a little while growing long-in-tooth, but I’m not ready to abandon my roots just yet. Challenge me all you want, I love debate anyway, but don’t try to take away my right to call myself a hippie, it’s still what makes me……..me. H.C.
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