It's Our Responsibility To

Make AMERICA STRONG

By Nancy Thorner and Bonnie O'Neil - 

America is in trouble: controversies circle the White House, foreign affairs are flailing, the economy remains anemic, controversy is covered-up. Republicans blame Obama, Obama blames Bush, and the P.C. media yawns while the chaos continues. If America ever needed a change in direction, it is now!

Citizens have the power to elect candidates capable of making appropriate changes that can put us back on the right road to prosperity. Yet, many remain oblivious and/or unconcerned about the serious problems. How do we educate those who have been deceived by years of lies and deceptions? How do we get the attention of those who ignore politics and most everything else outside of their own personal world?

We know the media is largely liberal and far from fair and balanced.  Why do we allow that?  There is a way to force more objective reporting, by motivating people to write a letter to the offending reporter and his superiors, with examples of the blatant bias.  Can we encourage people to do that? 

We know a very large segment of our population remain woefully ignorant and uninformed of present problems and dangers.  To our detriment, the current population has largely resorted to being headlines readers and sound bite listeners, leaving them woefully uniformed and vulnerable to clever, but deceptive advertisements.  A horrifying number forfeit their treasured right to vote and ignore the election completely. 

Others believe they have fulfilled their civic duty by just marking their ballot, but too often their picks are just guesses? I often wish we had a slogan stating “Be Informed:  No vote is better than a bad vote”.  

How do we get the facts and truth to these uninformed people?  Social media is a good way to get facts out quickly, but in addition there is one tried and true, viable system that has worked best throughout the century. It is walking a neighborhood (precinct), going door to door and engaging neighbors in conversations.  That remains the most effective way to inform and educate the uninformed among us.   I know that seems uncomfortable for some to consider.   Could that be because we have been trained to think it impolite to talk religion or politics with people?   We have been warned never to discuss those two controversial issue. Friends, that is why we find ourselves in this major mess.  Too few people are discussing these two important aspects of our lives, thus the uninformed or under informed among us remain ignorant of facts, issues, and laws.   That must change if we are to save America from continuing down a path of self-destruction.  

Churches have also been deceived and politically silenced by a faulty understanding of what they can and cannot legally do regarding politics in the church, but elections do have consequences.  Many realize that it is a moral responsibility for church leaders to explain the direct link between candidates we elect and the immoral laws subsequently enacted.    We cannot completely lay the blame on church leaders, if its members (you and me) are hesitant to ask pastors/priests to become involved in the election process.  

Some churches may just need a friendly nudge to do so.  Consider asking your church leadership for permission to set up a non-partisan voter registration table and volunteer to be in charge of it.  Inform your church of how and where to obtain Christian voter guides to help keep church members informed of candidate positions on important issues.   The Bible clearly reveals that God took His hand of protection off of nations when His people preferred ungodly leaders.   Many believe the church has a responsibility to encourage their congregations to actively engage the culture, and to vote their conscience.  A good start would be educating their people as to the differences between the two parties regarding the two big moral issues:   abortion and homosexual marriage.  

Proof of the necessity for every American patriot to leave their normal comfort zone and become politically engaged can be seen by the results of our last two elections.   Did the 40 million Christians who voted for Senator Obama in 2008 know he had voted to extend the limits and numbers of abortions by making late term abortions legal? Did Christians know that President Obama supported Planned Parenthood, the biggest supplier of abortions, as well as that he advocated special rights for homosexuals?   If they did not know, could that lack of knowledge be due to the silence of their church leadership?  If every Christian had been given that information, might it have changed the election results?

We all need a little self–introspection to judge our own involvement.   Have you investigated the candidates on your 2014 ballot?  Have you found the ones who best align with your political viewpoints, donated money to help elect him or her, walked and talked to your neighbors about them, and/or worked at phone banks to help get the “good guys” elected?   If so, congratulations, you are not part of the problem.  If you have not … will you consider doing so?

The importance of being educated, updated, and involved in the political process cannot be stressed enough. Much of our lives depend upon our government making decisions that align with our values and principles.   Let’s pass the torch of liberty and freedom on to our next generation, like our forefathers did for us.  Let’s not be the generation blamed for the financial and moral downfall of this great country due to our lack of effort to right the wrongs we surely all see.  

Time to get involved folks!   Let’s all work together for the good of our country and families.  VOLUNTEER WITH ME AND WE WILL CHANGE OUR COUNTRY, MAYBE EVEN THE WORLD.