NYT: Americans Plan Rome Trip Over Ban on Gay Priests
According to the
New York Times (registration required),
Responding to reports that the Vatican may be close to releasing a directive to exclude most gay candidates from entering the priesthood, leaders of Roman Catholic men's religious orders in the United States are planning to travel to Rome to voice their objections in person.
The trip is one of the steps by leaders of Catholic religious orders to try to reassure priests and seminarians who have been rattled by news of a possible Vatican ban on the ordination of gay men. ...
Moyers: Republican Party is a theocracy
Bill Moyers says
The radical religious right has succeeded in taking over one of America’s great political parties-the country is not yet a theocracy but the Republican Party is-and they are driving American politics, using God as a battering ram on almost every issue: crime and punishment, foreign policy, health care, taxation, energy, regulation, social services and so on.
Thanks to
The Purple Pew for pointing this out.
Highly secular democracies consistently enjoy low rates of societal dysfunction
An abstract of
an article in the Journal of Religion and Society says
Large-scale surveys show dramatic declines in religiosity in favor of secularization in the developed democracies. Popular acceptance of evolutionary science correlates negatively with levels of religiosity, and the United States is the only prosperous nation where the majority absolutely believes in a creator and evolutionary science is unpopular. Abundant data is available on rates of societal dysfunction and health in the first world. Cross-national comparisons of highly differing rates of religiosity and societal conditions form a mass epidemiological experiment that can be used to test whether high rates of belief in and worship of a creator are necessary for high levels of social health. Data correlations show that in almost all regards the highly secular democracies consistently enjoy low rates of societal dysfunction, while pro-religious and anti-evolution America performs poorly.
The article, by Gregory S. Paul, is entitled
Cross-National Correlations of Quantifiable Societal Health with Popular Religiosity and Secularism in the Prosperous Democracies: A First Look.
Muder: UU-FAQ V: God, Miracles, and Prayer
Doug Muder presents
The UU-FAQ V: God, Miracles, and Prayer which addresses the questions:
- Do UU’s believe in God?
- If you don’t share a vision of God, what is at the center of your religion?
- Do UU’s believe in miracles?
- Do UU’s pray?
Cindy Sheeham: Why I was Smiling When I Was Arrested
Cindy Sheehan says ...
I had a huge grin on my face when I was getting arrested yesterday. I have received a lot of flak for smiling. Apparently I am not supposed to smile, but I had some really good reasons for doing so.
First of all, I was having fun. I was with a group of good-humored, cheerful, happy people. We were singing old protest songs and old Sunday school songs and clapping. I felt I had to be cheerful to set the tone. We didn't want any trouble or to do anything non-peaceful. Secondly, when I got arrested and the officers lifted me out I was afraid that America would see my underwear and that tickled me.
There is another and more important reason that I was smiling. I had not genuinely smiled since Casey was killed in Iraq. ...
Republic Study Committee: Operation Offset
According to the Republican Study Committee's
Operation Offset (Note: this is a 24 page Microsoft Word document), the government has to make "Tough Choices in Tough Times" to cut out the unnecessary spending the President says is in the budget. We need to do this, we're told, because we have to spend whatever it takes to rebuild the Gulf Coast (not to mention spend whatever it takes on the Iraq war) and can't increase taxes to do so. Suggestions include:
- Delay the Medicare Prescription Drug Bill for One year
- Repeal the Highway Earmarks in TEA-LU
- Reduce Medicaid Administrative Spending
- Increase Allowable Co-pays in Medicaid
- Block Grant Medicaid Acute Services
- Reduce Farm Payment Acreage by 1%
- Eliminate Subsidized Loans to Graduate Students
- Base New Federal Retiree Health on Length of Service
- Increase Medicare Part B Premium from 25% to 30%
- Restructure Medicare's Cost-Sharing Requirement
- Impose a Home Health Co-payment of 10%
- Update the Formula Used for Federal Pension
Post: FEMA Plans to Reimburse Faith Groups
The Washington Post reports ...
After weeks of prodding by Republican lawmakers and the American Red Cross, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said yesterday that it will use taxpayer money to reimburse churches and other religious organizations that have opened their doors to provide shelter, food and supplies to survivors of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
FEMA officials said it would mark the first time that the government has made large-scale payments to religious groups for helping to cope with a domestic natural disaster.
They should count this as two times - the first and the last. Since when are religious organizations supposed to be conduits for government money?
Thanks to DriveDemocracy.org for passing this along.
M. Scott Peck passes
USA Today reports the passing of M. Scott Peck, author of
The Road Less Traveled (which sold more than 6 million copies in North America and been translated into 20 languages) and other books.
