I actually watched Obama’s speech at the convention last night. It’s the first political speech I’ve seen in a long time, which may make my perspective either ignorant or fresh. I actually expected, because of his reputation, to be convinced by Obama that he would be a fine president, even if I disagreed with some/most of his policies. That, however, was not my impression from his speech. What I kept thinking, over and over again, throughout the first half of his speech is, “that’s a lie,” “that’s not true,” “that’s deceptive.” I believe that he was fundamentally dishonest. He was lying, and he knows it. Now, John McCain may be no better in this category, I don’t know. Maybe I misunderstand the genre of political speech. But my honest impression is that he said what he did for political points, not because it is true or he believes it (excluding, perhaps, some things at the end). At the end of the broadcast, the commentators said that McCain had issued a point-by-point rebuttal. I felt like I could have easily written one myself, without any reference to Obama’s competition. But I didn’t and I won’t. Nor am I going to take the time to read McCain’s rebuttal. But you can, if you want.
In looking for the rebuttal, I found this McCain ad, congratulating Obama. It strikes me as completely sincere.
Krauthammer’s take on the speech/convention is different than mine. He argues that no one attested to Obama’s leadership because no one can.
Many of the readers of this blog are younger than me, and so they may not remember the plagiarism scandal that doomed Joe Biden’s presidential campaign in 1988. I wasn’t carefully following Democratic primary races at that time, so I didn’t know all of the details. Does character matter? Does what someone did 20 years ago matter? Those answers depend in part on the age of the guilty (plagiarism is different when you’re 16 than when you’re 36), and whether it’s a one-time offense or a pattern. I had the mistaken impression that Biden’s error was a one-time youthful indiscretion. This article in Slate tells you “Why Biden’s plagiarisms shouldn’t be forgotten.”
The Palin choice strikes me as brilliant. Time will tell.
I concur completely Todd. I had the same impression watching the speech: lies, lies, and more lies. The thing that was heavy on my spirit after watching it was that it carried the spirit of “Tower of Babel” – man’s pride and arrogance to “make a name for himself” and “build a tower to reach the heavens” – in other words, man’s desire to recreate himself and his community. Obama’s promises of a society with a government that “cares for its people” with universal healthcare, “education,” gay rights/marriage, abortion and “redistributed” taxes are akin to the promises of history’s most infamous tyrants who rose to power on false promises and charisma alone: Napoleon, Stalin, Lenin, Idi Amin, Castro, .etc..etc. People should stop and think about how much they really want their government to do for them. Saul Alinsky, the leftist revolutionary wrote that the revolutionary could say anything to get elected but this did not count as “lying” b/c their intentions were “good” once they achieved that position of power and trust. Hilary and Obama have drunk deep from this week I fear.
Palin – I’m intrigued but concerned that a woman w/ five kids and one an infant, is not putting her family first – that very thing which conservatives claim to believe is the most important. The VEEP job is an unreal amount of work and w/ her minimal national exposure and foreign policy experience….demands of job and family could ultimately prove too much and adversely affect her family or our nation.
However I am reminded again of a Psalm I’ve been meditating on this week: Psalm 62:11-12 “power belongs to God; and lovingkindness is Your’s, O Lord.”
God help us though we certainly don’t deserve it. Amen.
I would love to see some specific lies, but IMHO, if we’re going to call Obama a liar, than you might as well call McCain one. I felt that Obama’s speech was right on point. Despite his position on certain social issues, which are never going to be changed, I think Obama is capable of doing a solid job in the White House. He can’t be any worse than George W. Bush, because not many presidential hopefuls could be that bad. GWB was great from Day One until he stood at the back of that aircraft carrier in the early days of the Iraq War. But, sad to say, Bush is making lots of money off all of us right now. Much of his oil investments are either held in trust and he has made a lot of people in that business very wealthy — as we suffer with his economic decisions.
I also have a hard time labeling Obama as a liberal, when certain portions of his policy could easily be found in the conservative handbook — notably his favoring the drilling of ANWAR, the use of nuclear power, and a few other things that the environmentalist of his party despise. And, IIRC, he personally opposes aborition, but does not endorse changing Roe v. Wade — something that even many well-known, beloved Republicans (and one well known Jewish independent) favor. In other words, a moderate, centrist approach. And, McCain, IIRC, used to be quite liberal, almost RHINO on his social views, with some still saying he is a liar about his social positions (which likely is why he ended up with a staunch social conservative as his running mate).
