The is my first diary so please bear with me...
I was just going to look and see if I had missed any Recommended Diaries and check my e-mail. When I saw my aunt's name, I knew it was either political or just stupid ... little did I realize it was both.
It began:
Subject: The Barak Obama Tidal Wave. Consider what you are riding, if you are.
The original e-mail was questions. The one I returned to her had my answers in italics.
This is what I returned to her:
Thank you for you e-mail. I read through it and thought very seriously about every question. I answered them all and am returning them to you. I hope you will take the time to read my e-mail since, as I metioned, I took the time to read and to think about yours
Is the character of Our President important today? It was in the past!!
The character of our President is very important.
Why don’t other countries have respect for America?
Could it be that America went into Iraq under false pretenses and without the United Nation’s support? Other countries have respect for the United States of America they have no use for George W. Bush
Is money more important than character?
No it never has been and it never will be
I hope we as Americans don’t let fancy words & speeches hide the real person. I also hope we are open minded enough to read about both candidates and make a wise choice.
As do I
Our pastor recently made this statement. Christians don’t have the right to vote the way they want to; They have the responsibility to vote the way God wants them to.
I am just supposing that you attend a wealthy church that has no need for its tax free status. Because political speeches from the pulpit are strictly forbidden in the paper you signed to obtain that tax-free status.
The Barak Obama Tidal Wave
We are witnessing a political phenomenon with Barack Obama of rare magnitude. His speeches have inspired millions and yet most of his followers have no idea of what he stands for except platitudes of 'Change' or that he says he will be a 'Uniter'.
The power of speech from a charismatic person truly can be a powerful thing. Certainly Billy Graham had charisma. Both his manner of speech and particularly the content changed millions.
On the extreme other hand, the charisma of Adolph Hitler, too, inspired millions and the results were catastrophic.
Barak Obama certainly is no Hitler or a Billy Graham, (then why did you say it?)
But for many Americans riding on the Barak Obama Tidal Wave it is just like a surfer who might be ecstatic and euphoric while riding a tidal wave, but the reality of the ride is what happens when it hits shore.
Just Some of What Defines Barak Obama:
- He voted for partial birth abortion.
On an issue like partial birth abortion, Barack Obama strongly believes that the state can properly restrict late-term abortions. He has said so repeatedly. All he has said is that we should have a provision to protect the health of the mother, and many of the bills that came before him didn't have that.
Reproductive Choice: Barack Obama has been a consistent champion of reproductive choice and will make preserving a women's right to choose under Roe v. Wade a priority as president. Barack Obama also supports expanded access to contraception, health information and preventive services to reduce unintended pregnancies.
Protecting a Women's Right to Choose: Barack Obama will make safeguarding women's rights under Roe v. Wade a priority. He opposes any constitutional amendment to overturn that decision.
Reducing Unintended Pregnancy: Barack Obama will work to reduce unintended pregnancy by guaranteeing equity in contraceptive coverage, providing sex education, and offering rape victims accurate information about emergency contraception. <http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/womenissues>
Throughout his career, in both the Illinois Senate & the US Senate, Barack Obama has stood up for a women's right to choose, consistently earning 100% ratings from pro-choice groups.
- He voted no on notifying parents of minors who get out-of-state abortions.
Barack Obama voted against the Child Custody Protection Act in July 2006 and against the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act in September 2006.
These similar bills would have made sure a teen girl cannot be taken to another state by someone other than her parents for an abortion that violates the parental involvement laws of the girl's home state.<www.lifenews.com/nat3828.html>
- Supports affirmative action in Colleges and Government (quotas).
All public schools are not created equal. Typically, the worst public schools are in the most depressed areas of the countries. Who wants to move to the poor part of town just to teach school? If Affirmative Action gets young men and women into college and breaks the cycle of poverty. I do no have a problem with that. Can you really say that you never needed help?
- In 2001 he questioned harsh penalties for drug dealing as being too severe.
When child rapists are out of prison before drug dealers, that is what I have a problem with.
- His religious convictions are very murky.
Barack Obama is a Christian. He shares your beliefs. Does that make your religious convictions murky?
- He is willing to meet with Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, Kim Jung Il and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
So, let’s not talk to them? Maybe we should just wait until someone fires a nuclear missile that cannot be taken back. Maybe we should just fire one at them first so that we can go ahead and have Armageddon. I think not.
- Has said that one of his first goals after being elected would be to have a conference with all Muslim nations. Why?
Once again I say: So, let’s not talk to them? Maybe we should just wait until someone fires a nuclear missile that cannot be taken back. Maybe we should just fire one at them first so that we can go ahead and have Armageddon. I think not.
- Opposed the Patriot Act.
Everyone who understands and believes in the Bill of Rights opposed the Patriot Act. This was not a Patriot Act this was an American Suppression Act.
- First bill he signed that was ever passed was campaign finance reform.
Did campaign finance not need to be reformed? Personally, I don’t like big business buying elections. Call me old fashioned, I still thing my vote counts.-
Voted to allow law suits against gun manufacturers.
When gun maker intentionally manufacture a weapon that can be altered to fire as an automatic weapon, then yes, I believe the manufacturer is liable. -
Supports universal health-care.
-
- Well let me see how I feel about this. I have no health care. My thirteen year old daughter has no health care. Hmmmmm. Nope. Don’t have a problem with that either.
- Voted yes on providing habeas corpus for Guantanamo detainees.
