Posted 8/7/20
“When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” –John 8:7
Happy Friday to all and to all a good weekend! 🙂 Woot. I hope to see mom this weekend for her mini-birthday party (actually there will only be a couple on site at a time with no presents or food…aka the worst part ever. (OK…a Coronavirus party is worse.) But we march on either way…
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and ONLY THE AUTHOR and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of my employer, the Alzheimer’s Association, the state of Missouri or U.S. government(s), the St. Louis Cardinals, the Southern Baptist Convention, the Baldknobbers, Missouri State University graduates, Colorado tech graduates, other men/women/other identifiers, those who love salsa on their salads (like i do), Weight Watchers members, or any other aspect or semi-aspect of humanity or the animal kingdom as a whole…This is just me, a blogger…with an opinion that he probably ought to keep hidden under a bushel. But here it goes. 🙂
Today’s topic is one I really don’t like as much as some. Dementia in politics. I don’t like it because of how divided society is right now. Despite being a conservative my entire life…a real one, not some Reagan-come-lately…I expect to be called rude names that are tied to progressives because of my take here. That is OK. I have thick skin…
I hate the angle many have used to battle Joe Biden’s presidential campaign. There I said it. I hate it. Accusing him of having dementia isn’t becoming of a party/organization. Yes, he does make many, many verbal gaffes. He always has and, if you have followed him long, you would realize this. He accidentally says stupid things and/or misspeaks quite often…and always has. Let’s look at the issues:
- He is a senior. He would be 78 when he took office, one term (4 years) older than the previous oldest president to take office: Donald Trump. Reagan was several years younger in his second term. While age IS the best risk factor of developing dementia, it is NOT a normal part of aging to get the disease.
- Being a senior isn’t a drawback to choosing a president. Some of the folks I respect the most on this planet are his age. Sorry 30-somethings…call me a Boomer if you must/if that is what it takes to make you feel empowered I guess, but with age comes experience and, often, wisdom.
- He misspeaks a lot. He claims to have had a problem with stuttering early in life and that it is recurring now. This isn’t a new revelation. Unless he is obviously lying…and we should give him the benefit of the doubt. This condition has absolutely ZERO to do with his IQ nor his ability to lead, nor anything else that would hinder him in any way from being a wonderful president. Conservative talk show hosts, and Donald Trump, need to stick to relevant issues and stop trashing people for being different.
- I will admit that I was concerned that he has dementia, probably because of listening to these pundits. After a day of research, my concerns are lessened. Misspeaking and/or stuttering (throughout your whole career) isn’t a sign of dementia any more than having a small, unchanging mole is a sign of skin cancer. We all have things that make us different…
- Side note: Using the above analogy, if you do have a mole that concerns you/that changes shapes and/or gets bigger, what do you do? You get it checked by a professional. I expect Joe Biden has done so since nearly everyone 70 and older have cognitive tests as part of their physical….and a multi-multi-millionaire/member of Congress like Biden certainly has the best medical care in the world for free.
- If you are going to question his cognitive abilities, do so with grace and concern. And pray for him. I will not miss that aspect of Trump’s presidency: the lack of genuine tact or empathy he has always shown. Maybe it is a generational thing…but he is a mean man. There…I said it. Many follow his lead and it has contributed to the divided nation in which we now live.
- Both parties are too mean/rude. They have all lost their decency filters and that needs to change.
- Our vote will not fix nor destroy the country. That is above our pay grade. However, voting against my conscience is bad for me. You will not be judged based on your intended results…just your choices.
