My Thoughts

My Thoughts...

This page is nothing more than a collection of my thoughts on various topics. These paragraphs aren't meant to be extremely serious or absolutely definitive assessments of these issues. Rather, they are supposed to be a record of my mental ramblings, an informal view from my personal perspective. My first thought is 'why am I wearing a Duke sweatshirt on my UNC webpage?'

This Photo...

Aren't these four good looking people?

Sept. 11

There's too much to say about this. I wept that day all day. I composed myself enough to go out in public that evening to three separate church services, only to break down again at the third one. Even now when I think back on it I start to get teary eyed. The leaders say that we should go back to our lives, and live as we lived before or else the terrorist have won. I'm sorry but I don't buy into that. I agree that we should not let the attacks prevent us from living, working, going to school, etc., but there's no way I can live my life and be the same person I was before several thousand people were killed. If grieving is letting the terrorist win, then they've won. I like the way this photo sums up my feelings.

George W. Bush

Before I start to criticize this guy, I just want to let everyone know that I think this photo, taken on Sept. 14 at the National Cathedral immediately following W's address, was very moving. The first time I'd wept in a long while was on September 11, the second time was when I saw this on T.V. It shows that even the most powerful families need each other in times of crisis.

    Despite the fact that this photo moved me, I still think it's unfortunate that this guy was "elected" President. Well, elected may not be the best word. We all know about all the election stuff that went on so I'm not going to go into it. Y'all can probably figure out which side I was on. But, for all the crazy stuff that went on, three things in particular really got my goat; that is, they really bothered me.
    First, GeeDubb spent the whole campaign talking about how he trusted the people. I'll admit, that's a catchy and effective campaign slogan and strategy, and obviously it worked fairly well. My problem is, GeeDubb obvioulsy doesn't believe it. If he really believed it, then he wouldn't have had a problem with PEOPLE counting the ballots in the disputed Florida counties. It's really hypocritical to say he trusts the people, except when it comes to counting the ballots in a close race. And also the fact that he had signed a bill as Governor of Texas that said specifically that a manual, human, recount is the most effective and sure way to determine the outcome of a close election. It's on the books in Texas I promise. So if he supported it there, why didn't he support it in Florida. Because it would've titled the election in favor of Gore that's why.
    Second, the Republican party has always been the party that promotes state's rights. The GOP has never really been a champion of the entire Bill of Rights, just specific rights like number two and number ten (or maybe it's nine, I'll have to check) Whichever, the one that says any powers not specifically granted to the Federal Government in the Constitution are relegated to the states. That's why they are always saying they want smaller government and stuff. Well, I'm glad that they promote that side, it needs to be promoted, but their argument in front of the United States Supreme Court made me think that they promote that side only when it benefits them. Let me explain. The initial legal battles took place within the Florida court systems. Both sides knew that it was Florida state election laws that would determine how the after-election stuff would take place, so both sides stated their case in the Florida court system. When Katherine Harris announced the deadline for recounts the first time and subsequently certified the results, Republicans shouted 'state's rights, she's perfectly within her right as Secretary of State in Florida to certify these results' even as the Gore folks were considering a federal challenge. Well, but then the Florida Supreme Court overrode her decision, as the Florida state constitution says it can do, and said that recounts could take place. This decision favored Gore. But instead of letting the state of Florida decide this matter through their system of government, the Republicans challenged the Florida supreme court ruling in the United States Supreme Court, essentially making the Florida election a federal matter. The United States Constitution doesn't set any guidelines for how elections should be run, so really according to the tenth (or ninth) amendment, it should be Florida's decision what to do. They had made their decision, it favored Gore, but the GOP didn't like it so they turned their back on traditional party beliefs and went to the Supreme Court, effectively denying that state of Florida any right it had to govern itself.
    Third, the Republican argument in front of the United States Supreme Court was ridiculous. They challenged the Florida State Supreme Court's ruling that allowed recounts of the dimpled ballots by stating that the Florida ruling set no statewide recount standards and therefore violated the 'equal protection under the law clause' stated in the 14th ammendment. Well, that makes sense on the surface, I mean, there should be a system to make sure that every vote has the same amount of weight as every other vote. What pisses me off about that argument is that it was made to stop recounts that were trying to count votes that weren't ever counted, effectively disenfranchising some voters. Well, the 14th ammendment was created to protects folks right to vote, to make sure that everyone had that power and that nobody could legally take your vote away from you. The Republicans wanted to stop the recounts in Florida, therefore contradicting the very ideas embodied in the 14th ammendment. It's whack that the United States Supreme Court was dumb and partisan enough to let, essentially, an ammendment be used against itself and the entire theme of the Constitution. It seems to me that having your vote counted period would be the most equal protection.

