"Nuclear Option" Mass Immediate Response

"Nuclear Option" Mass Immediate Response

People For the American Way has created a "Nuclear Option" Mass Immediate Response. By giving them your cell phone number, they will text message you as soon as Senate Republicans trigger the "nuclear option." Embedded in that text message will be a link to the Senate switchboard. With the push of a couple buttons, your call – along with thousands of others – will go right through to the corridors of power demanding preservation of the filibuster.

This is a brand new technology, and this is the first time it is being used on a large scale. They say:

"Don’t worry: we will NEVER send you spam or disclose your number to anyone else; in fact, we won’t even send you any more text messages without first sending you an e-mail like this one, asking you to opt in."

Photo: John Brown's Farm

John Brown's Farm
North Elba N.Y.

photo by Jude Nagurney Camwell

Headlines

Headlines

The Pastor who said he felt it his religious duty to call the presidential race openly against John Kerry, even though he knew it was against the rules, is SACKED.

In the same story, the Christian Science Monitor reports:

Even in an era of intense partisan divides, the reaction of parishioners here suggests that even in the heart of "red-state" America, many want to see some boundary drawn between the demands of their faith and their ballot-box choices.

White supremacists visit Boston. They don't exactly get the red carpet treatment.

H.R. 418, the "Real I.D. Act" was passed by the House. Margaret Stock explains what a nightmare it will be for the Department Of Defense if it is signed into law. Raw Story has reported that House Democrats were locked out of debate on the sweeping and controversial REAL ID Act. A total of 42 House Democrats supported the bill. Currently, the legislation is sitting in a Senate committee.

H.R. 418. See Sec. 102(c):

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall have the authority to waive, and shall waive, all laws such Secretary, in such Secretary's sole discretion, determines necessary to ensure expeditious construction of the barriers and roads under this section.

(2) NO JUDICIAL REVIEW- Notwithstanding any other provision of law (statutory or nonstatutory), no court shall have jurisdiction—

(A) to hear any cause or claim arising from any action undertaken, or any decision made, by the Secretary of Homeland Security pursuant to paragraph (1); or

(B) to order compensatory, declaratory, injunctive, equitable, or any other relief for damage alleged to arise from any such action or decision.

...A "delightful example of the Rule of Man-not-Law", writes Brian Doherty of Reason "..That any member of U.S. Congress could vote for a law with such a provision—giving one (non-elected, no less) official the power to override any existing law, exempt from any judicial oversight or relief, in pursuit of his goals ought to be enough to chill your blood, kids, and send us running for the border—after our passport gets biometrically chipped, of course."

Rotten Republican Hacking Going On - Will FBI act?

Roch Smith Jr's site, Greensboro101.org, based in North Carolina, was hacked April 28 by someone with self-described Republican leanings. Smith said he had no qualms about seeking assistance from the FBI, even though he has received e-mail from others who worry that the FBI won't treat the organization fairly because of their leftist leanings. "Law enforcement isn't for Republicans only. It's a crime. This is America, and we have laws that should be enforced," he said. "In my opinion, if they continue to have a childish view of law enforcement and the FBI, then they'll continue to leave themselves vulnerable to attacks."

Social Security: Just who is the "middle class"? Who gets what taken away? That's an all-important question in the Social Security debate.

US real wages fall at fastest rate in 14 years - Stingy pay rises mean many Americans will have to work longer hours to keep up with the cost of living, and they could ultimately undermine consumer spending and economic growth.

The U.S. Army, remaining short of its recruiting goals and with recruiters facing disciplinary action for their dealings with potential recruits, will halt its recruiting efforts for one day this month to allow commanders to emphasize proper conduct.

US towns brace for base-closing wave: The Pentagon is expected to announce a large number of closings among its 425 domestic bases.

Blogger-Pundit Ed Cone talks about his recent "appearance" on Jon Stewart's Daily Show. Skippy The Bush Kangaroo "appeared" the same night. Jon Stewart says "When I want news, I turn to CNN...and they turn...to...skippy...the bush kangaroo."



