Politics and No Less Days

I'm sure you couldn't be referring to any one person in particular. :)

In all seriousness, I think it is important to keep talking about these things and even about particular parties and policies.  I also agree that I don't want anyone turned away from the site because of particular comments or opinions.  NoLessDays isn't any particular person, it is a community -- in which there are differences of opinions.  This mirrors what happens in real communities.  Hey, we are a real community.

Now, I have been rather outspoken about the two establishment candidates in the recent US election.  My effort is in regards to the issues.  I can't however, separate the policies from the candidates and their parties.  If Obama or McCain were saying good stuff, I would be supporting the and encouraging others to do so (and I'm guessing that wouldn't be as offensive) -- but they aren't, and the stuff they are planning is very bad for, not just Americans, but many innocent people around the world.

I don't want NoLessDays to be just another nice site, with nice people that only talk about nice things.  I want it to be a real site, with real people, who are talking about real things, AND seeking the TRUTH.  I may not be right -- some of you nodding your heads -- and if I'm wrong I strongly desire to see my error.  I've appreciated the feedback I have received.  It has made me think, though granted, it has not changed my views yet.

Obama may be a well intentioned person, but that doesn't make him right, nor good for America.  I say we keep talking.

A middle ground may be that we keep the political forum posts from appearing on the home page.  I don't have a problem with that.  I just highly value the dialogue, and I think it's healthy.

Also, if I'm saying nasty things about folks personally, please call me out.  I have recently been (re)shown my error in this regard.  Judgement of people is reserved for the Lord.

fwiw, I just minorly tweaked several of my posts to make it clear that I'm talking about the policies not the people.  My apologies to anyone I have offended, this is not my intent.

Sorry for the multitude of responses, but here's a question:

What do we do when a man's policies are going to hurt a lot of people?  I feel it is immoral not to warn the populace.  Whether or not they agree with me is not the point.  I've been thinking of Ezekiel 33:8 recently:

"When I say to the wicked, 'O wicked man, you will surely die,' and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require from your hand." NASB

And here is my two cents worth.

To quote Butler  Shaffer

"I predict that, under Obama, taxes and government spending will increase, government regulation and control over our lives will increase, economic disorder will increase, state police powers will increase, and imperialistic wars will continue unimpeded (and likely increase). In short, the political establishment will continue to pursue its agenda - without a break in meter - regardless of who it places on the throne. In the words of Emma Goldman: 'If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal.'"

I guess we will have to wait and  see if Obama upholds the constitution, ends our illegal wars, abolishes the PATRIOT Act, etc. He doesn’t have a hard act to follow.  Let’s see… the Republicans have doubled the national debt in less than a decade, slaughtered a million people,  and trashed the Bill of Rights. I could go on and on but I think you get my drift. But it is hard to be optimistic when we are confronted with Obama’s hokey egalitarianism and  government dependency.

Oh, and I hope this dosen’t offend any of the 63,896,968 or so Obama supporters.

Ron, we're 4 years early saying this stuff.  If anybody had suggested that Bush would do what Bush did back in 2000 when he was extoling the virtues of a humble foreign policy and no nation building, they would have thought us offensive, divisive, and crazy.  I have a feeling our concerns about Obama will be mainstream opinion before his term is over.

Also, it's interesting to note that just about everybody I talk to who voted for Obama, or even for McCain, didn't really like their candidate; they just felt like it was better than the alternative.  One of my colleagues actually voted for Obama because he thought he would bring chaos sooner.  Just about everybody is looking at this election very differently than any other election.  Unique ideas abound.  Concern is huge ... and yes, there are plenty who are genuinely enthused.

I see your point, Adam.  Maybe there could be just a link from the nolessdays webpage to another page that is just politics.  I realize also that certain strong opinions and use of some words in the political arena could turn some people off who may get something from the spiritual aspects of this site.  I am a very private person and have mostly avoided conversations about politics and religion.  Both of them are 'hot potatoes' and I feel the religion aspect is a personal issue.  I vote my conscience and hope others will too.  I don't know, maybe a separate site with just a comment somewhere on the nolessdays about it and then people can choose to go there if they want to discuss politics.  And then the comments and blog replies would not show up on the home page.  It would also be a better place for any political book reviews, etc.  That is my two-cents' worth.  Adam, I hope you are feeling better!  Chris, what do you think of a separate web page?  You are the webman!

This comment has been moved here.

While a separate political forum that doesn't show on the main page may be a good idea, I have a few other thoughts about how we could express our opinions and share ideas in a way that is less offensive. For example, if I posted something about an issue that concerns me and why, rather than negative comments about a person, it would not only be less offensive, but also more educational. Rather than turn someone away, it might really make them think. It also seems that some of the posts not only assume that they are stating the absolute truth about government/politics (which I don't have a problem with), but that everyone else already shares the same underlying assumption (which isn't necessarily the case). I'm not sure what the solution to this is, because I realize that explaining yourself each time could be cumbersome, but the problem is that people may not have read your previous posts that explain (for example) that you're against government involvement and why.

Does that make sense?

I am rethinking my earlier stance concerning political postings on NLD. Should politics and government policy be out of bounds? Do visitors to this site prefer not to hear negative comments about our government and the ruling elite? What really is the purpose of this site?  Personally I think it would be difficult for me to convey opinions and thoughts about government without offending someone. Don’t get me wrong. I believe that if the truth offends someone, then so be it. But perhaps on NLD the exchange should be about spiritual truths. That’s fine by me. One observation though…it seems to me before viewers started posting about government and politics the site was moving pretty slow and posts were kinda sporadic. Lately it has been one of the first sites I check out when I get on line. But that’s just me and apparently everyone doesn’t feel the same way and thats OK. I for one enjoy reading and hearing other bloggers views on matters pertaining to government and the people in charge who are affecting our lives. If the political posts are turning people off, perhaps it would be best to create another site to express our political views completely separate from NLD. Lets hear some more feedback. Adams last post had 69 reads, so I know there are other visitors out there. That is unless one person keeps reading it over and over ;-)

  I'm with Adam!