Day Before--Last Thoughts

When I started this blog, I didn't intend for it to disolve into any political commentary. However, I am so distressed at the number of mindless codependent Christians that are backing Bush, no questions asked, that I feel I must write a summary of what I've written in the past few weeks. Before I do that however, I recommend that you read some of TotemtoTemple's posts on churches that dump the gospel around election time for Republican politics.

I want to emphasize again that I have been a conservative Republican for almost 40 years. Notice I said conservative, not neo-conservative. I believe with John Dean, Norman Podhertz and Pat Buchanan among others that the Reagan-Bush neocons have hijacked our party. I am an origianl Goldwater conservative.

The main differenc is this: the ends do NOT justify the means and honesty is the best policy. I am distressed at the dishonesty and strongarming I'm seeing in the present neocon administration.

Again from John Dean's book which I reveiwed some weeks ago, many in Bush's administration are "practical" which means they withhold information from the public as well as gleaning only intelligence info that fits into their worldview.

We also saw in my previous posts some of the really scary laws and acts that are limiting our constitutionally given rights...these cooked up and passed by the Bush administration.

I also pointed out in a post that we didn't need to vote for either Bush or Kerry. I find that most Christians think there is only an extreme positon to take, both politically and Biblically on many matters. But the mature person refuses to allow anyone to push them to extremes or into one position or the other, if there are other choices. There are other candidates on most state ballots. We went through them on another post and found that they probably do not agree with Christian principles except for some Constitutional party candidates. Unfortunately, that party has no one running for president and so are backing the libertarian candidate. The libertarian party is good in some respects but they are very "government-needs-to-get-out-of-everything" which means they are for abortion rights, legalization of drugs, and things like that. So that is bad news for us evangelicals.
There are also write-in candidates but they must be "qualified" candidates with a slate of electors supporting them.

So, that means we are back to Bush as probably the lesser of evils. But, if he does get re-elected, we as Christians must demand the following from his administration:

1. No more holding hands with big business to the extent of cutting out the little guy from jobs because of outsourcing overseas and allowing unfettered masses to pour over our borders to use our services for free as well as taking jobs (yes! the illegals are taking good jobs, contrary to what the media tells you. We here in the west and southwest know this very well).

2. No more disregarding good intelligence just because it doesn't fit in with your world view.

3. Take what Osama bin Laden and the other Muslim leaders are saying seriously. They do NOT hate us because of our way of life (although the pornography, etc. does disturb them. Too bad it doesn't disturb the majority of OUR citizens). He is against us because...and every book I've read by former and current intelligence officers both Democrat and Republican are saying this:
well..listen to Osama's own words from his most recent tape:
"Unlike what Bush says, that we hate freedom, let him tell us why we didn't attack Sweden for example...as you undermine our security, we undermine yours."

In other words, the United States needs to take an even handed policy toward Muslim nations is what he is saying. Human beings need to be the consideration, not big buisiness and/or oil.

4. Bush and the Republican dominated Congress must see that the money earmarked for the Iraq war needs to spent there, especially on the soldiers' equipment, not on PORK projects (60 Minutes had an expose on this last night). To see parents and friends buy armor and bullets and such for their soldier children and friends over in Iraq is just unbelievable! And this doesn't seem to be isolated cases.

5. Bush MUST resolve to get the deficit down.

6. Bush MUST take the dwindling Social Security seriously and act on it, not just talk about it. Privitization might be as dangerous as the government overseeing it. This needs to be studied more by both parties of Congress IMO.

7. Bush MUST either get rid of or drastically alter the Patriot Act as well as some surveillance acts and laws.

To read some of my other posts that delve more thoroughly into these matters,

Worse than Watergate

Big Brother-Part I

Big Brother-Part II

Big Brother-Part III

Big Brother-Part IV

Politics and Saving the Nation-Again