WORLD:

Helena Cobban discusses war-crimes prosecutions and how they can actually be counterproductive, and uses the example of Southern Sudan, where international funds were used to support the demobilization and resettlement of former fighters.

A reporter writes from Afghanistan:

"We tell ourselves that, statistically speaking, there are more murders in New York City or Washington, D.C. than in a war-zone like Kabul...But with a single terrorist attack, that confidence can evaporate. A bombing at an Internet cafe in Kabul will always get more attention than a murder in, say, New York’s Central Park. One is a symbolic attack on The West; the other is just a senseless death."

Protests are breaking out in Afghanistan over alleged abuses of the Koran at Gitmo. Four protestors were shot down and 70 were wounded yesterday in Jalalabad where protesters threw stones at police, and at least three more were shot down today. Several hundred students shouting "Death to America" held a peaceful protest in the capital of Kabul today. Protesters attacked police and government offices in Wardak province, southwest of Kabul. Hundreds of protesters in Logar province, 50 km (30 miles) south of Kabul, blocked the main road and chanted "Death to Bush" and "Long live Islam".

At Informed Comment, Juan Cole discusses Newsday's coverage of the current surge of violence in Iraq:

Pat Lang argues that this is a civil war. It may be, of an odd guerrilla sort....Sunni politicians are complaining bitterly about the demands for ideological conformity coming from the Shiite religious parties that dominate the new government....Iraq expert Phebe Marr thinks the Sunni Arab problem is not going away and that the American public will have to get more realistic about the situation.

David Sirota expects a hell of a lot more than the mainstream media (ABC, in this case) is apparently willing to give us on Iraq.

Quote:

....how unbelievable this actually is: A MAJOR AMERICAN MEDIA OUTLET HAS NOW DECLARED THAT THEY SIMPLY ARE NOT INTERESTED IN LETTING THE CARNAGE IN IRAQ "BREAK THROUGH" IN THEIR NEWS COVERAGE - AS IF IT IS SIMPLY NOT NEWSWORTHY. You can just imagine the pathetic newsroom attitude: we don't cover cats getting stuck in trees, we don't birthday parties at the local McDonalds, and we don't cover America's multi-billion dollar war in the Mideast.

Jim Wallis: God's own party?

Jim Wallis: God's own party?
From: Sojourners

Several weeks ago, Episcopal priest and former Republican Senator John Danforth began an op-ed in the New York Times by writing: "By a series of recent initiatives, Republicans have transformed our party into the political arm of conservative Christians." And, I would add, some Religious Right leaders are trying to transform the church into the religious arm of conservative Republicans. Either way, these partisan attempts to hijack faith and politics are wrong.

Yet each week brings a new outrage. This week's news was of a Baptist church in North Carolina, where nine members, including three deacons, say they had their membership revoked because they were Democrats who supported John Kerry. According to the Charlotte News-Observer, the nine walked out of a church meeting when Pastor Chan Chandler asked them to sign documents agreeing with his political views. When they left, members remaining voted to terminate their membership.

While the pastor has attributed it to a "misunderstanding," the former members say that last fall he told the congregation that anyone who planned to vote for Kerry should either leave the church or repent. One, a 75-year-old deacon, told the News-Observer: "He went on and on about how he's going to bring politics up, and if we didn't agree with him we should leave. I think I deserve the right to vote for who I want to." News reports today indicate that Pastor Chandler is resigning.

It's the latest outrage in a continuing pattern. Last year, news stories included Republicans seeking church membership lists and mailing postcards implying Democrats wanted to ban the Bible. Just a few weeks ago, Religious Right speakers held what they billed as "Justice Sunday - Stopping the Filibuster Against People of Faith" in support of President Bush's judicial nominees. Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council was quoted in the New York Times as saying Democrats "have targeted people for reasons of their faith or moral position."

Because many other religious voices spoke to challenge the attempt to make God a partisan, President Bush, to his credit, repudiated the equation of faith with his policies. He was asked at his recent press conference whether he thought filibusters against nominees were "an attack against people of faith." He replied: "I think people are opposing my nominees because they don't like the judicial philosophy of the people I've nominated.... I don't ascribe a person's opposing my nominations to an issue of faith."

