More Confusion about Spiritual Progressives

More Confusion about Spiritual Progressives

I'm seeing more confusion and misrepresentation in the blogosphere about Spiritual Progressives - who they are and what they seek.

Straight from a spritual progressive's mouth, I replied.

David Limbaugh discusses faith and politics at his website. He mentions conservative Christians' disappointment in the Democratic party for what they view as contempt for "traditional values."

The problem isn't that conservative Christians -- generally speaking -- don't understand where the left is coming from; it's that they do. They have expressed open contempt for certain traditional values, even though many Democrats are Christians, too.

My problem, as a 'social-justice Catholic' is that, for twenty years, the Religious Right has walked all over many of my own closely-held values....or walked OVER them in their rushed obsession to co-opt the GOP with their two pet issues. (Abortion and homosexuality). Mr. Limbaugh can poke fun at Howard Dean all he likes, but it won't change the fact that there are millions upon millions of Christian Democrats, or that the GOP's public reputation is sinking. If the GOP thinks they'll recoup any kind of lasting popularity with the majority of American voters while pandering to a group who thinks "two issues a set of moral values makes," they are sadly mistaken. Methinks they are hustling in order to avoid electoral disaster in November.


Politics, Network of Spiritual Progressives

Headlines June 1, 2006

Headlines June 1

HADITHA:

Haditha:

Iraq Will Investigate Allegations Against US Troops - Scott Stearns/VOA

Report: False Testimony in Haditha Probe - Guardian

After Haditha: What Makes Top Marines Worry - Time

Hadithah Can't Be Blamed for a Lost War - Washington Post




IRAQ/WAR ON TERROR:

Live From Baghdad - More Dying

Eighty-nine detainees are now on a hunger strike at the Guantanamo Bay naval base - WAVY-TV



MIDDLE EAST:

Risky Gambit by Abbas Raises American Hopes, Israeli Worries - Forward

Despite U.S. expressions of hope that a new gambit by the chairman of the Palestinian Authority could pave the way to negotiations with Israel, fears persist in Washington and Jerusalem that the maneuver could backfire and end up strengthening the Islamic fundamentalist group Hamas

DOMESTIC CONCERNS:

EXCLUSIVE: BOBBY KENNEDY JR. TO QUESTION 2004 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN MAJOR ROLLING STONE FEATURE ARTICLE - Brad Blog (tip of the hat to sarahlane)


Thomas L. Friedman: A Quick Fix for the Gas Addicts - NYT





ENTERTAINMENT:

Dixie Chicks beat backlash, hit No. 1 with new album - CBC

Everybody loves Clay Aiken (Well, maybe not everybody).

American Idol haikus

Baghdad ER

What's a Valleyschwag?

Singer Rocio Jurado dies of cancer - WaPo





THE NET:

“Pirate Bay” blockaded by Police - FiveZeroFive





SPORTS:


Corning, N.Y.: 10 memorable moments from this year's LPGA Corning Classic

Excerpt:

The Natalie Gulbis experience: It's not polite to stare, but it's also hard to miss the Natalie Gulbis galleries around the course. Golf fans admire her solid game. There are others who just like to look.

* My recent favorite on Youtube:

Sing (mbair)


Politics

A Tribute to Camillus, N.Y.

Camillus Memorial Day Parade, 2005

"I see this town as a microcosm of Heartland, U.S.A."

- Mario Rossi, writing about my own village of Camillus, N.Y.

A Tribute to Camillus, N.Y.
by Mario Rossi

The late (and great) Syracuse columnist Mario Rossi wrote an article (from which I posted excerpts below) in 1977 about my own village. I moved to the village of Camillus, N.Y. in 1991, fourteen years after Mr. Rossi wrote these words, but they ring just as true today as they did back in 1977. In 2002, the village of Camillus celebrated its 150th anniversary and a three-day sesquicentennial celebration was held.


