Middle East Issues on the Net

Hanan Ashrawi; Amira Hass; NPR's Robert Siegel and CAMERA

Palestinian legislator and frequent spokeswoman Hanan Ashrawi spoke last week at Sarah Lawrence College.

The Palestinians, whose economy and infrastructure were devastated by recent fighting, can't do it alone, she said. They need better living conditions through freedom of movement, job opportunities, and an overall end to occupation, Ashrawi said. The construction of settlements in the West Bank and Israel's security wall threatened the viability of a Palestinian state, Ashrawi said.

The wall is controversial because it cut into Palestinian land and divided Palestinian towns and villages. Ashrawi hoped the United States would get involved in diplomacy, and said President Bush's hands-off policy contributed to the troubles of the past four years. She urged the United States to become a player in negotiations once again. "The window of opportunity is not going to be permanent," Ashrawi said. "We need positive involvement and positive interaction and possibly a coalition of the willing for peace."

The Journal News 4-6-05

The organization known as CAMERA (Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America ) is no fan of Ashrawi's. See them try to bring her down a peg (or two thousand) with their recent diatribe titled "Ha'aretz Gives Hanan Ashrawi a Makeover"

CAMERA is no fan of NPR's Robert Siegel, either. Professionally, it doesn't get much uglier than the exchange between Siegel and CAMERA's Andrea Levin. I see this as a disagreement between a woman with an agenda and a news reporter who stands accused of having an agenda. Your opinion on the matter will be subject to where you stand, ideologically speaking. I think it has "witch-hunt" written all over it.

"Ms. Levin seems to insist on her assertion that I present Palestinian positions as fact. She offers no apology for that, or for mixing up my work with others. As for when my reporting ended in Israel, when NPR needs a shrill Likud polemicist to handle its assignments, I'll check with her when it's time to knock off on a reporting trip."

- NPR's Robert Siegel about CAMERA's Andrea Levin

Haaretz reporter Amira Hass, who is the only Israeli journalist living in the Occupied Territories, was a guest on Democracy Now. See "Israeli Journalist Amira Hass Reflects on Reporting Under Occupation"

I enjoyed reading her recent story about a woman named Basama Bourkan.


I'll end this blog piece by telling you that poverty and hunger exist in the Middle East today, in Israel and in the Occupied Terrirtories. Regardless of whose side of the "fence" you may be on, remember these are human beings whose citizens suffer from violence, fear, and the poverty that comes with war. Its effects are seen here at home in America, too (you'll notice it if you're paying close attention). It isn't flashed on the Breaking News on FOX or the front pages of the newspapers, but the money our government is spending on war and the policies of the majority-holding GOP will only assure that more families will be struggling in years to come. The poor are the ones with the social invisibility, seldom heard, always the last to be recognized.

The United States government could end world hunger if they set their mind to it. Rich nations are using the WTO against poor countries.

John Edwards in the News

John Edwards in the News

North Carolina Voices - Understanding Poverty
WUNC 91.5 North Carolina Public Radio
Hear the radio series for the next two weeks.
Schedule here.
LISTEN LIVE - Real Audio - Windows Media
What Is Poverty?

Poverty in America:

›› U.S. Poverty Guidelines

›› America's Poverty Rate and how it was developed.

›› Understanding Poverty in America

›› Take a tour of poverty in America.

›› Live in poverty for a day.

›› Minimum Wage analysis


Understanding Poverty:

›› The World Bank breakdown of international poverty, country by country.

›› Measuring Poverty in the U.K.

›› Measuring Poverty in Canada.

›› Measuring Poverty in Africa.

›› The World Bank guide to measuring poverty.

__________________


Edwards in Asheville

John Edwards was in Asheville last night at the annual Liston B. Ramsey Spring Gala on Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College’s Enka campus.

______________________

John Edwards Walks APWU Picket Line

John Edwards, the Democrat's vice presidential candidate last year, gave a boost to striking APWU truck drivers in Des Moines when he walked the picket line with them April 1.

The union drivers work for Mail Contractors of America (MCA), one of the nation's largest private mail haulers.

Edwards, a former U.S. senator, walked the line for about 20 minutes, according to Des Moines Area Local APWU President Lance Coles. "He expressed his support for the drivers' cause and talked with several of them individually," Coles said. "While walking with the APWU members, he spoke with President Burrus by phone."

________________________

Edwards Meets With Low-Wage Security Officers in LA

Last March 16th, in order to raise awareness about the issue of poverty in America, John Edwards met with low-wage security officers in Los Angeles. Union organizer Miguel Contreras , who has built a political machine in Los Angeles based on labor's clout, thinks highly of John Edwards: (LA Times)

With his wireless glasses, slightly cherubic face and rapid-fire speech, Contreras bears little resemblance to Marlon Brando's Vito Corleone. But the son of Central Valley farmworkers, a 52-year-old union organizer who never went beyond high school, is uniformly viewed as one of the most influential people in Los Angeles....he may take a leave of absence from the federation to help a 2008 Democratic presidential candidate. So far, he's been most impressed with John Edwards. The North Carolina senator called on Contreras during his presidential bid last year, and they talked again when Edwards was in Los Angeles on Wednesday. "I know the labor movement around the country pretty well, and I would like to take someone to the White House," Contreras said. "I want the opportunity to at least try it."

From the One America site, here is Edwards' statement (thanks to Chris Winn and SEIU)

John Edwards' statement on
Security Workers Fighting for Fairness:

"Today, I am honored to support the thousands of security officers who are organizing across the nation to demand fair wages and health benefits so they can get ahead instead of constantly falling behind.

"Their efforts to form a union with SEIU could bring higher wages, higher standards of living and greater economic opportunity for thousands of Americans who are working hard and playing by the rules, but still living in poverty.

"Working full time and getting nowhere goes against what we believe in as Americans - that a good job should provide a pathway out of poverty. But with wages stagnating and costs skyrocketing, that simply isn't true for millions of Americans.

"As we commemorate the 37th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we should remember that Dr. King spent his final days working with sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee. Dr. King's life and deeds remind us that a fair wage for an honest day's work is a civil right - something all Americans deserve so they can lead a life of dignity and have a shot at the American dream.

"Dr. King said 'injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.' Today, I can think of no better way to honor his words than to stand with SEIU and the thousands of private security officers who are fighting for a fair shake all across America."

David Brooks and Frank Rich

David Brooks and Frank Rich

Ain't We Unipolar?

Reading the NY Times columns today, I found it interesting that David Brooks is tapping directly into the culture of death, employing recently-deceased Saul Bellow to bash European culture and to pump up the status of "unipolar American culture", while Frank Rich exposes the employment of the culture of death for the 'unipolar' American freak-show that it is. The juxtaposition is all too beautiful - almost outrageous. We Americans are a ridiculous lot if we deny that the ideas unique to our current American culture are not born of the melting pot. America's still the baby. Other than the Native Americans, our roots lie someplace else in this world. By the way, David Brooks has shown that he is not paying attention to the wonderful new creations coming out of Europe these days. Is that Europe's fault or David's - for donning the blinders of ethnocentricity? He's much like his fellow Americans, with little interest in the culture of other countries. Americans tend to travel abroad far less than citizens of other countries. This is why I believe Frank Rich's opinion is more powerful. He sees our culture for what it is - and who we are, with no need to intellectualize Europe away.

