"Do not repay evil for evil...." 1 Peter 3:9
Who would Jesus torture?
by David Batstone
Christians of strong religious faith and sound moral conscience often end up in disagreement. Human affairs are a messy business, unfortunately, and even at the best of times we only see through a glass, darkly.
It is hard for that reason to call Christians to a universal standard of behavior. At this moment, however, we cannot afford to dilute the message of Jesus into meaningless ambiguity. There are certain acts that a follower of Jesus simply cannot accept. Here is one: A Christian cannot justify the torture of a human being.
The practice of torture by American soldiers is a hot topic at the Pentagon, in the Congress, and in the White House at the moment. The U.S. Senate already has passed 90-9 a bill that prohibits "cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment" of prisoners in U.S. custody. The lead advocate of the bill, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), was tortured by his captors during the Vietnam War. According to The New York Times, the Pentagon adopted a policy last Thursday to rein in interrogation techniques. The new policy uses much of the same language as the McCain amendment - drawn in large part from the Geneva Convention - to adopt standards for handling terror suspects.
Remarkably, the White House opposes the Pentagon initiative, and threatens to veto any legislation to which the McCain bill gets attached. Vice President Dick Cheney has urged Republican senators to allow CIA counterterrorism operations internationally to be exempt from the ban on mistreatment of prisoners, major newspapers reported.
On Nov. 3, Lawrence Wilkerson, former chief of staff for then-Secretary of State Colin Powell, said during an interview on NPR's "Morning Edition" that memos from Cheney's office practically encouraged abuse of Iraqi prisoners. Though in "carefully couched terms" that would allow for deniability, the message from Cheney's office conveyed the sentiment that interrogations of Iraqi prisoners were not providing the needed intelligence. Wilkerson said soldiers in the field would have concluded that to garner better intelligence they could resort to interrogation techniques that "were not in accordance with the spirit of the Geneva Conventions and the law of war."
Republican senators are among the strongest voices in the growing chorus of criticism. Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) said, "I think the administration is making a terrible mistake in opposing John McCain's amendment on detainees and torture." And Sen. John Warner (R-Va.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and co-sponsor of McCain's measure, agreed: "I firmly believe that it's in the best interest of the Department of Defense, the men and women of the United States military that this manual be their guide."
When the existence of secret CIA detention centers became public this week, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) and Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) called for investigations - not about whether they violate laws governing human rights - but about how the information was leaked. But members of their own party are keeping the focus where it belongs. The Washington Post quoted Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) as saying, "Talk about not seeing the forest for the trees. The real story is those jails."
Admittedly, Christians of good faith part paths when political conflict leads us to consider what constitutes a just and righteous war - or if any war can be just. Though we may not consent on the means, we do consent on the need to confront the spread of evil in the world. Yet we can all affirm scripture when it says, "Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all.... Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:17, 21). When we confront evil with its own means, those means mark our own character.
In that regard, the practice of torture so fully embraces evil it dehumanizes both the torturer and its victim. No just cause can be won if it relies on torture to succeed. Democracy and freedom cannot result from a war fueled by torture, which is why so many Americans were shocked and angered by the disturbing incidents that took place at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
All the more so, Christians must oppose torture under any circumstances. Consider this: Who would Jesus torture? I cannot imagine Jesus finding a single "exemption" that would justify such an abuse of any individual made in God's image.
Though I bristle whenever I hear someone refer to the United States as a Christian nation - it is such a loaded phrase - many in the Muslim world see us as such. How tragic it would be for Muslims to identify the message and mission of Jesus with torture and terror. We must not allow that to happen.
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Where I approve of President Bush: A post for my mother-in-law
In an offhanded comment, I mentioned that if my mother-in-law e-mailed me something, I'd write a positive post about President Bush. She did, so I've scanned the headlines for the last few day and come up with two positive moves by President Bush and his administration.
JM-this is for you...While in China, President Bush
attended an official, state-run church. While I would have preferred he visit one of the many underground churches that supposedly operate in China, I know that is impossible. After attending the service,
President Bush said, ""My hope is that the government of China will not fear Christians who gather to worship openly," and added, "A healthy society is a society that welcomes all faiths." This certainly supports my JIF (Justice, Independence, Freedom) principle. I've read that Soviet dissidents appreciated Reagan meeting with Soviet-approved dissidents during his trip there, so I can only assume that Bush's hardy support for freedom of religion will be received in a similar fashion by Christians there.
Now, with the upcoming Hong Kong talks in the Doha round of trade agreements,
Reuters is reporting "the Bush administration would oppose any legislation emerging from Congress that would mark a step toward trade protectionism, a senior U.S. Treasury official said on Monday. "We're focusing on open markets ... we're focusing on a successful Doha (global trade) round," U.S. Treasury Under Secretary for International Affairs Tim Adams told reporters.
As a progressive who is concerned not only with how the economic pie is sliced, but how to grow the pie, the move toward free trade and away from protectionism is vitally important. The only way to lift millions, heck billions of people out of poverty is to grow the global economic pie through free and fair trade. Free and fair trade isn't always perfect, but protectionism is a sure-fire way to restrict global economic growth.
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The Republican controlled Congress
Corrupt and
incompetent.
*
Does our only San Diego-based reader have anything to say on how corrupt Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-20th district) is?
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A Trip Home
A week ago my family went back to my home town for my great aunt's memorial service. We stayed the week and enjoyed Thanksgiving with my family. My aunt was a member of a church that has a very different faith tradition than that of my own. For example, they actually use wine for communion, which is served at the alter - and evidently you're supposed to wait for the Father to take the bread from your hand and dip it in the wine so you don't have to drink from the cup itself, which my mom, grandma and I found out the hard way! Oh, and they have an organ. A very loud organ! It's fairly liturgical and eight years ago, I would have been completely against such a place. But I kind of like it - not in an every week way, mind you. There's something beautiful about it, something timeless.
Anyway, they have some other things going on at this church that I thought were pretty cool like AA meetings and
PFLAG meetings - which would never happen at my church, I think.
It looked like there was some sort of discussion on the nature of the Bible taking place in a fellowship hall. There was a chart titled, "Spectrum of Possibilities" with these columns: infallible interpretation, Critical interpretation, Transforming Story, Bible as literature. The wording isn't right on most of these, so that doesn't help, and there was one other column in the middle. So what do you think? Where does the Bible fit? Or does it fit into different columns? What made you decide where to place it, or how do you decide when it goes into one category versus another?
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Monday's Meditation
I came across a couple of quotes this week and thought I'd share them both with you. Here they are!
"Men are so accustomed to establish and defend their existence by violence, by bayonets, bullets, prisons, and gallows, that it seems to them as if such an arrangement of life were not only normal, but were the only one possible. Yet it is just this arrangement and maintenance of the commonwealrth by violence, that does most to hinder people from comprehending the causes of the sufferings, and consequently from being able to establish a true order."
