J's Cafe Nette

Archive for December 21st, 2007

The following is the opening paragraph in Michael Yon’s email which links to his latest dispatch.

Been a long but productive year. Great progress in Iraq. The country has made a dramatic turnaround. But of course, there is still a long way to go, and sharper fighting in the months ahead before anyone should consider declaring this mission accomplished.

“One Step Forward” delves further into the return of troops to Great Britain and the reception of not only the citizens and the press, but their relationship with Lady Camilla. The surprise came in reading that Michael had a bit of one on one time with this member of the Royal Family:

So when the commander introduced me to Lady Camilla and we had our short and very public meeting before all those cameras, I told Lady Camilla that her handwritten letters to the soldiers were very important to them. That I could tell that they were cherished in a way that went beyond polite acknowledgment. In that brief exchange it was clear to this American with no sense of Royalty that her devotion to these soldiers also went beyond the expected call of duty.

Another great read and once more an opportunity to say thank you to all those who have sacrificed so we may live free and wish them only the best upon their return to their homelands.

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I read something in the early hours of this morning which defines exactly the way I have felt about this constant campaigning which has continued through the Christmas season.

From AJ Strata, who says this far better than I ever could:

Never before has the Presidential election attempted an incursion into America’s sacred time to give thanks and pray for peace and solidarity. Never before has politics intruded so much on Christmas (and hopefully never again). The candidates’ desperate attacks and dirty tricks are ringing a harsh dissonant note against the backdrop of Christmas caroling, and friends and family uniting to celebrate a man who tried to bring people together in peace – not to divide them with heated rhetoric. I cannot help but notice this state level race to be first in the nation in the primaries is actually turning into a disaster as politics poisons a perfectly good American Holiday meant to transport us away from the daily grind to a happier place – even if it is a fleeting and brief escape.

Don’t you wish you could just yell, STOP? I know I do!

Thanks to the folks at Blackfive, the troops will receive holiday wishes from several different bloggers.

Should you have a spare few minutes you might want to check out the compilation of greetings on the video at their site.

Would these be your choices for the top twenty stories of 2007?

Have a wonderful weekend before Christmas everyone.

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From Thursday’s Omega Letter is a very interesting commentary on how Christians should pick their president.

Lesser of Two Evils

You know, it doesn’t really matter what party you belong to this season, the best anybody can hope for is the lesser of two evils.

It is a phrase we’ve been hearing since the early 1990’s, when many voters considered Clinton/Gore the lesser of the two evils when compared to George H. W. Bush and Dan Quayle.

The elder Bush had just broken his famous promise; (“Read my lips. No new taxes!” and Dan Quayle became a running joke on the late night comedy shows.

Along comes Clinton/Gore and many voters shrugged off their choice as the lesser of two evils.

In 1996, America already had some inkling of the fact it had turned over the keys to the kingdom to a refugee from the Playboy mansion who had turned the Lincoln Bedroom into a Chinese Motel 6.

But when compared to the Bob Dole/Jack Kemp ticket, to the majority of voters, Clinton/Gore was still the lesser of two evils.

This year, the Republicans are all about selecting the lesser of two evils — or three, at this stage of the game.

Who should best carry the GOP standard forward for the next four years? A pro-abortion cross-dressing liberal disguised as a conservative? A Mormon? A former Baptist preacher using Jesus as a campaign prop?

Do we choose a social liberal who is strong on defense? A Mormon who appears to be scandal-proof? Or a conservative Christian who made rejecting evolution a campaign issue, but pledges to maintain the practice of teaching it in public schools?

Which is the lesser of two (or in this case, three), evils?

Assessment:

If the Right has a problem with its choices, consider the conundrum facing the Left. In the first place, they don’t believe in ‘evil’ — except when it comes to politics.

Then ‘good’ becomes ‘evil’ and ‘evil’ becomes ‘good’.

Hillary Clinton arranged to have a ‘ringer’ ask her at a debate if she believed in God. Hillary’s campaign denies it was a setup. . . but, for heaven’s sake, Hillary!

(The questioner was Hillary’s Sunday school teacher!)

It makes you wonder what she was thinking.

To her own constituents, admitting to a belief in God is blasphemy!

