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Below is a list of topics. Clicking a topic will open a list of questions/comments on that topic. Clicking one of these will open my response to that question/comment.
Keep in mind that these can go back a few years.
Abortion
Global Warming
God - Christianity
Creation vs Evolution
History of the USA
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Response to a comment that the USA was never founded as a Christian nation and that our founders were all Atheist.
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All but three of the 55 founding fathers were Christian, the other three being deists. Their major reason for leaving England was for religious freedom. No atheist leaves their home country to FIND religious freedom. They would leave to ESCAPE it.
Also, a nation needs no national or official religion to have been founded on principles of a religion. It would be difficult to read some of the quotes written by our founders and still believe that this nation was not founded on Christian principles.
Have you ever toured Washington DC? There are many things there that attest that our founders were NOT atheist. Here are a few examples:
Near the top of the Capitol Building which houses the Supreme Court there is a row of the world’s law givers and each one is facing one in the middle who is facing forward with a full frontal view of Moses and the Ten Commandments.
At the entry of the Supreme Court courtroom, the two huge oak doors have the Ten Commandments engraved on each lower portion of each door. As you sit inside the courtroom, you can see the wall right above where the Supreme Court judges sit. It is a display of the Ten Commandments.
There are Bible verses etched in stone all over the Federal Buildings and Monuments in Washington, D.C.
James Madison, the fourth president, known as “The Father of Our Constitution” made the following statement: "We have staked the whole of all our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government, upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God."
Patrick Henry said, “It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists but by Christians…not on religions but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ”.
Every session of Congress begins with a prayer by a paid preacher…whose salary has been paid by the taxpayer since 1777.
The very first Supreme Court Justice, John Jay, said, "Americans should select and prefer Christians as their rulers."
Does any of this sound atheist to you?
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What are the benefits of using an electoral college in an election, and why should we keep it around?
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If all the states had exactly the same population, there would be much less benefit for the EC. But for governing a group of people as diverse as we are, and with citizens living in population centers and wide-open spaces both, it becomes necessary to ensure fairness in federal affairs.
The federal government is to equally represent the united STATES. Each state is to equally represent the people in that state. If the state in which you live is not equally represented by the federal government, then neither are you as a resident of that state.
The European Union is a good example. They use a very similar model for their European Parliament to provide equal representation to all the member countries regardless of size. Would you think it fair if the European union leadership was determined by a majority vote of the residents of all those countries? Most folks would see this as absurd because, related to EU affairs, the larger countries would run all of Europe then. Removing the EC in the USA would be just as absurd.
To cut the most obvious retort off at the pass, given the size of the USA and the difference in population and needs of the various states, a comparison of the USA to the European Union is valid - They may be different entities, but they have some very similar characteristics.
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What are your thoughts about the Electoral College? It has provided traction to those who would “game the system” and snatch the election from the majority vote. I firmly believe that "one person, one vote".
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It was intended that the governing of American citizens would be nearly entirely by the state in which they live. The federal government was to handle only those things that can’t be handled at state level. Equal representation at federal level was to be applied to the states, not the individual. This was to prevent heavily populated states from running roughshod over sparsely populated states - the tail wagging the dog, so to speak.
That’s why we were set up as a constitutional republic and not an unmanaged democracy. If we were to eliminate the EC then people in sparsely populated states would have absolutely no power at federal level.
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All forms of the government serve the people. You’re suggesting the federal government isn’t supposed to care about people? They are the government over the country, and who lives in that country?
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Not at all. It’s just that the balance of control at state level is the people and the balance of control at federal level is the states. This is to prevent largely populated states from running roughshod over sparsely populated states. The federal government, including the President, was never intended to be the be-all/end-all of US governance. Our founders intended that most of the governance would be at state level. At state level the popular vote rules. At federal level the electoral college rules. Here is an example of why this works as intended.
In 2016 Trump won 2,626 of the 3,113 counties in the United States. Clinton won 487. Raw votes notwithstanding, Trump was immensely more popular than Clinton when gauging presidential popularity the way the founders intended.
