Non Christmas news which saddens, enlightens and amuses

In these crazy days leading up to the December 25^th Holiday, it sometimes becomes easy to forget there is still a world out there which seems to take no time off for celebration of this Holiday. Various news items continue to surface, and no doubt will surface all the way through the 25^th. News doesn’t take a holiday off.

Just a few stories which came and went very quickly today with very few taking notice of them, portrays what this season represents to the millions upon millions of people who hold no firm religious attitude toward Christmas. For these people, there are far more important things going on than wasting one’s time pay homage to a baby born 2,000 years ago or a man in red suit who allegedly climbs down chimneys with no fear of law suits.

For those more interested in power, money and recognition; this time of year is a huge waste of time and resources which could be better spent advancing themselves or their pet causes. It is truly unfortunate that there is so little “good will” manifested anymore. People are simply too consumed with personal needs and greed to remember what this time of year is supposed to be all about.

Here is a very sad story which has HUGE ramifications if the courts rule a certain way. Please take a moment and read this and THINK about what this means to those of us who are taught and trained to help others by way of the parable Jesus Christ spoke of:

http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/Story?id=6498405&page=1

Reading this story truly pained my heart due to the warped and twisted view people now take toward those trying to save their lives. If the woman is allowed to sue her “good Samaritan” and if she wins an award, the shockwaves will reverberate through society for years to come. Christian charity necessitates “running to serve” and the very definition of “mercy” is the desire to help relieve the suffering of another. What is happening here is an attempt to get people to stop reaching out to help someone in need. This is a potentially horrible precedent.

The next story is also very sad, in an entirely different way. I am no fan of politics, and especially Minnesota politics (they elected a Professional wrestler as Governor years ago); but what the lawyers and prejudiced boards have to done to fraudulently throw a close election to an ex-Saturday Night Live comedian, is disgraceful and disgusting:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,470892,00.html

I have no stake in the results of this election nor do I live in the state involved, but I am an American and I hate seeing cheaters win. I have spent far too much of my life living with problems brought upon me by people unethically or illegally placed into positions of power simply because they cheated. Whatever happened to a fair and square fight? Perhaps we need to go back to the days of settling disputes with a duel.

The next story is really a very positive and heartwarming story that as usual never saw the light of day in the mainstream media. We all know the current President is not very popular and the current Vice President is even less liked. These men have been portrayed as warmongers who take great delight in seeing American troops come home from foreign lands in body bags. This story certain casts new light on the level of compassion and genuine concern these men have manifested to our fallen heroes:

http://washingtontimes.com/news/2008/dec/22/bush-cheney-comforted-troops-privately/

Of course few of the many critics of these men believe a word of this story. What this story shows is the level of true compassion the two most powerful men in America have in their hearts for those who make the ultimate sacrifice for this country.

Finally, I could not let this short story go without at least calling attention to it. I am no fan of any of the people involved in this story; President elect Obama, Pastor Rick Warren or Rep. Barney Frank. My personal likes or dislikes aside, I do comment Mr. Obama for reaching out to a dyed in the wool Evangelical to give the invocation at his inauguration next month. It took both guts and some degree of political astuteness to make such a decision considering the hot button issue Proposition 8 continues to be:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aWyQ9etqA6sE&refer=worldwide

I do not know Pastor Warren’s motivation for accepting this invitation, but I am sure he had to expect a huge backlash from the left due to his very public opinions regarding gay rights, abortion and other social agenda issues. I am sure Mr. Obama had to have also known the fallout which would come from this decision. It somewhat amuses me to see such a public censure by a prominent legislator regarding the head of his party.

The list of interesting, obscure and amusing news will continue to flow unabated until the return of Christ, so it should not be surprising to see such a plethora of it near Christmas. My point in posting this two days before such a special day as Christmas is to bring back into our remembrance that for each one of us who genuinely love and appreciate the meaning of Christ’s birth (whenever it was), there are probably at least five in the world who could care less or have gotten so hard and blinded by the world they have lost the “heart” of the holiday.

Both the good and bad of people have no bounds. Even as the evilness of those who know not God or spend their lives trying to disgrace and tear down those who do love God increases, let us pray for God to increase our love, patience and boldness to never stop reaching out to a dying world with the love of Christ. May we, who know and love our Savior with all our hearts, make sure we find someone whose life has reached rock bottom this holiday season and help them see and know that Christ still lives today, for He lives in and through us.

Where are your priorities California?

