George W. Bush and Senator John F. Kerry locked horns for the third and final go-round of the Presidential Wednesday night, and it’s now all up to the citizenry of the United States.

We are faced with many issues including abortion, gay rights, national security and health care, and the candidate and the incumbent stand polls apart on each point.

As the pair clashed, Kerry erred when he said he has a health-care plan that covers every American and that Bush had cut Pell grants to students. He altered that statement when Bush accurately noted that about one million more students are currently receiving aid than when he first took office. As for the health-care plan, it was also brought out that Kerry’s plan couldn’t not completely eliminate the uninsured, but instead would cover only about 25 million of the 45 million who are without coverage.

Kerry also tried to sell his statement that Bush pays little heed to the issues of civil rights, when in truth, Bush invited and met with the black caucus at the White House only two weeks after his election to President.

In another erroneous statement, Kerry told viewers that 1.6 million jobs have been lost under Bush’s leadership, but the drop is actually 821,000.

On one of the hottest topics in the news, Bush did say that he has not taken a flu shot and does not intend to since he wants to make sure that the most vulnerable are treated first. He also explained that he feels the decision to block shipments of the British manufactured flu vaccine from the U.S. was the right one since it is contaminated. He added; this nation also needs to take measures to get the vaccine domestically produced.

On another topic before lawmakers right now, Bush said he’s not sure if homosexuals choose to live such a lifestyle, but that consenting adults should be able to live the way they want to. However, he also said that marriage needs to be protected as &uot;an act between a man and a woman.&uot;

Kerry said that while he believes the same, he also believes that it is wrong for the federal government to get involved in dictating marriage laws to the states.

Now, I don’t know about you but it seems to me that Bush is for the right and moral issues in this nation. He proclaims he’s a Christian and from where I sit, he seems to walk in the Christian manner.

Far be it for me to tell anyone how to vote, but I do think that every Christian should take a look at Bush and realize, it is he who stands for Godly principals and precepts. While he can’t tell people how to live their lives, he does recognize that certain behavior is an &uot;abomination&uot; before God, as stated in the Holy Bible.

Now, I realize that everyone out there does not believe in God, so those of you who do not, pay no mind to what I say. But, also, look at just one implication of &uot;same-sex&uot; marriage-consider that gay partners in marriage will receive the same rights as heterosexuals including health insurance, which none of us can afford now.

With the marriage of two men, or two women, it is likely that there will be an ever-increasing number of health claims due to AIDS and other related problems. Those claims will be made on insurance companies for the most part and when their costs increase, whom do you think they will pass that increase on to? You and I will share in it.

I’m not speaking about those victims who become infected with AIDS through no fault of their own, like babies born with AIDS, or those who contract the illness through blood or being exposed to it in any other way than through sexual transmission. God help them all and we should, too. They did nothing to bring the disease upon themselves and they deserve all the help and prayers we can give.

Of course, we should also pray for the homosexuals in this world. God commands us to love one another, warts and all. He loves the gay lovers, just as He loves you and me – sinners of other types. We must pray that they will see the light and give their lives to Christ. I’m sure there are gay people who believe they are Christians, but I pray they read the Bible to learn that God considers their lifestyle &uot;an abomination.&uot; Still, if they come to Him seeking forgiveness and with a desire to change, He will not only help them but He will also forgive and welcome them into the family of God.

One more indication today that we are indeed living in the last days… a microchip is now available and being &uot;planted&uot; under the skin and it will give doctors the information they need to confirm a patient’s identity and medical records.

This technology has been around for a while since veterinarians have been implanting animals with microchips for some time, and it was only a matter of time until humanity was subjected to the implants.

Now, this all sounds like it would be a wonderful medical tool, but it also sounds like we’re falling right into line with what the Bible says about all of us being &uot;known by a number&uot; instead of a name.

The chips are actually tiny electronic capsules that bear &uot;codes&uot; that can be scanned just like an item at the local Wal-Mart. Already, about 7,000 chips have been sold for humans and about 1,000 have been implanted.

Isn’t this leading us further down the path to accepting &uot;the mark of the beast&uot; as stated in the Bible, a book that was completed a couple of thousand years ago? How can anyone not believe in what this book has to say? It’s all there in black and white, and with the words of Christ in red?

Of course, there are opponents to the use of the microchips, but they are not adverse to the devices because of religious conviction but only because of the &uot;Big Brother is watching&uot; syndrome.

I don’t know about you, but I’m not ready to be scanned like a can of peaches, and I’m not ready to give up any more of my identity to anyone. (They already have too much info on all of us!) The developers of the little devices, which are about the size of a grain of rice, say that information contained in the microchip can only be accessed by certain entities, like doctors. We all know, however, that certain elements of society can get their grubby hands on our personal information in almost situation so what’s to prevent them from illegally accessing this $200 microchip?

Believe me, I refuse to become a bag of chips in this earthly existence as long as I can make such decisions. Who knows what else they could put into that little 17-millimeter capsule? No… I just don’t think I want to take that &uot;mark&uot; unto myself. But then again, there is currently discussion underway as to whether people should be compelled to take the implant. See where all this is leading?