Then, on ABC's This Week, George Stephanopoulos asked Pat Robertson about his statement that "the out-of-control judiciary, and this was in your last book Courting Disaster, is the most serious threat America has faced in nearly 400 years of history, more serious than al Qaeda..." Robertson replied: "George, I really believe that. I think they are destroying the fabric that holds our nation together...the gradual erosion of the consensus that's held our country together is probably more serious than a few bearded terrorists who fly into buildings."

This latest news from North Carolina is the logical, inevitable result of the road the Religious Right and some Republicans have taken.

It is the assumption that Christians must accept one partisan political position on issues, or be accused of not being Christian. This is an assumption we must reject. Rather, we must insist on the deep connections between spirituality and politics while defending the proper boundaries between church and state that protect religious and nonreligious minorities and keep us all safe from state-controlled religion. We can demonstrate our commitment to pluralistic democracy and support the rightful separation of church and state without segregating moral and spiritual values from our political life. Abraham Lincoln, in his famous Second Inaugural Address, said of the two sides in the Civil War: "Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes His aid against the other." He would say the same today.

The Republican Party is not God's own party, as the Religious Right and some Republican leaders seem to be suggesting. And, of course, neither is the Democratic Party. We must say it again and again until it is heard and understood: God is not partisan; God is not a Republican or a Democrat. When either party tries to politicize God, or co-opt religious communities for its political agenda, it makes a terrible mistake. God's politics challenge all our politics. Our faith must not be narrowed to the agenda of one political party.

- Jim Wallis

Filibustering Frist!

Filibustering Frist!

DavidNYC at Daily Kos reports on "Filibustering Frist Comes to DC":

"By now you've certainly heard about the Princeton students who've been filibustering Bill Frist for over (as of this writing) 367 consecutive hours. Last night, they took their filibuster on the road and made their way to the Capitol in Washington, DC. After reading about it in this diary, I knew I had to go pay them a visit...this phase of the filibuster comes to its denouement tomorrow, with a big rally and press conference planned for 11am, complete with members of Congress. If you're in the area, you should definitely swing by....It's been a brilliant piece of political theater and has gotten great press coverage. It's also been a great a example of how blogs can be used as an organizing tool and as a way to get your message out......"

The organizers of Filibuster Frist are going to be on CSPAN's Washington Journal tomorrow morning during the last hour.

May 11th

"Inside
Politics" (video) - CNN, 5/1
"Princeton's Mock Filibuster Visits D.C." - U.K. Guardian (from AP), 5/11
"Princeton's Mock Filibuster Visits D.C."- L.A. Times (AP wire), 5/11
The
Frist Filibuster Hits Washington - Time.com, 5/11
Princeton
University's Filibuster Fight Heading to Washington - WNBC.com, 5/11

"Protest Travels to Capitol Hill" - Daily Princetonian, 5/11

"Harvard Dems Filibuster 'Nuclear Option'" - The Crimson, 5/11

May 10th

"Students filibuster against Frist at his alma mater" - CNN.com

"Princeton's filibuster fight heading to Washington" - Newsday (from AP)

"Students give Frist taste of filibuster" - Yuma Sun, 5/10

May 9th

"Blogwatch" - TIME Magazine, 5/9

"Anatomy of a filibuster" - The Daily Princetonian, 5/9

"Princeton Undergrads Speak Up for Filibuster" - The

Dartmouth, 5/9

May 8th

"Of Filibustering And Haberdashery" - NY Times, 5/8 (print only)

May 7th

Wikipedia - nuclear option

"7 Judges' Futures Hang in Filibuster Fight" (picture/caption) - Washington Post (from AP), 5/7

"Don't like filibusters? Just listen" - Courier News, 5/8

May 6th

Transcript - Crossfire - CNN, 5/6

"Filibuster at Princeton Sends Frist a Message" - The New York Times, 5/6

"Princeton 'filibuster' rips alum Frist" - MSNBC News (from AP), 5/6

"Filibuster Protest Continues at Princeton" - The New York Times (from AP), 5/6

"Filibuster

Protest Continues at Princeton" - UK Guardian Unlimited (from AP), 5/6

"Filibuster Protest Continues at Princeton" - The Washington Post (from AP), 5/6

"Filibuster Protest Continues at Princeton" - ABC News (from AP), 5/6

"Princeton Students Protest Anti-Filibuster Frist" - Fox News (from AP), 5/6

Filibuster Fight Slide Show - Yahoo News, 5/6

"'Nuclear Option' is partisan politics" - The Daily Princetonian, 5/6 (guest column)

