Dominionism...and Heath Ledger

Coincidence is not the word. Ironic is not the word. Strange could be the word.

Anyway, sort of funny definately describes The Western Tribune endorsing Mike Huckabee in the Republican primary and on the same page printing my anti-endorsement of Huckabee. The Tribune also endorsed my candidate, Hillary Clinton, for the Democratic nod.

My concern is Huckabee's dominionist leanings, more of which I will address later in this post. And Heath Ledger too.

First, here is the column, for those who have not read it. The parts in blue were edited (for space I am sure) from my orginal copy:

This week we celebrate the life and accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., but this follows two weeks in which his legacy and accomplishments have been overshadowed by media reaction to comments made by presidential hopefuls in the Democratic race.

I say media reaction because it is utterly ridiculous to believe that Bill or Hillary Clinton would discredit Dr. King, or that Barack Obama would lack any understanding of the important roles that both Dr. King and President Johnson had in advancing the cause of civil rights.

Why the media made such an issue of this and ignored what Republican candidate Mike Huckabee said about our constitution is beyond me. Speaking to an audience in Michigan, Huckabee said the following.
"I have opponents in this race who do not want to change the Constitution. But I believe it's a lot easier to change the Constitution than it would be to change the word of the living God. And that's what we need to do -- to amend the Constitution so it's in God's standards rather than try to change God's standards so it lines up with some contemporary view of how we treat each other and how we treat the family."

Thomas Jefferson must have been spinning in his grave after that remark.

A public information project at Cornell University called Theocracy Watch documents the rise of the Religious Right beginning right after Barry Goldwater’s defeat in 1964. That may sound like old history to some but the Republican Party has not always been controlled by Christian fundamentalists.

It is not evangelical Christians that we should worry about if we love our country. It is Dominionists such as Pat Robertson, Roy Moore, Phyllis Schlafly and Mike Huckabee, who seek control of this country in ways that the founding fathers never dreamed of.

Dominion theology holds the belief that society should be governed by the word of God as set forth in the Bible to the exclusion of secular law.

Were he alive today, Dr. King would find many ways in which we have yet to achieve the dream. I am sure he would find that replacing our Constitution with “God’s standards” would result in more of a barrier to reaching his goal than achieving it.

God may be all powerful but he certainly does not depend on the human lust for power under the guise of Christianity to demonstrate it. What these Dominionists actually demonstrate is both a lack of understanding of the supremacy of God, and a total misinterpretation of the principles upon which our country was founded. And what we do not need is a Dominionist as president.

Dominionism. It should scare the hell out of you. Theocracy Watch, which I mention in the column, is a wealth of information. There are buttons to the left of the page that direct you various topics, but I am going to put links here to some highlights.

Here is Taking over the Republican Party and here is Bush.

There are several pictures like this one that show Bush in messianic situations.

Does that not make you cringe?

There is a page on homophobia, as well as one on the war against women.

There is a lot more, and this is not some fly by night anti-christian group...it's from Cornell University.

I will get slammed for this, but dominionism as described is more of a threat to our society than any radical Islamic fundamentalism. I mean, this is from within. They are over there. Who's gonna get you first?

And to show how wacky and depraved some of these people are:

You have Fox's John Gibson mocking Heath Ledger after he was found dead.

You have "Christians" planning to protest his funeral, not because he is gay (he is not) but because he played a gay cowboy in a movie.

You have "Christians" saying God struck him dead for the same reason.

You have "Christians" saying he killed himself because of his shame after playing a gay peson.

You have someone on TV (I couldn't get to the TV in time to see who said it, but I heard it) saying he killed himself because he watched the Democratic Presidential debate Monday night.

And this is a religion (and a party) that wants people to embrace their principles? If this kind of rhetoric does not drive people from the Christian church, I don't know what will.

OK, I know I am painting the Christian church with a broad brush, but isn't that what people do with Islam? To the world, this is what the Christian church in America looks like, intolerant and foolish. And notice, I did not say the Christian Faith, because that is a far cry from the Christian church of today.