-- Leo Tolstoy
I thought this to be a relevant quote in light of the ongoing discussion between Expat and Guru regarding the
"War on Terror.""The barbarians are not waiting beyond the frontiers; they have already been governing us for quite some time. And it is our lack of consciousness of this that constitutes part of our predicament. We are waiting not for a Godot, but for another - doubtless very different - St. Benedict."
-- Alastair Macintyre
This quote caught my attention on several levels. First, I thought it a funny image to think of GW Bush as a "barbarian" in the style of
Conan. But more importantly, I think it leads us to another idea more powerful altogether, and that is the invitation to escape the rat race of the world and enter a different sort of life. What are the barbarians of our lives and what are we being called to?
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Expat Teacher is in Italy all weekend
and therefore there will be no blogging from him until Monday.
Enjoy your weekend.
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Happy Thanksgiving! Now go back to your family
I miss
home.
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The difference between America and the UK in 6 sentences
Gurufrisbee may not be working today and, therefore, has no internet connection. I'm going to fill his usual Wednesday spot. I hope you don't mind. Something happened today that I think is worth blogging about. After much pestering, a friend of mine, let's call her ConflictedFundraiser, allowed me to post this e-mail on Page 132. It is from a professor at a university here in London.
I think it perfectly captures a fundamental difference between America and the U.K. In America your results/actions determine your future. One can always improve. In the U.K, and especially in education, it is about WHO you are and not WHAT you do. I encountered a similar attitude in my M.A. studies, but nothing so blantant or concise.
One important thing you need to know about ConflictedFundraiser. She is very intelligent and was encouraged by other professors and PhD students to pursue her PhD. Additionally, she obtained her MSc through the same university.
Dear [ConflictedFundraiser],
I wanted to read your dissertation to assess your potential to do original research. Unfortunately, I am afraid that it don't think what you have produced suggests to me that you have the potential to do a PhD. Your grades may meet departmental regulations but the thesis is the true test. For this reason I am unwilling to entertain any further PHd proposal from you... On the basis of what I have read I would not encourage you to [enter the academic field]. I am sorry of this news is a shock to you but it is better to hear it now rather than a year or two down the line.
Regards,
[Name withheld by request of ConflictedFundraiser]
I understand centers for higher learning have to draw a line about who is acceptable and who isn't. Yet the criteria used is not about actions, but simply ConflictedFundraiser's potential.
As a friend, I offered ConflictedFundraiser a few choice words, usually reserved only for
Karl Rove. As an educator, I'm appalled by this educator's disinterest in helping a student improve and learn. As somone who cares about justice, to see this sort of discrimination gets me red hot.
No wonder America eclipsed the U.K. during the 20th century. Americans encourage dreaming; Brits only want the right people to chase their dreams.
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China, consumer spending and Christmas
I only buy things from people who elect their leaders. The underlying idea is that I'm supporting
my JIF principle. I'm sending money to a country that has political freedoms and offers some recourse to justice. It makes buying shoes a long and laborious process. It doesn't always work. I absolutely adore my Chinese-made iPod, but in general, I stick with it.
Yet the more I look at the world, the more it appears that countries plugged into the global economy are the most stable and peaceful. China and Eastern European integration into the EU are prime examples. The places of discontent are outside the global economy. Africa and large chunks of South America being prime examples.
It is no secret that people who are rich, fat and happy don't take up arms against their neighbor.
So is my shopping principle misguided? Should I really be purchasing the best quality product at the lowest price regardless of its origin? Should it matter that my shirt is made in Burma or my shoes in China? Should the horrilbe human rights records of those countries affect my spending this Christmas? Does anyone else have a purchasing philosophy like this? What criteria do you use when you make a purchase?
What say you, the Page 132 community?
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Monday's Meditation
Expat had some questions regarding the meditation
two weeks ago in which Jonathan Edwards writes about the lack of change in the hearts of those who hear the word. Today's meditation is a response to those questions.
"Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, 'Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?'...
"Jesus answered, 'If you want to be perfect go, sell your possessions, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.'
"When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth"
-- Matthew 19:16-24
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Sunday Article round-up
Another Sunday and more articles worthy of blogging attention, but no spare time. Organized completely at random, we have...
Want a headstart on Friday's
shop-till-you-drop specials?For another week running, tens of thousands of
demonstrators have protested in the Azeri capital, Baku, against the results and conduct of the 6 November parliamentary election.
In Iowa, they are having a
"Fatherhood conference". The group and the event seek "to raise awareness on how important the father's role in parenting is." Expat thinks this is a very good idea.
The Guardian has 4 depressing
interviews with Gitmo detainees.
Aerin, a pastor's wife over at Tale of a Pink Money has this -
What I've Learned from Fundagelicals I Know... A Partial List.
Chad over at Eternal Revolution might have been channeling our own MoLak-Jedi with this
post. "Understand I’m not advocating that followers of Christ should withdraw from politics entirely. I think being politically informed and active is very important. But you won’t hear me talking about politics here anytime soon because that would be a diversion from the real, core issue. We need to get spiritualized - learn to love Christ and truly appreciate the blessing and grace of God - and the rest will flow from there."
Via Tim Challies - With tens of thousands of new blogs beginning every day, it is rare that one comes along that is very different from the rest.
Purgatorio is different. Very different. Short on text but long on photo essays, this site is a fascinating glimpse into the trends and fads within Evangelicalism (and occasionally beyond).
Thinking Christian is investigating
does God destroy nations?While waiting for the
most anticipated post in Page 132 history, I've had to tied myself over with these Intelligent Design themed articles.
Slate deals with a fundamental philosophical flaw of ID by asking this question,
Is the intelligent designer loving or vindictive?Over at Beliefnet they've posted,
Tony Campolo's stages of creation. The article shows how evolution, ID and strict creationism all fall short of the perfect answer.
Again showing you can be socially and theologically conservative without checking your brain at the door, the top
Vatican scientist rejects ID.
The Democratic Leadership Council has a
Radical idea: Respect science.
While it is far from a unifying message or a strong statement on values, it is good to see that
Democrats have innovation agenda to help ensure America's dominance in the IT and communication industry for the next 20 years.
The
Saudis are criticized for punishment of teacher who criticized Islam.
While it surprises no one, we now have clear proof that
Iran has a horrible human rights record.
Interested in how democracy is marching through the Middle East? Check out the
Middle East freedom Index.
Big news for international travelers, because US and Europe have agreed to
Open Skies between Europe and America. Under Friday's deal, US airlines will be free to fly both to airports in the European Union and from there to third destinations,
if approved by the US and the 25 EU members.
The "compassionate-conservative" Republican controlled House passed
a broad five-year budget plan that squeezes programs for the poor, for college students and for farmers.
Tony Blair
writes an editorial in the Guardian defending his modernizing plan for British schools. Great read if you care about schooling at all!
Michael Kinsley explains why there is
no real abotion debate in American politics.
