NEHEMIAH AND OBAMA

NEHEMIAH AND OBAMA

[I began this a couple of years ago, when we were still playing a wait and see game with Obama, wondering what kind of president we had.  This is rather a lengthy post.]

 On rereading Nehemiah (doing some research, but that’s another story), it suddenly struck me that his story could be a parallel, or an allegory, for the story (yet to be written) of Obama.                                                     

To those who would expect Obama to be a Messiah, or who claim that his supporters think he is a Messiah, I say that, rather, he could be seen as a Nehemiah.                                                                                            

About 2500 years ago, Israelites who had been exiled for generations were being allowed to return to Jerusalem, to resettle and rebuild.  Among the exiles was Nehemiah, who had gained a position of responsibility in another land when he heard of the travails undergone by the exiles who had returned to Jerusalem.  He wept and prayed for the people and for wisdom to know what best to do to help them.  (Nehemiah 1)                                                                                                                                                                              

After years of Republican control of government, in 2008 Democrats began working for a comeback.  Obama had been heard from in 2002 during a major speech in which he inveighed against rush to war in  Iraq, and again in 2004 when he delivered the keynote address before the Democratic National Convention.   Many began touting him as a future Democratic candidate for president, although most cautioned against him rushing into that role too soon, believing that he needed to get more experience and to prove himself before doing so.  But clearly, by 2008 Obama was affected by what he saw happening to his country—economic and social ills, war and damaged foreign relations, threats to health and to the environment—and came to believe that his time was now, that he ought not to put off the possibility of his being able to help his country.                                                                                                                 

Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem, accompanied by armed men to protect him on his journey, determined to help the people.  He realized early on that a major problem was the wall, which had fallen over the years, been abandoned and never repaired.  He spent an entire night riding around the walls to assay the damage.                                                                                                                                                  

Obama, upon his inauguration as president, surveyed the results of decades of mismanagement of the country, assessing what needed to be done.   He appointed members to his cabinet and advisers to help him analyze problems and develop plans to deal with them.  He had to be accompanied now by Secret Service, and moreover, was Commander in Chief of the military.                                                                                               

Then Nehemiah presented a plan to the people.  They needed to rebuild the wall for their security and comfort, but it would take everyone together to accomplish the huge project.  (Neh 2:12-18)

 In his stirring inaugural and State of the Union addresses, Obama stressed the importance of everyone working together, setting aside partisan differences; that rebuilding the country was a huge undertaking that required the resources and attention of all.  He presented several specific goals, including a budget and a recovery plan to create jobs and rebuild the nation’s crumbling infrastructure.                                     

Nehemiah was set about by an ill-assorted group of detractors and enemies, who were “grieved…exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare” of the people (Neh 2:10), who “laughed [them to scorn] and despised [them],” sneered and besmirched him and his honor.  But Nehemiah was undeterred, repudiated them, declaring “…we will arise and build…”  (Neh 2:19-20).

 Obama was excoriated from the beginning, by politicians who openly vowed to make him a one-term president, by other leaders, as well as by opposition media, by outright obstruction in the legislature; he continues to come under fire for “seeking the welfare of the people,” when he tries to extend unemployment benefits, or for “kowtowing to environmentalists” when he moves to protect the environment, or for “appeasement” when he negotiates with foreign nations.   He has been personally vilified, having his honor and his very origins besmirched, as well as being condemned for his policies and accused of being a failure.                                                                                                                                                      

And the people did rebuild the wall, each person or group of persons assigned to a given section—not only carpenters and stone masons, but farmers and field workers, priests and merchants, rulers of neighboring tribes, although some “nobles put not their necks to the work.”  (Neh 3:5)

 And so the work began—the legislators and cabinet members, agencies and civil workers, construction workers and clerks.  And we know who “put not their necks to the work.”                                                                                                                                                   

