All Christians, and I am one, understand fundamental beliefs, no matter what the denomination. One of the most important messages that Jesus Christ taught us, preached to us, and commanded to us, was to love one another. Love. I’m sorry to say that I am rattled to my core as I listen to the hate mongering preached by Barack Obama’s pastor, spiritual advisor, and mentor.

I do not believe that people should be judged by the company they keep, or something that was said by a peer, or “judged” at all for that matter. But this pastor isn’t just a peer. He was a choice of Obama as a teacher and a leader. They weren’t just pals. My pal and I disagree on practically everything, but we remain friends. This feels different to me. Perhaps Obama thinks it’s no big deal as he passes him off as being like an uncle who says things you don’t agree with, but I believe this is going to loom LARGE if he becomes the National Candidate. I believe McCain’s people will surely use it and that worries me. I would suggest that Obama address this now more strenuously. Show us some sound bites from the recently retired pastor that speak to love, and hope, and forgiveness, and positive direction…….. and did I mention love? They must be in there somewhere if this pastor is telling people about Jesus.

If he didn’t agree with the pastor, then where was Obama’s gumption? Why wasn’t he able to say to his pastor friend, “I am uncomfortable with your blanket attacks on Americans.”? As I have said for years, when you don’t speak up, you give silent permission for a particular behavior to continue. And I want a president who is not afraid to speak up!

Unless it didn’t make him uncomfortable, which worries me even more. I can’t tiptoe around this. Barack Obama needs to explain it. Otherwise I feel many people will have trouble understanding how someone could stay at a church for twenty years and not be embracing the message being given.

I’m feeling a little jealous and slighted by the focus of this campaign and I want some attention for my family, and my friends, and my neighbors across the entire state. We don’t live in a big city, we have no big industry close by that is employing most of the area, and we are not specifically and jointly feeling an identifiable vice on our heads for the same reason as someone else, but it’s there nonetheless. We are the small town folk who are watching Mom and Pop stores close on a regular basis. We are the small town folk who can’t depend on public transportation, so we need our car to take us everywhere. And we are the small town folk who have less money in our pockets at a time when everything costs more.

I spoke to an accountant last week, who told me that ten of his clients closed their small businesses last year. He never saw anything like this. And these were clients he had had for a number of years. Unfortunately, these closings don’t just happen. It probably was a slow painful death as the business owner tried to tough it out. They use every resource they have, and in some cases occur new debt. By the time denial and reality collide, the decision has been made for them.

But it is more than just businesses closing. Those businesses that are still operating are cutting back, laying off. They have implemented a freeze on any raise to those still there and the bigger companies are messing with any pension plan that enticed a young worker there, for less, to begin with.

So, we don’t have a big catchall situation, i.e. the real plight of the automobile industry, to charge up your speeches, but we still need answers to the big picture. Talk to us, candidates. Talk to the huge number of us out here who can’t even find a reason how we got from “there to here.”