Metacentricities

I’ve known for a long time that people on the religious right Have Issues. But this, I have to admit, takes the cake. Well, it’s at least part of the cake.

You may, or may not know, that there is a new vaccine against cervical cancer, which appears to be close to 100% effective in preventing HPV infection (that’s the virus that causes cervical cancer.) There are about 10,000 new cases of cervical cancer each year, and about 3,500 women die from it each year. Cervical cancer affects African American and Latina women disproportionately.

Some conservatives think that it’s not a good idea to include a cervical cancer vaccine in the mandatory vaccines kids (in this case, girls) get because "it could send a subtle message condoning sexual activity before marriage." Of course these are the people who suggest abstinence-only sex-ed programs that don’t work.

I’m really trying to be nice here. There are all sorts of nasty names I’d like to call these people, but I will refrain myself, and reflect my better nature. The vaccine is still at least a year away, and these conservative groups are already starting to work on this. Don’t they have anything better to do with their time than help kill women? Oh, that’s right, they pray for justices on the Supreme Court to die or get sick, suggest that Katrina was sent by God because of the evil in New Orleans, and suggest we assassinate people. This is right up their alley, I’m sure they can squeeze some time in for it.

On a tip from blog buddy Joseph (Radical Hapa), I started a Frapper group, which allows anyone who wants to, to put themselves on the map. So please, visit the group, and put yourself on the map (photo not required!)

P.S. Frapper seems like a very nice and interesting tool for mapping groups of people. Great use of the Google maps API! I’m sure that my nptech buddies Deborah Finn and Beth Kanter can figure out some way a nonprofit could use this well.

So, it’s official. Bush has nominated someone who is in the mold of Scalia and Thomas. The blogosphere is buzzing. Some juicy tidbits:

• Joshua Holland of Alternet thinks it’s gonna get ugly (I agree.)
• Alliance for Justice has a preliminary response (must have been prepared beforehand, it’s very detailed)
• Crooks and Liars has a short blog summary
• Think Progress has a point-by-point summary of Alito’s philosophy
• The ACS has a good biography and summary of his opinions
• PFAW has a good review
  

This is going to be very, very interesting. I’m not entirely convinced that this is going to fly. Time to start making lots of phone calls to senators suggesting filibuster.

There’s been a lot of interesting blogging and talking about what progressive Christianity is, and means, right now. We are in interesting times,  a time when the corruption of the neoconservatives is becoming fully known and understood, as well as the corrupt marriage between them and the religious right is breaking down in such a way that we hope cannot be repaired.

There are two interesting "manifestos" for want of a better word, floating about for progressive Christians. One was created a while ago by The Center For Progressive Christianity, called The 8 Points. Another organization, called CrossWalk has what they are calling the Phoenix Affirmations (full version.) CrossLeft, yet another progressive Christian organization has adopted those affirmations. Boy in the Bands has blogged about this, and Chuck Currie has blogged about these affirmations, and the walk CrossWalk are organizing: a walk from Phoenix, Arizona to Washington DC, in spring-summer 2006.

In their words:

The purpose of The Walk is not to convert the country to our way of understanding Christianity. Rather, it is to rally and organize those who already resonate with the spirit of The Phoenix Affirmations, strengthening the emerging progressive Christian movement. Walk leaders will be meeting with media, and holding rallies and worship opportunities clear across the country. Simultaneously, CWA will be coordinating a massive email and web campaign to raise awareness and support. Our goal is to raise a minimum of $1,000 per mile to both finance the Walk and enable CWA to provide support for the progressive Christian movement long after The Walk ends.

The 8 points of TCPC and the Phoenix Affirmations of CrossWalk are, really, remarkably similar in intent and spirit, although they differ quite a bit in form. I look forward to following developments of these two documents further. Organizing around a shared set of principles can be powerful, and I think there is a lot to like about both of these documents.

Thanks to Jesus Politics, as usual, for tipping me off to CrossLeft and CrossWalk.

Update: Philocrites let me know about the Jacksonville Declaration, authored by the Christian Alliance for Progress. So here is a third document, different in form than the other two, and, I’d say, a bit different in tone (more directly confrontational than a statement of values, but I think that’s quite useful.) They all have good stuff to say.

Every once in a while I come across a new blog that is worth telling others about. This one is called "Once Upon a Time…" and it’s a fascinating blog about the power of narrative, and how the way we tell the stories we tell have an important effect. There is a great post on New Orleans. It’s long, but worth the read.

Hat tip to Crooks and Liars.

Last week, there was a silly article in Forbes magazine, which I didn’t blog about because it was so silly. The title of the article "Attack of the Blogs" and the first line, "Web logs are the prized platform of an online lynch mob spouting liberty but spewing lies, libel and invective. Their potent allies in this pursuit include Google and Yahoo" pretty much tells you everything you need to know about it. Basically, it’s why business should worry about bloggers.

The reason I’m blogging about it now is that Kurt Opsahl from EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) has written a brilliant response. A snippet:

"Printing presses are the prized platform of a public lynch mob spouting liberty but spewing lies, libel and invective. Their potent allies in this pursuit include Ben Franklin and John Hancock.

…

Printing presses started being used a few years ago as a simple way for people to publish bibles. Suddenly they are the ultimate vehicle for insulting His Majesty, personal attacks, political extremism and smear campaigns. It’s not easy to fight back: Often a bashing victim can’t even figure out who his attacker is. No target is too mighty, or too obscure, for this new and virulent strain of oratory. King George has been hammered by pamphleteers; …"

Worth a read. But scan the silly Forbes article first for full effect.

I was driving with a friend tonight into San Francisco. We were talking about this and that, and approaching the Bay Bridge toll lanes. Right in front of me was one of those really big Hummers. You know the kind. Big, obnoxious SUV that really is supposed to be a combat vehicle, gets 15 miles to the gallon, and you can never see around? I said to my friend, "everytime I see one of those things, I want to flip them the finger." It was a very un-Buddhist/Christian/charitable/whatever thought. I had a very clear idea of what kind of people drive Hummers. Self-centered, don’t care about anyone except themselves, want to impress people. I imagine most Hummer drivers are men.

So you might imagine that we go through the toll lane, pay our toll and that’s the end of the story. Well, then I wouldn’t be telling it, would I? What happened when I got to the toll lane was that the toll woman said "Go ahead on through, she paid the toll for you," pointing at the White Hummer moving away into the bridge traffic. Both my friend and I were, well, frankly, flabbergasted. Mind you, the toll is $3. Not a minor chunk of change. Why would someone who drives a Hummer pay my toll? Was it a random act of kindness? Did she hear my comment, and respond quite charitably, instead of irritably? Was she trying to pick me up (haha)? I would love to know, although I imagine I never will.

But it was, I think, an object lesson. My friend said "hmmmm, message from God?" I dunno, but it was certainly interesting, and will make me think twice before I make disparaging comments about anyone based on what kind of car they drive.

Who is Ed Rogers? I don’t really know (he does seem to show up making excuses for Republicans), except he was on a talk show, and was out of his mind enough to suggest that Clinton’s perjury was worse than Libby’s perjury. Hmmm. Yup, prize of the week. Digby had a post about it yesterday.

OK, so it’s clear - Libby was indicted. There is nothing but speculation and more speculation on what it all means. I read one speculation, though, on News Blog, that’s pretty interesting, and worth a read.

Should be an interesting few weeks…

George Takei, better known as Sulu, is gay. I could have told you that years ago. But I guess now it’s official.

Second big coming out story of the day. The first one was Cheryl Swoopes, of the Houston Comets WNBA team.