A picture is worth thousands of politically polished words.
John McCain's position on abortion and Roe v. Wade hasn't changed from the earliest days of his political career. Can Barack Obama say the same?
Robyn Beck / AFP-Getty Images
Thinking about ethics and current events (Began 1 April 2008)
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Obama-Change for America
Election Day 2008 will prove to be a turning point in America's history as a choice is made between two very different candidates and very different tickets. I have never known such a contentious political environment as the one surrounding this election.
A sign of the change in America is that a black man may emerge as the next President of the United States. Another sign is how blacks in this nation have hung their political and economic hopes on this man and face the possibility of great disappointment. As The Root reports:
If the polls turn out to be completely unreliable and Barack Obama loses to John McCain today, it will set off a heated debate about race in America. But even if that happens, this will already be a different America from the one that allowed Obama, on a cold day in February 2007, to stand on the steps of the Old State House in Springfield, Ill. and more than implicitly compare himself to Abraham Lincoln.
Another sign is that America has been turning Left and this turning (very unlike Abraham Lincoln's social views) is probably permanent. The effects of this left turn are not yet known, but there will be consequences for blacks as well as whites, for Hispanics, Asian Americans, Native Americans, etc. What is done to Americans by a powerful federal government will be compulsory. It is a dangerous illusion to think otherwise. Leftists are not tolerant people.
The fears of conservative citizens are probably justified. Left-leaning social policies, tax reform, tensions between racial and ethnic groups, church-state tug-o-wars, political manuevering for a second presidential term are anticipated, even dreaded.
Then there is the favorable reaction of less than freindly nations. Syria and other Islamic nations are pleased to see the Bush administration replaced. The Syrian press recently endorsed Barack Obama.
Obama's foreign policies will not be evident right away. He has too little experience in international affairs. However, if his past performance is an indication of his direction, he will extend a friendly hand to world leaders, especially in the Islamic world, while he seeks to advance his leftist ideology at home with the support of a Democratic Congress.
With the election over, maybe the USA can get on with economic growth, diplomatic interventions where human rights are systematically violated: especially violence against Christians in Sudan, Laos, India, Pakistan, Iraq... the list seems to be growing. Yet it is difficult to imagine Obama and Pelosi having any interest in the plight of Christians since they don't appear to care much for Christians in their own country. One might go so far as to say that they really dislike us, since many of us have not been supportive of their leftist ideologies.
For more on the lurch to the Left, go here.
A sign of the change in America is that a black man may emerge as the next President of the United States. Another sign is how blacks in this nation have hung their political and economic hopes on this man and face the possibility of great disappointment. As The Root reports:
If the polls turn out to be completely unreliable and Barack Obama loses to John McCain today, it will set off a heated debate about race in America. But even if that happens, this will already be a different America from the one that allowed Obama, on a cold day in February 2007, to stand on the steps of the Old State House in Springfield, Ill. and more than implicitly compare himself to Abraham Lincoln.
Another sign is that America has been turning Left and this turning (very unlike Abraham Lincoln's social views) is probably permanent. The effects of this left turn are not yet known, but there will be consequences for blacks as well as whites, for Hispanics, Asian Americans, Native Americans, etc. What is done to Americans by a powerful federal government will be compulsory. It is a dangerous illusion to think otherwise. Leftists are not tolerant people.
The fears of conservative citizens are probably justified. Left-leaning social policies, tax reform, tensions between racial and ethnic groups, church-state tug-o-wars, political manuevering for a second presidential term are anticipated, even dreaded.
Then there is the favorable reaction of less than freindly nations. Syria and other Islamic nations are pleased to see the Bush administration replaced. The Syrian press recently endorsed Barack Obama.
Obama's foreign policies will not be evident right away. He has too little experience in international affairs. However, if his past performance is an indication of his direction, he will extend a friendly hand to world leaders, especially in the Islamic world, while he seeks to advance his leftist ideology at home with the support of a Democratic Congress.
With the election over, maybe the USA can get on with economic growth, diplomatic interventions where human rights are systematically violated: especially violence against Christians in Sudan, Laos, India, Pakistan, Iraq... the list seems to be growing. Yet it is difficult to imagine Obama and Pelosi having any interest in the plight of Christians since they don't appear to care much for Christians in their own country. One might go so far as to say that they really dislike us, since many of us have not been supportive of their leftist ideologies.
For more on the lurch to the Left, go here.
Palin Cleared of Allegations
Anchorage (AP) - Gov. Sarah Palin violated no ethics laws when she fired her public safety commissioner, the state personnel board concluded in a report released Monday. "There is no probable cause to believe that the governor, or any other state official, violated the Alaska Executive Ethics Act in connection with these matters," the report says. "
Gov. Palin is pleased that the independent investigator for the Personnel Board has concluded that she acted properly in the reassignment of Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan," her attorney, Thomas Van Flein, said in a statement.
Read it all here.
Gov. Palin is pleased that the independent investigator for the Personnel Board has concluded that she acted properly in the reassignment of Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan," her attorney, Thomas Van Flein, said in a statement.
Read it all here.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Quote of the Week - Lorri Ann Two Bulls
Mary Garrigan of the Rapid City Journal provides a report that gives voice to the Oglala people whose six churches are being closed by Episcopal Church bureaucrats in New York City. Here is the quote that squeezes the heart:
...the loss of nine churches at once “boggles the mind,” said Lorri Ann Two Bulls. She grieves the possible closure of her home church, but she worries especially about the loss of St. John’s Church in Pine Ridge, a historic building that served as an overflow hospital during the Wounded Knee Massacre. “The blood of the people who died there are still in the floorboards of that church,” she said.
...the loss of nine churches at once “boggles the mind,” said Lorri Ann Two Bulls. She grieves the possible closure of her home church, but she worries especially about the loss of St. John’s Church in Pine Ridge, a historic building that served as an overflow hospital during the Wounded Knee Massacre. “The blood of the people who died there are still in the floorboards of that church,” she said.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Anglicans in Brazil Defend Themselves
Statement from the Diocese of Recife Standing Committee
In light of a systematic campaign of misinformation by the Brazilian Province (IEAB) at international level, and facing civil lawsuits posing a direct threat to its mission and property, following a meeting on 30th October the Diocese of Recife’s Standing Committee unanimously approved the following Document concerning its identity, dignity and rights:
“The Diocese of Recife, in its 32 year history, in spite of obstacles and adversity, has remained faithful to the Word of God and its teaching, honoring the memory and missionary vision of the pioneers of Anglicanism in Brazil. The diocese is a legitimate legal entity, registered according to Brazilian law and governed by our Social Statutes and Diocesan Canons, in a permanent participatory process involving our parishes, church plants, social projects, clergy and people (around 5,000 members).
We are recognized and respected by the State, by Civil Society and by other Christian Churches on account of our doctrine, ethics and labor, and also on account of the lifestyle of our ministers and church members. The marks of our life are honesty and transparency, (we possess no supposed “hidden agenda”).
Three years ago we came under the primatial authority of the Anglican Church of the Southern Cone of America, by the Most Reverend Gregory J. Venables, having suffered illegal acts and persecutions at the hands of the Brazilian Province. These actions culminated in the deposition of our diocesan bishop, in a politically motivated process marked by irregularities, in the ex-communication of 32 clergy by way of a summary rite with no right to defense, and by the exclusion of 95% of our members from a “Synod” irregularly convened by the Brazilian Province. The differences between the Diocese of Recife and the Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil are very grave, being doctrinal and ethical in nature, and never limited to merely personal questions.
While we were still linked to the Brazilian Province (IEAB) we approved in our Diocesan Canons a veto on the ordination of practicing homosexuals, and heterosexuals who affirm the normality of homosexual practice, while simultaneously condemning homophobia. We also resolved to forge relationships and links exclusively with those Provinces, Dioceses, Parishes and Institutions of the Anglican Communion which uphold biblical teaching, the apostolic tradition and the resolutions of the Lambeth Conferences. The Standing Committee and bishops undersigned the “Declaration of Recife”, a document of protest against the consecration of Gene Robinson. At Lambeth 1998, of the Brazilian delegation, only Bishop Cavalcanti (Diocese of Recife) voted in favor of Resolution 1.10 on Human Sexuality, and in 2004, participated in a Confirmation Rite in Akkron, Ohio. On both these occasions the diocesan bishop received ample support from the wider diocesan leadership.
During the most difficult moments of our crisis with the Brazilian Province, in opposition to false teaching, the Diocese of Recife remained committed to firm debate in the sphere of ideas, principles and practice, never lowering the tone, and never indulging in personal attacks. However, the Brazilian Province (a direct ally of TEC ) insisted on attacks at a personal level, a diversionary tactic intended to dislocate the focus of the real issues which divide us, so as to weaken international support for us and our just cause. In Brazil and in the UK we had to hire lawyers who could file criminal charges against our defamers - those that shy away from ecclesiastical and civil courts but not from the dark terrain of malign, using to aid their cause, the institution and the visibility of their leaders. Given the historical context, the bishop of the Diocese of Recife would have come under personal attack from adversaries, regardless of who he was.
The biography of our diocesan bishop, the Right Reverend Robinson Cavalcanti is characterized by over three decades of teaching in the State university, by his numerous books, articles and lectures, and by his intense participation in the ABU (Brazilian equivalent of IFES), in the Latin American Theological Fraternity (FTL), in the Lausanne Movement, in the World Evangelical Alliance (WEF) and in EFAC. After 11 years in the episcopate, he has the right to require the appointment of Suffragon bishops to consolidate the missionary work in North East Brazil, or beyond – when special conditions and missionary necessities so demand – just as, at the right time and according to the canons and free expression of the consensus of members, there must be an election for Bishop Coadjutor.
As a diocese, we have never surrendered to the option of unlimited comprehensiveness, nor capitulated to the absolute relativism that marks the post-modern liberal revisionism of the Brazilian Province, currently in decline (with whom we have nothing in common). Neither have we accepted the attempt to force us into “continuing church” status. We are part of the Anglican Communion, part of the Global> South, partners of the Networks of the Anglican Communion in the US and Canada, partners of the Common Cause Movement, of GAFCON, signing on to the Jerusalem Declaration and the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans, in permanent dialogue with all the orthodox expressions of Anglicanism, seeking to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit in this slow, difficult, but inevitable realignment.
Geographical and cultural distances often cause us to feel isolated and make it difficult for us to be heard and understood. We hope that Anglican leaders, and the GAFCON Primate’s Council, to whom we appeal, and particularly those who share with us the same principles, sincerity and transparency, may exercise discernment with regard to reports concerning us, so that justice may be done to our identity and dignity as we seek a stable institutional future for our diocese within the Anglican Communion.
We are now experiencing serious difficulties, given that the Brazilian Province, following the example of their allies in the USA and Canada, (though living under different juridical norms) have filed a suit against the Diocese of Recife in Pernambuco’s State court (nº.001.2008.037586-4) www.tjpe.jus.br seeking to annul our juridical identity intent on the seizure of certain key properties (including the Cathedral and the Diocesan Central Office), in which for so long we have carried out the tasks of evangelism, thus posing a direct threat to our mission and social outreach, causing consternation among our people and bringing us strife and high legal costs. We appeal, therefore, to our brothers and sisters around the globe, to our orthodox friends, for spiritual, moral and financial aid to fight this new battle, a new chapter in our suffering, in order that we might not fail in our responsibility trusted to us by the Lord of the Church in His Mystical Body”.
