That's the question in my mind after reading "I don't have to vote for Palin to respect her," by Jane Marcellus, published this week at womensenews.org  Marcellus describes herself as "a feminist researcher" who writes about historical workplace stereotypes of women. Her moment of truth came as she watched the Vice Presidential debate and realized she wanted Sarah Palin to fail. Another woman, a sister under the skin, stands on the highest national platform, and many, many women choose on a daily basis to disrespect her.

Why? Read the essay to learn the author's view - mine is a little different. A little simpler, I think.

I have a great deal of trouble respecting anyone, man or woman, who does not show respect for me. True, Governor Palin has no idea who I am. But while she funnels her attention and empathy to the "Joe Six Packs" and "hockey moms" of the world, she shows contempt for Barack Obama, and by association, all who share his liberal views. And that includes me. 

I can understand the concern over disrespect. I can even see parallels between the harassment heaped upon Governor Palin and the attacks on Hillary Clinton during the Democratic primary. I just cannot feel compelled to show respect for someone based solely on her gender. However...

I also come back over and over again to this basic principle, a tenet of every major world religion and - as far as I'm concerned - the basis for living a respectable life: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. And the deal isn't conditioned on what the "others" have done to you first.

And so I respect Sarah Palin not because she is a woman, because she is a candidate. I respect Sarah Palin because it is, quite simply, the only way I can live in harmony and peace with myself.

Déjà que dans certaines circonscriptions, au Québec, quelques candidats verts ont déclaré se retirer de la course, et encourager leurs supporteurs à voter libéral, dans le but de battre les conservateurs, voilà que la chef des verts, Elizabeth May, en rajoute.  En effet, après avoir refusé de le faire, il y a quelques jours à peine, elle demande maintenant aux électeurs d'une soixantaine de circonscriptions, à travers le Canada, de "voter stratégique", soit en votant pour les libéraux, soit pour les néodémocrates, afin d'empêcher les conservateurs de remporter la victoire, aux élections de mardi prochain.

Pendant que Gilles Duceppe, de son côté, demande à sa garde rapprochée, "Tassez-le donc de là, c'est un imbécile!", en parlant de Luc Harvey, député conservateur dans la circonscription de Louis-Hébert, sur lequel il est tombé lors d'un bain de foule au marché Sainte-Foy, à Québec, voilà que la leader des verts demande à ses gens de voter pour d'autres!  Cou'donc, qu'ont-ils fait de si mal, les conservateurs?  Les chefs des tiers-partis ne sont pas contents d'avoir des gestionnaires qui respectent leurs engagements?  Comme ces deux partis (le bloc et les verts) ne prendront jamais le pouvoir, ils ont le beau jeu de "se mettre dans les jambes" de ceux qui exercent le pouvoir.

J'ai une idée, afin de séparer les "vrais" des amateurs, lors des prochaines élections.  Pas celles de mardi prochain, mais les suivantes.  La règle serait simple; pour être admis au débat des chefs, il faudra avoir au moins cinq députés élus à la Chambre des communes, et avoir des candidats dans 7 provinces, représentant 50% de la population.  Simple, précis, et les vrais prétendants au pouvoir pourraient débattre en paix.  À voir ce à quoi les deux débats ont ressemblé, cette fois-ci, je crois que ce serait la meilleure chose à faire.  Pas de régionaux, ni de "traîneux" de fin de course!  Que de véritables prétendants au pouvoir!

"Former Illinois state Senator Alice Palmer"
Image courtesy of http://www.thehistorymakers.com/biography/category_details.asp?sp=1&category=politicalMakers.

Obama Knows His Way Around A Ballot from the Chicago Tribune on April 3, 2007. 

The day after New Year's 1996, operatives for Barack Obama filed into a barren hearing room of the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners.

There they began the tedious process of challenging hundreds of signatures on the nominating petitions of state Sen. Alice Palmer, the longtime progressive activist from the city's South Side. And they kept challenging petitions until every one of Obama's four Democratic primary rivals was forced off the ballot.

Fresh from his work as a civil rights lawyer and head of a voter registration project that expanded access to the ballot box, Obama launched his first campaign for the Illinois Senate saying he wanted to empower disenfranchised citizens.

But in that initial bid for political office, Obama quickly mastered the bare-knuckle arts of Chicago electoral politics. His overwhelming legal onslaught signaled his impatience to gain office, even if that meant elbowing aside an elder stateswoman like Palmer.

A close examination of Obama's first campaign clouds the image he has cultivated throughout his political career: The man now running for president on a message of giving a voice to the voiceless first entered public office not by leveling the playing field, but by clearing it.

One of the candidates he eliminated, long-shot contender Gha-is Askia, now says that Obama's petition challenges belied his image as a champion of the little guy and crusader for voter rights.

"Why say you're for a new tomorrow, then do old-style Chicago politics to remove legitimate candidates?" Askia said. "He talks about honor and democracy, but what honor is there in getting rid of every other candidate so you can run scot-free? Why not let the people decide?"

In a recent interview, Obama granted that "there's a legitimate argument to be made that you shouldn't create barriers to people getting on the ballot."

But the unsparing legal tactics were justified, he said, by obvious flaws in his opponents' signature sheets. "To my mind, we were just abiding by the rules that had been set up," Obama recalled.

"I gave some thought to … should people be on the ballot even if they didn't meet the requirements," he said. "My conclusion was that if you couldn't run a successful petition drive, then that raised questions in terms of how effective a representative you were going to be."

Asked whether the district's primary voters were well-served by having only one candidate, Obama smiled and said: "I think they ended up with a very good state senator."

Obama behind challenges

America has been defined in part by civil rights and good government battles fought out in Chicago's 13th District, which in 1996 spanned Hyde Park mansions, South Shore bungalows and poverty-bitten precincts of Englewood.

