Category Archives: The Other Side

Abortion and the Radical Christian Right

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** Warning – The Following Audio is Graphic – Listener Discretion Advised **

I do my best to keep up with the state of affairs back home, a feat that is largely aided by the internet. One of my most enjoyable means of doing this is via. the Mike Malloy Show, which I download from The White Rose Society. Mike is a talk show host who is dead on, and amazingly unabashed. His anger and analysis highlight everything that has gone wrong in our country while reminding us that rational thought is still possible. Tonight, while eating dinner (roasted chicken, white rice and cauliflower with garlic sour cream dip,) I was listening to his program. For the first two hours he kept mentioning a controversial statement he was going to read from “a blog.” Well, at about the time I was finishing up my food, thankfully, he got around to the reading. Please listen:

Mike Malloy Reads “My Heartfelt Apology to South Dakota.” – MP3

Sources:

Blog – “Come Armageddon”
Statement – South Dakota Republican State Senator Bill Napoli
Reading – Mike Malloy
Archive – White Rose Society

What We’ve Forgotten

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So much is going on these days, that I find it hard just to keep track of things. As you’ve probably already noticed, I have added an “Impeach Bush” banner to the top right-hand of this site. Here’s my rationale for this: By condoning secret wiretaps on American citizens and sidestepping the FISA court, George W. Bush has violated our constitutional protections regarding unreasonable searches. As the President, he swore to uphold the Constitution. Since these actions are contrary to that oath, he must be removed. What I’m really dumbfounded about is how Clinton’s BJ ranked as a more serious threat to our nation than Bush’s current actions. As the right wing continues to melt down and crooks and liars are exposed for who they really are, I hope that this demand becomes more powerful. Even if we are unsuccessful in the actual impeachment, it is crucial that we try; someone like Bush, unlike Nixon (who, while a nut, did at least leave the country with a few good social programs,) will never resign.

Since I’m abroad, I am unable to watch the David Letterman show. I like Letterman. He’s got a wit about him that resonates with me. Well, I’m very sad I missed this live, but thanks to the wonders of the internet, I was able to view a segment of his show where he had Bill O’Reilly as a guest. O’Reilly, one of the Right’s most shrill shills, gets his ass handed to him on a silver platter by the king of late night. Enjoy the files in the following formats: (Windows Media – WMV Bittorrent – QuickTime Bittorrent) This is well worth the download – trust me!

I’d also like to announce some new sites that have been added to the Links section of this blog:

MadKane – I stumbled across this lady’s website while looking for limericks for my students. She is a talented humorist who makes political limericks and popular song parodies regarding current political events. Her site includes a blog, lyrics and a podcast.

White Rose Society – I’ve mentioned before that I enjoy listening to the Mike Malloy Show on Air America Radio. Since I’m far from the airwaves, and to listen live I’d have to get up at 6 a.m., I download the episodes from this site. Not only is the Mike Malloy show included, but you’ll find many other liberal talk radio hosts here. Superb service.

GLBT- A new category has been created for GLBT issues.

After Elton – This site discusses the portrayal of GLBT people in the mainstream media.

BlogActive – A very controversial blog, the goal of BlogActive is to illuminate anti-gay types who are found to be gay themselves. Considering that the Republican party is full of such individuals, there is always fresh content.

Uzbekistan – A new category has been created for issues relating to Uzbekistan.

Craig Murray – Mr. Murray was the UK’s former Ambassador to Uzbekistan. Known now as a whistleblower, he refused to keep quiet about the murderous regime of Islam Karimov which was being supported by the US/UK as part of the global “war on terror.” Mr. Murray has recently released some firsthand documents, called the Tashkent Memos – and will soon have a book out on the whole subject. Fascinating reading, and insightful about the dark and dirty side of this new “war.”

Eurasia Insight – This site features articles regarding civil society initiatives in the Central Asia / Caucuses region. This site is mostly sober and article based and offers a good starting point to those who wish to understand the complexities of the region.

neweurasia – This relatively new site is in the list because it purports to be student-run. Some interesting takes on current events.

Registan.net – Arguably the king of Central Asian / Uzbekistan sites, Registan.net provides extensive coverage (and linkage,) along with mostly sound commentary from a libertarian perspective.

In my American History classes, we are now up to World War II, and I’ve set aside the whole month (translation – four 50 minute periods) to study this subject. In my Culture and Civilization classes, we are discussing Iraq. So I decided to kill two birds with one stone and teach both classes the infamous Supreme Court case, Korematsu v United States (1944.) This case regards the internment of Japanese Americans from the West Coast during the war. The basic idea was that since some Japanese Americans may have retained loyalties to the Emperor of Japan, it was not safe to have such individuals living near the West Coast, where they might possibly assist the enemy. FDR approved of this, and the internment was carried out.

The majority opinion of the court agreed that this was Constitutionally valid. Here is some of what the judges had to say:

“Exclusion of those of Japanese origin was deemed necessary because of the presence of an unascertained number of disloyal members of the group… it was impossible to bring about an immediate segregation of the disloyal from the loyal… when under conditions of modern warfare our shores are threatened by hostile forces, the power to protect must be commensurate with the threatened danger.”

A strong dissent was also penned:

“That this forced exclusion was the result in good measure of this erroneous assumption of racial guilt rather than bona fide military necessity is evidenced by the Commanding General’s Final Report on the evacuation.. In it, he refers to all individuals of Japanese descents as “subversive,” as belonging to “an enemy race,” and as constituting, “over 112,000 potential enemies… at large today.” … No reliable evidence is cited to show that such individuals were generally disloyal.. to infer that examples of individual disloyalty prove group disloyalty and justify discriminatory action against the entire group is to deny that under our system of law individual guilt is the sole basis for deprivation of rights… [this is to] open the door to discriminatory actions against other minority groups in the passions of tomorrow.

Amazing, isn’t it? This was 1944. But if we were to substitute a few words, how easily does this translate into today’s “passions….” ? I think as a nation we suffer from historical amnesia. Maybe it’s because the idea of America is progress… out with the old and in with the new. We are so constantly moving away from where we have come, that the actions of the past seem almost irrelevant. Having been in Europe now for half a year, it is clear that the burden of the past, though spoken or implied, weighs heavily on all that is done. Bush often states that our “war on terror” began on 9/11. The absurdity of this statement is tremendous. 9/11 was not the beginning, it was, instead, a culmination. The world did not suddenly change after 9/11, rather American’s woke up to the fact that there is a larger reality beyond the borders of our cities and towns.

I lived for half a year in the country of Uzbekistan. Baring any radical changes, Uzbekistan is headed toward a bloody future. I’ve seen how repression twists people – kills them in a way. And I’m starting to understand why people who come from such situations may be willing to strap some explosives to their chest and give it the good college try. Our support of tyrants, given in the name of fighting terror, but in reality as a desperate measure to ensure that our liquid lifeline keeps flowing, makes us not only weak but also hypocritical. And with Bush in power, the level of these offences has reached a new high (or shall I say low,) and the rest of the world is not so stupid to get upset over the “war on Christmas.”

As Bush himself is fond of saying, these are difficult times. Let us respond to the challenge in the best way we can, first, by cleaning house. Only when those types of individuals who are currently in power are gone can we possibly hope to undo the damage already done, and then, perhaps, try to shape a world that is truly more free and just.

They Hate Us For Our Freedoms

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So I have a little time between my morning and afternoon classes yesterday. I decide to go grab a bite at the “Greek” gyro place that’s off a little side street of the main square. The food’s great, I finish up, and begin to head back to school. Then I see this car. Let me back up a little bit at this point. Here in Romania, license places are in the following format: [Two Letters – indicating region of country] [A bunch of numbers – random] [Three Letters – can be chosen by owner.] As you might imagine, car owners try to be cute with these last three letters, and I’ve taken to spotting interesting ones. For instance, I’ve seen XXX, BLO (on a Hummer) FAT, and other such things. So, back to this car.

I notice that its letters are: HAL. Now, being the geek I am, I think HAL from 2001. But, upon closer inspection of the car, I notice a bumper sticker (something almost unheard of here,) which reads Halliburton. Of course at this point my blood begins to boil. And once I notice that there is a man sitting in the driver’s seat looking over some papers, I wonder what, if anything, I should do. My first impulse is to tap on the window, and say something along the lines of, “So what the fuck are you pillaging from this lovely town?” I decide against that. Instead I just take a look at the guy – nondescript – and continue to my class. In hindsight, I think that I really ought to have said something (if not that.)