News

News

WORLD:

NYT - To Contain Virus in Angola, Group Wants Hospital Closed
Doctors Without Borders has been battling a hemorrhagic fever called the Marburg virus that so far has killed 181 Angolans. They have urged the Angolan government to close the regional hospital here, at the center of the outbreak, saying the medical center itself is a source of the deadly infection.

ABCNews- In Israel, Small Protest by Ultranationalists Disrupts Peace
Protest organizers have said Sunday's event was a trial run for the summer's withdrawal when they want to divert as many troops as possible from dismantling Jewish settlements in Gaza by forcing them to secure other areas, including the Jerusalem shrine. The tension in Jerusalem came a day after Israeli troops killed three Palestinian teens in Gaza in disputed circumstances and fueled fears that a shaky two-month-old truce will collapse.


Firdos Square, central Baghdad, yesterday
credit- Penninsula.com

Boston Globe - Tens of thousands of Iraqi Shi'ites protest US presence
The protest, on the second anniversary of Hussein's fall, was one of the largest in Baghdad since the US invasion. "Force the occupiers out of our country," one banner read. "Yes for Islam, yes for Iraq. No to occupation, no to terrorism," another said. Some held effigies of Hussein, President Bush, and Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain. Photos can be seen HERE.

UPDATE: The number of protestors was not tens of thousands, it was hundreds of thousands - 300,000. American Street writer Hesiod says:

of course, the pro-Bush U.S. media will never report massive anti-US protests in Iraq the same way as anti-Syrian protests in Lebanon, for example.

There is such a built in homer bias in our pro-Bush media that they consider any anti-American activity in Iraq, even if it is peaceful, somewhow illegtimimate or worse, phony.

Well…300,000 people isn’t a “phony” protest. You can’t coerce or con 300,000 people to show up and protest like that in Iraq.

I hope the pro-Bush media realizes that if they actually covered this protest, and others like it honestly, it would help STOP the violence in Iraq. If the insurgents and anti-American forces see these protests getting traction and making us change our policy, then they are less likely to engage in attack on our troops!

____________________________


SYRACUSE

Syracuse Peace Council Newsletter- Jimmy Massey: Healing A Soul by Jude Nagurney Camwell
This is my own article, which appears in the current SPC Newsletter. I hope you'll take a moment to read it.


Syracuse Post Standard - West Genesee School District on the list of 100 Best Communities for Music Education
My son takes part in this music program, so I can personally tell you that the acclaim is well-deserved. It is the only Central New York school district on this year's list from the American Music Conference. Congratulations to Dave Perry, Director of Fine Arts and to all the staff and supporters of the music programs at West Genny.



NOW CNY/Syracuse -
Celebrate April With Poetry

The famous poet T.S.Eliot called April the "cruelest month". Since April is now poetry month, Eliot, were he still alive, might change his mind. What better time to celebrate both women and poetry? CNY NOW is presenting three outstanding women poets reading their works about women this Thursday, April 14, at 7:00 pm in the Delevan Center Gallery. The Gallery i slocated at 501 West Fayette Street in Syracuse (free parking available). The program is free and open to the public.

Janine DeBaise teaches writing and literature at SUNY College of Forestry. Her poems have appeared in various literary journals. "Of A Feather, a collection of her poetry, came out in 2003. Here academic interests include ecofeminism, ecocriticism, and the intersection of science and literature.

Georgia Popoff is a community poet, performer, educator, spoken word producer, and senior editor of The Comstock Review. A teaching poet in schools and the community, including the Downtown Writer's Center, the Syracuse chapter of the YMCA's national Writers' Voice program, she has appeared in numerous journals, anthologies, and web publications. Collections include Coaxing Nectar from Longing (Hale Mary Press, 1997), and Gold: The Greatest Hits 1998-2003 (Pudding House Press chapbook series). Georgia is also coordinator for Partners for Arts Education and a board member of the Association of Teaching Artists.

Mary McLaughlin Slechta's short fiction and poetry have appeared in many fine journals and anthologies. Buried Bones, a chapbook of poems, came out in 2004 by Foothills Publishing. She is a teacher and an associate editor with The Comstock Review.



Syracuse New Times - "Mother Knows Best" - by Karen DeCrow
More than a century later, the words of feminist pioneer Matilda Joslyn Gage ring loud and clear



Women's Studies Lecture at LeMoyne College, Tuesday, April 12

On Tuesday, April 12, 7:00-9:00pm, in the Curtin Special Events Room at LeMoyne College, Omid Safi (Colgate) on "Islam, Gender, and Social Change".
Safi is a professor of Religious Studies. His latest work, Progressive Muslims, challenges traditional interpretations of Islam. Safi will discuss the importance of feminist thought in the progressive Islam movement. Co-sponsored with Religious Studies and Peace and Global Studies.

Truth

photo by Jude Nagurney Camwell

What is Truth? What is this truth to which you refer? There was once a Zen monk who asked his master to reveal to him Truth. He asked: 'master, is there any deeper teaching which you have not revealed yet to me?' His master replied: 'you have tasted the best wine of Zen. You have finished already three cups. And you still say that your mouth is not wet?'

That is how blind we are. Where is Truth? For you truth is just a concept, an idea. When you sit in meditation what do you think you experience? Isn't it Truth itself? What more do you want?

I have nothing to offer you! I am empty. I just Am. I am living in Not-knowing. Knowing is a burden. Not-knowing is Freedom. Knowledge separates you from Reality. Not-knowing allows you to live reality directly. Meet yourself! Relax into What Is. Surrender to Reality. Let go of the mind. Be the Truth! Truth is nothing `special'. In Zen they say that nothing is better than nothing. Surrender to What Is and not to what could be.


- I pass this gift on to you as it was passed to me by Mahamudra

Islamic Feminism - A Blog Directory

Islamic Feminism - A Blog Directory

Who is Amina Wadud? Why Is She in the News?
See today's Boston Globe for more of the story.
Read "Making History at Friday Prayer". (IHT)


Islamic Feminism Before and After September 11th
by Miriam Cooke, Ph.D., Professor of Arabic and Chair of the Department of Asian & African Languages & Literature at Duke University, Durham NC

Muslim Feminists Moving Forward
An interview with the Indonesian first lady, Sinta Nuriyah Abdurrahman Wahid

Muslim Women: A New Hope?(The Hindu 4/5)
An article on the first Legal Literacy Camp in Delhi, sponsored by the Muslim Women's Forum and The National Federation of Indian Women, among others.