Recife (Brazil), October 30th, 2008
Rev. Mauricio Manoel Amazonas dos Santos, ose – President of Diocesan Standing Committee
Rev. Geison Sávio de Holanda Vasconcellos
Rev. Cláudio Luiz Figueiredo de Brito
Mr. José Luiz Clementino de Santana
Mr. Eurípedes Paus de Souza
Donations for the legal expenses for Recife, estimated initially at $20,000 may be sent to Anglican Mainstream, 21 High Street, Eynsham, OX29 4HE, UK, or by Paypal, located by clicking on the Click to Donate Button on the right hand side of the website www.anglican-mainstream.net
In light of a systematic campaign of misinformation by the Brazilian Province (IEAB) at international level, and facing civil lawsuits posing a direct threat to its mission and property, following a meeting on 30th October the Diocese of Recife’s Standing Committee unanimously approved the following Document concerning its identity, dignity and rights:
“The Diocese of Recife, in its 32 year history, in spite of obstacles and adversity, has remained faithful to the Word of God and its teaching, honoring the memory and missionary vision of the pioneers of Anglicanism in Brazil. The diocese is a legitimate legal entity, registered according to Brazilian law and governed by our Social Statutes and Diocesan Canons, in a permanent participatory process involving our parishes, church plants, social projects, clergy and people (around 5,000 members).
We are recognized and respected by the State, by Civil Society and by other Christian Churches on account of our doctrine, ethics and labor, and also on account of the lifestyle of our ministers and church members. The marks of our life are honesty and transparency, (we possess no supposed “hidden agenda”).
Three years ago we came under the primatial authority of the Anglican Church of the Southern Cone of America, by the Most Reverend Gregory J. Venables, having suffered illegal acts and persecutions at the hands of the Brazilian Province. These actions culminated in the deposition of our diocesan bishop, in a politically motivated process marked by irregularities, in the ex-communication of 32 clergy by way of a summary rite with no right to defense, and by the exclusion of 95% of our members from a “Synod” irregularly convened by the Brazilian Province. The differences between the Diocese of Recife and the Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil are very grave, being doctrinal and ethical in nature, and never limited to merely personal questions.
While we were still linked to the Brazilian Province (IEAB) we approved in our Diocesan Canons a veto on the ordination of practicing homosexuals, and heterosexuals who affirm the normality of homosexual practice, while simultaneously condemning homophobia. We also resolved to forge relationships and links exclusively with those Provinces, Dioceses, Parishes and Institutions of the Anglican Communion which uphold biblical teaching, the apostolic tradition and the resolutions of the Lambeth Conferences. The Standing Committee and bishops undersigned the “Declaration of Recife”, a document of protest against the consecration of Gene Robinson. At Lambeth 1998, of the Brazilian delegation, only Bishop Cavalcanti (Diocese of Recife) voted in favor of Resolution 1.10 on Human Sexuality, and in 2004, participated in a Confirmation Rite in Akkron, Ohio. On both these occasions the diocesan bishop received ample support from the wider diocesan leadership.
During the most difficult moments of our crisis with the Brazilian Province, in opposition to false teaching, the Diocese of Recife remained committed to firm debate in the sphere of ideas, principles and practice, never lowering the tone, and never indulging in personal attacks. However, the Brazilian Province (a direct ally of TEC ) insisted on attacks at a personal level, a diversionary tactic intended to dislocate the focus of the real issues which divide us, so as to weaken international support for us and our just cause. In Brazil and in the UK we had to hire lawyers who could file criminal charges against our defamers - those that shy away from ecclesiastical and civil courts but not from the dark terrain of malign, using to aid their cause, the institution and the visibility of their leaders. Given the historical context, the bishop of the Diocese of Recife would have come under personal attack from adversaries, regardless of who he was.