Mayor Ed Fletcher


There is an undeniable strength of the American spirit here in this place, and thanks to the efforts of people who strongly value tradition, such as the village's current mayor (and veteran) Ed Fletcher, our children grow to understand the significance of holding our nation and its traditions close to our hearts.

Camillus typifies Memorial Day celebrations
* EXCERPTS - read the entire column at Syracuse.com)
Thursday, May 25, 2006
By Mario Rossi
(Neighbors West edition of the Post Standard)

Everything seems to be changing in this fast-moving, volatile age of ours, but some traditions manage to continue, thank heavens, thereby transmitting a sentiment that is pure Americana and so, as reassuring as it is enjoyable.

I came to this conclusion in Camillus on Memorial Day.

The village observes the holiday with parade and ceremonies, drawing thousands to a main street which dips from hillside to hillside and is transformed briefly from its customarily staid appearance to a thronged, banner-bedecked thoroughfare.

Children by the score wave American flags, provided free by the generosity of local business people; vendors move through the crowds with balloons and souvenirs; and the spectators stand three, five and even six and seven deep.

It's a great turnout for a great spectacle.


Message comes through

With the opening of the program, the real message of the event begins to come through: This is unabashed patriotism, as genuine as it is sentimental - homage to our country and Old Glory, tribute to the fallen heroes of battlefield and rededication to the American ideal.

Is this an anachronism? An anomaly?

We are in pure sunlight, our eyes and ears are open, and the loudspeaking system is working perfectly. That's "God Bless America" we hear, and "Flanders Field" and "Taps," echoing and reechoing across the heart of the village. And red roses are being placed on the grave's green covering, and shots are being fired in ceremonial salute.

We're not missing a thing; it's really happening.


They remember history

Let others forget the past, if they will; let them forget history, but not in this place.

They do not pander here to the currently popular notion that a nation is only worth the handout it can give you; they hold to the theory that devotion to country is an all-pervasive thing akin to love. That is the gratifying reality that prevails in today's sight and sound.

Somehow, the old values do survive, and if here in Camillus, perhaps in other communities across the land.

I see this town as a microcosm of Heartland, U.S.A.

And so, when called upon to say a few words, I speak of the solider who died in battle, and I ask:

"Did he die for an abstract cause, a silken flag, a faceless government, a catchy slogan?"

But I know the answer is here, and I need not have articulated it: "Friends, he died for you and me."

More importantly, however, I know that this village and its people and the happenings here today give comforting evidence that what our country stands for will ever withstand the assaults of the skeptics, the doubters, the challengers and the non-believers.

We can be assured that though many elsewhere prefer to forget the battlefield sacrifice as no longer ideologically fashionable, at least here they understand and comply wholeheartedly when they are importuned, in reference to the dead warrior.

"Let him be forgotten no more."

Eliot Spitzer Rally in Syracuse

NY State gubernatorial candidate Eliot Spitzer and Syracuse Mayor Matt Driscoll




Eliot Spitzer Rally
in Syracuse





Eliot Spitzer rolled into Syracuse last night and spoke to a crowd of about 100 supporters at the Erie Canal Museum.









As supporters gather, preparations are made for Spitzer's visit.








Nancy Hallock (l) and Kaye Jaeger (r),
members of SEIU 1199





Eliot Spitzer's bus rolled in to the tune of Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down."





Eliot Spitzer emerged from the bus smiling, waving, and shaking hands as he approached the outdoor podium.





Attorney General Spitzer reminded the crowd that the Erie Canal helped to make New York City the place it is today. When Dewitt Clinton had the vision for the canal, there was a lack of hope that it would live up to its alleged potential. There was a decided Upstate vs. Downstate mentality, and he believed that was a fitting metaphor for this time as we see gridlock in Albany, population loss in the state, employment losses, and a palpable sense of doom.

Spitzer said, "We know a good project when we see it."

"We need to shake the lethargy out of Albany," said Spitzer, insisting that reform must be confronted in a "head-on" manner. Having just visited the city of Rochester where women's rights activist Susan B Anthony lived, he quoted the historic activist:

"Careful, cautious people, always casting about to preserve their reputations, can never effect a reform."

