I’m Back: Christian Rationalization and Purpose

Well, wordpress has updated everything and so have I! I purchased the 20 dollar upgrade so I could add music. However, I need to figure out how to make the music play on the blog, rather than making readers download it. If anyone knows how to do this, that would be a huge help. Anywho, this song above is a really great song. I advise you to listen to it.

I also think I am going to start a youtube where I will basically read off of and elaborate on my blog. It will start in the middle of May.

Well, it is finals time and after working all night into the morning, and I made a mistake…I had some french press coffee at 4 in the morning. Now, the problem is not that the caffeine is keeping me up. Well, at least not as you’d imagine. The problem is that I am perspiring. I am hot and bothered. I have come down with a coffee-induced temporary illness that I will term, in my late-night genius, “man-o-pause.”

And so here I am. Blogging. And trust me, with all the work I have, only man-o-pause would give me the sufficient motivation to blog instead of sleeping or working.

I had originally intended on blogging about the April 9 forum that I moderated. However, due to some more pressing issues, that will be saved for Tuesday. Tomorrow, I will blog about all of the recent hoopla and manufactured controversies about Senator Obama. So it will be a busy few days.

Today, I plan on addressing my church, the Chapel at Crosspoint, my pastor and the general problem of complacency in the Church. (I always forget which “church” is capitalized…oh well)

My Pastor is no dummy. That Jerry Gillis guy is no fool. He knows where the members of our church are in their lives and he knows that applause for bold words on Sunday morning does not translate into action on Monday. I’m sure he even has a pretty good grasp on people questioning what the clapped for in their seat as soon as they walk out the doors of the Church.

You see, I don’t know much about God, considering all there is to know, but what I do know is that Jesus Christ didn’t have a modest goal. Jesus doesn’t set the bar very low and God doesn’t have expectations that can be met if they are pursued half-heartedly. Jesus Christ didn’t walk away from Lazarus and go on a vacation because he knew he did something pretty sweet, so he could “chill for a while.” God didn’t commission believers to make the name of Jesus heard from where I am or where you are to the end of the block, he commissioned believers to spread the word of God and the Good News to the ends of the Earth. And so, it is a bit of a contradiction then when Christians are content with living in their own little bubble, doing their own thing, and patting themselves on the back when they finally build up the courage to say the name Jesus in public or to pick up the Bible around Christmas time.

Pastor Jerry Gillis is a visionary. He is an imperfect one. But he is a visionary with goals in line with the goals of God. It would be convenient for many sitting in Church for Pastor Jerry to stand in front of us and claim that the mission of God, and therefore the mission of Christians, can be fulfilled by writing a check to a homeless shelter every year. It would be convenient for him to stand up there and claim that the mission of a Christian is to simply read the Bible and make sure that you keep your head down and build fences and don’t sin and just make sure your children go to Church on Sunday so you look right…It would be easy. It would be easy to ignore the plight of the people living ten minutes from your Williamsville home in the second poorest city in the Nation, and just make sure that you are presenting yourself right.

And so when Pastor Jerry doesn’t say what we want him to, when he gets up there and talks about a broader mission that requires involvement and giving some things over and changing some things, all sorts of things come up. Just as atheists rationalize their belief in everything but Truth, we rationalize why we won’t participate. Why that mission is not for us. “Pastor Jerry, what is he trying to do? Make himself famous?” “That Pastor Jerry, did you hear him today? Thinking he’s better than everybody else!” And we never get around to dealing with the content of the message. We never get around to dealing with God’s Word because we’re so stuck in the trivial.

As a sidebar, this extends into how folks are thinking about politics right now.

But I digress…

Listen…I’ve been sensing something in my Church and in believers all over…All of a sudden my Church is clapping at the end of every song. We have people screaming out and making a scene, putting on a real show, as if to prove to the people sitting next to them that they are on board with whatever Pastor Jerry is saying.

If you are going to Church because the music makes you feel good, or the preacher makes you laugh, or because you get some kind of moral lift, some feeling of superiority out of it, you need to shape up. In addition, frankly, if you go to the Chapel, and you are walking in the opposite direction of the Church: you need to get out. If you call yourself a Christian because you like having a framework which you can use to justify your hatred of homosexuals or your political affiliation: you need to get out. I can put things a little blunter than Pastors who lead their congregation, I have no influence…So I will say this: If you haven’t noticed, the Church (all believers) is in a place right now where it is dragged down by dead weight. If you aren’t a Christian with a mission, you need to examine yourself or step aside. You don’t have to be perfect, you just have to reject the temptation of deluding yourself into thinking that cafeteria religion is working for you.

I am a complete and utter failure in following Christ. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do–this I keep on doing.

I worry my mind is not even a slave to God’s law, as I find myself at a loss for what that law is.

But what I do know is that my heart yearns to learn of it, even if my consistency in striving for that knowledge is despicable. And what I do know is that I am eager to use my life for God’s purpose, even if my commitment to that mission is often corrupted by that which wages war against what I know to be just and worthy.