So this has all got me wondering and thinking big picture thoughts. I was concerned about two things. 1) So what IS Halliburton doing in Romania? and 2) Isn’t it interesting that our paths (this company and a Peace Corps volunteer) are crossing? So, to answer the first question, I turned to my new and wonderful friend the internet! I found an interesting article HERE, called “The Politics of Oil: The privatization of Romania’s oil industry has enriched the well-connected—and corrupt.” This report is by a group called, “The Center for Public Integrity,” which seems legit. If you want a peep into the grossly corrupt business/govt. culture here, and the ambitions of NATO/Halliburton/the like to get a piece of the privatization pie, read this article. What I can get from it is that Halliburton has some important role in the privatization of Romania’s oil industry – the specifics, of course, are not so clear. So now I’m really kicking myself for not saying anything… imagine the possibilities! My point number 2, about our paths crossing, is also troubling.

Let’s back up and look at my Peace Corps experience so far. First I’m sent to Uzbekistan, a country which until recently has been sponsored by the US. The post-9/11 alliance forged between the two countries, sold in the name of “fighting the global war on terror,” emboldened a brutal dictator and encouraged torturous treatment of suspected militants. Human rights abuses became more gross, and the quality of life continued to decline in that former Soviet republic. Of course, the real issue here is oil interests, and the premise seems to have been that with Uzbekistan, the US would have a strong base from which to pursue its oil-hungry regional campaigns. Unfortunately with a failed popular protest, Washington was forced to condemn the regime (to save some face,) and thereby lost the favor of Karimov. Currently, Uzbekistan is just another Muslim country in the “Loss” category of the neo-con agenda.

After this, I find myself in Romania… of all places. And recently, the news from here is eerily similar. Secret torture camps in the former land of Vlad the Impaler? Maybe. Future NATO bases, surely. PCRO sent out a message stating that, “In an effort to ensure that Peace Corps and the US Military maintain completely separate identities in Romania, PCRO is considering various Volunteer placement options once US military bases are established here. One of the options under consideration is to discontinue placing PCVs in locations where there will be US military facilities.” Sigh! Did you know that in Uzbekistan I was just about 45 minutes away from K2, the Karshi-Khanabad military base? And now, bases in Romania? Is there no escape from our Military empire? And with this Halliburton crap, the same goes for the neo-con business oligarchy? Simply, this is all starting to stink.

I’m now able to listen to my favorite liberal talk show host, Mike Malloy (link.) If you are a liberal/progressive who is fed up with the amount of crap that passes for our foreign policy these days, I recommend you give this guy a listen. I loved him from the beginning when I first heard him refer to the Bush family as “The Bush Crime Family.” I feel so upset about all of this, so I’ve decided to let it all go in terms of my classes. Today with a very good group of 12th graders, we talked about 9/11, oil, Iraq, and all those great and fun and happy topics. Although I’ve griped about my work here previously, I was quite impressed with the kids’ responses and what seemed to be some genuine interest and opinions regarding this issue. Isn’t it just grand that your tax dollars are going to Halliburton AND me at the same time in pretty much the same place?

But I’m worried, because of the “missionary principle.” The principle goes as such: the missionaries who come to Romania try to weasel into the schools under the guise of offering “free English lessons.” So, they do that, and then, casually, begin talking about Jesus. Then they say, “hey, if you’re interested, why not come down for a discussion at McDonalds after school?” These missionary organizations have the funds to offer such bribes, thereby recruiting kids into the program. And it doesn’t end with McDonalds – that’s just the beginning of the perks. Now as a Peace Corps volunteer, I have no such funds to lavish on students in such a manner. And although these missionary types are not allowed at the schools I work at (good ones,) I can see the less selective schools jumping at the opportunity for a free English teacher.

And this is my dilemma with these Halliburton folks as well. Since there is no middle class in Romania, you either have or have not. Since my students are among the best in the country, they do not lack the potential to join the former group. What I fear, though, is that the dirty ways (both of this country’s past, and our country’s present,) will be that great McDonalds coupon to a better life; if the alternative is having not, I wonder what they’d be willing to let go so as to not get passed by. Have faith, yet!

I’ll be gone for a week at a conference with the other volunteers in my group, and I’ll report back after then.

