Donald Miller the personal blog for all things Don Miller

I’ll be participating in a debate tonight in Camp Hill, PA. Representatives from the McCain/Palin campaign will be present, as well as policy representatives from Obama/Biden. We will be addressing healthcare, immigration, energy, education, the economy and job creation along with the important social issues.

Here are the times and locations:

Oct 29^th

Camp Hill, PA: Oct 29^th, 7:00 P.M.

Faith and Politics Forum

2645 Lisburn Rd.                                               

Camp Hill, PA

Thanks again for your support as we near the finish line of this campaign. The schedule has been crazy, but it’s all been worth it. I realize, if you are reading the comments on this blog, it seems like there is a lot of tension out there, but in the events I’ve attended there has only been objectivity and civility. The experience has renewed my faith in the goodness of the average man. I’ve attended about twenty events covering all the battle-ground states and we simply haven’t encountered the least bit of tension. Not sure where it comes from online. I doubt we are our best when we can hide behind our computers, but I assure you America is doing fine. 

I’ll post a final recap before November 4th. I hope to get home this weekend, before the Texas vs. Texas Tech game (Go Longhorns!) and will get it up before election day. That said, though, many, if not most of the posts mention the unfortunate reality of abortion. I wanted to share a study with you from which I get a great deal of confidence that the issue should also be considered economically. I will be talking about this more, though in brief, in my recap, but for now the data will have to suffice as my answer to those sending questions about the issue. Thanks again for your consideration. 

The link is to a Catholic, pro-life study about the factors that lead to unwanted pregnancy and abortion. The study compares, in part, legal strategy with economic strategy. Both seem important, but one certainly trumps the other. Unfortunately, neither party manages to encompass both approaches.  

http://www.catholicsinalliance.org/files/CACG_Final.pdf

(Regarding posting comments. I have to go through each comment, and I am unable to do that while on the road. Also, because I can’t read all the links, I can’t post comments with links. Other than that, I should be home soon. Thanks.)

I picked up my Ritchey BreakAway yesterday from Veloce over on Hawthorne. I’ve been waiting a while as Ritchey was backordered on the bike. I was surprised to get the call because I ordered it two months ago and they told me it wouldn’t be available for six months. Anyway, the cool thing about this bike, other than the fact Tom designed it, is that it comes apart at the seat-post and the down-tube, plus the cables disassemble and the whole thing will fit into a suitcase. You can literally fly it around for free. I was getting dinged a hundred bucks either way with the other bike, and so I wasn’t taking it anywhere, obviously. So in time, this bike will pay for itself. But even though it’s a travel bike, it is stiff and responsive. It’s a ti-carbon combo. The rear triangle is carbon (save the down tube) and everything else is ti. It has the same group as my I.F. so it feels right. I took it for a ride around Portland tonight and the bike felt fine. My I.F. may get lonely this winter.

One of the reasons I bought this bike is because when Tom comes to town we usually go out for a ride and it’s always embarrassing because I didn’t have a single Ritchey part on the I.F. So now I have the whole bike. Besides, in supporting Ritchey Bikes, I also get to support Project Rwanda, and that’s worth it. Anyway, that’s what is new around here.

Share our donation page with your friends, and join us as we rewrite the story of the fatherless generation!
(You may have to pause it for a second to let it load.)

Also, use the comment section below to thank a mentor in your life. We are collecting stories for our site. And if you are a mentor, thanks. You are making a greater difference than you could possibly know.

Last night we had a pumpkin carving party here at the house. A great time had by all. But the culminating event was definitely the tossing of the pumpkin. I hope it becomes an annual event. My friend Kevin Rogers happened to bring a video camera and caught the action. Thanks Kevin.

Pumpkin Toss from Kevin Rogers on Vimeo.

Over at The Mentoring Project, we are about to launch our all-encompassing donation page. This page will feature a video that essentially invites people to participate in our program by sponsoring a mentor. That’s where you come in. We are inviting people to help us by making a (45 second or under) commercial.

