Fierce Planet

You may well ask: "Why direct action? Why sit-ins, marches and so forth? Isn't negotiation a better path?" You are quite right in calling, for negotiation. Indeed, this is the very purpose of direct action. Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored. My citing the creation of tension as part of the work of the nonviolent-resister may sound rather shocking. But I must confess that I am not afraid of the word "tension." I have earnestly opposed violent tension, but there is a type of constructive, nonviolent tension which is necessary for growth. Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half-truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, we must we see the need for nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Letter from Birmingham Jail

Posted by jnfr at 05:43 PM | Comments (0)

December 04, 2004

Reverend Ted Haggard

If you like to understand the mind of your opponents, you might want to listen to this interview with Rev. Ted Haggard, who is a pastor in Colorado Springs and head of the National Association of Evangelicals. Personally I disagree with his point of view on pretty much everything, but he's well spoken and I think he lays out very clearly the Christian conservative view of the world and of U.S. politics. The interview was broadcast on Colorado Matters, a local public radio show. Scroll down to the link "Colorado Evangelicals", or you can hear the show directly.

Posted by jnfr at 09:34 AM | Comments (3)

Fallwell's big decision

So I saw Jerry Falwell on Hardball this week, and watched an incredulous Chris Matthews grill him on exactly when he'd made the momentous decision to be straight rather than gay. Falwell's argument was that gay people all choose their evil behavior, and therefore it was correct to deny gay people the right to come to church. This was a back-handed way to denounce the United Church of Christ for practicing inclusivity, but Matthews clearly wasn't buying it. It was a pretty funny moment, raising the spectre of Falwell as a young teenager stuggling with evil homosexual impulses but valiantly deciding to walk the path of godliness instead.

Posted by jnfr at 08:41 AM | Comments (0)

November 22, 2004

In remembrance

JOHN F. KENNEDY'S INAUGURAL ADDRESS (1961)

We observe today not a victory of party but a celebration of freedom — symbolizing an end as well as a beginning — signifying renewal as well as change.

For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forebears prescribed nearly a century and three-quarters ago.

The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life.

And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe — the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God.

We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans — born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage — and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.

Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.

This much we pledge — and more.

To those old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we share, we pledge the loyalty of faithful friends. United, there is little we cannot do in a host of co-operative ventures. Divided, there is little we can do — for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder.

Posted by jnfr at 07:59 AM | Comments (0)

November 18, 2004

The self-made man

I've read this story a few times in the past, and wanted to post it here. Today I saw a pointer to it on another blog:

Joe gets up at 6 a.m. and fills his coffeepot with water to prepare his morning coffee. The water is clean and good because some tree-hugging liberal fought for minimum water-quality standards. With his first swallow of water, he takes his daily medication. His medications are safe to take because some stupid commie liberal fought to ensure their safety and that they work as advertised....

So go over there to read the whole thing.

Posted by jnfr at 05:52 PM | Comments (0)

November 14, 2004

The moral values that drive us

Zogby has a new study out, examining moral values that Americans say are important to them when it comes to voting. The results show that we're more interested in war, greed, and poverty than with abortion or gay marriage, even when you narrow the polling to Catholic voters only.

The Zogby poll shows that when voters were asked to list the moral issue that most affected their vote, the Iraq war topped the list (42%) – more than tripling the number that chose abortion (13%) or gay marriage (9%). Also, when asked to choose the most urgent moral crisis facing the U.S., voters chose ‘greed and materialism’ (33%) and ‘poverty and economic justice’ (31%) twice as often as abortion (16%) and gay marriage (12%).

Catholics also followed this trend. Asked the question of the greatest moral crisis facing our country, 31% of Catholics chose poverty and 31% chose greed, compared to only 20% who chose abortion, and 11% that chose same-sex marriage. Further, more Catholic voters were turned off by messages from conservative leaders trumpeting ‘non-negotiable’ issues, as opposed to Catholic groups who held up a broad range of moral issues. According to Zogby, 25% of voters said that conservative Catholic messages touting ‘non-negotiable’ issues made them more likely to vote for Sen. John Kerry, whereas only 20% said these messages made them more likely to vote for President George W. Bush. Fifty-six percent said these messages had no effect on them at all.

Posted by jnfr at 02:26 PM | Comments (0)

November 13, 2004

Pennsylvania community mandates the teaching of creationism

In what is believed to be a first in the U.S., a school district in Pennsylvania has declared that teachers must include the teaching of intelligent design alongside evolution in science classes.

Intelligent design is a form of creationism, based on religious beliefs about God as the creator of the world and all that is in it. It's linked to some other religious beliefs such as the literal truth of the earth being created in seven 24-hours days, and other fundamentalist beliefs. But it's not science, and there is no scientific evidence for the idea. Nor should there be, since religion is a matter of faith and scientific evidence is irrelevant. But setting religion alongside science in classrooms is a dangerous breach of the wall between church and state. The ACLU is reviewing the case.

I strongly believe that if religious people want religious schools, they should have them. But religious teaching should not be funded with public money.

Posted by jnfr at 04:23 PM | Comments (0)

November 11, 2004

Veteran's Day

Tonight HBO has a documentary, Last Letters Home, which shows our brave troops through their writings, and shows the families they've left behind. Respect them enough to face their sacrifice head on, and watch this show.

Posted by jnfr at 05:54 PM | Comments (0)

November 09, 2004

Should we make it official?

Red states and blue states have little in common, it seems to a lot of us. There's a lot of talk floating around about splitting the country, and maybe that's the only way we'll ever have peace. But it sure leaves us purple-staters in a quandry, doesn't it? I like Colorado; I don't want to live in California. But as I've said before, I don't want to be part of Jesusland, either.

Posted by jnfr at 09:06 AM | Comments (0)

November 08, 2004

Still relevant

President Eisenhower's 1961 Farewell Address:

"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.

We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together."

Posted by jnfr at 11:22 AM | Comments (0)

Heartland = Confederacy?

digby at Hullabaloo has written a lengthy piece on red states and the history of north/south conflict in the U.S. It's essential reading if you want to understand the election just past.

Posted by jnfr at 07:07 AM | Comments (0)

November 06, 2004

Have I mentioned

...how much I love Bob Herbert?

Democracy is a breeze during good times. It's when the storms are raging that citizenship is put to the test. And there's a hell of a wind blowing right now.

Posted by jnfr at 06:56 PM | Comments (0)

One thing I'm very sure of...

I don't want to live under the thumb of right wing fundamentalist Christians.

Update: And I'm very aware that they don't want to live by my rules either. I'm not sure how to reconcile this.

Posted by jnfr at 03:15 PM | Comments (2)