You are an individual. No one here at this blog is going to call you arrogant, jinoistic or other assorted synonyms.
I don’t live in other countries either.
Why aren’t Canada, Greece, Australia or other nations elections important? The US has troops in many countries holding elections. Couldn’t he voting outcome in those countries could effect whether some US citizens come home?

I have little trouble with the coverage Canadian media or the BBC is doing on US elections. If I think otherwise, I’m free to contact Canadian media outlets. I’m referring to saturation. Our world news is world news. I cannot say the same for US networks.

So Dems are ripping each other part.
Good choice of words. As the election draws closer the dynamics will shift to Rebs/Dems/whomever ripping each other apart.
Some US coverage will remain reasoned.
The world will be watching.

Of course your election is important to you.
And when Canada and other countries hold theirs, will there be any understanding or coverage in the US on how millions of voters will chose, or how dynamics around the world will shift?
I think you are correct in that no one said that who American voters chose doesn’t affect the present or the future.

What are Canadian troops up to in Afganistan?
Do you know what happened to them today?
What happened to Philippine troups in Iraq recently? What contribution is Japan giving? How many British or coalition forces have been killed or wounded in the Iraq conflict?

Do you know what assistance Canada provided on 9/11 or what the federal government policy is on certain aspects of US policy? Do you know what your allies are providing to countries around the world?

I watched or read about anti-war demonstrations globally, including Canada. Has US media provided you with that opportunity without rancour?
You might enjoy Joel Belz’s column in World this week. Or Phillip Yancy on his take about listening non-defensively. Both writers pieces are an exception on the US stage.

“Delicate distaste, handwringing and brawling discourse and debate…”
LoL.
Other than a few lines here and there, will most Americans have a chance to understand how elections around the world affect the US unless they dig for it?

Faith matters a great deal, that is not in debate is it? The fact that believers running for office in many sovereign democracies don’t ‘use’ God to get elected does not negate a politicans calling or effect, nor any believers responsibility to pray for their leaders and for other countries.
I don’t believe my faith only effects my choices on election days, and I doubt you do either.
Why wouldn’t my faith and the faith of believers around the world affect the choices we make and on-going interaction with elected officials on key issues? Why wouldn’t our faith go past even that?

I’m not going to break my policy here on this blog about laying out personal views on the Iraq war. I will keep trying to provide posts on what I can and respect that people make their own decisions. And I pray I respect the diversity of the Church, and our unique cultural heritages around the blogosphere.

I expressed fatique at the US media coverage and the anger. As adults we can make choices about our intake. I can express opinions about dominion theology. I can chose not to link. I’m sorry if that upsets some and I’m not naive that reactive interpretation is possible.
I can be saddened and even appropriately angry when I’m labelled anti-American, arrogant, jealous, muzzling etc. I can be thankful others take the time to come over and see for themselves.
I and others long time bloggers who have attempted to engage Joshua Claybourn, read this kind of opinion from him regularly.
Many internationals, including myself have stopped reading and trying to dialogue with Joshua because we are treated as ‘the other.’ That’s fine, credibility is an individual responsibility.
Does his personal response about someones opinion mean I stop praying for God’s will and guidance in his life? No.
Other pundits that linked this post and were able to agree or disagree with civility and respect. They don’t perceive Australians, Canadians, Brits, New Zealanders,Europeans Phillipine or Malaysian bloggers as people to be flamed or abused. They too have my prayers.

My expressed opinion on dominion theology and media coverage doesn’t affect the price of tea in Boston. Uncle Sam won’t collapse.
Nor is there any personal need to prove what I know or don’t know about the US election process. I make no apology for subjective posts. If an American is genuinely hurt by what I write, we can attempt to discuss it.

Thank you for taking time to come over and comment Eddie. I sincerely hope you have been heard without disdain. Blog on!

I’m not sure what you’re complaining about. You’re getting flooded with U.S. primary campaign news and lecture that other national elections are equally important. First, we in the U.S. don’t live in those other nations. We live in the U.S., so FOR US the occupant of the White House and the composition of Congress are indisputably more important than the results of those other elections. Second, if you’re being flooded with such news up there then these events are ordained by the decision makers of the Canadian media IN CANADA to be the center of the universe. Your issue is with them. BTW, please feel free to take Peter Jennings back to cover your elections. You can keep him.

Agreed that the Democratic candidates are ripping each other apart. It appalls many of us down here as much as it does you. It confirms my belief that they range from marginally to spectacularly unfit to hold the office of President of the US. I hope it appalls at least 5% of the Democratic voters enough to vote for GW in Nov.

