Should Obama's Religion Matter?

Well, should it?

I don't think it should. I know a lot of people that want to vote for "wholesome" (read: money-grubbing, embezzling, fiendish) Christian men who are generally middle-aged, white, and heterosexual. I, personally, don't take that view, and here's why.

Like I've said before, I try to take ideas and political suggestions in on a case-by-case basis. I don't think Obama's right for our country at this point in time, but do still take the time to think about and really consider what he says. I still arrive at "Hell no!" most of the time, but every now and then I agree with a little something or other he's said. Granted, I can't think of any of these occasions off the top of my head, but I'm sure there are some.

Anyways, my original question was, "Should Obama's religion matter? Why or why not?" My answer is, "No, and because I firmly believe in the separation of church and state." I'm not alone, in that belief, either. All our founding fathers- as far as my research can tell- were Christians who were heavily influenced by Deist beliefs. They were heavily involved in the Enlightenment movement, not zealots spreading the word of God. George Washington was not running from religious persecution when the United States of America was founded. (That was the Pilgrims; the period of history we're talking here is centuries later.) What Washington and the other important figures in our nation's creation- hey, that rhymed!- were fighting (not running from, but fighting- they were pretty badass) was simply taxation without representation.

My country was not founded on Christian beliefs, and therefore I do not think that whether or not Obama is a Christian should really matter. Does he cheat on his wife? He's not a good guy, but as long as he's still fulfilling his duties as our President, he stays. Does he make his daughter marry her rapist because he refuses to let her birth a child out of wedlock? Once again, he's a jerk, but we have to put up with him. Does he violate the Constitution? Kick the bastard out.

I don't care what he does in his spare time. I don't care if he only goes to Church on Easter and Christmas, or if he's there every Sunday. I also don't care if he's Jewish. And quite frankly, I don't give a damn if he's atheist. In my opinion, that's his loss, but I repeat, that's simply my opinion. I don't bring this up when I'm talking politics. Why? Because I don't think it matters. I can't repeat that enough.

This sounds basic and crude, but I just want him to do his damn job, and I want him to do it right. As long as he doesn't do illegal or unconstitutional things "for his faith," then what does it matter? I want my president to not bring his faith into his politics. I don't care if he doesn't think a man and another man should be allowed to get married. I honest-to-God could not care less. However, I will begin to care when he approves bills that ban gay marriage. Is there any reason out there for this that isn't religious?

I know, I always end up going back to gay marriage, but that, animal welfare, and domestic abuse are my three causes I always freak out over. Sorry.

Anyways, this post contains way more rambling than I originally intended. What do you think? Should Obama's (or any politician's) religious faith matter?

Ink Me Up!

Yes, I'm talking about tattoos. I've been thinking about the possibility since about halfway through seventh grade. I'm now 99% sure I'm going to get at least one. I don't know why the idea is so appealing: it could be that it would grab attention, but I don't think that's it.

I know that not all tattoos have meanings, but mine would be rather special. The meanings, as you will see, are not the most traditional.

I would get a wolf paw print on the upper, inner part of my left breast. There are a few reasons for this: my favorite character in the Harry Potter series, the character who has really affected my life, is Remus Lupin. He is a werewolf, and the character just absolutely demands my respect. Whenever I'm in a difficult situation, I ask myself, "What would Remus do?" just because most of the things Jesus does, I'm incapable of doing. (To quote Daniel Tosh, "So I lit him on fire and sent him to Hell!")

If I was still up for it after recovering from the wolf paw print, I would get a dog paw print on the front edge of my right hip. I love animals (founder of SETA in the hizzy-house), and I want to show anyone who's close enough to see my hip that.

This one would be on the outside of my left ankle. I understand that tattoos on areas lacking in fatty tissue tend to be the most painful, which is why this one is very simple: just a triangle with a line down the center and a circle in the middle. If you recognize the symbol, you know why I'm getting it. If you don't, I don't want to explain why it means so much.

Well, now you know. The only issue I would have with getting tattoos is that you (apparently) have to absolutely slather the things with sunscreen if you don't want them to fade. Oh, well. I think it would be worth it.

Bird or Rat?

Okay, so technically his name is Byrd, not Bird. But still. They're pronounced the same, aren't they? Yes. Moving on.

My Career Management teacher is Mr. Byrd. We all call him Byrd behind his back, but if you address him as such (with no 'Mr.' in front), he gets severely pissed. I don't know why, so don't ask me. None of the other teachers have a problem with it: Mr. Phillip is Phil (or Philly, depending on your level of daring). Mr. Nauert is Nauert. Coach Wilson is Wilson.

Whenever he says something about his day (at the beginning of class, and he goes on for about fifteen minutes), he finishes with, "And that's my story, and I'm sticking to it." He always screws up the directions grammatically.

Segment: ... ,(IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS), ...

What, are we creating abstract art with our instructions now, Byrd? Blegh.

He thinks he's hilarious, and I guess he assumes we think so, too. He always laughs at his own jokes (yeah, not cool), and when he laughs, his eyes (covered by glasses that already make them look small and beady) scrunch up and become even smaller, and his mouth distorts into some odd shape that makes his teeth look narrower and pointier.

When he laughs, he looks like a rat.

Byrd is a rat. That is the point of this post.