You know, I think the more proper way to acknowledge Heath Ledger is to appreciate the body of work that he produced. Brokeback Mountain will be playing this weekend on the big screen in this house. And we might watch A Knight's Tale, too.

Here is a tribute you can watch right now.

In the meantime, watch your back. The Dominionists are out to get you.

We will miss you, Heath.

Back on Track

One more day like yesterday and I will...well, I guess I will miss another day of blogging. but school is pretty much a priority these days, and biostatistics...

There are in fact two things: science and opinion. One begats knowledge, the latter ignorance.
- Hippocrates

I wonder where I fall in there, since I often write opinions about science. Hmmm.

Barack Obama was critical during Monday's debate of Hillary Clinton for sitting on the board of directors of Walmart back when the company really did sell products "Made in America" and before Walmart came under fire for things like mis-treating employees and mis-labeling food as being organic when it is not.

Of course he didn't bring up that his wife Michelle resigned less than a year ago from the board of directors of Treehouse Foods, Inc., whose largest customer is Walmart which accounts for over 16% of its sales. She resigned immediately after Senator Obama made a speech critical of Walmart and its anti-union policies. I guess she felt the heat since Treehouse doesn't have the best reputation regarding pickle plants and low paid Hispanic workers.

But in defense of both women, maybe sitting on the board of a corporation is one way to bring positive change to a company. I mean, blaming directors is not unlike faulting progressive democrats in congress who can't get legislation passed because of the neocons in power, which was especially the case before the 2006 elections.


I guess that the Romney campaign is desperate to show some humor, so that their candidate can be proven not to be robot, but does this do it? Here son Matt Romeny plays a little jokle on his dad.

Are you laughing? Will candiate Mitt be laughing after the Republican primary in Florida where recent polls show him neck in neck with John McCain? (Leaving poor Rudy out)

In today's Birmingham News is a political cartoon by Walt Handelsman of Newsday.

But I wonder...somewhere between the Hillary Haters and the Independents and Moderates, should there be a cut of racists? Or are they distributed throughout all the divisions of the party? Regardless, we have heard for years about the differing factions of the democratic party, gays here, African Americans there, Hollywood liberals way over there, northern elitists running the party, progressive evangelicals not being heard, working class being squeezed...so our ass, uh, donkey could be cut up in a similar manner. But when it comes down to it, all indications are that in spite of the expected bickering between candidates, after the convention the Democrats and progressive independents and moderate republicans will come together to support whoever the Democratic candidate is.

There is an interesting story in the New Yorker that starts out:

Who, speaking last week, made the following statement: "Enough is enough. More people need to be willing to step up and say, 'Let's do something about this.' That's how change will be made."

Think you know the answer? Wrong, It wasn't Barack or Hillary. It was April White, a massage therapist from Clermont Florida who in 2003 purchased a set of 800 count sheets from Bed Bath and Beyond in Birmingham, AL, and making a long story short, had them examined by a forensic textile lab (who knew?) only to find they "were, in facts, mere 408s."

To make a longer story even shorter, if the judge approves, April will recieve $2500, and her attorneys $290,000. In addition, " all purchasers between August 1, 2000 and November 9, 2007 of multi-ply sheet sets, pillowcases, down comforters, bedskirts, shams, duvets, and down pillows from Bed Bath and Beyond that were labelled as 'plied,' 'two-ply,' or '2-ply' " are eligible for refunds and discount certificates.

While $2500 seems like enough to compensate someone for having to sleep on scratchy sheets for a day or two, a quarter of a million dollars for attorney's fees seems a little steep. A good chunk of that money should have gone to buy sheets or blankets for the poor, and I'm sure they wouldn't have demanded 800 count linens. Such a donation would be the philanthropic thing to do.

And do we really have to keep every little receipt for everything we buy, just in case a class action lawsuit is brought up a few years later?

Martin Luther King Jr: Pro Public Health and Anti-War

Since 1900 the average life expectancy in the United States has increased 30 years. Of that, 25 years can be attributed to advances in public health, and the other five years to advances in medicine.