Behind the Veil, A Muslim Feminist (Srinagi Journal 4/26)
An article on Asiyah Andrabi, a "conservative Muslim and radical feminist"

Feminism in Islamic Africa (Africana)
An article on the history and content of the feminist movement in Islamic Africa.

Exploring Islamic Feminism
(Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars)

Benazir Bhutto (CNN Newsmaker)
A brief biography of the former Prime Minister of Pakistan and the first Muslim woman to become her country's leader.

Islamic Traditions and the Feminist Movement (American University)
A background article on the Islamic feminist movement.

Muslim Women's League
An American non-profit organization of Muslim women.

Muslim Feminists and the Veil (Maryams.Net)
To veil or not to veil - is that the question?

veiled4allah: resources on Muslim feminism

Biographical Sketches of Famous Muslim Women (Maryams.net)
Glimpses of the lives of some famous Muslim women who have been strong enough to make their mark.

On the Position of Women in Islam and in Islamic Society by Dr. Hassan al-Turabi
"A revolution against the condition of women in the traditional Muslim societies is inevitable. The Islamists are urged by their own ideals to reform the traditional society and to close the gap between the fallen historical reality and the desired model of ideal Islam."

Islam, Feminism and Living as the ‘Muslim Other’: an Interview with Asma Barlas
Professor Asma Barlas has become one of the leading academics in the United States studying Islam, examining progressive and non-patriarchal readings of the Qur’an and the West’s interaction with the Muslim world. She is the author of Believing Women in Islam: Unreading Patriarchal Interpretations of the Qur’an and is Chair of the Politics Department at Ithaca College in New York.

Shirin Ebadi Book Excerpts (BadJens.com)
Excerpts from the book, Women's Rights in the Laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran
by Shirin Ebadi, published in Iran in 2002

Progressive Muslims Network
The PMN supports the efforts of Islamic feminists in working to bring about the equality of men and women. They further call on Muslim countries and communities around the world to end gender motivated injustice and establish full legal and social equality for women.

Various Articles at Maryams.net
Also a list of Recommended Books

Resources at Barnesand Noble.com

Books I haven't read

Books I Haven't Read

Three books have recently been recommended to me that have been available for some time, but I have either missed or overlooked them while spending time writing my own stories and blog entries.

The first recommendation I've received is a novel titled The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. The blogger known as Broom of Anger has recently finished reading the book and offers a brief review. See this 2003 essay from Mr. Hosseini about a trip to Afghanistan in which life imitates art. Mr. Hosseini is a physician in the San Francisco Bay Area. 'The Kite Runner' was his debut novel.


The second recommended book is Address Unknown by Kathrine Kressmann Taylor. An Amazon.com review says:

When it first appeared in Story magazine in 1938, Address Unknown became an immediate social phenomenon and literary sensation. Published in book form a year later and banned in Nazi Germany, it garnered high praise in the United States and much of Europe. A series of fictional letters between a Jewish art dealer living in San Francisco and his former business partner, who has returned to Germany, Address Unknown is a haunting tale of enormous and enduring impact.

The third book is non-fiction. "Price of Honor: Muslim Women Lift the Veil of Silence on the Islamic World" by Jan Goodwin
Goodwin traveled to 10 countries to interview Muslim women who revealed how their oppressive and confining political systems have affected their lives.

Ouestion:

Any other recommendations you may have would be appreciated.
What have you recently read that you believe should not be missed?

Photo/Poem

photo by Jude Nagurney Camwell

Now, in this waning of light
I rock with the motion of morning.
In the cradle of all that is,
I’m lulled into half sleep
By the lapping of waves,
The cries of the sandpiper.

Water’s my will and my way,
And the spirit runs, intermittently,
In and out of the small waves,
Runs with the intrepid shore birds —
How graceful the small before danger!

In the first of the moon,
All’s a scattering,
A shining.


- Theodore Roethke
Part IV of Meditation at Oyster River

News

News

SYRACUSE

The Syracuse Peace Council sponsored a memorial reading of the names of those killed as a result of the Iraq war. Just a stone's throw away, there was a special mass held in honor of Pope John Paul II at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. I attended both. At the reading, I heard the names of Iraqi citizens who were victims (recalling one aged 6, another aged 91), along with coalition troops and American troops. I thought of the Pope and how he spoke out against the war as unjust. I think he would have been smiling upon the Peace Council volunteer readers and their respectful listeners today.


BLOGS

where's the compassion? where's the conservative? where's the "christian"?
- Skippy The Bush Kangaroo

Matthew Yglesias comments on the the NPC "Who Is A Journalist?" panel in which he was a participant.
See NYBLADE.com story here. Link to CSPAN video.


THE WORLD:

At the funeral of Pope John II, when Bush's face appeared on giant screen TVs showing the ceremony, many in the crowds outside St. Peter's Square booed. Link to CSPAN video of funeral.


Shi'ite Mahdi Army Reopens Second Iraqi Resistance Front


A Pax Christi International Statement on Mordechai Vanunu

Peace Bus Reunites Divided Families -

India and Pakistan on Thursday launched a historic bus link to reunite divided families on both sides of Kashmir. Greeted by cheers, tears and dancing, bus passengers defied militants and crossed the militarised line dividing Kashmir for the first time in nearly 60 years. Kashmiris wept joyfully and clutched their loved ones after being reunited by the historic bus service. “It’s a blessing. I never thought this day would come,” said passenger Raja Naseer Khan, 60, a retired civil servant from Srinagar, as he met his niece Noreen Arif for the first time.

From RUSI (Royal United Services Institute) -
"Democracy in the Middle East:
Handle with Care"

Excerpt:

"Neo-pan-Arab West-blaming, which focuses on the symbols of neo-imperialism in Iraq and Palestine, deflects attention from the gross failures of domestic politics in the separate nations of the Arab world, and usefully serve the purposes of the ruling elites in Egypt, Syria, Saudi and elsewhere. Neo-pan-Arabism plays to the worst majority-rule instincts within the Middle East. It disallows distinctions between cultures, but also between political experience and history.

The US-UK alliance’s war in Iraq is to blame for only adding more fuel to this old ideological fire. As many liberal Arab commentators predicted, it has narrowed the margins of political discourse in the Arab world even further (opposition calls for reform – as we saw in Beirut – are immediately attacked for ‘betraying the country to the US’) and has tarnished the principle of democracy. But regardless, it is time to say that pan-Arabism of this nature does not serve anyone’s interests.

The Bush Administration’s democratization programme can, as we have seen in Georgia, Ukraine, Beirut (and perhaps even Kyrgyzstan), provide the impetus for real change if properly made use of. Reformers in the Middle East, be they of secular, Islamist, liberal or socialist ilk, cannot afford to fall into the trap set by their own authorities which casts reform as American and therefore suspect to the point of treachery. Let us hope that broad Arab support for the Lebanese ‘revolution’ (whatever its character) heralds a new era – when the Arab world realizes that to stand up to the West, it must use it."

