Headlines

Headlines

IRAQ

At least 1,000 British troops 'desert' since Iraq war, BBC

The children of Guantanamo Bay, Independent - "New revelation that more than 60 of the detainees of the US camp were under 18 at the time of their capture, some as young as 14"

The massacre and the Marines, Independent
"US troops could face death penalty for what is seen as potentially the worst war crime since Iraqi invasion."

EDITORIAL: The Price of Iraq, NYT
"It was somewhat reassuring that Mr. Bush and Mr. Blair have stopped trying to pretend that everything has gone just fine in Iraq, since most of the rest of the world already knows otherwise. But it was very disturbing to hear them follow their expressions of regret with the same old "stay the course" fantasy. It's time for Mr. Bush either to chart a course that can actually be followed, or admit that there is none."

Galloway says murder of Blair would be 'justified', Independent
"In an interview with GQ magazine, the reporter asked him: "Would the assassination of, say, Tony Blair by a suicide bomber - if there were no other casualties - be justified as revenge for the war on Iraq?" [..] Mr Galloway replied: "Yes, it would be morally justified. I am not calling for it - but if it happened it would be of a wholly different moral order to the events of 7/7. It would be entirely logical and explicable. And morally equivalent to ordering the deaths of thousands of innocent people in Iraq - as Blair did."


IRAN

GOP Heavy Hitters Pressuring White House to Talk With Iran, Laura Rozen/LAT
"Some of the E.U. members were nervous that things were really going downhill very fast and headed to military confrontation," said one nongovernmental energy consultant knowledgeable about the internal debate. "When [the Russia proposal] failed, all bets were off. And that prompted thinking that there has got to be another way."

Russian envoy to visit Iran for nuclear talks, AFP

Iran Chief Eclipses Clerics as He Consolidates Power, NYT



US POLITICS

[U.S. Treasury Sec'y] John Snow ‘ready to stand down by summer’, Financial Times (sub req)

[Bush] Justice Dept. Seeks to Block Suits on Spying, NYT
"The Bush administration has asked federal judges in New York and Michigan to dismiss two lawsuits filed over the National Security Agency's domestic eavesdropping program, saying litigating them would jeopardize state secrets."

Sen. Chuck Schumer blocks vote on the nomination of Susan Schwab for U.S. Trade Chief, Financial Times

EUROPE

Putin attempts to ease EU concerns over energy, Financial Times


MIDDLE EAST

Jimmy Carter: Israel's New Plan, a Land Grab, Palestine Chronicle
"A mutual Israeli-Palestinian agreement would undoubtedly result in full recognition of Israel by all Arab nations, with normal diplomatic and economic relations, and permanent peace and justice for the Palestinians. It would also remove one of the major causes of international terrorism and greatly ease tensions that could precipitate a regional or even global conflict."

Israeli jets bomb Lebanon border area, Scotsman


NET NEUTRALITY

Why the Democratic Ethic of the World Wide Web May Be About to End, Adam Cohen/NYT
"Customers who are used to the robust, democratic Web may not pay for one that is restricted to wealthy corporate content providers."


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

Rosslyn Chapel Comes Alive in Scotsman video series, Scotsman

Nearly one million at pope's mass ahead of Auschwitz visit, AFP

'Dead' Everest man [Lincoln Hall] safe at camp, BBC

Hunt for survivors after Indonesia quake kills more than 4,600, AFP


Special Note:

CNN should be ashamed of putting this piece of shit
up on their site.

Network of Spiritual Progressives

Network of Spiritual Progressives

I attended the second conference of the Network of Spiritual Progressives in D.C. last week. Below you'll find some photographs and links to articles. I'll be writing more about the conference soon. All photos were taken by me with the exception of the photos in which I appear.


All Souls Unitarian Church, Washington D.C.


