Tribal Heritage

The History channel has an ongoing series called Gangland. After watching a few episodes, I was reminded how people are still very tribal in nature no matter how civilized the society. There's a running theme through these shows, a tendency for the disillusioned to identify with a group and, with that acceptance, the relinquishing of individualism in order to conform to that immediate group's culture, to be part of a family. In their need to conform to that family structure, the members will bypass their already fractured moral development to honor the group's simple moral code - survival and strength.

Is it any surprise?

Obama reneged on his tax cut promises? Shocking. And not many in the media are complaining. Not many people know about it either. If they do, they simply disregard it because change is more important. Change change change. Nothing but words. Talk about the Barack hypnotic effect. We'll see how this plays out, but things like this are expected. There will be a whole lot more like this in the next few years. Maybe in the next few months?

Zero on Zawahiri

I heard that someone responded to Al-Zawahiri's racist attacks against Obama? This person said Al-Qaeda have lost any moral authority to say anything after the recent racist epithet against the President-Elect. Wow, an American actually acknowledged that Al-Qaeda had any moral authority before this? They're a terrorist group! They have no moral authority or political credibility! If they insult Obama or Bush or any American, then so what? The only time anyone should listen to them is if they make death threats and they seem to like following through with those!

What I'd like to say to that so-called terrorist expert: Don't Americanize Al-Qaeda! Don't even acknowledge them by responding to their insults!

Those hypocrites!

In the gay rights debate, only one side is truly intolerant.

 

The Brave Catherine Vogt

Photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo, The Chicago Tribune

From the Chicago Tribune, "Tolerance Fails T-Shirt Test" by John Kass, as pointed out by Michelle Malkin.

Intelligence Quotient

"I will bring this war to an end in 2009, so don't be confused." - Sen. Barack Obama responding to Billary Clinton's comments, March 2008

I wouldn't be surprised if Obama starts to change his anti-war tone in the next few months. After meeting with the CIA, the military, the DOD, and Bush, I can only imagine him getting hit with what's truly happening in the Middle East. At least he'll learn what the President knows and why Bush had to do what he had to do. During his term as Senator and during his campaign, Obama visited many countries, including those in the Middle East, but I would love to see the look on his face once he learns what's going on beneath the surface.

Electoral Craziness

My wife and I were talking about how the Electoral College worked. I needed to refresh my memory, since both of us were talking about something we haven't studied since 2000 and I was pretty sure we were both wrong on certain things.

So, here's a brief explanation:



No, seriously:

Too bad!

Darn, too bad McCain didn't win the election because it would've helped to weed out those who are ungrateful to be an American. If only the "exodus" idea in this article were true, it would've helped to solidify the number of real Americans in this country, and those who think they're too educated and progressive can go to their desired refuge (or cage). I prefer my freedoms, thank you very much.

Just because Obama won doesn't mean I should leave the US. I believe this is the most unique nation on Earth and I'm not about to hand it over to leaders who like to govern like the rest of the world's leaders. We can still change this country for the better after his term ends. One of my co-workers said, "It can't get any worse than what it is now." I beg to differ - this country has the potential to be brought to its knees with someone like Obama at the helm. The beauty of America is in its core ideals of liberty based on Judeo-Christian principles. If we keep to this core, America can get back to its feet after 2012. Most likely it will take a little more than four years to undo his damage, but there will come a day when government's tentacles will retract and we can get back to living like free Americans again.

I hope the voluntary weeding will begin by then as well.

I Submit

Oh well...

Within the next four years, many people will develop a nasty case of buyer's remorse. Obama's campaign had quite a successful marketing strategy. Riding on a Bush-bashing media wave, the tone was set for their winning sales approach. They emphasized the imagined deficiency of the customer's life in a Bush administration. Using an already biased media, they capitalized on the "change" they could offer and branded Obama as the agent of change. It didn't matter what that change was, as long as it didn't have anything to do with Bush. No specifics on the promises, just promises, just words said from the podium to fill that imagined need. Also, because our society has been moving towards government dependency and entitlement, any promise Obama made was more palatable to the general population.

Obama's marketing team also took advantage of his packaging, that he would be the first Black President, that he is more intelligent and articulate than Bush, and that he's young. They've also priced him well: tax cuts for the middle and lower class, tax hike for the rich, and relief programs for the poor. As the candidate with the most money spent on a campaign, it's no wonder that he would win.

