OHMYGOD!

October 12, 2008

No really…Oh MY God! Yesterday at a McCain rally in Iowa, Rev. Arnold Conrad delivered an invocation prior to the candidate’s arrival that contained the following paragraphs (from the LA Times):

“I would also pray Lord that your reputation is involved in all that happens between now and November, because there are millions of people around this world praying to their God -- whether it's Hindu, Buddha, Allah -- that his [McCain’s] opponent wins for a variety of reasons.

And Lord I pray that you would guard your own reputation, because they’re going to think that their god is bigger than you, if that happens. So I pray that you would step forward and honor your own name in all that happens between now and Election Day.”

Apparently, non-Christians are only praying for Barack Obama to do well in the upcoming election. Or is it that only non-Christians are praying for Barack Obama to do well in the upcoming election? Are no Christians praying for Barack Obama to do well in the election? Since Barack Obama is a Christian, I find it hard to believe that there are no Christians praying for him. And what about the Jews? I am a Jew and I can tell you I am praying like hell for Barack Obama to do well in the election.

Where exactly is this minister getting his information? Does God have self-esteem issues? Does God care whether Hindus and Buddhists think their gods are bigger than Him*? Personally, I don’t think so. The God I pray to really does not worry about such things as guarding Her* reputation.

I also feel a need to point out to the reverend that the Muslim God is his [the reverend’s] God and my God. Our God is known in some circles as the Abrahamic God. The Abrahamic God is shared by the Jewish, Christian and Islam religions. So in fact, we are all praying to the same God – The Source of the Universe, Yahweh, Allah, Elohim – these are just some of the many names of God.

In addition, Hindu and Buddha are not gods at all. Hindus and Buddhists worship many gods. How and in what form they worship their gods is something of which I have little knowledge. However, it seems to me that before making a public prayer like this one, Reverend Conrad would be sure to check his facts before making broad generalizations.

I do apologize for bursting the reverend’s – or any of my dear reader’s – bubbles here, but I do believe God has much bigger and more important issues to be dealing with than the election of the President of the United States of America. This is truly something we the people should be able to handle all by ourselves. Isn’t that what free will is all about after all?

Thanks for reading,

Kathy B.

*Because the God I believe in does not have a corporal body, I use the personal pronouns He/She, His/Hers and Him/Her interchangeably when referring to God.

DECISIONS...DECISIONS

October 7, 2008

“The only thing in the middle of the road are yellow lines and dead armadillos” ~ Jim Hightower

Geez, I turn my attention away for a few days to celebrate a couple of birthdays and look what happens…the entire country falls apart! I have been monitoring the country’s economic woes very closely. My hope had been that the House would have held firm and not voted the $70 Billion bill into being. I believe we should have watched Wall Street fall and find out what it is like to depend on each other again, however, more on this later.

I will admit I missed the Vice Presidential Debate. I was in an airplane while it was happening and have not had the courage to watch it on Youtube.com. The few news clips I have seen have provided me with all the information I need. Sarah Palin did not disappoint—more on this also later.

Tonight, I have to write about the second Presidential Debate which I just finished watching. I do not wish to comment about who was the winner or loser. If you are voting for Obama, he was the obvious winner. If for McCain, you probably think he won.

No, this blog has to remark on the follow-up commentary with the “Undecided/Independent” Voter Panel after the debate during which the people interviewed still were unable to indicate a preference for either candidate. The election is 28 days away. These individuals had a front row seat to the Second Presidential Debate. AND THEY STILL DON”T KNOW WHO TO VOTE FOR! Come on people, what is the dilemma here?

We are not talking about the difference between Hillary and Obama – two individuals who really were very close in their ideology. We are talking about Night and Day, Rich and Poor, Black and White, Left and Right, Up and Down, High and Low kinds of differences. How can anyone STILL NOT KNOW WHO TO VOTE FOR?

