Post # 53 - Remember Remember the 4th of November
"And thus I shall always do, whenever You leave me to myself" - Brother Lawrence
Today, November 4, 2008, will be one of the most important days not only in our lifetime, but in the history of our nation. Today our nation celebrates one of its oldest traditions and privileges, where all able-bodied and eligible persons vote in order to elect the next leader of the free world. Tonight we will know who the 44th President of the United States will be. Today, I personally have been in a terrific mood because I love the fact that we get to see democracy in action. A few weeks ago (and yes, I spent that long deciding) I threw my support behind John McCain. That being said, I would like to make a few comments regarding today and the days to follow.
In all likelihood, Senator Barack Obama (D - Illinois) will be elected the next President of the United States. I was humbly reminded the other night by a friend very dear to me, that we must understand that neither candidate is the Messiah. By the grace of God, that has already happened. In the same manner, neither candidate will bring about the apocolypse*. And, if he does, we can still be blessedly assured that the Messiah has already come and guaranteed our salvation. If your man does not win today, I beg you, to not "give up" on America. That is absolutely foolish. Every four years emotions run high and friend will fight friend, brother will fight brother etc... However, we as a nation must have the ability and the courage to rally behind whoever is elected. We do not have to agree with everything this man says or does, but we must understand that the President represents America to the rest of the world. Both candidates have stated that America must be a "beacon of light" to the international community. It is our duty as Americans to participate not only in the election, but in the debate, scrutiny, and checks/balances to keep our government in line. When there are causes that we believe in passionately, and there is a man elected that disagrees with them, we must work to achieve compromise so that what we stand for is not lost. This is what is great about America, we can do that. Now, when I say support the President, this does not by any means mean to blindly and obediently follow him like a dog to a master. It simply means that the people have spoken, and as respectable citizens of this great country, we must honor those elected to represent us as best we can. Prudence, indeed, compelled me to note that.
*The Declaration of Independence states that, in regards to inalienable rights such as "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness...that whenever ANY form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the RIGHT of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its power in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness..." (Capitalized words my own for emphasis). Thank goodness for the 2nd amendment!
On the Iraq War - It is beyond naive to attempt to direct the happenings of war from a seat in congress. This is even beyond irresponsible. It is absolutely dangerous, especially when speaking about war in a country in the most volatile region in the world, to dictate who goes where, and who leaves when from a seat in congress. Any sory of timetable or withdrawal date, in my humble opinion, can only be established by a few select people. These people include, and are in fact limited to, the President of the United States (Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces), and the leading American Generals who are in Iraq. Also, this timetable must, under no circumstances otherwise, be constituted in collaberation with the new Iraqi government, notably the Prime Minister. Regardless of your beliefs about going into the war in the first place, your reservations about justification, or your dissatisfaction with the death and destruction associated with war, one thing must be emphasized. We ARE at war. We cannot, while being discouraged by depressing stories given by the media, just pack up and leave because we are tired. We made a mess, and we need to clean it up. We are under the false impression that all Iraqis hate us. One thing you did not see on nationally syndicated news programs was the largest re-enlistment ceremony in United States military history. Why would these young men CHOOSE, from their own will, to stay in an unjust war where all the citizens there hate them? Perhaps because they understand, through the hopes of the Iraqi people, that their job IS important, and establishing a stable democracy and a stable police force in Iraq is what the people there really desire. That would motivate any rational and warm-blooded human being to finish an increasingly difficult task. Letting Iraq devolve into anarchy, and eventually another dictatorship, and furthermore into a haven for Al-Qaeda and other like-minded terrorist organizations, is not right-wing scare tactics or propaganda. It is a very real possibility. We cannot in good conscience allow this to happen. The top Generals in Iraq, along with Prime Minister Al-Maliki are ALREADY discussing options for troop withdrawal. These are the people that are in Iraq, and who actually know what's going on. We cannot pretend to fathom, especially with distorted stories given by the media, what the war is like half a world away.
Anyway, I thought it important to note that Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and Harry Reid voted FOR the Iraq war. Barack Obama was not in the U.S. Senate in 2003, but most likely would have voted "Present". So, after we, as a nation, have decided to go to war, we cannot give up halfway through. It would be ethically criminal to do so, and would send an even worse message to the international community about our ability to do ANYTHING right.
