I’m in the middle of the 2 parties. Husband and a group of friends are republicans and another bunch of friends are democrats. So I got an earful about politics from each side for the few days. Hell, make it a few months.

As I mentioned earlier, all in all, I’m probably a highly liberal republican. Or something like that. But why should I care at this point. I’m a green card holder and therefore I cannot vote.

Then again, my views on things are probably different than you Americans because I too left my country in search of that elusive “freedom”. Freedom that my democratic friends say I’m losing because of Bush. Freedom that my republican friends say I have because of Bush.

Let me just say this. This ain’t Thailand. I can enjoy being myself without hitting the “you can’t do that because you’re a girl” or “you can’t do that do people older than you”. I don’t have to be prim and proper all the time. I can play “manly” sports like soccer and martial arts. I can hug my guy friend. I can even hug a priest! (As a female, you cannot have any contact with a monk. We have to put an item down first before the monk could pick it up.) I can dress sexy and flirt with boys without being branded sluts. I can be direct, assertive, and speak my mind freely without being looked down upon.

Girls have so many rules back home. It was stiffling for me growing up since I’m an opinionated, tomboyish, outgoing type.

As long as I can be who I am, and live my life without getting shunned by social standards, everything else I could fight for later. Freedom to be myself on that level is most important to me, and I have it by just arriving in this country. Whoever is running this country, until there is a coup a la The Handmaid’s Tale, my basic liberty needs are met.

After that, then I would like to have other things too. Perhaps you guys can tell me what I am exactly on the political scale.

Freedom for fellow human beings to marry who they choose. Hell, back in the days, I wouldn’t have been able to marry Brandon because of our different races.

Freedom for women to make their own choices about abortion.

Freedom to express our feelings and opinions, even if that opinion is one quick exposure of a female breast.

I would like the government to keep the church and their religious belief out of the country’s business. How is the separation of church and state working for the country if stem cell research, abortion, and gay marriages are not acceptable due to “moral” causes. Frickin’ eh!

Freedom of religion my ass if you mean freedom to practice the kind of Christianity that is not Catholic. And now that religion is going to forced upon the citizens of the country despite their believes. Then again, every government in the world does that. You Americans actually have a lot more freedom than many parts of the rest of the world.

Welfare schmelfare. I understand the need to take care of your own people, but how American welfare is working, it seems there are a lot of folks getitng a free ride as well. Here is one thing I do like about Thailand. Everyone works. Even those who can’t i.e. handicapped of some kind, they beg. Yes we have slums, sweatshops, prostitutions, and unfair labor practices. May it be $1 a day, a cup of rice, and a 10 sq. ft. room built out of tin roofing over decaying runoff water. They EARN their living. No free ride here if you’re breathing.

I do believe something has to be done on war of terror. I’m all about peace on earth and good will toward men, but there is a point in time when @sses need to be kicked. I’m not proud of how the Thai government treated the muslim rebels in the South in the past year, especially the most recently, but somebody has got to take care of business. If 9/11 didn’t happen, I wouldn’t be jazzed about US troops stomping into the Middle East. As for Iraq, WMD or no WMD, Saddam needs to be taken cared of once and for all. As for the aftermath, I want the troops home safe and sound, and no more American lives should be lost. Now that we nabbed that hole dwelling bastard, let’s get the troops home.

But before you do that, next stop: North Korea!

I believe in America being the world police. Who else could have done it better? You guys have been doing great jobs through all the World War. In time of crisis, who else could we turn to but you. In war of terror, no one else could have led the fight like you can. You’re a world leader. If you step down, who else is going to take over? Sure, it used to be the Brits, but that didn’t fair well after the WWII. I fear the day America steps down. The world will be thrown into chaos. I know, why do you have to send your native sons and daughters out while the world look on and bitch? Because you’re it. The buck stops here. You have the technologies, the intellegence and reconnaissance, the military, and, of course, the ability to blow $hit up.

I believe the Native Americans deserve to have their casinos. After all this country has done to them, at least they deserve a chance to succeed. The whole sovereignty thing is a little gray to me too. Think President’s brilliant speech on sovereignty. I think they should pay as much as the local businesses would. Not more. Not less. Not because state government forces them to do it, but because they want to do it as a sovereign entity.

So, I may be contradicting myself all over the place. And I don’t care. This is, after all, a post about what I believe in. I don’t think anyone belief is completely black or white either.

And thank god for this country that allow me to even contradict myself as I freely express my opinions.

God bless America, whichever president she may have steering her purple mountains and fruited plains.

And god bless New Castle Brown Ale too even though it’s a product of England.