NYT: At the Vatican, Exceptions Make the Rule
John L. Allen Jr., Vatican correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter, has an
op-ed piece in the New York Times (registration required) about the forthcoming Vatican document on gays in seminaries.
... when the Vatican makes statements like "no gays in the priesthood," it doesn't actually mean "no gays in the priesthood." It means, "As a general rule, this is not a good idea, but we all know there will be exceptions."
Understanding this distinction requires an appreciation of Italian concepts of law, which hold sway throughout the thought world of the Vatican. The law, according to such thinking, expresses an ideal. It describes a perfect state of affairs from which many people will inevitably fall short. This view is far removed from the typical Anglo-Saxon approach, which expects the law to dictate what people actually do. ...
100-Minute Bible
The Christian Science Monitor has a story about the new
100-Minute Bible
created in England by a retired Anglican priest and headmaster, the Rev. Michael Hinton.
Conference on Progressive Christian Values
A conference on Progressive Christian Values called
Values, Vision and the Via Media to be held October 13-15 at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC will gather Christians together to "actively condemn the moral failures of the right-wing government and issue a comprehensive strategy for reform".
"Values, Vision and the Via Media" will offer an articulate representation of progressive Christian values held by the majority of moderate Americans, Republican and Democrat alike, offering progressive Christianity a public face. Theologians, activists and lay persons will use case studies, panel discussions and plenary sessions to explore how to make a difference personally, locally and globally in the areas of:
- Economic Justice
- Environment
- Family Values
- Peacemaking
- Racism / social oppressions
We need to understand megachurches
Street Prophets says Progressives need to understand megachurches.
Of all the roadblocks that stand between Progressives and success in American politics, the 'megachurch' movement has to be the biggest. Try as we may, the Left has been unable or unwilling to have an honest and realistic discussion about this particular social development.
Specifically, most Progressives see megachurches as little more than overgrown gatherings of holy ghost rollers--working class white people, largely southern, whose economic and political world-view has been displaced by the fraudulent revivalism of charismatic snake-oil salesman. So much screaming and yelling on a Sunday, irrational, stupid--an aberration to be controlled, not an instance of social change to be understood.
Even as we must continue to battle the dangerous elements of Evangelical Christianity in America, Progressives must also figure out how to appreciate what the megachurch movement has accomplished. In a world where Joel Osteen's sermons beat the Sunday talk shows in the ratings (week after week), Progressives need to take seriously the need for a layered strategy for dealing with this change. We have ducked from this task for long already. ...
Really crass marketing opportunity
The Smoking Gun reports ...
With dead bodies still floating in the streets of New Orleans, a pair of Louisiana lawyers are seeking to cash in on the killer hurricane by slapping the name Katrina on alcoholic beverages. In a new filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Andrew Vicknair and Harold Ehrenberg provided federal officials with a logo ... bearing the word Katrina, the phrase "Get Blown Away," and a small satellite image of the deadly storm. ...
The Longs: Heather's Father Marries a Dog
Jerry and Joe Long write "A children’s book on the religious and ethical consequences of gay marriage. Now with Evangelical and Secular Humanist endings".
Once upon a time there was a little girl named Heather.
Heather lived in a normal house with her normal family on a normal street of a normal neighborhood.
Heather’s father ran the house.
Heather’s mother served under him.
Heather and her brother and sister were taught to fear God.
Heather was happy.
Then one day, Heather and her family saw homosexuals getting married. ...
Clinton Global Initiative
Bill Clinton describes the
Clinton Global Initiative that was held in New York City Sept 15-17.
... This nonpartisan conference will concentrate a diverse and select group of current and former heads of state, business leaders, noteworthy academicians, and key NGO representatives to identify immediate and pragmatic solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems. The workshops will focus on how to reduce poverty; use religion as a force for reconciliation and conflict resolution; implement new business strategies and technologies to combat climate change; and strengthen governance. Our meeting will emphasize dynamic group interaction to identify an agenda we can actually implement. ...
According to a
Washington Post article posted on the Clinton site, the conference apparently came off very well.
...Every session began with a stroll to the podium to announce a big-bucks pledge for some imaginative initiative ($1.25 billion by the conference’s close).
“Now here’s something else in my hot little hand,” the former prez would say, dangling his glasses, with his best “doggone” smile. “My old friend Carlos Slim Helu here has just said he’s willing to develop a cell phone network for Gaza and link it to Jordan’s network! Why, thanks, Carlos. Come up here and be recognized.” A big hand for Carlos, who turns out to be the richest man in Latin America. ...
How many times have I said to myself: Boy, I wish we could re-elect him.
Rosicrucians are seeking
If you're looking for answers, like keeping secrets, and live in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, or the San Francisco Bay Area, this might be for you (according to a
PR Newswire press release) ...
