Define Yourself.

So, Jesus Christ is the most important thing in my life.

But on that list, far down, are politics.  And with what's going on in this country, I have a bit of a bone to pick.  First, with our president.

Now, I understand that this country is really divided over him (he only won with 53% of the vote, mind you.  That means 47% did not choose him as their president).  That means we aren't all going to agree.  I will say, straight, that I voted for John McCain and I don't regret it.  I did, and still do, think he's the best choice for this country.  Obviously, I didn't get what I wanted, and I have to settle for Obama.

That being said, I have a few points of contention.  One is the fact that he has, not once, taken responsibility for a single choice that he has made.  He's even trying to back out of taking responsibility for the omnibus spending plan, now.  Okay, if that was a elementary school child trying to avoid taking a nap, we'd understand.  But we're talking about the essential leader of the free world, who violently and forcefully rammed through a trillion dollar stimulus plan, using the world "catastrophe" 27 times in one speech to describe the disparity of the world if we did not pass it- and then took a 3-day vacation.  Something tells me the wheels of Air Force One don't quite touch the ground... he's not really living here with the rest of us.  He can't speak without a teleprompter.  He has hired numerous heads of cabinent with felonious tax problems, legal problems, ethics conflicts, and horrendous track records in their previous careers.

These people are running our country.

And now, we have a level 5, almost-pandemic outbreak of swine flu... and the head of our Department of Homeland Security (for those of you who are unaware of what they do, they are in charge of protecting this country from national and international threats... ie: securing the homeland) refuses to consider closing the border to prevent even further spread of a highly contagious airborne disease.  Because, in essence, she doesn't want to.

Yes, that makes a whole lot of sense.

Politics aside (as if that were possible), I have a second bone to pick.  Now, I'm not the biggest fan of banks in general.  BUT, I do understand the necessity of fiscal diversity for consumers, the need to have multiple choices for places to store your funds.  I get it.  But, I DO have a problem with the way the unions and ill-informed individuals have attempted to crucify Ken Lewis of Bank of America. 

First, back in January, the Obama-nation White House, and this joke of a Congress/Senate, come to Lewis and say "Hey, you're going to take this installment of tax payer money.  It's your patriotic duty (anytime BO says that, watch out) to take this money.  Oh- and by the way, I know we talked about this in December- you're going to take over Merrill Lynch.  We'll give you tax payer money for that too, but you don't really have a choice.  Learn to like it."  So, Ken Lewis goes through with the merger- to the chagrin of their shareholders, I'll admit that.  They didn't have all the information before they voted it through, and that was wrong.

But, fast-forward to early April 2009.  The bottom has almost totally fallen out of the financial markets, nasty bare-bones are exposed to this BoA-Merrill deal, and people are looking to get angry.  Not to be counted in the slightest is the fact that BoA posts a 1Q PROFIT in a recession... nope, that doesn't matter.  Worker unions who have pensions invested in BoA decide to jump on Lewis, and make him the scapegoat for all things related to the "r" word, and start calling for Lewis to resign.

Now, let's level.  Ken Lewis brought Bank of America through two successful mergers, one with Countrywide in late '08 and one with Merrill Lynch that was voted through in late '08 and early '09.  Successful.  They posted a profit.  They MADE MONEY in the first financial quarter of 2009.  Yet the unions, deciding they don't have enough to be angry about, get exhausted consumers riled up on lies and misrepresented truth and start to rally based on that anger.  The vote went before the common and preferred stockholders today at the Annual Meeting, and the verdict has been delivered that the role of Chairman & CEO has been split, leaving him the CEO and leaving BoA grasping for a stand-in for the role of Chairman (they can kiss Hugh McColl goodbye, he's already said he won't do it). 

Here's my issue- what in the WORLD do these unions, these every day misguided citizens, really think this is going to do?  Many Charlotte-based and statewide financial groups and panels have come out in SUPPORT of Ken Lewis, not limited to the Charlotte Chamber (all business professionals), the United Way, Habitat for Humanity, and the North Carolina Treasury Department.  In layman's terms: the people who know business in Charlotte.  What could one union (knowing that unions are largely responsible for the failure of a large number of public businesses since their inception in the mid-1900s, most recently the almost-demise of Ford Motor Co & almost successful ruin of GM Motors & Chrysler) *possibly* know about what's best for a publicly held company?  One only needs to google "UAW" to understand how these entities are such a tool against free enterprise and capitalism in today's economic world.

Bottom line:  They don't know anything relevant in this situation, and they should shut up and get out of the kitchen because they obviously cannot stand the heat.  And, there has been a large mistake made by ousting Ken Lewis from part of his job.  I sincerely stand behind him and will continue to do so.

I had to rant and purge myself of these feelings of irritation.   Mainly because I only carry one vote, and although I do my best during campaign season by volunteering, campaigning, and for those of you who know me- even wearing my political gear... I can only do so much.  Which brings me to my idea today: if you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything.  I'm very passionate about being a Conservative Republican.  I'm very proud of who and what I believe in.  So, you should decide what you stand for.

What do you get passionate about supporting?  Is it being Pro-life?  Is it being Pro-family, supporting the model of traditional marriage?  Maybe you're on the flip side of the issues from me.  I don't care what it is, but decide what you stand for it and stand for it, unconditionally.  With how rapidly this world is deteriorating, socially, financially, and even physically now- it's more important than ever to stand and fight for what you believe.

For me, it's God, Family, Country.  I'm unapologetically traditional, I love my family, I love this country, and I'll defend them to the end of me.  What about you?

Who are you, really?

Parting thought:

All my life I had been looking for something, and everywhere I turned someone tried to tell me what was.  I accepted their answers, too, though they were often in contradiction and even self-contradictory.  I was naive.  I was looking for myself and asking everyone except myself questions which I, and only I, could answer.  It took me a long time and much painful boomeranging of my expectations to achieve realization everyone else appears to have been born with:  that I am nobody but myself - Ralph Ellison, "Battle Royal"

Talk soon.

*Pictures above used with permission from MC Photography*