Why A Christian Should Not Vote Republican

A Christian should not vote Republican in general but should consider the Democrats or begin a new political party with the best of both worlds as Christians are called to do but with this election at hand there is no time to start a new political party so let us consider:

In the Holy Bible nations led by the righteous do not come under a curse but become blessed. Clearly under the leadership of Bush and the Republicans America has been anything but blessed. Consider this; It has been cursed by successful attack from enemies on 9-11. It has been cursed with the largest fiscal deficit in the nations history. It has been cursed with the worst natual disaster in U.S. history and the lack of wisdom to handle it. It is cursed with a war on a nation, a nation that did not attack us, that is draining our resources to the brink. It is cursed with disfavor among nations as we embrace torture and immoral war and as a result becoming cursed with fear and lack of courageous leadership resulting in surviellence spying everywhere bringing us closer to that Orwellian apocalyptic nightmare. It is cursed with the most disastrous economic collapse since the great depression ushering in the socialization of banks and catastrophic widespread unemployment caused by the economic ideology of the Republican party, that is the ideology of giving to the rich the power to do as they wish with unbridled, unregulated capitalism. An economic collapse in which we have not yet begun to see the full ramifications. This nation has been cursed under the leadership of the Republican party and the witness of Christianity has been tarnished worldwide because of this nation's misguided leadership.

The Republican party serves and represents the rich and powerful. If the last 8 years do not show you that what ever will. Under the Republicans we have seen the gap between the rich and poor grow to record proportions,larger than it has been in the last 60 years with the strong middle class we had in the 50's to 70's all but disappearing. The Republicans demonize the idea of sharing the wealth when it comes to moving it from the rich to the poor but in blatant hypocrisy with specially crafted legislation they have been sharing the wealth away from the middle class up to the rich for years now but especially the last decade and you, a citizen of this nation, should be spitting nails over this.
The word of God is very clear about the ways of the rich and his concern for the poor. It is a fundamental characteristic of God that some Christians have lost in the haze. The Democrats have long held the interests of the poor and middle class in higher priority than the rich for the very reason which God understands, that the rich take care of themselves but the Republicans love to take care of the rich for the favors that money can buy. The new testament is replete with scriptures on this. This is not narrow political issue but is a broad issue concerning the entire structure of society. It is a broad fundamental article of belief and the bible is uncompromising and crystal clear on the rich and poor. Here are some of those scriptures and more:

Lk 1:51 "He will scatter the proud and haughty, exalt the lowly, satisfy the hungry, send the rich away empty. (the song of praise about Jesus the messiah)
Lk 4: minister to poor, liberate downtrodden and oppressed
Lk 4: 22-30 Jesus puts truth over "positive correctness"
Lk 6: 24-25 Sorrow for the rich and prosperous well fed.
Lk 6: 27-35 Love your enemies, Do good to those who hate you. Turn other cheek. Lend to those who cannot repay.
Lk 6: 37-38 Do not judge and condemn. Forgive and be forgiven
Mk 7: 20-23 Murder, Adultery, Greed, Deceit, Slander, Pride listed together.
Lk 9: 23-25 Save your life and lose it. Deny Himself.
Lk 9: 48 Whoever is the least is the greatest.
Lk 10: 27-35 Our neighbors. Also those in nations we dislike.

Lk 11: 39-40 outside clean, inside greedy and wicked.
Lk 12: 15 Beware of greed, life not measured by possessions.
Lk 12: 16-21 Parable of rich fool. earthly wealthy
Lk 12: 22-34 Teaching on money and possessions
Lk 12: 34 Where your treasure is, there your heart is also
Lk 11: 42 Concern over tithing. Forgetting justice and love.

Lk 12: 11-12 Holy Spirit tells us what to say before our accusers.
Lk 14: 12-14 At dinner, instead of inviting friends and relatives, invite the poor who cannot repay.
Lk 15: 1 Jesus also ate with sinners & despicable people.
Lk 16: 13 You cannot serve both God and Money.
Lk 16: 8-9 Be as shrewed for Christ as the worldly are shrewed for themselves.
Ro 1: 29-31 Whisperers, backbiters listed among wickedness.
Lk 16: 14-15 Lovers of money will deride you. Lovers of appearences.
Lk 17: 3-4 Patience and forbearence of forgiveness
Lk 17: 20-21 Kingdom of God among us, not visible.
Lk 18: 1-8 Do not give up praying, God grants justice quickly.
Lk 18: 18-30 The rich ruler.
Lk 19: 45-46 Jesus throws out those buying and selling in the temple.

2Cor 5:21-21 To live for Christ ignoring outward appearances.
Gal 2 Addresses the hypocrisy of setting aside God's grace, forgiveness and truth for worrying about what others may think.
Gal 6: 10 Doing good to all, not just believers.
2 Cor 13: 5-6 Examine yourselves
Gal 5: 13-14 Not to use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh but to serve one another. "Love your neighbor as yourself".

James 2: 14-26 Faith without works is dead: works meaning feeding and clothing the poor. -15
Eph 2:3 Consider "children of wrath" also as in those who tear down, destroy, eager to war. A spirit that desires vengeance, judgement, punishment.
Eph 4: 28 Through labor giving to those in need, sharing.

Phil 2: 3-8 Counter to a dog eat dog every man for himself society.
Phil 4:8 Meditate on what is pure, true, noble, just, virtue

1Ti 6: 17-19 Let the rich do good works, willing to share.
1Ti 6: 10 Love of money root of all evil.
1Ti 6: 3-10 On greed, arguing-men who think godliness is gain
2Ti 2: 22-26 Pursue faith, love, and peace teaching others in gentleness, kindness, humility so others may repent.
2Ti 3: 1-9 Men in last days - lovers of money, proud, boasters, unforgiving, brutal, headstrong, haughty, having a form of godliness but denying it's power. Men of corrupt minds who resist truth but progress no further & fully is manifest to all.
2Ti 3: 16-17 All scripture good for instruction toward good works.
Titus 2: 14 Should be zealous for good works.

Acts 8: 27-38 Philip leads Ethiopian(black) man to Christ, by all signs treated like anyone else 2000 years ago.
Acts 2: 44-47 Disciples had all things in common, sold possessions and shared according to need.
Acts 3: 6 Silver and gold I do not have but what I do have I give you: "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk".
Acts 4: 32-35 Disciples shared possessions and shared among each other according to need.
Acts 19: 23-38 Businessmen using underhanded ways against disciples because profits are threatened.
2Cor 8: 11-15 Encouraging giving, equality, sharing.
2Cor 9: 5-15 Give cheerfully, not grudgingly, generously to the poor. Example of giving to others far away.
2Cor 10: 3-6 Christians do not Wage War like the world.
2Cor 3: 6-18 New covenant over the old covenant.
2Cor 13: 11 Live in harmony and peace.

The Democrats, far from perfect are far more in line with the word of God on this. In the New Testament it was clear that Jesus and the disciples had the favor of the people. It is referred to in several passages of scripture. It was important to God to reach the mass of people with His word. The Democrats clearly represent the majority of people since there are many more middle class and poor than there are rich and certainly more than any making over 250 thousand a year. Republican efforts to hinder expansion of voter registration primarily involving the poor speaks for itself. God wants to reach the greater mass of poorer people, he wants to have their ear but if this mass of people see chrisitianity favoring the rich how do you think that makes them feel about God. Ever wondered why we have such an expanding secular society? It is becasue today's christians especially those evangelical christians have too long given favor to the Republicans, the servants of the rich. Millions of Americans but especially the young are falling into the hands of the dark one because they see no justice around them anymore. Short of creating their own political party Christians need to return to the Democratic party in order to demonstrate to the greater mass of people God's concern for them, God's love for them.

God clearly demonstrated his sense of social justice in the biblical books of Numbers, Deuteronomy,Leviticus,and of course the New Testament and the Democrats make this one of their highest priorities. This is not a justice concerning one or two issues but is social justice spanning all aspects of society. Democrats champion this concern as God does. God often speaks out against corruption and the Democrats are not perfect but they have been a proponet of ethics reform and reform of money in politics. The Republicans have at every turn opposed the reform of money in politics just as they opposed campaign finance reform.
The Holy Bible talks about adultery not only in the literal sense but also in the symbolic sense involving the buying off of power with money economically and politically. God demands honesty and integrity in government and the Republican party has been anything but; opposing reform of corruption literally at every turn as their congress is well known to be the most corrupt congress in U.S. history.
One has to ask, just what does a Christian support. The religious right certainly know they have nothing but primarily two issues of gay marriage and abortion but the Republicans are no different than the Democrats on the issue of gay marriage so that one is out the window and on abortion the Republicans have done little or nothing thereby keeping some christians attached to them for the purpose of getting their vote in order get into power to continue serving the rich. That might seem cynicial but look at the scriptures above on greed, the rich and powerful. Some Christians today might be naive but God is anything but. In Luke 16:13 elevating money to the example of the thing that you cannot serve and also serve Him should say it all. Christians are being manipulated by the rich and powerful today just like they always have been and were so vulnerable to as demonstrated by the words in the new testament.
Look at the broader issues that involve christian honor and integrity not just one or two issues and ask yourself; just where should I come down on all this? Are those one or two issues handled with responsiblity and honor to the point that I should vote for that party based on those results. I believe that if you give this a fair hearing you will find you may have a better political home and a broader harvest field of receptive ears that could turn back this ever growing secular society to Christ.
Christians need to take back the party of the people, the Democratic party, not waiting for the Democrats to line up with them on every issue huddling back into a defensive "conservative" position but should just as Jesus and the disciples did go forward offensively into the world with courage and resolve so that the larger mass of people will see Christianity clearly, once again, has a sense of justice that will open their hearts and ears to God's word and ways. With the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer the people yearn to see God on their side again.
With God, the soul of the many poor are as least as valuable as the soul of those few with money and possessions. If we are to be wise harvesters we must appeal to the many more poor or middle class. If we do, you haven't seen anything yet.

