Duane Shank: Daily News Digest

the latest news on the Iraq Summit, the Iraq Study Group, Iran, global warming, Frist (not) for president, Rick Warren and Barack Obama, the Pope is still in Turkey, living wage, and post-election analysis

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Full news summary:

Iraq Summit. Bush, Maliki Put Off Meeting – “President Bush began consultations Thursday with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on how to halt the deterioration of security in his country, after their scheduled opening meeting was canceled Wednesday evening…” Bush's meeting with Maliki is canceled – “A highly anticipated meeting between Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki and President Bush was abruptly canceled, hours after the disclosure of a White House memo questioning Maliki's ability to pacify his country.” Iraq´s Premier Abruptly Skips a Bush Session– “Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki of Iraq and King Abdullah II of Jordan abruptly backed out of a meeting with President Bush, leaving the White House scrambling to explain why a carefully planned summit meeting had suddenly been cut from two days to one.”

Iraq Study Group. Study Group to Call for Pullback – “The Iraq Study Group, which wrapped up eight months of deliberations yesterday, has reached a consensus and will call for a major withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq, shifting the U.S. role from combat to support and advising, according to a source familiar with the deliberations.” Iraq study group wraps up talks – “A blue-ribbon study panel on Iraq completed deliberations and announced plans to release a report next week that is expected to reject both a large U.S. troop increase and a quick U.S. withdrawal.” Iraq Panel to Recommend Pullback of Combat Troops– “The bipartisan Iraq Study Group reached a consensus on a final report that will call for a gradual pullback of the 15 American combat brigades now in Iraq but stop short of setting a firm timetable for their withdrawal,” Joint Chiefs oppose Iraq pullout – “All six members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, amid an ongoing Pentagon review of strategy for Iraq, oppose pulling out U.S. troops now, and are also against a specific withdrawal timetable, a defense source said yesterday.”

Democratic Leaders Seek Special Iraq Envoy to Try to Stem the Violence – “Leading Senate Democrats called Wednesday for President Bush to appoint a special envoy to work with Iraqi leaders to bring increasing violence in Iraq under control.”

Iran. Iran's president urges Americans to back Iraq exit – “Iran's president appealed directly to the "God-fearing, peace-loving and justice-seeking" American people in an open letter released Wednesday, saying that the U.S. should leave Iraq and spend the billions of dollars meant for war on the welfare of Americans instead.” Iran´s President Criticizes Bush in Letter to American People– Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, told the American people that he was certain they detested President Bush’s policies — his support for Israel, war in Iraq and curtailed civil liberties — and he offered to work with them to reverse those policies.” Old enemies embrace in Tehran – “Iran reached out to Iraq and the American public in separate gestures, giving the Baghdad government a $1 billion line of credit while Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sent a personal letter to "noble Americans" calling for a military withdrawal from Iraq.”

Iran's nuclear ambitions seen similar to Holocaust – “Iran's reported drive to make an atomic bomb has become an existential threat to Israel that some Israelis are likening to the Holocaust -- especially with the United States appearing to back away from confrontation with Tehran.”

Global warming. Court Hears Global Warming Case – “The Supreme Court yesterday cautiously confronted for the first time the issue of global warming, hearing a challenge to the Bush administration's refusal to regulate emissions of greenhouse gases in new vehicles.”

Politics. Frist Says He Does Not Intend To Run for President in 2008 – “Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist announced yesterday that he will not run for president in 2008, saying that he plans to "take a sabbatical from public life" and return to his Tennessee home and professional roots as a doctor.”

Rick Warren & Sen. Obama. Evangelical pastor, Obama join forces to battle AIDS – “They came from different worlds: Rick Warren was the conservative white pastor of a 20,000-strong evangelical church in Orange County; Illinois Sen. Barack Obama was a liberal black politician, and a rising star in the Democratic Party. After meeting in Washington, D.C., in January, they started chatting regularly on the phone. … As Warren planned a second international conference on AIDS at his Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, he asked Obama to address the group during a session Friday titled "We Must Work Together." Famed Pastor Defends Invitation to Obama – “Famed pastor and best-selling author Rick Warren defended his invitation to Sen. Barack Obama to speak at his church despite objections from some evangelicals who oppose the Democrat's support for abortion rights.”

Pope in Turkey. Pope reaches out to Orthodox flock – “Pope Benedict XVI journeyed to the ancient capital of Byzantium on Wednesday and celebrated a moment of prayer with the spiritual leader of the world's 250 million Orthodox Christians,” Christian Schism Is Focus of Pope’s Second Day in Turkey – “Pope Benedict XVI turned from efforts to repair his damaged relations with Muslims to the central aim of his trip to Turkey: to help heal the 1,000-year rift between the once-united Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches.”

Living wage. Groups Press Vanderbilt to Raise Workers’ Wages - “The fragile economic state of some of Vanderbilt’s union employees … and the contrast with university spending elsewhere, like the $6 million renovation of the chancellor’s 20,000-square-foot house, has become a point of contention between the administration and a loose coalition of labor, students and community members.”

Op-Ed. A Veteran Moderate Moves On (By David S. Broder, The Washington Post) – “The House of Representatives wastes no sympathy on defeated members. So at the beginning of this week, Jim Leach of Iowa sat in an office almost devoid of furniture, the walls stripped bare of the mementos of his 30 years of service -- with just a few hours remaining before the painters moved in to prepare his domain for its new occupant.”

Post-election analysis. Election '06: Big Changes in Some Key Groups – “Post-mortems on the election have rightly focused on a few big themes: the impact of the war, opinions about President Bush, and the strong Democratic performance among moderates and independents. But the shifting allegiance of some other important voter groups has gotten relatively less attention. One of the biggest stories is about young people. Another is what really happened to "The God Gap." And a third is about the one-fifth of voters who aren't white.” (Pew Research Center)

Verse of the Day: Help Your Enemies

When you come upon your enemy's ox or donkey going astray, you shall bring it back. When you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden and you would hold back from setting it free, you must help to set it free.

- Exodus 23:4-5

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Voice of the Day: Dorothy Day

When you love people, you see all the good in them, all the Christ in them. God sees Christ, His Son, in us and loves us. And so we should see Christ in others, and nothing else, and love them. There can never be enough of it. There can never be enough thinking about it.

- Dorothy Day

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Jim Wallis: Three Ways to 'Stop the Course' in Iraq

Everyone now agrees. The mid-term elections were a clear referendum on the war in Iraq. The results are in – the American people want an alternative to the disastrous course of President Bush's deadly policies. Voters rejected Bush's war by inflicting a crushing defeat on his party and turning over the leadership of Congress to the Democrats. It was as stunning a message, and defeat, as we have witnessed in politics for many years.

In the weeks before the election, as October became the bloodiest month for American casualties in almost two years with 106 deaths, the president decided to stop saying, "stay the course." With almost as many Americans dead in Iraq as we lost on September 11, with 20,000 more maimed and crippled, and with estimates as high as 600,000 Iraqi casualties, a change in language seemed appropriate. But the president made it clear, even in the days just prior to the election, that a serious change in course was not being considered by his administration. He fully backed the war policy, enthusiastically supported its architects (Rumsfeld and Cheney in particular) and kept insisting on "victory" in Iraq. But the people voted against George Bush, Dick Cheney, and Donald Rumsfeld – and their war. Democracy prevailed against the war in Iraq. Americans have had enough of the denial of reality, the deceptions (in a war built on lies from the beginning), the incompetence, the corruption (and all of the Bush/Cheney pals who became shameless war profiteers), and, most importantly, the "senseless slaughter" of our young people (as I heard one evangelical pastor in Ohio put it one week before the election). Bush and Rumsfeld just kept saying the same ridiculous things over and over again, but the American people said something very different at the polls – just keep quiet, and stop it. Bush said, "stay the course," but the people said, "stop the course." Within hours, Rumsfeld was gone, and Bush began to sound almost conciliatory and open to change. Amazing.

Bush's Defense Secretary's unique combination of arrogance and incompetence had caused deep public revulsion. The rejection of Rumsfeld became bi-partisan, and even occasioned a rare public revolt in the military. Bob Woodward's book, State of Denial, documented in astounding detail how George Bush, with Rumsfeld and Cheney, had been denying the realties of the war since the beginning – to the American people and even to themselves. Again and again, ideology trumped reality, and those who attempted to bring up disturbing facts – or even serious questions – to the war's policy makers were summarily dismissed. So right after the election, George Bush's partner in the crime of Iraq had to go. Soon after, even Henry Kissinger (one of our leading experts on failed wars) admitted that there would be no "victory" in Iraq. In this year's midterms, the public's message to Bush, Rumsfeld, Chaney, and all the neo-cons led by Bill Kristol was absolutely clear – you are wrong, your war is wrong, and we want you to end it.

There are no more enthusiastic and self-confident pep talks from the White House now. There is only a totally failed strategy, an insurgency fueled by an occupation, and a civil war that has put young Americans in the crossfire of religious and political hatred. And there is only death, for Americans and for Iraqis. American deaths now number nearly 3,000, and the killing of Iraqis seems to get worse by the week. We must also deal with how American morality has been destroyed by this war; its collateral damage now includes our international standing and respect. And let's be clear: according to The New York Times, a National Intelligence Estimate warned that the war in Iraq has increased, not lessened, the threat from terrorism. My children and yours are far less safe, n ot more, because of Iraq.

Most alarming to many of us was the way George Bush brought his faith into this war. The only thing worse than ignoring the facts is investing your ideological blindness with religious certainty. Religion is meant to provide deep reflection, not easy certainty. But George Bush's religion didn't lead to reflection, humility, or repentance in Iraq; only to the never-questioned resolve of a zealot. Not only did he ignore the deep concerns of former military leaders and foreign policy experts, this self-described man of faith consistently defied the strong opposition to the war in Iraq from so many religious leaders, at home and around the world. But while Bush's religion didn't cause him to change the course of his war in Iraq, the American people finally have. And now it is up to us, the Congress, and even the White House to stop the course.

The only moral and practical course now is to change U.S. policy, starting with an open, honest, and full national debate about one question – how to extricate U.S. forces from Iraq with the least possible damage to everyone involved – Americans, Iraqis, all their Middle Eastern neighbors, and a world longing for security. To achieve real security, we must defeat the agendas of both the terrorists and the militant neo-conservatives who seek endless war in response to terrorism. It is the neo-conservative's domination of American foreign policy that has so severely damaged our integrity around the world. We need a national debate on both how to get Americans out of Iraq and how to stabilize that devastated nation – neither of which can happen without the involvement of the international community, including Iraq's neighbors who have so much at stake in the outcome.

Everyone in Washington is now waiting for the recommendations of the Baker/Hamilton Commission, the bipartisan group authorized to come up with desperately needed new directions for U.S. policy, and whose recommendations will come in December. The Commission report will be the beginning of our needed national debate. For that debate to be successful, I believe the United States must agree to three things:

1. Reject all plans for permanent American military bases in Iraq.
2. Give up any unique claim on Iraqi oil.
3. Agree to substantially fund the re-building of Iraq without any special relationship to the contracts to do the job.

That's just taking responsibility for all the horrible damage we have done. Only after we have done so can we search for the practical and honorable ways to leave Iraq while seeking to help ensure its security and the political resolution of its future. Neither "staying the course" nor "cutting and running" is morally responsible or politically practical anymore, and a new course must now be found – given the rapid deteri0ration in Iraq, as soon as possible.

We must hope and pray that President Bush will heed the voice of the people in this last election and become a key participant in the national debate of how best to get out of Iraq – how to correct the mistake of his war. The first thing he should do is to stop saying the things he again said in Estonia this week – that there really isn't a civil war in Iraq, and al Qaeda is just stirring up sectarian conflict. More denials of the realities in Iraq while merely blaming outside terrorists is as ridiculous as it is embarrassing. Stop it! Just stop it! Such statements travel around the world and make the president sound like he wasn't paying attention on November 8.

We the people, through the Congress of the United States, must have that national debate. Hopefully this debate will include the White House, but if necessary, we must have it in spite of the administration. The American people have now spoken and must now change the course of the war in Iraq. Conducting that national debate must be one of the first orders of business for the new Congress – a real debate of the sort that the Bush administration fai led to allow before, but now must politically accept. George Bush says he is responsible for this war, and he is. But we are all now responsible for stopping this war.

The House and Senate must lead the national debate on the war in Iraq, and seek alternatives to the flawed and failed policies that will just continue to kill more people. The lives of many Americans and Iraqis are at stake. We cannot afford to wait two more years.

Adam Taylor: Turning the Corner on AIDS in Africa

Five years ago I traveled to Nairobi to witness firsthand the devastating toll of the AIDS pandemic. I walked the streets of Kibera with a group of courageous and compassionate community health workers. We visited the dilapidated homes of the sick and dying, offering our prayers, blankets, and food, lacking the power of modern medicine to save life. At that time only the most elite and privileged of Kenyan society could access the drugs that perform a Lazarus effect among people in the advanced stages of the disease. With startling clarity I realized the degree to which AIDS exposes the deep fault lines of social inequity in our world.

In 2001 USAID introduced a rapid HIV test that provides a result within minutes instead of days. In a country in which an estimated 10% of the adult population is living with HIV, I was struck by the fact that this voluntary testing and counseling center was almost empty. My traveling companion (a Kenyan woman that worked for Action AID) and I agreed to take the test (with much less fanfare than the recent test taken by Senator Barack Obama). The inequality of AIDS permeated our pre-counseling session as we were both asked how we would cope with the disease if the results were positive. I thought about the friends and family that would respond to my status with love and acceptance, and about the medical care I would receive as a result of my health care coverage in the States (this scenario in the States is also shaped by my socio-economic status). For Susan, a positive result likely translated into both a physical and social death sentence. Due to the prohibitive cost and inaccessibility of AIDS drugs, a positive result meant that HIV would inexorably lead to a lonely and painful death. The pervasive stigma and shame surrounding the disease also meant that a positive status could lead to a social death, characterized by ostracism, rejection, blame, and at worst, violence from one's partner, spouse, or family.

Five years later, in November of 2006, I toured the same dirt roads that form a maze across the temporary housing structures that make up Kibera, the largest slum in Kenya with an estimated million residents. While the face of abject poverty remained hauntingly the same due to the widespread lack of access to clean drinking water, joblessness, and poor santitation- progress made around the crisis of HIV/AIDS provides an exceptional beacon of hope. Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) now operates three clinics in Kibera that provide free AIDS and tuberculosis treatment to thousands of Kibera's poorest residents. I visited one of these clinics and was heartened to see the practical revolution that had taken place since 2001.

Many countries across the continent are turning the corner in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The recently released annual report of UNAIDS cites encouraging evidence that in seven Africa n nations the prevalence rate has declined. These reversals are thanks in large part to breakthroughs in political and civic will from African governments as well as wealthy nations - including our own. Despite some initial challenges, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) had placed 561,000 people on Anti-Retroviral (ARV) treatment across Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean as of May 2006. The Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria has also served as an indispensable vehicle for mobilizing dollars where they are needed most for scientifically sound prevention and treatment programs. In two years, access to treatment has increased tenfold across sub-Saharan Africa. However, the epidemic finds a way to outpace even our most accelerated response. Only 1 in 6 Africans in need of treatment currently have access. Significant barriers remain to making second line therapies more affordable and accessible to those in greatest need.

While in Kenya I attended a conference on treatment literacy with over 40 Christian leaders from nine different African nations, which was sponsored by the Ecumenical Pharmaceutical Network. While parts of the Christian church are still awakening from what has been a devastating slumber, a majority of churches are now responding with greater compassion, charity, and even calls for justice.

The theme of this year's World AIDS Day is accountability. Targets such as the pledge made by world leaders last year to achieve universal access to treatment by the year 2010, and the Millennium Development Goal to halt and reverse the spread of AIDS by 2015, are in serious danger of being sidelined or ignored. While we should celebrate the corner that has been turned around AIDS treatment, the church must redouble its leadership and prophetic voice to ensure that these targets are realized and the battle around prevention is won. Through its leadership and action we can provide the answer to the timeless question, "is there a balm in Gilead?"

Adam Taylor is director of campaigns and organizing at Sojourners/Call to Renewal.

Duane Shank: Daily News Digest

the latest news on the Iraq war, Israel-Palestine, Obama and the election, the Pope in Turkey, and select op-eds

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Full news summary:

Iraq–cost. Wars wearing down military gear at cost of about $2 billion a month – “About $2 billion worth of Army and Marine Corps equipment … is wearing out or being destroyed every month in Iraq and Afghanistan.” Controversy over Pentagon's war-spending plan – “The Pentagon is preparing an emergency spending proposal that could be larger and broader than any since the Sept. 11 attacks, covering not only the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan but extending to other military operations connected to the Bush administration's war on terrorism.”

Iraq-Summit. Bush to Press Iraqi Premier On Security – “President Bush signaled plans to both reassure and pressure Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki over deteriorating conditions in Iraq, as the White House prepared for an unusual summit Wednesday in Jordan.” Deeper Crisis, Less U.S. Sway in Iraq– “American fortunes in Iraq are ever more dependent on feuding Iraqis who seem, at times, almost heedless to American appeals.” Bush Adviser´s Memo Cites Doubts About Iraqi Leader– “A classified memorandum by President Bush’s national security adviser expressed serious doubts about whether Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki had the capacity to control the sectarian violence in Iraq …” Text of U.S. Security Adviser’s Iraq Memo

Iraq-Gates. Gates Warns Against Leaving Iraq 'in Chaos' Robert M. Gates, President Bush's nominee to become the next secretary of defense, said he opposes a swift pullout from Iraq, arguing in written testimony submitted yesterday to Congress that "leaving Iraq in chaos would have dangerous consequences both in the region and globally for many years to come." In Statement, Defense Choice Criticizes Iraq Planning In his first detailed public statement since his nomination as defense secretary, Gates criticized the Pentagon as failing to prepare adequately for securing Iraq after the invasion in 2003.

Iraq-Gingrich. Gingrich calls Iraq war a 'failure' – “Former House speaker Newt Gingrich told a New Ham pshire audience yesterday that unless the Bush administration admits that the war in Iraq is a "failure," it will never develop a strategy to leave the country successfully.”

Iraq-violence. U.S. Military Predicts Rising Violence in Iraq “BAGHDAD - Parliament voted unanimously Tuesday to keep Iraq under a state of emergency for 30 more days, as a U.S. military spokesman said he expects violence to escalate over the next few weeks in response to Thursday's bombings in Sadr City.” Bush Declines to Call Situation in Iraq Civil War– “On the eve of a high-profile trip to Jordan to meet Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki of Iraq, President Bush on Tuesday dismissed suggestions that Iraq had descended into civil war, blamed Al Qaeda for the latest wave of sectarian violence…” Bush: GIs will finish mission – “Amid escalating sectarian violence and mounting calls for a change in strategy, President Bush stood fast Tuesday behind his vow not to pull U.S. military forces out of Iraq, while promising to remain flexible in his meetings this week with the Iraqi prime minister.”

Iraq-regional conference. Annan Seeks Summit Outside Iraq to Reconcile Factions– “The U.N. Security Council unanimously extended the mandate for the 160,000-strong U.S.-led coalition in Iraq for an additional 12 months yesterday, as Secretary General Kofi Annan proposed an international conference at a venue outside the war-torn country to forge reconciliation among Iraq's political parties.” Bush firm on Iran, Syria talks – “As pressure mounts for the United States to seek direct talks on Iraq with Iran and Syria, President Bush appeared to rule out any change in his administration's policy toward those Iraqi neighbors.” Top Iran leader vows to aid Iraq – “Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, assured Iraqi President Jalal Talabani that Iran will do what it can to help its neighbor quell a spiral of violence…”

Israel-Palestine. Rice joins latest push toward Mideast peace – “Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice put Washington's heft behind new Mideast peace overtures on Tuesday, scheduling an unexpected meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas this week.”