Another way to look at it is this. Trump won 46 of 62 counties in New York State, with Clinton winning 16 of them. The population of 4 of the counties Clinton won (4 of the 5 covering NYC) more than accounts for the additional popular votes she received. The five counties of NYC cover 319 square miles, a tiny, very very tiny, fraction of the 3,797,000 square miles that make up the US. It would be unthinkable for a small area of a single state to dictate to the rest of the country who will be president and how it will be run.
The 2016 election was a textbook case for why the electoral college is one of the best things our founding fathers gave us.
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Response to a comment that one’s faith should not influence one’s political stance.
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I don't believe we need to turn off our faith to be in politics or in forming opinions on which direction the USA should take. Our forefathers certainly didn't, and if none of them left their faith behind when laying our nation's foundations then why should any of us when upholding them?
I have some quotes at the end of my response, but first a few things to consider.
Being a Christian is only one facet of who I am. I am a husband, a father, a database administrator (or was until I retired), a photographer, a musician, etc. Should I turn all of those off as well? If not, why just my faith? Exercising one's faith is not against the constitution or the intentions of our forefathers. As a matter of fact, our country was founded on the principles of the free expression of religion, not the suppression of it. Separation of church and state is NOWHERE in ANY of our founding documents. The goal of our founding fathers was that there would be no state-sponsored religion forced on Americans, not that religion had no part in day-to-day life in America - including politics. Freedom OF religion, not freedom FROM religion.
Consider these things about our nation's capital:
The rotunda of the U.S. Capitol contains four paintings: two prayer meetings, a Bible study and a baptism.
There are references to God at the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the National Archives, Senate and House office buildings, the U.S. Supreme Court, the Jefferson Memorial, and the Library of Congress.
Talking about the Washington Monument, on the aluminum cap atop the monument two words are displayed: Laus Deo. They can't be seen from the ground and most people don't even know they are there. They overlook the 69 square miles which comprise the District of Columbia, capital of the United States of America. Two words placed at the highest point over what is the most powerful city in the most successful nation in the world. These words are latin for "Praise be to God!" From the top of this granite and marble structure, visitors can easily see the original plan of the designer, Pierre Charles l'Enfant...a perfect cross imposed upon the landscape - with the White House to the north, the Jefferson Memorial to the south, the Capitol to the east and the Lincoln Memorial to the west. A cross. When the cornerstone of the Washington Monument was laid on July 4th, 1848, deposited within it were many items, including a copy of the Holy Bible presented by the Bible Society. There is a rule in DC that no building there can ever be taller than the Washington Monument. In other words, it was intended that the words Laus Deo - Praise be to God! - be the highest words in our nation's capitol.
The Library of Congress contains a bronze statue of Moses holding The Ten Commandments, plus other Biblical paintings and quotations, such as: "The heavens declare the glory of God".
The National Archives contains a bronze medallion with The Ten Commandments on it.
The Senate and House office buildings contain a plaque that says "In God we trust".
In the U.S. Supreme Court building, the Ten Commandments are inscribed above the judge's courtroom bench.
These are all clear indications of the moral direction and the spiritual mood of our early leaders. We truly were, and are, "One Nation, Under God".
Then consider the Christian heritage of our institutions of learning:
Of the first 108 universities founded in America, 106 were distinctly Christian. The first, Harvard University, chartered in 1636, required that students seeking entrance must know Latin and Greek so that they could study the Scriptures in their original languages. For over 100 years, more than 50% of all Harvard graduates were pastors. BTW, Harvard was named after a clergyman named John Harvard, who was also its first benefactor.
