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AMY
Wife, Homeschool Mom, Webmaster ...
Obsessed with all things Political.
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Day 229 - Visit & Long (vast right wing!) Political Post
Sunday, August 17, 2008
I met my dad's first cousin this morning for breakfast. He is a Virginia Tech professor who had been in Chicago for a conference. He was able to stop by for a short visit on his way home to Virginia. He is an avid genealogist, and I was able to give him several old family pictures that I had found in my dad's things.
After breakfast, Jeff and I had some errands to run before we headed to his parents' house for a visit. While at their house, Nick got the idea that climbing into the dryer would be a good idea. It made for a cute picture, but his incessant need to be in a confined space is a little intriguing.
Later in the day, we drove past a local gas station and saw the My Man Mitch RV. It was a good photo opportunity, even if we didn't have time to stop. Go Mitch!
Speaking of politics - Because of my passion for all things political, I receive numerous political e-mails nearly every day. For the past few days, I have been bombarded with messages regarding this evening's Presidential forum at Saddleback Church. As much as I LOVED Pastor Rick Warren's book "The Purpose Driven Life," I have disagreed with him on several political issues as of late. I was less than enthused about the forum, yet my curiosity got the better of me. I actually ended up watching it TWICE! I found it to be the absolute BEST example of how a political forum should be held. Both candidates received the exact same questions - neither one having the benefit of hearing their opponent's responses. There was no mud-slinging, no cross-examining, just their opinions on the issues. My initial fear would that it would be "touchy-feely" politics with no hard hitting questions. In reality, it was exactly the opposite. I think the differences between the candidates were stark.
I went into this election season being lukewarm (to say the least!) Being a conservative, I was not a fan of McCain. I disagree with his stance on embryonic stem cell research, the Constitutional Marriage Amendment, and Campaign Finance laws - just to name a few. However, I was determined to vote for him simply based on his Pro-Life, Pro-Defense views.. (but I was not happy about it!) After tonight, I am actually getting excited about him. His answers on taxes, Supreme Court Justices, abortion, adoption, off-shore drilling, education (I never realized he was pro-homeschooling...hooray!), and National Security just blew me away! He was direct, concise, and deliberate.
In contrast, I think Obama came off as "wishy-washy" - either too afraid to state his opinion or not knowing what his opinion actually was! The only point that he really drove home was that he was pro-choice. He said that knowing when a baby should be awarded basic human rights was "beyond his pay grade." If that is true, and he doesn't really know when life begins, wouldn't you naturally err on the side of life?
He also said that anyone making over $150k annually was "rich." While that may be true in some parts of the Midwest, as a former Bay Area resident, I found that disconcerting. Another scary statement was his response regarding the mandatory hiring of faith-based employees whose values don't align with the organization which they'll be representing.
I did have to laugh, however, at his comment that he wouldn't have nominated Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas (who, in addition to Scalia, happens to be one of my favorite Justices...) because of his inexperience! If I were him, I certainly wouldn't be bringing up lack of experience for higher office!
In his defense, I truly believe that Obama is doing what he thinks is best for our country. He is a good public speaker and motivator as long as you don't listen to WHAT he actually says and only listen to HOW he says it. I don't agree with those who judge him by the color of his skin, call him unpatriotic, or try to associate him with radical Muslims (or worse!) I do, however, think that he is horribly misguided in several ways, for example:
1. Attempting to figure out the psyche of and trying to negotiate with terrorist madmen . You can't reason with unreasonable people. Protecting our country and the freedom that it represents needs to be our #1 priority. 2. Capitalism (not socialism) is what built our nation into what it is today. You cannot continue to raise taxes to support inefficient government waste, and you cannot EXPECT to be able to support a family working at McDonald's or living on welfare. 3. You cannot continue to pump million of dollars into failing schools and expect different results. Money is not what builds a great education. Get rid of the P.C. propaganda and "feel-good" educational philosophies and start focusing on the basics...
Sorry, this post ended up a lot longer than I had intended. I am just so excited that I saw a spark of hope in McCain after all...(!)
Didn't even know about this, but I've got my vcr set to tape tonight. I caught just a few minutes of Obama, but I'm excited to see the entire thing. (probably with different results than you though!)
Name: Amy Home: Indiana, United States About Me: I am a Homeschool Mom of 2 awesome children. This is my attempt at Project 365 - to chronicle our world through daily photos... See my complete profile
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Didn't even know about this, but I've got my vcr set to tape tonight. I caught just a few minutes of Obama, but I'm excited to see the entire thing. (probably with different results than you though!)