3 Weeks Out: Why I'm NOT Voting for Barack Obama

Let's face it: This election is unlike any we've ever seen before. We have new issues to deal with and new fears on the horizon. My greatest fear at the moment is seeing a man who is so frighteningly unknown, with so many dangerous ties running our country. At the beginning of election season, I made the statement that I "was OK if Obama won." Not any more. The more I have looked into his past, the more clear it is to me that he should not be president of the United States. His history speaks louder to me than his smooth-words. Regardless of the fact that McCain isn't perfect, also has weak spots and isn't as good of an orator, he will get my vote on Election Day.

1. Obama's stance on abortion.
This article by Robert P. George of Princeton University is gaining a lot of attention here at Southeastern. While long, it's worth a read. Some of the most startling things to me are:
-"He has promised to seek repeal of the Hyde Amendment, which has for many years protected pro-life citizens from having to pay for abortions that are not necessary to save the life of the mother and are not the result of rape or incest."
-"As an Illinois state senator Obama opposed legislation to protect children who are born alive, either as a result of an abortionist’s unsuccessful effort to kill them in the womb, or by the deliberate delivery of the baby prior to viability...But Barack Obama opposed it and worked to defeat it. For him, a child marked for abortion gets no protection—even ordinary medical or comfort care—even if she is born alive and entirely separated from her mother. So Obama has favored protecting what is literally a form of infanticide."
-"They tell us not to worry that Obama opposes the Hyde Amendment, the Mexico City Policy (against funding abortion abroad), parental consent and notification laws, conscience protections, and the funding of alternatives to embryo-destructive research. They ask us to look past his support for Roe v. Wade, the Freedom of Choice Act, partial-birth abortion, and human cloning and embryo-killing. An Obama presidency, they insist, means less killing of the unborn. This is delusional."

2. Obama's faith background
-Obama's church, up until spring of 2008 when things got sticky for him, was Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. Looking at the tenets of this church, their focus, and their mission scares me, because ostensisibly, those same ideals are shared by Obama, who was a member there for many years. Maybe I'm more stupid than I thought, but I thought the purpose of church was to meet with other believers, encouraging one another, spurring one another on toward Christ, and living as salt and light in a world of darkness. Somehow, reinventing Africa didn't seem to be on the list of priorities for the early church fathers. As a Christian it appalls me that his "faith" rests on such shaky spiritual soil. If that's what he learned in 20 years of being in that church, it is frightening to think what might come out of him when he's not campaigning.
-"We are a congregation which is Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian... Our roots in the Black religious experience and tradition are deep, lasting and permanent. We are an African people, and remain "true to our native land," the mother continent, the cradle of civilization. God has superintended our pilgrimage through the days of slavery, the days of segregation, and the long night of racism. It is God who gives us the strength and courage to continuously address injustice as a people, and as a congregation. We constantly affirm our trust in God through cultural expression of a Black worship service and ministries which address the Black Community." ~Taken from the church's website
-Jeremiah Wright, former pastor of that church, has been called a "father figure" by Obama and a radical by others. His sermons often attacked the government, America itself, and the actions done by those parties, which, he said, were the justified reasons for the attacks of September 11, and more.
-"Initially Obama argued that Wright's statements were taken out of context and played in a loop for heightened effect. But when it was discovered that there was more, Obama took a different line. He claimed that he had personally never heard Wright speak like this and that he knew nothing of his father figure's virulent anti-Americanism...It is completely unbelievable he would not know about the belief system of the person who was his confidant for nearly 20 years. After all, Wright did not even try to conceal his views, but propounded them openly from the pulpit of his church. Yet Obama wants us to believe that he was the only one in that congregation who knew nothing of Wright's disdain for his country." ~ "Why Islamists Cheer for Obama" by Vasko Kohlmayer
-Do we want our president to be a man who - for 20 years - sat under, honored and regarded highly a man like Jeremiah Wright, who so clearly and unapologetically disdains this very nation?

3. Obama's connections with Islam
- Regardless of whether or not you think Barack Obama is truly a believer in Christ (I don't know and it's not my place to decide), his coziness with Islam has many a person in this country worried. Lest we forget, it was Muslim extremists who were responsible for 9/11. Surely I'm not the only one who hesitates to put someone in office who has so many ties to Islam.
-Obama wrote that he attended a Muslim school, where he studies the Quran. His 1/2 brother calls his background Muslim. His college roomies at Occidental were Pakistani. I'm not saying upbringing is everything and that he's "guilty" by association, but the fact remains that he has been more exposed to and raised in Islamic thought processes than the average politician, a fact which makes me uncomfortable about his motives.
- Some of the loudest supporters of Obama's campaign have been radical Muslims. Louis Farrakhan (The Nation of Islam leader) and Ahmed Yousef (a public relations man for the terrorist organization Hamas) have both been vocal in their support of Obama.
- Obama has made several "mistakes" that could easily be explained away, or they could easily be slip-ups that he is covering up a Muslim background. For example, he "misspoke" by saying, "John McCain has not talked about my Muslim faith." Muslim faith?? If, as a true believer in Christ and a worshiper of the Creator God, you "slip up" and mention a contrary faith as your own, you're either a blasphemer, an idiot, or a liar. Maybe all three.
-In his book "Audacity of Hope," (the title of which was taken from one of Jeremiah Wright's sermons) Obama wrote, "I will stand with them (Muslims and other groups) should the political winds shift in an ugly direction."

Although I've touched on a few issues, there are a lot of questions and accusations left out there. Do some research and look some of this stuff up. Look at the historical facts, not at the charismatic talk coming out of his mouth today!
-Muslim Fingerprints in Obama's History
-Obama's ACORN tree
-Why Islamists Cheer for Obama

I realize I am probably going to be absolutely bombarded with crap for writing this, and honestly, that doesn't concern me too much. What DOES concern me is the American people putting a man into office who has so many shady connections, politically and religiously. I believe Americans truly desire positive change. That change will not come from a president or his policies, but only through the transforming power of Christ in people's hearts and lives.

However, it only takes one man in a position of power to effect negative change. Take Lucifer, for example. Not trying to compare the two but....Please, think about the reasons you're considering voting for Barack Obama. There are a whole lot of issues at stake in this election. Please look beyond the hype and the smooth-talking Senator and vote based on character.