Nehemiah’s enemies conspired together to attack, to hinder the work of rebuilding the walls, saying, “They shall not know, neither see, till we come in the midst among them…and cause the work to cease.”  Nehemiah was aware of the danger, and arranged for all the workers to be armed as they worked, “everyone with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.”  As well, half of the people stood guard with weapons while half worked.  And Nehemiah kept by his side a trumpeter, who would sound the alarm for all as needed.  (Neh  4)  They made several attempts, trying trickery to get him to leave his work, or to come meet with them or to take refuge in the temple (where as a layman, he was not allowed), but he rebuffed all of their attempts.  (Neh 6)  Even when the walls were completed, Nehemiah continued his vigilance, setting up a watch to protect the city.  (Neh 7:1-4)

Obama’s enemies in congress, in think tanks, in right-wing media, conspired to prevent the work, to obstruct legislation, tried trickery and diversions and pretended concessions during conferences.   We have even heard that during the inauguration, Republican legislators were meeting to make plans to thwart Obama’s agenda.   Anything to prevent the work from moving forward.                                                                                                                 

At one time, the people came complaining to Nehemiah, because of their great want and poverty—lack of food, bankrupt because they had borrowed in order to eat, “mortgaged our lands, vineyards, and houses, that we might buy corn…”  also for tribute and taxes.  And Nehemiah was very angry, and rebuked the rulers, the nobles, and the priests, and demanded that they “…leave off this usury…and restore…to them…their lands, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, also…part of the money, and of the corn, the wine, and the oil that you exact of them .” And they did so.  (Neh 5:1-12)

Obama was hearing complaints from the people, about losing their homes and going bankrupt, about joblessness and poverty, about having to go into endless debt to try to survive, to pay their medical bills and student loans, and of the usury that exacerbated their loss and want.  And Obama determined to get back from the upper class some of what they had taken from the middle class, to end the practices of usury as evident in mortgage fraud and credit card fraud, to meet the needs of the people and to restore their dignity. He encouraged the setup of agencies, such as Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, to look out for the people.   And he has urged the extension of Unemployment Benefits and SNAP, as well as raising the minimum wage for workers.                               

Nehemiah’s advisers came to him and pointed out that many of the Hebrews had married local persons not of their ethnic heritage, and had had children by them.   Nehemiah was so incensed by this that he actually beat and pulled the hair of some of the perpetrators.   His advisers then persuaded him that the population had to be cleansed of the foreign blood introduced by many of the Israelites marrying other peoples; men were made to send away their wives and children.                                                                                  

Obama was confronted by people who were outraged that gays should be allowed in the military, who were determined that the military should be purged of them.  Or at least that they should never be allowed to serve openly.  As well, these people were against any legal alliances between gays or lesbians.  After much deliberation, Obama decided that the rights of the LGBT community should be recognized, and he supported the repeal of DADT, and declined to support DOMA.  And more recently, he has voiced support for same-sex marriage.  He didn’t beat anybody or pull their hair.  In this, he differed from Nehemiah.                                                                                                                 

Epilogue on Nehemiah:  It should be noted that Nehemiah was neither god, nor ruler, neither prophet nor priest, neither holy man nor saint, just a man.  One writer said of Nehemiah:  “He prayed unto God, which was an admirable beginning, but only the beginning.  He knew what were the realities, and prepared to do the duty of a man, and not imitate a rabbit to run away.”  And again, “He is indeed a noble picture, a man to remember, a man to imitate in time of peace, or in time of war, to be ready in the former for the coming of the latter, if, when and as it may come.” ¹                                                                                                                                                                                       

The Epilogue has yet to be written of Obama.

¹Prof Robert W Rogers, “Ezra and Nehemiah,” Abingdon Bible Commentary, 471-2 (1929)

 

 

 

Musings week of August 5 2012

Musings Week of August 5

Republicans are all over Harry Reid for questioning whether Romney may not have paid taxes for ten years, and they expect the Obama campaign to repudiate Reid’s assertion.  Yet when Bachmann  accuses the administration of harboring Muslim Brotherhood members in its ranks, naming one person in particular, Romney says that it is not his responsibility what other people say.  

Ann Coulter says Obama wants to keep the focus on Romney’s past instead of the present economy, but the Republicans want to keep bringing up Obama’s drug use as a teenager, his college records, his associations with Ayers, Wright, and Alinsky.  Even now, when Obama’s past includes 3-1/2 years as president.

Romney says that Bachmann’s accusations about Muslims are not part of his campaign.  He had better be careful.  She is going to take on Mormons next.