It was in this part of the city that an eager reform Democrat by the name of Abner Mikva first entered elected office in the 1950s. And here a young, brash minister named Jesse Jackson ran Operation Breadbasket, leading marchers who sought to pressure grocery chains to hire minorities.

Palmer served the district in the Illinois Senate for much of the 1990s. Decades earlier, she was working as a community organizer in the area when Obama was growing up in Hawaii and Indonesia. She risked her safe seat to run for Congress and touted Obama as a suitable successor, according to news accounts and interviews.

But when Palmer got clobbered in that November 1995 special congressional race, her supporters asked Obama to fold his campaign so she could easily retain her state Senate seat.

Obama not only refused to step aside, he filed challenges that nullified Palmer's hastily gathered nominating petitions, forcing her to withdraw.

"I liked Alice Palmer a lot. I thought she was a good public servant," Obama said. "It was very awkward. That part of it I wish had played out entirely differently."

His choice divided veteran Chicago political activists.

"There was friction about the decision he made," said City Colleges of Chicago professor emeritus Timuel Black, who tried to negotiate with Obama on Palmer's behalf. "There were deep disagreements."

Had Palmer survived the petition challenge, Obama would have faced the daunting task of taking on an incumbent senator. Palmer's elimination marked the first of several fortuitous political moments in Obama's electoral success: He won the 2004 primary and general elections for U.S. Senate after tough challengers imploded when their messy divorce files were unsealed.

Obama contended that in the case of the 1996 race, in which he routed token opposition in the general election, he was ready to compete in the primary if necessary.

"We actually ran a terrific campaign up until the point we knew that we weren't going to have to appear on the ballot with anybody," Obama said. "I mean, we had prepared for it. We had raised money. We had tons of volunteers. There was enormous enthusiasm."

And he defended his use of ballot maneuvers: "If you can win, you should win and get to work doing the people's business."

At the time, though, Obama seemed less at ease with the decision, according to aides. They said the first-time candidate initially expressed reservations about using challenges to eliminate all his fellow Democrats.

"He wondered if we should knock everybody off the ballot. How would that look?" said Ronald Davis, the paid Obama campaign consultant whom Obama referred to as his "guru of petitions."

In the end, Davis filed objections to all four of Obama's Democratic rivals at the candidate's behest.

While Obama didn't attend the hearings, "he wanted us to call him every night and let him know what we were doing," Davis said, noting that Palmer and the others seemed unprepared for the challenges.

But Obama didn't gloat over the victories. "I don't think he thought it was, you know, sporting," said Will Burns, a 1996 Obama campaign volunteer who assisted with the petition challenges. "He wasn't very proud of it."

Endorsement or informal nod?

By the summer of 1995, Obama, 34, had completed his globe-trotting education and settled deep into Chicago's South Side.

He had gone to Harvard Law School with private ambitions of someday following Harold Washington as mayor of Chicago. At Harvard, where Obama was celebrated as the first black president of the Law Review, classmate Gina Torielli remembers him "saying that governor of Illinois would be his dream job."

Back in Chicago after graduation, Obama won respect for running Project Vote, which registered tens of thousands of black Chicagoans. "It's a power thing," the volunteers' T-shirts said.

Community organizers packed his wedding to Michelle Robinson, a South Shore resident and fellow Harvard Law graduate. The newlyweds bought a Hyde Park condo.

His memoir, "Dreams from My Father," was published that summer to warm reviews. He was working at a small but influential legal firm, teaching constitutional law as a University of Chicago adjunct professor and sitting on the boards of charities.

At the same time, the South Side's political map was thrown up for grabs when then-U.S. Rep. Mel Reynolds was convicted of sex crimes and a special election was called to fill his congressional seat.

Palmer joined the race and, according to multiple accounts, introduced Obama as the successor for her Illinois Senate seat.

"She said, 'I found this wonderful person, this fine young man, so we needn't worry that we'd have a good state senator,' " said former 5th Ward Democratic committeeman Alan Dobry, who volunteered to help both Palmer and Obama that year.

In recent interviews, Obama and Palmer agreed that he asked her whether she wanted to keep her options open and file to run for her state Senate seat as a fallback in case her congressional bid failed.

Obama says he told her: "We haven't started the campaign yet."

"I hadn't publicly announced," he said. "But what I said was that once I announce, and I have started to raise money, and gather supporters, hire staff and opened up an office, signed a lease, then it's going to be very difficult for me to step down. And she gave me repeated assurances that she was in [the congressional race] to stay."

Obama "did say that to me," Palmer says now. "And I certainly did say that I wasn't going to run. There's no question about that."

But beyond that, the private discussions they held in 1995 are shrouded today in disputed and hazy memories.

Obama said Palmer gave him her formal endorsement. "I'm absolutely certain she … publicly spoke and sort of designated me," he recalled.

Palmer disputes that. "I don't know that I like the word 'endorsement,' " she said. "An endorsement to me, having been in legislative politics … that's a very formal kind of thing. I don't think that describes this. An 'informal nod' is how to characterize it."

In July 1995, Obama announced he was planning to run for Palmer's seat. He filed papers creating his fundraising committee a month later and officially announced his candidacy in September.

He emerged that winter as a gifted campaigner who after finishing hectic workdays would layer on thermal underwear to knock on South Side doors.

In impromptu street-corner conversations and media interviews, he disparaged local pols for putting self-preservation ahead of public service. At the last house on a dark block, "he would start a discussion that should have taken five minutes and pretty soon someone was cooking him dinner," said paid campaign consultant Carol Anne Harwell.

Then Palmer's congressional bid collapsed. On Nov. 28, 1995, she placed a distant third behind political powerhouses Jesse Jackson Jr., who holds that congressional seat today, and current state Senate President Emil Jones Jr.

