Pardon Me!

Excuse the mess I have thrown on the page. As you may have noticed, I switched back to my old setup yesterday and I paid the consequences to say the least. I have been working today to fix the issues, and I will work to fix all the problems I've created.

President Obama to Shut Down Guantanamo

President Obama has wasted no time shuting down Guantanamo Bay and other secret camps as he begins his historic presidency. Obama was intent on balancing a tough attitude with a sympathetic one. Although shutting down Gauntanamo, he has made clear that "We intend to win this fight, we will win on our terms."

I think this is a brilliant move on the part of Obama. One could never doubt how well he carries his words, and his inauguaration speech certainly got the point across early that he intends to fight terrorism near as strong as now former President Bush.

He moves on to mention that we win fights, with the respect and dignity that our founding fathers intended from the beginning. Another fine showing of his respect for the ideals and values that were held true by the great leaders of our country. I just hope and pray that it last and that he doesn't start to take shots at conservatives as things move forward. It just isn't nessecary.

Why Bush Should Be Commended on Foreign Policy

If I have to be the only one to thank George W Bush for his time in office, then I will do so. I have been harder on him than most conservatives, and I think I have more than enough reasons. First, he seems clueless on the economy. Not that he was a complete disaster all eight years, but when something this 'big' is coming, as our current recession, the president and his advisers should know it. Not to mention, the American people should know it. I highly disapprove of his handling of the economy lately, and it hurts the GOP to have a person with such poor creditability as the past election proved. However, I do acknowledge that we did have many times of strong economic strength despite a recession heading into his presidency, 9/11, and two wars, so I do credit him keeping the economy from a complete disaster. I do feel like he has laid some level of ground work to help the economy in the future.

What George Bush should be most proud of is his powerful leadership skills when it comes to foreign policy.

I'll start with the September 11th Attacks. This was the biggest disaster in American history, yet I don't know if there was a stronger leader in the time of American crisis. Instead of allowing the country to fall into chaos, he united not only Americans, but the world abroad in the fight against Islamic terrorist, and sent an early message that this would not happen again. George Bush held true to his word, and we remain safe due to his actions.

Now look at the War on Terrorism (we will leave Iraq out of this equation). Instead of sitting back and letting terrorist succeed in destroying American civilization, he sent a clear message in the Afghan War, where American troops broke the Taliban's control over Afghanistan and set up a constitution and democratic society. This type of action (and certainly it's success) is unheard of when you look back at world history, yet he was able to do it.

The Iraq War was nothing short of a disappointment. After just weeks of fighting, there was a general consensus that it was they had won more handily than in Afghanistan, and Bush made his mistake of believing that it was 'Mission Accomplished', while the years that followed included dreadful rebel uprising, suicide bombers, and a civil war between factions of the Shite and Sunni Muslims. Where Bush should be commended is when many people said we had failed and should abandon Iraq, he held true. He picked up a brilliant General David Peterus, and came up with the plan of a troop surge. This surge saved Iraq and has led us to victory that many thought was impossible. It may be years before we realize just how significant this surge was. We lost 2/3 less troops this year alone.

You can argue on the validity of the Iraq War all day long, however, having two democratic societies and allies, where there were enemies filled with ruthless dictators and Terrorist organizations is something that no man many achieve again. Bush's actions also convinced Libya to give up their nuclear capabilities, and he has continued to keep Iran, North Korea, and others at bay. So when it comes to foreign policy, I give props to our out-going president, and wish him nothing but the best in the future.

Obama's Mistake

Barack Obama took a lot of heat for his selection of Rev. Rick Warren to say the invocation at his inauguration. Warren is of couse loathed (yes, maybe even Hated) by Gay Rights groups for his strong support of the gay marriage ban in California.

So what is his response? He tags a gay bishop by the name of Gene Robinson to say prayer on this special day. It is no secret that I am opposed to gay marriage and fine with any person that decides that they WANT to be gay (and yes, I mean WANT to be GAY), however this decision is poor and may be a prelude to his actions in the future.

So you want to piss the religious right off huh? Your starting to do a good job. Aside from a strong rise in Democratic voters this turn around, you can attribute a large part of your success to a lack Christian enthusiasm, not to mention Republican voters in general. I realize that in four years people will seldom remember this event, but continue this and you are setting yourself up for a backlash.

Gene Robinson has more problems than just being gay. In fact, he has the pleasure of splitting an entire fact of the Episcopal Church. He also was married, had two kids, and later divorced because of his homosexuality. He would later be accused of impropriety. These allegations would later prove to have little merit if any at all, however in 2006 he entered rehab for alcohol. abuse.

I believe that you should never judge a man's character. I have had my struggles in life, mistakes, and regrets. I will never suggest that a man be judged for the mistakes he has made, as long as he professes them to be wrong the God Almighty. He is the judge. However, a person's actions show actions show the person you are. I will not judge Robinson for his actions to which I am strongly opposed, however I have the right a Christian and American to believe that someone else should be doing it.

Here is my biggest problem with him. He has decided that he will not read from the Bible because "not everyone believes that way." Interesting, because not everyone believe you should be gay, you do it anyway because that is what you believe in. As a bishop, it seems to me that he abandons his "sacred" beliefs in the Bible for the same reason he has fought to be gay. It looks as if he has a double-standard on his own beliefs.

I mean when it comes to the Bible, it is objective of all Christians to spread the belief of Jesus Christ. I will ignore the passages against homosexuality, but as bishop he is not only obligated to spread the message of Christ, it was the reason he was created. The disciples spread the news of Jesus Christ to people who did not believe what did (that is the way people learn of Jesus right?). They along with Paul risked death to spread the word of God, yet a bishop will not because of political reasons?

From my standpoint, that is why I do not like the idea of him being the representation of the Christian faith. Its bad judgement.

For Obama, who took this guy for political reasons, you are setting yourself up to appease people. That should not be your objective. It appears you are trying to save Hollywood status and wonderful articles from People Magazine, but hey, I would much rather you be a good president than popular, world united, celebrity.