One Way Board Shop in Santa Maria, CA asked me to do this design based on the famous Shepherd Fairey print. They are using the proceeds to support a number of non-profits. I love Shepherd Fairey and thought he wouldn’t mind. There is maybe 1000 different versions of this same parody of his beautiful poster. But My opinion is you don’t have to be the first, you just have to be the best.
Below is a story I’ve been working on for a while. I am very reluctant to post simply because I have some conservative friends that I dearly care for and I don’t want anything as trivial as politics get in the way of that. Having said that, I sometimes fell like its a given that if you are a christian you are republican. I wanted to post something that showed the variety views within the body of Christ. However, if this causes more pain and trouble than it’s worth, I’m taking it down. Please read through and tell me what you think.
Politics are sticky. It was easier when I was younger. Republicans were right all of the time and Democrats were doing the devils work. I even voted for Bush twice. But a strange thing happened on my way to my 30′s. I began to doubt the rhetoric I was being fed. After the 2004 presidential election I over-dosed on politics. I had a 50 mile commute every morning and would spend my time listening to am talk radio. My favorite host was Glenn Beck. But the Glenn Beck that now hosts his show on the fox network is not the same man who was questioning both sides of the aisle. He was funny and self-deprecating. Sure there were signs of his paranoia. There was the one show where he announced that he had over a years worth of food stored for when the world ended. But those moments were few and far between. It actually was His show that finally made me turn off the radio. After the 2004 election he talked about needing a break from the politics. I realized that I was so wrapped up in reading up on policies, voting records, and swift boat vets that it consumed most of my mental state. I was certain that John Kerry was a terrible choice for president and honestly my opinion of him hasn’t changed that much. I still believed that Bush was doing the right thing by invading Iraq and that the patriot act was necessary but i felt like I had my fill of the saccharin that is the election season.
I noticed that the talking points and issues that at one time seemed to hinge to the foundations of our country suddenly were not as imperative. After a while the things I was seeing Bush do in the news didn’t make any sense. The Patriot act was an invasion fueled by fear rather than a safety net for freedom. The detaining of prisoners in Guantanamo without due process revealed an administration that danced around the Geneva convention and the constitution, spinning phrases and definitions to fit their own fears and desires. The more Bush did the more I felt like I was defending a drunk uncle who meant well but somehow knocked over the dinner table and passed out in the lawn. And after a while I couldn’t defend him anymore.
Then we moved to California and into our apartment in Carlsbad. And I understand that i’m admiting to moving to California and that will negate the rest of what I have to say to many (especially those who listen to Glenn Beck) but for the first time in my life I was surrounded by the issues that I was so confident in.
Our neighbors were this wonderful family with a daughter the same age as our son. The mom was an “undocumented worker” from Southern mexico. We’ll call her Rosa. Rosa married John, who grew up in Los Angeles. They had a daughter together that was one of our sons closest friends. According to the government Rosa was legally a citizen because of her marriage to John. But one day they received a letter in the mail stating that although Rosa was a legal U.S. Citizen now, she would have to be deported for two years to make up for the time she was here illegally.
Suddenly my stance on illegal immigration changed. No longer were illegals faceless criminals choking up the system, they were my neighbors and friends. We were outraged that our government would tear apart a family because of a lack of paperwork. My wife wrote letters to the judges overseeing Rosa’s case. And we waited for the results.
That incident made me re-think many of my conservative ideals. After really scrutinizing many of my preconceived notions about the best way this government runs I came to the realization that my stance on issues had less to do with the bible and more to do with Capitalism and business. There is nothing wrong with either capitalism or business but I began to consider what it meant to follow Jesus’ teachings while following the teachings of conservatism. And unfortunately I can’t seem to reconcile the two.
I guess what frustrates me is that it’s almost a given now that if you are an Evangelical Christian you are going to tow the republican party line. I have had numerous conversations with close friends that begin with them commenting on an issue that, because I go to church with them, they assume I agree with their stance. For a while I wouldn’t rock the boat and I’d keep my mouth shut. But the more I did this the more awful it felt. I decided, when appropriate, I would engage in the debate. This has led to amazing conversations with some very smart people.
What gets me the most upset though is when Christians demonize liberals, progressives, democrats, even the gay community. I’ve looked through the teachings of Jesus and the only instance I saw of Christ name calling was at the religious leaders of his day. He called them a brood of vipers. He never went into a pagan temple and declared that they wanted to destroy Rome or Jerusalem with their left wing ideals. He never once said their way of life is tearing apart the fabric of traditional marriage. Yet Christians seem more known for what they are against these days than for who they serve.
Am I a democrat? No. But I’m certainly not a republican either. Do I agree entirely with either parties talking points? No. But I do believe that not many people are dyed in the wool republicans or blue dog democrats. I believe that if we turn off the radio we might see that we agree on most things. Do I believe that either side is hell-bent on destroying america? No. Radio is a business. and fear of the unknown causes people to circle the wagons and repeat each others rhetoric to reinforce our own need to be right. Talk radio understands this and use it to our detriment. A friend of mine said it best. He considers himself not a republican or a democrat. He told me that he considers first his citizenship and all that stands for. He considers Where his allegiance lies and how best he can represent that in the ballot box. His citizenship is irrevocable and permeates every other aspect of his life so his political views should not be any different. First and foremost He is a citizen of heaven and that will always have more pull than Glenn, Rush, Keith, or Obama.
