Posted by
peripheral on Friday, November 13, 2009 6:46:19 AM
From My Perspective - - -
Is human behavior predictable? Is there validity to the phrase: “As now
– so then!”? Is there a pattern that one follows based upon moral
principles inculcated (to teach another by frequent instruction or
repetition; indoctrinate) in the home, personal philosophy, educational
choices, and political bias and orientation? Can it be said that
Political Perpetuity is a reality and serves as a barometer in terms of
a politician’s decision-making process? Perpetuity means: “The quality
or condition of being perpetual…Time without end; eternity.” With that
being true, would it not be wise to fasten one’s seat-belt for a long
and arduous journey – one that will be “demanding great effort or
labor; difficult…testing severely the powers of endurance; strenuous”?
Currently, the President of the United States has rejected all options
offered him regarding the War in Afghanistan. If there have been random
recommendations without complete detail of both objective and duration,
that would demonstrate wisdom. If the rejection is based upon political
considerations and perpetuity, that would be lacking in wisdom. A
question is: Is there any barometer one can view that gives an
indication of the direction in this decision-making process? Is it fair
and adequate to look at one’s past political career to gain some
insight to what’s ahead?
One insight we gain is, Barack Obama began his political career as an
Illinois state senator, where he served from 1997 to 2004. He spoke out
against the U.S. invasion of Iraq. This was backed up by the
publication on his official candidate's site of his speech at an
anti-war rally in October 2002. Rather than fighting Iraq, he said:
"Let's finish the fight with Bin Laden and Al Qaeda, through effective,
coordinated intelligence, and a shutting down of the financial networks
that support terrorism, and a homeland security program that involves
more than color-coded warnings." Another insight is that as a senator
in the Illinois legislature, he had a third option beyond "Yes" or "No"
- namely - "Present." This option allows a legislator to remain neutral
on an issue at vote, side-stepping a stance. He was criticized by his
campaign rival Senator Hillary Clinton's campaign for the 129 "Present"
votes he made from 1997 to 2004 [source: National Public Radio]. In
1999, he voted present on a bill that allowed juvenile offenders who
committed certain crimes to be tried as adults. The results of this
vote and others, including votes on abortion, allowed Clinton's
campaign to portray Mr. Obama as a talker rather than a doer [source:
The New York Times]. In the US Senate in 2007, he voted along
Democratic Party lines 97 percent of the time - 10 percent more than
the average for all Democratic senators [source: The Hill]. Of the
leading Democrat candidates, he missed the most votes during the 109th
Congress - 282 of the 630 total votes from Dec. 8, 2007, to July 28,
2008, or 44.8 percent. Is he still just a "talker rather than a doer"
of what is wise and right?
As President, he has the difficult decision of whether or not to send
more than 40,000 troops into harms way! What will he ultimately decide?
Is Political Perpetuity at play here? Is he delaying his decision to
preserve a fragile vote differential for the Health Care Reform
legislation? There is an intriguing passage in the Bible that has all
kinds of ramifications - Job 40:1-5 (NLT), “Then the LORD said to Job,
Do you still want to argue with the Almighty? You are God's critic, but
do you have the answers? Then Job replied to the LORD, I am nothing –
how could I ever find the answers? I will put my hand over my mouth in
silence. I have said too much already. I have nothing more to say." The
words of Verse 2 in The Message: “…Job Answers God: I'm Ready to Shut
Up and Listen…” Whether or not the politician of today will admit it,
there is a bigger picture and a better plan. However – it includes The
Sovereign God of Whom it is said - Isaiah 42:5-8 (NLT), “God, the LORD,
created the heavens…He created the earth and everything in it. He gives
breath and life to everyone in all the world…it is He who says: I, the
LORD, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness…and you will be a
light to guide all nations to me…I am the LORD; that is my name! I will
not give my glory to anyone else…” The plans of our politicians need to
be fitting into God’s plans for our nation. If we do it – we’ll
succeed; if we don’t – failure will be a certainty and our destiny! May
our leaders have the good sense to make the wise and correct choices!
Consider these things with me!