It is time to inspect ourselves. Our own hearts. And perhaps we can all align our hearts with God’s will.

I encourage everyone to listen to the April 6 message and the April 13 message here.

Thank you for reading, and I will be back later tonight.

 

Rev. Wright

First of all, great endorsement today from Gov. Richardson. My favorite part was his call for Hillary to recognize she can’t win and to get out of the race so Democrats can begin to look forward to and plan for the General.

So I just watched the full sermon in which Rev. Wright made the comments about “America’s Chickens are coming home to roost!” It is on Marc Ambinder’s blog.

Now to people who aren’t Christians, they may still find the Reverend’s comments offensive. The Rev. calls believers to examine their personal relationship with Jesus Christ. That is the point of his message. I am fine with the Gospel being described as controversial: Jesus was controversial. What I am not cool with is the church of Christian believers not defending Rev. Wright’s right to preach from the pulpit of Trinity and in some cases, Political christians have attacked Jeremiah Wright. Now whether folks like Tony Perkins think 9/11 happened because of gays, or because of America’s foreign policy, if Tony Perkins is more committed to the Bible than he is to the GOP he should keep his mouth shut on both accounts or he should have blasted Robertson and Falwell for their comments following 9/11.

I did not blast Robertson and Falwell and I will defend Rev. Wright. I believe that the nature of America is found in our good works…I believe the heart of America is good. Rev. Wright’s sermon indicates that following 9/11, he felt otherwise. While I, and Sen. Obama, disagree with him, when you get into the weeds of what he’s saying, it’s really a philosophical and academic case he is making, based in U.S. history of a scale many of those criticizing him have no clue about.

Political christians can do what they want, but Christian politicians, other Christians, and those of good conscience, should defend Senator Obama and not allow the media to once again bash Christianity and Christian leaders under the guise of journalism. Let’s judge our candidates’ on what they have said or think, and not on 10-second sound-bites of a black preacher shown over and over with the intent of scaring whites.

By the way, I would like to second the Obama campaign’s thank you to Chris Wallace. He is clearly a Republican-leaning journalist who is often harder on Democrats than he is on Republicans…but today, he was fair.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, here is the link.

 

Obama, Huckabee and other news

I have only liked three candidates in this Presidential campaign: Joe Biden, Mike Huckabee and Barack Obama. The last two have shown in the past two days that they (along with Biden) are the only candidates who had core convictions. Mike Huckabee did so here: (Go about 3:15 in)

I am so proud of Huck.

Obama, on the other hand, gave one of the most sweeping, substantive speeches of the last 50 years in American politics. It was an honest speech that showed why he is the man to lead this country. He could have pandered to whites who wanted him to disown his pastor and leave his church, but he didn’t. He could have called white suspicion naive and ludicrous, but he didn’t. It was a remarkable speech.

I am currently planning for the big April 9 event and doing some schoolwork, so I have not been able to blog as much as I would have liked. I can tell you what, if I had time, I would be blogging on:

1. If Hillary can donate 5 million dollars to her campaign, could she donate some money to her wardrobe!? If I have to see that bee looking pantsuit one more time, I swear…!

2. By the way, about Hillary, the only campaign she still has a chance of winning is the campaign to destroy the Democratic Party.
I don’t know how many Democrats think a continuation of the failed policy in Iraq, or a third-term for Bush, is better than Senator Barack Obama in the White House.

3. I love the black church. I think it is one of the best parts of our country. However, conspiracy theories aren’t helping no one.

4. Tony Perkins and the FRC should pay more attention to the Bible and less attention to the political fortunes of the Republicans in Congress. In my latest FRC Action Alert E-mail…I was sent a paragraph of Ken Blackwell criticizing Obama’s Pastor and Obama for being in favor of a liberation philosophy and socialism. None of which, to my knowledge, were discussed in his speech. This paragraph by Ken was FRC’s response to Obama’s speech. One would think that FRC Action would rather protect the black church, which is with them on the social issues, then castigate the church because it doesn’t vote Republican. In the lead-up to April 9, I will be blogging a bit more about why the Religious Right has been led astray and if they can ever get back on a path when their eyes are on the Lord, instead of power in D.C.

5. Buffalo Sabres are going to the playoffs baby! (knock on wood)

 

Let’s Talk Politics: Spitzer, Clinton and various other topics

Spitzer:

I think it is an awful thing to consider that Spitzer was weighing his options, considering if he would be able to survive. The man should have dropped out right away. He should be ashamed of himself. He is a disgrace to the office and he is a despicable man for dragging his wife out for a press conference.

What I find equally distressing is that we have heard, watched and read things that are questioning whether prostitution is bad or not. For the man or the woman. The man had a wife and three children. It was wrong. For some people, Spitzer pushing for a gay marriage bill would be more legitimate if he wasn’t simultaneously dishonoring his own.