NATIONAL POLITICS:

Mel Martinez, what on Earth were you thinking? Brian may be a Darling, but he's certainly not the darling of the GOP for having written that dog of a Schiavo-strategy memo, and neither are you.


--John Bolton (Mr. Milk Moustache) is definitely one of The Worst of the Bad Nominees.


Editor and Publisher - Guardsman in Iraq Tells Local Paper Armor for Vehicles Still Inadequate


Truthout: Public Poll Shows Bush Approval Still Slipping, Public View of Congress Is Even Worse: Bush's job approval is at 44 percent, with 54 percent disapproving. Only 37 percent have a favorable opinion of the work being done by the Republican-controlled Congress, according to an AP-Ipsos poll.

Statement of General Wesley K. Clark, House Armed Services Committee hearing,April 6, 2005:

"It is a privilege to appear today to present my thoughts on Iraq and our armed forces, to offer a brief retrospective on the mission there, to sketch out a successful way ahead, and to discuss the implications for the U.S. armed forces..."

Related Story at Aljazeerah.com: Clark Says Bush's policy towards Syria and Iran encourage the two states to work against the U.S. interests in Iraq


Who’s Better Off? - Statement On Iraq by Rep. Ron Paul, MD, given before the House of Representatives on April 6, 2005:

"Protection of life and liberty must once again become the issue that drives political thought in this country. If this goal is replaced by an effort to promote world government, use force to plan the economy, regulate the people, and police the world, against the voluntary desires of the people, it can be done only with the establishment of a totalitarian state. There’s no need for that. It’s up to Congress and the American people to decide our fate, and there is still time to correct our mistakes."

LABOR:

After a ten-year long struggle, 49,000 Illinois child care providers have finally joined a union. What this will mean for the lives of these mostly female workers, their families, and the 200,000 children they take care of? Check out this blog entry by Angenita Tanner, a Chicago childcare provider who stepped up and took on the fight 10 years ago. This is part of a broader fight to give the women and men who take care of our children and our grandparents -- the people who make up what somehave called the "economy of care" -- a real voice in how our society treats them and the people they take care of.
- How does US childcare compares to rest of world?
- How does quality childcare help the economy?
*Thanks to SEIU for contributing this story.


NEW YORK STATE POLITICS:

This Sunday morning, Eliot Spitzer will appear on This Week with George Stephanopoulous. He will be discussing issues related to his ongoing investigation of the insurance industry. You can sign up to become a 'Friend of Eliot'. Visit the 'Join Eliot' page by clicking here.

NYT: The Bush Administration is considering one of the biggest spending cuts since Washington first began subsidizing housing.

Excerpt:

"If the changes sought by the administration take effect, they will result in one of the biggest cuts since Washington first began subsidizing housing: as much as $480 million, or 14 percent, of the $3.4 billion federal budget for day-to-day operations, including labor, maintenance, insurance and utilities, at the nation's 3,100 housing authorities. Housing authorities in New York State would be among the hardest hit, under a new formula that works against older urban areas."

FROM THE WEIRD:

Editor and Publisher - New York Times has fired writer Susan Sachs, alleging she wrote anonymous e-mails to the 'wives of Times reporters in Baghdad' commenting on their sexual behavior. Sachs denies it and says she'll fight it.

Religious/Social Justice Groups Re-Enter Politics with Renewed Vigor

Religious/Social Justice Groups Re-Enter Politics with Renewed Vigor

Faith Voices For the Common Good

Throughout American history, from the abolitionists and suffragists of the nineteenth century to the feminists and civil rights activists of the twentieth, mainstream-progressive religion has served as a bedrock of humane and democratic values. Renewed public visibility of faithful religions is essential to maintain America’s rich democratic traditions and to insure vigorous debate within the American public sphere.

Faith Voices amplifies the efforts of its progressive religious and progressive activist member organizations by delivering process efficiencies via community interconnectivity. Our goal is to contribute to the renewal of American democratic life.

Faith Voices and its partners share these values:

1. Appreciation for diversity.
2. The inviolable dignity of every human being.
3. Peaceful, multilateral resolution of conflict.
4. Responsible stewardship of the earth’s resources.
5. Justice for all, including the underprivileged and disenfranchised.
6. Hospitality toward immigrants and other strangers.
7. Care for the most vulnerable among us.


Join the mailing list.
View the Discussion Forum.

Clergy and Laity Network - United For Justice

"We invite clergy and lay people from throughout the country to join us. We seek a new commitment to active participation in the political processes of our nation by those members of religious communities who hold views larger than sectarian interests or narrow ideologies and who serve, beyond private advantage and any claim of spiritual superiority, the moral vision of the common good."

Building the Beloved Community
Blogs

Peace, Not Poverty - The Declaration

A MORAL MISSION
We will return America to its true moral mission and restore its historic commitment to the common good. We must do more for those among us who suffer from poverty, hunger, inadequate health care, and educational disparity. The progressive movement is now at a turning point. Dozens of progressive religious leaders and organizations are rising as one to speak out against war and greed, and to build what the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called the Beloved Community. The Beloved Community promotes non-violence, social justice, fair and equal treatment under the law, care for the environment, and freedom.

_________________________

"It is necessary for us to realize that we have moved from the era of civil rights to the era of human rights. When you deal with human rights you are not dealing with something clearly defined in the Constitution. They are rights that are clearly defined by the mandates of a humanitarian concern."


- Martin Luther King Jr., assassinated April 4, 1968

Daniel Okrent Speaks at S.U.

NYT Editor Daniel Okrent Speaks at S.U.

"Bloggers, said Okrent, are having a "huge" influence on The Times -- both for good and for bad. On the one hand, bloggers are holding the paper accountable for factual errors and for not covering some things. On the other hand, some bloggers make up stories that just aren't true. Okrent does read blogs, particularly high-traffic blogs, which sometimes provide their readers with links to e-mail Okrent about certain stories...."

blogJosh (Josh Shear) has a write-up on NYT editor Daniel Okrent's public conversation last night with David Rubin, dean of the Newhouse School for Public Communications at Syracuse University.

_______________________

From reader Eddie Paul Miller:

I'd steer people to two stories at The Common Ills.

1) The first is called "Daniel Okrent Step Down"


2) "Was Daniel Okrent Censured? Randy Cohen (The Ethicist) Says He Was"

I'm really tired of the mainstream press covering up for Daniel Okrent and I hope the blogs will not let him step down in a hazy glow of glory after what he did to that one reader.

-E.P. Miller

Jimmy Carter Snubbed by White House

Jimmy Carter Snubbed
by White House
The One Former President Most Likely To Attend the Funeral of Pope John Paul II
Is Conspicuous by His Absence
by Jude Nagurney Camwell

As seen at American Street today.

