I think it is critical for politicians of any party to stand for something. When the established parties use endorsements as payback, they deserve the defeat they get. I’m glad to see Governor Huckabee bucking the establishment to support a principled public servant in Florida.
“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend’s or of thine own were. Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” John Donne (1572 – 1631)
When did we stop believing this? We believed it 50 years ago when college students from all over the country rallied and marched in support of blacks in the south. We believed it when we gathered to mourn our slain president and we believed it 5 years later when his brother was also assassinated. When did we start believing nothing was so important as us and our desires? When did we decide that it doesn’t matter what changes take place in society as long as it doesn’t affect ME?
I realized (again) in the last few days that I have a worldview so at odds with many that I wonder how we can communicate. You see, I believe Donne’s statement. I believe when any group of people is oppressed, it is my obligation to stand in support of them. If not, who will stand in support of me when I need it? I believe in mutual respect, even of those who do not agree with me.
And I believe we must demonstrate this is all areas of our lives, including our political affiliations. When Congress passes a bill that targets a specific group, we should not be silent because it “doesn’t affect me”. Such tactics are divisive and violate the intent of the fathers of our country. “We believe that all men are created equal …” Note, they did not say anything about some being more equal than others when it comes to shouldering the obligations of the nation. They did not say anyone should get a free ride. I believe they intended that we should have equal opportunity, but the results we achieved should be due to our own efforts and abilities.
Somewhere along the line we seem to have decided that created equal means we must legislate equality by the Robin Hood method … the only problem with that is that when government decides to level the playing field, the only winner is government. You can’t raise the economic standards of the poor by taking from those more well off and handing out freebies. All that does is create more generations of people who don’t have and will never have because you have stolen their incentive to get.
Like many people, I wondered why our president would go to Europe and apologize for “American arrogance”. I was also troubled when he declined to visit American graves in France because it might offend the Germans. What?
I got an e-mail today that made me go searching to verify information. The e-mail questioned why the president would make such a statement in view of the many American lives lost to keep Europe free. As I searched to verify the facts of the e-mail, I discovered some sobering information:
Of course this is only a portion of those who lost their lives in these wars. You can find information on these cemeteries at the website of the American Battle Monuments Commission. As I read through the information on the various sites, I was shocked to discover that there are many still listed as missing … unknown 65 years after the invasion of Europe in 1944.
The e-mail I got questioned why we are considered arrogant and what we have to apologize for. It ended with this: “How many French, Dutch, Italians, Belgians and British are buried on our soil after having defended us against our enemies?” Good Question!
During his presidential run, Mike Huckabee often stated that the focus of our health care system is wrong. He said we should focus on preventing disease rather than curing it. Our system is not geared to help people avoid many of the diseases that are the most costly to treat.
I think he is entirely correct in his assessment of the problem. For example, when I became disabled, I had to make changes in my health insurance coverage because I could not afford to pay 40% of my monthly income for the kind of coverage I had while working. That means I have to pay more out of pocket for health care. And it could mean making health decisions based on my ability to pay rather than on what is the best treatment (both from my perspective and that of the health care providers).
In 2003 I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. We took a proactive approach and I have managed to control the disease with diet, but have to test my blood twice a day to monitor how I am doing. My testing supplies are not covered under my health insurance because I am doing the right things. If I were unable or unwilling to manage the disease with diet and put on medication, my medication and testing supplies would be covered. I have a really hard time with that when I have to fork over $150.00 for lancets and test strips.
We have it backwards.
I spent some time reading the bills currently before Congress … and have a hard time believing what I read. I really should just stop while I have some self control left!
The House of Representatives recently passed HR 1388, which is known as the Hate Crimes Bill. Others have described it as the Protected Class Bill. In essence, this bill seeks to create a protected class of citizens, with special penalties for people who harm them. There is much wrong with this bill and I will come back to it another day. The idea of creating such special protected classes is so unAmerican as to be unimaginable.
Then there is HR 1366, which might be described as the Offensive Bill … basically a bill aimed at ending dissent on the internet or in the public arena as it provides substantial penalties for “offending” someone.
Another cute little bill is HR 45, the end of the Second Amendment. This one is really silly and shows just how out of touch people in the national Congress are with reality. Let me spell it out for them:
What I see is this: Congress and the current administration want to silence any debate and disarm any opposition … one wonders why? Big Brother is looking more real.
This week I discovered how much people don’t know about their rights as citizens. I had two separate casual conversations which really opened my eyes.
I was talking with a young father about his concerns about the school his children attend. He was voicing his disapproval of policy changes currently before the school board. I asked him if he had written the school board members, or gone to their meeting. He said: “I can’t do that!” and was surprised that I thought he could. He just wasn’t aware that he had that right.
