Texas Faith: Do we thirst too much for political leaders?

We can deal with the resolute Obama rather than a wishy-washy Romney with no convictions of being a moderate, liberal or conservative. As a moderate Republican, I was hoping for Mitt Romney to be our next president, but I am afraid he will repeal everything on his first day in the office; derail the stabilizing economy and job situation, mess with health security, control women’s freedom, be unkind towards gays and lesbians, and ignore the ones in ditches. I would rather have Barack Obama’s stability than Romney’s chaos - Mike Ghouse

Resolute Obama v. WishyWashy Romney

Originally published in Dallas Morning News in the Texas Faith column, details below http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2012/10/texas-faith-do-we-thirst-too-much-for.html

Texas Faith: Do we thirst too much for political leaders?

I love our democracy as much as the next person. And I really like the thrill of a campaign. But it has been 10 months and many dollars since New Hampshire and we still haven’t selected the next president. At moments during this marathon, it has felt like we spend too much time and energy searching for a leader, almost like a people who want a king to come fix their problems for them - William McKenzie, Religion editor.

What do you think? Is this just democracy-in-action? Or are we too hungry for a leader?

MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism, Dallas

The process of electing our president is one of the best practices of democracy-in-action. Of course, we are the founders of the representative system of governance, and have established proven structures to find the best possible leader.

Indeed, we do thirst for a leader who would be our idol, who can keep us safe from outside forces, secure at home, bring stability to the nation, guard our freedom, and be a catalyst in the pursuit of our happiness. That’s a tall order.

The year-long vetting process is fairly identical to the making of the American Idol, where a number of hopefuls participate, and one of them will finally make it through the primaries. By then, he or she would have learned, competed and excelled to get the nomination of the party in a completely open process. There is nothing like it. Indeed, it is the most competitive training in leadership.

The nominee now competes with the experienced one, the incumbent president, and demonstrates his or her maturity in dealing with contingencies like Sandy, the economy, jobs, the well-being of the citizenry, protecting the Constitution, foreign affairs, fulfilling the role of president and being an idol to the best of his or her ability. This is as entertaining and exciting as watching the football games or the American Idol.

No wonder, we have the most stable government in the annals of world history. Our presidents do not wing it, as they would have learned enough and documented their stance on issues, which would become their guiding principle to be held accountable for the next four years.

Personally, as a moderate Republican, I was hoping for Mitt Romney to be our next president. But I am afraid he will repeal everything on his first day in office; derail the stabilizing economy and job situation; mess with health security; control women’s freedom; be unkind towards gays and lesbians; and ignore the ones in ditches. I rather have Barack Obama’s stability than Romney’s chaos. We can deal with the resolute Obama rather than wishy-washy Romney with no convictions of being a moderate, liberal or conservative.

. . . . . . .

The Texas Faith blog is a discussion among formal and informal religious leaders whose faith traditions express a belief in a transcendent power – or the possibility of one. While all readers are invited to participate in this blog, by responding in the comments section, discussion leaders are those whose religion involves belief in a divine higher power or those who may not believe in a transcendent power but leave room for the possibility of one. Within this framework, moderators William McKenzie and Wayne Slater seek to bring a diversity of thinkers onto the Texas Faith panels.

URL : http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/2012/10/texas-faith-do-we-thirst-too-much-for-political-leaders.html/


Mike Ghouse is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. He is a professional speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, civic affairs, Islam, India, Israel, peace and justice. Mike is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News and regularly at Huffington post, Smirking Chimp and several other periodicals across the world. The blog www.TheGhousediary.com is updated daily and MikeGhouse.net indexes all his activities.

 

Prayers for Hurricane Sandy

PLURALISM PRAYERS OF HEALING

http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2012/10/prayers-for-hurricane-sandy.html

 

 

 

Mike Ghouse

www.MikeGhouse.net
www.Foundationforpluralism.com

www.AmericaTogetherfoundation.com

www.TheGhouseDiary.com

 

Resolute Obama v. Wishy-washy Romney

RESOLUTE OBAMA v. WISHY-WASHY ROMNEY
http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2012/10/resolute-obama-v-wishy-washy-romney.html

 

We can deal with resolute Obama than wishy-washy Romney with no convictions of being a moderate, liberal or conservative. As a moderate Republican, I was hoping for Romney to be our next president, but I am afraid he will repeal everything on his first day in the office; derail the stabilizing economy and job situation, mess with health security, control women’s freedom, be unkind towards GLBT community, and ignore the ones in ditches. I rather have Obama’s stability than Romney’s chaos.

