Elections haven’t always taken place the first Tuesday of November. 220 years ago today the first presidential election took place. Things have changed a lot since that time, according to “This Day in History” and other sources, only white men who were property owners were permitted to vote….and now our first black President will be taking the oath of office in only a matter of days.

When George Washington, our Nations first President, won the first election 220 years ago today, he wasn’t sworn into office until April. of 1789.

Today the transition from a Bush/Cheney to an Obama/Biden Administration will begin.  And here I thought that maybe Obama would get some down time, but no, I guess that’s not how it works.

I don’t know a lot about what goes on during a transition like this, at least I didn’t until I visited a site on Squidoo…if you don’t know what Squidoo is, well, you’ll have to figure that out when you visit this link all about Transitioning the Presidency.

Okay, I didn’t vote for him, but wow, what an incredible moment. Barack Obama is our 44th President! I can’t help but think of how the first Africans, before they were called many other names, now African Americans, became part of our Country, all that they have been through, and now what a historic moment!

Actually, I am reminded by a commentator on television that Barack is a Bi-racial President, one who reaches a diverse group, I wish I could put into words the many thoughts that are going through my mind, nothing negative, just amazement, wonder, awe.

Congratulations to all of you embracing this moment, I truly am happy for you all, and will be praying for our new President and Vice President.

I’ve learned a lot through doing this blog, and hope to learn a lot more in the days to come.

Now it is time for us all to come together…work together.

The polls haven’t even begun to close, but today, history is being made, for the first time ever we are voting for a black man to hold the office of President of the United States.

I can’t help but feel the moment…I am not a black American, white as can be actually, lucky if I can get my skin to even TAN a little bit, but am happy that we have reached this point in history.

Obama may not be my choice for reasons totally unrelated to culture, but I’m happy that as a Nation we have matured to this point.

I have my scorecard from LivPAC and will be “keeping score”, and up until it’s over…hoping it won’t be TOOOO late.  I’ll pop in here now and then if the mood hits me.

I know I’m supposed to be writing about the debates, the polls, the negative advertising, what I think about Barack Obama -v- John McCain, but today I just have to comment about something I’m passionate about, and that is RESPECT!

I don’t appreciate negative advertising, from either side, but that seems to be the way it is in the game of politics.  But what appals me even more is the new movie that is out that claims to be a biography (lying is “in” too!) about our President, called “W”.  How sick can you get?  Not only does it mock a man that should be respected, but it mocks the God that many of us worship and serve.  I’m angry, mad, disgusted!

As if that isn’t enough we have to have a movie out that’s only purpose is to put down Christianity.

Have you ever heard of the “Antichrist”?  It/he was prophesied in the Bible as being a big part of the “end times”, the last days before Jesus Christ is to return to earch, yes, the same Christ that is being mocked today.   If the things we are seeing today aren’t “antichrist”, I don’t know what is.

We should be ashamed of ourselves as people and Nation for letting things like this go on. No matter WHO becomes leader of our Nation, whether it be John McCain, or Barack Obama, they will receive my respect, and I will be praying for them.

I really enjoyed watching the Vice Presidential debate so much more than the Presidential Debate, both Candidates did a good job.  I was concerned for Palin, but she did an excellent job.  As people, both candidates for Vice President are personable, nice people.

For me, I don’t know that there was a winner or loser, I’m going to think about that a bit more.  Clearly from the type of posts you see on this blog, I’m a McCain supporter, and I hope he takes some pointers from his running mate…I appreciated how gracious she was to Biden, that she looked at him when she spoke.  When McCain debated, even when asked to engage in conversation with Obama, I don’t recall seeing a lot of that.  Hoping for better in the next two debates.

Finally, what a beautiful ending, the families cordially greeting one another on the stage, I don’t know whether things like that make one a better candidate, but I sure did like it.

Now it’s time to watch…and watch out…as the press does it’s “spin” thing.

