BY HOOK OR BY CROOK

From My Perspective - - -

A trite expression that has often been used and heard is: “By hook or by crook!” In the midst of suggested and/or possible meaning, this phrase generally suggests: “By any means possible – fair or foul.” This tactic is becoming more obvious in the current political campaigns. It is an “anything goes” approach from Voter Registration matters, to denigration of one’s family and background, to voter registration fraud, etc. Now we are returning to yesteryear as race issues are once again surfacing in this quest to win an election “by hook or by crook.”

Over this past weekend, Georgia Congressman John Lewis said that the negative tone of the McCain-Palin campaign reminds him of the 1960s when Governor George Wallace fostered a hateful atmosphere in Alabama. Lewis stated that John McCain and Sarah Palin are "sowing the seeds of hatred and division, and there is no need for this hostility in our political discourse." Then the back peddling begins ... later on Saturday night, Lewis tried to say that he did not intend to compare McCain-Palin to George Wallace. But – the “damage” was done and retractions serve to underscore the inaccurate assertion that was part of his original thesis. The theory is that “any time that you can make Barack Obama appear to be the victim of his race, that makes Republicans, John McCain, Sarah Palin racists.”

Patrick J. Buchanan recently wrote a column that fuels the racial tension and flames yet again. He stated: “Barack says we need to have a conversation about race in America. Fair enough. But this time, it has to be a two-way conversation. White America needs to be heard from, not just lectured to… “This time, the Silent Majority needs to have its convictions, grievances and demands heard. And among them are these: First, America has been the best country on earth for black folks. It was here that 600,000 black people, brought from Africa in slave ships, grew into a community of 40 million, were introduced to Christian salvation, and reached the greatest levels of freedom and prosperity blacks have ever known. Second, no people anywhere has done more to lift up blacks than white Americans. Untold trillions have been spent since the '60s on welfare, food stamps, rent supplements, Section 8 housing, Pell grants, student loans, legal services, Medicaid, Earned Income Tax Credits and poverty programs designed to bring the African-American community into the mainstream.

“However, governments, businesses and colleges have engaged in discrimination against whites - with affirmative action, contract set-asides and quotas - to advance black applicants over white applicants. Churches, foundations, civic groups, schools and individuals all over America have donated their time and money to support soup kitchens, adult education, day care, retirement and nursing homes for blacks. We hear the grievances. Where Is The Gratitude?” is the critical question for our times. Even though there is always room for additional improvement, why is that ‘Gratitude’ is never part of the equation?”

Consider these things with me - - - and remember the words found in Acts 17:24 through 28, “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being. As some of your own poets have said, We are his offspring.” It would be refreshing if the “by hook or by crook” approach was not present. It would be so welcomed if “open and above board” was the priority, and giving the electorate clear, precise, honest choices and reasons as the basis for voting for one candidate or another was foundational. As we near the finish line of the election, we are at the starting point of new directions for our nation. May God help us to make the right and wisest choice. It is important! An intelligent vote can and will make a difference!