Saturday, January 26, 2008
How dare they
This presidential race is bringing out things that should offend and outrage every American that ever breathed free air. Let me get started here. Barack Obama has been accused of not placing his hand over his heart when he sang the Star Spangled Banner or recited the pledge of allegiance thus proving him to be unfit to be president. What!?!
Accusations have been aimed against him that he was a Muslim, not a Christian, once again making him unqualified to run the country. I suppose if he had been accused of being an atheist, he may has well have grabbed his passport and hopped on a plane. I hadn't realized that the constitution had been changed to exclude Americans who weren't Christians, especially 'born again' evangelicals, from becoming President of the United States. While those accusations against Obama have been proven to be false, I would like to make the following statement: "I am an American citizen who loves his country. I have served voluntarily in the armed forces during World War Two. I have never failed to pay my taxes nor have I ever beaten my wife or spit on the sidewalk (well, almost never). I do NOT feel obliged to pledge allegiance or sing the Star Spangled Banner if I choose not too. I do not believe it is anybody's business whether or not I practice or not practice a religious faith. In all this back and forth bickering about religious "values", the presidential candidates are stomping all over every Americans right to our most important freedom, to worship or not worship as we choose.
Who are these guys to suggest otherwise? What if, in fact, Barack Obama WAS a Muslim. Are these idiotic critics saying he should be denied the right to run for president?
I don't like all this phony showing of patriotic and religious fervor being used as a self serving tool to win the White House. We have had more than enough of that. Finally, I say this as a loyal citizen of this country who has payed his dues. I will continue to rise to my feet when old glory passes by as long as these tired old legs will hold me up, but I'll be damned if I'll do if because some dim wit tells me I'm a traitor if I don't.
George Morin
Auburn, Ga.
Accusations have been aimed against him that he was a Muslim, not a Christian, once again making him unqualified to run the country. I suppose if he had been accused of being an atheist, he may has well have grabbed his passport and hopped on a plane. I hadn't realized that the constitution had been changed to exclude Americans who weren't Christians, especially 'born again' evangelicals, from becoming President of the United States. While those accusations against Obama have been proven to be false, I would like to make the following statement: "I am an American citizen who loves his country. I have served voluntarily in the armed forces during World War Two. I have never failed to pay my taxes nor have I ever beaten my wife or spit on the sidewalk (well, almost never). I do NOT feel obliged to pledge allegiance or sing the Star Spangled Banner if I choose not too. I do not believe it is anybody's business whether or not I practice or not practice a religious faith. In all this back and forth bickering about religious "values", the presidential candidates are stomping all over every Americans right to our most important freedom, to worship or not worship as we choose.
Who are these guys to suggest otherwise? What if, in fact, Barack Obama WAS a Muslim. Are these idiotic critics saying he should be denied the right to run for president?
I don't like all this phony showing of patriotic and religious fervor being used as a self serving tool to win the White House. We have had more than enough of that. Finally, I say this as a loyal citizen of this country who has payed his dues. I will continue to rise to my feet when old glory passes by as long as these tired old legs will hold me up, but I'll be damned if I'll do if because some dim wit tells me I'm a traitor if I don't.
George Morin
Auburn, Ga.
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Thank you, Mr. Morin. I agree entirely. Being president is not about what religion he or she is, but of his or her ability to successfully guide this nation through whatever struggles we come up against during his or her presidency. Hypothetical situations and edited video clips do not a president make. As I've been reading your blog I've begun to realize that you are without a doubt the most open-minded person of your generation I have ever encountered, and will most likely ever encounter. You told us that you were born into the "greatest generation" but that you believe that my generation will be even better because of the education we've recieved. While I don't know about that, I do believe that my generation will be even more tolerant of others, and the generation after will be even more so, until some day in the distant future, there may come a time when things like religion and race don't determine the outcome of things based on the prejudices people learn early in life which in most cases follow them throughout adulthood. I know that might be idealistic, but sometimes it's better to hope for the impossible than to live with the reality of human cruelty.
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