I'm disappointed in McCain's marketing strategy. Then again, I really can't blame him. There were way too many factors against him. His campaign wasn't smart enough to deal with the media's bias and the culture's already ingrained antipathy towards Bush. Then again, Bush's public relations team did not do a good job at all in defending him well these past eight years. Instead, they allowed the liberal media to walk all over them. Bush took the high road, but at a great price. Most people don't take the time to research politics - they just watch or read what's readily available. Of course, now everyone will have to pay the price and those who elected Obama will realize it sooner or later.

As the new Commander-in-Chief, I have a duty to submit to Obama's authority. I won't agree with him, but he will be my President. I'm hoping that his progressive views would allow him to be more malleable over the course of his term. If so, it is imperative that Christians and conservatives rise up and make a huge effort in letting him know that we've not left the building. We're now more emboldened than ever to bring actual change to our nation, our society, and our culture.

It will only be four years. I can only hope the damage won't be too extensive.

First Responder

My wife's brother was the first to respond to the letter we sent out. His response is the comment in the "Important Election Reminder" entry. This is my response:

Excellent response, Jesse! Thank you for contributing! I appreciate your honesty and your willingness to discuss. Know that in my response, I have no animosity towards you or anything against you. This is merely an open discussion where we will allow our views to be known and done with utmost respect for each other. I mean, how often do we talk about more in-depth issues anyway? I love good discussions and I hope you do too. I find them challenging and exciting and will either solidify or change our perspectives.

First, I'd like to say that I too believe that no political candidate is the solution to the ills of society, nor are they supposed to be depended on to provide the means to create a better world. Yes, God is the one who places whoever He wants on the political stage. No matter how much we vote, it's God who has the final say. And, like you said, "as Christians we should be involved in everyday life through conversations that challenge our thinking, through helping those that need help, and through talking to our elected leaders about issues we feel are important." But as Christians, we have a duty to be part of the society we live in, to be salt and light in the world, even in matters of political duty. We're going to have to disagree on this election's level of importance. Yes, the world will go on and things are cyclical, but the decisions that will be made by Obama will have consequences that are unacceptable to me. (Warning: this one's a little long.)

Let's talk specifics: Between 1999 to 2003, Obama voted "present" or "no" for the bans on partial-birth abortions, born-alive protection and related issues, which is nothing more than political strategy. A "no" vote wouldn't be politically expedient, so most of the time he voted "present." The bills banning PBA provided for the life of the mother and for the health of the mother, contrary to Obama's beliefs. PBA actually increases the likelihood for a woman's health to deteriorate. To ban the procedure altogether would be better for the woman and the child. Medically speaking, there is no need for PBA. Women who have had it did not have health- or life-threatening causes, but they elected to have the procedure. Those with non-elective reasons cited depression as their "health-related" cause. The only threat was emotional! They simply didn't want to take on the responsibilities that go with the baby. He may say that PBA is wrong, but it has not and will not ever come out in his policy decisions. The reason why he didn't support the ban was because he believes in a woman's right for reproductive choice. He didn't look into the medical issues involved and so made the decision in ignorance. If he truly knew about the medical issues with the convictions that he had and still decided against banning PBA, then he did it out of political maneuvering and is simply disingenuous. I do give him credit for at least allowing the possibility that abortion laws may change, but he also promised to pass a Freedom of Choice Act, which will only continue to increase the abortion rate in this country. So he's either lying or just saying things for the sake of political expedience.

And of course, abortion is only the symptom, but it is not rooted in poverty or even lack of education - it is rooted in cultural acceptance through effective marketing. Planned Parenthood has been very active with this since the 1940s and others have followed suit under the banner of "women's rights." Margaret Sanger even wrote "We should hire three or four colored ministers, preferably with social-service backgrounds, and with engaging personalities. The most successful educational approach to the Negro is through a religious appeal. We don't want the word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population. And the minister is the man who can straighten out that idea if it ever occurs to any of their more rebellious members." Yeah, you can find that in publicly accessible archives. (Birth-control advocates try to minimize the meaning of what she wrote in that letter, but in context, Sanger was still talking about limiting the population of the poor.) Christians are already caring for those who have to deal with the abortion question. And there are Christians who go through legal means as well, who want to curb or even overturn Roe vs. Wade. A whole lot more is going on than what the media has presented.

"We've had a pro-life president for the last 8 years and the number of abortions has not decreased one bit."