It does no good to hide behind the curtains of denial and say certain things do not exist. On a day when three huge stories either directly or indirectly effected California, the one with no direct bearing on the affairs of the state ends up getting far more publicity than the one which holds the potential for the success or failure of the very state itself.

California is out of money and bleeding deficits daily. The situation is so bad that yesterday the powers that be determined to stop most of the big construction work in the state dealing with road construction, levee repair and even work on schools. An estimated 200,000 people may be thrown out of work in a couple of weeks.

The state cannot get credit from any source and has the lowest rating of any state in the Union. The Legislature is currently trying to mimic the Governor of New York’s plan to increase fees and attempt “back door” tax increases to get around restrictions in the state regarding tax increases. To say the monetary situation in the state is in horrible shape would be the understatement of the century.

Also yesterday the weather was so bad in southern California that it even snowed in Malibu. Although not unheard of, such weather is very rare. Deep freezing temperatures have killed off the remaining crops in the Great Valley and it even snowed upwards of three inches in Las Vegas yesterday. Some senseless reporters had the audacity to blame all this on global warming.

As newsworthy as these stories were yesterday, the one that shot across the nation like a laser beam was the decision by President elect Obama to have Rick Warren of Saddleback Church give the invocation at his inaugural next month. This is the same man who wrote the bestselling book “The Purpose Driven Life” and who held a debate at his church last summer where Sens. Obama and McCain shared their views regarding ethical and spiritual matters.

The news barely cleared the wires yesterday when every major liberal and gay/lesbian leader in the country immediately blasted the decision in words unfit to be repeated in most printed media. One would have thought the decision had been made to overturn Roe vs. Wade by the outcry from people who view Rick Warren’s beliefs as equal to those of the worst homophobe and bigot in America. Cries of betrayal echoed through the country as many voiced expressed in no uncertain terms their belief that that Obama had sold his soul to the Evangelicals.

In many respects this whole thing is insanely stupid and not worthy of back page news. But, in a matter of hours the story took on a life of its own all because of Rick Warren’s vocal support for Proposition 8 in California and adamant stand against abortion. Never mind that on a multitude of other issues he is at extreme odds with many fundamentalist and even evangelical beliefs. Because of two things, he is immediately branded public enemy number one to those intent on promoting their causes at any cost.

Personally, I am sick and tired of the whole thing. I am tired of hearing the comparisons made to not granting same sex marriage and what happened to the Jews in Europe in the early 1940’s or the blacks in the south in the 1960’s. There is no comparison and those wishing to make one are dead wrong. To even insinuate that someone such as Rick Warren is guilty of the same hate crimes as Adolph Hitler is absolute lunacy.

I know all about what the Bible has to say about the last times and especially in relation to the ever increasing influence and power those who are modern day equals to the people living in Sodom and Gomorrah as well as Noah’s time. But, good grief, when is this madness going to stop? I applaud Mr. Obama for reaching across party and religious lines to extend to the invitation to someone such as Rick Warren to deliver a pretty meaningless few words at the biggest event of Mr. Obama’s life.

I applaud the millions of Democrats who look at this decision as proof of a desire to work to together for the common good. But I severely criticize the self-serving and destructive ways of those who are only interested in advancing their agenda and the venom, hatred and evil that spews from their mouths.

If I were living in California, I would be far more concerned about the state of the economy and the state’s ability to stay afloat financially than worrying about some local preacher being tapped to give a few words at an inauguration. But, I don’t live there (thank God) and all I can do is offer my two cents worth from afar.

Just as many are calling the decision made my Obama to ask his friend Rick Warren to give the invocation the first huge mistake he has made; I say just the opposite, that it reflects the first great one he has made. I pray he weathers the storm and makes more decisions which are right and not determined strictly by politics.

Proposition 8 Fallout; A VERY Dangerous trend

So, let us say that I don’t like a particular ballot initiative and muster a group to oppose it. I organize others who feel the same way and, following all the laws, produce commercials and plan rallies to bring public awareness to the issue. Of course money is involved, for commercials cost money to produce and air on radio and television. Election day comes and the initiative fails to muster the votes needed to pass.

This scenario is played out all across America during elections all the time. Sometimes the issue at stake is huge and other times it is a small technical detail regarding government at some level. The point is, the process of launching a campaign to sway public opinion one way or another regarding initiatives, propositions and amendments is nothing new. So, why all of a sudden have the rules changed and those who worked to pass Proposition 8 in California are now accused of being hate mongers, bedeviled as horrible people with compassion and worst of all—racists?

