Current Affairs

Two things have come across my desk recently, that I find disturbing. First, something called the "Manhattan Declaration" (Subtitled, A Call of Christian Conscience). It affirms three truths, and I'm sure you already know what two are: "sanctity of human life" and "dignity of marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife". The third is, well, strange, to say the least, given the first two: "the rights of conscience and religious liberty." I guess they must not mean the rights of conscience for women, or the rights of religious liberty for people (like me) who think that God dignifies the marriage of two men, or two women.

I spent the morning at a friend's house with a small group of folks watching the Inauguration. Obama's speech was, as usual, a call to the best of who we are, and the best of what this country means. It was moving. In going out and about today, people were smiling, wearing their Obama shirts, and feeling elated. Twitter has been abuzz with activity. There is so much to say about what happened today. So many have said so much.

You probably heard: a worker at Wal-Mart was trampled to death (and others injured) during a mad rush on the store because of sales this Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year. Apparently, two thousand people were willing to wait in line for hours, and rush the store entrance at 5:00 am to get the best deals on plasma screen TVs and Nintendo Wiis. I've been trying, ever since I heard about it, to wrap my mind around it.

The brou-ha-ha around Jesse Jackson's comments about Obama, and how he

I was having fun for a while. Interesting crop of candidates on the Democratic side for once, more than one that I really liked. It looked like there was going to be an interesting contest, one that would be about issues, and not flinging daggers back and forth. I'm not having fun anymore. Hillary Clinton is playing dirty. She is more interested in being President than in rising above the fray, and being honest.

It has become somewhat of a meme, that phrase, taken from reports about the bridge that collapsed in Minnesota.

This July 4th it seems that the way people are responding to the Bush presidency is to refer back to the Declaration of Independence. And, if you read it, thinking instead of our "king" George, instead of the old King George, it is actually rather striking.

I've been at the Social Forum now for a few days, and I have some observations. I haven't been to a huge number of sessions (3 so far, I expect to get to a few more before the close.) And, two of those sessions I was involved in, so it's hard to make much of a pattern out of that. But there have been some very interesting conversations, and I do feel like people are looking for some new avenues and strategies for change.

Jerry Falwell died today. The progressive religious blogosphere is full of Christian kindness.

I've been a reader of The Nation on and off over the past 20 years or so. I've subscribed several times. These days, I pick it up once a month or so at newstands to read it (because I can't keep up with it weekly.) I picked up this week's Nation, and Alexander Cockburn had a column, called “Is Global Warming a Sin?” It was such an atrocious article, I felt I needed to write a letter to them.

Here's my letter: