Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by John Clifford on November 8, 2008 at 12:44

How's this for experience:
Education:
BA in political science (with a specialization in international relations) from Columbia University.
JD Graduate of Harvard Law School (Juris Doctor degree, magna cum laude).
President of the Harvard Law Review (the first ever African American).
Work Experience:
Civil rights attorney (turned down a prestigious judicial clerkship1)
Constitutional law professor.
Community organizer.
State Senator.
Chairman of the Illinois State Senate Health and Human Services Committee.
US Senator.
Member of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Environment and Public Works Committee, and Veterans ’ Affairs Committee.
Author.
Husband and father of two daughters.
Board member of the Joyce Foundation, the Woods Fund of Chicago, and the Chicago Annenberg Challenge.
Honors:
Grammy award winner (Spoken Word category).
Honored by the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (for narration of one of his books).
Honorary doctor of laws degree from the University of Massachusetts Boston (for among other things, "advancing and protecting the interests of the less fortunate"2)

Oh, and one other thing. He ran one of the most brilliant campaigns for President in modern times, and won!

Permalink Reply by Ann W. on November 5, 2008 at 13:01

I, too, will pray for him as our elected leader because I believe that is Biblical, but at the same time, I don't believe God expects me to compromise my Biblical beliefs. I would like to hear how his supporters feel about a year from now. I wonder how they will feel about being a part of the European Union, or worse, aligned with the Arab nations.
Incidentally, does it seem politicians just LIE more than ever? Just relevant truth I suppose. I know, lying isn't confined to politicians only. Lord, help us all!
Ann W.

Permalink Reply by Ann W. on November 5, 2008 at 14:11

European Union member nations do not necessarily have to be IN Europe to become a member. Countries have united to have greater negotiating power. Sorta like Shale groups.

"aligned with Arab nations" as in those with a common purpose of wiping Israel off the map!

Ann W.

Permalink Reply by Ann W. on November 6, 2008 at 8:13

Jim71006:
fyi: Info re some of the 27-30 countries in the EU:
Some overseas territories are part of the EU even if they are not geographically part of Europe, such as the Azores, the Canary Islands, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Madeira, Martinique, Réunion, Saint Barthélemy, and Saint Martin. Several other countries outside of Europe are candidates to become members. Interesting how powerful the EU has become in light of how global the economy, etc. has evolved. Which nations the US becomes aligned with may depend upon how weak we become and, therefore, our choices are radically reduced.
Ann W.

Permalink Reply by Raybies on November 6, 2008 at 2:34

Perhaps you should read a book titled House of Bush - House of Saud. It investigates how the Bush family has very deep ties (over 30 years worth of "interesting" business deals) with the governing family in Saudi Arabia. The current administration is aligned with Arab nations, that is VERY evident.

Permalink Reply by Big Daddy, bcnr on November 5, 2008 at 15:10

Thanks Keith. I personally would like to aplogize to the entire GHS community. I allowed my emotions to get the best of me.

Permalink Reply by CC on November 5, 2008 at 16:28

A long read, but very pertinent to last night's disappointment--definitely gives you pause for thought, as well as possibly a wake-up call!

Is your business heading toward bondage?

by Marilyn Barnewall
June 16, 2004

In 1787, a Scottish history professor at the University of Edinburgh said about the fall of the Athenian republic (about 300 B.C.), "A democracy is always temporary in nature. It simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government.

"A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury. The result is that every democracy will finally collapse over loose fiscal policy (which is) always followed by a dictatorship."

I always check quotes for accuracy. This particular quote is carried on several reputable Web pages, but I also contacted the University of Edinburgh librarian for verification.

According to the Internet stories, the Scottish history professor is named Alexander Tyler. According to the University of Edinburgh (where he taught), his name is Alexander Tytler. So, if any of my ambitious readers wish to check the source, you'll have to look under Tyler on the Net… or contact Edinburgh University as I did.

The year 1787 was the time our forefathers and the thirteen states they represented writer and adopted our Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Perhaps they should have listened more closely to Professor Tytler.

The good professor further said "The average age of the world's greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through"… the following cycles:

"From bondage to spiritual faith. From spiritual faith to great courage. From courage to liberty. From liberty to abundance. From abundance to complacency. From complacency to apathy. From apathy to dependence. From dependence back into bondage."

This guy knew what he was talking about. Do the cycles sound as familiar to you as they do to me?

No wonder so many people believe we are in the final days. The Athenians and Romans probably felt the same way as they watched their traditional civilizations crumble around them. We may well be in the final days. But are they the final days before the second coming of Christ? Or, are they just the final days of a 200 year old democracy?

