According to Wikipedia, the term identity politics in common usage refers to a tendency of people sharing a particular racial, religious, ethnic, social, or cultural identity to form exclusive political alliances, instead of engaging in traditional broad-based party politics. They promote their particular interests without regard for interests of a larger political group. The Bill of Rights guarantees that the government can never deprive people in the U.S. of certain fundamental rights including freedom of religion, free speech and the due process of law. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution says that everyone in the United States has the right to practice his or her own religion, or no religion at all.
As the ACLU states under the topic WHAT IS RELIGIOUS FREEDOM EXACTLY? - "Our country's founders -- who were of different religious backgrounds themselves -- knew the best way to protect religious liberty was to keep the government out of religion. So they created the First Amendment -- to guaranteed the separation of church and state. "
I am not religious and fall under the "No religion at all" column. It is my opinion that every person has a granted right to worship and believe as they may. That granted right ends when they seek to impose their belief on me by rule of law. Witness, proselytize, preach, and teach all you want. However, I am free to listen, not-listen, join, not-join.
Fundamentalists, under the agenda of "Identity politics", have influenced the Trump administration’s plan, reported in the New York Times, that would assert that trans people have no legal right in federal law to define their gender as different from their biological sex. Gender is determined by sex and thus is set immutably at conception. The administration’s plan would deny the dysphoria of transgender people. There would be no legal path for us to leave behind our born sex or to present differently in public facilities. And we would no longer be able to claim protection against discrimination on the basis of gender identity under Title IX of the federal civil-rights law.
Life, liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" is a well-known phrase in the United States Declaration of Independence. The phrase gives three examples of the "unalienable rights" which the Declaration says have been given to all humans by their creator, and which governments are created to protect.
My sense of “gender identity”, and the rights linked to it, defines my “self-identification”. It is personal. Society has devised rules to protect women and children from the harm caused by men. Society need to devise a means to protect all from policies and laws that religion would like to impose that are in opposition to broad-based politics.
If we do not speak up, we will see our progress, rights, and freedoms eroded.
The wall that we really need!
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I'm afraid that with the GOP happily aligned with evangelicals and other fringe groups, the separation of church and state is in huge trouble in your country. Now with the appointment of federal judges by the Trump administration, you are going to see massive erosion of basic freedoms and increased persecution of differences
ReplyDeleteJust give T-rump another four years, and we will be living in a theocracy.
DeleteSoon 'they' will be coming for US.
Velma
For those of us who really ARE listening to 'our beloved politicians', who proclaim piety and worship to God, Jesus, and morality, are the very ones who spew lies, innuendo, hatred and solicit our sworn enemies to collude in the same. These vile acts are done on a daily basis, without the least worry of DIVINE RETRIBUTION.
ReplyDeleteIf our beloved leaders have no worries over the ULTIMATE CONSEQUENCES (DEALT OUT BY WHATEVER DEITY) of their actions then it is because they themselves BELIEVE NOT IN THE VERY DEITY THEY SO PIOUSLY INVOKE.
It would appear by their own actions that religion is MERELY A SCAM.
The entire matter of 'religious and social mores' used to be discussed in universities as tools of the RULING CLASS to keep the so called 'working classes' 'inline'-- in order to be used, (and subsequently disposed of --"You gonna' get yo' PIE IN THE SKY! Oh Lawzy your are!")-- as tools for producing more wealth and power for the very elites who created 'the rules'. The rich, ruling elites, wholly empowered by wealth and political leverage, without any moral, or legal enforcement checks, are quite free to do as they please.
The economic and political system is broken. It is now 'winner take all'.
The 'checks and balances' of a balanced ecosystem, economy and politic are broken.
Soon the bitter vintage of the 'Grapes of Wrath' will be most surly wrought.
Velma
The Bill of Rights commands that "Congress shall make not law...etc". The vague concept of a wall separating church and state comes from a subsequently written letter from Jefferson to a church in Ct. The concept has been pushed by the ACLU. Jefferson was a Deist. The basis of our founding was on the Judeo/Christian principals.
ReplyDeleteWe do not need or want Congress making any laws putting the thumb on the scale for any religion or for no religion.
Like you I worry about identity politics. We are all Americans and our country should provide freedom for all citizens and provide us all with the ability to fulfill our rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for ALL.
Government has grown too big and sticks its nose into too many aspects of our life. The government should stick to its Constitutional mandates. The government lacks the ability and the right to tell any of us how to live our lives. Giving more power to the government takes away your rights, your liberty, your freedom, your money.