a civil conversation between brothers about politics...

well, after my brother urged me and several others to register to vote in an email, the door opened up for he and i to chat about our different (and perhaps similar) views on politics...

you see, we are both raised in the christian tradition... he lives in texas and i in california... we are both married with no kids (though they have a dog and we would love to have one)... he owns a home and i rent... he works for a technology company as a software developer/engineer; i am a quasi-pastor, quasi-musician/producer... we both have wives who work... we both have brownish blonde hair... he is a little taller and a few years older...

so, with his permission, we are going to publish this conversation online here on my blog... so that others can comment and people can see multiple opinions on this november election...

so the conversation begins...

Neil:
I just want everyone to get out and exercise one of the greatest rights we have in this country. I'd love to hear a defense of Kerry, though. Most democrats I know don't even like him...

Ryan:
I think it's interesting what we each look for in a leader, you know? I would rather have a person who adapts and admits to wrongs. I would rather have a person who doesn't just lead with smug self-righteousness (you don’t either I am sure). I want someone who is looking out for the good of humanity, the earth, the born, the unborn, the heterosexual, the homosexual, the average person, the wealthy person, and the poor person. We probably agree on some if not all of these things, but we take it in different ways.

I (and Kerry) thought it was fair to attack Afghanistan and to disarm the nation of Iraq, but when Bush took us to war (even claiming he is a war president), I have to take issue with that... especially now that we know that the reasons for the war's declaration were not even true. Now, were Bush to have said that he was wrong or that we were misled or whatever, I might have been able to support him. I do not value stubborness like that... To me it is arrogance. But these are my observations and opinions... Truly I am at least partially wrong.

I have other issues with Bush as well... Shall I list all the indictments on his administration and the environment (you brother the tree hugger) or how I think it is a grave mistake to even attempt at a federal legislation against same-sex marriage (I am becoming more and more of a human rights activist) and the way many Christians blindly support him really irks me!... I am not including you in that group, really. I guess my thing is that Jesus did not tow the Republican party line and he seemed to care about the poor and those who were 'outcast' from greater Jewish society for their 'sin' and he brought them into him. He even went as far to call the self-righteous Pharisees 'sons of the Devil'.

I don't know if I'd call myself a pacifist, but I am definitely not for the war in Iraq. To me it is empire-building... perhaps not with land-gathering, but with what we have secured. Rumsfield (who I have even more disdain for) has used so much empire language in talking about protecting America. Destroying anything that would compromise the American way of life. This does not seem to fit into my world view of 'turning the other cheek' (which I already find so hard to do).

I like the idea of the UN (though I did have problems with France selling arms to Iraq...) being a governing force. George Bush called himself the leader of the world, and while this in some ways is true, it is simply arrogant. I think that even the good ole US of A should be accountable to the rest of the world.

So, I haven't really said why I like Kerry. I should state for the record that in a different election year, I would have voted for Nader simply because there is major corruption in both houses (Rep and Dem) and it is time to remind America that we do not just have two parties. Am I boring you yet?

I like Kerry's health plan ideas. I like that Kerry is very pro-environment. I am hoping that we will push the Hydrogen development further. Oil must be laid to rest. I am hoping that he will give me a price break when I want to by a hybrid or hydrogen car in the next several years. I also like his stance on the war (though I do not completely agree with it) in that we must regain Global support. I am becoming more pro-world than pro-USA these days, but perhaps that is a luxury that quasi-elitist non-mortage holding childless student has. Seriously, perhaps if I had a family I would feel different. I admit that.

There are other reasons too, but I think I am getting carpal tunnel.