Hi Readers,
I was on the bus yesterday on the way to Walmart. I was wearing my Obama Biden tee shirt and a pair of jean shorts. A man that I used to talk to on the bus on our way to work his was in the Warehouse District and me at The Mall of America got on the 17 line. We both moved to St. Louis Park MN and he was with his family. He complimented me on my shirt and I told him that I was part of Team Obama. Me the constant campaigner asked him if he would like to volunteer for the campaign at the Hopkins' office. He skirted the issue then he finally said he didn't vote. I said you should vote because as a citizen it is your Constitutional right. He said that his religion wouldn't let him vote and that he had to serve God and not man. He said he was a Jehovah's Witness. I said that his voting is his decision and he has to make up his own mind whether or not to vote. I said no religion has a right to forbid you to vote. He left the bus before I could convert him to a more logical way of thinking.
I googled The Jehovah's Witnesses and found out that they are part of the Evangelicals which tells a lot of the story. The JW's have a cult like profile because they demand their members only associate with other JW members. They forbid their members from participating in governmental functions. They don't go to movies or other entertainment functions. They refuse blood transfusions. They won't join the military. They are virtually cut off from the general society! Maybe not quite as cut off as the Amish but cut off to the enriching life of being free to use their minds as they please.
The trait that is most helpful to all USA citizens is to become a humanitarian irregardless of your religion! The only way that this great experiment in governance that is The USA will work is if we care about our fellow homo sapiens and help those that need help(the poor and now the middle class) by providing jobs, health care, and safe housing to all! Our goal should be that all people have a comfortable life and eradicate poverty! That means we have to vote with our pocketbook. Barack Obama is the best candidate to watch over the poor and middle class! Mitt Romney is the darling of the 1% and he proves that all the time by flaunting his wealth! How many of you can fly across the water with your own jet ski?
The man I told you about in the beginning told me he was quite a player in the past. He, like most addictive personalities that quit their addiction of choice, true to their addiction choose draconian religions fearing that standard religions that allow free thinking will make them go back to their old ways. Unless you are living a free thinking life and making your own choices sans the Alcohol, drugs or tobacco, you are on eternal dry drunk even though you are screaming, "PRAISE THE LORD!' Last September 6th I celebrated 30 years of sobriety. I am Catholic and am a Lay Minister in my church but I am still a free thinker. I am part of Team Obama and am working for his re-election and I am a strong believer of the separation of church and state! Theocracies don't work and never will! The job of religion is to make us better people and to do God's work in helping humanity! Our government is to protect civil rights for all and to see that everyone's basic needs are met. Let's all achieve Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs!