Friday, May 28, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Why is Sexism Still Ok?
Imagine if a woman who was a mother of two had slept with dozens of prostitutes while away on work. Would she be welcomed and cheered back four months later? Tiger Woods was.
Imagine if a woman cheated on her movie star husband after five years of marriage with a tattoo covered porn star. Would sex rehab be a good enough penitence for her to save her marriage or would she be deemed a slut for life? I haven’t heard Jessie James be called a whore.
Imagine if the boys accusing the Catholic Church of sexual assault/harassment were told that they were just jealous of the priests and that they had just made the whole thing up by lawmakers of both parties. Would society allow that? They did with Anita Hill.
Imagine if a Christian man were 77 cents to the dollar of a Jewish man in America for equal work. Would the Christian political groups cry unfair? They aren’t for women (African-American women are paid 63 cents to the dollar and Hispanic women are paid 52 cents to the dollar.)
Imagine if the University of Connecticut decided that since the women’s team has been more successful than the men then from now on only women could play basketball. Would this be allowed? Apparently it is it still ok for Augusta National Golf Course to not allow women to be members because of their sex.
Why is it ok that two churches have been cut from Georgia Baptist Convention not because of lack of parishioners, but because they are taught by women? Galatians 3:26-29 says “All of you are God's children because of your faith in Christ Jesus. And when you were baptized, it was as though you had put on Christ in the same way you put on new clothes. Faith in Christ Jesus is what makes each of you EQUAL with each other, whether you are a Jew or a Greek, a slave or a free person, a man or a woman. So if you belong to Christ, you are now part of Abraham's family, and you will be given what God has promised.” (emphasis mine)
I don’t think I’m being a liberal for saying this. Sexism is still alive and well in our country. Why are we still ok with our nation’s mothers and daughters to be treated this way? I know this isn’t my most articulate post ever. These are just thoughts I’ve had and wanted to get them out there. I may add more later. God Bless
Imagine if a woman cheated on her movie star husband after five years of marriage with a tattoo covered porn star. Would sex rehab be a good enough penitence for her to save her marriage or would she be deemed a slut for life? I haven’t heard Jessie James be called a whore.
Imagine if the boys accusing the Catholic Church of sexual assault/harassment were told that they were just jealous of the priests and that they had just made the whole thing up by lawmakers of both parties. Would society allow that? They did with Anita Hill.
Imagine if a Christian man were 77 cents to the dollar of a Jewish man in America for equal work. Would the Christian political groups cry unfair? They aren’t for women (African-American women are paid 63 cents to the dollar and Hispanic women are paid 52 cents to the dollar.)
Imagine if the University of Connecticut decided that since the women’s team has been more successful than the men then from now on only women could play basketball. Would this be allowed? Apparently it is it still ok for Augusta National Golf Course to not allow women to be members because of their sex.
Why is it ok that two churches have been cut from Georgia Baptist Convention not because of lack of parishioners, but because they are taught by women? Galatians 3:26-29 says “All of you are God's children because of your faith in Christ Jesus. And when you were baptized, it was as though you had put on Christ in the same way you put on new clothes. Faith in Christ Jesus is what makes each of you EQUAL with each other, whether you are a Jew or a Greek, a slave or a free person, a man or a woman. So if you belong to Christ, you are now part of Abraham's family, and you will be given what God has promised.” (emphasis mine)
I don’t think I’m being a liberal for saying this. Sexism is still alive and well in our country. Why are we still ok with our nation’s mothers and daughters to be treated this way? I know this isn’t my most articulate post ever. These are just thoughts I’ve had and wanted to get them out there. I may add more later. God Bless
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Five Positive Lessons from the 2009 Georgia Bulldogs
1. Joe Cox’s Determination- Joe Cox knows he’s not Matt Stafford, and knows he’ll never be as good as Matt Stafford. Joe Cox went through ridicule from his own fans, the media, and was even doubted by his coaching staff a few times when they announced that the backup would see playing time. I would have been very tempted to quit trying and say “Screw it, I’m not going to the NFL anyway, just put in the back-up and I’ll finish up my senior year. Then I’ll go coach somewhere and you’ll never have to see or worry about my sorry butt again.” (I seem to recall Tennessee quarterback Casey Clausen doing this) Joe Cox however took the cards dealt to him and faced the reality that even though he might not be the best quarterback in the world, he was the best that UGA had and he would do his best to help his team win, no matter what. It’s not easy when everyone is telling you how somebody else does what you do better than you, or likes to remind you how many mistakes you’re making, or why you should just quit. Joe Cox I think teaches us the true meaning of determination: keeping on trying and doing your best no matter what.
2. Your biggest weaknesses can turn out to be your biggest strengths- At the beginning of the year UGA couldn’t run the ball for a yard if their collective lives depended on it. In the Arkansas game, UGA threw the ball for 220 more yards than they did passing. It seemed like whenever a running back touched the ball they’d fumble it. It seemed like coaches were ready to scrap even trying to run the ball. Then there were the penalties. Any Georgia fan can tell you that we were pretty sure our colors were red, black, and yellow this year after seeing that stupid rag on the field so much. The frustrating thing was most of these penalties were stupid false start penalties. Then Murphy’s Law hit: Mr. Everything AJ Green got hurt and UGA was forced to play as a team. The team redoubled its efforts to fight its weaknesses. At the end of the year, in one of its toughest games of the year, UGA turned its weaknesses into strengths. Against Georgia Tech the Bulldogs ran the ball for more than four times the amount of yards than they threw it and only had five penalties. Think about it, the team who couldn’t run outran a team that pretty much only runs by more than 120 yards. That’s pretty darn good.
3. The toughest circumstances bring out unlikely heroes- Georgia’s defense this past year was downright awful. They allowed for 20 or more points in all but two games against Division 1A opponents. I remember seeing some stat like they were the 119th out of 120 teams in the NCAA in scoring defense. It really was sad to watch some of those games because it seemed like frustration begat more frustration. There really wasn’t much choice but to clean house of all the defensive coaches, except for the one who is also the recruiting coordinator. Uh-oh, Georgia still had one game left to play and the only defensive coaches left were the D-line coach and two 23 year old graduate assistants. These guys had to face a team who took one of the teams in the National Championship to their breaking point a few weeks ago. Kind of like the whole “Who am I Lord, I stutter, the job is too big” stuff that Moses said during the burning bush in the desert. Rather than not show respect to these unlikely leaders, the Georgia defense played what I think was one of their best games of the year, forcing 2 key interceptions and keeping Texas A&M from getting any rhythm in the 2nd half. Take away that patty-cake touchdown A&M got in the waning minutes of the game and Georgia would have held them to below 20 points. Not bad for a couple of 23 year olds and the next to worst defense in the land. Not bad at all.
4. When times are bleakest, people remember what’s really important- He wasn’t moving. For what seemed like forever Bacarri Rambo just layed there and you could have heard a pin drop in Sanford Stadium. Flash back: Auburn was driving the ball and looked like they were about to tie the game up right after Georgia finally took the lead. On a second down play from the 23 yard line Auburn’s QB threw a ball the landed in the hands of their receiver for about a half a second until Rambo lived up to his name’s sake and unloaded on the guy, forcing the ball to shoot out. He saved the game, but sacrificed his body. When Rambo was lying on the field I just stood there with a pit in my stomach thinking about Chance Veazey, the Georgia baseball player who is now paralyzed after a car accident. Then from the student section the chant “Rambo, Rambo, Rambo!” started. These were the same fans who booed their team earlier in the 1st half. I was pretty surprised, but kind of made a connection after the game was over. A lot of folks think my brother and I argue a good bit. But I’ll tell you one thing, if chips were ever down and I needed something I know my brother would be the first person there and he knows I would be there for him. When the elementary school bully picked on Tad, I beat the mess out of him. When I dealt with sadness and anger I didn’t think was even possible, Tad was there as long as I needed. We may fuss about stupid stuff like whether the Avett Brothers are good or when the proper time to play the ukulele/ harmonica is (not the middle of the night), but I love my big brother more than anyone else in the world and I know he loves me too. (yea, yea go grab a tissue)
5. Finish the Drill- It’s always been Mark Richt’s motto. It started from the grueling spring workouts the team goes through when the toughest part is at the end. That was certainly the case for this Georgia team. At the end of the year a game against Kentucky at home is supposed to be a cake walk, and it looked like it was going to be. 20-6 at half-time and we were just rolling along. Chase and I were even thinking about leaving the game after the 3rd quarter if we kept it up. Alas, the turnover demons reared their ugly heads on the Dawgs four times in the 2nd half, including one time on the one yard line when a touchdown seemed a definite. Georgia loses by a touchdown. If you’d told any football follower in the Peach State that Georgia had a chance against the top 10 ranked Nerds from North Ave. they probably would’ve laughed their butts off. The team didn’t give up though. With more swagger than a Soulja Boy song, Washaun Ealey and Caleb King decided they “They ran this state” and they were going to make sure we all knew. They ran all over the nerds and left them in the dust sucking on their inhalers. Willie Martinez knew it would be his final game as a UGA coach, as evidenced by the tears as time expired. But his squad put on a heck of a performance stopping the previous year’s ACC player of the year. Then Georgia followed that game up with what I consider the best all-around team performance of the year against a solid Texas A&M team. My lasting memory of the season will no longer be the disappointing walk back to Chase’s apartment after the Kentucky game. It will be the dancing after the Auburn game, the yellow turf in Ben Jones’ mouth after the Tech game, and Mark Richt surrounding himself with police as the bowl game ended to avoid the Powerade bath. The Dawgs ended with two gritty wins, and against all odds solidified the longest streak of any team in country of 13 years in a row with at least 8 wins.
Of course I would prefer to win every game. Duh, as I always say, winning is just more fun than losing. But I’m a Georgia fan, and I’ll still pull for a team that’s 8-5 even if others aren’t. It sounds cheesy, but I really did learn a lot from this team that didn’t have an all-star to start this year like they did last year, as evidenced by the team poster with the whole team on it. Sure we lost to Florida again. Sure losing poor UGA VII stunk big time. Sure I would have preferred Stafford and Knowshon to have stayed. But I’m still proud of the school I go to and I’ll be cheering on the Diamond Dogs in two months, the soccer girls on next fall, and football team next fall (those are my teams at school). Frankly, I don’t really care who wins the rest of the bowl games this year. I like Georgia better and nothing is going to change that. So there’s a non-political post, I hope you’re all proud. As the song goes, “Once a Dawg, always a Dawg, how sweet it is!”
