Quotes for Political Inspiration (or not)

I am very tired of all of the rhetoric and sparring that is going on over the upcoming elections. I'm turning to some other inspirational thoughts.

I actually stole these quotes from another website. I liked them so much that I wanted to think about them some more, so I'll publish them here on my blog (I had to look some of these people up):


Politicians are the same all over. They promise to build bridges...even when there are no rivers.

--Nikita Krushchev


If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.

--Joseph Goebbels


Nothing can now be believed which is seen in a newspaper.

--Thomas Jefferson


When a people shall have become incapable of governing themselves, and fit for a master, it is of little consequence from what quarter he comes.

--George Washington


You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.

--Abraham Lincoln


Your security is not in the hands of Kerry, Bush, or Al-Qaida. Your security is in your own hands.

--Osama bin Laden


Power always has to be kept in check; power exercised in secret, especially under the cloak of national security, is doubly dangerous.

--William>Proxmire


All propaganda has to be popular and has to accommodate itself to the comprehension of the least intelligent of those whom it seeks to reach.

--Adolf Hitler


Those who stand for nothing, fall for everything.

--Alexander Hamilton


Guard against the impostors of pretended patriotism.

--George Washington


The more laws, the less justice.

--Cicero


Emergencies have always been the pretext on which the safeguards of individual liberties have eroded.

--Friedrich August von Hayek


Most of the trouble in the world is caused by people trying to be important.

--T. S. Eliot


The greatest menace to freedom is an inert people.

--Louis Brandeis


Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.

--Ronald Reagan


Fear is the foundation of most governments.

--John Adams


Don't interfere with anything in the Constitution. That must be maintained, for it is the only safeguard of our liberties.

--Abraham Lincoln


I hope our wisdom will grow with our power and teach us that the less we use our power, the greater it will be.

--Thomas Jefferson


Politics is when you say you are going to do one thing while intending to do another. Then you do neither what you said, nor what you intended.

--Sadaam Hussein


I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended on to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts.

--Abraham Lincoln


Liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge among the people.

--John Adams


If we make peaceful revolution impossible, we make violent revolution inevitable.

--John F. Kennedy


We the people are the rightful masters of both the Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow the men who pervert it.

--Abraham Lincoln

Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither.

--Benjamin Franklin

Claiming my Independence

I grew up thinking I had a definite party affiliation. As it turns out, the state I grew up in (most of my young life) pretty much didn't even have two parties. And, I had virtually no interest in politics at the time. Except, get this, when Jimmy Carter's face came on the t.v. screen, I always had to go over there and cover his face up. I don't know why.

Over the years, I've developed a moderate interest in politics. Due to my previous prejudices, it took a long time for me to break away and really, really consider the two sides without bias (to the the best of my ability).

After much, much work (thinking, talking), I have come the conclusion that I'm an INDEPENDENT. And, there are many, many ideals and policies that leave me confused. I don't know where I stand.

From my standpoint, it's much easier to give yourself wholeheartedly to one party or the other. Then you get to participate in the funny little jokes that are created to bash the other side. The humor is bound to help us feel better. As it is, those jokes just grate on me, no matter who they are putting down. I don't like it. I guess I'm feeling pretty serious about politics at the moment and frustrated that I'm not sure there's a good choice out there.

I read a blog opinion a few weeks ago that made me feel better. The writer talked about having a political affiliation and a candidate in mind for November. She also said that no matter which way things go, it probably won't alter our lives quickly and dramatically. I like that idea.

I'd just like to say, though, that negativity produces more negativity. I wish the candidates would clean up their acts and send positive out. There is a second grade teacher that I know who has this idea down pat. She is the most positive person I have ever been around. I love seeing the response of the students and parents to her positivity. I commented on that once to her and she just humbly told me that she tries to be positive. I'd like to see more of that!

A Bumper Sticker I Saw Tonight

Here's the comic that inspired it. Has anyone seen this one? What do you make of that?! Gave me a little chuckle, but I try not to take sides!! I've been known to chuckle on both sides.

The best political one I've heard could be used by both parties: "Run, Hillary, Run!" On the front bumper for Republicans and the back bumper for Democrats. I don't know if it was just an idea or if it really existed pre-campaign season. It really cracked me up!