The Rosicrucian Order, an organization surrounded in mystery since ancient times, is launching a unique membership campaign, marking a rare foray into the public eye for an organization that has been shrouded in secrecy for over 6,000 years.
"We're seeking individuals that are seeking answers," said Julie Scott, Grand Master of the Order. "Now, as in the time of the publication of the first manifestos in the early 17th century, the individuals are seeking, and creating, a spiritual renaissance." Those who join the Order embark on a system of study based on hermetic principles, that reveals the underlying principles of the universe and a method to further develop their human potential. Throughout history, the Rosicrucians have attracted the interest of some of the world's most influential figures, including Leonardo da Vinci, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Sir Francis Bacon, and Helena Blavatsky. ...
Abortion docs in TX may face murder charge
The
Waco Tribune-Herald says ..
Doctors who perform illegal abortions in Texas could be prosecuted for capital murder and face a death sentence under recent changes in Texas law that have resulted in apparent unintended consequences. ...
NYT: The Normality of Gay Marriage
A
New York Times editorial (registration required) says ..
There's nothing like a touch of real-world experience to inject some reason into the inflammatory national debate over gay marriages. Take Massachusetts, where the state's highest court held in late 2003 that under the State Constitution, same-sex couples have a right to marry. The State Legislature moved to undo that decision last year by approving a proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriages and create civil unions as an alternative. But this year, when precisely the same measure came up for a required second vote, it was defeated by a thumping margin of 157 to 39.
The main reason for the flip-flop is that some 6,600 same-sex couples have married over the past year with nary a sign of adverse effects. The sanctity of heterosexual marriages has not been destroyed. Public morals have not gone into a tailspin. Legislators who supported gay marriage in last year's vote have been re-elected. Gay couples, many of whom had been living together monogamously for years, have rejoiced at official recognition of their commitment. ...
Rabbi talk show host gets cancelled by Mormon-owned station
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach who is, among other things, a talk-show host, was recently fired by the Mormon-owned station for organizing an event to help victims of hurricane Katrina. After his show ended for the day ...
What happened next shocked me to my core. Rod Arquette, Salt Lake Radio Group’s vice president for news and programming, sent me an e-mail message on the Jewish Sabbath (I retrieved it when the Sabbath concluded) ordering me not to come to Utah. He further left an aggressive message on my answering machine, saying that although he understood that I could not speak on the telephone on the Sabbath, he wanted me to know that under no circumstances was I to come to Utah. After the Sabbath concluded, he told me by phone that my radio show was being cancelled, saying that I had organized an event for the refugee families on Wednesday without the station’s prior approval. ...
Wouldn't want to help destitute people without going all the way up the chain of command, now would we?
Open Source Spirituality
First there was Open Source Software, and now there's (drum roll please):
Open Source Spirituality.
Genocide should always be news
The Revealer comments on a statement from Richard Cizik, vice-president of the National Association of Evangelicals, in which he scolds the Bush administration for failing to follow up on its declaration that the Sudanese civil war constitutes genocide.
...There's been a slow-but-steady drumbeat of below-the-fold stories about evangelicals crossing traditional left/right lines, particularly with regard to environmentalism and international human rights. The Revealer has been skeptical -- many of these stories reflect the lazy desire of reporters to get a "Used to go this way, now it goes that way" story. They don't ask hard questions, and, worse, sometimes give good spin to efforts that more political than they at first appear.
But the Save Darfur Coalition seems like the real deal. And when Rich Cizik, a long-time veteran of Christian conservative politics and a man known as honest broker, declares that the Bush administration is falling down on the job, that's news. Because genocide should always be news; and because American responses to international atrocities are determined by domestic politics. Cizik's announcement should be heard as a seismic rumble. Christian conservative activists are growing more and more frustrated with the Bush-led G.O.P., not just on issues such as abortion, where Bush strikes them as too liberal, but on issues that cross party lines. Like, you know, stopping the murder of half a million people. ...
Religious Humanism
A new blog called Talk: Humanism has one person's definition of
Religious Humanism.
Religious Humanism emphasis the humanity who has, since the beginning of recorded time, created gods, God, rituals, and subsequent religious practices. Religious Humanism places the responsibility to positively change this world upon humanity alone. A Religious Humanist looks toward humanity itself for answers to the social, political, and religious issues we all currently face. So, in short, our religious priorities are humanity, possibility, responsibility, freedom, justice, egalitarianism, pluralism, dialogue, democracy, and the care of our planet.
I've never personally spent a lot of time trying to figure out what I believe in a religious sense, because I believe it doesn't really matter. That being said, the above definition is as close to what I believe as anything else I've seen.
Conflict models in religion
Transient and Permanent discusses religious conflict models:
...This school of historiography (short definition: the methodology of writing history from a scholarly viewpoint, rather than an insider's sectarian one) suggests that American religion is best understood through the encounter and clash of differing ethnic, religious, and other groups, usually in an unequal balance of power. ...
But, he says, Unitarian Universalism doesn't fit this model.
The problem is, at least as I see it, this is fundamentally not how Unitarian-Universalism should be conceptualized. As a UU I do not see my religion in conflict with Christianity. Nor is UUism in conflict with Judaism, with Islam, with Wicca, or Buddhism. UUism is not a soldier in the wars between religions. Rather, our conflict is with ideas and actions. We oppose exclusivity, tyranny, irrationalism, falsehood, prejudice, injustice, dogma, and all the sins of the heart which sever human beings from one another and the greater mystery which surrounds and sustains us. It doesn't matter what banner they march under, be it Christianity or Judaism or Islam. We don't oppose any of the significant dogmas of Christianity, not even the trinity--odd as it may seem at first, one can be trinitarian and Unitarian-Universalist.
That's why UUs can adopt a range of theological positions and still remain Unitarian-Universalist: because we don't oppose other religions, but the elements of evil and ignorance that we encounter in the world. Sometimes we encounter such things in other religions, which can give the mistaken impression that we are, say, anti-Christian. At least for me as a UU, nothing could be further from the truth. I oppose evil and ignorance when they are brought to me in a Christian guise, but elements of love, wisdom, and beauty in Christianity are welcomed and cherished. ...
President Bush's position on Roe V. Wade
The analysis
according to PeaceBang.
Do UUs do generic religious practices?
PeaceBang notes that lots of people - even Unitarian Universalists! - wonder what we UUs do, or are supposed to do, in church.
...I am so sick of people asking Unitarian Universalists if they participate in basic, generic religious practices, but of course it isn't their fault for asking.
We've well earned our reputation as this exotic hot house flower, bizarr-o humanist cult you need to approach with the trepidation of a jackrabbit among a pack of wolves when inquiring about religious practices: "Excuse me, sirs and ma'ams, would it be okay if I prayed for the dead here in your building? Or are we only allowed to 'think good thoughts?'" ...
... How many times have I attended an interfaith clergy gathering and been instantly insulted and marginalized because all the other religious leaders were indoctrinated by some previous UU to believe that we don't pray, we will not read that Bible passage, we are pre-offended by any ideas you might have, and we expect to be capitulated to in our every terminally unique need or whim or we will stamp our teeny, tiny wounded feet and slam out the door? I've taken to arriving early to all such gatherings so I can do damage control before the meeting starts. ...
We're brought this on ourselves, of course. We often take the word "different" as praise. For those non-UUs who are not naturally seekers, we don't make it easy to understand what a UU is.
A FEMA detainment camp
An article posted on
Abovetopsecret is written by someone who went to deliver supplies to a church camp which was taken over by FEMA. Not a good experience. Just a few clips of the article ...
... We then started lugging in our food products. The foods I had purchased were mainly snacks, but my mother - God bless her soul - had gone all out with fresh vegetables, fruits, canned goods, breakfast cereals, rice, and pancake fixings. That's when we got the next message: They will not be able to use the kitchen.
Excuse me? I asked incredulously.
FEMA will not allow any of the kitchen facilities in any of the cabins to be used by the occupants due to fire hazards. FEMA will deliver meals to the cabins. The refugees will be given two meals per day by FEMA. They will not be able to cook. In fact, the "host" goes on to explain, some churches had already enquired about whether they could come in on weekends and fix meals for the people staying in their cabin. FEMA won't allow it because there could be a situation where one cabin gets steaks and another gets hot dogs - and...
It could cause a riot.
My son looks at me and mumbles "Welcome to Krakow."
My mother then asked if the churches would be allowed to come to their cabin and conduct services if the occupants wanted to attend. The response was "No ma'am. You don't understand. Your church no longer owns this building. This building is now owned by FEMA and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. They have it for the next 5 months." This scares my mother who asks "Do you mean they have leased it?" The man replies, "Yes, ma'am...lock, stock and barrel. They have taken over everything that pertains to this facility for the next 5 months."
We then lug all food products requiring cooking back to the car. We start unloading our snacks. Mom appeared to have cornered the market in five counties on pop-tarts and apparently that was an acceptable snack so the guy started shoving them under the counter. He said these would be good to tied people over in between their two meals a day. But he tells my mother she must take all the breakfast cereal back. My mother protests that cereal requires no cooking. "There will be no milk, ma'am." My mother points to the huge industrial double-wide refrigerator the church had just purchased in the past year. "Ma'am, you don't understand...