2. Your biggest weaknesses can turn out to be your biggest strengths- At the beginning of the year UGA couldn’t run the ball for a yard if their collective lives depended on it. In the Arkansas game, UGA threw the ball for 220 more yards than they did passing. It seemed like whenever a running back touched the ball they’d fumble it. It seemed like coaches were ready to scrap even trying to run the ball. Then there were the penalties. Any Georgia fan can tell you that we were pretty sure our colors were red, black, and yellow this year after seeing that stupid rag on the field so much. The frustrating thing was most of these penalties were stupid false start penalties. Then Murphy’s Law hit: Mr. Everything AJ Green got hurt and UGA was forced to play as a team. The team redoubled its efforts to fight its weaknesses. At the end of the year, in one of its toughest games of the year, UGA turned its weaknesses into strengths. Against Georgia Tech the Bulldogs ran the ball for more than four times the amount of yards than they threw it and only had five penalties. Think about it, the team who couldn’t run outran a team that pretty much only runs by more than 120 yards. That’s pretty darn good.
3. The toughest circumstances bring out unlikely heroes- Georgia’s defense this past year was downright awful. They allowed for 20 or more points in all but two games against Division 1A opponents. I remember seeing some stat like they were the 119th out of 120 teams in the NCAA in scoring defense. It really was sad to watch some of those games because it seemed like frustration begat more frustration. There really wasn’t much choice but to clean house of all the defensive coaches, except for the one who is also the recruiting coordinator. Uh-oh, Georgia still had one game left to play and the only defensive coaches left were the D-line coach and two 23 year old graduate assistants. These guys had to face a team who took one of the teams in the National Championship to their breaking point a few weeks ago. Kind of like the whole “Who am I Lord, I stutter, the job is too big” stuff that Moses said during the burning bush in the desert. Rather than not show respect to these unlikely leaders, the Georgia defense played what I think was one of their best games of the year, forcing 2 key interceptions and keeping Texas A&M from getting any rhythm in the 2nd half. Take away that patty-cake touchdown A&M got in the waning minutes of the game and Georgia would have held them to below 20 points. Not bad for a couple of 23 year olds and the next to worst defense in the land. Not bad at all.
4. When times are bleakest, people remember what’s really important- He wasn’t moving. For what seemed like forever Bacarri Rambo just layed there and you could have heard a pin drop in Sanford Stadium. Flash back: Auburn was driving the ball and looked like they were about to tie the game up right after Georgia finally took the lead. On a second down play from the 23 yard line Auburn’s QB threw a ball the landed in the hands of their receiver for about a half a second until Rambo lived up to his name’s sake and unloaded on the guy, forcing the ball to shoot out. He saved the game, but sacrificed his body. When Rambo was lying on the field I just stood there with a pit in my stomach thinking about Chance Veazey, the Georgia baseball player who is now paralyzed after a car accident. Then from the student section the chant “Rambo, Rambo, Rambo!” started. These were the same fans who booed their team earlier in the 1st half. I was pretty surprised, but kind of made a connection after the game was over. A lot of folks think my brother and I argue a good bit. But I’ll tell you one thing, if chips were ever down and I needed something I know my brother would be the first person there and he knows I would be there for him. When the elementary school bully picked on Tad, I beat the mess out of him. When I dealt with sadness and anger I didn’t think was even possible, Tad was there as long as I needed. We may fuss about stupid stuff like whether the Avett Brothers are good or when the proper time to play the ukulele/ harmonica is (not the middle of the night), but I love my big brother more than anyone else in the world and I know he loves me too. (yea, yea go grab a tissue)
5. Finish the Drill- It’s always been Mark Richt’s motto. It started from the grueling spring workouts the team goes through when the toughest part is at the end. That was certainly the case for this Georgia team. At the end of the year a game against Kentucky at home is supposed to be a cake walk, and it looked like it was going to be. 20-6 at half-time and we were just rolling along. Chase and I were even thinking about leaving the game after the 3rd quarter if we kept it up. Alas, the turnover demons reared their ugly heads on the Dawgs four times in the 2nd half, including one time on the one yard line when a touchdown seemed a definite. Georgia loses by a touchdown. If you’d told any football follower in the Peach State that Georgia had a chance against the top 10 ranked Nerds from North Ave. they probably would’ve laughed their butts off. The team didn’t give up though. With more swagger than a Soulja Boy song, Washaun Ealey and Caleb King decided they “They ran this state” and they were going to make sure we all knew. They ran all over the nerds and left them in the dust sucking on their inhalers. Willie Martinez knew it would be his final game as a UGA coach, as evidenced by the tears as time expired. But his squad put on a heck of a performance stopping the previous year’s ACC player of the year. Then Georgia followed that game up with what I consider the best all-around team performance of the year against a solid Texas A&M team. My lasting memory of the season will no longer be the disappointing walk back to Chase’s apartment after the Kentucky game. It will be the dancing after the Auburn game, the yellow turf in Ben Jones’ mouth after the Tech game, and Mark Richt surrounding himself with police as the bowl game ended to avoid the Powerade bath. The Dawgs ended with two gritty wins, and against all odds solidified the longest streak of any team in country of 13 years in a row with at least 8 wins.
Of course I would prefer to win every game. Duh, as I always say, winning is just more fun than losing. But I’m a Georgia fan, and I’ll still pull for a team that’s 8-5 even if others aren’t. It sounds cheesy, but I really did learn a lot from this team that didn’t have an all-star to start this year like they did last year, as evidenced by the team poster with the whole team on it. Sure we lost to Florida again. Sure losing poor UGA VII stunk big time. Sure I would have preferred Stafford and Knowshon to have stayed. But I’m still proud of the school I go to and I’ll be cheering on the Diamond Dogs in two months, the soccer girls on next fall, and football team next fall (those are my teams at school). Frankly, I don’t really care who wins the rest of the bowl games this year. I like Georgia better and nothing is going to change that. So there’s a non-political post, I hope you’re all proud. As the song goes, “Once a Dawg, always a Dawg, how sweet it is!”
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Christian and Liberal? A (very) brief response
Recently I had a good friend question why I felt the way I do concerning society and politics. My friend asked the reasons for having a 'liberal' ideology in view of a few of the hot-button issues that dot the political landscape for Christians. The question was posed in good faith, honesty, and genuine questioning with no insinuation or implication. This is a great friend and a great Christian who just wanted to know. Though my response was brief and I plan on expanding it into a sort of manifesto in the future, I thought it would be fair to share at least a portion of why I feel the way I do. I hope everyone had a great year and is having a happy holiday season. I'll break into my response after the more personal portion of the email.
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What’s ironic is that while you see a divide in me being a Christian and a liberal, I see myself as a liberal because I am a Christian. (Note: I am a Christian first, no politician or political belief can change that) I guess I’ll run through the issues as to why I support the party I do, but let me preface it by saying that all boiled down it doesn't really matter to me who is in charge of our country. Romans 13 tells me that every governing authority is established by God. Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and whoever else are going to have to bow just as low as I am one day, so while I’m interested in politics, it doesn’t consume me. I’m a Christian who happens to support Barack Obama, not a Barack Obama supporter who happens to be a Christian. If Paul could write Romans 13 and in view of a government that was literally torturing Christians, I feel ashamed that at the level of anger expressed by Christians in view of politics in America because of earthly things like taxes.
So why am I a liberal? This won’t be an exhaustive list by any means; that would be a book. To get the typical Christian “hot-button issues” out of the way I’ll let you read my blog posts on positions on gay marriage and abortion at my blog. They’re both defended and my reasoning is given there. First- the liberal emphasis on caring for and improving the lives of the least among us. I firmly believe that Jesus did not ONLY come to this Earth to tell how great heaven is going to be and leave this world a mess of sin (Matt 25 is a firm example of this). We can also see that one of the first reactions the church had upon formation was to give to anyone who had need (Acts 2:45) Because I see combating poverty as the mission of Jesus, I feel compelled to make it my mission as well, and will accordingly support politicians who also make that their mission. Conservative philosophy, particularly in the past 40 years, has been tax breaks for the wealthiest among us and increases on taxes for the low and middle class. This has been proven to not have the “trickle-down” effect former Pres. Reagan so eagerly claimed. I don’t find this to be a “radical philosophy.” Consider the government that God himself established: the kingdom of Israel. Leviticus 19:9-10 tells the wealthy not to harvest all of their grapes, but to leave to leave those on the corners for the poor. Also, consider the grain that Ruth was picking from the edge of the field left by wealthy landowners. Did these poor people deserve this? Of course not, God compelled the blessed among Israel to give to the poor, and he made it a part of governmental law. As a Christian, I support government officials who do the same.
My view on poverty leads to #2: Healthcare. The fact that every American doesn’t have access to healthcare to me just isn't right. People are suffering, and I just don't understand why we're letting it happen. As of 2005 the US spent more than any country in the world on healthcare as a portion of our GDP (15.4%) but according the World Health Organization we rank 37th in the quality of healthcare provided (behind countries like Morocco, United Arab Emirates, and Costa Rica to name a few). So not only are we paying more than anyone, not only are we not getting the best quality of care, we're leaving the least among us behind. I just can't picture Jesus thinking this is ok. Both bills proposed by liberals in the House of Reps and the Senate provide greater coverage to Americans AND lower the national debt, something I know many on the Right are rightfully concerned with. I could go on more here but I think you see how I see this as pretty much the same as issue my view on poverty.
#3- Justice for all of people made in the image of God. I know I've written a lot already so I'll try to bullet point this one. Over the past 50 years the conservative movement has fought equal civil rights for blacks by fighting integration of schools, equal rights for women by opposing things like equal pay for equal work in the work place, supported TORTURING people to try to glean information (imagine if the early church had tortured the Roman soldiers or the Jewish leaders who crucified Jesus), inhumane treatment of illegal immigrants(Exodus 22:21-23) , etc. I just can't see things like this in the Bible. Look at the Sermon on the Mount, what a set of scriptures devoted to social justice! Blessed are the merciful, let your light shine before men (not talking about preaching the gospel here, he's passionately talking about how we treat others as he talked about in verses 1-11), turn the other cheek, go two miles even when you shouldn't have had to go one, and love your enemies. I feel like these scriptures compel me to vote for leaders who best support these views. (Keeping in mind of course that no politician or any human for that matter is perfect)
There are many more issues I could go on and on about but I think you probably see where I'm coming from. I understand how passionately conservatives view things like abortion, and hopefully after reading my blog post on the subject you can see that I want the same inherent thing as you do, I just have a different means to go about achieving that goal. I understand that my views are pretty different than a lot of folks in our area, but in all sincerity I'm doing the best I can to do what I read the message of the gospel to be. I realize these views are pretty radical, I mean at first thought I have many of the viewpoints of the conservative movement (believe it or not I actually volunteered on Bush's reelection campaign and worked for Republican State Sen. Jeff Mullis and Republican Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle's campaigns. It's true, I'm a recovering conservative!). I just finally had to realized that these views espoused by these men and others in the party weren't what I was reading. All that being said its a very fair assesment that I don't agree with everything put forward by the liberal movement. I also don't like everything that the elders decide at my church, but I support our elders completely and don't have a problem identifying myself with this church. Like I said though, my allegiance to any political party or even our country for that matter pales in comparison to my faith in Jesus Christ.