Politics. Obama reaches out in key 2008 states – “As Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) nears a decision on a White House bid, he is taking steps to reach out to potential supporters in important states in the nominating process, including headlining a Dec. 10 rally in New Hampshire, home of the first-in-the-nation presidential primary.”

Pope in Turkey. In Turkey, Pope Reaches Out to Islam - “Pope Benedict XVI, beginning the most politically precarious journey of his papacy, called Tuesday for an "authentic dialogue between Christians and Muslims" to help stanch terrorism and conflicts around the globe.”

Op-Eds.

Days late dollars short (Derrick Z. Jackson, Boston Globe) – “… just to be at the federal poverty line for a single-parent family of three requires a minimum wage of $8 an hour. So $7.25 is already a decade late and about a dollar short. Kennedy says the new Congress will hike the minimum wage and "raise it and raise it." If it does not, it will be another promise that becomes a broken egg.”

Civil words over a civil war in Iraq – (Clarence Page,Chicago Tribune) – “NBC is the first major TV network to call the war in Iraq a "civil war" instead of an insurgency. With that, a new front has opened over what words best describe the war that Americans are most worried about.”

Verse of the Day: 'Speak out'

Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of the destitute. Speak out, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.

- Proverbs 31:8-9

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Voice of the Day:

The Bible clearly and repeatedly teaches a fundamental point that we have often overlooked. At the crucial moments when God displayed mighty acts in history to reveal [God's] nature and will, God also intervened to liberate the poor and oppressed.

- Ronald J. Sider

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Duane Shank: Daily News Digest

the latest news on the Iraq Study Group, the Iraq civil war, Iran, Israel-Palestine, abortion in Nicaragua, the NYC police shooting, the Pope in Turkey, religion and politics, the wealth gap, congress, and select opinion articles

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Full news summary:

Iraq Study Group. Iraq group seeks consensus – “As President Bush headed to an overseas summit on the Middle East, a federal commission searching for a bipartisan approach to the Iraq war met Monday in Washington to begin working on its final report.” How Iraq panel went from obscure to high profile – “How an obscure panel became a policy touchstone for Republicans and Democrats is a story in itself. More important, it illustrates those rare moments when a crisis reaches such a point that official Washington temporarily loosens hold of the reins. It's in those moments that experienced outside voices - think the 9/11 and Warren commissions - can make themselves heard.”

Iraq–civil war. Civil War in Iraq Near, Annan Says – “In a sign of the growing global concern about Iraq's fate, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan appealed for immediate steps to prevent the country from crumbling into all-out civil war.” Bucking White House, NBC says Iraq in 'civil war' – “NBC's "Today Show" host Matt Lauer yesterday told millions of American television viewers, many sitting at their breakfast tables, that the network would buck the White House and from now on describe the Iraq war as a "civil war."

Iraq & Iran. Iraq tells Iran: `We are desperately in need of help' – “Iraqi President Jalal Talabani arrived Monday for two days of talks with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, admitting that Iraq was "desperately in need of help" to quell escalating insurgent attacks.” Iran Promises to Help Iraq in Ending Violence There – “Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, pledged in a meeting with the Iraqi president that Iran would do all it could to stop the growing violence in Iraq.” Bush Asking Arab Friends for Iraq Help – “As President Bush and his top diplomats try to halt the downward spiral in Iraq and Lebanon, they seem intent on their strategy of talking only to Arab friends, despite increasing calls inside and outside the administration for them to reach out to Iran and Syria as well.”

Iraq-violence. Rising violence swells ranks of Iraq's militias – “Retaliatory attacks sparked by last week's massive bomb assault on a Shiite neighborhood are driving more Iraqis into the ranks of sectarian militias amid rising distrust of government security forces,” Hezbollah Said to Help Shiite Army in Iraq - “Between 1,000 and 2,000 fighters from the Mahdi Army and other Shiite militias have been trained by Hezbollah in Lebanon, a senior U.S. official said.”

Israel-Palestine. Israeli and Palestinian leaders committed to Gaza cease-fire – “After five months of fighting in the Gaza Strip, Israeli and Palestinian leaders moved to shore up a cease-fire that both sides had sought as relief from a politically costly conflict that has left more than 300 people dead.” Israeli Premier Makes an Offer to Palestinians – “Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, trying to build on a shaky cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, on Monday offered Palestinians a series of incentives, including negotiations and a prisoner release, if they turned away from violence." Abbas commends Olmert 'peace offer' – “Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, has said that a peace initiative proposed by Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, was a "positive" step toward peacemaking." Abbas: Olmert initiative 'positive' step toward peace-making – “Abbas said if Olmert's "intentions are good, then we can build on this [his initiative] in order to put forward a plan for future negotiations on all issues related to the Palestinian cause."

Abortion-Nicaragua.Nicaragua's Total Ban On Abortion Spurs Critics – “With the exception of Cuba, every nation in this predominantly Catholic region either totally prohibits abortion or limits it to extreme circumstances. And while the global trend over the past decade has been to liberalize abortion laws, efforts to do so in Latin America have been met by an equally determined campaign to strengthen them further.”

NYC police shooting. Mayor Calls 50 Shots by Police 'Unacceptable´- “Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg convened an extraordinary meeting of black religious leaders and elected officials at City Hall yesterday to calm frayed tempers over the fatal police shooting of an unarmed black man in Queens, calling the circumstances “inexplicable” and “unacceptable.”

Religion-Pope in Turkey.Pope calls for religious exchange – “Pope Benedict XVI has called for an "authentic dialogue" between Christians and Muslims in a speech at Turkey's directorate of religious affairs.”

R eligion & politics. Pastor Chosen to Lead Christian Coalition Steps Down in Dispute Over Agenda – “The president-elect of the Christian Coalition of America, which has long served as a model for activism for the religious right, has stepped down, saying the group resisted his efforts to broaden its agenda to include reducing poverty and fighting global warming.”

Rich and very rich. Very Rich Are Leaving the Merely Rich Behind - “The opportunity to become abundantly rich is a recent phenomenon not only in medicine, but in a growing number of other professions and occupations. In each case, the great majority still earn fairly uniform six-figure incomes, usually less than $400,000 a year, government data show. But starting in the 1990s, a significant number began to earn much more, creating a two-tier income stratum within such occupations.”

Congress. New Congress Unlikely to Rush Toughest Issues – “Democratic lawmakers vow to come roaring out of the blocks when they assume control of the next Congress, passing several top-priority bills in the first 100 hours. Absent from that list, however, are the knottiest problems that bedeviled the outgoing Congress, including immigration, domestic surveillance and the war in Iraq.” Democrats to receive Bush budget warning – “President Bush will try to work out a deal on spending with the new Democratic majority on Capitol Hill, but will be prepared to veto bills that exceed his total budget or that slice away at defense needs,”

Editorial. Global Warming Goes to Court– “The Bush administration has been on a six-year campaign to expand its powers, often beyond what the Constitution allows. So it is odd to hear it claim that it lacks the power to slow global warming by limiting the emission of harmful gases. But that is just what it will argue to the Supreme Court tomorrow, in what may be the most important environmental case in many years.” (New York Times)

Op-Ed. Can the GOP Find Its Center? - "The center does not try to read anybody out of the party," the experienced Republican politician declared. "But the farther you go in either direction, the greater the inclination to read others out." He deplored party purges as "political cannibalism" and insisted: "The center must lead." That was Richard M. Nixon, … This fall's election defeat was inglorious for Republicans because it ratified Nixon's original worries about the cost of chasing away the GOP's moderates.” (E. J. Dionne Jr., Washington Post)

Verse of the Day: 'Truth and action'

Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him whever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and knows everything.

- 1 John 3:18-20

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Voice of the Day: Toni Morrison

As you enter positions of trust and power, dream a little before you think.

- Toni Morrison

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Jim Wallis: Thanksgiving for Thoughtful Readers

At the beginning of the Thanksgiving weekend, I put the eulogy that I gave at my father's recent memorial service up on the blog. It seemed fitting, though personal, as my remembrances of him were filling my heart and mind as I reflected on what I was most thankful for. All weekend, I received very personal and, for me, very moving responses to my Dad's eulogy from many readers - almost 100. Let me just say how much those responses have meant to me and have "ministered" to me over these last few days. And I have passed them on to all my siblings and the many grandchildren. So from me and all of us, thank you very much. I've picked out just a few below to share with our readers. The complete comments still appear after the column under "comments." There is much wisdom here along with love and sympathy.

Dear Jim, thank you so much for sharing your heart with all of us. St. John Chrysostom (347-381 A.D.) once wrote: "Those whom we have loved and lost are no longer where they were before. They are now wherever we are." The Communion of Saints is a beautiful reality. May you and your dear ones experience the comfort of your father's ongoing love and care!

What a wonderful and moving testimony to Jim Wallis, Sr. You never get over the death of a loved one - you learn to live with it and incorporate into the fabric of life - which it really is. You dad will continue to live in you, Jim Jr., and the millions of us whom you have touched with your ministry.

As I Hospice Chaplain, we deal with grief a lot. I came across "An Affirmation for Those Who Have Lost," by James E. Miller: "I believe there is no denying it; it hurts to lose. It hurts to lose a cherished relationship with another, or a significant part of one's self. It can hurt to lose that which has united one with the past or that which has beckoned one into the future. It is painful to feel diminished or abandoned, to be left behind of left alone. Yet, I believe there is more to losing than just the hurt and the pain. For there are other experiences that loss can call forth. I believe that courage often appears, however quietly it is expressed, however easily it goes unnoticed by others: the courage to be strong enough to surrender, the fortitude to be firm enough to be flexible. I believe a time of loss can be a time of learning unlike any other, and that it can teach some of life's most valuable lessons. In the act of losing there is something to be found. In the act of letting go, there is something to be grasped. In the act of saying 'Goodbye' there is a hello to be heard. For I believe living with loss is about beginnings as well as endings. And grieving is a matter of life more than death. And growing is a matter of mind and heart and soul more than of time. Finally, I believe in the promising paradoxes of loss. In the midst of darkness, there can be great light; at tbe bottom of despair, there can appear a great hope; and deep within loneliness, there can dwell a great love. I believe these things because others have shown the way - others who lost and have then found new meaning. So I know I am not alone: I am accompanied, day after day, night after day."

My heart and blessings go with you. As one who provided in-home hospice for my mother and held her as she 'went home', I know the sadness and joy that goes with saying "see you later" to a dear loved one. Also, as an experienced psychotherapist who has significant expertise in the area of death, your comment that "I'm not doing well" followed by your assertion to grieve him well, tells me you are doing very well in the way we all should.

Jim, your honesty about your feelings concerning your father has hit a chord amongst many of your readers, including myself. My dad, a father and friend I miss terribly, passed away six years ago. He also had an impact on many people and that impact is what makes it a little easier to handle those awful waves that still come from nowhere. Sometimes those waves will come at you with sudden ferocity in public or in private places. To grieve well is indeed wise and healing. Thank for opening yourself up to so many of us at such a vulnerable time in your life.

On Thanksgiving, I thank God for your dad. He is so inspiring to me. God bless you, comfort you, and continue to inspire your work.

I read your article on Thanksgiving Day as I spent time with my parents and one set of siblings. Thanks for reminding me to appreciate my family, and for the story of what kind of family I can aspire to have one day.

I've just reading your beautiful eulogy to your father and want to send my condolences to you and your family. I have been moved to tears reading about your father's life - I've longed to know a mentor like him all my life and had begun to believe that Christians like him didn't exist. It's so heartening to hear thay they do - your father, through his death, is inspiring me to aim higher in how I live my life and how I relate to others around me. What a wonderful legacy. May you and all your family know the Lord's peace and presence as you take the time to grieve him well.

What an inspiration to read your description of your father's life! His legacy lives on to bless even strangers through your words and life.

Dear Jim, I know you through reading Sojourners and God's Politics, and now can discern where some of your faith and faithfulness come from. Your tribute to your father was an inspiration, and will influence all who read it to be drawn to Our Lord and Savior!

Thank you for "sharing" your father with us, your readers. Even in his death, his faith continues to work and has touched me.

What a man! What a life! What a legacy! Thank you for pemitting us, in ways, to partake of that legacy!

God bless you for the beautiful tribute to your father. I have tears in my eyes as I reflect on what you have written. Though I don't know you or your father, somehow you have touched a cord and I am in awe of his life and his example. I have never been this touched, inspired, and saddened over the death of someone I never knew. I also read "The Rubble of War" and cannot imagine what horrors he has seen in his life. The image of the 5 year old girl walking out of the lifeless rubble is haunting and I will always carry it with me when I explain to others how tragic and awful war is and how all of humanity suffers because of it. God bless you and your family. May we all fight the good fight, finish the race, and keep the faith.

Jim, I'm so sorry to hear of Uncle Jim's passing. He was such a sweet and dear man. He had the very unusual talent to maintain a great sense of humor without a hint of mean-spiritedness. I'll always remember that, despite the inumerable social and spiritual demands of his schedule, he never seemed too busy to have a very in-depth conversation with a child. No matter how silly the topic seemed to be, he listened intently and was completely engaged. I try to adhere to this example when I'm feeling frazzled and my daughter seeks my attention. The love he and Auntie Phyl shared throughout their lives is the relationship I try to emulate with my husband. Thanks for sharing the eulogy with us.

Diana Butler Bass: Lisa Jensen and the War Over Christmas: Round 1

Every year about this time, Bill O'Reilly opens his "war on Christmas" campaign — his annual attempt to rile up Christians over the "secularization" of the day celebrating Jesus' birth. His targets typically include retailers who wish customers "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" and elementary schools with "holiday programs" instead of Christmas pageants.

I'm betting he won't call attention to the Loma Linda Homeowners Association in Pagosa Springs, Colorado.

According to the Associated Press, this southwestern Colorado homeowners group is threatening to fine Lisa Jensen, one of its residents, $25 a day until she removes an offensive Christmas wreath. The offense? The lighted wreath, complete with a red velvet bow, is shaped like a peace symbol.

Ms. Jensen's neighbors are upset because they believe that the wreath protests the Iraq war; others have complained that it symbolizes Satan. Ms. Jensen claims that it is not a war protest, saying, "Peace is way bigger than not being at war. This is a spiritual thing."

She also says she will not take down the wreath, even though the fines will amount to more than $1,000 by Christmas day.

The peace symbol was designed in 1958 by Gerald Holtom, a Christian conscientious objector to World War II, as the logo for the British Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. Holtom had originally designed the symbol as a cross inside a circle to be carried during a protest march against nuclear weapons to Canterbury Cathedral on Easter weekend.

Some Church of England clergy complained about the use of the cross in a protest rally, so Holtom slightly altered the sign, allowing the arms of the cross to dip in resignation. Later, he explained the design to a friend in this way: "I was in despair. Deep despair. I drew myself: the representative of an individual in despair, with hands palm outstretched outwards and downwards in the manner of Goya's peasant before the firing squad."

Only later, after the symbol proved popular in both the civil rights movement and in protests against the Vietnam War, did right-wing political and religious groups attempt to define the symbol as either Communist or Satanic. Such renderings are wrong. The peace symbol is Christian — as the designer himself described — a sign of despair that Christ's peace might never be realized on this earth.

I don't know about Ms. Jensen's motives or politics, but I know that she has perfectly captured my mood as Christmas approaches. Like Holtom, I feel little but despair over the war in Iraq. This war isn't about the glorious triumph of the Cross. No, the arms of the sacred tree have dropped in pain and sorrow. Palms downward facing out, all we can do about now is beg for mercy — as thousands of Iraqis die in a civil war that we unleashed. God help us.

You are right, Ms. Jensen. Peace is way bigger than war. Peace is a "spiritual thing." And it is a Christmas thing. "For a child has been born to us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6). Peace is the hope of the world that is promised to us through the birth of Jesus Christ. Peace is Christmas.

Forget Wal-Mart. This hapless homeowners association has attacked the real meaning of Christmas! At the very least, they do not appear to be reading the gospel of Luke. Maybe they are too busy denouncing angel figurines trumpeting "peace on earth" as traitorous to the war effort. Or perhaps they are c ontemplating what to do with those statues of the Virgin Mary. After all, she preached that radical sermon on casting rulers from thrones, filling the hungry with good things, and sending the rich away. I bet the mother of Jesus wouldn't like this war much, either.

Oh, and Ms. Jensen: I'm planning on copying your wreath and hanging it on my house this Advent. Thank you for reminding us that peace is a spiritual thing.

Diana Butler Bass (http://www.dianabutlerbass.com/) is the author of Christianity for the Rest of Us: How the Neighborhood Church is Transforming the Faith (Harper San Francisco), recently named by Publishers Weekly as one of the best religion books of 2006.

Jim Wallis: Is Thanksgiving a Religious Holiday?

Here's my second contribution to the The Washington Post/Newsweek online discussion “On Faith”. As with my first entry, I am joining with other religious leaders, scholars, and activists to respond to a question on a religious or spiritual topic. Our question this time:

Is Thanksgiving a religious holiday? If so, who does one thank and for what? Should non-believers celebrate Thanksgiving?

My goodness. No, Thanksgiving is not a religious holiday! And of course, “non-believers” can celebrate it. Just yesterday on our God’s Politics blog, a Native American leader talked about how they can even find ways to celebrate Thanksgiving, despite the dubious origins of the holiday between early settlers and American Indians. And if our indigenous citizens, whom we almost made extinct after the first Thanksgiving dinner, can find a way to re-interpret and redeem the holiday, certainly the rest of us can. My English wife says that her fellow citizens sometimes celebrate July 4 as their “Thanksgiving,” the day they got rid of us!

On a personal note: My Thanksgiving this year is all about my father, who passed away on November 8, the morning after the midterm elections. My father’s passing is very significant for me on many levels. On the morning my Dad died, I called him, as I often did. He was very focused and excited in his question to me: “Do you think the Democrats will win the Senate, as well as the House?” His weakened heart stopped just three hours later, before we had a chance to talk again later that afternoon about the remaining Senate races, as we had planned.

My Dad was an 82-year-old evangelical Christian from the Midwest. He was a part of the demographic shift I am often talking about—evangelical Christians moving beyond an only two agenda focus—abortion and gay marriage—to a wider and deeper understanding of “moral values” including profoundly biblical concerns about poverty, the environment, and war. His faith and values were a primary reason for my own sense of the relationship between faith and politics. Though, he agreed that God was not a Republican or a Democrat, he had become disgusted with the war and a government for the big people and not the little ones. My Dad would have smiled when the news about the Senate came in, and laughed raucously when he heard that Donald Rumsfeld had to resign. I can almost hear him now. He left me with the daunting responsibility of preaching the eulogy at his memorial service, so I talked about the lessons I learned from him about how to love and how to have faith—the things he and my mother taught us and the countless people their lives touched. His life was almost entirely focused “on faith,” the name of this new online forum. So, I hope it is appropriate (and not presumptuous) to offer the eulogy for my father for this audience to ponder as we reflect “on faith” and, especially, as we consider the legac ies and blessings in our lives during this season of Thanksgiving.

Ryan Beiler: Daily News Digest

the latest news on the Christian Coalition, Pope Benedict, slavery, arms trafficking, Lebanon, Israel-Palestine, the Iraq Study Group, and the NYPD shooting


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Full news summary:

Christian Coalition. Christian Coalition president-elect quits over agenda qualms "The Rev. Joel Hunter ... said he quit as president-elect of the group founded by evangelist Pat Robertson because he realized he would be unable to broaden the organization's agenda beyond opposing abortion and gay marriage. He hoped to include issues such as easing poverty and saving the environment."

Pope Benedict. Pope on delicate Turkish mission There are therefore three quite separate aspects to the Pope's visit to Turkey: his official visit to the secular Turkish state; his ongoing unofficial, at times acrimonious, dialogue with the world of Islam; and his formal visit to the headquarters of the Orthodox Church.