It could cause a riot." ...
Thanks to
Boing Boing for pointing this out.
Purported government attempts to restrict Katrina coverage
Media Matters for America discusses purported government attempts to restrict Katrina coverage.
A September 7 Reuters article reported that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) "asked the media not to take pictures of those killed by Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath" and "refused to take reporters and photographers along on boats seeking victims in flooded areas." FEMA's actions, along with further reports that the government is obstructing journalists in New Orleans, have drawn little attention -- and even less outrage -- from the very media institutions that the agency, part of the Bush administration, seeks to repress. Media Matters for America wonders: What will it take for the media to protest (or at least report) the Bush administration's efforts to control them?
According to the Reuters article, free speech watchdog groups, such as PEN American Center and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, decried FEMA's purported actions as "simply mind-boggling." Reuters quoted Tom Rosenstiel, director of Columbia University's Project for Excellence in Journalism, describing FEMA's decision as "an invitation to chaos," and claiming it "is about managing images and not public taste or human dignity." Reuters said that FEMA's purported attempts to restrict photographs of Katrina victims "is in line with the Bush administration's ban on images of flag-draped U.S. military coffins returning from the Iraq war." In a September 8 Philadelphia Inquirer column, television columnist Gail Shister quoted Alex Jones, director of Harvard University's Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy: " 'I think they want to minimize the perception that the government didn't do its job,' says Jones, a former New York Times reporter and Pulitzer Prize-winner. 'I'm very suspicious of their motives.' " Editor & Publisher also noted FEMA's actions and the reactions of journalist groups in a September 8 article. ...
Time: How reliable is Brown's resume?
Time Magazine reports that FEMA Chief Michael Brown's real resume doesn't exactly match his published one.
... Before joining FEMA, his only previous stint in emergency management, according to his bio posted on FEMA's website, was "serving as an assistant city manager with emergency services oversight." The White House press release from 2001 stated that Brown worked for the city of Edmond, Okla., from 1975 to 1978 "overseeing the emergency services division." In fact, according to Claudia Deakins, head of public relations for the city of Edmond, Brown was an "assistant to the city manager" from 1977 to 1980, not a manager himself, and had no authority over other employees. "The assistant is more like an intern," she told TIME. "Department heads did not report to him." Brown did do a good job at his humble position, however, according to his boss. "Yes. Mike Brown worked for me. He was my administrative assistant. He was a student at Central State University," recalls former city manager Bill Dashner. "Mike used to handle a lot of details. Every now and again I'd ask him to write me a speech. He was very loyal. He was always on time. He always had on a suit and a starched white shirt." ...
Association of Black Psychologists comment on Hurricane Katrina
The
National President of the Association of Black Psychologists has written a message about the effects of Hurricane Katrina:
This message is a compilation of thoughts being shared between the members of the ABPsi. Almost immediately after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf coast, communication began to take place between our members regarding the experiences of grief and dismay being experienced in response to the losses and hardships being imposed by nature on the people of Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Their lives were being severely disrupted by this natural disaster. It was particularly disheartening to be confronted with the images on our television screens of the disproportionate number of African Americans who were unable to evacuate their communities. As the days wore on it became apparent that these African decent people in New Orleans and the Gulf area were essentially experiencing a modern day Maafa, an event of catastrophic death and destruction beyond human comprehension. The emotional agony expressed by the generally stoic news reporters was a testament to the magnitude of the trauma unfolding in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. ...
Maine group doesn't blame homosexuals for Hurricane Katrina
The
Bangor News reports that the Christian Civic League of Maine is leaving that decision up to you.
"The view that such events are caused by God is a matter of opinion - faith if you will - and are not capable of proof," Michael Heath, the executive director of the Christian Civic League of Maine, wrote in Wednesday's edition of the group's online newsletter. "Every man must decide for himself whether or not Hurricane Katrina brought the wrath of God down on New Orleans.
"So we are not blaming the homosexuals for the disaster," continued Heath, whose group is spearheading the "people's veto" campaign aimed at repealing Maine's new gay rights law at the Nov. 8 referendum.
IRS program to convert vacations to contributions
Associated Press via Yahoo News reports ...
The Internal Revenue Service on Thursday announced a new program to encourage workers to give up unused vacation time and sick days that could be turned into charitable contributions to aid the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Employers would convert the donated time into cash contributions to charities and workers would be able to deduct the amount donated from their federal tax return, officials said. ...
Carnival of Ineptitude
Mark Fiore presents
Whoopsi Gras, the Carnival of Ineptitude.
No one should attempt to intimidate potential petition signers
While I strongly support the right of same-sex couples to marry, I am alarmed by the effort by
KnowThyNeighbor.org to intimidate potential signers of Massachusetts Initiative Petition # 05-02, The Constitutional Amendment to Define Marriage, by attempting to "out" them by posting their names and addresses on a web site.
