« Music as Propaganda | Main | Aliens Take Cheney Aboard Spacecraft, but Refuse to Probe Him »
God Is Not Necessarily On Our Side
In America, the church has long been an ally in the antiwar and civil rights movements. America seems to be a religious country and predominantly Christian, but there are massive splits in philosophy, moral values, social activism and direction - just as there are in other religions right now.
The separation of church and state sometimes seems like a fond memory. There are days when it seems like fundamentalist Christian religion has taken over the entire US government. This seemingly "official" religion does not come anywhere near representing the values of many Americans, regardless of their religious or spiritual beliefs. We are stuck in a war that many of us opposed with every fiber of our being, yet our President pulls in three million dollars in one evening at Disneyland hotel - by saying that The Almighty gives us freedom.
It gives me hope to read that in a statement released on 2-26-2006, the National Council of Churches USA called for closure of Guantanamo Bay detention facility, and stated that alleged torture violates "the fundamental Christian belief in the dignity of human persons."
Then I read in an AP story that the U.S. branch of the World Council of Churches has participated in a global meeting in Brazil and banded together to publicly denounce the Iraq War, accusing Washington of "raining down terror". They apologized to other nations for "the violence, degradation and poverty our nation has sown." They warned that our culture of consumption was leading toward global environmental disaster.
The World Council of Churches statement came out of "a ten-day meeting of more than 4000 religious leaders, scholars and activists", held in Brazil. This was "the largest gathering in almost a decade", with more than 350 mainstream Protestant (Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist), Anglican and Orthodox Churches represented (not Catholics, who have separate organizations).
This administration may have the support of most conservative and evangelical denominations but is wildly unpopular with liberal branches. There is not much middle ground any more.
Excerpts from the WCC statement:
"We lament with special anguish the war in Iraq, launched in deception and violating global norms of justice and human rights," said the statement from representatives of the 34 U.S. members of World Council of Churches. "We mourn all who have died or been injured in this war. We acknowledge with shame abuses carried out in our name."
"Our country responded (to the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks) by seeking to reclaim a privileged and secure place in the world, raining down terror on the truly vulnerable among our global neighbors ... entering into imperial projects that seek to dominate and control for the sake of national interests. Nations have been demonized and God has been enlisted in national agendas that are nothing short of idolatrous."
"Hurricane Katrina revealed to the world those left behind in our own nation by the rupture of our social contract."
The churches asked for forgiveness. One of the officials indicated that they know they will be criticized by some for "undermining the troops," but there is a point where the conscience speaks and it is wrong to be silent.
Here is some of the program for the Conference in Brazil, to give you an idea of the priorities:
- Considering crucial contemporary issues.
- Economic justice - A world without poverty is possible!
- Christian identity and religious plurality.
- Youth overcoming violence.
- Claiming a common future.
Here is a statement from the World Council of Churches which was published PRIOR to the Iraq War, stating "that many Christians 'strongly believe that pre-emptive war against Iraq is illegal, immoral and unwise'."
For your reference, the organizations involved are:
- World Council of Churches
- World Council of Churches, US
- National Council of Churches USA
Dana Milbank strikes again:
http://tinyurl.com/cszdo
He goes through each Democrat and previews his belief about how the Dems will take themselves out of a 2006 win by blaming each other. His analysis is superficial and false. So I wrote to him as follows:
How about: It's Milbank's fault?
We spoke in the Fall at the Cindy Sheehan rally and I told you about my history of activism. At that moment, you seemed to understand the relationship between Vietnam and Iraq. However, you also made fun of John Conyers' attempts to hold a hearing about the truth of the leadup to the war, and you have continued to flatten the clear messages from the activist communities, to minimize the outrage that exists out here on planet Earth.
The media has, for the past few years, provided the narrative that allows the simple truths to be obfuscated, and the criminals who are destroying democracy to step over their victims and retain the power they have no right to have. While some 25% of us fully understand what has happened, and 38% never will because they are doomed already, having given away their right to privacy, their sons and daughters to war, and their economic security and jobs to China and India, most of us are too busy surviving to have more than a moment of unease as we race around our lives.
YOU have a responsibility here. Rather than simply putting words into the mouths and minds of millions of readers, how about some thoughtful analysis of what is really going on? Democrats, progressives, activists, bloggers--ALL of us out here could use some help painting the picture of what is happening to our democracy. If you are not concerned about it, at least listen to the millions of us who are. We are doing the research and having the discussions with people that you ought to be having, and we are horrified by what we know.
Karen XXXX
Karen -
EXCELLENT letter. The second two paragraphs should go to every lamestream media outlet.
Good job!
