Lest We Be Deceived.

Be forewarned, I wrote the following on a long flight to Hawaii. There was a fairly large woman across the aisle from me that decided it was her time to awake the 4 corners of the earth with her snoring, so I resorted to a political rant to pass the time. Enjoy!

I’m a political conservative. Obviously. But I didn’t always used to be so adamant and opinionated about it. Back in college, I found myself being one of your typical naïve find-the-middle-of-the-road-opinion that sounded intelligent coupled with the twirl-your-hair-and smile maneuver kind of debaters. However, deep down I always knew where my convictions and loyalties existed even if I didn’t have the gumption to voice it loudly in a classroom setting. But now with this epic election and the need for citizens with actual firm stances and values, I have found it more important than ever for everyone to start voicing and understanding how Barack Obama is an extremely dangerous candidate for U.S. President.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not the biggest McCain supporter in the universe and I am currently not getting any sort of “McCain in ’08” tattoos -- fake or permanent -- on any portion of my body, but his competitor Barak Obama is by far and away the clear worse choice for this nation.

However, the exact opposite sentiment is being imparted by our media. Every morning there is a new headline splattered across print and online media detailing the every move of Obama while painting him at every moment possible – literally – as the savior of this country. I was watching a talk show program the other day featuring Ben Stein and their discussion breached the subject of how much of a “love affair” the media is having with Obama right now. All you have to do is watch 30 minutes of broadcast television and their incessant love-stricken coverage of the Illinois Senator and you’ll see how true this “love affair” is. In fact, you find yourself chanting “Get a room!” perhaps coupled with a foul gesture toward the television. Now, I do not recommend nor condone such gestures or behavior, but I understand your frustration. The media’s clearly one-sided coverage is truly sickening.

The most recent ungodly amount of coverage has been seen with Obama’s PR stunt to fly around the world gaining and garnishing support from other countries. Now, I have to ask you, as a U.S. citizen, do you really care about what Germans or any other kind of citizen beyond our borders have to say about who should be our president? If you have done any travelling before, you undoubtedly know, that people in other countries do not like the United States. They love us for our money, our tourism, and our innovation, but all in all, for the most part they hate us. Let’s be honest. I don’t think anything would please the majority of this world more if the “Giant” that is the United States fell flat on its face.

So why then is the media splashing half-page color pictures of Obama speaking to thousands of Germans, etc. on the front pages of their publications parading the fact that thousands of foreign citizens are supporting Obama? I am in disbelief. Is that supposed to make me want to vote for him more?

When I started to get emails about Obama and him not wanting to put his hand over his heart, wear an American Flag pin, and when I heard the sound bite of his bitter wife ranting about how “she had never been proud of this nation until now,” I sort of brushed it off as slightly exaggerated probable propaganda. But, after listening to some of his recent speeches hearing how he ever-so-slightly speaks of the United States negatively and our need for “change,” I begin to question his loyalty to this country. Is he so bent on change that he is forgetting the great traditions and values this country is rooted in? Is he so eager to please other nations he will say almost anything to garnish their support and remain the golden child of the century? Judging from his latest expressions, I would say yes. In fact, I am appalled, but not surprised, by his all too hasty desire to create what honestly sounds like a new world order.

Just look at his rhetoric in his recent speech in Berlin.

His rhetoric promotes what sounds like a united utopian world as he urges a renewed and intense collaboration much like that of the European Union. He praises the Europeans in their steps at oneness and touts the idea of the whole world coming together in more or less the same words. And this doesn’t scare anyone else? On the surface, yes, his utterances are beautiful. They are filled with hope. They are filled with elegance and poise. But underneath all of that, the consequences of his statements are chilling. He never mentions how he proposes to accomplish such unity and oneness and change. If we dig deeper, I think we will all find the actual implementation of such beautiful rhetoric to be disappointing and catastrophic at best.

On the contrary, today we need a leader that speaks to the real issues and does more than spouts niceties and looks pretty. We need more and we deserve more. Our Founding Fathers expected that of us when they created our system of government. And I guarantee they did not have this guy in mind to lead our country … Someone who can and will single-handedly bring about the demise of this nation and our quality of life one beautiful, lauded speech at a time.

From day one, Mr. Obama's tired rhetoric speaks of joining everyone together as “one.” Additionally, we have seen that he is not discriminatory in this “unity” bit in that upon his presidency he wants to open negotiations with known terrorists. If I know my American History, this is not the kind of foreign policy that our nation was founded upon. We gained our independence and obtained the freedom that we enjoy today by setting ourselves apart, by being a distinctly different moral country than any other country at the time of our independence and beyond. But now, this toothy-grinned suave Senator wants to change all that and unite us all. Now, don't get me wrong, I am in full support of working together with other nations to end the travesties of the world, but it doesn’t require that we sacrifice the freedoms and the autonomy that millions of men and women have shed their innocent blood for us to have. Further, it doesn't mean that we abandon our patriotism, our pride in our country, and the very values that we were founded on. Call me a Chicken Little, but I think this is the very thing that will result should we vote in Mr. Obama.

Now, I say all that to say, while our nation is great, we are a nation with great problems. And currently there IS desperate need for change within our country. DESPERATE need. But the kind of change that is needed exists in the moral health of our citizens and, most importantly, our youth and the future generations. Relativism and our culture has trampled any sight of sound convictions within our value system and all the while no one – besides what many deem crazy, insane right-wing religious figureheads – are pointing to this as a major contributor to the decline of our nation.

However, consider such things as the fall of Enron, the crash of Bear Stearns, the ominous housing market, our current recession, etc. All these catastrophic events have been brought on by bad business practices of greed, lies, and deceit. Sure, these things are ancient sins, but when disasters such as these start happening in droves I think it gives fodder to the fact that there is a serious flaw in the moral fabric of the citizens of this country. There should not be any wonder why America is declining. It is obvious and blatant. Just look at the law of the land. Legalization and continued support for the murder of millions of innocent lives? The breakdown of our family system? Lackluster for the authority of our Constitution? All these things may be inconsequential in the grand scheme of things to some, but these facts are clear indicators of the state of this country and its citizens.

Electing someone like Obama who continues to side-track us with flowery, hope-giving rhetoric without pointing to or grappling with the salient issues of today is extremely dangerous for this country. We need a leader that has a vision, a true vision addressing the real place for change. Now, one may say that Mr. Obama is only one man, but think about the power he wields and the judges he could potentially appoint. It’s the trickle down effect: Put one clown in a leadership position and the rest will follow. This is why electing him would be such a collossal mistake. Sure, he’s got the support of most of the rest of the world, but as Americans we have to vote as Americans, not the rest of the world.

Finally, Mr. Obama wants us to think that he is the “one.” He wants us to think that he is hope personified and the answer to this nation's problems. But I submit to you that he would only lead us down a much darker path than we are on now and is a serious danger to the future of America. As a voter, we need to look for substance, for sound leadership, integrity, and vision. Mr. Obama has the appearance of all these things, but I believe if we take off the surface fascade -- the flawless skin, the amazingly white smile, the hypnotizing voice, the awe-inspiring speeches, and the unmistakable confident swagger -- he is nothing more than an age-old wolf in sheep’s skin.