And finally, consider these quotes by our country's founders and early leaders:
"I have lived, sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, that God governs the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured, sir, in the Sacred Writings, that 'except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.' I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel;..." --- Benjamin Franklin
"I am a real Christian, that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus. I have little doubt that our whole country will soon be rallied to the unity of our Creator and, I hope, to the pure doctrine of Jesus also." --- Thomas Jefferson
"It is impossible to govern the world without God and the Bible. Of all the dispositions and habits that lead to political prosperity, our religion and morality are the indispensable supporters. Let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that our national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle." --- George Washington (from his farewell speech on September 19, 1796)
"We have no government armed with the power capable of contending with human passions, unbridled by morality and true religion. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." --- John Adams (in an address to military leaders)
"God reigns, and the government at Washington lives." --- James A. Garfield
"God and man have linked the nations together." --- William McKinley
“Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian Nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.” --- John Jay (our first Supreme Court justice)
“The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.” --- John Quincy Adams
“The foundations of our society and our government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be difficult to support them if faith in these teachings would cease to be practically universal in our country.” --- Calvin Coolidge
“The Congress of the United States recommends and approves the Holy Bible for use in all schools.” --- A resolution passed by the US Congress in 1782
“The Christian religion is the religion of our country. From it are derived our notions on the character of God, on the great moral Governor of the universe. On its doctrines are founded the peculiarities of our free institutions. From no source has the author drawn more conspicuously than from the sacred Scriptures. From all these extracts from the Bible I make no apology.” --- William Holmes McGuffey (author of the McGuffey Reader, which was used for over 100 years in our public schools with over 125 million copies sold until it was stopped in 1963)
“We have staked the whole future of our new nation, not upon the power of government; far from it. We have staked the future of all our political constitutions upon the capacity of each of ourselves to govern ourselves according to the moral principles of the Ten Commandments.” --- James Madison
In my view, the Christian religion is the most important and one of the first things in which all children, under a free government ought to be instructed... No truth is more evident to my mind than that the Christian religion must be the basis of any government intended to secure the rights and privileges of a free people." --- Noah Webster
"...It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us ~ that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion ~ that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain ~ that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom ~ and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth." --- Abraham Lincoln (an excerpt from the Gettysburg Address)
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Response to a claim that 'Make America Great Again' was first used by the KKK.
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There is no record that I can find anywhere that indicates that the phrase 'Make America Great Again' was ever used before 1980, and no indication that it was EVER used by the KKK.
Similar words have been used by politicians as far back as President Ronald Reagan, who used the slogan "Let’s make America great again" during his 1980 campaign, and Bill Clinton used it during his presidential campaign in 1991. Trump trademarked it in 2012, long before the 2016 presidential campaign. On his trademark application he wrote that it was for "political action committee services, namely, promoting public awareness of political issues and fundraising in the field of politics." Sen. Ted Cruz and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker began using "make America great again" in their own speeches during the run-up to the 2016 election. The slogan contains not one single word about race or class or discriminating against anyone.
Somehow 'Make America Great Again' was not an issue until Trump used it, again proving that Trump is hammered for things that weren’t an issue before him.
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Response to a claim that a quote taken from a letter by Alexander Hamilton indicated that he wanted to abolish the electoral college.
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Hamilton's quote that is so often referenced by folks who want to abolish the electoral college did NOT say he disagreed with the electoral college, but rather that he believed that each electoral college member should be allowed to vote their own conscience.
BTW, Hamilton made that statement about the Electoral College in the heat of a controversial election. His strongest motive for denouncing Adams, a member of his own party, besides his strong ideological differences with Adams, was that he wanted to run the Federalist Party and he couldn't control Adams if he was still president. Hamilton succeeded in taking away Adams' re-election bid and instead elected Jefferson to the presidency - even though Jefferson was not even a member of Hamilton's party.
So don’t use Hamilton as a strike against the electoral college.
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Response in a blog questioning why vets fly the US flag considering the problems with the VA.
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I wasn’t drafted, I volunteered when I was 17. It was less to serve my government than it was to serve my fellow citizens. I'd like to think that most folks who serve, men and women, find some satisfaction in knowing that they did their part to preserve our freedoms here in what was once the greatest country on the planet. We still are the most generous country and still have more freedoms than anywhere else - at least for now. Unfortunately, there are too many efforts these days to throw that all away and turn America into a 3rd-world country. This is why any disrespect for the flag tears into the soul of people who served.
Do you think I took down my flag when I was waiting on the VA, or when Obama was president, or when any other thing happened that I didn’t like? Not on your life - it flew then and it continues to fly. The flag I fly represents this country, its founders, its people, and what the US has meant to the rest of the world over the years.
The way the VA takes care of vets does make me mad sometimes, but I didn't serve because I like the VA. I served because I like being a citizen of the USA.
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Should the American flag be modernized to show more diversity and inclusion? Why can't the BLM, American flag, and Pride flag be incorporated into one flag?
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The American flag symbolizes EVERYONE who becomes a citizen of the US, loves America, and is or becomes loyal to our founding principles. Every color, every race, every background, no exceptions or exclusions.
