|
|||||||
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||||
|
|||||||
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||||
|
Welcome to the 2008 Editorial Archives of Martin T. Ingham Read Martin T. Ingham's Current Column Here! |
| Martin's 2007 Archives |
| Martin's 2006 Archives |
| Martin's 2005 Archives |
| Martin's 2004 Archives. |
I'm disturbed by how quickly one can be accused of being a racist bigot for doing nothing more than calling for equality and a color-blind society. You see it everyday, when people ask that everyone be treated equal without racial preference. It's commonly seen when someone calls for the end of Affirmative Action, Reparations, or dares to stand up and say that we are all one race, regardless of skin color, geographical origin, or genetic variation. Truly, it is now racist to call for equality, because equality means that those who identify themselves as "minorities" do not get preferential treatment any more than "white" people do.
In Downeast Maine, our main "minority" is Native American Tribesmen. I have never considered them anything more or less than myself, and have always believed them to be equal human beings, deserving of the same rights and privileges as any other American; free to worship however they see fit, run their lives in accordance with their traditions and beliefs, and be granted full protection under the laws of America. However, recent legislative actions have disturbed me greatly.
There are currently laws under consideration, and those which have already been passed, which discriminate against everyone. They segregate Native American Tribesmen into a special class, and grant them extra rights above and beyond what anyone else is permitted. I dare say, this is discriminatory against them as much as it is against anyone else, even if it gives them "extra" rights.
Let's start with a recently passed law: LD51 gives a free hunting, fishing, and trapping license to Native American Tribesmen, for life. Of course, this was promoted as something of a "reparations" bill, since the "white man" came and stole this land from their ancestors. Accordingly, the Native Americans are supposed to have a right to the wildlife of Maine above and beyond any laws of the white man.
I dare say this law is racist. Of course, I'm bound to be labeled a bigot for daring to say such a thing. Who am I, a mongrelized white guy, to dare say that a law giving extra rights to a minority group is racist? Well, it is. Why don't we stop and think about the opposite for a moment. What would happen if we had a "whites only" hunting license? What if we were to say every white person would get a free hunting license, but other "races" of people would have to apply for one annually, and pay a fee? Everybody in the world would be calling it a racist law and demanding it be struck down. So how is it not racist to give out a "Tribe only" license?
Yes, I'm well aware of the argument that this was "their land" first, and therefore they should have special rights to live as they always have. I'll concede that they might be afforded special dispensation to live as their ancestors did. They can hunt with hand-made bows and knives. The white man brought the rifle, so it is not a traditional hunt for them to shoot anything in that manner. If they want the right to hunt traditionally, as their ancestors did, let them go out with stone knives and bearskins and collect game the traditional way. And you can't drive or ride a horse for miles to hunt. You'll have to hoof it from your front door, just like your ancestors did. We are talking "traditional" rights, aren't we?
Okay, let's move onto a piece of legislation that has not yet been implemented: LD507, regarding Indian religious practices in jail. This has got to be one of the most blatantly outrageous pieces of legislation I have ever seen. It demands that tribesmen who are sent to jail after being convicted of criminal activities shall have the right to feast, beat drums, smoke peace pipes, and have sweat-lodge ceremonies on a regular basis, among other "religious" rights. This is just nuts. When you go to jail, you lose your civil rights. The whole point of prison is to punish offenders. How will jail be punishment if people are allowed to feast and party?
You can rant all day about this being about religious rights, but there are plenty of religious things people of all races and faiths can't do in prison. How many good Catholics are denied communion in the cathedral? How many Moslems are denied their ritual trek to Mecca? Anyone of any faith has their religious rights diminished when they go to prison, because they forfeited those rights by breaking the law. We shouldn't soften the sentences for one select group of people by building sweat lodges in Maine prisons. If you want to practice your religion freely, don't go out stealing, raping, murdering, driving drunk, or otherwise breaking the law. If you spit on the laws of America, you don't have a right to lavish religious ceremonies.
This is the 21st century, and it's about time we all stopped with the racial divides when it comes to legal precedents. I don't care what our ancestors did to each other. We are all Americans now, and should act like it. Everyone should be free, and be granted equal rights. There is no need for any race to be above another, regardless of the past.
I would like to come out once and for all and solidify my position on Abortion. I am against it, and I think it is an utter abomination. Now, if you can get beyond that statement, perhaps you'll take a moment and listen to my rationale on the issue.
Take a moment and look around. Just stop and really think about your perceptions, the simple sensations that we tend to just glaze over in our daily lives. Notice the color of the walls, taste the air moving into your lungs, and feel the warmth of your own hands. Now, imagine never feeling any of that, ever. Never knowing the simple sensation of living. Never seeing a sunrise, or feeling the sweet oxygen enter your chest. Imagine never living. What an utter abomination that is, to deny someone existence entirely.