Rabbi Michael Lerner




(top to bottom)Rabbi Michael Lerner and Peter Gabel of Tikkun, Cindy Sheehan, Ray McGovern






(top to bottom) Delivering petitions, Cindy Sheehan and Ray McGovern lead march, Ray McGovern and Code Pink




Two American Street writers (Anonymoses and yours truly)




(top to bottom) Rev. Jim Wallis, Cindy Sheehan, Walking to the White House




Spiritual Progressives Dancing



Pray-In, Lafayette Park


Online Now:

- Group has faith-based alternative to the right [DailyBulletin.com]
- Progressives Reignite Spiritual Activist Movement [Beliefnet]
- Religious Liberals Gain New Visibility: A Different List Of Moral Issues [Washington Post cover story]
- Rev. John Dear: "Don't Give Up: Keep the Movement Moving" [Political Affairs Mag]
- Interview with Rabbi Michael Lerner [WorkingForChange]

A quote from Rabbi Michael Lerner:

"...what I call for as the fundamental ethos or the fundamental central organizing idea of a progressive movement is a call for a new bottom line or, in more technical terms, a new definition of productivity, efficiency and rationality so that institutions are judged rational, efficient and productive not only to the extent that they maximize money and power, but also to the extent that they maximize love and caring, kindness and generosity, ethical and ecological sensitivity, enhance our capacity to respond to other human beings as embodiments of the sacred, and enhance our capacity to respond to the universe with awe and wonder, and radical amazement at the grandeur of all that is in this universe."

* Photos copyrighted and used only with permission of owner.

Politics, Network of Spiritual Progressives

Karl Zinsmeister Tapped as Bush Domestic Policy Chief

Karl Zinsmeister Tapped as Bush Domestic Policy Chief

Conservative columnist Mona Charen is singing the praises of American Enterprise Institute magazine editor-in-chief Karl Zinsmeister, George W. Bush's latest pick for domestic policy chief, and the news hits very close to home. Karl, a Yale graduate, hails from nearby Baldwinsville, N.Y. In 2004, he'd given the Syracuse alternative newspaper, the Syracuse New Times, some inlammatory material with which journalists can now work. It's perfect fodder for some controversy in the mainstream media.

From KansasCity.com:

As noted here Friday, new White House domestic policy adviser Karl Zinsmeister doesn’t think much of Washington, telling the Syracuse, N.Y., New Times among other things that “people in Washington are morally repugnant, cheating, shifty human beings.”

But on the Web site of the magazine he edits for the American Enterprise Institute, Zinsmeister altered those quotes and other text in the New Times profile. In fact, he removed the “morally repugnant” quote altogether.

He insists the New Times got the quotes wrong, but the author of the piece says that after the profile was published, Zinsmeister complimented him on the article.

The New York Sun has more on the story.
Questions Arising Over Quotations Of Zinsmeister


I had mentioned Karl and a book he's written about Iraq called "Boots on the Ground" at my Syracuse.com blog in August, 2004:

Mission Accomplice
Embedding with the 82nd Airborne inspired Cazenovian Karl Zinsmeister's two books
Syracuse New Times/Justin Park

Local writer Karl Zinsmeister has volunteered his time and effort to travel to Iraq's danger zone (embedded with U.S. military) to obtain his unique stories which have been committed to history in his two books.

-Boots on the Ground (St. Martin's Press, 2003)
-Dawn Over Baghdad: How the U.S. Military is Using Bullets and Ballots to Remake Iraq (Encounter Books, 2004)

- Jude

Here's another mention of Mr. Zinsmeister and his knowing comment about snowstorms in Central New York. [Syracuse.com]

New White House Adviser Could be Refreshing 'Jolt', CitizenLink

Bush Names Chief Domestic Adviser, Bumiller/NYT

Editor at Conservative Magazine To Be Top Policy Adviser to Bush, WaPo

Bush Taps CNY Native to be Top Domestic Policy Adviser, Syracuse Post Standard

Brian Cubbison at the Newstracker blog/Syracuse.com has more on the Zinsmeister appointment.


Politics, Zinsmeister, Syracuse

Soldier Gives Camillus Girl His Purple Heart

Soldier Gives Camillus Girl His Purple Heart

Fatima Faisal of Camillus, N.Y.

I am especially proud of a young member of my own community today.

The Washington Post has reported that Fatima Faisal of Camillus, N.Y. has had a very special honor bestowed upon her. Staff Sgt. Phillip Trackey, currently serving at Fort Drum in Upstate New York, said he was inspired to give Fatima his Purple Heart medal. The West Genesee Middle School student had won a contest for writing a letter to American troops out of her gratitude for all they do for our nation.

Excerpts:

[..]Trackey and a group of fellow Fort Drum soldiers attended a ceremony Thursday at West Genesee Middle School in honor of seventh-grader Fatima Faisal, who was a regional winner in the Letters to the Front contest sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post.

