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Friday, March 30, 2007
 This piece by Adam Isacson of the Center for International Policy is particularly revealing of the high-level links between members of the Colombian government (including military) and right-wing paramilitary groups that are included on the U.S. list of World Terrorist Organizations. CIA evidence incriminates a celebrated military commander trained at the U.S. military training center formerly called the School of the Americas. Gen. Mario Montoya's case is part of a much broader scandal unraveling at an almost dizzying pace. Of course, here in Colombia, Gen. Montoya is denying all charges, scoffing at CIA evidence, and lambasting the LA Times for being irresponsible. The Colombian government is publicly supporting the General. Might this test the cozy international relationship between these the U.S. and Colombia, two countries that so need each other, politically, at this time? Read excerpts from Isacson's piece below: The front page of today's Los Angeles Times has a huge piece of news: "The CIA has obtained new intelligence alleging that the head of Colombia's U.S.-backed army collaborated extensively with right-wing militias that Washington considers terrorist organizations, including a militia headed by one of the country's leading drug traffickers."
According to the story, a U.S. intelligence document accuses Gen. Mario Montoya of collaborating closely with paramilitaries in one of the signature military operations of President Uribe's first term.
...
Gen. Montoya's men were working hand-in-glove with the paramilitary group headed by "Don Berna" - Diego Fernando Murillo, a feared paramilitary chief whom the U.S. government wishes to extradite to face drug-trafficking charges.
This means big trouble for U.S. military aid to Colombia. Gen. Montoya has been a favorite of the United States. He was trained, and even served as an instructor, at the U.S. Army School of the Americas. He headed "Joint Task Force South," the unit that coordinated U.S.-funded military operations in southern Colombia when Plan Colombia began.
We're not talking about a rogue "bad apple" from a hard-line military faction. These allegations of paramilitary collaboration are leveled at the head of Colombia's entire army. The LA Times piece goes on to allege that Montoya's immediate superior, the head of the entire armed forces, is not beyond suspicion either.
...
These revelations are emerging at a crucial moment, as the new Democratic-controlled Congress begins to consider U.S. aid to Colombia for next year. Many of those involved in drafting the aid legislation are critics of the mostly military nature of past U.S. assistance to Colombia. Most have gone on record several times expressing concerns about human rights, and about allegations of military-paramilitary collaboration.
The U.S. and Colombian authorities have repeatedly assured these congressional critics that charges of military-paramilitary ties are (1) false or exaggerated; (2) something that happens at low levels but is not tolerated at the top; or (3) a problem that is rapidly disappearing as the armed forces improve. These arguments have come from ambassadors, generals, State Department officials, and
President Uribe himself; as a result, members of Congress - even skeptics - have generally had to give them the benefit of the doubt.
The "benefit of the doubt" disappears when the LA Times' front page can report that the military's top leadership truly collaborated with paramilitaries on a recent, high-profile military offensive like Operation Orion. Key members of Congress will be left feeling that their longtime suspicions have been confirmed, and are likely to act accordingly.
The U.S. policy that began with Plan Colombia is in bigger trouble today than it has ever been.
Janna Bowman is the Documentation and Advocacy program coordinator for Justapaz, the Christian Center for Justice, Peace and Nonviolent Action of the Colombian Mennonite Church. Join Christians from across North America and Colombia in Days of Prayer and Action for Peace in Colombia, May 20-21. Learn more and find resources to participate at peaceincolombia.org.
The latest news on the House-budget, Iran-British captives, Iraq-Senate, Iraq-Saudis, Arab-Israeli peace offer, US attorney firings, immigration, Massachusetts-Sudan disinvestment, poverty-New York City, social networking, abortion, and select op-eds. Sign up to receive our daily news summary via e-mail »Full news summary:
Iraq-Senate. Senate Sets Stage For Iraq Face-Off - "Faced with his second rebuke in a week from congressional Democrats on Iraq policy, President Bush summoned Republican allies to his side in an effort to shift momentum in the escalating battle over the course of the war." Defying Bush, Senate Passes Iraq Spending Measure - "Issuing a stinging challenge to President Bush, the Senate approved a spending measure that provided more than $97.5 billion for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan but ordered troop withdrawals from Iraq to begin within 120 days and set a goal of removing most armed forces within a year." Senate: Home in 1 year - "The Senate approved a war funding measure calling for U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraq next year, and Democratic leaders warned President Bush that he risks "undermining" the troops on the battlefield if he vetoes the bill," Iraq: It may be a rough road to a Senate-House compromise - "Fresh from passing the first timelines to bring home U.S. troops from Iraq, congressional Democrats now face the daunting task of reconciling critical differences between a Senate withdrawal plan and one approved by the House."
Iraq-Saudis. Saudis Publicly Get Tough With U.S. - "Saudi Arabia has begun to play an uncharacteristically assertive diplomatic role in the region in an effort to calm potential flashpoints in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories." U.S. Feels Sting of Winning Saudi Help With Other Arabs - "American officials said that they were caught off guard by remarks by the Saudi king condemning the American intervention in Iraq as "an illegal foreign occupation" and were seeking clarification."
Iran-British captives. Navy crewman's 'apology' shown - "Iran broadcast footage of a second "confession" from one of its British military captives as Iran's president said the UK should apologise for "violating" Iranian waters." Iran raises stakes in hostage crisis - "The Iranian hostage crisis took a sinister turn when Tehran withdrew an earlier offer to release one of the 15 captive sailors and marines and issued a second, strangely-worded letter in her name calling for Britain to withdraw from Iraq." Britain and Iran raise the stakes - "Britain and Iran have raised the diplomatic and propaganda temperature in the battle over the 15 captured British sailors and marines." Security Council Voices Concern Over Iran Captives - "Britain escalated international pressure in its week-old confrontation with Iran over the seizure of 15 naval personnel, winning from the U.N. Security Council a statement of "grave concern" over the capture." Tehran Levels New Charges About Seized Britons - "Iran leveled new accusations against Britain in the crisis over 15 captured British sailors and marines, and withdrew a promise to free the only woman in the group, insisting that Britain admit fault before any captives were released."
Arab-Israeli peace offer. Heads of Arab States Prod Israel to Embrace Peace Offer - "The leaders of 21 Arab governments called on Israel to embrace a peace initiative that would have it withdraw from the land it occupied in the 1967 war in exchange for full diplomatic relations with them," Arab proposal is 'revolutionary' - "Israel's prime minister, Ehud Olmert, welcomed a land-for-peace deal offered by Arab states as a "revolutionary change", but warned that his country remained deeply sceptical about aspects of the plan." Arab League leaders urge Israel to accept peace plan - "Arab leaders urged Israel to accept a 5-year-old peace plan that they say could end the decades-old Middle East conflict, calling for negotiations with the Jewish state as the annual Arab League summit drew to a close."
US attorney firings. Ex-Aide Contradicts Gonzales on Firings - "Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales was more deeply involved in the firings of eight U.S. attorneys than he has sometimes acknowledged, and Gonzales and his aides have made a series of inaccurate claims about the issue in recent weeks," Ex-Aide Rejects Gonzales Stand Over Dismissals - "The former chief of staff to Alberto R. Gonzales testified that he had consulted regularly with the attorney general about dismissing United States attorneys, disputing Mr. Gonzales's public account of his role as very limited." Former aide contradicts Gonzales - "Despite his earlier denials, Atty. Gen. Alberto R. Gonzales was deeply involved in discussions that led to the firing of eight U.S. attorneys,"
House-budget. Democrats' Budget Plan Narrowly Passes in House<
/A> - "Democrats marshaled a $2.9 trillion budget blueprint through the House, uniting a diverse coalition behind a spending plan that would increase funds for education, health care and veterans' services while aiming to erase the federal deficit within five years." House Budget Is Clear on Spending, Vague on Revenue - "House Democrats passed a five-year spending plan that offers something to almost everybody but leaves many questions unanswered - much like the plan passed by the Senate."
Immigration. GOP immigration plan favors workers over relatives - "A White House proposal for overhauling immigration laws would abandon the long-standing practice of admitting immigrants seeking to reunite with their families, instead giving preference to applicants based on the nation's employment needs."
Massachusetts-Sudan disinvestment. Patrick to push Sudan sanction - "The Patrick administration forcefully urged lawmakers to withdraw more than $100 million in state pension fund investments from foreign companies doing business in genocide-ravaged Sudan, setting the stage for the state's first major attempt to exert financial pressure on a foreign government since it pulled funds from apartheid-era South Africa more than two decades ago."
Poverty-New York City. New York City to Reward Poor for Doing Right Thing- "Seeking new solutions to New York's vexingly high poverty rates, the city is moving ahead with an ambitious experiment that will pay poor families up to $5,000 a year to meet goals like attending parent-teacher conferences, going for a medical checkup or holding down a full-time job," A cash opportunity for some of NYC's poorest families - "Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg unveiled a novel $50-million program to pay New York families cash for taking steps to lift themselves out of poverty by keeping their children in school, staying healthy and earning more."
Social networking. Grass Roots Planted In Cyberspace - "If there's a social networking site that John Edwards is not a part of, we'd like to know what it is, pronto. No one's sure exactly what role these sites -- a.k.a. socnets -- will play in the upcoming election. But whatever it is, Edwards isn't taking any chances. The man's flooding the zone"
Abortion. To foes, pregnancy sites blur the abortion picture - "a burgeoning movement of pregnancy centers set up by abortion opponents to dissuade women from terminating pregnancies. The centers usually provide free pregnancy tests, counseling, referrals to social-service agencies and material aid such as diapers and baby clothes. Although a few existed in the U
.S. as far back as the 1970s, there are now more pregnancy centers than abortion providers,"
Op-Eds.
15 Britons In a Sea Of Intrigue (David Ignatius, Washington Post)- "We are in a season of skulduggery in the Middle East, with a strange series of events that all involve the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. The murky saga is a reminder that the real power in Iran may lie with this secretive organization, which spawned Iran's firebrand president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad."
Not an Election for Playing It Safe (E. J. Dionne Jr., Washington Post) - "Sometimes, taking risks is less risky than avoiding them. The front-runners for the 2008 presidential nominations are being too careful for their own good."
Civil-union bill an apt compromise (Geoffrey R. Stone, professor of law at the University of Chicago, Chicago Tribune) - "The issue of gay marriage deeply and emotionally divides the American people. But it is an issue on which compromise is possible. Last week, the Human Services Committee of the Illinois House of Representatives voted to legalize civil unions. Illinois should enact this legislation now."
Ah, you that turn justice to wormwood, and bring righteousness to the ground! ... They hate the one who reproves in the gate, and they abhor the one who speaks the truth. Therefore because you trample on the poor and take from them levies of grain, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not live in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine. For I know how many are your transgressions, and how great are your sins—you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and push aside the needy in the gate. - Amos 5:7-12 + Sign up to receive our social justice verse of the day via e-mail
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Last week Congress started to inject just a bit of sanity and morality into the discussion about proposed trade agreements with Colombia, Peru, Panama, and South Korea. A congressional proposal, whose full text has not been publicly released, would seek to incorporate labor standards, and some recognition of environmental concerns and poor countries’ right to generic lifesaving medicines, into trade agreements. It’s a great start – but the House Ways and Means Committee Chairman, Charles Rangel, is signaling that he thinks Congress can work out a deal with the White House on those trade agreements soon, possibly as early as this week. That accelerated timetable is a spectacularly bad idea: There’s no way that the agreement texts, which are deeply flawed, can be fixed in so short a time. Here are a few reasons why: 1) In trade agreements, the devil is in the details. Who knew, when NAFTA was being considered, that a single phrase among the text’s hundreds of pages would give corporations the right to sue governments when health and environmental laws affected profits? (Hey, overworked congressional staffer – what part of “tantamount to expropriation” did you not understand?) It’s great to talk about labor, the environment, and essential medicines in a press release, but you can’t put all that in enforceable trade-agreement writing in a few weeks. 2) The congressional press release doesn’t mention many important problems with the current trade agreement model, including conventional trade agreements’ devastating effect on other countries’ small farmers (many of whom will be pushed to undocumented migration or coca farming in order to feed their families). 3) Current trade agreements are the result of a deeply flawed process, in which corporations get privileged input into negotiations, while advocates for the poor are shut out. No last-minute deal between Congress and the president can represent all the voices that need to be at the table. So keep all of those affected by trade agreements in your prayers and thoughts – and watch for Sojourners’ special issue on trade justice, released next month! (Note: Unlike normal bills, trade agreements are rejected or approved by Congress after they are negotiated by the executive branch; the fact that the president has signed the trade agreements with Colombia and Peru simply means he has sent them to Congress, not that they are a done deal). Elizabeth Palmberg is an Assistant Editor for Sojourners.
I was recently engaged in conversation with a friend who recounted an interesting dialog. He was being asked a number of questions about Islam. Since it was unclear where the questioner was heading, my friend asked. The response went something like this: “Well, I want to know if you take radical Islam seriously, which means you would have to favor U.S. military action in Iran.” My friend found this a shocking conclusion to draw. I must say that I find myself with my friend. Let’s explore why this is so. First, one has to wonder how one reads the overarching biblical narrative in such a way as to support this way of thinking. The tradition has consistently held that Jesus both provides the unsurpassable revelation of God and the concrete manifestation of the life that pleases God. How does one read the Incarnation so as to allow us to think of others (even enemies!) in this way? Or, how does one respond to the call to imitate the life of Christ and conclude that “taking radical Islam seriously” requires “military action in Iran”? Some try to separate “public” and “private” life in such a way as to negate the significance of the incarnation for “public life.” It is hard to see, though, why one would think that we can so easily avoid the call to imitate Jesus. Second, from a purely pragmatic stand point, the war in Iraq has hardly demonstrated that military action is the path one should follow in this struggle. If anything, the vast majority of studies have shown that the ability for the likes of Osama bin Laden to recruit supporters has grown as a consequence of the war. One definition of insanity is to continue to try the same techniques while expecting different results. Notwithstanding the natural human tendency to respond to perceived threats with violence, there is no reason to think there is a military solution in this case. Third, the example of Christ coupled with the quagmire in Iraq should be compelling evidence of the imperative of peacemaking and the futility of war to make peace. However, for Christians unable to embrace pacifism, any proposal for military action must, at the very least, be based in the just war theory. Would the just war criteria be met? Well, going back to the questioner’s claim, it is hard to see how the perceived threat of radical Islam could constitute a just cause for war against Iran. This movement is hardly a problem that is resolvable by attacking Iran. Even if this were otherwise, given the resistance to talks with Iran, it is very hard to see how the criteria that war only be undertaken as a last resort has been satisfied. Finally, as suggested above, the consequences of the war in Iraq make it clear that it would be very hard to make an argument for reasonable likelihood of success. If anything, experts have pointed out that war with Iran would be an significant increase in difficulty over that faced in Iraq. Finally, we Christians have to ask ourselves the extent to which willingness to embrace a military response to “radical Islam” is little more than a failure of confidence in the gospel. We seem far more willing to put confidence in our own cleverness and in our economic and military might than in the power of the Spirit. Is it remarkable how little we trust in the power of the gospel to transform the hearts and lives of those who are “other” to us. The point here is not that all will be converted to Christianity, but rather that the ability of truly evil men to recruit others can be substantially reduced. In fact, to put more trust in the power of the gospel than in our own cleverness would be to recognize that nothing has more potential for success than interacting with “others” in ways that imitates the life of Jesus. This is the longer term promise of the gospel, a thing we Christians have lost sight of and have become increasingly unwilling to even try.  Chuck Gutenson is a professor at Asbury Theological Seminary and blogs at http://www.imitatiochristi.blogs.com/
The latest news on Iran, immigration, Arab League Summit, Iraq- Congress vs President, budget, inequality rising, presidential politics, Tuskegee airmen, women in prison, religion and select editorials. Sign up to receive our daily news summary via e-mail »Full news summary:
Iran. Seized sailor's release in doubt - "Iran may delay its plan to release the only woman among 15 captured Royal Navy crew because of the UK's "incorrect attitude", an official has said." Iran could delay sailor's release - "Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran's supreme national security council, said Tehran could even begin formal legal proceedings against the UK personnel," Iran TV shows captured Britons - "Iran dramatically raised the stakes in its tense diplomatic stand-off with Britain last night, broadcasting a propaganda video of the British sailors and marines seized last week, including a "confession" that they had entered Iranian waters." Pressure on Iran may be increased - "Mr Blair's announcement that the British response was entering a "different phase" and Mrs Beckett's announcement of the diplomatic sanctions yesterday reflects a decision that the softly-softly approach has not worked, and rising concern that time is not on Britain's side." Iran Shows Video of Britons as Dispute Heats Up - "The dispute with Iran over Britain's captured sailors escalated sharply on Wednesday when Britain froze all "bilateral business" with Iran, and the Iranians displayed some British prisoners on state television."
Iraq-Congress v. President. Bush Derides Iraq War Measure - "In his most combative comments yet, President Bush mocked Democratic lawmakers for including a deadline for troop withdrawals and "pork" projects in an Iraq spending bill, declaring that "the American people will know who to hold responsible" if funding for the war stalls." Bush, Dems vie to frame war debate - "Confronted with votes in both houses of Congress calling for timelines for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, President Bush faces a certain showdown with the Democratic-controlled Congress that threatens to stall funding for the war." On Iraq, a showdown is all but inevitable - "With the Senate poised today to vote to restrict President Bush's ability to conduct the war in Iraq, the White House and Congress are careening toward their biggest policy confrontation in more than a decade." Hig
h-stakes face-off over ending Iraq war - "With both chambers of Congress now on record as backing a pullout date in Iraq, President Bush's fight to buy more time for American combat forces to achieve US aims there falls to him alone." Democrats Are Building on Unity Over Iraq PulloutNo one has seemed more surprised by the Democrats' success in pushing an exit strategy for Iraq than the Democrats. Their aggressiveness and unity on a major foreign-policy challenge to the president is a striking change for a party that has, on many occasions over many years, seemed to be on the defensive on national security issues.
