What's Good for GM Is Good for God
Fifty years ago the president of General Motors declared that what's good for GM is good for America. That became the guiding light, if not the holy scripture, of modern Republicans, so it's not surprising that Sarah Palin has carried it to Biblical lengths. Leaving aside how her remarks play to the religious far right, who think that McDonald's must be God's will if it makes enough money, the larger question isn't religious. The sudden excitement generated by Gov. Palin brought John McCain's biggest day of contributions, but it also generated a surge of money for Barack Obama. Religion-as-politics has infused the American system, for better or worse, as a familiar way to polarize people.
The split between religious and secular voters hasn't changed since Christian fundamentalists gained power beyond their numbers in the Eighties. The simple fact is that secular voters greatly outnumber religious ones -- by secular, I don't mean people who aren't believers but people who don't base their vote on a candidate's faith. The religious right is a splinter group, and they have been allowed to leverage themselves into power by the apathy of the majority. If Obama can't reverse this apathy, it won't be caused by a dire plot by the right-wing smear machine but lazy inattention from all the rest of us.
At present, John McCain enjoys a 54% lead over Obama among churchgoers -- it would be hard to miss the irony that McCain's devotion to church is notably lax -- which equals George Bush's lead in the past two elections. If nothing else changes, a heavy turnout of the religious right will sweep him into the Presidency. But a lot has changed, of course, and Obama's call that this is a page-turning election may be prophetic. The last page-turner was either Reagan or Nixon, depending on how you chronicle the rise of the reactionary right. Does it date from Nixon's wooing of Southern racists in 1968 or Reagan's wooing of them along with anti-progressives in general in 1980? I doubt that the distinction is worth pursuing.
What's most important if you want to turn the page is confidence and forward vision. Obama knows himself and the times he lives in. His supporters should take their guidance from that. In response to Sarah Palin, the Democrats have exhibited an outpouring of nervousness and panic. They are anxious that the American public might be swayed by a naked appeal to their worst instincts, ignoring Bush's disastrous failures because a spunky Jesse Ventura in a dress proclaims that "I'm just like you." But when Obama declares "This election is about you," he's saying the same thing on a higher plane. The 2008 election has turned into an open referendum, I believe, in which the choice between inertia and progress is clear cut. Religion, for once, isn't the decisive thing. Voter turnout and wanting to make progress are.
By
Deepak Chopra
|
September 10, 2008; 12:17 PM ET
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Posted by: VICTORIA | September 13, 2008 3:22 AM
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I agree with Dr. Chopra's post above 100%!
Sincerely,
RAZ
Posted by: RAZ | September 11, 2008 3:26 PM
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Maybe that babbling bimbo Palin can start each morning by speaking to the American public in tongues. How can anyone take that washed-up beauty queen seriously????
Posted by: Gaby | September 11, 2008 1:15 PM
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God’s will I would think would be to heal everyone. Back in the time Jesus saw that the wealthy were keeping all the protein for themselves and the poor and indentured servitude got only bread, a diet of which leads to severe malnutrition, biochemical malfunction and disease, so he was teaching them how to fish and make nets that they could get needed to eat protein and actually lift themselves from poverty. Therefore his will would be “The End of Disease” which you can read the steps and insight here.
There is no cure for disease, but there is a solution, the end of disease
http://intelegen.com/there_is_no_cure_for_disease.htm
You can also read the Fish Story Here
Sirius The FBI Agent and The Fish Company
http://iamblogging.net/Urgo/archives/2004/10/sirius_the_fbi.html
Obviously the people in positions of power are not doing God’s will because we would be implementing Universal Health not Universal Disease Care.
Posted by: Richard Thomas | September 11, 2008 11:51 AM
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I have analyzed God's energy system design. Gas pipe lines are not his design.
He suspended a nuclear reactor overhead which distributes energy equally for free, all over the planet, effortless to use.
As I brought to our attention before:
In looking at the energy systems in the human body, and there isn't centralized production of energy, there is decentralized production of energy. Each cell has it's own energy production as should each house on the planet. We do need storage just like the ATP molecule in the body.
It's too bad that some don't have me by their side to duel against the fictions. I have this really cool sword ~Excalibur~.
GM is burdened by disease care costs it runs into the tens of billions. This is not good for America. It is time to implement Universal Health, not Universal Disease Care.