Biden probably wasn’t Obama’s first choice, but it’s likely the DNC encouraged him to pick one of the former Democratic Presidential candidates that had either long-term Congressional experience or has held an executive position for sometime (or otherwise pick Hillary). My guess is that while Hillary would have been a popular choice, certainly assuring victory in November, it could have been quite the contentious pick on a long-term basis. By picking Biden he plays it safe. I personally am not impressed by Biden, but he certainly is capable of the job.
I said all week long to everyone I knew that Palin would be McCain’s VP choice. At the very least, I knew he would pick a woman. And, as a result, he really only had three to choose from: Sarah Palin, Kay Bailey Hutchison, or Condi. Politically, Palin was the weakest, with very little high level experience, other than her less than two years as governor of Alaska. Hutchison has a long history in Congress, but she leans more towards the RHINO side, being more socially moderate than many in the party prefer. Condi, while certainly capable, would have brought the Bush baggage to the campaign.
FWIW, Palin plays very well to the conservative, evanglical base of the Republican Party — notably to those from the Huckabee camp. She is an evangelical herself, being a member of the Assembly of God church. Palin is pro-life, a Creationist, and so on. Those things probably keep many of the Hillary supporters from jumping ship.
I do love how CNN keeps saying “a heartbeat away from the Presidency” when talking about Palin, citing McCain’s lingering health issues — should he not make it through his term. However, one should apply the same test to Biden, given that Obama already has had threats made against him (and those threats would only grow if he won). The comparisons to being like JFK (and probably RFK too) certainly do not inspire confidence or hope. In other words, one could argue that the VP job is the one people should consider.
Obama -vs- McCain, I vote for Obama
Biden -vs- Palin, I vote for Palin
As to Spunkyjen’s worries about not taking care of her family, well, I’m sure that dad will not be stay in Alaska running the fishing business and will be a stay at home dad at the VP’s quarters in Washington. Remember that her oldest already is in Iraq, so she has a wide spread of ages there — not just young ones like Obama.
Regardless, this election will be one for the ages, as history is going to be made — regardless of the winning ticket.
Jen – the issue of a mother working more than full-time outside the home is certainly one that some evangelicals will wrestle with. I’m not sure that it’s significantly different being a VP than being a state governor; therefore, I don’t think someone should vote against her because they think she should be staying at home, as if she loses, she’ll continue as governor.
Brian – Obama is not moderate on abortion. One article you should read:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121261107480446197.html
And for other references to Obama’s position, search for “Obama abortion” at http://theologica.blogspot.com/ (or really, anywhere online).
I think you must really consider your position. I personally think that God will hold accountable on judgment day those who vote for advocates of murder, whether “centrist” or extreme.
If you would vote for Palin over Biden, but Obama over McCain, I would argue that your choice is personality and not policy based. The spectrum, from conservative to liberal, is clearly:
Obama Biden McCain Palin
Just one observation on the issue/charge that Gov. Palin will be neglecting her recently born child on the campaign trail: The same liberals leveling this charge would’ve applauded her having/”choosing” an abortion (i.e., murdering her child), so it’s politically funny for them to be concerned about “neglect”.
Prior to this VP selection, I would’ve reluctantly voted for McCain, but now I’m anxious to vote for him & her.
The whole issue over abortion will only change under the following circumstances:
— A conservative is in the White House
— All liberal justices retire/die when that conservative is President, allowing the President to select enough pro-life conservatives to create a solid majority.
— The GOP controls the Senate enough to break any filibuster (and has total control of the confirmation hearings).
The odds of this are somewhere between slim and none.
Honestly though, I’m sure if you asked Obama the same question that was asked of Bill Clinton re: “If your daughters became pregnant as teens, would you want them to have an abortion?” I’m sure he would answer the same way Bill did about Chelsea — “No!”. My perspective is that most politicians are personally opposed to abortion, but oppose changing current US laws in order to outlaw it completely. At best, we can hope for an end to partial-birth abortions, limiting abortions to earlier in the pregnancy, and only in the event of a health related issue — only making abortion as birth control illegal. You will never see anything more than that.
