In defense of his book, “Liberal Fascism”, Jonah Goldberg said that fascism, communism and other forms of tyranny will not come to American marching behind red flags or by violent means, but will come with a smile. That was the first thing that came to mind when I heard portions of a speech that Michelle Obama gave a few weeks ago.

I don’t believe that Michelle Obama is a fascist or communist. She is a Princeton and Harvard graduate, but I don’t think she’s smart enough to figure out that her views are so contrary to foundational and traditional American values. While listening to her speech, the first thing that set off red flags was when Mrs. Obama said we need a government that can “fix our souls”. I’m not a historian, but I do know enough about history to know that anytime anyone says anything about the government doing anything to your soul, you should be very, very afraid. Additionally, Mrs. Obama said that “There is only one person running for office that can heal this nation, and that is Barack.” Well, I do believe there is someone who can heal this nation, but He is not from Chicago, and He is definitely not an elected official.

Christopher Hitchens, a prominent atheist writer and activist, is someone that I don’t agree with on anything. He believes that religion is the most destructive thing on the planet (although, I did hear on the news this morning manmade global warming was the most destructive force on Earth, but I was a bit confused as I chipped a half inch or ice off my car, so let’s stay focused on Mr. Hitchens’ assertions.). Mr. Hitchens does occasionally bring up a valid point with respect to socialist, communist, and fascist movements. He argues that these murderous regimes are almost always centered on a man who has been raised up as a deity or god-like figure.

Now, I understand that Mrs. Obama loves her husband and truly believes in him, but her deity-like references to Senator Obama are very disturbing. Both Senator and Mrs. Obama have studied Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, and have tried to appeal to people using sing-song, gospel cadences in their speeches. But don’t be fooled, because they are not reverends.

Mrs. Obama later went on in her speech to say that her husband gave up an opportunity to get “rich on Wall Street” in order to serve as a community organizer in some tough neighborhoods. She stated that he went to areas where single mothers had lost trust in the government, and her husband went to rebuild their faith. Now, I don’t want to downplay Senator Obama’s service, but it was obviously a play for a career as an elected official or as an activist. I imagine that he did have some altruistic motivations, but I’m not that convinced of his sacrifice.

I’m not a huge fan of John McCain, but if you want to see sacrifice, I don’t think you should look in a rough Chicago neighborhood. You should probably look in a Vietnamese POW camp. After being imprisoned for two years, Senator McCain was given the option to go home. He turned down the favorable treatment and spent four more years being tortured. Additionally, Mitt Romney spent two and a half years as a Mormon missionary in France in the late 60’s. It takes a lot of guts and sacrifice to go door-to-door telling French people about your faith. Those two “evil republicans” demonstrate a lot more about service and sacrifice than a community organizer trying to rebuild faith in the government.

Before tuning out Mrs. Obama’s speech, I heard one more absurd assumption. She said that Americans were in debt because they had to use credit cards to pay their medical bills. Well, in many cases, that is probably true. However, her assertion that the sole function of credit cards for poor people is to pay medical bills is ridiculous and blatantly a play for an emotional response. I once heard on an investment program that the average American who buys a leather jacket on sale for $100, will pay $160 when they use a credit card due to all the interest and late payment fees. I’ve learned enough about credit cards to know that large credit card debts come from poor discipline and not medical emergencies. I recommend that Mrs. Obama read a Dave Ramsey book, or if she is short on time, she can watch “Maxed Out.” I understand her point was not about credit cards, but medical bills. However, it was an irresponsible display of misinformation because most medical debts are not with credit card companies but finance companies or medical offices themselves.

Listening to Mrs. Obama reminded me of (read with a sarcastic tone) a wonderful and historical quote. “From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs.” What a pleasant thought, huh? We all get what we need regardless of what we do for work. Mrs. Obama had some comments about that too. She said that Americans need to work hard to receive the benefits that would come from her husband if he is elected president. Did she recommend that we all start small businesses? Did she recommend that we get educated or learn a skill? Did she even recommend that we need to be more active in our communities? Nope, nope, and nope. She said that we all need to work hard to believe and work hard to hope for the future. Yep, that’s all we need to do, and her husband will lead us all to the Promised Land.

Let’s see here. Does that hold true for everything? If I work hard to hope and believe for a unicorn, do you think Senator Obama can get one for me? That would be a cool enough benefit that I might consider voting for him.

By the way, that wonderful quote that the Obama campaign keeps bringing to mind is from Karl Marx. He was the father of communism, and his ideals and philosophies led to the death of millions. Senator Obama’s policies are starting to sound a bit too much like Marxism for me to feel very comfortable.

Well, on a lighter note, a politician did bring a tear to my eye this week. There weren’t any chanting coeds or flying banners. And the voice delivering the speech was a bit shaky, but non-the-less the words were true. After winning the primary for Virginia, Senator McCain made the following quote, “I do not seek the presidency on the presumption that I am blessed with such personal greatness that history has anointed me to save my country in its hour of need. I seek the presidency with the humility of a man who cannot forget that my country saved me.” This quote is obviously a jab at Senators Clinton and Obama, but the spirit of his comment does reveal the diametric views between Senator Obama and Senator McCain. Realizing that the comment was also a reference to the resolve of the US military was what truly hit me emotionally. Senator McCain may not have the best policies, but he does understand the sacrifice of our fighting forces, and being reminded of that gets me every time.

Finally and admittedly, I have been a bit cynical about the Obama campaign, and I believe that it does have some merit considering his views and the enthusiasm of his supporters (or should I call them followers?). However, I have heard some encouraging words. In a radio broadcast the other day, Dave Ramsey stated something that was probably more true than what most people believe. He said that whoever is elected president will not change the economic future of this country. That power of this country’s future lies within the American people. I pray we use that power wisely.