Slavery. Evangelicals fought the good fight against slavery - and they still do "Anyone familiar with the history of social justice knows that evangelicals, as well as others of different faiths, have led many of the causes that progressives today claim as their turf."

Arms Trafficking. Weapon Of Mass Destruction. "The AK-47 has become the world's most prolific and effective combat weapon, a device so cheap and simple that it can be bought in many countries for less than the cost of a live chicken. Depicted on the flag and currency of several countries, waved by guerrillas and rebels everywhere, the AK is responsible for about a quarter-million deaths every year."

Lebanon. In Lebanon, a crisis for Christians "Gemayel was the latest victim in a sporadic campaign of assassinations and bombings that has shaken Lebanon over the past two years. All the bomb attacks have occurred in Christian neighborhoods and all but two of the assassination attempts have targeted Christian figures, both politicians and journalists. But instead of uniting the historically divisive community, the killings and heightened sectarian tension has polarized the Christians even further."

Israel-Palestine. Olmert: Palestinians Stand at Crossroads "Israel would also ease the checkpoints across the West Bank, improve border terminals in Gaza, release the frozen money to the Palestinians and help develop a plan to rehabilitate their crippled economy, he said. In exchange, Olmert said Palestinians would have to renounce violence, recognize Israel's right to live in peace and security and give up their demands to allow refugees from the 1948 Mideast War to return to their homes in what is now Israel." Israeli Leader Offers Incentives to Palestinians "There was little new in Mr. Olmert’s speech. But the timing was important, because both Mr. Olmert and the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, are eager to bolster their own political positions, begin a serious dialogue and stop a bloody cycle of violence."

Iraq Study Group. Panel to Weigh Overture by U.S. to Iran and Syria "A draft report on strategies for Iraq, which will be debated here by a bipartisan commission beginning Monday, urges an aggressive regional diplomatic initiative that includes direct talks with Iran and Syria but sets no timetables for a military withdrawal, according to officials who have seen all or parts of the document."

NYPD Shooting. 50 Shots Fired, and the Experts Offer a Theory "Just what happened on Saturday is still being investigated. Police experts, however, suggested in interviews yesterday that contagious shooting played a role in a fatal police shooting in Queens Saturday morning. According to the police account, five officers fired 50 shots at a bridegroom who, leaving his bachelor party at a strip club, twice drove his car into a minivan carrying plainclothes police officers investigating the club."

Verse of the Day: 'Justice for all who are oppressed'

The Lord works vindication and justice for all who are oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always accuse, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.

- Psalms 103:6-10

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Voice of the Day: Kari Jo Verhulst on the Psalms

The Psalms defy our notions of profane and sacred, proving that everything we feel, witness, do unto others, and have done to us is acceptable subject matter for conversing with the Divine. They invite us to bring every part of ourselves into our houses of worship. If we omit expressions of faith lost, of rage, of disdain, and of the desire for revenge, we leave parts of ourselves at the door.

- Kari Jo Verhulst, in "The Dangers of De-Fanging God," Sojourners, Nov-Dec 1999

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Jim Wallis: Jim Wallis, Sr.: A Thanksgiving

On the morning of November 8, the day after the midterm elections, my Dad died, suddenly. I left immediately for Detroit and exited all the post-election discussions. In a brief God’s Politics blog last week, on election reflections, I mentioned my father’s passing and his delight with the early election returns. But for almost a week, I was deeply involved with my family back home, my four siblings and all their children, his friends, and the two churches he helped to found. He had left behind an outline of the funeral service that he would like, which included my doing the eulogy. He had told my brother that he hoped by planning the service ahead of time it would be less of a burden on his family. Less burden, right – it would be the hardest sermon/talk I’ve ever had to give, and I wasn’t at all sure that I would get through it. But I wanted the words to pay tribute to my father.

People ask me how I’m doing. The truthful answer? Not well, and I’m not even going to try to “get over” this. He deserves to be grieved well, and I will be grieving him for some time – in ways, for the rest of my life. But with the grief, there is also profound gratitude for the legacy that his children, grandchildren, and the countless people whose lives he touched will be blessed with forever. And I wanted to share a little of that with you, in the eulogy I offered for my father. He is all I think of today as we begin the holiday we call “thanksgiving.”

* * *

John 17:4 – “I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do.” These are the words of Jesus in the garden, but also apply to his faithful servants.

On behalf of the family, I offer our deepest thanks to all of you who loved our Dad. Thank you for coming. The size of this congregation (almost 600 people) is a real tribute to him. And thank you especially for ministering to us these last few days, by sharing the stories about how our Dad and Mom so influenced your lives. Those stories are precious treasures to us now.

Standing at Dad’s casket, I heard the story of the little girl who would not come to the MOPS program (for Moms and toddlers, where my Dad volunteered in his retirement years) unless “Grandpa Walrus” was there to hold her in his lap. From the most important to the little child, we were all special to him. Someone said, “When you look at all the influences in your life, your Dad is right there.” I heard that time and time again. He was there, for all of us.

The grandchildren really miss him. Several of them said, “He was our best cheerleader.” Grandpa made sure he had a front row seat to the lives of all his children and grandchildren. He never missed anything. So many people have used the word “encourager” when they talk about my Dad. We had a President who was called the “Great Communicator.” Well, we could certainly call my father, “The Great Encourager.” I heard Marcie’s little son, Lucas, say, “When I came to his house, he always told me, 'Good looking shirt, cool shoes.' When I came over last night, nobody told me how great I looked.” My own son Luke had a weekly phone call with Grandpa, after baseball games, to talk through the game and how he did. When he heard that Grandpa had died, Luke just broke into tears and said, “Now who am I going to talk about baseball with?” Countless others have told us our Dad was their “mentor,” “partner,” “teacher,” or like a “father” or “grandfather” to them or their kids – “He made me/us feel like a part of his family.” So many of the cards we have received said how much they will miss “Grandpa.”

Someone said to me, “Your family must have felt jealous – so many of us had a piece of your family, your Mom and Dad.” No, they always had plenty of love for us, and amazed us with their love for others. They literally taught us how to love. I was amazed again, in these last two days, as hundreds came to the funeral home, at how my Dad and Mom touched so many people – and so deeply. Where did they find the time? What a legacy. What a blessing for our family and for all of you.

Jim Wallis, Sr. was vital till the end. When I called him Wednesday morning, November 8, (the day he died), he asked, “Do you think that we are going to win the Senate too, and not just the House?” This will be a non-partisan funeral, but it was no secret that the party in power was not popular with my Dad. We agreed to talk later that day about the remaining Senate races, but his heart suddenly stopped about three hours later.

Even near the end of his life, he became a favorite friend to so many – about a young woman who worked at the coffee shop he liked, he would say, “We’re really getting to know each other pretty well." Or the nurse, “She’s so nice and really sharp.” And the doctors, “How do they know so much?” When everybody thinks someone was his or her best friend, it says an awful lot about that person.

But what kind of man was Jim Wallis, Sr., and how did be become the man we knew?

Actually, his family life was very difficult. His father was shell-shocked in WWI and never really had much left to share. His only sister was always sick, and his mother was distracted. His own home was a rather cold, uninspired, and very non-relational environment. It’s hard to believe that the most relational man I’ve ever known came form such a background – where nobody taught him how to love. Dr. Merrill, his and our early family doctor, once said that my Dad had the kind of family background that made people juvenile delinquents. I always remembered that.

Yet Jim Wallis excelled in everything he ever did. He was very bright – and strong “A” student, always curious and learning – and an athlete – on the football team and all-city in track at Redford High School, and then also on the track team at the University of Michigan. From the beginning, he was a natural leader, the captain of his sports teams, and the student body president in both high school and college.

Yet he was always quite humble about it all. He was quite a high school “hunk,” but never a “ladies man.” He hardly ever dated until he met the beautiful and feisty Phyllis Morrell, who became the love of his life. She was already a deep woman of faith who broke fundamentalist rules (as my parents always did) by dating an “unsaved” boy, and led him to Jesus Christ. Faith took hold deeply in him and changed his whole life. I believe it was first my Mom, then God and Jesus, who were teaching him how to love. Faith taught him how to love.

On the same day, my father graduated from college, was commissioned in the U.S. Navy, and was married. A busy day! He liked busy days, and seems to have passed that on to his kids, too. Then he was off to the Navy and World War II in the Pacific. His life was changed as a naval officer who also volunteered as chaplain on his ship.

One day last spring, during one of his regular visits to Washington D.C., it was Luke’s personal sharing day at school (all the kids have one) and he brought his grandpa to “share.” When Luke told his classmates that his grandpa had been in the Navy during World War II, one kid asked who won the war. When they heard that we did, the class started cheering, having now idea at their age what war was like. But my father did. Later that week, he and I went to visit the World War II Memorial, and he told me a story about his visit to Hiroshima, right after the bomb fell. Six decades later, he cried as he told me about the little five-year-old girl he met there in the rubble of war. I wrote about that talk on the bench at the Memorial and the story of the little girl in “ The Rubble of War.” My father’s social conscience was instinctive and deep.

Then he came home to a successful career with Detroit Edison and was soon the youngest executive at his level in the company. But his first love was his family, and the new church he and Mom helped to start, Dunning Park Bible Chapel, known to many of you. It was our home church, and literally our home away from home. Last night in the car, my little niece, Kaylee, was complaining that her family always was the last to leave church! I replied, “I know what you mean!” With her parents, my Dad helped to plant yet another church in his eighties, Life Church.

People quickly and early recognized a “teaching gift” in this young man. He spoke clearly, deeply, and passionately­ – and he had a great impact on people. My father had a way with words; he was a teacher and a preacher who everybody wanted to hear. Speaking was a big part of his life-long work. He knew how to say things. And people responded. The young adult class, which he taught every Sunday morning, became the hottest thing at Dunning Park – hundreds came through it. It was one of the biggest reasons Dunning Park grew so fast.

But here’s what we saw. Every morning at five my father got up to study the bible, and then he and my Mom would get all us up for school and work at seven. He always had his “study” in the houses where we lived, with lots of books and commentaries. My father never went to seminary, but I’ve never known anyone who knew the English Bible better. His Bible was full of colored underlining and notes on almost every page – it’s the one thing I want to take home with me.

The best teachers are also life-long students, and he was. My Dad was always eager to learn more, and he was never satisfied with easy answers. Others would say, in effect, “That’s the way we all think around here.” Well, not him. I pray that I will be as open to the thinking and ideas of my children as he was with his.

He became a man of great heart and compassion. As we read today in Matthew 25, Jesus cared about the “least of these,” and my Dad did, too. With my father, Jesus always won out in the end. It was Jesus who ultimately made him challenge the easy assumptions of most people around him. He passed his social conscience on to all of his kids. And it is a big part of our lives.
Franciscan priest Richard Rohr, one of the best known teachers of spirituality, and one of my best friends, wrote to me from Australia, “I know, and you know, that your father was the foundation for your own deep faith.” He was, and was for all of his children, who are all people of faith.

And he was a foundation for so many others. He taught us to love. He taught us to be people of faith. And that’s the legacy he would have us pass on now – all of us. That would be his commission to us today. Teach everybody you meet how to love, how to have faith. In the bathroom of his guest room where my family is staying now, there is a little plaque that reads, “Love is not a feeling, it’s a decision.” I remember both my parents saying that. (I put it in my suitcase.)

I think my Dad was ready to go, but none of us were ready for him to go. But it was a good way to go. One minute he was talking to somebody – a nurse, a new hospital roommate, just as he was always talking to somebody – and the next minute his weakened heart just stopped. He was done.

Now it’s our turn. And his heart will never stop for us.

Our reading from John 14 says, “In my Father’s house there are many mansions. I go to prepare a place for you.” Seven years ago, my Mom passed on and got her “mansion/house.” If you knew her, you know that she started fixing it up, getting it ready for him, and for us. And if you knew my Dad, you know he was about half o f himself these last seven years. To be honest, his family, especially his grandkids, kept him alive and smiling. But oh, how he missed her! He still signed his cards to us, “We love you.”

Now they’re together again. The grandkids all talked about that, saying, “He’s with Grandma now,” in the place she was getting ready for him and for his family – and, I think, for all of us.
Today we can imagine them together again, hugging and smiling at all of us. My wife, Joy Carroll, a good priest and preacher, isn’t sure what I am about to say is good exegesis of John 14. But, I can imagine the two of them getting a big “open house” together even now. You see, their house was always open, their table was always open, and it was always big enough to include a few more.

For my Mom and Dad, there was always an occasion for a party. And I think they would want me to invite you right now, to the biggest and best party they ever threw. Jim and Phyllis would invite you to the “Wallis Heavenly Open House.” Whenever you are ready, they’ll be waiting – just for you. We’ll all be welcome.

My Dad and Mom were servants in this life. I’ll close with one of his favorite passages – what he might say now to all of us on the day of his memorial home sending. It’s Philippians 2:1-11. I can almost hear him say, “Have this mind in you, which was in Christ Jesus.”

My Dad was always one to deflect attention away from himself, and give the glory to God. But on this occasion, we also pay tribute to him. Let us rise and give a big standing ovation to one of God’s most faithful servants.

James E. Wallis, Senior: A man of faith!

Duane Shank: Daily News Digest

The latest news on Lebanon, HIV/AIDS, infant mortality in Africa, Iraq, the draft, teen birthrate in the U.S. and select op-eds.

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Full news summary:

Lebanon. Assassination leaves Lebanon at brink – “A Christian Cabinet minister who had stood against Syrian interference in Lebanon was fatally shot, stunning and infuriating a war-haunted nation and heightening the threat of unrest in the streets.” Fears of Civil Strife Rise in Lebanon – “The assassination of Pierre Gemayel, a divisive figure in a country riven by sectarian tension, underlined the lack of red lines in the escalating struggle over Lebanon's political future that has followed this summer's war between Hezbollah and Israel.” Assassination Increases Tensions With Syria, Iran – “President Bush blasted Syria and Iran after the assassination of Christian cabinet minister Pierre Gemayel for trying to destabilize Lebanon, reflecting tensions between Washington and its two Middle Eastern rivals that are increasingly playing out in Lebanon as well as Iraq.”

Iraq. Pentagon cites alternative to Baker report – “The Pentagon is drafting its own new options for winning in Iraq, in part, to give President Bush counterproposals to fall back on in case the Iraq Study Group comes up with ideas he does not like, defense officials say.” Civilian death toll climbs in Iraq  - “The number of Iraqi civilian deaths reached a new high of 3,709 in October and torture continues to be rampant, a UN report said today.”

Draft?  Behind talk of a new draft: equity – “Thousands of American troops have been killed and wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, and many thousands more will bring home at least some of that burden. But most Americans experience no direct or even indirect cost of a war soon to last longer than World War II. Would reinstituting the military draft even things out, spreading the responsibility while influencing politicians to think twice before sending men and women into harm's way? Rep. Charles Rangel (D) of New York thinks so.”

Teen births. Teen births down; unwed moms up – “The U.S. teen birthrate fell again in 2005 to a new historical low, however, almost all of these births were to unwed mothers, which helped push the percent of unwed births to a record high.” Babies Born to Singles Are at Record: Nearly 4 in 10 – “Out-of-wedlock births in the United States, on the rise since the late 1990s, have now climbed to a record high, accounting for nearly 4 in 10 babies born last year, …But while such births have long been associated with teenage mothers, the number among 10 - to 17-year-olds actually dropped last year — as did that group’s overall birthrate, to the lowest level on record.”

HIV/AIDS. AIDS Is on the Rise Worldwide, U.N. Finds – “The AIDS pandemic is growing in all areas of the world, with worrisome signs of resurgence in some countries that were trumpeted as successes in combating the disease, the United Nations said yesterday. At the same time, the prevalence of H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS, among young people has declined in eight countries in Africa, showing that prevention efforts can work,” Programs Help Reduce HIV Rates in Parts of Africa, Report Says – “Seven African countries are experiencing a decline in the prevalence of HIV infection among young, urban adults, finally reaping the benefit of AIDS prevention and treatment, the United Nations said yesterday in its annual report on the global epidemic.”

Infant mortality. Mortality rates tumble for African children – “Many African countries have sharply reduced the deaths of young children in recent years, saving hundreds of thousands of lives, according to new data from 46 nations that contradict the perception that the world's poorest continent was making little gain against killer diseases. … Across sub-Saharan Africa, the mortality rates for children under age 5 in some countries have decreased by as much as 30 percent in the past five years because of increases in immunization and the use of vitamin A supplements and oral rehydration therapy; a rise in the number of women seeking prenatal care; and the end of regional conflicts,”

Op-Ed. The Democrats' Economy Wars  (Harold Meyerson, Washington Post) – “When voters went to the polls this month, they registered not only a revulsion with the Republican regime but also a profound -- almost un-American -- anxiety about the nation's future. They ousted incumbents who wanted to stay the economic course, choosing instead Democratic challengers who questioned free-trade orthodoxy. In the exit polling, a plurality said they believed that life for the next generation of Americans would be worse than it is today. All wings of the Democratic Party seem to understand the extent of America's economic problem.”

On this day in 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, TX.  Here is the New York Times front page.

Verse of the Day: "Because the poor are despoiled..."

Because the poor are despoiled, because the needy groan, I will rise up," says the Lord; "I will place them in the safety for which they long." The promises of the Lord are promises that are pure, silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times.

- Psalms 12:5-6

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Voice of the Day: Louis Brandeis

We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both.

- Louis Brandeis

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Randy Woodley: The Thanksgiving Myth - One Worth Keeping?

Like Malcolm X said, "We didn't land on Plymouth Rock, Plymouth Rock landed on us." This is especially true for my family. You know us; we're the folks that brought you that popular holiday, Thanksgiving. We are Native Americans. After watching the History Channel special on the Mayflower this week, it appears that the Pilgrims may not have actually landed on Plymouth Rock either. Sorry Malcolm … but then again, I think your idea is still very clear. The new settler-state did become one big "ouch" for those outside the privileged system.

According to Barack Obama's new book, white guilt has already run its course, so my sense now is to move quickly past how bad it really is - and it really is bad - and on to suggesting a way for us to heal. My Native American brothers and sisters have been protesting at "the Rock" since the sixties. Check it out; they will be there again this year. They have important stuff to say, and I would be there with them if I lived on the East Coast. But, in the end, they won't get much attention.

I was privileged to tell the story of Thanksgiving earlier this year in my home to a dinner table of white American - and one African American - guests. They actually asked me to share the real story. I only stuck the turkey knife in them to the point of awareness, and not discomfort —I'm a better host than that. (Besides, my wife would have stealthily stuck a fork in my knee under the table if I went too far.)

But what I decided this year was that the Thanksgiving story is a good story, one we need to keep. I like good stories, and our Indian way — especially for the purpose of lightly making fun of someone we care about — is to embellish them slightly (okay, embellish them a lot). Now to the point: As I imagine the Pilgrims and the Indians in the awkward courting stage of making friends and building trust, I just know that some Indian made a joke of the whole nervous enterprise and at some point the tension morphed into big belly laughs (at least for the Indians). How do I know this?

Some things about Native people have not changed. Even though we are the most marginalized people in America (oh, I said I wouldn't go there), we find ways to laugh at ourselves, at others, and at our circumstances. The Indians at Plymouth (I'm sure it had a better name prior) had already suffered under disease before the Pilgrims even arrived. They knew tragedy well, and were likely already ahead of the Pilgrims in understanding some things about their world changing (we integrate fast). In the midst of this seriousness and all the other observable cultural distinctives — I know one of those Indians at the Thanksgiving meal brought with them our keen indigenous sense of humor.

You must understand something about most Indians. Humor is something very sacred to us. After all, we can't take ourselves too seriously unless we are able to joke about it. It's just how we handle accepting ourselves as human beings. I guess that's why I've recently converted to just enjoying Thanksgiving as a fact or myth (I think it's a little of both) that promotes reconciliation between Native Americans and others, and hopefully … lots of laughter. We can definitely use some more laughter in the world, and lots more friend making. I just ask one thing. If we stop laughing while speaking truth — and it feels uncomfortable — please don't use your privilege to leave the (metaphorical) table. After all, you didn't have that privilege at Plymouth (eyye!).