A Case For McCain

This blog has been very critical of the Republican party and some of John McCain's campaign tactics but the truth is, McCain or at least I do not believe McCain is a dyed in the wool Republican by any stretch. He is probably one of the least republican Republicans in congress and thusly I suppose is the reason the Republicans put him up to this election task after the last 8 years of Republican debacle. Personally I believe John McCain is saying most of what he says on the campaign trail to keep the Republican base in line, that is, motivated and ready to come out and support him in November. His advisors have told him he must do this to be elected but make no mistake, McCain finds this repugnant. So why can he tolerate "repugnate"? Because he has been through the toughest gut checks a man can probably go through and one more for the sake of his country is not so hard to summon up.

I do not believe you are hearing the real McCain in this campaign. The truth is I believe he will end the Iraq war possibly quicker than Obama if a new rationale can be made to do so. I also believe he will come back around to opposing any more tax cuts for the rich. You see, McCain has already said he is in this for one term. In other words he is letting some know, who are concerned enough to read between the lines, that he will not be trying to get votes for another term which in effect means he is going to do what he always believed he should do and those are the positions he has held most of his career prior to the last two years of personal subjugation to the Republican base. Why do I believe that? Because he has chosen to stand alone refusing to go along with the Republican party on many issues. When he could have taken the easy path, he did not. He has demonstrated political courage rarely seen in politicians these days and such character should not be dismissed easily. Let me repeat, such character should not be dismissed easily. The U.S. congress is awash with cowardice in so many matters involving money with far too many congressman having little backbone to stand up to the influence of money but John McCain has stood up to the power of money countless times on the senate floor. He is not a money serving politician to the extent of most Republicans. He strongly believes that no one should be able to buy political power with money and this is at the crux of why John McCain is a good candidate for president. The desires of the people are not being met in the halls of our government. If you look at virtually all the polls on varying issues of the day you will see how our government virtually ignores those desires almost across the board and the reason for that is that the rich, the powerful people, the corporations are using their money to buy off our congressman to get them to vote against the will of the people and vote for the greedy policies of themselves, the rich and powerful. In simple terms McCain thinks this sucks, and it does. It is base servile cowardice to the power of money.

John McCain has the necessary mettle and he will stick to his principles when it comes down to reforming government in order to return it to the intended integrity of the founders. If there is a reason he should be elected president it is this; that he will actually bring change to Washington by taking corrupt money out of our political system, not talking about it but actually carrying through with it. He has walked the talk. There is a lot of desperately needed change the Democrats will bring to the country but McCain is poised to bring the most fundamental change, the change that will return the power of the government back to the people. This is the truth.

Make no mistake, reforming money's influence in politics will make the many other things possible which the Democrats and the people have desired. You see, McCain's position makes sense, it is just that he can never articulate it as such if he wants to get out the Republican base to vote for him and that is his only hope of election. It is the reason that the Republican establishment have never favored him and why he has been on the outside of their little money serving country club world.
Remember that in 2000 McCain almost ran as a candidate of the Reform party, the party of Ross Perot but at the last minute he saw that too much of the Reform party was extremist at both ends of the spectrum. McCain is commited to reforming money in government and that is real change, the biggest change that any politician can bring today. If elected McCain will blow this thing wide open and all the talk from the Democrats on reform will be put to the test as there will be no veto block from McCain on passing reform but there will be taunting from McCain if the Democrats back out. Do you really think this will not occur when after all those years McCain has been rejected by his own party and stood alone and put up with so much flak in supporting money reform of which the Republicans opposed. It will occur and the Democrats had better be ready to face the day. On that day if courage prevails real fundamental change will come to America.
Obama has been pushing this reform of political money since he got into politics but there is concern over just how beholding he will be to the number of contributors to his campaign. He has set record levels of campaign contributions and refused to keep his promise of only accepting federal election money for his campaign as McCain did. McCain stuck to his principles of limiting money even as the election of his life was on the line and that says volumes.

There is concern that Obama is becoming the establishment candidate who will do whatever he must to ensure the continued success of the first black candidate for president meaning a presidency similiar to Clinton's yielding no real reform of political money, no rocking the boat of his contributors that can help his presidency run smoothly. Conversely there is no doubt the establishment fears McCains candidacy with his proven resolve and audacity of courage since they may lose their establishment money influence over congressman. Again; McCain stuck to his principles of limiting money even as the election of his life was on the line. With Obama it is a matter of belief in the heart of the man and the cause of a community worker and it is in truth a heart and a cause with proven integrity but when it comes to money in politics there is the proven record of McCain. The truth, it must be remembered, is that both men have made compromises but both aspire to bringing change they have commited their life to.

If you believe that taking money out of politics is going to get you, the people, the influence that you should once again have in government, that cutting politicans off from the money of the rich so that your vote can have it's proper impact on those politicians to run this government the way you want it run and should be run then consider all this on November 4th, 2008.

The truth as this blog sees it is that this nation needs a Democratic president and a Democratic congress in order to correct the many across the board mistakes and injustices from the last eight years but it is also true that either way you vote this November you will get significant change for the better.

McCain/Palin Down to The South In The Mouth or "how the Republican religious right lost their moral authority"

The Republican right and "religious" right are back at it again swiftboating in with their usual underhanded unchristian sleeze tactics, so characteristic of their corrupt service to the love of money, using lies, inuendo and slander to attack anyone opposed to their agenda with Sarah Palin, who professes christianity, jumping in exaggerating and distorting facts in order to tie Obama to a former domestic terrorist believing if she says it the religious right will believe it just like they wrongly believed it when Bush tied Iraq to responsibility for 9-11. Wrong then, wrong now, the same old stuff from the last 8 years and the same old fear mongering exaggeration and distortion of facts that was spawned in the south at town gatherings to go out and round up the local blacks for a lynch'in. McCain/Palin(cringe..a christian?) might as well utter "Hey BillyJo Bob what a we gonna do 'bout that boy Obama cavort'in around with dem communist New Yorker types" The facts and all involved say Obama was in no way close to this former 60's radical now a college professor but how pathetic as these two candidates for the presidency of the United States sit there on a T.V. interview pretending to let us in on what they want us to think they know about Obama. In the time of crisis when the going gets tough the Republican religious right revert back to the ways of the cowardly old south.

Informed 21st century Americans know that Barack Obama is a lifelong christian and as a candidate for president received millions of dollars in campaign contributions from hardworking capitalist corporations and businesses coveting the luxuries of their labor as they hand over their money to Obama but already what you hear from the laughable republican religious right is Obama the socialist, Obama the muslim and rightwing talk show pundits railing on about Obama's minister when many religious right ministers have already called for essentially the same thing, punishment of America. Lastly you have Palin so desperate that she engages in some of the most scurrilous dishonest slander discrediting her own christianity. The Republican religious right have no honorable agenda or issues to debate with so tactics such as slander become their last refuge even before the fight has began but such is the weakly deluded spirit of those in service to money. Oh yes and when that does not work they try to shut you up and shut you out of debate completely.

Under this power of money with the blessing and help of the Bush-Republican controlled FCC, rightwing Republican oriented corporations bought out the radio airwaves shutting down dissent to the extent that 95% of radio talk shows are republican rightwing slanted, and in many cases extremely so, inundating working class listeners with the same onesided diatribe day in and day out. This is why the Republican party and it's religious right associates have had any chance of running competitive in presidential elections; only their side of the story is heard. Virtually unopposed on the airwaves they feel free to offer up any list of lies and slander to their listeners coming back day after day unchecked and therefore unembarrassed by others that would call their hand on the radio airwaves. You see, this is why you always hear some at work openingly and freely expressing their Rush Limbaughisms, they think that it is safe to say it at work since, in their mind, there must be no other opinion out there to contradict them and of course as so often is the case, these ditto head expressions sound very favorable to management. Been there, seen that too many times. The punitive nature of free expression of political opinions at work and the resulting manipulative effect is a whole other story.

Without this landslide bias in radio land the rightwing of the Republican party would have surely been dust long before now and it is a testament to how our present administration and previous Republican congress, the most corrupt congress in U.S. history, got away with so much lopsided favor to the very rich, widespread corruption and immoral war for so very long. Lies, inuendo and slander are their tools for acquiring power but with these kind of dishonorable methods and cowardly tactics the Republican religious right before all to see forfeit their moral authority and undermine their spiritual authority and if that were not enough, in reaping what they sow, give all comedians plethoric fodder as the continuing brunt of jokes.

No Outrage From Debate Audience?-Racism Showing

The strangest thing about last nights debate was the seemingly quiet and calm manner of the questioners from the audience when we are in the biggest financial disaster since the great depression. Hello? And the audience is not a bit riled? No emotion? In townhall debates during previous elections there were at least some in the audience that were upset about particular issues but last night the questioners were almost sedated in their tone. These people should have been screaming at the top of their lungs or at least acting like they were actually alive in the midst of a crisis but as it was they behaved like they were loaded with tranquilizers.

Every debate where Obama...er.. a.. "that one" comes across as confident and presidential McCain loses. With McCains "that one" remark and general refusal to acknowedge Obama honorably there is this subtle playing to one of our darker character traits as a nation. There is this repressed racism that seems to be coming out like a pot that cannot keep from boiling over and not just little things coming from McCain but out there in the Republican political rallies and around the town as crowds utter remarks like "off with his head".
I hear the slow degrading of the personal defense mechanisms that have repressed outward expression of racism for a number of years now beginning to fail. The expressions have been more subtle or covered by coded language but you hear it beginning to wear thin. A Democrat black man is beating out a white Republican man for president and, oh man, you know some of them cannot stand it. They just cannot stand it and one only knows what it will lead to but anyone voting for more of the same as the last 8 years cannot be very smart anyway. Some you thought you knew you will probably get to know better.

McCain/Palin Favor Gay Rights - No Difference From Democrats

If there is one thing the Christian rightwing can take away from this debate it is that John McCain and Sarah Palin are for gay rights. There is no difference between either side's position here. This debate nailed that one down for all the nation to see. And she is supposed to be the one that gets the Christian right excited for the McCain ticket. What a lot of hypocrisy and what a sad joke!

