God Bless America?

Did you know today is the 57th Annual National Day of Prayer? Oh, stop rolling your eyes. Our country desperately needs all of the prayers it can get right now. The National Day of Prayer is an annual observance held on the first Thursday of May, inviting people of all faiths to pray for the nation. What? Are those crazy Christian fanatics at it again? No, this annual look to the heavens was actually created in 1952 by a joint resolution of the United States Congress (PDF), and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman.

"What about separation of church and state?" you worry (or in the case of Florida, the separation of church and plate). Where in the Constitution does it say as a nation we can't pray for divine guidance? Since the first call to prayer in 1775, when the Continental Congress asked the colonies to pray for wisdom in forming a nation, the call to prayer has continued through our history. Benjamin Franklin observed "the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of men... and if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?"

I would submit that a nation can certainly fall without it. Some would say that America is on a precipice right now, very much in need of inspired aid.

Read full article

Campaign Vertigo

The recent distressing Pew Research Report stating that 1 in every 100 Americans is currently imprisoned got me thinking about how weary I’ve suddenly become of these presidential campaigns.

I know Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are in a tight race for delegates and each need to win big in these delegate-rich states. And that John McCain struggles to gain traction with conservative cultural leaders like Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh.  I’ve also become painfully aware that Ron Paul has become even more marginalized in terms of substantive coverage, while Mike Huckabee gets mad-props for his “SNL” appearance, suggesting perhaps that Congressman Paul’s message is too sobering to be taken lightly. 

But we’ve got bigger fish to fry in this country than swallowing story after story about whether Clinton's people leaked “the photo” that repulsed the opposition.

Read full article

Party Crasher

With Ralph Nader announcing his presidential candidacy, the embarrassment of holding him partially responsible for Al Gore’s loss in 2000 crept up like a forgotten nightmare. I don’t like admitting this — although many in my party don’t mind — because I believe what Mr. Nader has said about bipartisanship is true.

The two-party system is choking civic involvement. Labeling oneself as either a Democrat or a Republican feels stifling now as more and more voters claim their independence. 

I don’t think Ralph Nader’s run for office this time will siphon votes the way I begrudgingly believe it did in 2000. That’s because Dems have heard his message earlier this year, and mostly rejected it.

When John Edwards’ campaign message featured big corporations versus the little people, it was a prelude to Mr. Nader’s meat-and-potato policy initiatives. Edwards’s message was mostly rejected by early primary voters. So unless former Edwards’ supporters jump ship from backing Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton to go third-party for a day, Mr. Nader is competing for undecided Democratic and Independent voters.

Personally, I think Mr. Nader’s work has made a huge impact on America’s view on the important role of independent voters, the environment, and big business’ relationship with regular consumers. However, his days of running for office are irrelevant and will likely be ignored by most voters this time around. Then again, maybe Ralph Nader is as much a "miracles guy" like Mike Huckabee when it comes to victoriously ending this election.

-Citizen Voices blogger Alma Sove has spent most of her life in San Diego and is currently attending law school.