the tindog coffeehouse

A new study by the left-leaning organization Media Matters for America indicates that American voters are, well, leaning to the left. Among their findings:

• 62% of respondents agree with the statement that “government has become bigger because the problems we face have become bigger” (an increase of 3 points since 2004), while 37% say that “the main reason government has gotten bigger over the years is because it has gotten involved in things that people should do for themselves”.
• 66% say that “there are more things government should be doing” (an increase of 9 points since 2004), while 32% say that “less government is better”.
• 59% say that “business corporations make too much profit”.
• 54% say that “it is the responsibility of the federal government to make sure all Americans have health care coverage”.
• Over 40% say that abortion is “always a personal choice”, while about 15% say it should “never be permitted”.
• 61% support same-sex marriage or civil unions.
• 61% support embryonic stem cell research.

(Full report here – PDF)

Of course, it’s easy to dismiss such a report. After all, Media Matters isn’t exactly being “fair and balanced”. But honestly, these numbers don’t surprise me. It’s pretty clear there’s been a fundamental cultural shift over the last twenty years, and I think we’re now hitting a tipping point. If that’s true, we’ll see the above percentages continue to rise in the years to come.

It just proves the quote from John Wesley, “What one generation tolerates, the next generation will embrace.”

So then for Republicans, what should the response be? Should the GOP move to the center, soften its stance on abortion, same-sex marriage, and other social issues typically dominated by Democrats? Should it be the “big tent” party that moderates such as Sen. Olympia Snowe say it should be?

No.

The worst thing the GOP can do is abandon its traditionally core conservative values in order to win elections. Yes, of course that means that they’re going to continue to lose many elections at the state and federal level for the foreseeable future, but in my opinion, it’s better to lose an election than compromise your beliefs.

Despite the above numbers, there are still many Americans who would characterize themselves as political and social conservatives. The tide might be shifting, but that simply underscores the necessity for standing firm and refusing to compromise for the sake of popularity.

My grandfather, Cleo Richards, was inducted into the United States Army on October 16, 1942, and would become a radio operator in the 96th Signal Corp, part of the 96th Infantry Division. He was one of over 100,000 U.S. troops to fight in the battle of Leyte Island in the Philippines during World War II, and it was there that he nearly lost his life.

In his memoirs, he wrote:

On October 20, 1944, we invaded Leyte Island, which was part of the Philippine Islands. The Navy and Air Force bombarded the shore of the island for three days prior to landing. The purpose was to drive the Japs inland so we could land with a minimum of casualties. After three days, troops began to land. Our company was among the first to leave the troop ship and head for land.  … When we reached shore, the front end of the landing boat was loaded, and we were ready to hit the beach. It was a gruesome sight and a weird feeling. Dead Japs were scattered around as a result of the shelling of the area prior to our landing. My job was to go inland 200-300 yards and find a spot that would be adequate to set up our command post. I was to set up my sending and receiving set and send a message to headquarters, which was still aboard ship, notifying them that we had landed. …

I was on duty all that day, all night and until about noon the next day. When I was finally relieved, I went to a nearby tree, sat down, leaned against the tree trunk and tried to pull myself together and relax. That didn’t last long because all of a sudden a very large shell landed right in the middle of our command post. It was so powerful it blew a hole in the ground large enough to drive a semi-truck in. The explosion sent chunks of shrapnel every direction. When I heard the explosion, I immediately headed for a foxhole and dove in head first. After the situation settled down a bit, I raised my head to look things over and noticed blood on the ground where my head had been lying. Then I noticed my face was bleeding. I didn’t realize I had been hit. I was sent to the first-aid station for treatment, but they were not equipped to remove the object from my face. It entered my face about two inches below my eye. All they could do was put a patch on it. By that time, the whole side of my face was badly swollen, and my eye was almost swollen shut. Since there was nothing else they could do for me, they put me back aboard ship.

My grandfather was lucky enough to survive his injury, but over 3,500 U.S. troops who fought to recapture Leyte Island were not.

After his injury, my grandfather was sent home to a hospital on the island of Guadalcanal, where he was awarded the Purple Heart. He was discharged on April 27, 1945. He would later go to work as an accountant in West Texas and become a father, a grandfather, and a great-grandfather before passing away in 2006 at the age of 89.

Growing up, I knew that my Papa had fought in World War II and had been injured, but like many veterans, he rarely talked about his time in the service. Instead, what I remember most about him is the love he had for his family and for the Lord. He is an amazing example of what it means to be a husband, a father, a man, and most importantly, a follower of Jesus Christ.

These are the men and women we remember on Memorial Day, the ones who willingly gave themselves up to defend our freedom. And I’m forever grateful of the sacrifices they have made.

Below: My grandfather during his time in the service.

Below: In 2004, with my daughter Erin, who was 1 at the time.

Below: A brick commemorating my grandfather’s service at the Veteran’s War Memorial in Lubbock, Texas.

It’s official: Washington has no idea what it’s doing.

This is a video of Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) questioning Treasury Secretary (and tax cheat) Timothy Geithner over the $700,000,000,000 bailout rescue plan (aka TARP).

Now, there’s a couple of parts to this video.

First, Sen. DeMint asks Geithner about the repayment of the bailout money. If a bank pays the government back $50 billion, he wonders, would that money go back into the general fund to be used elsewhere, or would it be re-loaned to other banks? Geithner says both.

Huh?

Geithner tells DeMint that the way TARP is designed, that $50 billion repayment would go back into the general fund, but the government would also then be able to loan out another $50 billion, in essence turning $50 billion into $100 billion. If that’s true, then TARP isn’t a one-time fixed bailout loan, but rather a perpetual debt-creating machine.

Either that, or Geithner just doesn’t know how math works. Which is also entirely possible.