They the religious right love to say that if you are a christan you must vote for McCain/Palin but what can they say now and who should believe the hypocrisy? With their support of gay rights one of the two major moral issue pillars for the religious right support of a republican ticket is gone. That being the case the republican ticket should no longer have integrity on other moral issues. It would be like someone coming into church claiming christianity while smoking a cigarette trying to tell the congregation how they should interpret the words of Jesus except that smoking a cigarette is nothing compared to the major violation of favoring gay rights. That just does not fly in religious right churches, so how now can McCain/Palin be trusted or worthy of hearing any longer? In the religious right's eyes they cannot and the only reason for continued support by the religious right of the republican ticket will have to be their love of money in the form of republican rightwing ideology that pushes tax cuts, meaning money coming back to themselves, the religious right, instead of to the poor or health care for others. Concealed selfishness has always been a major trait with the religious right although there are some sincere christians involved the religious right is weighted down with plenty of veiled narcissism.
The excitement then over Palin on the ticket with McCain is just spitt'in in the wind. In this mix also remember that previously John McCain had been rejected by the religious right and he himself said during his run against Bush, in order to set himself apart from Bush, that he did not consider himself a religious man so how can they say, unless it is the hidden motive of the love of tax cut money that drives them to say it, to say that a christian must vote for McCain/Palin. Promoting such an absolute choice in the case of this election is hypocrisy and if continued must be driven by rightwing political ideology.
The other issue that drives this is the hypocrisy of the abortion issue. When religious right anointed George W. Bush and the Republican congress had the chance to send a bill to congress to fully outlaw abortion they would not do it citing lack of public support for it but
when it came to dragging out the Iraq war they did not worry about public support,
when it came to trying to privatize social security they did not worry about public support,
when it came to deregulating the banking business they did not worry about public support as they tried with all their might to push those issues through congress and dozens more the public did not support but when it came to saving the innocent life of the aborted they worried about public support and declined to send up the bill even once. That says it all. The Republican party and it's leaders love to send up bills partially tinkering around with the issue but have no intention of fully banning abortion as they did nothing about fully banning abortion when presented with the opportunity of a lifetime and now with no excuse left promote the stance of leaving it up to an uninterested Supreme Court after 40 years of patiently waiting for the "conservative" president and "conservative" Republican congress.
The Republicans are however concerned about keeping the religious right in their corner as support for their money loving policies favoring the rich. In the end it is about political ideology or more to the point, tax cut money to the self and a vote for Republicans on these moral issues amounts to taking the bait and a vote wasted when the nation is faced with major crisis and catastrophe in desperate need for change.
The major point here is that these Republican candidate's position on abortion or for that matter any "conservative" social issue is without integrity and it now goes without saying on the religious rights promotion of the Republican candidates position on homosexuality as a reason to vote for them as a Christian. This, their latest embarrassement and spiritual authority lost.

There are serious issues facing this country that could change the face of the future for decades not just a few social morality issues that although imperative even so have no trustworthy political advocate. Issues of immoral pre-emptive war, disastrous economic policy, unaffordable health care, intrusive surveillence and near dictatorial executive rights not to mention...torture stare us in the face some involving the avoidable deaths of millions of Americans. You have to decide whether Bush and McCain have been on the right side of these issues or whether we need serious change from the last 8 years but then you know the answer to that. The answer is this nation is in a mess. To those who wanted to stick with those few moral issues over the many other critical issues in the last two elections, look where it got us. Will we ever figure it out? Will you brothers and sisters ever figure it out? A wrongheaded stiffnecked people in the midst of disaster is not the answer.

Biden Wins With Palin In Spunky Mode

Sarah Palin comes across as a public relations actor having a spunky little fun time running for vice president. She was able to set herself into this "fun-time" mode because she knew there would be no crossexamining or follow up questions to her comments much like she failed on miserably in her news interviews. Unlike the presidential debate Joe Biden was not allowed to ask her any questions. In saying she was glad she could speak to the American people without the filter of the media meant without the filter of follow up questions from the moderator or Biden. George W. Bush got away with so much in this kind of shielded debate venue. It is always the follow up questions that reveal what you really know and we truly know little more about Palin after this debate. The personal imagery helped Palin but Biden wins on points and shows himself more than competent.

McCain Behaves Like Bush - Obama Looks Presidential

Considering that foreign policy was McCains strong suit it appears that the edge in the debate goes to Barack Obama only because he held his own against McCain and appeared just as informed and believable as the Commander In Chief. Obama showed clear knowledge of the foreign policy issues and came back at McCain whenever needed. The fact that Obama looked and spoke directly at McCain on many occasions while McCain never looked in Obama's direction gives Obama an edge on confrontational strength, an attribute needed when dealing with foreign leaders. What stood out here was McCain's refusal to face Obama even after repeated prodding by moderator Jim Lehrer to do so. McCain risks being perceived as too hot headed to debate another man eye to eye or looking like he thinks he is too priviledged to face Obama on the same level. Whatever it was it stood out as an oddly pious posture as McCain glaringly ignored the moderator's directive to face and speak to Obama. One might think this is a character trait of the Republicans general arrogance since George W. Bush also reacted in the same manner in his previous debates but more likely it is the character trait of those who know deep inside they do not have a leg to stand on mano e mano. Here again John McCain misses another chance to distinguish himself from Bush and this Bush-like arrogant debate posture is what McCain should have avoided like the plague.
Again it is not that Obama won this debate on points but because the doubt about Obama's capability to handle national security and foreign affairs hurt him in the minds of undecided voters this debate will have the effect of dispelling some of that doubt.

Economic Collapse The Fruit of Bush Rightwing Ideology

For years and years the Republican party has shoved it's flawed ideology of hands off government down our throats. Through the 8 years of the Bush administration the American people have clearly shown in poll after poll after poll more interest in government involvement but this poorest of all presidential administrations ignored the public's desire again and again. Had the people or their Democratic counterparts had their way we would not have this economic debacle.

It should not be lost on American voters that the Republican right wing has wanted unbridled capitalism, which means letting the love of money run rampant, to run it's course continually without oversight and so now it has as we are reaping the fruits of this disastrous economic ideology.
Bush and right-wing Republicans opposed, for so long, reasonable government regulations to keep the excesses of mortgage banking giants in check but now after being so compliant for so long to those interests of big money, in effect, have on their hands a one thousand times worse outcome in the form of the beginnings of a government socialist(what they call it when we want health insurance for the millions of uninsured) takeover of our banks.
The bigger shame is that the religious right, boasting they are led of God, fervently supported and strongly pushed this money serving economic ideology. The tragedy here being that the religious right, so stubborn and sadly unwise will undoubtedly fail to learn to discern out of another fiasco once again even with the truth raining down around them.

Where the Republican candidate for president is concerned, John McCain does possess certain attributes that make him interesting as a potential president but the Republican party at large deserves none of it. Even the simplest of wisdom tells you one can allow human nature to run only so far but even then past failures should inform you immediately of that nature but even the S&L crisis of the early nineties was conveniently lost on the Republicans.
One can say that they knew exactly what they were doing and if it is so it is a a colossal testimony to the indifference toward others begat by the power of money and greed where politicians and CEO's are deluded into ignoring the so well exposed nature of human beings over so many years and millenniums.
There is just no excuse for this abrogation of responsibility in places of power. They are just not learning or they are ignoring on purpose. Either way the Republican party as we have known it has no place in governing over the people of this nation now or in the near future. We cannot afford to lease control of our nation any longer to those so irresponsible and drug-like susceptible to the power and influence of money. Where do we normally put people with such consequential lack of self control? Back on the street in control of peoples lives? Nada. We put them off the streets out of contact with people and, in this case, straight into political rehab., that is if we are nice. Nice will do...for about fifty years.

Palin Shrouding Reveals Unpreparedness

Sarah Palin ready for the presidency? Since the convention McCain, Obama, and Biden have all taken questions from the press and have appeared on radio and T.V. talk shows, all that is, except Palin. Why? She is being restricted from the public and crash coached by the republicans to meet the challenge of appearing she knows the answers to questions. Questions she should have known the answers to and weighed the right and wrong of many times to even be considered a legitimate vice-president. Imagine picking a candidate for any other reason than being prepared. The whole thing is a glaring farce. She doesn't even know enough to answer questions correctly let alone know enough to be ready for a challenge to the presidency itself. That should say it all. I mean, what do you think is going on here, Glamour Shot prep.?

McCain Does A Ross Perot

Throughout this campaign John McCain's principal weapon against Obama was the question of experience. That weapon has now been essentially neutralized with McCain's own pick of an extremely inexperienced housewife...er..a...politician, Sarah Palin. Former beauty queen, oops there goes the celebrity rap too, mayor of a small town for 10 years then governor of the 48th smallest state in the nation for one and one-half years with zero experience or exposure to foreign affairs. The one last criticizm of Obama which was only a reverse defensive tactic, that of lack of experience begatting poor judgement, has gone out the window by selecting Palin to be one heart beat away from commander and chief never mind the other responsiblities. With Obama firing off in his acceptance speech about McCain's lack of judgement he never dreamed it would be such a timely prologue to McCain's next act, the V.P. pick. McCain has given up all three weapons against Obama and has given up the competency and judgement rap in spades.

In Palin, McCain could not have picked a weaker candidate to take his place. On the face of it you get some of the same feeling of when Ross Perot picked Admiral Stockdale for vice-president 16 years ago, that is it makes no sense for someone seriously wanting to be president. Palin is off the page and leaders in the Republican establishment are fuming believing that the inclusion of Palin in the V.P. list was primarily political and not to become a reality but now desperately try to put the best face on it. As much as Stockdale came across as slow and "out of it", Palin is light, light and then light. A brisk peppy personality but then little more in national public service experience with the albatross of the Bush/Cheney connection where she is tied to oil companies. It will take the media ignoring her negatives and then bringing her positives under extreme onesided magnification in order to sell her but then that is something the other side will not allow. Already there is question about the extent of her commitment to ethical reform since it has been revealed she endorsed millions of dollars in earmarks as governor and millions in earmarks during her mayoral years. The stand McCain trumpets for her on the Alaskan bridge is dishonest since she rejected the "bridge to nowhere" only after the U.S. congress had fully cancelled it. In the beginning while the "bridge to nowwhere" was a live issue she supported the bridge.
One can feel for McCain in his evident desperate attempt to find a qualified ethical politician from his side of the aisle.

