why voting or not isn't enough.

i get this vibe from a number of young evangelicals like myself that they'd rather not vote than select between the "lesser of two evils" in mccain or obama. neither of them fully embody Jesus's values, and therefore these individuals refuse to pick between them. typically when i'm presented with a comment like this my internal and external reactions are very contradictory. in my mannerisms and my speaking i feel like i come across very understanding and respectful; i nod a lot and utilize the phrase "fair enough" probably more than i should. however, on the inside i'm screaming at them asking them "how? how can you abstain from selecting one of them?"

if you are extremely uninformed then i understand not voting, but i don't understand the logic in consciously choosing to not cast your ballot. maybe you're trying to avoid the guilt you may feel if your selection doesn't do a fantastic job by the time 2012 rolls around. that seems pretty cowardly to me.

but the thought i'm left feeling most passionate about is this: if you don't vote then you have no right to complain about our country. it's plainly put, but it's the absolute truth. if you don't care enough about this country to voice you opinion when it matters then you shouldn't have the freedom to voice your opinion about the state of this nation for the next 4 years.

however, shane claiborne posted an intriguing article this morning briefly mentioning a tweaked alternative to this viewpoint:

"If you are completely paralyzed by imperfect choices, writing in “Jesus” is an option but should also come with grave responsibility. Just because you don’t vote doesn’t mean you can’t critique any more than owning stock should be a prerequisite for decrying the patterns of Wall Street. However, if we do not vote, we had better be spending every day of our lives trying to create alternative solutions to the questions of how 48 million folks can have health care, how we can live without fuel, how we deal with violent people … and on and on."

this really is the truth. if you're not going to select between this year's presidential options then you better be doing everything under your power to fulfill the changes you wish to see in this nation on your own. i agree with you when you say that you can't agree 100% with either candidate - i don't either - there are pros and cons to both individuals, but if you aren't going to pick what you believe is the best option for our country then you better be prepared to step up and change this nation on your own.

except my final thought is this: why can't we do both? there is nothing that is keeping us from electing the best candidate AND stepping up and changing the world the way we'd like to see it changed. we all have the ability to do both, and we all ought to be exercising our abilities to their paramount.

so if you tell me you're not voting, and i tell you "fair enough", you can be certain that i don't honestly believe that is truly "enough". likewise, if you tell me you're voting for mccain or obama or nader (or writing in Jesus' name for that matter) and give me your reasons - i don't believe that to be enough either. as a Christian, the ticket does not end with your choice on Nov 4. we all have the power to change this world for Christ; i think we ought to go ahead and do it ourselves.

-ap.

if jesus ran for president...

this is pretty clever, and i feel like one could pull a lot of really terrific criticisms about today's political ideologies from it. especially those pertaining to 'turning the other cheek' and giving out 'free love'. (1:30)

i also love when they refer to him as "mr. of nazareth". super funny.

also, i voted today.

-ap.

copped from revolution in jesusland.

voting Obama does not make me a Christian.

i'm nervous that my voting for Barack Obama is turning into a way for me to feel holy. do i believe that Obama's ideals are closer to that of Jesus than those of John McCain? yes. i've expressed those thoughts a number of times on this mug and those thoughts likely aren't going to diminish anytime soon.

my fear is this: am i substituting living like Christ with voting for Obama?

there's not much to voting really. i check a box. thats really all it is. i'm aware that my vote means very little and that i can't alone make a great difference in the election. perhaps thats why i've attempted to educate myself and share my thoughts with friends and family and on here on occasion. so that my vote is more than just me checking a box, but that it is me witnessing to others why i believe Obama to be the best choice.

but is that witnessing overriding the witnessing i ought to truly be doing? is my political agenda interrupting the agenda i ought to have for Christ?

rephrased: is my hope in Obama? or in Christ?

i'm subscribed to feeds from God's Politics and every day they have a "voice of the day." today's voice is St. Francis of Assisi:

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

i read this thinking, "how cool would it be if America looked like this?"

and then i stopped and thought, "no. how cool would it be if I actually looked like this too?"

voting for Obama does not make me a Christian. somewhere between august and october - so probably in september - my mindset slowly tweaked into one hoping to get America on the right track and away from questioning my own actions. i have tried my best to approach political decisions by asking, "where is it written?" however, in my haste to answer this question for today's worldwide issues i've managed to ignore answering that question in terms of my own life.

this is not to say that i've been dwelling in a pit of sin, but simply that i need to focus on the spirit of my own heart more than i do.

