My husband
and I always have fun and learn something new when we spend time with our
friends, David and Cheryl Barton (www.wallbuilders.com ). The time we shared a few weeks
ago was no exception. They graciously introduced us to their friends, Pastor Tim
and Terri Brooks who had invited my husband to address the annual Biblical
conference they host. While the
highlight of our trip to Arkansas for my husband was meeting hundreds of
excited and exciting participants, I have to admit to being a bit more
self-centered.
One
afternoon, the Brooks invited us to their ranch to ride around on ATVs. This
was a new experience for me and it was a bunch of fun. There was even a bonus
activity – shooting with an 1890’s rifle owned by the Bartons – check out my
form below.
Learning to
ride an ATV and improving my marksmanship definitely qualify as learning experiences.
However, there was a much less pleasant piece of knowledge that I also gleaned.
David Barton informed us how many potential voters sit out elections. We are
not talking about apathetic individuals. Many of these people belong to
organizations that oppose the liberal agenda on issues such as abortion, gun
control or anti-business tax positions, yet they don’t cast a ballot.
It seems
that there are a number of reasons for this dereliction of duty, including keeping
off voter rolls in order to avoid jury duty and not believing that one vote
counts. Hearing about the enormous numbers involved was demoralizing.
When one of our
daughters was a young teen, she wrote an essay for a homeschooling newspaper
suggesting that not everyone should vote. She proposed that ‘get out the vote’
drives that encourage those who have no interest in educating themselves on
vital issues to nevertheless vote, damaged rather than helped our country. Have
you ever laughed when late night comedy hosts send camera teams to the streets
to pose questions such as, “What do you think of President Obama dropping Joe
Biden as his running mate and choosing Sarah Palin?” or “Do you think it is a problem
that Mitt Romney won’t release his college records?” It is, of course, not at
all humorous that the people who don’t know that these are facetious questions
might actually sway the direction in which America goes.
The Jewish
community in which I was raised considered voting to be a sacred and cherished
right. Even though I believe that the
majority of Jews vote against their own interests, that concept of civic
responsibility is valuable. Until our Arkansas visit, I had no idea that many
conservative Christians feel differently.
There is an
old ‘joke’ about a man caught in a flood. As the waters rise,
the city sends out four-wheel drive vehicles to evacuate the residents. The man
turns them from his door saying that he depends on God for salvation. As the water deepens, he moves to the second
floor of his house, where a couple in a rowboat comes past his window and
invites him to join them. “God will save me,” he replies. An hour later, he is
on his roof, when a Coast Guard helicopter hovers above, offering to pick him
up. He spurns its help, insisting he depends on the Lord, not on human beings.
Eventually, he drowns. In Heaven, he turns to God and says, “Why didn’t you
save me?” To which the Divine reply comes, “I sent you a jeep, I sent you a
rowboat and I sent you a helicopter. You sent them away.”
Maybe the
vehicle had no shock absorbers, maybe the rowboat was damp and maybe the
helicopter would have been a scary ride. They were available even if they were
imperfect. Each mode of transport had drawbacks, but a heavenly chariot wasn’t
one of the options offered.
Maybe you
see sitting on a jury as a hassle rather than an opportunity; maybe you are
convinced that one vote won’t make a difference; maybe you think that prayer is
the only correct option for a believer.
Perhaps it is time to consider that God offers us opportunities to participate
in our own rescue and He won’t look kindly on those who spurn the responsibilities
of freedom that other of his followers worked (and continue to work) so hard to
ensure.
When we give our vote to one we know cannot win
or we don’t vote, it a mistake on our part, its as if we are stomping
our feet and saying , if we can’t have our way we will mess up
the game.This helps no one and hurts the country as a whole.
Thinking of others with the brains given us by our Creator is
is more important than anyone of us,so my advice is to pick
the one who will be better for the country and pray for him.
My non-Muslim friend emigrated here from Iran, having been frightened by the Ayatollah Theocracy. He had to raise himself as a new immigrant by his own bootstraps during the 1970’s. And he is now appalled that today’s US Government is buying the vote of new Americans, handing out massive free benefits to new immigrants, benefits that he never received, benefits that are being bled from his pockets! A vote to reinstall the incumbent President will entrench the scheme of redistribution from those willing to work to those unwilling to work and desirous of dependency upon the Government.
Furthermore, the President has established himself as a scofflaw. When Congress will not cooperate he spits upon the Constitution’s checks and balances on executive power, brazenly realizing his autocratic will via executive order, on a scale never before witnessed in America. Is this a preview of coming attractions?
