A quick hypothetical

People always say that they need to be accepting of the other side's views. And I am all for that in an informed and democratic society. I am all for acceptance.

I was thinking about a hypothetical. If someone put a button in front of me, and if I pushed it, it would ensure that no matter what, Obama would win -- would I push it?

And the answer, somewhat strangely, is no. I couldn't just shit on everything that our founding fathers fought for. Maybe I'm being idealistic. But I don't think I would push it.

It's not like I want to see America fuck itself worse -- which i think is where the McCain ticket sends us. It's just that I have a little bit of faith left in America. I think we can do it. I think we can get back on the right track using actual democracy. It's just another test for our 200 year old Constitution. Our founding fathers didn't envision television. They didn't envision a time where four companies controlled the airwaves and the airwaves were pretty much the only way that 90% of people got their news. They lived in a time where people were so happy to have a vote that they wanted to seek the truth before casting it --- at least more so than most people do today.

(On a side note: I think that most staunch Republicans would push that button it for McCain. It's the win at any cost mentality and it's anti-American. And that's why I am very afraid of ballot stuffing and all the other sketchy e-voting stuff.)

Anyway, back to my point.

I think there's a threshold. We're not there yet, but we're close. It's the imaginary line we're going to cross soon. The line where I no longer will be able to "accept" the other side, because the other side will fundamentally add up to treason -- to a disfiguration of democracy -- to an attack on the essence of America. There's a point where it's no longer American to allow the neo-con movement to rape our system, take advantage of voters by out-and-out lies which are not punished because the media feels they must be balanced. To let them use lies, religious control, and media manipulation... To deceive nearly half of our country.

Just like if you watched a friend start hanging out with a cult. There's a point where his curiosity and free will is traded in. A point where it becomes brainwashing. And you can't identity that moment until it has happened. And at that moment, it is no longer your duty to accept your friend's "choice". It is not "stoic" or "honorable" to be accepting -- you're just plain wrong to do it. At that point, it is your duty to help him. To stop accepting and starting being forceful.

I actually was imagining a time when someone like Brian Williams (who seems intelligent and well informed), on the newscast, would just straight up refuse to honor the "balanced" view he is supposed to report because he felt like a traitor doing so. And come out of his "newsy" character and just say: "OK seriously, America, I can't stand by any longer -- we're about to head down a dangerous road. Get your head on straight". And yes, we're quite a ways from that. But I feel like eventually, if we go down this road long enough, people are bound to start being more forceful and less balanced and accepting.

I mean, we're talking about the possibility of someone being president (Palin) -- or at least VP -- who demanded burning books in the local library because there were "bad words".

Like I said, though, we're not there yet. For the time being. But we're close.