The text of my letter published in The Dispatch (December 2000)

     Why do people assume that the republican party are the only folks capable of ‘restoring morality and integrity to the white house’? Why has George W. Bush been put on a pedestal and viewed as the epitome of virtue and character? I think that this aspect of his campaign was a bunch of garbage.
     In actuality, of the two presidential candidates, the Democrat has the more virtuous character. Al Gore has been honest about marijuana use in the past, and he’s expressed a sincere devotion to his family, God, and the American people. George W., on the other hand, has been arrested for drinking and driving and has not admitted to his past use of cocaine. When ask about his past indiscretions George W. gives evasive, “Clinton-esque” answers like “I’ve made mistakes,” which is the truth but not the whole truth. I thought we wanted someone in the Oval Office who wasn’t like Clinton?
     Let’s realize that the Democratic Party is the more virtuous of the two parties. After all, they’re the party that wants to use the power of government to promote egalitarianism. They’re not the party who wants to use school vouchers to create an environment of exclusion. They’re not the party who promotes a society of violence by being in the pocket of an industry whose product’s sole purpose is to maim and kill. They’re not the party whose candidate claims to be ‘pro-life’ but has executed hundreds of prisoners, several of which were mentally disabled, and some of which may have been innocent.
     I like the bumper sticker that says, “The religious right is neither.” The religious right and the republican party claim to be the voice of Christians in America but they’re not. True Christians do all they can to help those less fortunate just like Jesus said we should do. The policies of the modern Democratic Party are geared towards helping people and promoting equality. You may be upset that the Democrats want to keep the surplus and not give huge tax breaks like the republicans; but do you get upset when the church doesn’t refund your tithes? The Democratic Party is the party that brings true morality and Christianity to government.

The text of my letter, written on behalf of my Church fellowship, soon to be published in The Daily Tar Heel

    I’d like to describe myself if y’all don’t mind. Please bear with me it’s important, I promise! I’m a southern, white, straight, Christian male; I've never been drunk or done drugs and I try to refrain from using profanity. I love Jesus and I detest sin. When appropriate, I try to tell folks about the love that Jesus showed us and about the sacrifice he made for us. I go to church regularly, as often as I am able. I go to a youth group once a week and pray everyday.
    Spirituality and religion both play extremely important roles in my life. My father is a pastor so church has always been an integral part of my development as a person. I enjoy church, and my life now is partially based around it. I’m a religious person.
    By now I’ve probably been classified, unfairly categorized by everyone reading this article. No doubt about it, I fit a particular mold: the ever-righteous, bible thumper who uses God’s holy word as a cloak to cover my sins of bigotry, hypocrisy, selfishness, and exclusion.
    But, in fact, I’m cast from a different mold. I’ve never supported a republican, I’ve worshipped God with a homosexual by my side, and I’ve never told anybody that they must believe in Jesus Christ or else. My pet peeves are ‘religious’ organizations that have homophobic, xenophobic, sexist, racist, and exclusionary beliefs (and there are a lot of these) and are able to push their political agendas into the mainstream to where they are considered the voice of Christians everywhere. Well, they’re not! In fact, they’re not the voice of Christianity at all.
    I’m writing this article to offer an alternative to all those out there who seek Jesus but who can’t find him. I’m writing to those who feel that, in spite of large groups on campus that may say otherwise, the life and teachings of Jesus are not being emulated among ‘believers’ at Carolina. I’m writing to those who’ve noticed that many of the spokesmen for Christians in America are nothing more than zealots who use shortsighted interpretations of the Bible to advance their exclusive political agendas. I’m writing to those who’ve sought spiritual or moral guidance from organized religion only to be disillusioned when they find their advisors don’t practice what they preach. I’m writing to those who think moral deeds should be done humbly and with sacrifice. I’m writing to those whose don’t wear faith on their sleeve, but who quietly and sincerely let it influence every aspect of their lives. I’m writing to those who are seeking an alternative.
    The United Church of Christ-Disciples Student Fellowship is a devoted group of young men and women from the Carolina/Chapel Hill community who try to live as Jesus did, and let the theme of his teachings and his spirit guide their lives. The United Church of Chapel Hill, an open and affirming church in the Eastern Association of the UCC, supports our fellowship.

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