Rev. Randy Woodley is a Keetoowah Cherokee Indian teacher, lecturer, poet, activist, pastor and the author of Living in Color: Embracing God's Passion for Ethnic Diversity (InterVarsity Press). http://www.eagleswingsministry.com

Wes Granberg-Michaelson: Bush, Vietnam, and Iraq - Déjà Vu All Over Again

President Bush's first visit to Vietnam, amidst the search for policy alternatives in Iraq following the mid-term election defeat of the Republicans, brings back, for me, memories of 1968. (Here's the personal angle: I began serving on the staff of Senator Mark O. Hatfield in '68, remaining there through 1976. As an early, courageous opponent of U.S. involvement in Vietnam, Hatfield became a congressional leader in attempts to change U.S. policy, and I was entrusted with the staff work supporting him throughout this time.)

President Johnson's Vietnam policies had been repudiated in the 1968 electoral process, beginning with Eugene McCarthy's strong showing in the New Hampshire primary. Johnson withdrew, Robert Kennedy entered the race, was assassinated, and Vice-President Hubert Humphrey became the Democratic nominee during the Grant Park chaos in Chicago. Richard Nixon became the Republican candidate.

Nixon ran with a "secret plan to end the war." He knew that signaling a change from President Johnson's direction had become a political necessity. When he took office in January, 1969, we waited for this plan to be revealed. It didn't happen, because nothing of substance was there. Instead, a policy first called "de-Americanization" began to emerge: We'll withdraw the number of U.S. troops by increasing the training and combat readiness of Vietnamese troops. Later it was termed "Vietnamization." U.S. troop reductions slowly began. Meanwhile, the U.S. bombing campaigns were intensified. Then, in 1970, Cambodia was invaded by U.S. forces. The plan to end the war had now widened and prolonged it.

Nixon and national security advisor Henry Kissinger had no intention of changing their basic goal — preventing the North Vietnamese from winning what was, at its core, a civil war in Vietnam. They changed the language, changed the military tactics, and tried to change the level of direct U.S. casualties. But they didn't change the basic policy.

The result, of course, was that the war simply continued. In the end, there were more casualties under Nixon than Johnson, the war's destruction spread throughout Indo-China, and at home the country was torn apart. And eventually, Saigon became Ho Chi Minh City as the North Vietnamese prevailed and united the country.

Today the Vietnamese sell cappuccinos for $3.00 U.S. in upscale coffee shops and welcome Intel and other Western investors, fueling an economy growing at a rate second only to China.

The U.S. made a fundamentally wrong choice of policy in Vietnam. The electorate in the U.S. came to realize this, but policy-makers bought time by shifting language and tactics while maintaining a consistently wrong and increasing immoral policy. In Vietnam's case, hundreds of thousand of Vietnamese, and thousands of Americans, died because of the mistaken judgment and hubris of policy-makers who refused to change a war policy that couldn't succeed.

I remember well the reasons and rationales, which kept shifting. Other nations in Asia and around the world will fall to emboldened communists. (Instead, a few years later, the Berlin Wall fell.) At a meeting with Alexander Haig, I vividly recall him arguing how America's word would not be trusted by other world leaders if we withdrew from Vietnam. Then Nixon argued that we had to fight to honor those who had already died. And always, prevailing in Vietnam was cast as a crucial part of a global struggle to defend our most cherished ideals of freedom against forces determined to defeat us.

Most of all, we refused to admit that we were wrong.

So on this evening's news, we learn of leaked Pentagon documents with options that include sending more troops to Iraq, and other options to redeploy present U.S. troops in order to increase the pressure on the Iraq government to fight its own battles. A deliberate withdrawal of U.S. troops is dismissed.

Most everyone seems to agree now that Iraq is a mess. But few with the power to make policy are saying that the U .S. is wrong. I have no doubt that the next two to three months will witness a change in our tactics in Iraq. And already, since the election, we are seeing a remarkable change in language. What I fear is that there will be no fundamental change in a policy that is mistaken at its core, that becomes increasingly immoral, and that cannot succeed. That policy is to use military force to establish a democratic government capable of uniting Iraq's various factions, providing for its security, and acting sympathetically to U.S. interests in the region.

President Bush, especially in the mid-term elections, raised the rhetorical stakes in this war. The credibility of the U. S. is on the line. We need to honor those who have already died. Most of all, we are engaged in the front lines of a global battle against terror where our most cherished ideals are at stake. If the President believes this, as I'm sure he sincerely does, then why should we expect his administration to make any fundamental change in policy?

In 1968, with elections demonstrating growing discontent toward the nation's involvement in Vietnam, a basic change in direction would have been possible. But it would have required admitting that we were wrong — wrong in using military force to try to impose an internal political solution in Vietnam that was sustainable and to our liking. We could have found a way to reverse a policy that was wrong, and then minimize the unintended consequences of turning from our mistakes. Instead, Nixon made changes that were cosmetic, and the immoral tragedy endured.

It's hard, I guess, to ask nations to repent. Power breeds impunity. Yet, this is the word we need to speak and to hear at this window of national reassessment. This is the wrong war, in the wrong place, for the wrong reasons, at the wrong time.

Repentance, we know, always opens new possibilities. Admitting that we have been wrong is the most important step in deciding what we should do next. I wish the Iraq Study Group, and all the others offering advice to the President, would start there.

Wes Granberg-Michaelson is general secretary of the Reformed Church in America, and a board member of Sojourners/Call to Renewal.

Duane Shank: Daily News Digest

the latest news on the war in Iraq, making work work, congress, Darfur, the Middle East, School of the Americas protest coverage, and select op-eds

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Full news summary:



War in Iraq. Bush Says No Decision Yet on Troop Levels in Iraq – “President Bush said that he had made no decisions about altering the number of U.S. troops in Iraq, noting that there are "a lot of suggestions" still being evaluated.” U.S. Considers Raising Troop Levels in Iraq– “The idea would involve increasing U.S. forces by 20,000 troops or more in the hope of improving security.” Flaws Cited in Effort To Train Iraqi Forces – “The U.S. military's effort to train Iraqi forces has been rife with problems, from officers being sent in with poor preparation to a lack of basic necessities such as interpreters and office materials, according to internal Army documents.”



Obama: Time to stop `coddling' Iraq – “Amid intense speculation about whether he will run for president, Sen. Barack Obama used the spotlight to showcase his strategy for the war in Iraq, excoriating the Bush administration for its "misguided" war and describing a solution that includes dialogue with hostile nations in the region.” Obama calls for pullout in Iraq – “the popular Illinois Democrat who is considering a run for the White House, said the U.S. should start withdrawing troops from Iraq in the next four to six months, redeploy some forces to Afghanistan and bolster efforts to train Iraqi police.”



Diplomacy in Iraq. Iraq to Restore Long-Severed Relations With Neighbor Syria– “Iraq said that it would restore diplomatic ties with neighboring Syria after a break of nearly a quarter-century in an effort to solidify links with a neighbor seen as a conduit for insurgents fueling the violence in Iraq.” Syria and Iraq Restore Ties Severed in the Hussein Era– “As the United States undertakes a broad review of its role in Iraq, the neighboring countries of Iran, Turkey and Syria have stepped forward to try to position themselves in case of a major change in policy, leading to a recent flurry of diplomatic efforts.” Iran calls Iraq, Syria for summit – “In a bid apparently intended to counter U.S. influence in the region, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad invited his Iraqi and Syrian counterparts to a weekend summit in Tehran to tackle the chaos in Iraq, Iraqi lawmakers said.”



Make work work. Rep. Frank offers business a 'grand bargain' – “Representative Barney Frank has proposed in a series of meetings with business groups a "grand bargain" with corporate America: Democrats would agree to reduce regulations and support free-trade deals in exchange for businesses agreeing to greater wage increases and job benefits for workers.” A high-profile Houston win for 'invisible' janitors – “In a major step for labor in this right-to-work city, striking janitors reached an agreement with five major cleaning companies on a contract that guarantees the workers higher wages, more work hours and medical benefits.”



Congress. Pelosi team tries to steer Democrats to the center – “Anxious to chart a centrist course with Democrats' new majority in Congress, incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her top deputies are busily working in private and public to rein in the liberal ambitions of some senior party heavyweights --including proposals to reinstate the military draft and end the Pentagon's ban on gays in uniform.” Democrat's draft bill faces uphill fight – “A prominent Democrat's call for reinstating a military draft ignited a mini-firestorm as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle rushed to denounce any notion of a return to conscription.”



Sudan-Darfur. U.S. Sets Jan. 1 Deadline for Sudan to Act on Darfur– “Andrew Natsios, the U.S. special envoy to Sudan, said yesterday that the Bush administration will resort to an unspecified "Plan B" if the Sudanese government does not agree by Jan. 1 to complete negotiations on an expanded international peacekeeping force for its troubled Darfur region.” New bid to solve Darfur impasse – “Several African leaders are gathering in Libya to try to find a solution to the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region. The beefing up of an African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur and the possible involvement of the UN is expected to top the agenda.” In war-torn Sudan, women wage peace – “Recent conferences highlight growing efforts to include women in the struggle to end brutal conflicts. … a recent four-day workshop in Khartoum organized by the US-based Initiative for Inclusive Security, a program to involve women in peace processes around the world. The conference was designed to include women's voices in bringing peace to Darfur, and in efforts to rebuild Southern Sudan - itself the scene of a separate civil war that ended last year.”



Middle East. Israel Orders Investigation of Bomb Use in Lebanon– “The Israeli military chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz, ordered an inquiry to determine whether the armed forces had followed his orders when it used large numbers of cluster bombs during the monthlong war with Hezbollah in Lebanon this summer.” IDF admits targeting civilian areas with cluster bombs – “The Israel Defense Forces discovered that there had been "irregularities" in the use of cluster munitions, even before the end of the recent Lebanon war … As a result of this information, Defense Minister Amir Peretz ordered an "extensive inquiry" into the use of these munitions before the war's end. Meanwhile, for the first time Monday, the IDF admitted targeting populated areas with cluster munitions.” Israeli Map Says West Bank Posts Sit on Arab Land– “An Israeli advocacy group, using maps and figures leaked from inside the government, says that 39 percent of the land held by Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank is privately owned by Palestinians.” UN condemns Gaza abuses – “The top UN human rights official said yesterday Palestinians living in the Gaza strip had suffered "massive" human rights violations.”




School of the Americas. Slideshow and Audio Recording of Sunday vigil at the School of the Americas, from the Columbus (GA) Ledger-Enquirer.



Op-Eds.



Next move in Iraq? (Wesley Clark, USA Today) – “The mission in Iraq is spiraling into failure. American voters have sent a clear message: Bring our troops home, but don't lose. That's a tall order both for resurgent Democrats, some of whom are calling for a quick withdrawal, and the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, which is presumably crafting new options.”


An Opening on Abortion? (E. J. Dionne Jr., Washington Post) – “If both parties combine wisdom with shrewdness, the election of a new congressional majority should open the way for a better approach to the abortion question.”

Verse of the Day: 'The Lord is a God of justice'

Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.

- Isaiah 30:18-18

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Voice of the Day: Walter Brueggemann on Fashion

People notice peacemakers because they dress funny. We know how the people who make war dress - in uniforms and medals, or in computers and clipboards, or in absoluteness, severity, greed, and cynicism. But the peacemaker is dressed in righteousness, justice, and faithfulness - dressed for the work that is to be done.

- Walter Brueggemann

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Sojourners Interns: Joy Comes in the Mourning

Standing outside of gated communities doesn’t usually send disquieting emotional impulses through my body. But this Sunday morning, marching outside of Fort Benning - home of a building in which Latin American military personnel have learned tactics used to massacre and torture their own people - left a venomously mournful feeling in my gut. Thousands of people slowly marched a half-mile road hearing the names of victims of SOA graduates, to which we responded “presente,” while lifting up a cross with a victim’s name written on it (or a fist for the secular revolutionary still wanting to show solidarity with the massacred).

I was literally on the verge of tears with each step, but I inexplicably couldn’t surrender my face to them. Many of the surnames of people massacred by the graduates of the School of the Americas sounded all too familiar: “Diaz,” “Garcia,” “Rodriguez,” “Lopez.” They are the surnames of some friends I’ve spent hours in conversation with, classmates I’ve learned how to read with, girls I’ve had crushes on, and extended family in Puerto Rico. I resent not letting myself fully cry. I don’t know what its like to live under the constant trauma of a potential paramilitary massacre, or to lose a loved one to violence. But hearing the same “z” in “Hernandez,” or “Melendez” as the one that’s in my last name should have easily soaked my face.

But sometimes, after sorrow comes hope. After the mourning procession came the Puppetistas, a group who masterfully showed the creation story of a movement to end torture, war, and all forms of violence, using puppets. We danced, drummed on buckets, and sang after this movement was “created.” Hope inspires joy, and I’m glad to be a part of this movement.

Jonathan Mendez is a 2006-2007 Sojourners Intern.

Duane Shank: Daily News Digest

the latest news on the School of the Americas, Iraq, education, Darfur, the congressional agenda, ethics, the Bush administration, Republican leadership, Ted Haggard

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Full news summary:

School of the Americas. Foes aim anew at Army school – “Thousands of demonstrators yesterday paraded, chanted and raised white crosses outside the Army's Fort Benning as they continued a 17-year-long effort to close a military school they blame for human rights abuses in Latin America.”

Iraq. Pentagon May Suggest Short-Term Buildup Leading to Iraq Exit – “The Pentagon’s closely guarded review of how to improve the situation in Iraq has outlined three basic options: Send in more troops, shrink the force but stay longer, or pull out, according to senior defense officials.”

Education. Schools Slow in Closing Gaps Between Races– “When President Bush signed his sweeping education law a year into his presidency, it set 2014 as the deadline by which schools were to close the test-score gaps between minority and white students that have persisted since standardized testing began. Now, as Congress prepares to consider reauthorizing the law next year, researchers and a half-dozen recent studies, including three issued last week, are reporting little progress toward that goal.”

Darfur. Sudanese forces seen sweeping through North Darfur – “A large force of Sudanese soldiers backed by allied janjaweed militiamen is sweeping through North Darfur, killing civilians and looting and burning villages in violation of a cease-fire agreement, international observers and rebels said yesterday.”

Congressional agenda. Democrats to Push Pocketbook Issues – “After retrieving control of Congress for the first time in a dozen years, Democrats will set out to redefine the domestic agenda through policies they say would address the economic needs of middle- and working-class Americans.” AMT | Minimum Wage | College Costs | Medicare | Social Security | Energy

Ethics. Democrats Split on How Far to Go With Ethics Law– “After railing against Congressional corruption under Republican rule, Democrats are divided on how far their proposed ethics overhaul should go.”

Bush administration. Embittered Insiders Turn Against Bush - “Leading into the final chapter of his presidency, fresh from the sting of a midterm election defeat, Bush finds himself with fewer and fewer friends. Some of the strongest supporters of the war have grown disenchanted, former insiders are registering public dissent and Republicans on Capitol Hill blame him for losing Congress.”

Republican leadership. Boehner, Blunt Picked To Lead GOP in House – “House Republicans overwhelmingly elected Reps. John A. Boehner (Ohio) and Roy Blunt (Mo.) to lead their minority team, opting for experience over ideology as the GOP adjusts to a challenging new world on the outskirts of congressional power. The results marked a setback for conservative activists who tried to wrest control of the party by arguing that it had lost its ideological moorings.” What shake-up? House GOP keeps its leaders - “After an electoral shellacking widely seen as a message for change in Washington, House Republicans on Friday decided to stick with much the same leadership team as they adjusted to becoming the chamber's minority.”

Ted Haggard. Minister´s Own Rules Sealed His Fate - “Years ago, Mr. Haggard had asked four of his closest friends, all senior pastors of their own churches, to serve as a board of overseers. They had only one function: if Mr. Haggard was ever accused of immoral conduct, they would act as judge and jury.”

Election-Latinos. Republicans Lost Ground With Latinos In Midterms – “Two years ago, Latino voters gravitated in larger-than-ever numbers toward President Bush, the former governor of Texas, a Mexican border state, and his brother Jeb, the loquacious Florida governor who speaks fluent Spanish. How times have changed. Pollsters generally agree that the same voters abandoned the president's party in droves during last week's elections, with Latinos giving the GOP only 30 percent of their vote as strident House immigration legislation inspired by Republicans and tough-talking campaign ads by conservative candidates roiled the community. “

North Korea. U.S. Signals New Incentives for North Korea– “In a series of closed-door meetings on the edges of the economic summit meeting of Asian nations here, President Bu sh and his aides have signaled that they will dangle a new set of incentives for North Korea to give up nuclear weapons and technology, American officials said. But the offers would hinge on the North’s coming to talks next month agreeing to begin immediately dismantling some of the equipment it is using to build an arsenal.”

Features-Darfur. Why We Haven't Stopped Darfur's Genocide– “Early in his first term, President Bush received a National Security Council memo outlining the world's inaction regarding the genocide in Rwanda. In what may have been a burst of indignation and bravado, the president wrote in the margin of the memo, "Not on my watch." Five years later, and nearly four years into what Bush himself has repeatedly called genocide, the crisis in Sudan's Darfur region is intensifying without a meaningful response from the White House.” The Arabs Are Victims, Too - “In the fourth year of the war in Sudan's Darfur region, tens of thousands of Arab nomads are barely clinging to life in the ravaged valley that extends north from the central Jebel Marra massif. Their settlements have been destroyed and their herds targeted. Their traditional migration routes have been cut. The villages, markets and clinics on which they depended lie abandoned and in ruins. … The abhorrent crimes of the Janjaweed -- rape, pillage, murder -- have made it easy to forget that Darfur's indigenous nomads are themselves victims, driven into the embrace of a government of serial war criminals by drought, desertification and brute poverty.”

Interview-Salvation Army National Commander. Salvation Army's chief on a mission - “The late management guru Peter Drucker called the Salvation Army the most effective organization. It coordinates 3,661 officers, 112,513 soldiers, 422,543 members, 60,642 employees and 3.5 million volunteers. (By contrast, Wal-Mart, the largest private employer, has 1.8 million employees.) USA TODAY corporate management reporter Del Jones interviewed National Commander Israel Gaither at his Alexandria, Va., office just as the Salvation Army was preparing to launch its Red Kettle Christmas campaign. Gaither, 62, had this advice to business leaders on how to instill employees with a sense of mission.”

Op-Eds.

The Minimum Necessary – “We need a clear plan for our troops, a political strategy for Iraq and a mechanism like the oversight group to hold the neighbors to their commitments.” (Sen. Joseph Biden, Washington Post)

Bomb Iran – “It has been four years since that country's secret nuclear program was brought to light, and the path of diplomacy and sanctions has led nowhere.

Our options therefore are narrowed to two: We can prepare to live with a nuclear-armed Iran, or we can use force to prevent it.” (Joshua Muravchik, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, Los Angeles Times)

Verse of the Day: 'Do not judge'

Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck in your neighbor's eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' while the log is in your eye?

- Matthew 7:1-4



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Voice of the Day: Saint Teresa of Avila

Our body has this defect that, the more it is provided care and comforts, the more needs and desires it finds.

- Saint Teresa of Avila

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Sojourners Interns: What's the Face of True Patriotism?

This weekend, the Sojourners/Call to Renewal intern program traveled to Columbus, Georgia to participate in the annual vigil and nonviolent direct action events to close SOA/WHINSEC. Be sure to check back often this weekend for on-the-ground updates, and let us know through your comments what you think!