The differences might not be readily apparent, but in general, public health initiatives that contributed to extended life include things like food safety and better understanding of nutrition, decrease in tobacco use, improvements in workplace safety, family planning, maternal and child care, water safety and fluoridation, vaccination programs, seat belt use and sanitation.

Advances in medicine, while important from an individual standpoint, do not contribute that much statistically. These include things such as the development of new diagnostic equipment, advanced procedures and new drugs to treat illnesses.


Today we honor the life and achievements of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King understood the importance of public health and the role that it plays in the health of our nation. Consider the following:

"One day our society will come to respect the sanitation worker if it is to survive, for the person who picks up our garbage is in the final analysis as significant as the physician, for if he doesn't do his job, diseases are rampant. All labor has dignity."

(Martin Luther King, Jr., The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr., ed. Clayborne Carson (Grand Central Publishing, 2001), pp. 352-35)


King was referring to the low wages the sanitation workers received and was fighting against the institutionalized poverty forced upon blacks by their own government. But he also made the point that in the control of disease, sanitation is a must. In the 19th century immigration and urbanization caused a population shift that led to overcrowding in cities with inadequate waste disposal systems. Often garbage was piled in the streets or thrown over a fence giving food and shelter to vermin and contributing to disease outbreaks.

By 1900 public health departments had been established in 40 of the 45 states. From the 1930’s through the 1950’s, great strides were made in solid waste disposal, as well as sewage and water treatment and hygiene practices. Vermin control, related to garbage control, also contributed to the reduction of disease.

I believe King would also be an outspoken critic of the war in Iraq. Here is what he said about the Vietnam War:

"And I knew that America would never invest the necessary funds or energies in rehabilitation of its poor so long as adventures like Vietnam continued to draw men and skills and money like some demonic, destructive suction tube. So I was increasingly compelled to see the war as an enemy of the poor and to attack it as such."

(Beyond Vietnam speech delivered April 4, 1967. The quote can be found in A Call to Conscience: The Landmark Speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., ed. Clayborne Carson and Kris Shepard (Warner Books, 2002), p. 142)

To the left of this column you can see the Cost of the war. $487 billion. Almost half a trillion. Consider the job training and education that could be provided with that money. Not to mention the cost in lives lost or damaged. One example is the number of men and women returning with traumatic brain injury, and an army task force suggests that 10 to 20 percent of those returning for Iran and Afghanistan have brain injuries. This story from September explains how the problem is insidious and how the effects can be long term.

So yes, the war in Iraq is a “demonic, destructive suction tube” destroying the lives of our young people who are fighting as well as hindering education of students not yet old enough to be sucked in.

There are so many ways in which this war is wrong, and Dr. King would be one of its most outspoken critics. Unlike the ever changing heated rhetoric that we hear on a daily basis (from presidential candidates), his words are set, his opposition is unchallengeable, and his positions unchangeable. And they apply today.

Some of the information I used here comes from Soulforce , an organization whose mission statement reads:

“The mission of Soulforce is to cut off homophobia at its source – religious bigotry…We apply the creative direct action principles taught by Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. to peacefully resist injustice and demand full equality for LGBT citizens and same-gender families.”

Information on sanitation and control of infectious diseases and public health can be found here.

"Goings On" From Here and There

There's a lot going on the world of politics and culture, including caucuses and primaries this weekend, so here's a little local news, some political news and come cultural news.

The Western Tribune has a front page story this week about a hate crime being charged against the city by a Bessemer employee. Seems Willie Burgin's city truck broke down in a wooded area in Hueytown and he called in for assistance and waited but no one came. He was told by his supervisor on a walkie talkie, "Get you a rope and hang around, they are coming." He asked for clarification, he was told the same thing.

Burgin complained to his supervisors and told to forget about it. Rev. James Eades, head of the department, suggested the employee was simply "looking for a big pay day."

So he went to the mayor, Ed May. He recieved a letter from May that said the city "found no evidence that Mr. McLaughlin's statements were made with malice or that they were intended to be racially dipsaraging or offensive."

Burgin says that the mayor hides personnel problems by "sweeping them under the rug."