The biography of our diocesan bishop, the Right Reverend Robinson Cavalcanti is characterized by over three decades of teaching in the State university, by his numerous books, articles and lectures, and by his intense participation in the ABU (Brazilian equivalent of IFES), in the Latin American Theological Fraternity (FTL), in the Lausanne Movement, in the World Evangelical Alliance (WEF) and in EFAC. After 11 years in the episcopate, he has the right to require the appointment of Suffragon bishops to consolidate the missionary work in North East Brazil, or beyond – when special conditions and missionary necessities so demand – just as, at the right time and according to the canons and free expression of the consensus of members, there must be an election for Bishop Coadjutor.
As a diocese, we have never surrendered to the option of unlimited comprehensiveness, nor capitulated to the absolute relativism that marks the post-modern liberal revisionism of the Brazilian Province, currently in decline (with whom we have nothing in common). Neither have we accepted the attempt to force us into “continuing church” status. We are part of the Anglican Communion, part of the Global> South, partners of the Networks of the Anglican Communion in the US and Canada, partners of the Common Cause Movement, of GAFCON, signing on to the Jerusalem Declaration and the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans, in permanent dialogue with all the orthodox expressions of Anglicanism, seeking to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit in this slow, difficult, but inevitable realignment.
Geographical and cultural distances often cause us to feel isolated and make it difficult for us to be heard and understood. We hope that Anglican leaders, and the GAFCON Primate’s Council, to whom we appeal, and particularly those who share with us the same principles, sincerity and transparency, may exercise discernment with regard to reports concerning us, so that justice may be done to our identity and dignity as we seek a stable institutional future for our diocese within the Anglican Communion.
We are now experiencing serious difficulties, given that the Brazilian Province, following the example of their allies in the USA and Canada, (though living under different juridical norms) have filed a suit against the Diocese of Recife in Pernambuco’s State court (nº.001.2008.037586-4) www.tjpe.jus.br seeking to annul our juridical identity intent on the seizure of certain key properties (including the Cathedral and the Diocesan Central Office), in which for so long we have carried out the tasks of evangelism, thus posing a direct threat to our mission and social outreach, causing consternation among our people and bringing us strife and high legal costs. We appeal, therefore, to our brothers and sisters around the globe, to our orthodox friends, for spiritual, moral and financial aid to fight this new battle, a new chapter in our suffering, in order that we might not fail in our responsibility trusted to us by the Lord of the Church in His Mystical Body”.
Recife (Brazil), October 30th, 2008
Rev. Mauricio Manoel Amazonas dos Santos, ose – President of Diocesan Standing Committee
Rev. Geison Sávio de Holanda Vasconcellos
Rev. Cláudio Luiz Figueiredo de Brito
Mr. José Luiz Clementino de Santana
Mr. Eurípedes Paus de Souza
Donations for the legal expenses for Recife, estimated initially at $20,000 may be sent to Anglican Mainstream, 21 High Street, Eynsham, OX29 4HE, UK, or by Paypal, located by clicking on the Click to Donate Button on the right hand side of the website www.anglican-mainstream.net
Saturday, November 1, 2008
LA Times' Credibility Gap
The Los Angeles Times is standing on what it calls journalistic integrity - a promise made to its source - in refusing to release a 2003 videotape of Barack Obama fulsomely praising a Palestinian apologist for armed "resistance" against Israel.
Pardon our skepticism.
The paper, which has endorsed Obama, said it obtained the tape from "a confidential source" who demanded "that we not release it."
But what of the public's right to know?
Does anyone seriously believe that, as John McCain said yesterday, "if there was a tape with me and Sarah Palin and some neo-Nazi . . . you think that that tape wouldn't be made public?"
In its defense, the paper says that it published "a detailed account" of the videotape back in April.
True enough - although the paper also won't release a full transcript.
The tape shows Obama, then an Illinois legislator, speaking at a dinner hosted by Arab-Americans for Rashid Khalidi, a Palestinian activist and professor who was headed for Columbia University.
Who is Khalidi, and why should Americans be concerned about Obama's relationship with him? See Gabriel Schoenfeld's profile of the activist-scholar on the opposite page.
