God in politics...

One of the hot-button issues in American politics is the idea that God may or may not have a place there. The problem with this issue in particular is that both of the major parties are dead wrong. After having been hijacked by the religious right the republican party has essentailly made it their objective to establish everything short of a theocracy. The more liberal faction of the democratic party essentially wants to eliminate religion, which in and of itself, is equally offensive.

Truth is, this country was in fact founded on many religious ideals. Religion, specifically Christianity is weaved in to all of our founding documents in one form or another. However, this country was also founded by people who originally left a society that did not offer them the freedom to worship as they pleased. The seperation of church and state is NOT a constitutional principal. There is nothing in that document that requires the two to be seperate. However, it remains to this day in the best interest of both sides to remain as seperate as humanly possible. A church can not do its best work if it answers to the state, and the government certainly can't do its best work, if it answers to a church.

On to the smaller things. "In God we trust" is written on our currency, much the the chagrin of many. However I do not consider it offensive, nor do I see how an athiest could see spending currency with a simple phrase written on it, as a compromise of their values. That argument is ludicrious. Should that have been written on the currency to begin with? Probably not. However, since it is already there, there is no point in removing it. That is not a fight worth having. Changing the status quo at this point creates an unnecesary conflict between religion and government, that will ultimatly drag the two together once again. Same goes for the pledge of alleigence and the ever so famous "Under God".

It is a seemingly simply issue. Both sides benefit from being apart, yet neither side can relinquish their desire to but in to the other.

Sacrifice...

Being gay in today's world causes many stuggles and hardships that would not otherwise be faced. Gays and lesbians face the prospect of being disowned by family and friends, being denied equal oppurtunities of citizenship, being physically and mentally harmed, and many other hardships just because they are gay. Most major religious have adopted posistions of hatred and exclusion, despite the fact that at their very core they are taught love and acceptance.

When someone reaches the point where they realize that they are gay they have a decision to make. They can hide it, which is essentially what a majority of the world would like them to do, or they can choose to be true to themselves and live the life that they were born to live. Living the life requires you to make sacrifices. It isn't right, it isn't fair, but that is how it is. Though I would not like to see people forced to make sacrifices that in a free society such as America, they shouldn't have to, I recognize that all freedom was won because of the sacrifices of those seeking it. Full equality will be achieved for gays and lesbians in my life time. The only question is, how long will it take, and what will the cost be?

Hijacked...

Anyone who knows me knows that I am, and always have been a proud republican. However, I can no longer say that I am proud of our national party. With a republican white house, and republicans in control of both houses of congress, we have seen america take a budget surplus and turn it into the largest budget deficiet in the history of the country. President Bush has failed at every domestic policy agenda he had comming in to his second term, and all he has done is managed to spend more money. His presidency, more specifically the second term has been one of the biggest failures in the history of the republican party. Granted, his forign policy, and his strength in regards to national security are right on, he has been a complete an utter failure when it comes to homeland issues.

Why has the party failed the country so catastrophically? Because it has been hijacked by the religious right. The religious right does not hold true to conservative republican principals. In fact, most conservative values have been thrown out by that group of people. However, because they have managed to infect one of the two major parties, and in large part turn out their base for every election, they have managed to gain alot of power. Power that they are using to screw up the country.

This is what happens when people don't vote. America is truly the greatest country in the world, and we are all very fortunate to have the oppurtunity to liver here, however most take that for granted, and don't perform their basic duty of citizenship in a democracy. The religious right is out of line with mainstream american values, however because mainstream america doesn't vote, the religious right was able to sieze the power that they now have. Maybe one day, we will have voter turnout that we can be proud of.

New Rules...

I'll admit, I did not come up with these, but I was reading them, and I thought that they sum up my thoughts pretty well.