In regards to your comment: “I personally think that God will hold accountable on judgment day those who vote for advocates of murder, whether “centrist” or extreme.” —
There is truth to that, but I think that this could apply to McCain just as much. McCain has supported the war in Iraq (and was a soldier himself), which has resulted in the deaths of many people — war does result in murder, like it or not. There are many, many evangelicals that are anti-war/pacifists.
If McCain came out tomorrow and said he wanted to start bringing troops home by next Spring, that he supported health care reform, and new energy solutions — I would vote for him. These are key issues, among others, that far outweigh a social issue (abortion) that really stands no chance of being changed anytime soon. I made that mistake in 2000, voting for Bush on this premise.
Amongst the two major candidates, Obama is my choice. However, there is one person that was running that lost in the primary that I really liked — Ron Paul. Bob Barr wouldn’t be bad, but he won’t win. Neither will Alan Keyes.
All that said, I want to hear Palin’s speech first. My understanding is that she supports troop withdrawl from Iraq (I think she has a son there already or getting ready deploy). If that is the case and she is willing to bring that to the table with McCain, I might be compelled to vote for her. She already has a pretty solid energy stand, that is comparable to Obama’s.
In case anyone missed it, it’s important to note that Brian just equated (1) the act and the support of abortion with (2) the act of being a soldier and the support of a just war position.
It’s also important to note that his basic line of argumentation to support this claim was two-fold: (1) “war does result in murder, like it or not,” and (2) “there are many, many evangelicals that are anti-war/pacifists.”
Brian – not all killing is murder. God killed (and had his people kill), but he is not a murderer, nor did he command his people to murder.
Even if there was some way to equate the deaths in the Iraqi war with abortion, you might be surprised at the numbers.
Babies murdered by abortion in the U.S.: one million every year
American deaths in Iraq since 2003: 4,150
Iraqi deaths, as estimated by one organization: one million total
What few people outside of Iraq know is how many Iraqi lives were saved by the war, and how the country of Iraq has and will benefit. It’s easy to focus on the negatives (which are real), but remember that it’s the negatives that make news (just as the reporting of events in Israel).
Take heart: one day you’ll find out that voting for Bush in 2000 was not a mistake.
Gunner and Todd – You’re both right. I’m just trying to state that being pro-choice is not necessarily a deal breaker for me, as it really is a moot point when it comes to any policy changes in Washington. It just is not going to happen anytime soon and voting based solely on that seems foolish, when there are far greater issues effecting the country.
Voting for Bush in 2000 was not necessarily a mistake and it probably was not a mistake in 2004, but he has squandered his eight years in office, benefiting himself every single step of the way. Yeah, he gave us economic stimulus rebates. Yeah, he did finish his dad’s dirty work and finished off Saddam. Yeah, I’m thankful he was in the White House in 9/11.
I did not disagree with the Iraq War at the start, but I think Bush really messed up when he stood on the aircraft carrier, with a “Mission Accomplished” sign behind him. OK, he toppled Saddam, but that was only PART of the mission, not the entire mission. They got Saddam and his sons, which was brilliant. But, there have been far too many other blunders. When the Iraqi leaders go on the public airwaves and ask us to leave by 2011/2012, than you know it’s time to go. The Iraqi people need to form their own government, democratic or otherwise. I support the ideas floated by some to keep troops in “Kurdistan” to support their desire for a democratic society.
To Bush’s credit, Clinton also sent ground troops to fight unpopular battles — remember Somalia? So, it’s nothing out of the ordinary.
However, Bush has other policies I wholly disagree with — notably NCLB, which was backed more by the textbook/testing lobby than anyone else. Let’s face it, NCLB has not improved schools and if anything has made things worse.
Bush also has a failed energy policy, which is not surprising.
Not that Gore or Kerry would have done much better. That being said, I’m tempted to at least give the other party a shot.
I’m pro-life, but I can’t base my entire vote on that position alone, because, as I said, it’s unlikely that any pro-life President will ever change things. Overturning Roe -v- Wade is a long-shot, even if we could swap out one of the liberals with a conservative — since you aren’t assured that the conservatives will vote to overturn (since some on the SCOTUS still attest woman’s choice as a states rights issue).
Instead I vote based on the following issues first (in no particular order:
— National Security
— Education (funding it fully, but allowing for more local decisions)
— Healthcare (everyone should have access. Sorry McCain, but your notion that the hospital fills the void is bogus — though that is another story).