Then I was chatting with my hairdresser about children and asked her opinion of the proposed UN treaty on the rights of children. She had never heard of it. When I explained a little about it, she was appalled and wanted to know what she could do to stop it. Again, she was hesitant to write a Congress person about it. She wondered why she hadn’t seen anything about this in the news.
And then it hit me … we don’t see a lot of what happens in Congress in the news. Unless you are a real detective, it is hard to know what is going on in legislative circles. Even then, I often find it hard to get information on bills I know have been introduced. Bills such as the G.I.V.E. Act get passed without a ripple of interest. What we hear in the news and what is actually in the bill are worlds apart. Of course, most of our representatives don’t know what is in these bills either. They don’t read them. At most, they trust the legislative summaries to make their decisions. Or worse yet, they just vote the party line without ever trying to discern whether the bill is really in the interest of their constituents.
I think it is time to bring back civic classes in schools. We need to teach our citizens what government is about. Of course, once they discover that it is supposed to be of, for and by them, they might take it away from the people who currently wield power.
Andy Andrews presents an interesting concept in The Noticer, namely that we spend most of our time focused on the wrong things and need to develop perspective.
The book is the story of a man named Walker and a lifelong relationship that develops between Walker and a man named Jones. Jones is something of a mystery, appearing and disappearing without rhyme or reason, but always imparting a bit of wisdom to Walker. Jones encourages Walker to change the way he views his circumstances and subsequently change his life for the better.
Jones teaches Walker that most problems arise not because of a lack of communication, but because we fail to communicate in the same way as others. He tells Walker that he needs to learn how others communicate to be sure they comprehend his message. The over-riding message of this book is one of hope. Jones consistently shares the view that “the best is yet to come” as encouragement to those he meets in the pages of this book.
There is a Reader’s Guide at the end of the book with questions about content as well as for reflection. The Noticer will hold your attention as you learn more about Jones and the effect he has on all who experience him.
Welcome to the last Sunday in April. For the past two weeks we have enjoyed Minnesota springtime at its best … warm days and mild breezes … and sunshine, lots of sunshine! Today we got a reminder of how quickly things can change. It is damp, cold and rainy. And they actually are talking about snow tonight. *eek*
All is not lost though. We went to lunch after church and our waitress informed us that someone had picked up the tab. We can guess who it was, but only guess because there were two families in the restaurant that Steve knows. Whichever it was, thank you!
I am working on my study of Romans this morning. I expect to finish this study in about two more months. It has really been interesting, Paul’s letter to the church at Rome is a sustained and brilliantly cohesive argument for those living in a pluralistic and pagan society. It is, therefore, of great benefit to today’s believers. Desiring God has an excellent sermon series from Pastor John Piper available online or for download. I encourage you to check them out.
I don’t think I realized how long the process would be when I decided to do a deep chronological study of Paul’s letters. I started in 2006 and expect to finish late in 2010. The books in front of me are much shorter in length than the ones I have finished, but are packed with practical and theological truth.
This has and continues to be a blessing. To paraphrase Howard Hendricks: God wrote us a love letter, and saved it for us in a book. Amen!
With Tea Parties taking place all over the country, the main stream media has either ignored, under-reported or just plain mischaracterized these events. Even the local news station in the Twin Cities filed a report that focused more on negative aspects: Thousands gather in St. Paul for modern-day tea party
The Washington Post produced a liberally biased piece including the cannard that the whole thing was a promotion of the Fox News Network: Obama Just Not Their Cup of Tea
One of the largest events was in Atlanta, where the Journal Constitution continued the mischaracterization, claiming that the event was promoted by the Republican party and conservative lobbyists.
What was most amazing was the sense of outrage expressed by a number of commentators … notably CNN and MSNBC. What do they have to be outraged about?
We are commemorating the Way of the Cross today and looking forward to celebrating The Resurrection! Hallelujah!
The more I read about government intervention in business, the more I know we need to retire most of the current members of Congress and get some people who have a clue in there … and that goes for the administration as well. Really … now we have a bunch of people including the President who have never run anything or produced anything except convoluted legislation telling industry how to operate?
As I read the comments from Townhall, I could only shake my head. So they want to give me a “clunker” bonus to encourage me to trade in my 13 year old Jimmy. Are they also going to give me money to pay for a new car?
This is either bizarro world or the beginning of 1984 … I can’t decide which.
I cannot help but be amused when I read something like was posted today at Musclehead Revolution. If most of the media and conservative groups hadn’t been such muscleheads (for lack of a less polite word), we wouldn’t be in the mess we are today. IMO
But I guess it is better late than never … get on board!
HT: Brian Donegan