A Biased Debate

I was totally disgusted by the moderating of the CNN Republican debate in CA. Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul were barely included in the discussions. Anderson Cooper blatently cut off these candidates after a very short amount of time and then let Romney and McCain ramble on for minutes. At least Huckabee stood up for himself during the debate and was able to communicate part of his message in spite of the bias. The most disappointing thing is that Anderson shot down the ones who actually had something to say to make the debate interesting. I thought a debate was supposed to be an honest exchange of ideas. It is unfortunate that America was robbed of a good solid debate by silencing candidates who make thought-provoking comments. Even if I may disagree with some of Ron Paul's statements, I still think he should be allowed the opportunity to state his opinion.

The Republican race is still far from over although the media would like everyone to believe that this is just a 2-person race between Romney and McCain. However, the reality is that in terms of delegate count the story has not been told. Huckabee has strong support in southern states, which could earn him a lot of delegates. The main problem is that the media is portraying him as not having a chance, which is absolutely not true. Don't buy the lie that he can't win. Now is not the time to switch because you don't think he has a chance. Now is the time to stand up and support Huckabee by voting, volunteering, or donating.

Rewarding Irresponsibility?

There is a local insurance company's slogan that is "Rewarding Responsibility." That is a pretty good principle to stand on. I think most people would agree that the fundamental purpose of government is to encourage good behavior and punish evil. Sometimes I think that we get a little confused as to what we should expect from the government and what its role should be. Should the government bail people out for making poor decisions? For example, the housing industry is struggling right now because people made some poor decisions. Is it the government's responsibility to keep people from foreclosures? I know it sounds harsh, but I don't think so. That would be rewarding bad behavior on both the part of the borrower and the lender, which in turn, punishes those who have maintained good behavior. Perhaps it could be argued that the government should have stepped in sooner to punish the bad behavior of the lenders before this happened, but now to bail them out would be inferring that what they did was not their fault.

Objective observers of the housing market predicted that it was overinflated because of the low interest rates and easy credit. However, many people chose to ignore the signs because they were hoping to make a bunch of money. The market will eventually correct itself. Yes, some banks and some people will probably lose in the process, but that is the risk they took when they decided to loan/borrow high-risk mortgages.

There are some Presidential hopefuls encouraging a bailout of the mortgage industry, but I don't think there is a enough money in the already depleted coffers to easily remedy this situation. Plus, as I said above it will only continue to encourage irresponsibility.

FYI: Listen to this interesting interview on NPR that I heard in December.

Does it really matter?

I have had people ask me several times "Does a President's position on abortion really matter? They can't really do anything about it anyway." My immediate response is, "Yes, his/her position matters a lot." Sure, the President might not be able to immediately stop abortion-on-demand, but there are two big reasons to vote for a pro-life Presidential candidate. The first is that his/her approach to the issue is surely telling of their view of the value of human life. Don't we want a President that will truly believe these words of the Declaration of Independence, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness"? Shouldn't unborn children be given the right to life? The fundamental view that life is precious and given by God is something ingrained into the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. If we take away the respect for life, we have undermined one of the foundational principles of this nation. The President is also able make a significant influence on this issue through the the appointment of Supreme Court Justices. So, yes, a Presidential candidate's position on this issue really does matter. (Mike Huckabee's position on this issue is another reason I support him.)

A pro-life President alone will not be able put an end to reverse Roe vs Wade. We all need to speak out for those who don't have a voice. There is an interesting video suggesting that even the smallest voice may make a huge impact.

Who wants some cloned beef?

Today the FDA made a rather foolish (in my opinion) ruling by allowing products from cloned animals to enter the national food supply. What's even better is that no labels or warnings are needed on these products. They suggest a several month prolonged ban, but as far as I can tell these products (milk, meat, etc.) can start being sold tomorrow. This seems crazy to me. Yes, I understand that the FDA has "evaluated" the risks and has not found these products to be hazardous, but they were also the ones to evaluate Vioxx, Aprotinin, Valdecoxib, Bextra, Zelnorm, Baycol, etc. and then subsequently pull them later due to overlooked adverse effects. I am not sure that I want them to decide whether or not cloned meat is good for me. I think the Europeans had a better approach. As I understand it the EU will allow the cloned products to be sold, but they have to be labeled as coming form a cloned animal. This makes much more sense to me. Maybe I should look into starting that farm...