Op Art - The Daily Princetonian, 5/6

John Edwards to Help Strengthen Democratic Presence in States

John Edwards to Help Strengthen Democratic Presence in States

"Far too often, people think that the solutions to the problems we face as a country must come from Washington, but much of the important work on the issues Americans face every day is done in the states."

-John Edwards

There's some exciting news from John Edwards this morning. Edwards has agreed to help strengthen the Democratic presence in state legislatures by recruiting candidates and raising money.

John, here's thanking you in advance. (America loves you, regardless of what Ferrell Blount the Wicked Grinch has to say).

Hear and See The Eels on Jay Leno

Hear and See The Eels on Jay Leno

Go and listen to (and see) Mark Oliver Everett (aka E). He was on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno recently and he was great. The video is at the bottom (right side) of the page.

You can see him (and his band, The Eels) tonight on the Carson Daly Show.

The new album gets an A+ from me. Perhaps I'll soon have a chance to review it at BlogCritics.org.

I just adore Mark's work..and him. And Bobby Jr (his dawg).

Mountain Bloggercon This Autumn?

Mountain Bloggercon This Autumn?

Rumor has it:

There's talk of an autumn Mountain Bloggercon in Asheville, N.C.

*thanks to a little bird

Harry Reid - Stand Up and Fight For America

Harry Reid - Stand Up and Fight For America!

Thanks to Mark at The Common Ills, I found this blogpost at A Winding Road about the "nuclear option" and the out-and-out refusal on the part of the GOP to work with the Democrats. The Democratic leadership cannot keep offering olive branches to Bill Frist, who is gunning for our rights. I recently heard an ex-Congressman speak, off the record, about how the current Congress is alien to him - he recalls a Congress where Reps from both sides of the aisle worked, as statesmen, in the spirit of compromise for the good of America. The current GOP leadership are a bunch of radical thugs who care nothing for the rights of the minority - and President Bush does nothing to temper them, so I have to assume he is fully supportive of their actions.

Harry Reid needs to get tough - and now!

Excerpt:

Reid is like the outcast on the school playground who keeps trying everything in his meager means to be accepted by a group of bigger kids as an equal.

The Republicans have made clear that it's their way or no way. Reid and the Democrats need to be making it clear that they've already been more than reasonable and are not going to give up the right of the minority party to filibuster without a real fight.

The Example of John Brown Raises Moral/Ethical Questions

The Example of John Brown Raises Moral/Ethical Questions

In the current issue of The Nation, I read The Avenging Angel, Martin Duberman's book review of David Reynolds's new biography, John Brown, Abolitionist, and I began to think.

"There is something more terrible than Cain slaying Abel: It is Washington slaying Sparticus!"

- Victor Hugo, 1859

John Brown, the abolitionist, was a complicated man of deep moral values who was put to death in America for putting his faith and values into action in his own spiritual war against the moral hypocrisy of state-sponsored slavery. At that time, Christians used faith-precepts to defend state-sponsored slavery.

In contrast, today, our government expects us to call state-sponsored killing "for liberation" in Iraq (in what the Catholic church considers an unjust war) "heroic".

Think about that, in terms of moral and ethical consistency...and in terms of your personal faith.

In Duberman's words:

"Who, if anyone, has the "right" to kill? And from what source does the right derive? When does (or should) taking another life bring honor, and when disgrace? Is there such a thing as a "just" war that merits medals and heroes..? ..The ethical conundrums multiply even as their resolution resists consensus...

....No madman or fraud could conceivably have matched his astonishing eloquence and spiritual grandeur. This was a special man indeed, made so by the utter sincerity of his egalitarian convictions and his willingness to sacrifice all in their name. Reynolds has managed--long after someone else should have--to restore to us a flawed but deeply impressive humanitarian figure who makes the moral midgets currently dominating our national discourse appear, by contrast, the ignoble specks they actually are.."

