On a more serious note......Politics

Since moving to Japan I have become very interested in politics. Something I never was passionate about before. But after living in a foreign country, and seeing how differently they do things compared to the United States, I started on my quest for answers. I like many of my relatives have always called my Grandpa and asked who I was voting for. He is the only one in the family interested in such matters. So everyone naturally turns to him for his opinions during voting season. He has always made me a list, and I always take it with me to the voters box and check off the appropriate candidates on my ballot.

This year I decided to do it by myself. I set out to research how I really felt about certain issues. Who I thought would be the best person for the job of running our country. I wanted to know why Japan does things differently and then I began research on other countries as well. After all of the work I put in learning about politics and the months of reading that I have done on the subject, I am now ready to go to the polls and cast my vote. I feel like an adult, making my own choices and decisions and being responsible for them. Confident in my own views and beliefs.

Every morning I get up and have my coffee and read the news online. I am fascinated with the happenings in the world. And I am even more so interested in the Democratic party. What is it with them?? Honestly. They make absolutely no sense to me. I want to know what makes them think the way they do. Some people have even gone so far as to say that Hurricane Gustav is an act of God and proof that God is on the Democrat's side because it just so happened to strike at the same time the Republican convention was to take place. Really? I didn't realize that my God was so vengeful. Outside of the Republican Convention an anti war protest took place. It became violent. Arrests were made. Cars were destroyed, people were hurt. Aren't they protesting that very same thing? Violent action? It seems hypocritical to me. I am usually not one to judge others. But I really am just trying to understand where people are coming from. If there was a logical explanation for all of the nasty comments and obnoxious behavior, I might be able to sympathize with them a little more. But there is no logical explanation. They say that they want America to change and be better, but they are still acting the same way and standing for the very things that they want changed. They are making themselves look like fools, and I can't possibly take them seriously.

I'm sure it is quite obvious by now where I stand in my political views. I know and love several people that feel differently than I do. And that's OK. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I respect them the same as I did before, even if we do not view things the same. People should be able to agree to disagree and go on living without taking it personal. This particular blog is not to spur on any debates, it is simply where I'm at in my way of thinking at the moment. Maybe it will challenge someone else to take responsibility for their own views and do a little research of their own.