Election 2012: Down to the wire: I’ve made up my mind

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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Sunday, October 7, 2012. Is anybody paying attention to anything other than the American election coming up on November 6th? Tomorrow is Thanksgiving in Canada. (Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States.) Today is the 127th birthday of Niels Bohr. Scanning through the headlines, the world is full of news, some good, and some bad.

According to UNAIDS.Org, 1.8 million died from AIDS in 2009. In the United States, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that 18,000 people die each year from AIDS.

Today, nearly five thousand people died from AIDS worldwide and 49 people died in the United States.

A report from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies states: "Lack of health insurance causes roughly 18,000 unnecessary deaths every year in the United States." (Wikipedia: Uninsured in the United States: Consequences)

As an odd coincidence, 49 people died in the United States today because they could not afford health insurance.

The decision voters will be making in this coming presidential election will have ramifications for years to come. No matter who wins, admittedly the status quo is going to be radically altered. But it strikes me at this late stage of the game that despite the debates, despite the last minute campaigning, despite the efforts to swing those undecided voters over to the right or left camps, many, probably the majority, have already made up their minds. They know how they are going to mark their ballots and "I ain't changing my mind no matter what you say."

"This election is not simply a choice between two candidates or two political parties, but between two fundamentally different paths for our country and our families." (page 1, the 2012 Democratic Platform)

Being a bit of a new junkie and addicted Web surfer, I randomly run into "stuff", stuff which sometimes introduces me to new unknown wonders and sometimes makes me scratch my head.

Tea Party Sailor ‏@Win_The_US_Back 9:19 AM – 7 Oct 12
Even if it were true #MTP I'd take a Lying Christian Capitalist over a Lying Muslim Marxist any day- Obama's Reign of Terror is almost over!

I take it that "#MTP" stands for Meet The Press and while I didn't watch this week and do not know to what the author is referring, I can clearly see what the author has laid out as a clear statement of his own beliefs concerning November 6. This political campaign, like probably all political campaigns, has been peppered with hyperbole which certainly can be used for comedic effect but comes across, at least in my opinion, as more of a statement of fact. So let's look at the facts.

Obama's Reign of Terror is almost over!

What? I have to laugh as this almost seems like brown shirts have been coming to his door beating him up and threatening to deport his wife and send his children to a labour camp. "Reign of Terror"? Good lord, there's hyperbole and then there's hyperbole. Ha ha. This isn't a presidential election, this is WAR (spelled in caps).

Obama is Muslim. Is this where I roll my eyes? You people are just not going to drop this one are you? Ha ha.

On the other hand, Romney is Christian. Now this is also kind of funny as some Christian groups say that Mormons are not Christian. Romney is Mormon in case you didn't know What you didn't!?! Oh my Allah… I mean, God! Ha, ha.

The author calls Romney a Capitalist while calling Obama a Marxist. I found it and continue to find it strange how the idea of everyone pitching in for the common good has been turned around and labelled with such terms as "wealth distribution" or "socialism". Everybody pays taxes and I'm sure a reform of the tax system would be beneficial for everyone, but the idea that everyone pays taxes or everyone should pay taxes somehow has been lost on the right. When Warren Buffett, the mother of all capitalist points out how his rate of income tax is lower than his secretary's and wonders why such an inequity exists in America, a country supposedly dedicated to freedom, liberty, and helping the downtrodden, that's enough for me to say that something is wrong and somebody in power needs to do something about it. But a tweet like this reminds me that not everybody thinks as I do.

However the last piece of analysis strikes me as the most amusing of this entire message. The author has called both sides of the political spectrum liars but has clarified that while both sides are lying, "I'd take a Lying Christian Capitalist over a Lying Muslim Marxist any day". I thought lying unto itself was bad, but the author has managed to qualify it and managed to choose between two evils, supposedly the lesser of two evils. I can't help wondering if the author has such a preference elsewhere in his life. If the author was going to be robbed at gunpoint, would he prefer being robbed by a Baptist as opposed to a Jehovah Witness? If he was crossing the street and knocked to the ground by a drunken motorist, would he prefer to be hit by a Catholic driver as opposed to a Jewish one? If something bad is going to happen to me, dear Lord, please make sure it's a Christian Capitalist and not a Muslim Marxist.

Final Word
I don't have the final word; you do on November 6th. And good luck. You'll need it. America is in a s**tload of trouble and no matter who wins, you ain't gunna fix this one in the next four years. It took you decades to get yourself into trouble and it is probably going to take you more than you think, certainly more than you would like to get you out of this mess.

 
Click HERE to read more from William Belle

References

I have written a number of articles on AMerican politics and the 2012 Election. Check out the site map under the category Politics.

Wikipedia: Mormonism and Christianity
Mormonism and Christianity have a complex theological, historical, and sociological relationship.

Focusing on differences, some Christians consider Mormonism "non-Christian", and Mormons, focusing on similarities, are offended at being so characterized.

The Gospel Coalition
The FAQs: Are Mormons Christian? by Joe Carter
No. On many key points Mormon beliefs are antithetical to historic Christian orthodoxy. However noble the intentions for wanting to include them as "brothers and sisters in Christ," we do violence to the historical understanding of the term "Christian" by expanding it to mean those who have rejected orthodox Christian beliefs for a nineteenth-century heretical theology.

my blog: The 2012 Republican Platform: Are ya scared yet?

my blog: The 2012 Democratic Platform: yes you still can

Wikipedia: The Firesign Theatre
The Firesign Theatre is an American comedy troupe consisting of Phil Austin, Peter Bergman, David Ossman and Philip Proctor. Their brand of surrealistic humor is best known through their record albums, which acquired an enthusiastic following in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Wikipedia: How Can You Be in Two Places at Once When You're Not Anywhere at All
How Can You Be in Two Places at Once When You're Not Anywhere at All is the second comedy album recorded by The Firesign Theatre. It was originally released in 1969 by Columbia Records.

All Hail Marx Lennon

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