Y'all have a nice weekend

Monica,

I regret that I didn’t point out the parts of your last blog post which make me reflect on your beliefs above and beyond the fact that we are family.

I really do appreciate the way you preface all of your arguments – and let me quote from your text – (I had started this writing as a personal email, but it deserves to be shared with all), I am far from ashamed of my appreciation of your rational presentation of your arguments, that is why I am encouraged to participate in this dialogue, or debate. No judgment, no judges, those who come with an open mind will recognize reason. I admit I do not have an "open mind" to change my mind, but I do not refute your strength of reason. (I do not have a closed mind either... think of it as a soft boiled egg...)

(and no, this is not your brain on drugs)

Your opening personal statement in your previous blog post starts with « By my standards ». When I read that, I knew that I could read the rest... It is a humble but confident opening. For most of my life I've only been able to acheive one of those two attitudes. And it is not the one that starts with H.



Most other statements in your post use the 1st person singular pronoun… you present things as your opinion, and give supporting facts or supporting opinions to support that position, you do not present your opinion as the only option of truth.

I acknowledge and applaud the fact that you may and do agree with President Bush on certain points, while at the same time stating that he is not automatically a “good president” for passing this bar of personal similarity on certain issues. I agree that you are entitled to a personal litmus test to determine if our current president is worthy of your support and admiration. I will not consider you unpatriotic if you cannot support Barack Obama because of positions he holds, any more than I consider myself unpatriotic for not supporting George W Bush for actions he and his administration have undertaken (and you write about some of those issues).


Although there are some statements in your post that for me seem to go overboard (kool-aid drinking levels of overboard) such as – “is it really possible that the best we can put forward is a smooth-talking radical and a compromised shell of a man who once fought against the tide”....I will admit to using the same “shock and awe" strategy to incite reflection from those who don’t share my opinion in my own post. It makes for good television. Or blog banter. Whatever.

I did also state that I don’t believe an anti Roe Vs Wade opinion is equivalent to support of Taliban or “charria” type attitudes (in order to distance myslef from kool-aid level rhetorical), but I HOPE you don’t believe that Barack Obama is a “radical and a compromised shell of a man” just because of his difference of opinion on Roe vs Wade…


I chose not to address your comments on federal funding of abortions, because I NEVER received any emails from the culture of life elements in our family, church, community, or our society at large about federal funding for cruise missiles bunker busters and other armory that have killed hundreds of thousands of INNOCENT Iraqi civilians over that past five years. I therefore find your notion of “control of the checkbook” to be VERY morally compromised. (different debate, sorry, must be addressed when we agree on Roe vs Wade :d)

But I REALLY do not want to address the checkbook issue - because the $$$ questions are intimately linked to the “faith and politics” questions that I posted in my earlier email.

But I am REALLY very happy to interact with you, and anybody else on these matters. I do not want to change your opinions.

I mostly want to test my own “opinions”, and be able to separate the comfort kool-aid of following “my kind” of talking points from the ambrosia of understanding. And there are not many better forums for talking about his than with my uncles, aunts, cousins, and other family members that I love and respect.
Jeffrey
(just to let you know that I am not on my high horse of pseudo-intellectualism, I will admit that it is 4:57 pm on Friday afternoon, and by the time anybody reads this, I will be half way into my “two for one” Friday happy hour special.)

lol