My thoughts on the election

Disclaimer: This is long. I had a lot to say. I hope I don't offend anyone, and if I do, I apologize. I tried to write this the best I could!

Although I have several other blogs that need to be put up (Trip back home, halloween, and my birthday!) I want to comment on the recent results of the election. To start off, even though I am a bit relieved that this election is finally over and I will no longer be hearing negative campaigning and most conversations rooting back to it, I'm feeling somewhat sad. I have followed it from the beginning up until the bitter end, and it's kind of strange that it is all over--kind of a bit nostalgic actualy. Needless to say, I am disappointed in the results, being the Conservative person I am. Although I am not the biggest huge fan of Senator John McCain, I feel like he would have been a better president that Senator (well, I guess that would be President) Barack Hussein Obama. Honestly, I had little hope that Senator McCain would pull of a win tonight, but I thought it would have been closer race than the landslide President Obama won by. I do believe that Senator McCain's speech after receiving news that he had not won was extremely graceful and I have an increased amount of respect for him. When President Obama (it's weird to say that) first began to campaign, I'll admit that I was drawn in by his charisma and excellent speeches. Heck, I even considered voting for him. However, that was BEFORE I read into his views and looked beyond the pretty face, for lack of a better term. To put it simply, I believe he is a socialist, no matter what way you look at it, and because he is now the president, our country will inevitably become a Socialistic nation, which is a scary thought in itself. He wants big government, and that is not good for any country. President Benson warned against Socialism in an address he gave on April 12th, 1977. You can view a portion of this talk on this website . If you want to view the whole talk you can google it fairly easily, but I like this website because it just had the part where he spoke about Socialism. The author of that website gave good commentary at the end, which rebuked some arguments some may bring up. I definitely suggest reading it. But what I personally got from the talk it is that Socialism=bad, and our country could be headed toward it (even back in the 70's when he delivered the talk!). One of the parts that particularly stuck out to me was when President Benson said, "Socialism derives its philosophy from the founders of communism, Marx and Engels. Communism in practice is socialism.Both communism and socialism have the same effect upon the individual–a loss of personal liberty." Now really, how many of us want a loss of freedom? Apparently the majority of America. I found it somewhat humorous how, whenever I asked an Obama supporter why they supported Obama, the only words that came out of their mouths were "hope and change". What they don't even realize is that the change Obama wants to bring isn't necessarily good--It's just a lot of it. Now that he is elected, we will all finally get to see all this change he's been preaching about during his campaign. All I can say is that if I hear one person who voted for Obama complaining about him over the next four years, I am prepared to laugh and not withstand from saying, "I told you so." And no, if you voted for Obama, I don't hate you. Because then I would be hating a lot of people. I only hope (hey look, I'm using one of his words!) the next four years won't be as dim as I fear. I'm afraid, to be honest with you, about the changes our country will be undergoing. The economy is plummeting (obviously), and I'm terrified of the increasing threat of terroism, especially with President Obama's inexperience.

There are several references to "the constitution hanging by a thread" by Church leaders throughout the history of the Church. Allegedly, in 1855 in the Salt Lake Tabernacle, President Brigham Young said, "“when the Constitution of the United States hangs, as it were, upon a single thread, they will have to call for the ‘Mormon Elders to save it from utter destruction; and they will step forth and do it” (I found this on several webpages. Check out this one for more on this, and other similar quotes; I found it simply fascinating). We are definitely in the last days, there is no doubt about that. And as scary as it may seem, I also find it very exciting. I strongly believe prophesies from the scriptures and prophets will soon be fulfilled.

The 12th Article of Faith says, "We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law." Obviously, I am not pleased with the countries decision to elected President Obama. We are a Democratic nation, at least for the time being, and I am grateful to live in a country in which we do have the ability to choose our leaders, even though I am questioning why so many voted for him. However, I do intend on respecting President Obama and praying that he will lead this country in the right direction. I do not know if he will, but I do have faith Heavenly Father will not abandon us, and all will be well. President Obama does have the power to change, but I definitely fear what he could do with the country. Overall, this was a historical election, and only time will tell what will happen.

The media is ridiculous. They are so liberal and totally skew their reports to show what they want. Orson Scott Card wrote an excellent article concerning the news media. I recommend reading it. Here's a link. It kind of makes me want to go into political journalism.

Alright, I'm done talking about the presidential part of the election, but I just have to say, I am SO happy that Proposition 8 for California appears to be passing. Granted, right now there is still 50% of polls not reported yet, but it has had a steady lead for most of the night. Even though I am not in California, I was honestly very scared of the ripple effects if this did not get passed. I'm sure many of you are aware of possible consequences, and I am so grateful to see we will be avoiding them, at least for the time being. I realize this is not the end to the "same sex marriage/rights" issue, but it's a relief to see that all the efforts of those who spent so much time advocating for Prop 8 have paid off. Honestly, this has increased by testimony of fasting and prayer sufficiently. There have been many fasts over the past month, and I'm sure millions of prayers, for Proposition 8 to pass, and I very much believe that there was much power from those two acts that had a definite influence over the voters of California. I know that many believe that Pro-prop 8 people are bigots and are just discriminating against those who choose to participate in an alternative lifestyle, and I'm sorry they believe that. I don't hate homosexuals. I truly feel bad for them. But I believe that marriage is a privelage, and not a right, and that it was ordained of God to be between a man and a woman. To change these laws would be ruining the sanctity of marriage. Although I don't have children of my own yet, I don't want them to grow up in a world where they are told it is okay to be attracted to the same gender. They will have far too many other opposing viewpoints attacking them, and I would hate for that to be one of them. As corny as it sounds, I pray every day that my future children are being prepared to come to this world at such a tumultuous time, and that me and my future husband (whoever you are!) will also be prepared to raise them in such a way that they will know right from wrong. It scares me that the adversary will be so prevalent in the world the grow up in, but I have faith that they will be okay as long as the Gospel is firmly instilled in their life.

Just as a side note, I'm embarassed to say I live in a state that does not believe a child is a person at the moment of conception. 73% of Colorado voted against an act that would say this was true. PATHETIC!

To end my long, long, (I'm sorry about that) post, I'll leave you with a quote from President Dieter F. Uchtdorf's October 2008 conference address, "The Infinite Power of Hope". This talk, as well as many others from October's conference, kept coming to mind during the election. It seems as if the overriding theme of conference was not so much preparing for the last days, as it has been in the past, but having hope. It's obvious that this world is becoming increasingly perverse and sinful, but nothing will stop the Gospel of Jesus Christ from going forth. We just need to have faith and hope that Heavenly Father's hand is in everything. President Uchtdorf ended his talk by saying, "to all who suffer—to all who feel discouraged, worried, or lonely—I say with love and deep concern for you, never give in.Never surrender. Never allow despair to overcome your spirit. Embrace and rely upon the Hope of Israel, for the love of the Son of God pierces all darkness, softens all sorrow, and gladdens every heart." President Obama overly talked about hope, but I think I enjoy hearing about it more from the leaders of the Church...They seem to have ideas to back it up with :)