Does everyone do those things? Nope. Does every idea or ideology fall under the American flag? Nope. But that doesn’t change the meaning of the flag one iota.
Bottom line? If you don’t feel included in what the American flag represents then you are not a true American. Learn what being a true American means or find somewhere where you are more happy.
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What is the role of patriotism in American politics?
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Politicians are essentially leaders of a country. Patriotism is loyalty to the country you are a citizen of.
Now, how can one properly lead a country if they have no loyalty to it? Loyalty to a country, or patriotism toward a country, should be an absolute REQUIREMENT for public office in that country.
Unfortunately, there appear to me more and more trojan horses in American politics.
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Why are the 1st and 2nd amendments not updated to ensure the rights of the majority supercede those of the individual? Isn't that democracy?
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A pure democracy does ensure the rights of the majority - and was the LAST thing our founders wanted for this country. Our founders believed, and thank God they did, in the rights of the individual. Expecting a constitutional republic to adopt pure democracy wouldn’t make sense.
If all an action took was a majority of people to agree to it then almost any action becomes possible, whether good or bad. For example, gang rape is the will of the majority. Slavery in the southern states before the civil war was the will of the majority in those states.
Our Constitution and Bill of Rights ensure that in America each individual has protections. Why would any thinking person want to change that?
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What is the definition of freedom? What are some examples of freedom in America?
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Freedom means being able to live your life on your own terms and in whatever manner suits you, and to a large degree is determined by where you live, what you believe, and who you are willing to hurt in the process of exercising your freedom. Think of the complete reach of your personal freedom as being a sphere within which you have complete control. Your personal freedom goes only as far as another person’s sphere of freedom.
So if you live alone on an island somewhere and never interact with other people in any way then you are less in danger of your actions negatively affecting someone else’s freedom to pursue life in the way they desire. Your sphere of freedom will be unlikely to bump into anyone else’s sphere of freedom. If you live in a crowded city then your sphere of freedom will very often bump into the spheres of freedom of other people.
In a well-ordered society, these spheres of freedom will actually overlap without resulting in violence. But this always requires a common set of rules and/or guidelines that everyone follows. If everyone can set their own rules, then chaos ensues.
In the USA, our founding documents don’t GIVE US rights, they CONFIRM the rights WE ALREADY HAVE. Our Declaration of Independence says that we “…are endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights, among those being the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness…”. Notice 2 things: 1) who they believed gave us those rights, and 2) that no person or government has the right to take them away.
America is a big place. According to the UN, the USA has more states than all of Europe has countries (44 - 10 countries in Northern Europe, 10 in Eastern Europe, 9 in Western Europe, and 15 in Southern Europe), the individual states of the US being nearly as varied in size, population, and infrastructure as the countries of Europe. This makes the US very different from any individual European country, and its citizens have very different ideas of personal freedom. These differences are not only between US citizens and most Europeans, but also between citizens of the various states of the US. This is why America tends to lean more toward individual freedoms and to push back on too much interference from the government. It’s also why citizens are better led by their state government than by the federal government. The state government is closer to where they live, and thus more attuned to their needs. The federal government should be active in states’ relations and no deeper.
So, freedom in America used to mean the ability to find a means to earn enough money to have a place to live and put food on the table for the family, with something left over for personal enjoyment, and to defend that family by whatever means necessary, all with minimal involvement of the government. That ‘something left over’ was whatever the individual was willing to work for. Freedom in America was NEVER meant to be the freedom to…
…sit around and live off the taxes taken from the paychecks of those who are willing to work for their piece of the pie.
…outlaw any reading or teaching from the Bible, which was so revered by our founders that readings and concepts from it are all over our nation’s capital.
…dictate to other citizens how and with what tools they are going to defend their loved ones.
…try to get people who had no part in a past travesty to pay retribution to people who were not victims of that tragedy.
…force alternate lifestyles down the throats of every other person in the country by parading their deviance in public.
There are many, many, more, but you get the idea.
True freedom in any society ALWAYS requires common guidelines and a certain amount of self-control. Otherwise you have citizens continually stepping on other citizens' freedoms, which actually leads to a loss of freedoms.
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