Another Reason I am an Independent
I am an independent and not beholden to either the Democratic or Republican parties. Along with my Democratic friends I share their distaste for the Patriot (Big Brother) Act. That Patriot Act was in my mind when I completed a survey for the Democratic party today. It left a bitter taste in my mouth.
During part of the survey, I was asked What kinds of actions would you take to support the Democratic Party? (check all that apply). So far, so good - I had volunteered to complete the survey and I am willing to spend time being an activist on issues of importance to me. So I expressed my willingness to discuss issues in online discussion groups and had completed most of the survey. Then I came to this:
* Protest a local Republican Party event
One of my criticisms of the current Democratic party is that they no longer stand for much. They are neglecting their tradition role as defenders of civil liberties and seem to be simply against anything the Republicans promote. Democrats need to stand for something other than abortion on demand. They need to be proactive, not just react to Republicans. So the protest option just made me sigh briefly and I went on with the survey. At least until I hit the next option:
* Join a "neighborhood watch" and report on local GOP events and mailings in your town
This really irritated me and made me wonder if the Democrats no longer have any ethics. They let the Patriot Act pass last year without debate when they controlled the Senate, clearly ignoring their responsibilities as both the majority party and as defenders of civil liberties. After it passed, they now complain about the infringement of our civil liberties (and I mostly agree with their protests, but they are the ones that passed it). And now, they ask volunteers to spy on their Republican neighbors? I'm disgusted.
When I left their site, I got a message asking me to donate. It said Democrats can't win without you. I hope so.