Now stop and think about fifty million unborn children murdered before they could ever feel anything. How is that justifiable by any sane person? Hitler only killed six million Jews, and we consider him the most evil man in modern history. Yet the militant feminist movement has mandated the slaughter of eight times that many American babies, and we call that progress, and give it government funding! I have felt the cries of all the unborn Americans who were wiped from existence, denied their rightful place as sons and daughters of liberty, and it brings to me a sadness greater than anything describable!
A lot of pro-Abortionists will claim that aborted children are better off dead, because their lives would have been so miserable and unbearable. That's not your right to decide, and how the hell do you know? You're not omniscient. You can't tell me that some unwanted child couldn't have the most wonderful, fulfilling life anyone could ask for. You can't tell me or anyone else what that unborn child could be some day. Yet you presume you have the right to murder someone before they ever have the chance to find out what it feels like to take in a single breath, simply because a woman doesn't want to be bothered giving birth. How dare you?
Death is never preferable to life, no matter how hard living is, and it is never someone else's right to decide for an innocent child. If you want to kill an unborn child, look in the mirror and ask yourself if you'd like to have been aborted, and consider how much you would have enjoyed never having experienced anything. If that isn't enough to convince you, ask yourself if you'd like to have someone else make that decision for you, tell you that you don't have a right to live, because you might be a burden on somebody else. Do you want someone else deciding if you live or die, simply based on their desires, without any consideration for you?
If you really think death is preferable, don't impose that belief on an unborn child. It is not your right, regardless of what any law says!
Super Tuesday is coming up on February 5th, so I'm hoping to get this column released before that crucial date. After much deliberation, I have decided to back Mitt Romney for President. I believe it is vitally important that the Republican Party nominates him, for various reasons which this article explains.
First, let me tell you what I had to go through in order to vote for Mitt.
I woke up on February 2nd to find it raining, and my driveway was solid ice. I live half a mile off of Route 1, so even though the highway was clear my driveway was impassible. However, I knew Mitt needed my support, and I couldn't let him down. I spent 2 hours spreading sand by hand in the rain, sanding half a mile of driveway to cover, just so I could make it to the Caucus.
I showed up at 9AM, and was the first caucus member in the door. The turnout was extremely low. In all, we had 49 Republicans attend, out of several thousand registered. We went through all the book-keeping stuff for the Caucus, and then we all cast our Presidential Preference votes. After voting, we were invited to speak on behalf of our candidates. I admit I dropped the ball on this one. I should have stood up and asked to speak for Mitt before we voted. If I had given my speech before voting, I may have persuaded some undecided voters, or even some McCain & Paul supporters, to side with Mitt Romney. We'll never know.
My speech for Mitt Romney:
I'd like to say a few words about Mitt Romney. In recent weeks I was torn between two candidates, and it took a lot of research and inner reflection to come to this most important decision.
I would like to commend the Ron Paul supporters here today. I must say, I was tempted to vote for Doctor Paul. He's a good man who shares my reverence for the Constitution and the 2nd Amendment. While I believe he would make a good President, I feel we need a more contemporary candidate to lead, and one with a stronger chance to win the Republican Party's nomination. It would be nice to change everything overnight like Dr. Paul suggests, but it just isn't feasible, and international terrorists aren't going to leave us alone if we cut and run. We need a candidate who understands our nation's current plight, and can work to incrementally restore our constitutional liberties and our sovereignty, while protecting us from foreign threats.
I'm supporting Mitt Romney because I believe he can shape our country back to the Constitutional Republic that was created by the founding fathers, while preparing it for the harsh realities of the future.
Romney is a skilled businessman who made a personal fortune on his own, and financial sense is one talent that our next president will need in order to stave off economic collapse. He knows that cutting taxes plays a key role in strengthening our economy, and protecting individual liberty.
In his personal life, Mitt Romney is a good family man who is true to his faith. He is a moral man our kids can look up to. Morality in government is an important element for us all, for it encourages us to improve ourselves, and lets our children know that you can be a good person, and still make it to the highest position in the land. It tells us all that you don't need to be slimy to get ahead.
This is still America, so you're free to disagree, but I believe that Mitt Romney is the kind of president our country needs. We must get back to the founding principles of this nation, and it will take small, even steps to lead us back toward the founding fathers. That's the path Mitt Romney is traveling. He can turn us away from the scourge of socialism which seeks to enslave us all, and already has so many of us trapped in its insidious web. Mitt Romney can give America a hopeful future, if we let him.
