Politics, politics, politics! Here we are at the beginning of the now 2-year campaign for the presidential election. I may be mistaken, but my memory of earlier campaigns began in earnest the year of the election, and heated up after the national political conventions. Whoever was president didn't spend most of his time on the road campaigning....he instead spent most of his time governing. Recent holders of this highest of offices seem to be primarily interested in reelection. Can you imagine any other job where the employee's job is making sure he has a job?

How can any ethical American take advantage of the people who provide the monetary support for the government in the way this president, in particular, has been doing? Taking so many vacations on the taxpayer's dollar at a time when most people are having trouble putting food on the table is an action that should be impeachable. It certainly doesn't win votes.

Karma

Over the last year or two, I have noticed the tendency of younger people to use the word "karma" as a vindictive comment about someone else's behavior or action. Let me say that I am neither a theologian nor a psychologist, just a person who wonders about how our language and belief systems change because of misunderstandings.

Every time I read a Facebook post that says someone is getting a karmic payback, I have to wonder if the commenter realizes the meaning of karma. If the poster is a Christian, then a non-Christian belief is being used to kind of wish evil on another person based on the poster's personal viewpoint. If the poster truly believes in karma, then wouldn't saying someone else deserves bad karma be inviting the same back on the poster?

Christians believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for the forgiveness of sin. They don't believe that a person's sins or bad karma cause one to be reincarnated as a lesser form of life. Christians are taught that people reap what they sow, but that is a different concept than karma which presumes reincarnation.

I think all this judgmental karma talk is a way of making oneself feel better or superior to the person who has been perceived as having committed some kind of faux pas. The thing is, everyone has different beliefs, mores, morals, emotions, and motivations for his/her behaviors. The only one who truly knows a person's heart is the Lord. The rest of us really aren't qualified.

Convoluted World Events - Some Things Never Change

I can't help but wonder about America's role in the current civil unrest in the Middle East. During my lifetime, information about subversive American activity in other countries has come to light. It is difficult to accept when we have been apparently manipulated into believing the good ole' USA is the shining example of all things good, the country all others yearn to emulate, the people who all other people desire to be.

When we find that our CIA has been involved in uprisings, assassinations, and political maneuvering, it is difficult to accept. We turn our eyes, our backs, our thoughts away from these ungodly events. Soon we begin to believe again that the evil exists in other countries, but not here.

This past month has seen the people in Egypt rise up against a dictatorship in their country, and today there is similar activity in other countries. People who have not enjoyed a democratic government now are demanding to have what other countries have. Thanks to the Internet, information and plans for assemblies are disseminated to all the people in all the nooks and crannies of isolated and remote dictator-run countries.

In the United States, union members are protesting because they don't like the cuts the state governments are trying to get through. This involves state workers and teachers. The latter can certainly pay some of their health insurance costs, just like the taxpayers who pay teacher's salaries. It might be different if teachers were actually teaching! Young people today are practically illiterate, and this is appalling considering the amount of money and perks teachers get.

It is a different world - the people, no matter in what country, are sharing information and opinions for the first time and this will make all the difference.