The Immigration Debate

This video seems to provide an unorthodox and humorous take on the immigration debate. What do you think? Or if you don't want to think deeply about it, just sit back and enjoy this Oscar-winning short!

Let Me Refer You...

Political topic below:

Whatever your position on the war in Iraq, it's o.k. with me. I don't mind if you and I don't think alike, but here's my experience. You can consider it if you wish.

Some months back my support for the war, which was not even totally defined, went south. It was like I awoke suddenly and realized how many people were dying and that was it for me. I was against the war. I was against Bush for suggesting that we stay there without a pull-out date.

Then, listening to NPR, I heard a story from several Iraqis' points of view. It opened my eyes a little bit to their struggles, their hopes. I realized that I had only been hearing one side to the story. Soon after that I heard an interview with a high-ranking military officer who talked about the details of what pulling out of the war suddenly, or even soon, would mean from a military perspective. I can't remember the details of either of those stories, but my views were definitely impacted by both. Then, I followed a blog trail to this blog by a military officer named Jeffrey Denning. I have been following his story almost every day since then. I've been so grateful that he is sharing his viewpoint. Very personal and very real. Hard to read? Yes. It's worth it to me for the greater understanding I now enjoy.

As I've been reading and listening more to political and ethical debate, I'm realizing just how complex these issues are. More often than not, I can't even imagine what it would be like to be in somebody else's shoes, much less make decisions that affect their lives (Joseph deals with this issue on a daily basis!) I'm reminding myself here to hear the story from different angles before I take a stance, pass a judgment, or say something I will regret.

P.S. I'm referring you to Jeffrey Denning's blog. He draws you, the reader, in and makes you think! If you don't have time to read through many blog posts, here are two of his recent posts that caught my attention:

Military Appreciation
A Tribute to my Brothers-in-Arms, the Marines

Super Tuesday Is Almost Here!

If you live in a state that hasn't had their Primary, but you are still waffling, you can go to this site and follow the directions. Despite the fact that I had a lot of issues where I was undecided, the results weren't too surprising. How about you?

I have BIG plans!

I've always wondered what I would do when the kids all go to school. Now I have it! I've got three and a half years to prepare myself. Truth be told, I've been out of the loop with politics most of my life and I have a lot to learn. There's something I'd like to do to change the way the system works. I wonder if I actually will! Read on...

I've been following the Primaries pretty closely. I've never paid much attention before. I think the media is more involved which helps the American people to be more informed. Although I hear people saying that they are tired of hearing about it, I believe it's good to be aware, to have an opinion or two, and to stand up and vote.

I have been seeing how broken the system can be, what with Michigan and Florida moving their Primaries too close to Iowa's and then being punished by not being allowed Democratic delegates. It's crazy! I get why it happened in one sense, but really it's just tradition that keeps it so and it's not really the most helpful tradition. Then again, vying for the first position in line isn't really that helpful of a practice either.

That's not so much what I've been thinking about though. I've been thinking that in Primary elections, we should all be casting a vote for our favorite Republican and our favorite Democrat candidates (not in any particular order!). A system like this probably wouldn't be very popular with candidates and there are a lot of voters who likely wouldn't appreciate it either. The system we have now seems to reward politicians whose ideas seem to be crawling further right and left, rather than compromise to ideas that lie closer to the center. But, I believe voting this way would ensure that there are more candidates with centrist positions, which is wildly appealing to someone like me, an Independent Voter having a hard time following either side completely.

It seems like many voters can easily get away with, "Hey, my parents were Republicans, my Grandparents were Republicans, I will vote Republican," rather than looking at the issues--not just pet issues--and placing ourselves in other people's shoes, trying to make a good overall judgement.

I believe my proposition would require voting citizens to be more informed than that. After all, once November comes around, we need to vote for the best candidate, not just our own party's candidate. How can we do this if we've only been following our own party through the Primaries? When it comes to the final election, as things stand now, there's a candidate that we helped choose and a candidate over whom we had no say. It's appealing to me to think about being involved in both sides of the process from the beginning. Even if my favorite Republican and/or Democrat didn't make it to the final election, I still cast my vote, shared my opinion. I have some ownership in the process that got these two (or more) candidates onto my ballot in November.