After Faisal received her prizes, Trackey stood and held up his Purple Heart for everyone to see. Then, he pinned it on the girl's blouse.

[..]Trackey, of Glens Falls, said he received the medal for shoulder and head wounds he suffered when a bomb went off near him in Baghdad in January 2005. Trackey said his Purple Heart was just collecting dust at home. [WaPo]

Memorial Day: Our Truth Marches On

Memorial Day:
Our Truth Marches On

I'll be singing at a Memorial Day ceremony at a local church this evening, as I have done each year for the past 16 years. I've always kept my country close to my heart. Our closing song is Battle Hymn of the Republic. When Julia Ward Howe wrote the song, she firmly believed not that God was on our side in the Civil War, but that the Union was on God's side. She'd written the words after vis­it­ing a Un­ion Ar­my camp on the Po­to­mac Riv­er. She heard the sol­diers sing­ing the song "John Brown's Body," [an abolitionist's song] and was inspired by it.

Reminding me of what I call "my morning muse - when ideas come almost magically from nowhere upon awkening and are often too soon forgotten as the memory of dreams are so often lost - Julia wrote this:


"I awoke in the grey of the morn­ing, and as I lay wait­ing for dawn, the long lines of the de­sired po­em be­gan to en­twine them­selves in my mind, and I said to my­self, "I must get up and write these vers­es, lest I fall asleep and for­get them!" So I sprang out of bed and in the dim­ness found an old stump of a pen, which I remem­bered us­ing the day be­fore. I scrawled the vers­es al­most with­out look­ing at the paper."

When I have sung the verse below, for the past few years my heart has been heavy.