ARTICLE I: You do not have the right to a new car, big screen TV, or any other form of wealth. More power to you if you can legally acquire them, but no one is guaranteeing anything.
ARTICLE II: You do not have the right to never be offended. This country is based on freedom, and that means freedom for everyone—not just you! You may leave the room, turn the channel, express a different opinion, etc., but the world is full of idiots, and probably always will be.
ARTICLE III: You do not have the right to be free from harm. If you stick a screwdriver in your eye, learn to be more careful; do not expect the tool manufacturer to make you and all your relatives independently wealthy.
ARTICLE IV: You do not have the right to free food and housing. Americans are the most charitable people to be found, and will gladly help anyone in need, but we are quickly growing weary of subsidizing generation after generation of professional couch potatoes who achieve nothing more than the creation of another generation of professional couch potatoes.
ARTICLE V: You do not have the right to free health care. That would be nice, but from the looks of public housing, we’re just not interested in public health care.
ARTICLE VI: You do not have the right to physically harm other people. If you kidnap, rape, intentionally maim, or killsomeone, don’t be surprised if the rest of us want to see you fry in the electric chair.
ARTICLE VII: You do not have the right to the possessions of others. If you rob, cheat, or coerce away the goods or services of other citizens, don’t be surprised if the rest of us get together and lock you away in a place where you still won’t have the right to a big screen color TV or a life of leisure.
ARTICLE VIII: You do not have the right to a job. All of us sure want you to have a job, and will gladly help you along in hard times, but we expect you to take advantage of the opportunities of education and vocational training laid before you to make yourself useful.
ARTICLE IX: You do not have the right to happiness. Being an American means that you have the right to PURSUE happiness, which by the way, is a lot easier if you are unencumbered by an over abundance of idiotic laws created by those of you who were confused by the Bill of Rights.
ARTICLE X: This is an English speaking country. We don’t care where you are from, English is our language. Learn it or go backto wherever you came from!

Free speech...

Being amoung the first rights specifically granted in the bill of rights, one could draw the conclusion that freedom of speech is important to Americans. As far as most countries in the world, we are doing pretty good at granting. More often than not, even unpopular speech is given some form of protection by government bodies.

In today's America, freedom of speech is being attacked from both sides. On one hand, you have people that don't respect the reasonable limitations that could be expected to be in place. These are the people that show up to military funerals and picket, saying that a soilder died because God is mad at America. These are the people who resort to hate speech because they have nothing legitimate to contribute. I am a big fan of protecting speech, even if it is unpopular, however if the only motivation of the speech is to incite a riot, then you have to wonder why it is even neccesary to begin with.

On the other hand, you have the people that wish to completely sensor the speech that they don't like. These are the people who would be content if they never heard an idea other than their own. These are the people who ban books, censor commercials, and silence others just for presenting an idea that opposes their basic belief system.

Freedom of speech has a hard time anymore. It is plauged by the fact that people either dont appreciate it or people abuse it. I wish people still lived by the age-old philosophy "I may hate what you are saying, but I will stand up next to you, and defend your right to say it".

Family

Anyone who knows me should be well aware of the fact that I love my family very dearly. We have had our problems, but at the end of the day, the unconditional love that we have for one another overcomes all.

However, a family that I also hold dear to my heart is the family that you often hear members of the GLBT community refer to themselves as. No, members of the community are not all biologically connected, however a deep bond is formed at some of the most basic levels of existence. I believe the main reason you hear members of the community refer to themselves as family is because of the understanding that is had. All members of the community go through some of the same things on a daily basis. Members of the community face many of the same struggles in society. Now granted, not all GLBT people handel the situations the same way, the fact that the same struggles exist tends to form a bond, that cannot easily be broken. Like many families, the GLBT family has its problem. Any outside observer could call the family disfunctional. However, there is a bond, there is a family, and that will not likely change anytime in the near future.

Who I am...

Sometimes it seems as though the hardest person to know is yourself, even though that is the person that you should know best. And I believe that we do know ourselves better than we know anyone else, however when we analyze ourselves we always run in to perceptions of how we are, and perceptions of how we would like to be. So at times, when I have time to think, I consider who I am, and how I am living my life. This is what I have come up with thus far.

Politically

The most important political issue to me has always been, and will likely always be abortion. I believe it to be wrong so strongly that I often find it difficult to see how someone can truly believe the other side of the issue. I think that it is the greatest injustice in America today, because it is the legalized slaughtering of other human beings. The only difference between a child in the womb and one outside of it is that they are at a different stage of development. Yes, a child in the womb is literally dependent on the mother for everything that would sustain his or her life, but so a new born is equally dependent, just a little more developed. I truly believe that life begins at conception for both scientific and religious reasons, and that is one opinion I have that I can most assuredly say will never change.

