After the 2000 presidential election in which Ralph Nader garnered a whopping 2.7 percent of the popular vote, and as high as 10.1 percent of a state's popular vote in Alaska, Democrats were blasting the Green Party and Ralph Nader for the loss of Al Gore. They claim that Nader took enough votes away from would-be Gore supporters that Nader cost Gore the election.

Although, it wasn't that long ago that Ross Perot was getting 18.9 percent of the popular vote, and as high as 30.44 percent of a state's popular vote in Maine. Many Republicans believe that Perot acted as a spoiler to George H.W. Bush, casting the election to Bill Clinton.

I was reading in the Northern Star Wednesday a Letter to the Editor made by the NIU College Republicans. They were challenging the College Democrats to a debate. During the course of the letter they mentioned socialism and pointed to the fall of Eastern Europe as evidence that socialism does not work. Bringing up socialism in context with a debate against Democrats was meant to equate the Democratic agenda with socialism. This is a classic scare tactic that prevents the US from moving forward with nearly all other industrialized nations in assuring all citizens a base standard of living.

errorlevel and I went out canvassing today for John Laesch, one of two democratic nominees for congress in Illinois's 14th district. (Yes, this means he is running against Speaker Dennis Hastert.) We didn't get to talk to many people today, as a lot of people weren't home, and it started raining about 20 minutes in. But, the few people we did get to talk to had some wonderful insights.

Unfortunately, as I've been posting entries in the Daily Dissent category, I've not been gathering more material. So, I'm taking a small break to get more stuff to post. Whoops!

I went to an anti-war rally today at Northern Illinois University. While there, I signed up to volunteer for the John Laesch for Congress campaign (IL-14 Congressional district, Dennis Hastert country).

Now, I strongly believe that in order to support the right to free speech, one must also support that same right for those with whom one disagrees most. However, just because I think that one ought to have to right to free speech does not mean that I believe all kinds of speech are always appropriate at all times. It was at the rally that I believe free speech got in the way of a coherent message.

I feel as if God has been stirring me in powerful ways lately. I love Christ, and believe in him with all my heart. I am part of a forum that has one select what faith they are, and by that you get to post in certain sections and are disallowed from posting in others. Yet it says that the purpose is to unite all Christians as one body. How does seperating us make us united? I am thinking of declaring myself "other religion" in protest. If what I see there is what Christianity is becoming, then I do not want any part of this movement.

I want to go back to what Christianity used to be. I want to go back to the home churches, where people met simply out of joy and love for discussing and studying Christ. I want to go back to the days where we didn't believe that God could both be loving and send people to eternal torment for one sin. I want to go back to the time where we as Christians would live the love of Christ and "They [would] know we are Christians by our love," not because we are trying to force our beliefs on them by telling them they're on a one-way train to hell. I want to go back to the days where our main concerns were helping the "least of these" and being peacemakers and loving our neighbors as ourselves.

It really saddens me that the only cognitive dissonance I can find through conversation is people that agree with my political beliefs. Of course, even people on the same side never agree completely and that is where my little dissonance is found. However, I want to be able to talk to people that are on the Right without being called un-American. I want to be able to talk to people on the Left without being accused of being fascist. I want to be able to talk to people who vote for politicians that I find to be completely abhorrent without them getting angry that I dare question their choice. It is painful to see the media failing at its task of creating an informed electorate, but it is downright excruciating that people are not stepping up to the plate to discuss things on their own.

"The Americans will always do the right thing... after they've exhausted all
the alternatives." -- Winston Churchill

"I'd rather vote for something and not get it than vote for something I don't want, and get it." -- Eugene V. Debs, Five-Time Socialist Candidate for President (1855-1926)

The following is based on a discussion I had with my fiancée, Kristen. We were talking about her beliefs and God. The conversation was sparked by a book called The Inescapable Love of God.