It is a sad statement if the feminist movement has transformed into a movement which defends prostitution. I love the men who frame their support for prostitution or abortion as “a woman has a right to do whatever she wants with a woman.” And women embrace that as part of being a woman, expressing their femininity. When in actuality, it’s at least partially men who want to be able to have sex with anyone and without any consequences.

But I digress…

There is no such thing as privacy for a public official. I believe that the public and the press should stay out of some things, but for Spitzer to call his using a prostitute and breaking the law a private manner is pure folly. Public officials should be held to a higher standard.

Between this and Clinton, I have never been so consumed with disgust at political officials in my party.

Which brings us to…Clinton.

I have a lot to say on her.

1) Electability

Hillary Clinton’s argument is that she wins democratic voters, which are the voters we’ll need in November. And that Obama wins big cities, which Democrats will win anyways.

She also selectively picks out states, and makes the ludicrous claim that a primary victory correlates with general election performance. As I remember, Obama won Maryland, Wisconsin, Virginia, Louisiana, Missouri. All states with primaries, all swing states. See the Clinton’s have done with electability what they have with everything else since February 5. They have thrown the kitchen sink at Obama and at the voters. Throwing whatever crap they could against the wall and seeing if anything will stick.

But you see…here’s the problem…None of her arguments make sense. In the general, Democrats will back Obama. What is not certain is that the independents and Republicans that will back Obama will support Hillary. Actually, it is pretty certain…they won’t. In a Zogby poll, Clinton starts off the general with 47% of the country saying they would NEVER vote for her. That’s a ceiling of 53%.

Clinton supporters can be as delusional as they want about her general election prospects. They could pretend that she is as gifted of a politician as Bill. They could pretend that she will win the commander-in-chief argument against McCain. They could pretend that people won’t be affected by the possibility of both Clinton’s back in the White House. They could pretend that the Republicans won’t play as dirty with her as she has with Obama. However, none of these things will happen.

2) Florida and Michigan

First of all, let’s take Michigan off the table. Obama wasn’t on the ballot. When he signs a pledge, he means it.

With Florida, yes, Clinton has an advantage in the state. However, let’s not forget that she held fundraisers in the state, and that even before South Carolina she began to pander to Florida and Michigan. So her advantages in the states are partially due to her breaking the spirit of the pledge she signed, as well as her stabbing NH and Iowa in the back as soon as the cast their votes for her. The NH Union Leader told NH voters they had been duped.

I believe that there should be a revote. Clinton is going to lose. The writing is on the wall. Obama is and should support a revote, beat her in Michigan, and maybe that will shut her up.

3) Ferraro

The Clinton’s have repeatedly used surrogates to run a smear campaign. Ferraro’s comments are another step in that direction. They use surrogates to state explicitly what Hillary only says implicitly. Hillary talks about how Obama won Louisiana because of the pride of African-Americans, Ferraro goes on Fox News and says that he is in his position because he is black. That will get that blue-collar vote!

I am done with the Clinton’s. I am through.

I guess the one good thing about that is that the Democratic Primary Voters have spoken: And they are done with her too.

 

Spitzer

Elliot Spitzer is going to destroy the Democratic Party in New York State. The NY Times has reported that Spitzer has admitted to being involved in a prostitution ring.

How many scandals can a first-term Governor get involved in? Especially one who was running a campaign on ethics? I am embarrassed to have him as a Governor. I am embarrassed that he is a Democrat.

I have been disappointed with him from the day he got elected. He ran a campaign that promised to bring his tough, ambitious tactics to the Governor’s mansion. He promised to make Albany work for New Yorkers. Instead he swooped in to office to try to expand abortion rights and pass gay marriage legislation. He has been a complete and utter failure.

I am calling for the Governor to step down. This is not a case of adultery, which I believe is grounds for stepping down, but of breaking the law. The man who broke up two prostitution rings as Attorney General has taken part in one now.

I wish I had more to say, but for now, I’m just disgusted. I am ashamed. I hope the Governor is as well.

 

Dallas Morning News and Huckabee

Dallas Morning News endorses Huckabee again. I think it’s a good editorial and one that says a lot about the future of faith and politics, particularly when it comes to evangelicals.
Editorial: We recommend Mike Huckabee

A vote for Huckabee is a vote for GOP’s future

11:06 AM CST on Sunday, March 2, 2008

Whatever Texas Republican primary voters do Tuesday, John McCain is all but guaranteed to be the party’s presidential nominee. It is mathematically impossible for Mike Huckabee, the last remaining major GOP contender, to capture the nomination. The former Arkansas governor even turned up on Saturday Night Live recently to poke fun at himself for not going away.

Let’s be clear: Mr. Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor, remains our choice for the GOP nomination. But Mr. McCain has racked up by far the most delegates and leads among Texas Republicans by a wide margin in recent opinion polls. Though he can’t clinch the nomination Tuesday, victory is undeniably close.