The second most important issue to me is equal treatment of gays and lesbians. There are so many injustices in society today against gays and lesbians that it isn’t funny. First, and foremost, we must consider that a marriage contract alone grants 11oo rights to married people, many of which gays cannot obtain through any legal document. Fundamental fairness and equality should prevail here, and we should grant full equality to all of our citizens. I find it funny that Americans have always known that full equality was the right thing, yet we have never been willing to grant it. We always right about equality, yet it takes years of struggle and hardship for different groups of minorities to actually achieve it.

I support the death penalty, and I believe that it should be extended to rapist and child molesters. The only problem with it as it is currently used is that it is not used enough.

I support victim’s rights, and think that they should always be held in high regard. I don't believe that prisoners deserve as many rights as they have in today's America. As you can tell I tend to walk a hard line when it comes to law and order.

I oppose embryonic stem cell research, because it requires the destruction of usable embryos. We can use adult stem cells with out destroying life and reach many of the same if not all of the same medical conclusions and cures.

I think that often times Americans are not supportive enough of Israel. They being a sovereign nation should have a right to defend themselves, and in light of the rampant terrorism that goes on in their country all the time, they should be exercising that right.

I think that Iran is a growing threat, and China is an emerging threat that we will one day have to deal with. Hopefully not on the battle field.

I think the government is way too big and should be cut in as many ways as possible. I like small government and low taxes.

I think that my parent’s generation has been the biggest failure in the history of the country. They are leaving us with enormous problems that we may not be able to fix. Everyday I see the rising debt and I cringe.

I think that the drinking age should be lowered to 18. If you can elect your leaders and die for your country, you should be allowed to drink. However I also think that the punishments for alcohol related crimes such as DUI should be increased. Furthermore, I don't believe that being drunk should be an excuse for committing other crimes. You should not be tried with a lesser offense just because you were drunk when you did it.

Though I can't justify allowing alcohol but not allowing some of the weaker drugs such as marijuana, I still think that they should be illegal. It is possible that in the future I would be open to changing that opinion merely because I can justify it, though I am not ready to do that yet.

I don't smoke though pretty much everybody I know does. I believe that it is wrong of society to prohibit smoking in public places such as bars and restaurants. If I go into a restaurant where I know people smoke then, I should have to deal with it. If I don't like it, I am welcome to go somewhere else. If I owned a restaurant it would have a smoking section, and damnit, that is my right as a business owner.

I think most workers unions are useless and are not needed in a capitalist society. 9 times out of 10 I will side with businesses over labor unions. They were good in the past, today they stink.

I have an opinion on pretty much every political issue there is, and if I don't it wont take me that long to form one. I am generally a pretty conservative person save a few social issues. These are the ones that I could think of now, though that doesn’t mean that they are the only ones.

Spiritually

I am what can only be considered a liberal Christian, though I was raised in one of the most conservative protestant denominations. I love the church I was raised in, and I have seen qualities that I love about other churches, though at the end of the day there has never been a church that I can say I agree with 100%. I do not believe you have to be a member of any church to get into Heaven. I believe people from all faiths and from all walks of life will reunite with our Father in Heaven for eternity.

I oppose any church that excommunicates people for any reason. Though I respect the right of any religious person to oppose certain things that its members might do, I think the church should always have its doors open to everyone. I mean if someone is making the service impossible, by all means, throw them out, but excommunicating people for life style decisions that you disagree with seems a bit too judgmental for my taste.

I believe that we are literal spirit children of our Father in Heaven. I believe that our time spent on earth is just a part of our eternal development.

I believe that the relationships we form here on earth will exist in Heaven in much the same way that they existed on earth. The fact that we shared that part of our development with the people that we spent it with can never be changed.

I believe that many of the commandments laid out in the bible our suggestions on how to live a better life, not checkpoints on an entrance exam into Heaven.

I believe that the greatest thing we can do on earth is show the love of God in all that we do, though at times, I find that hard to do.

I believe the purest form of love is the love that our Father in Heaven has for us, for there is nothing that could ever make that stop.

I believe that church has its purpose, though many of the churches are more social gatherings than they are anything else, which is sad.