Palmer didn't fade quietly away. Citing an "outpouring" of support, she upended the political landscape by switching gears and deciding to run in the March 1996 primary for her state Senate seat.

But she had two big problems. To get on the ballot, Palmer needed to file nominating petitions signed by at least 757 district voters—and the Dec. 18 deadline was just days away.

And then there was Obama, the bright up-and-comer she had all but anointed.

Obama's aides said he seemed anguished over the prospect of defying Palmer. "I really saw turmoil in his face," Harwell said.

Obama sought advice from political veterans such as 4th Ward Ald. Toni Preckwinkle and then-15th Ward Ald. Virgil Jones, who say they urged him to hold his course.

"I thought the world of Alice Palmer," said state Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie (D-Chicago), now the House majority leader. But "at that point she had pulled her own plug."

According to Palmer, it was without her knowledge that her supporters initiated discussions to persuade Obama to step aside. They invited him to the home of state Rep. Lovana "Lou" Jones, now deceased. Obama arrived alone.

"It was a brief meeting," said Black, a Palmer friend who had advised Obama when he was a young community organizer in the mid-1980s.

Obama didn't try to justify his decision to reject Palmer's plea, Black said.

"He did not put it in inflammatory terms, he just did not back away. It was not arguments, it was stubbornness," Black said. "Barack had by then gone ahead in putting together his own campaign, and he just didn't want to stop."

'If you can get 'em, get 'em'

Just in time for the Dec. 18, 1995, filing deadline, Palmer submitted 1,580 signatures—about twice the minimum required. That day, Obama lashed out at her, telling the Tribune she had pressured him to withdraw.

"I am disappointed that she's decided to go back on her word to me," he said.

Obama campaign aides also responded that day—but quietly, and out of the limelight.

Davis and Dobry marshaled volunteers and began poring through the nominating petitions of Palmer and the three lesser-known Democrats, according to interviews.

"We looked at those petitions and found that none of them met the requirements of the law," Dobry said. "Alice's people, they'd done it in a great hurry. Almost all her petitions were signed a day or so before the deadline."

According to Davis, Palmer "had kids gathering the names. I remember two of her circulators, Pookie and Squirt."

Davis and others urged Obama to file legal challenges.

Such tactics are legal and frequently used in Chicago. Ballot challenges eliminated 67 of the 245 declared aldermanic candidates in Chicago before this past February's elections, an election board spokesman said.

Davis recalled telling Obama: "If you can get 'em, get 'em. Why give 'em a break?

"I said, 'Barack, I'm going to knock them all off.'

"He said, 'What do you need?'

"I said, 'I need an attorney.'

"He said, 'Who is the best?'

"I said, 'Tom Johnson.' "

Obama already knew civil rights attorney and fellow Harvard Law graduate Thomas Johnson, who had waged election cases for the late Mayor Washington and had offered Obama informal legal advice since the days of Project Vote.

With Johnson's legal help, Obama's team was confident. They piled binders of polling sheets in the election board office on the second floor of City Hall, and on Jan. 2, 1996, began the days-long hearings that would eliminate the other Democrats.

Little-known candidate Marc Ewell filed 1,286 names, but Obama's objections left him 86 short of the minimum, and election officials struck him from the ballot, records show. Ewell filed a federal lawsuit contesting the board's decision, but Johnson intervened on Obama's behalf and prevailed when Ewell's case was dismissed days later.

Ewell could not be reached for comment, but the federal judge's decision showed how he was tripped up by complexities in the election procedures.

City authorities had just completed a massive, routine purge of unqualified names that eliminated 15,871 people from the 13th District rolls, court records show.

Ewell and other Obama rivals had relied on early 1995 polling sheets to verify the signatures of registered voters—but Obama's challenges were decided at least in part using the most recent, accurate list, records show.

Askia filed 1,899 signatures, but the Obama team sustained objections to 1,211, leaving him 69 short, records show.

Leafing through scrapbooks in his South Shore apartment, Askia, a perennially unsuccessful candidate, acknowledges that he paid Democratic Party precinct workers $5 a sheet for some of the petitions, and now suspects they used a classic Chicago ruse of passing the papers among themselves to forge the signatures. "They round-tabled me," Askia said.

Palmer to this day does not concede the flaws that Obama's team found in her signatures. She maintains that she could have overcome the Obama team's objections and stayed on the ballot if she had more time and resources.

It was wrenching to withdraw, she said. "But sit for a moment, catch your breath, get up and keep going. I'm a very practical person. Politics is not the only vehicle for accomplishing things." She became a special assistant to the president of the University of Illinois and is now retired.

Obama said he has not been in touch with Palmer since 1996. "No, not really, no," he said.

Though she hasn't determined whom to support in the presidential race, Palmer, 67, said her dispute with Obama doesn't affect her assessment of his fitness to hold office.

Saying that jobless high school dropouts "are sitting on the steps next to my house," Palmer added: "There is a savage economy going on out here, and we've got collateral damage. I am looking closely to see who has the courage, the smarts." 

The authors can be reached at dyjackson@tribune.com and rlong@tribune.com.

"Here's a Little Hint, I Don't Care."
Image courtesy of http://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/labels/T-Shirt.html.

See:

• http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/obama/chi-070403obama-ballot-archive,0,5297304,full.story
• http://quipster.wordpress.com/2008/08/19/obama-campaign-lie-about-alice-palmer/
• http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/obama/chi-070403obama-ballot-archive,0,5693903.story

If ever there was ample wealth of evidence of the vitriole of Senator Barack Obama's supporters, see Crush the Obamedia narrative: Look who’s “gripped by insane rage.”  This goes beyond disrespect, for it appears there is a very personal agenda on behalf of Obama.  Just one of many examples.  Far worse here.