Public Service announcement:
Wanted: youth-produced podcasts on Katrina response -- funding available
http://tinyurl.com/buryq progressiveu
God is not necessarily on Bush's side either, as SurveyUSA has broken his approval ratings down for all 50 states, coded them as to whether they went "red" or "blue" in the last election, and ranked his popularity from most to least.
http://www.surveyusa.com/50State2006/50StateBushApproval060216Approval.htm
This is amazing to look at. He is a lame duck, yes, but the state-to-state pattern raises more questions in my mind about the last election. Check out Ohio. His popularity has declined and there were people who didn't like either candidate. Additionally, we have questions about the timing, methodology, nonuniformity of how we were asked to vote. Then the stupid media.
Still, this is not a tv, internet or radio survey. This is a professional survey.
Someone was talking about Pat Roberts on here.
The Senate Coverup Committee
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/021906Y.shtml
The United States Senate has a body called the Intelligence Committee, according to The Los Angeles Times an irony George Orwell would have truly appreciated. In a world without Doublespeak, the panel, chaired by GOP Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas, would be known by a more appropriate name - the Senate Coverup Committee.
The London production (reading of FEAR UP is now posted:
http://tinyurl.com/7frug
I am thrilled this is happening and am considering how to get myself there...Need cheap air tickets--putting call out....
More is coming out on the thread topic.
The statement linked to in the article above is the Guantanamo one from last Friday and I am looking for the Iraq one in toto but have trouble contacting the WCC Assembly webpage at the moment. This is a good article from a UK church-participant site.
http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/content/news_syndication/article_060219uswcc.shtml
I am reading reports of statements having to do with many topics - women's rights, publication of controversial cartoons (with religious matter, etc.), the environment and globalization. There are at least 300 sources now and yesterday I could find just a few. Their statements before the war didn't stop the war, nor did those concerted efforts of former ambassadors, concerned scientists, nor all 11 million of us who protested on the same day. That doesn't mean we should stop. Take a look at the Bush ratings by state, think of the world opinion of what is going on and it'll be clear that we need to be going in a different direction. (& every poll on "direction this country is going" has shown that for a long time). During the election, we learned to treat polls with skepticism and to discern some things about the source of polls and methods of polling. Nevertheless, there is such an obvious pattern that things have gone badly astray. I am looking forward to talking to people where my mother lives (conservative community in red state). I want to see if things have changed in a year.
Actors, director of award-winning film on Guantanamo arrested in UK under anti-terror laws
http://www.uruknet.info/?p=m20779
I posted this on last thread but wondered what people today think. Uruknet, in case you're wondering, is a leftist Italian site. They claim to have internet exclusive on this. I haven't seen the documentary in question but why was it allowed to be produced and shown at the Berlin Film Festival and then the arrest happens after the fact?
Posted by: karen at February 19, 2006 12:42 PM
I really like their graphic with the match and smoke. April 12 is pretty close
karen
You have to go!!
Other topic:
My Republican uncle just sent out a mailing and it has a giant heading "CHENEY FANS" -
then Newsweek article entitled "The Shot Heard Round the World" - so then I send one out to him, his son, my brothers, my aunt. It's to the "family contingent of Cheney fans" from a "local contingent of Cheney fans" (about 30) and includes an Andy Borowitz piece on how Halliburton is being contracted to rebuild Dick Cheney's reputation. & threw in an article on how the Abramoff scandal may hurt Conrad Burns of Montana.
I hope everyone takes a look at that 50 state poll breakdown because some of us here are trying to figure out how that translates (or can be made to translate) into cues for how to retake the Senate and House in 2006, keep going in 2008, 2010, 2012. How are the people throughout America really feeling? The promises and platitudes don't really translate into programs.
I also really like the title of this thread. IMHO God doesn't take sides, but "watches" and will let us sink or swim depending on the choices we make.
After reading the thread head, I looked for Jewish groups in opposition to the war. Sadly, I couldn't find much. It appears that many Jewish groups are in lock step with Israeli politics. Israel has been in favor of this war as a security measure for Israel, and I believe that is why there is so little I can find about American Jewish groups in opposition to the war.
Many people however have blamed Israel for insitigating the war. I did find an excellent article that debunks that myth and other misconceptions about Israel's role in the middle east debacle that our country entered into. It is a little long but worth the time.
http://www.jpef.net/jul04/Wartimewitch.pdf
Cheney uses hunting trips for fundraiser. (I believe at tax payer's expense, if I understood this correctly.) So given the people at this hunting party, don't we the tax payers deserve a transcript of what conspired--particularly if our money is paying for him to shoot the **** with lobbyists and fellow Republicans?
http://tinyurl.com/a5vwh (Washington Post via Rawstory)
Posted by: oncall at February 19, 2006 01:39 PM
I know many Jewish people against the war in Iraq. (And I know many who have joined hands with Palestinians towards compassion and understanding and Peace.)
