Via Leanna comes this link, which got my blood boiling for all sorts of reasons, as it attempts to invoke God’s grace as a reason for being accepting of not just political views based on sin, but the sin itself. The post is copied here almost in its entirety as I dissect it, and you can find the original here. This is going to be a little bit scatterbrained, but I needed to get this written down… Continue reading On Moral Squirming
Category: politics
Further Insight
Iowahawk (recently added to the blogroll along with a few others I’d been shamefully neglecting) has a brilliant piece summarizing what significance this election has in addressing accusations of racism, and other perhaps even less pleasant accusations entitled – and if the title alone doesn’t get your mouth watering, I don’t know what will – America Can Take Pride In This Historic, Inspirational Disaster:
Although I have not always been the most outspoken advocate of President-Elect Barack Obama, today I would like to congratulate him and add my voice to the millions of fellow citizens who are celebrating his historic and frightening election victory. I don’t care whether you are a conservative or a liberal — when you saw this inspiring young African-American rise to our nation’s highest office I hope you felt the same sense of patriotic pride that I experienced, no matter how hard you were hyperventilating with deep existential dread.
Go. Read. Now.
See you in 2010
So, McCain managed to maintain his deathgrip on an honorable defeat after all. The fact that the election turned out rather close overall was actually a pleasant surprise – it proves that we’re not as bad off as I thought. Per Bill Quick:
Think about it this way: if aging hack John McCain, unable to enthuse his own base, running after a disastrous eight years of a George W. Bush administration, in the face of an utterly hostile mainstream media, a collapsing economy, and the as-yet undetermined aftermath of an unpopular foreign war, can still be near or within the polling margin of error, this is not a liberal nation, or one panting for an Obama administration.
I’ll be drinking tonight in anticipation of a rough four years. It will not be pretty, and it certainly won’t be the salvation of the human race by a chosen savior, as this has been painted to be. Bear in mind we have just given yet more power to the political party that was almost single-handedly responsible for the financial crisis we currently face. We have given a group of fanatics who embrace ideals of wealth redistribution and “social equality” above basic human rights, and disregard entirely the Constitution on which the country was founded. We’ve almost certainly doomed the Supreme Court to a generation of activist liberal judiciating, which will cause untold problems for the future of our country. And at the helm of all this we’ve put down a man whose personal history lies somewhere between “shady” and “outright scandalous.”
Yes, I anticipate a lot of problems coming our way in the next four years, and future of conservatism in America will hinge on how we handle it. Hint: addressing it with soft-spoken “centrist” policy a la McCain will not get us anywhere. Gingrich’s failed Contract with America will not get us anywhere. This will require a true return to roots in the Republican party. And we will have the advantage of the Democrats showing their true colors in the next couple of years to give us a big boost in the 2010 congressional elections. So in the meantime, take heart, batten down the hatches and weather out the storm. We’re still free, mostly. See you at the polls in 2010.
As a side note… many of my friends are talking about how far we’ve come, electing a black man as president. And that’s indeed a great thing, and evidence that we’ve conquered a lot of the shadows of the past that haunt our nation. However, we elected a black man who is also an extreme leftist and fanatic. Regardless of his race, this is a tragedy, and leaves a nasty stain on what could have been a truly positive achievement.
To be clear: I don’t care one way or another what color a man’s skin is, and I feel that if you vote for or against anyone even partially because of their skin color that you are a despicable person and have lost all your credibility as a voter. Like Dr. King said, people are to be judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. That judgment goes both ways, and as a nation, for the most part we already do that. The ghosts of racism have been tragically exploited this election, and if I never hear another person mention the subject again, I will be all the better for it.
Why I Love the Declaration
I’ve been asked by a couple people why I post the Declaration of Independence, in its entirety, with the last line emphasized, without any commentary, every July 4th. Part of it is quite simply tradition, but as to how it started, why that last line is bolded, and why there’s never any commentary – there’s a bit more to that. So as I sit here sipping a Sam Adams and listening to Johnny Cash, I’m going to try to explain my thoughts on why I love calling myself an American.
First off, I’m a strong believer that you can and should take interest in your country. I love America. I really do, and I don’t mean that I love everyone in it or that I agree with everything it does, but that I love the concept that is America. At least, the concept it represents to me. Almost a century and a half ago, a bunch of men got together – just men, not statesmen or generals, not yet – and decided that they had had enough. Years of oppression forced on them by the oversea British government had finally crossed the line and they decided it was time to do something. That it was time to be free men. And they talked to their families, their neighbors, their churches, and the word spread. People were fed up and decided to do something about it. So on this day, 232 years ago, a lawyer from Virginia named Thomas Jefferson put into words one of the most incredible statements in all of history.
There is hope after all!
DC V. HELLER: AFFIRMED.
Hallelujah, there’s still at least 5 people in power who think the Constitution means something. It’s kind of sad that I’m so overjoyed by such a simple affirmation of what is already there in black and white but we’ve just been going down the wrong path for so long…
For those not following this, DC v. Heller, it’s a case brought before the Supreme Court challenging the validity of the DC gun bans. However, their affirmation of the 2nd amendment extends far beyond DC: Chicago, New York, and other cities and states have similar laws in effect that are now ready for striking under this decision. Here’s the affirmation, straight from the decision released by the Court:
The Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditional lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home.
Emphasis mine, but look at that! Three of the biggest anti-gun arguments I hear every day shattered in one fell swoop! Thank GOD for those justices right now. I feel like going outside and doing a happy dance.
For those wanting to know more, here are some great related links, which can then be followed for yet more links:
- Prester Scott’s writeup on the case.
- Chris Byrne’s take on things.
- SCOTUSblog’s summary of the decision.
- SCOTUSblog on what’s next.
- Videos from NBC and CNN.
To quote Prester Scott: “We won. The Constitution won. Liberty won. Common sense and rationality won. It’s a fine day in America.”