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A sad reminder
Much sadness spreads across fictional political-life land because there is no "West Wing" episode tonight. NBC is showing the movie "Poseidon Adventure" instead. The next new episode will air December 4.
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Fun with camera phones - Covent Garden edition
Pictures from our day out at
Covent Garden
A view of the market | 
The famous flower girl from My Fair Lady |
Cool painted tea lights | 
I didn't know that... |
It's Christmas time! |
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Friday Prayer Blogging - Give Thanks!
By next Friday we'll have passed by the grand turkey day itself, Thanksgiving.
So in anticipation of that coming up this next week:
What are you thankful for?Share with us and let's all give thanks for our many blessings.
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A Very Seattle Thing
Monkfish Abbey is a place I think I could really get into.
Here's why.
First, it's a non-threatening environment in which people can discuss their religious/theological views. This is something that the institution we call church needs to get around on many levels. First, Sunday morning provides absolutely no opportunity for two-way interaction. It's just not the function of most Sunday morning worship services - which are basically set up to indoctrinate the listener into the ideology of that body. "Well," you say, "What about small groups?" It's a great idea, but I think that most in church leadership tend to encourage their small groups to stay away from such outright religious, shall we say, experimentation. I don't think that most church functions are places where the homosexual can say, "Hey, I'm gay," or the un-wed couple can say, "Hey, this is where we are..." As open as we try to be, we're still very closed.
Next, Monkfish seems like a place where talk is cheap and action speaks louder than words.
Anyway, it's an interesting concept, and something that the church could grasp a hold of for the better.
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Hawks and Herrings
During the summer and recently this fall, gurufrisbee and I have had
a debate about non-violence as a foreign policy. I think we came to an impass when gurufrisbee
said, "I'm not willing to say that it's impossible to imagine a dictator who sincerely cares for the well being of all their citizens and nation and treats them well and where that is a better situation that a country who elects a bunch of corrupt, nasty, evil leaders in a democracy who abuse their power and their citizens." because
I declared, "no matter of debate is going to convince me that living in a dictatorship is equal to or better than a democracy in any situation."
That doesn't mean the discussion should end. It probably means we won't resolve our difference, but good policy can come out of our discussions. Besides good policy (as if two middle school teachers are
ever consulted on
any policy issue), the discussion strengthen my hawkishness and brought up a few
red herrings.
Why, with top
Democrats calling for an immediate pull-out of Iraq, am I more hawkish? Let me list the ways...
First, as Condoleezza Rice
said, "For 60 years my country, the United States, pursued stability at the expense of democracy in this region, here in the Middle East, and we achieved neither." She is absolutely right. The old course of action didn't work. We must pursue something new.
Since Bush has pursued the forceful democracy promotion by overthrowing the Taliban in Afghanistan and Saddam Hussein in Iraq, the following major political shifts have happened in the Middle East.
Libya gave up its nuclear program and support of terrorism in Palestine. America is even considering
opening diplomatic relations with Libya.
Egypt had
open elections with multiple candidates.
Kuwaiti women got the
right to vote.
Of course, Iraq has had an elected Constitutional convention, a national referendum on the Constitution and is now preparing for the
first true parliamentary elections in its history.
On the other side of Iran is Hamid Karzai's Afghanistan. They have elected both the president and
a parliament for the first time in Afghanistan history.
And under USA pressure, Saudi Arabia held its
first direct election of municipal councilors. It was far from perfect, but it was one more election than held under the previous foreign policy.
Although not specifically related to America's forceful democracy promotion, Lebanon had the
Cedar Revolution, forcing Syria to withdraw its 14,000 troops and some of its intelligence services.
Palestine had
democratic elections with multiple candidates. I'll grant that Yassir Arafat's death had more to do with that, but the Bush policy did exert influence over the "terrorists" in the PLA.
And by taking the fight to Al-Qaeda, Al-Qaeda has been exposed as the murderous thugs they are. They have no real political agenda and Arabs are seeing that. That is why the Washington Post has noted
Al-Qaeda's isolation in the wake of so many deaths in the Middle East. Just note
this Pew poll showing support for suicide bombings decreasing dramatically across many Muslim countries.
The forceful democracy foreign policy approach of the Bush administration has produced more democratic fruit than the previous bipartisan "status quo/friendly dictator" model.
Overall the idea that "Liberalism for liberals and cannibalism for cannibals" leads to a belief that borders on racism. That somehow certain peoples aren't ready or don't want self-determination is the prevailing opinion in Europe. I believe that is part of the reason Europe is continually sliding backward and into obscurity because it won't stand up and fight for its fundamental values. It is fine with "to each his own" and therefore the world is passing Europe by because Europe has nothing to add to the world conversation.
America cannot let happen to itself.
I can hear you saying, "That all seems very positive, so what are the red herrings you were talking about?"
The first is that Bush & Co lied to the American people to get them into war.
I am not defending Bush's application of his own principle. I think he is very incompetent and have
called for Donald Rumsfeld to be fired because he is such a bad Secretary of Defense. Matthew Yglesias has labeled this the
Incompetence Dodge. Matt has some wonderful points about how we weren't ready for Iraq, but we must separate the incompetence of Bush & Co with the foreign policy theory they have advocated. I might find a wonderful chocolate cake recipe, but I'm lousy in the kitchen and burn it. That doesn't make the chocolate cake recipe any less wonderful, it only means keep me out of the kitchen!
The second is something like
r.johnson expresses, "If the people of Iraq, Burma, Zimbabwe, Saudi Arabia, or China decide to 'throw off' their governments, that is one thing, but it is a different thing altogether to presume that we have the right to do it for them." That is all well and good, but these countrys have massive military machines and secret police. People can't even assemble together without government sanctioning. The technological and armory differential between the average citizen and the government are completely one-sided. The idea that they might just "throw off" the government when they tire of them is ludicrous. Is it too crazy to think that people are people and everyone might want self-determination?
The third is something
like "those that would step into the political vacume are the Muslim Brotherhood, the more organized political opposition, which directly undercuts any argument that 'reginme change' would lead to greater freedoms. Same tyranny, different tyrant." While it is true that Islamic parties do poll well once the public gets a good choice, this canard has two problems. The first assumes that America must support the new government. America should only support governments that allow for greater freedoms for its people. If one tyrant is replaced by another, America should oppose that one as well. The second issue is legitmacy. If the Muslim Brotherhood gains legitmate power via the vote (as Hamas has done in Lebanon), they are then beholden to the public for their popular suppor. If they fail to keep the people happy, their legitmacy declines. I'll take a Muslim Brotherhood responsible and responsive to the people over the Muslim Brotherhood lurking in the shadows and accountable to no one but Allah.