Aside from his long experience and personal courage, he has a solid record of fiscal responsibility and has been on the right side of campaign finance reform and environmental issues. And he was correct and principled to lead the fight for comprehensive immigration reform last summer. Still, his age – 71 – and his choleric temperament gave us pause, particularly when contrasted to Mr. Huckabee’s sunny-side-up brand of conservatism.

Also Online

Voter Guide: Comparing Republican presidential candidates

Win or lose in November, the GOP is destined to spend the next few years redefining itself. For many reasons, Reaganism, which made the GOP the dominant political party of the last generation, no longer resonates as it once did with the American public. The world has changed since Ronald Reagan’s election nearly 30 years ago, and the great man’s political heirs will have to adjust the GOP’s strategy and tactics to new realities.

To that end, Mr. Huckabee, 52, should be a top leader in tomorrow’s Republican Party. His good-natured approach to politics – “I’m a conservative; I’m just not mad about it,” as he likes to say – is quite appealing after years of scorched-earth tactics from both parties. He’s a pragmatist more concerned with effective government than with bowing to ideological litmus tests. For example, he has proven himself willing to violate anti-tax dogma to undertake investment in infrastructure for the sake of long-term prosperity.

Mr. Huckabee also is good on the environment, contending that the future of the conservative movement depends on embracing conservation and stewardship of the natural world. And he’s a compassionate conservative especially in tune with middle-class anxieties in a globalizing economy.

Though his social and religious conservatism puts him on the wrong side of abortion, gay rights and other key issues, that same deep-faith commitment inspires his dedication to helping the poor and to racial healing. He truly is representative of the next wave of evangelical chieftains and, if nothing else, will emerge from this primary season the leader of one of the most influential factions in the GOP coalition.

We look forward to having him around to help shape and lead the Republican Party beyond November. That’s why we encourage Texas Republicans to mark their ballots for Mr. Huckabee in the GOP primary: to demonstrate to the party’s elite that Mr. Huckabee and his vision have a solid constituency.

True, a Huckabee vote today won’t do much to determine the 2008 GOP presidential candidate. But it’s a good investment in the Republican Party’s future.

 

Racism and Planned Parenthood

I just received a startling email from Family Research Council Action. Now, I disagree with FRC Action on many things, mainly some of their tactics and their blatant pro-GOP, rather than pro-God stance, but this email was startling and telling.

Here it is:

Racism Alive and Well at Planned Parenthood

A shocking set of recordings was released this week that could prove disastrous for Planned Parenthood’s ties with the African-American community. Lila Rose, a pro-life student and reporter at UCLA, launched an undercover investigation aimed at exposing the racism of the nation’s largest abortion merchant. With the help of an actor, she contacted Planned Parenthood clinics in seven states, inquiring if they would be willing to accept a donation earmarked for the abortion of black babies. The results were jaw-dropping.

Rose was appalled to discover that every last clinic agreed. Not one employee objected or questioned the request, even when the actor insisted that the purpose was to “lower the number of black people” in America. When the caller phoned an Ohio branch, he was told that Planned Parenthood “will accept the money for whatever reason.” Read the outrageous transcript from the Idaho clinic, which is also available with Rose’s other recordings in a montage at http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=LK08B57&f=WA08B46.

Actor: …I really faced trouble with affirmative action, and I don’t want my kids to be disadvantaged against black kids.
Planned Parenthood: Yes, absolutely.
Actor: And we don’t, you know, we just think the less black kids out there the better.
Planned Parenthood: (Laughs) Understandable, understandable… This is the first time I’ve had a donor call and make this kind of request, so I’m excited and want to make sure I don’t leave anything out.

Students at UCLA are so infuriated by the investigation that they are petitioning the university to cut all affiliation with Planned Parenthood. What few people realize is that the organization has a history of racism that has been ingrained since Planned Parenthood’s earliest days, when founder Margaret Sanger advocated negative eugenics and spoke to a woman’s branch of the KKK (Margaret Sanger, An Autobiography, 1938, p. 336-367). However, as is customary for Planned Parenthood, the organization has managed for decades to cover its tracks–and the facts. That task has just been made monumentally more difficult. Abortion has taken the innocent lives of over 14 million black children–a national tragedy that has begun uniting and mobilizing African-Americans across party, state, and financial lines.

Today, FRC hosted a press conference to kick off the National Black Pro-Life Gathering in Washington, D.C. which drew pastors, parents, leaders, and activists from across America to commemorate Black History Month by calling on abortion merchants like Planned Parenthood to stop preying on their community. As these abortion clinics continue to demonstrate that blood money is not colorblind, we call on Congress to de-fund and disavow Planned Parenthood. Taxpayers should not be forced to spend over $300 million on an organization whose scruples are for sale, even to those who seek racial genocide.

Additional Resources
YouTube videos: Planned Parenthood Racism Investigation

 

The Daily Colonial: Sexpert, Waiting Until Marriage. My Generation and Sex.

I want to preface this post by noting that, despite the title of the post, my generation is not defined by what the media presents, or by the student population at the George Washington University. However, it is undeniable that our generation has moved a certain way on many issues. The issue of sex is the topic of this post. 

One of the school newspapers, The Daily Colonial, has a column called “Sexpert.” The columnist takes a question from an anonymous student and answers it. The questions are usually, and while I am probably exaggerating, the basic gist of the questions is along the lines of these: “My boyfriend says I don’t make him happy anymore, how can I reignite or relationship?” or “I haven’t had sex in a week, and I’m really hurting, how can I get a quick fix with no annoying calls the day after?” I wish these were REALLY exaggerating, but they aren’t too far off the mark. One column focuses on the best places in our library to have sex. Another column “tackles” orgasms. Yet another tackles a heterosexual who is “bi-curious.”

However, a column that really represents the type of “anti-female,” “anti-respect,” and “anti-morality” of this columnist’s work is this article.  

The part that is despicable and striking to me is when she suggests to the student the script he should follow in order to non-chalantly and casually get the girl to have sex with him. The columnist nowhere mentions that he should only have sex with the girl if he is in love with her, or wants a long-term relationship with her, which, believe it or not (and I know it’s silly) some people still expect a commitment when sex is involved. 

Not to mention even suggesting that perhaps the young man can wait to have sex. No. Apparently waiting isn’t even an option. Men are slaves to their penises and women are only women if they cater to that brainless toad in the name of sexual freedom.

It’s funny how all of these pro-choice and “girls should do whatever they want with their body” men are sometimes treated as though they are fearless and courageous leaders fighting an epic battle on par with the Civil Rights Movement.

Yes.

I wonder why college men would approve of abortion and free sex…Our women have had abortion masqueraded as an issue of privacy and equal rights and they are kept in bondage because of it. Men and women are now abdicated of responsibility and consequences when it comes to pregnancy. I mean, why not, just go to the nearest tax-payer funded doctor’s office and get that child taken care of. Oh and don’t worry if the abortion fails the first time around, because if it comes out alive, your privacy rights demand that child is killed on the table.

See it works out: Now the man can go sleep with a different girl the next day, not causing any real break in his sexual pattern, which would be a shame, and the woman won’t have her life inconvenienced by a child that was the result (in 97% of abortions) of her consenting to have sex. Note that I did not say “willfully” because Lord knows how many girls are having sex because their boyfriends pressure them into it. YAYYYY FEMALE RIGHTS!!!!! YAYYYYY FEMINISM!!!!!!!!  

That said, I am writing this post because of the last column by the “sexpert.” This column was the most despicable I have read so far. I say this because the student who wrote in, unlike others, did not get the answer their question deserved. The student wrote in asking how to tell their significant other they were waiting until marriage to have sex. This so-called “sexpert” proceeded to tell the student that their desire to have sex for the first time with the person they want to spend the rest of their life with was “unusual” and that in relationships, no matter what the terms or length, there is an “expectation” of sexual intercourse. At the end of the article the columnist tells the student that if they stand up for themselves and their bodies and actually assert real independence that they will probably be dumped and lose their significant other.

This is how new standards are formed and new morality created, people are told the old ways don’t matter and therefore, those restrictions need not apply. Creating a new standard of relationship=sex. That it is your problem if you don’t want to have sex because you did not do everything necessary to please your partner.

Again, with this culture, it is easy to see why so many women need abortions and why so many of my generation are like zombies, with no purpose and left empty by the bankrupt ideals that society insists are about lofty notions engrained in us since public school like “equality,” and “free choice.”

There is no freedom in this contorted view of life. There is only bondage. There is no equality. There is only submission.

I would have told this student that I was proud of their decision to do what they wanted with their bodies, to live a lifestyle that will protect them from STD’s, and will ensure that their “first time” will be on their terms, with a person they want to share the rest of their life, and the numerous other “times” with.

While males have been duped into believing they have no choice but to follow the whim of their hormones rather than their better judgment; While women have been fooled by men, women who have lost their virginity and are comforted by the idea that “everyone” else has, and themselves into thinking that sexual intercourse is the only pathway, rather than a 100% foolproof barrier to connection and the validation of a relationship: I think those who have chosen to wait should not be mocked and condemned, but applauded.

However, something tells me the applause won’t be coming from all of the “sexperts.” 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Break From 2008 Politics: Religion, Faith and Public Discourse

A classmate in my last class today brought up what Mike Huckabee said at Rev. Jerry Falwell’s old church Sunday.

From CBS News:

From CBS News’ Joy Lin:

LYNCHBURG, VA. — “I always cringe when I hear people talk about throwing away the vote when they vote their conscience,” Mike Huckabee told reporters today. “That’s what voting is – voting is voting with your conscience, it’s voting with your convictions.”