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What’s ironic is that while you see a divide in me being a Christian and a liberal, I see myself as a liberal because I am a Christian. (Note: I am a Christian first, no politician or political belief can change that) I guess I’ll run through the issues as to why I support the party I do, but let me preface it by saying that all boiled down it doesn't really matter to me who is in charge of our country. Romans 13 tells me that every governing authority is established by God. Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and whoever else are going to have to bow just as low as I am one day, so while I’m interested in politics, it doesn’t consume me. I’m a Christian who happens to support Barack Obama, not a Barack Obama supporter who happens to be a Christian. If Paul could write Romans 13 and in view of a government that was literally torturing Christians, I feel ashamed that at the level of anger expressed by Christians in view of politics in America because of earthly things like taxes.
So why am I a liberal? This won’t be an exhaustive list by any means; that would be a book. To get the typical Christian “hot-button issues” out of the way I’ll let you read my blog posts on positions on gay marriage and abortion at my blog. They’re both defended and my reasoning is given there. First- the liberal emphasis on caring for and improving the lives of the least among us. I firmly believe that Jesus did not ONLY come to this Earth to tell how great heaven is going to be and leave this world a mess of sin (Matt 25 is a firm example of this). We can also see that one of the first reactions the church had upon formation was to give to anyone who had need (Acts 2:45) Because I see combating poverty as the mission of Jesus, I feel compelled to make it my mission as well, and will accordingly support politicians who also make that their mission. Conservative philosophy, particularly in the past 40 years, has been tax breaks for the wealthiest among us and increases on taxes for the low and middle class. This has been proven to not have the “trickle-down” effect former Pres. Reagan so eagerly claimed. I don’t find this to be a “radical philosophy.” Consider the government that God himself established: the kingdom of Israel. Leviticus 19:9-10 tells the wealthy not to harvest all of their grapes, but to leave to leave those on the corners for the poor. Also, consider the grain that Ruth was picking from the edge of the field left by wealthy landowners. Did these poor people deserve this? Of course not, God compelled the blessed among Israel to give to the poor, and he made it a part of governmental law. As a Christian, I support government officials who do the same.
My view on poverty leads to #2: Healthcare. The fact that every American doesn’t have access to healthcare to me just isn't right. People are suffering, and I just don't understand why we're letting it happen. As of 2005 the US spent more than any country in the world on healthcare as a portion of our GDP (15.4%) but according the World Health Organization we rank 37th in the quality of healthcare provided (behind countries like Morocco, United Arab Emirates, and Costa Rica to name a few). So not only are we paying more than anyone, not only are we not getting the best quality of care, we're leaving the least among us behind. I just can't picture Jesus thinking this is ok. Both bills proposed by liberals in the House of Reps and the Senate provide greater coverage to Americans AND lower the national debt, something I know many on the Right are rightfully concerned with. I could go on more here but I think you see how I see this as pretty much the same as issue my view on poverty.
#3- Justice for all of people made in the image of God. I know I've written a lot already so I'll try to bullet point this one. Over the past 50 years the conservative movement has fought equal civil rights for blacks by fighting integration of schools, equal rights for women by opposing things like equal pay for equal work in the work place, supported TORTURING people to try to glean information (imagine if the early church had tortured the Roman soldiers or the Jewish leaders who crucified Jesus), inhumane treatment of illegal immigrants(Exodus 22:21-23) , etc. I just can't see things like this in the Bible. Look at the Sermon on the Mount, what a set of scriptures devoted to social justice! Blessed are the merciful, let your light shine before men (not talking about preaching the gospel here, he's passionately talking about how we treat others as he talked about in verses 1-11), turn the other cheek, go two miles even when you shouldn't have had to go one, and love your enemies. I feel like these scriptures compel me to vote for leaders who best support these views. (Keeping in mind of course that no politician or any human for that matter is perfect)
There are many more issues I could go on and on about but I think you probably see where I'm coming from. I understand how passionately conservatives view things like abortion, and hopefully after reading my blog post on the subject you can see that I want the same inherent thing as you do, I just have a different means to go about achieving that goal. I understand that my views are pretty different than a lot of folks in our area, but in all sincerity I'm doing the best I can to do what I read the message of the gospel to be. I realize these views are pretty radical, I mean at first thought I have many of the viewpoints of the conservative movement (believe it or not I actually volunteered on Bush's reelection campaign and worked for Republican State Sen. Jeff Mullis and Republican Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle's campaigns. It's true, I'm a recovering conservative!). I just finally had to realized that these views espoused by these men and others in the party weren't what I was reading. All that being said its a very fair assesment that I don't agree with everything put forward by the liberal movement. I also don't like everything that the elders decide at my church, but I support our elders completely and don't have a problem identifying myself with this church. Like I said though, my allegiance to any political party or even our country for that matter pales in comparison to my faith in Jesus Christ.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Gay Marriage and Why BOTH Sides Miss the Point
Frankly, this issue ticks me off for a couple of reasons. It is meant to divide people and hurt others, from both sides. (I.e. people attacking the Miss California candidate for expressing her opinion) So often these debates don’t even look for a solution, they just turn into a circle of “You love sin, you’re going to Hell you pinko liberal” and “You’re a religious nut, why don’t you go hunting with Dick Cheney.” This doesn’t help anything and rolls over the problem. Also because, namely the Right, thinks that disagreement is equal to damnation and equates opponents to murderers and rapists. (You know the whole
Let me state my background. I’m a Christian first, bar none, no apologies. Anyone who would like to question my faith, I really don’t care. I recall certain Jewish leaders doing the same thing. That being said, if
Now that there is that background, I’ll state my opinion and solution. The reality of this debate, and why so many neo-conservative Christians, as well as pro-gay marriage liberals miss the point is they argue about the definition of marriage. The problem with this is inherent. One of the first premises of debate is to agree on what is acceptable as fact. Without that, understanding can not be made. Neo-cons look to the Bible for their definition, which is perfectly acceptable. However, pro-gay marriage couples don’t always accept this as fact, killing the debate before it starts and turning it in to the equivalent of an ideological squabble.
The core of what this debate should truly be about is equal rights, not about whether I or anyone else believes homosexuality is right or wrong. Since
The reality is that almost all gay marriage opponents deplore the idea because they believe it to be sinful. Since homosexuals disagree with the premise of “sin,” the debate will go nowhere. Therefore, both sides will also disagree on what “marriage” is. Is marriage something ordained by God, or is it simply a joining of two human beings who care for each other for the sake of insurance, medical, and tax reasons. (No, this isn’t what I think marriage is) The mistake made is that the State is dabbling in some believe is a religious issue and what others believe is a purely secular issue.
So how do we solve this issue by giving everyone equal rights under the law, while still respecting what each group inherently believes? Here’s how: you look at what both sides desire and see how to give each group what they want. Homosexuals aren’t seeking the Judeo-Christian God’s blessing on their relationship; they want equal rights. Most Christians, though they may disagree with homosexuals having marriage rights, aren’t looking to make being gay illegal; they simply want the preservation of what they believe is a sacred institution blessed by God. Solution: Take the definition of marriage out of the hands of the U.S. Government and give it back to God Almighty who ordained it in the first place. My solution is that the
Let me again reiterate, I’m a Christian, end of story. Whatever law my country makes, whoever is elected to the highest office in the land, and however much I may hate what either may do, my God reigns supreme without their permission, no matter what they say. When Jesus said to “render to Caesar what his Caesar’s and God what is God’s,” that wasn’t just about money. It involves our FULL allegiance and our trust. My trust is in God, and frankly I don’t really care what my country has to say about that or what laws they make giving others more rights or so on and so forth. Rather than complain about homosexuals trying to change the definition of marriage, let’s take the term out of the argument, since that is what God talks about. My hope is that this bill passes in
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Is the Dream Realized?
First of all, I want to say thanks to the well wishers from mine and Jackson's trip to the inauguration. I'll get pictures and stories up soon. It was the trip of a lifetime and the memories won't soon be forgotten. I've never been more proud to be American and especially am proud of my generation for setting aside arguing in favor of solutions.
So in all of this unity and hope good stuff that's been going around I've been thinking about what divides us as Americans, and specifically where I live. Standing at the concert last Sunday at the Lincoln Memorial, the place where Dr. King marched and where Marian Anderson sang, I was reminded of the tough times when our nation has had to come together because of the color of someones skin. A war centered around whether someone could be owned, a man who wished his kids could be looked at equally, and a woman who couldn't use the gift God gave her because she was black. What a waste! What an un-Christian, un-American, and useless prejudice to think that someone is unworthy of God's love and human decency because of their skin color. Or let's get real about the modern face of bigotry: THE LANGUAGE THEY SPEAK. THE GOD THEY PRAY TO. THE PERSON THEY CHOOSE TO LOVE. THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THEY MAKE.
Upon returning home from what I consider the "North," I was reminded that there is progress yet to be made. Seeing someone's facebook profile referring to the swearing in of our President as an "iniggeration." Listening to a friend of a friend talk about how Obama wouldn't win a second term because "he'd get shot by then" and that "Bobby Jindal would win next time because he's colored and they can't tell the difference." It makes me sad. Look, I realize that folks aren't going to like all or even any of Obama's policies, that's why we have political parties. But to wish death upon the father of two little girls? The leader (like it or not) of our country? How juvenile, and frankly how sinful. Remember Naaman, the Syrian ruler who was at first willing to live with leprosy because of he was so caught up in his sense of nationalism and pride that he didn't want to dip in the Jordan River? Or the one we all remember- the Good Samaritan.