I'm going to have to disagree with that statement. Roe vs.Wade was such a powerful decision that no president can decrease the consequences of that ruling. At least G Dubya did his best to restrict abortion, starting with the 2003 Partial-birth abortion ban. He gladly signed it into law, among other things he tried to do concerning abortion. In fact, I'm in the middle of writing a response to the Burnside article you sent. I'm not sure where you get your information, but I'm relieved to know you took that piece with a grain of salt because Mr. Miller sounded like he didn't do too much research as reflected in his answers. My article will be posted soon.

Concerning the poor, Jesus said we'll have the poor with us always. In context he spoke of his upcoming crucifixion, but I'm sure he was also talking about one plain truth: there will always be poor people, both spiritually and economically, no matter what time period or culture. And the government is not responsible for them, we are. Jesus exemplified this by helping the poor as an individual without the need for government intervention. And he didn't approach local government to force the rich young ruler to give. Paul even instructed wealthy individuals to give directly to the poor. He didn't say to give to government so they in turn can give to the poor. We already have some government programs to provide for the poor. But no matter how many programs are made to alleviate poverty, they will not get rid of the problem. Individuals and private industry have historically been the most successful at alleviating poverty, not government. It's good that Obama is going to follow through with Bush's faith-based initiative of rewarding those who fight poverty. Government should work with the private sector to deal with poverty and motivate them to do so. But it is not good if Obama thinks his Robin Hood economic policies will improve the situation. The faith-based initiative to fight poverty is already a given for McCain.

Quickly, on taxes: 70% of income tax money already come from those making $150,000 or more, which is only about 10% of the population. And always be wary when politicians promise more of your own money. The government programs he proposes may help the poor, but guess where all that money is coming from? Government programs only increase taxes and it doesn't help everyone in the long run. It's a temporary salve, if it's even needed, and must be replaced by private sector activities or else it increases the power of government.

On war: War is horrible. But, that's the government's job, not ours. They wield the sword and God gave them the power to do so. (There's the issue of the US being a radically different country than any other country in history, but that's another issue.) We can protest the war and I know for darn sure Christians were split in many ways because of it. There wasn't a monolithic stance from the evangelicals, I can assure you of that. I support it because it's a just war and there have been significant developments since its inception. The media made it out to be another Vietnam when it clearly isn't. (That's also another issue.) Annually, nearly 1 million babies in the US are killed in abortion since 1973 compared with about nearly 700,000 killed total from both sides in the Afghanistan/Iraq wars since 2001. Both are horrible, but the rate of the former is absolutely unacceptable. At least in Afghanistan and Iraq, the death toll decreased dramatically in the past two years. I can't say the same about abortion.

"Citizenlink does not have a corner on truth."

I agree, Citizenlink doesn't have a corner on truth, but they do have a lot of facts which reflect truth. And we only provided those resources to make it easier on the email recipient. I use lots of resources from both Christian and secular, liberal and conservative, Democrat and Republican. After doing the research, my vote, even though I'm reluctant, goes to McCain because Obama's history and promises do not reflect my values. McCain isn't much of a choice either because he only recently grew a spine when it was clear he was going to be the Republican Presidential candidate. Before, he wanted to please everyone with the facade of "unity" and "reaching across the aisle" which is synonymous with another phrase - "selling out." Between the two, though, I believe McCain will make the decisions with the consequences that I can handle.

Obviously you're voting for Obama, but I'm just asking you to continue to look a little deeper into the issues than what you've read so far, even after Nov. 4.

545

This is a nice quick summary of the true responsibilities of politicians. This is not meant to be a poli-sci research paper, so specifics of how things are done are not mentioned or explained in detail. The article is also old, most likely from the mid to late '80s, but the principles are legitimate and the examples can be replaced with present politicians and issues. In the end, the blame really rests on the voters who didn't do the necessary research into their political representative and who didn't quite get how this country works.

The 545 People Responsible For All Of America's Woes

by Charley Reese

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered why, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, we have deficits? Have you ever wondered why, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don't propose a federal budget. The president does. You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does. You and I don't write the tax code. Congress does. You and I don't set fiscal policy. Congress does. You and I don't control monetary policy. The Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president and nine Supreme Court justices - 545 human beings out of the 235 million - are directly, legally, morally and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered but private central bank.

I excluded all but the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it.