Till then,

Merry Holidaze

An article in the globe (link,) and the persistent chattering of O’Reilly, has got me to take a closer look into the supposed assault on Christmas. But before I present outside material, let me give you my opinion. I am not a Christian, and therefore have no great fondness for Christmas. However, I realize that it is one of the most important holidays for Christians. From what I gather, the idea of Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, and thus the beginning of the faith. Therefore, the holiday is celebrated to mark a serious moment in Christianity. Additionally, because this is a joyous holiday, one celebrating birth and beginnings, to express that joy, people exchange gifts with each other. Therefore the holiday is effective in being both a tangible event and a teaching tool.

But then at some point, and I’m hard pressed to say when, the former notion of the holiday (as a tangible event) took precedence over its spiritual value. Instead of commemorating the birth of Christ and exchanging gifts to celebrate that moment, the holiday became one where the gift giving was the sole purpose. Instead of being a joyous and honest celebration, it morphed into an event whereby people became obligated to buy things for others. Thus the obligatory notion of participating in this gift exchange diluted the real meaning of the holiday.

Given that as my ideological background, I find it quite curious that a group, “Committee to Save Merry Christmas” (link) finds fault with businesses lack of willingness to use the word Christmas in its advertisements. Indeed right on the group’s front page, it states:

The festive atmosphere of the past that surrounded the Christmas season in department stores which energized shoppers, supported their culture and tradition, and excited them to select just the right gift for friends and family for the Christmas celebration has been severely diminished. For many, the atmosphere has become offensive and devoid of any meaning.

Although the organization’s goal is to “preserve the culture and tradition of the vast majority of Americans that celebrate and honor Christmas,” the only way it sees fit to do so it to demand that corporations further commercialize Christmas. Specifically, this group is calling for a boycott of the Federated Department Stores (Macy’s, Bloomingdales.) What they are upset with is the fact that these corporations are saying “Happy Holidays” in their advertisements while most of their profits are indeed coming from Christmas (rather than Hanukkah) shoppers.

This raises two interesting points. First, let’s take a sympathetic look at the Committee. If you will recall an earlier post (Dangerous Media) I commented on the hypocrisy surrounding gay-themed TV programming within the corporate media. The problem was that NBC and CBS would not show an ad calling for the inclusion of gays in faith based communities, calling it too controversial, while airing shows like Queer Eye and Boy Meets Boy on their subsidiary channels. It was the hypocrisy of pandering to everyone and reaping maximum profits; a perfect example of having ones cake and eating it too. Now, if I attempt to place myself in the shoes of these people, I have to figure that Christmas is something truly meaningful to me, which I don’t want to see co-opted or diluted. In this case, then perhaps I can see the anger of not being addressed truthfully. That is, Federated and all other “Happy Holidays” stores assume that Christmas shoppers will continue to patronize them even though they no longer explicitly advertise to Christmas shoppers.

If to me the far right was guilty of obstructionism in refusing to air the gay-friendly commercial, then perhaps the far left is guilty of denying observant Christians of their right to be addressed as what they are. This of course leads to what I believe is the underlying root of this crusade, which is the anti-Political Correctness mission. I’m willing to admit that this country is majority Christian, and that during this month, most people will have trees, not menorahs. Therefore, I see no harm in wishing people Merry Christmas. It is not offensive to me because I am not Christian. Perhaps this mirrors my unease with the notion of Heterosexism, as taught by the Corbers of this world. Heterosexism is a trait people are guilty of when inquiring of, say, a male co-worker, as to whether he has a girlfriend or is married. Because the question did not specifically leave room for the possibility that this person might be gay, or some other flavor of sexuality other than straight, the asker is biased. This is simply too much for me to swallow. The truth is, a question like that is simply the stuff of conversations. If we are to sensor such basic chit chat, then talking to our acquaintances and co-workers becomes way to dangerous, and we become more isolated as individuals.

By asking a single man whether he has a girlfriend or wishing a co-worker Merry Christmas, no disrespect is being done to gays, and no slights are being offered to Jews. Instead, when a network refuses to air a decent advertisement with a clearly financed message, or if a store initiates a “no-Hanukkah shopping allowed” policy, then there is a problem. It is a misunderstanding, probably among hyper sensitive, focus group type ad execs that misconstrues this vital difference.