-ap.

also. everyone ought to go to karlie's blog and watch the video.

why i'm voting for Barack Obama...*

Brian McLaren has been doing a really terrific series on his reasons for supporting Barack Obama. his reasons are scarily similar to my own thoughts** - each of these posts is something that i've been passionate about before reading them and they've just fueled the fire - part three even rose a fist pump out of me.

i don't know if anyone even glances at my 'take a gander' section on the right side, but all three of these were posted on there (as well as shared on my google reader). i think everyone - especially Christians - should read them.

Why I'm voting for Barack Obama, and why I hope you will too - Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3

there will be more to come too, but these are all three great. especially part 3 (which is the number one reason i will be voting for BO on november 4th too). -

-ap.

* - this is the third and last post for today. i promise.
** - however, his thoughts seem to be slightly more level-headed than mine.

political rant.

up until this point i've been trying my best to give both candidates a shot at my vote. i like McCain's energy ideas, but i like Obama's health care and his stance on social justice issues. i'm personally in complete support of Obama raising taxes for the wealthy. who cares if the richest people in the country get taxed more?! if you're making $500,000 a year you could be taxed half of that and still be making WAY too much. what do you even do with $250,000 a year!? i couldn't spend that money if i really tried to.

in first grade we did a fun activity called the Million Dollar Project - essentially, what would you do with $1 million bucks? you know what i decided?! i decided that i'd build a TREE HOUSE. a really big one with a fire pole and a rope swing. and then when that only encompassed about $1,000 bucks i decided to add electricity and put in a N64 and a TV and bought all the other electronics i could think of, and when i was done - i decided to donate the remaining $957,600 dollars to charity. and here i am 17 years later and i still don't understand what people would ever do with that much dinero. even 1/10 of that - i don't understand how you could spend it.

so when McCain blasts Obama about wanting to raise the taxes of the upper class - i tell the upper class to cry me a river and fork it over. if you can't be happy with tax deprived yet still bloated salary then you've got bigger medically addressable problems outside of governmental issues.

that ends my first rant. like i said. i've tried to contain myself and agree as best as i can with both candidates, but today in my Wealth Power and Privilege class i was presented with two military fellows who started in on how great McCain is and then when asked about Obama they were completely ignorant. They had no idea what they were talking about - but, boy, did they hate the man. did they know what his stance was on....anything? no. but they knew he wasn't republican and they knew he hadn't been tortured in the military in his past life like the MAVERICK.

from their perspective, it makes pefect sense. they're in the military so they're supporting the guy that supports the military. this is not to discount McCain's service, but we're not electing the person most like us - there are 305,179,081 other people in this country that are getting this president too. i'm tired of people supporting the candidate who is best for themselves. we're selecting the person most suited for the country. (it is unfortunate that - republican or democrat - 100% of congress is extremely wealthy).

i'm tired of a having a militaristically minded President instead of a socially conscious one, and that's the vibe i've been getting from McCain, and now from McCain supporters and i've had enough. i'd like a President that is going do address race and class issues in this nation instead of in war zones abroad.

i'm still going to watch the debates with the most open mind i can possibly muster, but I'm supporting Barack Obama until McCain proves he has more to offer than being "America's Maverick" - cause he's losing ground with me every time he boasts it. I didn't want to get emotional about politics this year, but Johnny Camo pushed the right buttons today in class and i'm currently on fire.