McCain would like people to believe this V.P. pick underlines his independence but in fact the truth is he caved in to the base of the Republican party, the religious right, by selecting one of their own instead of who he really wanted, pro-choice Joe Lieberman, although I'm sure the right would have liked a male at the position. At best she is his soul mate on ethics reform but it ends there as the religious right were already holding their nose for McCain.

Obama has all three arguments now, the experience issue, McCains poor judgement on Iraq, more tax cuts for the rich and the shakey vice presidential pick. Oh yes and the former beauty queen firmly puts the celebrity rap into Obama's arsenal as well and well if that is not enough, a risky desperate pick such as Palin bodes the question; will he make these types of decisions under pressure as president? And that brings us back to judgement.

As it was for one politician 16 years ago one must ask; What could McCain be thinking.

Election Comments & Other Observations

So a major hurricane is headed toward the gulf to introduce the Republican convention. And as a little reminder of past neglect it is headed for New Orleans as the Republican convention begins but then that too may not be enough so it is on a course to hit New Orleans on the same day George W. Bush is to give his convention speech.
Is there an exclamation mark in here somewhere? Will they be searching their souls in Minnesota realizing there is only One who can set such timing. Bush should cancel his speech and leave Minnesota to go own up to his responsiblities and priorities. And above all pray. All of us.

It is a sorry day that when the first ever black presidential candidate gives the speech of his life, a speech for all people and all minorities drawing a line from Martin Luther King to today, that some desperate white politician seeks to steal the spotlight from him before the next day is out. Recent Republican presidents have considered trying to obscure the Democrats convention message from the public a dishonorable act never mind here the historical weight of a first black candidate but I guess McCain's case for experience is not the only thing going out the window.

The Electric Car And You Should Be Spitting Nails

Want to explain why there has not been a push to get the electric car up and running, why there has not been the equivalent of the effort to get men on the moon for the development of the electric car. Imagine the benefit to global warming if the world began driving electric cars. In this country from 1993 to 2003 development began in earnest by the auto manufacturers to bring on line an electric car. They brought several thousand of these out and leased them to individuals to drive for several years. The majority of owners of these vehicles were pleased with them minus their limited driving range, pleased with them to the point that many wanted to even buy them out from the auto manufacturers but the companies refused, repossessing the leases and then after collecting them went right to destroying every last one of them. Hmmm? Odd thing to do isn't it? Immediatly after this was done the car companies sold the rights to the battery system to who? Yes. Chevron Oil. At this time Chevron Oil essentially has the patents and hand cuffs on the development of the most important aspect of the electric car, it's battery system. And what should happen if these NiMH battery systems were developed to bring the driving range of the electric car to let's say two or three hundred miles. People would find the electric car acceptable on a practical basis and then demand would begin growing by the millions.

What could be happening now? One major aspect of the global CO2 pollution could be on the mend. Automotive exhaust would not be reduced it would be eliminated. Of all the sources of CO2 pollution this is the one that could be practically eliminated. Industrial factories could not be so easily changed but here with the electric car we have the opportunity to completely eliminate the source of pollution from the product. Why didn't this happen and why isn't this happening? With the blessings of the Bush administration the rights to the primary battery development was sold to an OIL company as the auto companies promptly destroyed all the developed electric cars. Even as lease owners of these cars begged the auto company to let them buy their leased electric car the auto company stubbornly refused.

Hey somebody, take it from here. I can't even stand to write any more about this discouraging piece of underhanded corporate protectionism. We should be spitt'in nails over this. I mean what is going on here people? Unless I'am mistaken auto exhaust is a prime source of CO2 pollution and global warming. Hello? And if the altruistic angle or should I say self-preservation angle doesn't get it done for you, well, for the racing enthusiasts out there and any one who just likes a quick take off did you know that no motor driven street vehicle can match the take off acceleration of an electric car. The electric car is no wimp and that is the last thing the oil companies and evidently the auto companies want you to know. It is conceptualy intelligent, it is fast and it is clean and we should be going with the electric car like we were once going to the moon. Take it.

Restoring The Realization Of God's Love

Many things in life are transient, here today, gone tommorrow, but in the life of a christian the most important things are everlasting. God's love and His words of truth are always with us and as long as we honestly seek Him He will not abandon us but when we stubbornly insist on doing things our own way for too long there can be consequences for ourselves, mind, body and soul that are not always apparent. Many people down this road continue on through life believing they are in control and that they can turn back when they want but often on the way to that point they do not realize they have forgotten about the real depth of the bountiful love and grace of God. In such a dog eat dog, every man for himself cynical world the recognition of traits such as love, forgiveness and grace can slowly erode away becoming unrealistic in the minds of some as the perception of their relevance begins to wane and then all but disappear. Such is the trouble for some when they finally need God's help once again. It must be a wrenching gut check to reach that point running from God then come under conviction faced with the false perception of their own unforgiveable self. We should pray that people reaching such a point, the young with illness or the old near life's end, do not harden their hearts but instead realize again God's love, relent and humble their hearts toward God and ask His forgiveness.

At such a time asking forgiveness, for some, can tragically seem to be insufficient because the evil one has spent much time telling people that it is an eye for an eye, that God's grace no longer applies to them, that the debt is now stacked too high for them, that they must atone proportionately for what they have done because they have become caught up in the natural physical world where things must be balanced according to the natual mind or fallen mind state and thusly in such a mind state the logical conclusion, the evil one has worked so hard to achieve in you, is that there is nothing one could do to atone for continued waywardness and so pursuing God again must be futile. If you have been around many of these people, especially the elderly, you see some that have almost completely lost their perception of forgiveness and not only for themselves but for others as well. Many forget God's love. It is amazing how the awareness of the grace of God's love leaves the mind of those who leave God or think they leave God. But it is a lie. God's love never leaves you. What leaves you is your own realization of it. You forget the abounding grace, forgiveness and love of God. The danger is in your forgeting, not God abandoning you. The trouble is your mind can be very influenced by the spiritual state of your heart and soul. You think you are in control, that you can wander out away from God, all the time saying to yourself you are only wandering out a little way but the deteriorating condition of your spiritual state begins to effect your mind causing you to forget prayer and the ways of God. You forget the benefit of His love then you forget His love for you.

The evil one plays guilt like a tenor drum set on your head causing you to believe you must make some colossal sacrifice to ever find approval from God again, or that you are different, that you have been put aside for special punishment because you have really blown it this time but you must look back to the cross and the sacrifice Jesus made there for you. He did not make it to hold against you in your time of trouble, He made it for you to bridge your way back to God, to break the spell that this world would have over you. That is how much He loves you and He does not give up on you. It is said that it is the doom of men that they forget and since the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, what could be more true.

Your first steps back are the steps that love would take, the steps that love would take in each facet of the situation you now face as you re-learn the heart of love. One step at a time we rediscover and re-establish the reality of God's love in our lives as Jesus carefully heals our spirit and heart allowing us to rest and abide in the warmth of God's reality and God's kingdom. Once again our hearts can humbly yield to God's love, wisdom and direction.

For some it can be difficult to realize the hope of bringing the heart and spirit back into fellowship with God but the sacrifice of Jesus's blood on the cross overcomes the strongest chains of darkness and sometimes one of those strongest chains is a falsely perceived irrevocable condition caused by self-condeming guilt which stems from simply forgetting the real power of God's love. The truth is if you are concerned or worried about any of this the spell you have been under is already beginning to crumble so reach out now and begin again by embracing His love and grace bought by Jesus with the ultimate price so that no scheme of darkness should prevail over you. May we all find and retain the realization of God's love for us. May we all find our way back home.

A Candidate At The Root Of America's Problems

Look at the problems in this country and it is not hard to see what is at the root of so much of it. Unnecessary war, lack of medical insurance or if you can get it, insurance companies that fight you for your coverage, media controlled by only 6 likeminded media conglomerates, and so on are perpetuated by money and the entities that use it unethically and corruptly for their own interests. If you look at why government does not give you the reforms you want it is clearly because of the powerful corporations stranglehold on your voice and choice, the corporate rich's money their powerful throng of lobbyist use to buy off congressman. From lobbyists for defense contractors, to lobbyists for the medical insurance industry, lobbyists for mega media conglomerates, lobbyists for giant pharmaceutical companies, and on and on.

The one candidate that focused directly on this has now dropped out of the race because of lack of support from his Democratic party and that candidate was John Edwards. You see, John Edwards directly campaigned against lobbying money, corporate influence and corruption of our congressman and in this political environment the Democratic party is nearly as cupable as is the Republican party( noting that the Republican party already does the work for the corporate rich, it is the Democrats that have to be bought off from the promises they make to the people). Mega corporations, contributing millions of dollars to the Democratic party, Obama and Clinton, have objected to any political platform cutting them out of their usual money influence over the Democrats and candidate Edwards cut them out for starters, willing to take them head on but he also did not accept their money as he used his own money and untainted matching federal money. You see, Edwards was too free, too not bought off, too uncontrolled, too unreigned and so very able to challenge corporate contributions to Democratic coffers and so, in short, too unacceptable to the Democratic establishment.

Edwards clearly understood what has been the obstacle at bringing change to this country. Barack Obama's bold soaring oratorios are a good talk flirting with the truth on these issues but in all the honorable sounding speech he has been so vague on nailing it down and therefore so able to ignore what he shouldn't. Hillary Clinton was once free to make big changes but she has been so intimidated by past political failure and compromised by so many big corporate contributions that one has to wonder just how free she is these days and honestly the Clintons made too many compromises anyway. John Edwards intended to take these problems head on, no more messing around, no more floating it off. He might have owed the trial lawyers in the end but lobbying reform would have come to cover a multitude of "sins" and if you were looking for a candidate never tainted with money you will not find one in this election. Edwards was far from the perfect candidate but he was the closest on the issues at the core of our trouble.

The media giants, exploiting certain perceptions, saddled Edwards with the "light" label, as in lack of gravitas, but if you remember in 2004 he sat down to debate V.P.Dick Cheney, Mr. Ice, mister boardroom chairman himself, and by most accounts won the debate. Edwards clearly did not get fair media coverage this past summer of 2007 as all we heard was Obama and Hillary, Obama and Hillary. The media conveniently kept Edwards in the background, his positions unarticulated and undramatized. We do well to remember that the mainstream media is owned by corporations themselves wanting influence over our congressmen and Edwards intended to stand directly in the way of that influence.