The Three Servicemen statue by the late sculptor Frederick Hart, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword;
His truth is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on."

~~~~~~~~~~

For where is truth today? Our President has lost his claim to moral truth and he should tremble before history and before God.

Americans have awakened to a truth that has always been present, but was so hard to see because of a media that either feared the truth or refused to tell it willingly.

It's time for our citizens to turn this thing around. We are the greatest democracy on the face of the earth and we will survive as a decent nation because we are a nation of decent souls.

Our truth marches on.


* This thought was inspired by an essay titled The True Legacy of George W. Bush by dpfabie of San Francisco, Ca.

* On Memorial Day weekend, a Gold Star Mother signs the petition for Voters for Peace.

Politics: Calling For A New Bottom Line

Politics:
Calling For
A New Bottom Line

Citizens are calling for a new kind of political leadership. Tired of the rhetoric they hear day in and day out, they long for straight talk and authenticity. They know it when they hear it. They feel it when conditions are actually improved by a bold change in policy that comes from a creative and convincing political leader.

Too often, politicians will tell citizens only what high-paid consultants have advised them that citizens want to hear. Out in grassroots America, citizens are directly telling political leaders what they want to hear, and it's often in conflict with the consultants' advice. When a political leader speaks from the mouth of the consultant rather than with his own wisdom and heart, the citizens who cry out for something completely different feel as if they must be living in some alternative universe. Citizens are not an impersonal audience, but they are made to feel that way by their leaders. If a political leader wishes the citizen to see him (or her) as a responsible candidate for office, it seems only natural that they should begin by communicating responsibly and authentically with those they seek to represent. For example, we are barraged with a constant flow of public polls gauging "how we're doing" on poverty while few politicians have the courage to actually champion the causes of the poor. Senator John Edwards is a rare and refreshing exception to the rule, championing those causes every day.

Our leaders too often boast about a land of opportunity and a great economy while the quality of life for thousands of Americans deteriorates. It's no wonder that Congress is receiving such a bad "report card" from the public. According to a recent study, Wal Mart contributes to poverty in our communities while they advertise their low prices and our government gives them sweetheart deals. Some of the working poor in this country were not visible until $3-per-gallon gasoline prices pushed them over the line toward full-blown poverty. Union workers who once enjoyed reasonable job security and economic comfort are now faced with potential layoffs, salary cuts and diminished healthcare and pension benefits.

American politics have hit a dead end. Citizens feel that they are no more than tools used by politicians to maximize capital and to harness power. Americans are thirsting for moral leadership - the kind that reflects our common values.

Let this be a call for a new bottom line in politics and for a new kind of respect for the citizens from whom a political leader is trying to get a vote. Our economic institutions should not only be judged as efficient only to the extent that they extract the maximum wealth and power from each of us. There is no reason why their policies shouldn't reflect our common values - such as compassion, caring, kindness, generosity, ethical sensitivity and ecological sensitivity. We should stand for no less.

From this day forward, listen to political candidates. If they aren't speaking to you with what you perceive as authenticity and a public commitment to pay attention to our core values as caring human beings, let them know why their message will not win them your vote. Tell them to stop framing their programs with their goals to advance the interest of the richest while using each of us as marketing tools and profit targets. We are human beings and as members of a democracy, we possess the capacity for caring for everyone on this planet and having foreign and domestic policies to support that kind of caring.

How can we sit here in what we are told is the freest nation on the face of the earth and complacently allow these political leaders to continue to govern merely for their self-interest and for their assured re-election? When the number of dying children on a daily basis from starvation and disease is equivalent to the number of lives that would be taken as a result of dozens of 747s crashing down from the sky each day, and we know we already could have saved millions of them with only a slight, simple change in our focus and our generosity, how can we keep from crying?

David Beckman, president of Bread for the World has said:

“We are at a historic crossroads to make real change in the developing world, and poll after poll tells us that Americans want to do more to help people in poverty. Even in a time of fiscal constraint, Americans can always afford to keep our promises.”

All signs indicate that it's time for a change. You can be a part of it simply by listening to your leaders carefully - and talking back. Americans are people with great conscience and compassion. The public face we show to our own citizens and the poor of this world should be a reflection of the human beings we pride ourselves on being; not unforgiving, materialistic elites who would pass by their fellow man lying wounded by the side of the road.

* cross posted at One America Committee blog

Language Barriers: The Social Challenge

Language Barriers: The Social Challenge

I thought I'd share with you a blogpost by Rex Pe [in Jiangsu, China] that I found to be relevant to the challenges we face, as Progressives, while trying to change this world (and the face of politics) for the betterment of all humanity.

