Gort42 - I am a very big fan of local blogger 'Gort42'. While I normally enjoy most of his writing (well except for the sports, and that's my a personal preference on my part), this particular posting falls in the "most read" category for anyone with an interest in local politics, the First Amendment, the perils of being a Republican these days, or religion in general. As I noted in a comment or two to the posting, this is scary, scary stuff. Look, I think it's great that some politicians have strong religious convictions; however that "great" turns to "disgust" when those religious convictions end up being turned into an "us vs them" wedge-like device. A "Day of Prayer Win with GOD" seems to be a giant "Only Born Again Christians Are Welcome" sign. Folks like Gina Nevenglosky fail to realize that not every American is a devoted born-again Christian.
Religion & Politics - On a related note, and to expand on a comment I made in Gort's blog, the above is precisely the stuff that prevents me from becoming a registered Republican, despite agreeing with the GOP most of the time when it comes to fiscal issues. Any political party that sets itself apart by saying "only YOU are welcome"...where YOU is some subset of the population (be it Evangelical Christians, Whites, Blacks, Liberals, etc.) is doomed to failure. Instead, I believe that all political parties should take a stance of "ALL are WELCOME; here is what makes us different regarding the important issues of the day...". History is full of "small tent" political parties that failed. That's not to say that anyone should sacrifice their inherent values simply in order to get along, but rather differences such as those that involve deeply-seated personal beliefs...and not matters of governmental policy...are best left out of the equation. People forget that the First Amendment not only prevents the government from establishing a religion, but it also prevents religion from establishing a government. That may not have necessarily been the intent of the founding fathers (who, but the way, apparently were not this merry band of born again Christians), but never the less that's what it does. Bottom Line: I'm no less valuable of a person, of a voter, of a voice because of my religious choices.
Yesterday - We went to visit Katrina at Kutztown. My oldest daughter got into a little accident at school that involved a trip to the emergency room. Fortunately all is well and I am glad to report that the only repercussion from her event is a lingering headache. It just goes to show that no matter the age, no matter the distance, your children are always your children.
The Home Stretch - I'm in the home stretch this up-coming week of a project that has had me traveling just about every week since the beginning of August. Friday is the last "official" class I am teaching, but I do have a few clean-up sessions after that. Consider this: When all is said and done, I will have conducted the same all-day class approximately 40 times. How do I feel about it? Well for me, presentation quality really does represent itself well on a bell-curve, namely that the best sessions are always in the middle, with the first and last not being as good (all be it for different reasons). Anyway, I will not be shedding any tears at this passing. Enough is nearly enough. Besides, while I know that many, many people back at "the office" work their tails off, being in class day after day really is difficult stuff. It's time for a rest.
1 comment:
Thanks for the kind words Steve and for mixing it up on blog. I'm also a big fan of Not Cease even if I don't comment much I read you everyday.
Vote for me because I pray is pretty lame campaign approach. I also talk to the wall and my dog which probably does as much good as praying.
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