I'm stepping out (a little) of the train of thought that I was following on the last real post that I left you to chew on. I'm going to "esplain" a bit of my stances before I go any farther. I suppose that I might eventually explain things "in due process," yet in things so controversial, I figured that it might be best to deal with a few things and elaborate as needed later on. So, the rabbit trails may be abundant in this post... and as Elmer Fudd, the Viking, sang so eloquently as the lightning struck around him (in the Loony Toons Episode "What's Opera, Doc?"): "Kill the Wabbit, Kill he Wabbit..." Let us begin. For starters, I am not a politician. I have worked in churches... and there is quite a correlation. I expect that you, like myself, are somewhat concerned about the current state of affairs in this country... whether that be morally, economically, etc... Maybe you, too, are trying to make logical and spiritual sense of the issues around us. I am not bipartisan... whether in Church or in State. I try to look at life through a balanced, "common sensed" way. However, i tend to be more liberal when it comes to Church and more conservative when it comes to State. Yet, in both areas I'd consider myself somewhat orthodox. I believe that when there are two parties in Church or State that "a house divided against itself will fall - Matthew 12:22." I do not see myself as "right wing" or "moderate"... but seeking Freedom, Grace, Justice, Responsibility... Principles. Some history (i'll divulge some private information for the sake of the blahg): I admit that i inherited my political beliefs from my parents. I liked George Bush, Sr. because my parents did. I would have voted for him if I could have. I made fun of Bill (and Hillary) Clinton... yes... all eight years. The only thing good about Clinton becoming president was that it got her and her husband out of Arkansas... sorry, New York. I voted for George W. Bush. Both times. I happen to think that he did as good a job as anyone could have... especially under the circumstances... and I'm not talking about the threat of terrorism and the horrors of war. What President hasn't had to face such things? No, I'm talking about a biased hateful media that constantly told him, and us, how horrible he was. What person wouldn't give up if he/she were to be faced with the crap that he was faced with. And that's what I think. I think that President George W. Bush finally gave up and let the naysayers have their way with the last few years of his presidency. If you look at the time line, things started to really tank in the economy when the president's most vehement opponents took congress. I'm not saying that this is necessarily a Democrat vs. Republican thing, but when a group of people hate the person in charge so much, how in the world can anything get done. I thought Sarah Palin was a good choice... but the guy[s] I would have voted for didn't make it to the national vote (and that could have been any of three possibilities). In reality, i voted for Palin in the last election. Somewhere in here I started listening to Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh... but I also started really looking at what is going on... and I don't necessarily agree with everything I hear... but I'll tell you this, I definitely don't agree with what I see on t.v. At least the guys on the radio are consistent... and the make [un]common sense (uncommon, in the sense that it's not what's common). Here it is... I think it's great that we have a black man in the highest office in the United States. However, I don't believe that the election should have been hyped because of his race. If we truly want racism to die we have to see all men the same. That was Martin Luther King, Jr's. dream. it wasn't that a black man make it to the presidency... it would be that we not see color at all. that a man would be judged by his who he is rather than the color of his skin. Electing a person to be president simply because it's historic that it's a black man is racism at its worst! Sadly, the media helped made a mockery it all and no one stopped themselves. I personally believe that Martin Luther King, Jr. would not have voted for Barack Obama. President Obama does concern me. When I hear of his views, I feel that he will do the opposite of Abraham Lincoln... rather than emancipating the slaves, i feel that he will enslave us all... everyone except those nobles in government, mind you. They're starting to write different rules for themselves than they're writing for us. Here's the main reason that I disagree with President Obama. In all of his boasting of change... and stimulating the economy... has he stepped aside and said "what can I do differently?" How much change has the President enacted for himself. He hasn't limited his own salary... He hasn't decided to change any of the Presidential privileges.... or any of the Congressional privileges. He hasn't gone green... he still travels in private jets and is chauffeured in V8 limos. I see this huge disconnect here. Look, I understand that being President is not your ordinary job... but it is really any different than those people who pay taxes... whether CEO or mail clerk. I'm just saying... wouldn't it have been better for the U.S. government to say "we don't have to earn this much until the economy is back in shape" rather than printing trillions of dollars until our dollar is as useless as grass clippings? Who in the government is really looking around and saying "we're just as much at fault as Corporate America." Who in the Church is saying "Whoa, we're letting the State force what we should be doing by nature... Why are we just sitting on the sidelines?" (I John 3:18) Bipartisanship is just a fancy word for one group of people who is in power looking at the other group of people that's not in power and saying "do as I say." Bipartisan stimulus package; I think not. Unlike Rush, I don't necessarily want President Obama to fail.... The thing is... I just want him to see things from a little different perspective... and stop catering to one side or the other. I do agree with Rush on this... it looks like he's just being a Democrat... and he's just rehashing things that have been tried before and have failed. It doesn't at all look like a Change that we can believe in. it all just seems to be the "same old, same old..." POLITICS in a side note, I'm not going to harp on the political issue... but i am planning on finishing my thoughts on Glenn Beck's "We Surround Them" campaign. I just thought that some of this needed to get out of me... because I'm starting to see that they are important... and I used to be so flippant about it. I know from experience that when a person stands on principle rather than politics, there can be repercussions. so, that's my spill for tonight. j | 
