Something I would like my friends to understand
Please read to the end of this so that you can understand me. You cannot read only part of this and truly understand it
This past 2012 election has seen many people calling each other names, and being very rude and nasty to close friends that do not agree with their political views. Please note: When I mention Left of Right, Democrat or Republican, I am aware that there are exceptions in all areas.
I would like to share why I am registered as a Democrat:
1. I am a Christian. I know, this sounds contradictory to many of you, but let me explain:
I am a born again Christian. I try to live my life by the Bible. Matthew 7 says, "Judge not, that ye may be not judged." That means that I have no right in telling others how they should live their lives, and I have no right to ask my government to legislate morality, either. I believe that you witness by actions and words, not by forcing people. If my actions and my Joy cannot convince a person that they want what I have, then I am doing something wrong. I see too many people in the Republican Party doing exactly the opposite. They are cramming their beliefs down people's throats, and then get mad when it doesn't work. When you read the rest of the verse " 2"For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.…" So, the more harshly we judge others, the more harshly we will be judged,
2. I know that our country was created by people who came to this land to seek religious freedom. That should not only include Christians. I cannot tell a person that My God is a loving man, that Jesus gave his life for all of us, and then be hateful to that person. If we are supposed to do as Jesus would, then we must accept these people for who they are. We should love them, as we love ourselves. Their religion, their color, their socioeconomic background, and their education should make no difference. If I cannot love my neighbors, I do not deserve to be loved.
There is supposed to be a separation between church and state. Churches are tax exempt, with the understanding that they are to stay out of politics. If a church cannot stay out of politics, then they should pay taxes. Also, I feel that Christians have no more rights to telling others how to live than do Muslims, Jews, or Atheists.
3. On abortion: I am against abortion, but I cannot, in good conscience, ask another woman to carry a child for 9 months, with the costs, and possible medical complications (yes, there are MANY) that this woman has to bear. If I don't have the money to provide for all her medical needs, and am not willing to adopt that child, or know I can find a good home for it, then I have no right to tell her that she MUST have that child. Having worked with emotionally disturbed children, I know what happens to children whose mother did not want them.
Also, abortion is legal. The chances of it being overturned are small, and considering how many people are Pro-Choice, the odds of a Constitutional Amendment passing are slim to none. If we want to stop abortion, we could do more good by being loving and understanding of women who are considering it. Education and birth control can help, too. Being self-righteous and condemning helps no one.
4. I am Pro-Life. Many of you that claim you are Pro-Life, are kidding yourselves. You are Anti-Abortion, NOT Pro-Life. Pro-Life would be a person who abhors any killing. That means you would have to be anti-abortion, anti-death penalty, and against war. Recently, when I asked how anyone can call themselves Pro-Life, and still believe in the Death Penalty, I was told, "because one is innocent, one is not." Excuse me???? I have done research, and found more than 42 men and women who have been executed by our government since 1900, who were INNOCENT!!!!! And, I found over 300 people sentenced to death who were later found innocent! (This was only up until 2002; there have been more since then). So much for the innocence argument. It is more expensive to execute a person than it is to keep them in jail for life. Plus, if you are truly Christian, it gives you more time to save this person's soul.
5. I believe in the power of LOVE! Today's many channels allow you to see many different views. I have watched the "right-leaning" channels, and the "left-leaning" channels. I listen to all these talk show hosts, and, sorry, but the Right has Glen Beck, Rush Limbaugh, and many others. The things I hear offend me!!! I will not listen to people spew hate and anger constantly. I believe that you are what you live, and if you live with this kind of anger and hatred pouring in to your ears, it will enter your heart. Yes, there is some anger on the Left, but I find more laughter because they are more likely to point out stupidity than anger. The difference between the Right and the Left is that the Left can laugh at things. The Right is so hung up on being Correct, and Self-Righteous, that they are filled with anger when ANYONE even suggests that they may be wrong.
