The World's Common Tater

I keep thinking about posting on different topics and then not doing it. I decided it would be easier to just combine all of the things that have annoyed me into one post. Here they are:

1. We are not the enemy: This is an old one, but I’m really glad that Joe Biden called Hillary Clinton out on her naming the Republicans as her enemy. I think this is one of the biggest problems with our country’s leaders today. Instead of working together, the two sides look at each other as the enemy and will let the country suffer in order to get the “win” over the other side. They aren’t winning, They are all losers.
2. Defending liars: I’ve seen this on both the national and the local level recently. We’ve all seen the national one play out with Ben Carson and the possibility that he was less than honest in his autobiography. Does the fact that he might not have been offered a spot at West Point or that he maybe didn’t try to murder a friend make him unfit to be president? No, but what is troubling is that perhaps he is unapologetically less than honest and also that the same people who back him for being a good, honest, Christian man are the ones who think the media is on the wrong for calling him out about his lies. Isn’t lying still a bad thing? On the local side from back home in the OC I saw the same thing. There is debate about selling alcohol in the county. Someone on the no side posted some things that were untrue. The others called him out on it and then a local pastor and leader of the no side posted that they were just as bad for calling him out for lying. So, are we as Christians now OK with lying as long as it furthers our political agenda?
3. The Persecution Complex: American Christians constantly claim they are being persecuted. At the same time, they are allowed to worship where and how they like, pray, read the Bible, evangelize door to door, etc. without the fear of being arrested and/or put to death. Christians elsewhere don’t can’t say the same. How do American Christians think they are being persecuted? Someone wished them Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas. Starbucks is using plain red cups.  A mall took away Santa’s elves and reindeer(I wasn’t even aware elves and reindeer were Christian). Other people are allowed to practice a non-Christian religion. This is not persecution. Just stop.
4. We don’t like different: We’ve gone from

5. “Give me your tired, your poor,

6. Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

7. The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

8. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

9. I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”  to

10. ” Build a wall” “Deport all of the immigrants” Get Muslims out of our country”  “Who cares about the Syrian refugees? They are someone else’s problem” 

11. What happened? How did we get here?
12. Four Way Stops: I will finish with a more mundane, yet major personal irritation. No one knows how to use a four way stop anymore. I have almost been hit several time recently because someone decided it was their turn at the four way stop even though they barely stopped and thee other cars were already there. I don’t know if it is ignorance or arrogance. Do they not know the rules or do the just assume the rules don’t apply to them? Either way, maybe next time I will let them hit me. Maybe the car repair bills will make them more aware of the rules of the road.

If this becomes a regular thing I do I will need to come up with a catchy title. Any ideas?