Excerpt:

Both students and teachers may find universal topics like human rights, poverty, hunger, war, minority issues and related concepts too overwhelming and cumbersome. Nevertheless, a confluent approach to teaching social responsibility in the language class helps to neutralize this seeming difficulty in dealing with social issues.

Congratulations, Taylor Hicks

Congratulations, Taylor Hicks

Congratulations to the sweet sunny South's Taylor Hicks for winning on American Idol.




I have to admit, when I first saw him, he reminded me of a physically awkward fellow you'd see with a lampshade on his head at a Friday-night happy hour. He looked like every guy I'd ever known who would do something like that.

But he grew on me. He was adorable. I realized, after a while, that he's the one I'd most want to see in a live performance. He dazzled me. I actually got goosebumps when I heard him sing "Do I Make You Proud."

Taylor - you made a believer out of me. Congratulations.

This time vote for what you believe in.

This time vote
for what you believe in.



Steve Soto of The Left Coaster has written about our hopes to see Democrats say "To hell with the direction of the political winds" and to do the right thing in order to protect and defend the People's constitional rights. Too many times we have been bitterly disappointed.

If Americans voted their conscience, the Feinsteins and Schumers wouldn't get away with playing what Mr. Soto calls "the long game"...where risk-averse representatives are not willing to do a frontal assault on the Executive unless the issue has broad public support, and has GOP support inside the chamber. He says:

"They were bitch-slapped repeatedly since 2002 for being weak on national security, and are now focused on doing whatever is necessary to pick up more seats this November and aren’t willing to expose their flanks."

Our legislators should do what is right at the time when they are required to do the right thing. We can all see that the Democrats are waiting around to see which way the political wind is blowing rather than doing what is necessary to defend the People's constitutional protections as they are charged with the responsibility to do. Combine that with the bold audacity of the power-usurping Executive, and that is precisely how we lose our liberty. Piece by piece, bit by bit.

They aren't leading. It's time for someone to lead. We are the leaders that we've been waiting for.

Let's start by examining our own conscience and by signing the petition at Voters For Peace that says:

"I will not vote for or support any candidate for Congress or President who does not make a speedy end to the war in Iraq, and preventing any future war of aggression, a public position in his or her campaign."

If you want to retain your hard-won liberties, start listening to the voice within you that cries out for justice in a country where we see too little of it!

After seeing what we let them get away with in Iraq, how can we keep from shouting while we see the same patterns being used in our policy toward Iran?

Untrue National Post Story Plays Into Fear and Hatred

Untrue National Post Story Plays Into Fear and Hatred


Credit: Lenin's Tomb

Hatred is strong in this world. We simply must overcome it or we will destroy what is best about humanity and allow the civil world to crumble in a shameful nuclear heap. The neocons got away with their lies about Iraq and we got an immoral and unjust war heaped upon our nation...all in our name. I see signs of it happening all over again and I wonder how much the American people have learned.

When a newspaper and its editors loses a sense of responsibility in its rush to put out a controversial and largely unconfirmed story, it caves in to the hateful forces in the world and becomes a tool of evil. News items like the one printed in a Canadian newspaper called the National Post are too often used as reasons to make war. When it turns out to be a lie, the hatred and fear the story brings about are already embedded in the hearts of the fearful, whether or not the story is tue.

I hope that, by now, you've heard about the unfortunate circumstances surrounding the National Post fiasco. You'll be interested to know that The New York Post readily chimed in with barely a flicker of truth-conscience. (Are you surprised?)

Jan Frel at Alternet:

A now discredited article by Iranian-American and neocon chum Amir Taheri that appeared last Friday in the Canadian National Post suggested that new legislation in Iran would require Jews and other religious minorities to wear distinctive color badges.

It's also being covered at:

Juan Cole

So here is a case where an embarrassing mistake has been made. The National Post has retracted. So too should Taheri. Or else we have to assume that he is putting something else above journalistic integrity.

Moderate Voice

Jewish Week

CNN

Justin Raimondo

The War Party fabrication factory is revving up its motor again. Destination: Tehran

Unqualified Offerings

The New York Post has reprinted Amir Taheri’s debunked Iranian “yellow badges for Jews” story. Lenin’s Tomb has pictures of the print edition of the National Post story. They made the most inflammatory possible presentation. (You’ll note the headline is not “Iran to Force Zoroastrians to Wear Blue.”)

Wake Up, America - Your Liberty is On the Line

Wake Up, America - Your Liberty is On the Line

It should disturb every thinking citizen that, in what was clearly a politically motivated activity, the executive branch raided the office of Democratic congressman William Jefferson of Louisiana. Today's New York Times editorial reminds us that the issue of the separation of powers has arisen under "an explosive combination of political circumstances." Whether Jefferson is guilty or not guilty, this kind of activity is more indicative of an oppressive authoritarian state than an open democracy. We may as well admit that we are living under a totalitarian regime where political dissenters are being made to reasonably fear search, seizure, and the threat of legal prosecution.

