Are We Really “Under Assault”?
September 22nd, 2010 § Leave a Comment
Have you noticed that "our cherished way of life is under attack"? Or how about that the "values this country was founded on are under assault"? Assaults and attacks? Really?
I wonder why it is that politicians have taken to using such over the top superlatives to describe the folks on the other side of the aisle in our government?
I was a police officer for over 14 years. Unfortunately, I have on occasion had to fight people who for whatever reason decided that they didn’t want to be arrested. In fact, I have been in a couple of doozies with them trying to grab my gun while I was having to whack them with a nightstick while hoping that backup arrives before something really bad happens. That kind of ruckus can be legitimately described as an attack or an assault.
The wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan have led to a number of harrowing accounts of battles between American forces and insurgents including this one that led to the first Medal of Valor awarded to a living recipient since Viet Nam. These incidents can be legitimately described as attacks or assaults.
However, using such over the top language to describe the opposition using the political process to further their legislative agenda can hardly be called an "attack" or an "assault". In fact, when the complaining party used the exact same process to further their agenda was it also an "attack" or an "assault"? This kind of over the top language would make Dr. Goebbels proud.
When you hear such language you should realize that you are being manipulated. Shame on them for doing it, and shame on us for falling for it and/or tolerating it.
Hey, You Didn’t Bother To Crash My Party
May 10th, 2009 § 5 Comments
The Washington Post has an article in their Religion section stating that Focus On The Family head, Dr. James Dobson was “disappointed” that there was no White House Representative at the National Day Of Prayer event organized by Dobson and his wife Shirley. Well, maybe this will help Dr. Dobson figure out why they weren’t there:
However, a White House source with direct knowledge of the situation, said event organizers placed restrictions on potential speakers saying that they had to be “pro-life” and the only person officially invited from the administration was Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, a Republican. Source: Washington Post
That’s probably a pretty good reason why they didn’t come. They apparently weren’t invited.
This brings up my biggest gripe. This event has been largely co-opted by people with a specific political agenda. Maybe it’s time to bring the event back to it’s origins. While the National Day of Prayer has been around since George Washington, it was solidified into the specific observance on a specific day by President Harry S. Truman, a Democrat, in 1952. It’s probably time to kick the Republican kingmaker Dobson out and bring a less partisan leader to the fore if they really want this event to be bipartisan.
As it stands, complaining that someone you didn’t invite didn’t come to your party sounds a lot like political grandstanding. Maybe they ought to change their name to Focus On The Republican Family.
James Gilmore over at the Matthew 25 Network also has a good piece on this controversy.
We’re Here, We’re Queer And We’re Married
May 7th, 2009 § Leave a Comment
There is an interesting article over at Relevant Magazine on the Christian response to gay marriage. In the article, they write:
Eric Bryant, author of the book Peppermint-Filled Piñatas, echoes Merritt’s call to love our gay neighbors. “Christians are known for who we hate rather than how we love,” he writes in his blog. “This moves us out of the conversation and polarizes those involved so quickly, no progress can be made.” Bryant says that it’s crucial for Christians to love people we disagree with, and to discuss the gay marriage issue with civility. “We cannot influence others we have pushed away,” he writes. “This includes those who are struggling to figure out what to do with their sexual desires while growing up.” Source: Relevant Magazine
With more and more states legalizing gay marriage it’s only a matter of time before Christians are confronted with this issue in their community. It’s probably a good time to think about how should you react to it as a follower of Jesus. What will you say to your kids when they see a gay family at their school? How will you react at the company picnic when your co-worker introduces their gay spouse? Last time I checked Jesus died for sinners just like you and me.
Inauguration
January 20th, 2009 § Leave a Comment
I’m off work today. My kids’ school is having a Teacher Work Day so I took the day off to watch my kids. This is also giving me a chance to watch the Inauguration coverage.
Watching the coverage I can’t help but get emotional. Regardless of your political persuasion, you can not escape the historic significance of this event. I was born the year of Bloody Sunday, that infamous march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Alabama where peaceful protesters were beaten by police when they protested for their right to vote.
Within the space of a lifetime, people who once were kept from full participation in public life due to the color of their skin, will watch a man of color be elected President of the most powerful nation on earth. Even though I am a white man, who never suffered the indignities of Jim Crow, I am blown away by all of this.
I am also in awe of what it means to be an American. I am proud of my nation. In so many places on earth, governmental transition takes place at the point of a gun. Yet, here we can have an orderly transition of power even when our viewpoints seem so divergent. The only coup here takes place at the polls by people voting for change instead of people shedding blood in the streets.
I thought it very fitting that one of the musical selections played during the Inauguration included parts of Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare For The Common Man”. President Obama is not the son of bluebloods. He was a mixed race child raised by a single mother. Perhaps now, more than at any other time, I can identify with the President. He’s about my age, and he also is a child of divorce. His two children are about the same age as my two children.
In his inaugural speech, President Obama said:
“We remain a young nation, but in the words of scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.”
I have hopes that this Presidency will be different than the one that proceeded it. While I don’t agree with every position that President Obama has, I am hopeful that his leadership will inspire us to solve the myriad of problems that plague our nation, war, the economy, social justice, and the environment.
It is my sincere and earnest prayer that God will bless President Obama and his family. That God will provide a hedge of protection around them and that He will also give the President wisdom and clarity of purpose. I pray that the President and his government will rise to the great task before them. I don’t think the President could have said it any better when he closed his speech with this:
“America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.”
Shalom,
Scott D