He reminded his supporters, "No one has ever called me cautious." He promised to continue to risk the tough fights and to stand up, unafraid of losing, even if he risks getting "scuffed up" a little bit. He ended by saying that his goal is creating the kind of government that works for the People, and not the other way around.





Listening intently to the current NYS Attorney General.






From the Oneonta Daily Star: N.Y. Democrats designate Spitzer for governor


Politics

A Small Business Owner Discusses Net Neutrality

A Small Business Owner Discusses Net Neutrality

Small business owner Scott Huffman from Charlotte, N.C. eloquently brings the issue of Net Neutrality, local politics (Rep. Sue Myrick), national politics, the danger of mega-mergers and improper FCC oversight into focus in a way that citizens can easily understand. All this occurred in a seven-minute conversation with Mike Collins on May 23 during "Open Phones" on his radio show "Charlotte Talks." We may be hearing more from Mr. Huffman on future Charlotte Talks shows. I highly recommend that you listen to Scott and Mike. This is eye-opening.

PART ONE:

PART TWO:

Politics, Net Neutrality

Headlines May 31, 2006

Headlines May 31

Global Warming

Hear Al Gore talk about global warming at NPR. He discusses the melting of the North Pole. Definitely not good news for Santa Claus.




The Internet

The Net Squared conference is happening now in San Jose, Ca. The conference blog is here. One of today's highlights was a session with Democracy Now's Amy Goodman on Grassroots, Netroots, and the End and Beginning of Politics. (Sure wish I could have been there).


Media

In a review of the glaring hypocrisy we see in journalism today, Joe Conason asks: "Is there a reason why the enduring, 30-year bond of the Clintons merits more withering scrutiny than the multiple unhappy marriages of ambitious politicians such as Senator John McCain and Rudolph Giuliani? Is there a reason why the marital privacy of elected officials should be violated, while media moguls like Rupert Murdoch can discard their wives with impunity?"


Today's ABC News Political Note has some juicy gossip about the Associated Press' veteran political journalist Ron Fournier. They ask: What is Fournier's new job (related to the World Wide Web) and which potential 2008 presidential candidates are familiar enough with the AP to have educated guesses about who might replace Fournier in this slot (and has begun sucking up to them)? ;)


Iraq

An Iraqi war veteran is suing filmmaker Michael Moore over the use of certain footage in his film "Fahrenheit 9/11". It's in the New York Post, naturally. It's a "feelings" lawsuit. In a nutshell, the double-amputee felt used; misrepresented. He can't lose, when you think about it. Even if unsuccessful in the litigation, the vet's views will be made clearly known to the public.

In a Statfor.com analysis titled Break Point, George Friedman says:

"A government has been formed in Iraq. It is a defective government, in the sense that it does not yet have a defense or interior minister. It is an ineffective government, insofar as the ability to govern directly is at this point limited institutionally, politically and functionally. Ultimately, what exists now is less a government than a political arrangement between major elements of Iraq's three main ethnic groups. And that is what makes this agreement of potentially decisive importance: If it holds, it represents the political foundation of a regime....If it holds. If it holds, the rest is almost easy. If it doesn't hold, the rest is impossible..."

Politics

Imagine Having Universal Healthcare Coverage

Imagine Having Universal Healthcare Coverage



Each American citizen is a fragile human being who is susceptible to illness, disease, and accidental injury. Unlike broken automobiles or washing machines, we are complex psychological and spiritual entities. Navigating through our nation's complicated health care system, we are often made to feel like cogs in an ever-moving wheel that will likely run us over if we stop to ask too many questions. Millions of needy citizens have avoided seeking health care for serious illnesses, most of which could have been prevented with routine check-ups, all because they fear that they couldn't afford to pay. Too many Americans have filed for bankruptcy as a direct result of overwhelming medical bills that could not be paid.