I had an incredible urge to write on "being respectful" during this political season, but not in the sense you would first expect. I wanted to write about those being "hypocritical" in attempting to call out those being "disrepectful". Instead, I will leave it to those who know intrinsically where they went too far to understand where they did so. Also, if you ever think about calling someone out on being disrespectful, try not being blatantly disrepectful in other areas of life. It really detracts any and all significance to your claim. Also, it is important to note, that just because someone takes a stance in opposition to you does not necessarily put you in the right, and does not necessarily give you a noble cause to continue whatever it was that your opposition is opposing.
I also wanted to give a short message to Christians. We cannot expect or impose Christian standards/beliefs/principles on those who are not Christian. For instance, we cannot justify our vote for redistribution of wealth because God calls us to give to the poor. God calls US to give from our own heart, and HE will take care of the rest. To assume that God is not powerful enough to do with 2 cents more than we can do with a million dollars is ridiculous. It is very easy to be generous with money that is not ours, and it is very easy to rationalize giving less from our own money when so much is being forcibly taken from others. I have been thinking a lot about the fusing of the Gospel with politics, and it is a very touchy issue. Perhaps sometime later I will write on it, but I wish to add one more thing. Do NOT confuse political doctrine and secular beliefs with what the bible actually says. Also, erroneously interpreting scripture to meet the ends of ones personal or selfish beliefs is a very, very dangerous thing. As you can see, this is a very touchy and sensitive issue, and hopefully one day I will have a clearer understanding of it.
I will end with a silly, but remarkably enlightening political cartoon :)
Person of the week - Don Poston - For pouring massive quantities of liquid butter on my phone, allowing me to get a sweeter touch-screen phone! P.S - I probably do not have your (anyone reading this post) number anymore because the butter caused a complete and irrevocable death of my last phone, and I thus lost all of my contacts. Feel free to call me and leave me your name, especially if you are a hot babe!
Today, November 4, 2008, will be one of the most important days not only in our lifetime, but in the history of our nation. Today our nation celebrates one of its oldest traditions and privileges, where all able-bodied and eligible persons vote in order to elect the next leader of the free world. Tonight we will know who the 44th President of the United States will be. Today, I personally have been in a terrific mood because I love the fact that we get to see democracy in action. A few weeks ago (and yes, I spent that long deciding) I threw my support behind John McCain. That being said, I would like to make a few comments regarding today and the days to follow.
In all likelihood, Senator Barack Obama (D - Illinois) will be elected the next President of the United States. I was humbly reminded the other night by a friend very dear to me, that we must understand that neither candidate is the Messiah. By the grace of God, that has already happened. In the same manner, neither candidate will bring about the apocolypse*. And, if he does, we can still be blessedly assured that the Messiah has already come and guaranteed our salvation. If your man does not win today, I beg you, to not "give up" on America. That is absolutely foolish. Every four years emotions run high and friend will fight friend, brother will fight brother etc... However, we as a nation must have the ability and the courage to rally behind whoever is elected. We do not have to agree with everything this man says or does, but we must understand that the President represents America to the rest of the world. Both candidates have stated that America must be a "beacon of light" to the international community. It is our duty as Americans to participate not only in the election, but in the debate, scrutiny, and checks/balances to keep our government in line. When there are causes that we believe in passionately, and there is a man elected that disagrees with them, we must work to achieve compromise so that what we stand for is not lost. This is what is great about America, we can do that. Now, when I say support the President, this does not by any means mean to blindly and obediently follow him like a dog to a master. It simply means that the people have spoken, and as respectable citizens of this great country, we must honor those elected to represent us as best we can. Prudence, indeed, compelled me to note that.
*The Declaration of Independence states that, in regards to inalienable rights such as "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness...that whenever ANY form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the RIGHT of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its power in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness..." (Capitalized words my own for emphasis). Thank goodness for the 2nd amendment!