Russia is sending warships to Syria?  For whose side?  I thought they support the Syrian government.  Now USA is supporting the rebels.  Now what?

Ohio Republicans passed a law eliminating the last three days of early voting—for everyone except the active military.  So DNC, Ohio Democratic Party, and Obama campaign are suing, asking the court to reinstate those days for everyone in order to have a level playing field, citing equal protection laws as justification.  So FOX news portrays this as the Democrats trying to stop the military from voting.  And Romney picks up on this as well.   The new law also does not allow military families or veterans to vote those last three days.  Question:  What does Romney and the far right have against veterans?

[Later]  Just learned that Ohio has passed laws reducing early voting to weekdays, hours of 8 to 5, in Democratic districts, but expandingearly voting to weekends and night hours in Republican districts.   Okay, I’m speechless, my jaw just hit the floor.

 I have commented several times on Romney’s rigidity and on his robotic walk, short stiff strides.  Here is an essay about Romney’s body language.  The video clip is revealing, I had noticed this when I saw it on the news.   The robot is programmed to move just its head when speaking. 

http://www.alternet.org/print/tea-party-and-right/what-mitt-romneys-body-language-trying-tell-us

The Romney’s paid cash for their $12 million house in California, but then filed for reduction of property taxes on the grounds that the house had lost value—they saved $109,000 in property taxes over four years. 

Right wing pundits having a lot of fun with DNC speakers Elizabeth Warren and Jimmy Carter.  But apparently wholeheartedly pleased with RNC speakers Gov Rick Scott, Martinez, Kasich, Haley, Walker, two other governors.  Also Condeleeza Rice, Santorum.  Trump claims he has a role, and Gingrich claims he will be conducting seminars.

Sen Harkin, concerning  Rep Mike Kelly (R-PA) saying that  August 1^st, the day women’s benefits of ACA took effect,  is a “day of infamy,” like Dec 7 and 9/11, says he cannot explain it other than to say “that because of their adherence to this rigid ideology has made their hearts rigid, has made their hearts hard.  That’s not befitting a just society like America.”

30.5% of gun deaths are children, as shown by 2009 figures.  Of 9,146 deaths, 2,791 were children.  An additional 13,000 children were injured.  Every year, a 9/11 just for children.

As real estate billionaire Leona Helmsley once said, “Only the little people pay taxes.”  [not quoted by Romney, as far as I know.]

Although Southern Poverty Law Center and other groups had been monitoring Wade Paul for a decade, the FBI had not.  They were too busy monitoring peace groups, occupiers, students, PETA, mosques, environmentalists, and the Brady Bunch.

Did you see where ReiNCe PRieBuS RNC PR BS) called Sen Harry Reid a ‘dirty liar?’ When I was a child and called a brother a liar my daddy washed my mouth out with soap.  But of course, RNC PR BS feels perfectly secure—the precedent was set when Rep Joe Wilson yelled “You lie,” to the President.

If Sen Reid is lying, it is not about whether Romney paid zero taxes some years, but only if he is lying that a Bain invester told him this.  If his source is lying, so be it, it does not make Reid a liar.

How do we now this whole thing isn’t a diversion created by Romney himself?  He puts up a Bain invester to call Reid and tell him this lie, and after a few weeks he will release his records, and prove Reid wrong, thereby embarrassing him and his fellow Democrats.

Republicans spent the last three years doing everything possible to keep President Obama from helping the country, and will spend the next three months telling you he hasn’t done anything to help the country.

When nothing goes right, go left.

So quick, quick, whose your pick for Romney’s VP?  Or who’s his pick?  Cenk Uygur and Michael Schuer did a ‘fantasy football’ pick for likely candidates, and their teams came out as follows:

                                    Cenk                                                     Michael

                                Paul Ryan                                            Rob Portman

                                Tim Pawlenty                                     Chris Christie

                                Marco Rubio                                      John Thune

                                Bobby Jindal                                       Kelly Ayotte

                                Condoleeza Rice                               Susannah Martinez

                                Nikki Haley                                                                                                                                                                                        

Dark Horses:      Jim DeMint                                         Terry Branstad

I wonder why Michael’s list is one short.  And why no one picked McDonnell.  Michael may be including a previous dark horse, John Cornyn. 