6. I believe in the TRUTH. When I hear News, I check it out! I will not accept one or even two sources as Gospel! The Right actually believes that Fox is a News channel. I am sorry to tell you, they went to court; they won against an employee that sued them for insisting she lie. They won because their argument was that they are NOT a news station, they are ENTERTAINMENT!!!!! So, the Right prefers Entertainment over the TRUTH!!!! I am confused, the Bible is considered the Truth and the Light, and yet you get your Truth from a channel that admits they are not news. They are not held to the ethical standards of NEWS! They do not check their sources. Most of their sources are their imagination, misquotes, and right leaning blogs. Do you know what a blog is???? Someone's opinion!!!!!!! That, dear friends, is not NEWS!
When I have tried to correct misinformation on Face book, I have been cursed, told to shut up, and called ignorant. Funny, this only happened when I corrected Republican rhetoric. I corrected Liberal rhetoric, and people THANKED me!!!!! See the difference????
7. I WILL Respect OUR President! Since Obama took office I have been embarrassed and ashamed by the way so many people have treated him. He is OUR President! He was voted into office by MORE than HALF the voters of our country, and has earned the respect of the office. People call President Obama "boy", "nigger", "socialist", "not legitimate", etc, they say he wasn't born in the United States, and doesn't deserve to be President. They say that his birth certificate is fake. Be honest and ask yourself. . . if he was WHITE, would you say such things? If you answer honestly, you would probably have to say no. The Republican Party is full of bigots! If you aren't one, I am sorry, but you are judged by those you associate with. We have had a governor point her finger in his face (she should have been arrested by the Secret Service, in my opinion). This man KNOWS what people say about him and yet he still wants to help our country. Imagine how his children feel!!!! What would you do if your child came home saying that people had said hateful things about you?????????
8. I believe in Democracy. I understand that my candidate will not always be the winner, and I am willing to accept that. My candidate has not always been the winner. I would not dream of threatening revolution, assassinating the President, or some other stupid threat. If it means that much to you, tell your party what you think will make them a better party. Better yet, ask your Liberal friends what would make them come to the Republican side. And, if you cannot respect our President, maybe you should leave the country. I respected the ones you elected. We survived and I was right about some of them being bad for our country. Your 'side' has made mistakes, you know.
9. I believe in government regulations. I see too many drugs being recalled because of leniency. We have had numerous outbreaks of salmonella and e coli because of poor farming practices or packaging. We have banks cheating people. We have a Stock Market full of manipulators who run stocks up just to make profits for a few. We have oil companies that destroy our environment, pollute our water, and you don't want them to clean up? We have corruption in local government, and yes, in big government, too, sometimes, but we have the laws available to bring these people to justice. Are some laws stupid? Yes. Are some laws out of date? Yes. But, We the People can change that, if we take the time and the effort to do so. If we can stop fighting about abortion, and move on, we can get a lot done. If we demand that our politicians get along, and do their job, we can accomplish more.
We are the ONE COUNTRY in the WORLD, where people watch to see what we do, and want to be like us. What kind of an example have we shown the rest of the world this week? Would you want a foreigner to see your Face book pages the past few weeks? Have you shown them that we are truly THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA? Did you know that practically every U.S. Embassy in the world had Election night parties, where people learned about the ways of a Democracy, viewed sample ballots, and then watched our election results come in??? Did you know, that with the exception of Pakistan and Iran, EVERY country was praying for Obama to win????? No, it was not because he is Black. It is because they like him!!!! He is a compassionate man, and if they had the chance, they would have voted for him!!! Many actually were terrified of Romney winning. He did not make friends when he visited countries.
10. I believe in the right to vote. EVERYONE that is eligible, not just my party. The Republicans and the Tea Party did everything they could to try to prevent people from voting. I, personally think that anyone that tried to prevent even one person from voting should have their voting rights taken away. Shame on them!
11. I believe in progress. I think science and technology should be used to find a cure for cancer, AIDS, diabetes, arthritis, Autoimmune Diseases, heart disease, and all the other things that ail us. I think we should look to the future. We can't go back and fix things already done, we must move on. Remember??? Let Go, Let God!!!!! But a little science would help. You may not believe in global warming, but let's face it our climate is changing!!!!! Look at Sandy!!
Progress means looking forward. We will get nowhere looking back, except to see where we made mistakes. You remember the 50s and 60s fondly? Seriously? When we had McCarthyism and the Red Scare? When people built bomb shelters? When there was "free love", LSD? When segregation was the norm?
