Why I Reject Obama

PART ONE

Many of my friends are overly supportive of Obama. I'm very disappointed that they are going to vote for him. As you know, I have made a commitment not to endorse any candidate. They are all just politicians who will say and do anything to extract your vote.

Every one of Obama's speeches makes him look good. But that does not make him good. I am impressed, as a rhetorician myself, at how talented he at fooling many people. However, Obama consistently opposes nearly every truth I hold dear. As a result, I condemn all of my friends who support him.

OBAMA OPPOSES MARRIAGE EQUALITY. As a black man, he should know all about discrimination, oppression, and segregation. As a black man, he should know that separate-but-equal is never equal. As a black man, and a supporter of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s ideas, he should demand justice, freedom, and equality for LGBT Americans. Yet he doesn't. Obama is not really black, then.

In his sugar-coated speeches, he makes it sounds like he supports the LGBT cause. Perhaps in his heart, if he has one, he knows that same-sex marriage is the only option that justice permits. However, as a clever politician, he knows that to support same-sex marriage openly would be political suicide. The American voters are not ready for same-sex marriage.

In fact, given that every other Democratic candidate already opposes same-sex marriage, there would be absolutely no political advantage for him to support it. With nothing to gain, and everything to lose, he chooses to concur in opposing the constitutional rights of LGBT Americans.

OBAMA SUPPORTS THE PATRIOT ACT. The Patriot Act is one of the most outrageous attacks on human liberty and constitutional protections that I have ever seen. To oppose the Patriot Act, though, would also be politically disastrous, since that would open Obama to the charge that he "hates America" and "hates freedom." In today's paranoid America, a politician cannot afford to appear weak on terrorism or national security. So, again, he chooses what is popular over what is right.

OBAMA SUPPORTS "NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND." Although he quibbles about "implementation" and "funding" to cover his left behind, he supports No Child Left Behind and the concept behind it. However, the ideal dream of every American being completely cultured in the traditional sense is unrealistic. I think it is absurd that everyone should be forced to endure a 19th-century classical education that is beneficial only for the aristocrats, for whom it was intended. (Incidentally, mandatory education is also an assault on the liberty of personal choice.)

I suggest the concept of No Child Held Back. We are spending millions of pointless dollars trying to shove the least motivated and least talented students over some minimum bar. They don't want to be educated, and they are never going to use it anyway. Instead, we should invest those millions toward removing the bars that hold back the most gifted and most motivated scholars from rocking the world. The first group should be diverted to a career path appropriate for them, and the latter group should be competing with the brightest minds of other nations.

I'm willing to leave behind, in a way, the children that would benefit least from a classical education, in order that the best ones would not be held back. The prudence of this view is self-evident, yet it sounds so horrible that no politician who says it would be elected.

There are other specifics about his plan for education that I detest, but that's enough for now.

Concerning Obama's experience: he is unknown, untried, and untested. Have we ever seen him actually face a difficult challenge? Have we seen him sweat over the excruciating decision of what to do in the Cuban missile crisis? Give me an example of a time when he faced the nightmare of having to choose between what is right and what is legal. Give me an example of a dilemma where he had to choose between what's best for the country and what's best for the world. Did he ever have to choose between telling the truth and protecting an innocent person? (Note to Hillary's campaign -- you should have all your supporters wear W.W.O.D. bracelets to make this point.)

Electing Obama will be like rolling dice. You may end up with a good statesman, or you may end up with the Democratic version of George Bush. In many ways, a candidate's character is more important than the issues. For example, when the people voted for Bush in 2000, they didn't realize that they were voting to go to war in 2003. They chose a person of poor decision-making abilities and worse character.

Obama rambles on about "change," but the only change we can be sure of is the change that we put in the slot machine before we pull the lever to see what comes out.

As I said before, we know nothing about his character, except that the only thing we know about his character is that he consistently chooses what is popular over what is right. Because he is catering to the voting hordes, Obama does not have the courage to do what is just. In every case, Obama sacrifices his balls in order to get ballots.

That is why Plato said that, because of the very nature of a democracy, the wisest, best, and most just candidate could never be elected. (Rep. 493b)

PART TWO

One of my friends responded to Part One of this essay:  http://uwm.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=9132626842

Here is my response to his views:

Obama does not want to unite our country. He wants to get elected.

