LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER

Okay, I'm finally going to speak as a mother and a Christian, and guess what? It might not be what you think.

I am sick and tired of listening to the ignorant but pseudo-religous George W. Bush assert that Americans are "better" than other people. What the ???? Does he think that American citizenship automatically confers upon a person a "new nature"? If so, he better start reading his Bible, even if he doesn't read anything else. According to the Bible, ALL human beings are born with a sinful nature, and require salvation because of it -- it can't be earned, because we'll never be "good enough," so it is offered by a benevolent God as a gift, providing we acknowledge that we are sinful and in need of help, and accept His authority. Or, if you don't believe that, ask any sociologist or psychologist if there is an inherent good nature in any human being. If that were so, we wouldn't have so many sick individuals scarred by the lack of parenting or by the presence of despicable parenting. And even God, as the good Father, explains in the Bible that the whole point of His commandments in the Old Testament were to define sin, so His children would know just what was and what wasn't acceptable behavior.

Any good mother (or good father) knows that children go through phases of testing their limits ("the terrible twos" are an early example) and can be absolutely wretched little human beings. It's an essential part of our responsibility as parents, to teach good values and to draw strict limits on unpermissible behavior.

An enlightened society recognizes this, and establishes laws for adults for the same reason.

So when I express pride in the U.S. (and, Sean Hannity and Ann Coulter, we Democrats ARE proud of and love our country, and obviously have more faith in it than you do since we do not find it necessary to demonize others in order to prevail), it's not because our people are inherently "better" than those of other countries, it's because we have a long history of establishing institutions and laws that help us to regulate our less-attractive urges and provide for a system of ever-revising them to meet the current needs and responsibilities of our people.

Barbara Bush was reportedly an acid-tongued mother while George 41 was largely an absentee father. So let me play mother for a minute (I have five children, so I expect I'm allowed a little expertise). So here goes: George, dear, what others do doesn't mitigate your own responsibility to do right (he threw a bigger marshmallow at Billy than I did), you must admit it and apologize when you are wrong; you must play well with others; you mustn't fight if there's any other way, but win others with kindness and understanding; I don't care what others do, would you jump off a bridge because someone else did?; your elders deserve at least respect, and when they have experience or knowledge that you lack, your attention; educate yourself, consult experts, and thoughtfully deliberate your decisions before you make them; always seek the wisdom of your heavenly father, but realize that you won't recognize His voice unless you understand His nature and teachings; honor your earthly father and mother -- especially your father, who, despite his faults and cronies, at least has more knowledge of geopolitical issues than you, in your willful ignorance, do; always and repeatedly examine your actions, admit your mistakes, and make appropriate adjustments; and last of all, but perhaps most importantly, humble yourself before you destroy a great nation.

I'm sure I could think of more if I didn't have to address the unkind, unjust ravings of an adult child of my own--

UPDATE: It just occurred to me, if we were so much "better" than the rest of the world, why would we need so many regulations upon our own bedroom-and-beyond behavior? Can't we "better" Americans be trusted to regulate our own actions, since we're so morally superior?