Full article will be up by this evening at http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/

Mike Ghouse is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. He is a professional speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, civic affairs, Islam, India, Israel, peace and justice. Mike is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News and regularly at Huffington post, Smirking Chimp and several other periodicals across the world. The blog www.TheGhousediary.com is updated daily and MikeGhouse.net indexes all his activities

Muslims back Obama by a smaller marign than 2008

Muslims back Obama, but by smaller margin than in 2008

http://www.religionnews.com/politics/election/muslims-back-obama-but-by-smaller-margin-than-2008 (the article is copyrighted hence, the link)

 

Note:  Except a few pieces, where something is written about me or my quotes are included in religion news, Dallas morning news, Star Telegram, or other periodicals,  all other pieces in the blog are written by me, the other blogs I have are combined – with my pieces as well as the article of interest written by others.   Omar quoted me in the linked article

My comment Posted at Religion News article

As a Moderate Republican, after due consideration, I have switched to Obama along with several Republicans. We prefer a stable administration rather than a chaotic admin by Romney, who may flip the nation upside down on day #1 repealing everything like a cranky kid. Things are going great and we cannot afford to mess it up. I urge my fellow Republicans to put America first, then the party, we owe it to America.

President Obama is not bragging on his record of turning around a free falling economy, delivering stability for America, protecting women's rights, recognition of every American on an equal footing and securing America’s health, diplomacy that is producing results, and restoring respect for America in the community of nations by treating them on an equal basis instead of pursuing a bullying foreign policy that will build resentment towards us, and endanger our freedom.

America is one of the greatest nations on the earth because we adhere to the rule of law, protecting each other and protecting the civil rights of every American.

Obama has restored respect in the community of nations by understanding that we deal with the people and not individuals.  Ultimately it is the people who honor the treaties and not the individuals. Dictators come and go, but relationships between nations endure. More about it at Huffington post or TheGhouseDiary.com

Obama rightfully sided with the public in Egypt, rather than Dictator Mubarak. The diplomatic genius of Obama managed the affair smoothly without anti-American demonstrations in Egypt; the public saw us as their ally and not a supporter of their oppressor. Had we supported the oppressed Iranians against the Dictator Shah, Iran probably would not have gone fundamentalist or even theocratic; they would not have held us hostage either, as we would have been on their side.

The morality of drone warfare becomes justifiable when its purpose is to remove the specific cancerous cells, and prevent damage to the fabric of the society at large.

Drone warfare is one of the greatest inventions of civilization. It has allowed us to take Anwar Awalaki out (One of the top Al-Qaeda operatives) with least collateral damage and minimal revenge multiplier. No significant group has shed tears for this man or Bin Laden.

However, the abuse of drone warfare has gone too far in killing nearly 500 civilian innocent children. We don’t like the terrorist killing innocent men and women. Why should they like us when their innocents are being killed? President Obama needs to back off and just hit the criminals, as Americans we need that guarantee.

Who am I to worry about Israelis and Palestinians? What inspires me to be involved in the Israel Palestine conflict? Due to its length, it is a three part article at Huffington post at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/israel-and-palestine-moving-forward_b_1258261.html

Mike Ghouse, Dallas
www.MikeGhouse.net

 

 

Frustrations with Obama

We the Republicans for Obama,  are pissed off at our President Obama for not bragging on his record of turning around a free falling economy, delivering stability, standing up for the average American.. continued at:

http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2012/10/frustrations-with-obama.html

I was in a luncheon in Louisville today, and it was good to hear so many republicans voting for Obama.

Most of us Republicans are pissed off at President Obama for not bragging on his record of turning around a free falling economy, delivering stability for America, protecting women's rights, recognition of every American on an equal footing and securing America’s health, diplomacy that is producing results, and restoring respect for America in the community of nations by treating them on an equal basis instead of pursuing a bullying foreign policy that will build resentment towards us, and endanger our freedom.

Axelrod and company need to bombard the ads with simple suggestions of stability v chaos, certainty v uncertainty... Obama has an edge; he just needs to express it... I have presented a ton of ammunition... It's all at Huffington post, Dallas morning news, smirking chimp, even Hannity and of course at www.TheGhouseDiary.com where you can plug Obama in the search box and get everything you need to brag about Obama.