Nobody spoke on behalf of Ron Paul or Mike Huckabee, but State Senator Kevin Raye, who presided over the Caucus, gave a speech for John McCain.
When the results were read, my hometown of Robbinston was won handily by Mitt. 3 votes were for Romney, 1 was for McCain. Unfortunately, the large towns of Calais and Baileyville went for McCain, and the final results were as follows:
John McCain: 23
Mitt Romney: 15
Ron Paul: 5
Undecided: 5
William Cohen: 1
Other than my speech for Romney, I didn't say too much at the Caucus. I really felt like I was out of my element. The bad weather and the tension of being amidst the party machine left me feeling quite drained, and I got just the faintest glimmer of the hard road ahead during my own campaign.
It is a great relief to see that Mitt Romney is actually winning big everywhere else in the State of Maine. If you're a Republican preparing to vote in Super Tuesday, or in a Primary or Caucus afterwards, please vote for Mitt Romney. He is the only Conservative choice left to defeat the liberal John McCain.
There is a dark road ahead. Every day, it seems there are fewer and fewer people openly fighting for individual liberty, and the right to live their lives outside of government oversight. It is because of something I have come to call the allure of socialist enslavement.
Most anyone in America would tell you straight out that slavery is wrong, yet so many people are willing to sell out their own freedom for the comfort of socialist enslavement without their even knowing it.
The kind of slavery that socialism provides is comforting to the masses. While it may deprive them of choices, and cause them to be beholden to government, it at the same time takes away the constant pressure that choices and freedoms place upon us all. Freedom is not for the faint of heart, you understand. Being free can be a difficult thing, especially when you're free to fail, and some people would rather be taken care of, and controlled, rather than be free to roam without direction. So many these days want someone else, generally in government, to make their decisions for them, rather than have to find their own path and struggle through life without guarantees.
This country was founded when there were no guarantees, and foreign governments were all about power for an elite ruling class, providing little or no benefit to us peasants. The Founding Fathers changed all that. They threw off the idea that man needed to be led by government and forced into prefab castes. They believed that every man was created equal, and we were free to rise and fall on our own merits, and choose our own destiny. There was no idea of government being in charge of our lives any longer. We became the masters. However, there has always been a rogue element in our nation which seeks to remove those founding principles, and return us to the bonds of servitude. Socialism is simply one of many modern tools in their arsenal to return us to being peasant serfs.
Socialism comes in various forms, and the current kind being incrementally imposed upon America is one which seeks to provide peace and comfort to the masses, while sapping their choices; providing for them a structured course to follow, dictated by a new elite who truly believe they know best how everyone should live. Through government this elite seeks to plunder from those who generate goods and wealth, and redistributes that wealth to the masses in the hopes of conditioning them to serve the Socialist Utopian State. Each generation becomes more accustomed to the enslavement, and less aware that it even is slavery. To the youth of tomorrow, today's oppression will simply be the societal structure they're born into, and it will makes sense to them, since they'll be conditioned to recognize it as good, and progressive. They won't understand that it comes at a most dangerous price; that price being their individuality, their liberty, and their heritage. Make no mistake, it is happening right now, and has been happening for the better part of a century. It will continue to progress, eventually returning us to an elitist system of government which the Founding Fathers fought a revolution to overthrow.
Those of us who wish our children to be free must not surrender, and should not allow the socialist enslavers to tell us how to live. Do not capitulate to the idea of a Socialist Future. The future is not set in stone, and there is no reason to stop fighting for what is right, even if you think you're going to lose. Fighting for what is right and losing is preferable to surrendering to evil without trying. There is hope in trying. There is death in quitting.
What we must fight for is the US Constitution. We must stand up and demand that each freedom granted be absolute, and not let that most important piece of law be interpreted as a "living document." Our rights are not flexible things to be redesigned by somebody else's idea of what's right for us. We are Americans, by God, and we must not let them erase that identity from existence, as so many have tried to do since this nation's founding. It is time that Americans returned to their roots, and recognized that the Constitution is gospel, to be upheld above all other laws in America, for without the freedoms granted by that document we are nothing more than property of the state, and I am tired of being a slave.
It's March already, and as the winter persists I have found myself preoccupied with many different tasks. In the last few weeks, I have spent quite a bit of time attending to reading and writing of science fiction, stepping back from politics a bit, and taking the time to breathe.
I have not forgotten my political race, nor have I ignored pertinent news, but I did take a few weeks off in February. I had been in "campaign mode," since Mid-December, and I was in need of a break. I've nearly received all of the $5 checks I need to qualify for clean elections funding, and I had enough signatures to get on the ballot after the first week in January, so things are progressing nicely. Grassroots are beginning to spread, and I hope that everyone able helps to spread the word about my common-sense race.
