(image from news.yahoo.com)
Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry speaks to supporters, including one with a sign reading 'Christians for Kerry and Edwards' on his hat, in Toledo, Ohio September 14, 2004.
REUTERS/Brian Snyder
(image from news.yahoo.com)
Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry speaks to supporters, including one with a sign reading 'Christians for Kerry and Edwards' on his hat, in Toledo, Ohio September 14, 2004.
REUTERS/Brian Snyder
Ah, how do the mourning liberal and the gloating conservative deal this year with the Babe in the manger?
More Christmas cartoons from www.cagle.com:
Principal's Office
How Will You Be Celebrating...?
If you don't mind seeing the Christ Child jump out of the traditional box, check this out:
I ran across this on the Internet:
Scrooge & Marley, Inc. -- The True Conservative Agenda by Thom Hartmann, 6/14/04, www.commondreams.org
An excerpt:
There is nothing "normal" about a nation having a middle class, even though it is vital to the survival of democracy...
...As [Thomas] Jefferson realized, with no government "interference" by setting the rules of the game of business and fair taxation, there will be no middle class...
...For example, every year, millions of Americans revisit Charles Dickens "A Christmas Carol" about Ebenezer Scrooge and Bob (and Tiny Tim) Cratchit. Yet somehow Americans fail to realize the subtext of the story (and so many of Dickens' other works). That subtext is that the middle class is not a normal thing: exploited workers are the norm. In fact, in the six-thousand-year history of the "civilized" world, a middle class emerging in any nation has been such a rarity as to be historically invisible... --Thom Hartmann
Meanwhile, I'm keeping a blog (not necessarily political):
Now, if you're an aficianado of Saturday Night Live (and what Christian isn't?), you might have caught the "Saturday TV Funhouse" satire on December 18, in which Santa is refusing to deliver presents to the Red States. A headline says "Blue Christmas?" with Santa in a furry blue suit. Even Rudolph's nose turns blue. Santa travels with some new helpers--Al Franken, Margaret Cho, et al--until they run across a tearful little girl who points out that Santa & Co. are being just as bigotted as they believe the Bush-voters are. So Santa relents and delivers presents to the Red State kiddies--presents like a CD called "Best of the O'Franken Factor"!
The only thing that bothered me was that the "Blue Christmas" crew listed among the Red States' offenses, "believing in God". C'mon, now! Okay, it's a satire, but too many people on both sides think leftist = atheist. (Get a hold of yourself, Mel, it's just a joke!)
BTW, 12/21 is my birthday. Send flowers and kisses!
from www.newsday.com
from cagle.slate.msn.com
The Depressed Democrats' Guide to Recovery, animation by Mark Fiore, 11/11/04
from "Vote or Die" to "I voted Kerry; please don't kill me!"
Vote or Diebold!
Love woe in WTC suicide
By Maki Becker in Athens, Ga., and Adam Lisberg in New York, New York Daily News, 11/8/04
The Georgia man who killed himself at Ground Zero was upset about President Bush's reelection--
but his biggest problem may have been his double life, a source told the Daily News yesterday...
by M.e. Cohen, frow www.caglecartoons.com
Well, the first thing I want to say is…”Mandate my ass!”
--Gil Scott-Heron, "B Movie", 1981
"Well, the first thing I want to say is Gill Scott-Heron said it right, "Mandate my ..."
And yes, I am a Christian and I know Sunday is for worship, not bad language. But I'm annoyed now..."
--Wil LaVeist, www.dailypress.com, 11/7/04
How can it be a mandate if our country is divided?
Bill Maher Message Board:
Mandate my @$$!
Products for Sale: Mandate My ...
If the election was totally honest, and Bush won fair and square, then, well, I can live with that. But what if the exit polls were right about Kerry and the voting booths were wrong? Remember Billionaires for Bush's video warning about Diebold and Ohio?
click for "Voting Machine" video by www.billionairesforbush.com
(inspired by a real quote!)
Vote or Diebold: Company has right `touch'
By Brett Arends, Boston Herald
Wednesday, November 3, 2004
If you enter election fraud diebold ohio into the Yahoo! News search engine, you'll get a list of news articles about this suspicion.
I have to wonder...throughout my adult life the American electorate has always preferred a balance: Republican President, Democratic Congress; Democratic President, Republican Congress. Whot hoppened? Oh I know we're almost evenly divided these days...but why lately--executively, judicially, legislatively--does that divide keep tilting to the right?
by Bill Schorr, from www.unitedmedia.com
by M.e. Cohen, from www.caglecartoons.com
The Damaged Left Wing: a Political/Religious Parable
Meanwhile...
When I was a child in the 1960s in Long Island City, Queens, NY, growing up in the Ravenswood Projects, I asked my mother, "Mommy, am I a Democrat or a Republican?" She answered, in effect, that someday I'd have to make that decision for myself. That day I decided, inside myself, "I am a Democrat."
Some forty years later--over half as a born-again Christian--I still see no reason to change my mind. Think of me, and others like me, as the left side of the Body of Christ.
Last night after work I rode the subway to Manhattan, to the Democracy Plaza exhibit at Rockefeller Center (NBC Studios). Boy, the place was hopping! Kerry supporters waved their placards before the booth where MSNBC broadcasted. Various hawkers sold their political buttons and bumper stickers. Reporters and videographers recorded people's impassioned opinions, including mine. I was walking around in my Patriotic Jester costume. Many took my picture. Australian Brad Blanks of WPLJ-FM radio interviewed me (concentrating more on my costume than on my beliefs) and the interview aired this morning on "The Big Show with Scott and Todd".
Today--right now--I can hear my co-workers talking in low, saddened tones.
Last year I created a tract called "Left vs. Right: Where Is the Love?" and distributed it Halloween night, in my 2003 Patriotic Jester costume. I should update the tract and redistribute it.
