Punching Stupid and Evil in the Face Since 1986!

"We are on strike, we the men of the mind. We are on strike against self-immolation. We are on strike against the creed of unearned rewards and unrewarded duties."-John Galt

Friday, November 7, 2008

A few days gone....

It has been a couple of days since the election took place. I, like millions of others, cast my ballot and hoped for the best. In the end I did not get the president I wanted, however, I will respect the office and give Obama a chance. Unlike so many over the last 8 years, I will not insult, degrade or bash my president. It’s disrespectful and I will not participate. Please don’t mistake my manners (something that has been sorely lacking these past 8 years) for complacency-it’s not-if Obama wants to run this country into the ground with too much government and too many entitlements, I will not be silent, but I will always be respectful. That is what I’m thinking about today-respecting the office of President of the United States.

I am doing my best to be respectful and even in awe of what the election of Obama symbolizes in this country; I am having a hard time respecting his supporters and the media. No matter my political differences with Obama I am aware of the historical and social significance of his election. However, the demands from his supporters that I be happy, or that I am somehow stupid for not worshipping at the altar of Obama is just too much. The demand that I support his policy and be kind a respectful toward him is infuriating to me. It’s not that I won’t be-it’s that the majority of these people who demand this from me are the same people that degraded, berated, and demonized Bush at every chance. I have no issue with your right to disagree with a candidate politically and even to work your hardest to drive change. I have issue with anyone that will publicly and loudly degrade the leader of YOUR country. I was reading this Wall Street Journal article and came across this:

“Our failure to stand by the one person who continued to stand by us has not gone unnoticed by our enemies. It has shown to the world how disloyal we can be when our president needed loyalty -- a shameful display of arrogance and weakness that will haunt this nation long after Mr. Bush has left the White House”

I find this to be very poignant and telling. It is ludicrous to me that the same people who felt it was appropriate to say anything they wanted about Bush now say “Oh, shame on you, you must support him, be respectful of the office.” Seriously? Are you kidding me? Whatever-I was raised to have manners and I will, but DO NOT for one second think that because Obama is in the office you have the right to force your views on me. Respect and manners is not the same thing as complete, blind loyalty.

Finally, in some ways the treatment of the election of Obama is just downright insulting. The comparison of him to a messiah or some kind of otherworldly savior is disgusting to me. I came across this article on FoxNews.com (of all places). For the most part, I just had to laugh. It was just way too over the top with its loving, worldly praise of Obama. The disturbing part? The last sentence of the story:

“If you look at Jesus Christ, he walked on water and fed the 5,000 and he ended up getting crucified, so I think it's not unlikely that President-elect Obama is gonna disappoint some people also."

I thought I might have a nervous breakdown right then and there. Comparing Obama to Jesus is just too much. He is a man. He is a politician. He is no more and no less and this comparison is pathetic. Obama will not heal your pain, save your diseased, right your wrongs, and cause the lame to walk. Obama has made claims and promises that he may or may not accomplish; to elevate him to this level is not only disrespectful, frankly, it could be dangerous. Self reliance and strong faith in yourself and your God is what made this country great-not worshipping false idols.

When I reflect over the last 8 years I am not blind to the things that could have been done differently. I too see policies and actions that I disagree with. I have no problem acknowledging the President is a human and a politician. I have no problem disagreeing with some choices made by ALL politicians. However, would never presume to force someone to praise a leader they did not agree with. I would never presume because one does not hold my political views they are stupid. My mother raised me to have manners and always be respectful, while fighting with all my might for ideas I believe in.

1 comment:

  1. I'm with you! I didn't get the president I wanted, and I'm quite conservative, but I'm not upset. There are many positives that can come from this, too.

    I will never, and have never, bashed a president. I have great respect for the office, and will respect anyone IN the office. I also give the president the benefit of the doubt in nearly ALL cases for the following simple reasons:

    1) Much of what we hear comes through a media filter - good or bad. It is still knowledge once removed from the source.

    2) Last I checked, we don't get (and shouldn't) the security briefings and everything else that goes into the President's (and Congress) decisions.

    3) Have YOU ever been misunderstood about even a simple thing? If you are President, and the right person misunderstands you - you become a spectacle. I can't imagine.

    The WSJ article was very good, and I think accurate. I believe that history will be kind to GWB in the end.

    BTW, we teach our kids these same principles. It is never OK to bash someone - either a school-mate or the president or anyone in-between. You just don't know.

    Remember, they are human, too.

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