Will the real President please stand up?

First let identify myself. I am a gun owning, politically conservative, military supporting, born again Bible thumper. According to current administration I am also a potential terrorist in that I am pro-life and believe in God. (You'll note that I didn't refer to myself as an "anti-abortion" nut. No, I am Bible believing pro-life Christian.)



I hate no one. Nonetheless, I, and others like me, have been accused of hating people because we disagree with some on a variety of issues like abortion, economics, politics, and morality. In my formative years I was taught that I had the right express my views and that right was guaranteed by the Constitution of the US. (I will have to be honest, as hateful as I and others like me have been alleged to be, none of my friends have advocated the death of those they disagree with. Recently a liberal New Hampshire Democrat wished that Sarah Palin had gone down on the plane that crashed recently in Alaska... I think this reprehensible! And this guy wants to elected!?!)



Yes I know that there are those who call themselves Christians who are filled with hate. The Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, comes to mind. I have seen the pictures of their parishioners standing across the street from churches where funerals for the military dead have been held and also the funerals of homosexuals. They hold signs that say "God hates..." Their hatred is far away from the God of scripture who told us to love our neighbor. Jesus, in the parable of the "Good Samaritan," defined a neighbor as someone in need and pointed out that we are to reach out in love and help people meet their needs. The point is that Christians are to love all people, even those we disagree with. I would say to people like the Westboro church, who claim to be Christians, that they need to read the words of Jesus and love their enemies and pray for them.



Now that I have enlightened you as to who I am, I must admit that I am frustrated by much of what I see these days. Recently our President made a statement supporting the building of a Mosque at Ground Zero. ABC News declared that the President was in favor of building the Mosque. ABC News said on their website, "President O'bama seemed to dial back today from his statement of support to build a Mosque..." After reading the tea leaves (...or perhaps it was the tea party leaves...) of the polls he began to "crawfish" away from his original statement of support. In doing so he suggested that Conservatives were the real bad guys because they were trying to strip away the right of Muslims to worship.



The building of the Mosque has never been about freedom to worship. And to the best of my knowledge, no Conservative has suggested any such idea. But the President, trying to extricate himself from his words, did just that. (How do I know that it has never been about the freedom of practicing faith? Other locations have been offered for the building of the Mosque. No one is saying don't build one... they are saying don't build it there.)



However, as the President opened his mouth to favor the building of the Mosque I think he revealed clearly who he really is. Our President, in my opinion, is pro-Muslim and anti-America. (I haven't forgotten the "Blame America/Apology Tour of 2009." Oh yes, and what of Gitmo? I thought he had promised to close its doors. And what of the alleged bow to Kalid Sheikh Mohammed? Can imagine in your wildest dreams Ronald Reagan, George H. Bush, Bill Clinton, or George W. Bush bowing to any potentate? It would never happen! Americans bow before no king. And as a Christian I bow before no one but God!)



Frankly, I am not offended that this group of Muslims want to build a Mosque. I do struggle with the location. To me it's a slap in the face of the fallen and the survivors of the twin towers on 9/11.



Try imagining this scenario. Suppose a radical Christian group committed an act of terror against Muslims. (I am not suggesting it, nor would I ever support such an act.) Do you think that Muslims would let any Christian group, even moderate Christians, build a church near the site. The answer is plain, even to mind-numbed liberals, NO! And to be honest, I could understand that and would think it to be insensitive of Christians to suggest such a thing. In fact I would recommend that such action not be done in regard to the feelings and emotions of the survivors.



And yet those who wish to build this Mosque, the followers of the religion of peace and tolerance (Islam) expect they should get what they want any time they want it. There is no regard for the feelings of the families who lost loved ones or anyone else. But the situation even gets easier for them when they have the tacit approval of the President of the United States.



If the Mosque is built the nation will survive and probably soon forget, or simply go on to other matters. It is not something I wish. I say if they want to build a Mosque build it somewhere else. If it is built we won't die and life will move forward on planet earth.



The real question for me doesn't concern the Mosque. The real question that needs to be asked answered is this, "Who is the real Barrack O'bama?"



Some have proclaimed him to be a Christian. For twenty years he sat under the preaching of the racist preacher Jeremiah Wright. Our President sat in a pew each week listening to the questionable preaching of this man and even supported him with his "tithes and offerings." (Couldn't giving money be interpreted as giving tacit approval to the extremist preaching of Mr. Wright?) But when Wright became a political liability and threat to Mr. O'bama's election to the Oval Office, Mr. O'bama threw the good Reverend under the bus for the sake of political expediency. So who is the real Mr. O'bama, is he a follower Reverend Wright or not? And, is it a safe thing to be the friend of our President? Can his friends trust him to remain loyal or are they pawns that can be discarded after their usefulness is gone?



Wednesday, October 18th, the President visited in a private home. There he discussed the economy and told us all that it was improving but would still take more time. I appreciate his honesty to tell us that we are still going to wait a long time for the economy to improve. The 14th of August was the 75th anniversary of the Social Security Act. In the Presidents address he promised that he would protect the nation from the Republicans who wished to privatize Social Security. To my knowledge there is no political will anywhere in Washington to change Social Security. And if there were why would it be a problem... why shouldn't I be trusted to invest a portion of my own money for my retirement. But that is a ranting for another time...



Why is the President bringing up what is essentially an issue that died during the days of "W"'s administration? Is it to cover his own failure to improve the economy? Didn't he promise we would have an unemployment rate of less than eight percent by now? Who is this guy? Is subterfuge and finger pointing his way if covering his own lack of accomplishment? (Wouldn't it be refreshing if a politician were honest, both Republican and Democrats, and own up to those things that have not gone well?)



There are other things that I question. For example he had no problem accusing the Cambridge Police of racism, when no such racism existed. And what of the flying of the Presidents plane over New York to take a few pictures. In a city not fully recovered from 9/11 many of the citizens of the "Big Apple" ran for their lives. I suppose the running of terrified people must have made a great Kodak moment, to say nothing of the cost in dollars for jet fuel. My memory runs to Presidents big weekend, a trip to New York City for a show. The cost was numbered in the hundreds of thousands of dollars for the taxpayers, many of whom the good economic conditions of the stimulus have yet to find them. Just who is this man we have elected?



By now some are thinking, "Preachers should keep their politics to themselves." (Funny I haven't heard anyone say that to Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton.) But I don't see this as a matter of politics. I see it as a matter of honesty and integrity. Weren't these to be the keystones to the way this Administration did business? My friends since the days of the Prophets of old it has been the responsibility of the preacher to point out sin and error and call the nations and their leaders to repentance. That is my job.



If you see this as just a matter of politics, you are welcome to your opinion. And as always you are encouraged to share your point of view.



As for me I would suggest a couple things. First, be active in community and national affairs whether you are a Conservative, a liberal, or somewhere in the middle. In this country we have the right to vote, do so.





Secondly, pray for the President. I didn't say that we all have to agree. But it is imperative that we pray for the man. It is easy to point out error and wrong, and I have done so. But it is another thing to pray for his health, safety, and for wisdom. He interacts on a national and international stage, he needs all the help he can get.



It is clear that I don't agree politically and often morally with Mr. O'bama. No matter what he may be, and we do have the right to ask those questions, I am reminded that he is the President and that there is a massive burden that he carries. Therefore, I pray that God will provide him with wisdom, understanding, and the ability to recognize his failures and take responsibility for his actions.