The proposed amendment reads:
When recognizing marriages entered into after the adoption of this amendment by the people, the Commonwealth and its political subdivisions shall define marriage only as the union of one man and one woman.
The organization's Mission Statement page says
By posting the names and addresses of the 65,825+ signers, KnowThyNeighbor.org is supporting the Democratic Process by providing the public with direct access to information that they are entitled to see and that is relevant to this controversial topic.
This organization would be much better served by directing its efforts towards legitimate persuasion.
Sinkford releases pastoral letter on Gulf Coast disaster
Rev. William Sinkford, president of the
Unitarian Universalist Association has released a pastoral letter on the web site's home page. Called
A Gentle, Angry People, it begins ...
I am so angry. I've had to stop watching coverage of the disaster along our Gulf Coast. The statements from our political and military leaders that we have "turned the corner," that we have a unified disaster command with "perfect coordination," in response to this "natural disaster" are more than I can bear. I cannot watch one more press conference with congratulations for the "heck of a job" FEMA and the military have done.
Natural disaster? Katrina was certainly a force of nature, although there is substantial evidence that the global warming so many deny increased the fury of the storm. But we cannot lay responsibility for our response at the feet of Mother Nature.
Perfect coordination? I shudder to think that our nation's delayed and inadequate response to the suffering left in Katrina's wake might be proudly claimed as a plan. ...
Firefighters not fighting fires - they're handing out fliers
According to the
Salt Lake Tribune, 1000 firefighters came down to the Gulf area to, well, fight fires.
Many of the firefighters, assembled from Utah and throughout the United States by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, thought they were going to be deployed as emergency workers.
Instead, they have learned they are going to be community-relations officers for FEMA, shuffled throughout the Gulf Coast region to disseminate fliers and a phone number: 1-800-621-FEMA.
On Monday, some firefighters stuck in the staging area at the Sheraton peeled off their FEMA-issued shirts and stuffed them in backpacks, saying they refuse to represent the federal agency.
The article ends with this:
But as specific orders began arriving to the firefighters in Atlanta, a team of 50 Monday morning quickly was ushered onto a flight headed for Louisiana. The crew's first assignment: to stand beside President Bush as he tours devastated areas.
Thanks to Josh Marshall at
Talking Points Memo for pointing this out.
Krugman: Killed by Contempt
Paul Krugman in the New York Times (free registration required) says ...
... What caused that paralysis? President Bush certainly failed his test. After 9/11, all the country really needed from him was a speech. This time it needed action - and he didn't deliver.
But the federal government's lethal ineptitude wasn't just a consequence of Mr. Bush's personal inadequacy; it was a consequence of ideological hostility to the very idea of using government to serve the public good. For 25 years the right has been denigrating the public sector, telling us that government is always the problem, not the solution. Why should we be surprised that when we needed a government solution, it wasn't forthcoming? ...
Herbert: A Failure of Leadership
Bob Herbert in the New York Times (free registration required) says ...
...Mr. Bush's performance last week will rank as one of the worst ever by a president during a dire national emergency. What we witnessed, as clearly as the overwhelming agony of the city of New Orleans, was the dangerous incompetence and the staggering indifference to human suffering of the president and his administration.
And it is this incompetence and indifference to suffering (yes, the carnage continues to mount in Iraq) that makes it so hard to be optimistic about the prospects for the United States over the next few years. At a time when effective, innovative leadership is desperately needed to cope with matters of war and peace, terrorism and domestic security, the economic imperatives of globalization and the rising competition for oil, the United States is being led by a man who seems oblivious to the reality of his awesome responsibilities. ...
What the National Weather Service said
Note the date stamp at the top of this transmission from the National Weather Service, and especially note that last sentence. Very atypical wording for the NWS ...
URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
1011 AM CDT SUN AUG 28 2005
...DEVASTATING DAMAGE EXPECTED...
HURRICANE KATRINA...A MOST POWERFUL HURRICANE WITH UNPRECEDENTED STRENGTH...RIVALING THE INTENSITY OF HURRICANE CAMILLE OF 1969.
MOST OF THE AREA WILL BE UNINHABITABLE FOR WEEKS...PERHAPS LONGER.
AT LEAST HALF OF WELL CONSTRUCTED HOMES WILL HAVE ROOF AND WALL FAILURE. ALL GABLED ROOFS WILL FAIL...ALL WOOD FRAMED LOW RISING APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL BE DESTROYED...ALL WINDOWS WILL BE BLOWN OUT.
