More of the Same

Strange, how people, so like minded in other ways, can view the political situation so differently, judge candidates so differently, believe so differently that "the right course of action" can be in opposite directions.

Example: "Victory" in war means the death of thousands of innocents. How can it be rationalized by those whose battle cry has been Pro-Life? Is "Life" restricted to prenatal? I have said it here before: I am Pro-Life. But to me, that means I am Anti-War. I am not such an idealist that I do not understand that there will never be a day when necessary war does not exist. We will forever have to defend ourselves or others. But unprovoked war? - war for profit? (and it is always profitable for someone) - war simply to prove one's might? - to bully? - to attempt to force one's form of government on others who are getting along very well on their own, thank you? - war to "liberate" people who do not feel they need liberation? No. That is simply destruction of innocent "Life". It should not be entered into, and if begun, it should not be continued to "Victory". There is no victory in such a situation. There is only prolonged agony, on all sides.

What I find particularly repugnant is the lies, the propaganda, the false representation of "the enemy". There is a huge segment of the population, easily led by such things, gullible enough to be made to believe that they should hate and distrust all of "Them". Never mind that this family is quiet, law-abiding, and wants nothing more than to live peacefully in harmony with the rest of us. They are of another color or religion, and speak with an accent. They must be terrorists. Never mind that they have lived in our country for generations, and become citizens long ago, they are suspect. We must hate them.

The distrust of "Others" extends beyond wartime. It always seems to exist. I recall a trip I once took to New York to see The Little Red Lighthouse, of children's literature fame. Otherwise known as Jeffrey's Hook Lighthouse, it sits overlooking the Hudson River, under the George Washington Bridge. It is accessed through the neighborhood known as Spanish Harlem, one of my favorite places in the world, always colorful and full of music. I did not want to drive to New York, and decided to go along with a bus tour offered by New Jersey Lighthouse Society. As we drove into Spanish Harlem, the atmosphere inside the bus changed noticably. Conversation ceased. People would glance out of the windows and then at one another, and some of the women actually clutched their purses to them. When the bus stopped, they scurried along after the leader, huddling together until we reached the park itself. "They" were out there. "They" could be dangerous. All the signs above the shops and restaurants were in Spanish! I couldn't resist a chuckle when the Park Ranger appeared, and she was one of "Them". It amused me in a way, but how sad, really. These people had no idea how they cheat themselves of life's experiences.

The difference, of course, is that in wartime the hate and distrust can quickly turn to tragedy.

Fundamentalism scares me, whether Christian, Muslim, or any other religion. Extremists of any ilk are scary. There's no reasoning with them. They KNOW, and will never compromise, and refuse to learn anything new. New is bad. And the rest of us are all damned to hell anyway.

I don't understand why those who believe that God created everything quite literally, as written in the Bible, cannot also understand that He then must have created science and people with sufficient intelligence to figure it all out. Why do the two things have to be on opposite sides of the picture?

And I guess the biggest question I have is: how can they watch a leader of a country proceed to defy every value they, and he, claim to believe in, and still continue to consider him and those in league with him to be the ones they want to follow? I am not trying to be argumentative now. I know I get pretty hot about it at times, but just now I am sincerely asking, what is the logic behind this? By what mental process do they arrive at this conclusion?

And most important of all, how can they and thousands of other Americans stand by and watch our Constitution be trampled underfoot? When it is gone, and we are all looking at one another and asking, "What happened?" - what will be left then? It scares the hell out of me!

I am left with the refrain I seem to be singing a lot lately - I don't understand.

Politics and Religion

The two tabu subjects, everywhere except in the blogging world. Here, politics reigns at the moment. Religion - not so much. But to me, the two are so closely related that I am going to defy the tabu today.

I am neither a Democrat nor a Republican. I have voted both ways from time to time. I am an Independent, and it means a great deal to me that I remain so. I worked for 18 years for the local municipality. The day I started that job, I also went to the Election Board and registered Independent. I have never regretted it.