The fourth is
something like "how can we justify a war when tens of thousands of innocents have been killed?" Well there are again two angles. The first is that in Iraq, under Saddam, he was killing people. He had whole villages wiped out, the Marsh Arabs forcibly removed from their land, attacks on the Shi'ites in the south. The mass graves show how cruel and murderous he was. The second is that American forces haven't killed all those civilians. It has been Al-Qeada in Iraq who have driven explosive-laden cars into market places, put bombs in front of mosques and or sent suicide bombers into crowds of unemployed Iraqis. America is not killing huge numbers of civilians (we have killed some and that is a horrible shame), it is the opposition. Is America to blame for their decisions?
This post wasn't meant to bait anyone, but simply to serve as a nice summation of my thoughts on the subject. One final caveat: I do support a strong statement that we won't be in Iraq forever and will withdraw troops as certain political and safety goals are met. We need to send a strong message that America may forcibly promote democracy, but won't stay as the overlord or colonial power.
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Jerry is at it again
As I've said before, I really wanted a
"I vote Christian" stickerand I signed on with the Moral Majority on the promise of getting one.
One side product is now I get sent the "Falwell Confidential" e-newsletter. This latest one is a doozy. I've re-printed most of it here, with my comments following each of Jerry's sections. Please feel free to add any comments you like:
MANY AMERICANS RE-EXAMINING PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Most of them haven't examined them in the first place, how could they be "re-examining" them?
Our American public school system is being laid to waste by situational ethics, moral relevancy and political correctness that disregards our Judeo-Christian heritage.
Odd. I teach in a public middle school and I teach general ethics, moral standards, and have never been taught to, encouraged to, or pressured to do anything "politically correct" in regards to any Judeo-Christian heritage, including my own. In the case of Fields v. Palmdale School District, Judge Stephen Reinhardt ruled that parental rights to direct the upbringing of their children are immobilized at the "threshold of the school door."
It did no such thing. What it did do is state that parents are not entitled to money from a school district that did not get their permission first before giving a questionnaire to students.
Parents, Judge Reinhardt is saying that once your children walk through that school door, you have no right to know determine what they learn.
Actually he did nothing like this. It was a questionnaire - it was not actually TEACHING anything. This ruling essentially enacts a parental version of "don't ask, don't tell" and effectively authorizes schools to conduct social engineering on our children.
Sometimes I am too shocked to know what to say.
The Ninth Circuit Court ruled that these parents have no "fundamental right" to protest against this questionnaire because it is the school's responsibility to determine what takes place in the classroom.
NO! The court said the school was fine because the CONSTITUTION does not actually have a stance on this and if they had ruled OTHERWISE, the Ninth Circuit Court would have been - - legislating from the bench!! Mathew Staver, president and general counsel of Liberty Counsel, and now lead counsel in these parents' appeal, wrote in my National Liberty Journal newspaper: "Parents have had a good will relationship with their schools. But because of this case, once parents drop off their children at school, teachers are legally authorized to educate their children about any topic, no matter how offensive (shy of treason), without informing the parents what is being taught."
Staver - what is your approach? Should teachers get approval from every class parent on every lesson plan before they teach anything? And why is "treason" separated on this one - is that the one forbidden sin that even this ruling didn't touch? The judicial activists and leftist leaders can argue all they want about the murky "separation of church and state," but our schools began their steady downfall when we replaced Judeo-Christian values with feel-good social policies. Now our public school system has essentially replaced the "three R's" with sex questionnaires.
I love that line. I like to think that all I spend ten months doing is handing out sex questionnaires. How does this man have any credibility with anyone at this point?It should surprise no one that more and more Americans are looking for alternatives to our frequently failing public schools.
Failing? By whose definition? What makes a school a failure, Jerry? Because it cares for the child's well being AND education? Or because our public schools as a whole are improving in reading, writing, math, and pretty much every single area ?
Thankfully, Liberty Counsel, Liberty University, Child Evangelism Fellowship and the Christian Educators Association International have teamed up to set the record straight: the doors of our nation's public school are open for Christian to usher in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Oh that's a relief. If our nation's public schools spends some more time learning the Gospel of Jesus Christ that should give us a good boost in the "three R's"! Last year, Liberty Counsel won a precedent-setting case that permits public school teachers and staff to lead Good News Clubs in public schools. The four organizations are now working together to try to get these clubs - which include Bible study, prayer and Christian fellowship - into every public school in the nation.
And now our public schools have essentially replaced the "three R's" with Bible Study, prayer, and Christian fellowship. Brilliant, Jer.I will be writing more on this effort in the future. The need is great. Our schools have essentially become mission fields because so many students are completely unaware of who Jesus Christ is. It is imperative that we get a Christian influence back into our nation's schools. This can be done legally and we are compelled to do so.WHY? Why must this be done in public schools? If they are failing so badly, won't all those students end up transferring to good Christian private schools anyways? Why aren't the people who are completely unaware of who Jesus Christ is able to reach when they go to church? Why is it imperative that we get a Christian influence back in schools? Are there absolutely zero people working in them now who have Christianity influence any of what they do? In our nation built on the principles of freedom and equality to all, would this mean we are also opening the doors of the public schoreligiousny and every religous group out there?I'm starting to think this wasn't worth the sticker.
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Take action to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria
From an e-mail from the
ONE coalition. Do as it says.
Right now, Congressional negotiators are making decisions about The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria and its life-saving work fighting these three killer diseases.
Right now, your Representative has the power to push those at the negotiating table to include critical funding that will make a difference to millions.
Please email Congress NOW and ask them to support including $100 million for the Global Fund in the Labor-HHS Appropriations Bill.
In addition to providing life-saving prevention, care and treatment, America's contributions also challenge other countries to do their share, as every U.S. contribution is matched by other countries - so that American money for the Global Fund saves three times as many lives!
Take one minute to email your Representative NOW and ask for their leadership in the fight against AIDS, TB and Malaria.
Together, these three preventable and treatable diseases kill 6 million people each year. Together, we can change that—as ONE, we can make the difference.
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Israelis, Palestinians reach deal on Gaza
Well done, Condi!Discuss.
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The absolute wrong message
A recent outrage about
Bill O'Reilly's idotic comments over San Francisco brings up an interesting problem for progressives and Democrats. How do progressives/Democrats encourage
every single one of our idealistic and energetic young people to commit to national service?
A little background. San Franciscians
overwhelmingly approved a measure encouraging schools to keep military recruiters off campus. This is a
largely symbolic gesture since any school district that takes federal money has to open their schools to military recruiters. It is clearly a strong anti-war statement and that should surprise no one who watches American politics.
However, it makes progressives and Democrats look like jerks. Like they don't appreciate the military service or veterans. It appears that, while we like the freedoms we have, we don't have the courage to stand up and fight. I've never even considered joining the military. My father served in the Nebraska National Guard and has told me since I was young that I wouldn't make good military material because I ask "why" too much. I'd like to think that is true, but it is probably because deep down I'm a coward. I have two friends, Stu and Jck! who are serving full-time for the Air Force. They are better men than me.
