On January 22, 1973, Roe v Wade was decided by the Supreme Court, legalizing abortion. Now, 36 years later, one can hardly count the 48,000,000+ babies aborted in America. So how does the new administration which promises to seek common ground on abortion commemorate the day? By allowing overseas organizations to use our tax money to perform abortions. Later today, President Obama will sign an executive order allowing federal money (that’s our tax dollars) to be used to abort babies around the world. The common ground? He decided to wait until today, the 23rd, so as not to offend anyone by signing the order on the actual anniversary of Roe v Wade… that’s some common ground. (Plus, I’m sure this will pull us out of a recession as well – glad this was a top priority.) I’m not surprised, but I am saddened that we seem to place so little value on life.
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Friday, January 23, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
43
Eight years ago, George W. Bush prepared to take the oath of office as President of the United States. Eight years is a long time. Prior to that, Bush had been Governor of Texas since 1995. Basically, since I graduated from high school, George W. Bush has been in the spotlight as my Governor (except for the two years we lived in Florida – where Jeb Bush was Governor) or President. No one could have imagined how these past eight years would play out. Our world has changed dramatically in the last eight years – particularly since 9/11.
Bush leaves office with historic lows in approval ratings. How will history treat the 43rd President of the United States? Going back to 2001, I would never have thought that Bush would become the polarizing figure that he is. So why did he become so polarizing? I think his strengths and weaknesses contributed to it.
Weaknesses: Bush was always slow to adjust to the situation. He was a very reactionary president rather than a proactive one. Take Katrina for example. Now, one can easily make the case that the mayor of New Orleans and the Governor of Louisiana did nothing to help, but Bush certainly was slow in his response to the tragedy as well. He should have been on the ground immediately, ordering rescue crews into New Orleans. But he didn’t do this; he instead allowed the government to drag along with the rescue, while praising “Brownie” as doing a “heckuva job” with FEMA. (Hmm, seems a little like he may have Wade Phillips Syndrome.) On Iraq, when the initial strategy to secure Iraq was failing badly, Bush did nothing to shake it up, and again, stuck by the official in charge, Rumsfeld, saying he was doing a good job. Another weakness was his willingness to go with party politics over sound policy. In an attempt to establish a Republican hegemony in US politics, he attempted to take away Democratic campaign points by adopting them, thus growing governmental spending and enlarging the national government – No Child Left Behind for example. This strategy abandoned conservative principles and doomed the Republican Party to major losses in 2006 and 2008. The strategy gained him no Democratic support and lost him Republican support, thus plummeting his approval ratings.
Strengths: The slowness to adjust should not be mistaken for what he has accomplished in Iraq and the War on Terror. While he was initially slow in adjusting strategy and moving Rumsfeld out, his steadfastness to victory in Iraq will eventually be seen as a strength of his presidency. When all thought Iraq was lost, Bush pushed ahead with the surge. While there is still a long way to go, the situation in Iraq is now closer to victory than ever before. So much so, that Obama has adjusted his campaign rhetoric and has adopted Bush’s policy in Iraq, even keeping Bush’s Secretary of Defense as his own. The same with the War on Terror. Back to 9/11/2001. Who would have thought that seven years later, we would not have had any more terrorist attacks on US soil? Bush has to be given major praise for keeping us safe these last seven years. As he mentioned in an interview – we quickly went back to life as usual, he never did. Additionally, his commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS has been under reported. Bush has done more than any other president in the fight against AIDS. Did it win him any political support? No, but he did it because he knew it was the right thing to do.
So how will history judge Bush? Of all the presidents, he will probably fall somewhere in the middle of the pack. His legacy really depends on Iraq though. If it turns into a stable democracy that leads to the spread of democracy in the Middle East, Bush will be seen as a genius. But if it reverts back to the hands of a dictator, his stock will always remain low. I think Bush is a very good man who wanted to do right for America. Unfortunately, at times, he was too loyal to people around him and too slow to adjust, costing him political clout and damaging some of the good he wanted to do.