Posted by: karen at February 19, 2006 11:10 AM
YA-A-A-A-A-Y, KAREN!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-)
Posted by: karen at February 19, 2006 11:10 AM
Great letter. I read Milbank's column and am disgusted by mindless claptrap such as his. He might as well be on the Republican payroll for publishing something as shallow as that article.
In order to keep from hijacking this thread I wont post my letter to him. But, I do encourage everybody to read his dribble and send hiim a note with your thoughts.
Posted by DiAnne Grieser at February 19, 2006 09:28 AM
If there is a supreme being, he/she/it can't possibly "be on our side." As "proof" of that, he/she/it has afflicted this nation with the worst administration this nation has ever seen, and The Cretin, Vice Cretin, and their Criminal Cabal are still in power, aided and abetted by a Clueless Congress, and Lamestream Media are helping the criminals in power after the fact by writing and broadcasting favorable opinions about the criminals who commit atrocities in our names while those of us who still have some kind of personal moral compass to tell us right from wrong watch in horror....
posted by: oncall at February 19, 2006 01:53 PM
come on oncall--post the letter. (please)
Religious forces in this Nation splinter along Abortion and Gay issues..used again and again by the Right to define the Us and Them mentality.
By waiting until 9 months before the Election(s) to define who progressives are, we enable this to occur time and again. After 2004 i would assume there would be Massive push by the DNC to support reaching out to the community, the county, the state.
There has been minimal, and in some cases backward movement.
In 4 years, tremendous amounts can be accomplished if there is organization, dedication, direction and strategy. We have dedication, but are lacking the other 3 ingredients.
President Bill Clinton is a good personification of these 4 aspects blending together. There is NO reason progressives cannot accomplish great things, but leadership is needed, desperately.
China and India are opening and supporting industry, education and training, offering business incentives, creating planned communities to support trade, building their infrastructure to support heavy industry, placing massive financial support behind education and science, research and development... much more outreach to business than i could describe here.
The USA places burdens on Business, allowing a broken workers compensation system, a broken pension system, broken health care system, no support for education or science, illogical tax system and more......Companies are forced to look outside the US for any hope of competing with those recieving the benifits from foreign nations.
There is absolutely NO outreach from American government to help American companies sell their products/services abroad. Travel to China or India and you will run into Trade Delegations from England, France, Italy, Germany, Brazil...serious Delegations, not dog and pony shows. These groups sign large trade deals and secure markets for their domestic interests.
America sits and does nothing. We think we are still living in the 1950's, while the world is planning the second decade of the 21st Century.
And while you read this, Our government has decided that management of the eastern seabord Port capacity to an Arab Nation that was part of the financial and operational management of the Sept 11 Terrorist attack does not affect National Security.
You are a Large Business located in the USA. Your government is creating massive deficits, does not support the training and education of its citizens, creates massive health care obstacles, Destabalizes the middle east, and is allowing eastern seaboard Port Authority to be handed to the United Arab Emerites.
These are the concerns going rippling through board meetings across the nation, as well as smaller companies.
Posted by: DiAnne/Alan at February 19, 2006 12:29 PM
I noted that a full 72% of the people in Rhode Island disapprove of The Cretin's job performance. Cool! My Quaker ancestors were among the first settlers in RI, and the father of one of the women who married into that paternal line was the first gov/pres of Rhode Island, and a couple of others after that are also in my genealogy (that was more than 100 yrs. before the Revolutionary War, long before there was a US of A). Looks like the people from that tiny state still know right from wrong...! :-) Good for RI!!! :-)
Oncall
I don't know about organized groups, but there are alot of liberal Jewish members of groups opposed to the war. That I do know.
NonnyO
Right on! I had Quakers on my dad's side, the South Dakota people. There is a point where the geneology has gaps because some also went to Canada to avoid war, so there are lost records.
Alan, who gave me that to post, is a Quaker.
I think it's a particularly humanoid idea that "God" is so small as to take sides in wars. I listen to some of the radio bits about astronomy and marvel at the apparent size of the universe. Then I think back to some of the primitive beliefs of some of man's religions on this planet and it just doesn't fit. If anything, those who study science feel a sense of awe and many are deeply spiritual.
This is a fascinating, current article and will be widely read due to the circulation of Al-Jazeera. It makes some good points and gives some history. Whether it is true or not that the Iraq war was religiously motivated, it may be perceived to be so.