"Got Milk?  It does a POW good." 
Image courtesy of http://michellemalkin.com/2008/10/12/crush-the-obamedia-narrative-look-whos-gripped-by-insane-rage/.

In Issue of Race Creeps Into Campaign at the Washington Post via Newsbusters's "Congressman Compared McCain with George Wallace, Birmingham Church Bombers," we see the following.  

Yesterday, civil rights leader John Lewis, a Democratic congressman from Georgia, became the latest advocate to excite the racial debate, condemning Sen. John McCain for "sowing the seeds of hatred and division" and accusing the Republican nominee of potentially inciting violence.

In a provocative twist, Lewis drew a rhetorical line connecting McCain to the segregationist Alabama governor George Wallace, and through Wallace to the 1963 church bombing in Birmingham that killed four girls. McCain voiced outrage at the comments, which also drew a mild rebuke from an aide to Sen. Barack Obama.

Obama has typically let others work on race issues for him.

He has mostly avoided the topic since, handing off to a network of friends, including Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell and Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, the task of talking directly to their constituencies about electing a black president.

Kudos to McCain for maintaining dignity in the face of blatant race baiting.

"Congressman John Lewis' comments represent a character attack against Governor Sarah Palin and me that is shocking and beyond the pale," McCain said. "The notion that legitimate criticism of Senator Obama's record and positions could be compared to Governor George Wallace, his segregationist policies and the violence he provoked is unacceptable and has no place in this campaign."

McCain continued, saying "I am saddened that John Lewis, a man I've always admired, would make such a brazen and baseless attack on my character and the character of the thousands of hardworking Americans who come to our events to cheer for the kind of reform that will put America on the right track."

"I call on Senator Obama to immediately and personally repudiate these outrageous and divisive comments that are so clearly designed to shut down debate 24 days before the election. Our country must return to the important debate about the path forward for America."

And surprise that Obama and his supporters repeatedly dismiss Obama's own request and plan.

"As Barack Obama has said himself, the last thing we need from either party is the kind of angry, divisive rhetoric that tears us apart at a time of crisis when we desperately need to come together. That is the kind of campaign Senator Obama will continue to run in the weeks ahead,”

And sad that McCain has held Lewis in such esteem.    

"I did not know Dr King," McCain said. "But I know John Lewis, and I know what he represents. And John Lewis and I may disagree on some issues, but that's the kind of person I think are true American heroes."

In August, while appearing at a forum on faith, McCain was asked to name three "wise people" he would listen to. He cited Lewis as well as Gen. David Petreaus, head of U.S. troops in Iraq, and former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, a top adviser to his campaign.

Obama.   Race bait for sale."
Image courtesy of http://noquarterusa.net/blog/2008/06/24/selling-race-bait/.

And more from Wake Up Americans, Uppity Woman, McNorman, as well as Lynette Long.  These Obama supporters are REAL proud of themselves.  Who says they don't wear their hateful feelings on their shirts, and stand  tall and proud up for their man, Obama?!?  Obama must be ever so proud!

"Sarah Palin Is A C*"
Image courtesy of http://wwwwakeupamericans-spree.blogspot.com/2008/10/obama-supporters-call-sarah-palin-cnt.html.

See:

• http://michellemalkin.com/2008/10/12/crush-the-obamedia-narrative-look-whos-gripped-by-insane-rage/
• http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/11/AR2008101102216.html
• http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tim-graham/2008/10/12/john-lewis-smears-mccain-enabling-racist-violence-wapo-sugar-coats-it-bl
• http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/10/mccain-offended.html
• http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/10/11/politics/main4515501.shtml
• http://wwwwakeupamericans-spree.blogspot.com/2008/10/obama-supporters-call-sarah-palin-cnt.html
• http://uppitywoman08.wordpress.com/2008/10/12/barack-obama-supporters-lead-by-example-and-call-sarah-palin-a-cnt/
• http://mcnorman.wordpress.com/2008/10/12/obama-supporters-have-few-language-skills-and-label-palin-cnt/
• http://www.lynettelong.com/my_weblog/2008/10/t-shirts-for-sa.html

There are lots of reasons why I often have a strong dislike of politics.  While it is undeniably an important part of our lives and our future, personal attacks make me hate the entire process.

Does anyone really think McCain/Palin or Obama/Biden are bad people that want to ruin the country?  While we may disagree on their policies we should pay homage to their dedication to public life.

I believe the recent negative rhetoric of both campaigns have signaled to supporters of both sides that it is ok to wish harm on Senator Obama or ridicule Governor Palin.

How about attacks on the candidates policies?  Instead of suggesting Senator Obama pals around with terrorists, we have all come into contact and even befriended people who may have done things we do not approve of, how about you ask him to explain how he plans to reduce our deficit considering he wants cut taxes to the majority of Americans while increasing government spending on entitlement programs, etc.

Also, instead of accusing John McCain of corruption by discussing his ties to the Keating Five, which he was cleared of any wrongdoing and not to mention that was nearly 20 years ago, ask him why he voted against the Bush tax cuts and then supported them.

Also, if you think it's just one candidate running attack ads, think again.

Paul follows up his command to teach sound doctrine with this command:

Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and endurance.  (Titus 2:2, NIV)

Is this part of teaching sound doctrine?  Is this complimentary to sound doctrine?  Perhaps I should look at defining doctrine before I go any further in order to make certain that I am clear with my understanding of the word.