THE VAST MAJORITY...OF TREES WILL BE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED. ONLY THE HEARTIEST WILL REMAIN STANDING...BUT BE TOTALLY DEFOLIATED.
POWER OUTAGES WILL LAST FOR WEEKS...AS MOST POWER POLES WILL BE DOWN AND TRANSFORMERS DESTROYED. WATER SHORTAGES WILL MAKE HUMAN SUFFERING INCREDIBLE BY MODERN STANDARDS.
Katrina interview videos
Here's a
collection of video clips about the Katrina disaster. One is an interview with Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard in which he ends by saying
The guy who runs this building I'm in. Emergency management. He's responsible for everything. His mother was trapped in St. Bernard nursing home and every day she called him and said. Are you coming. Son? Is somebody coming? And he said yeah. Mama. Somebody's coming to get you.. Somebody's coming to get you on Tuesday. Somebody's coming to get you on Wednesday. Somebody's coming to get you on Thursday. Somebody's coming to get you on Friday. And she drowned Friday night. And she drowned Friday night. Nobody's coming to get us. Nobody's coming to get us. The Secretary has promised. Everybody's promised. They've had press conferences. I'm sick of the press conferences. For god's sakes, just shut up and send us somebody.
Thanks to my friend Ché (a/k/a Jim) for passing this along.
Red Cross not allowed in New Orleans
According to a
Red Cross Frequently Asked Questions page, the Red Cross is not allowed in New Orleans!
- Access to New Orleans is controlled by the National Guard and local authorities and while we are in constant contact with them, we simply cannot enter New Orleans against their orders.
- The state Homeland Security Department had requested -- and continues to request -- that the American Red Cross not come back into New Orleans following the hurricane. Our presence would keep people from evacuating and encourage others to come into the city. ...
That is just unbelievable!
NYT: Muslim Leaders Confront Terror Threat Within Islam
The
New York Times (free registration required) reports ..
After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, American Muslim leaders insisted that the terrorism had nothing to do with Islam. They cited Central Intelligence Agency reports showing that Latin Americans were responsible for more terrorist incidents than Muslims. They blamed Israel or American foreign policy, and their organizations focused on campaigns to convince non-Muslim Americans that Islam was a religion of peace.
Nearly four years after the attacks, American Muslim leaders are changing their message. They are rolling out campaigns to persuade American Muslims - especially the young - to beware of preachers peddling extremism and terrorism. They say that terrorism is a poison infecting Islam and that moderate Muslims should take responsibility to root it out. ...
Daily Kos: The Post New Orleans World
Pericles, over at
Daily Kos, has come up with the first of a set of lessons to be learned from this catastrophe. Such as:
- Public investment is not waste.
- Competence matters.
He's got a heck of a start on a list.
U.N. dispatching aid to U.S.
According to the
Wall Street Journal...
8:19 a.m.: The United Nations has created a special task force ready to dispatch disaster experts to the U.S., the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.
Thank goodness
somebody is doing something!
FEMA suggestions directing donations to Pat Robertson
According to
an article in Sploid,
FEMA has released to the media and on its Web site a list of suggested charities to help the storm’s hundreds of thousands of victims. The Red Cross is first on the list.
The Rev. Pat Robertson’s “Operation Blessing” is next on the list.
Talk about keeping it in the family ...
Huffington: Why the RNC says we shouldn't politicize the Gulf Coast tragedy
Arianna Huffington writes
To the growing list of collateral damage caused by the Iraq war and Bush's stunningly inept leadership, we can now add the city of New Orleans. It's no surprise that RNC chairman Ken Mehlman doesn't want "politics" injected into the national discussion about Katrina.
...
About 40 percent of Mississippi's National Guard and 35 percent of Louisiana's -- a combined total of roughly 6,000 troops -- are unavailable to help out because they are currently in Iraq. And despite the protestations of unnamed officials that "this had not hurt the relief effort," does anyone really believe that having 6,000 more well-trained citizen-soldiers on hand would not have made a huge difference?
As Lt. Andy Thaggard, a spokesman for the Mississippi National Guard, put it: "Missing the personnel is the big thing in this particular event. We need our people." ...
Repent America says ...
From
Repent America...
"Although the loss of lives is deeply saddening, this act of God destroyed a wicked city," stated Repent America director Michael Marcavage. "From 'Girls Gone Wild' to 'Southern Decadence,' New Orleans was a city that had its doors wide open to the public celebration of sin. From the devastation may a city full of righteousness emerge," he continued.
These people make me sick.
Hurricane Housing
The Moveon.org folks have organized
http://www.hurricanehousing.org/ to find volunteers living in the Southeastern U.S. who can offer free housing to those who have lost the places where they lived.
Where's the leadership?
Wes Clark
wonders where the leadership is.