Arab League Summit. U.S. Iraq Role Is Called Illegal by Saudi King- "The king's speech, at the opening of the Arab League meeting, underscored growing differences between Saudi Arabia and the Bush administration as the Saudis take on a greater leadership role in the Middle East," Arabs unite at summit to renew peace offer to Israel - "Arab leaders closed ranks to appeal to Israel to overcome its long-standing reservations and accept a landmark offer that could lead to a breakthrough in the Middle East peace process." Arab leaders unanimously approve Saudi peace initiative at Riyadh summit - "The plan offers Israel recognition and permanent peace with all Arab countries in return for an Israeli withdrawal from lands captured in the 1967 Six-Day War. It also calls for setting up a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital and a just solution to the issue of Palestinian refugees."
Budget. Democrats Predict Sizable Budget Surplus - "House Democrats pressed ahead with a budget plan predicting a sizable surplus in five years, but only if President Bush's tax cuts expire in 2010 as scheduled. The majority Democrats' $2.9 trillion budget outline for next year would produce a $153 billion surplus in 2012 while raising spending for veterans, education, defense and national security."
Immigration. Naturalization Up Among Immigrants - "The number of naturalized citizens in the United States grew to nearly 13 million between 1995 and 2005, a historic increase that reflects the nation's changing ethnic makeup and could increase the power of immigrants to affect public policy at the ballot box, according to a study released yesterday by the Pew Hispanic Center." The full report is at "Growing Share of Immigrants Choosing Naturalization" White House works behind the scenes for immigration reform - "The administration has been meeting with key Republican senators to devise a consensus plan aimed at garnering wide GOP support. With President Bush looking to counter a legacy increasing
ly marred by the war in Iraq, the White House has launched a bold, behind-the-scenes drive to advance a key domestic goal: immigration reform."
Inequality rising. Income Gap Is Widening, Data Shows- "Income inequality grew significantly in 2005, with the top 1 percent of Americans - those with incomes that year of more than $348,000 - receiving their largest share of national income since 1928, analysis of newly released tax data shows."
Presidential politics. Voices in fine tune at the 'cattle calls' - "Figuring it out is partly what the presidential "cattle call" process is for at this stage of the campaign cycle. While the crowds at the candidates' campaign events are generally enthusiastic no matter what, the forums held by these and other special-interest groups are more accurate focus groups." Antiwar theme plays well to labor group - "Democratic presidential candidates pledged their support for labor rights before a builders union, but the war in Iraq cast a shadow over the session, with union members shouting down a Republican lawmaker who backed the war and cheering Democrats who promised to get the United States out of Iraq."A 'Law & Order' Presidential Candidate? - "Law & Order" star and former U.S. senator Fred Dalton Thompson is considering a bid for the White House that would test whether Hollywood can once again launch a Republican to the world's premier political stage."
Tuskegee airmen. A Top Honor For Soaring Achievements - Tuskegee Airmen to Receive Congressional Gold Medal - "members of the famed black World War II aviation cadre now called the Tuskegee Airmen will be honored in the Capitol Rotunda for their history-making feats. … From 1942 through 1946, 994 black fighter and bomber pilots were trained at the segregated Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama,"
Women in prison. Women in Prison - "Some 200,000 children in California have a parent in prison, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and more than half of the women in state prisons never see their children during their incarceration. The Chowchilla Family Express -- a free bus leaving six times a month from various California cities -- hopes to change that by helping families of imprisoned women stay connected, boosting both the emotional welfare of children and the chances of success for female prisoners who are released back into their communities." See video at "Free Bus Service Will Help Kids Visit Mothers in Prison"
Religion. When can clerks refuse to serve, citing religion? - "Can a cashier or clerk wish a customer "Merry Christmas"? Must a ph
armacist dispense birth control devices if his faith forbids it? Can a Muslim clerk refuse to touch a whisky or beer bottle, or a pork chop?"
Editorials
Iran vs. the world (Chicago Tribune) - "Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was scheduled for some lectern-pounding at the UN last weekend. But he canceled at the last minute, blaming the United States for a visa snafu. Too bad. After last year's bravura tour of New York, we were hoping for a new set of flimsy denials about Iran's nuclear ambitions, further evasions on its funding for terrorism and fresh explanations of its deplorable threats against Israel."
Legislating Leadership on Iraq(New York Times) - "Victory is no longer an option in Iraq, if it ever was. The only rational objective left is to responsibly organize America's inevitable exit. That is exactly what Mr. Bush is not doing and what the House and Senate bills try to do."
Great indeed is the baptism which is offered you. It is a ransom to captives; the remission of offences; the death of sin; the regeneration of the soul; the garment of light; the holy seal indissoluble; the chariot to heaven; the luxury of paradise; a procuring of the kingdom; the gift of adoption.
- Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem (c. 315-386) from "Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril"
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"You have heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy." But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.
- Matthew 5:43-45 + Sign up to receive our social justice verse of the day via e-mail
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
 The delegation of religious leaders - including Sojourners/Call to Renewal's Jeff Carr - that recently traveled to Iran was the subject of last week's NOW. From the PBS summary: Producer Jamila Paksima revisits her birth country of Iran with American spiritual leaders hoping to promote dialogue on such explosive issues as nuclear proliferation, the Iraq war, and the holocaust. ... The 13-member team met with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, top officials in the government, and several of the ayatollahs who have a powerful influence on government policy. Can this delegation of mostly Christian leaders defuse the standoff and reopen the lines of communication between America and Iran? + Download audio (mp3)+ Watch the video (Jeff Carr appears at 7:44, 12:26, 14:48, and 17:15)
I still have another month on self-imposed blogging hiatus so that I can finish my book. But I couldn't let this pass without comment. Rod Dreher quotes Stuart Rothenberg, who shoots down the idea that Democrats can pick up votes from evangelicals by claiming that "the numbers suggest that Democratic opportunities among evangelicals are very limited." In fact, the numbers suggest no such thing. The only numbers Rothenberg cites are the meager gains Democrats made nationally among evangelicals in November 2006. But no one - and certainly not the Democratic religion consultants he criticizes in the piece - has claimed that Democrats made great strides among evangelicals nationally last year. Indeed, it would be surprising if they had, given that the party made virtually no special effort to court evangelical voters. What Democrats like Mara Vanderslice and Eric Sapp (and, to be fair, me) have said is that in the states where Democrats spent a year or two establishing relationships with evangelical leaders and voters, candidates did make significant gains. In Michigan and Ohio, for instance, the Democratic gubernatorial candidates nearly split the evangelical vote. And, contrary to Rothenberg's assertion that evangelicals won't vote Democratic because they vote based on issues (which he defines narrowly as gay marriage and abortion), those winning Democratic candidates were pro-choice and pro-gay rights. Nowhere in the rest of the piece does Rothenberg cite actual numbers to make his point. He counters evidence Sapp and Vanderslice gathered based on meetings with hundreds of evangelical leaders by simply asserting: "If you know anything about evangelicals, you know this is simply wrong." Well, Vanderslice and Sapp may not be pollsters, but they are evangelicals, so they know a thing or two about the community. And they know that while a majority of evangelicals may decide to stick with the GOP in the hopes of changing the party from the inside, it's more than possible for Democrats to pick up enough evangelical voters to put them over the top. Republicans did the same thing courting socially conservative African-American voters in 2004. It works where Democrats have tried it. So why on earth would you hold up cases in which Democrats haven't tried it as proof that it can't work?  Amy Sullivan is a Red Letter Christian and a contributing editor for The Washington Monthly.
The latest news on Iraq-Senate, Iran-UK Soldiers, Homeless in New Orleans, Iraq- war, Iran-U.S. are games, Congo, Senator Webb's gun incident, equal rights, prayers for Tony Snow, and select op-eds. Sign up to receive our daily news summary via e-mail »Full news summary: Iraq-Senate. Senate Backs Pullout Proposal - "Senate Democrats scored a surprise victory yesterday in their bid to force President Bush to end the Iraq war, turning back a Republican amendment that would have struck a troop withdrawal plan from emergency military funding legislation." Senate Backs a Pullout Date in Iraq War Bill- "The Senate went on record for the first time on Tuesday in favor of a withdrawal date from Iraq, with Democrats marshaling the votes they needed to deliver a forceful rebuke to President Bush's war policy." Senate Democrats defy veto threat, keep Iraq timeline - "Despite repeated threats from President Bush to veto any bill setting a timeline for a U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq, the Democratic-controlled Senate for the first time signaled support for legislation calling for most troops to come home within year."
Iraq-war. McCaffrey Paints Gloomy Picture of Iraq - "An influential retired Army general released a dire assessment of the situation in Iraq, based on a recent round of meetings there with Gen. David H. Petraeus and 16 other senior U.S. commanders. "The population is in despair," retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey wrote in an eight-page document compiled in his capacity as a professor at West Point. "Life in many of the urban areas is now desperate."
Iran-UK sailors. UK reveals Iran dispute evidence - "Satellite data proves 15 navy personnel being held in Iran were 1.7 nautical miles inside Iraqi waters when they were seized, UK defence officials say." Latest talks fail in Iran-Britain standoff - "A diplomatic standoff between Britain and Iran over the capture last week of 15 British sailors and marines threatened to escalate as an intense new round of diplomacy failed to end the crisis." Blair Pushes Iran for Release of Captives - "Tensions escalated between Iran and the West over 15 Britons held by the Iranians, with Prime Minister Tony Blair warning that Britain's's campaign to free them would move into a "different phase" if they were not released."
Iran-U.S. war games. U.S. Opens Naval Exercise in Persian Gulf - "In a calculated show of force, the United States Navy began a major exercise in the Persian Gulf, a move that Bush administration
officials said was part of a broader strategy to contain Iranian power in the region." War games begin in Persian Gulf = "American warplanes screamed off two aircraft carriers as the U.S. Navy staged its largest show of force in the Persian Gulf since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, launching a mammoth exercise meant as a message to the Iranians."
Congo. After Congo Vote, Neglect and Scandal Still Reign- "Congo's fledging government is now trying to stitch the nation back together, as if it ever existed meaningfully at all. But a recent 1,200-mile trip across the country - by plane, truck, motorbike, hiking boots and dugout canoe - shows the Congo-size obstacles that are not going away."
Sen. Webb gun incident. Webb Is Vague About Gun Incident - "U.S. Sen. James Webb expressed support yesterday for a top aide caught with a handgun in a Senate office building but shed little light on his role in what he described as an "unfortunate" situation."
Equal rights. New Drive Afoot to Pass Equal Rights Amendment - "Federal and state lawmakers have launched a new drive to pass the Equal Rights Amendment, reviving a feminist goal that faltered a quarter-century ago when the measure did not gain the approval of three-quarters of the state legislatures."
For your prayers. White House Spokesman's Colon Cancer Has Returned - "White House press secretary Tony Snow has often said he "felt that cancer was stalking me." Yesterday it caught up with him again. Snow, 51, who beat colon cancer two years ago, disclosed that it has returned and spread to his liver, delivering a brutal blow to his family and friends and to a White House already reeling under a relentless barrage of bad news."
Homeless in New Orleans. Surge in homeless hits New Orleans - "Already taxed to the breaking point on many fronts, the city has a homeless population that is now approximately double what existed before the storm - in a city half its previous size. Facing a severe shortage of affordable housing, displaced residents returning to the city along with an influx of construction trade workers are being forced to sleep in everything from cars to flooded-out houses to long-abandoned motels, as Katrina relief workers from across the country still struggle to fill gaping holes in the city's social services."
Op-Eds.
Bush and Democrats: Enemies who need each other (Ronald Brownstein, Los Angeles Times) - "Because neither side can set a sustainable course on its own, their choice is either to continue colliding in polarized confrontations like Tuesday's Senate vote narrowly approving a time limit for withdrawal, or to seek agreement on a strategy for Iraq that a broader coalition in Congress and the country might support."
An Antiwar Tide on The Rise (E.J. Dionne, Jr., Washington Post) - "Within three weeks, the United States could face a constitutional crisis over President Bush's war policy in Iraq. The president and his allies seem to want this fight. Yet insisting upon a confrontation will be another mistake in a long line of bad judgments about a conflict that grows more unpopular by the day."
To be a follower of Jesus means in the first place to enter by compassion into his experience, with all that it expresses of the divine and of the human. And it means in the second place to enter with him into the suffering and the hope of all human persons, making common cause with them as he does, and seeking out as he does the places of his predilection among the poor and despised and oppressed. - Monika K. Hellwig from Jesus: The Compassion of God (The Liturgical Press, 1983)+ Sign up to receive our quote of the day via e-mail
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
 Last week, Sojourners/Call to Renewal joined many other advocates in asking the Senate to take a step toward a moral budget. In a letter that went to every senator, I requested that each “make sure to prioritize poor and working families, children, and the elderly as you determine where our nation commits its energies and resources.” I continued, “ what is needed now is bold leadership and an agenda that sets clear priorities and seeks to empower families. We need to protect critical programs and increase aid, but also recommit ourselves to the notion of the common good.” But what does that recommitment look like in a budget? In line with the Covenant for a New America, I asked the senators for a $50 billion commitment for reauthorization of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), $15 billion in new spending for the Farm Bill (to be used to strengthen the food stamp program and ensure that all eligible families receive increased support), and greater support for the Millennium Development Goals through $5 billion in effective U.S. foreign assistance for poverty-reducing programs. Last Friday, because of the chorus of advocates speaking with a common voice, the Senate made some progress with the passage of its budget blueprint ( S Con Res 21), adopted by a 52-47 vote. How did it fare according to the Covenant vision? - Regarding SCHIP, the Senate resolution signaled a commitment to find the $50 billion required to expand the program and cover more kids.
- The Senate’s budget resolution also allocates $15 billion to “strengthen our agriculture and rural economies and critical nutrition programs” under the Farm Bill. Much more work is needed to make sure that those funds are actually directed to those who need them most, but this is a step forward.
- Another clear success concerned U.S. foreign assistance for poverty-reducing programs. The faith community played a pivotal role in pushing for an amendment that reversed a proposed $2.2 billion cut to the international affairs budget. In the end, a strong bipartisan group of senators publicly confirmed their support for the amendment, providing the leadership needed to result in passage by unanimous consent. The overall increase to the international affairs budget is $3.7 billion, the greatest one-year increase for global poverty-focused assistance in recent history. This money will go toward critical programs for clean water, life-saving medication, education, economic growth, as well as diplomatic programs in the world's poorest countries.
This week we have another chance to influence the process when the House votes on its budget blueprint. The Senate has taken certain steps toward the faith community’s vision with their budget resolution, but we are asking that the House cast an even bolder agenda with their 2008 budget resolution. We’ll give you a chance to ask them to support a bolder agenda soon. Our nation needs the affirmation that budgets are moral documents, and we need our leaders to commit to that vision in order to recover some of our nation’s greatness; greatness that comes from empowering families, protecting the common good, and acting upon the needs of “the least of these” among us.
Who doesn't like a good underdog story? ... David versus Goliath always makes good copy, especially when the adversaries are as polarized as the oft-demonized retail giant and a Jesuit priest. ... But what happens when Goliath wins?" So says Robert Rowen-Herzog in his article " When Goliath wins," which appears in the upcoming issue of Geez magazine. The priest he is talking about is Father Jim Profit, and the bad rap retailer is Wal-Mart. I first heard of Father Jim in 2004. I was in a state of distress at the time. Wal-Mart was laying asphalt on a patch of land where I had once picked strawberries. The big bad box retailer was coming to my hometown, and although the town is brimming with Mennonites renowned for fending off encroaching worldliness, I could hardly find a Christian who had a any qualms with the king of commercialization. So I called Father Jim. For most of a decade he had been trying to stop Wal-Mart from setting up shop right beside the Jesuits' retreat center and 600-acre sanctuary on the outskirts of Guelph, Ontario. Father Jim spoke about the importance of sacredness and serenity in today's world. “Mega shopping plazas," he told me, "as monuments of consumerism, are the symbolic opposite of these spiritual values.” That's why he had joined the fight against Wal-Mart. (See Wal-Mart comes to Manitoba's Bible Belt.) Now, three years later, a Wal-Mart sits right next to the Jesuit property. But that's not the end of the story. So we at Geez magazine asked Robert Rowen-Herzog to interview Father Jim about failure, new life, and what it is like living contemplatively beside a Wal-Mart. We are a culture defined by development and consumerism, and mega-shopping plazas like Wal-Mart exist as a monument to these forces. Consumerism masks the need we all have to turn inward to encounter God immanent at our core.
Losing this fight with Wal-Mart ... was a death. But in the death we have new opportunities for life. See the full article: " When Goliath wins." Will Braun is editor of Geez magazine.
the latest reports on Israel-Palestine, Darfur, Iraq, attorney firings, Iran, Guantanamo trial, slavery, Colombia, gays and lesbians and the church, and Big Brother Sign up to receive our daily news summary via e-mail »Full news summary:
Israel-Palestine. Israel agrees to talk terms of Palestinian state - "United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas have agreed to meet biweekly, holding talks that could include discussions about the formation of a Palestinian state." Mideast Talks to Begin With Confidence-Building Measures - "The biweekly meetings between Israeli and Palestinian leaders announced by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Tuesday are intended to be the first step in rebuilding an active peace process..." Mideast Leaders Agree to Meet Biweekly - "The twice-monthly talks which Mr. Olmert agreed to will focus on day-to-day concerns like movement and access for Palestinians into and out of Gaza and the occupied West Bank, and security issues like arms-smuggling into Israel and rocket fire from Gaza. Ms. Rice said that the United States would work with the Israelis and Palestinians to establish benchmarks to measure progress."
Darfur. Blair threatens force over Darfur - "Tony Blair is pushing the United Nations to declare a no-fly zone over Darfur, enforced if necessary by the bombing of Sudanese military airfields used for raids on the province.... The controversial initiative comes as a classified new report by a UN panel of experts alleges Sudan has violated UN resolutions by moving arms into Darfur, conducting overflights and disguising its military planes as UN humanitarian aircraft." Aid to Darfur Is Imperiled, Officials Say - "Violence and bureaucracy are threatening to derail what has been perhaps the only success of the Darfur conflict: the humanitarian effort. ... In the past year, a dozen aid workers have been killed, dozens of vehicles stolen, compounds robbed and workers beaten, harassed and sexually assaulted."
Iran. U.S. hawks see strikes on Iran as less likely now - "Despite tough rhetoric from both sides and increased tension over Iran's move to detain 15 British sailors last week, a variety of influential thinkers who championed the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq are now saying that containment, not confrontation, is the best approach to Iran." UK in 'discreet talks' with Iran - "The government is attempting to 'discreetly' talk to the Iranians to secure the release of 15 Royal Navy personnel, Downing Street has said. Tony Blair's spokesman said that if the talks were unsuccessful, the government may have to become 'more explicit.'"