Here’s the debate:

Today someone who means a lot to me wrote and asked me some questions about who I’m voting for and why, with some specific questions about some of the current issues, and how my Christian views play into my decision.  I wrote a long reply, sharing some of my thoughts.  They are a bit random at times, and  I’m not saying all of them are right. Since I spent so much time on that, I thought I’d share some of it with you below, enjoy getting into my head a bit…now that’s a frightening thought:-)

It’s funny you are writing this, I was just thinking about these things. Hubby is more in tune with some of the specifics that you ask about, and when he is of the frame of mind will answer them I am sure. I hope you can follow this, as I re-read it, it goes on some tangents :-)

For a time, both of us were not feeling terribly excited about the election this year as each candidate isn’t quite what we’d (I’d) want. I’m concerned about the needy, and where the line should be drawn between personal responsibility and helping those in need. I see many Christians volunteering to do wonderful things, and think there should be more of that.

I always want to be a Nation that welcomes people to come to our country LEGALLY to enjoy it’s freedoms, and have always loved the fact that we have been a nation that embraced what is on the Statue of Liberty (*I copied and pasted below), yet it’s hard to know the enemy any more in this strange war we find ourselves in that has been brewing for a long, LONG time while we were complacent.

As for abortion, it is an extremely important issue, and so are all the other things. It’s just that there are plenty of voices on both sides for the other things, economy, etc., but only Judeo-Christians will stand up for babies forming in their mother’s wombs that are not yet born, so that may be why they are a voice for that one issue that wouldn’t be heard otherwise.

I was just today thinking about whether having a Christian -v- non as President mattered, and why it is such a big issue, I don’t remember it mattering that much when our parents were voting, except for the talk about Kennedy being a Catholic when he was elected, but I was too young to really understand why that was an issue.

At first, I just put the “Christian” part out of my decision, and listened to as many speeches by the candidates as I could. I came away believing McCain was the tough, yet in some ways gentle, type of person we need in office at this time in history because we are a Nation at war whether we like it or want to acknowledge it or not, and he will not duck and run, but face it head on. He has been refined by time and experience in a way Obama has not. We CAN’T take our guys out of Iraq sooner than is wise, and we need a President who will admit who the enemy is and face the enemy head on.

I want us to continue to be the Nation that helps other Nations by giving our lives for them, that is what we are doing, just like we did in past wars, as agonizing as that is……

It wasn’t until the confusing years of the 1960’s and the Viet Nam war, a war with a Draft, that we changed…at least in my lifetime…when we did leave before the job was finished and had soldiers who had given their all, and are were forever marked by it, come back to anti-war protests instead of an appreciative America. I have long believed it is the grown up anti-war hippies that are making up many of the philosophies of the democratic party…at the same time that doesn’t mean there weren’t any lessons to be learned, I’m talking about the extremes.

Yes, we wish we could go back to the days gone by when everything SEEMED fine, the days when Clinton was screwing around in the White house, or the days when Reagan was President and we saw the end of the Soviet Union (at least for a while), but that’s not where we are, and just voting for the guy on the other side of where we are now isn’t going to change that. The “present administration”, a term used often, is at a stand-still because of politics…the Democrats are the majority in the congress/house and holding up almost anything our Republican president wants to do, while they constantly speak against him.

Anyway, I digress, I came to terms with McCain as President…Obama simply does not have the experience, and there are to many things he says that I simply don’t agree with, and I am concerned about the brain-washing he received while in the church he attended.

Sarah Palin was a nice addition to the ticket, I like her, she is REAL, someone you feel like you could comfortably sit down and talk to, and she is a Christian, yes, yes, that is important to me. I’d be a fool if it wasn’t.

When I think of Bush, who liberals and some media have been brain-washing us to hate for about 8 or more years, I think of Moses….just because Moses lead the people, and was before God all the time on their behalf, it didn’t always guarantee “change” because people are stupid, we all want our own way, especially when the going is tough like it was wandering in the wilderness. God had to intervene many times with his judgment, and I wonder if we are seeing some of that today.

I have rambled…. Bottom line, at least for today, I’m voting McCain/Palin, I think that they are the people for the time that we are in even if I don’t agree with every single thing they say.

God bless, and God bless America,

[Me]

PS - I thought I heard not that long ago that the ozone layer was doing better, and the “hole” in it was smaller now? I don’t trust all scientists. Did you see the movie “Expelled” with Ben Stein yet?

——————–

*The New Colossus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”