I also know about their internal accounting practices, and hence the need for transparency.
Posted by: Richard Thomas | September 11, 2008 11:09 AM
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Deepak,
I'm offended when anyone uses God for temporary or earthly gratification. However, your posts are misleading and biased and when those who look at God as a rabbit's foot, monkey, rain, dance, love God or Tribal Judge; it's offensive and making a God to suit their desires: in a word: IDOLATRY. Deepak, you are one who fits in these categories from your pleasing man, making up 1,000 gods to fit your idolatic heart...You should never talk...
Posted by: Angela | September 11, 2008 10:23 AM
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"Coded message"
First things first
The chase is on
Make your choices
Choose your colors
Fly them high
The dream does not change
It could be a nightmare for you
If I could have a Chevy
It would be a Corvette
So catch me if you can
I'm think of a color
It has no rhyme
It's a wild dangerous ride
Nobody gets out alive
Then the next generation
They go for a drive
A joy ride
The cars keep going by
Get your kicks on 66
Fade to black
By: 66
Posted by: 66 | September 10, 2008 10:57 PM
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If GM collapsed we'd more or less just keep moving forward. More people would buy a Dodge or a Ford. GM could collapse. It doesn't look good for them. It always looks good with God. In fact it looks great. It looks grim for the auto industry. So "bankruptcy risk will fall as the likelihood increases that they will get as much as $50 billion in U.S. government loans, a JPMorgan Chase & Co. analyst said." What is good for the bank is good for America. Why borrow from the bank when you can borrow from the government? The fact that the government is going broke shouldn't stop them from making loans to companies losing billions of dollars. I guess the banks couldn't support the loans. More bank failures are possible. If GM gave the bank more business, it would benefit by having better credit. The plan is to dump losses on the government and let them deal with business failure, when they have more important things to deal with such as terrorism and the war. If you need to go out of business, you need to go. People will just keep doing what is needed and the cars keep driving by. They built electric cars at great expense and then destroyed their own plan and now want loans for a new plan that nobody can prove will work. No wonder the bank won't loan them more money. If a bank won't loan them money, why in the world would the government loan them money? I wish I knew.
Posted by: 66 | September 10, 2008 10:21 PM
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Dr. Chopra, it strikes me that your comments on Gov. Palin's integration of religion and politics are unfairly dismissive. There have certainly been plenty of religious nuts in politics, and there have been plenty of politicians who hid behind claims of religious inspiration or instruction rather than engaging their colleagues and the people on the fundamentals when advancing their agendas. Such irresponsibility is rife in politics and litters the landscape at both ends of the political spectrum.
That is why it is so important to address these matters substantively, rather than by making broad, sweeping characterizations such as you seem to have done here. I'm sure that, with your education and your imagination, you could address her comments and their connection with her faith much more directly.
Posted by: Fr. Larry Gearhart | September 10, 2008 5:14 PM
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Note: "i" am alittle Tippsy, since "i" am Celebrating "911" were me Server Was Destroyed at 1-World Center Suite; 8407 . [Thats where the 1st plane Attacked, 8 Story's Above.
But, "i" hath a 'Prphecy" who's TiME (via TEMOPERature) is a-Cometh!
Friday! Maybe A.M. Morrow!
AHiMSA! PEACE! SALLAm! SHALOM!, ZHiNGYU!...!
Shookria Dr. Shivago Chopra et al!
Posted by: Nomastay! [Howdy Duty]? | September 10, 2008 5:05 PM
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I'm a Christian and study other faiths as well.
The republicans, under Rove's guidance speak in coded messages. When Bush says, "the enemy", like the troop movement speech yesterday, that means "satan" to Christians. At the RNC, every speaker had "faith" written into their speech. That mean "Jesus". Their speeches are written with anchors that Christian's obey. When those words are spoken, Christian's have been taught to listen, don't question, or you will go to hell. Rove has taken good people, studied their conditioning, and used that to manipulate them.
As a priest on CNN said last night: "We are being used by the Republican party. They push our buttons so we'll do what they want. They pull us out when they need something. Then they abandon us." Louis chuckled, "they do it to us also".
Posted by: Erol | September 10, 2008 4:16 PM
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This is the least reactionary and most sensible post I've read on these boards.