DEAR CHRIS JACKSON...

Dear Chris Jackson:

For many months, you have been seen on most political blogs, and even started one of your own, extolling the virtues of the Representative of Memphis' 9th District, one Harold Eugene Ford, Jr.

You've even exhorted those of us in Blogsovania to put aside our differences and agree on common ground to make sure he wins Bill Frist's Senate seat in November.

However, since he's one of 40 Democrats that said with their vote yesterday that torture is a good idea, please tell us again, why, "a few of his votes" should not matter in the overall goal of getting him elected? Please tell us why we should overlook that he has voted like a card carrying ReThug for the last four years.

Please tell us what is so virtuous about Harold Ford that he can stand in a church and film a campaign ad, extolling his Christian faith, and then turn around and vote for a bill that Jesus wouldn't condone. Where's the consistency between talking about his faith, and actually living it?

You seem to really know the man - why don't you come on this board again, and tell us why we should get behind this modern-day eqiuvalant of Judas? If you read your Bible, you know Judas was an original disciple of Jesus, but when Jesus didn't bring an earthly kingdom into being like Judas wanted, he sold Jesus to the Jews to be executed for 30 pieces of silver. Afterwards, realizing that he had betrayed God's only begotten Son, Judas, at least, had the conscience to realize the magnitude of his actions, and because that magnitude was so great, he went to a field and killed himself, rather than live with the shame of what he'd done, even though I believe if he'd confessed, God would have forgiven him, even then.

Yes, I call myself the Christian Progressive Liberal. Because my ideology, my values, my beliefs and life lessons have moulded me in that way. Yes, I have slung a couple of words that may cause people to question my faith, but that's baby Christians who would question the swear words I drop every now and then. Doesn't mean my faith and belief isn't real, because to me, it IS. Real Christians, mature ones; there are things so frustrating, so beyond the pale, so mind-boggling - that either we sling an epithet or take action that would really contrast what we believe against what we actually do as Christians.

I'm raising these questions because your candidate says he's a Christian. He even taped a campaign commercial in a church to send this point home, and to score votes with those in the Bible Belt. The Bible actually puts it this way: "Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them." (Matthew 5).

We who are observant are beginning to recognize the fruits of Harold Ford Jr.'s labor. Actually, we've been recognizing it for some time, but as of yesterday's vote, he can't sink any lower than a snake's belly, can he?

Galatians 5:22-23 tells us that these are the fruits of the Spirit:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness and self-control.

Your belief in Harold's ability to be a United States Senator seems to know no bounds. Given that I've actually quoted some Bible passages for the two of you to chew on, can you answer me the following questions:

Where is the love for his district in his votes for economic legislation, like the BK bill, Estate Tax repeal, and consistent votes to keep pouring money into Bush's black hole, better known as the Iraq war?

Where is the peace and patience required in dealing in matters of foreign policy, rather than cavalierly voting to hand over authority to the President to bomb, maim and yes, now, TORTURE anyone this government chooses to detain because they can?

Where's his kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control when he deals with people like me, Pesky, Autoegocrat, Jeff, Kibbitzer, Thaddeus Matthews, or any other blogger who calls him out on his actions and his response is to lobby snark or snakey remarks because we're not singing his praises and overlooking his pecadilloes?

A mature politician knows the art of self-control. Harold's response to those of us actually challenging him to provide direct, concise, concrete and comprehensive explanations, responses, statements to anything he does that contradicts what he purports to represent, has shown us that not only has he not acquired this maturity, he's decidedly lacking.

Get past your hero worship of the man and look at his voting record. Examine what his votes actually mean. They mean to torture people; they mean to leave them physically, mentally and emotionally bankrupt. They promise to deliver a prehistoric time that the forefathers of this country ran away from England from, because they decided that they didn't want to live like that again, EVER.

They promise not to educate our kids. Tell me how a voucher is going to do that, when an economically strapped family still has to pay to send his kid to St. Albans, even if he gets a voucher; it only pays a portion of it, and the family still has to cough up the rest of the tuition.

They promise to limit whether or not you can send your child to college; or a person buy their own home, or start businesses, or keep sending 18-year olds off to fight in wars that they are ill-trained, ill-equipped and psychologically not mature enough to handle.

I'm not demanding you answer me, Chris. In light of how Harold has voted, I'm begging you to answer my questions, and don't be flippant about it, either. The vote on a bill that literally authorizes the President of the United States to engage in a campaign of fear and physically torture whomever the hell he wants, at his whim, without any proof of collusion or treason, is a threat to all Americans, and his vote essentally indicates a decided unwillingness to do his job as a United States Congressman to engage in oversight and the concept of Checks and Balances upon which the very fabric of this Government and this country were founded.

Please, please, please tell us why Harold Ford should become the next Senator in the United States Senate, when his votes have consistently demonstrated either a naked ambition that rivals Lucifer, or a lack of knowledge, skills and ability to interpret and actually apply the tenets of the Constitution he swore to uphold when he took office.

In case you're wondering who Lucifer is, according to Isaiah 14:12:

How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!

Lucifer is now known to many of us as Satan. He was thrown out of Heaven when he aspired to be like God, the One who created him. Does Harold have similar aspirations? He may be cast out of the political mix just like Lucifer was cast out of Heaven, for trying to ingratiate himself with those who would just as soon ask him to fetch their cars at the local Country Club, rather than vote for him to be Tennessee's next Senator.

And yeah, Hugo Chavez told a truth many of us have longed to hear, and have been waiting on Congress to make the same charges (that our President is a devil), but remained mute, silent, and are astonished that we're Mad as Hell and we're not taking it anymore!

I'll be waiting on your answers, Chris, because Memphians, Tennesseans, and most of all, Americans, deserve one. May God bless you and give you the words to say when you answer these questions, if you choose to do so.