This definition seems to be most applicable to the topic of church doctrine:

a principle or position or the body of principles in a branch of knowledge or system of belief (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary)

The teaching of how men should behave doesn't seem to me to be necessarily a doctrinal matter.  While it may be important and complimentary to sound doctrine, it seems that the behaviors listed by Paul in verse 2 are more of a response, or fulfillment, of adhering to sound doctrine.  Not being what I would consider an older man, I can't address these behaviors from a personal perspective.  However, by a casual observer of human behaviors, I've watched enough older men in action to offer up a comment or two.

Be temperate

Again, I'll start with a definition...

keeping or held within limits : not extreme or excessive (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary)

Being well-grounded in his faith and with a long life of experiences, an older man is wise to avoid extremes.  Some of the most temperate men I've know have been those who have experienced the most extreme conditions especially in hardship.  I have found the men who have served our country in the military in combat are often the most temperate individuals I know.  Whether it is the difference between the chaotic pace of battle and the comparatively dull pace of ordinary life that helps to moderate a man's temperament, I will probably never know.  What is significant to me is that men who are more temperate tend to be the men who more easily earn others respect.

Be worthy of respect

This would seem to assume that all (or at least most) behaviors in the past have been honorable, noble, or just plain right and good.  I suppose it means more than just the absence of bad behaviors, but it also means leading a life that is complete with notable actions that are worthy of respect.  Helping those in need, being of service to friends and neighbors, etc.

Be self-controlled

All of these characteristics that Paul is identifying seem intertwined rather than successive or exclusive of one another.  Knowing how to be in control of your human sin-nature is probably the least discussed behavior in today's mainline churches (that could be because the concept of sin is very elusive, if not altogether absent, from said churches).  Even after a lifetime of learning to be faithful and obedient to God, Paul exhorts older men to continue in self-control.  This is somewhat encouraging to us younger men who are perhaps dealing with sin-caused struggles that are still new to us or have escaped our detection.

Be sound in faith

Yielding to Christ on a consistent basis results in soundness in faith.  Entering into and completing trials of faith typically yields a stronger faith.  Ultimately, it is God who provides everything that is good and our decision is simply to have faith by yielding to His perfect will.  Who better to emulate and instruct than an older man who has (likely) been through many of his own trials of faith.  Who, by patient instruction, can benefit his younger audiences (especially men) by sharing all of the ups and downs of each trial and bring them to life in a way that will encourage faithfulness even when all hope seems lost.

Be sound in love

God is love.  It is reasonable to expect a man of many years to have experienced so many different trials over the course of his life to become incapable of love the way God would have us love one another.  That is probably why Paul exhorts older men to be firm in love.  Love isn't something that necessarily comes naturally to us as humans (especially men).  Practicing the love that God intended for our relationship with Him and with our neighbors is the only way to be sound in love.  And again, who better a role model of love than a man seasoned by the trials of life who has applied his knowledge of God's ultimate love to every aspect of his journey.

Be sound in endurance

Endurance is persevering.

Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:4, NIV)

It is refreshing to see some one who is not lacking in anything.  They are strong and they have a powerfully calming affect on those who look to them for guidance.  I realize that completeness will not be accomplished until we reside with Christ in the glory and splendor of heaven, but there are examples of older men who are certainly more complete, more mature, and more content than their younger brethren.  These men exhibit the nature of God even with their human limitations in order for younger men (and women) to have a more complete picture of who God is.

Even though Paul is addressing older men, it is easy for anyone to apply those commands to their own life.  This is what you are aiming for as a mature creation of Christ.  And who better to emulate the perfectness of Jesus than the men who have had a lifetime to experience His grace and goodness.

MW

Although, last Friday I wanted to share the homily given to us by our parish priest about knowing how to listen to others words of truth ....or listening from the heart....He said many of us could hear but we really don't know how to listen....Listening from the heart would make you respect the other person he said....That way we will understand each other....Many of us rely mostly on what we know....we have too much pride....and we do not listen well....And when it happens we commit mistakes....and more often we could have avoided those mistakes if we just listened from the heart....

There were students who were present during the mass and somehow they understood the message well....So after the mass I noticed some students becoming more responsible when we had some discussions in the class.....so they listened from the heart....In a way when you convinced other people to know what is good for them somehow they would  believe though they may not easily show that you had convinced them....Probably if you want people to listen to you or believe in you....you should also respect and believe in them....Respect begets respect....

Listening from the heart therefore is important and equally important would be believing that others would believe in you....and they would definitely listen to you as long as you give them the truth....

If you want a few to pass out,

Hit me up by clicking ---> HERE! <---

Barack & Curtis: Manhood, Power & Respect [Short Documentary On How Their Is a 50 Cent In Obama & More]

A short documentary film examining the contrasting styles of manhood exhibited by Presidential Candidate Barack Obama and Rapper/Mogul Curtis Jackson, aka 50 Cent. By Byron Hurt.

Incidentally, I have dozens of friends who think differently from me...and the beautiful thing is that most of us can discuss the issues, disagree, spar, and perhaps even razz each other a bit.  Of course, some of us can't "go there," so we choose to not broach the subject of religion or politics and all remains well.  Regardless, at the end of the day, we still love each other.

We respect each other.

So back to my friend's e-mail.  She had read my post from yesterday, “Be Respectful.”…or…You Have to Admit You’ve Gone Off the Deep End When McCain Himself Calls You Out.  She asked me to read an article by Cal Thomas regarding Barack Obama's faith and his Christianity (and the fact that in the 2004 interview he leaned toward a Universalistic view) , and she also asked me view a video of Louis Farrakhan in which he calls Obama the Messiah.

Yep, he does.  He says, "When the Messiah speaks, the youth will hear."  It's right there, in the link...go listen.

I wrote my dear friend back and decided that I'd like to post my thoughts on this forum as well.