Antinomianism is the belief that Christians are liberated from the observance of moral laws when God's grace is active. The belief was first attributed to St. Paul, who declared that his opponents "slanderously" had charged him with saying, "And why not do evil that good may come?" (Rom. 3:8). Antinomianism caused John Brown to kill in Kansas for egalitarian reasons. It causes men to bomb abortion clinics for what they believe is defending uninterrupted in-utero growth.

I ask myself:

Why, in spirit, do I understand why John Brown did what he did?

Why, in spirit, do I not agree with the men who bomb abortion clinics and take innocent life for what they see as defense of innocent life?

It has much to do with the value I place upon freedom. Freedom, for the slave, is a lot easier to embrace than the problem of freedom vs. faith which arises when the free control over a person's own body is threatened by the State. Is abortion not also an issue regarding some element of slavery? What would John Brown do?


The hand in this photo is telling you there is something going on inside this open womb. Personally, it causes me to understand what is real and often unseen to the eye. What is unseen to the eye is easier to neglect. I support sex education in schools along with abstinence programs, pregnancy prevention, counseling, and all adoption support because I believe there's more to that hand than meets the eye. A woman's right to choose should always be a legal option, along with the others.

This is one of the toughest issues we'll have to face in America. We have to learn to talk about it without the strong emotion that comes all too naturally to us.

New Address for Suburban Guerilla

New Address for Suburban Guerilla

FYI: Suburban Guerilla's address has changed. The address may have changed, but blogsister Susie still provides the same great commentary.

Thanks to Elayne for the info.

Poll Shows John Edwards' Nationwide Popularity

2008: Poll Shows John Edwards' Nationwide Popularity

Aides insist [John Edwards] has a serious shot in '08, pointing to last week's Marist poll showing Edwards performing better against Republicans than any Democrat nationwide.

When Republican, Democrat and Independent voters were asked who would be their preference in a nationwide race, John Edwards fared the best of all Democrats in the Marist poll, trailing John McCain by just 3 percentage points (46-43), which is a statistical tossup. John Edwards led Rudy Giuliani in the poll, 48-45, another statistical tie.

Hillary Clinton received 40% support among registered Democrats and Democratic leaning Independents for 2008.

To Impeach or Not to Impeach?

To Impeach or Not to Impeach?
What Can Citizens Do About the State of Their American Government?

I have read this article by Grace Reid at Daily Kos, which is reminding us that we, the U.S., are not the only nation in the world, although we may be the most powerful. We have a media that buries stories that are critical of the U.S. President, but the world outside our borders hears the stories which our media chooses to ignore and/or self-censors.

The writer wonders why American readers aren't more interested in the story about the movement to impeach Tony Blair, since it's bound to have international repercussions which will affect the Bush administration and the large part they played in massaging the intellligence in the lead-up to a war they knew they were going to start - no matter what; UN be damned.

The article also suggests that members of U.S. Congress (both GOP and Dem) are livid after learning about the leaked Rycroft memo from Downing Street because Congresspeople were persuaded to relinquish war powers, which should be OUR power, to President Bush and they now know they were rope-a-doped. They're powerless to do anything at all, in reality. They were castrated when they gave an unworthy leader the reins of power which rightfully belonged to the People.

Do we, the people, have any real democratic power if our Representatives now have such limited power? Listen to what Grace has to say:

When asking, "Where's the Media?" I think its important to remember that you, the reader ARE the media. Whether or not you "seize the day,".... YOU ARE THE MEDIA.... Your opinion matters, you MAKE the news. The media is nothing more than giving the people what they want. And that sells newspapers, and that gets ratings.... but you already know this, right? "Who controls the media, controls the fates." Well, that means YOU!! If you can find the news and report on it, if you can think things through for yourself and write a letter to the editor, if you can decide on these issues and write to your Representatives... YOU ARE THE MEDIA. And as Congressman Conyers has pointed out, your letters make more of a difference than you'll ever know.