Knowing what we know about this country and what is at the core of it's problems narrows down the field of true change agent candidates. The love of money breeding corrupt power is at root of it. John Edwards was at the bullseye of it. The loss of Edwards is the loss of the leader in this endeavor but not the loss of hope or the potential for justice to be sought in a couple of other candidates.

Obama finally being moved by his own impassioned speech might actually do something to fight corruption in government but don't expect the Clintons to fight lobbying and campaign finance corruption, expect them to use it. They have spent their lives working within the system figuring out how to use it. They make limited changes for the people within the same old corrupt framework but all along the 50 million uninsured do not get insured and the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Remember? That is the sobering reality check but yet inside hope still flickers, should it come down to it, that if we are to bear the Clintons there would be something bolder, something different in this new political entity Billary.

In top hat and tails steps up United States Senator John McCain...but is the tradeoff worth it?

Are The Democrats Electability Tone Deaf?

As it stands now the next president is going to be a Republican. The Democrats appear to be making sure of that. By leaving emotion out of the analysis the demographic landscape that worked for Bush in 04 should work for Mike Huckabee this time out but not because the nation wants a Religious Right Republican in the Whitehouse but because the Democrats are trying so hard to make it happen.

What is amazing is that with the public clearly wanting more Democrats in congress and a democratic president the Democrats tempt the race issue and tempt the gender issue by offering candidates that, come any terrorst flareup, will clearly be on very thin ice come November. What can they possibly be thinking? With an excellent chance to regain the Whitehouse they offer up candidates that will be seriously challenged in the heartland of America the very place they lost the last election. All the democrats have to do is offer up a viable candidate and they will probably win. Gore, Biden, Edwards, Dodd matched with a strong on defense Democrat should all be winners but no, the Democrats choose to tempt fate with an African American of one years experience in congress and a polarizing ex-first lady with several polls having shown that 50% of the voters would not vote for Hillary Clinton under any circumstances, any circumstances.

The Democrats are certainly displaying their gall by putting up their dream cultural breakthrough prospects for the offing but there is a lot on the line in this country, a lot that needs to be corrected after the last incredibly misguided corrupt 8 years and this is no time to be playing around with top of the wish list candidates.
Look at the position papers of all the top republican candidates and you will see much too similarity to Bush policies. McCain supports reform of the money corruption in politics and Huckabee has a populist bent, a little populist bent that the media way overhypes, but outside of that and looking at where they come down on the issues they will end up making little change in our government. McCain would have to offend the establishment big corporate donors of the Republican party in order to clean up government so there is alot of downward pressure against him on that. I would have it that Huckabee would come down correctly on the issues but the Republican party line is just too problematic to make the changes we must have now. Being a political independent I usually go for the best man for the job but this time we need a serious overhaul of many policies, policies fundamental to the U.S. Constitution and our citizens rights. A democratic congress and democratic president will be needed to make those changes or perhaps an independent president of course depending on who it it is. The Democrats need to sober up to the coming political realities because if not, the coming post primary national election polls throughout the country will be a cold afront and a wake up call too late.

The Religious Right must surely be convinced that God has sent strong delusion upon the Democrats so that Mike Huckabee can become the next president. One can hear the intra-church rhetoric already.

FCC Again Ignores Democracy Courts Facism

The FCC after disengenously holding town meetings to get the publics opinion on their new ownership proposal goes ahead on Dec. 18th and passes the new ownership rules anyway, that is passes the new rules after strong public opposition to the proposal. Yes, after clear opposition from the public the FCC passes the proposal anyway. Obviously the FCC was hoping to catch everyone under the "christmas influence" and find little or no attendance to their so called town meetings and so must have been quite shocked to see the turnout and stiff opposition but as we see never intended to do anything but pass the new media rules for the benefit of enlarging the corporate media's ownership and control of our public discourse. The FCC's final statement on the proposal was all but fully written even before holding the public meetings. The FCC again ignores the peoples voice and choice for the peoples airwaves and along with our present administration moves us all encremental step by encremental step toward to a controlled society where your opinion is unconsidered. Feel your there now?
You know what to do.

Contact Your Congressman

As you can see more and more public response to these crises is needed because of stronger lobbying control of our congress.

Stop The FCC Move to Increase Media Consolidation

The Bush administration has installed another head of the FCC, Kevin Martin, that seeks to further consolidate ownership of our media as if the previously Bush appointed Michael Powel was not enough but thinking what? What could possiblly be driving this dark effort toward narrower and narrower media ownership? The FCC's argument, dominated by republican appointees, is that newspapers are not making enough to stay afloat and therefore need to be able to merge with radio and TV stations but are in fact averaging better profits than the average Fortune 500 company. Certainly some republican owned papers consistently siding with the Bush administration have finally lost readership needing help themselves. Or is it just.more crass service again to the corporate rich. No doubt some in this administration reason that if headed for difficult times there must be singled minded consensus within the U.S. about how to navigate those coming tough times? Either way expect from this leadership more surrender to the efficiency of facist policy.

Is large corporate ownership of the media, virtually all media, in the form of only 6 corporate entities free press? Some cities and it's thousands of needed to be informed citizens are dominated by one major media outlet. Is that what the founding fathers had in mind when they established free press, 6 large corporations with the interests of the rich and powerful in common controling, for the entire country, what we see and hear? When your congressmen are bought off by the rich and powerful and your press is all but completely owned by the rich and powerful what do you get? Can the truth squeek through somewhere, somehow to the people.

When you have only 6 very wealthy media outlets controlling all we see and hear it is very likely you will have narrow consensus presentation of news. You do not have to look very far to see the pitfalls of such limited "free press". A good example of this consensus media presentation was the near unanimous cheerleading of us all into the Iraq war without a significant voice of dissent. One of the most clearly miscalculated and misjudged war efforts in the history of this nation and not a network voice questioning the decision to go to war. The 6 media outlets allowed no questioning of the decision to go to war. It is incredible to this writer that the new head of the FCC can now push for even narrower media ownership and coverage, that is placing more of the power of the media into the hands of these even fewer and more powerful entities in the face of such a display as the media leading us into the Iraq war. Make no mistake this is not solely the responsiblity of the Republican party but this media consolidation also took place during the Clinton administration. We cannot depend on the Democrats to stand in the way of this digression from true free press. This is clearly a move that will have to come from the people themselves. This time the government is dependent on the people, dependent on what we each do. We have to write our congressmen, write the FCC, make a big stink they cannot ignore. People should be in the streets over this because if you do not do something about this you will not be able to develop consensus viewpoints to do something about anything else. Right? Sure you get your wrestling, sitcoms and reality shows. Big corporate media will always throw you piles of bones for your brain amid bits of steak but are we really going to be so stupid as to just ignore this narrowing ownership of the media, narrowing of offered viewpoints?

We will remain a healthy nation only if we have a diverse number of viewpoints out there for all of us to consider. The truth was out there before the Iraq invasion but the media owners would not allow it to get through because they themselves think alike with similiar view and mind. Do we really want to think like that? I don't think so. The FCC wants to slip this decision through behind closed doors by Dec. 18th. They are trying to get this through during the dazzle of the Christmas season and the heavy election coverage period. It is a sorry timing and tactic by this republican "inspired" FCC and we as citizens would surely be doing something more consistent with the season but we are called as citizens to act now!


Contact the FCC, Federal Communications Commission - Tell the FCC you do not want Big Media to get any bigger!
http://www.fcc.gov/contacts.html

Contact your congressman -Ask your congress to hold full public hearings on the issue of media ownership immediately!
http://www.manesandtailsorganization.org/congress_110th.htm

Tell them you oppose this effort to further consolidate media ownership!

A Sobering Thanksgiving Thought

This Thanksgiving be thankful for the example of the character and fortitude of a young nation unwilling to fearfully throw out it's most cherished principles and beliefs in the face of external threat and overwhelming odds. Earnestly pray to God that one day we will somehow and someway rediscover such character once again and if Benjamin Franklin was right in saying " a nation willing to give up a little liberty for a little security deserves neither liberty nor security" then this thanksgiving a prayer to God for grace will be a good one.

Our American Standard? Hypocrisy or Justice For The Entreprenuer

They love to say it's capitalism when the worker loses his job or loses it because it was sent overseas but when someone invents a better idea in the marketplace, is it capitalism for the big corporation with the lesser idea to go by the wayside? Does it work that way? When that happens the big corporation is allowed to engage in corrupt practices or buy off congressman to pass legislation to block or even destroy the entreprenuer with the better idea. From the case of the automobile entrepreneur Preston Tucker to the present case of blocking development of the electric car. No, capitalism does not apply to the big corporations or to the powerful, this dog eat dog fundamental principle of capitalism of which the powerful love to preach to the working man so love to apply it only to the working man. Oh they love to warm up to this cyclical turnover principle of capitalism when the working man is complaining of losing his job to those who take less wages in other countries as they tell you to tough it out and explain thats just the way it is with capitalism. But when any corporation of size is threatened with a better idea from a new or smaller competitor there is suddenly and conveniently no such principle of capitalism.

But it's not really about any principle of capitalism is it? It's about the working person, the less powerful person, the less monied person doing what the powerful person or corporation demands, period, where no rules, no principles apply. It's about the powerful controlling the game without honor, without integrity or the honesty to abide by the principle of what they themselves so solemnly preach to the common person. It is the hyprocrisy that just poisons this country and it's spirit of entreprenurialship where even the little guy is supposed to be able to apply his intellect, his imagination and with a better product that is potentially better preferred by the people to compete and come out on top.

So what happens? They snuff him out. So what do you do? You demand honesty and integrity in government. You demand honor that can be backed up by rules and laws, lobbying rules and laws for starters. You know what to do. Our rejected republican congress and administration embodied this hypocrisy, this corrupt levitation of the powerful. Capitalism and free enterprise can work justly, this government heretofore has just not had the character to make it work as such. We are all still here, tommorow still exists, there is still another morning, there is still another day. That's why it was invented you know,... to begin again.