So what to do? Rather than sticking our middle finger up at the men and women serving in the military, progressives and Democrats should be championing national service, either in the military or in some
enlarged AmeriCorps. We should be holding up national service as a badge of honor. Our leaders should be calling young people to choose military or community service after high school rather than running Sgt. Thompson out of Springfield High.
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Sunday Article round-up
Updated Sunday nightThis week there are a lot of things to discuss so I've categorized them. Let's start with
US PoliticsApparently not caring how this helps undermine America's push for global human rights, the
Senate voted to limit rights of Guantánamo detainees, overriding a Supreme Court decision from last year.
Also in the Senate, Maria Cantwell is trying to
keep oil tankers out of Puget Sound. Go sign the
petition.
In Tuesday's election, the
'Intelligent design' board was voted out in Dover, Pennsylvania. A strong repudiation of the politicization of school curriculum.
Begging the question,
"What's the Matter with Kansas?", the
Kansas education board backs adding Intelligent Design to the statewide approved curriculum list.
According to Friday's
AfterNote, Karl Rove re-emerges as the president makes his most political speech since last year's presidential campaign. Coincidence? Also,
Bush Forcefully Attacks Iraq Critics with Veteran's Day speech. Unfortunately it was a
carbon copy of a speech he gave in October
Polls came out this this week saying nearly
'60% of Americans Say Bush Not Honest' and President Bush has a
mid-30s approval rating.
That probably sets the stage for the inevitable
Bush comeback story line that the media will start with after the State of the Union.
Expat Teacher proclaims, "This is cool!" An
18-year-old mayor-elect's proclamation: "It's cool". He was a write-in candidate who won by 2 votes.
ChristianityReacting to the above news about Dover, Pennsylvania, Pat Robertson exposed his ignorance about Intelligent Design by
saying"I'd like to say to the good citizens of Dover: if there is a disaster in your area, don't turn to God, you just rejected Him from your city. And don't wonder why He hasn't helped you when problems begin, if they begin. I'm not saying they will, but if they do, just remember, you just voted God out of your city. And if that's the case, don't ask for His help because he might not be there," he said.
Israeli ministry of tourism has gone public with a plan to build - in partnership primarily with American Evangelical churches - a sprawling
Holy Land Christian Center on the northern shores of the Sea of Galilee.
World EventsTrade negotiators have been
forced to admit they are unlikely to reach substantial agreement at a supposedly crucial meeting in Hong Kong next month. This is bad for the world over. Trade liberalization, while usually a boon for Big Business, also lifts millions out of poverty.
Good news!
Polio spread halted across AfricaLiberia's election results are in and
Africa may get first female leader. Stay tuned because the opposition candidate (and famous footballer) is contesting the election and there are fears that violence might break out.
In an another encouraging sign of democracy breaking out around the world,
Afghan's elections finalized and Hamid Karzai's party has a majority.
Will democracy continue its march across central Asia?
20,000 people protested in Azerbaijan over rigged elections last week. It would be good to see American and European leaders back this movement.
In Kazakhstan, authoritarian president Nursultan Nazarbayev
may have offed his strongest political opponent, Zamanbek Nurkadilov. Mr Nurkadilov had earlier compared the president to Romania's ousted dictator, Nicolae Ceausescu. President Nazarbayev has ruled the central Asian nation since 1989 and analysts say he is widely expected to win a new seven-year term.
A U.S.-backed Mideast democracy and development summit
ended in rancor Saturday despite adoption of two initiatives that are part of President Bush's push to expand political freedom in a region dominated by monarchies and effective single-party rule.
The Iraqi President said that
British troops could be out of Iraq by the end of 2006
MiscFrench Geography according to CNN. They are clueless!
South Africa will outlaw
virginity tests of teenage girls.
A Boeing plane has broken the record for the longest non-stop passenger airline flight
after a 12,500-mile trip from Hong Kong to London.In an obvious rebuke to those who tried to tie Kofi Annan to the Oil-for-Food program,
Kojo Annan, the son of the United Nations Secretary-General, has accepted substantial undisclosed damages over a claim that he was involved in negotiations to sell millions of dollars of Iraqi oil under the auspices of Saddam Hussein.
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Oh, how I hate Sweeps Weeks
My favorite escape into a liberal other world,
The West Wing, will be prempted the next three Sundays for a special "Penn & Teller" show, "The Poseidon Adventure" and the movie "Shrek".
When The West Wing is back again, it will be:
Episode 8
"UNDECIDEDS
8pm 2005-12-04
RACIAL CONTROVERSY IN LOS ANGELES SPELLS TROUBLE FOR SANTOS - Santos (Jimmy Smits) must face the challenge of visiting an African-American family in Los Angeles whose child was shot by a Latino police officer. CJ (Allison Janney) must manage a crisis between China and Kazakhstan. Also starring Brad Whitford, Richard Schiff, Kristin Chenoweth, Josh Malina and John Spencer."
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Pilates - it ain't just for chics
My brother is getting married in December and a while back, I joined a gym to slim down. I've been doing some weight lifting and taking some classes, which has paid off because I've lost about a 1 kg (2.2 lbs) each of the last 3 months. One of the most enjoyable classes is
Pilates.
When Mrs. Expat Teacher invited me to join her in the class I assumed it was like Yoga with a lot of chanting and it would be full of women. Pilates isn't like Yoga at all. It is strengthening through stretching and resistance. I've been taking the weekly course for about 2 1/2 months and I've had fabulous results. My "core muscles" are much stronger and I'm able to do many of the exercises with greater flexibility and for longer. The most exciting thing is that when I started the course I could hardly touch the tops of feet when I bent over. Now I can put all 5 finger tips on the floor. Pilates is well worth the effort.
Oh, and the class is full of women, but I've only got eyes for Mrs. Expat Teacher
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Friday Prayer Blogging - Remembrance Day Edition
Today's prayers come courtesy of
my church. To celebrate Remembrance Day (Veteran's Day), Page 132 is honoring our veterans and fallen heroes with prayer. The first two are quick prayers, but the final one is a litany. It really should have a reader and a responder to say the line in bold, but you'll have to make due.
Let us prayA Prayer of Remembrance
Almighty and eternal God,
from whose love in Christ we cannot be parted,
either by death or life:
hear our prayers and thanksgivings
for all whom we remember this day;
fulfil in them the purpose of your love;
and bring us all, with them, to your eternal joy;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayers for Peace
Most gracious God and Father,
in whose will is our peace:
turn our hearts and the hearts of all to yourself,
that by the power of your Spirit
the peace which is founded on righteousness
may be established throughout the whole world;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
God, our refuge and strength,
bring near the day when wars shall cease
and poverty and pain shall end,
that earth may know the peace of heaven
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A Litany of Peace
Let us pray for all who suffer as a result of conflict,
and ask that God may give us peace:
for the service men and women who have died in the violence of war,
each one remembered by and known to God;
May God give peace
God give peacefor those who love them in death as in life,
offering the distress of our grief and the sadness of our loss;
May God give peace
God give peacefor all members of the armed forces who are in danger this day,
remembering family, friends and all who pray for their safe return;
May God give peace
God give peacefor civilian women, children and men whose lives are disfigured by war or terror,
calling to mind in penitence the anger and hatreds of humanity;
May God give peace
God give peacefor peace-makers and peace-keepers,
who seek to keep this world secure and free;
May God give peace
God give peacefor all who bear the burden and privilege of leadership,
political, military and religious;
asking for gifts of wisdom and resolve in the search for
reconciliation and peace.