A new federally mandated health care rule called the Deficit Reduction Act has created barriers to health care for children, the elderly and disabled. In the state of Colorado, anyone applying for Medicaid must now provide either a passport or a birth certificate and driver's license or state-issued photo identification card in order to receive health care under Medicaid. Consider the ludicrous notion of a baby needing a photo ID to be treated for a life-threatening infection or an elderly person in a nursing home who suffers from Alzheimer's disease having to produce a drivers' license (when he hasn't been able to drive for years). Imagine a sick person going without medication because she had to pay the phone bill instead. Then think about the caring healthcare providers who would treat the indigent and receive no reimbursement from the federal government for doing so. Our states will be losing millions of dollars in Medicaid reimbursements. How can we call this "progress"?

When he signed the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) last February with each state having the option of enacting its own version, President Bush said it would "tighten loopholes that allowed people to game the system by transferring assets to their children so they can qualify for Medicaid benefits." The "gamers" he spoke of are actually your middle class parents and grandparents who may have resorted to hiding hard-earned assets for which they worked hard all their lives in order to qualify for Medicaid. Today, they may altogether avoid going into nursing home care that they need because of new restrictions that strip them of not only their economic assets, but worse - their hope and dignity.


What a depressing society we are becoming when you think about the fact that all our elderly population can call their own as they go into a nursing home is their prepaid funeral fund. Is that something we look forward to as we get older? Americans respect their elderly relatives too much to see them enter their last days in such an uncaring public environment. We must call for a change in America's healthcare policy. Instead of making life easier for senior citizens, the government will now more closely scrutinize senior citizens' financial affairs and deny Medicaid benefits to anyone with more than $500,000 of equity in a home. (While the Republicans seek to end the estate tax which shelters and rewards the mega-rich.)

There have been few recommended federal healthcare plans that have been all-inclusive in the scope of coverage provided for citizens. When Americans consider a political leader's healthcare plan and they hear that it will not include coverage for every American, the first thing a citizen will worry about is that they will be one of the people who is going to be left behind. Today, nearly 46 million Americans have no healthcare insurance at all because they don’t have a job or they’re one of the working poor whose boss doesn’t help carry the heavy burden of health insurance costs. Young adults have found themselves left behind. Americans between the ages of 19 and 29 are the largest and fastest growing segment of the U.S. population lacking health insurance, according to a report released this week. Their group makes up 40 percent of the 6 million people who've joined the ranks of the uninsured from 2000 to 2004, some by uninformed choice and some by circumstances beyond their control. Either way, we know there is a better plan out there that would include all Americans and simplify their healthcare choices.

Provided by the federal government, a new healthcare plan could help to supplement incomes and result in a better-organized healthcare system, facilitating the delivery of care at excellent quality and lower costs. It would relieve businesses of one of their biggest economic burdens. It would relieve citizens of worry and anxiety about the high costs of unexpected illnesses and accidental injuries.

It's time to ignite a new healthcare reform movement to cover all Americans. The entire system can be reshaped to focus on disease prevention and possibly include coverage for alternative forms of health practices. It is possible to promote clinical excellence, reduce inefficiency, cover all Americans, and pay less than we do today for coverage. A more caring and creative environment with education that includes training for alternative healthcare treatments might interest and encourage more young Americans to go into the healthcare field. Today, U.S. hospitals have 118,000 vacancies for registered nurses. The federal government predicts the accelerating shortfall of nurses in the United States will swell to more than 800,000 by 2020. It shouldn't be that way, and we could find incentives to recruit new nurses and strengthen nursing programs right here in America rather than taking nurses away from third world countries where they are so desperately needed.

Imagine scrapping the current system that is currently based on cold profiteering and reducing a human being to something that is only material. Imagine starting with a federal healthcare plan that reflects the values of generosity, respect, gratitude, and true caring for all Americans within our economy, from infancy to the twilight years. Why should it be so hard to imagine that kind of progress? If we care for our families and fellow Americans, why not ask for a system that sees us as fully human rather than as lifeless units of profit potential? Profit should never triumph over public need. Let's think about healthcare reform and tell our representatives that we support a change.


