Religion & Politics....

As most of you know, I can be quite opinionated... on and off of the web :-) Recently though I have had requests to know exactly where I stand on some very specific topics... I always try to avoid these questions because I am not the sort of person that can give these answers with one word. So let's get to it shall we...

I grew up in rural America... and I am a registered Republican for the simple fact that I need to identify with a party to be able to vote in all elections. The Republican party is much closer in many ways to my beliefs. I grew up in and around my family's business... as a future small business owner taxes, required health care benefits etc are going to be very important to me. If the state expects all the mom and pop businesses of Oregon to finance all these new taxes that seem to get added every couple of years... we are all going to be one giant box store someday. One thing about Oregon is the majority of our voters live in our 3 largest cities in the northwest corner of the state. Most do not own companies, but instead work for corporate 'think tanks'... they do not know exactly how that will effect the other 75% of the state. It is very frustrating to sit and watch all this. Someday I may actually run for an office of some sort, so people of my generation can be heard to. Continuing down the Republican pipeline I am actually slightly conservative on a few other things... Integrity and honesty are things I strive for on a daily basis... small town values if you will... and I certainly do not know anyone more honest than me LOL. Some people reading this may be shitting a brick laughing.... laughing that I call myself conservative on any level. I support war when necessary... and even though GW Bush was a bit of a goofball I truly think he handled the 911 situation very well! I was at ground zero when they were still doing major clean up... seeing something like that after and all the devastation and destruction is life changing. It was like a bad dream on tv when we watched it, but seeing it in person was intense. Getting back to honesty... the thing most people (whether right or left) don't seem to do is be honest with themselves. It is truly a freeing experience and how I live my life. No I am not a super model, nor will I ever but, but I am not fucking ugly! I curse a lot, I'm crude, crass, and at time arrogant... the thing is... I know I am amazing and I know when to be humble (well most of the time)... and if you are my friend and never betray me I am there for life. I am passionate about things important to me and never back down from a fight that I know in my heart is the right thing to do. I think a lot of time in politics all of us get caught up in what we think is Republic or Democrat... it seems like the Democrats are geared for poorer or non 'white' America and the Republicans are white and from Texas... that's right... all the Republicans of the world are born in Texas don't cha know?! lol It just seems to me that all us have gotten off track. I mean it was Wilson (a Dem) that finally gave the women the right to vote only because he was forced to. (so it was a great change for Kennedy to come in the 60's) The Democratic party seemed to be focused on movement and progress for all... equality for all... never did it use to be so focused on race or class... this is sad to me. Now the Republican party seemed to be the dragging the feet party for awhile.. I'm sure deep down they wish everyone to be equal, but reality check not everyone can be equal... so for that I agree, but not to the extent we have gone. I also believe in choices for a lot of things.... abortion, gay marriage etc. I guess what I am saying is that both parties are a let down right now... fighting like a brother and sister... one being the stick in the mud... the other being with wild child... not to sound like a Miss America contestant, but can't we all just get along and find balance?


When it comes to life we all need to realize it is truly precious. With so many natural disasters coming in recent years, so have said the world is coming to an end etc etc. All things come to an end... and it should just remind people how precious life truly is. Do you ever wonder what happened to the ancient Egyptians or the Romans? Natural disasters... corruption... people taking over the system... sometimes I think natural disasters are ways that God reminds us life is precious... at any moment you can be swallowed up by a hole in the ground. How is it then that so many people live life like they themselves are Godlike? When these big disasters come through several lives are lost... is this God's way of hitting the reset button and cleaning out over populated areas? That is an extremely harsh thought I know, but seriously the earth only can support so many people before we all parish and are fighting over water and oil until we blow the shit out of each other.... killing everyone. Most of you that truly know me know that I would give the shirt off my back to someone I know really needed it. I am quite compassionate, but honest... it always comes back to honesty for me... There are reasons why great civilizations have crumbled before we were even a dream in God's eyes... I only hope I am not around to see it. If current projections are correct we will be out of our major resources for the world around 2058. That is why I try to recycle as much as I can and support green building practices whenever possible.

So I just want to clarify a few things... yes I support gay marriage... I think it is hard enough in this world to find someone you want to be with your entire life no matter who you are and I think it is shitty for government to say who you can be with. Also, I do support abortion... if a woman does not want a child and is brave enough to go get it done, I think that is a strong person. If a woman knows that she cannot take care of a child or does not want a child because of certain circumstances, what right do we have to make her carry a child and then give it away?! We have none in my opinion.

I guess that bring us right around to religion... wow religion... this is an interesting subject for me because my grandparents were missionaries (in Haiti) and I was always told if you didn't live a good Christian life you were going to hell (LOL) I gotta laugh sorry! The greatest thing we have in life is hope and the faith that there is something greater our there. I personally believe that if you are a productive member of society and you have a belief or faith that there is something watching over us... you will be just fine in life. I do not think it is fair for people to say if you do not go to Church you will go to hell. To me most churches are a giant melting pot and crock of shit (sorry!)The God business is the biggest business in the world no matter what religion you are! I think you can talk to God everyday without going to church... now there are some churches that focus on fellowship and outreach in positive manners... that is something I can get on board with. I think that most churches have gotten lost in the hustle and bustle of the world and become greedy. Don't get me wrong I know that there are people that need a church atmosphere to stay focused, sober or happy... they need that structure and fellowship to lead a healthy life...however I find is very frustrating for those same people to tell me I am not leading a whole life by not attending church. I went to church when I was younger, by my own accord... I was baptized on my own and went to youth group a lot. I liked the fun atmosphere and met a lot of great people. However, as I grew older I noticed a shift in the churches... most being centered on giving money... if I didn't give 10% of my earnings to the church I was not a complete Christian... news flash... God knows how much my mortgage costs and he knows I need every penny. To me that is horse shit to tell someone. If I do not give specifically 10% I am not going to be saved. I think there are several ways to give... one being food and shelter to people in need whenever necessary. I have friends that go through rough patches... I am there to cook for them, help them out by finding odd jobs for them to do and even from time to time a couch to crash on. If someone is truly trying in life... I want to help them succeed the way I ave been helped. Leading a straight and narrow life is not easy, but it is rewarding. The biggest problem I have with most churches is the people in them... seeing people I know run their businesses unethically... people I know are cheating on their husband or wife (sitting there smiling with their wife right there)... people I see drinking themselves almost to death or acting like an ass at bars acting Godly at church... they are saved each time they repent... going to church is like a quick fix for these people... and I choose not to be around them. If that makes me a bad person then fuck it. I truly believe if you have a good heart... get control of any addictions you have, stay focused and be a productive member of society there is a place for you in whatever heaven there may be after life.

Another thing about religion that kills me is the fact that every single religion thinks they are the only real and true thing out there... Most religions are centered around 3 different things - Christianity (father, son, holy spirit)... now look at the religions of the world... it is the same thing with different 3... perhaps we all actually believe the same thing, but cultural differences and time have pushed us in millions of different directions. I am not really sure... but the only thing I am sure about is that if you lead a productive life, are happy with yourself, find love, be kind to everyone in your world and strive to be the best version of yourself everyday... there is no way to have a terrible life. We all need something to hope for and have faith in... so religion is not a negative thing... but we need to take a step back and realize that people are people and we all need different things out of life. I live my life in 3's as well... I know there is good, bad and everything else... these reason for my lower back tattoo... everything is connected and it always goes in cycles... do not take for granted the good and do not worry so much about the bad.