I'm glad a few more fellow Republicans have joined me in re-electing Obama. Given what the flip flop, chaotic, pandering Romney will do to America; Obama will keep it stable, and bring health security to the nation. And that is what we need now instead of getting screwed on day 1 of Romney.

As a patriotic American, its America first to me, I cannot let America be compromised over party’s interest. If America is there our party will be there and not vice versa.


Mike Ghouse
www.TheGhousediary.com
 

A Teachers five star movie - here comes the boom.

If you place your teacher on a high pedestal, this movie is for you. It’s about the lengths teachers go to see their students excel. My middle school teacher Mr. Abdul Hakeem always remains one of my heroes, he took upon my town on his own to see his pupils do well in schools, he went door to door and met with parents and inspired them to send their kids to school instead of putting them to work. That was in the mid fifties in India.

The school decides to discontinue the Music class as they cannot afford, the teacher is hurt and the Biology teacher understands the dilemma and goes after raising funds for the Music program to continue. He sees a window in making money in boxing and gets sheer beating… but the students and the other teacher inspire him to win the fight and bring $50,000 to the school to continue the program.

This is the first movie of Selma Hayek I have seen, she was good and Kevin James did an outstanding job as the teacher. Of course, it was a delight to see Henry Winkler of Happy days from the 80’s played the Music teacher.

I had at least three tender moments in the film. I wish I had the time to write about this outstanding film. If you have the time, take your children or nieces or nephews with you to see this movie. It is refreshing.

There are few movies that are made exclusively on sports and all were made well, the one that comes to my mind is Tom Cruise’s Money,  Amir Khan’s Lagaan and this one. This is a good movie, please make the time to see it, and feel the good emotions inside of you come alive.

Movie trailer here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1648179/

http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2012/10/a-teachers-five-star-movie-here-comes.html

Mike Ghouse
www.MikeGhouse.net
www.TheGhouseDiary.com

Feeback on police on Eid in Louisville

Here is the feedback on the article

Eid Mubarak, Eid-al-Adha2012 - the festival of sacrifices
URL- http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2012/10/eid-mubarak-eid-al-adha2012-festival-of.html


While entering the prayer hall for Eid at the Louisville convention center, two police officers were at the entrance, I walked up to them and appreciated their presence in safeguarding the well being of the congregants, and said my tradition calls for appreciating all those who put their lives at risk for the sake of others.... He was moved by it, who does not want to be appreciated? How often do we thank those who care for our safety?

I showed him the piece on my iPad, always ready to share and speak, and emailed him to his cell phone while talking, he loved that picture with police, fire and army men saluting… and then he turned around and emailed to his friends in appreciation. When I came out of the hall, both the men had smiles on their faces... among some thousand they spotted me… they had shared it with many more...

I sent the email to Mayor Greg Fischer with whom I met in Eid al fitr (Ramadan) and police and fire chiefs ... it took me an hour to get their emails...tracking down the right people. To me my eid would be complete if I contributed towards building relationships, while a few rascals among us are hung up with people of other faiths, we must continue to do the goodwill work and build relationships.

I had the emails of Police Chiefs and Fire Marshals in Dallas area as they participated in our annual Unity Day USA event,  but did not have the ones for in Louisville, Kentucky, where I spend the Eid with my wife. Unlike in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran or Saudi Arabia where people do not associate with police, we do it here, they are a part of our (American) community, and their #1 goal is the safety of the public and many have died in doing their job in keeping us humanly safe.

It reinforced the role of Muslims to me; to mitigate conflicts and nurture goodwill, fulfilling the first and foremost of the Sunnahs (sayings and practices of Prophet Muhammad -pbuh). His first model was to be Amin (truthful and trustworthywith whom one felt safe) among fellow beings. Remember, it was not MUSLIMS whom the prophet earned that title from,they were Pagans, Jews, Christians and others...and that is the first Sunnah we need to follow before any other Sunnah. It is the foundation upon which Islam stands.  

May be I should go around and deliver Jumma Khutba tour to talk about being the Amin, I know Muslims are craving to hear about connecting with the society and creating a better environment for all of us, it is time we pay more attention to the first Sunnah.