Upon watching the local news Saturday evening while eating dinner at a local sandwich shop, we interns realized that the SOA protest was not the only gathering of note in Columbus yesterday. Across town, the 5th Annual “God Bless Fort Benning Day” was occurring, complete with military displays, family activities, and even an H2 Hummer that proudly served during the early days of the war in Iraq. And earlier in the day, two of us witnessed a police-led procession through town of what must have been at least 100 motorcycles, all with American flags prominently mounted and waving in the Georgia breeze. Whether intentional or not, these two scenes seemed to be the town’s answer to the 10,000 outsiders who have descended upon Columbus. Honestly, who can blame them? I imagine that Fort Benning is vital to the town’s economy and identity, and in Americana, what pride runs deeper than that which supports those who have served in our armed forces? However, both these scenes begged the question for me, what is true patriotism?

While thoughtful and well-meaning Christians differ on the role of the military, and whether they believe it should exist at all, I think one thing that my presence at the SOA gathering represents was an objection to the conflation of patriotism with militarism. I am from what one can safely call a military family: My father is a twice-wounded Vietnam veteran, and I still wear his Marine Corps jacket as a symbol of my solidarity with him and his proud service in an unpopular war. To this day he will not talk about his time in the war, and I can only imagine what emotional and psychological scars he bears. On his side of the family, my grandfather is a WWII veteran, and my uncle a career Navy man. On my mother’s side, I have three uncles of “the greatest generation,” all who served in WWII. And I grew up in small town America, where you flew the flag proudly, honored those who served our country, and stood a bit taller and removed your hat when the veterans in the parade went by. Being honest, there was a tear in my eye some of those years. And I still identify with my upbringing, at least insofar as our flag and those men stand for the things we claim to hold dear as a nation – liberty, freedom, and opportunity.

However, it saddened me today when I saw those flags flown in seeming defiance of our protest, because – for me – it seems that somewhere, we have lost our way. It saddens me that in embracing our military, we as a nation have also seemed to embrace an uncritical militarism. In supporting our troops, we have failed to require the utmost justification in order to wage war. In believing in the promise of the spread of democracy, we have excused the means in order to justify the ends. The flag, which we pledged as kids stood for “liberty and justice for all,” has become a symbol that “might makes right” and that there are two standards in the world, one for us and one that we require of everyone else.

Most of all, it saddens me that some in the American church have uncritically elevated our identities as Americans over our callings as Christians. There are moments when we are called – by our Christian identities – to question the values of our American identity. While God most certainly loves our troops, we must guard against the haughtiness that assumes God blesses what we do as a nation, especially when it com es to actions that directly or indirectly lead to the deaths of others. Instead of believing God has written us a blank check, we should fall on our knees in humility, praying for God’s guidance and direction.

So what is true patriotism? In the context of this weekend, it is requiring utmost justification every time we call our troops into harm’s way. It is honoring people’s service, without being ignorant of the horrors and evils of war. It is not letting love of country blind us to our true identity in a kingdom that is not of this world. It is not allowing torture and abuse, even if we somehow believe it promotes virtuous ends or makes us safer. It is calling our nation to a higher (not lower) standard of conduct, one that respects all human life, acts justly, and loves mercy. I long for the day when our flag will symbolize to the world, as much as any earthly flag can, a people of peace, justice, and love.

When I arrived in Georgia on Friday, I called my dad to tell him where I was. He knew about Fort Benning and the SOA. He asked what I was protesting. Before I could answer, he said, "for peace?" "Yes, Dad," I said, "for peace." "Good," he said, "I believe in that too."

Bob Francis is a 2006-2007 Sojourners Intern.

Sojourners Interns: Towards a Culture of Peace

This weekend, the Sojourners/Call to Renewal intern program traveled to Columbus, Georgia to participate in the annual vigil and nonviolent direct action events to close SOA/WHINSEC. Be sure to check back often this weekend for on-the-ground updates, and let us know through your comments what you think!

SOA/WHINSEC is a tragedy of our military's recent history. Its connection to atrocities in Latin America warrants 10,000 protesters every year, calling for the school's reform or closure. But when we walked around the rally and read the t-shirts of groups and individuals, it became apparent to us that there are many participants who focus on additional social issues: Veterans for Peace, Food Not Bombs, Amnesty International and Ten Thousand Villages, just to name a few. What is it that connects the work of the SOA/WHINSEC to these other issues? Is it simply the presence of U.S. military forces that draws opposition? Or is it a greater question of cultural change?

It seems the common message of the groups here at the march is a call for peace. It is a cry for a rejection of the cycle of violence that we commonly see resulting from military action. David Cline, national coordinator for Vietnam Veterans Against War and Veterans For Peace, connects his experience of war in Vietnam with this weekend’s events: "I came back from Vietnam wanting the U.S. to learn something ... [and then] seeds of rewriting Vietnam began in Central America." Veterans for Peace have been part of the SOA protest since its beginning. They are joined by many others who are seeking an alternative way to engage global conflict.

SOA/WHINSEC is also emblematic of a culture of violence that extends beyond the military. It enters our homes, our neighborhoods, and our cities. It is the statistics that we hear on the news about shootings, bomb threats, and fights in our schools. Violence feels inescapable at times. The thousands of people present at this march each year prove that there are many searching for alternatives to a culture where violence is seen as an inevitable “answer” to conflict. This weekend is not just a protest against a single institution, but a systematic cry for peace.

I bought a bumper sticker today that says, "When Jesus said 'love your enemies,' I think he probably meant don't kill them." Closing SOA/WHINSEC is a global issue, and a Christian issue; one that calls us to love and empowerment, rather than our current course of violence and manipulation. At the Ignatian Solidarity Network Service on Saturday evening, Rev. Tom Smolich, SJ, president of the Jesuit Conference, said, “If not me, then who? … If not now, then when?” This gathering of peacemakers at Fort Benning, Georgia, every year is a reminder that the movement for peace is alive.

Betsy Hoover, Kim Szeto, Jessica Bridges, and Katie Van Loo are 2006-2007 Sojourners Interns.

Sojourners Interns: 'We Train Iraqis to Attack Us': American Human Rights on Trial in Georgia

This weekend, the Sojourners/Call to Renewal intern program traveled to Columbus, Georgia to participate in the annual vigil and nonviolent direct action events to close SOA/WHINSEC. Be sure to check back often this weekend for on-the-ground updates, and let us know through your comments what you think!

First, a brief background. SOA Watch, an independent organization that seeks to close the School of the Americas (SOA) through vigils and fasts, demonstrations and nonviolent protest, as well as media and legislative work, was founded in 1990. The SOA, which was renamed the “Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation” (WHINSEC) in 2001, is a combat training school for Latin American soldiers, situated within Fort Benning, Georgia. Many of its more than 60,000 alumni have been implicated and convicted in some of Latin America’s most horrific human rights violations, including the El Mozote massacre, the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero, and the 1989 University of Central America massacre.

Event organizers estimate that more than half of recent attendees are college aged and younger. They join a diverse group of faith communities and the nonreligious, local food vendors, and war veterans, all who offer a variety of perspectives on this event. We share their views with you below.

“We’re training them to attack us,” said Jesus Bocanegra, a veteran of the Iraq war, relating that many of the Iraqi insurgents learn new military tactics in similar training schools to WHINSEC that the U.S. military has established for the Iraqi army, and then use them against US forces. The 24-year old from Brownsville, TX, is now traveling around the country with Iraq Veterans Against the War. He explains why he came to Georgia this weekend: “Personally, we’re here because…we got used.”

“There’s got to be something better to do on a Saturday than this,” said a retired army veteran of the Iraq war who declined to give his name. “America is worth preserving.” Acknowledging that he would be a great army recruiter, the Jamaica-born resident of Columbus, GA continued, “I’ve seen some of the worst people become some of the best people in the military.” His U.S. citizenship application is awaiting review by the Immigration and Nationalization Service.

“This weekend, I want to see someone jump over the fence,” said Katie, a senior from Ursuline Academy in Springfield, IL, referring to the acts of civil disobedience conducted by some event participants.

“Half of the people of Columbus don’t understand what the protesters are doing; they think they’re protesting the military, but they isn’t protesting the military, they’re protesting training people to kill,” said Linda Simmons, a 37-year resident of Columbus, GA, whose husband is in the military. She’s selling “Proud to be an American” bumper stickers and water bottles this weekend and is happy for the annual vigil. “People are very respectful; they’re peaceful.” Besides, she says, “This event buys Christmas for my granddaughter.”

“I didn’t expect so many people bashing the President, saying ‘no war’ and stuff,” said a 17-year old senior from St. Joseph’s Academy in St. Louis. “I don’t think our government is intentionally sending these people out to kill and torture,” added one of her classmates. “I think [the proble m] is bad communication from both sides, from both the military and the protesters.”

“It’s as much about connecting with people who care about things as it is about SOA,” said Jessica Kierson and Christine Novotny, high school students from St. Vider in Chicago.

“In this globalizing society, the U.S. has a responsibility to the rest of the world, and I think that SOA is a direct violation of that responsibility. The U.S. has a responsibility to advocate for justice, to advocate for peace, to fight a real war on poverty – not the fake war on poverty that was fought in the 60s – and to promote good will. There’s no way anyone could convince me the SOA has anything to do with that mission,” said Taria, a college student from Loyola University Chicago.

This annual gathering of concerned citizens from around the country presents our nation with a recurring opportunity to consider the very real human effects of America’s foreign policy decisions. As Americans’ support for the Iraq war reaches its all-time low, we keep in our thoughts and prayers both our servicemen and women and all those around the world whose lives have been affected by war and violence.

Laurel and Colin Mathewson are 2006-2007 Sojourners Interns.

Becky Garrison: Are Agape Politics Possible?

Now that election 2006 is over and the voters have shown that values do indeed matter, we still have some repair work to do here in our churches. While Diana Butler Bass keenly documents the existence of purple churches, where differing political ideologies can co-exist in one sanctuary, we still have too many red and blue houses of worship. These houses of worship appear to be social centers where like minded individuals go to have their political convictions affirmed and their protest strategies fine tuned rather than communities of faithful believers, who seek to live out the teachings of Christ by embracing the political stranger in their midst.

In The Lost Message of Jesus, authors Steve Chalke and Alan Mann ask these challenging questions: “To what extent does the Church model the spiritually and socially inclusive message of Jesus? Are we liberators of excluded people or simply another dimension of their oppression? We may not exclude tax-collectors or hemorrhaging women, but what about schizophrenics, divorcees, single people, one-parent families, drug users, transsexuals or those struggling with their faith?” To this list I would add Christians we see as our political adversaries.

Admittedly this is not an easy task. Already the Religious Right is sharpening up their swords as they prepare for the battle to regain the soul of America. Recently, Rev. Louis Sheldon the founder and chairman of the Traditional Values Coalition claimed, “We know that in America, the people are with us. They’re just confused.” The question I pose is how we as a Christian community should respond to comments like these that are made by our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Do our words reflect the unifying message of Christ or do we further the divide?

As Jim Wallis observes in his book The Call to Conversion, “the greatest need of our time is for koinonia, the call simply to be the church, to love one another, and to offer our lives for the sake of the world.” What would Christian communities be like if we all bought into this agape deal? If we really believed that Jesus loved us unconditionally, then we’d be empowered to respond in kind.

When we put partisan politics above seeking the kingdom of God, we get what we deserve. Mike Yaconelli reflected, “The impotence of today’s Church, the weakness of Christ’s followers, and the irrelevance of most parachurch organizations is directly related to the lack of being in the presence of an awesome, holy God, who continually demands allegiance only to him—not to our organizations, to our churches or our theology." ("The Safety of Fear," Mike Yaconelli Selected Writings)

Sojourners’ slogan has it right: "God is not a Republican or a Democrat" but rather Lord of all. And as Christians, it is our duty to let God’s light shine through us instead of trying to advance our own personal and at times petty sociopolitical agendas. As we head into election year 2008, let us remember that we represent not the Democratic nor the Republican party but rather the body of Christ.

Becky Garrison is Senior Contributing Editor of The Wittenburg Door and author of Red and Blue God, Black and Blue Church.

Ryan Beiler: ...Speaking of Common Ground

In his entry for the Washington Post/Newsweek "On Faith" discussion (posted here earlier today) Jim Wallis talks about reaching common ground by going to higher ground. Case in point: conservative Christian columnist Cal Thomas, in his column "Christian conservative quandary," quotes liberally from Jim's blog entry about a broadened moral agenda for evangelicals and conservative Christians:

Could conservative Christians withstand another approach, one that reflects a more biblical strategy? Jim Wallis thinks so. ...

Mr. Wallis wrote, "A significant number of candidates elected are social conservatives on issues of life and family, economic populists, and committed to a new direction in Iraq. This is the way forward: a grand new alliance between liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans, one that can end partisan gridlock and involves working together for real solutions to pressing problems."

Mr. Wallis argues election results showed him "moderate and even some conservative Christians -- especially evangelicals and Catholics -- want a moral agenda that is broader than only abortion and same-sex 'marriage.' " Exit polls showed a shift of 6 percent to 16 percent fewer evangelicals and Catholics supporting Republican candidates than in the 2004 election.

One does not have to agree with all of Mr. Wallis' agenda - and I don't, especially on Iraq - to consider his arguments. Politics often dulls the senses to morality and "values." That's because of an unholy alliance between people of faith and politicians that often ends in compromise on the part of the faithful and the cynical harvesting of their votes with little offered in return.

Thomas adds:

What is God's way? Isn't it helping the poor through transformation and assisting them to do for themselves? Isn't it feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting those in prison and caring for widows and orphans? Would such behavior, rather than partisan politics, recommend their faith more highly to those who do not currently share it, or who do share it, but apply it differently?

Score one for the "grand new alliance between liberals and conservatives."

Ryan Beiler is Web Editor for Sojourners/Call to Renewal.

Jim Wallis: Religion Must Be Disciplined by Democracy

This week, The Washington Post and Newsweek launched a new feature – “On Faith” – an online discussion of religion and its impact. I have joined with more than 50 other religious leaders, scholars and activists from different faiths and different places on the political spectrum on a panel that includes Desmond Tutu, Karen Armstrong, Elie Wiesel, and many more. Each week, a question on a religious or spiritual topic will be posed and panel members as well as readers will respond.

The first question is: If some religious people believe they have a monopoly on truth, then are conversation and common ground possible? If so, what would be the difficulties and benefits of such a conversation? Here are the other panelists’ responses.

Here is my response:

On the road recently in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, I was doing another book store event and signing for God’s Politics. In the question and answer time, two young men said that they were quite “secular” and “even agnostic.” Yet, they both testified to feeling very warmly welcomed into the evening town meeting discussion, “because you said the nation is hungry for a new moral discourse on politics—that it’s something we all need and are all needed for.” I did indeed say that. And I also say at most every speaking event that religion has no monopoly on morality. Religious people need to say things like that, and often, because many people do believe that we think we have that monopoly.

I believe that religion does indeed have a great contribution to the nation’s moral discourse on public life, but religion must be disciplined by democracy. That means that we don’t claim that our religious authority must be everyone’s or dictate their moral or political fate. Rather, religious people must win the debate, just like everybody else, about what is best—not for the religious community or only faith-inspired citizens—but for the common good.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, never said anything like, “I’m a Christian; and in a Judeo-Christian country, we get to win. “ No, he knew that he had to convince a majority of Americans—whether Baptists like him, or Methodists, or Catholics, or Jews, or agnostics, or atheists—that a civil rights law in 1964 and a voting rights act in 1965 were the best thing for the country, and all its citizens.

Today, whether it be the death toll in Iraq, the culture of corruption in Washington, the growing inequality of American life, the dangers of global warming, the alarming abortion rate, the breakdown of the family, or the epidemic of violence against women—we are dealing with moral issues with inescapable religious dimensions. They will not be resolved publicly on explicitly religious terms, but we could reach enough moral consensus on some of them to move us forward. Only a “moral discussion” is open to all citizens where a purely religious debate is not. That kind of moral discourse is indeed possible, even across political dividing lines—I’ve seen it. In fact, the only way to reach common ground is to reach for higher ground.

Duane Shank: Daily News Digest

the latest news on House leadership, McCain speeches, Iraq, India, minimum wage, civil rights, the Middle East, Darfur, and select op-eds

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Full news summary:

House leadership. Democrats Pick Hoyer Over Murtha for Leader – “House Democrats elected Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (Md.) the new majority leader over strong opposition from Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), exposing a deep political divide even before the party takes control. The 149 to 86 vote for Hoyer over Rep. John P. Murtha (Pa.) was viewed by many in the party as a repudiation of Pelosi's strong-arm tactics and a recognition of Hoyer's tireless work to elect a Democratic majority.” Pelosi Rebuffed Over Her Choice for House Post– “Despite the internal acrimony that has clouded the Democratic victory celebration of last week, the leadership team that will take control of the House in January left their closed meeting in the Cannon House Office Building, joined hands and pledged to work together in the months ahead.” Pelosi's early setback has her party on alert – “Rep. Nancy Pelosi was elevated to the pinnacle of congressional power Thursday as fellow Democrats formally made her their choice as the next House speaker. But the same colleagues gave Pelosi a brusque lesson in the limits of her power when they rejected her choice for second in command.” Party gets a rocky start – “But several admitted that the episode — which saw Rep. Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland defeat Rep. John P. Murtha of Pennsylvania for House majority leader — was a poor way to kick off their tenure as the party in control of the new Congress.”

McCain speeches. McCain Tells Conservatives G.O.P.’s Defeat Was Payback for Losing ‘Our Principles’ – “Senator John McCain said Thursday that Republicans had lost the midterm elections because “we abandoned our principles” on fiscal policy and government restraint, inviting a backlash from Americans over what they saw as widespread hypocrisy.” McCain Prepares for '08 Bid With Appeal to Right – “McCain (R-Ariz.) took the first formal steps toward a 2008 presidential campaign and used a pair of speeches before Republican audiences to argue that his brand of conservative, reform-minded politics and hawkish foreign policy can restore the GOP to power.”

Iraq. Military may ask $127B for wars - “The Pentagon is considering $127 billion to $160 billion in requests from the armed services for the 2007 fiscal year, which began last month, several lawmakers and congressional staff members said. That's on top of $70 billion already approved for 2007. Since 2001, Congress has approved $502 billion for the war on terror, roughly two-thirds for Iraq.” Democrats vow to stand in way of sending more troops – “The new majority leader in the US Senate, Harry Reid, said the Democrats would do everything they can to stop George Bush sending more troops to Iraq. Mr Reid believed the president would not be able to find 20,000 US reinforcements for "one last push" in Iraq.” Troop Levels in Iraq Debated – “The debate about how to proceed in Iraq, which in the past few months has focused on withdrawing U.S. troops, now includes serious discussion about adding more forces to the fight. Military officials and defense experts, however, said yesterday that significantly escalating the number of U.S. combat troops in Iraq is largely implausible…”

India. Senate Backs White House Plan for India Nuclear Deal – “The Bush administration won overwhelming Senate support for its plan to create a broad strategic partnership with India that reverses decades of U.S. nonproliferation policies and requires changes in laws aimed at limiting the spread of nuclear weapons.” Nuclear Deal With India Wins Senate Backing– “The vote expressed that a goal of nurturing India as an ally outweighed concerns over the risks of spreading nuclear know-how and bomb-making materials.”

Minimum wage. Minimum wage gets maximum priority – “After nearly a decade of inaction on the issue, Congress appears poised to consider legislation in the coming months that would raise the federal minimum wage. Democrats, who won control of Congress in last week's elections, said that they intend to make raising the minimum wage one of their top priorities in the coming session.”

Civil rights. Democrats pledge to scrutinize Justice's civil rights arm – “Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee vowed to impose intense oversight on the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division next year, telling a Bush administration official in charge of the agency that the next Congress will scrutinize whether civil rights laws are being properly enforced.”