Welcome back to Texas, President Bush. And thank you for keeping my family safe and serving our nation. Now, would you please apply for the job you were meant for? Commissioner of Major League Baseball.
Bush leaves office with historic lows in approval ratings. How will history treat the 43rd President of the United States? Going back to 2001, I would never have thought that Bush would become the polarizing figure that he is. So why did he become so polarizing? I think his strengths and weaknesses contributed to it.
Weaknesses: Bush was always slow to adjust to the situation. He was a very reactionary president rather than a proactive one. Take Katrina for example. Now, one can easily make the case that the mayor of New Orleans and the Governor of Louisiana did nothing to help, but Bush certainly was slow in his response to the tragedy as well. He should have been on the ground immediately, ordering rescue crews into New Orleans. But he didn’t do this; he instead allowed the government to drag along with the rescue, while praising “Brownie” as doing a “heckuva job” with FEMA. (Hmm, seems a little like he may have Wade Phillips Syndrome.) On Iraq, when the initial strategy to secure Iraq was failing badly, Bush did nothing to shake it up, and again, stuck by the official in charge, Rumsfeld, saying he was doing a good job. Another weakness was his willingness to go with party politics over sound policy. In an attempt to establish a Republican hegemony in US politics, he attempted to take away Democratic campaign points by adopting them, thus growing governmental spending and enlarging the national government – No Child Left Behind for example. This strategy abandoned conservative principles and doomed the Republican Party to major losses in 2006 and 2008. The strategy gained him no Democratic support and lost him Republican support, thus plummeting his approval ratings.
Strengths: The slowness to adjust should not be mistaken for what he has accomplished in Iraq and the War on Terror. While he was initially slow in adjusting strategy and moving Rumsfeld out, his steadfastness to victory in Iraq will eventually be seen as a strength of his presidency. When all thought Iraq was lost, Bush pushed ahead with the surge. While there is still a long way to go, the situation in Iraq is now closer to victory than ever before. So much so, that Obama has adjusted his campaign rhetoric and has adopted Bush’s policy in Iraq, even keeping Bush’s Secretary of Defense as his own. The same with the War on Terror. Back to 9/11/2001. Who would have thought that seven years later, we would not have had any more terrorist attacks on US soil? Bush has to be given major praise for keeping us safe these last seven years. As he mentioned in an interview – we quickly went back to life as usual, he never did. Additionally, his commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS has been under reported. Bush has done more than any other president in the fight against AIDS. Did it win him any political support? No, but he did it because he knew it was the right thing to do.
So how will history judge Bush? Of all the presidents, he will probably fall somewhere in the middle of the pack. His legacy really depends on Iraq though. If it turns into a stable democracy that leads to the spread of democracy in the Middle East, Bush will be seen as a genius. But if it reverts back to the hands of a dictator, his stock will always remain low. I think Bush is a very good man who wanted to do right for America. Unfortunately, at times, he was too loyal to people around him and too slow to adjust, costing him political clout and damaging some of the good he wanted to do.
Welcome back to Texas, President Bush. And thank you for keeping my family safe and serving our nation. Now, would you please apply for the job you were meant for? Commissioner of Major League Baseball.
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Happy New Year?
"It is true that we cannot depend on government alone to create jobs or long-term growth, but at this particular moment, only government can provide the short-term boost necessary to lift us from a recession this deep and severe." - President-Elect Barack Obama, January 8, 2009
Only government? Are we that hopeless that all our fortunes and futures depend on Washington, DC for any chance of survival? Isn't this thinking a little like the "Self-Help" section of the bookstore? You know, the books all about how self can get self out of the problems that self has caused? Or like the parents who catch their kid smoking, so as punishment they make him smoke a whole pack of cigarettes only to discover that he is now addicted to tobacco? And did the $700,000,000,000 worth of bailout that was approved by this government (Republicans and Democrats) officially not work, so now we think that $1,000,000,000,000 worth of bailout will? And we're just going to pass these deficits on to our kids? And what if this doesn't work, will we give out $2 trillion? Are we comfortable with lifelong politicians in Washington deciding what is best for everyone? Aren't JFK (a Democrat) and Ronald Reagan (a Republican) spinning in their graves if they are able to? Happy New Year?
