Bring on the fifth graders
Print Friendly Version| From Where I Stand by Joan Chittister, OSB | January 31, 2008 |
| Vol. 5, No. 20 |
Here's the problem with life: Some things count; some things don't. It's figuring out which is which that's difficult. Imagine, for instance, that you are teaching religion in the local parish school or church Sunday religious education program or neighborhood synagogue or mosque or temple. What answers about what is right and what is wrong would you have for the children these days?
Imagine that you're using one of those textbooks that start a chapter with little essays on truth and honesty and then follow them with a series of examples. You ask the children to tell you which of the following people, based on the essays they just read, are being most faithful to the law of God.
In the first example, the character stands up for human life and for civic honesty. He jeopardizes his own public reputation and position to call people's attention to the brutality and dishonesty around him. He puts himself at the mercy of the system, even at the expense of interrupting his own life to do it. No matter how many times they try to silence him he stands up again, like the child in the fairy tale who shouts about the nakedness of the king to an adult crowd that continues to go along with the king's game of personal splendor. "The emperor has no clothes," he shouts until the adults around him are forced to admit it.
In the second example, a very important public figure mocks the intelligence of the citizens who put him in office by giving them false information day after day. He distorts data in order to advance programs that will bring him great profit but will eventually destroy his part of the body politic if implemented. When confronted with his errors, he simply asserts them all the more. And the citizens, confused, bow to his authority and many of them die carrying out his plans as a result.
"Now, children," you say, "which of these figures is the honest one? Which of them should be punished and which of them should be rewarded?" A no-brainer, you'd think.
Fifth graders know the answer to this one. Maybe even second-graders who have been dodging parental controls long enough to know when they've done wrong and when they've done right in their personal little worlds know. But adults? Don't be so sure.
We're in the middle of those two examples right now in this country and adults seem to be having a very difficult time telling the difference between them or identifying the moral righteousness of either.
On the one hand, according to studies done by two nonprofit journalism organizations, (www.Publicintegrity.org) President Bush and top administration officials issued more than 900 false statements on "at least 532 separate occasions" about the national security threat from Iraq in the two years following the 2001 terrorist attacks. More than 900. 532 times. No slips of the tongue these.
On the basis of that data, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians have been killed. So far almost 4,000 U.S. families have given spouses and children to the armed forces in Iraq, and they've gotten back folded U.S. flags not the breathing bodies of their loved ones.
No one in the government or the courts has said a single word about the egregiousness of a government that lies its way through term after term. No one with any power to do anything about it says that "the emperor has no clothes."
On the other hand, one Jesuit priest, has been arrested more than 75 times for daring to confront the government with its militarism, its violence, its dishonesty. He has gone to jail time and time again, trying to get justice for the poor who have died as a result of all those lies, or, at very least, to get our attention while he's doing it, to get the rest of us to say something about it, too.
But no. Just silence from the crowd.
Last week, he went back to court one more time. In September of 2006, John Dear and a group of other peace activists in New Mexico attempted to hand deliver a message to Senator Pete Domenici's office calling on the senator to denounce the war in Iraq.
Security guards refused to admit the group to the senator's third floor office on the grounds that the petition could have been delivered in the lobby of the federal building. Dear and his companions stayed in the elevator for four hours and were finally arrested.
In court on Jan. 24, Judge Don Svet, called John "a rogue priest" and a "coward," fined him $500 and sentenced him to six months of supervised probation in the state of New Mexico and 40 hours of community service. As if his whole life isn't a life of community service.
Dear, who received the harshest sentence of the group, says he has no plans to comply with any of the terms of the sentencing and is scheduled to give a retreat in Pennsylvania in February. "I expect I will eventually receive … a warrant for my arrest," Dear says.
So, here's the problem: How is it that a president can lie at will and get re-elected and a priest can tell the truth and get arrested? And which one of them is really more moral, more honest, more religious?
Fr. John Dear, S.J., the priest, also writes a column for NCRcafe.org. That's not why I'm writing this column. I'm writing this column because I'm part of the crowd and I'm not saying enough.
But from where I stand, one thing is clear: It may be time to turn the country over to the fifth graders. Either that or get someone else to teach religion.
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I know of Jesuits who are
I know of Jesuits who are totally anti-abortion and homophobic.
We speak not only from our own experience but from what we want to hear and, in some instances already judged. I would not say that you are wrong convert but that there are other views and other realities than you see that are at least equally ligitimate, that the invasion of Iraq and the sustained destruction of people, place in the value hypocracy of greed masked as 'liberty' and justice is a poor way to rid the world or at least emasculate tyrants.
