Look Who's Protesting Now!

Much like many of you, I have been watching the news and commentators on the various networks and the response to the town hall meetings that some of our elected representatives have been sponsoring lately. I must admit I am encouraged by what I have seen. First of all, just to see people showing up at these meetings is a positive thing. It seems throughout most of my life the only folks that have really taken the time to get involved in the process have been members of some fringe or special interest group, a group that generally doesn't seem to represent anyone that I know and certainly not the mainstream of middle America. Now I am seeing many getting involved that, by their own admission, have never really taken an interest in politics or activism of any type before. This is, in my opinion, a step in the right direction regardless of their political affiliation or ideas. There needs to be involvement by "The People" or the form of self government that we live under (a republic, not a democracy for those of you that went to public school like me) fails to function as it should.

Poor voter turn-out at election time has always puzzled me. I remember the first election that I was able to vote in and how excited I was at the opportunity to finally have a voice and take part in the choosing of leaders that would shape the future of this great country. I also remember so many of my friends that didn't care one way or the other and did not vote. These were the same people that I heard over the next several years complaining about one politician or another and how the country was not being run as they thought it should. It made no sense to me. I do not understand apathy when it comes to something as important as free elections, a luxury that most of the world will never experience, so when I see a greater percentage of the population engaging in the debate and becoming active in the political process I naturally think this is a positive thing.

So why are so many on the left upset over this resurgence of interest in the process? Why is the media so quick to try and portray these people as terrorists, thugs, mobsters and a threat to freedom? Some have even gone so far as to compare the growing movement of citizens against government run health care to the Brown Shirts of the National Socialist Party of Germany (Nazi's). Aren't these the same people that have always been in support of the protests of the past? Where are the great, open-minded liberals that have always encouraged the freedom of speech and protest (right to peaceably assemble) for the minority and fringe environmental, gay rights, animal rights and other groups? Why are they so disturbed over the sight of "The People" exercising their right to make their voice heard? Do they not understand, or do they understand much more than they are letting on?

I believe that the reaction from the left and so-called 'moderates' in both parties is an indication that someone is on the right track. I think they are reacting out of a fear that they are losing their power and privilege. The elite of society that have guided this country farther and farther down a path that leads away from our Constitution, individual rights and limited government are seeing the threat of 'a great awakening' of the freedom that is deep in the DNA of the American people. I hope and pray that this is the case.

Where Do We Go From Here?

I don't know about you, but I was in a real funk on Nov. 5th. This election was not the first time that I have been disappointed in the results (ie: Clinton's 2 terms), but for some reason I was effected to a much greater degree. I was not a strong believer in John McCain as the right man for the job. In fact I was unsure of my vote until he selected Sarah Palin as a running mate. Somehow though, I knew there was more riding on this election than any previous in my lifetime. Perhaps part of my reaction was due to the obvious negligence of the mainstream media in letting the American people know just exactly who Barak Hussein Obama is.

Let me back up just a bit and tell you something you may find extremely weird, troublesome, nutty, etc (pick your own word). I was very anxious for this election. I found myself counting the days when we were still weeks away from the voting. I voted early here in Texas and was really looking forward to spending the election day evening with friends and watching the returns come in. Then a strange thing happened. As I finished work for the day (which was early on Tuesday) I started to feel a heaviness in my heart about the evening. As I walked up to the front door of my home, I noticed that the American flag we had out had somehow become completely wrapped around itself and the pole. Ordinarily I would probably of thought nothing about it, except that it had never happened before. But on this day I heard a voice (not audibly) say that for the next four years the flag (which I somehow knew was representative of our freedom) would be bound up and not allowed to fly freely.

If you knew me, you would know that this was a pretty weird thing for me to experience. As I thought about it I felt strongly that many of our rights (free speech, right to bear arms, etc.) would be challenged and perhaps even restricted in the years to come. I tried to shake this off and told myself that it was silly, since the polls had not even closed yet and surely the McCain-Palin ticket would win. I just couldn't shake the feeling of dread and/or doom that I felt the rest of the night. By around 9:00 CST I knew it was over. Depression set in!

Having some time to think about this and process it some (my brain works on stuff SLOWLY) I have arrived at what I think is the Lord's will in all of this. We are told in the Bible that God is Omnipotent and His purposes will be accomplished. So where does that put us as Christians that may feel a man has been elected that supports some agendas we know go against God's will, and others that are at the very least contrary to the Constitution? We must rest and be at peace with God's sovereignty and know that He will work things for our ultimate good.

We must also be vigilant and watch closely for any party or politician that may go against the principles of the Constitution and our founding fathers. If and when these issues arise we must not be silent, as the German people were in the 1930's, but we must protest and petition to be heard. Beyond this we must also, and more importantly, pray for our leaders... even those we don't like. We must pray that God's will is done and pray that He would give insight and wisdom to those governing our country. I am not proud of the fact that I did not do this when Mr. Clinton was in office because I so strongly opposed the man and his lack of integrity, honesty and morals... but let us learn our lesson and do our part this time around. We must be a light and a blessing to all and truly learn to selflessly pursue God's will over our own social or political agenda.