Justice Kennedy wrote, "Within the Constitution’s separation-of-powers structure, few exercises of judicial power are as legitimate or as necessary as the responsibility to hear challenges to the authority of the Executive to imprison a person," Kennedy wrote for the majority, underlining the importance of the decision for the continued credibility of the judiciary. "Some of these petitioners have been in custody for six years with no definitive judicial determination as to the legality of their detention."
"The Framers viewed freedom from unlawful restraint as a fundamental precept of liberty," Kennedy wrote. Thus "habeas corpus was one of the few safeguards of liberty specified in a Constitution that, at the outset, had no Bill of Rights."
Because habeas corpus constitutes a judicial check on unlawful imprisonment by the executive branch, "the Framers deemed the writ be an essential mechanism in the separation-of-powers scheme." Quoting The Federalist No. 84, Kennedy wrote, "‘The practice of arbitrary imprisonments has been, in all ages, the favorite and most formidable instrument of tyranny.’"
< www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=9310>
I think that’s kind of important what with the "Patriot Act" and all.
- Supports granting driver's licenses to illegal immigrants.
In Oklahoma you have to have insurance to get a driver’s license. Personally, if someone hits me, I prefer that they have liability insurance.
- Supports extending welfare to illegal immigrants.
Would you let a child starve do death?
- Voted yes on comprehensive immigration reform.
Did it not need reforming comprehensively?
- Voted yes on allowing illegal aliens to participate in Social Security.
Obama and Biden support a system that allows undocumented immigrants who are in good standing to pay a fine, learn English, and go to the back of the line for the opportunity to become citizens.
<www.ontheissues.org/2008/Barack_Obama_Immigration.htm> Citizens pay into the Social Security System.
- Wants to make the minimum wage a 'living wage'.
The minimum wage is now $6.55 per hour. That is $262.00 per week; 1,335.33 per month and $13624.00 per year. Gee I qualify for Food Stamps and Medicaid and My kid will get free lunches. What more could I want!
- Voted with Democratic Party 96 percent of 251 votes. (241 votes Demo, 10 votes Republican)
Conservative Interest Groups which included ACU - American Conservative Union; ATR - Americans for Tax Reform; CWA - Concern Women for America; Club4 - Club for Growth; Eagle - Eagle Forum; FRC - Family Research Council; RTL - Right to Life; TVC - Traditional Values Coalition this is incorrect. As a matter of fact, Barack Obama was the 31st most liberal senator.
- Is a big believer in the separation of church and state.
I don’t want the church running the state or the state running the churches (you know like the do in Russia and China). The separation of Church and State is written in the Constitution. Personally, I do not have a problem with the Constitution.
- Opposed to any efforts to Privatize Social Security and instead supports increasing the amount of tax paid into Soc. Sec. Tax Increase.
Oh now I have a problem with this...I have lost 40 percent of my investments in the stock market over the last three weeks. Too bad my Social Security wasn’t in there too.
- He voted No on repealing the Alternative Minimum Tax which now hits middle income brackets..
The AMT was introduced by the Tax Reform Act of 1969 and became operative in 1970. It was intended to target 155 high-income households that had been eligible for so many tax benefits that they owed little or no income tax under the tax code of the time. I do not have a problem with the rich paying their fair share of taxes.
- He voted No on repealing the 'Death' Tax.
Once the value of the "gross estate" is determined, the law provides for various "deductions in arriving at the value of the "taxable estate." Deductions include but are not limited to: Funeral expenses, administration expenses, and claims against the estate; Certain charitable contributions; Certain items of property left to the surviving family. <en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estate_tax_in_the_United_States>
- He wants to raise the Capital Gains Tax.
If you make more money, you should pay more taxes. I do not have a problem with that.
If you - Has repeatedly said the surge in Iraq has not succeeded...which is not true.
Had we not invaded a sovereign nation, which is what Iraq was, we would not have needed a surge. There have been 4,495 coalition deaths -- 4,181 Americans, two Australians, one Azerbaijani, 176 Britons, 13 Bulgarians, one Czech, seven Danes, two Dutch, two Estonians, one Fijian, five Georgians, one Hungarian, 33 Italians, one Kazakh, one Korean, three Latvians, 22 Poles, three Romanians, five Salvadoran, four Slovaks, 11 Spaniards, two Thai and 18 Ukrainians -- in the war in Iraq as of October 13, 2008. A new survey by the Iraqi government and the World Health Organization concludes that around 150,000 Iraqis were killed in the three years following the 2003 invasion of Iraq
.<www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties> That is just through 2006. If the end justifies the means, I guess it did.
- He is ranked as the most liberal Senator in the Senate today and that takes some doing.
Well actually, according to the Conservative Interest Groups which included ACU - American Conservative Union; ATR - Americans for Tax Reform; CWA - Concern Women for America; Club4 - Club for Growth; Eagle - Eagle Forum; FRC - Family Research Council; RTL - Right to Life; TVC - Traditional Values Coalition this is incorrect. As a matter of fact, Barak Barak Obama was the 31st most liberal senator. Let’s see 31 of 100 that’s almost in the middle or, dare I say ... moderate.
I do want to thank you for your concern for my politics. I will be voting for Barack Obama on November 4, 2008 and celebrating his win on November 5.
UPDATE: My first diary and the Rec List!! Thank you. I am humbled. Oh, and by the way, no response yet...still waiting.