I'll assume people here find
I'll assume people here find it more helpful to analyze facts, rather than wallow in selective reportage reportage designed to make them feel morally superior to Chimpus Khan-the evil Republican monkey king of America.
About that CPI report...
First. Look at the name. Using impressive-sounding monikers like "Institute," "organization," "coalition," "group," "council" "foundation," "society," "policy" or "center" in naming a group of like minded people does not automatically legitimize the group, give them insight into the truth, or magically make them neutral, reliable and disinterested parties. They're just free words, freely mixed and matched.
Test: Here's some impressive sounding organizations. Can you guess their affiliation?
The Discovery Institute, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Center for Immigration Studies, Institute for Policy Studies, Hudson Institute, Foreign Policy Research Institute, Rockridge Institute, Economic Policy Institute, Center for American Progress, Phoenix Group, Claremont Institute, The Newman Foundation
Answer: conservative, liberal, conservative, liberal, conservative, conservative, liberal, liberal, conservative, liberal. Conclusion: Anyone can call themselves anything and say anything about anybody. This IS America after all.
Second. Look at the money. Where does the "Center for Public Integrity" fall on the political scale? Well solidly on the left to such a degree it might just as well be a branch of the democratic or baathist party. Indeed its board and donor list contains some of the great America haters of all time: The Streisand Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Pew Charitable Trusts. The largest supporter of the CPI is arch-progressive sugar daddy George Soros. George Soros, you will recall, is the Hungarian-born American financial speculator and underwriter of many leftist causes. The same George Soros who paints himself as a holocaust survivor but who, as a teen, posed as Christian godson of a Hungarian official and collaborated with Hungarian fascists to help the Nazis seize Jewish properties during WW2. Also the same George Soros who funded a fraudulent Lancet study by Riyadh Lafta, a Saddam Hussein government official that put Iraqi deaths at numbers ten times higher than any human rights group estimated, and the same George Soros who used similar data analysis techniques to undermine U.N. sanctions against the brutal Iraqi dictator. Why is it that we haven't heard a word about this this institute's backers from the media? Imagine if, say, Rupert Murdoch was giving this organization millions and they released a report critical of Hillary Clinton. Self-delusion. It’s what’s for breakfast in America’s newsrooms.
Third. Look at the language. The CPI generously uses the phrase “false statements� interchangeably with lies and deception and that should set off alarm bells. To the CPI, "false" implies you KNEW something was incorrect and still said it. “False� in a neutral sense simply means "incorrect." Anyone who uses “false� loosely is not to be trusted and, I’d argue, is a liar. The conclusion of the CPI report belies their claims to objectivity:
Their truth is this: Bush LIED, he KNEW there were never any weapons of mass destruction and he took us to war for his oil buddies.
The actual truth is this: A long line of leaders of BOTH parties, intelligence agencies of SEVERAL countries and the United Nations said Sadam had weapons of mass destruction. The WMD’s have not been found. The information was wrong.
Fourth. Look at the context. You almost feel sorry for the press release hacks at the CPI... they want bad information to be "lies" but by doing so they implicate themselves and their leftist buddies. The amazing thing about this report is that it times the "lies" to the dates when the Bush administration began and handily ignores the massive mountain of so-called deception that preceeded it. Just look at the persons, their quotes and the dates below.
"One way or the other, we are determined to deny Iraq the capacity to develop weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver them. That is our bottom line."
President Clinton, Feb. 4, 1998.
"If Saddam rejects peace and we have to use force, our purpose is clear. We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program."
President Clinton, Feb. 17, 1998.
"Iraq is a long way from [here], but what happens there matters a great deal here. For the risks that the leaders of a rogue state will use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons against us or our allies is the greatest security threat we face."
Madeline Albright, Feb 18, 1998.
"He will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has ten times since 1983."
Sandy Berger, Clinton National Security Adviser, Feb, 18, 1998
"[W]e urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq's refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs."
Letter to President Clinton, signed by Sens. Carl Levin, Tom Daschle, John Kerry, and others Oct. 9, 1998.
"Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process."
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D, CA), Dec. 16, 1998.
"Hussein has ... chosen to spend his money on building weapons of mass destruction and palaces for his cronies."
Madeline Albright, Clinton Secretary of State, Nov. 10, 1999.
"We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country."
Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002.
"Iraq's search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to deter and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is in power."
Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002.
"We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seing and developing weapons of mass destruction."
Sen. Ted Kennedy (D, MA), Sept. 27, 2002.