There is no doubt that most of the Americans who settled our nation were running from servitude to various European royal houses. From the records kept of the abiding faith of our founding fathers, there is no doubt they moved from bondage to spiritual faith and from there to great courage. Those without courage do not attack the greatest army of the 18th century.

There is also no doubt we progressed from their courage to liberty and from that liberty came abundance.

According to a new book titled "Understanding Poverty in America" by Robert F. Rector and Kirk A. Johnson, Ph.D., even our poor are, for the most part, far better off than average citizens in other countries. They point out that:

"Forty-six percent of all poor households actually own their own homes. The average home owned by persons classified as poor by the Census Bureau is a three-bedroom house with one-and-a-half baths, a garage, and a porch or patio.

"Seventy-six percent of poor households have air conditioning. By contrast, 30 years ago, only 36 percent of the entire U.S. population enjoyed air conditioning.

"Only 6 percent of poor households are overcrowded. More than two-thirds have more than two rooms per person.

"The average poor American has more living space than the average individual living in Paris, London, Vienna, Athens, and other cities throughout Europe.

"Nearly three-quarters of poor households own a car, 30 percent own two or more cars.

"Ninety-seven percent of poor households have a color television; over half own two or more color televisions.

"Seventy-eight percent have a VCR or DVD player; 63 percent have cable or satellite TV reception.

"Seventy-three percent own microwave ovens, more than half have a stereo, and a third have an automatic dishwasher."

Being poor is no fun. I've been there and done that. The above statistics are not quoted to in any way demean the poor. They are used to simply say we in America have abundance. It has raised the standard of living of our poor above that of average, not poor, people in the rest of the developed, modernized world.

"Understanding Poverty in America" runs numerous comparisons between average Europeans and poor Americans. Believe me, you're better off being poor in America than average in Europe.

It doesn't take much imagination to identify the abundance to complacency cycle, does it? It was the complacency of citizens that trusted their government too much – the 1940s through 60s generations -- that allowed it to grow to serve itself rather than the people who pay for it.

We were blind to the dangers. We trusted too much people who sought power for its own sake – in growing, giant corporations as well as government. We didn't understand the "power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely" concept. What else can be said? We erred in our misplaced faith.

The number of people who do not vote or just do not want to be bothered with the process of choosing candidates who serve the people rather than their party is evidence of the move from complacency to apathy. Too, people become apathetic when they experience changes they do not want imposed by a government they cannot control.

Do average Americans want illegal immigrants legalized? No. Did average Americans want NAFTA? No. There are a lot of "but we don't want it" programs on the list.

We only need to look at government-controlled programs and the number of people dependent upon them -- Social Security, welfare, Medicare, national health care, a government school system -- to know we are dependent on government for our daily existence.

I do not demean the programs, only the dependence we have on them. As Tytler predicted we would in our 227 year old democracy, we have gone from apathy to dependency.

If Professor Tytler's thesis is correct, the next stage for America is a return to bondage. Some people think we are there, already. In fact, we have gone far enough down the road to government dependency, it seems to me the only way to save ourselves from Tytler's predicted destiny is go back to square one: to spiritual faith and courage.

Permalink Reply by Cathaus on November 5, 2008 at 17:03

Powerful and potent and more than that, a picture of things to come if we don't get back to being ONE NATION UNDER GOD.

Permalink Reply by keb on November 6, 2008 at 3:41

CC very good article. It's been said, "history repeats itself." I will strongly urge all Americans to PRAY for God's hand and guidance. The Bush years should've started us praying and still should continue. As a person of color, I know what bondage is in it's true form. I lived thru the years of "white only" water fountains, and had to ride in the back of the bus and no one was even on it! All sort of comments seem to surface now that Pres. Elect Obama has been selected by the People. Where was all the fear, disgust, mistrust, saddness, hatred, etc. when we allowed Bush to stay in power for eight years? As Rabies stated, read the book, House of Bush, House of Saudi . I learned to pray years ago as a black child in America, so hope for us is seen thru different eyes than they would of someone who has no clue how it feels to be, and live black in America. It is time, don't you think, for America to truly live up to it's creed? Some of us hae never felt this was a nation "of the people, by the people and for the people" we felt it was for SOME of the people. God help us All!

Permalink Reply by Jo Anna Godfrey on November 6, 2008 at 20:29

Never were there truer words spoken. You sound like my husband. He is blessed with insight and it sounds like you are, too. We definitely live in an apathetic society.

Permalink Reply by Oldlowball on November 6, 2008 at 2:48

Just let the man go to work and then you can judge his performance as President.

Permalink Reply by Cathaus on November 6, 2008 at 3:12

You are correct Oldlowball. It is time to let him do the thing he was elected to do. We need to pray and ask that God's hand be on him and his family.
Now, let's get back to the thing that united us, The Haynesville Shale and away from the things that divide us.

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