On the tape, Obama says his many dinners with Khalidi have been "consistent reminders to me of my own blind spots and my own biases," and adds: "For that reason, I'm hoping that, for many years to come, we continue that conversation."
Such words aren't likely to reassure supporters of Israel - indeed, as the Times itself reported, it explains why Palestinian partisans believe that Obama "is . . . receptive to their cause."
The Obama campaign yesterday insisted that its candidate "has been clear that Rashid Khalidi is not an adviser to him or his campaign and that he does not share Khalidi's views."
But when did that become "clear"?
Shouldn't responsible journalists be asking that question?
Read it all here.
Pardon our skepticism.
The paper, which has endorsed Obama, said it obtained the tape from "a confidential source" who demanded "that we not release it."
But what of the public's right to know?
Does anyone seriously believe that, as John McCain said yesterday, "if there was a tape with me and Sarah Palin and some neo-Nazi . . . you think that that tape wouldn't be made public?"
In its defense, the paper says that it published "a detailed account" of the videotape back in April.
True enough - although the paper also won't release a full transcript.
The tape shows Obama, then an Illinois legislator, speaking at a dinner hosted by Arab-Americans for Rashid Khalidi, a Palestinian activist and professor who was headed for Columbia University.
Who is Khalidi, and why should Americans be concerned about Obama's relationship with him? See Gabriel Schoenfeld's profile of the activist-scholar on the opposite page.
On the tape, Obama says his many dinners with Khalidi have been "consistent reminders to me of my own blind spots and my own biases," and adds: "For that reason, I'm hoping that, for many years to come, we continue that conversation."
Such words aren't likely to reassure supporters of Israel - indeed, as the Times itself reported, it explains why Palestinian partisans believe that Obama "is . . . receptive to their cause."
The Obama campaign yesterday insisted that its candidate "has been clear that Rashid Khalidi is not an adviser to him or his campaign and that he does not share Khalidi's views."
But when did that become "clear"?
Shouldn't responsible journalists be asking that question?
Read it all here.
Cold War at US Doorstep?
Well, global warming be damned; it may not be another Cold War yet but it’s starting to get very chilly in Latin America thanks to a Russian breeze that’s blowing in from across the Atlantic. On Monday, Reuters reported, “The Russian and Cuban military will exchange experience in organizing tactical air defense and in training officers.”
This is the latest in a series of eyebrow-raising actions by Russia in Latin America. In September, two Russian strategic bombers landed in Venezuela to conduct “training missions.” Also in September, Russia announced that it would dispatch warships to Venezuela to conduct joint exercises in November.
One thing is certain; Russia is trying hard to get attention from the U.S. Or perhaps it’s simply trying to unload weapons in exchange for Venezuelan petrodollars. Or probably both.
Russia under Putin and now Dmitry Medvedev, Putin’s puppet president, has acted in ways that are reminiscent of the bad old days of the “evil empire.” Many observers believe Russia is acting out in response to NATO’s expansion, which has left Russia surrounded by former Soviet states that are now allied with the U.S. Some also see these actions as a response to proposed missile defense systems in Europe.
Read about it here, here and here.
This is the latest in a series of eyebrow-raising actions by Russia in Latin America. In September, two Russian strategic bombers landed in Venezuela to conduct “training missions.” Also in September, Russia announced that it would dispatch warships to Venezuela to conduct joint exercises in November.
One thing is certain; Russia is trying hard to get attention from the U.S. Or perhaps it’s simply trying to unload weapons in exchange for Venezuelan petrodollars. Or probably both.
Russia under Putin and now Dmitry Medvedev, Putin’s puppet president, has acted in ways that are reminiscent of the bad old days of the “evil empire.” Many observers believe Russia is acting out in response to NATO’s expansion, which has left Russia surrounded by former Soviet states that are now allied with the U.S. Some also see these actions as a response to proposed missile defense systems in Europe.
Read about it here, here and here.
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