Yesterday, I knew I would headline this website today with either "Hallelujah!" or "How long, O Lord?" I also thought, if our side wins, I'd offer the right--or left--hand of fellowship to my right- leaning brothers and sisters in Christ, and in America, saying, "Let's work together, co-ordinating together, and put an end to this animosity that's been plaguing us for the last twenty-plus years." It's still a good idea, but from a position of losing, it seems not like magnanimity, but begging. Oh, well. Beg away.
Let's reach out to each other and put an end to this condemning and name-calling. I'm not asking you to give up your God-given identities, but to recognize your brothers and sisters who aren't quite like you. Do you really want the Body of Christ to sport two right sides?
The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. --Galatians 5:14-15 (NIV)
I'm also asking you Christians who are uncomfortable playing right- wing Republican to consider that God may have made you to play another part.
Think of 1 Corinthians 12. The feet and the rear end may smell bad to the nose, and the toenails may not like the fingernails that keep picking at them--but that doesn't mean that some of those parts don't belong on the body!
I'm asking everyone now to pray for President Bush--that he will see the wisdom of respecting and considering points of view that don't match is own, or his agenda. Okay, I don't trust the guy--pray for him anyway. From what I see in the Yahoo! headlines, the Republicans are just planning to further their own typical agenda. That's not good enough, I don't think.
See how limited I am by my own partisanship? We need each other!
BTW--those of you on the winning side, you only won by a thread. Don't gloat, and don't act like there's a mandate.
I want to thank everyone who's participated in this website, especially Michael, who has his own bad feelings about this election. Anyway, speaking from my POV, no matter what, Jesus is still Lord. Not my "Jesus", not your "Jesus"--the true Jesus, who is beyond our limited understanding, the Jesus who loves us all.
This website will still be here, and as things develop, I may add a new page under a new name. I still welcome your input, by e-mail and into the guestbook.
God bless us, every one! Let's work together to make this country the free, welcoming, generous place it was meant to be.
--Melanie N. Lee, Queens, NY
Points of interest:
NPR Radio: Issue of Moral Values Trumps other Voter Concerns
from Morning Edition, Wednesday, November 03, 2004
from Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 10/30/04:
The end is near
Bethpage, L.I.: Well, there we have it. Beat the Yankees with
the comeback of the millennium. Beat the St. Louis Cardinals
in four games. On a night with a lunar eclipse (the first one
in World Series history, I might add). The Curse of the Bambino
perhaps broken? All sure signs of the coming apocalypse. It's
only a matter of time before a rain of frogs, a giant meteor or
both. What's next, John Kerry in the White House?
Scott N. Gaines
**********************************************************************
There's a growing clamor on the Internet of Christians, including evangelical Christians, who don't want to be identified with the "religious right" or the Bushites or the Republican party.
I'm one of them.
If you are a follower of Jesus Christ who for one reason or another has no intention of giving President George W. Bush four more years, please e-mail me, and this site will be growing.
Speak up! Go to my guestbook and tell us why you won't give Bush more in 2004!
View My Guestbook
Sign My Guestbook
***********************
This is it!
Tuesday, November 2, 2004
Vote, darn you, vote!
If they tell you that Kerry will legalize gay marriage if he's elected... don't you believe it!
If they tell you that liberals plan to ban the Bible if Kerry is elected... don't you believe it!
If they tell you that you'll be arrested if you show up at the polls to vote and you still owe back rent or child suppport... don't you believe it!
If they videotape or photograph you in order to threaten to
intimidate you (or worse) for voting...
vote anyway!
(I know, I know...that's easy for a New Yorker to say!)
If they cancel or lock up the buses that were supposed to take you
to the polling place...
walk!
(Again, easy for me to say. My polling place is less than two blocks away from me!)
If you've registered to vote and they tell you at the polling place that you're not on the roster... demand a provisional ballot!
This is for you Republicans:
If they throw pies or aim cars at your favorite pundits or shoot at your campaign headquarters...
vote anyway!
(...but I hope our votes way outnumber yours!)
If you have any problems at the polling place, please call 1-866-OUR-VOTE.
(see "One Day Left" by Michael Moore, 11/1/04)
**********************
Did you hear a political ad from your pulpit this Sunday (10/31/04)?
On a day usually given over to reflection and introspection, millions of Americans attended church services Sunday that galvanized them politically and underscored the nation's divisions on the eve of a bitterly contested presidential election. From pulpits across the country, there were denunciations of abortion, criticisms of the war in Iraq and — above all — reminders to vote Tuesday.
Pulpits Ring With Election Messages
Mon Nov 1, 7:55 AM ET
By Josh Getlin, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
In at least one guestbook entry and one e-mail to me, the writers were grieved over what was basically a Bush endorsement--maybe even a Bush mandate--from their church pulpit.
I'm glad my pastor didn't do that. He acknowledge that probably half of us were one one side and half on the other--and he wasn't going to endorse anyone from the pulpit. He didn't even use any code words to indicate his choice. He also said that he's received e-mails from all around the political spectrum [including mine, I'll add].
What he did say:
--We Christians should submit to secular authorities (Romans 13) and pray for our President no matter who he is or what we think of him.
--Voting--participating in our government--was a duty for Christians.
--Hatred for those who disagree with us has no place among Christians.
(I felt some conviction about that, considering some things I've placed on this website.)
I'll add this:
1 Corinthians 12:20-21, 25-26 (NIV)
As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" ...so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
**********************
Here's a tidbit I received by e-mail from Ray of Liberals for Christ:
"And now the liberals want to stop President Reagan from
selling chemical warfare agents and military equipment to
Saddam Hussein, and why? Because Saddam 'allegedly' gassed
a few Kurds in his own country. Mark my words. All of this
talk of Saddam Hussein being a 'war criminal' or 'committing
crimes against humanity' is the same old thing. LIBERAL HATE SPEECH! And speaking of poison gas . . . I SAY WE ROUND UP ALL THE DRUG ADDICTS AND GAS THEM."