Tragic Fallout Of The Misled Religious Right

The tragedy of the Religious Right has been the falling away of people, especially young people from the faith. Christian leaders cannot afford to be so wrong on pivotal issues such as the Iraq war and claiming a leader is anointed of God and then expect church rolls to expand. Youth have been taught that their leaders but especially their pastors and preachers are supposed to be right, that they can be depended on and depended on surely where people's lives are at stake.
Many people, young people have been effected by this country's misguided religious leadership being set up for the fall by christian leaders that have promoted a misguided excursion into Iraq and promoted almost saintly adulation on a misguided president. Many people now are disillusioned about their spiritual leaders but tragically some are even disillusioned about God. Some are even rejecting God because of this fallout from the disaster of Iraq and the very poor showing of what they once heard was an anointed leader of God. God has not slackened once but rather it is the leadership of so many churches especially mega churches that have fallen for emotional attachments to a overly prosperity promoting political party impeading spiritual discernment necessary to correctly hear and yield to the leading of God. The result has been misguided religious right leaders in high places falling for drugs and sexual immorality, young people turning from God embarrassed because of their church's defense of a president and an Iraq invasion which has proved a tragic fiasco and to some a laughingstock bumbling example of incompetence. Anyone's life could come upon trouble at any time but there has been a definite increase in the trouble of the lives of those who supported president Bush, the republicans and the Iraq war. Embarrassment, bitterness , anger and vengfulness taking the most vindictive, petty and dishonorable forms is characteristic and there are even those who have incredibly rejected God altogether.

What can explain such personal catastrophe is that so many have wholly trusted their religious leaders, abandoning spiritual discernment to them instead of, as the bible teaches, examining oneself for spiritual integtity so that all can operate fully as true Christians testing the spirit, and also surely not ignoring that these leaders neglected teaching the proper denial of self that is necessary for this true spiritual integrity.
With the lifestyle of so many religious leaders in America inundated with material and fleshly influences and the social pressure imperative not to offend the profit motive it is not a surprise but the tragedy is that during a time of impending war this lack of discipline dulls their ability to discern the truth and discourage error. True spirituality brings strength, the flesh brings fear and the fall under man's natural logic and weakness. Many compromised religious leaders can float and fake it during good times but when the going gets tough they turn to the logic and means of the world rather than the courageous truth of God and that tragic turn to the logic and means of the world is what has transpired. However, the Love of God calls out to deliver our hearts from under this dark spell, refresh our spirit and fill us with his discerning truth and overcoming love once again. With the greatest of rewards, denial of self for Christ becomes our integrity leading to real victory.

There are still young people that understand this, that understand the necessary discipline and integrity required to live correctly and victoriously for God. Just as more and more young people today desire discipline from those in authority they also desire getting real with their faith. They understand that too much fleshly activity and materialistic immersion is not how you get it done for Christ. Our religious right leaders and for that matter some other religious leaders today are unfortunately behind that curve.
It is said a child will lead them and perhaps it is young people who will show us an important component of faith which is necessary to truly deliver us from the dark clutches of the world. They have been taught that good things rarely come easy and they are telling us what we taught them, for one thing that true discernment only comes with real spiritual commitment. For their sakes, are we listening?

Annual Stock Market Scare Again - Summer Vacation

Maybe you have a 401k, mutual fund account, ETF or perhaps you are immersed in stocks and are beginning to worry about the continual fall of the market, or more specifically the Dow Jones. It has been falling precipitiously you know now for several weeks. Scarry huh? You already probably know that the 13000 mark is a significant psychological level and are hoping it will be a strong resistance level. Technically it should be but continual retracements back below 13000 will also be a concern. Continued slowing in the housing market is also significant since it set record highs the last 5 years and was thought by some to be "carrying" the economy.
We are approaching what a lot of institutional investors call a significant shakeout opportunity or that is an opportunity to scoop up additional shares when millions of smaller investors bail because of the market heat. This is also when, no doubt in concert, Bloomberg and CNBC commentators go on and on about the market dropping as if they do not really know what is going on. From the tone of their voices and their deamenaor you would think the end of the stock market is finally at hand. (Amazing how people high up in the financial world don't mind working a bit in concert to snow you even when your money is on the line.)
What is going on?, Drop in market volume. When investors disappear activity slows so volume falls; volume being the amount of stocks traded. It happens nearly every year about this time, usually from mid July into early September. Want to know why? People are on summer vacation and since investors are people too they like to go on vacation also. It's that simple, yet every year the market commentators, except for a few like Joe Kernen, act like there is serious and unique market drop going on with the result; smaller less experienced investors dropping their shares at the August or September low making the annual shakeout complete much to the delight of the institutional investors ready to scoop up the dumped shares. And yet even with investors returning from summer, and everyone knowing this, it is always difficult for the market to regain it's footing in September which is a solid testimonial to investment fear and market psychology but it is investor fear and market psychology that started this annual drop in the first place. Investors go on vacation, volume drops and then the more novice nervous investors left on board, seeing the drop in volume, sell their equities causing the annual Aug/Sept low and sometimes even into October. There is also the self-fulfilling aspect to this in that trading opportunists play the expectant drop.That is what is going on and this being July the market will probably get worse into next month so...here we go. Make no mistake, market operatives will exploit the trepidation of falling back to the 13000 level during the annual summer low like the opportunity of a lifetime. They will do everything they can to shake the money out of your pocket at the low and into theirs for a bargain buy.
Having said all that it is still possible, possible, that this could be the beginning of a major downturn in the market just happening to coincide with the annual summer drop in the market. Possible, but not very likely so as always keep your head up but above all, keep your head. It's just summer vacation time.


-a postscript 2007- It is the housing market that is still the concern here and it has continued it's decline over the last 12 months. Because the market has resisted for so long any real response to the housing decline and it's sub-prime difficulties, pressure you might say, has built up making this now a global concern with serious ramifications. Complicating this is the fact that the market is also due for a serious correction but all this bad news comes during our annual decline and shakeout time of the year. The talking heads are telling you to sit still but they have to do that being that the alternative is of course mass market chaos on their hands so their advice is worthless and the big investors gain from you being scared but none of them want a stampede into oblivion thusly the cautious tones.
No one can do your thinking for you and if they are you should not be in this market because brokers have their own agenda and your best interests are not always theirs, especially when things get really precarious. It is now your focus time so get a grip on what is being done with your investments and before making any big moves you may regret take a deep breath and just rememeber what time of the year it is.

God Is More Than To Be Used Only As A Means To An End

God is not merely a means to an end but is the end, the beginning and everything in between. Using God only as a means to an end has been a problem of some on the religious left but now has also become a problem with the religious right, that is, it's polar opposite efforts to spread it's beliefs globally through the use of military force gilded in a restorationist dominion theology. With the right it is now as if that crusade has overcome the priority of God. This trait of using God only as a means to an end usually had been more characteristic of some on the religious left which did not really desire to get to know God personally meaning they would have to have a rejuvenated spirit truly transformed by new spiritual birth which then of course means you could no longer fake anything, you would have to stop the personal sins, not that the religious left have anything on the right when it comes to the flesh, but more in the sense of the personal sexual guidelines set down in the commandments. You see when a person is truly born of the spirit and grows in the spirit they recognize the futility of pursuing fleshly desires. The christian left normally did not emphasize much of the personal religious experience but emphasized more so the outward social transformations that should take place under the rule of a Christian God. They, the left, were mainly into promoting world peace and feeding the hungry. In religious left writings it was not hard to glean their emphasis on peace and hunger at the cost of the personal experience that God so wants to have with every person on earth. It was as if God is just being used to achieve these nobel ideals of peace and food for all without any real connection to God himself. God wants to have a sincere personal relationship with you, change your life and then have you support peace and eradicate hunger.

This seems to be the great paradox of American christianity, that there are these two seemingly polarized groups, the religious right which emphasize the personal relationship but resist efforts to organize for peace and then the left which have all the altruistic measures down so very well but rely on that outward approach seemingly in place of the personal sacrifices which must follow one truly renewed in the spirit of God. It seems the good of the right and left never satisfactorily mix but God wants both. He wants to have a personal relationship with us, each individually, transformed into a spiritual person dependent on Him looking and praying to Him daily for guidance and living for Him to evangelize others and increase the kingdom of God lest our lives be in vain for ourselves. Transformed spirits freed from the shackels of the flesh, in the world but overcoming the world. Overcoming the world not only means overcoming the flesh and personal sins but also means overcoming the love of money, greed, that dark gravity that pulls down so many and impairs a world from becoming all it can be in the eyes of God. A world loving it's neigbor as itself meaning putting the needs of people over the pursuit of money. It is greed and fear that impairs cooperation of people and nations impeding their cooperation to bring health care to all and food and assistance to the poor worldwide as it should be. The paradox should be broken.

The church should be doing all these things and spiritual leaders should be preaching the total christian to their assemblies and gatherings. This is the witness that God wants to see for His church and it is the most powerful witness, that is, a church more without spot or blemish. It has been too easy in embracing life in America sluffing off the spiritual commitment necessary to live as God would have us live, empowered by His Holy Spirit. The power for the christian in this world comes from the indwellling support of the Holy Spirit and too much of the church in America seek to fulfill the scripture, "they love to speak of God but deny the power thereof". If you deny the gifts of the Spirit needed to battle darkness in this world you are denying the power thereof from God. The key is to just accept all that God has for us as christians. Stop reading books that tell you what and how to believe or what you should leave out, emphasize or de-emphasize, just read the word of God in a modern english translation and you will see what so many sides right and left, protestant and catholic have passed over only because they did not embrace the fullness of God which would have given them the confidence that they could live up to all God wanted. We are not expected to be perfect, we are just expected to sincerely aspire to the standard of God for us. Our repentance to God and acceptance of Jesus Christ as our Lord opens up to us that door to His overcoming power. All we have to do is accept it fully, as it was intended. A lot of things were a little scary at first, learning to ride a bike, speaking in front of crowds but we always got our second breath, our stepping up to the higher level. Well, so it goes with God's fullness. A little scary at first but then you see how we truly overcome the flesh, fear and greed. We struggle at first but then are uplifted with the overcoming spirit of God to approximate the total chrisian, to seek the rebirth of ourselves with integrity strengthened by God's Spirit, then reaching out to evangelize, feed the poor, heal the sick and promote peace. Promoting peace through the fruits of evangelizing, feeding the poor and healing the sick but also by opposing man's efforts to destroy himself and the creator's creation.
And not that any of us can be the total body of Christ but rather that we pray for all the parts as the total christian, not lost in misguided doctrines of men that shield us from understanding the correct things to pray for but grounded in the complete word of God praying for all as we should be. Turning from using God only as a means to our own ideolgical end and then embracing God's fullness for us to accomplish His ends that are the only ends that will truly solve our deepest problems in this world and this life.