My question remains this- Where are God's people when all of this is happening? Rather than looking at the plight of people who can't afford healthcare, members of Congress (yes you too DEMOCRATIC REP. JIM MARSHALL) voted against a children's healthcare bill because he was afraid Mexican kids might get taken care of. Newsflash: THEY'RE PEOPLE. Should we just let them sit at the door of the hospital while the rest of the entitled walk past to get our treatment, perhaps flipping a bill their direction as we think "lazy bums." Gee, I recall Jesus talking about a man who was in that situation, who had no stock in a random foreigner's well being. "Ah but that doesn't apply here Ryan, that's an individual call." Yea, individuals like the Priest and the Levite, both members of the Jewish man's religion and nationality. What if the foreigner, ahem excuse me, Samaritan, had stopped to think "Hmmm, now I feel bad for the dude, but honestly, he's from a different country and all, and I pay too many taxes to take care of folks in Samaria as it is, geez that's just unfortunate." Didn't happen like that though, and I don't think it should here in America either.
Thank God that there are rays of hope. Like the good folks in Nashville who defeated a bill that would have cut public funding for interpreters of non-English speaking residents (ya, the legals). Great Christian non-profits like World Vision who are sponsoring THIS PROGRAM IN ATHENS, GA, to let American Christians know what the life of a child with HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa is really like. I guess my call is to let the love and mercy that God has shown us usurp all political platitudes and for us to rise above our (yes, ME too) selfishness and just love folks. I think we've made the Good Samaritan story into something we read as kids, and forget that this message was to us big folks too. And the tough part of the story is that the Samaritan never got his money back. Ouch. Spending hard earned cash on a foreigner whose country hates you, and then not even saying "Hey man, I'm willing to help you out, but uh my name is John Doe and I really do have a family of my own that is struggling just as much as yours and I really can't afford all of this. How can I reach your family about how to pay for all of this?" Whoa. So I guess my final question is the same as Jesus': Who is our neighbor? The illegal immigrant? The kid whose school was hit by a bomb in Gaza? These guys? Hey, maybe even the guy who wrote this.
I think I learned it best in Sunday School, "Red and yellow, black and white. They are precious in His sight."God bless all of you guys, and may we continue to strive toward the Dream. Thanks for reading folks.
So in all of this unity and hope good stuff that's been going around I've been thinking about what divides us as Americans, and specifically where I live. Standing at the concert last Sunday at the Lincoln Memorial, the place where Dr. King marched and where Marian Anderson sang, I was reminded of the tough times when our nation has had to come together because of the color of someones skin. A war centered around whether someone could be owned, a man who wished his kids could be looked at equally, and a woman who couldn't use the gift God gave her because she was black. What a waste! What an un-Christian, un-American, and useless prejudice to think that someone is unworthy of God's love and human decency because of their skin color. Or let's get real about the modern face of bigotry: THE LANGUAGE THEY SPEAK. THE GOD THEY PRAY TO. THE PERSON THEY CHOOSE TO LOVE. THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THEY MAKE.
Upon returning home from what I consider the "North," I was reminded that there is progress yet to be made. Seeing someone's facebook profile referring to the swearing in of our President as an "iniggeration." Listening to a friend of a friend talk about how Obama wouldn't win a second term because "he'd get shot by then" and that "Bobby Jindal would win next time because he's colored and they can't tell the difference." It makes me sad. Look, I realize that folks aren't going to like all or even any of Obama's policies, that's why we have political parties. But to wish death upon the father of two little girls? The leader (like it or not) of our country? How juvenile, and frankly how sinful. Remember Naaman, the Syrian ruler who was at first willing to live with leprosy because of he was so caught up in his sense of nationalism and pride that he didn't want to dip in the Jordan River? Or the one we all remember- the Good Samaritan.
My question remains this- Where are God's people when all of this is happening? Rather than looking at the plight of people who can't afford healthcare, members of Congress (yes you too DEMOCRATIC REP. JIM MARSHALL) voted against a children's healthcare bill because he was afraid Mexican kids might get taken care of. Newsflash: THEY'RE PEOPLE. Should we just let them sit at the door of the hospital while the rest of the entitled walk past to get our treatment, perhaps flipping a bill their direction as we think "lazy bums." Gee, I recall Jesus talking about a man who was in that situation, who had no stock in a random foreigner's well being. "Ah but that doesn't apply here Ryan, that's an individual call." Yea, individuals like the Priest and the Levite, both members of the Jewish man's religion and nationality. What if the foreigner, ahem excuse me, Samaritan, had stopped to think "Hmmm, now I feel bad for the dude, but honestly, he's from a different country and all, and I pay too many taxes to take care of folks in Samaria as it is, geez that's just unfortunate." Didn't happen like that though, and I don't think it should here in America either.
Thank God that there are rays of hope. Like the good folks in Nashville who defeated a bill that would have cut public funding for interpreters of non-English speaking residents (ya, the legals). Great Christian non-profits like World Vision who are sponsoring THIS PROGRAM IN ATHENS, GA, to let American Christians know what the life of a child with HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa is really like. I guess my call is to let the love and mercy that God has shown us usurp all political platitudes and for us to rise above our (yes, ME too) selfishness and just love folks. I think we've made the Good Samaritan story into something we read as kids, and forget that this message was to us big folks too. And the tough part of the story is that the Samaritan never got his money back. Ouch. Spending hard earned cash on a foreigner whose country hates you, and then not even saying "Hey man, I'm willing to help you out, but uh my name is John Doe and I really do have a family of my own that is struggling just as much as yours and I really can't afford all of this. How can I reach your family about how to pay for all of this?" Whoa. So I guess my final question is the same as Jesus': Who is our neighbor? The illegal immigrant? The kid whose school was hit by a bomb in Gaza? These guys? Hey, maybe even the guy who wrote this.
I think I learned it best in Sunday School, "Red and yellow, black and white. They are precious in His sight."God bless all of you guys, and may we continue to strive toward the Dream. Thanks for reading folks.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
What I'm Thankful For
First of all, I'm sorry we've slacked on the blog. Two words: school sucks. A real post will be up within the week guys. In the mean time, I want to say Happy Thanksgiving. In a world that is always changing, always giving us the unexpected, and always seeming to tell us we're inadequate, we still have so much to be thankful for. In the past week, I've been reminded of some of the things I've been blessed with and some of the things I need to be more thankful for. Here goes a non-exhaustive FiYaMaN top ten list.
1) That I serve an Awesome God, who made me and loves me no matter how much I've screwed up. 2) That I have a father who loves me in a world where many don't know their dad, that I have a mother who still calls me her baby boy, and that I have a big brother who is also one of my best friends. 3) That I've been blessed with a few great friends who are there for me even in the darkest times, one of them being the_idealist. 4) That I live in a country that rejected hate , division , and fear , in favor of hope , equality(that is, unless you're a homosexual in California), and the future. 5) That I live in comfort, relative safety, and prosperity when so many in this world are not so fortunate. May God put it on my heart to be Jesus to them. 6) That America has the finest troops in the world and that we can honor their service by bringing them home. Even though our leaders sent them on an ill-advised war, our troops proved again why America is the home of the brave. 7) That I go to the University of Georgia, one of the best schools in the country, and that they have yet to find out the rest of the kids there are so much smarter than me it is insane. 8) That for the first time ever in U.S. history, cancer rates are declining. Rest in peace Grandmama and Grandaddy. 9) Bass, Little Italy, Choo Choo Express, Eddie Bauer jeans, flannel shirts, Chacos, Southern Proper bow ties, coffee, sweet tea, pie, The Office, baseball, football, Pigeon Mountain, Cloudland Canyon, Rembrandts, and the CNN magic map. 10) That there are folks out there who care enough about what I think that you're still reading this. That may not seem like a lot, but I truly want to say thanks for supporting this effort and for listening. From the bottom of my heart- "May the Lord bless you and keep you. Keep on smiling, and everything's going to be o.k."
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Which party is the Anti-God Party?
WARNING: This post has foul language - not my own, but copied and pasted from some friends' Facebooks. I left all words in their entirety to make my point. Please do not read if you will be offended by the words said below and do not comment on my posting of the words to this blog.
But after all of this, most of which was said by one person, they then had the nerve to say this, "is watching the Anti-God convention in Denver" HA! The Anti-God Convention? It seems to me - after reading the above comments that these people have posted - that they should probably vote for that same party because NONE of those comments are 'Pro-God" are they? First of all, the freedom of religion means the freedom FROM religion, therefor it is ridiculous to legislate morality because we can't force people to be Christians just because they are Americans. Secondly, we talk about"that Islamic terrorist" "putting the Ten Commandments in public buildings" "killing babies" and "sick ass raping homo sex", but why not a push for the ban of foul language? Why not make a ban on all sin? After all, all sin is equal, none is greater than any other. Oh wait, we can't do that, because that might actually affect some of these people making the above claims. That might call into question THEIR character, THEIR judgement or THEIR lifestyle. They want to continue to condemn OTHERS, call OTHERS' character into question, call OTHERS' lives into question without considering THEMselves when they say things like quoted above?
Give me a break. Jesus' teaching was about love; He said the greatest command was love. He said not to judge unless you wanted to be judge. He said that God is the one to give vengeance, not us. Where has Jesus' teaching gone when concerning "God's party" [the Republican party]?Where are the morals? Where is the party that should embrace ALL of God's teachings and not just the ones that are convient to them? When it comes to divorce and re-marriage, greed, lust or profanity they seem to push God away and out of government, only lobbying for things that are emotionally appealing to voters like abortion and gay rights. If they are to make an appeal to make moral legislation, then they should push for them in ALL aspects of government AND their lives - showing God's teachings and morals and not just talking about them. They shouldn't speak of people as "Islamic terrorists" when that is clearly not true; they should not call people "cocksucking cunt whores" which is obviously not true as well. How does that embody Jesus' teachings?
Should they just pick and choose what they want government to control because it doesn't affect them: abortion, gay marriage, displaying the Ten Commandments, welfare; or should they also include things like profanity, lust, greed, etc. which affect us all but are too 'holier than thou' to admit?
SO ... which party is the "anti - God party?" It seems to me that they both have their flaws; you make the choice. I doubt either are.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Can one be pro-life AND pro-choice?
A woman's right to choose is one of the most divisive political topics of the past quarter century. It has given rise to the modern religious right and groups like the National Right to Life and leftist groups like Planned Parenthood and NARAL. It has caused the old "Southern Democrat" to be a thing of the past. It has sparked terrorist acts of bombing abortion clinics and the use of words like "murderer" or "slut" or "whore". It has caused Christians to condemn fellow Christians who choose to vote for a Democrat. It has fundamentally changed the way a President chooses a Supreme Court Justice. In short, Roe vs. Wade, for right or for wrong, has changed the topic of conversation of what Christians feel they should vote on, arguably, above any other issue in the country.