--Rush (oxycontin) Limbaugh, Nov. 3, 1988
Matthew 7:1-2 (NIV) "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
Unfortunately, so close to the election, I can't possibly link to
every single thing that I find (or else I'd have no life outside this webpage!).
I'd still keep adding to this website, though!
***********************
Imaginary World Series 2004
Boston vs. Houston
Think of the symbolism!
Real World Series 2004
Boston vs. St. Louis
Wait a minute...the St. Louis Cardinals play in Busch Stadium? The symbolism lives!
Congratulations, Red Sox, on your victory sweep and breaking "the curse"!
Working toward another Massachusetts victory. Go Kerry!
Yankees Got Run Over By the Red Sox
an MNL song parody
***********************
32 state registration deadlines are OCTOBER 2-8.
When is yours?
(click image)
***********************
www.christiansforkerry.com 
christiansagainstbush.bravehost.com
www.christians4kerry.com 
www.christiansagainstbush.com
www.christiansfordemocrats.org
www.christiansdoubtingbush.com
www.believersagainstbush.org
Riverside Church, NYC: Mobilization 2004
www.mobilization2004.org
(click images)
click image to go to People of Faith for John Kerry products page of
www.demstore.com
click image for products at www.cafepress.com/randomwears
here's a relevant auction on ebay.com
sticker for sale at Sojourners (sojo.net)
for sale at www.carryabigsticker.com (click image)
click image to see products on ebay.com
(click image for more info)
yep...I went...
The sign I carried said on one side:
LIE ABOUT SEX:
GET IMPEACHED.
LIE ABOUT WAR:
????
On the other side it said:
But the liberal devises liberal things; and by liberal things shall he stand.
Isaiah 32:8 (KJV)
P.S. Jesus didn't ride an elephant!
This ad appeared in the New York Times 8/30/04.
Click image to go to the petition.
www.takebackourfaith.com or www.sojo.net/petition
(click image)
Find these and other products at www.cafepress.com
(click individual images)
*******
URBAN MYTH ALERT!
John 16:3--whose favorite verse?
Kerry's? Gore's? Bush Jr.'s? Bush Sr.'s?
Look here and here.
Someone started a lie about at least three of these men, and many of us were eager to believe it. Think about character assassination, think of the person or people who deliberately created these rumors, and now look at the verse in context:
John 16 (NIV):
1"All this I have told you so that you will not go astray. 2They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. 3They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. 4I have told you this, so that when the time comes you will remember that I warned you. I did not tell you this at first because I was with you."
*******
To my fellow Christians who support Bush:
You, too, are welcome to e-mail me and to write in my guestbook. (So is anyone else!) I'm asking you please to consider what's written here and not blindly follow those who say Bush and the GOP are God's choice. Don't let the smokescreen of abortion-homosexuality-school prayer--valid issues, but not the only ones!--obscure from your sight many other equally-valid issues of "justice, mercy and faithfulness" (Matthew 23:23). For example, do you honestly think Jesus doesn't care when people are detained without due process, and when jobs are outsourced to satisfy corporate greed?
I think much of the church has been greatly deceived by 20th- and 21st-century Pharisees--those who use sexual guilt (abortion, homosexuality) and piety (school prayer) to deaden the faithful's conscience to acts of economic or social injustice.
"For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect--if that were possible."
Matthew 24:24 (NIV)
"You cannot serve both God and Money."
Matthew 6:24, Luke 16:13 (NIV)
Enjoin on those rich in the present age not to be high-minded, nor to trust on the uncertainty of riches; but in the God who affords us all things richly for [our] enjoyment;
to do good, to be rich in good works, to be liberal in distributing, disposed to communicate [of their substance],
laying by for themselves a good foundation for the future, that they may lay hold of [what is] really life.
1 Timothy 6:17-19 (Darby)
"I don't want to claim that God is on our side. As Abraham Lincoln told us, I want to pray humbly that we are on God's side."
--John Kerry, DNC acceptance speech, 7/29/04
Read below for more info.
***
Quotes worth noting:
The single largest repository of anti-intellectualism in America today is corporate culture, and it is no surprise that the Bush White House is a model of business-like efficiency. If time is money, thoughtfulness stops the clock.
--Peter Hyman, "My View: Don't Walk on Eggshells if You're an Egghead",
Metro, New York Edition, Monday, October 4, 2004
"There is something about human beings that corporations can't deal with and that's our soul, our spirituality, who we are. We need to find a way in this country to understand--and to help each other understand--that there is a tremendous price to be paid for the supposed efficiency of big corporations. The price is losing the sense of who we are as human beings."
--Howard Dean
Click image for
"The White House Guide to Understanding Terror Alert Colors"
from www.bettybowers.com
![](http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/041027/ids_photos_ts/r2578834237.jpg")
Wearing masks of the two presidential candidates, Mike Yoon (L),
looking like Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry;
and Daniel Cheatham, looking like Republican opponent U.S. President George W. Bush (R),
check out costumes at the Abracadabra Superstore in New York, October 27, 2004,
just a few days before Halloween. Cheatham holds his absentee ballot to mail today,
sending it home to West Palm Beach, Florida Bush masks have out sold Kerry masks by
about 25% with Martha Stewart and Donald Trump costumes being the hottest sellers.
REUTERS/Chip East
Buyseasons.com chief operating officer Daniel Haight posses with masks of both
President Bush, left, and John Kerry in their office Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2004,
in New Berlin, Wis. For the last six elections, sales of rubber Halloween masks
caricaturing the Republican and Democratic candidates have predicted the next president.