No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislation's responsibility to determine how he votes.

A CONFIDENCE CONSPIRACY

Don't you see how the con game that is played on the people by the politicians? Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of Tip O'Neill, who stood up and criticized Ronald Reagan for creating deficits.

The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it. The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating appropriations and taxes.

O'Neill (Pelosi) is the speaker of the House. He is the leader of the majority party. He and his fellow Democrats, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto.

REPLACE SCOUNDRELS

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 235 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts - of incompetence and irresponsibility.

I can't think of a single domestic problem, from an unfair tax code to defense overruns, that is not traceable directly to those 545 people.

When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair. If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red. If the Marines are in Lebanon (Iraq), it's because they want them in Lebanon (Iraq).

There are no insoluble government problems. Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take it.

Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exist disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation" or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people and they alone are responsible. They and they alone have the power. They and they alone should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses - provided they have the gumption to manage their own employees.

(This article was taken from the Orlando Sentinel Star newspaper)

Important Election Reminder

My wife decided to write an election reminder for the people in our lives. I thought it was also a good way to introduce my blog, rather than just doing a general invite like I originally wanted.

Hello all,

Election day is almost here, and we want to take this opportunity to share with you our beliefs regarding this election. As we all know, so many issues of great importance are facing our country right now. For us, the most important issue is preserving life at all stages. Because we believe in this so strongly, we are requesting that you cast your ballot for the candidate that is most closely pro-life, John McCain.

In America, we legally kill about one million babies per year. While we have great compassion for those facing a difficult situation, the one who is innocent should not be forced to make the ultimate sacrifice by losing their life before they were even able to speak. There are so many resources and alternatives available to a woman besides abortion that should be promoted instead. While there are many very important issues at stake, such as taxes, international issues and healthcare, how the next President's policies affect our personal finances, international relations, etc are secondary issues compared with the abortion issue.

The following resources explain in more depth why we have made this choice. We understand that not everyone may agree with us, and we respect everyone's opinion. The only thing we ask is that you take a few minutes to read the articles and watch the videos and inform yourself before voting. Every vote counts, and we are privileged in this country to live in freedom and to have the right to vote.

Thank you and God Bless!


Article: Obama's Abortion Extremism by Robert George, Professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton University http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000008450.cfm

Video: Vote Your Values (4 mins) http://www.citizenlink.org/videofeatures/A000008556.cfm

Website: General election information and more http://www.citizenlink.org/

If you'd like, please forward these resources to others!

Invitation and Instructions

I planned to send this to a number of people through email, but my wife decided to write an election reminder email and we thought it was best to put a link to my blog from there instead:

Hello there!

You are cordially invited to my blog, the 12th Letter. I thought I'd give a formal invitation to more people on my address list, so if you received a link to my blog already from a previous message, then I thank you for being patient with me.

I'm inviting you because I don't get to talk with many of you and I would like to hear your thoughts on certain issues. Of course, if you would rather not comment publicly, I wouldn't mind getting private comments through email. I discuss many topics in my articles, but the majority of them concern politics, philosophy, religion, science, and martial arts.

I want this blog to have a civil atmosphere, so please respond respectfully to other commentators. You can definitely make your position known, especially since I write about the more incendiary topics. Yes, I have very opinionated articles, but like any editorial or op-ed, it's supposed to stimulate thought and discussion. I'm fully aware that there are some of you I invited who do not have the same belief system I do or you may have the same belief system but have different nuances to it. I'm applying the principle "a man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still" and know that this is all about reasoned discussion among the people in my life, which is something I enjoy and I hope you will too.

If you want to make a comment, click on the title of the blog article. The next page will show the article by itself with a comment box on the bottom.
1) Post your comment in the comment box.
2) Click on the "Select Profile" drop-down arrow, and select "Name/URL," write your name, and click "Continue."
3) Click on "Post Comment" then you'll have to pass a simple anti-spamming check window: Enter the word verification password they provide and click on "Finish."

If your comment is long and you don't want to lose it, my suggestion is to write it on Word or Notepad first then copy and paste into the comment box. The simplest way to post a comment is to email it to me and tell me that you want it posted in response to a particular article.

And if you want to receive updates in email form, just respond with a reply and I'll keep you on the list. Or, if you want to do a feed or a subscription, there are different RSS feeds on the sidebar and Atom is at the very bottom of the blogpage.

Hope to hear from you!