As my Saturday afternoon attention waxed and waned, I sat listening to a surrogate of one of the presidential candidates speak when my heart skipped a beat and my mind lurched forward to face the fact that I may bring children of my own into the world during the next president’s terms in office. For me, this is why this election matters so much.   » Read more…

In the wake of the September 11 events, I began to wonder about my identity as an American. How it feels. How it is expressed. As the nation reeled in shock and grief, I found it difficult to explain, even to myself, my conflicted feelings of anguish and anger on the one hand, and my desire for understanding and reconciliation on the other.   » Read more…

I remember my first voting booth: a cardboard refrigerator box in the hallway of Oak Street Elementary school in Orrville, Ohio. In the 1972 election between Richard Nixon (R) and George McGovern (D), my sixth-grade class studied the electoral process, ran campaigns for the candidates, and cast our votes in our own polling station.   » Read more…

As I follow politics, I am always struck, and saddened by, the general unwillingness to listen. “Because I know the Truth, everyone else must not unless they agree entirely with me. Because I now have a monopoly on absolute Truth, there is no reason for me to listen to others.”   » Read more…

At a roundtable discussion held at Goshen College on May 6, 2008, Mennonite students in Indiana talk to CNN’s Rick Sanchez about issues important to them this election year.

Tomorrow, Indiana residents will play a significant role in the Democratic presidential race. It has been a long time – at least 40 years – since voices in this great state in the country’s heartland have had such influence and were so valued.   » Read more…

As a newcomer to the American political scene, the past four years of living in this nation has been a time of learning for me, and also a time of frequent exclamations of surprise. As a Canadian, I was most surprised by the strong party affiliations that function here.   » Read more…

Ok, I admit it. I am a political news junkie. I have 12 websites bookmarked that I regularly check throughout the day…in case a new poll has come out or to find out what the candidates said in the last hour that might affect the race.   » Read more…

I am so glad that I decided to participate in the CNN interview. It was a positive experience and it reinforced my interest in this election. I was slightly nervous at first as I anticipated the day of filming, but as I took the time to think about what I might want to say, I became more excited and more convinced that my words could be useful to the continuing conversation of faith and politics.   » Read more…

At the CNN interview, it was amazing to hear how similar our views were on so many of the issues. Of course, we all have our nuanced differences of opinion, but it’s clearly evident that our Anabaptist Mennonite faith plays a defining role in how we think about politics.   » Read more…

For me, the best part of the CNN interview experience is the potential for a larger national audience to learn more about who Mennonites are, and for viewers to see younger people engaged in the politics.   » Read more…

The best part of the CNN interview experience was having the opportunity to articulate some of my political and religious beliefs to a larger audience. Not many college students, especially Mennonite pacifists, get the chance to share their views with millions of Americans (and others from around the world). I hope that what I was trying to say came across clearly.   » Read more…