Their sales have predicted the elections of President George W. Bush, Bill Clinton twice,
George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan twice. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
what the well-dressed Patriotic Jester is wearing this year
(me after the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade, 10/31/04)
Don't Fear the Terror! Scriptures for Halloween
The Brick Testament: Jesus and the Rich (click image)
Mt 19:17-23, Mk 10:17-23, Lk 6:24-14:33 with 8 illustrations
"To whom much is given, much will be required."--see Luke 12:48
"Any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple."
--Luke 14:33
Click to go to "This Land":
the Jibjab.com video that everyone's been talking about!
(I'll rate it "PG" for language and images.)
Another one of them JibJab videos! "PG", of course. (Click image.)
About.com: The George W. Bush Loyalty Quiz:
10 Questions to Test Your Allegiance to President Bush
About.com: The John Kerry Loyalty Quiz:
10 Questions to Test Your Allegiance to John Kerry
Frankenkerry (1)
Frankenkerry (2)
from www.cagle.com
John Kerry: Leaving billionaires behind since 1943.
from www.billionairesforbush.com (click image)
click for "Voting Machine" video by www.billionairesforbush.com
(inspired by a real quote from a voting machine maker!)
(click image for article)
From Irregular Times:
God speaks through me," he said. (We're not making this up. This
story was first reported in the local papers, including the
Intelligencer Journal and the Lancaster New Era, on July 16, 2004.)
...We here at Irregular Times would be scared senseless if we
believed that George W. Bush is making decisions about the future
direction of the American nation based upon the presumption that his
whims are the will of God. So, we've come up with some alternative
explanations...
www.bushislord.com (click image)
If Jesus Were a Bush Republican: Selected Sayings
click to see video "Heavenly Convention...to tell you how to vote"
from www.sojo.net
from about.com; cartoon by Gary Huck
"We SHELL not EXXONerate..." (American version) ("PG" for language)
"I SHELL not EXXONerate..." (British version) ("PG" for language)
"The State of the George W. Bush Joke", New York Times, 8/22/04
(you may need to register to view this article)
New 'Bushism' Born at Bill Signing
Thu Aug 5, 2:55 PM ET
"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we," Bush
said. "They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country
and our people, and neither do we."
"Church and State" video by Bushflash.com
(not really funny; in fact, some pretty strong statements here!)
Christians against Bush policies, and therefore against Bush, should get together and buy billboards
and tv ads this fall that feature short, bumper sticker type messages such as the following:
Hey W., REAL Christians don't launch pre-emptive wars.
Hey W., REAL Christians don't rape the environment.
Hey W., REAL Christians don't steal from future generations by pretending deficits don't matter.
Hey W., REAL Christians don't lie about political opponents.
Hey W., REAL Christians don't seek revenge.
Hey W., REAL Christians believe in social justice.
Hey W., REAL Christians don't carry out policies that kill thousands of innocent people.
Hey W., REAL Christians don't take from the poor and give to the rich.
Hey W., REAL Christians don't look the other way when torture of prisoners is carried out.
Hey W., REAL Christians don't wear it on their sleeves, they wear it in their hearts.
Hey W., REAL Christians live it, not lip service it.
Hey W., WWJD this November?
--posted by David Shults, 6/16/04, at chuckcurrie.blogs.com
from Mad Magazine, October 2004, Number 446
Click here for the NON-PARTISAN CHRISTIAN VOTERS’ GUIDE by Geoff and Heidi Trowbridge.
Is it safe to buck Bush?
Operation American Repression?
An Army sergeant in Iraq who wrote a highly critical article on
the administration's conduct of the war is being investigated for
disloyalty -- if charged and convicted, he could get 20 years.
Operation American Repression?
By Eric Boehlert, Salon.com, 9/29/04
This is obviously another attempt by the administration to "terrorize"
anyone who disagrees with the agenda or has their own opinion.
Someone explain to me again about this "freedom" thing and
what a great country this is?
BSAlert.com, commenting on the above.
From the essay in question:
I have come to the conclusion that we cannot win here for a number of
reasons. Ideology and idealism will never trump history and reality...
It is tragic, indeed criminal that our elected public servants would
so willingly sacrifice our nation's prestige and honor as well as
the blood and treasure to pursue an agenda that is ahistoric and
un-Constitutional.
Why We Cannot Win
by Al Lorentz, LewRockwell.com, 9/20/04
Michael Moore's Bribery Briefs--or was it Boxers?
Dear Friends,
You may have heard by now that the Michigan Republican Party has
called for my arrest. That's right. They literally want me brought
up on charges -- and hope that I'm locked up.
No, I'm not kidding. The Republican Party, yesterday, filed a
criminal complaint with the prosecutors in each of the counties
where I spoke last week in Michigan.
My crime? Clean underwear for anyone who will vote in the upcoming election.
Republicans, Out of Ideas, Ask Prosecutors to Arrest Michael Moore
by Michael Moore, 10/6/04
related article:
Moore Accused of Offering Gifts for Votes
Republicans Say Michael Moore Illegally Offered Underwear to Students in Exchange for Kerry Votes
The Associated Press, ABCNEWS.com, 10/5/04
Support Kerry, lose your job?
Moulton woman says she lost job for sporting Kerry sticker on car
By Clyde L. Stancil, DAILY Staff Writer, the Decatur Daily (Alabama)
Bush rally, anti-Bush T-shirt: arrestable offense?
(images from www.NBC10.com, Philadelphia)
First Lady's Speech Interrupted By Dead Soldier's Mother
Hamilton, NJ--NBC10.com
Parties take sides on mother's arrest
Courier News/Asbury Park Press, 9/18/04
(police eventually dropped the charges)
Texas couple 'arrested for wearing anti-Bush shirts' at a July 4 rally
Government worker fired for wearing anti-Bush shirt to Bush rally; Also removed from rally in handcuffs
Trespass charges dropped against Bush protesters
The Carpetbagger Report: What not to wear, 7/21/04
Wear A T-Shirt, Get Interviewed by the Secret Service
Appleton official ejected from Bush event
By Ed Lowe
Post-Crescent (Wisconsin)/July 18, 2004
8.3.2004
So much for free speech...
