Be Positive

Every now and then I get a gentle reminder that I have to look at the good into everyone. So this blog post is just that. When it comes to politicians it is hard to look at someone you disagree with and find good in them. It is why we are so divided today. So, I am going to start with the president and move to the current presidential candidates.

1. Barak Obama- When I heard he was planning on staying in the DC area after he leaves office I wondered why. But after hearing that it was so his daughter can stay at the same school and graduate, I had to applaud the man. The one thing I thought he was decent in was being a good father. We do not have much of those these days.
2. Donald Trump- The man is ruthless, but he tries. He may have many failed businesses, but he keeps at it. There is something to be said about not giving up.
3. Hillary Clinton- This one is difficult because I do not trust a word she says, but she also does not give up. It would be easy to say she would not run for president after the 2008 primaries, but she is going for it. Hillary is persistent.
4. Bernie Sanders- I believe he is the most honest presidential candidate, which is why I voted for him in the democratic primary here in Oklahoma. As an Independent, I was given the chance to vote in the primary, and while I do not agree with much of his policy, there is something to be said about honesty.
5. John Kasich- This man may be the most level headed of the remaining republican candidates. He has stood at the debate stage without much speaking time, and has kept a calm demeanor about himself.
6. Marco Rubio- He has fought for his right to be up in the top three on the republican stage. While he has only a couple of primary wins, he has not fallen back. Chris Cristie rightly acknowledged his sticking to talking points, and ever since then has at least tried to change it up a little.
7. Ted Cruz- This man may have made mistakes early in the primary contests, but one thing I liked was that he pulled Ben Carson aside and apologized. It is not for me to judge whether he was honest about it, but it was a great move. I have also seen him willing to engage people who do not like his policy, and be able to explain himself. 

There you have it. President Obama and the remaining candidates. It is easy to find something nice to say about people you do not like. It is something we all need to start doing. These people are human, just like you and me. They are wanting a job that I do not want. Look at past pictures of presidents from when they were campaigning then look at pictures from after they become president. It is a stressful job, and it takes its toll. So please do not just spew hate because you disagree with their politics. Find some positive. 

Civil War

      I have always been a fan of series that makes you think. Jericho was one of those shows. While it only lasted two short seasons, I was enthralled with it. I even went to a convention where I bought a couple of the props from the set. By the end of the TV series neighbors are fighting against neighbors, and the country is fighting a civil war. While it made for great TV, I have come to fear we are not too far off of a similar situation playing out. While I do not see 23 nuclear bombs going off in the United States, the hostilities of this country is at an all-time high. With "Black Lives Matter" vs "All Lives Matter" or "Liberal" vs "Conservative" or "Pro-Life" vs "Pro-Choice" or Donald Trump vs America. Whatever it is there is a divide, and we need to be aware. Something is feeding into the Anger of the American people and it is not just Donald Trump. This country is legitimately at the brink. Part of it is we have quit listening to one another. The Declaration of Independence says we have unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The problem is we want our happiness at the expense of others. That was not what our founders had in mind, and because we took these words to mean a personal level, we now hate those who get in the way of our happiness. We are dividing each other. My understanding of the pursuit of happiness is that of a community. We look out for one another. That was something Great Britain was not doing. They didn't care about the colonists happiness. They cared about business. The founding fathers believed that we had a right as a whole to pursue happiness together. We may not be totally satisfied, but we needed to come together for the betterment of the people. That is not happening anymore. The result is you have neighbor fighting neighbor, because, they make the other unhappy.
       At the end of Season 1 the neighboring town of Jericho, New Bern, is upset. A mercenary group called Ravenwood has desolated the town. They were upset that Jericho did not warn them. Jericho on the other hand almost blew their bridge trying to defend their town. New Bern starts building munitions and ultimately wages war on the small town. Jericho gets ready to defend. In a speech Johnston Green, former mayor, says, "Most of you have no idea what to do or what's coming, some of you do. This isn't a fight about land or about this town. It's a fight for our very existence. Pray for each other; while you are at it, pray for the men and women of New Bern. Pray that God forgives us." I may be seeing things, it may be nothing, but I do not see this country as sustainable the way it is headed. We have way too many people who are angry with one another for there to not be anything to happen.  But my prayer is that we will wake up understanding what is at stake. It will not be land, it will not be who will be the next president, it will be for our very existence. So pray for one another. Pray that we can return to a country of civility. Pray that God forgives us for the mistakes we made along the way.

