I support Ron Paul

I think I will spend some time around this ordinary blog corner spouting my political thoughts here and there. Let me start today with the basics.

1) Ultimately, I am not a citizen of this world but of the Kingdom of God which is eternal. So all my allegiances are fundamentally there first. I have singular allegiance to King Jesus. My hope is not in a political or governing system, its in the eventual fullness of the Kingdom of God.
2) While I am here on earth and in this particular context/culture named the USA, I have a responsibility to be "salt and light" and incarnate the Kingdom in every way I see how. This is the arena where I see politics having a slight role.
3) I fully understand my brothers and sisters who have a more strict view of not participating in this world's business. They are strict pacifists, dont' vote and don't get involved politically and would argue that the stance represents Jesus. Some of that I couldn't argue with as long as our views are consistent. If I could find some land that wasn't attached to a nation and live out the Kingdom there then I could more understand. But I am in this context and to feed my kids I cash my check in these banks so I have to assume that it is this system I am here to be salt and light in. I am however largely a pacifist except in particular cases of self-defense and am not comfortable pledging the American flag or pledging allegiance to anything or anybody except Jesus alone.
4) I do not belong to nor can I support the "religious right", "moral majority", "evangelical Republicans" etc. etc. They are in bed with this world's political systems and with arrogance they thirst for power. I don't buy their "values", their approach, their motives, their theology and I could keep going. They are narrow and simplistic in their politics and claim to be the only representation of God's heart and mind. I reject that notion.
5) I have extremely little hope in politics. To me its a broken system that justifies its own existence and has nothing to do with serving the people it represents. The difference between rich, power mongering Republicans and rich, power mongering Democrats is in my mind hardly a difference at all. Our 2 party system is a fundamental flaw in our gov't, one less party and we have a dictatorship. I admitt, I still vote but with a lot of apathy. Its always choosing the least of evils.
6) Dr. Ron Paul (libertarian running as Republican) may be curing my apathy. He's human, he's no demi-god as his most militant supporters out there seem to place him as. But I find him extremely smart and consistent. That's leadership I can vote for.

I will spend some time unpacking why I support Ron Paul in specific to his policies and also indicating the areas I disagree with him in. In summary, I love his foreign policy (get out of Iraq and stop nation building), his economics (free market and a tiny gov't) and his progressive ideas (abolish Fed. bank, opt out of social security, stop alligning with UN etc.). I think I disagree with his immigration policy and am looking into it further. Thanks to Jason Evans for muddying the waters on the immigration issue for me. Now instead of an issue on paper, I see people thanks to Jason.

That suffices a political blog for now.

The real Kingdom is the one that is all around you today if you stop to notice it.

peace,