After all, if they would do this to a federal legislator, what do you imagine they wouldn't do to you?

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales would provide no details of the search when asked, but only described it as "a unique step in response to a unique set of circumstances." That, my friends, is not an adequate explanantion or a legally fitting excuse for stomping over Rep. Jefferson's Fourth Amendment rights.

The LA Times tells us that our Congress members are upset about this - across the board - Republican and Democrat alike.


In a similar vein, Ray McGovern points to unsettling signs that the National Security Agency being "turned against the people."


Russell Tice, a former intelligence officer for the National Security Agency, will allegedly tell Senate staffers next week that unlawful activity occurred at the NSA under the supervision of General Michael Hayden beyond what has been publicly reported, while hinting that it might have involved the illegal use of space-based satellites and systems to spy on U.S. citizens [NGA]. According to Chris Strohm of the Congress Daily, Tice, who worked on what are known as 'special access programs,' has wanted to meet in a closed session with members of Congress and their staff since President Bush announced in December that he had secretly authorized the NSA to eavesdrop on U.S. citizens without a court order." Bear in mind the fact that Mr. Tice doesn't have access to everything. It is much broader than what he knows.


According to Democracy Now, "Republican Congressman James Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin is preparing legislation that rewrites Internet privacy rules. Under the proposed legislation, Internet service providers would be required to keep logs tracking what users did online in order to help police to be able to 'conduct criminal investigations.'" This makes sure the little ISPs are drawn into the surveillance noose. [From Freemarket News]


Consider the dangerous road that the Bush administration is taking the country down...making journalists a whole new class of criminals.

One Father's Anguish and Regret

Lance Cpl. Alexander S. Arredondo
U.S. Marines
Died 8/25/2004

One Father's Anguish and Regret

"When I first approach the casket, I thought it might be hard to recognize him, because we had not been told yet what killed him. We hadn't learn yet that he had a wound in the temple of his head, so that he had a three-inch-wide hole in back of his head. But it was him. And seeing him laying flat in a casket, I thought, he's not breathing and that he looks a little different, a little older. That his hair is a little bit longer. Wanting to reach him I was lifted off the stretcher and climb up to kiss him, to touch his head, his hands, his fingers, his shoulders, his legs, to see if they were still there. I lay on top of the casket, on top of my son, apologizing to him because I did nothing for him to avoid this moment. Nothing."

- Carlos Arredondo/Age 45/Roslindale, Massachusetts

See full story and photos at The Nation

Iran in Focus

Iran in Focus


Matthew Yglesias, hosting Talking Points Memo while Josh Marshall's away, has some interesting thoughts (and links) on the possibility of Iran/U.S. talks.


With a profound break from their past, "Iran has followed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's recent letter to President Bush with explicit requests for direct talks on its nuclear program, according to U.S. officials, Iranian analysts and foreign diplomats."

"You know, two months ago nobody would believe that Mr. Khamenei and Mr. Ahmadinejad together would be trying to get George W. Bush to begin negotiations," said Saeed Laylaz, a former government official and prominent analyst in Tehran. "This is a sign of changing strategy. They realize the situation is dangerous and they should not waste time, that they should reach out."
[Washington Post]

At the Nation, Peter Rothberg says:

Just as it did before invading Iraq, the Bush Administration is manufacturing a climate of fear to prepare public opinion for another possible preemptive action -- this time against Iran.

Condoleeza Rice is saying that Iran will have a part to play in Iraq and that she wants Teheran to help stabilize Iraq. We all know this is something that never - and I mean NEVER - would have been sought had the Bush administration had not been so inept. Rice says she "hopes Iran will play a positive role."
We're hoping for Iran to cooperate and play nicely after we've failed to stabilize Iraq after three years of unilateral war? Doesn't this sound incredibly naive to you?


Reading David Ignatius' summary of how intelligence is being processed on Iran today, I would not be very confident in CIA's ability to "get it right."

Half the analysts in the intelligence community have five years' experience or less, and this "newbie" problem will get worse with a planned 50 percent increase in CIA analysts.

Combine that thought with the fact that CIA has been demoralized and stripped of its best analysts after the Iraq/WMD debacle and the fact that we have a power-hungry Executive administration that two thirds of the country clearly do not trust, and you can understand why American citizens have genuine doubts and concerns on their minds about how the U.S. will handle the Iraq situation.


An Al Jazeera article claims that "what hasn’t been told in the news reports is that the U.S. ordered its Ambassador to Iraq [Zalmay Khalilzad] in March to call off talks with Iran on Iraq, which worsened the already complicated disagreement between Washington and the European Union on how to deal with Iran’s nuclear ambitions and persuade it suspend its nuclear program, an editorial on Asia Times suggests."

An excerpt from the article:

The Bush administration's determination and insistence not to use real diplomacy with Iran, and its readiness to use force on the issue, is also the main reason behind the refusal of Russia, China and Germany to vote for any UN resolution imposing sanctions against Iran.

