Men who should never be president

Politics is infuriating. It always is. This time around, I can honesty say I am scared for the future of the country. Seeing the cast of characters that call themselves presidential candidates . . . these are the people who are next in line to lead the nation. And while part of me doesn't believe that a bully like Donald Trump, or a nincompoop like Ben Carson, or a religious extremist like Mike Huckabee or Ted Cruz could ever be elected into the presidency . . . part of me is nervous. Especially after the events in Paris, when it becomes clear that fear causes people to base their decisions more on their emotions than on logic.

A recent event especially makes me sick. Kevin Swanson, a vehemently anti-gay preacher from Colorado, hosted an event called the "National Religious Liberties Conference" recently. At this event, Swanson gave a frighteningly unhinged performance onstage, during which he repeatedly reminded the audience that the Bible calls for the death penalty for homosexuality. And while he stopped short of advocating that we practice this in our country (he said gay people need time to "repent" first), his message was clear: gay people deserve to die. And in attendance at this hate rally? Three high-profile Republican presidential candidates: Mike Huckabee (the creator of Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day a few years back), Bobby Jindal (who has since dropped out of the race), and Ted Cruz (who stated that anyone who doesn't "start the morning on his knees" and fear God is not fit to be president).

You can watch Rachel Maddow's coverage of the event here. It starts just before the 6:00 mark.

The threat from ISIS in the Middle East is truly terrifying. The fact that people exist in this world whose overwhelming belief in a twisted version of religion causes them to commit unspeakably evil acts gives me a feeling of dread in my stomach. And the fact that people like Kevin Swanson exist in our own country, can host events attended by serious presidential candidates, and largely escape the attention of the media at large gives me a very similar feeling of dread.

Until we can stop extremism in all its forms, irrational hate will continue to plague our species.