Tirade: Rick Perry

Oh Rick Perry.

Just when I was worried you might have a legitimate campaign.

In case any of you are not aware, Rick Perry recently made a public statement, which....Well, for those of you who haven't seen his latest, greatest promotional video, I'll let him do the talking.

So we're on the same page now, right?

Cause I'm not even sure where to start.

Let's start at the most basic level. When 'ol Rick was coming up with his little 30 second career-ender, what exactly was he trying to accomplish?  What people was he trying to sway, and did he really think that those people are in the majority of this country?

I really hope not.

Playing the "Crazy Christian Card" is dangerous in any situation. In my experience, people generally don't like it. You seem kind of crazy. Social situations become uncomfortable, and friendships get awkward.

Now what happens to a political campaign when such a card is used? Well, we're about to find out because Perry's dropped a big one. Let's take a play-by-play:

I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm a Christian,...

Right. Because Christians are the most discriminated group one can conceivably be a part of.

...but you don't need to be in the pew every Sunday to know there's something wrong in this country when gays can serve openly in the military but our kids can't openly celebrate Christmas or pray in school. 

And there it is. Still the first sentence, too. No time wasted! But before we jump to any conclusions, let's see what else there is to be said. Anything redeeming?

As President, I'll end Obama's war on religion. And I'll fight against liberal attacks on our religious heritage. Faith made America strong. It can make her strong again. I'm Rick Perry and I approve this message

Nope! Not at all.

Clearly, and this should be evident to everyone, our country is so riddled with sin now that those damn gays can serve in the military. They get PRIVILEGED with that right, but our kids can't pray in public schools?? Not only are those two ideas closely related, but they reveal a shocking trend.

Rick Perry is f*#@ing crazy.

Serving in the military is a right that should be available to all citizens of this country. While I may not want to personally, I know a great many people that do, and have the utmost respect for them. Their sexual orientation should not be in the realm of concern here.

If one is passionate enough to volunteer their livelihood for a cause like that, I doubt that they're going to treat the experience like a dating site. A sexually deviant homosexual is just as dangerous as a sexually deviant heterosexual. Shouldn't that be on the entrance checklist to begin with? I feel like that's bad PR.

The matter-of-fact way Rick Perry called into question the mere ABILITY of an entire group of people to serve their country is unforgivable, and it still baffles me that it took this long for us to lift that clearly prejudiced ban.

Oh, but let's not forget the other big side of Perry's "Things That Are Wrong With This Country"argument. That there is currently a WAR ON OUR RELIGION. Our religion. Not, like, all religions. Just ours.

The one with Jesus.

Our children deserve to be taught prayer in school, no matter what kind of school they attend!! It's not like there are any OTHER important faiths!!

So I'm not going to pretend that our country has a perfect separation of church and state. That is a foolish notion. "In God We Trust" is our country's thing. But in schools? Everyone would agree that we are a very diverse group. A lot of people believing a lot of different things. And ostracizing anyone who's NOT a
Christian by having a prayer sesh after homeroom is unacceptable.

Of course he COULD be talking about some sort of designated "prayer/reflection time" in schools where the students can have an opportunity to think or pray or just sit motionless for five minutes and stare blankly at something, but somehow I tend to doubt that's what he was getting at.

And he takes the whole "religious war" thing pretty seriously. To register on his website you have to check a little box that says "I stand with Governor Rick Perry against Obama's war on religion!"

I'm being serious.

Not only that, but he seems to have a general feeling of "we need to completely tear down our current institution, and rebuild another one."

And by "we" I mean "Rick Perry."

And isn't that a rather disturbing thought? I don't know if living in Rick Perry-land would be conducive to ANYONE's continued good health.

In any case, despite Perry's past history of "rather crazy," it's my personal feeling that this is the tipping point. I can't say the majority of anyone can listen to him anymore and feel a sense of security when imagining him leading our country.

I know it gives me the willies.

And if this sort of thing isn't enough to end a political campaign, if not a political career, I am officially done with our system of government. A message founded on hate and discrimination is not one that should have any standing at all, especially in a decision as important as presidential election.

Choose wisely, Republicans. I don't expect many of you to be behind Perry for much longer.

....Or Bachmann.

Don't even get me started on her.

-P