"I will be voting to give the President of the United States the authority to use force — if necessary — to disarm Saddam Hussein because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real and grave threat to our security."
Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Oct. 9, 2002.
"In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including al Qaeda members. It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons."
Sen. Hillary Clinton (D, NY), Oct 10, 2002
You want the truth? Bill, Hillary, Madelaine, Gore, Berger, Tenent, Bush, Rumsfeld etc, etc, were misled by bad intelligence. Sadaam used a massive disinformation campaign in the hope he would appear strong in the face of the Iranian Juggernaut on his border. I think that Judge Don Svet recognized what leftist "truth" really means and concluded that John Dear (who was arrested for trespassing in a govt building, not speaking out which as EVERYONE knows is legal in America), was indeed a coward to use crude deception to indulge in his personal martyr complex.
"You want the truth? Bill,
"You want the truth? Bill, Hillary, Madelaine, Gore, Berger, Tenent, Bush, Rumsfeld etc, etc, were misled by bad intelligence. Sadaam used a massive disinformation campaign in the hope he would appear strong in the face of the Iranian Juggernaut on his border."
A lot of people fell for the lies of Sadaam, who apparently "used a massive disinformation campaign." It is one of the oldest ploys used in political warfare to "disarm" an enemy. The US used such tactics all of the time throughout the cold war. That's why it seems interesting to me that so many "fell" for Sadaam's ruse.
The problem with any such ploy though is that other nations perceived the disinformation as fact; so they say. While it might have worked in staving off an attack by Iran, it did not do so for the US and Britain. Deception and lies such as Sadaam used, was read as a threat instead of a ploy against its immediate neighbor. That is why it is so important to have real intelligence and be able to distinguish between the lies and disinformation we are constantly confronted with and to not give into Fear or to any call to War against any of our neighbors.
However, many were not misled as GW Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld brought this disinformation to another level all together and took this country to a War against Iraq. By the time Bush got into office there was already ample information to discredit the misinformation, but they chose to go ahead and start a war in Iraq anyway. Yes, many a democrat caved; they as well as the Republicans need conversion in how they deal with problems and in resolving them in peaceful ways.
If anything, your description of Fr. John Dear, SJ is misinformation. First of all, if your description of Fr. John Dear is that he is a "leftist" then that would not adequately describe him. When he went to the federal building with a Declaration of Peace, it certainly was not a cowardly act or use of crude deception. If he had gone there and had a Declaration of War, then I would be suspicious of his act, but he obviously did not. There was no deception involved, so I don't know how you arrived at that characterization of him. He does not have the characteristics or mindset of a politician in the least, so it is not clear to me how you have linked him to the misinformation of Sadaam Hussein and the quotes selected from Democrats.
If only Republicans and Democrats would have followed Jesus' example of non-violence we would find our world in a place of Peace instead of fear and would not be caving into sympathies for war.
Fr. John Dear's message is certainly a clear message of non-violence and not one of deception. He is saying for us to disarm and put down our weapons and rely on the Peace of Christ. Fr. John Dear, SJ is a peaceful servant of Jesus Christ and not one to equate with a politician; he is too close to Jesus to be of the sort you describe.
Peace.
PBC - the new sour grapes
PBC - the new sour grapes retort: Just wondering ... is a PERSONAL BULLY COMPLEX the 'other side' of an alledged "personal martyr complex'?
John Dear seems persistent rather than neurotic fom my point of view. He seems to be a genuine Jesus-follower in the way that he uses reason, tradition, and SCRIPTURE to substantiate his actions. I can't remember any bully-teaching from Jesus. Have I missed that part?
Shalom, Pax, and Peace,
The Rev. Dr. E. McCoy
"If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness ..." (Isaiah 58)
I believe the "bully" part
I believe the "bully" part was added later by the ever so Truth laden Apostolic successors. It's part of our infallible TRADITION. Actually I don't like the terms 'bully' or 'victim martyr'. I prefer the terms predator, and prey.
I really like porcupines. They just curl up in a ball and dare you to get past the barbs. Only one predator has ever figured out how to get past the barbs, and it's not a car.
colkoch.blogtoolkit.com
It's good that you used
It's good that you used dates with your quotes, since that makes it possible to recognize that some people were speaking about actual capabilities of Saddam Hussein at the time of their statements, while others made their statements based on things that were no longer true or that may never have been more than speculation.