Politics, Universal Healthcare

Media Misrepresents the Intent of the Network of Spiritual Progressives

Media Misrepresents the Intent of the Network of Spiritual Progressives

The writers at the Economist don't get it yet. When it comes to the new Network of Spiritual Progressives, that is. Mainstream journalists, in general, are not widely deserving of being credited for being professionals of vision. They tend to cling to lazy misnomers - to what they know.

They're wrong about the Network of Spiritual Progressives. This isn't some newfound unity of "the Suddenly Left and Religious" vs. the Religious Right.

This is not a partisan game we're playing. This is about hope and vision; not about playing "gotcha" with the Religious Right. God is not a Republican. God is not a Democrat. The media needs to come to terms with the fact that millions upon millions of American citizens are people of faith, yet their core common values are not being represented in the public.




This cartoon betrays the real work of the Spiritual Progressives because, unlike the Religious Right and their decidedly non-spiritual co-opting of Republicans, no one in the Network of Spiritual Progressives is claiming to have triumphal political ownership of the Democratic party. Unfortunately, the Economist
and the New York Times have not yet learned the truth about what this Network is set upon accomplishing.

The Economist's gross misunderstanding of the Network's platform contributes to their grim political predictions for Progressives based upon what I suspect are unintentionally-reached false conclusions.

Don't swallow it.

Journalists continue to paint "moral values" inside some imaginary box that consistently assures, with perpetual falsities, that the Religious Right will retain possession of the political keys to "moral authority." Democrats partake willingly in this game, virtually handing the keys to the "moral authority vehicle" over to the GOP like secular drunks silenced by the fear of running off the road while offending. Meanwhile, the only ones offfended are people with common sense and a wide array of common spiritual values.

When I speak of common spiritual values, I am not talking about a stiff obligatory morality with a prescribed set of specific moral behaviors based in one certain religion. That's totally incompatible with today's American society, which is made up of such a culturally, politically, and spiritually diverse population. There will always be a moral order of which any society's law will be a reflection. A society with no moral order would probably not survive for very long. In a Democratic society with such a diverse population, our legal institutions must remain the social-structural basis of a practical moral order. Not the church.

The notions of right and wrong, good and bad are always going to be inescaple and integral parts of the spiritual, religious, and legal facets of our society. There will be no end to ensuring that church and state are kept separate. Someone will always be overstepping the boundary and someone else will always have to remind them of the line between chruch and state. In a rational and diverse democracy, we must always remain guards at the crossroads...where religion and law will inevitably intersect. Americans are, in overwhelming numbers, people of faith. Religion involves both group activities and private activities. Americans develop personal value-structure, in large part, through faith and through the human spirit.

We cannot have a holistic society or a government that really works for the best interests of the most oppressed in our society unless we learn to talk about what is best about our common values and, together, create a practical moral order which can be transcribed to the kind of law we want to see and the kind of government in which we can continue to participate with pride. If our society doesn't have laws and public policies that work for the least of us, I do not see it as a society with an acceptable moral order. Do you?

In time, if this new movement has any success, all journalists who have misunderstood and bungled the coverage of this Spiritual Progressive network will understand that Green, Democratic, and moderate Republican voters have been gagged for too long by the super-secular special interests that would love (just as much as the Religious Right would love) to have political leaders (especially Democratic leaders) continue to deliver lame, unconvincing, and meaningless platitudes to millions of spiritual voters. The trouble is, citizens can spot a phony and a panderer from a rhetorical shout away. *Read Politics: A New Bottom Line, which I wrote for the One America Committee last week.

The Network is here to change the way we speak about the issues and to drive the creation of policy that will reflect a democracy that is made up of people who actually care about something other than only the economic "bottom line." Some of the ideas may seem idealistic, but where there is no vision, there is no progress. Consider how you may have felt about your "idealism" if you'd been a slave longing for freeedom that you thought could never be possible - or a woman at the turn of the 20th century, still without a vote.