— Economy, with an emphasis on keeping jobs stateside (disallowing/penalizing outsourcing, which is part of Obama’s strategy — along with repealing NAFTA).
As I said, I would have voted for Paul, as he supports by poltical positions more closely, in terms of what I have listed here. Plus he is pro-life (I basically consider this a bonus). Why the evangelicals did not get behind him, rather than Huckabee is beyond me.
I still say Paul should get the signatures and get his name on as an independent, than court the evangelical votes big time. Toss in a favorable female Veep and he would have my vote.
As for my equating abortion to the killing by soliders during war, I was just trying to state that troops do have to live with the trauma and guilt of their actions. FWIW, even when a cop shoots someone, it is called a “justifiable homicide” and actually investigated as murder by the DA. There is a difference, as abortion (in most cases) is totally not necessary. War, in many cases is necessary, though I think the Iraq War has exhausted its course. In other words, there is seldom every justification for abortion, but there was justification (based on the evidence at the time) for the Iraq War (as I said, I supported it at first).
FWIW, I still feel the WMDs are around, but they just aren’t in Iraq. I believe they are in Syria and would support efforts to find them. I also feel action against Iran is justified.
If McCain came out tomorrow and said he wants to change course with Iraq, announce his support for energy change, and so on, I would be compelled to vote for him. But, I simply feel he is just too close to Bush.
BTW so you all know, I’m more Libertarian than Republican or Democrat.
Brian – one of the big problems I have with politicians is that they promise the world in the campaign and deliver very little after the election. The problem isn’t the delivery, but the promises (which they know they can’t keep). You simply cannot do everything that Obama says he’ll do without raising taxes a lot, or destroying the system. Health care costs; there’s no way around that. Someone has to pay. Republicans typically are less dishonest in promising huge benefits in order to attract the votes of gullible, lower-class individuals.
You should vote for McCain because of Iran. You know that McCain would stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and you know that Obama will not. How important is that? I think it’s more important than empty promises of better education and universal healthcare.
As for the Supreme Court, I think you’re clearly wrong. Several liberal justices will die or retire in the next four years. If one were replaced by a conservative, Roe v Wade would be overturned. I don’t think anyone really doubts that. The liberals certainly don’t. If Obama wins, he’ll replace liberals with liberals, and unless one of the conservatives goes unexpectedly early, it may not change things much, at least in his first four years.
Roberts and Alito cover a multitude of sins.
Actually, there remains a chance I do vote for Bob Barr. I might also end up voting for Alan Keyes, should he find his way onto ticket (he has been trying to get ballot qualified).
You are right about promises -vs- delivery. In my memory, Reagan promised lots, but did not always deliver. Same with Bush I. Clinton promised much of what Obama is promising (notably universal health care) and never delivered. Bush II promised many things as well, but also did not always deliver. So, you’re right.
There is no doubt that something needs to be done to resolve the health insurance situation. There is no reason why a reasonably healthy, 33-year-old, individual should be paying $500-$600/month for coverage. And, when I attempt to use my coverage, I shouldn’t have to go through a bunch of loopholes. There is no doubt that we have a healthcare system that favors the insurance companies — just ask any doctor or pharmacist. Everyone deserves the right to at least some for of prevenative medicine and access to treatment for more serious problems. True, Obama may be making an emptry promise, but at least he is making this an ever growing issue.
Education is another one of the issues that needs to be resolved. No Child Left Behind is an example of where Bush had his heart in the right place, but his mind somewhere else. On the surface, the policy makes sense. Standards are necessary, as far too many teachers were deviating far from the curriculum. However, NCLB has sapped any creativity from the classroom for many teachers. It failed to address the issues faced at many urban schools. Obama says he will either repeal or otherwise do a complete overhaul of the current NCLB system. McCain seems to think it’s working, when it clearly is broken.
What I don’t want McCain do to with Iran is invade and that seems to be the direction that could be headed. That would be a major mistake, because they have a much larger, much stronger army. Naval missiles and aircraft could take care of Iran’s issues quickly. Of course, my guess is that Israel will beat the United States to the punch in terms of Iran’s nuclear program. I don’t think Obama would ignore Iran and I don’t think he would be against military action. Even Clinton wasn’t afraid to use military air power where necessary.
I certainly would hope that we could get another conservative justice, but there never is assurance. There are justices on the panel selected by conservative Republicans that are anything but conservative. It’s not uncommon for justices to change their ways once they are part of SCOTUS.