Iraq. Widening schism in Iraq between Sunni insurgents, Al Qaeda - "As some Iraqi Sunni insurgent groups report growing disaffection – and in some cases direct fighting – with Al Qaeda in Iraq, US and Iraqi officials are reaching out to former members of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party in an effort to turn them away from militantism and toward reconciliation." Iraqis Announce New Steps Aimed at Reconci
ling Sunnis and Shiites - "Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki and President Jalal Talabani announced Monday that they plan to introduce a proposal that would allow thousands more former members of Saddam Hussein’s Baath Party to serve in the government. The plan, if it were to gain approval, would be an important step toward reconciling Iraq’s warring Shiites, who lead the government now, and Sunnis, who dominated the Hussein government."
Attorney firings. Aide to Gonzales Won’t Testify About Dismissals - "An aide to Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales on Monday invoked her constitutional right to refuse to testify before a Senate panel investigating last year’s removal of eight United States attorneys, her lawyer told the committee." Counselor Cites Fifth Amendment Right in Refusal - "Monica M. Goodling, who has taken an indefinite leave of absence, said in a sworn affidavit to the Senate Judiciary Committee that she will 'decline to answer any and all questions' about the firings because she faces 'a perilous environment in which to testify.'"
Guantanamo trial. Australian's Guilty Plea Is First at Guantanamo - "Australian David M. Hicks pleaded guilty to one charge of material support for terrorism during a brief military hearing Monday night, becoming the first Guantanamo prisoner to officially accept criminal responsibility for aiding terrorists since the detention facility opened more than five years ago." Guilty plea from detainee Hicks - "The 31-year-old Muslim convert was accused of attending al-Qaeda training camps and fighting with the Taleban. The plea means that Hicks, who has been at the camp for five years, is likely to return home to serve his sentence."
Slavery. Church considers slavery payments - "The Church of England is considering whether it should pay reparations for its role in the slave trade, the Archbishop of Canterbury has said. ... The Church, which owned slaves on plantations in the Caribbean, apologised for its role last year." Jamaican anger over slave trade - "There is unease here that British commemorations marking the end of the slave trade are too focused on white abolitionists like William Wilberforce and they do not acknowledge the effect on the morale of the British of numerous slave rebellions. Many Jamaicans believe Britain wants to play up its role in helping to end the trade and downplay its role in slavery itself. "
Colombia. Scandal engulfs Colombia's elite - "Accusations of alliances with drug-trafficking death squad leaders who effectively controlled swaths of the country have engulfed Colombia's political, military and business elites. They increasingly threaten to touch the president's office, and while the Bush administration's support for its only ally in the region has been unwavering, the US Congress is increasingly questioning the multimillion dollar military aid packages handed out to the Bogotá government in the so-called 'war on drugs.'"
Gays and Lesbians and the Church. For Some Black Pastors, Accepting Gay Members Means Losing Others - Some black ministers, like their white counterparts, said they had been moved to reconsider biblical passages about same-sex relations by personal events, like finding out that a friend or relative is gay.
Big Brother. Ordinary Customers Flagged as Terrorists - "Private businesses such as rental and mortgage companies and car dealers are checking the names of customers against a list of suspected terrorists and drug traffickers made publicly available by the Treasury Department, sometimes denying services to ordinary people whose names are similar to those on the list. ... 'The way in which the list is being used goes far beyond contexts in which it has a link to national security ... The government is effectively conscripting private businesses into the war on terrorism but doing so without making sure that businesses don't trample on individual rights.'"
Those of steadfast mind you keep in peace—in peace because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for in the Lord God you have an everlasting rock. For he has brought low the inhabitants of the height; the lofty city he lays low. He lays it low to the ground, casts it to the dust. The foot tramples it, the feet of the poor, the steps of the needy.
- Isaiah 26:3-6 + Sign up to receive our social justice verse of the day via e-mail
Water comes from its own source which is God. And since God desires to do so ... God produces this delight with the greatest peace and quite and sweetness in the very interior part of ourselves. I don't know from where or how, nor is that happiness and delight experienced, as are earthly consolations, in the heart. I mean there is no simliarity at the beginning, for afterward the delight fills everything; this water overflows through all the dwelling places and faculties until reaching the body. ... It begins in God and ends in ourselves. - Saint Teresa of Avila
from "Interior Castle" + Sign up to receive our quote of the day via e-mail
Monday, March 26, 2007
 As expected, I get a lot of Christian press releases around Christmas and Easter. Most of the material gets circular filed under “been there, done that;” “would love to attend, but I have too many other Christian commitments;” or “Christ died and rose for THIS?" But this year, I got a press release titled “Church, Artists and Sex Workers plan an Experiential Easter Service,” that piqued my curiosity. Transmission, an underground Manhattan church, is working with sex workers and artists to celebrate Mary Magdalene's role in the gospel resurrection story, her personal relationship with Jesus, her witness on behalf of the risen Christ, and contemporary sex worker issues. They chose Mary Magdalene because Christ appeared to her before anyone else and entrusted her with the news of his resurrection although the other apostles didn't believe her (Matthew 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-11, Luke 24:1-10; and John 20:1-18). While some Christians call Mary Magdalene a prostitute, or say she was the woman caught in the act of adultery (John 8:3-11), a careful reading will reveal these are later interpretations of the text as the institutionalized church marginalized her and concocted stories of her being a prostitute. Rather than give this story a gnostic update, Transmission appears to be going back to the Bible basics to explore, on Easter Sunday, the significant role this allegedly fallen woman played in helping to spread the gospel. Throughout his ministry, Jesus surrounded himself with those society had rejected as outcasts and undesirables. “In my experience,” says Transmission co-founder Bowie Snodgrass, “listening to sex workers tell their stories can blow the lids off morally-loaded religious debates about sex and economics, revealing deep human truths, lives, complexities, and questions.” What does it mean to have a service that welcomes all but makes an effort to target those whom society has shunned as unclean and undesirable? Jesus welcomed all into his kingdom, teaching us that we are all equal in God’s eyes, and as such we are equally worthy of being loved. According to Transmission’s Web site, “All are welcome regardless of age, gender, profession, or the number of times they've been born.” The venue for this service is Club Avalon, formerly known as the notorious New York nightclub Limelight. Originally, this gothic revival structure was built as Holy Communion Episcopal Church by William Augustus Muhlenberg, who later instituted a radical ministry to help brothel workers and abandoned mistresses start new lives. He earned a place on the Episcopal calendar of feasts and fasts, the Anglican equivalent of being made a saint. Coincidentally, Easter Sunday happens to fall on his Feast Day. Coincidence? You decide. Instead of having a clergyperson lead and direct the entire thing, every member of Transmission will play a part in guiding the worship experience. The service will include performance poetry, modern dance, graffiti art, a live band playing Madonna covers, and much, much more. "Rather than directing ritual activity," says Isaac Everett, "we're creating an interactive environment which will allow people to connect with the Easter story on their own terms and at their own pace. It's important to us that everyone who comes has an access point, regardless of who they are." Collaborators on this venture include members of PONY (Prostitutes Organization of New York), artists from Storahtelling (a Jewish ritual theater company), and local seminarians. I’ve worshipped with Isaac Everett on and off for several years now and I can attest to the power of his music. This is no free-for-all, anything-goes kind of service, but a service that will be grounded by Isaac’s love of liturgy and the Word, as w
ell as his skill as a music worship leader. I just found out that his work will be distributed by Jonny Baker’s Proost label. I’ve worked with Jonny enough to know that it’s well worth checking out his new resources that fuel faith. Even though my Easter Sunday tends to be booked solid, something tells me I should carve out a bit of space and check out this service. For those who are in the New York City area, come join me on Sunday, April 8, starting at 6 p.m. in Club Avalon, 47 West 20th Street (at Sixth Avenue). No cover charge, just come as you are. I have no idea what to expect - but then again, neither did Mary Magdalene when she first went to the tomb.  Becky Garrison is Senior Contributing Editor for The Wittenburg Door. Her works include Swamp Water: A Memoir - an Amazon short excerpt of a spiritual memoir in progress.
As part of the Christian Peace Witness for Iraq, more than 200 local vigils were organized around the U.S. - plus Canada and the U.K. - to coincide with the D.C. service, march, and vigil at the White House. This is an account of one of those local vigils:I, along with four others from our congregation, attended the Christian Peace Witness Vigil in a northwest suburb of Chicago. It was hosted by Don R., who felt he needed to do more than gripe about the war in Iraq. Don and I, strangers before the vigil event, worked together via e-mail to prepare an order of worship for Friday evening. I spent more time than I had planned working on the service and making signs. When the time came to drive to the event, I felt a tremendous sense of trepidation and anxiety. I was worried about the logistics of the vigil, but my real concern was the possibility of police interference or hecklers. I am brave and vocal about peace in the confines of my home or my peace church. Once I leave these places of sanctuary, I'm more like Peter before the cock crows. When I got to the parking lot where I'd leave my car before I took the short walk bearing large peace signs down the sidewalks of a well-to-do suburb, I prayed yet again. In all my nervousness, I closed and locked the door of my car - with my keys tucked away in my backpack, which was resting on the passenger seat. I never do things like this. I thought I was going to pass out, peering into my car window, seeing the copies of the order of worship and freshly-made signs trapped on the other side. I did panic for a while, until I accepted the reality that I needed to seek help - of all people, I needed to call the police. I went into a family-run movie theater around the corner and they called the police for me. The young officer worked incredibly hard to jimmy the lock, all the while apologizing for scratching up my 95' Dodge Caravan. All I could think was, "I need to be at a vigil in five minutes, and please, officer, don't look in the back seat and read my signs." He left after I showed some I.D., and I grabbed my things and rushed to vigil for the rest of the evening with my fellow Christian peace witnesses. I wanted to share this story because of all nights, of all people, I had to call for the presence of the police when I was so dreading this specific possibility on this specific night. I was humbled by the lesson I was taught; I was the man lying beside the road and a Samaritan helped me. I didn't want him to be my neighbor, but God made him one. And in that epiphany, my anxiety over the evening was replaced with humility. I prayed for peace with others huddled against the cold, warmed by the complete confidence that God was near. Christine Mihevc is a member of Christ Community Mennonite Church in Schaumburg, Illinois.
 I took my day off yesterday and completed an annual pilgrimage of mine, a pilgrimage that began when I was a boy. I used to walk hand-in-hand with my dad to a pond near our home in upstate New York, and my dad would scoop out a mass of frog eggs with a big plastic bucket. Surrounded by the trills and calls of spring peepers, American toads, gray tree frogs, and leopard frogs, we'd bring home our prize and put in a goldfish bowl. In the coming weeks, we'd watch the eggs develop, hatch into tadpoles, and eventually, nourished by vegetable scraps and algae, they would metamorphose into little "froglets" and we'd let them go at the pond. I imagine that's where my love for God's creation began - and in large measure, my love for the God of creation, too. So today I went down to a wetland in southern Maryland - one I've been visiting annually for about 20 years. I donned my hip waders and plunged into the jubilant outburst of spring. There weren't any frog eggs yet - we're about two or three warm days too early still. But there were a few spotted salamanders depositing their egg masses, and there was a veritable riot of toads trilling in the warmer shallows. As I watched the males ballooning out their chins and the females swimming between potential mates, I wondered if my grandchildren and their grandchildren will still be able to enjoy what, for me, are some of God's coolest works of art. Amphibians are considered, after all, to be indicator species: when the environment is under stress, it's often the amphibians that are the first to perish. When a group of conservative religious leaders recently tried to stop the National Association of Evangelicals from addressing global warming in a serious and public way, they showed not only their lack of understanding of environmental science, but also of evangelicals. The tide has turned among many evangelicals, or perhaps we should say spring has come. Groups like A Rocha, Floresta, EEN, and Restoring Eden are mobilizing evangelicals to care for creation as never before, inspired by leaders like Cal DeWitt, Melanie Griffin of the Sierra Club, Matthew Sleeth, and many others. They know what the Dobson group doesn't seem to know: Carelessness toward the environment represents an old kind of colonial, Industrial-age Christianity that is being left behind by younger evangelicals who are morphing into something new. When I came home from my day in the wetland, I had an e-mail waiting that included a link to Restoring Eden's response to the conservative religious leaders' recent letter. Led by Peter Illyn, Restoring Eden is voicing a set of values that is attracting more and more people. A chorus of environmentally-committed voices is growing louder and louder among evangelicals every day - and among people of all faiths around the world. There's no time to waste. As the old hymn says, "This is our Father's world." Thank God for people who are speaking up on its behalf. Be sure to read the Restoring Eden statement.  Brian McLaren ( brianmclaren.net) is an author, speaker, Red Letter Christian, and serves as board chair for Sojourners/Call to
Renewal. His most recent book, The Secret Message of Jesus, just came out in paperback. Word is out that the book is ideal for study groups.
the latest reports on Iraq and Congress, Guantanamo tribunals, Iran, Israel-Palestine, Zimbabwe, Northern Ireland, Colombia, and U.S. attorney firings Sign up to receive our daily news summary via e-mail »Full news summary: Iraq-Congress. Dems Challenge Bush With Iraq Timetable - "The House voted Friday for the first time to clamp a cutoff deadline on the Iraq war, agreeing by a thin margin to pull combat troops out by next year and pushing the new Democratic-led Congress ever closer to a showdown with President Bush." Congress puts its marker on Iraq war, but how big? - "After the House vote Friday that laid out a schedule for US troop withdrawal from Iraq, the Senate this week takes up a bill that outlines its own timetable for ending the US combat role in that conflict-riven nation. Neither bill appears to have the backing to override the presidential veto that is certain to follow. But Democrats now controlling Congress say the power of the purse – and a roused US public – may yet bring about changes in President Bush's war policy. " Iraq-diplomacy. U.S. Envoy Says He Met With Iraq Rebels - "The senior American envoy in Iraq, Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, held talks last year with men he believed represented major insurgent groups in a drive to bring militant Sunni Arabs into politics. ... He is the first American official to publicly acknowledge holding such talks. The meetings began in early 2006 and were quite possibly the first attempts at sustained contact between senior American officials here and the Sunni Arab insurgency. " Guantanamo tribunal. Hicks to open Guantanamo tribunal - "Australian David Hicks is set to become the first Guantanamo Bay detainee to attend a hearing under revised US military tribunal rules." Guantanamo hearing for Australian detainee - "Mr. Hicks is the first of some 60 to 80 Guantanamo prisoners the Pentagon plans to charge with war crimes under legislation passed by Congress last year. In a nine-page charge sheet prepared by the Pentagon, he emerges as a hapless holy warrior, a high school dropout who converted to Islam and then drifted towards the battlefields." Iran-sanctions. Iran Partly Suspends Nuclear Pledges - "The Iranian government announced Sunday that it was partially suspending cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency, citing the "illegal" sanctions the Security Council imposed on the country Saturday for its refusal to stop enriching uranium." Iran to Limit Cooperation With Nuclear Inspectors - "President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad issued a defiant statement that 'Iran’s enrichment of uranium is a legal issue,' maintaining that his nation’s nuclear program was intended solely for energy production. In contrast, he said, the Security Council’s vote on Saturday imposing new sanctions on Iranian arms exports, the state-owned Bank Sepah and the Revolutionary Guard Corps 'is not legal.'" Iran-British soldiers. Blair Calls Detention of British Forces '
Unjustified and Wrong' - "The Iranian state news agency, IRNA, reported that British Ambassador Geoffrey Adams spoke Sunday with Ibrahim Rahimpour, a top Iranian Foreign Ministry official, and was told that the team was "well and sound" and that "legal proceedings" were underway in the case. It was unclear whether that meant that Iran intended to put the sailors and marines on trial..." Blair warning to Iran as diplomatic efforts fail to trace captured patrol - "Initially, British military officials and diplomats tried to defuse the situation by stressing the complicated nature of the boundaries between Iraq and Iran on the Shatt al-Arab waterway, where the patrol had been conducting anti-smuggling operations. But Mr. Blair's declaration left no room for ambiguity." Israel-Palestine. Rice Plans to Conduct 'Parallel' Mideast Talks - "Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice shuttled between Palestinian and Israeli officials Sunday, seeking to lay the groundwork for a diplomatic initiative in which she will conduct "parallel" discussions with both parties on the contours of a Palestinian state." Rice Aims for Delicate Balance in Mideast Shuttle - "Ms. Rice, in the Bush administration’s most intensive effort so far at high-level shuttle diplomacy to broker peace between Palestinians and Israelis, traveled from the banks of the Nile in Egypt to the West Bank, and finally to Jerusalem on Sunday, to press what she says is a new approach to peace." Arabs may offer to repackage peace plan - "Arab countries including Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia may propose repackaging the 2002 Saudi peace initiative, Arab diplomats said Monday in private discussions. The leaders were seeking fresh ways to moderate their position without being seen as giving in to Israeli or American demands to change the offer ..." Zimbabwe. S. Africans Weigh Role as Zimbabwe Simmers - "Police in Zimbabwe this week attacked members of the opposition group Movement for Democratic Change. In neighboring South Africa, response has been muted to brutality attributed to Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe." Mugabe will be out by next year, says opposition -"Asked whether events in Zimbabwe over recent weeks suggested that the Mugabe regime had reached a tipping point, Mr Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change, agreed that this was his "prognosis" and it was increasingly shared by others." Zimbabwean Doctor, Rights Activist Sees His Nation in a Free Fall - "Douglas Gwatidzo, chairman of the Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights, addressed the Congressional Human Rights Caucus yesterday about a wave of violence in Zimbabwe that began March 11 when a political rally was violently broken up by police." Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland Rivals Reach Agreement - "The leaders of Northern Ireland’s dominant political and religious parties, Sinn Fein’s Gerry Adams and the Protestant leader Rev. Ian Paisley, held face-to-face negotiations today and agreed to work towards a resumption of the province’s power-sharing authority by May 8." Historic N Ireland deal reached - "The two men agreed to form a joint executive on 8 May to run the province. ... Mr. Paisley, leader of the Protestant DUP, and Mr. Adams of the mainly Catholic Sinn Fein, have been implacable op
ponents for decades." Colombia. Colombia Rejects Paramilitary Report - "Colombia’s government disputed a published report on Sunday of leaked C.I.A. intelligence linking the chief of the army to paramilitary death squads, saying any accusations against him should be made formally through the judicial system." Attorney firings. Ex-Prosecutor Says He Faced Partisan Questions Before Firing - "One of the eight former U.S. attorneys fired by the Bush administration said yesterday that White House officials questioned his performance in highly partisan political terms at a meeting in Washington in September, three months before his dismissal."