Middle East. Blair Sees Chance For Progress on Middle East Conflict – “Prime Minister Tony Blair offered hope for progress on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying that "sensible Arab and Muslim countries" now see "strategic reasons" for finding a solution and that new initiatives could come within weeks.”

Darfur. UN-AU force gets Sudan OK – “Sudan accepts in principle UN and African Union forces in its war-ravaged Darfur region, but has yet to agree on the number of troops to be deployed, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said yesterday.” Nations plan Darfur peacekeeping force – “The force could be as large as 27,000, including the existing 7,000-member AU peacekeeping force in Darfur, but the leaders did not lay out a timetable for the force to begin work, partly because Sudan had some reservations.” Sudan closing off Darfur to outside world – “International observers, journalists, and humanitarian organizations are being forced out by the government.”

Op-Eds.

Christian conservative quandary (Cal Thomas, Washington Times)- “But defeat offers conservative Christians a good opportunity to take stock. They should ask themselves whether their short list of "moral issues" and "family values" has any hope of being imposed on Washington, as the broader culture continues to resist the approach many of them have taken. Could conservative Christians withstand another approach, one that reflects a more biblical strategy? Jim Wallis thinks so.”

Remember Who Sent You (E.J. Dionne, Jr, Washington Post) – “Democrats might usefully take a break from their inane round of back-stabbing and score-settling to focus, for a few moments, on why voters gave them their congressional majorities. A lot of Americans are hurting in the pocketbook, and if Democrats don't use the next two years to help them, the party will squander the trust it has temporarily earned.”

Issues Front and Center – (David Ignatius, Washington Post) – “The Democrats now have the opportunity the Republicans spurned, which is to build a broad coalition in the center and become once again the nation's governing party. But to achieve that, the Democrats must stand for values that connect with those of most Americans.”

Verse of the Day: 'Who could stand?'

If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered.

- Psalms 130:3-4

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Voice of the Day: Glen Stassen on the Death Penalty

Christians who remember their Lord was unjustly and cruelly given the death penalty have a hard time being enthusiastic about imposing the death penalty on others.
- Glen Stassen

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Jim Wallis: For the Record

I got some critical reactions to a very short blog I posted the day after the election, titled “A Defeat for the Religious Right and Secular Left.” It was too short, and perhaps titled badly, because I had to abruptly leave Washington when my Dad suddenly died. I certainly did not mean that “secular” people (among whom I count many close allies) didn’t or shouldn’t share in the progressive victory OR that religious and secular people shouldn’t build important coalitions around key issues (they must). What I simply meant was that the Religious Right had suffered a major defeat and no longer controlled the political agenda for people of faith AND that those on the Left who have too often disdained the role of religion in politics, the participation of the faith community, and even the “moral values” conversation itself (probably better named “secular fundamentalists”) lost some of their control of the process too. Democrats were far friendlier to faith than they have been in the recent past and the results were clear — as both religious and secular people on the progressive side should celebrate. As my colleagues noted last week: “this election saw many Democrats win who speak openly about their faith, and how it informs their political views.”

I’ve often thought that “religious fundamentalists” had too much influence in the Republican Party and that “secular fundamentalists” had too much influence in the Democratic Party. Senator Barack Obama made similar comments in his June speech on faith and politics at the Sojourners/Call to Renewal conference this past spring, and says the same in his new book (he got some of the criticism on the blog too, as he has in the Left blogosphere before). I believe both groups do exist, and have had real power in their respective constituencies — and both groups lost influence in this election. That’s all I was trying to say. I’ve had many debates with the religious fundamentalists; perhaps its time for some healthy debate with the secular fundamentalists, too.

My father’s passing is very significant for me on many levels, and I am sure I will be writing about that when I am ready. But the morning he died, I called him, as I often did. He was very focused and excited in his question to me: “Do you think the Democrats will win the Senate, as well as the House?” His weakened heart stopped just three hours later, before we had a chance to talk again later that afternoon, as we had planned. My Dad was an 82-year-old evangelical Christian from the Midwest. He was a part of the demographic shift I am talking about. And his faith and values are one of the big reasons for how my politics have shifted over all these years. My Dad would have smiled when the news about the Senate came in, and laughed raucously when he heard that Donald Rumsfeld had to resign. I can almost hear him now.

Diana Butler Bass: How to Defeat Fundamentalism Without Losing Your Soul

A couple friends asked me why I’d been so quiet on this site since the Democrats won both the House and Senate — as well as a fair number of governor’s seats — last week.

I confess: I was stunned by the Democratic wins. Then, reading the polls and surveys, especially the changes in the religious vote (the “God gap” between Republicans and Democrats shrank in all religious categories), I felt grateful that religious people broadened their understanding of “values” to include the war in Iraq and the problems of poverty. Candidates, issues, and points of view that matter to me had emerged victorious in a national election for the first time in a decade.

Winning is a funny thing, especially where faith and politics are involved. It is tempting to think, “Alleluia! God has vindicated his people!” We might believe that God has uniquely blessed us, vanquished our enemies, and led us to the Promised Land. That is, of course, the way that the Religious Right interprets elections — each one is a barometer of a cosmic holy war.

But the tendency to interpret human events as a measure of God’s blessing is not unique to the Religious Right. About eighty years ago, American Christians were embroiled in another great conflict between fundamentalist and liberal versions of faith involving toleration for Catholics and Jews, the social gospel, changing views of biblical interpretation and Christian history, and the relationship between faith and science. The 1920s were one of the most contentious, contested decades in American religious history — people lost jobs, churches split, families and communities divided, and entire religious institutions were threatened.

In 1922, at the height of the conflict, Harry Emerson Fosdick, one of the great liberal ministers of the day, preached his famous (and by some standards, infamous) sermon, “Shall the Fundamentalists Win?” By the end of the decade, the answer to Fosdick’s question became apparent: the Fundamentalists did not win. Instead, liberals won — they controlled every major institution in American Protestantism. And liberals basked in their victory.

In 1935, at the height of liberal prestige and power, Fosdick preached another sermon — one far less noticed — called “The Church Must Go Beyond Modernism.” In it, Fosdick accused liberalism of being overly intellectual, “dangerously sentimental,” of losing a sense of “the reality of God,” and abandoning its ethics. He complained that liberalism had won its battle with fundamentalism, but lost its soul. Liberals had accommodated so much to culture that they were failing to be Christian; they were just like “the world.” “What Christ does to modern culture,” he finished, “is to challenge it.”

For Fosdick, winning engendered wisdom — the wisdom of internal critique, of being able to see the pitfalls of success, and of recognizing the hypocrisy of self-righteousness. “Unless the church can go deeper and reach higher,” Fosdick warned, “it will fail indeed.” No wonder his great hymn, God of Grace and God of Glory, includes the prayer, “Grant us wisdom.”

I think that is why I’ve been quiet this week. I haven’t been thinking about Nancy Pelosi or Hillary Clinton, about exit strategies or balancing budgets. I’ve been thinking about Harry Emerson Fosdick. Winning gives you a rush of success — a rush that can be interpreted as spiritual success and “God is on our side” religion. But for mature Christians, winning should give pause. Can the church go deeper and reach higher? At this moment in history, to what depth and height is God calling us? Winning should not only yield the rush of victory; winning might yet yield a harvest of wisdom. At the very least, we should pray for that.

And maybe the Democrats should consider praying for wisdom, too.

Diana Butler Bass (http://www.dianabutlerbass.com/) is an independent scholar and author. Last week, Publishers Weekly named her recent book, Christianity for the Rest of Us: How the Neighborhood Church is Transforming the Faith (Harper San Francisco) one of the best books of 2006.

Duane Shank: Daily News Digest

the latest news on the Congress and Iraq, House and Senate leadership, living wage, hunger in America, Darfur, and global warming

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Full news summary:

Congress and Iraq. General: Don't leave Iraq – “The general in charge of U.S. troops in the Mideast told Congress he opposes the idea of withdrawing American forces from Iraq in the near future, despite a growing chorus of Democrats and others who have called for a timetable for a phased withdrawal.” General Warns of Risks in Iraq if G.I.'s Are Cut– “The top American military commander for the Middle East said that to begin a significant troop withdrawal from Iraq over the next six months would lead to an increase in sectarian killings and hamper efforts to persuade the Iraqi government to make the difficult decisions needed to secure the country.” With Politics as Subtext, Senators Clash on Iraq– “For much of the first post-election hearing on the war in Iraq on Wednesday, the Republican side of the table was largely empty. But the room was still crowded — with competing agendas. There were three contenders for president, including the Democratic and the Republican titans for 2008 and the one from Indiana who is hoping to cast himself as the Democrats’’ compromise candidate.”

War in Iraq. US plans last big push in Iraq – “President George Bush has told senior advisers that the US and its allies must make "a last big push" to win the war in Iraq and that instead of beginning a troop withdrawal next year, he may increase US forces by up to 20,000 soldiers,” Sectarian Strife in Iraq Imperils Entire Region, Analysts Warn – “While American commanders have suggested that civil war is possible in Iraq, many leaders, experts and ordinary people in Baghdad and around the Middle East say it is already underway, and that the real worry ahead is that the conflict will destroy the flimsy Iraqi state and draw in surrounding countries.” Iraq pullout talk makes Iran uneasy – “Iran has consistently opposed the presence of U.S. forces in Iraq, but new prospects of a stepped-up American withdrawal are prompting growing unease in the Islamic Republic, where many fear the repercussions of a dangerously unstable neighbor.”

House leadership. Pelosi Splits Democrats With Push For Murtha – “A showdown over the House majority leader's post today has Democrats bitterly divided only a week after their party took control of Congress and has prompted numerous complaints that Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) and h er allies are using strong-arm tactics and threats to try to elect Rep. John P. Murtha (Pa.) to the job.” Many Say Leadership Race Damages Democrats’ Image – “House members acknowledged on Wednesday that the increasingly bitter contest for majority leader was sullying the image of unity and new direction that Democrats hoped to convey.” Black Lawmakers in Line for Key Posts – “Three days after workers broke ground for the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the Mall, the Congressional Black Caucus is preparing to break new ground of its own. Five of its members are poised to take the helm of key House committees when Democrats assume control of Congress next year … Another member, Rep. James E. Clyburn (S.C.), is slated to be named majority whip, which would make him the third-ranking Democrat in the House.” House `Blue Dogs' barking for their election reward – “They helped propel the Democrats to victory in last week's election, and now the "Blue Dogs" want their reward: a decidedly conservative fiscal policy that begins with a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget.”

Senate leadership. Lott Rejoins Senate Leadership – “Four years after racially impolitic remarks cost him the Senate's top post, Sen. Trent Lott (Miss.) rejoined Congress's leadership ranks yesterday when his Republican colleagues turned to the veteran insider and skilled vote-counter to help them plot their return to majority status.”

Living wage. Airport hotels are ordered to pay a 'living wage' – “Los Angeles City Council voted to require hotels near Los Angeles International Airport to pay their workers wages and benefits equal to $10.64 per hour - the first time that the city has demanded such a "living wage" from businesses that have no direct financial relationship with the government.” Minimum wage hike plan wins approval in Senate - SPRINGFIELD IL – “In a show of partisan strength, the Democratic-controlled Senate voted to raise the state's minimum wage by a dollar to $7.50 an hour next year. But the measure faced an uncertain future in the House.”

Hunger in America. Food stamps, school meals feed decline in hunger in USA – “The number of people struggling with hunger in the United States fell in 2005, the first decline in six years. … Despite the positive news, the report is still drawing criticism, this time because analysts decided not to use the word “hunger” to describe how hungry people are.” Some Americans Lack Food, but USDA Won't Call Them Hungry – “The U.S. government has vowed that Americans will never be hungry again. But they may exp erience "very low food security." Every year, the Agriculture Department issues a report that measures Americans' access to food, and it has consistently used the word "hunger" to describe those who can least afford to put food on the table. But not this year.” Hunger increasing among Ohioans- The feds call it food insecurity. At Faith Mission, which served 24,000 free meals last month, they just call it hungry. Whatever you label it, an estimated 12.6 percent of Ohio households, about 1 in 8, went hungry in 2003-05. That’s an increase from 11.4 percent in 2002-04, and the rate has been climbing since the late 1990s, according to the annual "Household Food Security" report released yesterday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Darfur. U.N.'s Darfur proposal calls for troops in Chad – “Frustrated in its attempts to deploy peacekeeping troops to Sudan's troubled Darfur region, the United Nations is considering sending forces to neighboring Chad instead, the chief of the world body said Wednesday.”

Global warming. Annan Faults ‘Frightening Lack of Leadership’ for Global Warming – “Secretary General Kofi Annan on Wednesday put the blame for global warming on “a frightening lack of leadership,” saying the poorest people in the world, who do not even create much pollution, bear the brunt of rising temperatures.”

Op-Eds.

Play nice - “In the wake of this election, politicians are vowing to work together for a change. Let it begin with a mixer, perhaps a nice dinner. If Democrats and Republicans would talk outside of the Capitol dome, perhaps they'd get more work done inside it.” (Cal Thomas is a conservative columnist. Bob Beckel is a liberal Democratic strategist. But as longtime friends, they can often find common ground on issues that lawmakers in Washington cannot.)

Putting Faith Before Politics (David Kuo, New York Times) – “… before rearranging their public policy agenda in hopes of attracting evangelicals, the Democrats would be wise to think twice. There has been a radical change in the attitudes of evangelicals — it’s just not one that will automatically be in the Democrats’ favor. You see, evangelicals aren’t re-examining their political priorities nearly as much as they are re-examining their spiritual priorities. That could be bad news for both political parties.”

Verse of the Day: 'Be patient with all of them'

We urge you, beloved, to admonish the idlers, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all of them. See that none repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

- 1 Thessalonians 5:14-18

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Voice of the Day: Coretta Scott King

The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members, a heart of grace and a soul generated by love.

- Coretta Scott King

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Jim Wallis: This Was A Moral Values Election

This was a moral values election.

Many have now commented on the significant shifts among religious voters in the midterm elections, in what Steve Waldman described as the “Smaller God Gap” between Republicans and Democrats. Nationally, 29% of white evangelicals voted for Democrats – up from the 21% who voted for John Kerry in 2004 and the 25% who voted for Democrats in House races that year. And all evangelicals together (including Whites, Hispanics, Asians, and African American evangelical voters went 41% for Democrats and 58% for Republicans. Because that trend is also a profoundly generational one, it will likely grow in the future. An even bigger shift occurred among Catholics, with 55% voting for Democrats and 44% for Republicans – from the 47% of Catholics who voted for Kerry and the 49% for Democratic House candidates in 2004.

An important new exit poll, commissioned by Faith in Public Life and Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good and conducted by Zogby International, now shows why that shift occurred. The poll, released at a press conference today, offers more explanations of the substantial shift in religious voters in the midterm elections. Complete results are available from Faith in Public Life.

According to Faith in Public Life, the poll shows that:

*Faith groups urging people to vote according to "kitchen table" moral issues had a 20-point higher national favorability rating and a 20-point lower unfavorable rating than religious groups urging people to vote according to abortion and same-sex marriage. This difference was even starker between Catholic groups.

*In Ohio – an epicenter of faith organizing – religious groups urging people to vote according to "kitchen table" moral issues had a 25-point higher favorability rating and a 26-point lower unfavorable rating compared to those urging people to vote according to the wedge issues.

*Iraq was considered the “moral issue that most affected your vote” by 45.8% of voters, almost 6 times as many voters as abortion, and almost 5 times as many as same-sex marriage. Iraq was the top moral issue among Catholics, born-again Christians and frequent church attendees.
Poverty and economic justice topped the list of “most urgent moral problem in American culture.”

*When Catholics were asked to name the most important value guiding their vote, 67% chose “A commitment to the common good – the good of all not just the few” while 22% chose “Opposing policies such as legal abortion, gay marriage, and embryonic stem cell research.”

The new and dramatic poll underscores critical lessons from the 2006 midterm elections.

The moral agenda of religious voters has broadened beyond the two issues of abortion and gay marriage. When Focus on the Family’s James Dobson says the “moral values” voters stayed home, he is simply wrong, and the data shows it. They just didn’t think his “moral values” were the only – or most important – ones. More anti-gay marriage amendments did indeed pass, but by smaller margins than in 2004. As a headline in the Columbus Dispatch (Ohio) said, “Faithful voted on values: war, scandals and social justice all swayed religious voters.” And on those issues, the polls showed the following: 1) The American people voted to correct the disastrous mistake of the Bush Administration’s war in Iraq – and this was the motivating “moral issue” of the election. We need a new national debate on Iraq, leading to what the U.S. Catholic Bishops yesterday called “a responsible transition.” 2) The American people voted to reject the economic unfairness of Republican lead ership – and “economic justice” tops the urgent moral problems list for most Americans, despite decades of conservative media pounding that continually blamed the poor for their problems and relentlessly told us the best way to help working families is to make the rich richer. Every initiative to increase state minimum wages passed – with significant involvement and support from the religious community. Other exit polls also tell us that Americans are tired of the culture of corruption that now plagues Washington and, while ready to hold both parties accountable for better ethics, principally blamed the party in power for the moral abuse of the political process.

Even more striking were the election results in key states and districts where specific outreach was done with the religious community – this time by Democratic candidates and not just Republicans. In places like Ohio and Pennsylvania, Democratic religious candidates' outreach efforts were very successful and created even better exit poll results for them with the votes of weekly churchgoers almost evenly split in some races (a key lesson for the Democrat’s future). Even the Wall Street Journal reported, “More than in 2004, Democrats this year attracted voters moved by faith, and not just frustration. Exit polls suggest that Democrats made significant gains among several religious demographic groups, including both Catholics and evangelical Protestants.” Too many religious voters felt betrayed by Republicans, but were made to feel welcomed and important by Democrats. Trust and outreach matter.

Every kind of Democrat won – liberal, moderate, and conservative. But there will be several new Democratic members of the House and Senate who combine a social conservatism on issues like abortion and family values (without gay-bashing or wanting to criminalize a women’s desperate choice) with a strong economic populism, environmental concern, and anti-Iraq commitment. The Democrats showed a new pragmatism in selecting and supporting candidates who didn’t always toe the old party line on some social issues and displayed a winning combination of moral values. I hope that doesn’t become a mushy political centrism, but rather a new progressive path that challenges both the left and right on moral principles. There is a new moral center that looks to go neither right nor left, but goes deeper on important issues in seeking the common good. I’ll be writing about the next steps on specific issues in the weeks to come.

Evidence of significant evangelical shifts on the moral issues that matter to them politically have been seen for some time now – and I see it every week that I am on the road, especially among a new generation of evangelical pastors and students. Democrats don’t automatically benefit from that, but any candidate who speaks a moral language of politics can. Richard Cizik, of the National Association of Evangelicals, told Salon.com after the election, “Look. To be biblically consistent you have to be politically inconsistent. Evangelicals have to follow their Lord first, and not simply bend to the whim of a political party for the advantages that come with it…..We need as Evangelicals to take stock of where we are as a country – not just ecclesiastically and theologically and otherwise, but politically too. And right now is as good as any to take serious stock.” In the next election year of 2008, many moderate Evangelicals and Catholics are, as they say in politics, “up for grabs.” But as they say in churches, people are more carefully thinking and praying as never before, and are no longer in any party’s pocket.

Duane Shank: Daily News Digest

the latest news on Iraq and U.S. policy, Congress, Iran, HIV/AIDS in Africa, poverty in America, and Barack Obama and Rick Warren

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Full news summary:

Iraq and US policy. Reid Pledges To Press Bush On Iraq Policy – “Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.), who was elected Senate majority leader yesterday, said last night that President Bush still has not grasped the urgent need to change course in Iraq. Reid vowed to press quickly for phased troop withdrawals, a more international approach to Iraq's problems and rebuilding of the depleted U.S. military.” Get Out Now? Not So Fast, Experts Say– “Even some vehement critics of the Bush administration's policies believe that Iraq is not ready for the U.S. to withdraw.” Can Iran help stabilize Iraq? – “Bringing Iran - and Syria - into a regional process to stabilize Iraq is being touted both by British Prime Minister Tony Blair and the Iraq Study Group, the US commission studying options that both Republicans and Democrats hope will provide a framework for facesaving change in Iraq.”