-ap.

september 11.

it feels customary to write a 9/11 post of some kind. mainly out of reverence, but also to avoid guilt if the day came and went and i never acknowledged it publicly on this blog that is slowly becoming adam's life in text form.

the feeling i'm left with on this day is a sense of unity once again. in a search for silver lining in such an emotionally devastating event is hard to do, but if there is lining in my eyes it is unity.

i was encouraged by the spectacle of mccain and obama side by side in silence today, and then to see them herded side by side to shake the hands of everyone in attendance at ground zero. obama patted mccain on the back, they smiled in conversation, and i actually sensed for the first time that they were both trying to do what is best for this nation. putting their agendas aside and honoring the families of the individuals lost on september 11. pretty awesome image.

it's unfortunate that the media won't put their agendas aside like the candidates. i did hear one fellow on MSNBC ignore a question regarding the polls in florida to mention the what a great display it was. a nice thing to hear on a day like today.

the sad thing is that tomorrow is 9/12 and it'll be back to bashing the other party, but for a moment it was nice to see that there is washington is all in this together.

-ap.

the paris plan.

"Barack wants to focus on new technologies to cut foreign-oil dependency, and McCain wants offshore drilling. Well, why don’t we do a hybrid of both candidates’ ideas? We can do limited offshore drilling with strict environmental oversight, while creating tax incentives to get Detroit making hybrid and electric cars. That way, the offshore drilling carries us until the new technologies kick in, which will then create new jobs and energy independence. Energy crisis solved."

-Paris Hilton

that's hot.

i think we're probably closer to electric cars than we are to off-shore oil though. which means that we're spending extra money on two methods to create energy independence. that doesn't mean i don't support her idea still.

here's what i wish was added though: nuclear power plants. mccain mentioned them last night in his RNC speech, and that excited me. i guess in a moneyless world having all three of these things sounds great, but hello taxes. it's doubtful we'd be able to do all three at once - which would lead me to support nuclear plants and electric vehicles, but not off-shore drilling.

otherwise the RNC came across rather hokey and uncomfortable for me. mostly due to the few fanatic Republicans at the convention who come across somewhat similar to Phelps picketers. okay, maybe not that extreme, but almost that weird. but not nearly as weird as the woman that led the DNC Roll Call. she's gotta be a half-troll.

-ap.

mccain-palin.

lets first point out the obvious: for a 44-year-old, sarah palin is a total babe.

more importantly, however, she's an ethics oriented governor from alaska with a terrific grasp on domestic issues, specifically oil and gas resources. she's not from washington (which is a plus), and - she's a woman.

when i first heard that mccain was throwing a never-heard-of-her woman for VP i was skeptical. the choice of a young woman is genius as far as getting into the presidency goes. she's an advocate for change and she pulls former hillary votes away from obama-biden. however, my initial thoughts were that she wasn't going to be perfect for the job when/if mccain makes it into the white house.

but i made that judgement before i read her credentials and put them side by side with mccain's. mccain is an honored war veteren with way too much experience and not enough movement for change. but when coupled with a change-minded youngster who shares his beliefs on today's issues and can emphasize one of the biggest domestic issue truly important to the american people right now (oil and gas) the mccain-palin ticket becomes much more attractive.

scary thought: mccain has had a number of run-ins with cancer, and on the off chance that he were to die during presidency, would we really be comfortable with a one-term female governor of alaska running the country? its a risk that mccain is willing to take apparently.

however, without assuming the worst, this is a money stroke by mccain. it's nice to see that even seasoned geezer like mccain is so capable of making savvy veteren maneuvers like this; say what you will about mccain's desire of change or lack thereof, but the fact that he's able to select an inexperienced woman as his running mate displays that he's looking for change too and acting on it.

poor woman has to debate joe biden though. i hope she's got a witty comment or two up her sleeve that rips him a new one - cause if she doesn't it's going to be ugly. hopefully she lives up to her nickname: barracuda. i'm excited about her cause she doesn't sound like my mom like hillary does, but moreso cause i think she's the right person to back mccain.

this race just got a lot more interesting. however, i think i'd rather have a idealistic visionary in office with an experienced vp than the other way around. people can rally around an idealist. kennedy was an idealist. lincoln was an idealist. obama is too, and i think he's what's best for this country. "country first."

this doesn't change my vote, however, as always, i'm still open to be influenced.