Is there not enough information out there for you? Each of the candidates has a well-written, highly organized web site where you can read about their policy positions on everything from Health Care to Religion. The daily newspaper provides detailed information about what each campaign is busy currently feeding to the American People along with opinion pieces about what it all means. Radio and television news is up-to-the-minute as is the internet. Add to that the plethora of magazines with feature stories screaming for you to pick them up and read them. And have you walked into your local bookstore lately? It appears publishers have quickly released tomes with all the latest facts about Sarah Palin, Barack Obama et al…

What could possibly be left that leaves a person undecided? The following two items came to me via e-mail – your typical “Oh, not another one!” message. However, these were both quite interesting and caused me to stop and think. So much so, that I decided to include them in my blog. Perhaps they will help a few “Undecideds” out therebecome a little clearer. Here’s the first one:

CONFUSED

I'm a little confused. Let me see if I have this straight.....

* If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents,
you're 'exotic, different.'

* Grow up in Alaska eating moose burgers, it's a
quintessential American story.

____

· If your name is Barack you're a radical,
unpatriotic Muslim.

* Name your kids Willow, Trig and Track, you're a
maverick.
_____
* Graduate from Harvard law School and you are unstable.

* Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating,
you're well grounded.

_____

· If you spend 3 years as a brilliant community
organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard
Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers
150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law
professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a
district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the
state Senate's Health and Human Services committee,
spend 4 years in the United States Senate representing a
state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills
and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public
Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't
have any real leadership experience.

* If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years
on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with
less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state
with only 650,000 people, then you're qualified to
become the country's second highest ranking executive.
_____

* If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years
while raising 2 beautiful daughters, all within Protestant
churches, you're not a real Christian.

* If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress,
and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the
next month, you're a Christian.
_____

* If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex
education, including the proper use of birth control, you
are eroding the fiber of society.

* If , while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence
only, with no other option in sex education in your
state's school system while your unwed teen daughter
ends up pregnant , you're very responsible.
_____

· If your wife is a Harvard graduate lawyer who gave up a
position in a prestigious law firm to work for the
betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to
raise a family, your family's values don't represent
America's.

* If you're husband is nicknamed 'First
Dude', with at least one DWI conviction and no college
education, who didn't register to vote until age 25 and
once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of
Alaska from the USA, your family is extremely admirable.
______
OK, much clearer now.

And here’s the second one…

“How Racism Works”

What if John McCain were a former president of the Harvard Law Review?
What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?

What if McCain were still married to the first woman he said "I do" to?
What if Obama were the candidate who left his first wife after she no longer measured up to his standards?

What if Michelle Obama were a wife who not only became addicted to pain killers, but acquired them illegally through her charitable organization?
What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?

What if Obama were a member of the Keating-5?
What if McCain were a charismatic, eloquent speaker?

If these questions reflected reality, do you really believe the election numbers would be as close as they are?

This is what racism does. It covers up, rationalizes and minimizes positive qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities in another when there is a color difference.

You are The Boss... which team would you hire?

With America facing historic debt, 2 wars, stumbling health care, a weakened dollar, all-time high prison population, mortgage crises, bank foreclosures, etc.

Educational Background:

Obama:
Columbia University - B.A. Political Science with a Specialization in International Relations.
Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude

Biden:
University of Delaware - B.A. in History and B.A. in Political Science.
Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)

vs.

McCain:
United States Naval Academy - Class rank: 894 of 899

Palin:
Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study
University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in Journalism

Now, which team are you going to hire?

PS: What if Barack Obama had an unwed, pregnant teenage daughter....

I do not want to believe that “Undecided” voters are hesitant to make their decision because one candidate is white and the other candidate is black. I do not want to believe that Hillary did not win the primary election because she is a woman, either. Nevertheless, there are times when the elephant standing in the middle of the living room must be recognized. We are days away from electing the next President of the United States and there are people WHO STILL DO NOT KNOW WHO TO VOTE FOR? We are in the midst of the greatest economic crisis of our generation and there are people WHO STILL DO NOT KNOW WHO TO VOTE FOR? Surely, in looking at these two candidates you can see the clear divisions between the two men. I encourage you to get educated and make a decision. Today.

Thanks for Reading,

Kathy B.