My dark horse:  Gen Petraus.

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Musings Early February

Musings feb 8 2012

The Nation’s Katrina Vanderheuvel says, about President Obama’s decision to allow superpacs in his campaign, that though she is reluctant, “There are times when you cannot win with one hand tied behind your back, when you cannot fight fire only with a philosophical opposition to fire.”

Stephen Colbert says, of Obama’s  singing:  Once again, Obama is playing his same old dirty political trick of being irresistibly appealing.  You’ll never see Newt Gingrich stoop that low.

Keith Ellison said: “If we can walk with Obama, we should…if we can’t then we should walk ahead of him.”

Sen DeMint likens the rivalry between the Democrats and Republicans to a football game—argues that when the two teams go out onto the field they have no intention of “cooperating” or “collaborating.”  They do not share the same goals.   So now we understand—it really is their “game plan”.

Romney:  I will put an end to this kind of assault on religion, if I am president of the United States.

Romney apparently objects to the auto industry  “bailout” because it didn’t hurt workers enough.

Romney would “take us back to the good old days,” while at the same time he would “Restore Our Future.”  [How do you restore something that has never been?]    He wants our country to be “the shining city on the hill” that would presumably hold out the hope of freedom and democracy for the world, but he would also have it to be the mightiest military power in the world so that all who look us it would tremble in fear.

Handel, of Komen,  says private organizations have a right to make their own decisions about grants, etc., without being subject to vicious attacks—but after all, people have the right to object to your right to make decisions that we don’t like, to criticize and withdraw support, etc.

Julian Epstein, Democratic strategist, just said that Newt Gingrich is “collapsing of his own weight.”

The Man Who Would Be Pope:  Rick Santorum

Rick Santorum reminds me of no one so much as Brother Jerome, the self-righteous monk of the Brother Cadfael chronicles.

Santorum says: 

·         When you give government power, they will use that power over you.  [much better to give the pope that power]

·         Catholics are told that they have a right to health care, but the health care will be what the government tells you you have to give your people, whether it is against your church or not.

·         Says he will fight for “your voices for freedom in America” [yes, freedom for religion but not freedom for the people]

·         Says his grandparents and parents came to this country for freedom, because they didn’t want a government  telling them what to believe, that we had a first amendment that actually stood for freedom of conscience, and not that we would have a president that would impose his secular values on the people of this country [but they meant that we should submit to a pope, represented perhaps by Santorum himself, telling us what to believe, and imposing his religious values on the people, even though we didn’t elect him]

Rick Santorum says, of gays who glitterbomb him, that they represent “true intolerance.”

Rick Santorum, inveighing against the contraceptive rule, equates that to providing coverage for toothpaste and deodorant.  Previously, he had ridiculed the idea that contraceptives were expensive—they are cheap and insurance shouldn’t have to cover cheap things.  I recall reading recently of a man who died of a tooth infection because he didn’t have $24.00 to get his prescription for antibiotic filled.

Musings January 26-28

Obama helps the economy, increases sales:

·         Sales of Al Green’s songs shot up 490% after the President sang four lines from one of his songs

·         Sales of Gov Jan Brewer’s book “Scorpions for Breakfast” shot up over 150,000%, moving from 250,000 place to #7 on Amazon after the President had a little “dust up” with her, so I guess it pays off to shake your finger in the President’s face.  And she says she felt threatened?

 Walt Kelley, quoted in J.L.H seed catalog:  “Either we are alone in the universe, or we are not; either way, it’s a mighty sobering thought.”

On foreign policy, President Obama is accused of appeasement, and warned that “you don’t negotiate with the enemy.”
On dealing with congress, President Obama could be accused of appeasement, he just  didn’t understand that “you can’t negotiate with the enemy.”     
It may be that the President has learned something:  he would be more successful negotiating with Ahmadinajad than with Mitch McConnell or Eric Cantor.

Nancy Pelosi had better be careful about saying that she knew something that would bring Gingrich down.  Marianne Gingich thought the same thing, and instead, Gingrich took the opportunity to smear the press and accuse Marianne of lying, the audience gave him a standing ovation, and voted for him in the primary.

