Volume 2 Issue 36

“Happily the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens in giving it on all occasions their effectual support.” --George Washington in a letter to the Jewish congregation of Newport, Rhode Island [1790]
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“That is the issue that will continue in this country when these poor tongues of Judge Douglas and myself shall be silent. It is the eternal struggle between these two principles—right and wrong—throughout the world. They are the two principles that have stood face to face from the beginning of time; and will ever continue to struggle. The one is the common right of humanity, and the other the divine right of kings. It is the same principle in whatever shape it develops itself. It is the same spirit that says, ‘You toil and work and earn bread, and I’ll eat it.’ No matter in what shape it comes, whether from the mouth of a king who seeks to bestride the people of his own nation and live by the fruit of their labor, or from one race of men as an apology for enslaving another race, it is the same tyrannical principal.” --Abraham Lincoln in reply, seventh and last joint debate, Alton, Illinois [October 15, 1858]
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“When a fellow American has more money in his or her pocket they’re more likely to demand a good or a service. And in the marketplace which we have in America, when somebody demands a good or a service, somebody is more likely willing to produce that good or a service, and when somebody produces the good or a service it means somebody is more likely to find work.” --George W. Bush speaking in Grand Rapids, Michigan [January 29, 2003]
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Yesterday, as Mary and I celebrated the thirty-fourth anniversary of our first date (aw, it was on Valentine’s Day) we commented on how much has changed over the years. Not the least of those changes is the diminishing number of those who we knew back then that are still with the same “significant other.” We concluded that apparently neither of us has been bold, creative, or adventurous enough to go out looking for someone new. Or, maybe it’s just that we really love each other. That it’s all about values is undeniable, and GiC continues to examine the nature and source of those values from a theological perspective. It is in that spirit that I invite you to spend a little time at the Bulletin Board where the broad diversity of thought and opinion is free to find expression.
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Even though it’s the epitome of pathological grandiosity, I’m still feeling the need to offer my apology to Ret. Gen. Wesley Clark for openly and publicly supporting his candidacy for the presidency. It was the kiss of death! I have been known to have this same effect on other political figures, sports teams, and almost any other sort of competitive venture such as picking the “quickest” checkout lane at the grocery store. Now that I’ve finally figured out the scope of my influence, I am openly and publicly offering my new found support for Bush-Cheney in 2004!
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Until next week…….Shalom!