How to be an Adult in America

Let me say that, while I didn't vote for Obama, I fully support him as my president. I pray for him and I hope others do as well. He has a tough job ahead of him and I believe the content of his character is the reason he was chosen to be president, NOT because he is African American. This was the first election in recent memory where the choice of candidates was based on who was the best of the best, not the lesser of two evils. For once, I believe I would have been happy with either candidate.

But can I please say, for the record, I haven't been prejudiced against race since I was six years old and my mother washed my mouth out with soap for calling a black classmate "nigger". Believe it or not, that was the most impressive bit of discipline my mother ever executed. It stayed with me and it stayed with me for life. Not because the word is so offensive, but because my parents drilled it into my head that a person's race has NOTHING to do with the quality of their character. My parents instilled in us the concept that our status as Children of God transcend race. Race had nothing to do with my choice for president...ever.

The Declaration of Independance states, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." This document was originally cited to argue that people of color, any color, were entitled to freedom. Now, it does not state that all men are born equal, they are created equal. Can I please get an AMEN? Therefore, if you are born into poverty or wealth, you are still equal, because you were created the same way, in the same family of humanity. It does not matter if you were born in another culture or country. It only matters that you were created equal.

Having said all that, can we please acknowledge this fact? If we use this to justify the emancipation of one group, we must be willing to use this argument to emancipate ALL groups who are oppressed in our country. Yes, this means the unborn human beings who are already created. Let's forget the argument that the Constitution protects the 'right to privacy'. (That argument was used for the right to have slaves too. ) Even though the 'created equal' statement wasn't written into the Constitution, the DOI clearly demonstrates the overall attitude of the Founding Fathers who wrote both documents. This was how Lincoln understood the Constitution as well, and it clearly fueled his belief in the abolition of slavery.

This was why I was encouraged by the Inaugural Address given by Obama. He encouraged the concept of choosing to nurture a child. I don't believe he meant making a choice to conceive, but to decide to carry a baby to term, rather than abort. Maybe I'm off base on this one, but I would like to think he is encouraging the positive, rather than the negative. After all, there is an affinity with his wife's ancestors and the unborn. Both were perceived as property, rather than human beings. As politically incorrect as it may be to equate the two groups, the ugly truth is simply that. Unborn life is perceived as the property of the mother's body, rather than the reality of its created dignity. I believe Barack Obama understands this, and is too genuine to pander to the lie.

Mark my words...you will see his respect for life surface again. And when it does, I will tell you, "I told you so."