Don’t get me wrong, aside from Iraq and the whole energy/oil thing, I think McCain would do a decent job. My grandpa lived in Phoenix when he was first elected to the Senate and gushed all over him — predicting that he would be President one day.
In terms of taxes, I have no real problem with higher taxes, if appropriate services are delivered accordingly, which history has shown does not always happen.
No doubt, this would be a perfect year for a strong third-party candidate to come along and steal the show.
I usually laugh out loud when I hear people say things like “everyone deserves healthcare” when the reality is that 1/3 of the people on the planet will have a hard time finding clean drinking water and something to eat today… or when little 5 and 6 year old orphan girls are being sold as sex slaves in Cambodia… or when 450,000 foster kids patiently wait for somebody in one of the more than 450,000 churches of our country to give them a home and show them love. Yes in light of those global needs, we probably aren’t getting what we deserve.
It’s been interesting to read these comments and see where people place their priorities and how they rationalize decisions. I do appreciate that Brian seems to have wrestled with the decision and even done a little research, but I find it funny that he will abandon the hope of overturning Roe v. Wade because there are no “assurances” and yet he’s willing to take Obama at his word on the issue of healthcare, education, and outsourcing the economy. When I look at those three issues alone, I think there is actually a better chance of progress on the abortion issue in the next four years than there is of finding and implementing good solutions for those things.
I’m also curious about where Brian stands on warfare. It looks like lobbing missiles from afar is okay, but troops on the ground is not okay. I guess if hand-to-hand combat=abortion, then missiles=birth control pills?
Hey Todd, on an unrelated note- I’m not sure if you are taking requests (I haven’t confused your blog with a call-in radio show), but sometime I would like to hear your thoughts/advice on personal accountability groups.
Yes, we have Ross from Oregon on the line; thank you for your question. We’ll get to the answer right after this commercial break.
Ross – I can’t answer this question from (any recent) personal experience. Accountability always depends upon the honesty of its participants. Theoretically I see benefit in it, but don’t have the experience to say how well they work in practice. I think that accountability is one of the functions of the local church; it obviously gets more difficult as the church gets larger. Smaller groups within a local body seem to be appropriate to fulfill this need. Perhaps some other readers could chime in.
Ross … don’t even get me started on the issues of people in other countries, but I will say this:
— I believe we need to take care of our poverty issues at home first. There still are places in this country that are fairly deplorable and impoverished — including in a states neighboring Todd’s current state to the east and northeast.
— I believe we need to do more to fend off genocide in places like Sudan and elsewhere in Africa. The UN has horribly mismanaged efforts in that part of the world, thanks to their combat policies.
I think education and outsourcing are issues that could be resolved more easily than healthcare. Repealing or doing a complete rewrite of NCLB is not out of the question. Same with NAFTA (and some of the other trade agreements/acts). Healthcare remains a thorny issue, because the insurance lobbyists hold more of the cards at this point. That said, I’m sure you would agree that the current system is seriously flawed, unless you’re one of the lucky few that continues to have coveraged fully paid by your employer. I’m in an industry that used to fully cover employees and dependents up until a few years ago.
I do want Roe -v- Wade overturned, but this was supposed to happen while Bush was in office, during his second term. It did not happen. I’m not confident of it happening during McCain’s term. Why? Even if McCain wins, the Senate likely will remain under Democratic control. In fact, if McCain wins, the GOP will lose another seat in the Senate. Gov. Napolitano would name someone to fill his seat and she is a Democrat, endorsing Obama over someone from her own state.
As for my stand on warfare, strength comes from the air. Just ask Israel. While they do use their ground troops, it is the ability to launch rockets/missiles and use their air power, that helps them maintain a hold on their neighbors. I just think that Bush has not the greatest job using this power in Iraq and Afghanistan (and elsewhere).
Finally, you said “he ‘s willing to take Obama at his word on the issue of healthcare, education, and outsourcing the economy” … I ask you this: Are you willing to take McCain’s word, given that he apparently was pro-choice (or at least personally pro-life, but politically pro-choice — fairly common BTW) at one point in his political career (even as soon as eight years ago)? That was one reason why I leaned more towards Bush over McCain in 2000. Bush came across as a man of faith, McCain did not. If I weigh that McCain with Obama, it makes for a more difficult decision.
