Romney was followed to the stage by Bryan Fischer, a director of the American Family Association, known for inflammatory remarks against homosexuality and "non-Christian religions," which he has said include Mormonism.
"The next president of the United States needs to be a man ... of sincere authentic genuine Christian faith," he said, in a jab at Romney.
Fischer said the next U.S. president must deny evolution, stop government assistance for the poor, veto any increase in the debt ceiling and "treat homosexual behavior not as a political cause at all, but as a threat to public health."
He called Islam the greatest long-term threat to U.S. liberty. "Every single mosque in America is a potential recruiting or training cell for Islamic terror," Fischer said.
So here are me things I don't understand. How can a man profess to be Christian and be so obviously NOT Christ-like? And for another matter, since when has the president needed to be Christian at all? Since when was that a requirement? Don't misunderstand me, of course, I very much appreciate having a leader in office who supports my ideas and beliefs, but there are plenty of good people in the world who aren't Christian.
And while I (in my admittedly limited knowledge of things) don't think we should be raising the debt ceiling either, I think everything else Fischer was quoted as saying is complete poo. The government should stop giving assistance to the poor? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure there's this bit in the New Testament in which Christ advocates the giving of assistance to the poor. When we're in the service of our fellow man, we're only in the service of our God. We need to have charity for the poor, not cut them off. And while I think perhaps we need to overhaul our welfare system and get some things straightened out, I don't think we should just leave people to starve on the streets either.
And can I just say that labeling the issue of same-sex marriage as a matter of "public health" seems a mite ridiculous? Personally, I don't think it's really a political issue either, but a moral one. While people may bash on political candidates for taking stances on purely moral issues, I think those politicians should own up to what they're really doing rather than hide behind the excuse that it's a matter of public health. If he's talking about the spread of AIDS or HIV, straight people can get it too. He may as well try to outlaw pre-marital sex because of "public health." And even if I think perhaps that would save a lot of people a lot of grief, the fact of the matter is the government doesn't really have the right to restrict our agency like that. If people want to make that choice, then fine. If you don't support it, also fine. But own up as to why you really don't support it rather than hiding behind a paltry excuse.
And as for his last point about Islamic mosques being potential terrorist breeding grounds? Give me a break. This country was founded on the idea that men could chose to worship how they would, and the minute the government starts deliberately targeting religious institutions within the country is the very same minute we need to take a long hard look at who we're putting into office.
Really, this article just really makes me hope that anyone who has two neurons to rub together can see that this Fischer man is very much lacking in qualities that would qualify him for any leadership position.
Are you getting sick of these yet? Because I'm not. HA!
Lesson Five: You can learn something from everyone you meet, so pay attention!
This is just kind of a hodge-podge lesson. I believe there's something to be learned from every person who crosses your path in life (even if that lesson is you shouldn't be a jerk to people to have crappy jobs). So here are some individual mini-lessons from different Harry Potter characters.
Harry taught me how to keep fighting, even when the odds look grim.
Ron taught me that it's okay to admit you've made a mistake. You're friends will forgive you.
Hermione taught me to embrace my intelligence.
Fred and George taught me that you can make your career dreams come true if you try hard enough.
Dumbledore taught me that everyone deserves a second chance.
Lupin taught me that you can still be a good person even if crap things have happened to you.
Sirius showed me the values of loyalty and friendship.
Neville taught me that it's never too late to take a stand.
Snape taught me that love conquers all.
Bellatrix taught me how not to be a crazy psychopath.
Luna showed me how to love myself for who I am--quirks and all.
The Dursleys taught me how to not raise my future children.
Lily Potter taught me the importance of sacrifice.
There's really so much more and I could expound on everything I've written here a hundred-fold. But the long and short of this lesson is that everyone has something to offer you. I firmly believe that you can always learn something from the people you meet (or read about). Whether they help you or hurt you, there's a lesson there to be learned.
And because the last movie is about to come out (and because I'm feeling nostalgic) I thought I'd share with you all some of the lessons I've learned from Harry Potter. So you get one life lesson a day from now until the release of the movie. I hope you enjoy :)
Lesson One: It's okay to be a strong and intelligent woman.