My hometown, Chattanooga, is in the middle of this struggle. Being in the Bible Belt, we're home to more Southern Baptists and little conservative churches than hairs on my head. We're notable for one more thing too though: Chattanooga is the largest city in America without an abortion clinic. Rossville, where I went to church, is home of a state representative who attempted, albeit an unconstitutional, to put a statewide ban on abortions in Georgia. When other Christians hear that I support Barack Obama for president, it never fails that I get a blank stare followed by rage about the issue of a woman's right to choose.
I've always been troubled by this point. I am pro-life. I believe God knew me before I was born and that if the law of our land wants to charge Scott Peterson with 2 counts of murder if he kills his pregnant wife then we should be consistent on intentionally ending a pregnancy. I also think that life is important after a baby is born though. As blunt as this sounds, its a heck of a lot easier for Sarah Palin's daughter, who has financially and socially stable mom AND dad, to make the decision to keep her child than it is for a girl from Detroit who has never seen her dad, has a mom who works two jobs and still can't afford health insurance, and can't even tell you the name of a college. Both made a mistake, but can we really judge these two girls equally? When Bristol Palin or Jamie Lynn Spears or whoever wants to finish up high school after having a child, they don't have a problem finding a babysitter. When the girl from Detroit is pregnant, she has to wonder how the food that isn't even enough to fill her own belly can be enough to fill another mouth (God forbid the baby be special needs or there are complications with the pregnancy, which adds even more costs). So what do I tell the girl from Detroit? Hang in there, if the Palins can do it so can you? Even if she were raped, do I hold her to the same bar of judgement that I do a girl from the 'burbs who decided that that abstinence only education class (another topic all in itself) wasn't worth it and didn't know about proper protection? This is where I found myself, pro-life but yet finding it difficult to tell a woman what she can do with her body with respect to the situations she finds herself in.
Here's where we get to the crux of the matter, to where we get to the motto of POLITIFIRE "common sense solutions." IN MY OPINION, the pro-life movement has focused itself entirely too heavily on overturning Roe vs. Wade and has lost sight of the real goal of minimizing the number of abortions in America, which pro-choice and anti-choice candidates can both agree on (that's why I refuse to label the right wing side pro-life and the left wing side pro-abortion). No one, even NARAL, thinks that abortion should be used as as a regular contraceptive for women. So let's look at the facts and see if we can discover 1) Why some women get abortions 2) How can we get them to choose another option
Here goes for NUMBER 1: Studies have shown that half of all pregnancies in America are unintended. Unintended pregnancies among poor women have INCREASED 29% and have DECREASED among upper class women 20% (a difference in abortion rate 4 times as much). So why do poor women get abortions? The most common answer given to clinicians a child would limit ability to meet current responsibilities and that they cannot afford a child at this point in their lives. This shows that poverty more than any other aspect gives us our answer to WHY.
Here goes for NUMBER 2: It is a tough answer, but let's look at why overturning Roe vs. Wade won't work for getting women to choose not to terminate their pregnancy. The lowest abortion rates of any place in the entire world might surprise you... it's in Europe... that's right liberal Europe where abortion is legal. The rate is less than 10 abortions for every 1000 women of reproductive age. Now that seems odd doesn't it? Europe has poor people too, right? Why would their poor women choose not to terminate their pregnancy? Answer: Poverty rates are much lower because of extensive social services provided to low income women. Even in America, states that have extensive WIC programs have a 37% LOWER abortion rate. Look at the other evidence of how poverty affects abortion rates: the HIGHEST abortion rates in the world are in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean (29-31 abortions per 1000 women) even though abortion rights are most strict here. So how do we get women to choose life? We attack the root of the problem: POVERTY.
I think the Democratic Party has made a lot of strides when it comes to this topic. Rather than hiding from this issue because they're scared of losing pro-choice support, the Democratic Party, at the behest of Barack Obama, instituted in their party platform for the first time a goal of reducing the number of abortions in America by 95% over the next 10 years. The Republican party has no such tangible goal. Check out more of what Senator Obama wants to do here to reduce the number of abortions in America.
Look, before I get angry responses from some of my Christian brethren, and I mean this with love, please consider this with an open mind. I AM PRO-LIFE, I HATE ABORTION! I want abortions in America to be so few and so far between that clinics have to close up shop because no one is coming. The reality is though, that this can't be done by simply overturning Roe vs. Wade. That would simply turn the decision over to states, and we all know left-leaning states like New York and California, where most abortions occur because of city size, would never overturn the law. This issue hits right at the heart of what the_idealist and I want to do with this blog: give common sense solutions with forward thinking ideas rather than settle for how things have always been. America CAN AND MUST reduce the number of abortions in America, but bickering over a court case for a quarter of a century has made us take backward steps. WE OWE IT TO UNBORN CHILDREN TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM, AND THAT MEANS BOTH SIDES WORKING TOGETHER TO CURE WHAT WE CAN AGREE UPON: TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF ABORTIONS BY AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. Research this stuff for yourself guys, it's something I'm very passionate about as you can see. I'm frustrated at the arguing and at the lack of results. Let me know what you think. God bless and Go Dawgs
*Facts from this post were retrieved from www.prolifeproobama.com
My hometown, Chattanooga, is in the middle of this struggle. Being in the Bible Belt, we're home to more Southern Baptists and little conservative churches than hairs on my head. We're notable for one more thing too though: Chattanooga is the largest city in America without an abortion clinic. Rossville, where I went to church, is home of a state representative who attempted, albeit an unconstitutional, to put a statewide ban on abortions in Georgia. When other Christians hear that I support Barack Obama for president, it never fails that I get a blank stare followed by rage about the issue of a woman's right to choose.
I've always been troubled by this point. I am pro-life. I believe God knew me before I was born and that if the law of our land wants to charge Scott Peterson with 2 counts of murder if he kills his pregnant wife then we should be consistent on intentionally ending a pregnancy. I also think that life is important after a baby is born though. As blunt as this sounds, its a heck of a lot easier for Sarah Palin's daughter, who has financially and socially stable mom AND dad, to make the decision to keep her child than it is for a girl from Detroit who has never seen her dad, has a mom who works two jobs and still can't afford health insurance, and can't even tell you the name of a college. Both made a mistake, but can we really judge these two girls equally? When Bristol Palin or Jamie Lynn Spears or whoever wants to finish up high school after having a child, they don't have a problem finding a babysitter. When the girl from Detroit is pregnant, she has to wonder how the food that isn't even enough to fill her own belly can be enough to fill another mouth (God forbid the baby be special needs or there are complications with the pregnancy, which adds even more costs). So what do I tell the girl from Detroit? Hang in there, if the Palins can do it so can you? Even if she were raped, do I hold her to the same bar of judgement that I do a girl from the 'burbs who decided that that abstinence only education class (another topic all in itself) wasn't worth it and didn't know about proper protection? This is where I found myself, pro-life but yet finding it difficult to tell a woman what she can do with her body with respect to the situations she finds herself in.
Here's where we get to the crux of the matter, to where we get to the motto of POLITIFIRE "common sense solutions." IN MY OPINION, the pro-life movement has focused itself entirely too heavily on overturning Roe vs. Wade and has lost sight of the real goal of minimizing the number of abortions in America, which pro-choice and anti-choice candidates can both agree on (that's why I refuse to label the right wing side pro-life and the left wing side pro-abortion). No one, even NARAL, thinks that abortion should be used as as a regular contraceptive for women. So let's look at the facts and see if we can discover 1) Why some women get abortions 2) How can we get them to choose another option
Here goes for NUMBER 1: Studies have shown that half of all pregnancies in America are unintended. Unintended pregnancies among poor women have INCREASED 29% and have DECREASED among upper class women 20% (a difference in abortion rate 4 times as much). So why do poor women get abortions? The most common answer given to clinicians a child would limit ability to meet current responsibilities and that they cannot afford a child at this point in their lives. This shows that poverty more than any other aspect gives us our answer to WHY.
Here goes for NUMBER 2: It is a tough answer, but let's look at why overturning Roe vs. Wade won't work for getting women to choose not to terminate their pregnancy. The lowest abortion rates of any place in the entire world might surprise you... it's in Europe... that's right liberal Europe where abortion is legal. The rate is less than 10 abortions for every 1000 women of reproductive age. Now that seems odd doesn't it? Europe has poor people too, right? Why would their poor women choose not to terminate their pregnancy? Answer: Poverty rates are much lower because of extensive social services provided to low income women. Even in America, states that have extensive WIC programs have a 37% LOWER abortion rate. Look at the other evidence of how poverty affects abortion rates: the HIGHEST abortion rates in the world are in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean (29-31 abortions per 1000 women) even though abortion rights are most strict here. So how do we get women to choose life? We attack the root of the problem: POVERTY.
I think the Democratic Party has made a lot of strides when it comes to this topic. Rather than hiding from this issue because they're scared of losing pro-choice support, the Democratic Party, at the behest of Barack Obama, instituted in their party platform for the first time a goal of reducing the number of abortions in America by 95% over the next 10 years. The Republican party has no such tangible goal. Check out more of what Senator Obama wants to do here to reduce the number of abortions in America.
Look, before I get angry responses from some of my Christian brethren, and I mean this with love, please consider this with an open mind. I AM PRO-LIFE, I HATE ABORTION! I want abortions in America to be so few and so far between that clinics have to close up shop because no one is coming. The reality is though, that this can't be done by simply overturning Roe vs. Wade. That would simply turn the decision over to states, and we all know left-leaning states like New York and California, where most abortions occur because of city size, would never overturn the law. This issue hits right at the heart of what the_idealist and I want to do with this blog: give common sense solutions with forward thinking ideas rather than settle for how things have always been. America CAN AND MUST reduce the number of abortions in America, but bickering over a court case for a quarter of a century has made us take backward steps. WE OWE IT TO UNBORN CHILDREN TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM, AND THAT MEANS BOTH SIDES WORKING TOGETHER TO CURE WHAT WE CAN AGREE UPON: TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF ABORTIONS BY AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. Research this stuff for yourself guys, it's something I'm very passionate about as you can see. I'm frustrated at the arguing and at the lack of results. Let me know what you think. God bless and Go Dawgs
*Facts from this post were retrieved from www.prolifeproobama.com
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Debate: Who Lost?