Asked if the official U.S. policy to Iran was "regime change" or "containment," the U.S. ambassador to Iraq had further stated that the United States seeks "behavior change," which implies that the U.S. could indeed be planning for a regime change in Iran.

Let's hope we don't "Iraq" Iran. It would spell further disaster for America's reputation, treasure, and already-burdened military.


Thanks to a visitor to this blog, I have discovered that there are protests by young people at universties in Iran today. [see my comments section]. The Spirit of Man blog is covering the story from the University of Tehran. I'll tell you what - if I were the President of the United States, I'd change our own foreign policy to reflect the kind of people Americans really are. We are not the kind of people who would drop nuclear weapons over the innocent heads of our fellow man in order to liberate him! I would represent my own people as people of great heart who would understand that freedom doesn't come that cheaply or easily. You don't kill people to convince them - you buoy the young people who are doing the hard work of freedom in their own nation! I would support NGOs with millions of tax dollars and pull money away from our own nuclear program. I would find meaningful and internationally cooperative ways to get these young people the change and the lives they deserve as human beings living in a world where injustice would never be tolerated and would not be solved by guns and bombs. I would never condone pre-emptive, immoral war and snub the rule of law and I would not rest until we learned that terrorism can only be crushed when we have a foreign policy that takes the sacredness of every person's humanity into account, regardless of his nation of origin.

Protest in Tabriz
One sign says [translated] "Leave the nukes; Take care of us."

May these kids in Iran know that we are with them in spirit and are fighting, ourselves, for a change in our own nation's foreign policy so we will be better able to support them in their own quest for justice. A good start would be to reform international law so that all NGOs would have access to national and international information to strengthen the ability to exchange information between NGOs. I would recommend the establishment of international and intra-Iranian information and communications networks immediately. If we had a better global vision and fit it directly into U.S. foreign policy,, real change would be entirely possible in nations like Iran without war. Communism in the Soviet Union crumbled without a shot fired or bomb dropped because the government did not have the support of the majority of the people.

Bush Policy on Iraq: 60 Feet Up - Without a Net

Bush Policy on Iraq: 60 Feet Up - Without a Net



Juan Cole provides a scathing critique of the Bush administration's ineptitude and ignorance on Iraq.

Media Fears The Fake Piety of the Religious Right

Media Fears The Fake Piety of the Religious Right
..and refuses to point to total hypocrisy when it arises.


Oh, Heavens...
I know this is gross in all its hypocrisy -
but is it worse than McCain and Falwell?
Which makes you want to hurl more?


I wasn't surprised to see the traitorous Democrat Zell "Spitballs" Miller backing Religious Right leader Ralph Reed for lieutenant governor of Georgia. Frankly, since I heard him challenge Chris Matthews to a duel, I am quite sure that Miller's gone off the deep end. But - when I heard that New York's moderate Republican Rudy Giuliani was praising Reed as a candidate, saying he'd do "anything he could" to get Reed elected, I couldn't help but imagine what Reed would have said about Giuliani in the days when Ralph was leading the Christian Coalition and Rudy was sleeping with another woman while still married to his wife Donna - and supporting civil rights for gays and a woman's right to choose. If Rudy had been a Democrat, you can bet your butt that Reed would have made damn certain that he [or his minions] had smeared Giuliani and labeled him one of the greatest sinners who'd ever lived.

Yet - what do you see in the current pages of the New York Times? Cheap and tawdry fare about President Bill Clinton and his wife.

It's all too hypocritical for me.

It's time for a change in the way the media fears the Right's fake piety. The journalists are looking like tabloid amanuenses for Karl Rove.

NYT article on Spiritual Progressives: Way Off the Mark!

NYT article on Spiritual Progressives: Way Off the Mark!

I want to take this oportunity to say that I've never seen such a horrible representation of what is supposed to pass for objectivity as I saw in the New York Times by Neela Banerjee last week. I read an AP article about the conference of the Network of Spiritual Progressives and I failed to even remotely recognize any of the descriptions as they were supposed to be related to the conference I was actually attending. First, the mainstream media writers need to get off the old track and understand that this is not about left and right political stereotypes, as the headline disappointingly displayed. [Title: Religious Left Struggles to Find Unifying Message ]





Last week in D.C.

photo by Iddy











This is an interfaith movement - a beautiful, successful one at that - and it isn't a "struggle to find a unifying message." Instead, it's a journey of learning about one another and understanding what happens at the crossroads where our common values meet. There are not simply lefties or Democrats standing at the crossroads. Everyone is welcome. This is not a partisan game we're playing. This is about hope and vision; not about playing "gotcha" with the Religious Right. God is not a Republican. God is not a Democrat. The media needs to come to terms with the fact that millions upon millions of American citizens are people of faith, yet their core common values are not being represented in the public.