However, please don't leave out the following quote:
"But I also know Saddam poses no imminent and direct threat to the United States..., that the Iraqi economy is in shambles, that the Iraqi military is at a fraction of its former strength, and that in concert with the international community he can be contained until, in the way of all petty dictators, he falls into the dustbin of history." Barack Obama, October 4, 2002
Well isn't that exactly what
Well isn't that exactly what I'm saying...? The liberal reality is "Yes, yes, we all pulled together to protest Iraq's weapons of mass destruction until suddenly, around 2003, those weapons publicly vanished... probably as the result of some unknown force exerted by the election of George Bush. Then, from 2003 until the present, the "Republicans lied and people died."
Nobody is saying this war hasn't exacted a terrible price on America and Iraq, but the this essay attempts to make the following case: IF you were conservative or republican , you knowingly LIED about weapons of mass destruction and IF you were a democrat, you correctly assessed there were no weapons but were ignored. All I'm saying is that this claim is historically untrue.
That claim is historically
That claim is historically untrue and jolenecasa well made that case. I do not buy into analyses that are overly cynical vis a vis the Administration's predisposition to go to war, as if they were entirely unprincipled. That is poppycock.
OTOH, that there was such a predisposition, there can be no doubt. And the underlying cause of same, in my view, was rooted in the neoconservative approach that had inordinate influence on Bush's decision-making. This approach is mostly prudentially, not mostly morally, bankrupt. This is because it lacks political realism about how much BIG GOVERNMENT can accomplish overseas, which is incoherent vis a vis the traditional conservative pessimism re: what BIG GOVERNMENT can efficaciously accomplish domestically.
There is a lesson here. Based on McCain's cadre of foreign policy advisers, which includes too much neoconservative ballast, he's not who I want making decisions re: Iran and others; the approach is too militaristic. And, in this regard, Hillary's track record is not much better.
I don't really know what the
I don't really know what the "liberal" reality is. I really can't stand the rhetoric of both parties at this stage. I know what the Christian reality is and that is for us to love one another. That being said, I pray that our leaders will all say they are sorry for the terrible mess they have gotten us all in and will work towards not just pulling our troops out, but in helping the Iraqi people rebuild their country.
God Bless.
As far as I can tell, the
As far as I can tell, the only democrat who spoke out against the war initially, was Obama, and he didn't have a whole lot to lose at the time. If it makes you feel better, the only people I think purposefully disseminated 'disinformation' were Cheney and Rumsfeld, and they were successful because the state department under Powell was pretty much cut off from inter agency dialogue.
colkoch.blogtoolkit.com
What you are saying is that
What you are saying is that there is a liberal vs. conservative divide over invading Iraq. What I am saying is there is a divide between those who cannot distinguish between right and wrong because they have too much vested in serving other interests, and those who are able to think straight. There were many of us who all along recognized Saddam's words for so much posturing.
Great article about our
Great article about our upside-down society. Many people defend, or choose to ignore the lies because they don't want to admit the dishonesty of a candidate they voted for.
Concerned Citizen
Dear Sister Joan, We all
Dear Sister Joan, We all know our political process leaves a lot to be desired. Moreover voters need to be thinkers. ... Father Dear has been treated shabbily and should not be treated as he is being treated however until we voters start acting as we should and vote our consciences instead of on our emotions our leadership will never change. It is our duty as practising Catholics to background check each candidate prior to our selections and sort out the words as opposed to a candidates previous actions. Justice dictates nothing less. Thank you for your column!!
While supporters of George
While supporters of George W. Bush cry holy because he stands against abortion, I think they are wearing blinders. First abortion has been a sad part of our country long before the legalization. Second the answer to ending abortion is education and not legislation. Yes, abortion is horrible and yes our military, perhaps, consented to give their lives, but have we forgotten the 80 to 90 thousand Iraqi civilians who have been murdered by our preemptive war?? Have we forgotten the millions of homeless, those without food or water because of the atrocities we have committed there? They are also the voiceless in this atrocity by our country. Do they not count because they are not US citizens? Do they not count because we don’t SEE them? Do they not count because their religion is not ours? Shame on us.
Sister Joan. Thank You again
Sister Joan. Thank You again and again for removing the guise of helplessness we suffer from in this country. I see exactly what you're saying about Bush and Fr. John Dear. We think there’s nothing we can do. Often times as you pointed out people just go along with the illusion because they don't want to be the only ones to say anything like "the emperor has no clothes" They are embarrassed by their emperor and would prefer to ignore the situation rather than face the embarrassment he has caused them by what he has done.
