Live Fire with Chuck Holton

Election time is fast approaching, and the campaign signs springing up like early fall weeds are a reminder of just how much I hate politics. Blech. I think a lot of people are like me – thinking of politics gives us a bad taste in our mouth. Not because it’s not a necessary and important part of our country, but simply because I don’t like to watch people argue. But it does raise some valid questions – If God was such a good and loving God, why does he allow politicians?

Have you ever known a politician personally?

For those of you who do, how many of them fit the stereotype you hear so often that politicians are motivated by nothing but money and power?

I’ve known a couple of senators, a governor or two, and have met some senior-level cabinet officials. I’ve known other government employees – many of whom were in top-secret positions with the defense and intelligence services. I’ve also interviewed some state-level politicians.

I was just sitting here thinking about my experiences with these people. By and large these weren’t greedy, power-hungry folks. they were good people who truly wanted to make a difference. Some were new to politics, and a few were old hands at the game. But I’ve rarely thought “money grubbing power-monger” when I met one face to face.

I know a woman who worked as a secretary in the First Lady’s staff. She tells me that the president and his wife are sincere, good-natured and care deeply about this country. I know this woman well enough to know she’s giving me her honest opinion. My parents got to meet GW Bush when he was governor of Texas. He stopped what he was doing to come pray with them in secret after the shooting at my dad’s church in 1999.

So where’s the disconnect? Am I just a really, really bad judge of character, or do you think perhaps the stereotype has been overdone? Are politicians just easy targets of our frustration with economics, politics, etc?

Or are they really as slimy as some people make them out to be?

Personally, I think that this country is so incredibly big, diverse and complex, that to blame politicians for our ills is to oversimplify the issue. Sure, there are, without a doubt, some in that arena who would sell their mothers to the scrapyard for political gain. But in large part, I have a feeling that many politicians get into that business out of a sincere desire to make things better.

Perhaps the system itself is so corrupt that it wrecks those noble ambitions. I don’t know. I’ve heard it said that to know what’s really going on, you have to follow the money. But even that is so complicated that you’d need the patience of Job to figure it out.

But in times like these it’s nice to know that there’s someone in charge whose integrity is flawless – someone you can trust with your life – it doesn’t matter if you’re a Democrat or a Republican.

Task Force Valor: Allah’s Fire is still doing well in stores. And now, pre-orders are being taken for book 2 of the series, titled “Island Inferno.” I guess I should get busy writing it, then. Just kidding!

One of the great joys of being a writer is when a reader takes the time to write and tell you how much they enjoyed one of your books. But it’s an even rarer priveledge when a reader takes the time to leave you feedback like this:

Read more