A Pre-Election Plea - Inform Yourselves

Please inform yourselves before you vote.
Following are the dictionary.com definitions for Marxism and Socialism. If you aren’t familiar with the ideas represented by these terms, please read these and be curious and learn more. These terms are (finally) being used in the media. Some call that an "attack". I just see ideas being discussed which are at the very least being described, in other terms, by persons with potential power and I, for one, am glad to be provoked to thoughtfulness and careful consideration of my choices. If you haven’t already, it is helpful to look at the history of countries which have engaged in Marxism, Socialism and Communism and the societies resulting from those political approaches. I’m just sayin’.
Please inform yourselves thoroughly before you vote.
Marxism
1. The doctrines of Karl /browse/MarxMarx and his associate Friedrich Engels on economics, politics, and society. They include the notion of economic determinism — that political and social structures are determined by the economic conditions of people. Marxism calls for a classless society (see class), where all means of production are commonly owned, a system to be reached as an inevitable result of the struggle between capitalists and workers. (See communism)
2. The economic and political theories of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels that hold that human actions and institutions are economically determined and that class struggle is needed to create historical change and that capitalism will ultimately be superseded by communism.
Socialism
a theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole.
2.
procedure or practice in accordance with this theory.
3.
(in Marxist theory) the stage following capitalism in the transition of a society to communism, characterized by the imperfect implementation of collectivist principles.

Also, the following was copied from a web posting that I thought said if very well and was posted in response to an article that alleged "socialist" is a "code" word for "black"!!!
"Wow. Okay, I say then let's go with the more accurate word, Marxist. Or communist. Obama "wants to spread the wealth around", that's borderline communism. If you look at his agenda and friends, he is Socialist. Not in Hoover's supposed twisted view, or your spin version, but in the Webster's version. Any means possible? Republicans aren't registering dead people and Disney
characters. All of you Obama supporters will regret your choices several years from now, and gripe and complain, and I will tell you to stuff it. You only read mainstream media (Left & propaganda) and blindly follow everyone else off of the cliff like Lemmings.Socialist=One who believes and follows the ideas of Socialism. Socialism: Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods, and the creation of an egalitarian society.[1][2] Modern socialism originated in the late nineteenth-century working class political movement. Karl Marx posited that socialism would be achieved via class struggle and a proletarian revolution which represents the transitional stage between capitalism and communism.[3][4]
Socialists mainly share the belief that capitalism unfairly concentrates power and wealth among a small segment of society that controls capital, and creates an unequal society. All socialists advocate the creation of an egalitarian society, in which wealth and power are distributed more evenly, although there is considerable disagreement among socialists over how, and to what extent this could be achieved.[1]
Socialism is not a discrete philosophy of fixed doctrine and program; its branches advocate a degree of social interventionism and economic rationalization, sometimes opposing each other. Another dividing feature of the socialist movement is the split on how a socialist economy should be established between the reformists and the revolutionaries. Some socialists advocate complete nationalization of the means of production, distribution, and exchange; while others advocate state control of capital within the framework of a market economy. Social democrats propose selective nationalization of key national industries in mixed economies combined with tax-funded welfare programs; Libertarian socialism (which includes Socialist Anarchism and Libertarian Marxism) rejects state control and ownership of the economy altogether and advocates direct collective ownership of the means of production via co-operative workers' councils and workplace democracy.
In the 1970s and the 1980s, Yugoslavian, Hungarian, Polish and Chinese Communists instituted various forms of market socialism combining co-operative and State ownership models with the free market exchange.[5] This is unlike the earlier theoretical market socialist proposal put forth by Oskar Lange in that it allows market forces, rather than central planners to guide production and exchange.[6] Anarcho-syndicalists, Luxemburgists (such as those in the Socialist Party USA) and some elements of the United States New Left favor decentralized collective ownership in the form of cooperatives or workers' councils.
-WikipediaLearn it-you will be living it soon...."

Update - new baby is here

Well, the new baby is here - Landis' 4th! Genesis Estelle Thomas was born on October 15, 2008 at 11:23 p.m. by C-section after all day (induced labor). Mother and baby (and Dad) are fine and other kids are excited. Phil and I went to Clarksville to visit over the weekend and enjoyed the visit and took photos and also met the other grandparents who are from South Carolina. We are glad Landis will now be able to get a little relief as she was having a lot of discomfort at the end. T.J. is a proud new daddy and is doing a great job taking care of our little Geni. He's changing diapers & everything! She went for her newborn check up today and is doing great.

Phil and I have the Bluff City Fellowship convention this weekend so it will be very busy, particularly as he is the overall Chairman of the convention this year. We'll be at the Hilton in Memphis and are looking forward to seeing all our friends.

Adam is expected home next week and we are looking forward to seeing him. He is anxious to get to see Landis and T.J. and the new baby and the kids. They love their uncle Adam.

My new job is going well and I like it there. Sometimes change is good and I think I was overdue for one. God is good, all the time. Whenever I really get in distress and call on Him, what I hear Him say is "Well, are you going to trust me with it?" Of course, what else is there to do, really?