Daniel’s First Quadrennial Voters’ Guide

Well, another election day is upon us. Tomorrow, we will have the opportunity to vote for John McCain or Barack Obama. As you vote, I want you to consider some things: 1. It's OK not to vote. Yes. It really is. "Vote or die" is only P.Diddy's way of intimidating white people. (I'm just kidding. Kind of.) If you don't know the issues, if you are only voting for a certain candidate because you like the idea of Change, or because one guy was a POW 40 years ago, feel free to stay home. If you don't think either candidate is worth your vote, you don't have to vote. There are enough ignorant votes out there to sway the election either way. Save us all. 2. Don't buy the hype. No, Barack Obama is not the messiah. Should he be elected, the sky will not magically turn a new shade of blue. And no, John McCain is not God's candidate, any more than George W. Bush was. Vote the issues. 3. Don't take the bait. McCain is not an evil old man who wants to continue the Iraq war for 100 years. Obama is not a Muslim or a terrorist. Find some objective sources and do your own research. Don't take your parents' word for it. Or your pastor's. Or your friends. Grow up, think for yourself, and make an informed decision on who you think would better run this great country. 4. Can't we all just get along? Look, people disagree. But if you want to discuss politics with someone, don't do it for the purpose of making someone cry. Let's bring some civility to our discussions. If you can't do that, shut the hell up. Mature people can disagree and still like each other. So there it is, my first voters' guide. No, I didn't tell you who to vote for. That's not my place. I don't care if you vote for McCain or Obama. Or even if you are just voting against the guy you don't want elected. Just don't be a jackass, OK? Know who you're voting for and why.

The Pro-Life Paradox

I was driving down the road a couple of weeks ago, listening to a local conservative Christian talk show. I don't know why I do this, as it almost always ends with me yelling at the radio. Anyhow, this Christian show is what you would expect it to be. They bestow all the virtues of the right, while railing against any liberal views and those who hold them. I don't really have a problem with that, except it's a Christian radio station -- The Word FM. Its name, I assume, is a reference to the Bible, but since this Rush Limbaugh, Jr. is followed by Dr. Laura, who is a professing Jew, I'm just not sure. Again, no problems with that, but the issue I have is when conservative political views are equated with Christianity. But I digress.

As I was listening to this radio host talk about Barack Obama, referring to him as the most pro-abortion presidential candidate ever, I was getting angry that, once again, a conservative was acting as though abortion was the only issue in the campaign. Unfortunately, I know all too well that this plays to the emotions of the religious right, who are often a one-issue group. Is the candidate pro-life? He gets my vote. Is the candidate pro-choice? Let's endanger our church's tax-exempt status by demonizing him.

Let me say upfront that I am pro-life, but I don't believe most people that carry that label are faithful to its true meaning. By saying I am pro-life, of course I mean that I am against abortion. 1.5 million aborted babies a year is not just a tragedy, its an epidemic. But when I say I'm pro-life, it doesn't end at abortion. I'm also anti-war. I do believe that we have every right as a nation to defend ourselves, but the instances should be rare. 90,000+ casualties from a war that was entered on false premises is a tragedy, too. The teachings of Jesus (you know, that Guy from whom Christianity was born) are clear - love your enemies, strive to live at peace with all people, et al.

When I say I'm pro-life, I also mean I'm against the death penalty. For all the arguments about it being a deterrent, or it being it being for the safety of society, I can't help but think that capital punishment boils down to human vengeance. "'An eye for an eye . . .'" someone will no doubt say. Never mind that that is an ancient Babylonian code intended for a society without laws. Never mind that Jesus offered the alternative -- to "turn the other cheek", likely a rebuttal to the old law. As a society, we want vengeance. Something in us longs to even the score, but there is a better way -- forgiveness grants the freedom and peace that retribution never will.

Bear in mind that for eight years, we have had a president who is stridently anti-abortion. Yet the number of abortions has shown no sign of slowing. Whatever its approach has been thus far, the "pro-life" movement is having no affect. Abortion is still a legal procedure, and women are still having them. What we need is a collaborative effort between the left and right to work toward a realistic goal of reducing the number of abortions. There are many angles from which this can be approached -- sex education, education about the potential health and psychological dangers of abortions, adoption reform (more charity organizations like Shaohannah's Hope, which seeks "to care for orphans by engaging the church and helping Christian families reduce the financial barrier to adoption" would be a great thing), etc. Also, a major contributor to a woman's choice to have an abortion is her socioeconomic status. So being pro-life is also an economic issue. Obedience to Christ's mandate to take care of the poor, were the church doing its part, could reduce the number of abortions. Ironically, electing a pro-choice candidate who was committed to caring for the poor could potentially reduce the number of abortions more than voting for his pro-life counterpart. Regardless, the divisive rhetoric of the past has done nothing to serve either side of the argument, and has only driven a greater wedge between genuine people who desire fewer abortions and a better world.