Read and consider Grace's conclusion:

During the Nixon years it was John Dean who said, "There is a cancer on the Presidency." But now it is our whole form of government that has reached a critical mass. If the United States is a democratic Constitutional republic, then there is no question that impeachment is the proper course of action. Anyone who says otherwise has chosen the serfs role.

In the mean time, we have to suffer headlines about John Bolton's nomination for UN ambassador - the same old same old - another puppet who will systematically ruin the United States' good standing in the international community in favor of raw power and rule by fear, conquest, and intimidation.

I'm afraid, sadly, that America will not wake up until the first nuclear weapon which some terrorists have purchased from a rogue nation has been detonated in an American city. I pray this doesn't happen, but what if it does? It would be too late - we'd be kissing our hard-won freedom goodbye. Only then might citizens realize that this foreign policy has been all wrong. We'll all wish we'd organized in a movement to impeach George W. Bush a long time ago. But it's too late now, my fellow citizens. You must look at the reality. There is no media on your side. There is no Congress on your side.

When you live in a nation where even the truth's been politicized, you know you have to act for change or see your free country and democractic government die.

I'll leave you with this thought:

An elderly person asked me the other day in the course of conversation: "Why haven't they taken that guy [President Bush] out of the Oval Office in a straight-jacket strapped to a board? He's a madman! Why is he allowed to remain in power after all he's done to our country? Why don't the people act? What's wrong with them?"

Okay, that sounds hyberbolic, I realize, but a hell of a lot of "regular Joes" are talking this way. So -what do we do?

My own conclusion is that I don't believe President Bush will ever be impeached. Let's be realistic. There is no way I could see this Congress beginning the task. To my way of thinking, we should concentrate our efforts to persuade Americans to elect a virtuous Congress that would impeach a leader who would so boldly breach our trust. At the same time, remember that we have a sick media here in the United States. There is too little investigative journalism, too much market-driven self-censoring, and there are too many buried stories. I'll repeat Grace's own words:

"Who controls the media, controls the fates."

I think it's extremely important that we blog (speaking truth to power without faltering); write letters to the editor of news publications (or offer to blog for the newspapers); to hold media's feet to the fire, get involved in a grassroots coalition to promote grassroots candidates in your own community (and if there isn't one, then start one), and write your Representatives and call their offices with your concerns. Turn your anger and frustration toward a committed effort to organize and I think we'll all be the better for it.

Culture War: Fundamental Catholic Leaders Chide Catholic Colleges for Commencement Speaker Choices

Culture War: Fundamental Catholic Leaders Chide Catholic Colleges for Commencement Speaker Choices

The Madison Capital Times is reporting that The Cardinal Newman Society, a conservative Catholic organization, has chided Edgewood College and 12 other Catholic colleges and universities for inviting commencement speakers who publicly oppose "fundamental Catholic teachings." Edgewood College has invited Wisconsin Court of Appeals Judge Paul Higginbotham to speak at their commencement on May 15, and his views on abortion are problematic for the Cardinal Newman Society, who wish to see a "renewed Catholic identity".

If the Catholic church insists upon this culture war, I hope they will be are thinking ahead about how to sustain a religion where an overwhelming majority of American women, who believe they should have control over each of the decisions they make in this life, will be suddenly missing from their pews on Sunday.

Happy Mothers Day!

Mom sings me to sleep while Daddy plays
Happy Mothers Day!

Be very good to your Mom today, if you're lucky enough to have her with you. Don't forget to tell her that you love her. Life is short. Moms are the best and a mother's love is one of life's greatest gifts.

A special Happy Mothers Day greeting to all the Blogger Moms.

West Genesee High School Makes Newsweek's "Top Schools" List

West Genesee High School Makes Newsweek's "Top Schools" List

Congratulations go out to the administrators, staff, students, and parents of West Genesee High School in Camillus, which made Newsweek's Top 1000 Schools in America list (at 828, tied with Grosse Point North, MI).

Way to go, West Genny!