It's to embarrassing to acknowledge the already "exposed". if you pardon the Pun. Any Way Dear Fr. John Dear, SJ is scheduled to appear at a Conference entitled "Rebuild My Church" - God: to St. Francis Assisi, 1205 - Responding Creatively to Injustice in San Jose CA. a few hours from where I live on April 25 to April 27.
I hope pray that no judges spoil my chance to see my Dear Fr. John Dear, SJ. this spring as God's Nature renews it's self in New Life this Spring may we also be renewed in our resolve to actively resist the temptation to say nothing when we see that an injustice is being done...even if it's done by our "emperor", Mr. Bush. he has been exposed and it's about time we say he's been exposed!
Vote Tuesday! When we have someone who does things right, it's easier to Openly Rally around them with Hope and Love for a new and better Future rather than face embarrassment and disdain.
May God bless and guide George Bush to make better decisions in his final days of President, and help us make the best decision on Tuesday for whom most likely will become our newest President. I would like to see Obama with Barbara Boxer as his running mate for the two top offices in the nation. I feel if something happens to him as it did to the Kennedys and Martin Luther King, Boxer would be the best person to carry on the torch of making our country respectable in the World again.
The more we discover how much we are Loved by God, the more we want to do God's Will
MMBitz First, I heard Sr.
MMBitz
First, I heard Sr. Joan calling all of us to be prophets. It is not the domain of the hierarchy or the leaders. Prophets were tortured or put to death, as is the case with Fr. Dear. I think it is for us to call for an end to war; for us to swamp our legislators with our cry for an end to the ward.
Peter, Exactly my point!
Peter,
Exactly my point! The priests are too concerned with "keeping our attention on God" to be concerned with the IMMORALITY of this ILLEGAL war - or, for that matter, to be concerned with ecumenism, or gay pride, or the homeless - at least in my experience. Would that the priests I know would address these issues. You are very lucky to be able to see this. to me, "keeping our attention on God" is to be concerned with these issues.
We seem to have a great
We seem to have a great difficulty being true to ourselves as spiritually centered people. We have been brainwashed into thinking that church and state somehow means we have to choose who we are when we are BOTH. The hierarchy of our church has for far too long succumbed to the pressure of being silent in matters of the state, and consequently have insisted that we, like good sheep, should follow. We ARE the government AND we ARE the SPIRITUAL BODY of CHRIST. The simplest and yet the greatest challenge for us is to act as true human beings...to know who we are as loving chidren of God...to be the Light of the world. That does NOT mean that we berate and protest the government (in reality, ourselves) but that we all stand united in the outrage of other world members who refuse to live in a civilized world society. We should stand united to oppose blowing up buidings housing thousands of innocent other children of God. We should stand united to oppose genocide...or to loudly decry oppressive governments who gas thousands because they are not the 'right' religious sect,not the 'right' tribe, or who are different from us, or are the 'wrong' gender, or have the wrong heritage, or who are jealous of people who have everything and won't share, or who damn the torpedos full steam ahead regardless of what it does to our environment. We wouldn't want to disrupt the gluttonous economic 'devouring machine' of society which can never get enough...or would we risk taking in our belt for once. I could go on and on...but you get it, don't you?
The correct response is to demand...no scream...from the highest mountain that we must all live in peace and in tolerance, to love one another, to help one another to enjoy life, true liberty, and the trueest pursuit of happiness. That means the BE--ATTITUDES...to feed, shelter, clothe our brothers and sisters throughout the world. We should be outraged at the waste of resources and money going to kill on both sides of the battlefield. Our troops are doing our misguided bidding out of sheer patriotism and I am certain they would love nothing more than to build bridges, water supplies, schools, to bring hope, love and respect where they are serving if only all of our misguided leaders of the country and all of our misguided religious leaders would only step back and act responsibly as if God were among us...because GOD IS AMONG US. It's all about love! Love! and more love! It's about the POWER of LOVE! The rest would automatically fall into place and change swords into ploughshares.
What a great Post Rian! I
What a great Post Rian!
I thank God I have been blessed by reading your post made by a resident of the Kingdom of God. My spiritual sister in God through Christ our Lord and God our Father, you respond like a person who truly has "Jesus living" within you. Which is what we all need to find anew. I read something recently the reminds me that what you represent "the living embodiment of the teachings of and the life led by Jesus". That is what we need to heal ourselves. You and those like you, like Sister Chittister, and what you represent is the HOPE of our nations. Here's what I read:
"Christianity is an extemporized religion, and therefore must it operate in low gear.
High-gear spiritual performances must await the new revelation and the more general acceptance of the real religion of Jesus.