If successful, the Network will have the tremendous power of the Spirit behind it - the human spirit as well as the voice of mystery that most of us human beings have been hearing for thousands of years. Let's see the two-issued-wonders - the falsely pious Bush-hugging Jerry Falwellians and the "I've got to make the Supreme Court change the overwhelming majority's values because they're not mine" Michael Newdowians try to beat the voice of love and caring that comes straight from the human heart.

I was at the conference in Washington, D.C. last week, and so was Peter Rothenberg. By reading his brief article at the Nation this week, I can see that he has a much better handle on the topic.

* cross posted at American Street


Politics, Network of Spiritual Progressives

I See Things When I Look at Clouds

I See Things When I Look at Clouds

Tonight I saw a bird - or a butterfly, perhaps.




This is so weird (for lack of a better word). Anonymoses saw something completely different when he put the photos to the test of shading (the photos were not altered otherwise). Who is this mysterious man? (Note his deep-set eyes; his beard...)



The cloud was hovering directly over a watchfire pile at a Memorial Day commemoration last evening.
(Twilight Zone theme plays here)

Syracuse Memorial Day Watchfire

Syracuse Memorial Day Watchfire

In American history, a watchfire was a fire lit by troops so that stray soldiers could find their way home from battle.



In Syracuse, a watchfire is annually sponsored by Central New York Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 103. This year was the 19th year for the local event and the 12th year that the watchfire was held at the New York State fairgrounds. The organizers say that the light from the blaze symbolizes the memory of soldiers who never found their way home.


The preparations are many and the watchfire is almost ready to be lit. Thousands of spectators wait on lawn chairs until darkness falls.



Patriotic songs are sung.



A U.S. Navy veteran just after he'd thrown his flag up to the pyre to be burned.



Honorary devotions are posted at the base of the pyre.


The watchfire begins.



A veteran gives a final salute to the flags being burned.



Local Democratic candidates Chris Fowler (121st NYS Assembly District), Dan Maffei (running for U.S. Congress, 25th District), and Al Stirpe (121st NYS Assembly District) with wife Chele and daughter.



Below are photos of Siri Iamsakuldacha, 25, of Syracuse, N.Y. Siri served in the U.S. Army for five years, including a one-year tour of duty in Baghdad, Iraq with the U.S. 1st Armored Divison. Siri is now serving in the National Guard and serves at Military funerals. Siri was mentioned in this news article in 2003.





~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Let no vandalism of avarice or neglect,
no ravages of time testify to the present
or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people
the cost of a free and undivided republic."

-- General John Logan - May 5, 1868

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Note: This post was mentioned today at the Daou Report/Salon.com

Headlines

Headlines

IRAQ

At least 1,000 British troops 'desert' since Iraq war, BBC

The children of Guantanamo Bay, Independent - "New revelation that more than 60 of the detainees of the US camp were under 18 at the time of their capture, some as young as 14"

The massacre and the Marines, Independent
"US troops could face death penalty for what is seen as potentially the worst war crime since Iraqi invasion."

EDITORIAL: The Price of Iraq, NYT
"It was somewhat reassuring that Mr. Bush and Mr. Blair have stopped trying to pretend that everything has gone just fine in Iraq, since most of the rest of the world already knows otherwise. But it was very disturbing to hear them follow their expressions of regret with the same old "stay the course" fantasy. It's time for Mr. Bush either to chart a course that can actually be followed, or admit that there is none."

Galloway says murder of Blair would be 'justified', Independent
"In an interview with GQ magazine, the reporter asked him: "Would the assassination of, say, Tony Blair by a suicide bomber - if there were no other casualties - be justified as revenge for the war on Iraq?" [..] Mr Galloway replied: "Yes, it would be morally justified. I am not calling for it - but if it happened it would be of a wholly different moral order to the events of 7/7. It would be entirely logical and explicable. And morally equivalent to ordering the deaths of thousands of innocent people in Iraq - as Blair did."