NASCAR and Trump

I am a huge NASCAR fan. I grew up in Virginia, which is part of NASCAR country and was hooked at a young age. I was interested yesterday when Brian France endorsed Donald Trump. After all Brian France has been trying to move past controversial items in the past. The biggest example Surrounds the Rebel Flag. Now, I believe it is a flag with multiple meanings, but I understand the need to separate from it as it has been tainted for a while. In the Summer of 2015 after the Charleston, South Carolina shooting France had this to say concerning the flag, "We want to go as far as we can to eliminate the presence of that flag. I personally find it an offensive symbol, so there is no daylight how we feel about it and our sensitivity to others who feel the same way. We're working with the industry to see how far we can go to get that flag to be disassociated entirely from our events." What does this have to do with Donald Trump or the 2016 election? Read what Donald said on CNN when asked if he would disavow from the KKK and David Duke,"Just so you understand, I don't know anything about David Duke, OK? I don't know anything about what you're even talking about with white supremacy or white supremacists. So I don't know. I don't know -- did he endorse me, or what's going on? Because I know nothing about David Duke; I know nothing about white supremacists." While he later disavowed David Duke, Trump missed an opportunity. He should have said yes I disavow any organization that carries a racist message. instead he said he had to do research on the group. The KKK is the perfect example of an offensive symbol. This was a chance that Donald missed, and soon after Brian France endorsed. This looks like a hypocritical moment for Brian France. Donald Trump has said things in the past that are offensive, and controversial, and in 2015 the Camping World Truck Series banquet had to be moved because of things Trump had said. To publicly endorse Donald Trump, Brian France just gave Donald Trump a pass and that may hurt NASCAR down the road.   

True Tolerance

I want you all to read the statement of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg when talking about the passing of Justice Scalia. These two were on two very opposite sides of the political spectrum:

Toward the end of the opera Scalia/Ginsburg, tenor Scalia and soprano Ginsburg sing a duet: "We are different, we are one," different in our interpretation of written texts, one in our reverence for the Constitution and the institution we serve. From our years together at the D.C. Circuit, we were best buddies. We disagreed now and then, but when I wrote for the Court and received a Scalia dissent, the opinion ultimately released was notably better than my initial circulation. Justice Scalia nailed all the weak spots-the "applesauce" and "argle bargle"-and gave me just what I needed to strengthen the majority opinion. He was a jurist of captivating brilliance and wit, with a rare talent to make even the most sober judge laugh. The press referred to his "energetic fervor," "astringent intellect," "peppery prose," "acumen," and "affability," all apt descriptions. He was eminently quotable, his pungent opinions so clearly stated that his words never slipped from the reader's grasp.

Justice Scalia once described as the peak of his days on the bench an evening at the Opera Ball when he joined two Washington National Opera tenors at the piano for a medley of songs. He called it the famous Three Tenors performance. He was, indeed, a magnificent performer. It was my great good fortune to have known him as working colleague and treasured friend.


To me this defines tolerance. We have become so polarized that we have lost the ability to love one another. Yet, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg gives a reminder of what true tolerance can be.

My Platform

Back in 2010 I had ambitions. One of them was to run for political office. Because of that, I had my platform ready to go. My problem is that I do not have the financial backing to run for office. So here is how I would run my campaign as a candidate.

Abortion
I do not believe in abortion, however, I do believe the Supreme Court has ruled on the issue, and unless some miracle happens the Congress cannot ban abortion, so I would not run on a platform that banned all abortions. Though I would ask that you as a person would try to meet in the middle with me. Could be make sure there was a federal ban on late-term abortions? I know there are some out there that say as a man I do not have the authority to speak on the topic, but as someone that was born at 28 weeks I disagree. If you have reached the third trimester and you have finally decided you do not want that child, please consider the option of adoption. I was born three months early. I know these babies can survive outside the womb. Now, when it comes to medical emergencies, I am not a subject matter expert, and if you had to choose between your life and the life of an unborn child I could not judge you.

Homosexual Marriage
This has changed slightly over the past year as the Supreme Court has ruled on it. Again, I believe in traditional marriage. However, I also believe all people deserve to be treated equally in the eyes of the government. Always have! I believe in equal tax laws. A government should not tax more of an inheritance because you are not legally related, nor should they keep people from visiting loved ones from the hospital because of orientation. But for those that disagree with traditional marriage. Could we agree that people have the right to hold to the traditional view of marriage without being called bigots? As a minister I cannot in good faith perform a ceremony for a couple of the same sex. I believe God has given free will, and if a court looks at you and says you have the rights of a married couple, good for you, but as a minister I still have to live according to my faith. It doesn't mean I love you any less, it just means I am living according to what I believe is right.