On Saturday morning, I went to Cambridge with a friend. Wanting
to see the President, but not wanting to be seen as supporting
his policies, I wore a Kerry/Edwards T-shirt. I want to emphasize,
however, that I was not there to protest, only to listen to my President.
...As I approached the security area, one low-level security person
asked me to turn my shirt inside out. As I said, I was only there
to hear the President, and so I complied. When I got to the main
security area, however, the same man came up to me again, told me
he had checked with his superiors, and that I would not be allowed
into the event with the Kerry/Edwards T-shirt. I had been a little
afraid of this eventuality and had brought another non-political
T-shirt just in case. So I agreed to change shirts. The man took
my other T-shirt and put it where I could find it after the speech.
Thinking that was the end of that, we went inside and tried to find
a place in the crowd where I could see the President. I had no
intention of heckling the President or causing trouble of any sort.
I just stood with the rest of the crowd waiting for the speech.
After a few minutes (maybe 10-15), the first security person came
up to me again, this time with a second burlier gentleman. I was
asked to stand with the second man in an area somewhat away from
the main crowd, and again I complied. A couple of minutes later a
third man who told me he was with the President's advance team
(or something like that) came up and escorted me out of the event.
Still not wanting to cause trouble, I went out as I was asked, and
waited for my friend who was allowed to stay. Incidentally, while
outside, I did get to do what I came for. I got to see the President
briefly waving from his motorcade on the way into the event.
Now being the curious sort, I obtained a Bush shirt to see what
would happen at the Kerry rally in Wheeling. Still not wanting to
be perceived as a Bush supporter, I waited and put the Bush shirt
on about 10-15 minutes before we reached the security checkpoint.
This time no one said anything to me, and I was allowed to enter
with no questions asked. After entering, I put on my Kerry T-shirt,
and listened to the speakers as I had planned.
--John Prather
8.3.2004
So much for free speech...
Mediocre Law Student website
My homepage:
MNL, Queens, NY
Isaiah 58:6 (NIV)
"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains
of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed
free and break every yoke?"
Amos 5:24
But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!
Mark 12:40
They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such
men will be punished most severely."
(also Matthew 23:14, Luke 20:47)
Christians Against Bush (CAB)
We oppose George Bush because we feel he has hijacked the Christian
faith for political purposes, much like Osama Bin Laden has hijacked
Islam to serve his own twisted agenda.
Wrong Direction
Mr. Bush does not reflect the values taught by our Savior, Lord
Jesus Christ. Instead, it appears Mr. Bush is being used by others
to promote an agenda based on fear, distrust, greed, world
domination, and reckless foreign and domestic policy.
--Christians Against Bush (CAB)
Okay, Jesus was above politics and refused to align himself with any
particular group. His allegiance was to his Father. As mere mortal
Christians living in the United States of America, however, it is
important that we vote for those candidates whose words and deeds
most closely reflect Christ?s teachings. It has world-wide
implications.
...Christians are being played for chumps. The Republican
Party knows that if they can limit the number of "religious"
issues and follow the wishes of conservative Christians on those
issues, they can attract the votes of most Christians. And notice
that those hot-button issues have absolutely no effect on the
corporations and wealthy individuals who benefit the most from the
Bush Administration?s policies. Therefore, by keeping the focus on
those few issues, they create a smokescreen that leaves them free
to pursue their true agenda and still retain those votes. It?s been
an enormously successful strategy, and it?s one to which we, as true
Christians, need to put an end.
--Would Jesus Vote for Bush?
Quotes from forum.johnkerry.com:
"I in no way want to judge President Bush's religious beliefs, but
I am suspect of the motivation to align himself with believers in
order to gain votes. Somehow it also seems to be playing out as if
Kerry gets polarized on the opposite stand of morality and Christian
ethics. Therefore, if you are Christian, you are automatically
supposed to be a Bush supporter. I, for one, reject that conclusion
and challenge other Christians to become well-informed on the actions
of the candidates, and cast their votes accordingly."
"I truly believe that if Christians paid closer attention to what
Bush and his administration are doing - rather than what they are
saying - they would drop their support of him altogether."
"As I say on another thread, IF Jesus were to be considered in
purely political terms (and he rightly eschewed politics), one
would have to declare him to be history's most celebrated liberal.
So it is no small irony that he has been claimed by today's
staunchest conservatives - today's Pharises."
"Our appeal to other Christians cannot be "Bush is not really a good
Christian because ..." or similar arguments. Instead, we must appeal
to Christians to make political decisions based on their own faith,
not on Bush's faith."
"Many christians refuse to accept that someone they feel is "anointed"
by God can be questioned. Yet there are plenty of examples of bad
leaders, ungodly men, that were appointed by God who later showed
their true selves. Saul, king David's predecessor who reigned in
Israel over 3000 years ago is an example of this. He was appointed
by God to lead Israel (1 Samuel 9:17) but was later rejected because
he did not obey God (1 Samuel 15:26)."
"So who's going to step up and set up a Christians for Kerry or
People of Faith for Kerry website? ...I'm tired of having my faith
twisted and turned into something ugly by these pharisees and
hypocrites. As Christians we need to stand up and make ourselves
seen and heard."
"It's nice to earn alot of money, but God wants us to share our
wealth with those who are less fortunate, and Bush and Cheney are
obviously not for it. Therefore, vote for the obvious ticket that
is true and honest, and keep praying that The Holy Spirit leads the
voters to pick John Kerry and John Edwards as our new leaders of this
nation. Also, possess that faith that they will be elected President
and Vice President of the United States."
"We can judge a Tree, by the Fruit it gives. So far we have our sons
and daughters being killed in Iraq, our Economy sending skilled work
offshore, our health care system in shambles, our social welfare net
has people falling through the holes...its rotten fruit, its a rotten
tree. It needs transplanting We must stop allowing Republicans to
Rent God for Elections. We must define ourselves and embrace what we
believe in; education, social service, civl rights, womens rights,
feeding the hungry, housing the homeless and on and on."
