Friday, July 16, 2004
The National Council of Churches has released a Guide to help Christians pick a presidential candidate. The guide makes the following 10 points:
1. We look for political leaders who will make peace a top priority.
2. We reject policies that abandon large segments of our inner city to hopelessness.
3. We look for leaders for whom a foreign policy based on cooperation is an urgent concern.
4. We look for leaders who will seek to reduce the disparity between rich and poor.
5. We look for leaders who promote racial justice and equal opportunity.
6. We look for leaders who recognize the earth's goodness and champion environmental justice.
7. We look for leaders who will pursue fair immigration policies.
8. We look for leaders who support adequate, affordable and accessible health care for all.
9. We look for leaders who seek a restorative, not retributive, approach to criminal justice.
10. We look for leaders who will advocate equal opportunity and abundant funding for education.
May I ask, who would run for president who
1. Doesn't want peace
2. Promotes the abandonment of the inner cities to hopelessness
3. Does not seek the assistance of foreign governements
4. Desires to increase the disparity between rich and poor
5. Seeks racial injustice
6. Seeks an increase in dirty air, dirty water and extinction of species
7. Desires unfair immigration policies
8. Seeks illness and disease to afflict the poor
9. Hopes criminals remain criminals forever
10. Desires poor education for the country's children.
I realize the National Council of Churches wrote their list believing all of the above about President Bush, but I also believe they really do seek solutions for these problems. They seek, however, immediate solutions. Peace now!, after all, doesn't care about peace in the generation to come. As welfare reform has shown abundantly, hand outs do not equal hand-ups. There is no hope generated by being on the public dole. There is a sharp and distinct difference between seeking cooperation from foreign governments and seeking permission from them. In what world will everyone be equally wealthy? In the next world.
All candidates for president desire resolution to all 10 items, those who say otherwise are being political, not religious.
Update: Here's a picture of an anit-bush car on my street. If you can't read it, it says, "Know your enemy" and there's a picture of President Bush in profile with the large caption "MURDERER." On the other side of the car is the same message, only "MURDERER" is replaced with "LIAR." That's the type of hate the current rhetoric in the public schools, colleges, late night comics and Democratic speeches (like Al Gore's "He betrayed our country") is yielding in America.
1. We look for political leaders who will make peace a top priority.
2. We reject policies that abandon large segments of our inner city to hopelessness.
3. We look for leaders for whom a foreign policy based on cooperation is an urgent concern.
4. We look for leaders who will seek to reduce the disparity between rich and poor.
5. We look for leaders who promote racial justice and equal opportunity.
6. We look for leaders who recognize the earth's goodness and champion environmental justice.
7. We look for leaders who will pursue fair immigration policies.
8. We look for leaders who support adequate, affordable and accessible health care for all.
9. We look for leaders who seek a restorative, not retributive, approach to criminal justice.
10. We look for leaders who will advocate equal opportunity and abundant funding for education.
May I ask, who would run for president who
1. Doesn't want peace
2. Promotes the abandonment of the inner cities to hopelessness
3. Does not seek the assistance of foreign governements
4. Desires to increase the disparity between rich and poor
5. Seeks racial injustice
6. Seeks an increase in dirty air, dirty water and extinction of species
7. Desires unfair immigration policies
8. Seeks illness and disease to afflict the poor
9. Hopes criminals remain criminals forever
10. Desires poor education for the country's children.
I realize the National Council of Churches wrote their list believing all of the above about President Bush, but I also believe they really do seek solutions for these problems. They seek, however, immediate solutions. Peace now!, after all, doesn't care about peace in the generation to come. As welfare reform has shown abundantly, hand outs do not equal hand-ups. There is no hope generated by being on the public dole. There is a sharp and distinct difference between seeking cooperation from foreign governments and seeking permission from them. In what world will everyone be equally wealthy? In the next world.
All candidates for president desire resolution to all 10 items, those who say otherwise are being political, not religious.
Update: Here's a picture of an anit-bush car on my street. If you can't read it, it says, "Know your enemy" and there's a picture of President Bush in profile with the large caption "MURDERER." On the other side of the car is the same message, only "MURDERER" is replaced with "LIAR." That's the type of hate the current rhetoric in the public schools, colleges, late night comics and Democratic speeches (like Al Gore's "He betrayed our country") is yielding in America.