In other news: I should be getting my first royalty check for "Virtual Wiles" sometime in the next few weeks. I don't expect it to be anything of significant value. I'm not a bestseller, and my publisher is small-time. I'm at the bottom rung of the publishing ladder, but it's a start, and I have an ever growing portfolio of work which will be "discovered" someday, hopefully when I'm still young enough to enjoy a little fame.
There are a few political topics I plan to touch on at a later date. I must say, it is a sad day for Maine when the legislature thinks the idea of banning "energy drinks" to teens and banning the incandescent lightbulb are top priorities. At the same time they're considering such outrageous restrictions on our liberty, members of the House, Anne Perry among them, refused to even allow debate on a proposed law that would have granted parental notification and consent requirements before 11-year old girls could be given birth control. Talk about screwed up priorities!
John McCain continues to disappoint me, and I find myself more inclined to back Ron Paul at the Maine Republican Convention in May. McCain's liberal past, and his recent bumbling demeanor is proving to be a disaster, while Barak Hussein Obama skyrockets in popularity with Socialist schemes and empty promises. I fear our country is in for 4 years of bad policies, if not something worse.
God, protect us from the political "experts" who think they know best how to run our lives for us.
Maine's $200 million dollar budget shortfall has no easy fix, but it is obvious that the bureaucrats in Augusta have no intention of tightening their belts, and the cuts Governor Baldacci has proposed mostly affect rural Maine. He doesn't want to cut money out of his own budget, nor the budget for Bangor or Augusta schools. He wants to cut funding for schools in Washington County, and shut down our DHHS offices. This is more of the same agenda he has pushed all the while, to depopulate rural Maine and consolidate control in Augusta. Other countries have tried that sort of thing. Most of them were Communist. Is it just a coincidence that Baldacci has buddied-up with Commie Dictators like Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro during his reign?
Well, before I get into any more of a mad rant, I would like to share with you a letter which I wrote to the Bangor Daily News this week. They BDN was nice enough to publish this letter in-total, this Saturday, March 15th. As always, it is an honor to be published by their paper. I know a number of my readers don't read the BDN, many of them living outside the state where it isn't readily available.
Letter to the Editor, 3-15-08:
I am disappointed in Baldacci's latest plan to balance Maine's budget, but not surprised. It is simply more of the same agenda he has pushed since being elected, which is to short-change rural Maine and centralize control.
His plan makes drastic cuts in education funding for rural schools, while actually increasing revenue for urbanized areas. If the budget shortfall needs to be addressed by school cuts, wouldn't it make more sense to cut funding from the really big schools in urban areas, rather than suck the meager funds away from poor, rural communities? The large schools could more easily compensate for the loss, while small schools such as those in Washington County will be hit hard.
Our towns will be forced to either jack up property taxes to cover the loss of funding, or shut down the schools. Of course, Baldacci wouldn't mind either scenario, since he will be off the hook. He won't have personally raised taxes, or shut down the schools. It will be the local people's decision, after all. No matter that he stripped the funding, it'll be our fault for deciding how to handle the cuts. It's a win/win for Baldacci, and a lose/lose situation for rural schools.
The $200 million shortfall in Maine's budget is the result of punitive tax rates and out of control spending which Augusta has promoted over the last decade. Baldacci and his allies in the Legislature have created this problem, and in order to fix it they want to throw the children of poor rural families under the school bus. I think it would be more advantageous if the paper pushers in Augusta took the brunt of the cuts, rather than those of us they're purported to represent.
I am someone who believes in true equality and individual liberty for all people. I've said it repeatedly in my columns, and have spoken it aloud all of my adult life. I believe we have God-given rights to determine our own path in life, and that the role of government should be limited to preserving limited order and providing security from external threats. It is not there to be our parent from cradle to grave, but is there to make sure we do not rape and kill one another, nor suffer at the hands of foreign invaders.
When we delve into the arena of sexual behavior, the line has grown fuzzy. Morality has diminished, and with it we are starting to see the degradation of common sense when it comes to such simple things as marriage and families. It used to be common sense that marriage was between one man and one woman, and that this pairing was best suited to raising children. That is still the case, but a vocal minority of activists is constantly trying to remove the idea of "traditional" marriage, with such concepts as "Gay" Marriage, and group marriages, and with every other form of sexual deviancy having its own splinter group demanding marriage rights these days.
