Chaplain Dialogue

I hope that some of remarks were not meant to castigate those of us who happen to have a different political view than you, but who do seek to live our lives as committed and concerned Christians. We just had our first great grand child who is downs syndrome little boy. This little boy is going to require lots of TLC from a very caring family. Esther and I will do whatever is necessary to see that our little Brady is cared for properly. We have pledged 25% of our estate at death to our church and a big chunk of that will be targeted for helping the poor in poverty stricken nations. I have been in Africa in some of the most impoverished countries on earth. I have a heart for them and want to do my little part in helping them to a better life. I don't believe you intended to say to the some of us that as Republicans we don't side with  Jesus or Nuns or whoever. I have serious problems with Obama. When he was a senator in Illinois he voted for a bill that allowed babies of late term abortions who survived the abortion attempt, to allow them to be put to death. Is that something Jesus or Nuns would applaud for? You can argue about when does life begin etc, but this can only be described as infanticide. That is a moral issue long before it is a political issue. But that is part of the dems platform, if for no other reason than that is what our president believes in. I hope you do not approve of that. If my memory serves, you, like most of us, grew up poor but didn't know it. Our parents struggled through the depression years, at times, wondering where the next meal would come from. They worked hard to  insure that our lives would be better. There are many today who do not have the kind of parents we had or opportunities created out of sacrifice. We need a safety net for such, but not to confine them a life lived on the govt dole. That is demeaning to the integrity of each individual. I want our politicians to come together to do what is right for the American people. We have done it in the past and I hope for a better future. I just happen to believe that the repubs have a brighter future for us than the last 4 years. On that we can disagree, but I hope still love Jesus and follow his commands. Bernie. RESPONSE Bernie, i can only make a brief response to your wonderful and touching email. I am so sorry about your grandchild. Sorry in the sense that there's probably pain associated with the future. To be perfectly honest, I don't know where to go with a response. I don't want to get into defending the President. I am a big fan and think that he has learned to be a good president and deserves a second term. I could, however, live with Romney. (Much more interested in Congress personally. If we send the same ones back, we get the same thing we've had. Presidents are limited. They can only do so much, can send us to war but we are so jaded with war, don't think we have to worry for awhile. Romney did not even mention Afghanistan in his Convention speech) The president and Romney are much more alike than different. If you are into the Myers Briggs, both Romney and the President are ENTJs, you can count on it. Both are smart, calculating, and good managers. However, the only thing that I really want to say and, we can surely agree to disagree, is that you are exactly the type of voter who votes against his own interest. The Ryan budget will reduce or eliminate the very services that your grandchild needs. We could argue issues like the deficit, raising taxes on the rich, etc; and, we could be like the Congress: go nowhere with it. God bless you, Bernie.