His campaign has recognized that the average American is (1) fed up with Washington-style politics, (2) fed up with inter-party bickering, and (3) fed up with the way things have gone in the last decade. This demagogue has noticed these things and paints himself as (1) not a Washington insider, (2) a crusader for the "uniting" of our country, and (3) a proponent of some nebulous notion of "change," yet he rarely defines what he means by that.

He says whatever he needs to say to get America into bed with him.

Now, there are two ways of uniting the country -- from the top down or the bottom up. For example, the Reconstructionists forced the South to abandon slavery. Meanwhile, Christian preachers fervently worked to preach to the public that slavery is a great evil, since we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. The pen is mightier than the sword.

Obama's alleged "support" of gay rights is hypocrisy. He refuses to support the central issue of oppression -- the lack of full marriage equality.

Has he ever made a serious attempt to convince the minds of anti-gay bigots to see the injustice of their sin? I would admire him much more if he spent his speaking and writing abilities persuading people to forsake homophobia, rather than persuading people to vote for him.

By "unity," politicians mean "compromise." No politician can get elected or get funded without spurning some of his values. Even within a single party, lawmakers must abandon cherished principles for the party to accomplish something. Old Republicans, who desire low taxes and oppose big government, must marry the national-security Republicans who spend uncountable dollars to feed an invasive government. The predominantly secular gay population and the Christians in African-American churches must join together in the Democratic party.

The American people, rather than being forced into idiotic alliances, must be persuaded to promote liberty and justice at heart. The only path to real unity is real unity. Obama will not unite our nation.

ECCLESIA CATHOLICA

    The Latin word catholicus is derived from the Greek word καθολικός, which means "general, universal." This word itself comes from καθόλου (that is, καθ᾿ ὁλου) which means "on the whole, in general, as a whole, generally, universally," from κατά "according to" + ὅλος "whole."

    Interestingly enough, had the English word catholic come directly from catholicus, its accent would be on the second syllable (so as to rhyme with alcoholic.) An intermediate journey through the French catholique explains the accent in the English word.

    The phrase ἡ καθολικὴ ἐκκλησία, meaning "the entire church," properly refers to the una sancta ecclesia, the one invisible church that is the set of all believers at all places and at all times. We assert the reality of this church in our creeds. However, the Church of Rome claims the right to that title, and thus claims that she herself is the entire Christian Church. Her use of this label implies that anyone who is outside the Church of Rome is outside the universal Christian church, and thus is outside of salvation (extra ecclesiam non sit salus, Cyprian, Epistles, 73.21).

    Nevertheless, many people find a difference between "Catholic" with a big "C" and "catholic" with a little "c." However, they both mean exactly the same thing, but the Church of Rome is presumptuously and arrogantly claiming to be the whole church herself. Thus, when the Church of Rome claims to be the Catholic Church, she is using the term to mean exactly what it does mean. But the Church of Rome is incorrect in claiming to be the entire Christian church, and it is insulting to imply that those who are not in communion with the Bishop of Rome are not within the catholic church.

    Thus, I avoid using the term "Catholic" to refer to the Church of Rome or to its members.

    Here Merriam-Webster and I disagree on our philosophy of lexicography. (Disagreeing with a dictionary does not imply that I am wrong. It just means that I'm on the other side of the printing press.) Merriam-Webster takes a descriptive rather than prescriptive approach: they merely record how the English language is actually used in the world, and do not dictate how it should be used. This is the scientific approach.

    It is a scientific enterprise to go out into the field, record, and neutrally describe the variety of whale songs. However, it is unscientific to claim, "That whale sang its song wrongly." The whale is a whale, it knows how to sing its own whale songs!

    I am extremely devoted to the descriptive approach to linguistics. Words mean nothing other than what people use them to mean. However, one exception I do make is for the discipline of theology. This is a field in which I do not want people changing the meaning of words around. In such cases, I will disagree with secular dictionaries, especially when the current usage has drifted from the original usage.

