Jesus Is Just Alright With Me

Jesus Is Just Alright With Me

Tuesday, February 22, 2005-6:13 PM

Please don't read this journal entry unless you don't mind being uncomfortable.  It contains some very strong opinions, specifically in the area of Politics and Religion.  I try not to get political on stage when I'm doing my comedy, because I think it unjustly alienates half the room.  Off stage, however, I wear my heart on my sleeve.  I've noticed that quite a few comedy club owners are on the left side of the political spectrum, and I think that's good.   Because I'm on the left as well.

It used to be, back when I was growing up in the 70's and 80's, that the Republican party was the party of the wealthy and sophisticated, and the Democratic party was the party of the working class and the poor.  Ronald Reagan tried to cut school lunch funding with the statement that if ketchup were provided, one of those little squeeze packets, that it should count as a vegetable serving.  Keep this in mind, because it's very important to the discussion.

George W. Bush wants to be Reagan so badly, he can taste the jellybeans.  He works that ranch like he's an extra in "Of Mice And Men" and rolls up his denim shirtsleeves and leans on the fence like he's Reagan, and throws that drawl in  for good measure.  Lets everyone forget he's a millionaire, and a dirty one for the most part, but in order to hijack the working people (who should rightly despise him and others of his ilk), the Republican party decided to become the party of faith.  So now they've got the wealthy and the religious.  The Democrats have the entertainment industry (who vote, but can't get anyone else to vote), the young (who would only vote if they could do it by Playstation), blacks (who traditionally have leaned Democratic to preserve civil rights, but are slowly falling away from the party because they really don't deliver the social change like they used to) and the people who are smart enough to realize that their piece of the American Dream Pie is being co-opted by the Right.  George W. calls himself a "compassionate conservative."  Why does the qualifier compassionate have to be included?  It is almost an admission that conservatives are not compassionate.  And you know what?  I don't think I've ever seen anything to get me to think otherwise.

I love Jesus Christ.  Several years ago,I was a cocaine addict, helpless, maxed out two credit cards in three months, lost most of my personal possessions, and only by the grace of God didn't die.  I turned my life over to Christ, and he rewarded me beyond what I deserved.  12 years later, I have a beautiful wife who I adore, a beautiful daughter who makes me cry with joy every day, and I work in a career that I always wanted and dreamed of, but as recently as eight years ago, was really nothing but a dream.  I thank God daily.  I pray before every meal, and sometimes while I'm chewing, I give thanks again.  I read the Bible, especially when it comes to making decisions, I allow my Lord and Saviour to speak to me directly through his living word.  I donate to the poorest churches in my hometown, to allow them to keep open and minister to those who need it the very most.  I have Christ in my life.  And I am a liberal.

George W. Bush is not a man of faith, he is a FAKE Christian.  His war in the Middle East is not righteous, it did not make us safer here in America, and it is not the action of a man with love and forgiveness in his heart.

Did Saddam Hussein try to assassinate his father?  Absolutely.  Would a REAL Christian have forgiven him?  Yes.  Did George W. forgive Hussein?  NO.  Simple math shows Bush is not a Christian because he did not forgive, he waged war for revenge.  I grieve for the over 1,000 troops that have died to feed this vendetta.

Without keeping up the attack on Bush, I would like to digress and actually express some positive opinions.  I got caught up in the heat of the moment there, and started spinning out of control.  I would like to say that Bush is a charismatic leader, but he's probably the right guy at the wrong time.  I am a Christian, so I have to forgive him for sending our troops to their death (and without the proper armor to protect them, too...very unfortunate).

I believe that the United States has an obligation to it's people, and that obligation goes above and beyond national defense.  I believe that we have not only the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but I believe that the government has the obligation to provide every citizen with food, clothing or shelter, or the opportunity to work for those things.  Anything less than 100% employment is unacceptable.

I believe that the United States has the obligation to provide basic comforts of life to it's citizens who cannot work to provide them for themselves, whether due to physical or mental health issues.  A person who is weak needs to be helped, and helped unconditionally.

I believe that the separation of church and state issue needs to be abolished, and quickly.  I believe that the United States needs to start funneling money to churches of all faiths and stripes, to get the help to the poorest and most helpless of our citizens.  I believe that churches should be encouraged to continue to spread the word of high moral values, of treating each other as we ourselves would wish to be treated, of compassion and of charity.

I believe that education should be provided to every citizen, and not only the best education that we can afford, but education better than we can afford.  The United States should be shoveling money at education at about ten times the rate that we shovel it at everything else.  The dividends are incalcuable down the line, but allowing our citizenry to wallow in it's current level of ignorance is suicidal.

I believe in unfair taxation.  I believe that the more money you make, the more the government should be able to grab.  Take $1,000 away from me, and I'm going to be on the street.  Take $1,000 away from Bill Gates, and it would not affect his quality of life whatsoever.  I know this isn't a popular opinion, but anyone who can allow a small section of our population to prosper at the Paris Hilton level, where the idea of getting a job isn't even on the radar screen, while people are homeless and going hungry each day, they obviously have never missed a meal and their opinion no longer matters.  That quy who sells the "Girls Gone Wild" videos should have an I.R.S. agent showing up at his door every two weeks and seizing about 20-30% of what he's earning.  Believe me, he's not going to have to get a smaller house or eat smaller steaks every day with that kind of hit.  He's going to do just fine for himself.  And I'm going to go out on a limb, but I don't think his charitable donations are going to be in line with what our country currently needs someone of his affluence to do, and I apologize if I'm wrong, but I'm just guessing, but to me and my simple 20th century brain, I think we need to just go and collect the money.

We need more assets available to help people who have become addicted to drugs, we need more assets to educate young people, especially in the black community, that rappers and athletes who are getting paid in the millions of dollars are not the average, and that the easy money of selling drugs is not the answer.  We need to harness the enormous food growing capability of the United States and use it in the world market to help the starving peoples of other countries, rather than paying farmers subsidies to not grow crops because it damages their value on the national market and plows family farms under.  We need to get off of the plummeting roller coaster that unchecked capitalism has created in our country.  If there is four words to describe what's wrong with our country, here it is; billion dollar porn industry.  We have unchecked freedom of speech, coupled with money to burn, and we have created a Godzilla.  A tenth of the money that the people of the United States spend on porn could wipe out the damage of the Tsunami in southeastern Asia.  Will it happen?  Not a chance.  Sieze the damn money, already.

I am a bleeding heart liberal.  I guess I just haven't been mugged yet.  I know that I live in a fantasy world where everyone is cared for, loved and needed, and everyone gets up early and works hard and pulls their weight.  But I also know that Satan rules the Earth, it was signed over when Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden, and temptaitions abound in this world to keep us from righteousness.  But I'll tell you this; I still give change to the guys in the street who ask.  The way I look at it, either they are needy, or they're just scamming me.  How can I tell for sure?  All I know is that Christ said, "As you do to the least of mine, so you do to me."

Are you listening, Mr. President?

 

Ralph Tetta

Rochester, NY