12. I believe in giving a hand up. I know that people fall down. There is nothing wrong with helping them up. Most states have limits on TANF, Food Stamps, etc. If there are any that don't, they need to change the way they handle the system. Why are Republicans so unwilling to help people get back on their feet, and yet think it is OK for people who are well-off to get extra tax breaks, have more loopholes, and lower interest rates.
13. I believe that education is the most important thing we can give to our children and grandchildren. Are you aware, that the states that repeatedly elect Republican Representatives and Congressmen have the highest teen pregnancy rates, and lowest education scores of all schools? Per capita spending for school is lowest in the 'red' states. Personal income is lowest in the 'red' states. There are fewer college graduates in the 'red' states. What does that tell you about the Republican Party? That they are more interested in corporate interests than our young people?????
14. I am not STUCK in a party. I went "red" and changed back. However, only twice, since 1972, have I voted straight party. Being a Democrat does not mean I cannot vote Republican. It only means that I vote for Democrats during the primaries. No one should vote straight party. That is a cop out. Everyone should learn what each candidate stands for, and vote accordingly. Your ballot is secret. Facebook isn't.
Most Republicans that I know are Christians, and yet they claim that Obama's win is "the end" of the U.S. They all prayed for days for the election. If you were one of the Millions that prayed for our Country for the last month, or more, how can you be upset that Obama won? We all know that God answers prayers. We also know that sometimes God's answer is 'not now', and sometimes, it is "yes, but not the way you think!" So, if you are a Christian, stop listening to Fox News and the Right Wing, listen to God. He is telling you that He is still in power, and obviously knows more than you do!
BTW - The polls were right, Fox was wrong, Sandy did not win the presidency for Obama, and the American people proved you can't buy the presidency!!! Also, Obama IS a Christian, He IS a Natural American Citizen, He is NOT a Socialist or Fascist, and he IS Human, with feelings. If you want this to be a Great United States, stand behind him, help him, make sure your representatives work with him, and make our country great again. American Pride should be for all 300,000,000+ people of the U.S. not just half of them!
Please understand, these are MY feelings, and My views. If I have mentioned statistics or facts, they are supported by reliable information.
I simply want my friends to understand why I voted the way I did, and ask all of you to try to get along, and look at both sides of issues, to stop the innuendos, and try to accept the results, like Democrats had to in 2000 and 2004.
I would like to share why I am registered as a Democrat:
1. I am a Christian. I know, this sounds contradictory to many of you, but let me explain:
I am a born again Christian. I try to live my life by the Bible. Matthew 7 says, "Judge not, that ye may be not judged." That means that I have no right in telling others how they should live their lives, and I have no right to ask my government to legislate morality, either. I believe that you witness by actions and words, not by forcing people. If my actions and my Joy cannot convince a person that they want what I have, then I am doing something wrong. I see too many people in the Republican Party doing exactly the opposite. They are cramming their beliefs down people's throats, and then get mad when it doesn't work. When you read the rest of the verse " 2"For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.…" So, the more harshly we judge others, the more harshly we will be judged,
2. I know that our country was created by people who came to this land to seek religious freedom. That should not only include Christians. I cannot tell a person that My God is a loving man, that Jesus gave his life for all of us, and then be hateful to that person. If we are supposed to do as Jesus would, then we must accept these people for who they are. We should love them, as we love ourselves. Their religion, their color, their socioeconomic background, and their education should make no difference. If I cannot love my neighbors, I do not deserve to be loved.
There is supposed to be a separation between church and state. Churches are tax exempt, with the understanding that they are to stay out of politics. If a church cannot stay out of politics, then they should pay taxes. Also, I feel that Christians have no more rights to telling others how to live than do Muslims, Jews, or Atheists.
3. On abortion: I am against abortion, but I cannot, in good conscience, ask another woman to carry a child for 9 months, with the costs, and possible medical complications (yes, there are MANY) that this woman has to bear. If I don't have the money to provide for all her medical needs, and am not willing to adopt that child, or know I can find a good home for it, then I have no right to tell her that she MUST have that child. Having worked with emotionally disturbed children, I know what happens to children whose mother did not want them.
Also, abortion is legal. The chances of it being overturned are small, and considering how many people are Pro-Choice, the odds of a Constitutional Amendment passing are slim to none. If we want to stop abortion, we could do more good by being loving and understanding of women who are considering it. Education and birth control can help, too. Being self-righteous and condemning helps no one.