As I've said in the past, I don't care what you do in the bedroom. I don't want to see it, and I don't want to hear about it, nor do I want you to tell my children about it. I do not inflict my personal sexual activities onto you, and I would appreciate the same treatment from you. This is civilized, and the way most people behave.
The activist gay movement is not satisfied with keeping their private lives private. Some militant sexual deviants demand that society change to suit their desires and their chosen lifestyles. Why is another column altogether, but the very fact that they want the majority to change for them is disastrous for our children's future.
The militant activists decry how they're being oppressed, that somehow they don't have the "same" rights as straight people. That assessment in and of itself is a flat-out lie. They are not denied any rights. They have full protection under the law, just as any straight people. They have the right to marry anyone of the opposite sex that will agree to be wed to them, just as we all do, and they have the right to reproduce just as any heterosexual would. There is nothing discriminatory about expecting them to live within the confines of civil society and reality.
People of all sexual persuasions are equal to everyone in today's society, but somehow that isn't good enough for a few malcontents. No, in their heterophobic minds, they demand that society change to provide them special rights above and beyond those given to straight people. They want us all to bend over backwards to suit their desires. This is no different than some white Klansman demanding preferential treatment because of his skin color. It's even come to the point where some of these "transgenders" want their own special bathrooms. It sounds a lot like "Whites-only" drinking fountains, to appease another form of special interest. How are they not both segregation?
The "civil rights" movement has been perverted from one of equality and integration to one of segregation and preferential treatment for a select minority, and that is the truth that few dare admit.
The modern gay movement is not about being equal or integrated with society. They already are equal and integrated. No, they want to be different, they want to be set apart, put on a pedestal, and allowed to rewrite society to put themselves above us, all for the sake of their feelings. It is about time somebody put their foot down and threw some common sense into the mix, demanded that we uphold equal rights for all, and reject the idea that being different is anything to care about.
I am someone who prides himself on having common sense. It is one of the focal points of my political campaign, as it is a key element of my being. Though common sense is something that is losing its meaning, as in some places it is no longer common. Soon, we may have to simply refer to it as "Practical" Sense.
It used to be that whatever seemed sensible and a given in life was common sense, but it seems a lot of things are no longer that simple. Therefore, I will try to set some parameters as to what constitutes this once-common sense.
Some wacky philosophers and theologians will ask stupid questions, like "If a soldier throws himself on a grenade to save his fellow soldiers, is he committing suicide, and thus condemned to hell?" Common sense tells us that the soldier is being a hero, and sacrificing himself to save others will not condemn him to hell. Equally, the same soldier who kills armed assailants in combat is not damned because of his duty.
Nor is the homeowner who shoots an armed burglar doing anything wrong. Self defense is not a damnable offense, and anyone who says otherwise is off their rocker, but there are a lot of crooks and criminals out there who want to strip us of our right to defend ourselves, and make us feel it is bad in all ways. I dare say, it used to be common sense that you had a right to defend yourself and your property, and it still is commonly believed by the majority of Americans.
Common sense tells us that one man and one woman constitute the best family for children. Single mothers may be suitable, but it cannot be disputed that a caring, loving family with a husband and a wife is the most desired environment for kids. Of course, this is a concept that is heavily under assault by the "gay adoption" crowd, who want us to believe that any and all couplings are equal. So sorry, but it is not sensible to confuse children with deviant sexual lifestyles. Of course, common sense is the enemy of the militant gay agenda, which explains why it is becoming less common.
It is common sense that more money in the hands of more people will mean that said money will get circulated more, and more people will earn more of it. As I've previously explained, if the government takes a dollar from you, that's a dollar you can't spend, and a dollar someone else can't earn. It dies in the hands of government. Now, if the government only takes ten cents off that dollar, you will have ninety cents more to spend, and somebody else will then be paying taxes on the extra ninety cents you have paid them. Thus, a lower tax rate equals more tax income for government. It's common sense, but since we don't teach practical economics in school anymore, fewer and fewer people understand it readily.
Common sense leads one to be skeptical and open-minded when it comes to science, and when you actually look at the raw data, see that volcanic activity produced ten times more greenhouse gas emissions than all manmade sources, and that the planet hasn't risen in temperature in ten years, you must discount the rabid, doomsday prophesies of Al Gore and Ted Turner. Science shows that global climate change has been an ongoing process since long before mankind existed, and none of the current theories or projections are accurate. Of course, global warming is the new "flat earth" theory, and anyone who disregards it or dares to question it is a heretic, and the opportunistic scientists and politicians cashing in on the scam are ready with the rope and pitchforks.
These are just a few samples of what I consider to be "common sense." Too many political leaders have turned their backs on this kind of rational thought, all for the advancement of their own ambitious agenda for personal power and prestige. That is something I shall never do, and it saddens me to think that so many can simply ignore the truth for an inconvenient lie.