Rich Churches, Poor People

"There is a church not too far from us that recently added a $25 million addition to their building.
Our local newspaper ran a front-page story not too long ago about a study revealing that one in five people in our city lives in poverty. This is a book about those two numbers."

This is from the intro to Rob Bell's upcoming book, "Jesus Wants To Save Christians". What are your thoughts?

Michael W. Smith, fashion icon

My dear friend D.Lake has informed me that Michael W. Smith may have borrowed from Debbie Gibson. I would hate to think this is true, but you can't argue with the evidence. I think he at least borrowed her hat:

She loved her hats.

But did she ever rock the argyle t-shirt WITH THE ARGYLE BACKGROUND?

Game, set, match. Well played, Mr. Smith. Well played.

Go West, Young Man

Ah, Michael W. Smith. Your horrible 80's fashion and cheesy synth sounds cannot quell the fount of eternal wisdom that lies within you. After a thorough listen to the album "Go West Young Man", in particular the title track on repeat for several hours, my wife and I have decided to return to California. OK, we decided a couple of months ago, and I don't have that song or album. Thank God. We just need to save up enough money for the move and to cover the bills for a couple of months until we find employment in the fertile job market of Modesto. Yeah, that's sarcasm. We'll be renting a home from my parents, which is a total God thing, but everything else is as of yet undetermined. If you wanted to go ahead and pray for us, I wouldn't hold it against you.

By the way . . .

I'm gonna try to start blogging more regularly again. I took some time off, for whatever reason, but I'm back. Not daily, but at least a couple of times a week. You know you need it.

Why Obama?

Why am I supporting Obama? Since I've been inundated with this question (OK, no one has asked, but in my mind . . .), I figured I would let everyone in on my thought process. So here they are, the top 10 reasons I'm supporting Barack Obama in the 2008 Presidential Election:
blush. Plus, I don't get Fox News anymore, so I have to endure unfair and unbalanced coverage.

10. The liberal media finally got to me. You gotta admit, the media loves this guy. They can't get too much B.O. The speeches, the hope, the ears. It's enough to make Wolf Blitzer blush.

9. I'm a closet Muslim, just like him. Let's elect Barack Obama for Allah (PBUH)!

8. I believe he is the greatest hope to destroy our nation the quickest. It's all right there in the book of Revelation. The United States is the great whore, and Obama is most likely the Anti-Christ. Bring on the end-times - daddy needs a new crown!

7. God has punished my move to Texas by melting my brain, thus making me a liberal. A lot of you know this - I used to be veerrrry conservative. Like Rush Limbaugh conservative. A card-carrying member of the "religious right". Wait . . . I never got a card. And Jerry Falwell's gone now. Damn.

6. This Texas heat has made me crazy. You know, Dallas is actually really conservative - so much so that we have the "George Bush Turnpike." You know, just north of "LBJ Freeway" and "Ronald Reagan Freeway". I'm not kidding. So I guess the Texas heat is no excuse. If anything, support for Obama would be a big fat proverbial finger to this God-forsaken city and state.

5. My "liberalization" is in reality rebellion against the Church. Because we all know the Bible tells us to vote Republican.

4. My wife has corrupted me. Well, I have married been just under a year, so sorry folks - this process began before my relationship with Jennifer. Can't blame her, I guess.

3. Going to college in Santa Cruz, even if it was a quite conservative Christian school, dragged me from my Republican mountaintop down to the dregs of society - the Democratic party. You know, this might be true . . .

2. I have unresolved psychological issues that are manifesting themselves through intentionally bad life choices. Like Ann Coulter, the most brilliant political mind the world has seen, says, liberalism is a mental disorder. It should logically follow that there is some yet-undiscovered Freudian root to this troubling symptom.

1. I actually believe he is the right candidate at the right time. Millions of people, myself included, are disillusioned with the American political process, and serious reforms, and yes, even inspiring speeches, are desperately needed to encourage those of us who haven't cared for years, to get involved in our country. Barack Obama seems to understand that politicians are not the key to the American success story - people like you and I are. If you don't like your government, change it. If you don't like your life, change it.