"Each time a man stands for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends a tiny ripple of hope...those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.” -- Robert Kennedy Jr.
"Christian" is 'Christ-like' and what did Jesus do? Did He just stand in a synagogue or sit in a pew? Jesus went where the need was great. Man needed a physician. Emergency! Before it's too late!
Jesus dwelled not in a 'comfort zone'. He was scorned, rebuked, and criricized by the leaders of the day. He made the difference and showed many people He is the Way; Not only by His words which confounded the wise, but His compassion is what made Lazarus rise!
He spoke to the outcast of soceity --- the ten lepers He healed. "Thank you" was what one came to say. Compassion declared, "Jesus is the Way!"
He confronted bigotry --- spoke to the Samaritan woman one day. Compassion broke the barriers. She learned Jesus is the Way!
O' men of all the earth, fulfill your purpose, please do not delay. Show compassion to all men to declare, "Jesus Christ is the Way!"
"By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one
to another." --- John 13:35
"If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you."
--- Matthew 17:20
The scripture is speaking not about the size of faith, but the power of faith.
Lyrics
I have the faith to see the invisible,
expect the incredible,
receive the impossible; oh faith that can conquer any, anything.
Faith that uproots my problems, oh faith to know that God can solve them. Faith to envision my freedom,
I have faith that can conquer anything.
Faith to reach the unreachable,
Faith to fight the unbeatable,
Faith to remove the unmoveable,
Faith that withstands the invincible,
Faith that can conquer anything.
"Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to
him that believeth."--- Mark 9:23
Interdisciplinary
Collaboration/Complementary Partnership “America works
best when we work together " --- Tom Donahue, U.S. Chamber
of Commerce
There's acknowledgment
that Barack Obama (or any president) is in position whereby there may be
contradictory objectives i.e. as POTUS and Head of a political party. What may
be good viable idea is to not
consider the president the head of any particular party. The U.S.
President, First Lady, and the White House Administration is Independent whose
chief objective should be doing what's best for the nation not any particular
party. Adopting this concept requires people to re-think how we view the
relationship between the president and political parties.
Adopting this concept may reduce; though not completely eradicate the influence of
partisan politics in the decision-making process of POTUS.
It doesn't matter what Chris Wallace or Chris Matthews says, POTUS is NOT the head
of any political party. The president is nonpartisan. The moment when an
individual takes the presidential oath he owes no allegiance to any political
party. The president should be Independent...able to exercise freedom to accept
ideas from varied sources without respect to political or ideological affiliation. The president's focus should be 'Is the idea good for America?'
Period.
Too many times BOTH parties have used the presidency as a trophy or/and have 'pimped out' the president for own partisan purposes. It's time to change.
Indeed, 'We the People' may more accurately assess the 'job performance' of the president independently from the job of Congress and the public attitudes towards the political parties. The propose change may encourage responsibility among all leaders...reduce ability of all leaders to hide behind the goodwill/disfavour of the president...promote leaders' responsibility towards the People.
Indeed, it's time to change. It's time to judge EACH political party 's vision on its own merits. It's time to judge the members' of EACH political party performance on own merits. It's time to judge the president on his own merits. It's time to stop hiding behind the approval/disapproval of each other. It's time to accept responsibility.
One thing that should be emphasize is Citizens' Responsibility.
We ask alot from our leaders but often times we are not fufilling our responsibility...and it goes beyond voting. We need to be duly informed of the issues. We need to respect all points of view.
Indeed, We are the change we seek.
************ It's time for An Independent President --- Someone who does not deny party labels but put them aside; put America first before party ideology.
It's time to have an Independent President who demonstrates personal integrity through pragmatism and understanding the responsibility of having Freedom
Freedom from Religion Guided by principles not prejudices
Freedom from Politics Being principled not partisan
Freedom from Family Being principled not personal
Freedom from Race Promoting principles not people
Freedom from the Past Promoting precedents base on principles not patterns
It's time to have a Independent President who not only understands Vision but actually has a coherent, steady common-sense vision that would continue to lead America forward.
Indeed "The pundits, the pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats."
It's time to support someone who believes as do an increasing number of reasonable Americans that enough of the political games and brinkmanship. 'In times like these' require that we live up to America's purpose. Act in accordance with realization that "there is not a liberal America and a conservative America — there is the United States of America. There is not a Black America and a White America and Latino America and Asian America — there’s the United States of America."
