Images

This is the picture I was talking about in the last blog entry. This, for those of you who don't know is Che Guevera. He was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary who was friends with Fidel Castro. And of course the cult of personality followed him around as well.

This is the image I saw on peoples t-shirts and banners. The imagry is striking.

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Thoughts on the Election

I watched the election on Tuesday night knowing the inevitable was about to happen. The candidate that I did not personally vote for was nominated as the president-elect.

Just like everyone else, I am excited that the dream that Martin had came to fruition just a few short decades after the turbulent 60's. We have went from blacks not even able to use the same water fountain in some parts of the country, to a black man being elected to the highest office in the land. It was an exciting thing to be able to turn to my children and say that no matter what their background, they can be anything they want to be in this great country. I applaud Senator Obama for his tremendous victory on Tuesday.

Now, having said that, there are many things that concern me about what I have witnessed the past few days after the election. I have so many thoughts rolling around in my very tired brain that I am not sure if I will be able to share them effectively. I know for a fact that I won't be able to do it eloquently. Please bare with me as you read on.

When it became clear that Obama would be the winner of the election, people began to celebrate in a way that I have never seen in my short life. I have only been alive during the terms of 6 presidents, and only 4 that I am old enough to remember. Even when the victory was so overwhelming when Reagan was re-elected, I never remember celebrations of the variety witnessed on Tuesday night. There were people from coast to coast, raught with excitement, demonstrating their emotion as if their favorite sports team had just won the championship, or as if we had won some sort of war. The raw emotion that I saw on many black faces discouraged me. Not becuase of the accomplishment of a black man being elected to the WhiteHouse, but because it became apparent that many people voted for him (whites included) based on the color of his skin. Now you may call me racist or ignorant or whatever, but to vote for somebody (or not vote) based on the color of his skin, is one of the shallowest things I can think of. How is the melanin a qualification for intelligence or lack thereof? Why to this day does it govern how we act or react to situations? People are cheering that this election proves that racism is dead or dying in our country. I propose that it is alive and well. It is just manifesting itself in a different way.
Another disturbing image was the banners and shirts I noticed that had the face of Obama embelished by multiple colors. He had this Stalin-esque or perhaps Che Gueverra like pose to him and it seemed as if there was perhaps some sort of cultish worship happening. Obama is an engaging man and can be someone who can inspire leadership. But does that make him a good leader? Some of the most engaging leaders in history have been evil dicators who killed millions of people. Some of these leaders are infamous...Stalin, Lenin, Hitler, Castro, Pol Pot just to name a few. And on the reverse side of this, many of the greatest leaders were meak and mild in nature. Lincoln, Jesus, Gandhi, Mother Theresa. The cult of personality reigns supreme and we like sheep are sucked in because they make us feel secure with their promises, thier nice smile, and their engaging personalities.

I have many other thoughts racing through my head as I write this, but I will sign off with just a few more things. Although I am nervous for the future, I do intend to respect the will of the people. I will pray for our new president. I will pray for his safety, his dicerment, and for God's hand to be upon him as he leads us into the future. It is an uncertain time, and we not only need a strong leader, but we need Jesus. The bible tells us who puts leaders in power, and even though we may not be able to see what is going on, we know and believe that "He has the whole world in His hands." After all, we as Christians do know the ending right?

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Iowa Caucus

Well the Iowa Caucus is the week in Iowa of all places. This marks the beginning of the 2008 election season in earnest. I have been following the campaigns on a very superficial level, in some ways protesting that fact that things got started so early this time around. It seems as if President Bush had barely taken office for his second term and the candidates were off and running. RIDICULOUS.

So will it be a democrat or a republican who will inherit the White House this time around? My gut feeling is that it will be a democrat, although the winds of change can blow at a moments notice.

This election is very important to the future direction of this country. It is always important, yes. But for the first time since the terrorist attacks of 9/11, we will have a new person in the
White House, with new ideals and new goals for the future. Our future safety relies on picking the right person for the job.

The unfortunate dilemma in my opinion, lies in the fact that I don't think there is a clear cut good choice for 2008. Every one has some small strong points, but nobody jumps off the page with gleaming credentials. Giuliani might be strong on defense as well as Thompson, but Thompson is an actor and the G man has horrible morals. Frankly nobody on the Democrats side will even begin to support our military.

So who do we vote for as president from a Christian perspective? Conservative Evangelicals would have you believe that it is a sin to vote for somebody that does not have an "R" after their name. Those people are dangerous and full of bahooey. We need to vote our conscience and vote American.

Any comments on my ramblings, please let me know.

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