Sarah

[amazondoc]

Mrs. AK-Bird-Brain :

And I feel the need to remind everyone that just because it is in print, and on the internet, doesn't mean it is necessarily true. I've heard equally long lists on the shortcomings of both nominees.

If anyone would like more specific references to back up any of the facts in my list, please feel free to tell me which ones you'd like more info on. I'm about to leave town for the day, though, so it'll probably be tomorrow before I can post further.

And if you'd like to post a similar list rebutting some of Obama's claims, I'm sure many of us would be interested in reading it.​

 

[VT Chick-lit]

Reinbeau you said a mouth full!

 

[Backyard Buddies]

Like others who've posted here, I'm also a person of faith - a weekly church attender and someone who has chosen to educate my children in Christian schools. I've read the entire scriptures through a half dozen times, both through my church attendance, on my own, and through my education in Christian schools from Jr. Hi through university.

Many of you who read that first paragraph would probably think that I'd immediately be voting for the McCain-Palin ticket . . . but you'd be wrong. I owe no allegiance to any party and will never drink their Kool-aid because my personal belief is that it's far too easy to excuse the one while holding the other accountable for the very same things. My faith calls me to recall ALL of the scriptures and with that comes the profound realization that while God cares about the life issue, the scriptures, both OT and NT would be filled with holes were one to remove every scripture that dealt with how both governments (read the prophets) and individuals should be dealing with the poor and disaffected. Right now, historically, the Democratic ticket has a far better track record in this regard. That ticket will get my vote in November. For now, the Republican party has lost me because it has removed itself so far from many of the values that are the foundation of my faith.

I'm saddened by how many of my fellow Christians have sold their souls to the Republican party, but I understand how it came to be. Not only am I old enough to remember when it wasn't that way (I was coming of age to vote just as this was happening) but I was also attending university and majoring in the media at that time as well. Anyone who believes that we have a "liberal media" doesn't know or understand our system. We have Ronald Regan and Bill Clinton to thank for taking our smart, diverse media and allowing it to be reduced to ownership by 6 corporations who now drive what we get to hear based on what's going to bring the most money in to the shareholders and the CEOs. Fox News? Please! Sadly, studies of knowledge and understanding of the issues have found Fox News viewers to have some of the lowest information of world events when compared against viewers of other news outlets.

So, to the subject of this post . . . emphatically, Sarah Palin is NOT qualified to be the Vice President of the United States of America. Even she, a month ago, stated that she didn't even know what the VP does on a daily basis. At 72 years of age, John McCain will be the oldest president at his inauguration. His choice for someone to be ready on Day One to take his place should something befall him is most important. Her admitted lack of knowledge of world affairs is a huge deficit in these times, especially since we're already involved in two wars and will likely bomb Iran in the next 60 days if the UK and Israeli papers are to be believed.

Sure, she looks great. She's smart and she can read a prepared speech and deliver it with wit and grace. Unlike John McCain, she works well with a TelePrompTer. She's a natural, but I would expect no less from someone with her training in the media. However, in the 14 years I spent working in the business, I could have slapped many actors up there to do the very same thing. They would have looked great, but that doesn't mean that they understand, know, or believe what they're saying.

Were Sarah Palin running in the primaries against the others from the Republican Party, she would have been vetted and tossed out even before Fred Thompson. She has NOT been vetted, either by the McCain campaign or by the media. The media LOVES her because she's driving up viewership. Whether or not they vett her properly will depend on whether that'll raise their market share. We shall see. They certainly are not giving the same TV time to her church "issues" just as they did for Obamas. Fox certainly won't. Yet, stay tuned. The media loves a superstar and will gladly toss them aside when they find the next hot ticket. Reports are that the McCain campaign is going to keep her away from the scrutiny of the media until they can fill her in. Let's stay tuned and see just what the media does with that. Because they're hungry for Palin news, the news organizations are going to go looking for it. Whether she shines or tarnishes has yet to be seen.