The Moody Blues said it in a song:
“Now’s the time to raise your voice
Time to come there’ll be no choice…”
Use wisely your power of choice. Use it or lose it. I sense the frustration of Mr. Steele, but I fervently hope that most Americans are not like him. Elections are not like a cafeteria, to saunter through and select your fondest desires or a perfect candidate. Elections are shadowed by a grim reality principle. You vote, if it must be, for the lesser of two evils, but you get out there and vote! A third party candidate? Remember the third party candidate Ross Perot. He seized a good part of the Republican vote, diluted Republican support, and brought us Billy Boy.
Hi Kristy – you actually did leave another post, but I was away from my desk and so it took me a few hours to approve messages. Please check the appearance page, https://www.rabbidaniellapin.com/speaking_engagements.php, to see where my husband is speaking. We hope to be back in TX soon and would love to come back to Carrolton.
Dear Susan,
In keeping with your daughter’s paper I’d like to suggest that I’m thankful that not all the “age elligible” people even register to vote. I suggest that many of those starry eyed who voted for Obama last time will not vote this time because they don’t have a job! With all the free stuff that the government gives out if they did vote our country’s demise would come even sooner. I’m concerned that, as it is,
a few metropolitan areas (the Northeast, the “rust belt”,LA and San Francisco control enough Electoral votes to swing the National election.
Rich
My 88-year-old mother isn’t going to vote because she believes her vote “won’t make a difference.” I wish I could persuade her differently. I wish I could print your blog posting and send it to her. I so appreciate your postings, Susan…your willingness to stand for Godly principles. Let us humble ourselves and pray, and God will heal our land.
Hi Mrs. Lapin! Let me try this again! I tried to leave a comment once, but I guess I accedently deleted it! My family, myself, my husband, 2 boys, and 1 daughter, loved the photos you encluded in this weeks musing! It was such fun to see you on the ATV and shooting! We watch you and Rabbi Lapin every weekday on TCT and we record it. Watching is part of my children’s Homeschool routine! My oldest son & I are reading Rabbi Lapins book “The Real War”, it is a wonderful book, expecially as we are in an election season. We are also working on learning Hebrew. Any idea on when Holy Hebrew will be available? We look forward to seeing ya’ll again. Rabbi Lapin spoke at our church, Covenant Church in Carrolton, TX a few times. I can not wait for his return to speak. I hope it will be soon! Thank ya’ll for everything, we are learning so much as a family!
Hi Jonathan,
You (and everyone else) can certainly call me Susan. I empathize with your frustration. I have voted third party myself at various times. This time, I personally feel that I need to strongly support Mr Romney. Susan
Mrs. Lapin, (I would like to call you Susan, as I respect your viewpoints),
Your brief notes on learning from Arkansans rang a true note with me, but I wish you took a more sympathetic view of the rebellious people you learned about, who forsake the vote. I am one who wavers on whether to vote, because the people who hold the ultimate power have deprived me and millions of others of their personal power in this area. I live in California, but this is only an extreme case of democracy gone to the dogs, and I do not mean irresponsible voters, I mean a meaningless ballot.
This year we have a horrible choice at the “top” for President — a man who has demonstrated incompetence and a drive to undo America, and a man who fails to acknowledge there are policymakers behind the scenes who continue to involve us in war, and tax us overtly, and secretly through inflation, for many unseemly purposes, including foreshortening the venerable old “ladder to the top”. The one messenger of sanity, decency and knowledge, Ron Paul, was rudely rejected by both the press and the party he used for his Congressional elections when it came time to lead the country. Now the kingmakers offer us a man who knows business but does not know the spiritual value of peace and shared prosperity. He will probably lead us into more wars and more abuse of America’s labor energy. He will not undo the serious errors of the recent past like bailouts of bankers, government bureaucrats and unions. He will oversee tightening of laws so that we as a people are economically strained and strangled.
This is no choice. I will vote for a third choice, KNOWING the candidate cannot win.
Knowing the determination of judges and government prosecutors to put down civil unrest and/or disobedience with harsh sentences, I also understand avoiding jury duty. It is quite disgusting to attempt participation in this elemental form of democracy and to learn from summary dismissal by lawyers that thinking jurors are routinely rejected. They, as an example, will NOT accept the law as a judge deceptively chooses to restate it. They know their rights and the rights of the accused. This is heresy today.
Please, when you can, adopt a more understanding view of how much of our humane national heritage has been perverted and become a tool of oppression.
Thank you.
Jonathan Steele, Libertarian