But Christianity is a mighty religion, seeing that the commonplace disciples of a crucified carpenter set in motion those teachings which conquered the Roman world in three hundred years and then went on to triumph over the barbarians who overthrew Rome. This same Christianity conquered--absorbed and exalted--the whole stream of Hebrew theology and Greek philosophy. And then, when this Christian religion became comatose for more than a thousand years as a result of an overdose of mysteries and paganism, it resurrected itself and virtually reconquered the whole Western world. Christianity contains enough of Jesus' teachings to immortalize it.
If Christianity could only grasp more of Jesus' teachings, it could do so much more in helping modern humans to solve their new and increasingly complex problems.
Christianity suffers under a great handicap because it has become identified in the minds of all the world as a part of the social system, the industrial life, and the moral standards of Western civilization; and thus has Christianity unwittingly seemed to sponsor a society which staggers under the guilt of tolerating science without idealism, politics without principles, wealth without work, pleasure without restraint, knowledge without character, power without conscience, and industry without morality.
The hope of modern Christianity is that it should cease to sponsor the social systems and industrial policies of Western civilization while it humbly bows itself before the cross it so valiantly extols, there to learn anew from Jesus of Nazareth the greatest truths mortal humankind can ever hear
--the living gospel of the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood and sisterhood of humankind."
God Bless you Rian, because you are the healing this nation and this world needs. The things you call for are things that a person with the true gospel of Jesus in their hearts would call for.
I thank you for being who you are and I thank God for what ever process brought you to that state of being. :-)
The more we discover how much we are Loved by God, the more we want to do God's Will
And the icing on the cake is
And the icing on the cake is that the devout Bush-believers are, for the most part, Christians, including Catholics, who attend church services at least once a week. But what else is new? John Dear is being treated the way prophets have always been treated. The Sanhedrin sacrificed Jesus for the "stability" provided by Pilate and Herod. So it goes.
Sister Joan. Thank You again
Sister Joan. Thank You again and again for removing the guise of helplessness we suffer from in this country.
I see exactly what you're saying about Bush and Fr. John Dear. We think there’s nothing we can do. Often times as you pointed out people just go along with the illusion because they don't want to be the only ones to say anything like "the emperor has no clothes" They are embarrassed by their emperor and would prefer to ignore the situation rather than face the embarrassment he has caused them by what he has done.
It's to embarrassing to acknowledge the already "exposed", if you pardon the pun.
Any Way Dear Fr. John Dear, SJ is scheduled to appear at a Conference entitled "Rebuild My Church" - God: to St. Francis Assisi, 1205 - "Responding Creatively to Injustice", in San Jose CA. a few hours from where I live on April 25 to April 27.
I hope and pray that no judges spoil my chance to see my Dear Fr. John Dear, SJ. this spring as God's Nature renews it's self in New Life so may we also be renewed in our resolve to actively resist the temptation to say nothing when we see that an injustice is being done...even if it's done by our "emperor", Mr. Bush. He has been exposed and it's about time we say he's been exposed!
Vote Tuesday! When we have someone who does things right, it's easier to Openly Rally around them with Hope and Love for a new and better Future rather than face embarrassment and disdain.
May God bless and guide George Bush to make better decisions in his final days of being President, and help us make the best decision on Tuesday for whom most likely will become our newest President.
I would like to see Obama with Barbara Boxer as his running mate for the two top offices in the nation. I feel if something happens to him as it did to the Kennedys and Martin Luther King, Boxer would be the best person to carry on the torch of making our country respectable in the World again.
Peace be with you all, my brothers and sisters. :-)
The more we discover how much we are Loved by God, the more we want to do God's Will
Sr. Joan, being so busy, I
Sr. Joan, being so busy, I don't know if you have time to read the comments on this board. I feel moved by the power and truth of your prophetic insight. Right now, like a previous 'commentator,' I too feel a sense of helplessness and a "not knowing exactly what little I can do" about the evil taking place right before my very own eyes. Yet I know I must do something, no matter how small and insignifant it may feel; and it may not even be related to this issue. I do know I'm trying to do something; perhaps, and probably, it is not enough. Look at the world!
I first heard you speak at the weekend conference "Prophets Then, Prophets Now," which Richard Rohr, in Alburquerque, New Mexico during the summer of 2006. I regret not meeting you personally. Anyhow, a couple of weeks ago, I went back and watched one of your talks on the DVD from the conference, and you were unbelievable! So much so you received a standing ovation from the audience.
Anyhow, thank you for your strong, bold, powerful, and courageous example.