Peter Jennings-My prayers are with you

Peter Jennings - My prayers are with you



I am very sorry to hear that Peter Jennings has lung cancer. I sensed that he was feeling very ill last Friday as he delivered the evening news and my heart goes out to him and his family. My own mother has been struggling with cancer for the past two years and I know the toll it takes upon the patient and caring supporters around him or her. In the case of serious illness, even as we take mental count of our losses, it is also a time to fully realize all the blessings we have in this life and to appreciate what it means to be fully alive, despite hardships. Times of life transition can be portals to deeper connections with our own inner wisdom and with those we love. My prayers are with Peter and his family.

In The News Today

In The News Today

The Real Iraq - Not Pessimistic, Not Optimistic - Just Real

- Juan Cole provides us with some excerpts from stories about Iraq which we haven't seen in the U.S. press.


Tom DeLay - Ultimate Poster Boy for D.C. Corruption

- I think it's a shame that Republican House representatives consciously chose to put 'Party' ahead of 'Country' today by defending the egregious and arrogantly unethical political activities of Tom Delay. House Republicans expressed strong support for the Majority Leader, dismissing Democratic criticism of DeLay as "evidence of partisan politics." If we are aiming to be a united and consistently moral and ethical America, we have to start criticizing somewhere, and it may as well be with the most powerful perpetrator of unethical political behavior. It's time for our Representatives to make the nation's interests their top priority. Accusations of partisanship, when a booming majority of citizens can see that Delay is the ultimate poster boy for corruption of power in D.C., are insults to our intelligence and sense of ethics. Do they think we can't detect their ethical inconsistency? Borrowing from Gandhi, we must be the change we all want to see. A very large majority of Americans are appalled by the greasy-palmed cooperation between our Representatives and lobbyists in Washington, D.C. It's gone on far too long in the bold light of day. Shame on House Republicans! They displayed a total disrespect for the values of truth and honesty today.

The New York Times reported Wednesday that Tom DeLay's wife and daughter have been paid more than $500,000 since 2001 by his political action and campaign committees.


Tragedy in San Jose de Apartado

The crimes Oscar Romero gave his life opposing are being committed today in Colombia. In response to the killing of eight members of the Colombian peace community San Jose de Apartado, activists organized by Witness for Peace (WFP) and the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) held a vigil at the U.S. State Department, which is responsible for certifying Colombia to receive billions of dollars in military aid. The peace community holds the Colombian military responsible for the killings, which included dismemberment of bodies with machetes. Jesus Abad Colorado was a photojournalist who accompanied the community members who had spent four days in search of the bodies. You can take action by writing a letter to the State Department. (See Maryknoll site).

In progress

Solar Eclipse Due on Day of Pope's Funeral

Solar Eclipse Due on Day of Pope's Funeral


photo: exploratorium.edu

There will be what's called a hybrid solar eclipse on Friday, which happens to be the day of Pope John Paul II's funeral. I'm not particularly superstitious, but knowing that the Sun will be briefly plunged into darkness on the day of the Pope's funeral is just a little spooky. I'm sure many people will see it as a strange and meaningful coincidence.

On that same day, it will also be the 28th anniversary of my maternal grandfather's funeral and the 28th birthday of my cousin Joseph. I remember because his mother went into labor during Grandfather's funeral service.

Saul Bellow RIP

Saul Bellow RIP

Saul Bellow has passed away at the age of 83.

Saul Bellow was born in Lachine, Quebec, a suburb of Montreal, in 1915, and was raised in Chicago. He attended the University of Chicago, received his Bachelor's degree from Northwestern University in 1937, with honors in sociology and anthropology, did graduate work at the University of Wisconsin, and served in the Merchant Marine during World War II.

Mr. Bellow's first novel, Dangling Man, was published in 1944, and his second, The Victim, in 1947. In 1948 he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship and spent two years in Paris and traveling in Europe, where he began The Adventures of Augie March, which won the National Book Award for fiction in 1954. Later books include Seize The Day (1956), Henderson The Rain King (1959), Herzog (1964), Mosby's Memoirs and Other Stories (1968), and Mr. Sammler's Planet (1970). His most recent work of fiction, Humboldt's Gift (1975), was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. Both Herzog and Mr. Sammler's Planet were awarded the National Book Award for fiction. Mr. Bellow's first non-fiction work, To Jerusalem and Back: A Personal Account, published on October 25,1976, is his personal and literary record of his sojourn in Israel during several months in 1975.

In 1965 Mr. Bellow was awarded the International Literary Prize for Herzog, becoming the first American to receive the prize. In January 1968 the Republic of France awarded him the Croix de Chevalier des Arts et Lettres, the highest literary distinction awarded by that nation to non-citizens, and in March 1968 he received the B'nai B'rith Jewish Heritage Award for "excellence in Jewish literature", and in November 1976 he was awarded the America's Democratic Legacy Award of the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, the first time this award has been made to a literary personage.

A playwright as well as a novelist, Saul Bellow was the author of The Last Analysis and of three short plays, collectively entitled Under the Weather, which were produced on Broadway in 1966. He has contributed fiction to Partisan Review, Playboy, Harper's Bazaar, The New Yorker, Esquire, and to literary quarterlies. His criticism has appeared in The New York Times Book Review, Horizon, Encounter, The New Republic, The New Leader, and elsewhere. During the 1967 Arab-lsraeli conflict, he served as a war correspondent for Newsday. He has taught at Bard College, Princeton University, and the University of Minnesota, and was a member of the Committee on Social Thought at the University of Chicago.

*From NobelPrize.org

The "101" has arrived

The "101" has arrived

Jay Rosen is talking about the "101s".
Do you know what they are?

The community-based 101-site works on the principle of open publishing, and an essential element of is allowing anyone to instantaneously self-publish their work on a globally accessible web site. The site encourages people to become the media by posting their own articles, analysis, videos, audio clips and artwork directly to the web site.

My guest-blogger and American Street colleague Dave is running Charlotte 101, along with the debonair Charlotte-based businessman Darryl Parker.

There is Roch Smith Jr's Greensboro 101. (The original 101). Their editorial board is here. The editors have a hands-on role in selecting articles that appear as features on Greensboro101. and also serve as advisors, offering guidance for the direction and operations of the site.

And now there's Nashville 101.

Seriously, What's Wrong With the San Francisco Board of Supervisors

Seriously, What's Wrong With the San Francisco Board of Supervisors?

Now I'm really worked up.

Skippy's post at American Street today is a must-read. Skippy has gleaned the story from Dan Gillmor and CJR.

I've worked my fingers to the bone for almost three years straight and have not made a dime for blogging. As a matter of fact, I'm in the red over it. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is considering a new city ordinance which would entail requiring any blogger that mentions a candidate for local office that receives more than 500 hits to pay a registration fee and become subject to web site traffic audits. That would eliminate many bloggers' freedom to speak in a country which allegedly prides itself on freedom of speech and democracy. As usual, it would mean only the people with enough money would get to talk about their favorite candidates or issues. That is unAmerican, unconstitutional, and against freedom of speech. Web audits? They're acting like the Gestapo, for Pete's sake. In short, the proposal's wording is not clear, it creates a slippery (and unequal) slope for bloggers' freedom of speech based upon how much they can afford to pay to be able to speak, and it should be brought to light and not allowed to pass.