Seek good and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, just as you have said. Hate evil and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
- Amos 5:14-15
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Friday, March 23, 2007
As Dean Sam Lloyd welcomed us to the Christian Peace Witness for Iraq service at the Washington National Cathedral, he began by saying that he had just heard the most amazing story. He told us of four people from Spokane, Washington, who were traveling to the Witness when they had an accident in Pennsylvania as their car hit a patch of ice and skidded into a truck. Fortunately, no one was hurt, and after having the car towed away, they hitchhiked the rest of the way to Washington, D.C. It turned out that the four travelers mentioned were students from Whitworth College. They joined the service and march, and were then arrested with us, praying in front of the White House. One of the students, Zach Dahmen, told The Whitworthian student newspaper, By participating in the movement, we wanted to show people that there’s a different face to Christianity. Not all Christians support the war. It’s not God-ordained … I’m pro-life, and so I don’t support the killing that’s going on in Iraq. As Christians, we can’t be hypocritical. The Presbyterian News Service told more of the story. Nicola Crawford, a student at Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)-related Whitworth College in Spokane, WA, says that when she got an e-mail earlier this year about the March 16 Christian Peace Witness for Iraq, she “decided it’s something I believe in.” And that’s about all it took to convince her and a couple of other Whitworth
students, Zach Dahmen and Michael Vander Giessen, to commit to driving 2,700
miles to Washington, D.C., the week before mid-term exams. They hooked up with Eric Colby, a 2006 graduate of the college now working as youth director at Spokane’s Knox Presbyterian Church, who offered his 2001 Toyota Camry for the cross-country trip.
For their persistence and determination, we thank and applaud the “four from Spokane.”
 This past week has been a blur of activity with the Christian Peace Witness for Iraq, but I didn't want to let the passing of Rufina Amaya go unmentioned on this blog. If that name is unfamiliar to you, Amaya was the sole survivor of the worst single massacre in modern Latin American history. A recent Washington Post article by Alma Guillermoprieto, one of the journalists to originally document the atrocity, recounts Amaya's testimony in chilling detail: An army officer who was a friend of her husband's, she said, had told the villagers early in December not to worry about a coming offensive against the guerrillas, because El Mozote, which had a large evangelical population, was not known to be subversivo, or subversive.
...
But the troops returned. Acting on orders, they separated the villagers into groups of men, young girls, and women and children. Rufina Amaya managed to slip behind some trees as her group was being herded to the killing ground, and from there she witnessed the murders, which went on until late at night. An army officer, told by an underling that a soldier was refusing to kill children, said, "Where is the sonofabitch who said that? I am going to kill him," and bayoneted a child on the spot. She heard her own children crying out for her as they met their deaths. The troops herded people into the church and houses facing a patch of grass that served as the village plaza. They shot the villagers or dismembered them with machetes, then set the structures on fire. At last, believing they had killed all the citizens of El Mozote and the surrounding hamlets, the troops withdrew. I'm personally compelled to memorialize Amaya and El Mozote for three reasons: 1) When I visited El Mozote and other sites of atrocities in El Salvador as a college student in 1997, the resounding theme from survivors was to tell these stories so that people never forget what happened, and especially for gringos, that we know what crimes our government supported through its military aid. 2) Lest you should assign these horrors to ancient history, look no further than Colombia, the recipient of the most U.S. military aid in Latin America (third in the world), where it is now more clearly documented than ever that right-wing paramilitary death squads have been operating in close cooperation with the very military our government supports. Then, as now, that flow of aid is dependent on human rights ceritification, a highly politicized process that resists hearing the testimony of peasants caught in the meat-grinder of counterinsurgency warfare. Reading Guillermoprieto's article alongside recent reports from Colombia, I'm overcome by vertigo-inducing deja vu. 3) One detail that has always struck me about El Mozote is that the villagers had been told that because they were evangelicals - generally perceived as apolitical, and not liberation theology-inspired " subversivos" - they would be spared. That they were massacred anyway is a stark reminder that apolitical piety is no protection from the principalities and powers. Though innocent farmers, they were, in Guillermoprieto's words, "simply fodder in one of the last battles of the Cold War." The lesson for Christians seeking to love our neighbors as ourselves is that
we are inextricably linked to the policies and actions of our government, and are vulnerable to their consequences whether we choose to engage them or not. So, whether the issue is military aid to Latin America, the war in Iraq, or violence in our own neighborhoods, let us engage those powers, with Christ as our model of sacrificial love; rejecting both the violence of Zealots and the superficial public piety of Pharisees. Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero, who was murdered 27 years ago tomorrow, was a shining example of that kind of faith, which can also get you killed. Below are the final paragraphs of the homily delivered the day before his death at the hands of assassins, two of whom received training at the U.S. Army School of the Americas: I would like to appeal in a special way to the men of the army, and in particular to the troops of the National Guard, the Police, and the garrisons. Brothers, you belong to our own people. You kill your own brother peasants; and in the face of an order to kill that is given by a man, the law of God should prevail that says: Do not kill! No soldier is obliged to obey an order counter to the law of God. No one has to comply with an immoral law. It is time now that you recover your conscience and obey its dictates rather than the command of sin. The Church, defender of the rights of God, of the law of God, of the dignity of the human person, cannot remain silent before so much abomination. We want the government to seriously consider that reforms mean nothing when they come bathed in so much blood. Therefore, in the name of God, and in the name of this long-suffering people, whose laments rise to heaven every day more tumultuous, I beseech you, I beg you, I command you in the name of God: Cease the repression!
Ryan Beiler is the Web Editor for Sojourners/Call to Renewal.
 Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) is known as the "conscience of the House." He was the young civil rights leader who was beaten, nearly to death, on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, on the infamous "Bloody Sunday" that led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965. John Lewis is a civil rights and Christian hero. As the House of Representatives began debating the war in Iraq this week, here are John’s remarks on the House floor. His voice is one we need to hear. Mr. Lewis of Georgia: "Mr. Speaker, I rise with deep concern that on this very day 4 years ago, our Nation inaugurated a conflict, an unnecessary war, a war of choice, not a necessity.
The most comprehensive intelligence we have, the National Intelligence Estimate and the latest Pentagon report, tells us that Iraq has descended into a state of civil war. Over 3,000 Americans have died, and hundreds of thousands, some even say up to 1 million citizens of Iraq, have lost their lives in this unnecessary conflict.
And while we are telling our veterans of this war, the elderly, the poor, and the sick that there is no room in the budget for them, the American people have spent over $400 billion on a failed policy. We cannot do more of the same. Mr. Speaker, violence begets violence. It does not lead to peace.
President John F. Kennedy once said, ‘‘Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.’’ My greatest fear is that the young people of Iraq and of the Middle East will never forget this war. My greatest fear is they will grow up hating our children and our children’s children for what we have done. Mr. Speaker, the Bible is right. Even a great nation can reap what it sows.
Nothing troubles me more than to see the young faces of these soldiers who have been led to their death.
Some are only 18, 19, 21, 22, 23. It is painful; it is so painful to watch. Sometimes I feel like crying and crying out loud at what we are doing as a nation and what this administration is doing in our name. Our children do not deserve to die as pawns in a civil war.
They do not deserve to pay with their lives for the mistakes of this administration. They never had a chance.
When I was their age, when I was 23 years old, I was leading the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, soon to speak in Washington on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, but then we were involved in a nonviolent revolution to transform the soul of America, to create a beloved community.
Forty years ago, I was there in New York City in Riverside Church when Martin Luther King, Jr., gave one of the most powerful speeches he ever made against the war in Vietnam. If he could speak today, he would say this nation needs a revolution of values that exposes the truth that war does not work. If he could speak today, he would say that war is obsolete as a tool of our foreign policy.
He would say there is nothing keeping us from changing our national priority so that the pursuit of peace can take precedence over the pursuit of war.
He would say we must remove the causes of chaos, injustice, poverty, and insecurity
that are breeding grounds for terrorism. This is the way towards peace.
As a nation, can we hear the words of Gandhi, so simple, so true, that it is either nonviolence or nonexistence? Can we hear the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., saying that we must learn to live together as brothers and sisters or perish as fools?
Tonight I must make it plain and clear that as a human being, as a citizen of the world, as a citizen of America, as a member of Congress, as an individual committed to a world at peace with itself, I will not and I cannot in good conscience
vote for another dollar or another dime to support this war.”
The latest news on Iran capturing British soldiers, Elizabeth Edwards, Iraq-Congress, Iraq deputy prime minister injured, Iraq- shell lands near Secretary-General, US military, Christians flee-, DC voting rights, immigration, Sudan-Chad, and select Op-Eds. Sign up to receive our daily news summary via e-mail »Full news summary:
BREAKING NEWS. Iran captures British sailors. Iranian Military Seizes 15 British Sailors in Iraq Waters - "The Iranian military seized 15 British naval personnel in the waters off Iraq early this morning, the British Ministry of Defence said today in a statement posted to its Web site."UK sailors captured at gunpoint - "Fifteen British Navy personnel are taken at gunpoint by Iranian forces, the UK defence ministry says."
Iraq deputy prime minister injured. Iraq deputy PM injured in blast - "Iraqi Deputy PM Salam Zaubai is injured in a double bomb attack near his home in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad." Deputy Prime Minister Wounded in Suicide Attack - "Two bodyguards and two others were killed, and another 10 were wounded, five of them bodyguards."
Elizabeth Edwards. Edwards Says Wife's Cancer Has Returned - "John Edwards,the North Carolina Democrat, said Thursday that his wife's cancer had returned in incurable form. He proclaimed that he would continue his bid for the presidency, saying, "The campaign goes on strongly." Cancer Worsening, Edwards's Wife Says - "Standing in the same courtyard that hosted their wedding reception three decades earlier, former senator John Edwards and his wife, Elizabeth, announced that her breast cancer has recurred and has severely worsened. But they pledged, jointly, to carry on with his bid for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination." John Edwards' wife's cancer returns - "in the midst of her husband's second run for the White House, she was told by doctors that the cancer had returned in a metastasized and incurable form. Nevertheless, Elizabeth and John Edwards, in revealing the news, said he would continue running for president."
Iraq-Congress. Liberals Relent on Iraq War Funding - "Liberal opposition to a $124 billion war spending bill broke last night, when leaders of the antiwar Out of
Iraq Caucus pledged to Democratic leaders that they will not block the measure, which sets timelines for bringing U.S. troops home." Democrats See Growing Support From Liberal Members for Bill Setting Iraq Deadline - "when the House opened its war debate, the loudest opposition was beginning to fade, particularly from liberals who had argued that the proposal would not end the war fast enough. Leaders of the Out of Iraq Caucus gave their blessing to a handful of Democrats to change their votes, saying it was not in their interest to impede the measure," Democrats scramble for votes on war legislation - "As the House opened debate on a proposal that would force the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq by September 2008, Democratic leaders scrambled to round up the votes they need in their biggest showdown to date with the White House over the war."
Iraq-shell lands near Secretary-General. As U.N. Chief Meets Premier of Iraq, the Zone Is Shelled - "A mortar shell fired into the heavily fortified Green Zone landed about 80 yards from the home of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki on Thursday while he and the United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, were holding a news conference to mark Mr. Ban's first visit to Baghdad."
Iraq-US military. Army Revises Upward Number of Desertions in '06 - "A total of 3,196 active-duty soldiers deserted the Army last year, or 853 more than previously reported, according to revised figures from the Army. … Some Army officers link the recent uptick in annual desertion rates to the toll of wartime deployments and point to the increasing percentage of troops who are on their second or third tours in Iraq or Afghanistan." GAO looks at gaps in Iraq arms security - "Four years after invading Iraq, the U.S. military still does not know how many tons of explosives were stolen from the country's massive prewar stockpiles or how many weapons caches remain unsecured," Hussein-era arms linked to fatalities - "A newly declassified government report says that half of American troop deaths in Iraq have been caused by explosives left over from Saddam Hussein's regime and that even four years after the war began the US military has failed to conduct an adequate inventory of Hussein's weapons depots."
Iraq-Christians flee. With no safe place to go, Christians fleeing country - "The flight of Iraq's Sunni and Shiite Muslims from their homes under threat of violence has earned much attention, but Iraq's Christian community has also been targeted and is steadily dwindling as well. Although they make up only about 5% of Iraq's population, Christians make up nearly 40% of the refugees fleeing Iraq, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees."
DC voting rights. House Vote on D.C. Seat Thwarted - "Republicans derailed a vote on a bill giving the District its first full seat in the House of Representatives by trying to tie the legislation to a drastic weakening of the city's gun-control laws." D.C. voting rights bid stalls in House - "Republicans derailed efforts to give the District congressional representation when they injected the city's gun ban into the debate and turned an expected vote into a tumult."
Immigration. Immigration Reform Revisited - "A bipartisan proposal for comprehensive immigration reform that would allow millions of illegal immigrants to participate in a guest-worker program and possibly gain citizenship was introduced in the House," Gutierrez pushes immigration bill - "Congress failed last year to enact a comprehensive immigration bill, but Reps. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) said they would try again with a measure that would set guidelines for legalizing the status of many illegal immigrants while bolstering security at the U.S. borders." Doubts Arise on Immigration Bill's Chances - "behind the scenes, there was much more uncertainty than celebration among proponents of what would be the most substantial overhaul of immigration laws in two decades." Immigration bill moves to tighter enforcement - "The chief House proponents of a path to citizenship for illegal aliens also embraced stricter enforcement, arguing they need to move that direction if they hope to pass a bill this year."
Sudan-Chad. Sudan 'in Chadian bombing raid' - "Chad's government has accused the Sudanese military of bombing two locations in the east of the country which borders Sudan's Darfur region. It said Sudan's air force was carrying out systematic bombing operations."
Op-Ed. Teach the Bible in public schools (Stephen Prothero, Christian Science Monitor) - "Biblical illiteracy is not just a religious problem. It is a civic problem with political consequences. How can citizens participate in biblically inflected debates on abortion, capital punishment, or the environment without knowing something about the Bible? Biblically illiterate Americans are easily swayed by demagogues on the left or the right who claim - often incorrectly - that the Bible says this about war or that about homosexuality."
Wholeness for us, as people of God,
is moving ever toward oneness with God,
regardless of the conditionof our bodies,
our lives,
our minds.
Everyone equally has a capacity
to be whole.Wholeness is a gift from God.
- Beth A. Richardson
in "Alive Now!" March/April 1992.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
 Elnour Adam is Projects Director at the Darfur Rehabilitation Project. Sojourners spoke with him recently at Ecumenical Advocacy Days.
What is The Darfur Rehabilitation Project? The Darfur Rehabilitation Project is a U.S.-based Darfurian NGO, advocating for the people, Darfur’s peoples’ rights to live humanely. Actually, we are mobilizing the international community, the U.S. people, and the faith groups, and other entities to advocate for Darfurian rights. We believe that the United States faith groups, they have the moral integrity to help the Darfurians attain the sustainable peace, and they can work with the United States government, and they can leverage the United States institutions to work to realize peace in Darfur. So the Darfur Rehabilitation Project is working closely with all the entities, with all the faith groups, in the United States as well as other European countries for the right of the Darfurians to live humanely.
And how did you yourself get involved?
I am Darfurian myself. My siblings and my whole family is in refugee camps. My area is the first area to be bombarded by the Sudanese government. The area is Habilah. It’s in western Sudan; it's at the border of the Sudan and Chad. It’s what they called the Masalit community area. My family, the whole family, is pushed out to Chad and up to now they are still in the refugee camps, and we know that the refugee camps themselves were attacked by the Sudanese government and their supported group [the Janjaweed] that is now destabilizing the situation in Chad itself.
Unfortunately, the Sudanese government has succeeded in pushing the poor Darfurians from their villages, from their areas where they are self-sustaining, to the outskirts of some of the suburbs. But now, since they [the Khartoum government] succeeded in the first phase, now they are pushing them to the outskirts of the major cities, and relocating them permanently and the Janjaweed, the proxy militia that the government empowers, is taking their areas, so we are permanently [replacing] the people of Darfur with other entities, with other people that support the government.
What’s the last news that you’ve had from home?
The Sudanese government succeeded in cutting the communications by buying the companies that supply the communication tools to the different Darfurian areas. So now the Darfurians are cut off of any links to the international community. Not only that, but they hampered the aid community. And most of them left Darfur. So they left Darfurians vulnerable to starvation, as well as any human rights abuses from the Sudanese government and their proxy-militia.
So the cutoff of communication, does that mean mobile phones?
Yes. Mobile phones, satellite communication, they are all cut off - any kind of communication. [They did it] by buying the assets of the supplying firms to this communication - international communication and satellite stations.
When did that happen?
That happened recently, in the months of January, February. And so up to now we cannot hear that many incidents because they are cut off. But a lot of incidents are happening right now on the ground. People are dying every day, the starvation is wide spreading. Morbidity rate is higher now than ever in Darfur, because most of the humanitarian organizations, international humanitarian organizations, left the area because of the insecurity. Because of the government blocks to give them permits. So they are more vulnerable than ever.
The latest news on immigration, White House subpoenas, the Episcopal Church, Iraq-Congress, climate change, Iran, U.S. food aid, Darfur, and select Op-Eds. Sign up to receive our daily news summary via e-mail »Full news summary:
Iraq-Congress. House Democrats Weigh Plan for Iraq Withdrawal- "The Iraq debate is scheduled to begin Thursday afternoon on the House floor, but the final vote was delayed by a day to give leaders more time to build support for a measure that has proved to be one of the most significant tests of the new Democratic Congress." Senate Democrats Float War Bill Similar to That in House - "Senate Democrats unveiled an emergency spending bill that would continue funding the conflict in Iraq while requiring U.S. troop withdrawals to begin this summer, a proposal that tracks closely with one the House will vote on tomorrow." Debate Over Iraq Pullout Aside, Bush Needs a War Spending Bill - "With the House facing a critical vote on Iraq this week, the White House finds itself embroiled in a fierce legislative battle to keep money flowing to the war effort, with the outcome dependent on its ability to show real progress in Baghdad and keep Republicans in line behind its veto strategy." Congress's Challenge on Iraq(NY Times editorial) - "The House should vote yes, by an overwhelming, bipartisan margin, to impose benchmarks for political progress on the Iraqi government - and link them to the continued presence of American combat forces."
