Election Results

[cmackinnon]

This is my first time voting. I started researching the candidates over 6 months ago and kept up with everything. I voted for Obama, policy, not party. Yah Obama! Ugh, I didn't even know what the hell was going on. I found out almost half a hour later that McCain made his concession speech already. I was so pissed. I was determined to watch it and I didn't get to.
But..
YAH OBAMA!

[Tangerine]

GO BamaI felt bad for McCain. He seems like a very gracious, honorable man, but his crowd was just rabid. I think McCain supporters are what brought him down most of all.

I already got an email about it, completely with WT article to coincide. I will try to post the email when I get to work tomorrow, unless someone already did. I haven't made it past your post.

[Ai Xiongdi]

Yikes...looks like gay marriage is striking out all over the place.

Yeah, it got shot down in my home state If it doesn't pass in Cali there will be nowhere in the West where I can get married and I hate the cold, so moving to Mass would suck. lol.

It looks like a lot of progress is being made in this arena though. I read a few polls that say gay marriage was supported by a ratio of 2 to 1 among voters 18-49 and opposed 2.5 to 1 by voters over 60. As grim as it sounds, as the conservative generation continues to die, gay marriage should have no problems being legalized...

Josh

P.S. - In my first voting experience ever, I voted against defining marriage as a union between one man and one woman in Florida. But it looks like we lost this time...

If what you were saying is actually true, then it would seem that all of the voters in Florida were over the age of 60, which is absolutely not true. In fact, just the opposite is the case.

While there are a number of "snowbirds" that travel to your area of the state every winter, nearly all of them are registered to vote in their own home states. It must be noted that they are REQUIRED to do so since they must live in Florida over six months per year in order to qualify as a Florida resident and regioster to vote here. Additionally, few of those "snowbirds" are here in Florida yet.

There are many older people in Florida. There always will be due to the number of retirees that choose Florida as the place they want to spend their twilight years. However, as shown by the latest US Census Bureau data (http://www.census.gov/prod/2008pubs/p20-557.pdf, particularly on page 4 of 21) those that fall into the category of 55 or over among registered voters is outnumbered by a great deal more than 2 to 1 by those registered voters between 18 and 49. That does not even take into consideration that your age sample started at 60 where the official US Census data started the grouping much earlier at age 55. Also, those between 50 and 54 were totally left out of the mix as well.

The fact remains that Florida is still lying within the heart of the Deep South, and while more and more people are imported here from other more liberal areas of the country, Florida still remains a part of the so-called "Bible Belt". No offense meant to my brother and others up North, but I will leave you guys with the reputation of the "Rust Belt" instead. LOL!

Anyways, I am a Floridian that is glad that Proposal #2 passed in Florida. In fact, I am one that voted for the state constitutional amendment that clarified the long held definition that marriage is a sacred union between one man and one woman. While I do not go picket against groups of homosexuals, neither do I want to support them with my taxes. This country was founded upon Christian principles. I feel that it is a shame that it no longer remains a country dedicated to those morals and principles.

That being said, I did vote for Obama for president. I could not stand McCain and I am against hypocritical government and warmongering on trumped up charges or hopes of economic gain. However, I am still holding my breath to see how Obama leads this country. I hope and pray that he leads America in a way that strengthens the country, yet is not overly liberal. Abortion is a big issue with me that I am concerned with in Obama, but I trust that he will do the right thing when the time comes for it. He has tried to minimize and avoid that issue at about all costs in order to avoid alienating anyone, but I am cautiously optimistic that it does not become a hot topic that he has to address, at least not during a first term.

[GodlessHeathen]

As far as the abortion issue, I'm really surprised many Christians still think the Republicans are their party in this issue. Sure, they make the promises, but there was a Republican congress from 1996-2006, and for 6 of those years, there was a Republican president, too. Now, you'd think that with a Republican president, a Republican majority congress, and anti-abortion judges on the Supreme Court hand-picked by that Republican president, that it would be really easy to push a repeal of Roe v. Wade into law, but it didn't happen.

I don't really have much of an opinion on it because I don't have a lot of the information I need to form one, but I don't believe that life begins at conception. I can't see a cluster of cells as a human life. I don't, however, feel that life doesn't begin until birth, either. I think a baby that is 8 months and 29 days in gestation is a full human being and should have rights. It has a fully functioning brain, senses, and emotions. It's hard to determine, though, when a fetus turns into a baby. I don't know the answer to that question, and that's why I try not to get involved in abortion debates.

[Wayne Rogers]

This country was founded upon Christian principles. I feel that it is a shame that it no longer remains a country dedicated to those morals and principles.

ARTICLE 11. Treaty of Tripoli 1797. Written at end of Washingtons term, unanimously approved by congress, and signed by Adams. Printed in major newspapers.

As the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion,-as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion or tranquility of Musselmen,-and as the said States never have entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mehomitan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.

AX...I submit that you are operating under a false assumption perpetuated by modern churches. This is merely a single example. Study the Founders. Learn the real truth.

[cmackinnon]

This country was founded upon Christian principles. I feel that it is a shame that it no longer remains a country dedicated to those morals and principles.

ARTICLE 11. Treaty of Tripoli 1797. Written at end of Washingtons term, unanimously approved by congress, and signed by Adams. Printed in major newspapers.

As the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion,-as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion or tranquility of Musselmen,-and as the said States never have entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mehomitan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.

