FAIR AND BIASED

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Saturday August 30, 2008:

Debbie and I arrived in Minneapolis-St. Paul around 3pm this afternoon. Northwest was on time and while the Twin Cities airport is not the most user friendly in the country, it's not the worst either. We arrived at the Four Points Sheraton around 4pm. Ironically Gary Jones, the GOP State Party Chair was unloading luggage for some of the interns helping out as we drove up. We checked in and then changed clothes and then Debbie and I headed to Bethlehem Baptist Church. John Piper is the pastor. He is a very well known Christian writer and pastor. I had researched when he would be preaching this weekend and 5:30pm Saturday was the only time. We made it just in time- thanks to my Magellan GPS. The music was a little too contemporary for an old man, but the message was outstanding. Piper's subject was "Spiritual Wisdom." His text was Philippians 2:4 which says LET EACH OF YOU LOOK OUT NOT ONLY FOR HIS OWN INTERESTS, BUT ALSO FOR THE INTEREST OF OTHERS. Here are some notes I jotted down from the message.

Wisdom is the ability of of the soul to discern God glorifying, Christ exalting, Gospel spreading, and People serving ways to live with the knowledge we have.
Until you are stunned by the grace of God, you will go through life with a sense of entitlement.
Humility is the opposite of entitlement.
Philippians 2:4 should be the Charter of a Christian's life.
Republicans & Democrats will all bow their knee to the King of Kings.

Piper is leaving tomorrow to travel to England to preach a four day series on the book of Ruth. The thousand plus crowd reflected a diversity of races and cultural backgrounds. Debbie and I introduced ourselves to Dr. Piper and congratulated him on his newest grandson. After a trip to the church bookstore- which cost me close to a $100, we headed out to eat.

We ate at Ichiban Japanese Steak House in Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis. The food was good, but the company was a little suspect. A man of middle eastern origin was in the company of three "ladies of the night" who shared our table. Thankfully, we had a couple from Iowa also at the table who afforded us some normal conversation. The quartet at the other side of the table were crude and vulgar- I'm sure the girl's mothers would have been proud. One heard my southern twang and said, "you're from down south aren't you?" I replied, "I'm from New York City." Either I am very funny or the Saki was working well, because she and here companions roared with laughter.

We have several receptions and meetings tomorrow. Getting to bed early so we can rest up for the rest of the week.

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Why FAIR & BIASED?

FAIR- because that's my name and BIASED because the truth is we are all biased- either for something or against it. What's important is that our bias(opinions) are based on right- on absolute truth and not on changing values. What's right cannot change based on a change in circumstances. That is the basis for situational ethics.

Situation Ethics is a theory that is concerned with the outcome or consequences of an action; the end, as opposed to an action being intrinsically wrong. In the case of situation ethics, the end can justify the means. There are no absolutes. Your actions are guided only by your conscience.

A person's view of right can be subjective. But there is a way mankind can definitely know what's right and that is revealed in God's Word- the Bible. As His creatures, we should be biased toward things our Creator is for and biased against those things He is against. May God grant us the grace and understanding to know the difference.

PARTY AFFILIATION IS IMPORTANT! by Steve Fair- written in 2009

How important is political party affiliation? Some people mistakenly believe only politicians need political affiliation, which they use for support to get elected. They contend the electorate or voters, do not need to be aligned with any Party. These same people often state they “support the man, not the Party.” But whether they recognize it or not, they are supporting a party when they “support the man.”
Most of the Founding Fathers had a negative view of political parties. In his farewell address to the nation, George Washington warned about political parties saying, “However [political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.” In spite of Washington's warning, political parties were formed anyway.
From 1796 to 1828 the first political parties were formed. Starting with the Federalists and Anti-Federalists, two opposing factions arose. Each was concerned with how the new government was to be organized. The Federalists believed in a strong central government. Their philosophy and beliefs would closely mirror the Democrat Party today. The Anti-Federalists strongly supported the rights of the states. They would more closely align with Republicans today.
Since the mid 1800s, the Ds and Rs have been the two major political parties in our country. Political parties flourished in our government mainly for legislative organization and expediencies sake. Why is Party affiliation important for the average voter? Party affiliation is important for three very simples reasons.
First, party affiliation is the first vote a citizen casts. When a citizen registers as a Democrat, then they are aligning philosophically with the values, beliefs, tenets, and positions of the Democrats on the issues. Party affiliation “defines” you are and what you stand for. It should be taken as seriously as a vote for a specific candidate. Research what each Party stands for, their positions on issues, and then align with the Party that is closest to your values. Copies of both major Party platforms are available on-line or at the local library.
Second, legislatures organize themselves and conduct business using party affiliation. The legislative branch of government is the most powerful arm of the three branches of government. Legislative bodies hold closed meeting of party members, called a caucus to decide on questions of policy or leadership. The Republicans hold a caucus meeting and the Democrats hold a caucus meeting-both at the state and federal level. Unfortunately, conservative, moderate and liberal philosophies do not hold caucus meetings or control the legislative agendas- parties do. When someone says they vote for “the man,” not the party, they fail to understand the power and function of a caucus system in a legislative body. The Party in the majority controls appointments, Chairmanships, the agenda and countless other things through the caucus.
Third, party affiliation should be a matter of conviction, not convenience. Often, people align with a party so they can vote in primary elections or based on family tradition or geographies. Even candidates will align, file and run affiliated with a Party they have little philosophical agreement with. That decision is made out of convenience, not conviction. While no political party is perfect or has all the answers, there is a distinct difference between the two major parties and honest citizens should align with the Party that reflects their convictions.
The Democrat Party is more liberal than the Republican Party. Liberals believe in more government control of business, the environment and speech, using large bureaucratic programs to address real or perceived social ills and constant reinterpretation of the Constitution. Liberals are more inclined to trust government than the people themselves. They see the role of government as a great provider of goods and services and have little faith in the individual to solve his own problems.
Republicans are more conservative than Democrats. Conservatives believe in less government control of the environment and business. They want fewer and less comprehensive government programs to address real or perceived social ills. They believe in personal responsibility and trust individuals to make decisions for themselves. Republicans believe in a strict literal interpretation of the Constitution. A person should find out which of these philosophies best fits their view if they wish to actively participate in the political process.
Party affiliation is important. Washington’s prophecy has come to past, and political parties have been used to empower “unprincipled men,” on both sides of the aisle, but like it or not, political parties are a reality in our system of government. Each concerned citizen should evaluate the philosophy, values, beliefs and tenets of each Party and align their party affiliation accordingly.

FAIR AND BIASED

Saturday, August 30, 2008

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PARTY AFFILIATION IS IMPORTANT! by Steve Fair- written in 2009

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