Only government? Are we that hopeless that all our fortunes and futures depend on Washington, DC for any chance of survival? Isn't this thinking a little like the "Self-Help" section of the bookstore? You know, the books all about how self can get self out of the problems that self has caused? Or like the parents who catch their kid smoking, so as punishment they make him smoke a whole pack of cigarettes only to discover that he is now addicted to tobacco? And did the $700,000,000,000 worth of bailout that was approved by this government (Republicans and Democrats) officially not work, so now we think that $1,000,000,000,000 worth of bailout will? And we're just going to pass these deficits on to our kids? And what if this doesn't work, will we give out $2 trillion? Are we comfortable with lifelong politicians in Washington deciding what is best for everyone? Aren't JFK (a Democrat) and Ronald Reagan (a Republican) spinning in their graves if they are able to? Happy New Year?
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Dia de los Reyes
Today marks Epiphany - the day the kings (wise men, magi) finally visited Jesus. Three Kings? Well, at least two, but not necessarily kings. Rather, as the Gospel tells us, they were astrologers, who discovered Christ by looking at the stars. And they caused such a stir when they visited Herod, that there may have been quite a few people in their company. When did they see Jesus? If you had the Wise Men in the manger at Christmas, you were a little off. The Wise Men (Kings, Magi) were journeying to see Jesus on Christmas, but did not see him in the manger. Matthew records that they visited Christ in a house. And Christ is described as a child, not a baby, so clearly, this is no longer a new born. In fact, Herod orders the killing of all boys less than two years of age, so apparently, Jesus may have even been walking by the time the Magi made their visit. And what a crazy, magnificent scene that must have been to see grown men worshiping a toddler! And even more mind blowing: what was the toddler Jesus thinking while this was happening?
So if you had the Wise Men in your manger this year, that's ok, but maybe next year, you can get it right. Move the Wise Men across the living room or down the hall. I will say that the youth at my former church have taken this to heart, much to the chagrin of the church leadership. I was told that over the past month, the wise men in the church display have been relocated (more than once), depicting them as traveling to see Jesus rather than with Jesus in the manger - it makes me proud. After four years as their youth minister, it is good to know that they learned something from me. So as we celebrate Epiphany today, we are bringing a close to Christmas 2007, not 2008. The Magi from this year's pageant won't make their visit until 2010. So, for those who are sad Christmas is over, it's not - not until after we celebrate next Christmas. So really, we are always in the middle of the Christmas season! Merry Christmas 2007 today as we celebrate the arrival of the Magi. And more importantly, as we see that Jesus came for all people, and that everyone everywhere, when they seek truth, will be led to Jesus Christ.
So if you had the Wise Men in your manger this year, that's ok, but maybe next year, you can get it right. Move the Wise Men across the living room or down the hall. I will say that the youth at my former church have taken this to heart, much to the chagrin of the church leadership. I was told that over the past month, the wise men in the church display have been relocated (more than once), depicting them as traveling to see Jesus rather than with Jesus in the manger - it makes me proud. After four years as their youth minister, it is good to know that they learned something from me. So as we celebrate Epiphany today, we are bringing a close to Christmas 2007, not 2008. The Magi from this year's pageant won't make their visit until 2010. So, for those who are sad Christmas is over, it's not - not until after we celebrate next Christmas. So really, we are always in the middle of the Christmas season! Merry Christmas 2007 today as we celebrate the arrival of the Magi. And more importantly, as we see that Jesus came for all people, and that everyone everywhere, when they seek truth, will be led to Jesus Christ.
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