Who lost the debate last night? The American Public - that's who lost.
Where is the candidate who inspired so many people to register to vote? The one who encouraged more than just young people to register and be actively involved, but also middle aged Americans? Where is Barack Obama? At the same rate, where was the candidate who likes to buck his own party and tout bi-partisanship? Where was the one with solutions through his experience? Where is John McCain? Where are the two candidate that long ago promised a less contrived way of running for president? Are they both gone - lost to the envy of the presidency?
I heard amazing talking points last night, well up until about forty-five minutes into the debate that is. You see, I simply got up from my chair in the middle of about 200 people who had gathered on Lipscomb's campus to watch and went back to my dorm room. Once there, I put on my rain gear and went outside and played in the rain and stomped in puddles because I knew I would learn about as much outside as I would have watching the debate. When it comes to the economic crisis, the war, the war on poverty, healthcare and education the nearly 60 million people watching should have joined me because that debate offered no real solutions.
I know who I am voting for but I enjoy a good debate, therefor I watch them all. But last night was different; I couldn't bare to watch. With character assassinations and bringing up things from both men's past, I was DISGUSTED. What about those that are not decided? What did the people who are still looking for someone to lead them out of this economic meltdown, a war in Iraq and an ailing healthcare and education system learn from the debate last night? NOTHING, except for the fact that these two man can't stop throwing low blows to face the issues you and I face. Where is their dignity? Where is their pride in country? Where are the answers to OUR questions, not the questions each of them raise about the other?
It is far past the time when these men should stop attacking each other and start attacking the issues. If I hear the words: maverick, change, hope, Keating, tax-increase, angry-man, age, experience, celebrity, rock star, the one, that one - I think I will explode. I have never had such a feeling of disdain in an election. I love politics but at this point I am borderline apathetic because no one is answering the questions that face our great country in this truly troubling time. And for those of you that know me, if I am apathetic, I can't imagine what the rest of the country feels.
It is more than ENOUGH! I am so sick of hearing what their stump speeches are, what is written in the books they bring on the set, what the other person did in years past, what their records are; I want to know what they are planning to do NOW - NOW that our economy is falling apart, NOW that parents struggle to send kids to private schools because the public ones are failing all standards, NOW that we have killed 250,000 innocent civilians in Iraq, NOW that millions of people are left without the resources to pay for healthcare, NOW that the American dollar is worth its lowest since the depression. Not, THEN, I want NOW. Records are clear to us, we can check that; what isn't clear is what they want to do NOW.
If pressed, I would say that - while both did a horrible job in the debates, their commercials, mailers and web ads - Sen. Obama is the one with the most clear message. His is still muddled with attacks that Sen. McCain evokes from him. While neither men are clear in what they want to do, the one clear choice is Obama. I encourage you to do as I did and read Sen. Obama's site, his Blueprint for Change. There is where I found that his plans are what America needs in these tough times. He lays out exactly what he plans to do here, without the distractions from Senator McCain who knows his campaign is failed and is resorting to character attacks to garner votes.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
See the Place that Gives Ms. Palin Foreign Policy Experience (and why it's not funny)
During Ms. Palin's recent interview with Katie Couric she reiterated the fact that being close to Russia and Canada gave her credible foreign policy experience. Now when she said this before, I honestly thought she had simply been caught off guard and slipped up. But she was serious. And then added Canada to the list. So now I guess the governor of North Dakota is an expert now too, oy vey.
So I figured hmmm, lets see where you can see Russia from Alaska, and I found it. It's a place called Little Diomede Island, population 150. Big Diomede Island, which is technically part of Russia, is 2.4 miles away. The primary industry on the island is carving ivory from seals and walrus tusks. There is no bank, no restaurant, and one store for supplies. The island has running water for only part of the year, then must melt snow. The first time in Alaska's 50 year history a state representative actually visited the island was in 2000 (Ms. Palin's never been). Mail is delivered to the island once a week and CNN reports that many folks on the island don't even know who the state governor even is (did I mention they don't have a television?). Yes Ladies and Gentlemen, THIS PLACE gives Sarah Palin foreign policy credentials.
This seems pretty funny at first, SNL thought so . I did too at first, but one thought keeps repeating in my head and it scares the daylights out of me. Only days after Franklin D. Roosevelt died, Harry Truman found out that the United States had atomic capabilities. Within 3 months, he pressed the red button. FOLKS THAT SHOULD SCARE YOU! The position of vice-president is no joke, especially when you're running with a 72 year old man who has had cancer 4 times and was tortured. I disagree with John McCain's politics, but I respect his ability to lead. This lady scares me though. SERIOUSLY, A TOWN OF 146 PEOPLE THAT YOU'VE NEVER VISITED GIVES YOU EXPERIENCE TO BE THE LEADER OF THE FREE WORLD?!?
I haven't even mentioned this lady's grasp(ish) of the economy, I think ya'll get my point. Folks, I don't support John McCain in this campaign, but I can't say that he is not qualified to be president. Sarah Palin, however, is NOT fit, NOT capable, and NOT knowledgeable enough to be the commander in chief at a moment's notice, and that's not a joke.
So I figured hmmm, lets see where you can see Russia from Alaska, and I found it. It's a place called Little Diomede Island, population 150. Big Diomede Island, which is technically part of Russia, is 2.4 miles away. The primary industry on the island is carving ivory from seals and walrus tusks. There is no bank, no restaurant, and one store for supplies. The island has running water for only part of the year, then must melt snow. The first time in Alaska's 50 year history a state representative actually visited the island was in 2000 (Ms. Palin's never been). Mail is delivered to the island once a week and CNN reports that many folks on the island don't even know who the state governor even is (did I mention they don't have a television?). Yes Ladies and Gentlemen, THIS PLACE gives Sarah Palin foreign policy credentials.
This seems pretty funny at first, SNL thought so . I did too at first, but one thought keeps repeating in my head and it scares the daylights out of me. Only days after Franklin D. Roosevelt died, Harry Truman found out that the United States had atomic capabilities. Within 3 months, he pressed the red button. FOLKS THAT SHOULD SCARE YOU! The position of vice-president is no joke, especially when you're running with a 72 year old man who has had cancer 4 times and was tortured. I disagree with John McCain's politics, but I respect his ability to lead. This lady scares me though. SERIOUSLY, A TOWN OF 146 PEOPLE THAT YOU'VE NEVER VISITED GIVES YOU EXPERIENCE TO BE THE LEADER OF THE FREE WORLD?!?
I haven't even mentioned this lady's grasp(ish) of the economy, I think ya'll get my point. Folks, I don't support John McCain in this campaign, but I can't say that he is not qualified to be president. Sarah Palin, however, is NOT fit, NOT capable, and NOT knowledgeable enough to be the commander in chief at a moment's notice, and that's not a joke.
Friday, September 26, 2008
McCain wins debate before even deciding to attend?
Should we have expected anything else? It is now proven that John McCain doesn't use his once "maverick" approach to win votes, but instead is just more of the same. Taking time off from the campaign to fly to Washington to "fix" the economic crisis we are in, Senator McCain's staff was busy preparing an ad declaring him the victor of the debate he said he wouldn't attend until the crisis was over. Last time I checked, the crisis is still in full force, John McCain is now re-attending the debate and has released an ad before he even publicly announced he would be attending the debate "he won."
How is this man fit for president? It was bad enough that he tried to fool the American public into thinking he was trying to fix the economic crisis by traveling to Washington (having not been in on the Hill to vote since April 10th), knowing the whole time he was the one who, as the Senate Commerce Committee chairman, pushed for deregulation of the industry; which most attribute to the crisis' start. Now he has lied again by saying his campaign was suspended, but in reality there have been numerous accounts of his ground campaign from state to state continuing from fundraising, to door-to-door, to phone calls, to sign placements (this was affirmed by one of my professors, Beth Harwell, who serves as the State co-chair for McCain and is the former TNGOP Chairwoman). Not only are the state levels active, his national campaign was active as well - making this ad declaring him the victor of a debate he wasn't even planning to attend; OR was he planning to attend and used the faux suspension as a political ploy? I am going with the latter and going to repeat it again, "John McCain is just more of the same."
(This was typed hastily in class, but had to get the news out there.)
Monday, September 22, 2008
The John McCain I Love(d)
They say admission is the first step toward healing, so here it goes: I am a recovering McCainiac. It's true, I used to love John McCain. The_Idealist and I both worked a fundraiser for Senator McCain last year and neither of us had shame about being the only folks in attendance to ask for an autograph. When getting our picture made, we told the Senator and his aide how we were willing to do anything we could to help if he decided to run for president again. I thought that man was great, a hero for common sense politics. But alas, my hero has gone M.I.A. So here's my plea and call for Johnny Mac to return...
I miss the John McCain who stood up for common sense immigration reform which doesn't make immigrants out to be vicious psychopaths hell bent on destroying America. This John McCain reached across party lines, a real maverick, who was willing to work with the likes of Ted Kennedy to get this bi-partisan bill up and have a fighting chance before extremists from both sides shut it down. NOW John McCain sides with those extremists who killed his own bill, and has even said publicly that if his own bill came up for a vote then he'd vote nay. And they said John KERRY was a flip-flop...
I miss the John McCain who wanted what was best for his country. Even when folks didn't agree with him, they knew John McCain wanted what was best for America deep down. He aligned himself with folks with the experience, work ethic, and willingness to leave America a better place, even if that meant working with like-minded Democrats . NOW John McCain has sold America out with his pick of Sarah Palin, a lady no one can argue has considerably less experience and record than any one else he could have chosen. By choosing this lady, John McCain sold America out to the right wing of his party to try to win an election, but not to lead a country. He sold America out by going against his morals of choosing a strong leader of foreign policy like Tom Ridge or Joe Lieberman. Instead he chose a lady whose chief foreign policy credential is being able to see the outermost reaches of Russia from the outer most reaches of her state. As a Senator in the student government at the University of Georgia, I HAD MORE CONSTITUENTS THEN MS. PALIN DID 3 YEARS AGO! Ms. Palin only got her passport a year ago for crying out loud! How was she more qualified than anyone else in America to be a heart-beat away from the presidency?