    Unfortunately, the Oxford English Dictionary is forced to take a neutral approach. (For example: under the lemma orthodox, they cannot put a picture of Pastor Wieting). However, the OED does devote plenty of space to presenting a thorough discussion of the issues. For example, most dictionaries identify consubstantiation with the Lutheran doctrine of the Lord's Supper. The OED correctly distinguishes the two.

    The OED defines Catholic Church as "(originally) the whole body of Christians" and then records a number of usages that have arisen in history. See the OED to see what the OED has to say.

    My friend Michael said that I was wrong on this one, especially since Merriam-Webster disagrees with me. I have a challenge for him -- pick a secular dictionary and look up the word Lutheran. Are you satisfied with that definition?

Daily Log

(Sun. Oct. 21)  Missy visited us again.  We went to Christ the King for the celebration of the anniversary of Pastor Alice Horton’s ordination.  It was her last Sunday there.  She resigned.  Afterward, they had a meal.  Kathy and Ashton left to go home.  We had some pie.  I walked around outside, and talked to nick about Dumbledore, Al Gore, the value of dogs, and Maria.

(Mon. Oct. 22)  I went to Luther Memorial Chapel in the morning to drop off some books (Lenski’s commentary on the New Testament) for Ben Hertel. I went to the UWM library and worked on putting songs on my iPod.  Then I called Jake.  He was going to go home that afternoon.I had lunch with Nick at Jimmy John’s. On the way there, I ran into Benji.  Then, as I was walking back to my car on Kenwood, I dropped my keys on someone’s steps when I bent down to tie my shoe.  I discovered that five blocks later when I reached my car.  I wasn’t sure if I could be able to find them.  Anyway, I walked back, looking along the sidewalk, and I FOUND THEM!  Praise the Lord!  When I got home, I listened to the Passions a great deal.

(Tue. Oct. 23)  I went to Tami for a massage.  Then I called Jake and we talked for a while.  My parents were gone.  Then I called Ben.  Later I talked to Nick and Maria.  I also talked to Kristine.  Late that evening, I worked on the Dancing Girl illusion, trying to help others understand how it works. 

(Wed. Oct. 24)  I spent a lot of time with Jake in the morning.  This would be the last time Jake and I would spend time with each other.  We talked about various biblical topics, especially the inerrancy of Scripture and how it is a Satanic doctrine.  We had lunch at Jimmy John’s.  Then I saw Benji briefly at the Hillel center.  I went to Nick’s house to drop off the painting of the girl (the one by Bouguereau).  I went home and rested the rest of the day.  I talked to Joel in the evening, mostly about the Danicing Girl.

(Thu. Oct. 25)  I got a massage with Tami in the afternoon.  I made preparations for the going away event the next day.  I also read some analysis.  I went to bed late.

(Fri. Oct. 26)  I got up early because I wanted to talk to Dr. Pinter during her office hours.  I was at UWM all morning.  On my way home, I was in a minor accident.  I ended up sandwiched between an SUV and a van.  I had some whiplash in my neck, and I also hit the left side of my head fairly hard.  I didn’t go to the emergency room, but I went to the chiropractor as soon as I could.  He took some X-rays, and he didn’t find any fractures.  However, some of my discs were swollen.  I had a minor concussion.  Soon after that, I got ready for my party.  I took along ice packs to put on my head and neck.  Ben, Carolyn, Nick, Sarah, and I went to Elliot’s Bistro on the East Side.  We had some really great food.  I had the lamb stew, and Sarah had the ratatouille.  The were very good.  We also had the cheese tray.  For dessert, we had their cherries jubilee (with brandy in it).  After that, we went to Ben’s apartment where we played the cups game.  We also listened to music.  In celebration of Halloween, I read some authentic Mexican-American ghost stories from the book, “Stories That Will Never Die.”  Everyone thought they were wonderful.  I cried later, knowing that that would be the last time I would see my friends, especially Nick.  I really like him.  I miss him.  Late that evening, Stephen called me.

(Sat. Oct. 27)  I continued to rest and put ice on my head and neck.  I felt very weak.  It was difficult for me to think.  I went to the Chiropractor again for another adjustment and ice treatment.  I talked to Kristine and Aunt Kathy to let them know how I was doing.