We will then feature your commercial on our site, and will direct our entire e-mail list to see your commercial. And we will be sure to tell people who you are in case you do this sort of thing for a living. But mostly, you’ll be helping out an incredible cause.

Here’s what you need to know about TMP in order to make a commercial:

• The Mentoring Project is recruiting ten-thousand mentors through one-thousand church-based programs.

• It costs $5 per month to sponsor a mentor.

• People can sponsor a mentor online, on the same page where your commercial will be featured.

So, whether you do this sort of thing professionally, or you’re taking a class and need a good project, we’d be blessed to feature your commercial. 

You can e-mail your commercial link to: hannah@belmontfoundation.org

We will be able to feature more than one, of course, and I’ll post them on the blog, too. Thanks for joining us!

We are proud to reveal our new logo! Those of you who read this blog are the first to lay eyes on The Mentoring Project’s (formerly The Belmont Foundation) new logo. But we don’t believe it will be the last time you see it. We have an ambitious vision. We are recruiting ten-thousand mentors through one-thousand church-based programs. And that is just phase one. We hope to eventually recruit one-million mentors to answer to the American crisis of fatherlessness. 

If you happen to be in Portland this week, swing by our “Mentoring for President” convention. Here is the official invitation:

On October 16th at the Adrianna Ballroom in downtown Portland, we are nominating Mentoring for President. And in order to do so, we are having a makeshift political convention complete with streamers, bumper stickers, buttons and flags.

We are nominating Mentoring for President because Mentoring has been proven to reduce crime, teen pregnancy, teen drop out rates, abortion and divorce. Those are promises no politician can make and certainly no politician can keep.

And if this party sounds boring, don’t worry. I will be reading material from a new book, so there will be more than a few laughs. It will be a great night, so invite your friends. 

Make plans today to join us on October 16th at 7:00 pm at the Adrianna Grand Hill Ballroom. The ballroom is located at 918 SW Yamhill Street, Portland, on the second floor. Please RSVP to Hannah by Monday, October 6th. Email hannah@belmontfoundation.org or call the office at (503) 477-8920 to confirm.

Of course this is all in fun, but we firmly believe mentoring is a very real hope for many of the problems our country is facing. We believe mentoring can lower crime, teen pregnancy, school drop-out rates, divorce as well as the quality of life for millions of children growing up without a male role-model! 

If you can’t make the “convention” you can join our mission by supporting a mentor. It takes $5 per month to support a mentor, and of course you can support as many as you like. Join us today!

Children who have role models are:

• 46 % less likely to use drugs or alcohol
• 53% less likely to skip school
• 33% less likely to resort to violence
• 59% more likely to get better grades

There is very real hope. Join our campaign today!

(Our new logo was created by Ivey and McCoig, a firm out of Nashville who has done all the world pro-bono. They are incredible, and we are grateful for their friendship!)

(The PA and OH schedule is coming in, and will be quite busy. But I still don’t have a copy of it. If you sign up on twitter, I will text you about the events. Simply text “follow donmilleris” to 40404. Thanks!)

(Photo taken in NC, and taken off of Facebook. THANKS!) (And hello Melinda at Campbell)

This weekend, along with next week I will be traveling to swing states with the Obama Campaign. We will be holding forums in several cities in order to have a conversation about faith and the changing nature of politics in America. I will be addressing many of the more heated issues, but so far each event has been overwhelmingly positive, even though people from varying perspectives find themselves in the audience. My hope is this next week will be more of the same.

I realize many of my readers feel strongly about this election, as we all should, and have been angered by my support of the candidate they are not voting for. I understand your anger, but I hope you will trust those of us who are voting for Barack Obama do so with the best of intentions and what we believe are good reasons. I will explain my position on two of those issues below to avoid much of the tense rhetoric that follows any mention made of the Democratic Candidate. But first, here are the times and locations we have so far for the tour:

**(These are not fundraising events, and are open to the public. Joshua Dubois, National Religious Coordinator for the Obama Campaign will be with us as well. So come and join the open forum.)**

Eastern University in Philadelphia October 7th

Messiah College, October 8th. Check with the school for details. Things are still fuzzy here.

