It Took A Life

Today I was shuffling through some old books and photographs that I stumbled upon last week. They belonged to my great uncle Elmer, who has been gone now for quite a few years. When he died I also ended up with a canteen from his Army days, during World War II. He fought over there as a young man and as far as I can tell, came back to Minnesota and farmed until he retired. It was so interesting looking through the old black and white family photos. There were portraits, pictures of young men and women having fun together, and even a Casablanca-esque picture of a lady traveler with an airplane in the background.

It makes me sincerely long to live in a simpler time. It makes me wonder, what would it be like to spend nearly all day outside? What would it be like to work for everything? What would it be like to take nothing for granted? What would it be like to take time to talk to neighbors? What would it be like to gaze in wonder at an airplane overhead?

What would it be like to appreciate freedom? We run around all the time taking it for granted. During WWII, this country sacrificed over 416,000 men for the cause of freedom. Why would these brave men go put their lives on the line? Because there was evil that needed to be stopped. It was clear what needed to be done. And what a sacrifice.

Compare that with what we see today. "Sacrifice? You mean give up my life for someone else?" Sacrifice in our culture has turned from something honorable into something feared. But there are glimpses of hope still. Flight 93. Wesley Autrey. Our military servicemen and women. Whichever side you fall on with war, know this: people have sacrificed their lives so that we may live freely. Let us honor that sacrifice by living responsibly. It took a life.

A moment of your time, please

Ladies and gentlemen,

There are 20 days now until election day in this country. We have all been subject to political rhetoric on both sides of the campaign, and I like many of you have had my fill of campaign ads. And the spin machines make a person wonder who is actually telling the truth most of the time. For what it's worth, John McCain is certainly not a perfect candidate in my book. But the odds of finding a perfect candidate in a political process like this are fairly slim, I admit. And judging by the most recent polls, we may end up with Barack Obama in the White House come next year.

That concerns me, and that is why I am writing this little e-mail. No I won't mention Barack Obama's connections to ACORN, Jeremiah Wright, his connections to William Ayers, or the current court case to try to determine whether or not Barack Obama was born in the United States. I'm not here to talk about his plans about gun control, wealth distribution, or holding back our support of Israel. If you really want to know more about these things, I will be glad to provide information. Or you could find it easily enough for yourself.

My main concern is this: Barack Obama is not a supporter or protector of unborn life. Now I know what you may be thinking at this point. "Kevin is just sitting there in his Focus on the Family Institute shirt drinking coffee from his Colorado mug." Guilty as charged. But I digress. Mother Teresa once said, "When a mother is allowed to kill her child, what is left of society to save?" According to the Guttmacher Institute, the United States has aborted nearly 50 million human lives ("fetuses") since Roe v. Wade was enacted in 1973. I personally find that to be a staggering number. In a country of 300 million people, it is equivalent to killing every sixth person alive in the United States today. We would find that reprehensible, but somehow can find some justification to keep turning a blind eye to the 3,500-4,000 killed every day by abortion.

Imagine if there were 50 million more people in the United States aged 35 and younger than there are now. Would there be such a massive social security crisis? How about housing? Interesting things to ponder. But my main point is not to talk about making the economy better. My point is this: as a country we have killed more unborn humans in 35 years than the number of people who have died fighting all of our wars since the 1700s. This is a tragedy.

How does this relate to Barack Obama? He not only is pro-abortion, but he supported legislation that would deny the right to life to any child who survives an abortion. Here is a short video that explains it a bit more. A stance like that makes him the most pro-abortion candidate ever. That is why I cannot and will not vote for this man.

For some reason we Americans are known to vote with our wallets, or with our guns, or whatever. Whatever reason you choose to vote, let it not be for money. Let it not be a trendy vote either. I say this with a heavy heart: Human life is at stake here. Let us stop kidding ourselves about it.

This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. -Deuteronomy 30:19-20