Was The Iraq War Religously Motivated?
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/5DF5AAE3-90D8-45B3-9F53-DC216D13C991.htm
I think one thing that happens is that someone such as Bush speaks to a certain audience, such as at the Disneyland hotel fundraiser where he said "the Almighty" gives us freedom, or refers to a "Crusade" - he is speaking to a small captive donor audience that may consist of many Christian fundamentalists. Or he may be speaking to a larger audience (such as during the State of the Union Address) but it is still "for domestic consumption."
That is no guarantee that the most controversial (ie. most openly religious) comments will not be taken out of context and appear around the world. This may inflame the situation far more than he even intended (and believe me, I am giving him the benefit of the doubt).
On topic:
My nephew is a senior at Carnegie Mellon. He's been a practicing catholic all his life. His parents are recently seperated (10 kids). He has discovered a christian group on campus called "CrossSeekers". This is an evangelical group which he has joined this past year, and they have "converted" him (apparently).
For a while, he was visiting other churches - methodist, baptist, etc. to see what the experience was there. But this group has really captured him.
He's recently asked us to support a mission trip to Peru - not a service mission but a "spread the word of Christ" mission.
I don't support his group or the non-service mission amd I don't want to financially support the trip. I do support him trying to find himself. I want to discuss my concerns with him about the evangelicals and the arrogance and non-christ-like behavior I see in them, and how I hold them partly responsible for our current woes. I hope he's still open to hearing it. Any suggestions or appropriate bible verses anyone has would be most welcome!
My letter (pre-editing)
Mr. Milbanks and Washington Post Editors:
I don't believe this is about blame. It's about ethics, integrity, and journalistic integrity.
By your question, you are assuming that the Democrats would be to blame. Let me tell you I am a former Republican and I will never vote for Republicans again unless they change back to the GRAND OLE PARTY instead of this neocon party. Where is your "blame" question on them?
So who deserves the blame? Don't you think the word choice should have been "ACCOUNTABILITY"?
So in my book, the foremost person or group needing accountability is the media. It's people like Dana Milbanks who spread propaganda or people like Fox or CNN who let spin rule over truth.
So as I sat here reading Mr. Milbanks article, I thought to myself, "Where is Mr. Milbanks integrity? Why is he busy smearing one party when right now our country is in dire need of people with INTEGRITY running for Public Office? Why is Mr. Milbanks continueing to spread lies, rumors, and smear?"
Integrity and journalistic ethics. It's lost. The media needs to work on it's own integrity, provide oversight to what they publish as truth or spin (or smear), and also they need to remember that they serve the people not a party. They need accountability and we have been waiting for too long for that moment to arrive.
So it's not "if the Democrats Lose in 2006" it's actually "WE THE PEOPLE" who will lose and the perpetrators of this are the Republican accomplisses--yes, Mr. Milbanks is indeed one of them, as are others.
May your accountability moment arrive by the time you finish reading this email.
Oncall continuing the Milbank discussion here:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/2/19/14250/2755#13
Please recommend too!
Sparrow,
Excellent. Please post it on the diary that Karen showed the link to.
My Letter to Milbank:
subject:
Hey, Dana, let's not lose sight of the facts:
Maybe you should remind your Republican/conservative/independent readers what this administration has done:
IT HAS LIED TO AMERICAN PEOPLE INTO AN UNNECESSARY WAR
Bush has lied
Cheney has lied
Rice has lied
Rummy has lied
Tenet has lied
Do you care much about this? Apparently not... Do the (high morals, principled) Republican voters care about this? Apparently not...
Suggested topic for your next column: Why aren't more Republicans outraged at their lying, incompetent, corrupt, disasterous administration and Congress? Perhaps the answer is: They don't care (like you) - as long as they are being lied to by Republicans and not Democrats. This means, of course, that THE REPUBLICAN REVOLUTION IS OVER - I THINK IT DIED JANUARY 2001).
ralph,
Great letter.AND it maintains the focus on their crimes.
To me, I wondered if Dana was trotted out to get us 'going' onto a new subject.
Posted by: ralpheh at February 19, 2006 04:00 PM
Interesting point Ralpheh....it boils down the difference between the illusion and the reality.
The GOP has become very adept at presenting the Illusion, and running roughshod over weak protests. I will never forget Lieberman letting Cheney just walk over him at the VP debates in 2000... Illusion won over reality, this Template has served the GOP very well since.
..no child left behind....the saving of social security...the patriot act...the terrorist surviellance act...the iraqi war is over....
Framing their message resulted in brilliant ad campaigns selling something that does not exist.