-ap.

obama-biden.

i recieved a text message at 2 am notifying me that joe biden would be barack obama's running mate in '08. obviously a smart decision for two reasons: it addresses obama's lack of experience as well as his lack of foreign policy knowledge - the two main areas that mccain has attacked. this has been a change vs experience race so far, but this ends that debate. its change and experience vs experience.

truth be told, biden might be just as good a presidential candidate as obama.

the only folks i see not supporting this decision: stubborn female hillary fans. the ones who's chief reasoning for voting for hillary was because she would've brought more estrogen into the white house. suck it up ladies and support your country instead of your gender.

biden is the type of person i love to root for. outspoken, confident, and not afraid to tell you what he's thinking (kind of like usain bolt, of whom i'm also a fan). he sees things that he doesn't like in our current government and he tells you all about it. he affirms one of the things i've liked so much about this obama campaign: transparency. there aren't secrets, and you don't have to sit back and wonder what they're thinking or what they want. bien fits the obama ticket perfectly.

the only thing i'm not an initial fan of is that he looks like jack's dad from Lost, but i think i can look past it as long as he doesn't turn out to be an alcoholic with an illegitimate child.

-ap.

Cyrus 08.

the thing that really bums me out about politics and the church is that it seems like some people believe that if the person they're not voting for gets elected that God's plan is crap. as if God isn't able to work through the person you may or may not have wanted in office.

The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live. [1 Tim 2:1-3 MSG]

pretty self-explanatory really. pray for those in power so that they will rule well. thats what God wants.

so i think - why so much disdain toward elected officials? this country seems to be leaning toward electing Barack Obama for president in 08. as someone who grew up in an upper-middle-class predominately white church in the suburbs of kc, i realize that this decision (if Obama wins) is not necessarily going to be what the majority of the church would've considered the "best" choice*. but that's where we have to catch ourselves - is it our agenda that determine's the best man for the job? is it our opinion that matters?

this morning i listened to a sermon about Cyrus, king of the Persian Empire. a pagan king who did not have God in mind when he took the throne, yet he was God's instrument in liberating the Jews and rebuilding their temple in Israel. the pagan king of Persia was probably not who most expected to deliver the Jews; in fact, he was the only non-Jewish messiah to Israel. but did God use him anyway? you bet he did. [Ezra 1]

imagine if we truly lived by that verse in 1 timothy. what if we gathered together post-election and prayed for our new government leaders? what message would that send? a positive one? it's a thought that could cause a serious rift in a lot of congregations - mine included. its biblical though. it doesn't mean we're endorsing a particular candidate, or choosing party lines; it's simply a statement of faith in our God's ability to govern this nation. heck, while we're at it we ought to be praying for the leaders of nations around the world too. friends and foes. it's an idea i'd like to pursue in the near future (probably around mid- to late-november.)

grumbling post-election is a slap in God's face. it's limiting Him; as if the moment the 'other guy' is sworn into office, God says, "well. we're sure screwed now. way to vote for him guys. i'm stumped now." no way. we shouldn't sit around and bicker about how so-and-so doesn't deserve it or how much he** is going to ruin the country. we shouldn't just sit back and hope he blows it. instead, we pray.

that having been said - this is just way too funny to keep out of this post.

-ap.

* - i am not, however, claiming to be a part of that majority. in fact, i'll go ahead and say it publicly: the chance of me voting Obama in 08 is extremely high. almost certain.
** - or she, i suppose.