Tuesday, February 26, 2008

The "P"-cubed Principle

There are three stages to the "P"-cubed Principle. The principle follows a path of individual growth; I'd like to walk this path with you and perhaps entice you to take the journey of the Peace-maker. We view Peace not as absence of war, but as the presence of one-ness between the Creator and his creation.

1 - Permit Passive Peace-making

In this phase of the journey, we realize that peace-making is a nice thing and we all ought to allow people interested in bringing about a more peaceful world to do so. We support peace-makers, sometimes we actually join in a peace-making activity if the peace-maker seems to have an attractive goal or message.

2 - Power of Premeditated Peace-making

After we have seen some peace-making make effective changes in society, we realize that there is a power in having some peace-making 'tools' available to use day to day. To do this, we need to prepare in advance and learn certain peace-making skills, then we can pull them out and put them to work when situations arise. There is a wonderful power in going around with planned ways that we can make the world better when opportunities arise.

3 - Practice Preemptive Peace-making

In the mature portion of the journey, we realize that there are forces in the world that move towards or away from Peace. We realize that the forces against Peace are powerful. Peace-makers need to actively go out, in advance of opportunity, creating opportunities to build Peace. We need to build Peace in order to pre-empt the power of those that would destroy the world God created and His precious children.

The Peace-maker's journey takes the steps above; recognize the need for Peace in our world, recognize the power Peace-makers wield, and preemptively go about building Peace. Peace is one hallmark of the Kingdom of God. Actively cause communities of Joy, Hope, Love, and Peace to bring about the Kingdom that is without borders, exceeds political ties, and accepts all creation in citizenship.

Bless your efforts - jb


Saturday, February 23, 2008

Leaders Desperately Need Imagination

During the '04 campaign, Cheney bellittled anyone that sees the world situation different than he does by saying they can't 'wrap their mind around a terrorist with a dirty bomb.'

Well, Cheney, that is a horrible thing and we do need to protect against it, try our best to prevent it, and be prepared to survive or overcome it if it happens. But I believe it is a small person that is limited to where that is ALL they can wrap their mind around. Leaders must have a vision of 'Better' not just a fear of 'Worse.' What is your vision of 'Better' - imagine it and then convey 'Better' to me.

In addition to the above 'down side' event, we need leaders that can also wrap their minds around how we can successfully live with diversity, love our brothers in all countries, respect those with diverging ideas, embrace those the would rather live in the hope of a better world instead of in fear of a worse world.

From the get-go, I have refused to live in the FEAR spouted by certain of our leaders. I still refuse to. Rather, I navigate from the perspective that I am driven to create a better world today than we had yesterday.

I challenge you to consider that it may be true that even if you end up in the same position, it is better to navigate from a point of positive hope than from a point of hopeless fear.

God bless good people everywhere that want to love God and ALL God's children and work out the details from that central point.

-jb

Friday, February 22, 2008

Sleazy!?!? Karl Rove?

Why would I consider Karl Rove sleazy just because he wanted to see pictures of a Democratic governor having sex? Since when is it sleazy for a total idiot to seek higher education?

Any president that had a top adviser with these tendencies should be totally embarrassed. But any president with greater than a C+ average would probably not have a top adviser like Karl Rove.

Cheers to all - jb

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Loser Campaign Phrases

I thought I'd share the campaign phrases or phrasing I most dislike. I am only covering the three most likely candidates right now, but if you insist I address others, let me know. In alphabetic order:

Hillary Clinton: "Day one." Ma'm, day one is going to be day one for every one the same. You have NEVER been president and experience can not be injected. Sorry, but DROP the DAY ONE.

John McCain: "Real, existential threat (radical Islamists) we face." Sir, until you and many others understand how we can prevent creating this group, encouraging this group, and multiplying this group, we will need face the fact that terrorists exists. Period. But we also need to understand that the problem is 'extremists' of any strip, Christian, Islamic, Atheist, Buddhist, WHATEVER. Extremists are a problem.

Barack Obama: "I don't belong here." Sir, I know what you are trying to say. But you are there because you are running for president and doing OK with it, so drop the self-deprecation.

That's all. And it's only my thinking.

Now VOTE, folks, VOTE. Primaries, General, any election you qualify for: VOTE!

-jb

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Christianity and Platitudes

There is a saying that comes from the level we call 'platitude'. It goes something like this: "If any man is not free, no man is truly free."

Sometimes platitudes are difficult to apply to actual daily life, because we almost want to hear them reworded. We might hear the above with our ear, but our heart might instead hear "If any one I personally know is not free, my personal freedom might be shaky."

I know this is a somewhat loose rewording, but it illustrates the fact that if something is not personally apparent, it might not seem real.

The fact is that we live in a global world and the original statement makes perfect sense if we evaluate globally and if we consider all persons as brothers and sisters regardless of gender, pigment, citizenship, language, circumstances, etc.

When a couple in the Middle East is caught inappropriately alone, for instance, and the woman is sentenced to be stoned and the man is not judged, am I at risk? Is it personal or is it just the distant and somewhat abstract brother or sister that is at risk?