Sluggo has a name and an e-mail address for the people responsible for this ourageous proposal.

Chris Nolan has noted that that the ugliness of the political situation in San Francisco has caused this misguided legislative proposal to come about. (I'm so glad Chris has been covering this story!) While I agree with Chris in favoring full disclosure of any payments made during the course of a campaign, I do not see legal or ecomomic correaltion between a blogger's hit count and a government's right to single that blog out for audits.

It reminds me of Alberto Gonzales and the part he played in crafting the infamous torture memo. Even with the toughest challenge to security that comes about, once you make torture an acceptable legal practice, you open the door to the possibility of something vile and dangerous to our very sense of freedom, rule of law, and democracy. I see the bloggers' case in the same light. Once you start legislating and regulating bloggers' freedoms based on unfounded suspicions, the Constitution flies out of the window.

Some are saying that maybe this legislation doesn't look so bad after all. I say, if you give these people an inch and they'll take a mile. Leave bloggers alone.

Mesh Forum

Mesh Forum

From Knowledge Jolt with Jack:

"MeshForum has great participants"

Who is going to be participating in MeshForum (May 1-4) in Chicago? Here are some examples:

- Anna Nagurney, keynote speaker on "Networks - The Science Spanning Disciplines"

- Valdis Krebs on social network analysis
- Ross Dawson with a Living Networks Forum
- Esther Dyson on social network services
- Jamais Cascio on the "Participatory Panopticon"
- Buzz Bruggeman on using networks in sales and marketing
Howard Greenstein is moderating a panel on "Broken Networks"
- Michael Herman will be leading an Open Space workshop, MeshAction, on the 4th
You should really think about attending, May 1-4, 2005. Registration is open.

What is MeshForum about?

Networks form the basis of everything, from how your body works to who you know, from how power is distributed to how the store on the corner is kept stocked. Networks are in the news, from the elections to anti-terrorism, to investigations of financial markets and the Blackout in the US.

Whether you are an academic, a business leader, or a politician, understanding Networks is a requirement for success in the 21st century. Recent research has shown similarities in the shape, structure, and growth of networks across many fields.

MeshForum will bring together experts and leaders from many fields for two days of Connecting Networks. In a single, highly participatory track, panels of experts and select speakers will cover topics from summarizing current academic research to techniques for navigating and activating networks in specific industries.

Schedule HERE.

Beware - They're Telling You What You Stand For

Beware - They're Telling You What You Stand For

Okay. I am half-joking. I am still very upset over the DLC's failure to understand the heart of most Democrats over the past four years.

If Bruce Reed and Al From find that most American do not know what Democrats stand for and that "a disturbing number of fellow Democrats wonder the same thing," I can only suggest that they look back at their own failures over the past four years. They would have followed a garbage truck if the opinion polls had told them it smelled good. If the Democratic party is going to emerge with renewed strength, it will be because most educated Democrats have always known what the party was supposed to be standing for, and they could see that Democrats were acting spineless while the DLC, led by Reed and From, was following the garbage truck.

Watch out. They're trying to tell you what you stand for again. After the last four years, I have to say I don't trust these people to tell me what I stand for.

I am particularly insulted by the way this line sounds:

"Like it or not, making the world safe from terror will be America's central challenge for the next decade, if not beyond."

Reed and From are speaking to us as if we are children, rather than participants in a healthy democracy. What they do not seem to understand is that most Democrats believe that President Bush breached the trust that is sacred between a President and the citizens of the democracy he is leading. We are not clueless and naive creatures of the far left who only wish to wear floral wreaths around our heads and chant anti-war slogans. We were burned by this President. No one challenged him at a time we all suspected his administration was massaging bad intelligence to take us to an elective war. Centrist Democrats sat on their spines rather than standing up to the tough challenge of questioning the secretive and plotting Bush administration. Why do you think I have such little trust for the DLC to this day? This war in Iraq is a scar on our nation that may never heal.

We know very well that we are faced with terrorism - a new tactic for war against us in all parts of the world. If we are going to proceed, we need party leaders to stop this condescending talk, and let's proceed as equal partners in deciding what we stand for.

On a positive note, I think David E. Price of North Carolina has some productive things to say in an essay about Faith and politics.

Excerpt:

It is erroneous to assume that a committed Christian or Jew will have a fixed or formulaic view on capital punishment, abortion, same-sex relationships, the alleviation of poverty, war and peace, and many other issues. The insularity of our religious communities -- and, often, of the political circles we move in -- discourages dialogue and debate.....

....Integral to the Jewish and Christian traditions is the realization that people are inclined to a kind of idolatry whereby they identify their own interest or ideology with God's sovereign will. Like "God-fearing" people of all ages, Niebuhr wrote, we "are never safe against the temptation of claiming God too simply as the sanctifier of whatever we most fervently desire." Note that, once again, the most powerful argument against religious pretension is not secular but theological. Claiming divine sanction for our own power or program does not merely undermine American pluralism; it also flies in the face of our religious understanding of human sinfulness and divine transcendence.

So let us engage: our country needs the full-throated advocacy of "liberty and justice for all" -- of policies that realize opportunity, responsibility, and community -- that only Democrats and progressives are likely to make. We can engage far more effectively by taking explicit account of the faith traditions which provide most Americans with their personal and moral frames of reference. This is partly a matter of communicating effectively, but also of understanding more fully what is required of us and our society as heirs to these riches. A more deeply rooted politics will enable us to make a more authentic and persuasive case for a just society, even as it equips us to resist political arrogance and pretension and to defend the American constitutional order..."

Congrats, UNC Tar Heels!

Congrats, UNC Tar Heels!


Reuters photo

To Dad and Benny - I'm really sorry. What a great game it was, though!



Fans John, Elizabeth, Jack, and Emma Claire
AP photo

Meet Bill Owens

Fishing on the Farmington
Pleasant Valley, CT - Two boys fishing on the Farmington River
by Bill Owens

Meet Bill Owens

I'd like to introduce you to Bill Owens, whose blog I luckily stumbled upon while blog-surfing.

I think he's a gifted photographer and a marvelous tour guide. At his New England Photo Blog, he takes you on a trip with him through many New England towns.

Bill's only been blogging for a short while, and I expect we'll see and hear about many more of his Yankee travels in the future.

Welcome to the blogosphere, Bill!

I especially appreciated his photo of abolitionist John Brown's birthplace, which is in Torrington, Ct. As David would tell you, I am fascinated with the tale of John Brown. David took me to the courthouse where John Brown was tried in Charles Town, West Virginia. We also visited Harper's Ferry, where the infamous raid on the armory took place. (my Harper's Ferry photo) Sometime between Jan. 27 and Feb. 16, 1857, John Brown had traveled to my own city of Syracuse trying to raise money for his cause.