(Sun. Oct. 28)  I rested all day.  I didn’t go to the Frieden’s Church with my parents and Missy.  I put ice on my head and neck.  I called Nick, and he read me some jokes.  I also talked to Hanna Wieting (now Hanna Sea Gnas).  There have been a number of changes in her life.  I tried reading some math, but it still was difficult to think.

(Mon. Oct. 29)  My mom and I went into Milwaukee that morning to look around.  Then Paul called me to see how I was doing.  I went to the chiropractor in the afternoon again.  I did a lot of packing, since the movers were coming the next day.  Later that evening, Carolyn called.

(Tue. Oct. 30)  The movers arrived with the moving truck.  They packed away all of our stuff.  I went to the chiropractor again.  I packed more again (the stuff that was going to go in our own cars).  The house looked different.  All of the changes and recent developments were overwhelming.  Everything was surreal.  My room looked so empty (even though it still had a few things in it).  I called Nick and told him it was my last night in Wisconsin.  Since my bed was gone, I slept in a different bed.

(Wed. Oct. 31)  We woke up very early and put the rest of our stuff in the cars.  We drove a long way.  One of the cashiers at a gas station had some really ugly fake teeth for Halloween.  (At least I hope they were fake.  Otherwise, the people have really bad teeth in Missouri.)  Then we spent the night in Mt. Vernon, Missouri.  We talked to Melissa in the evening, and I listened to the St. John Passion in the hotel right before bed.

(Thu. Nov. 1)  We drove a long way and I finally arrived in the Promised Land!  God bless Texas!  We went to Kristine’s house for the night, where I got to meet my nephew Harrison.  I called Sarah and Nick. 

(Fri. Nov. 2)  I slept in.  I had some interesting cereal -- it was little cinnamon rolls.  I talked to Ben and Carolyn that night.

(Sat. Nov. 3)  We went to watch my sister rider her horsie at the horsie place.  Then we had lunch and I took a nap.  I called Nick, but there was no Nick.  Then we went to eat, along with some of Kristine’s friends, at P. F. Chang’s  I noticed that the food wasn’t authentic Chinese.  On the way there, Ben Hertel called me to thank me for the Lenski commentaries.  I called Joel, and I was really glad to have the chance to talk to him.  However, we talked for an hour and a half, and that was somewhat tiring.  We talked about Bach and Telemann.  I also mentioned the rum watermelon, a new way of using the Backnobber.  When I asked what breed of dog I am, he suggested that I am a cocker spaniel.  Fun!  I told him that I would like to make a list of 100 important and interesting things that educated people should know about.  We also talked about the curriculum at St. John’s College.

(Sun. Nov. 4)  We had sausage and eggs for breakfast.  Then we went to church at King of Glory.  It was really nice.  The Sunday school class was really interesting.  It is based on looking at current events from a Christian perspective, and what our response as Christians should be.  That week we talked about the use of torture and whether it was ever justified to extract information from suspected terrorists.  The discussion was prompted by the controversy over Attorney General Mukasey’s ambiguous views on torture and a practice known as waterboarding -- a technique in which you bring a person to the point where he thinks he is drowning, in order to force him to comply.  I talked to Nick in the afternoon.  We had some really good Chicken Parmesan.  After that, I talked to Jacob Turowski for a while, but he was busy.  I talked to Carolyn and Nick again.  Then I called Sarah.  Harrison took a bath, and we had some really good brownies and ice cream.  Late that night I called James Redding, but I discovered that he really doesn’t like communicating by phone.

(Mon. Nov. 5)  We started our long drive home from Dallas to Knippa, our final destination.  We arrived at 4:30.  I had a Nutella Sandwich.  Later we planned to go to Uvalde for a meal, but that fell through and I had to eat cereal for supper.  I slept on the floor since our beds hadn’t arrived in Knippa yet.  (The moving truck came on Wed. Nov. 7.)  I read Kent Hovind’s (Dr. Dino) dissertation in the evening.  It was extremely inferior.   