Ultimately, if we think globally, we can see that someone that would create and condone a society where the woman can be stoned might want to spread that society to my land. As unlikely as that possibility coming to pass might seem to be, it is still somewhat a threat to me. And in degrees of separation, I may have gone to college with that woman's brother, father, or cousin. Or her accuser or judge.

Please try not to get to wrapped into depending on a circumstance of unjust stoning. Try to understand a larger schema. The statement "If any man is not free, no man is truly free" actually means that if tyranny, slavery, or other injustice is present, it does threaten everyone. If a man in that distant country can use the logic of injustice to enslave someone, the same calculus might be adjusted and applied by a man in this country against me.

I could use all of the above for the basis of many statements. But I want to make a statement to folks identifying themselves as Christians and I will base it on the above proposal. I want to frame the statement with two precepts for motivation. Christ gave us two overriding laws, first, we are to love God with all of our heart, and second, we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. With these in mind, I suggest that Christians are called to bring about a community that is the Kingdom of God on Earth.

In the Lord's Prayer, we pray 'Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in heaven...' Let us live to that prayer. Let us live to the needs of all God's children throughout the world.

Vote. Vote for the candidate that best helps you be a Kingdom builder.

-jb

Friday, February 8, 2008

Shame on Mitt Romney

Mr Romney,

Your speech suspending your campaign was not what I would expect of a gentleman citizen that would run for President.

You hinted that Senators Obama and Clinton would turn the country over to terrorists. I know of NO American that wants to turn the country over to terrorists. I know Americans differ on how to fight the battles of terrorism. But their differences do not imply lack of patriotism. You  are not less patriotic for your belief, they are not less patriotic for theirs.

Unfortunately, I think you made the statement to avoid facing the actual truth. You lost in the primaries. Plain and simple, you suspended your campaign NOT because the Democratic candidates are less American; but because you got fewer votes. Period. Plain. Simple. Fewer votes.

jb

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Just About 2 Years Ago ...

It was just about this time, early in 2006, when Bill Frist had the Republican majority clamoring about suspending the 200 year old Senate operating procedures to make it such that it would only take 51 votes instead of 60 votes to pass legislation. Those rules had been in place a long time and many leaders with less than 60 votes were able to 'cross the aisle' and work with the opposition to achieve progress.

History, for example, indicates that Lyndon Johnson and Everett Dirksen where respectful adversaries that developed a personal rapport that helped them come to agreement. (You may use this link: http://www.kansaspress.ku.edu/huleve.html.) Words or terms that were heard were 'statesman, log rolling, crossing the aisle, negotiation', etc. These indicated that neither side totally 'got their way' and both sides won some progress.

Well, the Democrat leaders are now in the Frist shoes. How would the public feel if, again, we heard rumblings of suspending the rules?

I hope that NEITHER party ever decides to depart from the 60-40 rules the Senate has used for over 200 years. I would rather that BOTH parties identify and elect statesmen (and women) to the houses of Congress. Instead of 'My way or the highway,' we should be hearing cooperate, collaborate, progress, and advance.

Just a thought. Try it on. And ... Where is Frist now?

Finally, Senators, Members of Congress, grow up because you are working on our dime.

jb


Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Question Political Analysts

On Super Tuesday night I heard analysts of both Republican and Democratic races make statements such as 'A percent of conservative independents chose Obama over Clinton' or 'More conservative Democrats picked Huckabee over both McCain and Romney.' The statements were couched as though it were the end all of everything to cover the group mentioned and that if the person they voted for were not to win, they were out of the November equation.

The fact is that someone that voted for Romney in the primaries where McClain is likely to win, is pretty likely to vote for McCain in November. They are not likely to say "I wanted to support Romney, but since he didn't win the primaries, I think I'll vote for Obama instead of the Republican candidate." And, they are not likely to say "I voted for Edwards in the primary, so in November I will vote for McCain instead of the Democratic candidate."

I need you to think of it for yourself, but I think the November vote will look more like the Republican voters for Romney, Huckabee, and McCain will vote for McCain; and the voters that voted for Edwards, Clinton, and Obama will vote for Obama (or Clinton). What will make a difference is that some of the Independent votes may rearrange. And maybe not.

So, my thought ends up as your assignment: try to see if you can be more critically analytical than the analysts. Be skeptical of what analysts say and apply your analysis.

jb


Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Pink slips coming

The boss, known as WTP regularly issues pink slips every for or eight years and fires the crew at work. It isn't generally with malice, but it is never the less effective. WTP will take this step even for employees performing admirably.

The employees that get walking papers starts with the President of the United States, the Vice President, and everyone that works for them. Republicans, Democrats, and Independents - this just happens. And it is supposed to.

It is this ritual firing that reminds all of us that even the most powerful man or woman on earth works for WTP. And while We The People generally do not make much about our being the boss, every four years we are reminded that We The People is the most important job to be had, even more important than George W., Bill, George Sr., Ronnie, Jimmy, ... and you get the picture.

Your job as a citizen is critical and ultimately more powerful than the President. Get involved. Become informed. Read the Constitution. Steer the ship of state. Study the field and vote for the person you want in the oval office.