Put up or shut up

As I wrote my last post, it made me realize that the right is constantly bitching about things which really don't affect them very much. The war, abortion, gay marriage, stem cell research, things like that. I say to them put up or shut up.

If you are in favor of the war in Iraq, go join the military. If you truly think it's a good idea to be over there, you shouldn't mind going yourself. After all, support for a war that is contingent on other people fighting it for you isn't really support for a war as far as I can tell. If you are too old, or disabled or something, then encourage your kids and friends and family members to sign up, if this war is really worth fighting, you should be able to convince people to do this.

If you think it's wrong to use human embryos for research, then you (if you're a woman) or your wife or daughter should get in line to have one of those embryos transferred to your womb. After all, regardless of whether or not they're used for research, the real moral issue here is the waste of human life, is it not? So, even if they are not used for research, they are still wasted, so why don't you do something about that? Those babies aren't going to birth themselves. If you're not willing to do this, then maybe you could rethink your position on using them for research, because if they just sit there or get discarded, then that truly is a waste.

If you're really against gay marriage, think about why. How does it really affect you? If you're against it because it it destroys the sanctity of marriage, then you should be at least as much if not more of an activist against divorce, spousal abuse, and things like that which are obviously a much bigger problem. If you're against gay marraige because you think homosexuality is just wrong, then I think you're wrong, but that's ok, you're entitled to that opinion, I just hope that when someone tells you that they disagree with something that is an important part of who you are (say for example, I asked you to give up your heterosexuality), that you'll give that up as well. If you're not ready to do that, perhaps you should stop expecting it from other people.

Finally, if you're really against abortion, if you really think it's murder, then stop trying to make it illegal (or keep trying, but that shouldn't be your primary focus, because that will not in anyway eliminate the problem) and instead focus your efforts on trying to actually stop people from being in that position. Educate people about sex (abstinence is great, but let's live in reality) , birth control, alternatives to abortion, things like that. If you're not doing these things, then your outrage over abortion is just noise.

It always amazes me how the right is quick to take the presumed moral high ground, but when something affects them personally, then they see how things work in the real world, and suddenly they stray from the party line. The Reagans on stem cell research or the Cheneys on gay marraige. If these people could just think about other people in the first place, things would be a lot easier for everyone.