Earlier, he spoke at Thomas Road Baptist Church, the pulpit of the late Dr. Jerry Falwell. Lacing together the relationship between religion and state, he delivered a short speech about how moral clarity decreases the need for more government and more law.

“Frankly, we really don’t need a lot of law if we are people of morality,” he said to the congregation of over 7,000. “There are only ten basic laws that we need. If you think about it, the Ten Commandments cover it all.”

“The reason law gets more complicated is because we try to figure out clever ways around those ten,” he said to applause.

Huckabee cautioned that a lack of moral clarity would result in “paying for more and more government to overwhelm us with direction when our own personal freedom and conscience does not.”

“And that’s why I stand here today, not to make a political statement but to make one I hope you will hear,” he said. “That what happens in this church every Sunday, what is spoken from this pulpit every week, what comes forth from the word of God is not a disconnected message from whether or not we will continue to be a free and great nation because the day our nation quits listening to God and the day we no longer have moral clarity, is the day that we will have to have increasing levels of government and law to restrain us because then our own consciences will not. ”

“I hope you know Jesus Christ personally…because the level to which he rules you and governs you, you need less and less of man’s law to tell you how to live and that is what our Founding Fathers understood and we must understand.”

This young woman in my class, mockingly, the way those who are “tolerant of all people” usually do, brought up this statement and this prompted several other students to mock Huckabee. (Just to be clear, the only statement the girl brought up was the statement that we wouldn’t need laws if people were moral.)

Now I spoke up and stated that what Huckabee said was obvious, and has been affirmed by political philosophers of all types of backgrounds. Laws are necessary to keep order and set restrictions because laws rule “out of bounds” actions that people would take without them. Of course, this girl would have never said something if Thomas Jefferson was quoted saying the same thing, but knowing Huck is a Christian, she pounced. As does the media. As do most liberals.

I also mentioned that Huckabee’s speech was not made to a political audience, and although some may hold that as a candidate, every word he speaks is political, which I in fact hold, we still should keep it in mind that he is speaking to a church audience.

Because, apparently, when pro-choice, pro-gay marriage, anti-expression of faith, politicians (like Bill Clinton this weekend) speak at churches, particularly black ones, it is accepted and never criticized.

An illustrative example:

We do discussions at my College Dems group meetings. I choose the topic and lead the discussion. A few meetings ago, I asked if the Democratic Party should change, compromise, or tamper down the rhetoric on any issue in order to make our Party more palpable. In other words, what core principles should our Party not compromise: Health Care, Ethics, War in Iraq…

Well, right away, one of our Huffington Post, Daily Kos- reading members said that the question (he assumed the premise of my question meant my thoughts were that we should compromise our every value) was feeding into what the GOP was feeding us. Which is the usual response of the losing Party…Republicans lost in 2006 because they moved away from their principles, Democrats lost in 2004 because we tried to move to the center…which, by the way, shows why Dems should never elect a candidate based on electability because the fact they thought a Senator from Massachusetts was electable and a move to the center is a major testament to some major problems with how we judge electability.

The member’s conclusion was that if we steadfastly spoke out for and pushed policies that reflect “our” values…which, I would assume, what he considers “our” values to be with what I consider “our” values to be would be completely different. (Talk about imposing values)

The following meeting the topic was along the same topic…basically what our 2008 platform should be. The same member from the last meeting spoke up about ten minutes into the conversation and said that we need to hang onto the African-American vote, and African-Americans are social conservatives. Given that, we might have to back off on some of our positions regarding abortion and gay marriage.

The insinuation was clear, it is common, and it is this:

That black people were bamboozled into Christianity, they are ignorant, but Democrats need them and so it is ok to try and fool them and not speak out about the social issues.

However, if a white Christian believes that ending a human life is not something our government should promote, allow, or be proud of, then that person is written off and chastised.

The only people I see using a religious test is those people, like the folks at MSNBC especially, who use the opportunity whenever a religious candidate runs, to question his personal doctrinal beliefs. Apparently, it is only acceptable for candidates to “kind of” believe in their faith, or “only kind of” follow their religion. The luke-warm believer, the very kind the Bible condemns, is the only one acceptable to some people.

It’s great if John Kerry quotes the books of James or Matthew in order to slam Bush, but if Huckabee talks about the fish and the loaves, or David and Goliath, that “Baptist Minister” has crossed a line.

Well, I apologize, but I will not concede my right to say what I believe, and be forced by those who would like to win an argument by shutting up the opposition to try and parse out what I believed before I read the Bible and before I became a Christian, to what I believed after.

 

Laying It Out

I have been silent on this blog on many major issues. Well that ends now as I will try to cover everything that has happened. This will be a fairly long entry and I hope it will cover all major issues. Feel free to leave a comment asking me to cover another issue.