Burgin has filed a complaint with the EEOC (Economic Equal Opportunity Commission) and with the Jefferson County personnel board.

The Western Tribune: Real People, Real Issues, Real News

I just wonder if Ed May is a closet republican. He's teflon, like Ronald Reagan. He budgets money like the president and former republican congress did, with no regard to fiscal responsibility, and he governs with Cheneyesque secrecy. Well, he is running for a delegate position to the Democratic National Convention (for the wrong candidate), and after all, many democrats in Alabama are "republican lite" anyway, so who knows.

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The Hillary Clinton Campaign is opening its Birmingham office Saturday with an event at 2:00. I am all for snow, but I hope it doesn't intefere with this event.

The office will be in downtown Birmingham, on 21st street, across from the YMCA. If the roads are safe...be there!


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The Napa County Farm Bureau which promotes agriculture and protects family farms in Napa, California, has published a calendar as a fund raiser for 2008. From the looks of the calendar, all of Napa's agriculture involves grapes and winemaking with some beef operations as well.

But the real beefcake is in the photos of mostly bare farmers who have taken it off for the cause. Here's 35 year old Michael H., who is a grape grower and is Mr. June, so to speak.


Not all of the farmers pictured as as, uh, young, as Michael, but let me tell you, the vineyards and grapes all look healthy and fine. Support California Wines. And support Napa farmers by visiting Napa Uncovered where you can learn more about the Napa farming community and maybe even still get a calendar. This calendar was featured in Parade magazine a few weeks ago as well

Who Would Have Thought That?

The Pope has been rejected from speaking at the inauguration of the new academic year at a prestigious university (La Sapienza) in Rome, of all places. Professors and students alike protested the planned event, because of the Pope's previous statements in support of the 17th century inquistion trial against Galileo.

Galileo, as you know, was tried for heresy after his publication of "Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems" in which he reported his discovery that the earth revolves around the sun. In the book he ridiculed Pope Urban VIII, and as a result stood trial in 1633. The judgement said his views were "absurd, philosophically false, and formally heretical, because it is expressly contrary to Holy Scriptures". Galileo later recanted to spare his life, but we can imagine how he felt deep in his heart.

This is the precise reason that I find no problem with examining and sometimes being critical of church teaching and current translations of "scripture", especially as it relates to science. I use quotation marks because those writings were pretty much hand picked by old white guys with an agenda (did they have republicans back then?)

So the Pope is unwelcome in Rome.

Now, who would have thought that?

And in Iran, where homosexuality is illegal and punishable by death, and where Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said there are no homosexuals (ok to laugh here), transgenderism is OK. A documentary will be shown st Sundance titled Be Like Others, written and directed by Tanaz Eshaghian. In the movie she follows the experiences of four transgendered inidviduals, one who has completed her surgery, and three others considering or undergoing procedures.

According to Eshaghian, in an interview with Larry Flick on Sirius OutQ this morning, the Ayatollah Khomeini gave the OK to gender reassignment surgery because transgenderism was (and in that country still is) considered an illness. It was decided that persons could not be judged because of an illness, so the procedures are allowed.

According to the film info on Sundance, the doctor whose practice is examined in the movie performs more sex change operations in one year than are done in the entire country of France in 10 years.

Now, who would have thought that?

Hillary Clinton can be funny and entertaining, in addition to being right for America.



Now, who would have thought that?

Well, now you know!

Hope for Arlington School, Little Hope for Republicans

Judging from the number of emails and contacts I have received after my post about Artur Davis I am sure people will be visiting Bessemer Opinions (as well as Birmingham Blues to read Kathy's post) to read it today. Just scroll down or use the above link.

The Republicans are no closer to deciding who they want after yesterday's Michigan primary, which Romney won, than they were six months ago but we know we don't want this person to be our next president.





Mike Huckabee doesn't just want to "amend" the constitution, he wants to "amen" it.


And I thought we were close to a theocracy now. But at least we can rest assured that the democratic controlled congress would never attempt to amend the consitution in this way...would they?