But, as for me, I'm more skeptical of her. I would NEVER make a snap decision just because of someone's faith or because the media "said so." But, they count on most of you buying whatever spin they send your way. Watch, read, listen, and most of all THINK.

 

[ninjapoodles]

Backyard Buddies: You are definitely not alone. Thank you for speaking out for the many of us who don't say everything (or anything) we feel about this.

 

[Backyard Buddies]

And, to add one more thing.

Our nation was founded on religious freedom, not necessarily the Judeo-Christian faith, although many of our founders were indeed Christian. However, the jury is still out on the whole "Christian Nation" thing. Our Constitution requires no religious test to hold office. George Washington embraced the Jewish community of New York City. Article 11 of the Treaty of Tripoli (which was affirmed by unanimous support in Congress) also questions that assumption. Letters and documents from that time clearly show how the Framers struggled with the best way to resolve this as they created this new country For the People.

History is a hobby of mine. Faith in the United States of America wasn't all pie in the sky the minute the Europeans stepped ashore. Many people died in this country for their faith. Some of the colonies got it better than some of the others and our founding fathers observed the trials and struggles firsthand. Many of the founding fathers grew up listening to the Baptist preachers preaching from behind bars where were jailed because it wasn't legal for them to preach since they weren't of the accepted State Church. Until 30 years ago, the Baptist community still held strongly to separation of church and state but began changing as some within the church began trying to influence government. Some within the Baptist Church still do believe in the separation issue, and the two sides are in disagreement with one another.

I don't want State ordered faith. I don't want someone from the government to tell me what to read or believe. Nor do I want the church driving the government. When that happens, both lose. I love the freedoms we've enjoyed since our founding fathers so rightly declared a separation of church and state and I think it's a slippery slope to tinker with this.

I encourage everyone to read Jon Meacham's "American Gospel" an extremely well researched and sourced document on this very issue. It challenged many of my preconceived ideas regarding the foundation of this country.

 

[ninjapoodles]

Quote:
And for a modern take on the topic, I learned a lot from "God's Politics: Why The Right Is Wrong, And The Left Doesn't Get It." It's about 4-5 years old at this point, I believe, but still relevant and educational.

Dave Ramsey (the Christian financial guru) reported a statistic recently about continuing to read all your life. I don't remember the exact numbers (I was listening to him in the car), but he said that one thing that most very successful people have in common is reading a good number of non-fiction books every year.

Never stop learning.

 

[amazondoc]

Just to add a bit of detail -- the Treaty of Tripoli, written and passed unanimously by Congress in 1796, states (amongst other things):

"the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion"

http://www.nobeliefs.com/document.htm

Those were the founding fathers saying that.

There is much much more info on such things floating around on the web, for anyone who is interested in the actual history.

 

[ladywolfe]

I haven't read this whole post, but a while back in the media was talk of Obama's religion and i think most people have forgot he's muslum been that for 20 yrs. and now he says i'm a christian bullhockey you can't change your beliefs that quick! That right there changed my vote i personally don't want a muslum in office. Content edited at the discretion of the Moderators

Just my 2 cents!!!

 

[Backyard Buddies]

Quote:
Yeah, I almost didn't either until you started speaking up.

Living in OC and sending my kids to Christian Schools where many no longer question what their government does, I know first hand, people who completely have faith in the Republican party, that it is the Christian Party. These are my friends, and I love them. But, I really wish they'd learn a bit more about the other stuff their party stands for. It's a gentle line I walk with others. I certainly don't want to offend, but I'm a firm believer in James 4:17. My vote and how I place it is part of following that scripture. To do so, I feel I must be fully educated as best as I can be. No politicians are perfect, and we cannot expect them to be. But, there's lots of harm to be done by not speaking up and questioning things and voting out those who don't hold to our values.

 

[dacjohns]

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