My friends and allies, by now you have no doubt heard already that Judy Alexander defeated me in the Republican Primary. It was not as close as I would have hoped, and in the end she had 96 more votes than me, so she will be heading onto the November ballot, and facing Anne C. Perry for a second time. I wish Judy all the luck in the world.
Going into this race, I knew it was going to be an uphill battle. I was new to the world of organized politics, stepping up from my activist roots into a more official role. I did not have a history of political races behind me, nor any idea what I was really in for. In the end, my inexperience and own lack of determination got the better of me.
This race was not a total loss at all in the grand scheme of things, and I do not regret it one bit. It has taught me many valuable lessons, and should I ever seek to run again I will be more than prepared, and empowered with knowledge. This time around, I was experimenting, seeing what would work, and hoping to figure it out. I did, but it was too late. Hindsight is 20/20, after all.
I truly do hope Judy can beat Anne Perry, for Maine cannot stand 2 more years of her standing behind Baldacci's corrupt policies. One main problem I had with running the campaign this time around is that I didn't really oppose Judy, so much as I felt I would do a better job and be a stronger candidate in November. She seems to hold many of my views, and has been nothing but pleasant with me, so I couldn't really run against her.
Therefore, I have one request of my readers in House District 31. Vote for Judith A. Alexander in November. Do not write me in, or vote for Anne Perry out of spite. We must unite behind the Republican nominee, who happens to be my second choice for Representative, and hope for the best.
As for what the future holds, who can tell. For me, it is an open book. This race is not the end, nor the beginning of the end. It is the end of the beginning, and I'll be back. When and in what race, I cannot tell, but rest assured Maine has not heard the last of Martin T. Ingham in politics.
In the meantime, I will be focusing more energy on my writing career, so please take a look at my new online serial, "The Stars Beyond Tomorrow." Also, if you haven't already read "Virtual Wiles," be sure to find a copy and read it. It is a seriously good read, and the sequel will be released soon!
I would like to preface this by saying that Politics should not be treated like a sports match. The Republicans & Democrats are not the Redsox & Yankees, and they're not just throwing a ball around for your amusement. I am sick and tired of so many people on both sides treating our country like it's baseball, and not bothering to consider individual candidates, but rather voting the party line.
If you vote for somebody for no other reason than they have a D or an R next to their name, you are an idiot. If that offends you, that's a start, and you should actually use your brain for a few minutes and consider what I'm saying. If you did, you'd get over the initial emotional reaction and realize that I am not trying to be insulting, but trying to help you get over the blind partisanship, and think beyond imitation party boundaries.
I mention this because there is no time that this blind partisanship surfaces more than during a Presidential Race, and I am disgusted by how blind so many people are this year. Personally, I have been thrown back and forth among several candidates during this election cycle, and I'm not terribly satisfied with the two main party offerings. John McCain acts too liberal for my tastes, while Barack Obama pretends to be liberal, but has more in common with Karl Marx than FDR. Some choice!
Why do I say that about the two major party candidates? Because I have bothered to look beyond their phony campaign rhetoric, beyond their promises, and beyond the media hype. I have looked at what both candidates stood for, and what they did, before they decided to run for President.
When deciding on whom to vote for in a Presidential Race, never, ever vote based on what the candidates are saying now, during the election. They are all throwing out phony promises to get elected. They are trying to tell the average, uneducated voter whatever they think they want to hear. If you don't care about the truth, and want to vote for an illusion, go ahead and base your vote on what's said in the latest debates. I will not be so stupid or sheepish.
There are a lot of similarities between the two candidates, though there are a few distinct differences. The following positions I list are based on what Obama & McCain said, did, and voted for or against before they ever started running for President.
Gun Control:
Barack Obama:Opposes civilian gun ownership. He has worked consistently throughout his political career to limit gun ownership rights, and support gun-free communities.
John McCain: Has long been a supporter of the right of the people to keep and bear arms. He is endorsed by the National Rifle Association.
Abortion:
Obama: Supports a woman's right to choose, no matter what. Supports late-term abortions, and supports a Doctor's right to terminate a baby's life if it is accidentally born during a botched abortion.
McCain: Pro-life. Opposes Roe vs. Wade, and believes in the right to life for unborn children.
Taxes:
Obama: Has consistently supported increased taxes for all Americans, to support social programs. He has consistently opposed any and all tax rate cuts, "middle-class" or otherwise.
McCain: Has opposed tax cuts in recent years. Criticized tax cuts made by the Bush Administration until choosing to run for President.
