Lynn v. Sekulow

Barry,

 

I'm surprised you are not applauding the first year record of President Obama's White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.  The White House touts its first year accomplishments and says it has "brought people together across religious lines" and was successful in getting the federal government to partner with faith-based and other nonprofit organizations to "better serve all Americans."  Isn't that what you want, Barry?

 

I find it interesting that even with President Obama at the helm, a recent poll indicates that most Americans - 69% - still support government-funding for faith-based initiatives started under the Bush Administration and say they favor allowing churches and other houses of worship, along with other organizations, to apply for government funding to provide social services such as job training or drug treatment counseling.

It's been one year since Obama announced his version of the faith-based office. Civil rights and civil liberties groups such as Americans United are still fighting Bush-era battles over tax funding to religious groups that proselytize, job discrimination on religious grounds in public programs and lack of accountability.

Please check out a piece I wrote for the Huffington Post about this and offer your thoughts and comments on the Huffington Post Web site.

Yesterday morning, I joined several religious leaders in criticizing The Family for its ties to David Bahati, a Ugandan legislator who is pushing the country's oppressive anti-gay law that calls for the execution of gays and the imprisonment of those who promote homosexuality.

The Family, also known as The Fellowship,  sponsors the National Prayer Breakfast, which attracts the president and a large number of members of Congress each year. I asked President Obama to condemn the Ugandan proposal. (Read more about this on AlterNet.)

I told the crowd that we are no longer shrugging over the National Prayer Breakfast, but now taking a closer look at the group behind it and the alarming agenda that it brings and the consequences it spawns in Uganda and around the world.  A full text of my comments can be found here.

Yesterday's event also included a discussion of an alternative day to the National Day of Prayer called the American Prayer Hour, which will hold inclusive events in 17 cities across the country tomorrow.

Joining me this morning were the Rev. Elder Darlene Garner, a member of the Metropolitan Community Church Board of Elders; the Rev. Harry Knox, director of the Religion and Faith Program for the Human Rights Campaign Fund; Bishop Carlton Pearson, senior interim minister at Christ Universal Temple in Chicago; the Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, Episcopal bishop of New Hampshire; Frank Schaeffer, a former Religious Right leader who now disagrees with the movement, and Moses, a young Ugandan gay man seeking asylum in the United States.

Jay, I would hope you agree that all reasonable people should repudiate The Family and the terrible legislation they have pushed on the citizens of Uganda. Can I count on you to join with us?

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Barry,

 

I agree with you on the fact that most Americans don't like government 'secrecy' and in many respects the vote in Massachusetts clearly reflected a total disgust with the way Washington is operating - especially with health care reform.

 

As you correctly pointed out, this whole health care process has been a nightmare - made worse because of decisions by the President, and Congressional leadership to keep this process under wraps - out of the view of the American people - behind closed doors.

 

Finally, President Obama, still smarting over the stunning loss of Ted Kennedy's Senate seat, has come clean admitting that it was, to use his word, a 'mistake' in failing to be transparent with the American people on health care reform.  

I was over on Capitol Hill the day after the Senate election in Massachusetts. Democrats didn't appear to be in a very good mood. With just a few days distance from the election, I think that there is only one important lesson from it. It is not about Martha Coakley, it is not about President Obama and it is not even about the shape of the health care plans passed in 2009 in each house.

This election ought to be seen as a wake-up call about what used to be one of the most mind-numbing topics in America: the process of legislating. Time magazine's Karen Tumulty nailed it on CNN when she reported that the people she was interviewing didn't like the manner in which the health care bills were crafted.  In other words, people don't like government secrecy and they like it less if, emerging from the shadows, it looks like the bill has been encrusted with special favors. Congress may not be able to broadcast every negotiating session (since a lot of work gets done through chats on the subway that runs from the Capitol to the Congressional office buildings).  However, if you refuse to allow coverage of much of anything that matters in negotiations, you will give the appearance of hiding everything that matters -- whether that is true or not.

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