White House subpoenas. House Panel Authorizes Subpoenas Of Officials - "A House panel authorized subpoenas yesterday for top White House and Justice Department aides, including White House counselor Karl Rove, setting up a constitutional clash with the Bush administration over the U.S. attorneys investigation." Bush's Big-Picture Battle: Presidential Prerogatives- "The battle over the Congressional inquiry into the dismissal of federal prosecutors is not one of Mr. Bush's choosing. But now that it has been thrust upon him, Mr. Bush is defiantly refusing to allow Karl Rove and other top aides to testify publicly and under oath, as Democrats are demanding. And he is standing by Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales,"
Immigration. Kennedy-McCain partnership falters - "Senators Edward M. Kennedy and John McCain have all but abandoned plans to cosponsor a comprehensive immigration reform bill this year, as McCain faces tough questions from conservatives on the presidential campaign trail about his support for immigrants' rights. Kennedy, frustrated by the slow progress of his negotiations with McCain, is instead considering filing a bill
on his own,"
Climate change. Gore Warns Congress of 'Planetary Emergency' - "It was part science class, part policy wonk paradise, part politics and all theater as former Vice President Al Gore came to Congress on Wednesday to insist that global waraming constitutes a "planetary emergency" requiring an aggressive federal response." Al Gore triumphs in Congress - "the man who could have stopped Mr Bush now transformed into an Oscar winner and one of the world's leading campaigners on the dangers of global warming. He is bulkier, greyer and wrinkled. But he is also less buttoned-up, more emotional. He spoke fluently and knowledgeably,"
Iran. Iran's leader vows to retaliate against any new sanctions - "Iran's supreme leader struck a defiant tone Wednesday about any possible new United Nations Security Council sanctions over his country's nuclear program, threatening to "use any means necessary" to strike back." Optimism detected on nuke issue - "As the UN Security Council nears a vote this week on a new package of sanctions against Iran for refusing to suspend its uranium enrichment program, other developments are creating greater optimism among many opponents of Tehran's nuclear ambitions." Iran role reported in schism of Iraq militia - "The Shiite militia known as the Mahdi Army is breaking into splinter groups, with as many as 3,000 gunmen now financed directly by Iran and no longer loyal to the firebrand cleric Moqtada Sadr, adding a potentially even more deadly element to Iraq's violent mix."
U.S. food aid. Inefficiencies Curb U.S. Aid to the Hungry, Report Finds - "The United States provides more than half the food aid that feeds hungry people around the world, but its programs are plagued by inefficiencies that have sharply reduced the amount of food being provided and have slowed deliveries,"
Darfur. Darfur's less-known victims - "Arabs in the western Sudanese region of Darfur are usually depicted as the aggressors in a conflict with black African ethnic groups, but many Arabs now find themselves caught up in the violence, forced into camps by intertribal fighting and cut off from traditional migration routes they've relied upon for centuries to survive."
Episcopal church. Episcopal Bishops in U.S. Defy Anglican Communion - "The nation's Episcopal bishops have rejected a key demand from the larger Anglican Communion, saying a plan to place discontented U.S. parishes under international leadership could do permanent harm to the American church." Episcopal Church Rejects Demand for a 2nd Leadership- "Responding to an ultimatum from leaders of the worldwide Anglican Communion, bishops of the Episcopal Church have rejected a key demand to create a parallel leadership structure to serve the conservative minority of Episcopalians who oppose their church's liberal stand on homosexuality."
Op-Eds.
Give D.C. Residents the Right to Vote (Jack Kemp, Human Events)- "How's this for irony: Headlines recently proclaimed that the White House was opposed to giving the vote to the more than 600,000 residents of our nation's capital, who, incidentally, are paying federal income taxes to send members of their families to Iraq and Afghanistan so as to guarantee the right to vote for the residents of those nations' capitals."
Character matters - (Cal Thomas & Bob Beckel, USA Today) - "Divorce. Past drug use. Flip-flopping on moral issues. What should be relevant in a presidential race? Bob and Cal concoct a recipe with which to judge our office-seekers without gratuitous mudslinging."
"Why do we fast, but you do not see? Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?" Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day, and oppress all your workers. Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to strike with a wicked fist. Such fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high.
- Isaiah 58:3-4
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Wednesday, March 21, 2007
 Bernice Powell Jackson was one of several speakers at the March 16 Christian Peace Witness for Iraq service at the National Cathedral. This is the prepared text of her message that evening.
+ Watch video of the entire serviceHope. In English, one syllable. Four letters. But beneath those few letters is a breadth and depth of meaning, a bridge between life and death, a beacon leading out of the darkness. In the fifth chapter of Romans, Paul wrote: And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. Paul knew that it was hard to be a Christian in Rome. So he wrote to the Romans those words: Hope does not disappoint us. It’s hard to be a Christian in Washington. We live in a time of cynics. Many years ago I visited South Africa and on my last day of my trip I met a woman who was 126 years old. I came home and often told the story of meeting this remarkable woman. On more than one occasion I was asked, "How did you know for sure she was 126 years old? Did she have a birth certificate?" My response was, "They probably didn’t have birth certificates for anyone in South Africa 126 years ago, but they certainly didn’t have them for black people. And besides," I would ask, "even if she was 10 years off in her age, she was still 116 - and how many of us have met someone that old?" A time of cynics. Cynics who do not understand that war can never lead to peace. Cynics who do not understand that violence can only beget violence. Cynics who do not understand that guns can never lead to democracy, and that lies can never lead to truth. But Paul’s word is an antidote to cynicism. Paul’s word is that hope does not disappoint us. Now hope is something different from optimism. When the imprisoned Czech writer and later President Vaclav Havel was asked about hope, he said that hope is a state of mind, a dimension of the soul, an orientation of the heart that transcends the world that is immediately experienced and is anchored somewhere beyond the world’s horizons. Hope, for Christians, is anchored in the understanding that with God all things are possible. Hope is that thing that allowed my slave forebears to know, deep down in their souls, despite all that the world told them, despite all that the world did to them, that one day they, or their children, or their children’s children, would be free. Because this is God’s world. Now, war is the absence of hope. War is the declaration that only violence can conquer the hearts and minds of a people. We are here tonight to dare to say that is not true. Hope, for Christians, is inextricably linked to the love of God, which is the message of Jesus, which is Jesus himself. On this day, in this place, at this time, Jesus’ words resound throughout the rafters and among the pews of this hallowed place. Words of hope and not words of despair. Words of life and not words of death. Words of love and not words of hate. I give you a new commandment that you love one another; just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. Jesus’ words and Jesus’ actions. Hope, for Christians, can never just be a word – it must become an action. Hope for Christians must be a public commitment to follow Jesus in the non-violent struggle for justice and peace. Hope for Christians must be a public sharing of the love of Jesus. Hope for Christians must be a public witnessing to the power of love to overcome hate, to overcome cynicism, to overcome war, to overcome death itself. So,
tonight, we pray. Tonight we march. Tonight we love. And in doing so, we hope. Because hope does not disappoint us.
Help me, O Lord, to make a true use of all disappointments and calamities in this life, in such a way that they may unite my heart more closely with you. Cause them to separate my affections from worldly things and inspire my soul with more vigor in the pursuit of true happiness. - Susanna Wesley from "Alive Now!" March/April 1992+ Sign up to receive our quote of the day via e-mail
The latest news on federal prosecutors, Sudan-Darfur, immigration, Iraq-Congress, Iraq-antiwar, Iran, climate change, abortion, and health insurance. Sign up to receive our daily news summary via e-mail »Full news summary:
Iraq-Congress. Democrats Split on Iraq Bill - "One of the Democrats' chief designated vote counters, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), is actively working against the Iraq war spending bill. The leadership's senior chief deputy whip, Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), spoke passionately against it on the House floor. And one of the whip organization's regional representatives, Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.), is implacably opposed." Veterans boost Democrats' Iraq war exit efforts - "When Rep. Patrick Murphy stood up at the House Democratic Caucus meeting to urge support for a bill mandating a timeline to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq, the boyish Pennsylvania lawmaker urged his colleagues to vote their conscience. But as several lawmakers wiped away tears, he concluded with a more emotional appeal "for those 19 guys I served with who died." Murphy, a former paratrooper who went to Iraq shortly after the 2003 invasion, is in his third month on Capitol Hill. But as the only Iraq war veteran in Congress, the 33-year-old freshman has become a central player in the most intense lobbying effort since Democrats assumed the majority in January." Senate Democrats revive timeline for Iraq - "Senate Democrats yesterday vowed to resurrect their legislative effort to pull combat troops out of Iraq by next March, as their House colleagues struggled to build support for a similar measure tied to emergency war funding."
Iraq-antiwar. Anger over war in Iraq has thousands on march - "Alex Enriquez, an office manager from Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood, said he isn't the type who usually takes part in political rallies. But the war in Iraq has upset him so much that Enriquez, 38, said he decided he had to participate when he heard about Tuesday's anti-war protest downtown. "You can't just stand idle," said Enriquez, who was among several thousand people who marched along Michigan Avenue and Clark Street on Tuesday evening to a rally at the Daley Center."
Iraq. The Children of Baghdad - "Baghdad's last refuge for orphaned and traumatised children is in danger of closing later this month when it finally runs out of funds. The man who runs it says he will take the children, many of them orphaned by the violence, into his own home rather than see them on the streets. His co-worker has already been murdered by a death squad. … GuardianFilms and ITN look at what has happened to the city's most vulnerable children."
Federal prosecutors. Bush Offers Aides For Hill Interviews - "President Bush sought yesterday to defuse the controversy over the firings of U.S. attorn
eys, offering strong support for embattled Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales while proposing to make Karl Rove and other top aides available for private interviews with congressional investigators. Bush, Democrats clash on prosecutors - "The controversy over the Bush administration's firing of eight US attorneys escalated into a high-stakes political confrontation between President Bush and Congress, with Bush backing his embattled attorney general, Alberto Gonzales, and rebuffing a request from top Democratic lawmakers to have chief White House adviser Karl Rove and other aides testify under oath." Bush Clashes With Congress on Prosecutors- "President Bush and Congress clashed over an inquiry into the firing of federal prosecutors and appeared headed toward a constitutional showdown over demands from Capitol Hill for internal White House documents and testimony from top advisers to the president."
Iran. US looks to sell arms in Gulf to try to contain Iran - "The State Department and the Pentagon are quietly seeking congressional approval for significant new military sales to US allies in the Persian Gulf region. The move is part of a broader American strategy to contain Iranian influence by strengthening Iran's neighbors and signaling that the United States is still a strong military player in the Middle East," Quick OK eyed on Iran sanctions - "Germany and China urged rapid approval of a UN draft resolution that would impose sanctions on Iran for its nuclear program after South Africa surprised major powers by proposing a softening of the document's wording." Russia recalls experts from Iran reactor - "Russia is bringing home its technicians and engineers from Iran's unfinished nuclear reactor site at a time of growing international pressure on Tehran to curb its atomic ambitions," U.S. Cautions Foreign Companies on Iran Deals- "The Bush administration has quietly been warning energy companies, including Shell, Repsol and SKS, the Malaysian oil company, as well as the governments of China, India, Pakistan and Malaysia, that penalties are possible if they pursue energy deals with Iran." Israel practices for missile, chemical attacks - "Air raid sirens wailed across Israel yesterday and thousands of security forces and rescue crews were mobilized in a nationwide drill to prepare for possible chemical attacks or an Iranian missile strike."
Sudan-Darfur. Some investors want money out of Sudan - "the movement to force mutual funds, pension funds and endowments to pull their investments out of companies active in war-torn Sudan is gaining momentum. Seven states - California, Oregon, Illinois, New Jersey, Connecticut, Vermont and Maine - have approved divestment plans that would force their state and local pension funds to liquidate Sudan-related holdings."
Climate change. Capitol momentum seen on climate change - "The fight against global warming is getting an extra push from lobbyists and lawmakers in a series of efforts aimed at spurring Congress to act to reverse the negative trend of climate change."
Abortion. Tailoring an antiabortion message to blacks - "Activists open crisis pregnancy centers in minority areas to draw more African Americans to their cause. Framing their cause as the new frontier in civil rights - an effort to stop "black genocide" - these activists have turned to revered names in black history. A niece of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. tours the nation, speaking out against "the war on the womb." The great-great-granddaughter of Dred Scott recently compared Roe vs. Wade to the 1857 Supreme Court decision declaring blacks so far inferior that they had no rights."
Immigration. House immigration bill offers citizenship - "Two lawmakers will fire the opening salvo in this year's immigration debate when they introduce the first House bill in many years to call for citizenship for illegal immigrants. … the bill also contains provisions designed to appeal to conservatives who want stronger border enforcement and oppose citizenship provisions that grant amnesty to people in the country illegally."
Health insurance. Massachusetts Sets Benefits in Universal Health Care Plan - "Massachusetts took a major step toward enacting its near-universal health care overhaul, with the board that oversees the plan voting to require insurers to provide certain minimum benefits, including coverage of prescription drugs."
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
 Celeste Zappala was one of several speakers at the March 16 Christian Peace Witness for Iraq service at the National Cathedral. This is the prepared text of her message that evening.+ Watch video of the entire serviceGood evening, brothers and sisters in Christ. I am Celeste Zappala, of the First United Methodist Church of Germantown in Philadelphia, of Military Families Speak Out, and sadly, of Gold Star Families Speak Out, because I am the mother of a fallen soldier. My son, Sgt. Sherwood Baker, was killed in Baghdad on April 26, 2004. I am here tonight as a witness to the true cost of this war, and I am joined this night by others who have lost their sons to the betrayal and madness that is the war in Iraq. I honor these young ones: Alex Carbonaro, son of Gilda and Fulvio Thomas Sweet, son of Liz and Tom Alexander Arrandando, son of Carlos and Melida Please hold these families in prayer. I have been in this cathedral one other time, and it was for the funeral of Alex Carbonaro in May last year. Hundreds filled the seats you sit in and wept with his wife and his parents. On a beautiful spring day Alex was laid in to the sacred ground of Arlington - and just beyond his grave, the earth was being prepared to receive the bodies of the newly dead and those to come. Three thousand, two hundred and three American families. We are all part of the ever-growing, sad fellowship of families who have met their worst fear when they opened their front door. “Are you Sherwood Baker's mother?” said the man with medals on his chest on the rainy night that death came to my door. “Yes, I am the mother”- of my sweet and noble son who always made me laugh, who was there if you needed help, and who more people than I could ever have imagined called their best friend. “Yes, my son” - Sherwood, a musician, a disc jockey, a case worker for mentally challenged adults, a faithful husband, the tenderest father you could ever know, and a soldier in the Pennsylvania National guard. “Are you Sherwood Baker’s mother?” "Yes," I said, and fell to the ground, while somewhere outside of myself I heard someone screaming and screaming. Tonight we are here in the National Cathedral, the altar of the nation. We lay before God the sorrow that lives in us all because of this war. Since Sherwood died protecting the Iraq survey group as they looked for the weapons of mass destruction, 2,483 more American lives have been lost, and how many limbs and how many eyes and how much blood? And what happens to the souls of soldiers who have picked up their friends in pieces, or fearfully fired in to a moving car - to discover a shattered Iraqi family a moment later? In Iraq, shamefully, no one could say how many children and old people have died. Those counts are only kept in the hearts of those who have loved them - please hold these people in your heart. An Iraqi mother searches a morgue for the familiar curve of the hand of her child beneath a pale sheet; an American father watches his son beheaded on video tape; an Iraqi child wakes up in a shabby hospital in excruciating pain and without his arm; an American girl writes letters to her dead soldier father; a young vet wraps a garden hose around his neck and leaps away from the nightmares that beset him. And an ocean of tears spreads across both countries, along with the numbers: 1,950 us kids lost a parent, 25,000 wounded and struggling through the VA system, scores and scores of suicides - 500,000 and more dead Iraqis, 2 million refugees ... A wail rises from the throat of all who love these people and shakes our hearts as it reaches for the crucified open arms of Jesus. We are here tonight as the church: Each o
ne of us are witnesses to this war and to our own complicity in it - when were we silent and should have spoken, whose eyes would we not meet to face the truth? Now we are prostrate at this altar, begging, "Lord, help us. War is our failure to love you, and peace is your command. Peace is not the easy way out, its creation is the most confounding - the hardest - thing we can do. Help us." We lay our souls - broken, open - before you and question: How do we follow your command to love each other? Surely it can not be by mindlessly sending the children of others off to kill people we do not know. And though I know nothing, I say: No amount of logic or protest will bring my son back to me, or any of the lost ones home, yet I ask the Lord to help us. We lay this grief before the Lord - our souls broken, open – ready to rise to witness; ready to rise to love God’s world to peace. Bless you and thank you.
While we are against the war, we certainly recognize and honor the sacrifice and suffering of so many families who have lost a loved one in this war. I don’t know about you, but sometimes the news coverage and the number of lives lost (more than 3,200 American soldiers, and an estimated 500,000 Iraqi citizens or more) can be a bit mind-numbing. It’s easy to just gloss over those numbers and forget that every one of those lives had a story, a history, something that made them a unique individual created in the image of God. This video is a good reminder of that fact, and I hope will sensitize you, as it did me, to the realities of war. As the Iraq Veterans Memorial site states: The Iraq Veterans Memorial is an online war memorial that honors the members of the U.S. armed forces who have lost their lives serving in the Iraq War. The memorial is a collection of video memories from family, friends, military colleagues, and co-workers of those that have fallen. Let us all be mindful of the fact that until this war comes to an end, there will be many more families who will experience the suffering expressed by those profiled on this site. May the Holy Spirit remind us to keep all of these families in our prayers. Jeff Carr is the Chief Operations Officer for Sojourners/Call to Renewal.
