Oh yes!  Beth, these conversations are good for me too.  They give me a
chance to grow by considering the opinions of others.  The trouble is that
it's so easy to step on toes when we are touting our own beliefs.  I'm not
sure if we have to be careful of stepping on those toes, or if people should
make sure their toes are protected when they read other people's posts.
Perhaps a little of both?

I have nurtured fairly strong beliefs about a variety of subjects in the
course of living this one life I have.  Sometimes they are so strong,
particularly in the disability rights arena, that I have to make an extra
effort when I'm posting about them.  I don't always succeed.  I try to use
words like "seems" and "appears" so that the things I share don't come across
as beating someone over the head with my philosophical baseball bat.

My belief about politicians is about like yours.  It seems to me that you
can't even get to the office without being in someone's back pocket.  I
consider that every politician has been bought by someone along the way, in
one form or another.  I'm concerned not only with the information provided by
the media, but also information I can't get my hands on.  In fact, I think
I'm more concerned about the latter.

With each candidate though, we face unknown factors.  The best we can do
behind the voting curtain, and what should be expected of us, is to try to
make the most educated decision possible.

Christian comment alert!!!  Christian comment alert!!!

For the Christians on the list (if you will kindly indulge me while I
interject in this vein), we are called upon to pray for the leadership of our
nations.  I have been particularly disappointed with the public campaign to
capitalize in a humorous way on Clinton's difficulties.  We have to be
informed, and sometimes we must act on information that we learn, but if we
are truly Christians, we are supposed to be praying for our leaders, not
trashing them with lurid jokes and such.  I am disgusted with the Clinton
jokes, and when I hear them from someone who professes to be a Christian, I
want to remind them that we can do better by our country by praying for
Clinton rather than engaging in pathetic attempts to find humor in his
reputation.  I have also heard terrible jokes about Chelsea, and it breaks my
heart for her.  How sad that while she was developing into a young woman,
physically and psychologically, that we did not chose to be more supportive,
and rely upon our good parenting skills on behalf of her welfare.

This falls under the heading of loving one's neighbor as oneself.  If we who
say we are Christians strive to do that, most other things we decide during
the course of our day will be so affected.  We will not want to take a stab
the heart of another person.

Okay, enough of my philosophizing this morning.  From the perspective of a
Christian though, and as a message only to Christians -- without intent to
proselytize, "I seen my duty and I done it."

Betty (high school dropout -- once diagnosed as mildly retarded, and brazenly
challenging that claim)

In a message dated 03/02/2000 7:48:06 AM Eastern Standard Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

<< Actually, I was too young to vote when Reagan was in office.  My Daddy
 taught me to never trust anyone in office or anyone who holds power.  It's
 those midwestern, unionist, roots showing.  I figure they all have agendas
 or they wouldn't be in power.  We only see what the spin doctors and news
 media want us to see and even that's colored by our own perceptions.  But,
 as long the discussion stays nice, it's kind of fun reading all the
 different opinions (personally, I think you're on to something Joanne, but,
 that's just the paranoid side talking or is it...)  and Bobby, politics,
 poems, puns, and psychology what next?


 Beth the OT
  >>