--from contributors to the Kerry-Edwards Online Forum,
attached to www.johnkerry.com
Is it a conflict of interest for a Born Again Evangelical Christian
to pledge to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States
of America?
...We know that George Bush believes God tells him what
to do. We also have ample evidence that he values the Constitution
less than he does his own privileges, and that he thwarts it at
every turn in order to get his way, which is, of course, God's way,
too.
...What I want to know is, where are the Christians who will
speak out against George W. Bush, speak out AS CHRISTIANS, against
his self-sanctifying, undemocratic kind of Christianity? Where are
the CHRISTIANS AGAINST BUSH? There should be MILLIONS of you.
Because Christians seem like patriotic people. And I don't see how
someone who's patriotic can support a President whose very sense of
himself is counter to the principles on which US society is founded.
I don't know how a patriot can support a man who, in the name of
Jesus, is willing to violate his pledge to uphold the Constitution
and subvert our philosophical fabric of freedom and justice and the
public accountability of government.
--Jeff Dorchen, 5/1/04
Moment of Truth: Where are the Christians?
Everything that Jesus stood for seems opposed by Republicans now in
control of Washington.
Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers" -- yet the Bush
administration was hell-bent for war in Iraq, using fictitious
alarms to rouse public support.
Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor" and lived among the lowly -- yet
the Bush administration has showered trillion-dollar tax giveaways
on the wealthy, causing record deficits. The White House ignores 45
million "working poor" Americans who lack health insurance.
Jesus opposed the death penalty, saying, "He that is without sin
among you, let him first cast a stone at her" -- yet President Bush
set an all-time execution record when he was governor of Texas, and
boasted of it.
Good questions. The answer is that the religious "left" hasn?t done
enough in recent years to organize during election years around
Biblical principles.
--Chuck Currie, 1/8/04
Texas Paper: Why Would Christians Vote For Bush?
The leaders we conservatives have trusted have taken advantage of
our trust to line the pockets of the wealthy and powerful, and it's
time we rose up and drove out these greedy liars. They've hijacked
and distorted our belief system for their own gain, and in doing so
are destroying our credibility.
And if we decent, honest, hard-working, patriotic, true-blue
conservatives of this country neglect the duty we have to our
children and grandchildren, we will never be able to work with those
decent, honest, hard-working, patriotic, true-blue liberal Americans
that these lying creeps have taught us to despise. We will never be
safe to debate them or, when warranted, to listen to them and maybe
even agree with them. We will never be safe to work out our
differences or to work together. And we will never be able to build
on the all-American sense of unity that burst forth following 9/11,
only to disappear shortly thereafter in a cloud of lying, greedy
partisan politics.
I'm still a decent, honest, hard-working, patriotic, true-blue
conservative. But Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, Ann Coulter, Sean
Hannity and the rest of you lying liars -- I'm through with you!
--Becky Miller, 10/17/03
The Oregonian: A conservative's review of Al Franken's 'Lies and the Lying Liars'
"Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first
sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money
to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able
to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying,
'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'
"Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king.
Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with
ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty
thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the
other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace.
In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has
cannot be my disciple.
--Luke 14:28-33 (NIV)
A quote within a quote:
"But someone has to tell the people--the Christians who do take Bush
at his word when he says he is doing your will--that Bush's will is
not what you want for the earth!"
"Please don't look at me like that. I'm no good at this sort of thing!"
"Could I at least have some help?"
Fortunately, once I start looking, I discover that I have a lot of
help available to me. Bill Moyers, for example, recently wrote:
Let's get Jesus back. The Jesus who inspired a Methodist ship-caulker
named Edward Rogers to crusade across New England for an eight-hour
work day. Let's get back the Jesus who caused Frances William to rise
up against the sweatshop. The Jesus who called a young priest named
John Ryan to champion child labor laws, unemployment insurance, a
minimum wage, and decent housing for the poor - 10 years before the
New Deal. The Jesus in whose name Dorothy Day challenged the church
to march alongside auto workers in Michigan, fishermen and textile
workers in Massachusetts, brewery workers in New York, and marble
cutters in Vermont. The Jesus who led Martin Luther King to Memphis
to join sanitation workers in their struggle for a decent wage.
I like that. People need to be reminded of that Jesus, who was really
big on caring for the poor and disenfranchised, and urged us to love
our neighbors as ouselves--even to the point of loving our enemies.
--Renee, 7/19/04
The Religious Left: blog entry
and
Bill Moyers, August 2004
Sojourners Magazine: Democracy in the Balance
more from Moyers:
Our times cry out for a new politics of justice. This is no partisan
issue. It doesn't matter if you're a liberal or a conservative, Jesus
is both and neither. It doesn't matter if you're a Democrat or
Republican, Jesus is both and neither. We need a faith that takes on
the corruption of both parties. We need a faith that challenges
complacency of all power. If you're a Democrat, shake them up. If
you're a Republican, shame them. Jesus drove the money changers from
the temple. We must drive them from the temples of democracy. Let's
get Jesus back. But let's do it in love.
--Bill Moyers
Yes, conservatism has its place in the church and in the country--
but so does liberalism. Do we really want to return to the so-
called "godly" roots of the United States of America--roots that
for much of its history supported slavery, Jim Crow, the near-
extermination of American Indians (while we broke every treaty we
made with them), laissez-faire business practices (which allowed the
rich to exploit the poor), and the near-inability of women to support
themselves? Wouldn't Jesus care as much about protecting the poor and
oppressed, ending racism, and caring for the earth as he would about
abortion, homosexuality, and school prayer? Why aren't evangelical
Christians fighting mad about CEO's who run off with the profits
while their workers lose their jobs and their investors get swindled?
