Why I hate politics

So lately on my FB feed, I’ve seen a lot of political stuff from friends of mine. Since some of you may have wondered who I currently support for next year’s election, I thought that I should clarify some things.

First off, I am not a Democrat, nor am I a Republican. Both parties are extremely flawed and just annoy me in general. They honestly don’t represent my sincerest beliefs. As a moderate conservative, my views are not easily categorized, but if forced to take a position, I’m reasonably traditional.

I believe that Obama, considering his limited experience prior to his election, has been defended too much. I’m not going to go off on a rant about how much he supposedly fails, because I’ve never been in his shoes and don’t understand the daily pressure he faces. But I still believe that the media idolizes Obama and that many people are voting to re-elect him just because he’s black, or because he promised change, or whatever.

Speaking of Obama’s race, I was amused by the statement that former president Jimmy Carter made: that all anti-Obama people are racist. That’s ridiculous. I’m not saying that there aren’t Republicans out there who are racist, but stereotyping conservatives in the way that Carter did is just stupid.

In addition, I’ve been curious to see how the African-American community in the US has responded to Obama. Apparently, almost 94% of them supported Obama in the last election.

Frankly, Obama is a model for success in the black community. He wasn’t the richest kid growing up, but he worked hard, went to Harvard, and the rest is history. But at the same time, Obama isn’t a stereotype either. He was born in Honolulu – which isn’t exactly the hood. Still, I’d love to see more people, of any race, have that kind of motivation and drive to succeed. That’s something that’s admirable about anyone, regardless of their political/religious beliefs.

Since I just mentioned it, on to the topic of Obama’s religion:

Obama is not a Muslim. I think that is a conspiracy theory that’s been blown out of proportion. He claims to be a Christian, but almost every politician does that. I, for one, believe that Obama is not a sincere believer, but that he is a spiritual person who does seek wisdom from God…it’s just a question of what his idea of God is. He’s quite skeptical of Christianity in general, because it’s so often associated with Republicanism. But I believe that he’s becoming more open to the idea of the Gospel; he’s just not convinced yet.

One thing that I disagree with Obama on is his claim that America is not a Christian nation. Here’s the thing: our country was founded on Judeo-Christian values, but it is not a Christian nation per se. But the way Obama makes it sound is that all views are equal, which I don’t really agree with. It is true that the vast majority of the Founding Fathers were Deists. But they all saw the importance of religion in public life, and that the country they were about to found would be a country intended for “a moral and religious people” and that it would be “wholly inadequate for any other.” (a quote from John Adams)

One of the few politicians that I actually admire and respect is David Cameron, the current British prime minister. I don’t agree with him on everything, but I admire his beliefs and values. He was once quoted as saying this:

“I’ve got a fairly classic Church of England faith. My politics are not faith-driven. I am a Christian, I believe in God, and I go to church, but I do not have a direct line (to my politics). I do think that organized religion can get things wrong, but the Church of England and the other churches do play a very important role in society.”

That’s the point that I’m trying to make: regardless of your beliefs, the churches in this country are a valuable part of society and, in a way, have helped us be proud of our history.

I admit that I should pray for Obama more than I do. It’s just that I get so bored and irritated from political things. I’m not a political person. I do intend to vote next year, but I’m not political. Jesus, our perfect example, was not a political person, and I strive to be more like him. We should never place our faith in politicians, because ultimately they are fallible. Instead, we should keep our eyes on the “author and finisher of our faith.”

Thanks for your time!

~Rick

End of football season

Well, the Aggies dropped a heartbreaker this afternoon to Utah State, 24-21. But all in all, we really improved in all areas this season. Some said that our recruiting class was one of the worst in the country. Some said that we wouldn’t win a single game.

But thank God for our head coach, DeWayne Walker, who made his players embrace the philosophy of “believe and compete.” Instead of accepting a defeatist attitude, our players fought hard every game and finished with a 4-9 overall record, almost always keeping the score close. Especially notable was our senior class, who set a great tone of leadership and tenacity all season long.

I’d like to send out a special congrats to our six all-conference selections this season: offensive lineman Davonte Wallace, wide receiver Taveon Rogers, running back Kenny Turner, cornerback Jonte Green, safety Donyae Coleman,

Also, Rogers was an outstanding kick returner for us this year, returning three for touchdowns, while also leading the nation in all-purpose yards. Way to go, Taveon!!

NMSU football has made great progress under Walker, and I’m glad to support our team here in Las Cruces! Can’t wait til next year! I really believe that next season we could make some noise in the WAC. Even though we still haven’t made a bowl game in decades, there’s plenty of reasons to be positive. Go Aggies!