And speaking of "amends" did you see Chris Matthews trying to make some with the Hillary camp after last nights Mod Squad (one black, one white, one blonde) debate. Matthews, who insulted Hillary, Bill, Barack and the entire list of democratic voters in new Hampshire last week declared Hillary the winner of the debate and praised her "power play" that restored her to the front runner position in the race. The momentum grows.

In Bessemer, what might be the most important story of the (15 day) year was buried in the Birmingham News today, on page 3B under "Government Roundup".

Bessemer

Arlington school declared surplus

The school board Tuesday voted unaminously to declare the former Arlinton school building surplus property.

Why: The land must be declared surplus before the board can sell it.

History: The building, constructed in 1908, housed Bessemer's first high school. It was later an elementary school and closed in the 1980's. Since then various groups have proposed uses for the building, including converting it into apartments for senior citizens.

Now we just have to hope that whoever they sell it to realizes the historical significance of the building and restores it to be used in way that benefits our historic southside community as well as the entire city. Alabama Heritage magazine described the property in this way, "A fine example of classical revival school building from the turn of the last century, the Arlington School, built in 1908, was Bessemer's first high school. Its most distinguishing features are the decorative brick and stone facade, interior sky-lighted basketball courts, and an auditorium in the form of a jewel box theatre with a raked floor, proscenium stage, and horseshoe balcony. Once a part of a thriving middle class neighborhood, the Arlington School was abandoned in the early 1980s. Now dilapidated and out of use, the school's state of disrepair is indicative of the decline in the surrounding neighborhood..."

Stay tuned.

Just added:

Hillary Clinton called Bush "pathetic" and so does Kathy. He's pitiful.

Artur Davis Ignores History, Insults Gays

This post and the one below address the Over the Mountain Democrat forum about healthcare last night, where the question came up about insuring domestic partners of same sex employees. Terry Kellogg from Blue Cross Blue Shield (see post below) replied that only 20 or so of his employer customers have inquired about that, and the thousands of other customers do not want such benefits provided because they don’t want to pay for it. OK, money is more important than doing what is right, but you expect to hear that from a corporate view.

Artur Davis chimed in, completely ignoring history, and told us that LGBT people should not be looking to Montgomery or Washington for answers, because (paraphrased quote) “It is not the role of government to tell people how to think.”

I almost fell out of my chair as I heard an African American who is the Alabama campaign manager for Barack Obama, who at the same moment is involved in a controversy about the role of MLK and Lyndon Johnson in the civil rights movement, say those words.

Has he forgotten that telling people how to think and act is precisely what the government did when Johnson signed the civil rights act? Does he not realize that had the government not told people how to think he might not be sitting on that stage tonight, and Barack Obama surely would not be where he is right now?

I am not ignoring Martin Luther King’s role (and neither was Hillary Clinton, by the way) in changing the attitudes of many Americans, but without the role of government telling Americans how to think there would be no voting rights and we could still be living in a segregated society.

But it sure seems that Davis is ignoring that.

Besides, Americans are already on the side of equality for gays and lesbians. Let’s consider four popular issues.

Hate Crimes. From The Christian Post, a Gallup poll from May 2007 reveals that 68% of Americans favor expanding the hate crimes legislation to include sexual orientation.

Civil Unions. An ABC Poll from November 2007 shows us that 55% of Americans favor civil unions, with 42 % opposing.

Employment non-discrimination. A May 2007 Gallup Poll showed that 89% favored employment protection for gays and lesbians, and for the particular legislation that Davis voted against, 58% of whites, 61% of blacks, 56% of latinos, 70% of democrats, 55% of independents and even 52% of republican women favored it.

Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. A 2007 Harris Poll shows that 55% of Americans believe gays and lesbians should be allowed to serve openly in the armed forces.

So, Mr. Davis, it appears that Americans already know how to think. But we need laws and regulations passed by the government to assure that those who thrive on bigotry and prejudice do not undermine the fairness and equality that most Americans realize is part of our constitutional rights. And we need congressmen who will recognize that equality goes beyond the color of one’s skin.