Peace & Blessings,
Jose
Why doesn't Sister
Why doesn't Sister Chittister give our President the credit he is due for his opposition to abortion (two Catholics named to the Supreme Court) and stem cell research. War is awful, and never should be desired. But remember, those who signed up for the military did so with the understanding that being active in these organizations comes with the real possibility that your death may occur. Those who are killed in the womb, never even have a chance.
No amount of Social Justice that may be the result of a Clinton or Obama victory will ever even come close to offsetting the genocide that is abortion, which both candidates will continue to support!
Even a fifth grader knows that babies need more protections than adults.
Even a fifth grader knows
Even a fifth grader knows that when someone has been lying over and over again to you not to believe another word he says.
While supporters of George
While supporters of George W. Bush cry holy because he stands against abortion, I think they are wearing blinders. First abortion has been a sad part of our country long before the legalization. Second the answer to ending abortion is education and not legislation. Yes, abortion is horrible and yes our military, perhaps, consented to give their lives, but have we forgotten the 80 to 90 thousand Iraqi civilians who have been murdered by our preemptive war?? Have we forgotten the millions of homeless, those without food or water who will die because of the carnage we have brought to their country? They are also the voiceless in this atrocity by our country. Do they not count because they are not US citizens? Do they not count because we don’t SEE them? Do they not count because their religion is not ours? Shame on us.
Yes, he is opposed to
Yes, he is opposed to abortion and he appointed two judges who are very much pro big business and hopefully anti abortion. But remember the republicans are supposedly pro life and along with the president, they were totally in control for many years yet never tried to pass a real ban on abortion or an amendment against it. When the time came to put their name on the dotted line they didn't do it. I don't remember Bush in any speech asking Congress to ban abortion. Did they try to ban partial birth abortion- yes although with most congressmen being lawyers, they must have known a lot of the bill wouldn't meet the constitutional level to be a good law. Hmmm, I just don't see the reality of anti abortion - I only see the hype.
Respect for life has to be
Respect for life has to be uniform and consistent across all the life issues. It's a little disingenuous to count the Bush appointments to the Supreme Count as pro-life appointments, when their support, like many others in the so-called pro-life movement suspend their life support at the moment of birth.
So please don't try to promote Bush's abysmal record by suggesting Sr Joan's focus of the moment is not on your single issue, which, by the way does need support, but not the kind it's received from Bush and his appointments.
-=+-. Marty McGowan
http://threemartinis.blogspot.com -- Shaken, not stirred
To usclax, your right but
To usclax,
your right but you are also wrong. If you are going to be pro-life, then you must defend life from "womb to tomb." And also take a good look at the discord for violence, death, abortion, war, etc. within your own soul!
Secondly, have you heard the term, "old men declare wars, and young men go out and fight them." Are you aware of the connection of the evils of poverty, racism, and war? Do you George Bush and/or any of the political leaders within the three branches of government, be they, local, state, and federal sending their sons, daughters, wives, husbands, and partners to war?
With all due love and respect, can you please wake up?
Peace,
Jose
Joseph L Reilly You need
Joseph L Reilly You need either a group of people, a large group, and/or a blog to point this huge discrepancy from the truth by this 'faith based person' and kowtowing followers, who either follow or get dismissed
the elarge group could get media attention, the blog will reach people who use computers
There is a movement that is
There is a movement that is gaining momentum to begin impeachment hearings for Cheney and then Bush. Dennis Kuchinich introduced this in the House some months ago. The media have been very silent on this. MoveOn.org has lots of info on this.
It sounds drastic but at least the procedure would bring out some truth and hold this administration accountable. Even with "only" a year left of this Administration it still seems worth it to me, so as to get some truth out in the public. This is another way of standing up.
I can post more info for those interested in lending their voice by letters or email.
Please see also Bill Moyers
Please see also Bill Moyers Journal Part I and Part II in an ongoing series discussing government oversight and accountability.
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/02012008/watch2.html
"the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." John 1:5
what can we do? do we cry or
what can we do? do we cry or do we get angry? where do we turn? who will lead us ... out of this system, so broken, so ridiculous. who will lead us... ? who can be heard, who speaks against the gods of a system run by power, money and lies? It will be the ones who have always pointed the way out, Prophets!! and its time, we the crowd listen.
Sister Joan Chittister has
Sister Joan Chittister has really highlighted one of the significant issues in the political sphere of our lives. We tolerate the untruthful politicians and are not surprised any more that our politicians do not tell the truth.
What Christ-like courage John Dear SJ is displaying to call them to account. Joan is right - more of us should do it!