War in Iraq.Uniformed men kidnap scores in Iraqi capital – “In a mass kidnapping audacious even by Iraq war standards, dozens of assailants wearing police commando uniforms stormed a Higher Education Ministry building, abducted scores of people and fled in more than 30 trucks and armored sport utility vehicles,” Iraqi residents say U.S. airstrike kills 30 – “Victims include women and children, witnesses in Ramadi say. The military has no immediate comment.”

Congress. Spending Bills Stall as Congress Focuses on Leadership Races – “The House and Senate struggled yesterday to move ahead on major unfinished bills, amid the distractions of leadership elections and a growing impatience to end a long and bitter campaign year.”
G.O.P. in House Gears Up for New Leadership Fight– “House Republicans are engaged in their second leadership fight in a year, this one part of a soul-searching over how they lost the election and what they can do about it.” Conservatives wary of choice to lead RNC – “President Bush's decision to back Sen. Mel Martinez to help lead the Republican Party, a move intended to appeal to disaffected Latino voters, drew sharp criticism from some of the party's core conservatives, who disdain the Florida lawmaker's support for liberalized immigration laws.”

Iran. Iran's nuclear program progressing, U.N. agency says – “Iran has slowly but steadily increased its ability to enrich uranium despite international calls to halt its nuclear activities, experts at the International Atomic Energy Agency say in a report released Tuesday.” Iran’s Leader Cites Nuclear Progress – “Iran’s president declared yesterday that his country’s nuclear program was nearing an important milestone, even as international atomic inspectors reported that they had found unexplained traces of plutonium and that Tehran continued to be so uncooperative in answering questions that they had been unable to confirm earlier claims of progress.”

HIV/AIDS in Africa . African Children Often Lack Available AIDS Treatment – “The children of Africa are still not getting AIDS prevention or treatment drugs, experts say, even though the drugs have become affordable and available.”

Poverty in America. Report: Hunger has more than doubled in low-income areas – “Between 2002 and 2005, hunger more than doubled in low income communities across Massachusetts because of poverty and the high cost of living, a local advocacy group told state lawmakers yesterday.” Grass-roots surge to boost minimum pay reaches L.A. - "The city council is set to vote Wednesday on a 'living wage' law that would mandate $10.64 an hour at airport hotels."

Religion. Purpose' pastor has pulpit for Obama – “Like many fellow Democratic politicians, Sen. Barack Obama is no stranger to the pulpit. But in December, Obama will go where few progressive Democrats usually venture--to a large, conservative evangelical church that boasts a Sunday attendance of more than 20,000 people.”

Op-Ed. Election signals decline of old school liberalism (Kirsten Powers, a political appointee in the Clinton administration, USA Today) - “without centrist Democratic candidates, it would have been President Bush and GOP strategist Karl Rove celebrating last week. More than half of the new House members will join the New Democrat Coalition or the Blue Dog Coalition caucuses, known for their fiscal responsibility, business-friendly stance and generally more socially conservative views. While most criticized the war, few have called for an immediate withdrawal. In addition to running fiscally responsible candidates, the Democratic Party appealed to the vital center by slaying a few of old school liberalism's sacred cows: aggressive secularism and intolerance of anti-abortion views.”

Verse of the Day: 'Clothe yourselves with love'

As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

- Colossians 3:12-14

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Voice of the Day: Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Do what is right not only to respectable citizens, but especially to the disrespectable ones as well; be at peace not only with those who are peaceable, but especially with those who do not wish to let us live in peace.

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

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Jim Wallis on NBC's Today Show

Continuing a Today show special series called "The Mystery of Faith," host Meredith Vieira explores the growth of evangelical Christians in America and their changing political power.

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Maryada Vallet: Dispatch from the Desert: Crown of Thorns

It is late afternoon in southern Arizona and the branches of the ocotillo cacti shine like golden rods pointing to the heavens. The monsoon rains of summer have turned desolation into life, and all that was brown is green in the Sonoran Desert. The ocotillo glow in this ‘golden hour’ before sunset because the green leaves that sprouted from the thorny branches are now changing to shades of yellow.

“It’s autumn in the desert,” we joke, while following a lonely path scattered with belongings of migrants who have journeyed before; belongings such as water bottles, backpacks, and personal items like Biblios Santos and hand-sewn handkerchiefs. Volunteers come from around the world to join us in our humanitarian efforts on the borderlands and, to many, it seems as though we have no real seasons; no turn in the year from the warmth and sun for which we are known. But for those of us who live in these borderlands, we acutely recognize when the harsh passes and the pleasant months of our fall come. In other words, when temperatures have cooled to just about 100 degrees in the day and drop so drastically at night that we layer our sleeping bags, we know the worst and deadliest summer months has come to an end. So this late September day is bittersweet.

It is not a normal afternoon for patrolling, let alone rejoicing. Single file now, we quiet ourselves, and our feet make sinking footsteps in the arroyo, or dry streambed. Cyril, a volunteer from Tucson, recounts with seriousness and deep emotion how his patrol followed the fresh footsteps of a group of migrants in this very trail just days earlier and how they came upon something horrific. Instead of continuing in their route, the footsteps slowed to a stop and then bunched around a place in the sand that was padded down, perhaps with a whole body…or a back. The nightmare was confirmed with a used condom hanging from a branch above.

While still an assumption, the footsteps reveal something ugly, something we all know is the violent reality for many women who attempt this journey. Horrified, and deeply saddened, we listen to him recount his experience and then return to this spot, in order to redeem the space where such a violent act has most likely taken place. We build a simple altar, lighting a candle and incense, and then reflect together and pray for healing.

Such are the realities of a war zone. Militarization of the border, combined with economic disparity, has incited a zone rampant with human rights abuses. This rape, like thousands of similar cases, will not be investigated. The origins of violence on our border are very deep. Families searching for livelihood and traveling north are now commodities of free trade and the shrapnel of a war zone, vulnerable and easily exploited. With the voices and efforts of individuals and groups of faith and conscience across the entire border, we pray that dignity replaces impunity, and we stand with the spirits of those who continue to struggle. May our brothers and mothers not suffer but instead literally find a home built with justice and filled with peace. We beg for the redemption of our border, that life might prevail ... and we find that the golden crown of thorns is all around us.

Maryada Vallet is an evangelical Christian who works with No More Deaths on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Duane Shank: Daily News Digest

the latest news on the Catholic Bishops' statement on Iraq, Bush's Iraq policy, evangelicals and foreign policy, Democrats' power struggles, faith and the election, Darfur, Martin Luther King Jr. memorial, racial injustice, and select features and op-eds

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Catholic bishops and Iraq. Bishops call for change on Iraq policy – “The nation's Catholic bishops, saying the United States needs to move past the "shrill and shallow debate" of last week's midterm Congressional elections, declared yesterday that the goal in Iraq should be justice and peace, rather than victory,” Bishops renew stance on Iraq – “The U.S. should move past election politics and push for a "responsible transition" in Iraq that would build peace while bringing American troops home, a top Roman Catholic official said Monday.” U.S. Catholic Bishops Call for 'Honest Dialogue' – “The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said Monday that the United States should keep its troops in Iraq only as long as they are contributing to a "responsible transition" to Iraqi rule.” Statement on Iraq - Most Reverend William Skylstad, November 13, 2006

President and Iraq. Bush Faces New Calls to Shift Policies On Mideast – “President Bush came under new pressure yesterday at home and abroad to alter his policies in the Middle East.” U.S. feeling heavy pressure on Iran – “As pressure mounted for direct talks with Iran and Syria on the crisis in Iraq, President Bush held a much-anticipated session Monday with members of the Iraq Study Group, a blue-ribbon panel that is expected to propose major changes in U.S. policy.” Bush Says He's Open to Change in Iraq, but ...– “After meeting with a panel examining the war, the president said that military options “depend upon conditions on the ground.” Huge task before Iraq Study Group - “For the bipartisan panel of luminaries known as the Iraq Study Group, the most important thing now may be hammering out a framework for peace in Washington, not drawing up new lists of options for US policy toward Iraq.” Blair wants shunned natio ns to help solve Iraq fiasco – “Tony Blair has urged George Bush to make a dramatic U-turn by drawing Iran and Syria into efforts to bring stability to Iraq and forge a long-term peace in the wider Middle East.” Blair Urges Strategy Change in Mideast, Spotlighting Iran– “Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain said that the “nature of the battle” in Iraq had changed, and that Western strategy in the Middle East must evolve.”

Evangelicals and foreign policy. For Evangelicals, Supporting Israel Is 'God's Foreign Policy'– “Many conservative Christians say they believe that the president’s support for Israel fulfills a biblical injunction to protect the Jewish state, which some of them think will play a pivotal role in the second coming. Many on the left, in turn, fear that such theology may influence decisions the administration makes toward Israel and the Middle East.”

Democrats and power. Power struggles unravel Democrats' unity – “Democrats returned to Capitol Hill to prepare for a transfer of power in Congress, but their postelection emphasis on unity quickly dissolved into power struggles and jockeying over the spoils of victory.” In Backing Murtha, Pelosi Draws Fire – “House Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi’s endorsement of Rep. John P. Murtha's bid for House majority leader set off a furor yesterday on Capitol Hill, with critics charging that she is undercutting her pledge to clean up corruption by backing a veteran lawmaker who they say has repeatedly skirted ethical boundaries.”

Faith and election. Some evangelical Christians reconsider their faith in GOP – “Republican and evangelical leaders said how the GOP reshapes its moral stances may determine the strength of their ties in the future. Two national Republican leaders said this fall that the party needs to soften some of its ideological positions in order to broaden its base.” Democrats' wins hinged on Muslims – “Muslim voters, an electoral ally of President Bush as recently as 2000, played a key role in turning over control of the Senate to Democrats,”

Darfur. UN to offer plan for 'hybrid' African Union-UN force – “UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan intends to propose a "hybrid" African Union-UN force for Darfur in talks with Sudanese officials and has invited major powers to take part, the United Nations said yesterday.”

King memorial. In King's Honor, A Dream Achieved – “Two presidents, a renowned poet and lions of the civil rights movement joined thousands gathered on the Mall yesterday to mark the spot where a memorial will be built to honor Martin Luther King Jr.” A King memorial for `eternal truths' – “Only a select number of Americans have been honored with individual monuments on the National Mall in Washington. There are no memorials to historic African-Americans. And few, if any, of those enshrined there were ever jailed.”

Racial injustice. Racial gaps in income, education persist – “Decades after the civil rights movement, racial disparities in income, education, and home ownership persist and, by some measurements, are growing.White households had incomes last year that were two-thirds higher than those of blacks and 40 percent higher than those of Hispanics, according to data released today by the Census Bureau.”

Feature interview. Former second-in-command of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives talks about why evangelicals should stay out of politics - “As Democrats celebrate their victories in last week's election, some Republicans are wondering what happened to their supposedly rock-solid evangelical voting base. Polls show 30 percent of evangelicals voted for Democrats this election, up from 21 percent last time. Have conservative Christians become disgruntled with the Republican Party? Yes, says David Kuo.”

Op-Ed. Democrats' Real Victory (E.J. Dionne, Washington Post) – “Elections provoke myth-spinning. Republicans are in danger of spinning away from a full appreciation of the magnitude of their defeat last week. Democrats could spin themselves into useless arguments rooted in the past and ignore the opportunity American voters have offered them.”

Verse of the Day: 'Dissentions and offenses'

I urge you, brothers and sisters, to keep an eye on those who cause dissensions and offenses, in opposition to the teaching that you have learned; avoid them. For such people do not serve the Lord Christ, but their own appetities, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the simple-minded.

- Romans 16:17-18

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Voice of the Day: Mother Teresa

It is more difficult to fight poverty in a rich country than in a poor one.

- Mother Teresa

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Brian McLaren: Compassion and Hope in the Haggard Scandal

As a representative of the Red Letter Christians, I was asked the other day to participate in an NPR dialogue about the recent resignation of Ted Haggard. Two things struck me about the dialogue.

First, compassion. The tone of the conversation was not glee at the fall of a hypocrite, but rather sadness and empathy at the suffering of a fellow human being - before and after his resignation. I'm sure there has been some glee, both among secular people who saw Ted as their political enemy, and among religious people of a certain type who find it easy and legitimate to disregard the words of I Corinthians 13, the "Golden Rule," and the Sermon on the Mount. I have been especially moved, both on the NPR program and elsewhere, by the compassion expressed by many in the gay community and by many evangelicals, both of whom may have found reasons to respond otherwise.

Second, hope. A number of people on the program expressed hope that this trauma in the evangelical community will increase understanding about the issue of homosexuality, that it will bring to light the complexity and depth of pain experienced by people for whom heterosexual drives are not inborn and exclusive. Perhaps this painful story will help more preachers (like myself) to back away from the easy answers and binary thinking that are so easy to dispense, and to reject the simplistic moralism Jesus diagnosed in the Pharisees, who, he said, loaded up burdens on the backs of others that they themselves couldn't bear. I've met Ted on a few occasions and he impressed me as a compassionate and hopeful person himself. I join millions of people - Christian and non-, straight and gay - who pray for God's presence, strength, and guidance for him and his family - and his church and NAE colleagues too, as they grapple with the complex realities of the human condition which we all share.

It's Sunday as I write these words, and in an hour or so, I'll be in church, and we'll pray, "Lord, have mercy." The older I get, and the more I experience, the more weight and meaning those simple words carry.

Brian McLaren (brianmclaren.net) is an author, speaker, and board chair of Sojourners/Call to Renewal.

Duane Shank: Daily News Digest

the latest news on the lame duck Congress, the new Congress, Iraq, religious voters, conservatism, the minimum wage, arms sales, and select features and op-eds

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Lame duck Congress. Congress returns for session's last lag – “The lame-duck session mixes a dispirited Republican Party and a Democratic Party that knows it will soon have the upper hand in both chambers … At minimum, Congress must pass a temporary spending bill to keep the government running until the next Congress takes office. Getting much else accomplished could be difficult.” For Post-Election Congress, Extensive To-Do List Is Awaiting Action– “Despite devastating losses at the polls, Republicans control the post-election session that opens Monday as lawmakers return to try to finish 10 overdue spending bills and other legislation that stalled because of pre-election gamesmanship.”

Iraq. Democrats Push for Troop Cuts Within Months - “Democratic leaders in the Senate vowed on Sunday to use their new Congressional majority to press for troop reductions in Iraq within a matter of months,” Democrats, Engaging Bush, Vow Early Action Over Iraq - “Democrats sought to put their new political power to use in shaping the debate over Iraq, promising stepped-up Congressional oversight of the war and a resolution demanding a schedule for reducing the number of troops there.” A budding, bipartisan consensus on Iraq - “There are those on both sides of the aisle who favor giving the Iraqis firm deadlines for meeting a list of political goals, with the possibility of redeploying U.S. troops if the goals aren't met.” Panel May Have Few Good Options to Offer – “After meeting with President Bush tomorrow, a panel of prestigious Americans will begin deliberations to chart a new course on Iraq, with the goal of stabilizing the country with a different U.S. strategy and possibly the withdrawal of troops.”

Congressional agenda. Labor Movement Dusts Off Agenda as Power Shifts in Congress– “After years of being sidelined by the Republican majority, the nation’s unions are now pushing Congress to act on a long list of issues: improving mine safety, putting a brake on outsourcing, making it easier to unionize workers and extending health coverage to millions of uninsured Americans.” Liberal g roups expect postelection results – “Some of the very activists who helped propel the Democrats to a majority in the House and Senate last week are claiming credit for the victories and demanding what they consider their due: a set of ambitious — and politically provocative — actions on gun control, abortion, national security and other issues that party leaders fear could alienate moderate voters.”

The new Congress. In new Senate, the middle rules – “The terms of the Democrats' narrow victory make a politics of the center even more imperative. Most of the new Democrats in the Senate won by running as moderates or fiscal conservatives.” Incoming Democrats Put Populism Before Ideology– “in interviews with nearly half of them this week, the freshmen — 41 in the House and 9 in the Senate, including one independent — conveyed a keen sense of their own moment in history, and a distinct world view: they say they were given a rare opportunity by voters, many of them independents and Republicans, who were tired of the partisanship and gridlock in Washington.”

Religious voters. Democrats Win Bigger Share of Religious Vote – “the national exit polls told a dramatic story of changing views in the pews: Democrats recaptured the Catholic vote they had lost two years ago. They sliced the GOP's advantage among weekly churchgoers to 12 percentage points, down from 18 points in 2004 congressional races and 22 points in the 2004 presidential contest. Democrats even siphoned off a portion of the Republican Party's most loyal base, white evangelical Protestants.” Evangelical leader: GOP abandoned voters – “Conservative Christian leader James Dobson accused the Republican Party of abandoning values voters in the midterm elections - and paying the price by losing control of Congress.”

Conservatism. Rove Remains Steadfast in the Face of Criticism – “The theory is this: The building's infrastructure was actually quite sound. It was bad luck and seasonal shifts in the winds that blew out the walls … But the foundation is fine:” For Conservatives, It’s Back to Basics - “The morning after the Republican drubbing in the midterm elections, Ken Mehlman, chairman of the party, headed to the weekly coalition meeting where limited government conservatives, Christian traditionalists and gun-rights groups gathered to plot strategy. He brought a message they were only too eager to hear. The election, he told the crowd … was not a repudiation of conservatism.” Midterm Election Leaves Political Landscape Blurry –“Rarely has an election result been delivered with such force and clarity, and still left so many unanswered questions in its wake, as that of the 2006 midterm campaign. What happened is unmistakable. What it may portend is far l ess obvious, making the 2008 election, which already has begun, potentially the most important in a generation or more in shaping the nation's politics.”

Minimum wage. Employers upset with increase in legal wage – “The $3.59 Black Raspberry Cow Shake at Young’s Jersey Dairy in southwestern Ohio soon will cost a dime more. And two eggs and fixings at Granny Shaffer’s Family Restaurant in Joplin, Mo., will set diners back $6.60 instead of the $6 they now pay. The price increases are coming to cover the minimum-wage raises mandated by voters in Ohio and Missouri in Tuesday’s elections.” Living wage law may expand in L.A. – “The City Council is poised this week to grant the wish of the hotel workers, and for the first time apply the city's living wage ordinance to private companies that have no business relationship with the local government.”

Arms sales. US is top purveyor on weapons sales list – “The United States last year provided nearly half of the weapons sold to militaries in the developing world, as major arms sales to the most unstable regions -- many already engaged in conflict -- grew to the highest level in eight years, new US government figures show.”

FEATURE Lost | The GOP, nationally and here at home, needs more than an electoral strategy to get itself out of the woods. It needs to rethink the meaning of conservatism. – “The electoral ascendancy the national Republican Party has enjoyed with fits and starts since 1968 may have finally come to an end last week. And yet the GOP's reversal of fortune is not due to a resurgence of liberalism among the general public. Many of the newly elected congressional Democrats are from the centrist wing of the party and opinion polls continue to show that while most people call themselves moderates, self-described conservatives far outnumber liberals.” (James A. Peyser, chairman of the Massachusetts Board of Education and former executive director of the Pioneer Institute, a nonpartisan public-policy think tank in Boston).

OP-EDs

Beliefs A Topic in the Air but One That Political Candidates Declined to Touch: Torture of Prisoners – “In a season of shameless attack ads, torture is still too shameful to be debated.” (Peter Steinfels)

Confessions of a values voter (I'm not who you think I am) - “Everywhere I look, I see progressives beginning to invoke values in ways that might startle religious conservatives, and in ways that probably helped Democrats win last week.” (Tom Krattenmaker specializes in religion in public life and is a member of USA TODAY's board of contributors.)

