Amen!

THIS LETTER MAKES MORE SENSE THAN ANYTHING I HAVE SEEN, HEARD, OR READ,
CONCERNING THE UPCOMING ELECTION...
IT'S A LETTER FROM A U.S. CITIZEN... WHO LIVES IN ILLINOIS ... AND
OBVIOUSLY IS A "SELF-THINKER"... NOT JUST A "FOLLOWER"!!!
IF YOU ONLY READ ONE THING, REGARDING THIS ELECTION... LET THIS BE THE ONE
THING!! AFTER READING IT, YOU WILL PROBABLY WANT TO FORWARD IT TO OTHER
AMERICANS WHO ARE "SELF THINKERS"!!
An impassioned letter from a "nobody." But he gives his telephone number
and e-mail at the end.
Sent: Monday, August 18, 2008 3:19 PM
Subject: FW: A letter from Illinois
Dear Friends:
My name is Joe Porter. I live in Champaign , Illinois . I'm 46 years
old, a born-again Christian, a husband, a father, a small business owner, a
veteran, and a homeowner. I don't consider myself to be either conservative
or liberal, and I vote for the person, not Republican or Democrat. I don't
believe there are "two Americas " but that every person in this country can
be whomever and whatever they want to be if they'll just work to get there
and nowhere else on earth can they find such opportunities. I believe our
government should help those who are legitimately downtrodden, and should
always put the interests of America first.
The purpose of this message is that I'm concerned about the future of
this great nation. I'm worried that the silent majority of honest,
hard-working, tax-paying people in this country have been passive for too
long. Most folks I know choose not to involve themselves in politics. They
go about their daily lives, paying their bills, raising their kids, and
doing what they can to maintain the good life. They vote and consider doing
so to be a sacred trust. They shake their heads at the political pundits
and so-called "news," thinking that what they hear is always spun by
whomever is reporting it. They can't understand how elected officials can
regularly violate the public trust with pork barrel spending. They don't
want government handouts. They want the government to protect them, not
raise their taxes for more government programs.
We are in the unique position in this country of electing our leaders.
It's a privilege to do so. I've never found a candidate in any election
with whom I agreed on everything. I'll wager that most of us don't even
agree with our families or spouses 100% of the time. So when I step into
that voting booth, I always try to look at the big picture and cast my vote
for the man or woman who is best qualified for the job. I've hired a lot of
people in my lifetime, and essentially that's what an election is - a hiring
process. Who has the credentials? Whom do I want working for me? Whom can
I trust to do the job right?
I'm concerned that a growing number of voters in this country simply don't
get it. They are caught up in a fervor they can't explain, and calling it
"change."
"Change what?" I ask.
"Well, we're going to change America " they say.
"In what way?" I query.
"We want someone new and fresh in the White House," they exclaim.
"So, someone who's not a politician?" I say.
"Uh, well, no, we just want a lot of stuff changed, so we're voting for
Obama," they state.
"So the current system, the system of freedom and democracy that has
enabled a man to grow up in this great country, get a fine education, raise
incredible amounts of money and dominate the news, and win his party's
nomination for the White House that system's all wrong?"
"No, no, that part of the system's okay we just need a lot of change."
And so it goes. "Change we can believe in."
Quite frankly, I don't believe that vague proclamations of change hold any
promise for me. In recent months, I've been asking virtually everyone I
encounter how they're voting. I live in Illinois , so most folks tell me
they're voting for barrack Obama. But no one can really tell me why only
that he's going to change a lot of stuff "Change, change, change." I have
yet to find one single person who can tell me distinctly and convincingly
why this man is qualified to be President and Commander-in-Chief of the most
powerful nation on earth other than the fact that he claims he's going to
implement a lot of change.
We've all seen the emails about Obama's genealogy, his upbringing, his
Muslim background, and his church affiliations. Let's ignore this for a
moment. Put it all aside. Then ask yourself, "What qualifies this man to
be my president? That he's a brilliant orator and talks about change?"
CHANGE WHAT?
Friends, I'll be forthright with you. I believe the American voters who
are supporting barrack Obama don't have a clue what they're doing, as
evidenced by the fact that not one of them - NOT ONE of them I've spoken to
can spell out his qualifications. Not even the most liberal media can
explain why he should be elected.


Political experience? Negligible
Foreign relations? Non-existent.
Achievements? Can you name one.
Single piece of legislation as a Senator? Zero
Any Reform Bill as a Senator? Zero
Someone who wants to unite the country? If you haven't read his wife's
thesis from Princeton , look it up on the web.
This is who's lining up to be our next First Lady? The only thing I can
glean from Obama's constant harping about change is that we're in for a lot
of new taxes.
For me, the choice is clear. I've looked carefully at the two leading
applicants for the job, and I've made my choice.
Here's a question - "Where were you five and a half years ago? Around
Christmas, 2002. You've had five or six birthdays in that time. My son has
grown from a sixth grade child to a high school graduate. Five and a half
years is a good chunk of time. About 2,000 days. 2,000 nights of sleep. 6,
000 meals, give or take."
John McCain spent that amount of time, from 1967 to 1973, in a North
Vietnamese prisoner-of-war camp.
When offered early release, he refused it. He considered this offer to be a
public relations stunt by his captors, and insisted that those held longer
than he should be released first. Did you get that part? He was offered
his freedom, and he turned it down. A regimen of beatings and torture
began.
Do you possess such strength of character? Locked in a filthy cell in a
foreign country, would you turn down your own freedom in favor of your
fellow man? I submit that's a quality of character that is rarely found,
and for me, this singular act defines John McCain.
Unlike several presidential candidates in recent years whose military
service is questionable or non-existent, you will not find anyone to
denigrate the integrity and moral courage of this man. A graduate of
Annapolis , during his Naval service he received the Silver Star, Bronze
Star, Purple Heart and Distinguished Flying Cross. His own son is now
serving in the Marine Corps in Iraq . Barack Obama is fond of saying "We
honor John McCain's service...BUT..." which to me is condescending and
offensive - because what I hear is, "Let's forget this man's sacrifice for
his country, and his proven leadership abilities, and talk some more about
change."
I don't agree with John McCain on everything - but I am utterly convinced
that he is qualified to be our next President, and I trust him to do what's
right. I know in my heart that he has the best interests of our country in
mind. He doesn't simply want to be President - he wants to lead America ,
and there's a huge difference. Factually, there is simply no comparison
between the two candidates. A man of questionable background and motives
who prattles on about change, can't hold a candle to a man who has devoted
his life in public service to this nation, retiring from the Navy in1981 and
elected to the Senate in1982.
Perhaps Obama's supporters are taking a stance between old and new. Maybe
they don't care about McCain's service or his strength of character, or his
unblemished qualifications to be President. Maybe "likeability" is a higher
priority for them than "trust." Being a prisoner of war is not what
qualifies John McCain to be President of the United States of America - but
his demonstrated leadership certainly DOES!!

Dear friends, it is time for us to stand. It is time for thinking
Americans to say, "Enough." It is time for people of all parties to stop
following the party line. It is time for anyone who wants to keep America
first, who wants the right man leading their nation, to start a dialogue
with all their friends and neighbors and ask who they're voting for, and
why.
There's a lot of evil in this world. That should be readily apparent to
all of us by now. And when faced with that evil as we are now, I want a man
who knows the cost of war on his troops and on his citizens. I want a man
who puts my family's interests before any foreign country.
I want a President who's qualified to lead.
I want my country back, and I'm voting for John McCain.