Well we’ve covered more than two interesting points, or so I hope, but I did want to come back to my original second point and take a less sympathetic look at the Committee. Given what I’ve already said, it is interesting to see how this battle is being fought. That is, to honor what is a sacred holiday, the Committee is begging corporations to use this holy day as fodder for advertisements. Instead of calling for a greater revival of, say, church attendance, or community events, such a caroling or pot luck suppers, it has decided that good Christians should have the right to be advertised upon so that they can be proper consumers. Needless to say, this is a troubling concept.

Remember the Committee’s stated goal to, “preserve the culture and tradition of the vast majority of Americans that celebrate and honor Christmas,”? Well if the culture and tradition can be summed up in TV ads from Macys, then perhaps it is the culture and tradition of this vast majority of Americans who celebrate and honor Christmas that should be examined. Simply, exploitative advertising seems the furthest thing from honest cultural affirmations. Perhaps if individuals who compromise the Committee believe that the far left has gone too far in removing explicit religious references from the public square (as perhaps it has,) it should fight for what it truly sees as lost, not others’ bottom line.

On Born Again Christians

Ladies and gentlemen, if I may, an external link to a website written by Colin Melbourne of “Born Again Christian Info.” (LINK)

I think reading this, now, I am even more disgusted by the idea of being born again.

First, I disagree that we were all born sinful, or evil. That seems to be a way simply to separate the believers from the non-believers. I believe we are all born neutral and that whether we decide to become good or bad people, or somewhere in between, is partly to do with how we are raised and partly to do with our life decisions.

Secondly, I take offense at the notion that by buying into something completely unknown, your previous actions can be totally erased. For instance, it mentions that those who do not accept the lord (JC,) yet do good, are still sinners. This sounds like a basis for persecution on abstract ideals rather than action if I’ve ever heard one. Conversely, this tells us that no matter how bad you have been, or even if you are about to die, you can be saved. Really? Then why not just go do all my bad stuff, and then, when convenient, say before death or campaigning for political office, be saved? Seems like an excuse to live an evil life for as long as you want and then be allowed to say a simple sorry and have your slate wiped. This is foolish. The choices we make reflect upon our character, period. I’ve done bad and I’ve done good – I live with it. I would never wish to exonerate myself from all my previous mistakes, willful or not, just as much as I wouldn’t wish to believe that all my future actions, having taken the oath, would be above scrutiny.

Third. Christ was persecuted back in the day, in an age where, compared to our relatively enlightened state of being now, people were very narrow minded on both sides. Christ suffered, but that’s about all I’m willing to accept. So, if you have sinned, Christ did not pay for your sins. How could someone who was killed in the past have already atoned for what you have done in the present? It’s a foolish concept. If you have sinned, you must pay for your sins. Likewise, if you are guilty, you are guilty, not Christ. If you are sick or infirm, Christ will not make you better. Though he may give you the spiritual warmth which will in turn give you the courage to muster forward, medicine and science will go just as far if not further. And, if you are lonely, Jesus did not die to be your friend. If you are lonely, you need to do something about it – as harsh as that advice may seem.

Fourth, the idea that in order to be saved and become a good person destined for heaven, all one must do is turn to Christ, smacks of little more than idolatry. Just believing will bring you redemption? Jeez. If they had said that you had to jump though a few hoops, perhaps I’d take it a little more seriously.

What bothers me about this whole mode of thinking is that it values thought and intention more than action. What we do, not what we think in private, determines how others, and perhaps even some deity, look upon us. To be good is to be rational, driven by reason and respect for others, and attempt to do good for ourselves and others. This is not a difficult theoretical task. To do good is to take pride in your work and to hold yourself to the highest standards, all while seeking no harm to others. Those who fight and kill in the name of Jesus Christ, Allah, or what have you, are not good people. To make a strong case for belief by making one’s life follow the dictates of these beings or others is the only legitimate way, I see, to proselytize.

It is really simple in theory. But in real life, following the simple dictates of reason and personal responsibility are difficult. We will all fail at times. But our goal is to not fail, and that takes hard work and determination on our part. The responsibility is ours, as is the burden. If we can accept that nobody can absolve us for sins committed past present and future, then perhaps we will work harder to not commit them in the first place.