I would love him to win the 2008 Nobel Peace Prize and see whether the judge who called him a 'rogue priest' would have the courage to congratulate him and apologize for his disrespect!
Liz Morris rsj
I suggest the US follow the
I suggest the US follow the lead of UK and Australia and vote out of office people like this.
Peter, Ironic that it was
Peter,
Ironic that it was this week that I e-mailed our son that the thing that really made me angry was that I had heard no sermon condemning this illegal, unjust, immoral and pre-emptive war. What is it with these priests that they can be content to stand on the altar, week after week, and give bromidic expostulations on the scriptures of the week, but cannot "tell it like it is?" Forgive my cynicism, but could there possible be "faith-based initiative" connection? The media and the churches owed it to the people to "speak truth to power, and they didn't.
Thank you for calling it to our attention.
"What is it with these
"What is it with these priests that they can be content to stand on the altar, week after week, and give bromidic expostulations on the scriptures of the week, but cannot 'tell it like it is?'"
I could be wrong, but what I'm seeing suggests that faith based initiatives don't have much to do with priests not preaching against the war. Perhaps the largest cause is that priests are humans embedded in particular contexts. For most of the people I've seen, while they oppose the war, questions about work, the economy, celebrities, and family issues are more immediate then the war. The priests at the parishes I've visited have been concerned with ecumenical issues, the cracks in the Anglican Communion (an Episcopal church), getting along with and being more open to gays, keeping our attention on God so that we aren't distracted by the latest celebrity disaster, and urging the parishoners to move beyond their comfort zone. I'm fairly sure that all of those priests oppose the war, but all of them, like their parishoners, have other concerns that they think should be talked about.
Maybe we adults have to get
Maybe we adults have to get over the concept best expressed in military lingo: You don't salute the man you salute the rank.
I think adults have given the 'rank' a whole lot of leeway without looking at the man. And it's not just GW, it's also our own hierarchy. I sometimes laugh at the notion of 'creeping' infallibility
because it's more like 'NASCAR' unaccountability, and we allow it to happen because we're in awe of the rank.
Rank only has priveledges because we give them those priveledges. Maybe it's time we understood how disempowering this is and stop saluting.
"'What is truth,' said
"'What is truth,' said jesting Pilate and would not wait for an answer"- My daughter attends Georgetown University. I hear so much about the sanctity of life in articles such as this, but then Georgetown forces my daughter to run the gauntlet daily, both in her dorm and on her way to and from class, with representatives approved and encouraged by the Jesuits hawking free condoms, teaching that abortion is ok, and requiring all students in mandatory "Religion Classes" to hear that there is no truth or absolute.
Why is it that murdering innocent babies is perfectly ok, but allowing our country to fight oppression is wrong. I have talked with soldiers on their 3rd tour of duty, who are eager to return to Iraq because the people tell them that America is the only freedom they have ever known. I have a young friend who is a soldier, who is disappointed that he has been stationed in Germany instead and is trying to find a way to be sent to Iraq. Does he want to go kill people? No, he wants to bring justice to an oppressed society.
Conscience? In World War Two, countries, including America under FDR sent Jewish refugees to their death. If you do not believe me, please look into the history books. A boat sent with hundreds of Jews to Cuba was refused entry. Their only choice was to appeal to other nations for entry or else go back to Germany, where Hitler had already said they would be dealt with. FDR turned his back on them as did other countries. Holland and France finally accepted many, but most of these were then killed when Germany overran these countries.
Conscience? Stalin purged his country of millions. Nobody stood up and said, "no." Random slaughter prevailed to 'make the quotas.' You don't believe me? Look it up. Read the facts about the mass graves even now being uncovered. Goodness, it isn't hard to find. We were given Russian books to read in college back in the early 1970's with the details, pictures, and records.
Conscience? Saddam Hussein purged his country of thousands until the USA stopped him. Please tell me that you do not doubt this! I am proud to be among those who finally did say to evil, "no."
Do I love Bush? No, but he is better than those who approve of the continued slaughter of the innocents. And speaking of that, suppose we tell Fifth Graders that someone comes to towns and gathers in millions of babies and kills them. And makes lots of money doing this. And that mothers go to these people and offer up their children to be killed. Tell that to Fifth Graders and see how many would say that was a good thing. So, I guess the commentator is right after all-- apparently the Democrat leaders and those 'pro-choice" Catholic grown ups can't see what is apparent to a mere child.
Oh, and I forgot to mention- my other daughter graduates from Harvard this year. I am saddened to say that there is more faith, truth, and justice on her campus than at Georgetown University.