May God give peace
God give peaceO God of truth and justice,
we hold before you those whose memory we cherish,
and those whose names we will never know.
Help us to lift our eyes above the torment of this broken world,
and grant us the grace to pray for those who wish us harm.
As we honour the past, may we put our faith in your future;
for you are the source of life and hope,
now and for ever.
Amen.
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The value of a label
I was listening to
Governor Warner on the C-Span weekly Q & A and he was asked, "Now all three of [Warner's political influences] are – I don‘t want to overdue this, but they‘re all three liberal, at a very least, Democrats from Connecticut. You are known as a centrist in Virginia. Your father was a Republican, you mother an independent. Where did you – when did you become a Democrat?"
After some cursory comments about the value of family, Warner immediately took the question and made a strong move to the middle/centrist position by saying, "It‘s one of the challenges I think the Democratic Party has right now to move and shift this debate from the traditional framing, liberal versus conservative, left versus right, to a framing that‘s more future versus past."
This minor part of the discussion got me thinking about some posting that we've been doing at Page 132. gurufrisbee
asked about the term liberal and I felt the need to
define the term right-wing extremist. So if we are expending all this hot air, I think it does beg the question...
What is the value of labels? Can one use a label in a positive manner or only as a way to divide "us" from "them"? If so, when Christians label someone are they sinning?
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liberals - what does it all mean?
I've been thinking a lot lately about the word "Liberal".
First there was
this column written by one of my favorites, Leonard Pitts.
And then there was the West Wing debate where Matt Santos went off on Arnie Vinnick for Vinnick trying to repeatedly slam Santos as a liberal.
Which reminded me back to this "Non Sequitor" comic strip from several years ago (I wish you could read it -it's all about how Obviousman is telling the story of a good little word that people who didn't fit it's description worked hard to change it's meaning). I showed this to a very conservative friend at church and she told me she didn't think that was what liberal meant at all. I've since come to realize she actually has no political opinions of her own - she is simply very good at repeating whatever Rush or O'Reilly or Hannity or Carlson (locally) tells her to think.
So now I am thinking: What do conservatives actually think 'being liberal' means? Heck, what do LIBERALS think 'being liberal' means? What does it mean to be a "liberal"?
Dictionary.com says:
Not limited to or by established, traditional, orthodox, or authoritarian attitudes, views, or dogmas; free from bigotry.and:
Favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others; broad-minded.Synonyms include:
advanced, broad-minded, enlightened, flexible, free, general, high-minded, humanistic, humanitarian, impartial, interested, left, lenient, magnanimous, not close, not literal, not strict, permissive, radical, rational, reasonable, receiving, receptive, reformist, tolerant, unbiased, unbigoted, unconventional, understanding, unorthodox, unprejudicedWhat's so bad about those? Those seem mostly positive to me. Still, being labeled a "liberal" is seeming to become an increasingly negative thing.
Pitts writes about those who use the term liberal with contempt and disdain:
"No, I don't mean that those who use it are bigots, but rather, that it has come to be used in much the way racial epithets are used, connoting not a political philosophy but a state of inherent defect so obvious as to require no further explanation. "And in a specific example:
"For him, as for so many others, "liberal" is the catchall explanation for Everything Wrong, one-size-fits-all terminology for Those Who Disagree. And this holds even when it does violence to logic. "Is that true? To me, being a liberal has always meant being willing to change in order to make things better. Being a conservative is therefore saying things are as good as they can be, and therefore, don't change. I guess I don't see how someone is either one or the other. I mean, I look at something like slavery. Clearly we needed liberals to come along and lead to that being changed, but now I don't want to change the status of it anymore.
What does "liberal" mean to you? What SHOULD it mean?
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Diversity of Supreme Court as a reason to block a nominee
In what may signal a swing toward more substational issue-based discussion, I want to put out an idea, have the Page 132 community kick it around and we'll see where it lands.
I know that the Senate won't be voting on the Alito nomination until after the New Year, but I got my third e-mail today urging me to call my senators and tell them to vote no. I'm not anti-Alito as long as he passes
my litmus test, but I'd like to talk about his nomination in the more theoretical.
Would the lack of diversity on the SCOTUS be a good reason to reject a nominee?SCOTUS with Alito would have 8 men and 1 woman. 8 whites and 1 African-American. Alito would be the 5th Catholic jurist.
That is quite different than America at large. Women make up 51% of the US population, but only 11% of the Court. Latinos make up about
14% of America, but have no representation on SCOTUS. African-Americans make up
13% of the US population and have an 11% reprensentation on SCOTUS. 56% of SCOTUS is Catholic. Even Boston doesn't boast that kind of percentage! Add to that those of Asian or Native American who have no representation and SCOTUS starts to look like a good ol' boys club.
How can a court of predominately white men relate to the experiences of woman and minorities in our society? The life experiences of women and minorities are different than those for white men, but equally valid. These different, but valid experiences could change the discussion the justices have behind the scenes. Justice and laws are the same for all Americans. Wouldn't it be better if those intrepreting the laws had a better understanding of all parts of our society?
I'm not arguing for tokenism. That is offensive to everyone involved.
I'm also not arguing for a lower of standards either. From what I've read, there are lots of qualified, conservative leaning women and/or minorities out there.
Also, I'm not saying this to defeat Alito in hopes that will bring about a more liberal nominee. According to my new standard,
Janice Rogers Brown would fulfill the criteria. This may not be what is best for progressives, but it might be what is best for America.
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Interview with Santana
USA Weekend had an interview with legendary musician Carlos Santana. There were a couple of quotes that I thought were interesting and I thought I'd share them with you.
A message to America"America is like a teenager who does not know consequences and responsibility. We create, with consciousness or lack of, everything that is happening to us. There is a difference between the love of power and the power of love, and America is functioning with the love of power. Until we open our hearts and see and feel the pain of people around the world, there will be more hatred."
On the difference between spirituality and religion"Spirituality is saying, 'May the heavens open up and angels bless everyone with a deep awareness of his own light.' Religion says only Jesus got the light, you're full of [expletive], and you are in the dark. They are the only ones that got it, and you've gotta go through them to get it. Man, in this life the only thing that's holy is your relationship with your heart, your family, and the air you breathe."