AFP: Pope tells Catholics to multiply
According to
AFP via Yahoo News ...
Pope Benedict XVI told Catholics to have more babies "for the good of society," saying that some countries were being sapped of energy because of low birth rates. ...
Have more babies. Yep, that'll solve the world's problems.
UUA Office for Advocacy: Gulf Coast
Action Alert from the Unitarian Universalist Association Washington Office for Advocacy
Friends,
My heart is heavy as I struggle to comprehend the loss and suffering all along the Gulf Coast. Amidst the despair, I find hope in the potential for this disaster to bring us together, as diverse people seeking common solutions to the problems so many now face. The question for most of us is "How do we help?" Let me give you some of my own thoughts, which at this point are both personal and professional.
First, we must provide emotional, spiritual, and physical support to the people who are directly affected. This may be in person, through phone calls or emails, or through worship services at congregations. It may be hosting people in your own home. The need for pastoral care is great.
Second, we must provide financial support. As the Rev. Bill Sinkford said today, in establishing the UUA Gulf Coast Relief Fund, "My prayers go out to those grieving for lost loved ones, and my hopes are with the thousands who face the daunting task of rebuilding their lives and communities. I am especially mindful that those unable to evacuate from the affected areas, the poor and the elderly, have suffered disproportionately from the ferocity of this hurricane." Your donations will, through the UUA's Southwest and Mid-South Districts, be distributed to those in critical need. My wife and I have donated $100, and I encourage you to give as generously as you can. See http://www.uua.org/president/050830_katrina.html for Rev. Sinkford's statement and the donation site.
Third, we must recognize that systemic injustices are still operating. As a Rabbi said during his prayer at a meeting I attended this morning, much of the media coverage of looting shows only black faces, and leaves out that those people are still in the city because they're poor. While some of the looting is definitely opportunist and criminal, many people were carrying only the basic things they needed to survive: food, water, diapers. So we can help by speaking out against media coverage that perpetuates racism, through both direct communications to local and national media outlets, and by lovingly challenging family, friends, or co-workers who condemn looters without seeing the full picture. We can advocate for assurances from public officials that those most in need are first in line for aid, rather than last or left out entirely, and hold those officials accountable to their promises.
I hope these suggestions are helpful. May our thoughts and actions bring comfort to those who need it.
In Faith,
Rob Keithan
NYT: Waiting for a Leader
The
New York Times (free registration required) has an editorial that speaks the truth about the federal government's response to the Gulf Coast disaster.
George W. Bush gave one of the worst speeches of his life yesterday, especially given the level of national distress and the need for words of consolation and wisdom. In what seems to be a ritual in this administration, the president appeared a day later than he was needed. He then read an address of a quality more appropriate for an Arbor Day celebration: a long laundry list of pounds of ice, generators and blankets delivered to the stricken Gulf Coast. He advised the public that anybody who wanted to help should send cash, grinned, and promised that everything would work out in the end. ...
Buchanan calls for Bush impeachment
Ari Melber says
Pat Buchanan just announced that President Bush is derelict in his duty to protect America. Buchanan called for “some courageous Republican” to introduce a bill of impeachment charging the President with “a conscious refusal to uphold his oath and defend the states of the Union.’”
Why is this conservative pundit and former Republican presidential candidate calling for Bush’s impeachment?
Buchanan says the failure to stop illegal immigration is a violation of the President’s constitutional obligation to protect the states “against invasion.” Of course, Buchanan is twisting the Constitution’s reference to a military invasion to support his xenophobic fear of immigration.
That's a bizarre reason, but hey ... whatever it takes.
UUA Gulf Coast Relief Fund
The Unitarian Universalist Association has created a
Gulf Coast Relief Fund.
"Flip flopping" vs uniformity
Rick Heller at
Transparent Eye has a post referrring to a
Beliefnet letter discussing a person's from from a Catholic church to an Episcopal church and back again, because
One of my issues with the Episcopal church was its flip-flopping views...It seems like everyone (including the priests and officials) had different views on different issues, such as abortion, the transubstantiation, homosexuality, and other moral and theological topics. The thing with the Catholic Church is everything IS uniform all throughout.
Rick, in response, says
This person has abandoned the intellectual struggle to make sense of our world, and actually likes being told what to do. Perhaps it is because of our insecure times, but it seems like people increasingly seeking to conform to authority rather than think for themselves.
Even though I'm a Unitarian and wouldn't choose to be anything else, I totally understand that person's viewpoint and why UUism is never going to grow much beyond where it is now.
My take is that most people feel they struggle through life and turn to religion and church to get some peace and reassurance, not to conform to authority. We don't offer peace and reassurance. We offer more struggle. That's never going to be a popular option.
