Of course: Somehow, GOP is to blame for “Wrongheaded” and “Cynical” distrust of Government…

Obviously, it’s not as if the President and the Democrat-led Senate could ever be to blame:

(via The Hill; May 13, 2013) – “…What’s blocking us right now is a sort of hyper-partisanship in Washington that I was, frankly, hoping to overcome in 2008, and in the midst of crisis rather than saying now’s the time for us to come together, decided to take another path,” Obama said. “My thinking was when we beat them in 2012 that might break the fever, and it’s not quite broken yet.”

“I genuinely believe there are Republicans out there who would like to work with us but they’re fearful of their base and they’re concerned about what Rush Limbaugh might say about them,” Obama said. “And as a consequence we get the kind of gridlock that makes people cynical about government…”

Ah-ha!! So, it was “gridlock” (which was mysteriously created by the combined efforts of the Republican base and Rush Limbaugh) which was/is responsible for Americans becoming increasingly “cynical about government”. Sure. That, like, makes total sense, …right?

Riiiiiiiight.

Okay, so it doesn’t. Which is precisely why barely a year later, the President realized that he needed to remind us all (again) what silly little ninny-heads we seem to be:

Why we should NOT attack #Syria….

I’ve avoided discussing the whole “will-he-or-won’t-he” babbling regarding President Obama and Syria until now, choosing to read all of the many rationales for our traipsing into another complex, murky battle. Having digested plenty of arguments, both pro- and con-, I have no choice but to come down firmly on the “No” side.

This isn’t just because there are no clear-cut “good guys” here, although trying to figure out who to root for/against in Syria makes the ’90s Bosnian War look like an old Lone Ranger episode. Nor am I against lobbing warheads into Syria simply due to us conservatives “hating this President“. As a lowly blogger, my decision isn’t even slightly political, even though there are lots of political nuances affecting this vote, on all sides.

Bottom line: I don’t trust Obama’s judgement with this, because I don’t believe HE wants to be there.

And if history has shown us anything, it’s that when the leader of a country doesn’t absolutely want to be IN a conflict, it’s unlikely they’re going to WIN the conflict.

Courage for the Race Comes from His Presence

My sweet two-year-old granddaughter experienced her first bout of the stomach flu this weekend. She tried to tell me that she was in pain (which was obvious), but she had no words for ‘nausea’ or ‘gastric distress’. So she had to show me, by emptying the contents of her stomach onto my going-to-the-theater clothes.

Poor little sugar plum, not only in pain but frightened by that bizarre event. I wiped and cuddled and soothed, and she clung to me. “You not leavin’ me, Mama. You not leavin’ me!”

No, baby. Mama definitely can’t go anywhere now. It’s not that Papa couldn’t take good care of you. But you want me, and I want you to know that you can depend on me.

We humbly trust in the Power of Giving Thanks

Every year, on the Tuesday evening before Thanksgiving Day, our congregation gathers to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. And, while we seek to be in a mind of praise and thankfulness EVERY day, there’s something about this particular evening that sharpens that focus.

It is truly a time of praise, worship, and thanksgiving.

This particular Tuesday evening, our Pastor delivered a message on “The Power of Giving Thanks“.  It will change MY life forever, and from the heart, I would like to share his thoughts with you.

Trust and Truthfulness

I’m thinking about what (or who) we put our trust in, and why…and is NOT believing the truth the same thing as believing a lie?

Let’s suppose that every morning I give you an accurate description of the day’s weather, and you choose to ignore it.  This morning, for instance, I tell you that it’s 8 below zero with a brisk wind, and a foot of snow on the ground.  You dress for a day at the beach. That may not be a sin, but it is certainly foolish, isn’t it?  Of course, you may have reasons to doubt my knowledge or my sincerity.  But if I accurately report the weather for a week, will you begin to pay more attention? And act accordingly?  If not, how long will it be before you believe me?

Now let’s suppose the opposite:  I’ve told you the exact opposite of a true weather forecast every day, and every day you’ve believed me and dressed accordingly.  On cold days you’ve shivered and gotten sick, on rainy days you’ve been soaked, and on hot days you’ve come home drenched in sweat.   It’s obvious that whether you ignore truth or believe a lie, you will suffer consequences.  

This has nothing to do with the weather, actually– sunshine, snow storm or torrents of rain.  It’s also not a matter of my telling you about good weather versus bad.  I may not like the conditions outside any more than you do.  No, the question is one of trust.  Trust implies a relationship in time:  based on your past experience, you believe me right now about something which is, and/or which will be in the future.  If I am trustworthy, doesn’t that mean that I have been truthful?  Why would you trust me if I had lied about the weather every day?

This seems self-evident.  But there are people who every day put their trust in people and things which are demonstrably not truthful.  Why do they do that?  Why do women stay with men who abuse them?  Why do people read horoscopes or call fortune tellers and psychics?  Why do scientists postulate against the available evidence?  Why do people vote for public officials who have demonstrated their insincerity, mendacity or unfaithfulness to vows?  (What? Can’t think of any examples?) If the sign says “Thin ice,” what is it in human nature that wants to skate on it anyway?

Or ask the opposite question:  why do so many people tend to ignore advice and information from people who both love them and have proven themselves trustworthy?  If you know that your mother has never lied to you, and she wants you to dress warmly, what mechanism is it that prompts you to go out with no coat?  (This is the mother’s perennial question.  I fear there IS no answer.)

If you are warned, by sign and book and caring counsel, that what you are doing is dangerous…why do you persist in walking out on the ice?  If it is demonstrated again and again that the leader you support is untrustworthy and in fact does not have your best interests at heart…why are you still following?   And at what point does your foolishness become sin?  At what point does a nation’s folly put it beyond hope?

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way;walk in it.  (Isaiah 30:21  NIV)

[to be continued, next week…]