I miss the John McCain who was too honorable to stoop in to gutter politics, using race and religion as a bludgeon. When Karl Rove and George W. Bush stoked rumors during the 2000 presidential race that McCain's adopted daughter (of Bangladesh descent) was actually an illegitimate child, Senator McCain did not respond with a cheap shot back. He was more willing to lose an election than sacrifice the honor he forged. NOW John McCain has hired Steve Schmidt, one of the same people on George W. Bush's crew who started that rumor 8 years ago about his daughter to be his day-to-day campaign manager. Senator McCain has rolled out ad after ad containing lie after lie during this election, so much so that even Saturday Night Live took note. Some other highlights include the Associated Press, CNN, and Politico running fact checks on him, decrying the honesty of his ads. CBS News, Fox News, and Fact Check.Com have all demanded that misleading ads containing their names be taken down. The Wall Street Journal, one of the most conservative editorial boards in America, called John McCain's comments "unpresidential." Even Karl Rove, the evil genius said that McCain's ads "didn't pass the 100 percent truth test." MOST DISGUSTING OF ALL THOUGH, is the ad in which Senator McCain accused Barack Obama of being a disgusting pervert wanting to teach Kindergarteners how to have sex. Senator Obama's bill was designed to teach young children about inappropriate touching and he knows it. This ad is disgusting and insulting to Barack Obama as the father of two young girls and is the same filthy tactics George Bush used against him. Frankly, John McCain should be ashamed of himself, I know I am.
I miss the John McCain who united the parties, not divided. The John McCain who put America first, not second to political ambitions. The John McCain whose principled leadership made up for the policy differences I had with him. The John McCain who, whether one agreed with him or not, took an open and honest stand for all to see. The John McCain who had the guts to vote against the George W. Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans TWICE, now wants to make them permanent because he's a line tower. The John McCain who bucked Republicans and Democrats for campaign finance reform, before voting in lockstep with George W. Bush 90 percent of the time.
THIS was the John McCain I loved, my hero, and I don't know where he's gone.
I miss the John McCain who stood up for common sense immigration reform which doesn't make immigrants out to be vicious psychopaths hell bent on destroying America. This John McCain reached across party lines, a real maverick, who was willing to work with the likes of Ted Kennedy to get this bi-partisan bill up and have a fighting chance before extremists from both sides shut it down. NOW John McCain sides with those extremists who killed his own bill, and has even said publicly that if his own bill came up for a vote then he'd vote nay. And they said John KERRY was a flip-flop...
I miss the John McCain who wanted what was best for his country. Even when folks didn't agree with him, they knew John McCain wanted what was best for America deep down. He aligned himself with folks with the experience, work ethic, and willingness to leave America a better place, even if that meant working with like-minded Democrats . NOW John McCain has sold America out with his pick of Sarah Palin, a lady no one can argue has considerably less experience and record than any one else he could have chosen. By choosing this lady, John McCain sold America out to the right wing of his party to try to win an election, but not to lead a country. He sold America out by going against his morals of choosing a strong leader of foreign policy like Tom Ridge or Joe Lieberman. Instead he chose a lady whose chief foreign policy credential is being able to see the outermost reaches of Russia from the outer most reaches of her state. As a Senator in the student government at the University of Georgia, I HAD MORE CONSTITUENTS THEN MS. PALIN DID 3 YEARS AGO! Ms. Palin only got her passport a year ago for crying out loud! How was she more qualified than anyone else in America to be a heart-beat away from the presidency?
I miss the John McCain who was too honorable to stoop in to gutter politics, using race and religion as a bludgeon. When Karl Rove and George W. Bush stoked rumors during the 2000 presidential race that McCain's adopted daughter (of Bangladesh descent) was actually an illegitimate child, Senator McCain did not respond with a cheap shot back. He was more willing to lose an election than sacrifice the honor he forged. NOW John McCain has hired Steve Schmidt, one of the same people on George W. Bush's crew who started that rumor 8 years ago about his daughter to be his day-to-day campaign manager. Senator McCain has rolled out ad after ad containing lie after lie during this election, so much so that even Saturday Night Live took note. Some other highlights include the Associated Press, CNN, and Politico running fact checks on him, decrying the honesty of his ads. CBS News, Fox News, and Fact Check.Com have all demanded that misleading ads containing their names be taken down. The Wall Street Journal, one of the most conservative editorial boards in America, called John McCain's comments "unpresidential." Even Karl Rove, the evil genius said that McCain's ads "didn't pass the 100 percent truth test." MOST DISGUSTING OF ALL THOUGH, is the ad in which Senator McCain accused Barack Obama of being a disgusting pervert wanting to teach Kindergarteners how to have sex. Senator Obama's bill was designed to teach young children about inappropriate touching and he knows it. This ad is disgusting and insulting to Barack Obama as the father of two young girls and is the same filthy tactics George Bush used against him. Frankly, John McCain should be ashamed of himself, I know I am.
I miss the John McCain who united the parties, not divided. The John McCain who put America first, not second to political ambitions. The John McCain whose principled leadership made up for the policy differences I had with him. The John McCain who, whether one agreed with him or not, took an open and honest stand for all to see. The John McCain who had the guts to vote against the George W. Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans TWICE, now wants to make them permanent because he's a line tower. The John McCain who bucked Republicans and Democrats for campaign finance reform, before voting in lockstep with George W. Bush 90 percent of the time.
THIS was the John McCain I loved, my hero, and I don't know where he's gone.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Taxes: We all hate them.... (even Democrats)
So we're hearing the old mantras from both sides again. Democrats are saying, "Those darn Republicans, giving tax breaks to the wealthy and not the working class." (Cue John Edwards and a story about veterans sleeping on grates) Then the good ol' Repubs are giving the "Democrats will raise your taxes, heck they'll tax oxygen!" speech again. This video, with numbers from the non-partisan Tax Policy Center will shed a little light in the muck. This video however will show you the future Heisman trophy winner flying... literally.
By the way, it's 9/11. If you haven't thanked God for the blessing it is to be alive or thanked a veteran for giving you the freedoms you enjoy, do it. God bless you guys and God bless America. And Go Dawgs!
By the way, it's 9/11. If you haven't thanked God for the blessing it is to be alive or thanked a veteran for giving you the freedoms you enjoy, do it. God bless you guys and God bless America. And Go Dawgs!
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Would Sarah Palin be an advocate for disabled kids?
So one of the few things we actually know about this lady who want to be vice-president is that she has a baby, Trig, who has Down's Syndrome. This issue is near to my heart because of a close friend I had growing up named Mark who had Down's whose love for life and people changed my life. Ms. Palin has not been shy about toting Trig around on stage and has used his birth to rally the anti-choice (as both parties now have in their constitution to reduce the number of abortions in America) crowd to her side since she did not have an abortion. Ms. Palin, who went back to work in the governor's office a shocking THREE DAYS after having Trig, remarked in her address during the Republican Convention that parents who have children with special needs would have a 'friend in the White House.' Let's take a closer look at the actual facts to see what kind of a 'friend' Ms. Palin was to children in need in Alaska.
To be fair to all sides, I'm going to clarify some rumors from the left. Rumors have been floating around that Ms. Palin cut funding to Special Education in Alaska by 64%. These cuts were a shift in accounting practices by the "Alaska Challenge Youth Program," a military program for high school dropouts (it kind of baffles me though that this type of program is coupled with developmental disorders for babies like Trig though). Anyway, this link will give you more info into that stuff. What I'd like us to notice is what kind of advocate Ms. Palin was for CHILDREN with Autism Spectrum Disorders, because a program for high school dropouts, while great and everything, just doesn't cut it for me.
A non-profit organization called The Commonwealth Fund, which studies health policy, recently conducted a state-by-state study of child healthcare systems. One would expect that the 'advocate for children' would have made her state rank near the top. However, Alaska ranked 42nd in measures of health care access, quality, costs, equity and health outcomes in children. Included in the study were several indicators that related directly to children with special health care needs. Of children aged 1-17 with an identified emotional, behavioral, or developmental problem, only 52% had received mental health care the last year (rank: 47). For children with special health care needs needing referrals to specialty care, only 23% got them (rank: 32). And while it doesn't apply specifically to children with special needs (but certainly affects their quality of care), only 38% of Alaskan children have a medical home (rank: 47). (These rankings were found first at THESOCCERMOMVOTE.COM. So let me ask the obvious, What in the world kind of advocate is that??? I think I would rather hire Phil Fulmer to be my advocate for why the Georgia Bulldogs are awesome or an apple farmer to tell me why pears are so delicious. So Ms. Palin.... YOU GOT SOME 'SPLAININ TO DOOOOOO!!!!!
On the contrary Sen. Obama has a stellar record as a champion of children with developmental disorders. As a state senator AND as a U.S. senator, Barack Obama championed bills that increased health coverage and health screenings for children with autism spectrum disorders. As President, he'll end the war on science that has been waged by George Bush and John McCain and free the greatest minds in the world to research how we can stop these genetic disorders in their tracks. If you want to see more of his positions and ideas, I highly suggest you check out this link, because I could go on about this for a while.
Folks, the fact of the matter is that while I praise Ms. Palin for keeping her child, it saddens me that as Governor of Alaska, she found time hire a lobbyist to go to Washington to secure an earmark to build a new hockey rink with heated seats so she could watch her kids play in Wasilla, but could not find time to improve the lives of children with special needs in Alaska. That's not the change we need, and that's no maverick, that's just more of the same.
To be fair to all sides, I'm going to clarify some rumors from the left. Rumors have been floating around that Ms. Palin cut funding to Special Education in Alaska by 64%. These cuts were a shift in accounting practices by the "Alaska Challenge Youth Program," a military program for high school dropouts (it kind of baffles me though that this type of program is coupled with developmental disorders for babies like Trig though). Anyway, this link will give you more info into that stuff. What I'd like us to notice is what kind of advocate Ms. Palin was for CHILDREN with Autism Spectrum Disorders, because a program for high school dropouts, while great and everything, just doesn't cut it for me.
A non-profit organization called The Commonwealth Fund, which studies health policy, recently conducted a state-by-state study of child healthcare systems. One would expect that the 'advocate for children' would have made her state rank near the top. However, Alaska ranked 42nd in measures of health care access, quality, costs, equity and health outcomes in children. Included in the study were several indicators that related directly to children with special health care needs. Of children aged 1-17 with an identified emotional, behavioral, or developmental problem, only 52% had received mental health care the last year (rank: 47). For children with special health care needs needing referrals to specialty care, only 23% got them (rank: 32). And while it doesn't apply specifically to children with special needs (but certainly affects their quality of care), only 38% of Alaskan children have a medical home (rank: 47). (These rankings were found first at THESOCCERMOMVOTE.COM. So let me ask the obvious, What in the world kind of advocate is that??? I think I would rather hire Phil Fulmer to be my advocate for why the Georgia Bulldogs are awesome or an apple farmer to tell me why pears are so delicious. So Ms. Palin.... YOU GOT SOME 'SPLAININ TO DOOOOOO!!!!!
