How Did Things Go For Those That Celebrate the Birth of Jesus Christ?

Christmas was bittersweet for me this year because of the loss of my Dad on March 11.  I also lost a dear friend of mine on December 12.  Every week I would sit with her and her husband at every church service I attended.  It was not so much depressing but it felt so incomplete for me.  Both of them are with Jesus, which is where I will be at some point when I reach my last day on earth.  That fact is comforting but does not eliminate the horrible feeling of loss, especially at church.  It is just not the same.

I never really get into the cultural side of Christmas.  Since I got grown I have yet to purchase any Christmas decorations, not the first one.  Too much pressure and I don't like guessing what people want.  From time to time I will send out Christmas cards if I see one that communicates my feelings at the time.  For me when I think of Christmas I think about how grateful and thankful that I am that He was born.  The real celebration for me in Resurrection Day aka Easter.  Jesus at any time could have disobeyed the instructions of God the Father but through his own will chose not to.  That is still amazing to me.  The fact that He did that to pay the penalty for my sin is something that I will always cherish.

Let me know how your day went.  I want to hear the good, bad, ugly and SILLY stuff.

Note that I have added new features on the left menu bar including options to follow or subscribe to my blog using popular RSS feed readers.  My goal is to have more to follow in 2009.  LOL

Comment Moderation Turned On.............SIGH

I originally had comment moderation on when I first started this blog last year.  I decided a little while ago to turn it off since I was getting sensible comments relating to the two topics that I posted last year.  Unfortunately because of posts I have made on other blogs that have angered at least one person that did not have the guts to identify themselves, I have decided to turn it back on.

I have taken a long hiatus not long after my second post because of caretaker duties for my very sick Dad who died on March 11, 2008.  I hope to start blogging again in the near future after all of the business relating to his death is completed.  I am open to discuss the topics that I post about.  I have no problem with disagreements.  That is what helps me view my opinions and/or change them with more pertinent information.  However I will not waste any time with trolls that have nothing else to do but accuse.  For those that desire to comment on my blog I ask that you stick with the topics posted.  I will not discuss any responses that I make on other blogs over here.  Those discussions will stay on those blogs.

SIDEBAR:  I decided to jump into the Twitter world.  I'm pretty new to text messaging.  At least with my Tilt I have a real keyboard which makes it easier to type.  I think the election has come to a point that I actually care about following the details.  I'm following C-SPAN and other media, including bloggers.  It's about time that I use more of my 1500 included text messages each month.  I'm still trying to decide what the subject of my next post should be.  I hope to post soon.

Disenfranchised Voters in Michigan

I know it has been a while since I did my last entry. I'm sure all of us have been pretty busy with the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season. My intention is to blog at least weekly.

I have been pretty disenchanted with this election cycle because it seems to me that the issues have gotten lost. However I understand that probably the main reason is that there were so many people running for president. At one point there were 20 people running for two major parties excluding others running like Cynthia McKinney on the Green ticket. It was too overwhelming and annoying to try and plow through. However after the following incident I decided to start blogging from time to time on issues that affect our participation in the political process. I plan on avoiding the primary/caucus fights at this point.

A comment I heard recently during a radio program has provoked me to blog on the Michigan primary that will take place on Tuesday 1/15/2008. It was a Christian program that tends to focus on the social/moral issues that are discussed in the political arena. The host was introducing someone that was dealing with education if my memory is correct. The host mentioned the phrase 'I would like to introduce someone that feels that other things are more important than the economy'. When I heard this comment I immediately thought about my good friend that lives in Michigan. My friend moved there almost five years ago. The one thing that I noticed in having discussions with her is her huge concern about losing her job. Right now Michigan is experiencing their own recession with an unenployment rate of almost 8%. This raised the following issue in my mind:

Why would the Democratic party take away the right of the Democratic voters to send voting delegates to their national convention to select their presidential candidate just because they moved their primary date forward? As a bp it will be a cold day in hell that I will skip voting in any election for any reason outside of emergencies or I'm out of the country. Maybe Michigan has voted Republican long ago but in recent memory they have been a pretty strong Democratic state. I know that Mitt Romney is currently running as a Republican. I do not know if when his Dad was I think Governor if he was a Democrat or not.

If I was a Democratic voter in Michigan I would be stark raving mad, especially being a bp. Too many blacks suffered just to get the right to vote. To think that any party would deny their people the right to vote for any reason is unconscionable. I also heard that the Republicans are only allowing half of the delegates to vote. I was horrified because voting is a constitutional right. There are so many important issues that the good people of Michigan are facing, mainly the ecomony and energy issues that will impact the auto industry. Unfortunately the national Democratic party completely took the right to vote away from Michigan voters. The Michigan delegates will attend the national convention but will not be allowed to participate unless they come to their senses. The Republican voice in MI has been reduced by half. All they wanted was to hopefully attract more of the candidates to come to address the critical issues they face.

Any lawyers reading this please let me know the constitutional issues.

Sidebar: If you are a Christian living in Michigan or in another state that is dealing with a severely depressed economy, what will affect your decision making when you vote in your primary/caucus? Will you consider the moral issues above the economic or vice versa?

Discuss.

Sidebar: I just found out that the national Democratic party also punished Florida for moving their primary ahead of Super Tuesday. Their vote has been taken away as well. The Republican party has punished Florida as well by only allowing half their delegates. I just do not understand the madness of this. Why would anyone take away a person's right to vote? Why is moving a primary so bad? It makes no sense to me. I'm sure the law is as old as dirt. Someone please explain this to me.

Mitt Romney's Speech On Faith In America

On December 6, 2007 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney gave a speech to explain his views on how his Morman faith would affect how he would lead the United States as our 44th president. His goal was to give a speech similar to one that presidential candidate John F Kennedy made in 1960 when questions arose to whether the Vatican would influence US policies.

http://mitt-tv.mittromney.com/?showid=718280

As I listened to this speech it raised several questions that I have struggled with in relating to how a person's faith plays a part in their participation in our political system in the US.

What was the original intent of the Founding Fathers on how each person would represent their people? Were they to vote their moral conscience or vote according to what the people wanted? What happens if the people want something that the representative finds morally repugnant?

Should people of faith care about the faith or lack thereof in considering who they will vote for? Is what a person stands for more important than the faith they might adhere to? For example, many evangelical Christians will not vote for Romney because of his faith even though he espouses pretty much everything that they stand for.

Should people of faith be willing to work within the political structure with people that they disagree with on moral issues? What do people of faith do when none of their representatives support the values they hold dear? Do they refrain from engaging them about other things because of this?

People of all faiths that hold to values that we all treasure in the US (freedom of religion, freedom of speech, commitment to family, strength, prosperity, etc.) would not be judged by the religious doctrines they believe. This could keep many good people from having the opportunity to serve their country in government.

Discuss.