It's been fun to listen to the anecdotes of independent voters and for the first time, place myself among them. It's hard work to be an independent! But still, right now I can't understand declaring a party and voting a straight ticket, except that I think the system rewards this (think of Independents not being allowed to vote on certain ticket in the Primary). Our system is so unhealthy, so partisan. I believe that there are rights and wrongs in both Democrat and Republican ideals. There isn't one party that holds all the keys to the "high road." There are probably even politicians who think this way (and we see some, plus there are other parties out there that I don't know much about). But because politicians are so afraid of being viewed as sympathizers to the other party (think of the recent bantering between Obama and Clinton), we see very few who are willing to embrace views that fall in the center of the spectrum. If they do, it seems they are punished by the system and the voters.

End of jumbled thoughts and ideas about politics...for the moment!

What do you think?



If you want to find a picture to go with your post, like these nifty illuminating straw bales, try one of these public domain sites (I can't get the first link to work, so I've put a permanent button on the sidebar):
www.public-domain-photos.com/
www.publicdomainpictures.net/

This Wikipedia entry has a ton of links too:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Public_domain_image_resources

21st Century Update

WARNING: Further examination of religious and political topics!

After I posted about Nathan's problem with religious discrimination at school, my awesome brother (Check out his blog: http://testingtodd.sirrub.com/ . He's got great politics and technology commentary.) made this comment:

Todd is in the front. My other awesome brother, Mark is in the back.

When we lived in MA I was afraid to tell anyone that I was LDS. I am not sure where the fear came from, but it was there. I actually did not like to talk about my religion or my beliefs until a few months ago. I had a baptist missionary drop by. A simple question turned into a 2 or 3 hour conversation. It was great. I was able to see that I had a lot in common with that missionary. I also tried to show him that we had things in common. I really felt good after that conversation. It made me realize what I believed and why. The thing that I think is really funny is that members of our faith are in government. Check this out...the senate majority leader is LDS, the Secretary of Health and Human Resources is LDS, and there are a handful members of the house and senate that are LDS. In the past, Ezra Benson was the Secretary of Agriculture. Those are the people just of the top of my head. Many CEOs and presidents of companies are LDS (like Marriot, General Mills, etc). So, like every other faith, our members contribute greatly to society and somehow we are all okay. I don't even want to turn to sports (ahem...Steve Young). I guess that as long as us Mormons keep our distance everyone is okay. I guess Dr. Kings dream doesn't apply to us. Oh well. Could be worse.


This leads right in to what we did last night for Family Home Evening. Yesterday as I was putting Christmas decorations away, I found a pile of books. Serendipity! There was a book called "If You Lived at the Time of Martin Luther King" by Ellen Levine. I brought the book down to the living room and May picked it up and read most of it. I was so impressed. She said they had read from that book in school. She was incredulous at how African Americans were being treated. I asked her if she would share five things she learned with us for Family Home Evening. She wasn't very willing at that point, but once we started discussing what the holiday was all about, she willingly chipped in.

Nathan taking in this great book.

We read just a bit of MLK's, "I Have a Dream" speech. "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." We talked about non-violent civil disobedience like sit-ins and marches. I felt very enlightened by the end of our discussion.

This ties back to Todd's comment because as we read snippets from this book, I tied it back to being LDS. Not to take away from Dr. King's message, which is very important in it's own rite, but just to expand upon the idea and apply it to my own situation. "I have a dream that my five little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by their religious affiliation, but by the content of their character!"

I also saw other links to my religion that I thought were interesting. Here is the one that stuck out the most to me. After his house was bombed Dr. King said, "If I am stopped, this movement will not stop. If I am stopped, our work will not stop. For what we are doing is right. What we are doing is just." This reminded me so much of when the Prophet Joseph Smith was killed by the mob in Carthage Jail. People thought that if they stopped Joseph Smith, they would stop the progress of the church, the building of temples and churches, the very faith of the people. This was not the case and Joseph Smith, much like Dr. King said that very thing a few years before his own death, though much more eloquently than I can, "No unhallowed hand will stop the work from progressing, persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assembly, calumny may defame, but the TRUTH of God will go forth boldly, nobly and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God are accomplished, and the great Jehovah shall say, "THE WORK IS DONE!"

Along other lines, I am impressed as we hold family scripture study each night and Family Home Evening every week, just how much there is to teach my children! I'm so grateful for the chance I have to teach them. When we were less regular with our family time, I didn't even realize the depth and scope of what I would like to give to my children. I am thankful for prophets who encourage us to do these things!