The rise of Harry Potter happened at the tail-end of the nineties--a time where female role models for young girls primarly consisted of Britney Spears and the Spice Girls. With the Harry Potter books, J.K. Rowling supplied my generation with an onslaught of strong, intelligent women. Here are some of my favorite examples:
Hermione Granger: She's probably the first character to come to mind when people think of intelligent female book characters. I love Hermione. She's gotten a lot of flack over the years about being the stereotypical "smart but ugly girl" over the years. I would know. I once wrote a paper on how the people who thought that were just stupid. Here's the thing about Hermione: yes, she's brilliant, and yes, she can be a bit of a stickler sometimes, but she never (ever) backs down from what she believes in. Remember SPEW? But more than that, she's completely dedicated to Harry. In the seventh book, when Ron deserts the horcrux quest, Hermione stays behind. She doesn't chose to run off with the man she loves. She stays behind with Harry and lives in a tent in the middle of winter and helps the fruitless hunt for horcruxes. And this wasn't even the first time that Hermione stuck by Harry when Ron didn't. (Think Goblet of Fire.) Hermione, for me, was the embodiment of a young woman who never tried to hide her intelligence, never tried to change herself for the approval of others, and never backed down when the path she'd chosen turned difficult.
Nymphadora Tonks: On the surface, I think Tonks comes across as a bit . . . airheaded, perhaps. I attribute that to her choice in colors and her clumsiness. But she's a fully trained auror, and that takes quite a bit of work. Think of it like this: In order for a Hogwarts grad to be considered for Auror training, they have to take NEWT level potions. Tonks would have been one of Snape's students, and he doesn't take anyone into his NEWT class unless they achieved the highest score on their OWL. And I don't think anyone would deny that doing that well in Snape's class is anything less than brains and a good deal of hard work. So here are the things I especially love about Tonks: she's a smart woman who doesn't fall into the "fun-sucking, rule-stickler" stereotype and she's willing to fight for the man she loves. This is probably just the romantic in me speaking, but Tonks knew that she loved Lupin and she knew that Lupin loved her (but was just being a bit daft) and she wasn't going to give up on him. Seeing as how the power of love is one of the overarching themes of the novels, Tonks's love for Lupin and her willingness to stand by him regardless of the difficulties is an important part of the series.
Molly Weasley: What I love most about Molly is that she's a stay-at-home-mom, but everyone (the exception to that everyone being Malfoy, who's opinion doesn't really count right now) respects her for it. After all, Fred and George would toe the line after Hermione threatened to write to Molly about their various misdeeds--these boys weren't afraid of detention or losing points, they were afraid of their mother's strength. She's a strong woman--she has to be, raising six sons and a very headstrong daughter. And she's happy and willing to stay at home and take care of the children and be the kind of mother they need. She's not worried about having this grand career. She's not worried about making lots of money. She's worried about helping her children become the best people they can be. She's a compassionate woman. After all, she always treated Harry like one of her own, despite the fact that money was tight in the Weasley home. She's the mother Harry never knew, and she's willing to fight to the death for any of her children. After all, can you forget how she took down Bellatrix at the end of Deathly Hallows? I thought not.
Minerva McGonagall: I can only think of one way to put this. McGonagall is BA. Hands down. You don't believe me? Please consult Order of the Phoenix, the Career Advice chapter, and Deathly Hallows, basically any scene after Harry shows back up at Hogwarts. She's a smart woman and she knows when to stand her ground. She's a Gryffindor, through and through, no doubt about it. And while she seems a little strict at times, there's a lot of heart there, too. (Don't believe me? Go back to when Gryffindor won the Quidditch Cup in book 3. She's seen jumping up and down and crying in joy.)
This is only a glance at the many women in Harry Potter. There are plenty of other strong and courageous women (and especially strong and courageous mothers, namely Lily Potter and Narcissa Malfoy). At the same time, they are balanced with women who lie and sneak and abuse power and do evil things. Rowling paints a picture of women that doesn't hide blemishes. She treats women as real people, just like she treats the men. And at the end of the day, she has provided young girls in generations to come an example of women who don't deny that they're smart and who don't dumb themselves down to get the attention of a boy. These are role models who will last--not just for me, but for future generations of Potter readers as well.
