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Posts Tagged with Politics

I Need Your Help

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Over at the Facebook place, I’ve run into an issue.

Because I’ve been vocal about the Idaho Abortion Human Rights Act on my public profile page I’m not being allowed to boost any ‘political’ or issues of “national importance” posts until I prove my identity.

I’m actually alright with that. I’m the one who agrees to use their platform to advance my posts. It’s mostly an inconvenience while I wrestle through my conspiracy theories in my head. Do I or don’t I give them a copy of my drivers license? Why do they want a copy of my drivers license? You know the usual thoughts that begin to roll around the head.

I’ve been using my public profile page for years. I’ve weighed in on politics and issue of national interest and never been required to prove my identity. If (as my conspiracy theories work out in my head) they (whoever “they” is) already know who I am and know where I live and everywhere I go all day long and how often I visit Sonic and likely even know that I will be drinking a vanilla diet coke between 2 and 4 this afternoon. How much more do I need to prove to them who I am and what kind of national security risk I actually pose. so….

Here’s what I’m asking of you today. While I’m waiting to prove my identity so I can boost a political or national interest post, would you be willing to help me spread a few of these posts. It looks like it may take about four weeks to prove who I am (which most of our state legislative duties will be finished by then and I will have moved on to other things to write about).

Here are a few recent posts I could use help getting circulated if you are willing. (If Facebook wants to confirm who you are because of what you are doing don’t mention that you know me, because they apparently don’t know who I am yet.)

Quick to Hear

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Presidential debate hype is in full swing. I’m hearing and reading that potentially 100 million people will view the debate tonight. If true, it will be the most viewed presidential debate in history, dating back to the Carter/Reagan debate.

As always, there will be more said about the debate than any candidate will actually say. My duty in a debate like this is to listen. Not just to listen, but to hear. And better to hear what the candidates say than what others say about the candidates.

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I’m not leaning on the outcome of the debate to decide who to vote for, I settled that up after the Republican primary and my officially joining the Constitution Party. Like before, as an unaffiliated voter, I read the platform documents of all the parties in the race and vote my conscience. I am satisfied to vote for Darrel Castle and able to take all of the verbal abuse my Republican friends can throw at me knowing that I am at peace with my conscience.
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What I’ll be doing tonight is to attempt to fine tune my hearing skills. Here is how I will attempt to listen tonight.

  • I will watch the debate with a notebook and pen.
  • I will award up to 3 points for personal presentation (kind of like a fashion critic).
  • I will score opening statements up to 5 points.
  • I will score closing statements up to 6 points.
  • I will attempt to write down the moderators questions then listen for an answer.
  • If I hear an answer to the question I will give the candidate 5 points. (Even if I don’t like or agree with the answer, I want to hear answers.)
  • I will take away points (at half point increments) accordingly to how I determine the candidate avoided the question. (a net loss of no more than 4 points per question.)
  • I will take away points (at one quarter point increments) according to negative body language and tone.
  • I will give 1 point to any candidate who answers their question before the time limit is up
  • I will take 2 points away from any candidate who has to be interrupted by the moderator for exceeding the time limit.
  • I will give 1 point to any candidate who speaks about the other candidate (positively or negatively) within reason to answer a question.
  • I will take 2 points away from any candidate who says random nonsense about the other candidate to deflect from an answer.
  • I will take away 1 point from any candidate who returns an insult for an insult.
  • I will offer 1 bonus point to any candidate who apologizes for being out of order without being asked to do so.

That is my debate rubric. I’ll offer my conclusion with score card later with personal analysis. Feel free to use my score card and we’ll compare conclusions, or offer your own analysis.

This debate weighs nothing for me to determine who I will vote for. But it will help me in my assessment of the day. Happy debate day hearing.

The Political Season is Officially “Open”

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Even though one might think the political season has been open year round it is really only beginning. Here are a couple of things I will be doing over the next few weeks.

I am not an official member of any political party. I have leanings of a Constitutionalist but my voting record is largely Republican. I refuse to be bullied in or out of a vote. I am, what I’ve come to learn, a values voter. I like to say I never violate my conscience when I vote. But I will vote, Lord willing. I do pay attention. I actually attend city council meetings in my city on a regular basis.

No one gets to blame me for wasting my vote if I vote for a third party. No one gets to accuse me of being among the 20 plus million Christians who typically don’t vote. No one gets permission from me to have my vote.

I made a commitment years ago to be “a well informed and responsible follower of Christ” not men.

Here are the typical things I do as the political season opens.

  • Pray.
  • Read the party platforms of all candidates.
  • Pray
  • listen to the candidates.
  • Pray
  • Read as many of their speeches as I can. (I don’t trust any media to give me a fair treatment of any speech.)
  • Pray
  • Vote
  • Pray

I start with the final draft platform. This week, the Republicans are in the spot light first. Here is the full, final, voted on, copy of the Republican Party Platform (66 pages long). It is, admittedly, a platform I can be excited about. It’s good to know what others think, here is the Human Rights Campaign rebuttal (if you will).

I Have A Confession

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I have a confession… I am a political season junkie.

I track it all the way back to Ross Parot. The young readers won’t know who I’m talking about, but this was when I realized that there was a serious problem with normal politics.

I have learned that if you want to know what someone is saying you really have to hunt for the uninterrupted transcripts of press releases and speeches. If you just want to know what someone else thinks about a politician then do what most people are doing right now and watch the news channel.

My first election opportunity came for me one month after I turned 18 and I’ve not missed one since (nation, state, county or city). I can’t wait to cast a vote and hear that election official call out my name as I submit my ballot; “Paul Thompson has voted!” That declaration ranks second of all the public statements I’ve heard in my life to this one; “Paul, you may kiss your bride!”

It was a few years after that first time I voted when Ross Parot entered the scene of politics and I’ve been hooked ever since.

Don’t get me wrong… I take my vote very seriously. I read as much as I can, I listen to every debate available, I send questions to local candidates wanting to know as much as I can before I exercise my privilege.

I am not owned by any political party. I’m a values voter.

  • I want a federal government that lets the local community address education.
  • I want a federal government that knows her judicial jurisdiction.
  • I want a federal government that stops giving any money to any organization that aborts unborn babies.
  • I want a federal government that will relinquish programs that create dependence of the poor.
  • I want a federal government that protects all American citizens.
  • I want a federal government that understands economics .
  • I want a federal government that justly executes the sword with fairness while understanding timeliness.
  • I want a federal government that leaves spiritual matters to spiritual houses.
  • I want a federal government that respects geographical boundaries of sovereign states and does not empower activist judicial branches to change civic law.
  • I want a federal government that respects the constitution.
  • I want  a federal government that respects the amendments to the constitution
  • and a plethora of other matters… related to healthcare, student loans, transportation and on and on and on.

hangingchadThis leaves me in conflict at times; after all, what values are priority and what values are secondary when it comes to finding a candidate who meets all my hopes?

I have to be willing to make concessions on some maters while remaining non-negotiable on others. That means sometimes I vote with a political party and sometimes I go with another. I’m willing to vote for a non-Christian (not all claiming to be “Christian” are Christian). I’m not willing to vote for someone just because they are part of a particular political party. I read comparison sheets.

It was the debate season with Ross Parot, Bill Clinton and (then) President George H. Bush in 1992 that helped me become an independent thinker and a committed voter, responsible before my God to be informed and engaged.

Happy political season!

 

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