Let us get one thing straight; I am not a Mormon nor do I believe much of their theology. But, what is being done more and more to the Mormon Church, leaders in the Church and even the entire state of Utah is not only ridiculous, it is setting a precedent that if not stopped will destroy free elections. I simply cannot believe some of the things being said and done by those who backed the Proposition, but lost the election.

The electoral process in this country is supposed to be free from intimidation, fear tactics and bribery. The freedom to vote one’s conscience on a matter is a right guaranteed by the United States Constitution along with those of every state. There are supposed to be safeguards in place to prohibit “thugs” from making threats if a person doesn’t vote a certain way. There are supposed to be provisions in place to keep fraud and bribery out of the election process.

Any time a state votes on a Constitutional amendment, proposition or other measure; there is bound to be passionate supporters of both sides of the issue the same way there are when electing people to positions of service. Just to get an initiative on the ballot takes volunteers canvassing neighborhoods and going door to door just to get the required number of signatures. The Secretary of State has to validate the signatures and the if all is legal, the measure is placed on the next election ballot.

Most of these measures are of little concern to most voters and thus are either skipped or skimmed over in the voting booth. But, occasionally there arises an issue which is supercharged and generates almost as much publicity as the people running for office.

In 1976 I was living in California and saw firsthand what can happen when a ballot initiative takes on a life of its own. That year, the citizens of California mustered somewhat of a tax rebellion and Proposition 13 dealt, more or less, with capping the property tax levels on homes. It was revolutionary and both sides were fanatic about either passing it or rejecting it. There was far more interest in California that year in Proposition 13 than in the Presidential election between Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter.

Passage of Proposition 13 changed the landscape of taxes in California forever. It was a powerful issue that went all the way to the United States Supreme Court to get settled. Once it was signed into law in 1978, the provisions simply became a part of living and governing in California. After its passage, there were no riots in the streets and threats made against those who had pushed for its approval. The will of the people was recognized and respected and appropriate changes were made.

Now, 32 years later another highly charged proposition made national news in California. In a race that was not really close, the voters of California voted to repeal same sex marriages. In one sense, it could be argued; “what’s the big deal” in that numerous states have placed this issue on the ballot and usually it was defeated by a large margin. Yet, there was something different with Prop 8 in California.

Due to the California Supreme Court’s ruling to allow same sex marriage many felt the judicial branch had overstepped its authority and did not represent the will of the people. Signatures were gathered and Proposition 8 was put on the November ballot. Just as in 1976, the issue involved aroused vigorous debate by passionate people on both sides. This is exactly how the electoral process is supposed to work. But, something has gone horribly awry in California after the approval of Proposition 8 which denies legal status to same sex marriages.

Ever since the election, the forces of those whose measure was defeated have held huge rallies which have turned violent. The obscenities being thrown at those who voted to overthrow the California Supreme Court decision are truly troubling. It has been nearly a month since the election and the issue has maintained headline status due to the organized and vicious attempt to intimidate and penalize those who were perceived responsible for the passage of Prop 8.

Most experts agree that the Mormon Church along with the Catholic Church and ultra conservative groups such as Focus on the Family did more to get Prop 8 passed than anyone else. Those behind the ever growing, publicity seeking and headline grabbing moves to keep this issue in the forefront of everyone’s minds have zeroed in on one group—the Mormons. The Mormon Church has been demonized and made the sole culprit in the passage of Prop 8.

Why the Mormons and not the Catholics? Both groups were vehement on this issue. What purpose does it serve to boycott entire states? How is it advancing the cause of those who want to see same sex marriages allowed again to burn Books of Mormon on the steps of their churches? How is destroying a simple cross being carried by an old woman going to turn the tide of public opinion toward their cause?

We are getting into VERY DANGEROUS territory here. If the losing side of an election feels they have the right to demonstrate for their defeated cause that is one thing. But, to start rioting, destroying property and engaging in nonstop verbal insults with the people who voted their conscience is not only counterproductive, it is dangerous to our election system.

We must be free to vote our conscience without fear of retribution. We must be free to promote all sides of an issue without one side saying it has a monopoly on airtime and other resources. We must be free to settle these issues in the voting booth and not in the courts or worse yet—the streets. If we are going to have elections in this country, then the results of the election have to be respected and those who voted a particular way cannot be made to feel threatened or have their name, reputation, businesses or religion trashed due to how they feel on a issue.

The antics and publicity stunts being conducted by those whose cause was defeated last month need to accept the results and move on instead of the continuing the unprecedented moves to punish and threaten those who they feel were responsible for their measure’s defeat. The American way should be upheld which is to respect the will of the people, even if it is not the will of many others.