Second, Sen. DeMint asks the math-challenged Treasury Secretary about the government’s plan to relinquish ownership of companies like GM and AIG. Geithner answers that he “thinks about it a lot” but it’s “too early to do that now”. That may be true (if you buy into the bailout philosophy), but DeMint’s question wasn’t so much about when but more about how. And Geithner’s answer proves he has no idea.

The reality is, the government has no clue how to get out of the business of owning businesses. It moved full steam ahead, throwing hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars at banks and insurance companies and automakers, buying up banks, buying up bad loans, guaranteeing auto warranties, even taking over GM and forcing Fiat to take Chrysler, and it did it all without any exit strategy.

And the media wonders why the American people have a problem with that.

Previously:
$700 Billion bailout ‘letting’ the banks win?
‘Dude, where’s my $700 billion?’
Second half of bailout: How ’bout a little oversight this time?
US Bancorp CEO rips TARP, promotes faith
Actual cost of TARP bailouts: $2.9 trillion

The past few weeks have been pretty stressful for me. I won’t go into detail, but suffice it to say, I really needed to read this article that I came across in Relevant Magazine last week:

True freedom is being liberated from our misplaced dependencies for life, love, worth, significance, peace and fulfillment. I’ve discovered my most significant needs in life correspond with a deeper need that only God Himself can satisfy. … Most people want to feel their lives matter and set out to make their mark in the world. But if you look to the world to tell you who you are, you’re in for one wild and painful ride. Do well, and you’re a hero; screw up, and you’re a zero.

Paul’s word content seems a little weak, but it actually describes a very powerful freedom. What if we were content (satisfied and fulfilled) with God’s perfect love and were free to give love, rather than constantly maneuvering to get it? Or what if we were content with our identity in God and were free to serve the world, rather than trying to prove we have a right to exist in it. Geez, all this time I’ve been seeking life, love, worth out there somewhere only to find that the source of all of these was inside me all the time through the risen Christ. No person, endeavor, thrill, formula or achievement is capable of delivering what we all crave deep within. There’s always something that could go better, but the peace and joy God provides go with you … even if life throws you overboard. That’s freedom!

I promise I haven’t forgotten about the blog. I just haven’t had time in the last few weeks to post anything of any significance. I’m hoping to get a little more caught up later this week, though.

In the meantime I did want to make a quick comment about the Lost season finale from last week:

Lost dabbles in a lot of different religions, and the finale was no different with its heavy dose of Egyptian imagery. But the biggest revelation was of course Jacob and his unnamed nemesis. To me, the Christian symbolism between the two characters was really amazing, with Jacob taking on the role of Jesus and the man in black as Lucifer/Satan.

A theology student could write an entire thesis based off of that one episode, but I’ll simply say this: The man in black spent hundreds of years (at least) looking for a loophole that would allow him to kill Jacob, and he thought he found it by taking the form of John Locke and deceiving Ben Linus (a longtime disciple of Jacob’s) into killing his master. In the same way, Satan thought he had found a loophole when Jesus, the very Son of God, was betrayed and murdered.  It didn’t quite turn out the way he hoped, however.

Therefore, I predict Lost will conclude its final season with the defeat of the enemy (“Not-Locke”) upon the return of the resurrected Jacob.

BONG!

I love eating dinner at the table with my kids. You never know what they’re going to talk about. Last night while we were eating, Megan said out of the blue, “Don’t you think life is better now?”

I wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that. Better than when?

“Better than when Grampa was a kid.”

I have no idea what prompted her question, but for an 8-year-old, Megan can be a pretty deep thinker sometimes. So why is life better now than when Grampa was a kid?

“Because back then, they didn’t have the stuff we do. Girls had to straighten their hair with an iron.”

Again, I’m not sure why she would be thinking about straightening hair with an iron and then somehow bring her grandfather’s name up, but it was still an interesting observation. Her point was that the things we have today that make life more convenient make it better.

Is that true?

I told her that in my opinion, people were probably happier back then than they are today. They didn’t have as much stuff, but life was simpler then and not as hectic. All the stuff we have now like the Internet and DVRs and cell phones are great, but as a result the world moves so much faster around us, making it harder to keep up. Plus, people are much more isolated today. We don’t have as many friends, and we’re not as connected to family as we were back then.

The bottom line is, all this stuff is not what’s important, and while it can make life more convenient, it doesn’t necessarily make it better.

I don’t know if she understood my point, but I’m thankful that she made me stop and think about it. It’s something I need to remember often.

Previously:
The next nostalgia

Today is the National Day of Prayer, an annual event dating back to 1952, and this year’s observance will be much different than those of the past 8 years. That’s because Barack Obama is now in the White House.

Prior to George W. Bush, most presidents honored the day with proclamations or other low-key events. But President Bush went further during his administration, inviting Christian and Jewish leaders to the White House for a more formal observance. President Obama, however, is not continuing his predecessor’s tradition, instead opting for a proclamation and nothing more.

Does that matter?

Surely this nation needs strong Christian leadership in the White House and Congress. But should we as Christians be depending on the president to be our spiritual leader? Even with the strongest of Christians in office, I would say no.

As I wrote shortly after the election in November:

But Barack Obama is not the Messiah, and as Christians we understand that real hope doesn’t come from a politician. Real change — eternal change — doesn’t come from a political party or a presidential election. It can only come from the grace of God through the death and resurrection of His Son.

And so regardless of the outcome of this election or any other, our mission is the same as it has been for 2000 years: to share the good news of “hope” and “change” that can only be found through Jesus Christ.

And part of that mission obviously includes prayer, not just on the first Thursday of May, but every day.

Whether our elected officials join with us or not.

Previously:
The election is meaningless