4. I am Pro-Life. Many of you that claim you are Pro-Life, are kidding yourselves. You are Anti-Abortion, NOT Pro-Life. Pro-Life would be a person who abhors any killing. That means you would have to be anti-abortion, anti-death penalty, and against war. Recently, when I asked how anyone can call themselves Pro-Life, and still believe in the Death Penalty, I was told, "because one is innocent, one is not." Excuse me???? I have done research, and found more than 42 men and women who have been executed by our government since 1900, who were INNOCENT!!!!! And, I found over 300 people sentenced to death who were later found innocent! (This was only up until 2002; there have been more since then). So much for the innocence argument. It is more expensive to execute a person than it is to keep them in jail for life. Plus, if you are truly Christian, it gives you more time to save this person's soul.
5. I believe in the power of LOVE! Today's many channels allow you to see many different views. I have watched the "right-leaning" channels, and the "left-leaning" channels. I listen to all these talk show hosts, and, sorry, but the Right has Glen Beck, Rush Limbaugh, and many others. The things I hear offend me!!! I will not listen to people spew hate and anger constantly. I believe that you are what you live, and if you live with this kind of anger and hatred pouring in to your ears, it will enter your heart. Yes, there is some anger on the Left, but I find more laughter because they are more likely to point out stupidity than anger. The difference between the Right and the Left is that the Left can laugh at things. The Right is so hung up on being Correct, and Self-Righteous, that they are filled with anger when ANYONE even suggests that they may be wrong.
6. I believe in the TRUTH. When I hear News, I check it out! I will not accept one or even two sources as Gospel! The Right actually believes that Fox is a News channel. I am sorry to tell you, they went to court; they won against an employee that sued them for insisting she lie. They won because their argument was that they are NOT a news station, they are ENTERTAINMENT!!!!! So, the Right prefers Entertainment over the TRUTH!!!! I am confused, the Bible is considered the Truth and the Light, and yet you get your Truth from a channel that admits they are not news. They are not held to the ethical standards of NEWS! They do not check their sources. Most of their sources are their imagination, misquotes, and right leaning blogs. Do you know what a blog is???? Someone's opinion!!!!!!! That, dear friends, is not NEWS!
When I have tried to correct misinformation on Face book, I have been cursed, told to shut up, and called ignorant. Funny, this only happened when I corrected Republican rhetoric. I corrected Liberal rhetoric, and people THANKED me!!!!! See the difference????
7. I WILL Respect OUR President! Since Obama took office I have been embarrassed and ashamed by the way so many people have treated him. He is OUR President! He was voted into office by MORE than HALF the voters of our country, and has earned the respect of the office. People call President Obama "boy", "nigger", "socialist", "not legitimate", etc, they say he wasn't born in the United States, and doesn't deserve to be President. They say that his birth certificate is fake. Be honest and ask yourself. . . if he was WHITE, would you say such things? If you answer honestly, you would probably have to say no. The Republican Party is full of bigots! If you aren't one, I am sorry, but you are judged by those you associate with. We have had a governor point her finger in his face (she should have been arrested by the Secret Service, in my opinion). This man KNOWS what people say about him and yet he still wants to help our country. Imagine how his children feel!!!! What would you do if your child came home saying that people had said hateful things about you?????????
8. I believe in Democracy. I understand that my candidate will not always be the winner, and I am willing to accept that. My candidate has not always been the winner. I would not dream of threatening revolution, assassinating the President, or some other stupid threat. If it means that much to you, tell your party what you think will make them a better party. Better yet, ask your Liberal friends what would make them come to the Republican side. And, if you cannot respect our President, maybe you should leave the country. I respected the ones you elected. We survived and I was right about some of them being bad for our country. Your 'side' has made mistakes, you know.
9. I believe in government regulations. I see too many drugs being recalled because of leniency. We have had numerous outbreaks of salmonella and e coli because of poor farming practices or packaging. We have banks cheating people. We have a Stock Market full of manipulators who run stocks up just to make profits for a few. We have oil companies that destroy our environment, pollute our water, and you don't want them to clean up? We have corruption in local government, and yes, in big government, too, sometimes, but we have the laws available to bring these people to justice. Are some laws stupid? Yes. Are some laws out of date? Yes. But, We the People can change that, if we take the time and the effort to do so. If we can stop fighting about abortion, and move on, we can get a lot done. If we demand that our politicians get along, and do their job, we can accomplish more.
