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Political Affiliation

Many years before I left Facebook I joined Facebook, because of, you know, causality. I was prompted to include a political affiliation in my profile. I have almost always voted for Democrats throughout my life but vote for Republican candidates when they seem better. In recent years as liberals and moderates have been expelled from the Republican party that has happened more rarely.

I do tell myself that I choose my candidates apart from their party affiliation. I know that I research each race rather than vote a straight ticket. If that is rationalization so be it.

I did not want to state that I voted Democrat as a substitute for researching the candidates and I gave some thought to it before writing "Sermon on the Mount" as my political affiliation.

The Sermon on the Mount is about how we treat each other as a society, and in particular, about how those with power should treat those without power. I can think of nothing more political and it always catches me off-guard when others don't see it the same way.

As my religious affiliation is fervently Christian I derive most of my political principles from this passage from the gospel of Matthew, Chapters 5-7. I am comfortable, challenged, and enlightened when in discussion and debate with others who seek different means than I think of to follow Christ's message, but if you don't think that the poor and the needy are God's children then we really don't have the basis for good communication, we differ too much on foundational values.

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