I'm not sure that the first quote applies to all of our troubles in this country, but I do think that they match up with a great deal of them. As for the second one, I found it to be an interesting criticism of Christianity in that the gospels seem to depict Jesus proclaiming the availability of the blessings of the heavens to everyone. We sing songs like "Just as I am" but promote a message that says, "get your act together before you come to Jesus. Then he can deal with you." I would dare to say that Santana's "spiritualism" is closer to the gospel Jesus preached than many would believe.
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Monday's Meditation
"There are thousand who hear the Word of God, who hear great and exceedingly important truths about themselves and their lives, and yet all they hear has no effect upon them, makes no change in the way they live.
"The reason is this: they are not affected with what they hear."
-- Jonathan Edwards,
Religious Affections
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Sunday Article round-up
All these articles were worth talking about, but Mrs. Expat Teacher is enough of a blogging widow as it is.
Enjoy...
In Vermont this week,
Sen. Bayh said, "So, as tempted as I am to spend the next half hour telling you how angry I am about the failings of this administration - the incompetence, the misplaced priorities, the needless polarization - that would not be enough. Instead, I want to have a conversation about our future, what comes next, and the leadership we need to forge a better and more secure tomorrow. We have the opportunity - and the responsibility - to be the generation that Restores the Promise of America."..."But our success in Indiana by embracing Unity, Opportunity, Security, and Accountability is a path to meeting the challenges of our time, restoring the Promise of America's and building the majority we need to govern." Sounds like Senator Bayh has several of the right themes for a 2008 Presidential bid.
In a booklet that should be entitled, "How to be a fundamentalist without sounding like an idiot," the Roman Catholic Church is willing to say that the first 11 chapters of Genesis
are not historically accurate.
With shirts like
these, how can you not support the
girlcott of Abercrombie?
UPDATE- The girlcott worked!
Abercrombie will be pulling their stupidly offensive T-shirts. Way to go ladies!
In the "I can't believe I'm reading this file" we find that Vice President Cheney
wants torture. On a
related note, we find out that the phony Al-Qaeda-Iraq connection came from an individual who was being totured.
I'm not sure that Expat Teacher can 'heart' the Bull Moose anymore, but if so,
this post consummates the relationship with this insight. "The prime reason that the Moose is not an elephant is that the GOP is theologically devoted to comforting the comfortable and afflicting the afflicted. The blessed sacrament of the high church of the Republican Party is the permanent elimination of the estate tax."
Yesterday was the 400th anniversary of a radical religious terrorist organization's attempt to destroy the government and institute their own people. No, I'm not talking about Osama Bin Laden and his men. It was
Guy Fawkes. His plot to blow up the Parliament was unsucessful. He was arrested and killed. That led to another 200 years of systematic discrimination against Catholics. If ever something backfired, the
Gunpowerd Plot sure did.
In what may be a fatal blow to the
Flying Spaghetti Monster, a
cruise ship was attacked by pirates. Unlike Intelligent Design, the Flying Spaghetti Monster could actually be proven wrong be empirical evidence.
(that's right, I'm picking a fight with you Hefe ;-) )If you are interested in a partisan review of the last year, ThinkProgress has put together the
Bush year-in-review.
This may prove they've got nothing better to do, but Canadian researchers have worked out the
physics of cow tipping. They say it takes 4 grown men to tip a cow. I report, you decide.
The BBC asks an interesting question...
"Whatever happened to MakePovertyHistory?"I agree with
Andrew Sullivan's article.The London Times is claiming that
C.S. Lewis had a 30-year sexual affair with a married woman. Is this true? Help me out MoLak Jedi!
Finally, if the Holy Spirit moving in your own heart isn't enough, Jesus
has been seen in wardrobe in Romania. I want to know, is it made from
this tree?
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Reminder: LIVE "West Wing" Episode Tonight on NBC
If you aren't watching The West Wing, you should. In fact, the sooner the better.
Tonight, NBC is broadasting two versions of the live debate between Matthew Santos and Arnold Vinick, on at 8PM ET, and one at 8PM PCT.
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This will surprise no one
You are a
Social Moderate
(50% permissive)
and an...
Economic Liberal
(21% permissive)
You are best described as a:
Democrat
Link: The Politics Test |
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Fun with camera phones - Transport for London edition
The London Underground's iconic signage
A tired, multicultural London riding the Tube
Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross Station
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Starbucks lack of cultural knowledge or general advertising campaign?
Starbucks has rolled out this placard across London lately. As an expatriate, I immediatley see the humor. "The Red Cups are Coming" is obviously using my knowledge of Paul Revere to get me interested.
Yet, in Britain I know it doesn't carry the same cultural knowledge. Can my Stateside readers help me out on this one? Does Starbucks have these signs in the States? Is Starbucks just being lazy and rolling out the ad campagn all over or do they think that Brits will think of Paul Revere? Any help is appreciated.
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Friday Prayer Blogging - Prayer Carnival Edition
Via
Tim Challies page, I was directed to another prayer blogger,
Phil Johnson. He is putting together a
Prayer Carnival and has some
BRILLIANT suggestions for a fatigued Friday Prayer Blogger.
He suggests
Pray for your enemies, not against them. Matthew 5:44
Keep it simple, remembering who you are praying to. Matthew 6:7
Pray that all may hear the gospel. Matthew 9:38
Pray for the strength to repent of sin. Matthew 26:41
Your prayer can be one you have been praying for some time. Luke 18:1
Don’t worry if you are unsure about how you should pray Romans 8:26
Pray for spiritual wisdom and understanding Colossians 1:9
Pray that you be put into situations where you can minister to others. 1 Thessalonians 3:10
Pray in times of suffering and cheerfulness. James 5:13
Pray for health, both physically and spiritually. 3 John 1:2
Let us prayJesus, you are so mighty and holy. I am astonished that you love me and care for me when I so openly reject your wisdom and your overtures of love in favor of the Easy and the Foolish. Please forgive me for those sins and strengthen me to resist sin's siren call. Please make me aware of my pride WHILE I'm sinning and not afterward. When you make me aware of my pride, please give me the wisdom and insight into how to honor you with my actions rather than being frustrated by "the rules."
Lord bless those I disagree with. May I approach them with love and compassion. Help me to do that in my cyber-blogging world as well as on the streets and at work. You've blessed me beyond my imagination, so please use me to be a blessing to others. Finally Jesus, please keep Mrs. Expat Teacher and I safe. Please guard our bodies and minds from disease and disaster. Place a hedge of protection around the innocent and keep the Evil One from doing his dirty work against my city, adopted country and home country.
Amen
Like usual, additional prayer and praise should be left in the comments
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Happy Blogiversary to Page 132
Page 132 turns 1 year old today. I started Page 132 with
this entry the day after John Kerry lost the 2004 election. What a year it has been!
This is my 490th post. Since I started the site counter back on April 24, we've had 5,400 unique visitors and about 8,800 page views (although I don't necessarily trust those numbers). Page 132 now has about 45 unique visitors a day and a pretty good comments section.
