Race

This week -- for the first time in history -- a black man will become a major party's candidate for President of the United States of America. Forty years ago, another black man stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and spoke about his dream. With Obama's nomination, you would think that Martin Luther King's dream has come true.

It hasn't.

Last week, a young white woman (20 years old) was talking to me and said (and I'm quoting): There's two sides to every story, unless they're black. They always lie.

Yesterday, a white 40 year old male said to me (and I'm quoting, again): If Obama wins, blacks will start thinking they have power.

Now, I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't say or do anything that would counter these quotes. Truth be told, I was shocked speechless. Racist remarks, especially by someone younger than I am, still stuns me. I cannot believe that in the year 2008 that people still feel this way about other races.

I'm not going to proclaim that a great many of my friends are black because it isn't true. I have a couple black friends. I attended a mixed race schools and the one thing I've learned about blacks is they're really just like whites. So, how could it be that there are still people - under the age of 60 - that do not believe in the equality of the races?

With Barack Obama making history, you would think that Martin Luther King's dream of a world where the races lived together in harmony would be reality.

Too bad it isn't.

God Bless

Obama's Dog

I love this little piece of gossip I heard.

Barrack and Michelle Obama made a deal with their two young daughters that if they would support their father's bid for president, they could have a dog. Now, the dog issue is constant dinner time discussion. One of their daughter's has allergies, so the American Kennel Club has a list of five dogs the Obamas should consider and they are holding a vote about which one the family should get. Now, I understand the reasoning behind the list of five dogs -- these are hypoallergenic, but I think they left one dog off their list -- the American Eskimo Dog.

Now, I have allergies to both cats and dogs. I own Skywalker an eleven year old Eskie. He's a beautiful dog, as well as spoiled. He barks a little too much, but he's good with kids. He loves car rides and being with his family. When my grandsons were born, he took a great interest in them. There are very few people who can grab his tail -- Danny and Alex are on that list. He's studier than any of the other foo foo breeds the AKC picked.

So, here's my personal invitation to the Obama family. Before picking one of these dogs picked out by the AKC, come check out Skywalker. If not him, make sure you meet someone else's American Eskimo Dog. They are the most loving creatures on the planet and would make a perfect pet for your girls. Even the AKC agrees:

The American Eskimo Dog is intelligent, alert, and friendly, although slightly conservative. It is never overly shy nor aggressive, and such dogs are to be severely penalized in the show ring. At home it is an excellent watchdog, sounding a warning bark to announce the arrival of any stranger. It is protective of its home and family, although it does not threaten to bite or attack people. The American Eskimo Dog learns new tasks quickly and is eager to please.

Sounds like the perfect dog for two growing little girls. Might be nice to have a couple of youngsters in the White House again. :-)

God Bless

James Dobson Needs to Read Both the Bible AND the Constitution

As you can imagine, I don't particularly care for James Dobson. I've never heard the man make one statement with which I agree and I think he has a very limited view on God and Jesus that belongs back in the stone age. Further, I believe that Dobson, his Focus on the Family and other right-wing Christian groups have such a limited knowledge of that which is good for the country that they miss the big picture, which is why they supported George W. Bush.

That said, Dobson came out today and made comments about a speech Barack Obama made in 2006. You read that right. In order to find a statement that he can jump on and use as a reason good Christian people shouldn't vote for Obama, Dobson had to reach back into 2006.

Here's what Obama said:

"Which passages of scripture should guide our public policy? Should we go with Leviticus, which suggests slavery is OK and that eating shellfish is an abomination? Or we could go with Deuteronomy, which suggests stoning your child if he strays from the faith? Or should we just stick to the Sermon on the Mount?

"So before we get carried away, let's read our Bible now. Folks haven't been reading their Bible." -- quoted from CNN.

He said this in a speech in front of the Christian group Call to Renewal. Nothing he said was wrong or even unreasonable. If we take the Bible literally, as evangelical Christians wish us to do, then we have to take the WHOLE Bible and not just the parts we want.

However; James Dobson said (and I'm quoting from the CNN news article) "Obama should not be referencing antiquated dietary codes and passages from the Old Testament that are no longer relevant to the teachings of the New Testament." I find that humorous since Focus on the Family is against gay marriage based on Old Testament beliefs (before you write, I don't believe St. Paul mentioned gays. The passage was about men loving boys, which is sick.).

In closing, I'd like to just say that this just shows that the right wing Christians are running scared. Someone who doesn't pander to them just might be elected President and their outdated views of the Bible and a just society might die with this election. The tide is turning against them and they now just have to ruffle feathers so we don't forget that they're there.

God Bless

Obama and the Preacher

I've been mulling over this one for a couple of days now. Barack Obama attends a black church in Illinois which is run by a black preacher who has said some pretty extreme things about America. Senator Obama has denounced what Pastor Wright has said, but he hasn't changed churches, which has some people all up in arms.

Now, would any of us -- minus those of us who attend Trinity church -- even know this pastor's name if someone didn't want to make Obama look bad?

And, all those who have sat in church and listened to a priest, pastor, minister, deacon, etc. and have never disagreed with the one who was preaching, please raise your hands. No one, right?

I have sat and listened to one priest after another say something I whole heartedly disagreed with and I'm still a member of the same church. Why? You might ask. Well, because it's just one priest and it's just one sermon. Some of the priests were visiting pastors and they were gone in a week, some of the priests I heard because I attended a different Mass than my usual one at a different church. During the last Presidential election, I heard a priest strongly imply that a vote for Kerry meant the voter would be burning in Hell and he never said the name Kerry.

Anyway, what I have heard is that there is talk that Senator Obama should renounce his membership in this church and walk away from it. Obama, so far, has refused to do so.

I think Senator Obama is making the right decision. A church can be a second home to someone. Your church of choice is very personal, even if you're running for a public office. Too much is being made of our elected officials religious beliefs as it is and we should really mind our own business. Faith is faith and politics are politics and never the two should meet. I'm sure the good Senator -- if he was even at that particular service -- cringed when he heard Pastor Wright say "America's chickens have come home to roost." But, Trinity feels like home and we shouldn't expect him to leave home.

This past weekend my grandsons were visiting and they attended Easter Mass with us. I was reading the readings and when I was done and returned to the pew, Danny clapped and said, "Good job, Nana. Good job."

So, following Danny's lead, I say to Barack Obama, "Good job, Senator. Good job."

God Bless