We are the ONE COUNTRY in the WORLD, where people watch to see what we do, and want to be like us. What kind of an example have we shown the rest of the world this week? Would you want a foreigner to see your Face book pages the past few weeks? Have you shown them that we are truly THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA? Did you know that practically every U.S. Embassy in the world had Election night parties, where people learned about the ways of a Democracy, viewed sample ballots, and then watched our election results come in??? Did you know, that with the exception of Pakistan and Iran, EVERY country was praying for Obama to win????? No, it was not because he is Black. It is because they like him!!!! He is a compassionate man, and if they had the chance, they would have voted for him!!! Many actually were terrified of Romney winning. He did not make friends when he visited countries.
10. I believe in the right to vote. EVERYONE that is eligible, not just my party. The Republicans and the Tea Party did everything they could to try to prevent people from voting. I, personally think that anyone that tried to prevent even one person from voting should have their voting rights taken away. Shame on them!
11. I believe in progress. I think science and technology should be used to find a cure for cancer, AIDS, diabetes, arthritis, Autoimmune Diseases, heart disease, and all the other things that ail us. I think we should look to the future. We can't go back and fix things already done, we must move on. Remember??? Let Go, Let God!!!!! But a little science would help. You may not believe in global warming, but let's face it our climate is changing!!!!! Look at Sandy!!
Progress means looking forward. We will get nowhere looking back, except to see where we made mistakes. You remember the 50s and 60s fondly? Seriously? When we had McCarthyism and the Red Scare? When people built bomb shelters? When there was "free love", LSD? When segregation was the norm?
12. I believe in giving a hand up. I know that people fall down. There is nothing wrong with helping them up. Most states have limits on TANF, Food Stamps, etc. If there are any that don't, they need to change the way they handle the system. Why are Republicans so unwilling to help people get back on their feet, and yet think it is OK for people who are well-off to get extra tax breaks, have more loopholes, and lower interest rates.
13. I believe that education is the most important thing we can give to our children and grandchildren. Are you aware, that the states that repeatedly elect Republican Representatives and Congressmen have the highest teen pregnancy rates, and lowest education scores of all schools? Per capita spending for school is lowest in the 'red' states. Personal income is lowest in the 'red' states. There are fewer college graduates in the 'red' states. What does that tell you about the Republican Party? That they are more interested in corporate interests than our young people?????
14. I am not STUCK in a party. I went "red" and changed back. However, only twice, since 1972, have I voted straight party. Being a Democrat does not mean I cannot vote Republican. It only means that I vote for Democrats during the primaries. No one should vote straight party. That is a cop out. Everyone should learn what each candidate stands for, and vote accordingly. Your ballot is secret. Facebook isn't.
Most Republicans that I know are Christians, and yet they claim that Obama's win is "the end" of the U.S. They all prayed for days for the election. If you were one of the Millions that prayed for our Country for the last month, or more, how can you be upset that Obama won? We all know that God answers prayers. We also know that sometimes God's answer is 'not now', and sometimes, it is "yes, but not the way you think!" So, if you are a Christian, stop listening to Fox News and the Right Wing, listen to God. He is telling you that He is still in power, and obviously knows more than you do!
BTW - The polls were right, Fox was wrong, Sandy did not win the presidency for Obama, and the American people proved you can't buy the presidency!!! Also, Obama IS a Christian, He IS a Natural American Citizen, He is NOT a Socialist or Fascist, and he IS Human, with feelings. If you want this to be a Great United States, stand behind him, help him, make sure your representatives work with him, and make our country great again. American Pride should be for all 300,000,000+ people of the U.S. not just half of them!
Please understand, these are MY feelings, and My views. If I have mentioned statistics or facts, they are supported by reliable information.
I simply want my friends to understand why I voted the way I did, and ask all of you to try to get along, and look at both sides of issues, to stop the innuendos, and try to accept the results, like Democrats had to in 2000 and 2004.