--Melanie N. Lee (mnl_1221), circa July 2002
According to the Bible...LIBERAL equals NOBLE and GENEROUS!
and
Amazon.com Listmania Guide: "So You'd Like to Rescue Christianity from Ultraconservatism"
Here in the U.S., we seem to be very willing to get on our moral high
horses to condemn homosexuality and abortion. These are definitely
hot-button issues in our modern society and they seem to be easy,
"clean" targets. But why aren't we as concerned with other issues
that should be just as important to our Christian consciences, such
as increasing violence, growing hunger (even here in our "blessed"
country), world-wide economic oppression (often caused by our own
government or U.S.-based multinational corporations), lack of health
care for billions of people (which results in death for many more
innocent people than abortion) and environmental degradation of God's
Creation (usually so someone can make obscene profits)? Why are we so
willing to look the other way when it comes to these things, but so
eager to tackle the "immorality" of an individual's lifestyle?
Yes, homosexuality and abortion are sins in God's eyes, there's no
question about that--but these other issues are also rooted in sin
and go against everything that Jesus taught. Yet we don't very often
see Christians plastering bumper stickers on their cars about how
horrible world hunger is, our how environmental degradation is a slap
in God's face, or how we as Christ's followers think economic
justice is important...I'm simply wondering why we focus on
lifestyle issues and not on some of the more fundamental and grievous
problems that face countless millions of God's children...
--Drew Beck, 5/22/01
A Question to my Fellow Believers
Christians for Kerry!
Why are so many Christians supporting Senator John Kerry for
President? Because Kerry exemplifies many basic Christian values -
especially ones ignored or under attack by the current administration.
These examples are grouped under "Integrity", "Responsibility",
and "Other Christian Values".
...Kerry - Edwards is a ticket of great intelligence, refreshing
and crucial integrity, strong discipline, impressive experience in
government and other positions of public responsibility, a value
system highly compatible with Christian ethics, consistency between
their speeches and their performance, and a strong and growing following.
Jesus said to judge them by their fruits. For many, that leads
easily to support for regime change in Washington. Let's move on
from the dishonesty and arrogance -- or at least incompetence --
of the current administration to the intelligence, integrity, and
functionally Christian value system that a Kerry - Edwards
administration would bring to our country and to the world. We
really need it.
--Public Christian: Christians for Kerry!
Do tax cuts for the wealthy represent the will of God?
...If the President is indeed guided by Providence in lavishing
additional billions upon those who already enjoy so much material
abundance?even while the numbers of unemployed, uninsured and
homeless soar?then his ascension may represent a millennial reversal
of heavenly policy.
...It is indeed hard to imagine that any omniscient power would
prefer a $254 million tax break for Enron to a cut in payroll
taxes for the working poor.
--Joe Conason, 8/6/04
The New York Observer: Is George W. Bush God's President?
A quote within a quote:
John Kerry's stance on abortion - he opposes it personally but would
do nothing to roll back the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision that
legalized it - has brought him under attack from some American
bishops. ...Catholics can vote for Kerry. They don't have to, but it
would not be a sin to do so, according to a distinguished theologian:
"A Catholic would be guilty of formal cooperation in evil, and
so unworthy to present himself for Holy Communion, if he were
to deliberately vote for a candidate precisely because of the
candidate's permissive stand on abortion and/or euthanasia.
When a Catholic does not share a candidate's stand in favor
of abortion and/or euthanasia, but votes for that candidate
for other reasons, it is considered remote material cooperation,
which can be permitted in the presence of proportionate reasons."
That was not written by some radical liberal Catholic theologian. It
comes from the cardinal prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine
of the Faith (once the Holy Office of the Inquisition), Joseph Ratzinger.
It is as close to an official statement on the subject as one is
likely to get. It says that Catholics are not obliged to vote on one
issue, no matter how important the issue might be. They may vote for
Kerry "for other reasons" so long as they are not supporting him
merely for his pro-choice stance. That ought to settle the matter.
...I can think of only one way that bishops might earn a hearing for
their teaching. While insisting on their convictions, they should
refrain from questioning the integrity and good faith of those who
disagree. Then they should become beacons of light on all issues
concerning human life, the rights of women and the rights of the poor
and the oppressed.
--Rev. Andrew M. Greeley, 8/10/04
New York Daily News: Catholics can vote for Kerry
Sterling Heights, Michigan (PRWEB) August 19, 2004 --
Members of the ?Christian Right? resist the Bush campaign to
politicize their faith and turn to vote for Kerry. Recently
the Bush campaign called on evangelical churches to turn their
members into political activists ? church members like Dan and
Julie Rakowski. Both Dan and Julie have been members of a
nationwide grassroots organization ?Republicans for Kerry ?04?
since this spring. ?In many ways, I am typical of the ?Christian
Right? you often hear about,? Dan said. ?I?m passionately pro-life,
moderately against gay-marriage, and pro-Second Amendment.? During
the past four years, Dan and his family have witnessed the decline
of the public education system, the environment and the economy.
Dan regards the Bush campaign?s attempt to draft congregations
into political service during this campaign season as an attempt
to use the faith of theologically conservative Christians as a
wedge. ?If he keeps talking about social issues like homosexuality
and abortion,? Rakowski observed, ?Bush hopes we will look the other
way with respect to his missteps of Iraq War, economy and education.?
--press release, 8/19/04
Republican Evangelical Christians Embrace Kerry Presidency
Republican Evangelical Christians who have witnessed the decline
of the public education system, the environment and the economy turn
to John Kerry realizing that George Bush is using his faith as a wedge.
Unlike many ?Bush haters? I know who refuse to believe anything
positive about G.W., I believe he is sincere in his Christianity,
and I think it is wonderful for him and his family that his
conversion turned his life around. It is always a victory when
an alcoholic manages to quit drinking, and it is almost always
good when a marriage can be saved.