See, here's the thing:  what concerns me about all of this carrying on here is that, first of all, we are not electing the High Priest of the United States. We are electing a President. A government official.  The President will not be the head of the church, as it would be in a theocracy or a country such as Saudi Arabia.  Our government is not a dictatorship, and one man would not have enough power to make any of us follow the religion he believes.  That is what separation of church and state is all about, and that is what makes the United States of America unique and great!

Here's the bigger point, though:  Obama has established that he "did not grow up in a particularly religious household," but he said he changed because of his work as a community organizer in Chicago. "I came to see my faith as being both a personal commitment to Christ and a commitment to my community."  (USA Today 7/1/2008)

My point is who are we to judge Barack Obama in the first place?  As Christians, we believe the role of Judge is reserved for God and God alone.  If we want to take into accountability the fruit of Barack's labor, well certainly you cannot deny the good works he has done in his community.  Yet, we do not walk beside him as he prays or mediates so unless we know him personally, how can we judge?  We can't.  It is such very dangerous ground to tread on when we sit in judgment on another's soul.

Furthermore, so what if Louis Farrakkan thinks Obama is the Messiah or an alien from Mars? Obama has stated publicly *for the record* that he condemns the teachings of Farrakhan. I heard this with my own two ears.  He has no control over what another says about him any more than we do.

Lastly, if we are going to judge somebody for who they associate with, then let's consider this: many of us on a daily basis have to associate ourselves with people we do not agree with on a moral level whether it be through our jobs or other reasons.  Jesus himself associated with sinners; he was a light and encourager (and yes, Savior) to sinners...but that did not make him a sinner.  Because of Jesus' associations, he was despised.

Oh wait, perhaps that is not a good analogy...I am treading too close on putting Obama in the same class as Jesus, and although that is far, far from my intention, it could very easily be taken out of context.  Next thing you know I'll be accused of saying Obama is Jesus reincarnated.

Oy.

How about if I compare him to myself:  because of my job and because of what I consider my ministry, I have associated with death row inmates.  I have tried to be a light and encourager to them that perhaps they will find a better way...but that does not make me a murderous criminal.

Because of my associations with death row inmates, I have been despised.  I was called a pig and "Ginger Christ" on a well-read blog awhile back.  (It's ok, I had fun with it--I had to, otherwise I would've cried for days.  Ok, not really.)

Am I being too presumptuous to compare myself to Barack Obama?

Or Christ?

I don't know, but aren't we supposed to live our lives striving to be like Christ?  (Not be Him, but to be like Him?)

Look, I am a very compassionate, open-minded person. I have had to learn to be because of the hand life has dealt me. That is why I just cannot be so quick to judge Obama so harshly.

The bottom line is that I do not fear the future of our country. I do not fear Barack Obama or Joe Biden.  I do not fear John McCain or Sarah Palin.  If I am going to say that I have faith in God -- and I do -- then I believe we as God's children will be just fine no matter who becomes the President next January.  Oh, our future is not going to be an easy one.  There will be hard times no matter who gets in.   I choose to believe that God is in the good.  We need not lower ourselves to slander, hate-mongering, and scare-tactics to try and get our agenda spread, if we really believe what we profess we do.

Certainly, none of this is worth making enemies over.

So, come on everybody...

Be respectful.

I apologize in advance because this will be a dry statement of my opinions on this topic without much humor, wit, or sarcasm.

The Palin half of the ticket has been launching some pretty inappropriate attacks that have only been fueled further by FOX news. After calling Obama friends with domestic terrorists, she was called out on it, and only defended it by repeating it. Pretty pathetic, right? It is insulting that that's how low of an opinion she has about our collective intelligence. But it worked on so many people it just amazes me. With the aid of FOX news, namely, Sean Hannity, it was the Ayers "scandal" was perpetuated and repeated and now some people believe that Obama must be buddy buddy best friends with him and other domestic terrorists who hate America and went to WAR with America.

Is this really how far we've come? We're going to be as petty as we can and treat the highest office in the nation, and dare I say, world with this sort of immature contempt?

The effects of this spread fast. Friday, the 10th of October, a man at a McCain town hall style event got up and made a couple stupid coy jokes and said he was scared to bring his daughter up under an Obama presidency. I mean, seriously, is this best political discourse some people can come up with? Another woman later on just laid it out and said it. She said... that she's a racist. Basically. Faulting Obama and his campaign for being an ARAB, McCain cut her off and defended Mr. Obama from the second distressingly ignorant insult-in-the-form-of-a-question of the day. People in the audience demanded McCain show no mercy, and when he said he would remain respectful, the assholes actually got pissed off. Are they supporting their candidate, or just reveling in the opportunity to hate and spout off whatever uneducated garbage comes to mind?

I have to say, despite the lower level of commitment to clean and fair campaigning for the last few months, McCain showed some true guts today. Getting booed at his own fucking rally, he defended his opponent and defended clean and respectful politics. I liked that. A lot. It doesn't excuse him for not always playing fair, but at least he drew a clear line where he would venture no further into the dark slanderous campaign path. It certainly doesn't make up for all the ridiculous stunts some of the more outspoken and hostile groups have pulled, in their own names though, not under Mr. Mccain's banner.

So I say again, Good for you, Mr. McCain. It took some real character to take on your own booing audience for a good cause. You said you were commited to a clean campaign in the beginning, and that's how it should remain. It speaks better of both parties when both commit to it, and it demonstrates America's good grace and our values and virtues. It's frankly, rather embarrassing to see smear tactics.

De unde a pornit totul? De la o cearta intre tine si prietena mea, ce a degenerat intr-un razboi dupa cum vad, si din razboaie nu mai castiga nimeni. Cearta nu cred ca ma priveste, dar din punctul tau de vedere se pare ca totusi da...