Gay Marriage:
Obama: Supports Gay Marriage, though believes it should be the individual states who legalize it.
McCain: Opposes Gay Marriage. Believes marriage should be defined as 1-man & 1-woman only.
Free Speech:
Obama: Seeks to regulate free speech by reinstating the "fairness doctrine," which would require all media outlets to give equal time to all "points of view." If you have 3 hours of Rush Limbaugh, you would be required to have 3 hours of Al Franken as well, to balance your media content.
McCain: Has undermined free speech with "Campaign Finance Reform," which heavily regulates political speech during an election.
Global Warming:
Obama: Believes it is manmade, and wants to cut our use of fossil fuels. Has opposed domestic oil drilling during his time in the Senate.
McCain: Believes it is manmade, and wants to cut our use of fossil fuels. Has consistently opposed domestic oil drilling during his time in the Senate.
Immigration: No obvious difference. Both candidates have opposed tightening border security, and have supported illegal alien amnesty.
The War On Terror:
Obama: Has consistently opposed the war in Iraq, and has wanted to pull out our troops ASAP. He turns a blind eye to Islamic Extremism (note his quote in the next section).
McCain: Supported the invasion of Iraq, and pushed for a "troop surge" from the beginning, to assure victory.
Israel:
Obama: He's shown no support for Israel, and wrote in his book, "Audacity of Hope," and I quote: "I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction."
McCain: He has consistently worked in favor of Israel's sovereignty, and supported efforts, militarily and diplomatically, to combat Israel's enemies.
Based on all these positions and more, I must reluctantly throw my support behind John McCain. He may be a liberal at times, but he is not a Communist, and Obama might as well be wearing a hammer and sickle patch on his sleeve. I will not back a gun-banning, tax-happy, baby killing phony like Obama, and I hope enough Americans realize that he is not the kind of "change" America needs. No Patriotic American can vote for Barack Hussein Obama, knowing what he is and what he stands for.
God, save America!
Okay, you've won. You got what you wanted, after 8 years of Bush, and now you have it all, an ultra-leftist president, a filibuster-proof senate, and a mandate from the majority of voters for Obama's administration to do whatever they damn well please. I know you're happy now, but we'll just see in a couple of years if you still are.
I want you to mark my words, and remember the following predictions when they start coming true. I don't want you to spout the line that "it's all Bush's fault" when everything starts going to hell because of Obama's policies. If Obama's so great, he shouldn't have a problem fixing any Bush administration errors in short order, especially not with a super-majority in congress. Anything that happens in the next 4 years will be on Obama and his comrades.
When taxes go up, up, up, it will be Obama.
When your 12 year old daughters get government mandated birth control, and are given abortions on demand without parental consent, it will be Obama.
When oil hits $300 a barrell, it will be Obama.
When federally-mandated health insurance triples payroll taxes, and your quality of care plummets, it will be Obama.
When the cost of food doubles in price, it will be Obama!
When politically-incorrect speech becomes a "hate-crime" and gets people thrown in jail for exercising their 1st Amendment Rights, it will be Obama.
When taxes on guns and ammunition skyrocket 500%, it will be Obama.
When new gun registration programs, waiting periods, and overbearing sales restrictions go into effect, it will be Obama.
When gun manufacturers are put out of business due to frivolous lawsuits, and thousands and thousands of American workers are put out of business because of it, it will be Obama.
When terrorists strike another US city, it will be because of Obama!
When terrorists take over Iraq and turn it into a staging base for further chaos in the Middle East, it will be Obama's fault.
Every one of these things will be caused by Obama's policies over the next 4 years, many in the next 2. I want you all to remember this, and when these things start happening remember that I warned you, and maybe you'll take my advice next time. I expect we may have a chance to reverse this in 2010, with the congressional mid-term election, and each of us will need to decide what we want, based on the irrefutable truths that will surface regarding the policies of Obama and his Democratic allies in congress. Of course, a few of you might actually agree with these insane, anti-American changes, in which case you can go to hell.
There are many more bad things that are liable to happen because of Obama, though these are just some major ones off the top of my head. The only way these don't come to pass is if Obama is a liar, and goes back on what he has promised to do throughout the campaign, and throughout his life. There is nothing to stop him from doing whatever he wants now, so sit back and enjoy the ride, and remember that it's okay if you decide you want a different kind of "change" later on, and kick him and his buddies out of government. I only pray things don't get too screwed up in the meantime.
God delivered a very poignant message to me at Church on Wednesday night. I was praying my usual prayers, asking for His continued protection and blessings for me and my family, and then I stepped back and asked for guidance. I asked God, what should I pray for? What can I ask that is not selfish or self-serving, but something that would be of benefit to all? He answered me most clearly, saying "Pray for Shame."