IRAN

GOP Heavy Hitters Pressuring White House to Talk With Iran, Laura Rozen/LAT
"Some of the E.U. members were nervous that things were really going downhill very fast and headed to military confrontation," said one nongovernmental energy consultant knowledgeable about the internal debate. "When [the Russia proposal] failed, all bets were off. And that prompted thinking that there has got to be another way."

Russian envoy to visit Iran for nuclear talks, AFP

Iran Chief Eclipses Clerics as He Consolidates Power, NYT



US POLITICS

[U.S. Treasury Sec'y] John Snow ‘ready to stand down by summer’, Financial Times (sub req)

[Bush] Justice Dept. Seeks to Block Suits on Spying, NYT
"The Bush administration has asked federal judges in New York and Michigan to dismiss two lawsuits filed over the National Security Agency's domestic eavesdropping program, saying litigating them would jeopardize state secrets."

Sen. Chuck Schumer blocks vote on the nomination of Susan Schwab for U.S. Trade Chief, Financial Times

EUROPE

Putin attempts to ease EU concerns over energy, Financial Times


MIDDLE EAST

Jimmy Carter: Israel's New Plan, a Land Grab, Palestine Chronicle
"A mutual Israeli-Palestinian agreement would undoubtedly result in full recognition of Israel by all Arab nations, with normal diplomatic and economic relations, and permanent peace and justice for the Palestinians. It would also remove one of the major causes of international terrorism and greatly ease tensions that could precipitate a regional or even global conflict."

Israeli jets bomb Lebanon border area, Scotsman


NET NEUTRALITY

Why the Democratic Ethic of the World Wide Web May Be About to End, Adam Cohen/NYT
"Customers who are used to the robust, democratic Web may not pay for one that is restricted to wealthy corporate content providers."


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rosslyn Chapel Comes Alive in Scotsman video series, Scotsman

Nearly one million at pope's mass ahead of Auschwitz visit, AFP

'Dead' Everest man [Lincoln Hall] safe at camp, BBC

Hunt for survivors after Indonesia quake kills more than 4,600, AFP


Special Note:

CNN should be ashamed of putting this piece of shit
up on their site.

Network of Spiritual Progressives

Network of Spiritual Progressives

I attended the second conference of the Network of Spiritual Progressives in D.C. last week. Below you'll find some photographs and links to articles. I'll be writing more about the conference soon. All photos were taken by me with the exception of the photos in which I appear.


All Souls Unitarian Church, Washington D.C.


Rabbi Michael Lerner




(top to bottom)Rabbi Michael Lerner and Peter Gabel of Tikkun, Cindy Sheehan, Ray McGovern






(top to bottom) Delivering petitions, Cindy Sheehan and Ray McGovern lead march, Ray McGovern and Code Pink




Two American Street writers (Anonymoses and yours truly)




(top to bottom) Rev. Jim Wallis, Cindy Sheehan, Walking to the White House




Spiritual Progressives Dancing



Pray-In, Lafayette Park


Online Now:

- Group has faith-based alternative to the right [DailyBulletin.com]
- Progressives Reignite Spiritual Activist Movement [Beliefnet]
- Religious Liberals Gain New Visibility: A Different List Of Moral Issues [Washington Post cover story]
- Rev. John Dear: "Don't Give Up: Keep the Movement Moving" [Political Affairs Mag]
- Interview with Rabbi Michael Lerner [WorkingForChange]

A quote from Rabbi Michael Lerner:

"...what I call for as the fundamental ethos or the fundamental central organizing idea of a progressive movement is a call for a new bottom line or, in more technical terms, a new definition of productivity, efficiency and rationality so that institutions are judged rational, efficient and productive not only to the extent that they maximize money and power, but also to the extent that they maximize love and caring, kindness and generosity, ethical and ecological sensitivity, enhance our capacity to respond to other human beings as embodiments of the sacred, and enhance our capacity to respond to the universe with awe and wonder, and radical amazement at the grandeur of all that is in this universe."

* Photos copyrighted and used only with permission of owner.

Politics, Network of Spiritual Progressives