J. L. Hudson, seedsman and avowed anarchist:  “You’ve got to read between the lies.”

The Republican presidential candidates seem determined to prove that if there is such a thing as intelligent design, some creatures fell off the drawing board at a crucial moment.

Still, there were a couple of light Romney touché moments in the latest debate:

·         Romney seemed unsure when asked about an ad of his in which Gingrich was accused of saying that Spanish was a ghetto language.  When assured that it was his ad, he then turned to Gingrich and said, “Well, did you say it?” and when Gingrich said, “It was taken out of context,” Romney turned back to the audience and quipped, “He said it.”

·         Gingrich assails Romney for his investments in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Romney attempts to explain that away, then turns to Gingrich and points out that he, himself, has investments n Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and Gingrich lamely says, “Right.”

A Gingrich ad, speaking of Romney:  “What kind of man would mislead, distort, and deceive just to win an election?  This man would.”  Snort!  Snicker, snigger!  Good thing I wasn’t drinking coffee when I heard that.

 Wallace Stegner: “ As long as you are going to get old, you might as well get as old as you can.”

One of the candidates suggested that Ron Paul, because of his age, should produce his medical records.  Ron Paul offered to challenge any of the candidates to a 25-mile bike ride.  He says they better be careful or he may accuse them of age discrimination.
My favorite sweatshirt logo, which I got when I turned 70: Over what hill? Where? When? I don’t remember any hill.

Did President Obama keep his promises? Or was I wrong?

In 2008 when we had a Meet-the-Candidates Rally (in Hampshire County WV) in October, candidates were invited to make the case for their election, and some who were unable to attend send surrogates to speak for them, or to read a statement.  I took it upon myself to read my prepared statement for Presidential Candidate Barack Obama.  Now maybe it is time to review that statement, and see how closely the president has come to measuring up to our hopes for change.  I am copying the statement below, with the only change being that I have numbered the items, to make it easier to discuss them; also, 9 & 10 were one item in my original statement.  Did we fail to keep his feet hot enough?

Notes of support for candidacy of Barack Obama in 2008. 

If you are a person who cares about the future of our country, you will vote for Barack Obama.

1.       If you believe in liberal values and progressive action, you will vote for Barack obama.

2.       If you believe in bringing an end to the occupation of Iraq and redirecting the billions being spent on the war to restoring our infrastructure and providing for our citizens, you will vote for Barack Obama.

3.       If you believe in engaging diplomatically with heads of state in order to reduce conflicts around the world and to regain the trust and respect of the world’s peoples, you will vote for Barack Obama.

4.       If you believe in establishing fair trade practices with the peoples of the world, for the mutual benefit of our own and the world’s citizens, you will vote for Barack obama.

5.       If you believe in the urgency of developing plans to provide for equitable sharing of food, water, and energy resources for all the world’s peoples, you will vote for Barack Obama.

6.       If you believe in attacking the problems of energy by reducing dependence on fossil fuels and developing alternative energy sources, you will vote for Barack Obama.

7.       If you believe in the urgency of protecting the environment by reducing pollution, dealing with  the causes of global warming/climate change, protecting threatened and endangered species, reducing the destruction of forests, protecting our waters, you will vote for Barack Obama.

8.       If you believe that a fair taxation program would provide tax relief for the working middle class and increase taxes on the top 2% of the country who have achieved their wealth on the backs of the working class, you will vote for Barack Obama.

9.       If you believe that all citizens should have a fair living wage, that will provide adequate shelter and food, you will vote for Barack Obama.

10.   If you believe that all citizens should have adequate health insurance and medical care, you will vote for Barack Obama.

11.   If you believe that Social Security and Medicare should be strengthened, not privatized, you will vote for Barack Obama.

12.   If you believe veterans deserve access to higher education and appropriate medical care, you will vote for Barack Obama.

13.   If you believe in being informed about the issues you will go to www.barackobama.com, and read about Barack Obama’s proposed policies and solutions, and you will vote for Barack Obama.

And if you do not vote for Barack Obama, and we are treated to another four to eight years of devastating Republican conservative policies, then God have mercy on America.