(Tue. Nov.  6)  We started to unpack the things that we had brought with us.  Charlotte Muecke came by.    Then I called several chiropractors to see if I could make an appointment.  After that, my parents and I went to Uvalde.  We went to Wal-Mart, H-E-B, and several banks to get checking accounts.  Then we ate at Los Alamos, an authentic Mexican restaurant run by the Valdez family.  This isn’t any QDoba crap.  QDoba is horrible fake Mexican food.  I bought some Promised Land milk -- premium milk available in Texas.  WISCONSIN IS NOT A TRUE DAIRY STATE.  PREMIUM MILKS ARE NOT AVAILABLE IN WISCONSIN.  We had lasagna for supper.  I saw Comet 17P/Holmes with the unaided eye.  My dad also saw a mouse run across the floor.  Apparently, since the house had not been occupied in several years, some mice moved in.  I slept on the floor again, but this time I made a nice mat of towels to sleep on.

(Wed. Nov. 7)  The movers came that morning.   We unpacked.  I ate some leftover burrito from Los Alamos the day before.  I got my room situated and my books put on the shelf.  We had Chicken Parmesan for supper.  I got my clothes hung up.  We caught a mouse in a trap.  I spent a lot of time with my Backnobber and I went to bed late.  I listened to the Pirates soundtracks.

(Thu. Nov. 8)  I read about love and friendship in Plato’s “Symposium.”  I went to church to try to fax some forms to the chiropractors, but I was unsuccessful.  We went to Uvalde again.  After Wal-Mart and H-E-B, we went to Mr. C’s, a Mexican restaurant.  I had some cabrito (baby goat)!  It was very good.  It was a little tough, but it had a wonderful flavor.  They had some wonderful frijoles.  While at H-E-B, the woman behind me was on the phone with someone and asked him if he needed any beads, but he thought she was saying “beans.”  She said, “No, not frijoles, BEADS.  B-E-A-D-S!”  It was really funny.  We got some ice cream and went home.  I saw the comet through binoculars and it was really neat.  I went to bed early, but then I woke up spontaneously at 4:00.  Since I was awake, I decided to work some more with my Backnobber.

(Fri. Nov. 9)  We set out to go to Dallas for the weekend.  Dad ran around and had a lot to do in the house, so we got a late start.  I finished packing for the trip.  I also cleaned my room.  (I’ve been trying to keep my room clean.)  On the way there, my mother accidentally put shower gel on her hands and arms instead of body lotion.  It was very funny.  When she tried to wipe it off with a wet-wipe thingy, it made suds.  She had to stay like that, with her fingers stuck together, until we got to McDonald’s in Hondo.  We stopped at Haby’s Alsatian Bakery in Castroville.  I got a chewy pecan caramel thingy.  I really missed those in Wisconsin.  I rested along the way, but I think that that aggravated my head/neck condition from my accident.  My neck hurt for the next few days.  Traffic was heavy in Dallas, and it took a long time to get to Kristine’s house.  After we got there, my dad and I got some sandwiches from Chick-Fil-A.

(Sat. Nov. 10)  I felt ill in the morning, and my neck hurt.  I did some reading.  We had some really good sandwiches for lunch.  I had some type of peppercorn ham stuff.  I talked to Nick for a while, and then took a nap.  In the evening, we had a really good pork roast.  After that we watched a DVD of Harrison’s first weeks.  Then I talked to Nick again.

(Sun. Nov. 11)  That day was baby Harrison’s baptism, and I was one of the sponsors. (Martin Luther was also baptized on Nov. 11.) The heirloom baptismal gown has been in our family for four generations.  My grandfather was baptized in it in 1911, my sister and I were baptized in it, and now her son was baptized in it.  After church, I talked for a while with a guy named Ross.  Then we had a really big lunch (taco soup, poppy seed cabbage salad, and cupcakes), and then I rested for a while.  Then we opened the gifts for Harrison.  I called Nick.  Then Ban called me and we talked for an hour and a half, mostly about girls.  We got some pizza and cheese breads from Papa John’s.  I spoke to Eric Turowski for a while.  He was sad because he lost a recent football tournament game.  Their team had been undefeated all season.  Then we watched Desperate Housewives.  I thought that the show was horrible.  Then I sent Nick a quite interesting Facebook message as a joke.  Hee-hee!  I had a little difficulty falling asleep.

