In case you haven't seen the news, this is Raymond Geisel. He's the first public arrest for threatening to assassinate Barack Obama. Apparently he was running his mouth enough to warrant an arrest, which uncovered a bunch of nasty weapons. He came off a tiny bit crazy in his interview as well.

Up until now I've really tried to ignore all of the talk about Obama being assassinated, mainly because I just didn't want to deal with it. When I hear that there are people in this country who will never allow a black President, I bristle, because I always take it as an assault on white southerners, even if it's not specifically intended that way. I hate the idea of the rest of this nation thinking that everyone who lives in my demographic area is hell-bent on killing the man rather than having a black man for President.

The fact is there are plenty of crazy people out there - and not just in the South, and not just racists. Who knows how many attempts on George W. Bush's life have been thwarted by hard-working Secret Service who don't play around with threats? We just don't hear about them. There are people out there who I'm sure would like to assassinate any President, just because there always have been.

However, this morning I'm feeling especially compelled to pray for Obama, and to continue to do so. I pray for his safety, because I'm not wishing any physical harm on the guy, no matter how much his plans for this country terrify me. But if someone were to even publicly attempt an assassination on him, even if it were unsuccessful, can you imagine the backlash it would bring? People who don't even like the guy would suddenly be compelled to campaign for him. It's just the way we are. And if the attack were successful, then whoever stepped into his shoes (Hillary, anyone?) would practically be a shoo-in. Race relations in this country would be set back 40 years and our country would begin to tear itself up from the inside out. We are far too stretched internationally to have to deal with a civil war at home. And a distracted nation makes an easy target that our enemies would be more than happy to capitalize on.

So please join me in praying for both of our candidates and the men and women protecting them. Senator Obama being elected President is not the worst thing that could happen to us.