You would think that the people who want creationism or intelligent design taught in the public schools would evince some concern for the handiwork of the intelligent designer. You might think that the human costs wrought by global warming – crop destruction, famine, displacement – would capture the attention of those who persistently style themselves “pro-life.” Well, no, not really, not if it detracts from the single-minded agenda of making abortion and same-sex unions illegal. Or if it offends corporate interests. That’s the gist of a letter, which Jim Wallis and others have blogged about recently, sent on March 1 by a coalition of high-powered leaders of the Religious Right. Writing to L. Roy Taylor, chair of the National Association of Evangelicals, an organization that claims to represent 45,000 evangelical congregations, 25 Religious Right stalwarts, including James Dobson, Paul Weyrich and Donald Wildmon, called on the NAE to throttle the efforts of Richard Cizik, the organization’s lobbyist, to call attention to the environmental crisis caused by global warming. “The existence of global warming and its implications for mankind is a subject of heated controversy throughout the world,” the letter states. “More importantly, we have observed that Cizik and others are using the global warming controversy to shift the emphasis away from the great moral issues of our time, notably the sanctity of human life, the integrity of marriage and the teaching of sexual abstinence and morality to our children.” This is not the first time that leaders of the Religious Right have tried to derail evangelical interest in environmental matters. In October 1999, meeting (ironically) in the bucolic hills of northwestern Connecticut, several of these same signatories produced a document called the Cornwall Declaration, a putative statement of concern for the environment. The Cornwall Declaration opens with a pious affirmation of “shared reverence for God and His creation,” but a closer reading reveals that the statement is really a brief for corporate interests. Let’s trust market forces to determine our posture toward the environment, the Declaration argues, because public policy “can dangerously delay or reverse” economic development. If the leaders of the Religious Right are truly concerned about “the great moral issues of our time,” I suggest they look beyond abortion and same-sex unions. They could do far worse than to address the displacement and the human toll caused by global warming. Once they summon the courage to address that issue, the leaders of the Religious Right might want to look elsewhere. I happen to believe that the defining issues of our day are the morality of the war in Iraq and the Bush administration’s use of torture against those it designates as “enemy combatants.” Regarding the former, there are centuries of thought and writing that go into defining what is or is not a just war: Is it a defensive war? Is the use of military force the last resort? Is there a reasonable chance of success? Is the amount of force used roughly proportional to the provocation? Have provisions been made, as much as possible, to protect civilians? No one has yet persuaded me that the war in Iraq meets any of these criteria. Regarding the use of torture, as I was writing Thy Kingdom Come, I contacted eight Religious Right organizations, including many represented as signatories to the NAE letter, with a simple query. Please send me, I asked, a copy of your organization’s position on torture. I heard from only two – both of whom defended the Bush administration’s policies on torture. To my knowledge, no Religious Right organization has yet issued a statement unequivocally denouncing the use of torture, despite the fact that these despicable pra
ctices came to light nearly two years ago. Thankfully, the board of the National Association of Evangelicals stood up to the leaders of the Religious Right at their meeting last week. They refused to censure Cizik for his efforts on global warming, and they also approved a long overdue statement denouncing the use of torture. The leaders of the Religious Right suffer from a kind of moral myopia. If they are truly concerned about “the great moral issues of our time,” I suggest they look beyond abortion and same-sex unions. Protection of the natural world, God’s creation, from neglect and from the effects of predatory capitalism would be a good place to start.  Randall Balmer, an Episcopal priest, is professor of American religious history at Barnard College, Columbia University, a visiting professor at Yale Divinity School, and the author, most recently, of Thy Kingdom Come: How the Religious Right Distorts the Faith and Threatens America: An Evangelical's Lament (Basic Books). He is also a member of the Red Letter Christians.
Do you believe that God is present in the smile of a child, in the tears of a parent's grief over a suffering adolescent, in the sudden breakthrough of understading between quarreling spouses? Eternal truths can be learned by observing the most common elements of life: nursing an infant may be a window into God's nurturing care for each of us; bandaging a cut can help us know the healing desire of God; playing games may speak of the divine playfulness that knows our need for recreation; tending a garden may teach us the dynamics of growth. Families learn that they are sacred communities when they begin to name and claim the many forms of God's grace in their daily life. - Marjorie J. Thompson from "Family: The Forming Center"+ Sign up to receive our quote of the day via e-mail
The latest news on Iraq war-fifth anniversary, Iran, climate change, Iraq-poll of Iraqi opinion, Iraq aniversary-vigils, Immigration, Darfur, Episcopal Church, climate change, history, and select op-eds. Sign up to receive our daily news summary via e-mail »Full news summary:
Iraq war-fifth anniversary. Bush Implores Nation, Congress To Show 'Courage and Resolve' - "President Bush asked skeptical Americans for additional patience as the Iraq war entered its fifth year, saying that the United States can be victorious, but "only if we have the courage and resolve to see it through." Bush again urges U.S. to be patient about Iraq - "As the war in Iraq enters its fifth year, President Bush called anew for patience as beefed-up U.S. forces try to secure Baghdad. But the president faced increasing difficulty on Capitol Hill, where a proposal to set a timeline for withdrawing U.S. forces is gaining momentum." A call for patience, resolve - "President Bush, confronting congressional demands for timelines to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq, began the fifth year of the war seeking from wary Americans what he has sought many times before: patience." War Bill Includes Tempting Projects - "House Democratic leaders are offering billions in federal funds for lawmakers' pet projects large and small to secure enough votes this week to pass an Iraq funding bill that would end the war next year."
Iraq-poll of Iraqi opinion. Democracy's support sinks - "Four years after the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, the once-strong support among Iraqis for building a unified and democratic nation has eroded in the face of increasing violence and sectarian strife." Iraq's fault lines easily traced in opinions on its plight, fate - "The idea of dividing Iraq into more independent regions or even separate states - one dominated by Shiite Arabs, another by Sunni Arabs and a third by Kurds - has been debated by policymakers and rejected by the White House." Poll Shows Dramatic Decline in How Iraqis View Lives, Future - "More than six in 10 Iraqis now say that their lives are going badly -- double the percentage who said so in late 2005 -- and about half say that increasing U.S. forces in the country will make the security situation worse, according to a poll of more than 2,200 Iraqis conducted for ABC News and other media organizations." DOCUMENTS: Complete poll(.pdf document)
Iraq anniversary-vi
gils. On 4th Anniversary of War, a Day of Vigils and Protests - "Opponents of the war in Iraq and people paying tribute to Americans and Iraqis who have died in the conflict gathered across the country in cities large and small on the fourth anniversary of the start of the war. More than 37,000 people in all 50 states took part in some 1,188 vigils, according to the grass-roots organization MoveOn.org." Fake dead, blood make argument against war - "On the fourth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, there were modest anti-war demonstrations in cities from coast to coast. Statements large and small were made across the Chicago area…. At [Rahm] Emanuel's office on Irving Park Road, the non-profit Christian Peacemaker Teams staged an act of civil disobedience against the war that ended with three arrests for misdemeanor criminal trespass."
Iran. Russia Gives Iran Ultimatum on Enrichment- "Russia has informed Iran that it will withhold nuclear fuel for Iran's nearly completed Bushehr power plant unless Iran suspends its uranium enrichment as demanded by the United Nations Security Council," Iranian leader gets visa to address U.N. - "The United States has approved a visa so that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad can address the United Nations Security Council before it votes on additional sanctions over his country's nuclear program, the State Department said."
Immigration. As immigration raids rise, human toll decried - "When Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents raided a meatpacking plant in Marshalltown, Iowa, on Dec. 16, arresting 99 workers who could not prove they were in the country legally, then-governor Tom Vilsack was livid." G.O.P. Candidates Confront Immigration Politics Immigration - "an issue that has divided Republicans in Washington, is reverberating across the party's presidential campaign field, causing particular complications for Senator John McCain of Arizona."
Darfur. Darfur crisis has activist 'angry all the time' - "Slaughter in Sudan has consumed Massachusetts man. He is frustrated that more isn't being done and urges outside intervention to stop rampant suffering."
Episcopal church. Money Looms in Episcopalian Rift With Anglicans- "As lead
ers of the Anglican Communion hold meeting after meeting to debate severing ties with the Episcopal Church in the United States for consecrating an openly gay bishop, one of the unspoken complications is just who has been paying the bills. The truth is, the Episcopal Church bankrolls much of the Communion's operations."
Climate change. Material Shows Weakening of Climate Reports - "A House committee released documents Monday that showed hundreds of instances in which a White House official who was previously an oil industry lobbyist edited government climate reports to play up uncertainty of a human role in global warming or play down evidence of such a role." Congressional hearing heats up over changes to climate reports - "Government scientists, armed with copies of heavily edited reports, charged Monday that the Bush administration and its political appointees had soft-pedaled their findings on climate change." Bush appointees 'watered down greenhouse science' - "The Bush administration ran a systematic campaign to play down the dangers of climate change, demanding hundreds of politically motivated changes to scientific reports and muzzling a pre-eminent expert on global warming, Congress was told yesterday."
History. Communist Party USA Gives Its History to N.Y.U.- "The cache contains decades of party history including founding documents, secret code words, stacks of personal letters, smuggled directives from Moscow, Lenin buttons, photographs and stern commands about how good party members should behave (no charity work, for instance, to distract them from their revolutionary duties). By offering such an inside view, the archives have the potential to revise assumptions on both the left and the right about one of the most contentious subjects in American history, in addition to filling out the story of progressive politics, the labor movement and the civil rights struggles."
Op-Eds.
Morning in America (E.J. Dionne, Washington Post) - "To understand how much the Iraq war has transformed the way most Americans think about foreign policy, consider what passed for shrewd analysis four years ago. The words on the "in" list included "unilateral," "bold," "robust," "transformative" and "sole remaining superpower." The words on the "out" list included "multilateral," "nuance," "patience," "diplomacy," "allies," "history" and "prudence." Today, the "in" and "out" lists would be almost exactly reversed."
Monday, March 19, 2007
On Friday, I shared a preview of my speech for the Christian Peace Witness for Iraq. Here is the full text of my message at the National Cathedral, where I and other religious leaders spoke to a capacity crowd before processing to the White House.+ Dowload audio of the speech (mp3) Four years ago today, my son Jack was born – two days before the war began. I always know how long this awful war has gone on.
The war in Iraq is personal for me. It’s personal for you too, or you wouldn’t be here tonight. It’s personal for the families and loved ones of the more than 3,200 American soldiers who have lost the precious gift of life. The stories I hear every day on the radio and TV break my heart. They are so young to die, and it is so unnecessary. When I look at my son and celebrate his birthday, I think of all the children whose fathers or mothers won’t be coming back from the war to celebrate theirs. It’s personal for the tens of thousands of service men and women who have lost their limbs or their mental and emotional health, and who now feel abandoned and mistreated. It’s personal for all the Iraqis who have lost their loved ones, as many as hundreds of thousands. What would it be like to wait in line at morgues to check dead bodies, desperately hoping that you don’t recognize someone you love? I can only imagine. And when I look at my son, I think of all the Iraqi children who will never celebrate another birthday. This isn’t just political; it’s personal for millions of us now. And for all of us here tonight, the war in Iraq is actually more than personal – it has become a matter of faith. By our deepest convictions about Christian standards and teaching, the war in Iraq was not just a well-intended mistake or only mismanaged. This war, from a Christian point of view, is morally wrong – and was from the very start. It cannot be justified with either the teaching of Jesus Christ or the criteria of St. Augustine’s just war. It simply doesn’t pass either test, and did not from its beginning. This war is not just an offense against the young Americans who have made the ultimate sacrifice or the Iraqis who have paid such a horrible price. This war is not only an offense to the poor at home and around the world who have paid the price of misdirected resources and priorities – this war is also an offense against God. And so we are here tonight, very simply and resolutely, to begin to end the war in Iraq – not by anger, though we are angry; not just by politics, though it will take political courage; but by faith, because we are people of faith. This service and procession are not just another political protest, but an act of faith, an act of prayer, an act of non-violent witness. Politics led us into this war, and politics is unlikely to save us by itself. The American people have voted against the war in Iraq, but political proposals keep failing one after the other. I believe it will take faith to end this war. It will take prayer to end it. It will take a mobilization of the faith community to end it – to change the political climate, to change the wind. It will take a revolution of love to end it, because this endless war in Iraq is based ultimately on fear, and Jesus says that only perfect love will cast out fear. So tonight we say, as people of faith, as followers of Jesus, that the deep fear that has paralyzed the conscience of this nation, which has caused us to become the kind of people that we are not called to be, that has allowed us to tolerate violations of our most basic values, and that has perpetuated an endless cycle of violence and counter-violence must be exorcised as th
e demon it is – this fear must be cast out! And to cast out that fear, we must act in faith, in prayer, in love, and in hope – so we might help to heal the fears that keep this war going. Tonight we march not in belligerence, or to attack individuals (even those leaders directly responsible for the war), or to use human suffering for partisan political purposes. Rather, we process to the White House tonight as an act of faith, believing that only faith can save us now. Ironically, this war has often been cloaked in the name and symbols of our faith, confused American imperial designs with God’s purposes, and tragically discredited Christian faith around the world, having so tied it to flawed American behavior and agendas. Millions of people around the world sadly believe this is a Christian war. So as people of faith, let us say tonight to our brothers and sisters around the world, and as clearly as we can – America is not the hope of the earth and the light of the world, Jesus Christ is! And it is his way that we follow, and not the flawed path of our nation’s leaders who prosecute this war. As an evangelical Christian, I must say that the war in Iraq has hindered the cause of Christ and, in this season of Lent, we must repent of this war! So let us march tonight, believing that faith is stronger than fear; Let us march tonight, believing that hope is stronger than hate; Let us march tonight, believing that perfect love can cast out both hate and fear. And let us march tonight, believing that the peace of Christ is stronger than the ways of war; Let us march tonight, to say to a nation still captive to fear but weary of war, "May the peace of Christ be with you!" Let’s march tonight, as Dr. Martin Luther King told us in another magnificent house of worship 40 years ago this spring, to "rededicate ourselves to the long and bitter-but beautiful-struggle for a new world." And then let us return to our homes from the 48 states represented here tonight and generate a flood of public pressure that can wash away the blind intransigence of our White House and the cautious procrastination of our divided Congress. Your letters, phone calls, lobby visits, and actions at home will put a megaphone behind the sound of your feet today. And all of this must be wrapped in the power of prayer. Because we believe that God can still work miracles in and through our prayers – and that prayer followed by action can turn valleys of despair into mountains of hope. God has acted before in history and we believe that God will act again through us. Tonight we leave this Cathedral humbly hoping to be God’s instruments of peace and the earthly agents of the kingdom of God. It sometimes appears that the light of peace has almost gone out in America, but tonight we re-light the candle and take the light of peace to the White House! Tonight, by faith, we begin to end the war in Iraq! The peace of Christ be with you!
Look for more coverage soon, but here's a first look at Friday night's Christian Peace Witness for Iraq in Washington, D.C., as marchers flooded 16th Street on their way to the White House: 
photo by Ryan Beiler
the latest reports on the Christian Peace Witness for Iraq, the Iraq war, Iran, the U.S. military, immigration, North Korea, nuclear weapons, federal prosecutors, the Supreme Court, global warming, anti-war Evangelicals, and select editorials Sign up to receive our daily news summary via e-mail »Full news summary:
Christian Peace Witness for Iraq. Christians gather in Washington, D.C. for protest against Iraq war - "Thousands of Christians prayed for peace at an anti-war service Friday night at the Washington National Cathedral, kicking off a weekend of protests aroundthe country to mark the fourth anniversary of the war in Iraq. Afterward, participants marched with battery-operated faux candles through snow and wind toward the White House, where police began arresting protesters shortly before midnight. Rousing, Emotional Start for War Protest - "Dozens of demonstrators, many of them Christian peace activists, were arrested outside the White House late last night and early this morning as part of a protest against the war in Iraq. … The protesters were part of a larger group that had assembled at the Washington National Cathedral for a service on the fourth anniversary of the start of the war. From the service, demonstrators marched through the wind, cold and dampness to the White House."
Iraq-protests. In March, Protesters Recall War Anniversaries- "Thousands of demonstrators marched to the Pentagon on Saturday to mark both the fourth anniversary of the American invasion of Iraq and the 40th anniversary of the march along the same route to protest the Vietnam War. 4 Years After Start of War, Anger Reigns - "Thousands of demonstrators protesting the fourth anniversary of the war in Iraq marched on the Pentagon, jeered along the way by large numbers of angry counter-protesters." War Protests Mark Invasion Anniversary - "For a second consecutive day, thousands of protesters flowed through the streets of several cities Sunday to call for an end to the funding of the Iraq war or the immediate return of U.S. troops." Antiwar activists march in D.C. - "They started turning out before daybreak in the bitter cold. The antiwar demonstrators amassed on the north side of the Lincoln Memorial chanting demands for peace now. The counterprotesters, fewer in number but no less vocal, gathered on the east side of the Vietnam Wall and shouted political taunts."
Iraq-war. 7 troops die in Iraq, 4 on sin
gle patrol - "The casualties bring the U.S. military toll to 3,218 - U.S. military officials announced the deaths of seven American troops Sunday, and at least seven Iraqis were killed and 26 injured in a car bombing, as the fourth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq neared." Additional Support Troops Join Buildup in Iraq - "Thousands of additional U.S. military support troops are flowing into Iraq to bolster the increase of 21,500 combat troops ordered by President Bush in January, bringing the total to about 28,700." Sunni Militants Disrupt Plan to Calm Baghdad - "when President Bush announced his plans to reinforce American troops in Baghdad, Shiite militias were seen as the main worry. … Instead, during the early weeks of the operation, deadly bombings by Sunni Arab militants have emerged as a greater danger."
Iran. Iran Is Playing a Growing Role in Iraq Economy- "The economies of Iraq and Iran, the largest Shiite-majority countries in the world, are becoming closely integrated, with Iranian goods flooding Iraqi markets and Iraqi cities looking to Iran for basic services." Iran's President Vows to Keep Nuclear Project- "President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vowed that Iran would never dismantle its nuclear program, even in the face of toughened sanctions from the United Nations Security Council."