More obvious than ever before, President Obama seems to be a 'closer' i.e. finishing the business of previous administrations, both Republican and Democrat. Whether it's healthcare reform, War in Iraq and Afghanistan, Middle East Peace Process, Nuclear Non-Proliferation, Education and Energy Reform, and more. It's not as easy as it may appear. Continuity of American principles and values must be maintained while moving the country towards real sustainable growth and security.
President Obama's character and leadership style is highlighted. The ability to be able to respectfully consider alternative opinions and views helps him avoid the problems of past presidents, Republican and Democrat.
************
'We the People', generally speaking, recognize Obama is trying to act responsibly and principled in the best interest of all Americans actually demonstrating willingness to accept ideas from any source regardless of political affiliation ...few are actually listening to him though, so unfortunate.
Now, President Obama has shown willingness to address the misguided actions of Republican presidents like George Bush (43). The time has come that he must be willing to admit and acknowledged the misguided actions of Democrat presidents, like Bill Clinton. Really it may actually affirm why many people voted for him in 2008... Principled and Independent.
Now saying these things is by no means an attempt to disparage or otherwise disrespect any previous president or his administration, Republican or Democrat.
It seems as though the United States of America is beginning to live up to its purpose, more than 200 years since the inaugural of the first president in 1789. Now, the two parties, though evolved, have always highlighted significant differences in approaches to national challenges. The two parties serve admirable purpose in preventing undue ideological control of U.S. policies by any particular political party.
Notably, throughout the years, the presidency has been treated as a trophy and the president as a pawn by the political parties, Democrats and Republicans. What has been witnessed in American politics is the rancorous environment whereby there's a seemingly unwillingness of leaders to focus beyond party interests and rather more on the interests of the nation. Indeed it has affected the presidency and its occupant at any given time. The state of affairs has often constrained the president from acting responsibly in best of nation to move US forward.
It's time to have an Independent President who demonstrates personal integrity through pragmatism and understanding the responsibility of having...
Freedom
Freedom from Religion Guided by principles not prejudices
Freedom from Politics Being principled not partisan
Freedom from Family Being principled not personal
Freedom from Race Promoting principles not people
Freedom from the Past Promoting precedents base on principles not patterns
"Independence - is loyalty to one's best self and principles, and this is often disloyalty to the general idols and fetishes." --- Mark Twain
************
The president often must make decisions that may cause the progressive left to be despondently blue and the conservative right to be fiery red. In the last 3 years we have witnessed many decisions of President Obama actually infuriating the ideologues on the right and the left. When President George Bush addressed federal funding of stem cell research, his decision also was not fully acceptable to the ideologues on the right and the left. President Clinton has been called "the best Republican president we’ve had in a while” due to his pragmatic policy record i.e. 'he’s for free trade, he’s for globalization, he was for welfare reform, fiscal restraint'. Ronald Reagan also had policy stances that were unpopular with progressives and conservatives.
Throughout our history, there have been stark disagreements regarding policies, many are being echoed today. Yet, it really shows the strength of American Democracy when despite obvious fundamental differences in policy, the decisions of the U.S. President reflects a continuity of purpose. The aim of the president should be to act responsibly in best of nation to move US forward.
"Being responsible sometimes means pissing people off."--- Colin Powell
There is a growing group of individuals, voters who wants to move beyond Red vs. Blue typology. There's understanding that the nation's challenges require pragmatic sustainable solutions not just ideological dogma offered by partisans in both parties. There's understanding no party has all the answers, but solutions which require pragmatic collaboration and principled compromise. Pundits have asked, Can Independents reform America? Well, the answer is yes and indeed they have already brought forth significant changes to American politics.
There may be some cynics and scoffers but Independents are not asking for our leaders to deny their party labels but put them aside and put America first before party ideology.
Indeed "The pundits, the pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats." Let's be clear, Independents are declaring, "Enough of the political games and brinkmanship. These times that we're facing requires that we live up to America's purpose. Act in accordance with realization that "there is not a liberal America and a conservative America — there is the United States of America. There is not a Black America and a White America and Latino America and Asian America — there’s the United States of America."
Bewilderment. No one seems to know the answers. There has been much discussion about what needs to be done to promote job creation and economic growth. The media have ruminated over not only what the president may say, but what he needs to say about proposals to spur economic growth in his post labor day speech.
There are no 'magic bullets'. Yet the 'way forward' is clearly evident and naturally evolves from our collective experiences as we transition from the Great Recession.
Children are crying and hurting inside.