I believe that most people will experience some level of glory in their after life. I believe this, because the God I believe in is a forgiving God; a God of love.

I believe that we are free to act as we wish on earth, and I do not believe that God directly interferes. Were He to directly interfere, there would be little need for faith. However, I do believe that He provides us with much needed strength and blessings along the way.

I am not very outspoken on religion in my everyday life because in truth I believe that religion exists as individuals interpret and perceive it. I believe that there are many different ways that you can live your life, and still be just as right as someone else, who chooses to live differently. I think that spreading ones believes on religion is admirable, but it is not something that I do, or ever intend to for that matter. One that sees what I do on a daily basis might say that I am not a great champion of Christianity, however I do have an unwavering faith in God, and it is that faith that I will take with me to my judgment.

Socially

Socially I have always been pretty outspoken person, and at times I can be very confrontational, though surprisingly enough when I around people for the first few times I tend to be a little shy. It is not that I am nervous in a group; it is just that I like to get to know people before I become really talkative. However, once I open up, I think I am a pretty sociable person. I tend to put up a wall and make it at least a little difficult to become friends with someone, however once I become friends with them, I am perhaps one of the most loyal people that I know. There is little that I will not do for my friends.

My family and I are very close. Specifically my mom, my brothers, my grandma, my aunts, and myself. Of all the families I have seen in my life I would never even consider thinking that I got dealt a bad hand. The one thing that my family has to a greater extent than I have ever seen is unconditional love. We fight, and we gripe about each other all the time. We are in every sense of the word dysfunctional, but the unconditional love is there, and there is nothing that one of us wouldn't do for another. My family is by far the most important thing in my life. I can't wait till the day when I have a spouse and children of my own to add to the family tree.

Goals

I often speak of the many things I would like to do. I talk a lot about high political aspirations, and all of the success that I would like to experience in my life. However, though I would enjoy bringing about the changes that I have always talked about, that has never been the most important thing to me. Hell, most of the time I am talking about those things, I am joking to a large extent.

The most important thing I want in my life is companionship. I want to spend my life with someone else that I love dearly, and that I know loves me. I want to raise children with this person, and love them for all eternity. I believe that companionship is one of the greatest gifts that we have, and I want to experience it. I would give up everything else to live that goal, for that is all I truly want.

So now, off of all that...

The quote I live by is "Principles only mean something if you stand by them, even when it is inconvenient." I see resounding truth in that, and I try to apply it to my daily life. That is all I can think of for now. It is not everything, but that may provide a little insight in to the depths of my personality.

Leaning on faith...

It is sad to say, but often times it takes a tragedy for us to truly understand the fraility of human life. At all times we are subject to our own mortality. Now granted, to some extent we have control over what happens to us, to a larger extent we do not.

Its hard to imagine someones life comming to a sudden end. When I left for boot camp, I left my old life behind, and I went into an environment where to a large extent I would be sequestered for 2 months. I think of all the things I left undone before I was gone. Things I should have taken care of that I just didn't get to. And in that case, I knew that I was leaving in advance. I couldn't imagine leaving with the intention of comming back later that day, and meeting my end. What about the unsaid goodbyes? What about the things you always thought you would have time to say later, but never got to?

I guess I often take advantage of the good fortune that I have had throughout my life. I look to other people, that are far more deserving of happiness than myself, that don't have it, and wonder why they don't have the things that I do. I look to people that are facing tragedy, and sometimes I think, why didnt that happen to me? Then I realize that we truly do have the free agency that our Father in Heaven always intended for us to have.

Given my life, I am often asked about my views on religion, and the reasons behind them. I'm not going to get into all of that now, but I do believe there is a plan in place; one that we will never understand, until our time on earth is through. I do not believe in pre-destination. While we are here on earth, we are free to do what we want; to live our lives in whatever way we feel necesary. The advantage of that is that we get to learn who we truly are as an individual. The problem is, it allows bad things happen to good people.

When we deal with death, especially the deaths of good people, we often ask, "why would God let something like this happen", or "why did God let that happen to them". And in truth I think most religious people realize that there would be no need for faith if God were to interfere with worldly things. But that doesn't stop the question from being asked in the first place. All that we can do is lean on our faith and go on living, though at times, we might find that hard to do.