Disturbing

Anyone else find this disturbing? (Click "this" to read article.)

Is This Really the 21st Century?

WARNING: Political/Religious talk below! I have no desire to offend anyone. I'm working through my feelings on a touchy subject.


With the results of Michigan's Republican Primary Election, comes a heavy price for some. Namely, Nathan. Nathan really took some guff in his classroom yesterday from fellow students. Not that I think many of these students had these ideas on their own. It comes from the ignorance, yes, ignorance of their parents. Ignorant usually has a negative connotation and so by my using it, you may see that my patience is on the low side today. Why should my child have to sit through people telling him that his religion and beliefs are stupid and wrong? Why should he have to hear people say that Mitt Romney includes gay people in a grouping with murderers, rapists etc. because he is a Mormon? Of course, Nathan knew that wasn't true, but why this raking over the coals based on religion? I see my kid standing alone, bravely telling the boy who sits across from him, "When you make fun of Mitt Romney's religion, you make fun of my religion." I see myself.

I struggled with this very thing during the time I lived in Massachusetts. On the one hand, my American History teacher singled me out to answer hard questions about Mormonism (i.e. polygamy). It was difficult at the time, because I truly didn't have coherent answers. For instance, while I knew that polygamy had existed, I just accepted it without understanding it. I didn't actually learn and think about it for myself until I reached college. It was hard to have the spotlight put on me. (That's also an issue of my personality. I don't like people looking at me!) In retrospect, I admire what my teacher did. He asked questions instead of spewing out preformed judgments. I have often wished that I had answered or that I had gone back to him when I had a better understanding and given him my answers.

On the other hand, there was a boy who used to call me the "Stormin' Mormon." He knew nothing about me and I'm pretty sure he knew nothing about my faith. I used to pick up the attendance during the seventh hour as a favor for the office and as I walked into this Latin Class, I would be "greeted" by this, I'll use the word again, ignorant student.

On the other hand (wait, there isn't any other hand!), there is the silent type disapproval. People who don't want to associate with us because of our religion. Preconceived ideas (either uninformed or misinformed) and fear are the basis for this, I believe.

It was hard enough to deal with it myself. I have to say it's worse to watch my child going through it. I'm not the type to speak out for myself. As a parent, I've had to learn how to do this; I'm still learning. I've had to figure out how to support my children without bringing my own issues into things. This is something I'm still not very good at.

It's interesting that I've been studying tolerance and acceptance of others religions, political views, and race lately. Surprising! that I'd be presented with so brazen a test of my newly acquired knowledge. What is knowledge without experience? Why can't I have the response of say, Gandhi, as I hear Nathan describing his day to me? I guess it's because I can only go so far with knowledge before I come across something that will give me experience, a test to see if I am worthy of the new light I have received.

(That guy has been down there working on the furnace for a long time, I wonder what this is going to cost me!) Deep breath.

When I found out Romney was running for President, I decided then and there that religion wasn't going to have a bearing for me in this election. I was glad of it when I read a comment written about a news article saying, "Birds of a feather, flock together." I haven't blindly backed any candidate based on gender, race or religion. There are negative strikes in my book for the candidate who made public comments based on religion. If this goes on publicly, what must go on in private?

In preparing myself to discuss religion with my kids in the coming year, I checked out a book on the First Amendment. I'm liking what I read in "The First Amendment: Freedom of Speech, Religion, and the Press" by Leah Farish. Nathan should not have had to experience what he did in class yesterday. There are people who should be ashamed of themselves for the prejudice chewed on, regurgitated and vomited out to the American Public (sorry, that was a little graphic).

I'm going to calm down now. I know that there are others who have suffered far greater and responded far more serenely. I think of Martin Luther King and his followers who we will think of this coming Monday. I think of Jews around the world. I think of Native Americans up and down the American continents. I think of women.

Persecution. Stereotypes. Prejudice. We have such a long way to go! I guess it begins with me. Quitting church to try to avoid it, isn't going to solve anything. Bring on the next test!

I voted!

I think this is the first time I've ever voted in a Primary election. Shame on me for not exercising my right to vote!