Many times, I have made the trip to John Brown's farm (and site of his grave) in the Adirondack Mountain town of North Elba, N.Y. Adirondack singer/songwriter Peggy Eyres wrote a song about Mary Brown, the wife of John Brown. Eyres wrote in her recording "Cloudsplitter's" liner notes:

"As usual, history barely mentions his wife Mary, who was equally devoted to the freedom of the slaves. So when {historian} Monica McGaughey gave me her research, including a couple of Mary's letters, I jumped at the challenge to give voice to another Adirondack woman."

Cloudsplitter was also the title of the Russell Banks novel based upon the life and times of John Brown.

John Sears

This is a photo I took of John Sears and Charlie Daniels.
John took a photo of me with Charlie, too - I'll have to dig it out of my piles of pictures.
Why am I posting it now?
John had something very unusual happen to him last week here in Syracuse.
Very unusual.
Congrats on your 15 minutes of fame, John. ;)

Found the picture- -

Headlines

Headlines


In Tombstone....
photo by Jude Nagurney Camwell

There are vigilantes who recently converged upon Tombstone, Arizona, and I'm afraid they're going to hurt a lot of innocent people. We are a nations of laws. We forgot the rule of law in the recent Schiavo case because of high emotions, and I see this vigilante case as the same thing. Citizens taking it upon themselves to administer law and justice with high emotion should be unacceptable to law enforcement officials in Arizona state. Innocent folks are going to be hurt.


photo by Jude Nagurney Camwell

This isn't nineteenth century Wyatt Earp-ville - this is the United States of America.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

IHT Online: Abu Ghraib Gets Hit Again

MSNBC: A group of moderate Republicans hold the fate of President Bush’s judicial nominees in their hands. Some GOP senators appear to be hesitant about supporting the nuclear option - doing away with the Senate filibuster for judicial nominees - knowing it could be used against them in the future. GOP Sens. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, John McCain of Arizona, Olympia Snowe of Maine, John Warner of Virginia and Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island have either said they oppose changing the rules or have declined to promise to support the change.


From MoveOn.org: $82 billion more for Iraq? Demand an exit strategy.

"Congress must insist that America have an exit strategy from Iraq with a timeline, that we do not construct permanent bases and that we end war profiteering by corporations."

Impeachment Ahead for Schiavo Judges?

The House majority leader, Rep. Tom DeLay, blamed Terri Schiavo's death on judges who refused to order her kept alive, and said he would consider bringing impeachment proceedings against judges involved in the case. His comments drew scorn from Senator Kennedy, a Democrat of Massachusetts who accused Republicans of assaulting the independence of the judiciary. He suggested DeLay's commentscould lead to violence against judges. DeLay signaled yesterday that the battle was not over.
(Full Story -
http://www.cwa-cope.org/news/e-Politics/050404.asp#Impeachment)


Guide to DeLay Scandals

Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX), the man Republicans have chosen as their Majority Leader in the House of Representatives, is at the center of a bewildering array of investigations into corruption, abuse of power, and ethics violations. As the courts and committees investigate DeLay's misdeeds and hand down indictments, keeping track of all the scandals can be a full-time job. So we thought it would helpful to offer folks this quick and easy guide.
(Full List of Scandals -
http://www.cwa-cope.org/news/e-Politics/050404.asp#Guide)


Lebanon bombings stir up anxiety not felt since war (Star Tribune)

Syria, Iran stress stability in Lebanon

Syrian Foreign Minister, Farouk Al-Share, and his visiting Iranian counterpart, Kamal Kharrazi, have agreed that security and stability must be maintained in Lebanon. The two foreign ministers also said during talks that the factions in Lebanon must reach national reconciliation to resist interference from outside forces, before it can over come the current crisis.Kharrazi said after the talks that the present situation in the Middle East is worrisome, as some political forces try to capitalize on the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.

Do It Again

"All of the Edwards supporters are hoping he’ll do it again."
- Joy Lowe, 76, of Waterloo, Iowa

-----------------------

"I think what most people are looking for in leaders in this country is strength, conviction and a core set of beliefs that the leader is passionate about. They want to know what drives you every day; what you get up believing in and fighting for. People who are arguing that the Democratic Party has somehow lost its way and doesn't know what it believes or stands for and that the solution is changing and nuancing our positions - I think those people are probably dead wrong.

I think we should stand up and fight for the things that we believe in. That's where we show strength."

- John Edwards in an Iowa Press Interview

In Wisconsin:

In Wisconsin, John Edwards Sees How Madison Helps Its Poor . He told Wisconsinites that alleviating poverty is his priority. He said, "My belief is that it says a lot about the character of a country as to how they treat those who are struggling." The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel pressed him about Election 2008 and missed an opportunity to speak at length with Edwards about the issue for which he is fighting - which is Poverty.

In Iowa:

There are video, audio, and transcript versions of John Edwards' interview with the Iowa Press. The interview lasts 28 minutes.

Video: Iowa Press [iptv.org]

Audio: Audio Interview [iptv.org]

Transcript: Interview Transcript [iptv.org]

In Maryland

Edwards in Maryland

The Window

The Window

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.

The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation.

Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.

The man in the other bed began to live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.

The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.



As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.

One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man couldn't hear the band - he could see it. In his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.
Days and weeks passed. One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.

As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall.

The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall.

Loss

When the heart grieves over what is has lost, the spirit rejoices over what it has left.

- A Sufi Epigram

I am lately facing a lot of loss in my personal life.
Dealing with it is not easy, and I know we must all face loss at some time in our lives. In order to care for others, we have to have experienced the pain of loss ourselves. It helps to know I am not alone. I treasure the friends and loved ones who've been there for me. I suppose you can find meaning and purpose in almost any experience, even when it's the bitter disappointment and sadness that comes with loss.

That's what I like about the quote above. The human spirit should never be overcome by even the deepest grief. Something, even the smallest of things, always remains for which we can hope. I suppose I'm telling you this because I'm hanging on to the hope for the glimmer of those smallest miracles myself. Perhaps someone landing here, whether intended or by chance, will be in need and will take heart from having read these simple words.

Billy's First Blogging Poet Laureate Election

Billy's First Blogging Poet Laureate Election

Billy the Blogging Poet wonders, if we live in a democracy, why can't we elect a Poet Laureate? Well, thanks to Billy, now we can. Go to the link and find the World's First Blogging Poet Laureate nominees!

The nominations thus-far, for the World’s First, Blogging Poet Laureate are listed below:

- Anitha Murthy of Creative Stuff

- Jordan Stempleman of Growing Nation

- Reyes Cardenas of Alivianate El Coco

- Augury Doggerel of Eeksy-Peeksy

- Jack Kimbal of Pantaloons: Tykes on Poetry

- Mr. Sun of Mr. Sun - Billly's only question is how will we ever get a photograph of him wearing the Laureate's Crown?

As others find out about the election, Billy says he's sure the list will continue to grow so please check back often so you can make up your mind by the time voting begins on April 30th. Bloggers, if you want to link to this contest then please link here.