Bobby Kennedy And A Better Way Lost..Only For Now

In America it has been about the richer getting richer and the poor getting poorer. The congress for so long refusing wage increases for the poor while it voted itself multiple pay raises. Corporate contractors pushing for war as they run for the mothers milk of windfall profits in Iraq despite the potential for catasptrophic consequences for so many. War profiteering eagerly encouraged by an extremist pro-business administration with little concern for the consequences to others so prophetic of the way it would handle it's own poor people in it's own New Orleans....And why? Because of what we have allowed ourselves to become since the dream died with a younger brother.

Today it has become all about the unbridled freedom to make as much money as you want despite the consequences to others. It's all about the dog eat dog everyman for himself directive of American society. The glorified right to ignore the plight of others. The glorification of money making and extreme individualism all of which is found no where in the gospel but is the centerpiece of life which so many in America partake of. "Love your neighbor as yourself" and ,you are your brothers keeper, have become starved, decimated and controlled ideas which are not given their proper place in American society as centerpiece examples of life as it should be, but are replaced with the rule that a man who is down must be stepped on and one at a disadvantage must be exploited . Love for others does not correctly manifest itself in policy because it would threaten the freedom to the glorified right to ignore the plight of others in the pursuit of money. In many countries love for others does manifest itself in health care for all and safety nets for the disadvantaged but interestingly these countries do not make the pursuit of money their God. The plight of others is seen as the noble responsiblity for all. People are in life together and one for one another. But in America, maximum economic function and maximum profit for oneself are king. Before the 80's America was not so lost but through and since the 80's we have emphatically put money over people. We will reap what we sow. Putting money first like doing drugs is a profit high in the early stage but eventually will catch up with us. Those we forget will not be forgotten by God. They all had reasons for living and they all had dreams, dreams like our brother Bobby Kennedy.

So much seemed to be lost that May 1968 at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. With John F. Kennedy's assassination still weighing on us and Martin Luther King assassinated only two months before it seemed hopelessness was everywhere, the spirit and backbone of the dream so very broken at last. Soon a desperate disillusioned young refugee camp would assemble at Woodstock with no leader in sight. I cannot help think that with Bobby Kennedy's assassination man robbed himself of a much brighter future yet kindled in that tragic aftermath was the new found interest in a leader that lived 2000 years ago and a realization that for some things so very opposed by powerfulmen God must be sought and that a life truly lived for God is so much better than selfishness's primary need for money. That flame is still flickering yet so let us pray as Bobby would have prayed that only our past has been lost taking heart in remembering that a dream like the principle it stands on also is not forgotten by God and that a leader, Son to that living God lives on, waiting. A Dream of dreams for now, should we tarry, but then... Reality of Realities.

God's Priorities, Not Man's

We must return to the priority of putting principle and people over money. We do well putting people over money but putting principle over people however fufills the concern of people. The commandment "Love your neighbor as yourself" fufills the other commandments. It is the fundamental commandment. Life is not about money making opportunities everywhere we look. We should be putting people first over money. All the things of God come first of course before people but it is amazing that "Love your neighbor as yourself" puts the incredible emphasis of putting people first over many things and then especially money. It is almost as if our society has fallen in worship to the God of economic forces. The god of free trade, of free enterprise as if nothing must interrupt or interfere with the economic force. We have put the economic force up above where it cannot and must not be violated. Christians on the right seem to turn and twist scripture to accomodate it. Representatives for the administration and even some men on the christian right with such seemingly warm hearted devoted countenance and "manly" powerpoint persona promote the prominence of the economic force as they servily bend and twist scriptures in order to put it above all else while yet with their mouths they deny it but with their actions they enshrine it. America first, God second. Money first, people second. Profit first, principle second.

There was once a time when honesty, honor and integrity prevailed to guide the nation. Friends helped friends and neighbors refusing any money in return. Remember those days? Noticed anything has changed in the attitudes of people in this regard especially since the 80's. Our leadership changed and our morality changed. Money became emphasized so that nearly everything had to be a money making opportunity and so surely now people expect money in return for doing any kind of favor for others friend or neighbor. There are still good people around that will give you a ride or give your auto a jump refusing any money but many fewer than before and sadly fewer christians. This is because we have come to put money over people. Our morality has changed, our ethic has changed and our honor has changed. The church needs to reclaim this area from the compassionate secular and make it again a fundamental tenet of Gods morality, Gods ethic and God's honor. Putting people first is not a tenet of humanitarinism or new agism, it is a fundamental pillar of God's ways. People first under God. "Love your neighbor as yourself" completes God's commandments and it is amazing that we ever let is slip away but a very money seductive religio-political movement to the right has pulled the church off it's bold and true center foundation. There are good people out there who are good friends with good soul who do not necessarily relate to God but it is God who they are actually in agreement with when they love their neighbor as themselves by helping without consideration to money. Should the church follow the ways of the worldly? No, all they need to do is just read God's word without censure. Time to once again start bringing up the parables of the rich men, at the table and the pulpit.

God wants all the people to rejoice in His ways and the church needs to allow the people to see His ways if this is ever to happen. God will bring this back the easy way or the hard way. One would suggest the former.
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For The Religious Right And All Christianity

What is disturbing about the religious right is not their certainty about their faith or the word of God, that I would say is their asset, but what is very disturbing is the certainty with their interpretation as to how that connects to this world, this life and government, that is, their ideology.
Faith in an infallible word of God is one thing but to transfer that faith in the Word or unyielding faith in God to one's political ideology can be deceptive and disastrous. This is where their error in stubbornness comes in and only leads down the road to darkness.
Certainty in ideology is as idolatry and only survives by prideful determination as you have seen in the unwavering support of a party politic steeped in corruption and error here and abroad.

Entanglement with politics in service to money, military expansion and corruption must be re-examined and rebuked. Far too much emotional attachment and political entanglement with this nation clouds the judgement of right-wing Christians. Far too much dependency on their host government clouds their judgement.
As Christians we must feel, in reality, supported by the kingdom of God and not a worldly nation. Our confidence and trust must be in Jesus Christ and the kingdom of God. It's interests are of our highest priority, not the worldly interests of a worldly nation or lawless nation.
The word of God implores us to know ourselves in the same way we know Christ is in us. We must examine ourselves and root out what is emotional and from the flesh from what which is truly spiritual.

Fear is an emotion and fear of loss of worldly things overwhelms far too many. That is a battle we all face but we surely should not surrender or be given over to it. We should have it under our feet and to discern the truth in the things around us we must truly have it under our feet. To truly know the degree our spiritual integrity overcomes the influence of material things and material protections we must examine ourselves in the same way we know Christ is in us.
We are set apart as individuals individually accountable to God. Who will we fool if we do not face ourselves to know the truth of ourselves. Is the comfort of avoiding it worth it?

The comfort of a nation and it's luxuries, like a drug, numb and fog the truth of what we must face but with the truth of Christ within us and the confidence of God's foundation we can find the strength to face it. In this the love of God is our comfort and our guide to the love of the truth.

The Deity of Jesus

Scriptures Supporting the Deity of Jesus

John 5: 18-27 John 14: 9-28 John 8: 58-59 John 10: 33-38 Matt. 28: 17-19 John 17: 21-24

John 5: 18-27
In John 5: 18 either the writer is equating sonship with being equal with God or it is John's interpretation that it is these Jews point of view that sonship means being equal with God, however the context seems to lend itself to the idea that it is Johns point of view and being holy scripture goes a long way in establishing Jesus's deity but then of course in the following scriptures Jesus puts himself in His rightful place under God the Father but then notice the authority and power Jesus has as doing as the Father does in like manner, and gives life to whom He will as the Father gives life to whom He will and in fact has given the power of judgment to the Son and then says in verse 23, "that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father". The latter scripture is of profound interest that the honor bestowed upon the Son should be equal to that of the Father so the question would be asked; Would it be acceptable to God to give equal honor to a non-deity as He would have to Himself? The answer must be no. Also in verse 26 Jesus has life in Himself just as the Father has life in Himself.

John 8: 58-59
In verse 58, what do you think Jesus meant by saying I AM in all capital letters? In other scriptures in the old testament isn't this a referral to the name of God. Isn't this how God named Himself? See Exodus 3: 13-14. By using I AM and referring to before Abraham, doesn't this bring Jesus into the divine? The Jews there certainly thought so because they took up to stone Him for apparently, blasphemy. It takes more here to keep Jesus from refering to Himself as divine than allowing Him to be divine.

John 10: 33-38
Here in verse 38 Jesus says "that the Father is in Me, and I in Him". This obviously must be about how close Jesus is to the Father. They are in each other and in the bible this usually refers to the two as being one

John 14: 9-28
In verse 9 Jesus says; "He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? And 10, " Do you not believe that I'am in the Father, and the Father in Me? Now, in John 10: 38 Jesus says this about being in Him and He in Him and here in 14: 9 and it is connected to verse 9, which is highly profound in conveying Jesus's deity. Once again it takes more mental gymnatics here to remove Jesus from the divine than to give Him His place in it.