Wisdom is the best weapon

Yesterday at our worship service, someone made the statement "Wisdom is better than weapons of warfare" when talking about a passage in Ecclesiastes. That immediately caught my attention. I started thinking about what wisdom is and how it is demonstrated. We know that the Scriptures say that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom. A person who fears the Lord demonstrates a humble spirit. He/she is teachable and moldable, and is not swayed by popular opinion or the folly of this world. A wise person can look at a situation and understand the root of the issue.

I think about Gideon, and how by being obedient to the Lord he defeated the Mideanites with clay pots, torches, and trumpets. Those weapons were not so formidable, but the God behind the weapons is not one to contend with. Gideon might have looked silly to others, but because of his obedience (fear of the Lord), true wisdom defeated the enemy in a remarkable way. Likewise, the power of God was behind Joshua as the Israelites obediently marched around Jericho (and the walls fell with a shout).

Are the strong and powerful wise? Sometimes yes, but often they become foolish because arrogance creeps in. A wise person never becomes so wise that they no longer need to seek the Lord, listen, and learn. I will continue to ponder this one for a while.

An Overlooked Issue

Well the results are in from the NH primary. Everyone knows the big stories from it regarding Hillary and McCain. Mike Huckabee did quite well finishing 3rd when just last week the polls showed him in 4th or 5th. He is definitely gaining momentum and is being noticed by both Democrats and Republicans. In many ways, he is a different kind of candidate--one that neither party really knows how to handle. I am extremely excited about Huckabee as a candidate. Call me a little crazy, but I have been watching a bunch of YouTube videos of him and try to catch him on the debates and interviews. It seems that every time I see him, I am impressed. He is quick on his feet, holds up well under pressure, and seems like he is actually enjoying himself. If you haven't seen Mike Huckabee speak, at least take a look at this video posted on YouTube.

The one issue that is rarely mentioned or discussed by the press is about Israel. Israel is and will continue to be a pivotal issue in the years ahead. If a national leader does not have a sound approach, he/she will fail miserably at home. I am actually concerned about the current administration's methods to "bring peace" to Israel by entertaining the idea of splitting up the land again. It could be a total disaster. Mike Huckabee is the only candidate I have found that actually appears to understand the importance of supporting Israel and is committed to doing so. He is opposed to the common notion that Israel must give up land to bring about peace. Every time Israel has conceded land, it has only brought about more problems. "Land for peace" is not a viable solution. This may be the most significant issue of the entire race, but no one is talking about it.

Watch this video of an interview between Huckabee and Wolf Blitzer on CNN on the Israel situation.

I Like Mike!

I have been very fascinated with the Presidential politics this year for several reasons. The main reason is that it is not totally predictable (although the media likes to act like it is and then they change their pick). It is still very fluid in both parties, which I think has been very good for the political process. It has allowed real discussion of serious issues instead of people being corralled along "party lines." Maybe this year we will get a candidate who has actually thought "outside of the box" a little bit. I am hoping for one anyway. That is why I am supporting Mike Huckabee--he is one candidate who appears to have approached issues with some critical thought before spewing out an expected "party line." Yes, perhaps there are others who are outside the box as well, but I actually like most of the conclusions Gov. Huckabee has reached on the issues. His principles appear to align with Scriptural principles, and it has been shown time and again that when Biblical principles are properly applied, all of society (not just small sectors) will benefit. Take a look at him and see if you might agree too. I want someone who will take practical approaches to issues. So many politicians know how to speak rhetoric with no reasonable plan of action. The media is trying to paint a very flat picture of him, but I think they will have a hard time denying the fact that he is actually a very well-rounded candidate who has fresh ideas and the interests of the people in mind.


NOTE: No political figure will be able to solve all the problems in this world. Only God can do that.

Time

We have reached the beginning of a new calendar year again. Time seems to fly by. In recent months I have thought about how on this earth we are confined to 3-dimensional space and time, and how God is not limited to time or space. He is eternal and can see the past, present, and future all at the same time. When I was a kid, I would get myself worked into a vicious circle trying to understand infinity. Now, I don't even try, but it is helpful for me to not even think about eternity in terms of time as we know it on this earth. Similar to the fact that God is omnipresent and not confined to space, He lives outside of time. Heaven will be pretty cool without the constraints of this earth (gravity, time, etc.).

We have all been allotted an unknown finite amount of time on this earth. What are you doing with yours?