THE RISE OF MIKE HUCKABEE

As some of you may remember, I predicted Huckabee’s rise before August, when he was polling less than 1% nationally and a little over 2% in Iowa. Huckabee has run his campaign using free media, church mobilization and his charisma. He has a message of common sense and traditional values. His Christian Values do not extend only to gay marriage and abortion, but to fighting poverty and believing in the common humanity and value of all Americans. He can not, as a Christian, out of political expediency, “grind his heel in the face of an immigrant child.”

Many stories and attacks are coming out against Mike Huckabee. Most do not have merit and the rest are a question of values.

Mitt Romney has thrown out the immigration attack, claiming Huckabee supported giving a tuition break and scholarship to illegal immigrants. The situation in reality, which doesn’t matter much to someone who is down 20-points in the first-primary state I guess, is that Huckabee wanted to allow all students to obtain a state scholarship if they met the criteria. It is not the fault of the child of an illegal immigrant that their parents took them over the border. America does not punish children for the sins of their parents. It is a choice between having teenagers who feel hopeless on the streets, committing crimes and wasting lives, and allowing them to reach the American dream that is available to all of us. Huckabee is getting criticized for choices and positions (by the way the same can be said for Obama) he held that were positions he held that reflected the needs and concerns of his district. In other words, say I am a Governor of a State that has no gun laws and my state has over 1,000 homicides a year as a result of gun violence. I may support a statewide ban on automatic weapons, such as the AK-47 that a teenager was able to attain to shoot people recklessly at that mall in Omaha. Now if I were to run for President, it would not be inconsistent for me to not support such a ban at the federal level because my concerns and responsibilities are different as President than they were as Governor of a State with over a thousand gun-related homicides.

Huckabee was from a state that needed highway projects desperately and had a budget deficit, and with the support of 80% of Arkansans he raised taxes (I believe it was a poll tax) in order to fund highway projects. I would much rather have a President who took action in the interest of his constituents rather than in the interest of preserving some futile ideology. We should choose a President who protects his constituents, not the ideological purity of his policies. I want a President who takes whatever position is necessary to solve the problem at hand.

I will cover Mike in my overall thoughts on the Republican nomination and in the following topic:

THE MEDIA

I have never been the kind of person who blames the media first. I love journalists. However, this cycle has brought out the worst in the media. The media is certainly going after Huckabee, and he is now in some serious trouble. MSNBC, particularly Chris Matthews, hates Christianity. They don’t hate Christians, just when Christians figure in their beliefs in their decisions. So MSNBC, CNN, AP and many others, not to mention the blogosphere, have spent the last ten days spending each day on quotes from two decades ago, or comments taken WAY out of context. They’re turning what would be non-issues to them, into discrete and not-so-discrete assertions that Mike Huckabee’s faith led to the rape and murder of a woman, illegal immigrants getting scholarships, and AIDS patients being quarantined. The last of those is the media’s favorite as of late. For instance, all the stories yesterday were about how Huckabee “stands by his 1992 comments about AIDS victims.” Which is a mischaracterization. Huckabee obviously does not support the policy NOW, but he does believe his comments in 1992 were defensible. These stories will continue.

FOX News on the other hand hates people who want to help others. I have said it before and I will say it again here: FOX News does not care about social conservatives. Sean Hannity does not care. Bill O’Reilly does not care. FOX News has one priority: Taxes. They realize social conservatives are a part of the Republican base, so they play up these tabloid issues about a “War on Christmas,” making Christians easy targets for MSNBC and seculars. I do not trust FOX News. I never trusted Pat Robertson. I do not trust most National Christian leaders. I trust Rick Warren, and I think Franklin Graham is a pretty good guy, with less sense than his father. I will not comment on Robertson’s endorsement of Giuliani again, but it is an example of the priority of those who have used their prominence as religious leaders, and traded their souls in for power. I know that is harsh, but when you have Christian leaders not endorsing candidates who agree with them because they want to beat Hillary, that is a real problem.

But I digress…The moral of the story is, Huckabee is facing attacks from every side and has no refuge in the media. He has to rely on getting his message out any way he can and on the faithfulness of the supporters he has attained.

The media is doing this all over. To create a story, or to push a criticism, they omit and distort. They pretend as though Obama thought Oprah speaking out for him would seal the deal, they pretend as though John Edwards has never criticized his opponents…on and on. The media loves you when you’re the underdog, then kills you when you’re on top. There is no overriding liberal bias really…The real bias of the media is that they despise power.

The Democratic Nomination

My second prediction, that Obama would win the nomination is becoming more realistic as well. He is rising in the early states and the momentum is certainly on his side. But let’s take this state-by-state…

Iowa (January 3):

Iowa is literally a dead-heat between Clinton, Obama and Edwards. Obama has run a strong campaign there and has the organization to back it up. Clinton has convinced Iowans she is the “experience” candidate and that is very important to Iowans. Edwards has been campaigning in Iowa since 2002 and has very committed supporters and high favorability ratings. While health care is now a prominent issue, and Iraq is still in the background of all of this, the race in Iowa among Democrats is coming down to the intangibles: electability, leadership, change, honesty, likability, competence, etc. The issues only come into play as evidence of a candidates possession or lack of one or more of these qualities.