The Michigan primary is a little strange this time 'round. It seems someone had the bright idea of testing the system (a toddler or teenager no doubt!) and moved the primary up too close to the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries. In so doing, most of our delegates were lost. Only Hillary Clinton was on the Democrat ballot, but the Republican ballot is full.

I previously mentioned my confusion about a lot of issues and being unsure about where I stand. I did my best today and plan to keep my eye on politics this year so I can make a VERY informed decision come November.

I'm amazed by the number of political calls we get and how truly uninformative they are. At least they can provide a springboard for research of topics.

Reading and thinking

I've been trying to get on here and write about some of the things I've been reading and thinking lately. I get writer's block as soon as the empty blog screen shows up!

First off, I'm more interested in politics than I've ever been. Joseph has always listened to the news and what's more he retains it for years and years. Previously, when I wanted to know about politics, I would just drill him and he can almost always answer the questions I have, about most any topic (he's got a brilliant mind). I have a few dear friends who have challenged my political thinking over the last few years and I've been pushed out of my box. My brother is also very active in thinking about the political system and writes a good deal on his blog about it. I'm very much confused (maybe that's how it's meant to be in this bipartisan system!) and there are issues where I'm not making any headway in making conclusions for myself. I had already decided my positions on some of these issues, but, I'm starting over.

All of this thinking has led me to the Middle East to ponder about what has gone on there and what is going on there. Some months ago, my friend Kristen, recommended a book called "Inside the Kingdom: My Life in Saudi Arabia" by Carmen bin Ladin. (As a side note, if you look up this book, you will see the picture of Carmen bin Ladin on the front of it. I believe I have found the person whose look Michael Jackson has tried to imitate!) She is the sister-in-law to Osama bin Ladin! But the bin Ladin family is very large and though Carmen does have comments about Osama bin Ladin, she was not close with him. In her book, she gives detail about life in Saudi Arabia, particularly for women. The author also gives background to the government and it's workings.

In addition to politics, I've always been interested in religion. More so, since we moved to Michigan, and have been exposed to a much wider variety of people. I decided to read "The Faith Club: A Muslim, A Christian, and a Jew--Three Women Search for Understanding." Ranya Idliby, a Muslim, wondered how she and her family would survive with the stereotypes given to those of her faith after the terrorist attacks of 9/11. She decided that she'd like to write a children's book which talks about similarities between the three main monotheistic religions. Suzanne Oliver (a Christian) and Priscilla Warner (a Jew) joined her in the project. They got together regularly to discuss and prepare their book. In the process, they did a lot of soul searching on their own and a lot of honest asking and answering in their group meetings. They decided to publish a book based on that experience. And thus, The Faith Club. I learned a lot that I didn't know and felt very challenged and stretched as I read. I wrote to the authors to ask where they were in the process of writing their children's book. They are hoping to publish soon. In the mean time they referred me to a picture book called "Jerusalem Sky: Stars, Crosses, and Crescents" by Mark Podwal. I loved this book and so did my kids. With this as a spring board, we plan to study religion this year in our home. I'm really excited about it! We're hoping to learn about and celebrate different religions holidays just to gain understanding of different people.

"The Faith Club" also included a lot about the politics surrounding Israel, because the area is so important for all three religions. Hearing the story from the different perspectives really opened up my mind. Upon finishing that book, I have a desire to study more about religion and history in that area to gain a greater understanding. It was interesting to watch a PBS special the other night called "Walking the Bible" in which Bruce Feiler (I believe he is Jewish) is traveling the area where the Bible is believed to have taken place. You can check it out here:

http://www.pbs.org/walkingthebible/

Have you ever watched "Gandhi?" I remember watching it as a teenager. I watched it a few years ago and then again in the last week. He was an incredible, brilliant man. I plan to watch this movie again and again, just to remind myself of what we are capable of both good and bad. Gandhi dressed and lived like his people while staging a non-violent revolution against the British government. I was again amazed at his intelligence as I watched this last week. This will help me in my quest for truth and knowledge.

Now, I'm reading about Iran. The book is called "Iran Awakening: Memoir of Revolution and Hope." The author is a lady named, Shirin Ebadi who was a judge in Iran before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. I've only read about a quarter of it and I'm eagerly awaiting my night-time reading time!

This post is somewhat disjointed and long, like my thoughts have been...

P.S. Here's a blog I came across that I like to read for an insider view of the war:

http://jeffreydenning.blogspot.com/