Illegal immigration
There is no way we deport 11 million people. Will not happen. However when I hear the word Amnesty I think of a free pass. I do not believe that is right. I do believe there should be a path to citizenship, but that also involves not being able to get social security, and tax credits right away. There has to be some kind of penalty for coming in illegally when there were so many people to go through the system legally that are still waiting. Now, one area I do believe they could quickly earn their citizenship is through military service. Serve in the military two years minimum, and you should be granted citizenship.

The Border
No way do we make the Mexican's build the fence. Now if we were to have a partnership to help build the fence that is another story. Though we do need to secure our borders. We cannot continue to allow people into our country and not know who they are. If Mexico does not want to help then we could re-allocate some of our funding to them in securing the border. Once the border is secure and paid for that money could return.

Gun Control
I believe in the right to bear arms. Though I do believe we could do a little more to enforce the laws that are on the books. I also believe if you are on a no fly list that should equate to a no gun list. Now I believe you have the right to appeal being on a no fly list, but if there is evidence you should be on that list then there is a reason to withhold the right to purchase a firearm. I also believe in a universal background check. The same standard should apply to all 50 states.

Religious Freedom
This probably does not surprise you seeing that I have said I am a pastor, but I believe in the freedom OF religion not the freedom from. I believe that the federal government should not establish a federal religion, but the observance of is not the same as establishing. If we ever get a muslim president, and he chooses to site the Koran, he has that right. I may not agree with it, but it is his right. I will not agree with him, but he can do so if he pleases. One cannot ban religious observances from happening, because that too would be an establishment of secularism which is a faith background. The issue is that we have become so divided on many issues we have decided things must go our way. We cannot have that.

In the Declaration of Independence it say we have the right to Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is my belief that that happiness is for the community, not the individual. If we all pursued our own desires, someone would ultimately ruin that for us. But as a community we deserve happiness, and that is only accomplished by working together.

Long Time, No Blog.

It has almost three years since I posted on this blog. While I do not expect to get readers anytime soon, I will pick up blogging. It is a new year, and I feel I have to put my opinion somewhere. I have kept a lot to myself, and while I have learned a lot in my years of growth, I feel like keeping my thoughts to myself would just make me an angry person. This way I can give my opinion, and if people don't like my view they can move on, and I can still put it out there with out confrontation.

What Politicians Really Think of You

In an election cycle we always hear about the party platform. Immigration, religious freedom, women’s rights, gay marriage, gender equality, racial equality. But over the years it remains the same thing. Very little gets done on any of these issues. Why is that? My hypothesis is that it was never about your rights as an American citizen. It is about the vote count. Each political party has chosen who they feel as a victim and in need of saving. For Democrats, they have picked women, homosexuals (only recently), illegal immigrants, African Americans. For Republicans they have picked Christians, unborn babies, people who see a government who is all too powerful. You see it all the time. Just look at the 2008 Democratic platform, and see how much they actually got done while having a majority in both the house and senate. Look again in 2004 when Republicans held both the house and Senate and the White House. Can you honestly see what all got done to better the country as a whole, or even to further their platform? I cannot. Now, I know what you are thinking. What about the supermajority? Couldn’t the lower party still filibuster? Yes, they could. However as seen when the Democrats still had a majority in the Senate, that could have been taken away. The issue was they still wanted someone to blame when they could not get things done. Harry Reid still had the Republican House of Representatives. So why do they have their platform? For the almighty vote. Minorities and Women, Democrats care more about your vote than they do your rights. Christians and men and women who believe the government has way too much power, Republicans care more about your vote than they do about government overreach. To them it is about a paycheck, and nothing more. How would you like a paycheck of $174,000 and not get much done, and have a scapegoat for not getting it done? That is what you get out of your Representatives and Senators.
What can you do about it? Wake up! Christians if you vote in Donald Trump, you are voting for the republican platform and not what is in the best interest of Christians. Women and college kids, if you vote for Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton you are voting for the platform than what is in your best interest.
The Declaration of Independence states that we have a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. In the pursuit of happiness, it is not about individual pursuit, because if that happened nobody would be happy, because your neighbor would make you mad. It is about the happiness of the community. What is better for the whole? What I believe is better for the whole is for Americans to realize the two party system has failed us, and has only caused anger and division between our fellow citizens. Now is the time to step away from the two party system. For Americans to make sacrifices about their beliefs on what is best for them as individuals, and come together and realize what is best for America.