For believers in the political center, there was something disingenuous (to say the least) about having her Sunday School teacher wring the admission out of her under false pretenses.

(As for me, it sent a different message. Even Hillary’s Sunday School teacher wasn’t sure Hillary was a believer.)

But then, Hillary has to be compared with Barack Hussein Obama.

While the Right wrestles with the possibility of a Mormon in the White House, the Left is wrestling with the idea of electing an African-American with troubling links to Islam, seemingly on the sole qualification of race.

Barack Obama was sworn in to US Senate in January 2005, and has spent most of his Senate career running for president, so he has very little national political experience.

He has no executive experience to speak of. Prior to running for the Senate, he was a one-term member of the Illinois State Senate. Prior to that he was an attorney, and prior to that, a student.

And that only takes us back to 1988.

His worldview is a mystery — his father was a Muslim, his mother an American atheist. There are rumors he was educated in a Muslim madrassa. His autobiography admits he attended Muslim schools. When Obama’s parents divorced, his mother married another Muslim.

Obama wrote in his autobiography, “The Audacity of Hope”; “During the five years that we would live with my stepfather in Indonesia, I was sent first to a neighborhood Catholic school, and then to a predominantly Muslim school. . .

(Under Islamic law, that makes him a Muslim.)

So, the Left has a choice between a totally inexperienced black candidate with ties to an ideology at war with the United States, or a totally inexperienced female candidate with ties to Bill Clinton, Al Gore, the Chinese government, organized crime, etc., etc, ad nauseum.

To the Left, the principal question is, “do we choose a black guy or a woman?” — and only after that question is satisfied do they get to the question of which is the lesser of two evils politically.

Now we get to the heart of the matter. Over the past month or so, I’ve been accused of both endorsing Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee AND slamming their campaigns.

In each case, the general consensus of the feedback is that, depending on whether one is for Romney or Huckabee, the preferred candidate is the ‘lesser of two evils.’

Those who prefer Romney compare his Mormonism to his lifestyle and conclude his Mormonism is the lesser of the two evils.

Huck supporters argue that, his socially-liberal political record notwithstanding, the fact he is running as the only true Christian in the race makes him the lesser of two evils.

(Other self-proclaimed ‘Christian candidates’ who were ultimately elected as the ‘lesser of two evils’ included Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and George W. Bush, the poster boy for the ‘lesser of two evils’ argument.)

So, the question for Christians is whether or not we should select someone based on the criteria that he is the lesser of two evils?

Inherent in that question is another question — does being the ‘lesser of two evils’ equate to being ‘good’?

The Bible makes a promise to those who choose one form of evil over another. It promises ‘woe’.

“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil . . .” writes the Prophet Isaiah (5:20)

America chose Jimmy Carter as the lesser of two evils. We got woe.

We chose Bill Clinton, who never failed to show up on Sunday morning television carrying a big, black Bible. Woe.

We got Southern Baptist Al Gore, who brought a Bible to church on Sunday, and spent the rest of the week preaching earth worship. Woe.

So how should a Christian vote? It depends. If one is voting for a Christian leader whose Christianity matches their own, they might just as well stay home and avoid the disappointment.

If one is voting for the lesser of two evils, the Bible says that is what they will get — evil. Evil begets woe.

The simple fact is this. God sets leaders in place according to His purpose and His ultimate plan.[Emphasis mine. Ed.]

“Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.” (Romans 13:2)

Your vote is your civic duty, and your allegiance is to your elected government, but it is up to God to judge the lesser of two evils.

Humans are only capable of judging right and wrong. That is the question before us.

Good and evil are outcomes — and outcomes are known only to God.

Being a Christian isn’t easy. Especially at election time. Selecting a leader demands wisdom. And that is where the Christian has the advantage:
“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” (James 1:5)

So what is the duty of a Christian in such matters? Ask God for wisdom, vote for the candidate best qualified to do the job at hand, and let God be the judge of good and evil.
We’ve got enough woe already.

Let’s take Jack Kinsella’s advice and ask God for the wisdom to choose the candidate we think is right and not the lesser of any evils.

I know of candidates I absolutely cannot support on the Republican and Democratic sides. I just don’t know who I can support and will seek God’s guidance. It may be I sit out this election.

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From your lips to God’s ears, Mr. President.

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