Now as for faith and politics. Candidates run on both issues and world view. “I believe thus and so and therefore I think we should pursue this and that policy.” Do you have a problem with that template for a general campaign statement? If not then here are two more. “I believe that every woman has a right to control her own body, and therefore a right to abort her baby without interference.” “I believe that human life is sacred and must be protected, therefore most forms of abortion should be discouraged and some absolutely prohibited.” You may agree with one and not the other, but they are both statements of firm belief in overarching principle determining policy on a specific issue. Would you rather see candidates for the most powerful job on the planet make statements like “Hey, if it feels good, do it. I don’t want no kid. Free love man!” or “Chopping up little kids! Gross!! Lets make it illegal.” I could manage to repect someone who would make either of the first two statements though I would profoundly disagree with one. I would agree, sort of, with one the the second pair but respect neither.

Bene, there are lots of important issues that the U.S. President will have to take positions on and actually DO something about. They are issues important enough that many of YOUR fellow Canuks as well as folks from those other nations will conduct screaming demonstrations about. Iraq doesn’t directly affect any Canadian who didn’t come from there, but Canadians traveled halfway around to world to supposedly protect orphanages and hospitals. They opposed freeing a nation from a callus power hungry monster who would have buried the occupants of those orphanages and hospitals alive had he perceived the slightest potential threat. They thought they were doing the right thing. I thought they were deluded and foolish. For either they or I to explain WHY would get into core metaphysical beliefs.

If these issues can affect or even terminate thousands and millions of human lives, then how are they not important enough to feel strongly about? The policies proposed to deal with those issues are starkly different and will have markedly different results which will make life and death differences to those thousands and millions.

That leads me to point out the obvious, and I’m sure I’ll be called arrogant, jingoistic, and assorted synonyms but… You in Canada can afford your delicate distaste and hand wringing and condemnation of our brawling political discourse and debate. You in Canada haven’t been given the responsiblity of having a great affect on the world. The United States has. Regardless of who likes it or who doesn’t this country IS a “Hyperpower”, the most powerful nation in history. Whether we take action A or action B or action C on a particular issue, it will benefit or destroy huge numbers of our fellow men and women. If action C (for example) is to do NOTHING, to ignore the issue, that LACK of action will have more effect that anything that Canada does or does not do. We know this. So for your elections you can be gentle and polite (you aren’t even close to that, I do pay attention you see) because outside your borders the real importance of what you decide diminishes quickly. How the U.S. conducts itself affects lives all over the world. So the details of that conduct, and the world view that shapes the principles that determine those details are vitally important to millions who have no input into those decisions. Therefore every U.S. voter has a real, if unsought, responsibility to numerous people all over the world to choose our leaders wisely. Most of us take that responsibility seriously, which leads to some reactions of verbal violence to those boneheads in the other party who are going to get Americans and a lot of other people killed.

Faith matters. It shapes the world view. And every man (and woman) is given a measure of it. If the faith is athiest, it matters. If it’s in Islam, it matters. If it’s in Christ, it matters. I believe what I believe and I know WHY I believe it. My faith informs my view of issues and the policies that I feel would best address them. I’m open to discussion on any aspect of my faith and any aspect of how I get from there to my position on any particular issue. You may be able to affect my view on a policy or issue, but I doubt if you can shake my faith, which will continue to inform my views on policies and issues.

So if I believe X is the best policy, and you believe Y, then which one of us is arrogant? Your faith informs your belief, as mine does mine. If your faith is unable to make you certain of some core values then what good is it? Hey, maybe it was all right for Saddam to maintain a division of his regiem whose function it was to rape women in order to humiliate them and control their families? Maybe burying hundreds or children alive conformed to his firmly held beliefs. Who has the right to say he was wrong? I do, whether or not you or anyone else agrees. And if you disagree then you’re wrong too. Is that arrogant? No. It’s simply right…vs. wrong.

The Canadian election may well prove to be more important than the American one, since there’s a non-trivial chance of a change in government. A Conservative government in Canada could effect a lot of changes, while a President Dean would likely have a Republican Senate blocking his policy initiatives.

I don’t know if I can agree it is the most important election on the planet. Perhaps, but I’m not a prophet.
Yes, I understand this is a critical election, you are in our prayers.

You’re probably right about the level of awareness here, but I’d have to insist that there is no more important election on this planet than the American presidential election in November 2004, simply because we are the most powerful country on earth, and capable of doing tremendous damage with the wrong leadership.

But you’re certainly right about the arrogance. I have friends on the right whose blogs I cannot read, although in person I enjoy their company–as long as we do not discuss politics.

Pray for us.

Most netizens have a healthy curiousity and an ability to explore thier world.
I wasn’t joking about the empathy. I’ve been talking to people in the US that are pressured and overwhelmed. They find it very ugly too.
I’ve been finding a few US god-blog pundits that have a healthy perspective and a genuine respect for others.
During the Iraq war I tried to make this blog a place where people could breath.
Perhaps the next 10 months will be a challenge to duplicate that goal eh? Blog on!

I am in the US, and it is awful. Thank you for your sympathy. I get through it by watching Jon Stewart on The Daily Show. He is absolutely hilarious.

I’m aware of other important elections outside the US, but I’m a netizen who communicates with people outside the US, so I’m probably in a minority.

Peace and blessings,
RiverStone