Mahatma Ghandi

October 2, 1869 - January 30, 1948

Religion, Terror, And The Future of Reason

I’m reading Sam Harris’s “The End of Faith”. Agreeing or disagreeing with Mr. Harris’s premise would be missing the point. Instead the author challenges the reader to explain how what he purports is inaccurate. A much more difficult task when you consider Mr. Harris presents a comprehensive view of religion from many facets, including but not limited to historical, scientific, anthropological, spiritual, and political.

Teflon Revisited

I was reflecting on how interesting it is that the label "Teflon President" was commonly used for describing President Reagan. It seems Teflon is actually harmful to our health as it causes cancer. I finally appreciate how the moniker "Teflon President" may be a fitting portrayal for Reagan.

Wayward Christian Soldiers

"In the past several years, American evangelicals, and I am one of them, have amassed greater political power than at any time in our history. But at what cost to our witness and the integrity of our message?"

Interesting article. Read on.

Wayward Christian Soldiers - New York Times

A Big Boost

By David Montgomery
Washington Post Staff WriterSaturday, January 21, 2006; Page C01
Twenty-four hours after Osama bin Laden told the world that the American people should read the work of a little-known Washington historian, William Blum was still adjusting.
Blum, who at 72 is accustomed to laboring in relative left-wing obscurity, checked his emotions and pronounced himself shocked and, well, pleased.



"This is almost as good as being an Oprah book," he said yesterday between telephone calls from the world media and bites of a bagel. "I'm glad." Overnight, his 2000 work, "Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower," had become an Osama book.

Happy Birthday ACLU

On this day in 1920 the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was formed.

Wars Stunning Price

By Linda Bilmes and Joseph Stiglitz of the "LA Times"
LAST WEEK, at the annual meeting of the American Economic Assn., we presented a new estimate for the likely cost of the war in Iraq. We suggested that the final bill will be much higher than previously reckoned — between $1 trillion and $2 trillion, depending primarily on how much longer our troops stay. Putting that into perspective, the highest-grossing movie of all time, "Titanic," earned $1.8 billion worldwide — about half the cost the U.S. incurs in Iraq every week.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Let this affirmation be our ringing cry. It will give us the courage to face the uncertainties of the future. It will give our tired feet new strength as we continue our forward stride toward the city of freedom. When our days become dreary with low-hovering clouds of despair, and when our nights become darker than a thousand midnights, let us remember that there is a creative force in this universe working to pull down the gigantic mountains of evil, a power that is able to make a way out of no way and transform dark yesterdays into bright tomorrows.

Let us realize that the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. Let us realize that William Cullen Bryant is right: "Truth, crushed to earth, will rise again." Let us go out realizing that the Bible is right: "Be not deceived. God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." This is our hope for the future, and with this faith we will be able to sing in some not too distant tomorrow, with a cosmic past tense, "We have overcome! We have overcome! Deep in my heart, I did believe we would overcome."

Chavez vs. Bush

"Despite being democratically elected, the government of President Hugo Chávez has systematically undermined democratic institutions, pressured and harassed independent media and the political opposition, and grown progressively more autocratic and antidemocratic." (Guardian Unlimited)

The above quote was issued by the US Embassy in Madrid, Spain concerning Spain’s sale of aircraft to Venezuela.  I propose a slight change to the quote.  Please see below.

"Despite being democratically elected, the government of President George W. Bush has systematically undermined democratic institutions, pressured and harassed independent media and the political opposition, and grown progressively more autocratic and antidemocratic."

Seems to have a ring of truth.

Where Is South America Heading?

Interesting article I read in "Newsweek". On many levels it seemed hopeful.

Changing Chile - Newsweek: International Editions - MSNBC.com

Another New Year

Here you are...another year on this staggeringly deluded and absurd world where the 358 richest humanoids have 60% of all the wealth, the 3 billion poorest have only 2% and 51 of the largest 100 global economies are corporations, not countries—yet virtually everyone continues to submit to maudlin, chauvinistic propaganda about democracy and free-enterprise, utterly transparent euphemisms for plutocracy and corporatist feudalism.  So—if it is still remotely conceivable to experience even a molecule of joy without being placed on a five-year, credit-reference/entitlement-verification waiting list—I hope you have a genuinely wonderful day.  And don’t forget to make a great, big revolutionary wish.