On the Iraq War - It is beyond naive to attempt to direct the happenings of war from a seat in congress. This is even beyond irresponsible. It is absolutely dangerous, especially when speaking about war in a country in the most volatile region in the world, to dictate who goes where, and who leaves when from a seat in congress. Any sory of timetable or withdrawal date, in my humble opinion, can only be established by a few select people. These people include, and are in fact limited to, the President of the United States (Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces), and the leading American Generals who are in Iraq. Also, this timetable must, under no circumstances otherwise, be constituted in collaberation with the new Iraqi government, notably the Prime Minister. Regardless of your beliefs about going into the war in the first place, your reservations about justification, or your dissatisfaction with the death and destruction associated with war, one thing must be emphasized. We ARE at war. We cannot, while being discouraged by depressing stories given by the media, just pack up and leave because we are tired. We made a mess, and we need to clean it up. We are under the false impression that all Iraqis hate us. One thing you did not see on nationally syndicated news programs was the largest re-enlistment ceremony in United States military history. Why would these young men CHOOSE, from their own will, to stay in an unjust war where all the citizens there hate them? Perhaps because they understand, through the hopes of the Iraqi people, that their job IS important, and establishing a stable democracy and a stable police force in Iraq is what the people there really desire. That would motivate any rational and warm-blooded human being to finish an increasingly difficult task. Letting Iraq devolve into anarchy, and eventually another dictatorship, and furthermore into a haven for Al-Qaeda and other like-minded terrorist organizations, is not right-wing scare tactics or propaganda. It is a very real possibility. We cannot in good conscience allow this to happen. The top Generals in Iraq, along with Prime Minister Al-Maliki are ALREADY discussing options for troop withdrawal. These are the people that are in Iraq, and who actually know what's going on. We cannot pretend to fathom, especially with distorted stories given by the media, what the war is like half a world away.
Anyway, I thought it important to note that Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and Harry Reid voted FOR the Iraq war. Barack Obama was not in the U.S. Senate in 2003, but most likely would have voted "Present". So, after we, as a nation, have decided to go to war, we cannot give up halfway through. It would be ethically criminal to do so, and would send an even worse message to the international community about our ability to do ANYTHING right.
I had an incredible urge to write on "being respectful" during this political season, but not in the sense you would first expect. I wanted to write about those being "hypocritical" in attempting to call out those being "disrepectful". Instead, I will leave it to those who know intrinsically where they went too far to understand where they did so. Also, if you ever think about calling someone out on being disrespectful, try not being blatantly disrepectful in other areas of life. It really detracts any and all significance to your claim. Also, it is important to note, that just because someone takes a stance in opposition to you does not necessarily put you in the right, and does not necessarily give you a noble cause to continue whatever it was that your opposition is opposing.
I also wanted to give a short message to Christians. We cannot expect or impose Christian standards/beliefs/principles on those who are not Christian. For instance, we cannot justify our vote for redistribution of wealth because God calls us to give to the poor. God calls US to give from our own heart, and HE will take care of the rest. To assume that God is not powerful enough to do with 2 cents more than we can do with a million dollars is ridiculous. It is very easy to be generous with money that is not ours, and it is very easy to rationalize giving less from our own money when so much is being forcibly taken from others. I have been thinking a lot about the fusing of the Gospel with politics, and it is a very touchy issue. Perhaps sometime later I will write on it, but I wish to add one more thing. Do NOT confuse political doctrine and secular beliefs with what the bible actually says. Also, erroneously interpreting scripture to meet the ends of ones personal or selfish beliefs is a very, very dangerous thing. As you can see, this is a very touchy and sensitive issue, and hopefully one day I will have a clearer understanding of it.
I will end with a silly, but remarkably enlightening political cartoon :)
Person of the week - Don Poston - For pouring massive quantities of liquid butter on my phone, allowing me to get a sweeter touch-screen phone! P.S - I probably do not have your (anyone reading this post) number anymore because the butter caused a complete and irrevocable death of my last phone, and I thus lost all of my contacts. Feel free to call me and leave me your name, especially if you are a hot babe!
posted by James | 2:27 PM
1 Comments:
Alas, election day has passed and the soon we shall witness the inherent vice of democracy. Unfortunately James, I lack the optimism that you seem to exhibit.
I can only hope that Obama fails to follow through on all of his promises. One of which would be his promise to cut taxes for 95% of Americans. But seeing that almost half of Americans don't pay income taxes, it seems that President-Elect Obama is not really cutting taxes. In fact, he is taking money from some and giving it to others. From each according to his ability, to each according to his need. As Thomas Jefferson once remarked, "A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine."
And one last thing. If I were to give advice to any business owners out there, I would tell them to make note of which of their employees voted for Obama. And after the tax increases hit and they need to cut expenses to offset the taxes, fire those employees. They are the ones that brought this about. They should pay the consequences.
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