So, are you a democrat, Blogger boy? Nope. I am not a Republican either. I am a me party member. I study and I vote. I wade through the mountains of right and left propaganda and I vote my conscience. I am NOT pragmatic. I DO NOT believe the ends justify the means in voting. I don’t hold my nose and vote for someone who violates my conscience. I vote with only my faith in mind, asking myself whether the man or woman would be a candidate that would be honorable and would represent how I believe. I DO NOT take into account polls or other’s statements that typically go as follows” A Vote for (Candidate X, typically someone I like but may or may not have a snowball’s chance on my engine block of winning) is actually voting for (Candidate Y who is similar to a Hitler/Stalin love child).” I categorically deny this logic. My vote is absolutely meaningless unless there is a tie and my vote breaks the tie. In addition, it isn’t MY fault others do not vote how I vote…it is their fault.
OK, you reply…so you can’t vote for pretty much anyone? Indeed that is how it feels. However, am I trusting in the politician or am I trusting in the Lord?
Have I thrown away votes? Sure, if you call it that. (I was so annoyed by a previous election that I wrote in “Sweet Meteor of Death“…I admit that I was throwing that one away…but I am not perfectly refined in my voting methodology.) I have voted for Constitution Party members and Independents before who polls say had no chance, but who were Christians with very similar beliefs/worldviews to me. It wasn’t my fault they lost…it was other voters…
So, who AM I voting for for president? Neither of the primary two candidates. Trump has been too fiscally challenging/progressive, too proud, and far too divisive/downright ugly for me to choose. The former version of Biden, far to the right of the left-of-Castro he is heading toward right now, was still too lefty for me. (And he fails a few litmus tests I hold but won’t share here…). I would never even consider him based on his platform. I will try to give the benefit of the doubt on the awkward kissing/ children’s hair sniffing thing…but it does seem creepy to many on both sides of the aisle. So, therefore, I am stuck searching and praying, knowing my hope…the object of my trust… isn’t in horses, chariots, donkeys, or elephants, but in the name of the Lord our God.
This may make you mad, delete my blog, etc…but let it be known that being ugly doesn’t win my vote…and it actually loses it. Negative campaign ads do work for many…but not me. But my odd votes won’t matter unless others do the same and study the folks before they choose them, regardless what the talk show host or CNN tells them.
Mic drop.
#EndALZ
Update: Nothing new. I hope to see mom possibly tonight and tomorrow in celebration of her nearby birthday. I look very forward to some mom time. 🙂
Dad jokes:
Late one night a mugger wearing a ski mask jumped into the path of a well-dressed man and stuck a gun in his ribs. “Give me your money,” he demanded. Indignant, the affluent man replied, “You can’t do this – I’m a US Congressman!” “In that case,” replied the robber, “Give me MY money!”
or
The word “politics” is derived from the word “poly”, meaning “many”, and the word “ticks”, meaning “blood sucking parasites”.
Last note: I love many politicians. There are many, many that have served well and that deserve our respect and admiration. I am not down on politicians (aside from the last joke). I also believe with all of my heart Romans 13:1, but also that He ordains the means and the ends of everything. Therefore we will vote, but nothing will surprise Him.
OK…really last note: If Biden does have dementia, he shouldn’t run for president. The disease is progressive and could cause serious problems.
Our nation is hanging in the balance right now. Apart from the men who are candidates, more importantly is choosing the Conservative party unless you are comfortable living with socialism, defunding the police, and the govt telling us (churches included) what we can and cannot do. It could become a very scary and unpleasant place to live.
When you vote for an independent candidate, your vote goes nowhere.
Our churches are in danger of being closed and regulated if the left side reigns. Look at the liberal governors and mayors of the cities that have the riots who are not stopping the destruction and killings. So look beyond the candidates personally and look at the agenda of their party.
Thanks for listening.
It makes me think we may be in the last days!
I appreciate your points. Come Lord Jesus.
I have been staying off social media for this very reason. Robert said I should head over here and read this. You are SO right. This is such a hard election. “Kindergarten politics”, as I call it, will never win my vote. The children and teens that are watching this are going to grow up thinking this is normal. What a scary thought. Prayer is what we all need. Happy birthday prayers to your mom.
Agreed. 🙂
Thank you