There Will Forever Be an *

There Will Forever Be an *

For baseball purist, Barry Bonds has an * next to his name. “Hammering Hank” is still the king! I remember that April night in 1974 when one baseball legend was surpassed by another. As a thirteen-year-old little leaguer I was caught up in the excitement of that moment. It is moments like these that become the motivation of many young people to follow their dreams, whether in sports or some other endeavor. Years later watching Barry Bonds set the new record, I felt anything but excitement. I watched the integrity of the game become tarnished, as some fans were willing to accept the spectacular at the cost of being honorable.

To many Americans a google search of the list of U.S. Presidents looks like this.

Joseph Biden*

Donald Trump

Barrak Hussien Obama

George W, Bush

Show 42 more.

So why an asterisk next to Joe Biden’s name. Am I just another right-wing fanatic that can’t get over the results of the 2020 election? No because I am of the belief that those wings, whether right or left, are attached to the same vulture. Am I just an opportunist seeking popularity by rehashing a political event that the country has moved on from. No on the popularity, but YES in the opportunity to proclaim that the integrity of our elections is far greater than any person or party. Just as the seasons in baseball have continued, and the fans have continued to cheer on their teams, most of our nation’s people have moved on, but the integrity of our elections is still back on November 3, 2020, waiting.

What do I mean by integrity is waiting? It is waiting for an answer that justifies. After the 2020 presidential election, what the American people wanted was as simple answer. An answer that would have prevented the asterisk and kept the integrity of our election process. But more importantly would have produced unity in our nation. After the discovery that Barry Bonds was using performance enhancing drugs, Major League Baseball put in place rules to prevent the future use of these drugs. It was their answer to preserving the integrity of the game. But the answer that the American people were demanding never came. So, suspicion and distrust grew stronger in both democrat and republican voters.

Two opinions that I have heard repeatedly since the election, have come from voters of each party. A co-worker who is a long-time democrat said to me. “I voted for Biden, and wanted him to win, but this doesn’t pass the smell test.” And a family member who is a republican voter made this statement. “For the first time in my life, I have zero confidence in my government.” Not passing the test, zero confidence, these are sad and dangerous attitudes to hold of our national representation.

I believe that certainty matters. I want to be certain of my eternal salvation. I want to know how long a fuse is before lighting it, that sugar is not put in my cornbread, and I want to know that our elections our just. Without this assurance, and by assurance, I mean solidly founded on our Constitution and without any appearance of evil, we place this nation on a slippery slope.

So now, back to why the asterisk? You don’t get an asterisk because you are unpopular, you made some mistakes, or you did not fulfill the promises made when you campaigned for office. If this were so, then the case could be made that several if not all our past presidents should receive one. Then this would create types of asterisks. A key or legend would show by color what the asterisk meant. Our younger generations with their infatuations with emojis, could show out their creativity. A blue dress could be placed next to Bill Clinton’s name, and a black spy figure next to Nixon’s.

But no, this is not the reason for the asterisk. You get an asterisk when, like Barry Bonds, you are considered illegitimate. When there is an appearance or perception of evil in how you got there. For Bonds it was performance enhancing steroids, for Joe Biden it was the alleged tampering of the election process. Neither could like their predecessors could achieve their goals by following the rules. Bonds could not, like Babe Ruth was reported to do, choke down a couple of hot dogs and a beer and step from the dugout and hit home runs. Biden also, could not come out of the basement and deliver a unify and clear message to the American people.

Before trying to wrap this up, I want to offer my belief or core values. I differ from many conservatives in that I am a Christian first. I am a citizen of the Kingdom of God. My allegiance is to my King and is absolute and final. To remain in obedience to Him, I must honor all who are in authority. After this I have a strong military influence that causes me to obey the orders of the Commander in Chief regardless of who is wearing the hat. (Romans 13:1-7, 1 Peter 2:13)

So, I cannot hate Joe Biden. In walking out this life in Christ, following the leading of His Spirit, and serving as His witness and ambassador, I must love and pray for my enemies. I can disagree with him but with his cognitive decline, I find myself moved toward compassion and pity. It is terrible what the Socialists have done to him. The unknown figures behind the Presidency of Joe Biden turned his tenure into a circus. With a plethora of clowns, freaks, drama queens, and crime bosses. It will be remembered as a target rich environment for conspiracy theorist and Netflix originals. No need for writers, the script has been played out before us in real life.

So as Joe Biden’s term as President ends. As Americans look forward to what is hoped will be strong leadership that sets a vision for righteousness, justice, and truth. Let us look back and with compassion and mercy, forgive the man with the asterisk, but resolve to never let it happen again. Let us go back and bring integrity forward.