Ai venit la mine cu un mesaj destul de deranjant. Eu nu ti-am zis niciodata ce sa faci cu prietenele tale, ca si cand ele ar fi doar niste vietati pe care le stapanesti... cum sa imi ceri mai "sa mai lucrez la comportamentul ei", ce-s eu, dresor? Chiar asa? E dreptul ei sa actioneze si sa spuna ce vrea ea in orice moment. De ce crezi tu ca eu am dreptul sa ii impun ceva prietenei mele? NIMENI NU ARE DREPTUL ASTA !!!

Ai fi putut sa iti exprimi gandurile si prin statusul tau "cata tampenie in capul unor oameni... ce o fi in mintea lor frate", era de ajuns asta, nu trebuia sa imi scrii si pe blog...

Faptul ca tu imi ceri sa fac anumite chestii inseamna ca tu nu mai poti psihic, de ce imi ceri mie ajutor, de ce nu lasi de la tine, de ce nu termini tu, sa fie OVER? Inteleg ca va certati, ok, se intampla, dar de ce ma bagi pe mine in asta? Adica vii si vorbesti urat de prietena mea, pe blogul meu, DEDICAT EI, DIN DRAGOSTE... Asta mi se pare lipsa de bun simt si lipsa de respect fata de munca mea, fata de mine... E ca si cum eu am lucrat o luna si jumatate la blogul acesta sa fie frumos, si tu intr-o clipa ai stricat munca mea... Ce te-a determinat sa faci acest gest? A meritat ?

Faptul ca nu puteai sa iei legatura cu ea sa-i zici ce aveai de spus, sa ai tu ultimul cuvant, te-a indemnat sa ma jignesti si pe mine si sa ma ranesti mai mult decat iti inchipui... chiar pe propriul meu blog.

Ce legatura aveam eu man? Chiar asa te enervezi de nu te mai gandesti si la altii, la prietenul tau (ca doar tu ma numeai asa), adica la mine... Oare eu cum ma simt? Recunosc ca stiam de certurile voastre, dar nu m-am bagat... si as fi preferat ca lucrurile sa ramana asa... Eu cu ce ti-am gresit? Te-ai gandit si la mine cand ai vorbit urat de ea, cand ai tratat-o cu superioritate in comantariul tau... Ti-am zis frumos sa te gandesti ca poate are si ea macar putina dreptate, ca nu e totul asa cum pare...

Cu parere de rau pentru tine poate, dar imi iubesc prietena mai mult decat orice pe lumea asta si n-o sa-i impun nimic, fiecare isi merita libertatea de a face ce-i dicteaza mintea si inima.

Am scris acest post in speranta sa intelegi ca prin atitudinea ta ai putea rani si pe cei pe care nu vrei, si sa te gandesti daca chiar merita. Ia spusele mele ca un ajutor din partea mea si nu ca un atac... Numai bine. Poate intelegi ce am vrut sa spun.

PS: NICIODATA, dar serios, NICIODATA, oricare ar fi motivul, nu ma pune in situatia sa trebuiasca sa ma confrunt sau sa ma cert cu prietena mea !!! Asta sa inteleaga toata lumea, spre binele tuturor!

finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things.

enfin, frères, nourrissez vos pensées de tout ce qui est vrai, noble, juste, pur, digne d'amour ou d'approbation, de tout ce qui mérite respect et louange.

The other day I mentioned that I felt really good and that I could run a 1000 miles. Today, I feel like I want to push a tree over just to disrupt traffic in my neighborhood. Man, my moods are fucked up.  I barreled through my local mall today (I had to get to the grocery store at the opposite end) , just to avoid all the people that seemed to be pissing me off. The thing is, it was just their presence that pissed me off. Nothing more, nothing less. The sound of people's voices had me cringing and over boiled. Innocent people stopping to look in shop windows in front of me were almost targets of flagrant elbows. The rent-a-cop security guard at HMV was watching me closely as I checked the $6 DVD bin. I contemplated leaving with an unpurchased item just so I could fight someone (OK, I didn't actually think that... yet he was watching me closely. Dick).

My poor wife has taken the brunt of my bad mood today, and has graciously "gone to take a nap". Don't get me wrong. I told her right off today that I was having a hard time and not to take anything personaly. She appreciated my sentiment and has done the one thing someone in my position needs. She has not tried to put me in a good mood. Sometimes we (all humans) just need to get things out. I have remained relatively quiet today and have not tried to drag her down with me. I feel that I have been quite respectful in that vein. I will feel better soon and she and I will laugh at my "I hate this mall... besides us, is there anyone here that isn't showing their underwear over their pants?".

Ahh, life.

By CHARLES BABINGTON, Associated Press Writer

PHILADELPHIA - His backers feeling increasingly confident, Democrat Barack Obama made a slight nod to his Republican rival on Saturday and asked voters to have faith in him as the next president.

Even as he criticized John McCain's economic policies, Obama acknowledged that the GOP nominee has asked his supporters to temper their attacks on him.

"I appreciated his reminder that we can disagree while still being respectful of each other," Obama told thousands of supporters at the first of four outdoor rallies in Philadelphia.

"Sen. McCain has served this country with honor," he said two hours later, in the city's Germantown neighborhood. "He deserves our thanks for that."

At a town-hall event Friday in Minnesota, McCain took the microphone from a woman who said Obama is an Arab. McCain said, "No, ma'am," and he called Obama "a decent, family man."

McCain drew boos at the same event when he told a supporter who expressed fear at the prospect of Obama's election that the Democrat is a "person that you do not have to be scared of as president of the United States."

Read the rest:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081011/ap_on_el_pr/obama;_
ylt=AvDsV0RxwvCkW3yOV4n3xVqs0NUE

There in all of his glorious glow, sits Illinois Senate candidate Carack Obama with ACORN members, in 2004.