I saw it in the sky

I saw it in the sky

I saw this in the sky yesterday.
Is it anything? Just a cloud?
I don't know.
I do know that death has come to visit Pope John Paul.
Perhaps I caught death's angel on his way to Rome.


See blogJosh on the death of the Pope from one individual perspective: Blogging the Death of the Pope.

Anonymoses bids the gentle angels to cradle him home.

Congratulations, Illinois!

Congratulations, Illinois!

My Dad and Benny will be ecstatic!

Bora on Regressive Politics

Bora on Regressive Politics

There are times we have to take a step back and look at ourselves in a different light..through someone else's eyes. We are not being untrue to ourselves by taking such action, for it is in the hope of examining ourselves for the goal of improvement. We must see our democracy in the same light, for we are the people who are represented in the halls of Congress. Taking a step outside our geographic isolation to listen to the views of well-educated people who have spent a good part of their lives in other lands is one of the best ways to improve the health of democracy and the protection of our own natural freedom.

Bora aka Coturnix has compared Bush to Milosevic in the past, but he now says he thinks Bush may be more dangerous than Milosevic because of a growing atmosphere of anti-intellectualism and miseducation in the U.S. He comments that he saw a quick slide into fascism and civil war in his native country (once Yugoslavia), where he says, "if you go to a dim smoky bar and sit next to a local drunk, he is likely to have a book with him." He thinks it can happen even more quickly here because "the Right is unified in many ways: politically, financially and emotionally." His post is well worth the time to read.
See my own post on the "F-Word".

Another post I recommend by Coturnix is a question about what we should call Republicans, if we wish to accurately frame their political goals for America. His answer is to call them 'regressives', which he admits may "invoke the idea of developmental regression (i.e., something like a potty-trained child pooping in his pants again), or even retardation." (Great wording, Bora).

If the orthopedic shoe fits, why allow them wear it while telling you it's a priceless crystal slipper?

Dead Wrong

Dead Wrong

I was asked why I haven't commented on the WMD Commission report that shows that intelligence was "dead-wrong" on Iraq. I'll tell you why. We have known it all along. What I would like to know is when we'll see an official report examining the role of the White House, particularly Dick Cheney and his band of NeoCons, in massaging the data on WMD. The Commission's report did not deal with that subject matter at all.

Martisco Station

Martisco Station
by Jude Nagurney Camwell

"Train travel gives one time to think without the stress of making plane connections, weather and equipment delays.."

-Frank Romano, professor-emeritus of Rochester Institute of Technology

Women's List

Women's List

Someone e-mailed and asked me to point them in the direction of my list of women in political blogging.

Photo/Onondaga County Spring

Onondaga County Spring
by Jude Nagurney Camwell

Ted Koppel Leaving Nightline in December

Ted Koppel Leaving Nightline in December

He will be missed.
I really hope that John Donvan takes his place. A graduate of Columbia School of Journalism, he's been with Nightline for seven years and often substitutes for Ted. I think he's the best candidate for Ted's replacement.

Here's my vote!

Terri Schiavo's Body Has Died

Terri Schiavo's Body
Has Died

The Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has aid that, despite fervent and sincere action on the part of the family of Terri Schiavo and Congress, "the time has come for dispassionate discharge of duty." The court has formally criticized certain politicians in Congress, saying they are "acting in a manner demonstrably at odds with our Founding Fathers' blueprint for the governance of a free people our Constitution."

It's all over now. Terri is dead. Her body has died. I'm not sure what became of the fullness of spirit she once possessed. No one does.

Terri's parents had wanted to care for Terri, as she existed after her heart failure which was brought on by an eating disorder. I believe, if they'd placed a great value upon the life she had left within her, quality notwithstanding, that Michael Schiavo should have agreed to somehow contract with the parents to let them take over all legal responsibility for their daughter's care. She wouldn't have lived forever, and she was not in any pain. The marriage vow that includes the contingencies "in sickness and in health" obviously didn't mean as much to Michael as it might have to other spouses in his position. He wanted to move on with his life, and I'm certainly not going to judge him for that. When it comes to the life or death of his wife, however, we were thrust into the judge's seat, weren't we? All eyes were upon Michael Schiavo. Most people I speak with do not trust that his motives are based in love. No one knows what's in a person's heart, though. I will say that his respect for Terri's family's wishes is not what I would view as particularly healthy or postive. I suppose you could say the same thing about the parents' respect for Schiavo's wishes, if you believe his motives were based on his caring for his wife's wishes.

The bottom line is this: You cannot expect that a court of law could force a family to agree with one another. That would eliminate our freedom to choose on family matters of life, death, and dignity, wouldn't it? The government does not belong in our houses and in our hearts.

This has been a great interpersonal tragedy for the family, but it should never have been made into a political show.

Michael Schiavo has never budged on the issue. The standing law is what it is. You cannot blame a judge or a court or a law for what the family could not work out amongst themselves.

We must not lose respect for the rule of law, through all of this. We are a nation of laws - not men or women.

Jon Stewart in Harvard Political Review

"If we couldn't laugh, we would all go insane."
- Singer/Songwriter Jimmy Buffett

Jon Stewart in Harvard
Political Review

Perhaps mainstream media has been reduced to self-selecting choices based solely upon ideology. That would mean old-fashioned, balanced investigative journalism on cable networks is dead as a doornail and we are freely admitting it - and some of us have decided to laugh as long as we're getting a bit of news we think we want.

If you ask me, I'm glad Jon Stewart is there to wrap the insanity into a shitball of delight. I know a lot of young people out there agree with me. I don't know what we'd do without Stewart, Colbert, Corddry and crew.

In an article about Stewart in the current Harvard Political Review (HPR), Harvard professor of government Barry Burden comments:

"..in the last few years, with things like Fox News rising on the right, people are self-selecting into media outlets that are merely reinforcing their preexisting ideas. People are looking for facts, arguments or even humor that agree with what they thought ahead of time."

"It is ironic that satire offering criticism of politics has the power to get people politically involved. Perhaps there are some youth who are cynical about politics, not particularly informed, but still feeling some connection to what is going on, and are tuning into Comedy Central and are coming away a little less cynical and little more informed."

Julie Hinds of the Detroit Free Press has written a feature (Entertainment) article about Stewart. In it, she writes:

Stewart insists he had nothing to do with the fact that CNN announced plans to drop "Crossfire," the long-running show where conservatives yelled at liberals, from its schedule. (The show is still on the air.) In October, Stewart went on the show and told the co-hosts what he really thought: that scream fest political shows were hurting America. And he called co-host Tucker Carlson a, well, colorful name. Not too long afterward, the president of CNN told the press Stewart had a point.


"Look, as much as these guys talk, if Pol Pot's talk show was doing really well in the ratings, he'd still have a talk show," says Stewart.

Happy 1st Anniversary, Franken/Air America!

One year ago at Iddybud

Happy 1st Anniversary to Al Franken and Air America!

Two years ago at Iddybud