I have a full article on the topic pending with Huffington post and there is a quote from Muhammad Yunus and Dr. Tariq Cheema in it as well. I will continue to ask every one of the Muslim leaders as well as all the Muslims in my groups to please take a minute to write a sentence to be quoted for publication in Major mainstream papers as well as Muslim publications. My friend Dr. Pervaz Rahman in Dallas is well connected with the people of all faiths without barriers, and he said, he shared it with his friends and hope we get to share the feed back as well,  and I know Dr. Basheer Ahmed and several of my friends on facebook and other groups share this.... an overwhelming majority of Muslims are Pluralists like the Prophet, peace be upon him,  who respected every one and set some extraordinary citizenship models to follow. Every Muslim can recite those examples.

Salam us per ke jis nay bekason ki dastagiri ki
Peace be upon him, who helped the helpless

A Muslim should evoke peace and safety in every one around us. No one should feel unsafe if we sit next to someone in the plane, bus or the train or in a movie theater or a dining room even with our beards (last of the Sunnah to follow) or our cultural clothing or full Hijab. They should feel safe enough to rather sit with us in public places, and I hope a day will come when a single woman, a senior or a woman with children would rather sit near a Muslim to have that sense of safety by being with an Amin, the trust worthy and the truthful.  And for that we have to work, in our daily lives. Our Imams need to focus on making us Amins first before we don the externalities on us to show that we are Muslims.

All we have to do is follow the Sunnah in the order in which prophet delivered to us, should not go to the 2^nd Sunnah until we have passed the first one, where Christians, Hindus, Jews, Buddhists, Sikhs and others believe that Muslims speak truth and nothing but truth, they have no barriers for others, they will stand up for every one for the sake of justice… then we go to the 2^nd Sunnah…Islam ought to be taught in that fashion.

The first thing to go out of our minds is religious barriers. We should shed arrogance in us that God shines his lights on us exclusively, no, God shines his light on all of his creation, the best among us are those who respect his creation by knowing each other, and accepting the God given uniqueness of each one of them.

All  of us are God’s creation (Rabbul Aalameen's Mukhlookh),  and the Model Amins like Moses, Jesus, Krishna, Rama, Mahavira, Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, Nanak, Bahaullah, and several others who dawned on in every community to restore Dharma. We have to restore the meaning of Amin and every one of us must be an Amin.  Ameen!

You are welcome to join WorldMuslimCongress@yahoogroups.com by sending an email to worldmuslimcongress-subscribe@yahoogroups.com  and visit the site www.worldMuslimCongress.com and related site on it for Islam and for Pluralism and civil societiey you will find the links at www.MikeGhouse.net

Mike Ghouse is committed to being an Amin, and offers daily pluralistic solutions at www.TheGhousediary.com

Eid Mubarak, Eid-al-Adha2012 - the festival of sacrifices

URL- http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2012/10/eid-mubarak-eid-al-adha2012-festival-of.html

Eid-al-Adha is also known as Bakrid,and it coincides with the Muslim piligrimmage called Hajj.  To greet Muslims on this day you may say “Happy Eid” or “Eid Mubarak” or "Eid Greetings" -  meaning happy festivities. 



We appreciate your sacrifices and
salute you on this festival of sacrifices

On the occasion of this Eid, I urge fellow Muslims to stop and salute every one of the fire fighters, police and our armed forces to honor them for their sacrifices and their love for the humanity. Let them know that as a Muslim you appreciate their sacrifice, and this festival is about appreciation for such sacrifices.

Please note that, I have been blessed to write about the essence of every festival from a universal perspective, so that you can relate with it, regardless of your faith. Indeed, I have written about every faith from Bahai to Zoroastrian and every one in between, so that we understand each other, rather than build myths about the others.

 

THE ESSENCE OF EID AL ADHA

At the end of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, known as Hajj, Muslims throughout the world celebrate the holiday of Eid-al-Adha (Festival of Sacrifice). During the Hajj, Muslims remember and commemorate the trials and triumphs of Prophet Abraham.

 

The Qur'an describes Abraham as follows: An-Nahl (The Bee) 16:120 – “VERILY, Abraham was a man who combined within himself all virtues, devoutly obeying God's will, turning away from all that is false, and not being of those who ascribe divinity to aught beside God:”

Although the Hindu Vedas have proclaimed God, the ultimate creator, the cause behind creation has come to be known as God. Whether it is evolution, big bang or creation, a singular cause rolled out what we see today.