But, some people appear to be so awed by Bush?s profession of his
faith and his deep belief in his own conversion, that they are
letting his pronouncement of his deep faith in God influence their
own judgment about the rightness of what he says and does and the
wisdom of the policies he espouses. They seem to believe that
because he professes his faith so often and so fervently, his words,
actions and policies could not be other than ? could not deviate far
from -- the will of God. Or they focus on a single wedge issue they
feel strongly about, instead of looking at the much more
important ?big picture.?
...Bush has proven he can do nothing good for this country or the
world. We already know he intends to continue his failed policies
if he is elected. He will continue to make the rich richer, despoil
the environment, and make more people hate America and Americans
every day. He intends to privatize Social Security, and cut
veterans? programs. He will also try to further repress American
freedoms and further undermine the Constitution.
In short, Bush?s profession of his Christianity will in no way
influence my vote. Actions speak louder than words. I would vote
for a moral atheist who had proven himself capable and compassionate.
--Lonna Gooden VanHorn, 9/11/04
OpEdNews.com: Standing in Awe of Bush?s Christianity;
In spite of Bush?s conversion, I do not believe he has advanced
all that much from his spoiled rich kid frat boy days.
Biblical men the Lord anointed and kept as national leaders,
including Moses, Joshua, Gideon and David, had the following
in common:
The armies they led brought glory to God.
God gave them decisive victories.
The Lord protected and prospered the nation while they led.
The nation drew closer to God while they led.
Their leadership was truthful; there was no falsehood.
...The point of this website isn't to endorse anyone. Let us
be clear. We're neither pro-Bush nor pro-Kerry. We're pro-Jesus
Christ. Our point is this. We don't want someone in the White
House who doesn't bring honor to God. But worse still, we insist,
is someone who cites God as the source of his wisdom, then bears
results that end up bringing Him dishonor.
--Christians Doubting President George W. Bush
(www.christiansdoubtingbush.com)
I always had the impression that Jesus was an incredibly peaceful
man who believed that violence begets violence. He, who lives by
the sword, must die by the sword?the meek shall inherit the earth?
turn the other cheek... How can we defend ourselves from the evil
that?s being perpetrated upon us in the name of Jesus?
[Bush] won?t support the ban on assault weapons and he won?t support
the closing of the gun show loophole that would prevent persons with
violent or psychiatric backgrounds from purchasing guns and receiving
their merchandise on the spot.
--Becky Burgwin, 3/12/04
OpEdNews.com: The Absence of John Lennon and Other Spiritual Dilemmas
When all the patriotic propaganda has been stripped away, nearly
every war in history has been committed or fought for one reason.
Covetousness. The people or the country attacked have something
the people who attack them want.
...In reality we went to Iraq to control its oil and to build 14
more military bases from which to enforce our power. We went to
war so that Bechtel, Halliburton, etc. could win lucrative government contracts.
We went to war because our leaders coveted.
...An administration which advances corporate greed and profit at
the expense of its workers and the environment does not adhere to
Christian principles. Yet, if there is one element that is a marker
of this administration it is greed and lust. Not sexual lust, but
a much more evil kind of lust. The lust for money, resources,
corporate profits, advancement, and, above all, POWER.
--Lonna Gooden VanHorn
OpEdNews.com: Bush?s Sin? He Covets
The Bible says ?Those who oppress the poor insult their Maker,?
yet all of Bush?s policies help those who need no help at all.
The Bible says ?From whom much is given, much is expected.? That
does not mean only money, but it almost certainly includes wealth.
Jesus also said ?It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of
a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.? I guess
Bush, DeLay, et al are confident they are the exceptions to that maxim.
Unfortunately, war and violence is much more profitable to some than
seeking to solve problems using diplomacy. And, none of those who
pushed this war or their children are among those in harm?s way.
When has any American administration sought to keep its people so frightened??
As a bishop (Democrat--yes, Virginia, not all Christians are either
right-wing Republicans or fundamentalists) who is an acquaintance of
mine has reminded me, we are told we must pray for both our leaders
and our enemies. Not being as good a person as he is, I sometimes
have a problem deciding who is which.
--Lonna Gooden VanHorn
The Dark Christianity of George W. Bush
(scroll down)
As a Christian I always vote for the Presidential candidate who
supports God’s moral law by being pro-life, pro-school prayer
and against homosexual marriages. In peacetime, I would normally
vote for Bush, but the war issue makes this election very complicated.
...There are just wars and unjust wars. We can support and tolerate
a just war but never embrace the hatred and revenge of it. But an
unjust war we can never embrace or support or we greatly sin against
God and our fellow man. An unjust war is another form of cold-blooded
murder. So many Christians believe this Iraq war is a just war
because we blindly believe and support our president. Life can seem
so much easier if we as Christians just go with the flow of the
masses that embrace American Nationalism. That’s what the German
Christians did under Hitler. They blindly trusted and supported him
because of Hitler’s strong Nationalism and love of Germany. They put
Germany and their loyalty to Hitler before their love and loyalty to
truth and the Savior.
...Bush is promoting an unjust war policy. As a Christian I cannot
support a president who wants America to become a warmonger nation
that starts wars for whatever reason and murders innocent people.
--Pastor Steve Brown
Should Christians Vote For Bush?
See also:
The Iraq War--A Christian Perspective, by Pastor Steve Brown
"The preemptive strike policy of Bush is an evil short cut to fight
and destroy terrorists ."
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Look out below!
Most of the links below look beyond the question of George W. Bush's
Christianity (and American politics and Christianity), to some
stronger statements about Bush psychologically, socially, even spiritually.
Even those of you who decidedly will vote against him might read
what's in these websites and say, "Oh, come on!" However, some of
these stronger statements might be worth considering. Remember,
some leaders in the past have done some pretty horrific things,
and those below them never saw it coming--or looked the other way.
Now, read at your own risk.