If we put a mirror up to the face that our nation shows its own people and the people of the world, we would not see a reflection of our own faces. In what is allegedly the freest and most democratic nation of the face of this earth, we SHOULD be seeing a reflection of who we are, as decent people of many faiths (and some of no faith whatsoever), but all we see is domestic and foreign policy built around the self-interest of those who have usurped the power and left us to fend for ourselves as units of economy rather than as human beings.

It's high time for that to end. We need to take our country back.

If Neela Banerjee or her editors are reading this, I ask them to please take themselves out of the old stereotypical forms of writing and thinking and look at this with some objectivity, as any professional journalist should.

The Washington Post's article, Religious Liberals Gain New Visibility: A Different List Of Moral Issues was much more professional and realistic.

Two CIA Officials Support US Case vs. Scooter Libby

Two CIA Officials Support US Case vs. Scooter Libby

According to the NY Daily News, court papers allegedly show that the testimony of two CIA officials [Robert Grenier and Craig Schmall's] will support prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald's charge that Vice President Cheney's chief aide lied to the grand jury, bold-faced, on the Valerie Plame case. Both those CIA officials discussed Plame with Libby at least a month before an all-too willing Bob Novak carelessly revealed her identity in the Chicago Sun-Times. The U.S. alleges that Libby found out about Plame from one of those CIA officials when he sought to politically sully the reputation of former Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV (because Wilson dared to challenge the Bush administration), and the case seems to be shaping up to show that it's true. Cheney may yet have hell to pay for this. The jury's still out on that one.

Politics, Blogs, and the Internet

Politics, Blogs, and the Internet

Elizabeth Edwards discusses politics and the internet with Andrew Rasiej at Pajamas Media. It's very interesting - I hope you'll take the time to listen. She gives a special plug to the Greensboro (Blogsboro) crowd and OAC blogger Benny.

The AP has an article by Nancy Zuckerbrod on politics, blogs, and the internet that specifically mentions the One America Committee website. (It showed up on the Syracuse Post Standard's front page today.}

John Edwards: Cheney Put U.S. on Wrong Path

John Edwards: Cheney Put U.S. on Wrong Path



I hope you had a chance to see former Senator John Edwards' eloquent appearance on ABC News This Week. If not, you still have a chance. Being out of the detached whirl of Washington D.C. has done him a world of good. He has harnessed the current sentiment and reasoned concern of the American people and is speaking clearly and wisely for them. I think you're looking at the next President of the United States, if he chooses to run. At ABC News online there is a video and Ed O'Keefe has a write-up.

Excerpt:

With regard to [V.P. Dick Cheney, Edwards continued to level sharp criticism.

"It is not an accident that he's unbelievably poorly thought of," Edwards said. "He is one of - if not the - principal architects of this disaster in Iraq. He put us on an energy path that the American people are paying an enormous price for right now. He paid little to no attention to making sure the government was prepared to respond to the kind of disaster that hit our Gulf Coast. We've got a health care crisis going on, he's had no proposal of any kind that I know of. And people don't trust him anymore, which is understandable. I wouldn't trust him."

Deborah Orin of the New York Post capitalizes on the language of the Right by framing Senator Edwards' sharp and honest criticism of Bush as "vitriol of the failed." It's my opinion that the polls speak for themselves. American citizens are feeling insulted to hear the Republican party dismissing their genuine concerns as "vitriol".

Jennifer Harper [Washington Times] completely toes a Republican line in her assessment of Senator Edwards' appearance on ABC This Week. How original. She repeats the snarky RNC spokesperson Tracy Schmitt's tired old prefab line [the same "original" one used by Deborah Orin] accusing anyone who points out blatant Bush administration disasters of being "failed haters". I guess 70% of the people in this country are "failed haters". Bwahahahaha!

Note: RNC's Tracey Schmitt recently declined to share a copy of a "private poll" that allegedly showed that Bush had a higher approval rating than all other polls have shown. She added that she "couldn't explain" why public polls show a decline in Bush's personal popularity other than the way questions are posed! Yeah, right!

Network of Spiritual Progressives Meet in D.C.

Network of Spiritual Progressives Meet in D.C.

I attended the second conference of the Network of Spiritual Progressives in D.C. last week. I'll be blogging about it soon.

Online Now:

Group has faith-based alternative to the right [DailyBulletin.com]

Progressives Reignite Spiritual Activist Movement [Beliefnet]

PastorDan's thoughts

Religious Liberals Gain New Visibility: A Different List Of Moral Issues [Washington Post cover story]

Rev. John Dear: "Don't Give Up: Keep the Movement Moving" [Political Affairs Mag]

Interview with Rabbi Michael Lerner [WorkingForChange]

A quote from Rabbi Michael Lerner:

"...what I call for as the fundamental ethos or the fundamental central organizing idea of a progressive movement is a call for a new bottom line or, in more technical terms, a new definition of productivity, efficiency and rationality so that institutions are judged rational, efficient and productive not only to the extent that they maximize money and power, but also to the extent that they maximize love and caring, kindness and generosity, ethical and ecological sensitivity, enhance our capacity to respond to other human beings as embodiments of the sacred, and enhance our capacity to respond to the universe with awe and wonder, and radical amazement at the grandeur of all that is in this universe."