Turnout will be a major factor in the race. If there is low-turnout, Edwards will benefit. If there is high turnout it will be a showdown between Clinton and Obama with Obama receiving a slight advantage. The race is still extremely fluid at this point so these last three weeks are crucial, beginning with tomorrow’s debate. Last year, almost 50% of Iowa caucus-goers did not decide until the last three days before the caucus.

I will make a prediction which I will evaluate each week.

My prediction for Iowa is this: Obama 32 Clinton 29 Edwards 20 Biden 9 Richardson 7 Dodd 4

I expect Biden to surge a bit as he just put up his first ad in Iowa and he is a charismatic fellow. He is one of the most genuine people running. I met him last year and he is a remarkable guy. The best foreign policy man we have running. Richardson has the resume as does Dodd, but neither of them have the “it.” In 2004, either of them would have been great candidates, but in 2008, with Obama and Clinton, there is no oxygen left for underdogs.

New Hampshire (January 8):

Obviously, New Hampshire will be dependent on Iowa, as will all other primary states. The nature of the campaign will change dramatically depending on the outcome of the race. I like Clinton in Iowa because of how well her husband did there. I also think her organization is stronger, and I think the female vote will be better for her in NH. However, Obama is gaining. A new Rasmussen poll that came out today has him up three points in NH. NH also has a tendency to like the fresh face, the comeback story, and the change candidate. Obama also has the support of both of NH’s Democratic congressmembers and of the Governor of Massachusetts Deval Patrick. His organization is not lacking.

Here are my numbers:

Clinton: 35 Obama: 32 Edwards: 10 Richardson: 8 Dodd: 5 Biden: 4

I expect Dodd and Biden to drop out after NH. I think Clinton will win in NH because her organization is strong and her attacks will become more fierce after Iowa. However, NH is the state about which I am most uncertain, so do not be surprised if next week my views change.

Nevada (January 19):

Nevada is interesting because it is a new early-state. It’s voters are notoriously less engaged and turnout will be low. The culture and demographics are also strikingly different. Union support and hispanics are two key factors. I believe Nevada, more than any other of the 4 states will depend on the outcome of the states that precede it.

Clinton: 39 Obama: 33 Edwards: 17 Richardson: 11

Richardson will hurt Obama and Edwards by stealing votes from them, but Richardson will drop out after Nevada after the Hispanic support won’t work miracles for him.

South Carolina (January 26):

South Carolina is the big one. It will test so many things. The major test being who, if anyone, African-Americans coalesce around. It is the first test in the South for Hillary or Obama. This is the perfect state to lead into Feb. 5.

Remember that John Edwards won SC in 2004. This is the only state that he won.

I believe that when it comes down to it, Obama will mobilize Cornel West, Michael Eric Dyson, Jesse Jackson, Jesse Jackson Jr., Artur Davis and Deval Patrick…not to mention Michelle Obama, and that Obama will win the black vote resoundingly. This is important as the black vote is about 50% of the primary electorate.

My numbers:

Obama: 44 Clinton: 34 Edwards: 22

Edwards will drop out after SC. I believe Edwards’ support will go to Obama, but that has lately been up to debate. We may see the media delegitimize Obama’s win as a mere effect of him getting the Black vote. Jesse Jackson won South Carolina. The media will need to do this to make Feb. 5 seem epic.

So there you have it. As of right now, I believe Obama and Clinton will split the first states 2-2 and we will go into Feb. 5 with a two-person showdown.

Some X-Factors:

Gore: If he endorses anyone, it will be Obama. The question is: will he?

Drop-out endorsements: Who will Edwards endorse? Who will Richardson, Biden and Dodd endorse?

Kerry: If he endorses, it will be the kiss of death to the candidate that he endorses that Gore’s endorsement of Howard Dean was last year. If anyone, I think Clinton will trot out a Kerry endorsement as a last-ditch effort to salvage her campaign.

Revelations: Rumors are swirling that the Clinton campaign has material it will release close to the Iowa caucus that is damaging to Obama. I can only see a late-breaking story hurting Obama. Everyone knows of the skeletons in Hillary’s closet.

Bill Clinton: What impact will he play as we get closer to the election?

Turnout: It’s huge.

Des-Moines Register Debate: It is tomorrow, Dec. 13. It will be huge. It’s on CNN at 2 pm.

Though I had hoped to complete the entry before the GOP debate, I guess I will have to cover the Republicans after their Des Moines Register debate this afternoon as I am now going up to the Hill for a luncheon with Congressman Chaka Fattah that I organized for our membership at the GW College Democrats. It should be a great event.

I also have some big news that I will post soon.

I hope to receive some thoughts, questions and/or comments on this post and find out what ya’ll think.

I will be back to post tonight or tomorrow about the GOP.

Thanks for Reading.