Monday, December 14, 2009

Daddy on the Edge of Church and State

So, in a friendly (hmmmm...it wasn't really friendly...let's try civil) - so, in a civil Facebook wall conversation about health care and the Republican's view on such, I made a comment that a terribly sensitive, gentle-mannered republican took offense with - I called his party "Godless".

Now, let us please note the obvious: I am not the first person to bandy that word about when describing a political party. I mean, how could we ever forget -



Yes, that's right; the Republican man-child poet laureate herself called the Dems "Godless" on the cover of her frigging book! So, not to be infantile, but - She started it! Still, I'd like to think that I'm better than Ann Coulter. Or, if not better...well...at least prettier.

Still, was I out of line? Godless - did I go too far? I guess it's all about perspective. In diatribes of the past on Facebook, the democrats and I have been called some pretty heinous things by members of another party, so yeah - I usually feel like I'm entitled to take a swipe every now and again. (Note: This is where the expression, "You can dish it out, but you can't take it" comes from - Republicans will be lethally caustic in their insults, epithets and accusations, but the second you volley back, it is as if you have heartily offended them, mortally wounded them and given their mother a wedgie. They were just kidding, you see - but you got serious, you went too far, and that was not right. You should apologize to the poor, dear Republican and never offend it again. Seriously, I see this happen all the time - try it out at your next dinner party!). The point I was trying to make, y'know - with the whole "Godless" remark, is best summed up by Jesus Christ in the book of Matthew. Check it:

Matthew 25:34-46 (King James Version)

34Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

35For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

36Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

37Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

38When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

39Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

40And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

41Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

42For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

43I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

44Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

45Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

46And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.


So, my thinking is, when you deny a health care option for millions of Americans that can't afford the current system, you are denying Christ. When you deny millions of Americans reasonably priced, life saving medications..when you make them choose between buying medicine or buying food, you are doing that to Christ. We are all God's children; not just the one's that go to your church, not just the ones in your tax bracket, not just the ones in your golf club. Some of us are dirty. Some of us are poor. Some of us are sick, or hungry, or afraid, or lost. Some of us are all of these things. All of us are children of God. And when you forget that, when you place more importance on the money in your pocket than you do on the citizens of this country, when profit is worth more to you than the people you are supposed to represent then yes; I will call you Godless.

If you don't like that description, you can change it. The problem I have with Republicans is not that I don't like their plan - rather, it's that they have no coherent plan at all, save for the plan to block any Obama initiative, come Hell or high water. And therein lies the true issue - we are two parties looking for solutions to two different problems. The Democrats want something as close to Universal Health Care as we can get in this country, and the Republicans want Obama to fail miserably at anything he sets his hand to.

If we could at least be working toward the same goal, that would be refreshing and could actually be productive. Sometimes it's easiest to start with a definite goal and then work backwards, i.e; "Every legal citizen of the United States will have full and complete health care provided to them at a cost they can afford by the end of 2010. There - there's your goal - now, how do you get there? Here's a hint - you don't get there by painting your President as a socialist, or a Nazi, or an anarchist. You don't get there by programs of misinformation (death panels? Was that Rove's idea calling it that? That just sounds so Rove. It smacks of Rove. It's downright...Rovian.)

Working together. Putting the needs of the nation as a whole above the needs of campaign contributors. That's how you do it. It's easy. Sure, it'll feel funny at first - you might get a little woozy or throw up in your mouth a little bit, but that will pass. You can do this. Both Democrats and Republicans can stop acting like parties and act like human beings, if only for a moment, and bring about real change. We are all Children of God, and as such, what we are capable of is extraordinary. Live up to the potential; live up to the words. Let us really, truly be One Nation, under God, Indivisible, with Liberty, and Justice For ALL.

In God We Trust,

Daddy

PS: In my research for this entry, I came across Matthew 25 Ministries, a non-profit organization doing some amazing work for those less fortunate. I've included a link to the right - check them out, contribute, volunteer if you like. Let's be Part of the Solution. Thanx.

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