Events in OH to come. I will only be able to post them with about 24-hours notice. 

There will be many more events in Indiana and Ohio, but this is what we have on the schedule so far. I will continue to update this post as I have more information.

As for the issues that bring the most heat.

On abortion:

I am a pro-life voter, but do not believe John McCain’s plan on the issue will work. McCain’s only stand on the issue has been a recent switch to a pro-life position, and a promise to continue the attempt to criminalize abortion through the Supreme Court.I believe this is an empty promise, and anybody who understands our judicial system would know this. Chief Justice John Roberts of the Supreme Court (our most conservative Judge, many feel, and the pro-lifers greatest hope for the plan to criminalize abortion) has stated that Roe V. Wade “is the law of the land” and has been backed up in precedent by the Casey case. He does not believe it is plausible to overturn both rulings. Of course it is possible, but it would take a judicial miracle and the appointment of even more conservative, activist judges. This is the only way the overturning of Roe V. Wade will happen. The continuation of rhetoric about being pro-life but not having a realistic plan has tired me of the Republican Party. As more and more evangelicals walk away, I hope Republicans will stop giving lip-service to this important issue. My hope is they will realize they are going to lose more and more votes until they are willing to engage in a bipartisan effort to make progress with comprehensive legislation that is realistic and actual. 

The Democrats have proposed comprehensive legislation called the 95/10 initiative that aims to reduce the number of abortions that take place in this country by 95% within 10 years. While Barack Obama is a pro-choice candidate, he supports this and similar legislation. This is the only proposed and realistic strategy that can move us around the cultural impasse that is breathing hate and anger into the Christian community. 

While Barack Obama opposes late-term abortions, he has made promises to the National Organization or Women to make progress in a woman’s right to chose. I wish Obama were more strong on this issue. Still, I do feel he will accomplish more than John McCain, as John McCain has only recently taken this position and offers no legislation and no plan.

This is a very debatable issue. There are facts on both sides that seem to refute any argument made. But I have had to do the research and take a position and, for now, this is my position.

Gay Marriage:

This is not an issue I think much about because I am neither gay nor married, but I understand the evangelicals desire to protect the sanctity of marriage and define it as an exclusive relationship between a man and a woman. I agree with both candidates on this issue as they both oppose gay marriage but protect constitutional rights for domestic partners. In order to oppose civil rights for homosexuals, you would have to change the constitution which I think is dangerous. I agree with McCain and Obama both on this issue as they have stated the same position.

On other issues that are no less important although less heated such as the economy, globalization and trade, the environment and energy, I support Barack Obama’s positions over John McCain’s.

But let me make something very clear. I don’t dislike John McCain. I think he is a good man and a drastic improvement over Republican candidates in the past. I do wish he were a Christian, or would talk about faith, Jesus, Redemption or the Cross. Barack Obama does, very often, and very unashamedly.I am uncomfortable with the idea of a truly secular man in the White House, a man who has no church, no pastor, does not read the Bible and may not even pray. John McCain seems like a good man, but a secular man. I want our next President to talk and listen to God.

So, that is my position, and I will be talking openly about these things on the road. I sincerely appreciate your objective ear. I think people are more important than politics, and I refuse to “vote my identity” rather than vote on the issues. Therefore I won’t get into heated arguments that have no end. I doubt any of you want to do that either. Thanks so much. I don’t intend to keep up the political posts on this site, so don’t worry. We will get back to normal soon.

The Truth About Barack

Sincerely,

Don

(Added Later by Don)

An addendum: My comments about the candidates personal faith were in reference to pre-presidential politics. Every Presidential candidate that I know of has claimed to be a Christian, and even told folksy stories about conversion. More about Barack’s faith can be found in the new release by Thomas Nelson Publishers entitled “The Faith of Barack Obama” or you can check out his speech at the “Call to Renewal” conference or his Fathers Day speech. Barack has given a half dozen addresses about faith. Will somebody provide me links to McCain’s major addresses on his personal faith and how it will guide his policies? I will gladly post them. I am sure there is something out there. I know he spoke of it at the Saddleback forum on faith. Thanks again.