I've been honored to have gurufrisbee and Mo-Lak Jedi join me during the last year. Their contributions have added to the depth and dimension to the blog.
I know that I've made some friends (and enemies), but I'm very thankful for all the readers who show up day after day to read my thoughts.
I am honored.
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Who exactly are Right-Wing Extremist - response
My mother-in-law sent me an article from the fun-loving and open-minded American Spectator that is just begging for a response. I went to the American Spectator website to find the original article, but they don't seem to have a search function on their website. If anyone can get me the original, entitled "One Question for Chuck Schumer" from November 1st, I would be much appreciative. A quick
Google search tells me that Herbert Meyer of The American Thinker wrote the article, but I can't get their website to load. Whenever it does work, apparently it will be
here.
Before we get to the article, let me start with the obvious. Name calling is childish and immature. It doesn't help move America forward and certainly doesn't make the issues any easier to understand. That being said, politics (and politicians) tend to be quite childish and immature. Combine that with the 15 second soundbite culture we all live in and enjoy (otherwise 24 hr news tv wouldn't be so popular), and you've got an excellent recipe for labeling political opponents.
Also, let me add the Dems are late in the game on this one. We let Republicans and conservatives pillage the term "liberal" (from the root liberty) so much that we've had to reinvent ourselves using "progressives" (which is a better label anyway because it makes our opponents regressives). You've heard it, heck you might have used it, that, "so and so is a liberal." From the mouths of Republicans/conservatives that is always an attack. Look at Ann Coulter's book "How to talk to a liberal (if you must)" the whole book attacks those dreaded liberals. That term is never defined.
So let's just forget that somehow Dems are the first to label opponents with meaningless titles and get to brass tacks. I'm not Senator Schumer, but I'll take a stab at this...
One Question for Chuck Schumer
The one phrase that Democrats in the US Senate and elsewhere in that party’s leadership use more than any other to smear the men and women President Bush has nominated for key positions in our government is: “right-wing extremist.” ... And since no Democrat uses this phrase more often – or more sneeringly – than Senator Charles Schumer of New York, presumably it ought to be a piece of cake for him to answer this question:
“Precisely what views must an individual hold to be a “right-wing extremist”?
...So, in the interests of saving time of giving the senator a head start on the kind of answer I’m seeking – in other words, of shoving him into a corner – here goes:
A “left-wing extremist” is an individual who believes:
• That the thing growing inside a woman’s body isn’t human, and can be disposed of at any time before birth.
• That our Judeo-Christian heritage is an abomination, that religion ought to be removed from the public square, and that our country should become a secular society.
• That the State, rather than parents, should have the primary responsibility for raising children.
• That private enterprise should be tolerated, because it generates the wealth for politicians to redistribute, but that entrepreneurs are evil.
• Professes to love our country, but who shows more concern for the rights of terrorists than for the survival of the Americans they’re trying to kill.
• Shows up at every memorial service for the victims of 9-11, but whose speeches and votes make clear that he or she really believes the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were legitimate responses to US policy, and that in effect we “had it coming.”
• Uses the phrase “I support our troops” as a code-word for “I hope we lose the war in Iraq so the Bush Administration will be a failure.”
You've seen his side, now here's my effort.
A Right-Wing Extremist is someone who believes:
- that every woman who has a miscarriage should be considered a crime scene and interrogated by the police and medical examiner.
- that even though the universal Christian Church can't figure out exactly what it believes, and regardless of others opinions or beliefs, the government should enforce a religious code.
- that every citizen that wants one should have a machine gun.
- that concentration of wealth and power into the hands of a few people is a good thing.
- Others not fortunate enough to be born in America should not be extended basic human rights.
- minors deserve the death penalty.
- "staying the course" is an effective counter-insurgency strategy even when it has never worked in the history of modern warfare.
- so strongly that men are the head of the household that women lose the right to their own bodies when they get married.
- wants to strengthen families, but not if it means you'll miss work.
- doesn't believe discrimination exists for reasons of race, disability or sex.
There you are sir, your answer. And for the record, I think Alito could qualify as a right-wing extremist.
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A smattering of thoughts...
The citizens of Denver decide on
Teacher Pay for performance. This is an excellent move to improve the quality of teaching and keep the best teachers in the classroom. Go see the beginning of the revolution.
In this
article, Janeane Garofalo said, "What I mean by that is mostly right-wing politicians tend to be amoral and nihilistic." As a self-appointed spokesperson for the Left, she has got to learn to shut up. One Ann Coulter in the political discussion is a tragedy. Two is unacceptable.
I haven't heard yet if in Alito's America
I could buy condoms, but I do know he thinks
I should be able to have an automatic machine gun.
Finally, I'm wondering if any strong conservative evangelical preacher/pastor/influential leader has spoken out against the sins of the Republicans right now? I remember lots of discussion about the sins in the White House under Clinton (and for good reason), but on the back of the Libby and DeLay indictments shouldn't there be another discussion about sins in the government? If you know of anyone saying anything, please drop the link in the comments.
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So what?!
Yesterday the
Democrats in the Senate called for a closed session, a rarely used move to exclude the public from the happenings on the Senate floor. It has been around for over 200 years and has been used every so often all throughout that time. But the Republicans are outraged about this and calling it a political stunt. I'm confused:
* By closing the session, no one outside the Senate actually knows what is going on and being said or done, so doesn't that make these the OPPOSITE of a political stunt?
*
SO WHAT?!I don't care if the Senate has to be in closed sessions from here until the fourth of July, the 'war' in Iraq is a disaster and it is irresponsible and incomprehensible that the debacle of Iraq continues to fall apart and the Senate sits silently by and doesn't do anything to question why we went there and why it has gone so terribly wrong ever since. I don't care if it takes Ted Kennedy running naked up and down the streets of D.C., action needs to be taken and someone needed to do something. It's legal, and other than the embarrassment of having to have your inaptitude pointed out to you like this, no one really is getting hurt by this. I say, BRAVO!
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Why unite when you can divide?
It is very clear that Karl Rove is relieved to be back in the political realm and out of the legal one. The pick of
"Scalito" does much to reinvigorate the culture wars. With Miers being shot down, Bush could have picked a more qualified, conservative judge that would have passed with relative ease.
r.johnson has a few suggestions, but instead with Mr. Rove back in charge, it is again to the well. The politics of polarization are the modus operandi again and with very predictable results. The
Bull Moose said it perfectly with
With the nomination of "Scalito", the political forces are arrayed for an Armageddon type court battle. After a brief diversion, the President has returned to the home base. The right is swooning and the left will be in a rage. The end of times battle has probably arrived.
This war between the bases will center on abortion and Alito's sole dissent concerning the notification of husbands. It seems likely that this nomination will result in a filibuster and the deployment of the nuclear option. It is all so very predictable.
I want leadership, not predictability, from my President. Is that too much to ask?
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