On the contrary Sen. Obama has a stellar record as a champion of children with developmental disorders. As a state senator AND as a U.S. senator, Barack Obama championed bills that increased health coverage and health screenings for children with autism spectrum disorders. As President, he'll end the war on science that has been waged by George Bush and John McCain and free the greatest minds in the world to research how we can stop these genetic disorders in their tracks. If you want to see more of his positions and ideas, I highly suggest you check out this link, because I could go on about this for a while.
Folks, the fact of the matter is that while I praise Ms. Palin for keeping her child, it saddens me that as Governor of Alaska, she found time hire a lobbyist to go to Washington to secure an earmark to build a new hockey rink with heated seats so she could watch her kids play in Wasilla, but could not find time to improve the lives of children with special needs in Alaska. That's not the change we need, and that's no maverick, that's just more of the same.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Not issues, but composite view?
Laura Bush and Cindy McCain must read the Washington Post. In a recent interview, McCain campaign manager Rick Davis asserted that, "This election is not about issues. This election is about a composite view of what people take away from these candidates." Heeding to his advice, the Bush-McCain ladies wore outfits totaling an estimated $313,000, according to a Vanity Fair article this week.
I'm curious; I thought this campaign was about the issues. I thought McCain and the GOP establishment wanted 'substance' behind the 'empty rhetoric of change and hope.' I thought that this campaign shouldn't be about speeches and oratory skills, but rather substance and proven records. Well, at any rate, the women of the GOP made sure that they looked their best at the convention this week, taking Davis' advice; proving again that the McCain and Bush families are out of touch with the American public.
Did I mention that $300,000 of the $313,000 was Cindy McCain's outfit alone? It comes as no surprise that Sen. McCain couldn't answer the question of how many homes he owns; according to the Census Bureau, Cindy's outfit alone could purchase a house at the national average in 2006!
Since when did the Grand OLD Party decide that they were the ones in touch with Americans and that Sen. Obama and the Democrats are 'elitists' - as Mitt Romney likes to put it. I guess they decided that before Cindy bought a $300,000 outfit; because I can guarantee you one thing, no middle class family - that does care about the issues, does listen to the speeches, does feel the effects of this real economic down-turn (as opposed to the 'mental' one that McCain's economic advisers suggest we are in), hurt when gas prices rise (and McCain's campaign war chest grows as a result) and that DO KNOW how many homes they own - is going to be able to buy a $300,000 outfit.
Well, after all, this election 'isn't about issues,' rather the 'composite view' of the candidates/ I would assume this same standard applies to the wives, so my apologies to the Bush-McCain families, they were just making sure that the convention viewers from Middle America took away a good view of their ladies, or should I say their Oscar de la Renta dresses and three carat diamond earrings.
Who, exactly, is in touch with you?
A little humor to add to below post
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/4/112427/7366/516/586295
Sorry I don't know how to embed it directly yet. Cut and paste. It is worth it
Sorry I don't know how to embed it directly yet. Cut and paste. It is worth it
Sarah Palin: Unfair Press or Actual Vetting Process
First of all, welcome to POLITIFIRE. Hopefully you'll enjoy the perspective and will help you come to practical, free-thinking perspectives on the world we live in. We'll delve into some tough issues about the future of our country and how we can affect it at a grass roots level.
Alright, on to the first post. The past half week has been dominated by the newest 'celebrity' (yes, pun intended) in this campaign, Sarah Palin. Governor Palin, who built a reputation as a reformer in her year and a half as the Governor in America's final frontier. Among the headlines the McCain camp attempted to push were that she was a whistleblower in her own party when she saw ethics violations as well pushed through a natural gas pipeline that has been holed up for many years Gov. Palin was introduced last Friday as a surprise pick to everyone, including many Republican insiders. Republican pundints are mixed, from Rush Limbaugh calling her a "home f***ing run" to Wall Street Journal commentator Peggy Noonan who called the pick "BullS**t." Certainly her pick has sent shockwaves down both sides of the isle: making James Dobson and his Neo-Conservative followers happy an anti-choice candidate was chosen, ACTUALLY making Glen Beck excited about this race, and causing silent giggles from Democrats who are giddy that John McCain has just tossed the experience card out of the 'Straight Talk Express.'
After the initial shock of pick and folks realized "Oh my gosh, he wasn't kidding," Americans were left this Labor Day weekend to find out who this kinda hot old gal was who wanted to be one 72 year old heartbeat away from being the leader of the free world. As we found out more about her, it became painfully obvious that John McCain's vetting process is about as stringent as public intoxication laws on Bourbon Street. Among other things, which we'll discuss in later posts, the media (whoever "they" are) had to do the job the McCain campaign didn't allow us to do earlier by not floating her name. So one of the first things we find out is that Gov. Palin is a mother of five and that the baby of the family has Down's Syndrome. Immediately John Roberts from CNN was lambasted by his own colleague Dana Bash, the McCain correspondent, with the charge that by inquiring about the amount of time it would take to take care of this young child and its affect of the vice-presidency, he was a sexist because he might not have asked the same question to a man. Later in the long weekend we find out that Gov. Palin's second oldest child, 17 year old Bristol, is pregnant.
Ok now for the meat of all of this. Is this relevant? Should Gov. Palin be dropped? Should UGA still be ranked #1? Sorry, I get carried away, but yes the dawgs still rule. Of course this stuff is relevant. Look, the extent of our knowledge of this lady was that she's a woman and that she's hot. We deserve to get to know her family. Didn't America think it was relevant to find out about Barack Obama's pastor? Or what about whether he was a Muslim? Or what about whether his wife loves America? Or what about if he went to a Muslim school or not? The media was not being racist were they? No, they were doing their job. This is not to say that political points should be scored by campaigns over a 17 year old. (Although I do find the irony that it is ok to question the honorable military service of John Kerry but when the tables are turned...) The Obama campaign has been careful to distance itself from this rhetoric. What is relevant about Bristol Palin is that her mom OPPOSES the same sex education in public schools that could have saved her and her boyfriend an unwanted pregnancy.(His words: I'm a F***ing redneck, I don't want no kids) Let's not forget, it was SARAH PALIN who thrust her daughter into the media spotlight, not the liberals at the Huffington Post. It was SARAH PALIN who made this young girl, like it or not, co-poster child for teen pregnancy with Britney Spears little sister. What should the media have done, ignored the story? Or better yet, take the National Right to Life's talking points and praise her for her "choice" (ironic they use the word choice when Gov. Palin wants to take that choice away) to keep the baby. No, the media is simply an easy target because 'media' is a general term and because they're an easy target since they won't defend themselves at the risk of sounding partisan. I'll talk more about Gov. Palin's capabilities in other posts, this is just to get us started. Disclaimer: PLEASE DISAGREE WITH ME!! THIS DESERVES DISCUSSION!
Alright, on to the first post. The past half week has been dominated by the newest 'celebrity' (yes, pun intended) in this campaign, Sarah Palin. Governor Palin, who built a reputation as a reformer in her year and a half as the Governor in America's final frontier. Among the headlines the McCain camp attempted to push were that she was a whistleblower in her own party when she saw ethics violations as well pushed through a natural gas pipeline that has been holed up for many years Gov. Palin was introduced last Friday as a surprise pick to everyone, including many Republican insiders. Republican pundints are mixed, from Rush Limbaugh calling her a "home f***ing run" to Wall Street Journal commentator Peggy Noonan who called the pick "BullS**t." Certainly her pick has sent shockwaves down both sides of the isle: making James Dobson and his Neo-Conservative followers happy an anti-choice candidate was chosen, ACTUALLY making Glen Beck excited about this race, and causing silent giggles from Democrats who are giddy that John McCain has just tossed the experience card out of the 'Straight Talk Express.'
After the initial shock of pick and folks realized "Oh my gosh, he wasn't kidding," Americans were left this Labor Day weekend to find out who this kinda hot old gal was who wanted to be one 72 year old heartbeat away from being the leader of the free world. As we found out more about her, it became painfully obvious that John McCain's vetting process is about as stringent as public intoxication laws on Bourbon Street. Among other things, which we'll discuss in later posts, the media (whoever "they" are) had to do the job the McCain campaign didn't allow us to do earlier by not floating her name. So one of the first things we find out is that Gov. Palin is a mother of five and that the baby of the family has Down's Syndrome. Immediately John Roberts from CNN was lambasted by his own colleague Dana Bash, the McCain correspondent, with the charge that by inquiring about the amount of time it would take to take care of this young child and its affect of the vice-presidency, he was a sexist because he might not have asked the same question to a man. Later in the long weekend we find out that Gov. Palin's second oldest child, 17 year old Bristol, is pregnant.
Ok now for the meat of all of this. Is this relevant? Should Gov. Palin be dropped? Should UGA still be ranked #1? Sorry, I get carried away, but yes the dawgs still rule. Of course this stuff is relevant. Look, the extent of our knowledge of this lady was that she's a woman and that she's hot. We deserve to get to know her family. Didn't America think it was relevant to find out about Barack Obama's pastor? Or what about whether he was a Muslim? Or what about whether his wife loves America? Or what about if he went to a Muslim school or not? The media was not being racist were they? No, they were doing their job. This is not to say that political points should be scored by campaigns over a 17 year old. (Although I do find the irony that it is ok to question the honorable military service of John Kerry but when the tables are turned...) The Obama campaign has been careful to distance itself from this rhetoric. What is relevant about Bristol Palin is that her mom OPPOSES the same sex education in public schools that could have saved her and her boyfriend an unwanted pregnancy.(His words: I'm a F***ing redneck, I don't want no kids) Let's not forget, it was SARAH PALIN who thrust her daughter into the media spotlight, not the liberals at the Huffington Post. It was SARAH PALIN who made this young girl, like it or not, co-poster child for teen pregnancy with Britney Spears little sister. What should the media have done, ignored the story? Or better yet, take the National Right to Life's talking points and praise her for her "choice" (ironic they use the word choice when Gov. Palin wants to take that choice away) to keep the baby. No, the media is simply an easy target because 'media' is a general term and because they're an easy target since they won't defend themselves at the risk of sounding partisan. I'll talk more about Gov. Palin's capabilities in other posts, this is just to get us started. Disclaimer: PLEASE DISAGREE WITH ME!! THIS DESERVES DISCUSSION!
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