It might sound like a bad thing, and many of you might have stopped reading right after that word, "shame" came over your eyes. Nobody wants to be ashamed, and most people these days will automatically tune you out if you even mention the concept. A lot of Christians will decry that it's not God's will for anyone to feel shame, and that Grace covers it all. Well, that's only a half-truth, one that is poisoning our society.
With God's answer came understanding, a view of our world today and why America in particular is growing increasingly immoral. It is because we have lacked a motivating factor in our lives to improve ourselves. We have lost our shame!
Shame is not negative, or nasty. It is a gift from God, a tool handed to each and every one of us, to let us know when we are sinning in His eyes. In today's world, that sense has been diminished and eliminated in many people. It is done by a culture that does not understand God, by people lacking in morality. They seek to promote moral relativism, that there is no right or wrong, but whatever you believe is equal to anything anyone else believes, no matter how strange or perverse, and they use historical examples to justify their own twisted sense of non-morality.
Yes, it is true, there has always been sin, and there always will be sin, and years ago people still did the same things they do today, though less frequently and less openly. It was because they felt a stigma attached to their sin. They knew what they did was wrong, and many of them sought to correct their behaviors over time. Many succeeded, and few sought to corrupt others to their shameful habits. That is the blessing of Divine Shame.
Just like anything else, too much shame will hurt you, but just as essential vitamins and minerals, too little can also kill you, and that's what the lack of shame in modern day America is doing. It is killing our children. Look at how they behave, dragged into sex and drugs, desperate to find some meaning to life, destroying themselves in decadence, and they know no shame because somebody told them to feel good about themselves no matter what, and taught them that nothing they ever do is wrong.
Without Divine Shame, there is no incentive to improve oneself, no driving force to shape up and straighten out. No reason to make the world a better place, except for your own self-aggrandizement. Lack of shame promotes decadence and immorality to the extreme, and that is the root cause of the ills in modern day America. It can all be linked back to a lack of shame, and self-worship above God.
So, I am going to do what God asked of me. I am going to pray for shame. Not for my shame, or your shame, but for the shame of each and every human being, that they might recognize their own failings and seek to remedy them in the eyes of their creator. I invite you all to join me, and perhaps our children's future will be a little brighter.
I must say, when it comes to my life so far, it could have been worse, and I know that some people may resent me because of that. It's not that I've lived a life of excess and ease, like the idle rich, but I do have a few things in common with the trust-fund bunch. I haven't had to struggle like many people have in order to get what I've got. My first and only house (such as it is) was provided by my parents. My first truck was my father's (even though it was 15 years old, and never really ran right), and truth be told I am not a physical workaholic, out busting my butt in the rat-race to make ends meet. I work when I need to make money, but don't consider it the driving force of my existence, and I do everything I can to avoid the need for money, thus reducing my requirement for physical labor.
That might just piss off the average working Joe, who is stuck working two jobs to pay down a mortgage, and never has free time to himself. While at the same time, the country-club set with the trust funds would never consider me one of them, since I'm a poor laborer in a run-down farmhouse with rusty vehicles, and obviously no trust-fund. Thus, I fit with neither, and am excluded from their circles.
I have found myself stuck between "classes" my whole life. I have never quite fit in with any particular group, which has made my life quite lonely at times, and also disconcerting. They say you can tell a man by the friends he keeps, but in my case I don't really know who I would call a "friend." Most of the people in my life are acquaintances that come and go, and we chat now and then, but there is no bond to be seen. I don't pal around with a certain crowd. I don't particularly care to hobnob with the snobs, but neither can I stand the slobs. So where does that put me?
Have I ever really had friends? Oh, yes, as a child I had a few, though we drifted apart, and while they may have drifted into other classes, I drifted into a class of my own, a unique sphere of influence that leaves me isolated from the majority of man. It would take a long time to explain how I got here, but rest assured it was simply a matter of my nature. So I am stuck here, in the middle, or off to the side.
I am neither above or below the vast majority. I am just different; an outsider looking into their tinted glass, and wondering why their lives are so dark, or colorful, depending on the lighting. I have a natural inclination to lead, but also enjoy being left alone; quite a paradox, if you stop and think about it.
That is a good definition of me; Paradox. I am everyone and no one. I am a shining light in the darkness, dreaming of becoming a Sun, yet wary of those brilliant rays.
Yes, it is all sentimental nonsense. I hope somebody out there gets something out of this, though, because it is really bringing me down. Just call me Mr. Paradox, and have a nice day.
| NCA Mainpage |