Give Your Burdens to Jesus

Matthew 11:25-29

At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure. “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

 

A Few October 30th History Events

Let’s take a little trip back in history to see a few events that took place on this date.

 

• 1817 – Simon Bolivar established the independent government of Venezuela.
  I learned this fact in the 5th grade. Is this type of history taught anymore?

 

• 1831 – Escaped slave Nat Turner apprehended in Southampton County, VA, several weeks after leading the bloodiest slave uprising in American history.
  I first heard of Nat Turner near the end of high school in the late 60s.

 

• 1938 – Orson Welles’ “The War of the Worlds” aired on CBS radio. The belief that the realistic radio dramatization was a live news event about a Martian invasion caused panic among listeners.
  Can you imagine how people got a few things together and started running and hiding! Where could they go for safety!

 

• 1954 – The last All-Negro unit abolished in the desegregation of the Army in 1954.
  My father served during World War II when the armed forces were completely segregated. He talked often about his returns to his unit in the south from Philly and having to go to the ragged, dusty “colored” coaches when the train pulled in to Washington, D. C.. Just think, our country’s capital was the boundary for where you could travel into legal segregation!

 

• 1972 – U.S. President Richard Nixon approved legislation to increase Social Security spending by $5.3 billion.
  Yes, Republican Presidents have contributed their share in increasing entitlement spending.

 

• 1975 – The New York Daily News ran the headline “Ford to City: Drop Dead.” The headline came a day after U.S. President Gerald R. Ford said he would veto any proposed federal bailout of New York City.
  I did not like Gerald R. Ford, but I liked his wife, Betty. When I saw his record of voting against government programs for blacks and the poor, I was reacting from a liberal perspective. Due to my growing conservatism, I no longer dislike Gerald R. Ford.

 

• 1976 – Joseph H. Evans became the first black leader of the United Church of Christ.
  In true Christianity, people will come under Christ centered leadership regardless of human leaders’ race or ethnicity.

 

• 1979 – Richard Arrington elected as the first black mayor of Birmingham, Alabama.
  Remember 20 years earlier, Birmingham, Alabama was legally racially segregated and KKK dominated.

 

• 1991 – While still black owned (Robert Johnson) Black Entertainment becomes the first black-controlled company on the New York Stock Exchange selling 4.2 million shares.
  BET was easier to watch back then. I watched the news discussion programs, which were liberal,left bent. Now remember, I was on the liberal side in 1991. BET programing really declined in quality. The channel has grown up the raunchy meter. The news programing regardless of ideology should still be a part of the channel. Currently, I occasionally catch an award show or a movie on the channel.

Look Who Get’s Priority in Voting!

I am for restoring voting rights to most convicted felons after they have served their time and are positively contributing to society in some way. I think of Charles Colson convicted of crimes connected to Watergate back in the 70s and who now presides over a successful prison ministry and is a syndicated columnist as an example. I am against voting rights for all felons while serving prison sentences. The fact that those serving time in Cook County, Illinois prisons received hand delivered voting ballots, while it looks like some of our men and women serving in the armed forces overseas may not receive voting ballots in time for the November 2nd election is unconscionable.

 

A Few of My End of the Election Season Ramblings

Next week at this time, some of us will be reveling while others will be pretty upset at who won and lost in the Nov 2nd elections. The polls are all over the place now as they were at this time in 2008. That is why I have not  posted any polling links on Facebook and Twitter or blogged  about candidate polling results. In these final days before we go to pull the levers for our desired candidates, the election climate is extremely ugly. My elderly mother can’t stand it and is refusing to watch anything political.  The candidates, political groups and parties, especially on the Democrat side are pulling all the stops. There are many reports of voter fraud in connection to early voting.

I am hearing some political promos that are more disturbing than the usual negative political advertising that one hears in the final days of campaigns. There is one that I have only heard on the radio on urban music, talk and gospel music stations. It tells blacks to get out and vote, because of what opposers are doing to the first black President and that it is known exactly what is really said when one hears, “Take our country back.” It continues with, “No! we are not letting you take it back.” Pres. Obama has told blacks that Republicans want them to stay home.  On the Republican ‘Hate Obama’ side, there are all kinds of personal attacks and racial stereotyping (so-called) jokes going around which I abhor.  All of this goes too far into polarization.

I am all for promoting the responsibility of voting, but not the low road in getting lax and disgruntled people to vote. I do not like this “blacks are a monolith” Democratic Party approach in going after votes. While some of us never were, many of us are no longer a part of black group think. I am voting, but those who in the various urban “Get the Vote Out campaign,” will not like who I will be pulling the levers for in the voting booth.

Immigrant Voting!

I did not realize that legal immigrant non-citizens can vote on limited basis if they live in certain municipalities in this country.  This non-citizen voting goes on in municipalities such as Chicago, Illinois and Takoma Park, Maryland and might go forth in Portland, Maine. It will be up for a vote on Nov 2nd.  The argument that legal immigrants work and pay taxes and have a right to vote on local concerns is gaining traction. One organization behind immigrant voting is Democracy for All.

Claude Rwaganje hopes this limited voting measure will pass. He has been in this country long enough to apply for citizenship. Unless he has financial problems with the hefty application fee of $675 and other direct and indirect fees that must be paid in the citizenship process, what else is keeping him back from becoming a citizen?

I am in the ‘U. S. voting is only for U. S. citizens’ camp. If you are for legal immigrant voting and think this issue compares to blacks not being able to vote, the denied blacks were legal citizens of this country.  The denied immigrants are immigrants not citizens. As this non-citizen limited voting grows, where will it lead? Could this be a tunnel passage to illegal immigrant voting? Fox News legal analyst, Peter Johnson Jr. (who BTW is a Democrat) makes perfect sense on this issue.

Quoting one of my Facebook friends,”NON-CITIZENS VOTING?!?!?! What’s next? Bussing in people from Canada and Mexico to vote??