(Mon. Nov. 12)  We got up for our drive home.  We left about 9:00.  The driving was a lot easier than it was on the way up.  We stopped at McDonald’s for lunch.  I semi-slept (I’m not sure if I ever fell all the way asleep) until Austin.  We stopped at various places in San Antonio, such as Target, Best Buy, Barnes & Noble, and J. C. Penny.  I bought some sheets at J. C. Penny.  We stopped in Hondo to buy some things.  When we got home, we found a mouse in a trap in the garage.  Jake Taxis called me in the afternoon, in response to an email I sent him, but I didn’t have time to talk right then.  I put the new sheets on my bed.

(Tue. Nov. 13)  I went to see Dr. Swimley, my new chiropractor in Uvalde.  He was very weird.  He did many non-traditional things, some of which seemed like they were quack.  He also does acupuncture.  Then we went to Wal-Mart.  When we got home, I went to church to check out our computer and its internet connection.  We will have to set up our connection at home sometime soon.  That afternoon, Harold Herrmann (my sister’s father-in-law) brought a dining room table for us, since we don’t have one.  He had to leave before supper, though.  I relaxed and listened to the cello suites.  We had spaghetti.  Then I read Plato’s Lysis and the portion of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics that deals with the virtue of friendship.  I worked on my back again with the Backnobber.  Jake Taxis called after midnight, but I missed the call.

(Wed. Nov. 14)  Mom tried to water the flowers, but she got all the window screens wet, which caused a major problem.  Later I showed Dad how to use the computer at church.  I had Frito Pie, another Texas food, for lunch.  My parents went to Uvalde for the afternoon.  I stayed at home, waiting for the electrician and the phone guy to come.  I sent an important email to Joel, and then took a nap before my parents came home.  We had a frozen pizza for supper (although it wasn’t frozen when we ate it).  My dad fixed the hinge to the door to the third bedroom.  I listened to some of the Passions.  Before I listened more, I called Joel to ask him what parts of the St. Matthew Passion he liked the best.  He said that he mainly liked the arias.  I missed a call from Nick.  About midnight I called Jake Taxis for a while.  I am somewhat upset at him, but hopefully things will work out well.

(Thu. Nov. 15)  My mom brought me some pan dulce to eat.  That’s another one of my Texas favorites.  I went to church to help Dad again, and I played a Bach chorale on the piano (“Nun ruhet”).  My mom and I went to Uvalde yet again.  We went to Wal-Mart, H-E-B, the locksmith, and MG building materials.  We had sandwiches for lunch.  I rested a while.  I had some delicious Promised Land egg nog!!!  We had spaghetti again for supper.  I felt somewhat unhappy that evening.  I used my Backnobber, exercised (which made me rest for a while).  Then I called Nick.  I wondered why we have very few common interests.  I read parts of a biography of Johann Sebastian Bach.  I didn’t get to sleep until late that night.

Daily Log

(Sun Oct. 21)  My cousin Melissa came to go to church with us.  We went to Christ the King Lutheran to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Pastor Alice's ordination.  There was a special lunch at the church afterward.  (It's fun being Lutheran!)  Then Kathy and Ashton left to go back to Green Bay.  My mother made an interesting pie with cool-whip and white chocolate pudding.  I went out for a walk that evening.  I talked to Nick.  We talked about Dumbledore, AL Gore, doggies, and Maria.

(Mon. Oct 22)  I went to Luther Memorial Chapel to drop of some books (Lenski's commentary on the New Testament) for Ben Hertel.  Then I went to the music library at UWM.  I got their Bach St. John Passion and their Telemann St. Matthew Passion of 1730.  I talked to Jake for about ten minutes when I was at UWM.  Then I had lunch with Nick at Jimmy John's.  Interestingly enough, I saw Benji, a new friend, on the way to lunch.  I nearly had a major crisis that afternoon.  Walking down Kenwood, I bent down tie my shoe somewhere.  Later I discovered, five blocks later (when I got to my car) that I didn't have my keys, and I must have dropped them when I tied my shoe.  Bad.  So, I prayed that my keys were still where I left them.  (But I didn't know where I left them!)  So I walked along Kenwood, and I found them right in front of the Rabbi's house.  Praise the living Lord!  I listened to both Passions that evening. 

The Dancer