Military. Military Is Ill-Prepared For Other Conflicts - "Four years after the invasion of Iraq, the high and growing demand for U.S. troops there and in Afghanistan has left ground forces in the United States short of the training, personnel and equipment that would be vital to fight a major ground conflict elsewhere," In terrorism fight, diplomacy gets shortchanged - "In recent years, the Pentagon has received a larger share of the counter-terrorism budget, whereas "indirect action" programs to win the campaign through diplomacy and other nonmilitary means have struggled for funding and attention,"
Immigration. McConnell eyes 'bipartisan' illegals bill - "Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says Republicans are trying to craft a "bipartisan solution" to illegal immigration -- generating concern among party members who consider President Bush's goal to be amnesty." Immigration Raid Rips Families - "During her two years working in a garment factory alongside hundreds of other immigrants, there were few assurances in Marta Escoto's uncertain life. One of them was the promise she made to her children -- I will always take care of you. It was a promise she was unable to keep this mo
nth. Escoto and at least 360 other illegal immigrants were taken into custody here March 6 after a raid by federal agents on the Michael Bianco Inc. factory" Churches revive sanctuary crusade for illegal aliens - "Churches in a small number of U.S. cities are preparing to start a "sanctuary" movement to help illegal aliens avoid deportation and unite faith-based groups in a push for immigration reform."
North Korea. US releases frozen N Korea funds - "Nuclear disarmament talks resumed in Beijing after the US resolved a financial dispute by agreeing to release frozen North Korean funds." U.S. and North Korea End Frozen-Funds Impasse- "The United States and North Korea have resolved a standoff over North Korean funds frozen in a Macao bank, clearing the way for talks to focus on putting in place a nuclear disarmament accord,"
Nuclear weapons. Bush Urged to Develop Overall Nuclear Arms Policy - "A prestigious scientific committee made up of retired nuclear weapons lab directors and former Defense and Energy department officials is recommending that, before the United States moves ahead on the development of new nuclear warheads, the Bush administration should develop a bipartisan policy regarding the size of the future stockpile, testing and nonproliferation."
Federal prosecutors. Senator Insists Bush Aides Testify Publicly- "The Democratic senator leading the inquiry into the dismissal of federal prosecutors insisted Sunday that Karl Rove and other top aides to President Bush must testify publicly and under oath, setting up a confrontation between Congress and the White House, which has said it is unlikely to agree to such a demand." Attorney firing inquiry reaches impasse - "Congressional Democrats and the Bush administration hit an impasse in the probe into the firing of eight U.S. attorneys, with White House officials delaying decisions to turn over documents or allow officials to testify and the House Judiciary Committee threatening subpoenas to force them to comply."
Supreme Court. Free-Speech Case Divides Bush and Religious Right- "A Supreme Court case about the free-speech rights of high school students, to be argued on Monday, has opened an unexpected fissure between the Bush administration and its usual allies on the religious right."
Global warming. Early critic of warming steps up activist role - "The Dartmouth College crowd filled one auditorium on a cold afternoon this month, and spilled into a second with a big screen. The draw was Bill McKibben, one
of the country's leading environmental writers and activists, who was talking about the perils of global warming."
Evangelicals against war. Evangelicals: Against abortion, and now war - "No polling data conclusively demonstrate that opinion among the broad national base of conservative evangelicals has shifted. But some prominent national evangelical leaders say that debate about -- and, in some cases, outright opposition to -- the war is breaking out among Christian conservatives whose support was key to President Bush's election victories."
Op-Ed. A more humane immigration policy (Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley, Boston Globe) - "Whenever there is a human tragedy resulting from deeply flawed public policy, as we saw in the immigration raid last week in New Bedford, the immediate response is to seek out the villains."
Editorials.
Boston Globe - Light on the Darfur darkness - "Future generations will not easily forgive the governments and international bodies that have allowed the genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan to continue uninterrupted and unpunished year after year. So a report this week prepared for the United Nations Human Rights Council by a "High-Level Mission on the Situation of Human Rights in Darfur" should be welcome as a beam of bright light pointed into this 21st-century heart of darkness."
Los Angeles Times - Smarter sanctions against Iran - "Economic sanctions have a bad reputation. That's unfortunate, because the kind of sanctions the United States is proposing for Iran are more effective and more humane than sanctions used to be. They also happen to be more realistic than any of the other options regarding Tehran."
Washington Post - Hypocrisy on Immigration- "The hypocrisyof U.S. immigration law was on lurid display last week in a raid on a defense contractor in New England. Accompanied by dogs and a helicopter swooping overhead, hundreds of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents charged into Michael Bianco Inc., a leather-goods factory in New Bedford, Mass., that makes backpacks, ammunition pouches and other gear for GIs."
Peace demands the most heroic labor and the most difficult sacrifice. It demands greater heroism than war. It demands greater fidelity to the truth and a much more perfect purity of conscience. - Thomas Merton, from "Thomas Merton on Peace" + Sign up to receive our quote of the day via e-mail
Friday, March 16, 2007
Several thousand Christians from around the country will gather at the Washington National Cathedral this evening for a Christian Peace Witness for Iraq worship service, followed by a candlelight procession to the White House. This is an excerpt from the talk I will give this evening. We’ll have the full text and coverage of the event next week.For all of us here tonight, the war in Iraq has become a matter of faith. By our deepest convictions about Christian standards and teaching, the war in Iraq was not just a well-intended mistake or only mismanaged. THIS WAR, FROM A CHRISTIAN POINT OF VIEW, IS MORALLY WRONG - AND WAS FROM THE VERY START. It cannot be justified with either the teachings of Jesus Christ OR the criteria of St. Augustine’s just war. It simply doesn’t pass either test and did not from its beginning. This war is not just an offense against the young Americans who have made the ultimate sacrifice or to the Iraqis who have paid such a horrible price. This war is not only an offense to the poor at home and around the world who have paid the price of misdirected resources and priorities. This war is also an offense against God. And so we are here tonight, very simply and resolutely, to begin to end the war in Iraq. But not by anger, though we are angry, and not just by politics, though it will take political courage. But by faith, because we are people of faith. This service and procession are not just another political protest but an act of faith, an act of prayer, an act of nonviolent witness. Politics led us into this war, and politics is unlikely to save us by itself. The American people have voted against the war in Iraq but political proposals keep failing, one after the other. I believe it will take faith to end this war. It will take prayer to end it. It will take a mobilization of the faith community to end it - to change the political climate, to change the wind. It will take a revolution of love to end it. Because this endless war in Iraq is based ultimately on fear, and Jesus says that only perfect love will cast out fear. So tonight we say, as people of faith, as followers of Jesus, that the deep fear that has paralyzed the conscience of this nation, that has caused us to become the kind of people that we are not called to be, that has allowed us to tolerate violations of our most basic values, and that has perpetuated an endless cycle of violence and counter-violence must be exorcised as the demon it is - THIS FEAR MUST BE CAST OUT! And to cast out that fear, we must act in faith, in prayer, in love, and in hope - so we might help to heal the fears that keep this war going. Tonight we march not in belligerence, or to attack individuals - even those leaders directly responsible for the war - or to use human suffering for partisan political purposes. Rather, we process to the White House tonight as an act of faith, believing that only faith can save us now.
It is not scientific doubt, not atheism, not pantheism, not agnosticism, that in our day and in this land is likely to quench the light of the gospel. It is a proud, sensuous, selfish, luxurious, church-going, hollow-hearted prosperity. - Frederic D. Huntington, in Forum magazine, 1890+ Sign up to receive our quote of the day via e-mail
the latest reports on Iraq and Congress, antiwar protests, Iran, the Mideast, presidential politics and marriage, U.K. churches and the MDGs, and E.J Dionne on "Christians Who Won't Toe the Line" Sign up to receive our daily news summary via e-mail »Full news summary:
Iraq-Congress. Senate Rejects Democrats' Call to Pull Troops- "The Senate on Thursday rejected a Democratic resolution to withdraw most American combat troops from Iraq in 2008, but a similar measure advanced in the House, and Democratic leaders vowed to keep challenging President Bush to change course in Iraq." Senate rejects Iraq withdrawal measure - "In an ominous sign for the Democratic legislative campaign to end the war in Iraq, the Senate on rejected a resolution that would have required President Bush to begin withdrawing U.S. combat troops within 120 days after it was enacted." House Panel Approves Bill To Fund War, Set Timeline - "Democratic legislation to set timelines for the removal of troops from Iraq headed for a showdown on the House floor next week after the Appropriations Committee approved a $124 billion war funding bill yesterday that would end the U.S. role in the conflict by next year."
Iraq-antiwar. Christian Groups To Stage Protest- "Several thousand Christian peace activists plan to march on the White House tonight to demonstrate their opposition to the war in Iraq, organizers said yesterday. The march, which is unrelated to tomorrow's antiwar rally at the Pentagon, will be preceded by a 7 p.m. service at the National Cathedral," Once More to the Pentagon - "Tomorrow, according to organizers, tens of thousands of demonstrators protesting the war in Iraq will march on the Pentagon in what they are billing as "the 40th anniversary of the historic 1967 march to the Pentagon."
Iraq-war. For U.S. and Sadr, Wary Cooperation - "U.S. troops are conducting security sweeps in the Shiite stronghold of Sadr City for the first time in three years, part of a revamped plan to pacify the capital. Yet the Mahdi Army militia of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has not risen up to fight them," Attack on Sadr City Mayor Hinders Antimilitia Effort - "Gunmen ambushed a convoy on Thursday that was carrying the mayor of the sprawling Shiite area known as Sadr City, seriously wounding him and complicating American efforts to rein in a powerful Shiite militia there." General seeks another brigade in Iraq - "The top US commander in Iraq has requested another Army brigade, in addition to five already on the way, as part of the controversial "surge" of American troops designed to clamp down on sectarian violence and insurgent groups, senior Pentagon officials said yesterday."
Iran. 6 Powers Agree on Sanctions For Iran - "The U.N. Security Council's five major powers and Germany have agreed in principle to ban all Iranian arms exports and freeze the financial assets of 28 Iranian officials and institutions," U.N. Council Gets New Draft Decree on Iran Nuclear Sanctions - "The Security Council received on Thursday a draft of a new resolution to impose sanctions on Iran for its defiance of demands that it suspend its nuclear enrichment activities and return to negotiations over its nuclear program." U.N. weighs ban on Iranian arms exports - "The draft resolution also calls on governments and financial institutions to not offer Iran financial assistance, except for humanitarian and developmental purposes," Russia joins west in turning sanctions screw on Iran - "Russia joined the west in stepping up the pressure on Iran yesterday over its suspect nuclear programme by agreeing to tighten UN sanctions on the Islamic regime, a day after announcing a delay in the supply of nuclear fuel to it." Cleric hits Ahmadinejad for making enemies - "A leading cleric and close associate of the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini has joined critics of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is coming under increasing criticism from Iran's political and religious authorities."
Mideast. Unity Cabinet Offered By Palestinian Premier - "Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas presented a unity government Thursday that for the first time since the Islamic movement took power almost a year ago includes rival political parties" Hamas-Fatah Coalition Misses West's Goals - "But the political document guiding the new government does not fulfill the international community's three demands - to recognize Israel, forswear violence and accept previous Israeli-Palestinian agreements - and Israel announced that it would therefore not deal with the new government or any of its ministers,"
Presidential politics and marriage. Till divorce do us part: Evangelicals wary of GOP marriage record - "When Southern Baptist public policy guru Richard Land sizes up the Republican presidential pack and factors in whether a candidate has been divorced, he thinks of marr
iage mathematics, not just morals. … "For Land and other conservative religious leaders, the checkered marital histories of GOP candidates could be an important factor. While divorce may not be a deal-breaker -- it could be, depending on how many, and for what reasons."
UK churches campaign for MDGs. 'Spend Money on Poverty, Not Arms,' says World Vision Chief - "The Head of World Vision[UK] has called on the UK Government to spend money on fulfilling its promises to the poor instead of replacing its nuclear weapons system during the launch of a new Christian campaign to halve absolute poverty around the world. … The campaign, run by the Micah Challenge coalition of churches and Christian charities, will put pressure on the Government and the international community to look at their progress on the MDGs so far and commit to greater action so that extreme poverty and hunger really are halved for the world's poor by 2015."
Op-Ed. Christians Who Won't Toe the Line (E.J. Dionne, Jr., Washington Post) - "Evangelical Protestantism in the United States is going through a New Reformation that is disentangling a great religious movement from a partisan political machine. This historic change will require liberals and conservatives alike to abandon their sometimes narrow views of who evangelicals are."
Thursday, March 15, 2007
 The struggle against torture and cruel treatment of prisoners by the U.S. received a major boost this week. In its recently concluded meeting, the National Association of Evangelicals board of directors last weekend endorsed an important new statement - An Evangelical Declaration Against Torture: Human Rights in an Age of Terror. The statement begins: From a Christian perspective, every human life is sacred. As evangelical Christians, recognition of this transcendent moral dignity is non-negotiable in every area of life, including our assessment of public policies. This commitment has been tested in the war on terror, as a public debate has occurred over the moral legitimacy of torture and of cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment of detainees held by our nation in the current conflict. We write this declaration to affirm our support for detainee human rights and our opposition to any resort to torture. Then follow sections on the scriptural grounding, human rights, the ethical implications of human rights, and international law and treaties regarding human rights. The statement was drafted by a group of evangelical ethicists, theologians, and pastors, and is carefully researched and coherently argued. Its conclusion is four fundamental declarations: (a) We renounce the use of torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment by any branch of our government (or any other government)—even in the current circumstance of a war between the United States and various radical terrorist groups. (b) We call for the extension of basic human rights and procedural protections to all persons held in United States custody now or in the future, wherever and by whomever they are held. (c) We call for every agency of the United States government to join with the United States military and to state publicly its commitment to the terms of the Geneva Conventions related to the treatment of prisoners, especially Common Article 3. (d) We call for the legislative or judicial reversal of those executive and legislative provisions that violate the moral and legal standards articulated in this declaration.
A new Web site has been launched, Evangelicals for Human Rights. It seeks to “to reaffirm the centrality of human rights as an unshakable biblical obligation fundamental to an evangelical Christian social and moral vision.” The site provides resources for churches and organizations, current legislation on torture, and news developments. An Associated Press story on the statement was titled, Evangelicals Condemn Torture. I urge you to read the declaration and add your name.
The identifying of gifts brings to the fore [a] large issue in our lives - the issue of commitment. Somehow if I name my gift and it is confirmed, I cannot "hang loose" in the same way. I would much rather be committed to God in the abstract than be committed to [God] at the point of my gifts. - Elizabeth O'Connorfrom "Eighth Day of Creation"+ Sign up to receive our quote of the day via e-mail
When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, "Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?" Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me." - Matthew 11:1-6 + Sign up to receive our social justice verse of the day via e-mail
the latest reports on Al Qaeda, Iraq and Congress, Iraq and the military, evangelicals against war, immigration, Darfur, British nuclear weapons, health insurance, education, presidential politics, and "Reports of the GOP's Death..." Sign up to receive our daily news summary via e-mail »Full news summary:
Al Qaeda. Alleged Architect Of 9/11 Confesses To Many Attacks - "Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, confessed at a Guantanamo Bay military hearing that he planned and funded that al-Qaeda operation and said he was involved in more than two dozen other terrorist acts around the world," Suspected Leader of Attacks on 9/11 Is Said to Confess- "In a rambling statement, Mr. Mohammed, a chief aide to Osama bin Laden, said his actions were part of a military campaign. "I'm not happy that 3,000 been killed in America," he said in broken English. "I feel sorry even. I don't like to kill children and the kids." He added, "The language of war is victims."
Iraq-Congress. Democrats' Resolution on Iraq Reaches Senate Floor - "After weeks of delay, Democratic leaders managed to bring to the Senate floor for the first time a binding resolution that would bring U.S. troops home from Iraq. But Republicans remained confident that they could kill the proposal, and the White House threatened a veto," Battle in Senate stalls debate on Iraq war - "The Senate, stalled for weeks over how to take on the president's war strategy, failed again Wednesday to begin formal debate of the issue as Republicans and Democrats sparred over what exactly lawmakers would consider." Democrats' Measure for Iraq Pullout in 2008 Nears Senate Vote; White House Threatens Veto- "In the face of determined opposition from the Bush administration, the Senate began an impassioned debate over an exit strategy from Iraq, headed toward a vote on a Democratic resolution aimed at a pullout of American combat troops in 2008." Their antiwar cries are no longer in the wilderness. - "like slightly eccentric relatives at a family reunion, Reps. Lee, Woolsey and Waters were rarely invited to sit at the head table in Washington. Until now. The three California Democrats - who have been waging a passionate, four-year campaign to end the war in Iraq - find themselves in the mainstream as Congress begins debate today on a crucial war spending bill. And the group they lead, the more than 80-member Out of Iraq Caucus, controls the fate of the most important war vote since the 2003 invasion."
Iraq-military. Violence Down in Baghdad
- "U.S. and Iraqi officials said Wednesday that the month-old Baghdad security plan has reduced the level of violence in the capital, but they cautioned that the security situation in Baghdad and elsewhere in Iraq remains unstable." Iraqis point to success; U.S. reaction cautious - "Iraqi officials touted the successes of the Baghdad crackdown, seen as a last-ditch attempt to tame sectarian violence, by noting that civilian casualties had dropped sharply in the first month of the plan." Iraqis' Progress Lags Behind Pace Set by Bush Plan- "The Bush administration, which six months ago issued a series of political goals for the Iraqi government to meet by this month, is now tacitly acknowledging that the goals will take significantly longer to achieve." Iraqi forces backslide on lead role - "Iraqi forces began taking a back seat in combat operations in Iraq last autumn, even before President Bush started deploying 21,500 more troops chiefly to spearhead a security crackdown in Baghdad, according to a new Pentagon report."
Christian Peacemakers mark anniversary of death of Iraq hostage - "Christian peacemakers in Hebron have held a memorial service to mark the first anniversary of the death of Iraq hostage Tom Fox."
Evangelicals against war. Evangelicals: Against abortion, and now war - "No polling data conclusively demonstrate that opinion among the broad national base of conservative evangelicals has shifted. But some prominent national evangelical leaders say that debate about -- and, in some cases, outright opposition to -- the war is breaking out among Christian conservatives whose support was key to President Bush's election victories."