Ross, I would love to chime in and say that I have seen personal accountability groups work very well three/ make that four (one non-official and non-church related…just some random Christian friends who decided to keep in touch after graduating from the same college) times in my life and they were a great blessing and encouragement to all.
The important things were feeling open to sharing without risking relationships…feeling overwhelming love by all and welcoming others to invest/come in to your life to help a change to happen. this can be hard to find in many groups of believers as pride and shame and a feeling that God is all that we are supposed to need and not wanting to burden others. add to that the fact that as most of us get older in the Lord we get “better” at sinning…that is we can hide sins better or sin in more acceptable ways.
a level of security as far as “this stays within the group” is necessary, I have even seen it work in large groups…and even when certain members were not as willing to share with the same vulnerability as others…it takes one or two to start and then see the response of the group and then others begin to share as well…I think it can be one of the sweetest pictures of the Body of Christ on this earth.
I can imagine that many things could go wrong and hurtful things be said and done…but I have been so encouraged and blessed and humbled by these experiences that I think it is a great thing to attempt…not blindly, but with wisdom and discernment and prayer and humility.
ps
I am sooo excited about Palin…I was going to reluctantly vote for McCain but I am now excited about the whole thing as I see I may have the chance to have someone speak for me. Someone who hasn’t been sitting in the scum of Washington for long, yet has been in elected office longer than Obama. Not to mention that I can identify with her in so many ways, being someone who likes to get things done, who has naturally been a leader since HS, who is serious about what she believes in, who likes to hunt and fish and play sports.
From abortion, to same sex marriage, to global warming to capital punishment, to creation and abstinence and gun safety taught in schools. To being willing to fight for discrimination against gays, to NRA lifetime membership, to fighting against legalization of marijuana, to being a proud mother of a soldier to her own real struggles as a mother with a down syndrome baby and a pregnant teenager…I find it hard to find solid group to post a complaint against this woman.
solid ground, not group…sorry…
interesting add by John to Obama… it did seem sincere…wow
Brian, great feedback. Thanks. They are all important issues, and I’m still convinced that when you weigh it all on the truth of scripture, protecting unborn children trumps protecting economy, enhancing education, or offering more healthcare options.
Ruth, thanks for your thoughts on accountability. I’m going to ask God to crush my pride and cause me to be more vulnerable and open. All the talk on integrity and empty promises from politicians has got me realizing that I’m probably a bigger offender than both of the candidates.
Thanks for blogging Todd. I’m challenged by your life and I appreciate your desire to be a godly man.
Ruth, I liked the comments you made about Gov. Palin! So what was your impression of her speech tonight? Did she deliver the goods, or did she deliver the goods?!! Even though she made many terrific points, I thought the highlight of her speech was when her husband handed the baby to their youngest daughter (probably knowing he’d soon be standing to be introduced), & she gently/lovingly caressed the baby’s hair, even by licking her hand! That was one heck of a contrast to the pro-abortion liberals. I didn’t watch Obama’s convention speech, so Todd, did you happen to notice any scene from the DNC crowd that could be seen as an emotional equivalent to that one by Palin’s 2 youngest children?
Ross,
If I’m going to use my Bible in voting, than I’ll vote for Chuck Baldwin. The guy never will be elected and probably would never get his agenda through, but he goes far beyond being pro-life. :) He is against NAFTA, the North American Union, and the selling out of the United States to foreign interests.
Palin completely blew me away tonight, as did Giuliani (but he’s not on the ticket, unless McCain has a spot on the Cabinet — Atty General?). Palin’s speech was amazing. She captivated me. And, she has swayed me to the McCain side. So all McCain has to do now is get me to lock in my vote. If he really has a plan to deal with all those important issues, I will vote for him.
And if we have success in protecting the unborn, we need to have a quality education system. Trust me!!! There are some horribly shaky schools out there, doing nothing to help children grow into bright young adolescents and productive adult members of society.
More needs to be done to encourage adoption and given women stuck in unplanned pregnancies options. I was adopted myself, as my natural mother did not have the means (and from my understanding, the physical and/or mental capacity) to provide me me. She did have enough sense to go to the Human Services Agency and setup the adoption prior to giving birth. That, more than scripturally, is why I’m pro-life. Even babies, such as Palin’s youngest boy, deserve to live — even if it might be with adoptive parents. Rape, incest, and the health of the mother are the ONLY valid arguments. Abortion in ANY other case should be disallowed. Period.
