My Rant of the Day

Ok, this is as a result of my reading a blog earlier today that, quite frankly, I found appalling. I have no problem with opposing political views, and in fact, enjoy learning why those who have different views than me think what they do. Ok, so, I read this blog that stated that Barack Obama is muslim, that his stepdad was muslim, and that he has a muslim brother. Now, number one, who cares if he's muslim? This is AMERICA, people, and in case you've forgotten religion and government are separate. Or, at least, in my opinion they should be. Also in the course of our country's journey after 911, Americans have begun to associate Islam with terrorism. Now, while acts of terrorism have been perpetrated by those of the Muslim faith, they have also been perpetrated by your "average" American. In fact, that has happened more often. Now just to clarify this for everyone, Barack Obama's biological father was Muslim and was from Africa. His parents met at the University of Hawaii. They married young, and divorced when Barack was a pre-schooler. He saw his father only once more before his death. Obama spent his youth in Indonesia and Hawaii, and, as he himself admits, was not religious until later in life. Then, he faced the choice that everyone makes, whether conciously or unconciously. He had to choose a belief system. Barack Obama chose to be a Christian. Even if he hadn't, I do not believe that it would be an issue. Each person should have the right to choose their religious beliefs, or lack thereof, based on their own personal principles and ideals, and they should be free of criticism from others. I understand that by choosing a life in the public eye, politicians invite comment on their every move but still, let's focus on what really matters here. The issues that a candidate stands for, their policies, and their ideals should be the things that influence your vote. So, please, before you make generalizations, like the following: "Barack Obama had a muslim father, therefore he is muslim, and all muslims are terrorists, so he must be a terrorist" think twice--you will realize that what you were about to say is incredibly inaccurate and uninformed. To learn about any of the candidate's voting records, go to vote smart. To learn about candidates, their personal websites and debate/speech/interview transcripts may help you to become what America needs next Tuesday: an informed voter.