However, Abraham is ascribed as the one who marketed the idea of one God; it is a unifying idea that we are part of the large family. Hinduism calls it Vasudaiva Kutumubukum – the whole world is one family, Qur’aan describes that we all originated from the same couple (Darwin = source) and were made into different races, nations and communities so that we know each other and re-create that harmony, one of the Christian tradition calls it as reconnecting with the creators lineage. The Wicca traditions sum it up, from the mother earth we come and to the mother we go. The Baha’i faith has done an outstanding job in describing the oneness of the creator.

 

We are all a product of a singular cause, from one singular source of creation, and that we are an integral part of the great harmony and balance with which this planet operates, when the harmony is lost, we have to rebuild it for the long term good of all its parts like the Native Americans suggest, if it befalls on one strand, it affects the entire web. Look what the swine flu or the chicken whatever does… it engulfs the whole world

Love and Sacrifice

A parent would risk his or her life to protect the child. People in love have the passion to value their beloved's life and are willing to get the bullet and save the life, they are willing to rescue him/her from the freezing lake risking their own lives, even strangers do that. It is the willingness to put the life of the loved one’ above one’s own life. Every day our Police officers risk their own lives to protect ours, the firemen and women risk their lives to save a child, a pet or an aged person from a fire; and every day our soldiers put their lives at risk to save fellow soldiers and to save our freedom.

Abraham commitment

Those who are not familiar with the Abrahamic faith, may find this story difficult to consume, but if they can understand why one is willing to fight for the freedom and safety of the family or the nation, they will see the picture.

God wanted to test Abraham’s faith, love and devotion. One of Abraham's main trials was to face the command of God to kill his only son (at that moment, as he had one more after that). Upon hearing this command, he prepared to submit to God’s will, firmly believing that God means good at the end. When he was all prepared to do it, God revealed to him that his "sacrifice" had already been fulfilled. So Abraham sacrificed a lamb as a symbol, which is to be shared with those who do not have. He had shown that his love for his Lord superseded all others that he would lay down his own life or the lives of those dear to him in order to submit to God.

Thus the tradition of symbolic sacrifice began, where one would sacrifice a lamb to continue the tradition of Abraham. During the celebration of Eid-al-Adha, Muslims commemorate and remember Abraham's trials, by sacrificing an animal such as a sheep, camel, or goat. This action is very often misunderstood by those outside the faith.

Why sacrifice?

God does not need one to sacrifice; it has nothing to do with atoning sins or using the blood to wash ourselves from sin.

Al-Hajj (The Pilgrimage) 22:37 [But bear in mind:] never does their flesh reach God, and neither their blood: it is only your God-consciousness that reaches Him. It is to this end that we have made them subservient to your needs, so that you might glorify God for all the guidance with which He has graced you. And give thou this glad tiding unto the doers of good:

The act symbolizes our willingness to give up things that are of benefit to us or close to our hearts, in order to follow God's commands. It also symbolizes our willingness to give up some of our own bounties, in order to strengthen ties of friendship and help those who are in need. We recognize that all blessings come from God, and we should open our hearts and share with others. The meat from the sacrifice of Eid-al-Adha is given away in three ways; self, relatives and the poor. It is a symbolic act in the western countries, but it becomes meaningful in those countries where people are under nourished and don’t get to eat the meat as we do.

The symbolism is in the attitude - a willingness to make sacrifices in our lives in order to stay on the right Path. Each one of us makes small sacrifices, giving up things that are fun or important to us. A Muslim is one who submits him/herself completely to the Lord and is willing to follow God’s commands obediently. It is this strength of heart, purity in faith, and willing obedience that our Lord desires from us.

God's ultimate will

God does not want anything more from us than asking us to be just and truthful. It brings tranquility and balance to an individual and what surrounds him; life and environment. The creator would be pleased when his creation is nurtured, cared for and sustained. Indeed, to be religious is to be a peacemaker, one who seeks to mitigate conflicts and nurtures goodwill for peaceful co-existence.

The Rituals

Eid-al-Adha is one of two major Eid festivals celebrated by Muslims, whose basis comes from the Qur'aan. Eid-al-Adha begins with a short prayer followed by a sermon (khuṭba).