I am really sick of hearing the Republicans claiming to uphold the "Christian ethic" and be the family oriented people, while pointing at Democratic liberals as being godless heathens. That is so far from the truth (on both sides) as to be ludicrous. There is a man in the White House today who calls himself a Christian, but whose actions regarding the health and welfare of the people, relations with other countries, refusal to sign international agreements to protect the innocent, treatment of prisoners, and on and on, to my personal understanding of the word "Christian", defy every Christian ideal. He may be able to rationalize the things he has done, but I have never heard any adequate explanation. And yet, thousands of staunch Republicans watch his actions, and say, "That's OK. We're behind him."

I would love to understand this. I would love to believe that he and all who agree with him are sincere in their belief that he is right in what he has done. I simply cannot wrap my mind around it. He has ignored the Constitution and appointed himself Supreme Ruler, and his followers have applauded him. The people of the United States have said they don't care if they lose their freedom - He's a good, Christian man and anything he wants to do is OK.

IT ISN'T OK!

Perhaps Mr. Bush is as good a Christian as he considers himself. Perhaps all of his supporters are too. I really am not the one to judge that. God knows I am very far from perfect myself. I just don't understand!

Throughout this campaign there has been a series of nasty slurs against the Democratic candidate. One thing in particular that was repeated, and was considered a slur, was that he was really a Muslim. Excuse me. Aside from the FACT that he is a Christian, may I ask, what's wrong with being a Muslim? or a Hindu, or a Jew, or any other faith? Do Republicans also believe that only they will be chosen to enter Heaven? - Just asking.

I don't care what religion is that of our President. I would like to know that he or she has one. No. Let me rephrase that. I would like to know that he or she believes in a higher power, and therefore understands that their actions make them accountable. And I, too, am held accountable. It is my responsibility to do my best to see that the right person gets to the White House. I cannot close my eyes and pretend that all is right with the world. No candidate I have ever seen run for any office has been "the perfect one for the job". Every politician I have ever seen, from any party, has first been a human being, and therefore imperfect. I have had to make really hard choices at times. And every damned one of them has told us lies, in the attempt to persuade us to vote their way. I have felt it was my job to first, look at their record; next, sift through the lies and the half-truths and decide whose are the worst; and last, and perhaps the most important, who has fallen lowest in trying to degrade their opponent. Well, no. Their record is really most important. And when I say "their record" I'm talking about consistency, and what they have attempted to do, whether or not they succeeded. It makes no difference to me that John McCain was once a prisoner of war. I respect him for his service to his country, but hundreds of men and women have been prisoners of war. They are not all automatically qualified to lead a country. It makes no difference to me that Barack Obama has family ties from long ago, in other countries. Who is he personally? And most of all - and yes, it is an important factor here and now in our country - I don't care what color his skin may be. It is the saddest thing I can imagine, that today in the United States of America, of all places in this world, skin color is such an important consideration to so many people. People who call themselves "Christian", at that.

In 2008, in the United States of America, the importance of the election that will be held will reach far beyond our country's boundaries. The whole world will be watching this one, and holding its breath. How many of us, heading for the voting booth, will consider Them out there? They will react to what we do. As important as the issues we are facing here today, as important as the results of the election will be to us, we must realize that those results will also have an effect on Them and their lives. The world has grown so much smaller in recent years. Their lives also impact ours. And all of those who call themselves Christians have a sacred obligation to pay attention to Them and their needs. Selfishly, we also benefit when we care for them. If Mr. McCain continues the policies put in place by Mr. Bush, and he will, people all over the world will suffer, and ultimately, so will we.

Trouble - Here In River City

...or wherever you happen to be, if you're in the United States.

At this point, I am weary of the discussion. I am tired of searching for the right words. But I am grateful for those who continue to try. One person who is very good at it indeed, in my opinion, is Sylvia Kirkwood. Please take a look at her blog. Look for her entries of September 3rd and 4th. Particularly the 3rd. Our country is in serious trouble!