Dan Gillmor: Human Rights Watch Makes Appeal to Bloggers

Dan Gillmor: Human Rights Watch Makes Appeal to Bloggers

According to Dan Gillmor, Human Rights Watch is "asking bloggers to help 'prevent discrimination, uphold political freedom, protect people from inhumane treatment in wartime, and campaign to bring offenders to justice.'

Gillmor comments:

I trust this will annoy the pro-torture community.

Human Rights Watch RSS feeds

Conyers Circulates Letter Asking Bush to Explain Memo Allegations

Conyers Circulates Letter Asking Bush to Explain Memo Allegations

According to a Knight Ridder news report, an anonymous aide has said that Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., the leading Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, is circulating a letter among fellow Democrats asking President Bush for an explanation of the leaked (highly classified) British memo's charges that he was determined to ensure that US intelligence data supported his Iraq policy.

Worst "News" Article I've Seen in a Long Time

Worst "News" Article I've Seen in a Long Time

I've just read one of the worst, most biased accountings of the CUNY conference written by an AP journalist and published in the Akron Beacon Journal. I wouldn't complain so loudly had I not been a witness to the conference myself. The article is so one-sided that it seems to me that Mr. Ostling was at a different place altogether.

From the misleading title:

"Academics on left bash evangelicals"

to the opinion-laden statement:

"The book table sold assorted Bush-bashing titles."

..it is an example of terrible, terrible journalism by Richard N. Ostling. The book table, by the way, was filled with a wide variety of political and spiritual titles. Bush-bashing is an incredibly subjective term for someone who claims to be a journalist of independent thinking. He does the average reader is disservice by filing this as "news".

Mr. Ostling has a fine reputation for reporting on issues relating to religion, but he really missed the boat on this one. I was at the conference both days and I'm telling you - he was biased and sloppy on this story. We can learn nothing from it except being led to believe it was a bunch of intellectuals bashing the poor evangelics with their venomous fangs bared. Such was NOT the case. The tired old stereotyping is indicative of clear bias. I cannot see it as anything else.

Listen to Ostling referring to the spirit of the conference:

"...it offered a fresh example of how venomous America's conservative-liberal religious split has become and how entangled faith is with politics."

I was there. It was not a "venomous" atmosphere at all. The speakers were not frothing secular extremists. There were quite a few people of active faith, including Rev. Bob Edgar and Rev. Joseph Hough, who spoke at the conference. There was advice given by some of them for political debaters to cease the urge to call evenagelical Christians names like "wingnut"; to stop pushing the envelope by saying over-the-top things, in the course of debate, to those of a more conservative faith, to talk to people of every faith at 'the middle-level', to engage far right religious leaders at a political level, and to listen carefully to what they have to say. Actual facts were given. (Unlike Ostling's totally unfair "news" article, unfortunately.)

Ostling says:

"..the chief targets were evangelical Protestants."

Once again, Ostling has left out something very important and has misled his readers. The facts issued were about the LEADERS of the Religious Far Right. There was never an ill word spoken or a negative view given about the people who make up the evangelical congregation.

"No speaker representing religious conservatives was invited to offer a rebuttal."

Journalists suffer from the curse of even-handedness - the feeling that they must have two polar sides presented in order to be able to report a news story - and Ostling is no different. If this conference was just going to be another example of Fox News-style "fairness", I would not have attended.

What the heck is this supposed to mean?

"Nor did conferees clarify what religious lobbying is proper or improper."

I'd be utterly ashamed to own up to writing this piece and calling it "news" if I were Ostling.

I question the journalistic integrity of the Akron newspaper for giving it print and trying to pass it off as news!

Warning: Patriot Pastors are NO PATRIOTS

"God has blessed the mission of Vision America...Beloved, the forces we fight are not of this world, and Satan never gives back what he has stolen without a fight. We are in a culture war for the soul of America."

-From Patriot Pastors/Theocrats

Warning: Patriot Pastors are NO PATRIOTS

The Patriot Pastor Network is a misnomer if there ever was one. Any Pastor who would seek to remove the checks and balances which keep our American Judiciary independent is NO PATRIOT! He (or she) would be a traitor to the spirit of American democracy. Their effort to exert and influence political power to impose a religious test on judicial nominees runs AGAINST the U.S. Constitution!