Eid-al-Adha falls on the 10th day of the month of Dhul Hijja (ذو الحجة) of the lunar Islamic calendar. The festivities last for two to three days or more depending on the country. Eid-al-Adha occurs the day after the pilgrims conducting Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia by Muslims worldwide, descend from Mount Arafat. It happens to be approximately 70 days after the end of the month of Ramadan.

Men, women, and children are expected to dress in their finest clothing to perform Eid prayer (Salatu'l-`id) in any mosque. The regular charitable practices of the Muslim community are demonstrated during Eid-al-Adha by the concerted effort to see that no impoverished person is left without sacrificial food during these days. Eid-al-Adha is a concrete affirmation of what the Muslim community ethic means in practice. People in these days are expected to visit their relatives, starting with their parents, then their families and friends.

I am familiar with the practices in the Indian Subcontinent, where the individuals visit the local cemetery to pray for the loved ones, almost like the Memorial Day. In fact the formal prayer which most Muslims recite asks God to forgive parents, teachers, those living and those that are dead and everyone else. It is a sense of purification one goes through. God in the Qur’aan says the one who forgives is dearest to him.

When it comes to food, I can share the practice of my family; the whole family gets to eat the breakfast together, usually the Flat bread (Paratha, Naan or Roti) with Meat balls (Kofta Curry). Then they would join the procession to a place outside the town where they go and pray as a large congregation, usually it is the cemetery grounds. Then everyone comes back home, and enjoys the Biryani (Indian version of fried rice) and Shami kabob. Then visiting as many friends as they can is part of the culture, have a bite to eat while meeting them and greeting them with hugs.

I am pleased to invite you to join and experience these congregational prayers at Mosques and around the world with Muslims of different denominations.

Honoring Police, Firemen and soldiers



On the occasion of this Eid, I urge fellow Muslims to stop and salute every one of the fire fighters, police and our armed forces to honor them for their sacrifices and their love for the humanity. Better yet, call the Fire, Police, City and other places and let them know that as a Muslim you appreciate their sacrifice, and this festival is about appreciation for such sacrifices.

Eid Mubarak to all and Hajj Mubarak to those who are blessed to perform.Mike Ghouse is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. He is a professional speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, civic affairs, Islam, India, Israel, peace and justice. Mike is a frequent guest onSean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News and regularly atHuffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. The blogwww.TheGhousediary.com is updated daily.

Protect yourselves from Politics

Congratulations to those who have voted for Obama or Romney and urge you to go vote. Don't let your friend's support for the other candidate make you angry... Let our attitudes be, “I'm fine with your choice and I hope you are fine with my choice.”

I have no problem if you eat well-done steak, and hope you won’t mind my medium rare bleeding steak. I am happy that you drive your Mercedes to work and I hope you envy me taking the bus to work. This is an example of pluralism in politics, learning to respect the otherness of others without having to agree with or dislike the other.

 
If you feel angry towards others for their choices, then it’s likely that you do not respect your own choices to believe that other’s choice is as half-ass as yours. Let’s not get the politicians to place a wedge between us, once the elections are over, we will have to live with what the larger public chooses or gripe for another four years.

 
If you think my choice is wrong or if I assume your choice is wrong, then we need to persuade each other with information, and not push each other to believe and get frustrated when we don’t respond. I am a Republican, a moderate one, and I have chosen Obama for my own reasons that I have enunciated in Huffington post, Dallas Morning News, Sean Hannity and at my own blog www.TheGhousediary.com. It’s good to share, but not good to ridicule. After the elections, we still have to work together, dine together and see each other, let's not lose the joy of life over election.


We should not accept any one cursing President Obama or Candidate Romney, no one needs to get low to show their support for their candidate.


Mike Ghouse,
Coach Pluralism and co-existence.

My blog www.TheGhouseDiary.com and my site www.MikeGhouse.net

 

 

Huffington post; Choice Between Chaotic Romney and Stable Obama

Huffington Post - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/chaotic-romney-and-stable-obama_b_1998900.html

 

Mike Ghouse
www.MikeGhouse.net
www.TheGhouseDiary.com

Hannity, Horowitz and Ghouse on Radio

October 24, 2012

David Horowitz and Mike Ghouse talk more about the attacks on Benghazi. “The President lied to the American people,” began Hannity, “The State Department watched these attacks in real-time and they had confirmation that this was a terrorist attack.”

