ELECTION DAY

Well, here we are. All the hype, all the polls, all the pundits will be history, and only the will of the people will be left. What will that be?

I am discouraged on many fronts because there is such a disconnect between rhetoric and reality.

1) Most Americans do not truly honor God, even those who have a form of godliness. Hollywood spews out filth and makes $100,000,000 or more for a picture depicting more sin than Sodom and Gomorrah.

2) People lie on their resumes, and they lie in their campaign ads, but who can judge, since after all, no person is better than another? Lies are therefore absorbed uncritically and people VOTE based upon lies.

3) We have a two party system, but the odds are stacked in one party's favor. One party has the vast majority of the press behind them. The CBS Nightly News seems like an extended campaign commercial for that one party. Everything anyone does for that one party is questioned and trashed, while the most clueless comments that party makes are either conveniently ignored or elevated as holy writ.

4) Constituent groups of issues where God has taken a side often give unquestioning loyalty to one party or the other, but demand NOTHING in return. White Christians usually vote Republican, but do not hold their elected officials responsible for vacillating like the wind and backing off on key votes or else making racially insensitive comments or tilting laws in favor of the powerful. Black Christians usually vote Democrat, but do not hold their elected officials responsible for violating the moral convictions of the Black community with their votes or actually solving the issues they claim to be uniquely positioned to solve.

5) So no matter which way the election turns, we have to pray as never before for REAL change to come.

a) If Democrats take over the congress, we will have endless acrimony; perhaps will see an impeachment process; most certainly providing further encouragement to the terrorists in Iraq and elsewhere. Our taxes will increase, and support for mroal initiatives will wane. They will view their victory as public rejection for standing with our allies and the oppressed. A slaughter that rivals that which occurred after Goerge Bush #41 prematurely withdrew from Iraq and which occurred after Richard Nixon prematurely withdrew from Vietnam will forever seal the moral weakness of the United States in tyhe eyes of the world. All our saltiness will be gone, and in that vacuum a corrupt nation with no such second guessing will ascend to primacy.

b) If Republicans hold on to their majority in both houses, they will try to stay their course, but will probably make a course correction in Iraq. They will continue some policies which need to be changed but probably fail to tackle the bold inititatives our country needs to stabilize and move forward. Islam will still be called the Relgion of Peace, and people will continue to take immense pride in their country while the calls to repentance will continue sporadically. The votes are still close and the games of filibustering and 60-vote majorities will likely reemerge from an angry party. Domestic oil exploration will continue to be stymied by-and-large, with perhaps an exception or two. One more good Supreme Court nominee might be confirmed, but with bitter parliamentary maneuvering. More and more people who preach one thing and live another will be exposed like duck-shooting practice as the stage is set for 2008, where there are no really strong AND Godly leaders on the horizon. State after state will have judges forcing the homosexual agenda down the throats of the people. The onslaughts in the press and general media will continue and accelerate, with endless corruption charges and sanctimonious posturing.

c) If Repubicans INCREASE their majority in the congress, they will view it as a mandate. The lack of leadership on the border, on embryonic stem cell research, ethnic unity, and other issues will likely change some for the better because of be ing emboldened. Maybe even increased domestic oil exploration will occur. A GREAT Supreme Court appointment may be confirmed. The bias of the news media will be further exposed for all to see. Perhaps the mantra that Islam is a religion of peace will give way to the truth - for a while anyway. The War in Iraq will wind down to sn endless string of skirmishes for a while as the terrorists wait to see if 2008 will be the year of their redemption.


In conclusion, I say VOTE if and only if you have considered all the issues and can make an intelligent decision between the various candidates. If you go into the booth merely to vote party line without making distinctions among the candidates or studying the isses - for shame. An educated Voter is the best friend to a republic. Be sure to do your research before you go behind the curtain, and be careful where you get your information! It really does make a difference at ALL levels of government whom you vote for!


John