Dems put the 'big tent' back together – “The Democrats moved to the center and to the left at the same time. In doing so, they became more like the hegemonic Democratic Party of old. And if, in 2008, it turns out that last week did in fact usher in an era of Democratic resurgence, it will be precisely because the party managed to sustain this left-center coalition and render the distinctions between the two groups less important.” (Michael Tomasky, editor at large of the American Prospect.)

Verse of the Day: 'Learn to do good'

Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.

- Isaiah 1:16-17

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Voice of the Day: Thomas Cahill on Prophets

Prophets are, by their nature, inconvenient party-poopers. It is a mistaken notion that prophets can see the future. Rather, they tell us what is true right now.

- Thomas Cahill, in Hey You, Listen Up! Sojourners, March-April 2003

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Jeff Carr: Evangelicals 'Didn't Show Up'?

Some of you will remember that I wrote an open letter to Dr. James Dobson a few weeks ago, and posted it here on this blog. Well, Dr. Dobson released a statement yesterday regarding his assessment of what happened in the election on Tuesday. According to Dr. Dobson, "Many of my colleagues saw this coming. I said in an interview with U.S. News and World Report shortly after the 2004 elections, 'If Republicans in the White House and in Congress squander this opportunity, I believe they will pay a price for it in four years - or maybe in two.' Sadly for conservatives, that in large measure explains what happened on Tuesday night. Many of the Values Voters of '04 simply stayed at home this year."

Unfortunately, Dr. Dobson's assessment that "values voters of '04 simply stayed home this year," is just not supported by the facts. According to the CNN/NYT/AP national media exit polls, evangelicals did show up: 24 percent this year compared to 23 percent of the electorate in 2004. The reality is that evangelical voters showed up despite being disillusioned and frustrated. Principled conservative evangelical leaders like Rich Cizik of the NAE understand what is going on, as evidenced in this article on Salon.

The question is, what were values voters disillusioned about? The fact that the Bush administration has let them down by failing to make progress on the hot-button issues of gay marriage and abortion? Or are evangelicals tired of the narrow agenda of their Religious Right leaders and decided to vote all their values? Maybe some decided to cross over and vote the way they did in this election because they care about values like honesty and integrity; values like ensuring that families can earn a living wage and care for themselves, while growing an economy that is equitable, fair, and sustainable; values like caring for the whole of creation, and ensuring that we leave the world in better condition for the next generation.

I think the values voters did show up. And they demonstrated that they are no longer a reliable constituency for either political party. In the long run, that may be the best thing for both our politics and our faith.

Jeff Carr is chief of staff at Sojourners/Call to Renewal and an ordained evangelical minister in the Church of the Nazarene.

Jeff Carr and Duane Shank: What is a Secular Fundamentalist?

NOTE: On Wednesday morning, just after writing his initial reaction to the election, Jim Wallis received word that his father had suddenly passed away. He is now in Detroit with his family, and funeral services will be held Sunday. Please keep him and his family in your thoughts and prayers. After reading all of the comments to his piece, we thought we should answer in Jim’s absence.

At Sojourners/Call to Renewal’s national conference in June, Sen. Barack Obama delivered a major speech on faith and politics. He spoke eloquently about his personal faith and how it influences his political views and activities, drawing accolades from many quarters. But some liberal bloggers (who sounded like secular fundamentalists) immediately decried the speech, repeating the argument that religion should not be brought into politics.

By saying, “In this election, both the Religious Right and the secular Left were defeated,” Jim’s point was this: contrary to those who say faith has no place in politics, and that Democrats in particular should keep their faith to themselves, this election saw many Democrats win who speak openly about their faith, and how it informs their political views. This articulation was one of the reasons they were successful. Some are political liberals, (Governor-elect Ted Strickland (OH) is a liberal former Methodist minister) and some are conservative, (Representative-elect Heath Shuler (NC) is a conservative Southern Baptist) but both spoke of their faith in their campaigns, and both were elected.

And, as Amy Sullivan pointed out in The New Republic, in a number of states, “candidates and party leaders sat down with evangelicals and Catholics who had never been contacted by a Democrat before.” Rather than writing off all religious people as conservative, Democrats made a point of outreach to the religious community, listened to their concerns, and answered their questions. “It turns out,” she concluded, “that moderate evangelical and Catholic voters are willing to push the button for Democratic candidates. But sometimes it helps to talk to them first.”

Amid the questions, one comment got it right. “Capitalized letters matter, folks. Jim means Secular Fundamentalists, not all secular people. … Jim has continuously expressed his gratitude for the connections he's formed with the secular Left.” That is indeed what Jim meant. In God’s Politics, Jim contrasts the Religious Right, who “would impose the doctrines of a political theocracy on their fellow citizens,” and secular fundamentalists, who “would deprive the public square of needed moral and spiritual values often shaped by faith.” Secular fundamentalists, he wrote, “tell us that religion should be restricted to one’s church or family. No talk of faith, they say, ought to be allowed to seep into the public square for fear of violating the First Amendment or alienating the non-religious.” Yet, “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.”

Certainly, many of our friends and allies are “secular but spiritual moral citizens,” who “strive to maintain high moral values,” “with moral compasses,” who live “a moral and ethical life.” Jim often says that “religion has no monopoly on morality.” After saying this, many secular people who believe moral values should shape our public life come up and thank him for making them feel welcome. It is indeed in the “interest of all progressive people of conscience to work together to promote our shared values.”

Jeff Carr is chief of staff and Duane Shank is senior policy advisor at Sojourners/Call to Renewal.

Duane Shank: Daily News Digest

The latest news on the Senate, the Bush-Pelosi pledge cooperation, defense department, election, immigration, Bolton, Middle East, Iraq, military training, global poverty, women and Islam, Darfur, passing of Ed Bradley, and a message from the UK (The Guardian).

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Full news summary:

Senate. Democrats Take Senate; Concession in Virginia Completes Midterm Sweep – “Democrats gained control of the Senate, giving them a majority in both houses of Congress for the first time since 1994 and increased influence over President Bush’s policies at home and abroad, starting with the war in Iraq.” Allen Concedes Election, Democrats Win Control of Congress – “Democrat James Webb, who campaigned for Virginia's U.S. Senate seat by opposing the war in Iraq and calling for economic fairness, succeeded in his improbable bid to unseat Republican George Allen,”  Democrats savor Senate win – “Democrats solidified control over both chambers of Congress as Republican Sen. George Allen conceded defeat to Democrat James Webb in Virginia's tight Senate contest, giving Democrats and their independent allies a 51-49 majority in the Senate.”

Bush-Pelosi Pledge Cooperation. Bush Meets With Pelosi; Both Pledge Cooperation – “President Bush, confronted face to face with the reality of divided government, broke bread with the two top House Democrats at the White House and vowed not to allow partisan divisions to hobble the remaining two years of his presidency.”  Democrats Weigh New Power as Leaders – “When Democrats take control of the Senate in January, they will immediately assume far more power to influence President Bush’s agenda,”

Defense Department. After Rumsfeld: Bid to Reshape the Brain Trust – “Robert M. Gates,   President Bush’s choice to become defense secretary, has sharply criticized the Bush administration’s handling of the Iraq war and has made it clear that he would seek advice from moderate Republicans who have been largely frozen out of the White House,”  Old Hands From the Family Business – “With the war in Iraq going badly and Congress captured by the opposition, a commander in chief who has labored to demonstrate independence from his presidential father is now seeking help from some key veterans of George H.W. Bush's team to salvage the remainder of his own administration.”

Election. In this election, swing voter s make comeback – “Ever since the contested election of 2000, when the presidential race resulted in a near tie, pundits have pointed to the polarized, 50-50 nature of American politics. Now, with a chastened President Bush talking the language of common ground and Democrats owing their takeover of the House and the Senate to political independents, the center is back.” GOP Moderates' Ouster Widens House Divide – “Tuesday's electoral upheaval wiped out many of the few remaining Republican moderates in Congress, further cementing the geographic partitioning of the House and potentially widening the ideological divisions that have contributed to partisanship and gridlock on Capitol Hill.”  RNC asks Steele to replace Mehlman - “Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman, whose party just lost both chambers of Congress, will leave his position in January, and the post as party chief has been offered to Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele.”

Immigration. Democratic Victory Raises Spirits of Those Favoring Citizenship for Illegal Aliens – “Supporters of granting citizenship to some or all illegal immigrants say the Democratic takeover of Congress has galvanized their cause and could lead to sweeping changes in immigration law.” Bush presses immigration reform- “In their first face-to-face meeting, President Bush pledged to Mexican President-elect Felipe Calderon on Thursday that he would work for a "comprehensive" rewrite of U.S. immigration laws, including creation of a temporary-worker program for foreigners.”  Latinos throw more support to Democrats – “Anger over anti-immigrant rhetoric helped fuel a shift in the Latino vote to Democrats, damaging Republican hopes of luring this fast-growing population into its fold,”

Bolton. U.N. envoy confirmation unlikely – “John R. Bolton's prospects for remaining the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations dwindled as Democrats and a key Republican senator rejected efforts to have the still-Republican- controlled Senate confirm his nomination.”

Mideast. Palestinians Mourn Civilians Killed by Israel – “Palestinians marched in anger and mourning on Thursday for 18 civilians killed by Israeli artillery — baring for cameras the battered faces of two dead children. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel offered to ease tensions by meeting the Palestinian president “anytime, anyplace.”

Iraq. Iraqi health official raises estimate of slain civilians  - “A new civili an death count emerged as Iraq's health minister estimated at least 150,000 have been killed in the war — about three times previous estimates.”  Iraqis estimate civilian deaths at 150,000 – “Previous estimates of Iraq deaths held that 45,000-50,000 have been killed in nearly 44 months of conflict, according to partial figures from Iraqi institutions and media reports. No official count has ever been available.”

Military training. U.S. seeks better ties by aiding militaries – “Concern about leftist victories in Latin America has prompted President Bush to quietly grant a waiver that allows the United States to resume training militaries from 11 Latin American and Caribbean countries.”

Global poverty. UN 'reform must tackle poverty' – “The United Nations is failing the poorest and most vulnerable because its funding projects are undermined by too many agencies duplicating each other's work, a high-level panel warned yesterday.”  A global clean-water shortage – “While people in wealthy suburbs of Africa use water to maintain lush lawns and fill swimming pools, many slum dwellers struggle to obtain the crucial resource and pay much more per gallon for what little of it they can get, according to a United Nations Development Program report calling for an end to "water apartheid."

Women and Islam. Muslim women find their voice –“In what many scholars are calling a significant step, more than 100 Muslim women leaders will gather in New York City this month to launch an advisory council--one that could provide alternative opinions and become a voice for women's rights in the traditionally male-dominated field of Islamic law.”

Darfur. A Darfur town empties as the janjaweed return  TINE, SUDAN – “All but a few civilians have fled this town in Sudan's troubled Darfur region. Instead, Tine's marketplace is filled with feared janjaweed fighters sporting flip-flops, assault rifles, and a mishmash of uniforms and T-shirts. African Union (AU) commanders say more than 1,000 janjaweed militiamen arrived in town just over two weeks ago to back up 3,000 government troops.”

Passing of note. Ed Bradley, TV Correspondent, Dies at 65 – “Ed Bradley. a fixture in American living rooms on Sunday nights for a quarter century as a correspondent on “60 Minutes” and one of the first black journalists prominently featured on network television, died yesterday in Manhattan.”

Message from the UK.  (The Guardian) Thank You, America – “ For six years, latterly with the backing of both houses of a markedly conservative Republican Congress, George Bush has led an American administration that has played an unprecedentedly negative and polarising role in the world's affairs.  On Tuesday, in the midterm US congressional elections, American voters rebuffed Mr Bush in spectacular style and with both instant and lasting political consequences. … Maybe the more pragmatic Republican old guard can come to the rescue of this disastrous presidency in its most catastrophic adventure. But it has been the American voters who have at last made this possible. For that alone the entire world owes them its deep gratitude today.”

Verse of the Day: coming into the light

For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.

- John 3:20-21

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Voice of the Day: Maya Angelou

We, unaccustomed to courage
exiles from delight
live coiled in shells of loneliness
until love leaves its high holy temple
and comes into our sight
to liberate us into life.

- Maya Angelou

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Tony Campolo: Questions Raised by the Haggard Scandal

The scripture says that when one member of the body suffers, all the members suffer. And so it is that each of us took a hit when Ted Haggard was “ousted,” disgraced, and then ridiculed by late-night comedians. But after we get over our initial anger at being betrayed by one of our top leaders, hopefully we will realize that we really need to prayerfully weep for our brother, his family and the members of his congregation.

In the midst of all the turmoil, confusion, and disillusionment, it is all too easy to ignore the suffering of Mike Jones, the male prostitute who blew the whistle on our brother Ted. Mike also will be hurt. His life will never be the same. He will always be scorned and a marked man.

We have to wonder: What drove him into prostitution? From whence did he get that low self-concept which, according to sociologists who study prostitutes, always characterizes these precious children of God?

Do we, the Church, bear any responsibility for how Mike Jones might feel about himself? Might he have heard some of those sermons which define homosexuals as “abominations” in the eyes of God?

Was it the war that so many leading Christians, including Mr. Haggard, have declared on the gay community that made Mike Jones feel that it was his “moral obligation” to expose the hypocrisy in evangelicalism?

Did he feel so oppressed by the way in which we have generated political movements that threaten to deny gays and lesbians their civil rights that he was motivated to strike back in the only way he could?

I have heard so many of my colleagues in ministry express deep concerns over what this scandal will do to the image of the evangelical movement, but I have heard little concern among us for how all of this will impact those Christian gays and lesbians that we know. They are in our churches. They teach in our Sunday schools and sing in our choirs. Most of them are closeted brothers and sisters who suffer in ways that are impossible for the rest of us to even imagine. They are good people who do not take drugs or visit prostitutes. Will the ugliness of this sorry mess feed a diabolical stereotype of them, which is too often circulated in our churches by unkind preachers who have little, if any, understanding of homosexuals?

In the midst of this tragic scandal, we need to be asking what good God wants to bring out of what has happened. Could this tragedy be used by God to draw us back from an arrogant triumphal attitude wherein we, in our self-righteousness, assume the right to take over America and politically recast it in our own image?

Is this a time when we might do some soul searching to see if we have been reduced into the corrupting influence of the power that we have gained in government and in the marketplace?

Finally, are we able to “restore our brother Ted,” who, in the words of scripture, has been “overtaken in a fault?” Are we able to consider ourselves lest we also be tempted? (Galatians 6:1)

Right now, both Ted and Mike are facing the dark side of their humanity. Are we willing to affirm them by declaring loud and clear that there is something of infinite worth in each of them?

We’ve got a lot of questions to ask ourselves in a time like this. Let us pray for the grace not to flee from these questions.

Jim Wallis: A Defeat for the Religious Right and the Secular Left

In this election, both the Religious Right and the secular Left were defeated, and the voice of the moral center was heard. A significant number of candidates elected are social conservatives on issues of life and family, economic populists, and committed to a new direction in Iraq. This is the way forward: a grand new alliance between liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans, one that can end partisan gridlock and involves working together for real solutions to pressing problems.

It is clear from the election results that moderate, and some conservative, Christians - especially evangelicals and Catholics - want a moral agenda that is broader than only abortion and same-sex marriage. Various exit polls showed a shift of 6% to 16% fewer evangelicals and Catholics supporting Republican candidates than in 2004. Poverty, the war in Iraq, strengthening families, and protecting the environment are all moral values. And many Americans this year voted all of their values.

One of the central issues in this election was the continuing violence and death in Iraq. As of today, 2,836 Americans and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have died in this disastrous war. The people have now spoken, and there is a mandate to change the course of U.S. policy in Iraq. The president acknowledged this yesterday with his announcement of the resignation of Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, and his recognition that the country needs a fresh perspective in the Defense Department. We believe that the first order of business for the new Congress and the administration must be determining alternatives to the current disastrous course.

Voters also recognized that while the economy is in good shape for some, there are still too many being left out, especially working families. It is significant that in all six states where an initiative to raise the minimum wage was on the ballot, it passed, in most cases by overwhelming margins. Congress and the administration must now pass a federal minimum wage increase that will benefit all working people in America.

Tony Jones: Why I Didn't Waste My Vote

For the third election in a row, I voted for the Independence Party candidate in the Minnesota gubernatorial election. (Yes, if you're counting backward, that means that I voted for Jesse "The Body" Ventura - and proudly so!) This year's candidate, Peter Hutchinson, garnered only 6% of the popular vote, but that means that the Independence Party will continue to qualify for public funding in statewide elections. And, more importantly, it means that there will be three candidates on stage again in four years.

Minnesota, of course, has a strong independent streak, even though it's often classified as a blue state - Ventura is exhibit A. Ours is a progressive state, politically and culturally, but there's also a lot of good Lutheran stoicism, as made famous by Garrison Keillor.

Hutchinson, for me, represented that mix well. Having served in state office as the finance commissioner and as the superintendent of Minneapolis public schools, he brought a commonsense realism that jibed with the realities of our state. For instance, he opposed the expansion of gambling, as do I. I oppose gambling on moral grounds; Hutchinson said that gambling proceeds are a bad way to fund governmental activities. While the other two candidates avoided talking about taxes at all costs, Hutchinson proposed an additional tax (on clothing) and a higher tax (on gas) along with a lowering of the sales tax rate, all in order to stabilize the overly volatile budgeting process which is altogether too beholden to consumer spending.

But most important of all, I think, is that Hutchinson kept the other two candidates honest. First of all, he ran no negative ads. Secondly, at each debate, he was winsome, even funny, and brought a great deal of civility to an otherwise ugly campaign. When the Republican and Democrat tied themselves in knots criticizing the other, Hutchinson would speak up, look at the audience, and ask, "Do you really think that either of these guys is capable of leading this state into the future?"

And thirdly - I hope you're sitting down - Hutchinson actually answered the questions that were asked in the debates! While the other two took the old political tack of answer-the-question-you-want-to-answer, not-the-question-that-you're-asked, Hutchinson answered every question that was asked of him with actual policy proposals. The other two commonly began their responses to questions with, "Before I answer that question, I just want to say that my opponent is twisting my record on..." Then, of course, they'd never actually get around to answering the question.

So, the independent candidate raised the level of the debate, injected a tone of civility, and, at times, made the donkey and the elephant actually respond to questions. And, I'm hoping that happens again in four years. Maybe an independent will never again sit as the governor of my state, but at least we've got three voices in the mix.

And, honestly, as a Red Letter Christian, I find that the rhetoric and mean-spirited politics of the Republicans and Democrats so rarely represents my own politics that I'd just as soon vote my conscience - even if it means that my candidate finishes a distant third.

Tony Jones is the National Coordinator for Emergent Village.

Amy Sullivan: And in Other News...

Lost amid some of the understandably bigger headlines were a few stories that would have been remarkable in a normal election season. Up first, the country's first Muslim congressman has been elected in Minnesota. Keith Ellison, a lawyer and Muslim convert, won the seat held by longtime Democratic Congressman Martin Sabo. If I'm not mistaken, he is also the first U.S. representative who is not either Jewish or Christian. A step towards religious pluralism in Congress?

Also deserving of notice is the fact that ballot initiatives to raise the minimum wage passed in five different states, by an average margin of 31 points. The fact that the federal minimum wage has not been raised in nine years is one of our country's biggest political shames. It's safe to assume the Speaker-to-Be Pelosi will try to change that come January.

Amy Sullivan: Noted Without Comment

The headline: "Dobson Withdraws from Haggard's Counseling Team." The quote: "Emotionally and spiritually, I wanted to be of help," Dobson said in a statement, "but the reality is that I don't have the time…"

Duane Shank: Daily News Digest

the latest news on Rumsfeld's resignation, election coverage and analysis, immigration, the Religious Right, and select editorials

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