Dan Walters, veteran columnist for the Sacramento Bee, nails the absurdity (click on lead and sign in for free) of going after an Episcopal Church in Pasadena for an anti-war sermon during the 2004 presidential campaign. The sermon, a mock debate among Jesus, President Bush, and Senator Kerry about the morality of the Iraq war, has led the IRS to threaten to revoke the tax-exempt status of All Saints Episcopal,and, most recently to serve summonses on the church demanding all 2004 "political" documents and an appearance by the Rector. Walters' main point is that
As long as churches aren't spending tax-exempt funds on behalf of specific candidates, the IRS should leave verbal exhortations alone...
People on DailyKos and elsewhere often express bewilderment about the thinking of thirty percent of Americans who continue to support Bush regardless of stunning and overwhelming evidence of failed policies, tragic incompetence, and pervasive dishonesty. Last week, in an airplane somewhere over the Midwest, I sat next to one of the thirty percent for a couple of hours and got to ask some questions. Most answers were depressingly predictable. Some were frightening. Some were enlightening. Some demonstrated an amazing ability to tolerate cognitive dissonance. A few provided some glimmers of hope for progressive candidates who hope to peel off a few votes from the Bush base. All seemed absolutely sincere. The following questions and answers are paraphrased from a friendly, two-hour chat. The quasi-hopeful, possible-basis-for-meeting-of-the-minds answers are at the end. It started with a discussion of a USA Today article about the Middle East.
Here are some samples from a collection of quotes about government that seem to have particular application to our current predicament.
"Blessed are the young, for they will inherit the national debt."
-- President Herbert Hoover
"It is not the function of our Government to keep the citizen from falling into error; it is the function of the citizen to keep the
Government from falling into error."
-- Robert H. Jackson
"When I was a boy I was told that anybody could become President: I'm beginning to believe it."
-- Clarence Darrow
"The punishment which the wise suffer who refuse to take part in the government, is to live under the government of worse men."
-- Plato
"Tell the truth. Do your best no matter how trivial the task. Choose the difficult right over the easy wrong. Look out for the group before you look out for yourself. Don't whine or make excuses. Judge others by their actions and not by their race or other characteristics."
-- The United States Marines
The Sacramento Bee reported this morning that Republican Congressman John Doolittle (CA-04) has taken some time out from defending himself against accusations of financial missteps related to Jack Abramoff, see also November 2005 diary by Mrs. Pastor, to reserve 770 acres of land at Lake Tahoe for 23 "estate-sized lots for the superwealthy."
Truthfully, I would rather read a 1000 page novel than a 200 page nonfiction book. Nonfiction often seems like soybeans--good for me and good for the planet but not very interesting--often bland and hard to digest at the same time. That's why I decided to write to tell you about why I liked Crashing the Gate so much. Here are my criteria:
Any regular reader/participant in DailyKos must be absolutely convinced that Democrats do NOT suffer from a lack of ideas. Here's one way to crystallize them into an easily understood platform: Imagine we have taken back the House and the Senate. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and savor it for a moment. OK--enough enjoyment. What are the highest priority items on your List of Things to Do?
I was listening to the Stephanie Miller Show when one of her "right-wing love muffins" called in to complain about not blaming Clinton for failure to detect and prevent the lead-up to 9/11. Then the rwlm said something to the effect, "Don't get me wrong, I think that Bush is one of the most wasteful and incompetent presidents on record." This got me thinking: Accusations that the Bush administration is corrupt; is engaged in a massive power grab; steals from the poor and middleclass to enrich the powerful; and routinely lies and distorts reality don't always seem to bother the red segments of the country. Could it be that they secretly admire this macho display of raw force and disdain for rules? Do they actually enjoy feeling that they are on the side of the powerful robber barons and tough guys? Based on totally unscientific personal research and observation, I think there is a lot to this and that it has to do with all kinds of unconscious fears--of effeminacy, of powerlessness, of mortality, to name a few.
I decided to declare a unilateral ceasefire in the "war on Christmas." (Generally speaking, I hate being dragged into unnecessary wars against my will.) Instead, since it's the holiday season, when people have been known to overindulge in things they like that are not always good for them, here is a diary on guilty pleasures. What is a guilty pleasure? Well, for purposes of this diary it is NOT something that will get you arrested, indicted, or made the subject of an illegal, clandestine NSA wiretap. Nor is it something that would totally humiliate you or your loved ones if someone figures out the person behind your user name and prints a story in your hometown newspaper.
There seems to be a strong consensus that we and the rest of the world would have been better off if G.W. Bush had followed a different career path. (Actually, he might have been quite successful in sales, at least until people started trying to rely on the warranties.) This got me to thinking about why all of us average citizens chose what we are doing and whether we made good choices. Because I am a boomer and enjoy introspection, here's why I became a lawyer: My family had a lot of sometimes contradictory, always complicated, rules relating to behavior, life choices, and obligations. One major priority for me was to learn what the really important rules were and how to live comfortably within them. In addition, I like words, nuance, and subtlety. Competing and winning appeal to me, and based on fearless and objective evaluation, it seemed like a better bet to rely on my wits rather than my looks.
It's the Homecoming Dance at Mid-American high school:
Fledgling belles discreetly pulling up their bodices and teetering on unaccustomed heels;
Dashing young men loosening their ties to dance the Electric Slide;
Hip-hop and glowing faces and fuchsia-colored punch.
My lively daughter, channeling Scarlett, flirts with six or seven at once, oblivious as Scarlett to anything but gallant and attentive young men. . . .Young soldiers soon to die?
Am I wrong to let dark thoughts of war, and pestilence, and loss intrude upon this Eden--
The dark wings of avian death, the flood-borne ruin of other children's lives, a country driven to a bloody war by lies?
My heart reminds me, then, of seasons and of times, and the "moment's sunlight" line.
Like Scarlett, I tell myself, "I'll think about it tomorrow."
Help!! My grocery store and my drugstore are out to get me. Not to mention my car dealer and my favorite brand of ice cream. BuyBlue.org has a chilling rundown of the lavish corporate contributions to support the anti-middle-and-working-class
propositions coming up for a vote in November in Governor Schwarzennegger's costly "special election."
On October 6, 2005, Howard Dean said on National Public Radio (Howard Dean quote at the end) that the Democratic Party needs to build its program and agenda on four basic themes:
* Strong national defense
* Fiscal responsibility
* Health care costs and availability
* Education
I completely agree, both with the goal of a simple, widely agreed-upon message, and with his choice of four themes. So I played around with them and came up with an acronym that expresses the concepts in a nutshell:
* *S*trong defense
* *U*niversal access to health care
* *R*esponsible fiscal policy
* *E*ducation to grow jobs and the economy
Yesterday Senator Barbara Boxer spoke in Sacramento about defending Social Security against the privatization scam.
She was articulate, funny, easy to understand and made some devastating points about what's really going on, including debunking the myth that younger workers would do better with private accounts than with the current system. She also reminded us that Social Security is not just for retirees but also provides a disability insurance policy that helps injured workers get back on their feet.
Check out her website and click on the Social Security card for an excellent calculator to learn the extent of benefits lost by younger workers under privatization. It's eye-opening.
When we left the Sacramento Paratransit building where the speech took place, a man in his 70's called out, "Senator Boxer, you are a Champion!" I have to agree.
Those who analyze the power and appeal of evangelical Christianity solely in terms of doctrine are missing the boat, in my opinion. A major reason many people are drawn to conservative Christianity is that it promises and delivers meaningful and enjoyable connection with other human beings. There are some lessons here for the Democratic Party.
