carlos_amezcua's Blog

I've been enjoying the HBO/Playtone production of John Adams. Each part was so carefully crafted that it drew me in and kept me mesmerized through each and every episode. I have always been fascinated by the vision and sacrifice of our so called "Founding Fathers". Through much personal sacrifice they created a nation that has become the shining example of democracy throughout the world. The portrayal of John Adams by actor Paul Giamatti is nothing short of spectacular. His wife Abigail was beautifully portrayed by Laura Linney. Together, they display the kind of power and strength that surely was needed to survive those turbulent times. If ever there was a "power couple" this was it! Separated for years by service to his country Abigail forged ahead with dignity and strength, while John traveled to Philadelphia and eventually to France to build a necessary alliance. I salute the producers of this series and thank them for providing a rare glimpse into that time period. The scenery, costumes and setting were at times, painfully authentic and raw. I was so intrigued by what I was watching that I would spend an additional hour or two on my computer reading about John Adams' life. I went out and bought David McCullough's book and am now reading it. I am grateful for what these men and women did to insure our nation's future. I take pause and look to our current election process and marvel at how fortunate we are to live in this country. Yeah, there are lots of problems but there isn't another place in the world that compares to the United States of America and we have the likes of John Adams, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson and their families to thank for what we so enjoy today. If you get a chance, check out the series "John Adams" on HBO you will be richly rewarded.

What in the world is going on here? I wrote in a previous post about a religious litmus test and so here we go again. Obama is now trying to distance himself from the church he has been actively attending because of the incendiary remarks of the pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright. OK, no one is suggesting that what this pastor has said or is saying is not troubling, it is, but to somehow connect Obama to Wright's rants seems absurd. Yeah, perhaps Obama should have exercised better judgment and realized early on, that the pastor's words might hurt his presidential candidacy. And maybe Wright should not have been included as a "spiritual adviser" in Obama's campaign. So my point, whether a man chooses to attend The Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Salt Lake City, religion should not be used as an issue in choosing a president! All religion is personal and how a person chooses to worship is his own business. It is not up to others to judge what is a good religion or bad religion or whether a man of a certain faith is fit to serve as President of the United States. It seems to me that one must look a the complete candidate and yes, that might mean a peek at his religious beliefs so far as it goes to the issue of character, but that should be it. Obama has the right to attend whatever church he wants even if the, now retired pastor, said some real crazy things. I suspect Obama is no more a puppet of the Rev. Wright than Mitt Romney is of the Mormon Elders.