According to the Cleveland Leader's Obama Campaign Involved in More over-Ups in ACORN Scandal

On Thursday we revealed the connection between Barack Obama and Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), and uncovered a 2004 article that discussed his involvement with the organization which had recently been removed from the web. Today, the cover-ups continue and language on Obama's fightthesmears.com website has been altered in order to make it look like he has been telling the truth about his ACORN associations all along.

Obama and his campaign continue to deny the truth.  Thanks to Barack Obama’s Involvement with ACORN Unearthed, Missing Articles Recovered at Audacity of Hypocrisy, and  Insight Analytical's Picture of IL Sen. Candidate Obama with ACORN Members FOUND… .

Read the rest of the story here.

See:

• http://insightanalytical.wordpress.com/2008/10/10/picture-of-sen-candidate-obama-with-acorn-member-found/
• http://www.audacityofhypocrisy.com/2008/10/09/barack-obamas-involvement-with-acorn-unearthed-missing-articles-recovered/
• http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/7231

-Joel

President

Metro State Atheists

Moral: Focusing is easy, but its what you chose to focus on that matters in the end.

Don't pay mind to color or race or economic status.  We are created equal and mankind separates us as we grow.

Expect the same from fellow man and woman.  That is your freedom to believe and think for you.  Their respect for you gives you the freedom to live in peace and harmony.

Without respect there can be no freedom.  There can be no respect without freedom.

Hand in hand there may be peace.

Rather than give my own take on it, I defer to Heartbreaktown, who gave the perfect comment...

Then, I was perusing one of my favorite new-to-me blogs, Screaming From The Rooftop, wherein Jon-Marc McDonald reminds us that back in July, Barack himself predicted that those who would want to leave things the way they are in this world would try to instill fear in us...make us scared of him: "he's not patriotic enough, he's got a funny name...he doesn't look like those other presidents...he's risky..."

It's true that change is hard.  Change isn't easy.  The question you have to ask yourself is what's more risky?  Going ahead and bringing about changes that we know we have to make in order to assure that our children have a better future, or doing the same things that we have been doing over and over again even though we know they don't work?

Folks, we are in a time right now when it is too risky not to change.  It is risky to keep on doing what we're doing, to accept the tired status quo.

--Barack Obama

As a Christian, I believe that God has not given me the spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind (II Timothy 1:7).  Therefore, I have to wonder why we are seeing such "vicious anti-Obama attitude" coming forth in these McCain rallies?  Why do some feel the need to bear false witness against this man who proclaims to be a brother in Christ?  Why, just the other night, it absolutely broke my heart to see one of my friends from church write on their Facebook status that Barack Obama was a con-artist and the anti-Christ.  I'm sorry, folks, but there is no evidence whatsoever that the man has bowed before any graven images. If you tell me there is evidence, then YOU have the obligation to PROVE it.  Simple as that.  All any of us have to our names is our word.  Obama's word is what it is, and he has continued to have an answer for each and every accusation that has come forth from his enemies, just as much as John McCain and Sarah Palin have.

Well, except for the fact that as I write this, I just got a text message that an Alaska legislative panel found that Palin abused her power in a state official's firing, although she violated no law.

See?  It goes both ways.  Pray all you want, but the fact remains that nobody gets to that level of power without getting their hands dirty.

The hateful rhetoric has gotten so bad that Barack Obama's opponent, John McCain, is now having to defend him.  At a Minnesota rally, McCain himself had to tell his supporters to TONE IT DOWN!

From Time.com:

"I respect Sen. Obama and his accomplishments." People booed at the mention of his name.

McCain, visibly angry, stopped them: "I want EVERYONE to be respectful, and lets make sure we are."

The very next questioner tried to push back on this request, noting that he needed to "tell the American the TRUTH about Barack Obama" -- a not very subtle way, I think, to ask John McCain to NOT tell the truth about Barack Obama.

McCain told her there's a "difference between record and rhetoric, and I plan to talk about his record, respectfully... I don't mean that has to reduce your ferocity, I just mean it has to be respectful."

And then later, again, someone dangled a great big piece of low-hanging fruit in front of McCain: "I'm scared to bring up my child in a world where Barack Obama is president."

McCain replies, "Well, I don't want him to be president, either. I wouldn't be running if I did. But," and he pauses for emphasis, "you don't have to be scared to have him be President of the United States." A round of boos.

And he snaps back: "Well, obviously I think I'd be better. "

Of course, this is kind of the best of both world: Crazy base-world gets to bring up Ayers and whatever else, really, and he gets to say, "Be respectful."

But I think he means it.

UPDATE: Indeed, he just snatched the microphone out the hands of a woman who began her question with, "I'm scared of Barack Obama... he's an Arab terrorist..."

"No, no ma'am," he interrupted. "He's a decent family man with whom I happen to have some disagreements."

Alrighty then, let's see how much McCain supporters truly respect the man they rallying behind.

Did you hear what he said?

"Be respectful."

She fears abandonment. She fears losing him above all else, whether killed, incapacitated, or a walk out. Abandonment strikes her ego as well as her heart.

She expects him to overextend himself, as necessary, to provide reassurances. The devoted husband sacrifices to avoid torturing his loveable wife with continual fears that weaken her appreciation for him.

He fears insignificance, and her eyes reflect it first. Her lack of respect and gratefulness makes his sense of significance decay. Wounding his spirit can be terminal.

Even slight decay can jumpstart motivational forces in him. He seeks to restore his sense of manliness—more independence, expensive toys, trophy woman, or just walk out. Mid-life crisis worsens whatever he chooses to do.

He doesn’t necessarily expect it, but ‘smart wife’ becomes head cheerleader for who he is and what he does. She also adds each child to the cheerleading squad.