FWIW, I proposed to a local evangelical pregnancy help center once my right to life bill, which basically kept the door open to abortion only in these most extreme cases (and I’m talking 1 in 1,000,000,000,000,000 extreme … in other words never) and only than after careful consultation with at least one pro-life counselor (with the goal of encouraging the pregnant mom to do the right thing).
Whoops … cut it off too soon … the pregnancy help center loved what I proposed and wished I had a way of getting it to the powers that be. They liked that it showed that while we Christians opposed abortion in all cases, we aren’t the uncompassionate souls the left make us out to be.
Hey Brian, I’m praising God for your life, for your birth-mothers wisdom, and for your parents opening up their home and heart to welcome you. The organization I work with has an outreach called http://www.hopefororphans.com that encourages people to “go near” the orphan and to help start an orphans ministry in their church.
I believe there is some good momentum being gained on behalf of the unborn and the orphan. I recently heard Rick Warren say “Snowflakes are fragile, but if enough of them stick together they can stop traffic.” This really is an issue that Christians should be rallying around. If each of the 400,000 churches in America would commit to finding a home for just one foster child, we would completely empty the US foster system.
For more info on the overwhelming needs of the orphan and what Christians can do about it, visit http://www.cryoftheorphan.org/learn Their key phrase for this year’s Cry of the Orphan campaign (airing during Thanksgiving week on most Christian radio stations) is “YOU are God’s plan for the orphan.”
G. M. – I don’t think I saw anything like that in Obama’s speech. Those wondering what he is talking about can see it here:
http://theologica.blogspot.com/2008/09/kids-do-darndest-things.html
Todd … that was a touching scene. That’s normally something mothers do and I’ve never seen a sister do that, but that was so sweet.
Ross … My only hope is that they would allow me to at least know a little more about my birth mother, in terms of her health history. I have had doctors wanted to know for years, willing to appear in court on my behalf, in order to know what her (and her family’s) health history. It’s unforunate, as I’ve had some strange conditions that neither my primary care doctor, neurologist, nor geneticist could resolve. The geneticst basically told me, if they knew what my mother had, they could take a careful look at my DNA and do some clear tests. Sadly, the adoption agency refuses to share that, without a court order (and my birth mother’s permission). I hate having to write “family health history unknown.”
As for my voting, well, McCain nailed it tonight, nailed it very well. I do think he would do a great job for the country, because he has been in the trenches and I think he is willing to fight for us all.
I haven’t checked back to this site since I left my original comment…wow…fun to read the feedback! Makes me yearn to return to DC!
I watched the RNC convention from Chicago w/ a liberal friend and was encouraged to hear her complain about liberals’ criticism of Palin’s “working mother status.” At least my friend was more consistent than most of the media in recent weeks. Last I recall – wasn’t Qualye crucified by the same media for his criticsm of Murphy Brown??
Though of course it concerns me for Palin’s family’s sake but certainly not enough to keep me from voting enthusiasticaly for McCain/Palin. McCain certainly was not high on my list for the presidency, but honestly, none of the Republican primary candidates impressed me. Palin will hopefully keep McCain accountable to the conservative base and check some of his moves. Namely – energy, judicial choices, taxes and spending….so we hope. My friend works for the senate minority leader and its been tough in recent months. This move will hopefully energize conservatives in Washington to take stands against bad policy.
My mother and I discussed the issue plenty this past week and while we lament that there does not appear to be a qualified godly man to step into the role, we delight and are encouraged in the Bible’s record of God’s use of godly women in leadership – namely, Deborah. I don’t intend to inaugurate a discussion on biblical leadership (secular vs sacred sphere distinction noted) but rather express encouragement that God has a history of using the unlikely for great things. The most important thing my mother reminded me that we can do, is pray for for her.
I won’t dare to comment on all of the previous comments for lack of time but I will urge “Brian” to remember that we live in a fallen world. No leader will be able to accomplish all that we desire this side of heaven but by nature we are hungering for justice, righteousness, peace and provision – that God-shaped hole that no person should ever attempt to fill w/ either Obama, Biden, McCain or Palin….or any other mere mortal for that matter…
For those who can’t get enough of little Piper Palin, this video should satisfy you for a little while until her next big public appearance when McCain & her mommy thank America for electing them in November.