New Wine in Old Wineskins

And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.” Mark 2:22

This week has seen the Republican Convention start and end, and next week will be the Democratic Convention. Both of these already know the persons who will be nominated to run for President of the United States. Rather than anything different, we seem to be given the same old, same old, party down the line rhetoric. Even that is more from the speech writers than the candidates or their chosen "character references". You would get more honest opinion on an episode of "Nashville" than what both parties are giving to the American People.

In this year, as I've watched the election process unfold, I've been reminded over and over of the George Orwell novel, Animal Farm. Those who promote freedom and change simply turning back to the old ways and making matters worse. All are equal, but some more equal than others.

This is not the America I studied in Civics class. We are not a country that is "of the party, by the party, and for the party". Only when we begin to behave and act as Americans, and not parties, will real change occur. I'm not knocking the party system. It serves a purpose and is relevant. But when the party becomes more relevant that the country, there is a problem. We've seen it over and again in stalemates in Congress, neither side moving because of "Party Lines", and true communication is lost. As is true resolution.

So once again we've put new candidates into the same old party structure. We elect a party, not a person, and refuse to listen to the other party regardless of what they may have to say. The old wineskin of this party parity is about to burst, and Americans will be the ones to suffer for it.

Be sure that when you cast your vote, you think not just of yourself, but of those who may be in a different situation than you. Think of the needs of ALL Americans, as this coming President is the president of ALL Americans, not Republicans or Democrats. This is the thinking that will reform the party system, by putting it in its proper place. This is the thinking that will create serious debate to find serious solutions. Party loyalty has created a nation of sheep led by sound bytes on television with no notion of the full context. Break the mold. Study, learn, listen, question. Then vote. Not for a party, but an Idea. An idea that Lincoln was correct when he said this was a nation "of the people, by the people, and for the people."

Soap box rant over.