Matt. 28: 17-19
In verse 17 it says the disciples worshipped Jesus. Do men worship men? Would it be acceptable to God for His believers to worship a man?, well of course not and because some doubted, as it says, Jesus went on to say in verse 18 that "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth", in order to ease the doubt of some of the disciples that were there with the others worshipping Him. Where the trinity is concerned, here you have it in the next verse,19, saying "baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit". This is not just baptizing them only in the name of the Father or Godhead but disciples were also baptized, in the same breath, in the name of the Son and the Holy Spirit. Jesus clearly said in John 15: 28 that " the Father is greater than I", so there is no need for concern about the place of the God the Father where the Trinity is concerned besides it clearly puts the Father at the beginning of the list, so things are in proper order.

John 17: 21-24
In verse 22 Jesus says, while praying to the Father, "that they may be one just as We are one", referring to the Father and Him. Jesus is one with the Father. They are different in character yet they are one. It is the way we are to perceive it, just as Jesus puts it forth, so we should accept it. Jesus stands as God, not as the Father but as the Son. The Son has the right to be as God where the Father has allowed. It is more important that we accept it as God would have us accept it, rather than we understand it, but for this we should pray for wisdom. Jesus and the Father are one. We should not detract from Jesus's deity.


In Summation
We do well to remember that Jesus said that anyone who believes in Me shall be saved. He also said "no one comes to the Father except through Me". Jesus never said, disregard Me it is God the Father you must believe in to be saved. Salvation must be through the Son. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was impregnated by the Spirit of God. Jesus was part Spirit and part flesh and since the Spirit of God is greater than the flesh, Jesus's Spirit part superceded the flesh. The deity is clear.

It takes much more exegesis and mental gymnastics to attempt to remove Jesus from the divine than it does to just leave Him there.
Although we often make it complex, the truth is simple.

This Christmas The Children

This Christmas pray for the children. Pray for the children abducted through child slave trafficking, a little child ignored one day in the mall rush or a lost one in Thailand. Pray for the children of Iraq where chaos and death is a constant companion. For the children of Darfur and the Sudan where genocidal violence, disease and starvation are daily staples. For the orphans especially the new orphans for whom terror of tragedy is a new nightmare. For the children of New Orleans, many who even now are without homes. For the children who know only a cold and indifferent world, an investment in prayer without price. For the children of divided families. And pray for our own children, that they remember the right things and forget the wrong things this Christmas. Rememberence of all these may not immediately boost our christmas cheer but the blessings we receive from these prayers will far outweigh anything else we get as we sit amonst the abundance of the season. A little time out for these little ones will fill our hearts with the greatest gift of all, God's love.
May the true peace and joy of Christmas abound to us all.

Early Christians, America and a word from Patch Adams

An Article by Patch Adams - http://www.commondreams.org/views06/1024-32.htm

You, Patch Adams, can make us joyously laugh just by flying so flagrantly in the face of what so many people think is the "rational" but, no Patch, it is not ridiculous and naive and those that think so should tell that to God, to Jesus Christ, to the disciples and apostle Paul and to the thousands of other loving witnessing sharing Christians that suffered so much but in the end converted the mightiest and harshest empire the world had ever known, the Roman Empire...with the example of only their Christian love and Christian way. Only their Christian love and Christian way.
And to imagine, today we, America do not have to worry about indefensively suffering all that those believers suffered then for we are well protected BY the mightiest military in the world, all we have to do is show love, try to show love. We have now the mightiest military the world has ever known with nuclear warheads abounding, in submarines near every port and satelite technology watching everything. Don't you think we could afford to make the major thrust of our foreign activity, love, the living love that Patch talks about without letting our guard down, the mightiest "guard" the world has ever known. Think it doesn't work? Afraid to trust Patch? Do you trust God?

The word of God says that we will be as pouring coals of fire upon the enemies head when we return love for hatred - Romans 12:20.

Were the disciples and believers of Jesus's day worried about a perception of weakness and isn't it a wonder how the evil one has snowed us over such a pathetic concern about that perception. According to todays christian "carnal" mind the disciples were in no position to do what they did but I wonder if with all the protection we have now we could even see it through. Does it take the flower children to make us understand. Think about it church, thiiiiiink about it. When Jesus Christ returns the leaders of America will sorrowfully anguish at the realization of what they truly could have done but in all truth it does not have to be that way. Let the church as the body of Christ and truly representative of the kingdom of God lead toward a better way......God knows smart policy.

Oh For Black Friday

Once again our hearld day Black Friday is so rudely complicated by the preceding nuisance of Thanksgiving. Like lemmings and consumer drones en masse the populace rush to the altar of saving money never mind the rare family warmth we could extend another day to our own but no, mammon calls. Corporate need calls. They call, we run as we revel in the cynicism against the family get together that might actually communicate something qualified to change peoples lives but we are cynical about the gift of family healing because those we entrusted to preserve that family warmth and healing themselves sold out to the money. I have wanted out of this too, forgetting the higher rewards of family depth.
In the beginning we did stay home but the stores would not remain closed because they wanted money, however the people were not cooperating, so they lured us out with offers to, save money. The practice grew larger and larger and now we have nothing more but saving money lemming minds knowing not what else to do but slam up against their front doors to take the bait. The stores could stay closed on Friday so all could further enjoy that family warmth and perhaps realize the things that may make us nervous are really nothing after all, a discovery that half another lifetime of passing may need before finally knowing it, but alas, greed dictates the day does it not? The opportunity for real family warmth and closeness is lost to a quick feed your face family get together then, "gotta get home, get ready, get plenty of sleep for the big day tommorrow".
We run from the warmth of home like hurried zombies to the halls of mass consumerism so excited, so willingly team players without a team, if only we would look around us. Wherever the money leads we shall lurch forth. The economic force run where it may, the chips fall as they may. And to those in God's house rooting on this economic force do you ever notice how much more this nation's family values and morals descend as money's influence ascends? What could you be thinking. Too "unholy" a thought to connect the dots? Too much weight on the American cross, too much witness to regain the lost? The chips fall where they may.

America isn't dead yet but it sure is getting sick.

Thanksgiving For All

I know there are people throughout the country that are discouraged now after a long difficult election but you who came out on the short end carry with you a part of the truth, a part of the truth that few else have. Without you and your love for that truth we surely are a lesser people. Let us take this time to come together and encourage what is common among us and be thankful for the right to disagree and live in peace as we disagree. Let us hold up the greater principles of God over our own personal ambitions or group ambitions. Let us be thankful that we have the opportunity to begin again each day and aspire to get it right again, each day. One way or another with all of our rights and all of our wrongs before us we will one day see it as it should be. One day, with God, we will soon see all the truth prevail out of our imperfection. To that day, to all we can be, our greatest hope in God.

Long Last Some Light Breaks Through

Finally after 6 years of secrecy, greed and corruption some light will break through the darkness. The light is a chance to right some wrongs, heal some wounds and bring the truth to bear on exactly what has been going on in this country for so long now. With a Democratic congress we should be able to turn around some legislation on worker and consumer rights, Medicaid, competitive drug prices and the environment, although a lameduck Bush veto will stand in the way of some of it, but also important and desperately needed is investigation into the false premises for the Iraq war, war profiteering cronyism ie haliburton, Abramoff, K street and all the other corruption in Washington. That is the up side. The down side? The new congress can do little about Bush's debacle in Iraq except to cut funding but they will not imperil the troops so this is yet to play out. Domestically Democrats also are dependent on money from corporate america and although House speaker Nancy Pelosi has said she will run the most honest ethical congress in America's history lobby reform and campaign finance reform will be the democrats battle against themselves. Senators such as Russ Feingold and John McCain will however keep the heat on reform of money's influence but that is also where we need to keep the heat on, the democrats weaknesses. (also support the clean elections movement spreading through the states).
Should the Democrats suffer under the illusion that this election is a referendum on now ignoring issues of the religious right they will do so at their political peril but if they honestly look at the voting results they will wisely continue to remind themselves that they took many congressional races because they the democrats offered more candidates supporting family values issues. For now it appears they will heed that wisdom but as it has been time and time and time and time again it will be the doom of Democrats should they forget and fantasize they are riding a tidal wave to the left. I have heard some bloated talking buffoonery from a few but largely most of the Democrats are keeping their heads.
Our new congressmen must again remind themselves that they won primarily because of independent voters and remember that the issues of lobby reform and election reform are independent mainstays and not to forget that these independents are not stuck to you the way the religious right blindly stick to the republicans. Fail to pass real lobby and election reform and you lose the independents straight and simple. No theocracy, no misguided faith and allegiance. Just,you lose. Don't lose.

So that is where we are now. What can we expect? Much of the legislation will probably be vetoed and then used as democratic campaigning points in 2008 but investigations, hearings and subpoenas are another story, they will not be vetoed, hidden, or "Cheneyed" and all I have to say to that is.....THANK THE LORD And Thank You, People Of America!

A Moment Of Truth For The Religious Right

In review of all that has been planned in preceding years the religious right must consider what has transpired here in this nation. The problem is, of course, they do not see themselves as being co-opted. If they did they would understand that the repulican party will not throw away the best political football they ever had and that is the hook keeping a significant portion of the religious vote in the party corner. You see, if issues such as abortion were ever passed the religious would then feel free to wander away to other political parties and other issues. The republican power structure has no real intention of passing on any of those hooks and that is why after many hard fought years for the religious right led on by promises from the republicans when the mission would be effectually accomplished, that is, a religious rightwing president with both houses of congress republican that no abortion bill was submitted. What you heard was "the people are not ready for an abortion bill" and it doesn't matter what the excuses were, after all those years of political struggle to get here you heard "the people are not ready for an abortion bill". Wow, as if the Bush administration and Republican congress have been concerned about what the people are "ready" for. That the religious right have believed that means they can believe about anything clinging to their party and a president. But oh sure, as if the republican party was concerned about the will of the people where their extreme pro business, pro rich legislation was concerned. That should say it all. They proposed and passed landslide amounts of bills to suit the priviledged and powerful omitting virtually any legislation to protect consumers or workers and they passed on putting an abortion bill up in order to keep the heartland votes in their corner for future election purposes in order to pass bills to continue to suit and serve the powerful but with the religious right under such strong fervent influence they do not see it. They do not see that they are ONLY being used to promote the power and influence of the monied. Projecting ones allegiance and faith in God toward a political party ideology begats darkness and one would hope the religious right will raise their heads up, crack an eye open and take a look at what is really going on around them.