Immigration. Bush promises a compromise on immigration - "President Bush wrapped up his Latin American tour with a pledge to Mexican President Felipe Calderon that he would seek an accord that straddles the middle ground between amnesty to illegal residents and booting out more than 12 million people." Bush 'optimistic' on immigration reform - "President Bush said yesterday he has proved his commitment to securing the U.S.-Mexico border and members of Congress now can turn to broad immigration overhaul." Border states protest plan to cut funds for immigrant care - "A proposal to divert funds from a federal program that reimburses hospitals for the cost of treating illegal immigrants has angered lawmakers in California and other border states."
Sudan-Darfur. U.S. seeks U.N. sanctions on Sudan - "The United States yesterday called for U.N. sanctions on Sudan and threatened to impose new unilateral penalties in response to Khartoum's decision to back away from an agreement to allow a U.N.-led peacekeeping force into Darfur." Bush and Blair threaten new Sudan sanctions - "Sudan was confronted with the prospect of stiffer sanctions over its failure to allow UN peacekeepers in Darfur, after Tony Blair threatened tougher action and a top US official warned of measures targeting the country's economic interests."
British nuclear weapons. PM gets missile despite rebellion - "Labour's historic divisions over nuclear weapons came back to haunt Tony Blair yesterday when 95 Labour backbench MPs rejected his plans to commence the £20bn renewal of the Trident nuclear submarine system. The scale of the rebellion, the largest on a domestic issue since 1997, forced the government to rely on the support of the Conservatives to win the vote." Blair Wins Vote to Renew Atom Arsenal - "the vote raised a broader issue for some in Parliament, and outside, who questioned how Britain could press for nuclear nonproliferation, particularly in Iran and North Korea, if it was planning to spend $40 billion to create a new generation of nuclear submarines to carry American-supplied Trident missiles."
Health insurance. Who's uninsured in 2007? - "For the first time in more than a decade, the debate over how to provide health care for the uninsured is moving back to center stage in Washington and many state capitals."
Education. Dozens in GOP Turn Against Bush's Prized 'No Child' Act - "More than 50 GOP members of the House and Senate -- including the House's second-ranking Republican -- will introduce legislation today that could severely undercut President Bush's signature domestic achievement, the No Child Left Behind Act, by allowing states to opt out of its testing mandates."
Presidential politics. How the family factor figures in '08 presidential race - "This raises questions about whether candidates' personal lives will matter when voters go to the polls, and if so, how much. For candidates with less-than-picture-perfect personal histories, the answer may well be, it depends."
Op-Ed. Reports of the GOP's Death . . . (By David S. Broder, The Washington Post) - "Months before the first votes are cast in the campaign of 2008, some in the media are conducting last rites for the Republicans. The rush to bury the GOP is as hasty as it is premature."
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
 President Bush is finishing a trip to Latin America - a trip that the White House has billed as advancing "the cause of social justice in Latin America." From the rhetoric, you'd think that the president has finally recognized that poverty and inequality are the central issues in Latin America; that it is not free trade that we should be concerned about, nor Hugo Chavez, nor coca eradication, but rather the poverty that has persisted through more than a decade of "Washington Consensus" economic policies. These economic policies, promoted by successive U.S. administrations, and by the World Bank and other lending institutions, focused on expanding markets, reducing the role of the state in the economy, encouraging exports, and opening Latin American economies to U.S. imports. Unfortunately, these policies have had almost no impact on poverty or the unequal distribution of wealth. Latin American social movements, and governments throughout the region, have rejected these policies and have begun to explore other approaches. Their ideas vary - from the modest reforms of Michelle Bachelet in Chile to the "21st Century Socialism” of Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez - but all these parties and social movements are trying to find new ways to address the problems of poverty and inequality. Concerned that the region is turning away from the United States, the president has now jumped on the bandwagon, at least rhetorically. But there's less here than meets the eye. The Bush administration hopes to woo the people and governments of Latin America with sweet talk, but with little change in its policies. The president visited Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia, Guatemala, and Mexico with very little to offer to advance social justice. His budget for fiscal year 2008 cut development assistance and child survival and health funds, while maintaining high spending military and security levels for countries like Colombia. He argued that free trade agreements were the best way to reduce poverty. His new initiatives - sending a medical ship to offer some free treatment, providing scholarships for Latin American students - are nice gestures, but don't involve substantial amounts of money. If the United States really wants to rebuild its relationship with Latin America, it will have to take some serious steps to address Latin America's real problems, not just offer old policies in new rhetorical boxes. Geoff Thale is program director and senior associate for Cuba and Central America for the Washington Office on Latin America.
The latest news on children's health insureance, envangelicals for human rights, attorney general, Iraq, President in Latin America, climate change, Pope and non-negotiables, immigration, fair trade and select Op-Eds. Sign up to receive our daily news summary via e-mail »Full news summary:
Attorney General. Gonzales admits `mistakes made' - "In a widening storm over the firings of top federal prosecutors, Atty. Gen. Alberto Gonzales admitted that "mistakes were made" and promised accountability, but pleaded ignorance of the details of the dismissals of eight U.S. attorneys." 'Mistakes' Made on Prosecutors, Gonzales Says- "Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales insisted that he would not resign, but said, "I acknowledge that mistakes were made here." White House Crises Show New Accountability - "As President Bush toured ancient Mayan ruins and exchanged toasts with the new Mexican president, his aides furiously worked the telephones back to Washington. Another administration official was out, and the attorney general was deflecting calls for his own ouster as well."
Iraq-Congress. Congress Gears Up for Debate on Getting U.S. Out of Iraq- "The Senate will begin debate Wednesday on a Democratic resolution calling for the withdrawal of most American troops from Iraq in 2008, with Republicans saying they are eager to critique and ultimately defeat the Democratic approach to ending the war." Iraq Debate Will Test GOP Senators' Unity - "With the Senate poised for a showdown on Iraq today, Republicans along the campaign trail and on Capitol Hill appear trapped between their loyalty to President Bush and growing fears about the war's impact on the party's political fortunes."
Iraq-military. U.S. deploys more troops to insurgent haven in Iraq - "More than 700 U.S. troops rolled into Diyala in armored vehicles to help quell escalating violence in the Iraqi province that has become a haven for insurgents targeted by the Baghdad security crackdown." The changing complexion of troop 'surge' in Iraq - "In the military, they call it "mission creep." It's a way of describing how a mission expands, typically in small, barely discernible steps. And before anyone knows it, the operation looks much different. So goes President Bush's plan to increase troops in Iraq, according to critics."
Children's health insurance. Senate Bud
get Would Expand Health Care - "Senate Democrats unveiled a spending blueprint yesterday that envisions a massive expansion of the nation's health-insurance program for children," Top Democrats Propose Expanding Health Insurance for Children - "Two of the most influential voices on health policy, Representative John D. Dingell and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, offered a bill to expand the Children's Health Insurance Program, as Democratic leaders in both houses said they would try to triple spending on the program over the next five years."
President in Latin America. Answering Latin Left, Bush Pledges to Help Poor- "In the slums of Brazil, in the impoverished villages of Guatemala and finally here in Mexico, President Bush promised this week to deliver "social justice" to poor and struggling Latin Americans left behind by the global economy."
Evangelicals for Human Rights. Evangelical Group Rebuffs Critics on Right - "The board of the National Association of Evangelicals has rebuffed leaders of the Christian right who had called for the association to silence or dismiss its Washington policy director because of his involvement in the campaign against global warming." Evangelicals Condemn Torture - "The National Association of Evangelicals has endorsed an anti-torture statement saying the United States has crossed "boundaries of what is legally and morally permissible" in its treatment of detainees and war prisoners in the fight against terror." (For the complete statement, see Evangelicals for Human Rights)
Climate change. Renewing a Call to Act Against Climate Change- "Bill McKibben, who was one of the first laymen to warn of global warming, is now the philosopher-impresario of the program of climate-change rallies called Step It Up."
Pope on non-negotiables. Pope stands ground on abortion, gay 'marriage' - "Pope Benedict XVI yesterday set out "nonnegotiable values" as he urged Catholic lawmakers to oppose laws favoring divorce, abortion, homosexual "marriage" and euthanasia."
Sobrino to be silenced. Vatican to punish priest, sources say - "The Vatican is preparing to discipline Father Jon Sobrino, a well-known proponent of liberation theology who worked for decades in El Salvador even as fellow priests were murdered, church sources said Tuesday. Sobrino will be sanctioned for alleged errors in his teachings and writings about the divinity of Jesus."
Immigration. Fro
m Mexico Also, the Message to Bush Is Immigration - "As President Bush tried to mend frayed relations with Mexico, the Mexican president gave him a cool reception on Tuesday, calling on Mr. Bush to live up to his longtime promise to make Mexico a priority and criticizing American plans to build a 700-mile fence along the border." Supporters still committed; immigration bill still stalled - "Seldom has legislation received such high-profile backers from across such a broad ideological spectrum. And seldom has legislation with such powerful backing faced such an uphill battle." Hope seen in White House-GOP immigration talks - "As President Bush uses his Latin American trip to call for an overhaul of U.S. immigration law, GOP lawmakers are working with his administration to draft a proposal that could win enough Republican support to settle the thorny issue."
Fair trade. 'Fair trade' food booming in Britain - "Data show that Britons are avidly buying fair-trade groceries, organic foods, and sustainably farmed produce. Experts speak of a cultural shift in which foodstuffs once considered niche and expensive are now going mainstream."
Op-Ed commentary.
The world stands by while Darfur burns (Jonathan Freedland, Guardian) - "An unprecedented plea from 14 UN humanitarian bodies on behalf of the people of western Sudan has been roundly ignored."
The political right matures (Cal Thomas, Washington Times) - "Conservative Evangelical Christian voters have come a long way in a short time. From their nearly unanimous condemnation of Bill Clinton for his extramarital affairs, a growing number of these "pro-family" voters appear ready to accept several Republican presidential candidates who do not share their ideal of marriage and faith."
A Manifesto For the Next President (David Ignatius, Washington Post)- "Zbigniew Brzezinski has written a new book that might be a foreign policy manifesto for Barack Obama. Its message is that America can recover from what Brzezinski calls the "catastrophic" mistakes of the Bush administration, but only if the next president makes a clean break from those policies and aligns the country with a world in transformation."
Dueling stories define today's politics (Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune) - "These are the days of what I call the "Narrative Primary," a get-to-know-me period in which candidates project to voters their best sides through spellbinding stories of their lives, struggles and epiphanies."
Bush doesn't hear subtlety so well (Ronald Brownstein, Los Angeles Times) - "Through six tumultuous years in the White House, President Bush has demonstrated repeatedly that he responds to force, not argument. If he has the power to implement his ideas, he will, whether or not he has established a consensus for his course."
Bright Sadness is the true message and gift of Lent: ... the sadness of my exile, of the waste I have made of my life; the brightness of God's presence and forgiveness, the joy of the recovered desire for God, the peace of the recovered home. Such is the climate of Lenten worship; such is its first and general impact on my soul. - Alexander Schmemann from "Great Lent"+ Sign up to receive our quote of the day via e-mail
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Last week, a letter from James Dobson and friends to the board of the National Association of Evangelicals challenged NAE vice president Rich Cizik’s efforts on global warming as “dividing and demoralizing,” and shifting “the emphasis away from the great moral issues of our time.” In response, I invited Dobson to a debate on the question, “ What are the great moral issues of our time for evangelical Christians?” and suggested that a major evangelical Christian university should host it. On Saturday, the Los Angeles Times reported on the debate invitation, and this response: “A Focus on the Family vice president, Tom Minnery, said he would be happy to take up that debate. Dobson himself, Minnery said, is busy writing a book on child rearing.” I’m also busy writing a book, but I suggest that when we’re both finished, we hold that debate. My personal invitation to James Dobson still stands. And since he was the primary driving force behind the crucial letter, the conversation should be with him. But let’s change the tone of this from “a debate” to “a conversation.” This is, in fact, the big conversation going on among evangelicals (and Catholics, too) across the nation and around the world. In his letter, Dobson named the “great moral issues” as “the sanctity of human life, the integrity of marriage and the teaching of sexual abstinence and morality to our children.” I said in my last blog that I believe the sanctity of life, the integrity and health of marriages, and the teaching of sexual morality to our children are, indeed, among the “great moral issues of our time. But I believe they are not the only great moral issues.” As many writers have been saying in this blog, the enormous challenges of global poverty, climate change, pandemics that wipe out generations and continents, the trafficking of human beings made in God’s image, and the grotesque violations of human rights, even to the point of genocide, are also among the great moral issues that people of faith must be - and already are - addressing. Just in the last few days, we have already received invitations from six major Christian universities eager to host this conversation between James Dobson and me. But this is bigger than just two people: It’s the conversation we need to have on every Christian campus, in every church, and in public forums around the nation, especially as we approach another election season. So let’s do that together. The board meeting of the National Association of Evangelicals also ended Saturday, and in the words of their own press release: NAE Leaders Advance Broad Agenda with Landmark Document on Human Rights and Torture. The release begins by noting: The board of directors of the National Association of Evangelicals advanced a broad public agenda at its annual meeting this week, endorsing a landmark document on human rights and torture, and reaffirming its "For the Health of the Nation: An Evangelical Call to Public Engagement," first adopted in 2003. Specifically, the board noted it …reaffirmed its support for the landmark "For the Health of the Nation" document unanimously adopted in 2003, commending its "principles of Christian political engagement to our entire community for action." These principles include: (1) We work to p
rotect religious freedom and liberty of conscience; (2) We work to nurture family life and protect children; (3) We work to protect the sanctity of human life and to safeguard its nature; (4) We seek justice and compassion for the poor and vulnerable; (5) We work to protect human rights; (6) We seek peace and work to restrain violence; (7) We labor to protect God's creation.”
The only mention of Rich Cizik, whom the Dobson letter had singled out and called upon the NAE to fire, came with these words in the official NAE press release: Speaking at the annual board banquet, Rev. Richard Cizik, NAE vice president for governmental affairs, quoted evangelical theologian Carl F. H. Henry in his wake up call to evangelicals sixty years ago: ‘The cries of suffering humanity today are many. No evangelicalism which ignores the totality of man's condition dares respond in the name of Christianity.’ The NAE statement went on to say: Speaking of a new generation of evangelicals that has responded to those cries, Cizik said: ‘We root our activism in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ on the cross and are giving it a proper temporal focus by emphasizing all of the principles that are found in the Bible. We come together in a positive way as a family bonded by the love of Christ, not as fractious relatives. We desire to be people known for our passionate commitment to justice and improving the world, and eager to reach across all barriers with love, civility, and care for our fellow human beings.’ I knew Carl F. H. Henry, during my seminary years at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and through many conversations together during our early years of Sojourners. His biblical theology, social conscience, and political balance provided a younger generation with crucial moral guidance. We miss his voice today. But the NAE Board, and its president Leith Anderson, know that a new generation of evangelicals wants that same sound theology and good balance, and believe that Christian moral concerns (and God’s concerns) go beyond only a few issues. Recognizing how their broader agenda is resonating with evangelicals around the world, the NAE announced that at its fall board meeting in Washington, D.C., October 11-12, “the association will host an ‘International Congress on Evangelical Public Engagement,’ drawing prestigious leaders from around the world to meet with American leadership around the principles of the Association's ‘ For the Health of the Nation’ document.” It seems the broader evangelical social agenda has solid support and is moving forward. So, let’s have the big debate; and make it into the kind of deep and necessary conversation among the people of God that it needs to be. And to Jim Dobson I say, let’s finish our books (as a Dad with two young boys I look forward to reading yours on child rearing!), and then agree to a public conversation at the right place and the right time. I look forward to that.
 The reality of Cambodia’s sex trafficking industry was vividly exposed to me one humid afternoon as I sat on a courtroom bench in Phnom Penh. I was sitting with four young girls as their sellers were escorted into the room. Their sellers were their mother, aunt, and grandmother. I didn’t need to understand the language to feel the fear, pain, and devastation that had just filled the room. I didn’t need to hear the words of the lawyer or the judge to understand the full situation. You don’t have to work for a non-governmental organization or visit the red-light district - even the slightly observant tourist eye can see signs of sexual slavery, violence, and abuse. Pick up the city’s thin daily newspaper and you are likely to find another report of abuse, rape, or trafficking. Drive around the block and count the number of “massage parlors” filled with young women and rows of cots. Walk into a seemingly pleasant garden restaurant-bar and pass the “pretty girls” waiting to offer their services after a few drinks. The perpetrators are shamelessly bold, as I experienced one day while using a hotel gym. After making polite conversation with the middle-aged white man on the next treadmill, I found myself in complete shock when he told me, “I come to Cambodia for the girls. They’re good for one thing only.” The organization I work for here, Hagar Cambodia, helps women who have been victims of trafficking, abuse, or rape. Hagar seeks to transform despair into true hope. Hagar is passionate about the recovery and restoration of women and children through a long-term commitment to care and a belief in sustainable economic and work opportunities as an avenue for empowerment, dignity, and hope. On your side of the world you can continue to cry out against this violation of basic human rights. You can advocate, pray, fight, and demand a stop to trafficking and other forms of abuse. On this side of the world are the lives and stories of these women and children. My hope is to build a bridge that connects our two worlds. In Cambodia I use a bag that carries a story of hope, even on days of overwhelming hopelessness. It’s a bag made by the women employed at Hagar Design, and it's the story of how beauty can be made out of brokenness and despair. It represents a journey of transformation that may be long and difficult, but that can be sewn together one piece at a time. Hope is what allows us to rise in the morning and gives us strength to carry on another day, no matter what side of the world we’re on. Elise Elzinga is a former Sojourners intern, and the communications and advocacy coordinator for Hagar Cambodia in Phnom Penh. To read more about Hagar and human trafficking, see “In You I Take Refuge,” by David Batstone, in the March issue of Sojourners magazine.
What God requires of those who call on God's name is responsive servanthood. God wishes to act in and through us, so Christian hope does not relieve men and women of responsibility. We are not primarily responsible for shrewd analysis of problems, for strategic selection of means, for maximizing the chances of success. We are primarily responsible for turning to God, for attempting to know and do God's will. That well may lead us into actions which are not shrewd, strategic, or successful, as the life of Jesus suggests. But as Jesus' life demonstrates, human action which is faithful to God's will can have transforming effect. - Parker Palmer from "The Company of Strangers"+ Sign up to receive our quote of the day via e-mail
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