AX...I submit that you are operating under a false assumption perpetuated by modern churches. This is merely a single example. Study the Founders. Learn the real truth.

This is true.

[Eyes Open]

I don't really have much of an opinion on it because I don't have a lot of the information I need to form one, but I don't believe that life begins at conception. I can't see a cluster of cells as a human life. I don't, however, feel that life doesn't begin until birth, either. I think a baby that is 8 months and 29 days in gestation is a full human being and should have rights. It has a fully functioning brain, senses, and emotions. It's hard to determine, though, when a fetus turns into a baby. I don't know the answer to that question, and that's why I try not to get involved in abortion debates.

Same here. I guess it's one of those situations which human morality just doesn't have a neat and tidy answer for.

[finallyhappy]

Yes, I cringed when Obammy said Peace and Security, and I can imagine my anointed stepdad applauding and saying... "you see, the end is nearer than ever.. maybe even within the next 4 years!"A@G

...I thought the same thing! i was sooo happy! i'm glad i lived long enuff to see this happen in my lifetime! i ran and woke up my little girl jumping and dancing around yelling "he won! he won!" and she was OMG!!! and got up and jumped around with me and stayed awake to watch his speech. it was a historical and emotional moment for the 2 of us. it was great! one thing about it...she will always remember where she was when he was elected!

[Rifter]

This country was founded upon Christian principles.

Oh gosh, here we go.

This country was founded by men of the Enlightenment movement. Many of which were Deists. While advocates of religious freedom, they were absolutely opposed to basing the principles of this nation on any religion, especially the Christian one.


These are the men that designed and penned your constitution, or otherwise had a big hand in establishing the foundation of this country:

"The United States is not a Christian nation any more than it is a Jewish or a Mohammedan nation." -- John Adams

"The question before the human race is, whether the God of nature shall govern the world by his own laws, or whether priests and kings shall rule it by fictitious miracles?" -- John Adams, letter to Thomas Jefferson, June 20, 1815

"Millions of innocent men, women, and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined, and imprisoned; yet we have not advanced one inch toward uniformity. What has been the effect of coercion? To make one-half the world fools and the other half hypocrites. To support roguery and error all over the earth." -- Thomas Jefferson

"I am for freedom of religion, & against all maneuvres to bring about a legal ascendancy of one sect over another." -- Thomas Jefferson

"I never will, by any word or act, bow to the shrine of intolerance, or admit a right of inquiry into the religious opinions of others." -- Thomas Jefferson

"Christianity neither is, nor ever was, a part of the common law." -- Thomas Jefferson

"The whole history of these books [the Gospels] is so defective and doubtful that it seems vain to attempt minute enquiry into it: and such tricks have been played with their text, and with the texts of other books relating to them, that we have a right, from that cause, to entertain much doubt what parts of them are genuine." -- Thomas Jefferson

"The study of theology, as it stands in Christian churches, is the study of nothing; it is founded on nothing; it rests on nothing; it proceeds by no authorities; it has no data; it can demonstrate nothing and admits of no conclusion." -- Thomas Paine

"The Christian system of religion is an outrage on common sense." -- Thomas Paine

"Yet this is trash that the Church imposes upon the world as the Word of God; this is the collection of lies and contradictions called the Holy Bible! this is the rubbish called Revealed Religion!" -- Thomas Paine

"If I could conceive that the general government might ever be so administered as to render the liberty of conscience insecure, I beg you will be persuaded, that no one would be more zealous than myself to establish effectual barriers against the horrors of spiritual tyranny, and every species of religious persecution." -- George Washington

"I have found Christian dogma unintelligible. Early in life I absented myself from Christian assemblies." -- Benjamin Franklin

"The Bible is not my book nor Christianity my profession." - Abraham Lincoln

"My earlier views of the unsoundness of the Christian scheme of salvation and the human origin of the scriptures, have become clearer and stronger with advancing years and I see no reason for thinking I shall ever change them." - Abraham Lincoln

The phrase "One nation under God" was not even added until 1954 when D. Eisenhower was influenced by a preacher named Docherty and a Catholic society called Knights of Columbus to support the injecting of the mention of a deity into the pledge. '

"In God We Trust" did not appear on printed monies until 1956-1957 due to similar movements, to which T. Roosevelt later said "My own feeling in the matter is due to my very firm conviction that to put such a motto on coins, or to use it in any kindred manner, not only does no good but does positive harm, and is in effect irreverence, which comes dangerously close to sacrilege."

This country was very much founded on secular principles, free from the influence of all religion, while allowing individuals to chose for themselves their deity, as long as they did not attempt to mix their private beliefs with government and law. It wasn't until much later that powerful and influential believers began meddling with the separation of church and state and soiling our rightly neutral institutions with deities and superstition.

[Ai Xiongdi]

Sorry if I respectfully disagree with you guys. Just read the Declaration of Independence a time or two. Then, consider who the first European settlers to America were and why they came here. Sure, as time went on, more and more people came to America with dreams of prosperity, and you may argue all that you want regarding the overwhelming influence of Christian morals and principles upon the founding of this country, but I still believe that this once was a Christian country overall.

Hey, isn't that part of the reason why so many people have come to this country in the first place, for freedom of opinion and speech? You can have your own opinion and I will stick to mine. You can also think that I possess inferior intellectual capacity or am just a "stupid Christian" if you want or if it makes you feel better. I will still be okay.