“The President had no reason to lie,” countered Ghouse, “Somebody didn’t communicate with the President, the President has promised to go get the bad guys and he’ll do that.” “The President is the source of the lies,” disagreed Horowitz, “Part of his re-election narrative is that he’s defeated Al Qaeda and yet here they’re killing our embassy and killing our Ambassador.” 

“People are going to look back at this time in history as the rise of radical Islam,” finished Hannity, “This is a real clear and present danger that we have to recognize.” For more on today’s breaking news, click here.

http://www.hannity.com/videos/?uri=channels/457042/1701793


Sean kicked off Wednesday’s show with the breaking news that President Obama very well may have been notified via email that the attacks in Benghazi were executed by a militant Islamic organization. “This is about lying to the families of dead Americans,” began Hannity, “This is about losing the first American ambassador we’ve lost in 30 years.” Hannity continued, “Reuters reports that the White House was notified within two hours that an Islamic extremist group has taken responsibility for this incident.” Hannity pressed the issue saying, “This is a huge game-changing story.” “The smoking gun in this story, the first of many, will be this report that the White House Situation Room received an update within hours of the attacks in Benghazi,” continued Hannity, “This adds to the questions about why the President still went on his trip to Las Vegas for a fundraiser.” “The American people were lied to,” concluded Hannity, “It’s impossible to believe that information made its way to the Situation Room and not to the President, he is either lying or we’ve seen such derelict of duty that Obama should consider resigning.” “We know the Obama camp is trying to just beat the clock until re-election,” concluded Hannity, “He’s trying to play us for fools.” You can listen to Sean’s reaction to this story, here.  

Good News for Obama

GOOD NEWS FOR OBAMA ON THE ECONOMIC FRONT
http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2012/10/good-news-for-obama.html

1. Home sales perked up with a 5% increase, home building and homes sales are the barometers of economy. A good and healthy sign, the first step towards prosperity. 

2. Unemployment is steadily go

ing down - its 7.8%, it is measured with the same yard stick that has been around for 50 years

3. We may soon become an oil supporter, as Obama's policy of creating a significant share of renewable energy will bring the prices down - the economic law of substitution is at works.

4. Its good news that Trump cannot find faults with Obama,so he comes up with gossip like birther and now about something else.

5. Obama will maintain stability, Romney will bring chaos.

I am a Republican and I support Obama.

MikeGhouse is professional speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, foreign policy, Islam, interfaith and peaceful societies. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. Mike has a strong national and local presence in TV, Radio and Print Media, and is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News, fortnightly at Huffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes everything you want to know about him. 

Presidential candidates pledge to the flag of Israel

 The Israelis must be laughing at these guys racing to prove who is loyal to Israel.  Jews need sincerity and not duplicity to feel secure. 

Cartoon Courtesy - Sharif Arafa

There was another cartoon, where the candidates were in a competition, "who licks the most" while Netanyahu was enjoying the service. 

A genuine security is like a child in mother’s lap; safe and free from fears. Israel needs security and Palestinians justice; one does not happen without the other. 

We the Americans and the Arabs have screwed up peace for them (both) by supporting one against the other, instead of getting them to sit down face to face and work it out. We give them funds and we have earned the right to ask Israel to be serious, and Arabs have the right to ask the Palestinians to be serious. 

Our aid should be dependent on peace they achieve. No fits and tantrum from Netanyahu should be acceptable to compromise long term security of Israel.  No progress no monies, period. We owe it to the people of Israel and Palestine and not their bad leaders. 

We need to be prepared to explain the short term rioting by the right wingers, who will jump all over, and the responsible parties need to get them involved and have them see the long term security for Israelis and justice for Palestinians, and not the short-term appeasements.

 We must protect Israel, our ally; however, if that protection is based on injustice to either Palestinians or the Israelis, our integrity becomes questionable,  and solutions would be unsustainable. We need to be above reproach and seek justice for one and all.  If we are a sincere ally, we need to be tough on our ally to put them on the path of security. The Palestinians will yield for peace if they see our sincerity.   

More at: http://israel-palestine-dialogue.blogspot.com/2011/09/president-obama-you-must-vote-for.html

Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer committed to offer pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.

www.MikeGhouse.net
www.IsraelPalestineDialogue.com