Blind Prejudice

I've been writing a great deal lately about the blind prejudice that all too often turns into absolute hatred in our political and economic discourse. Much of what is written in blogs and repeated on talk radio (from the left and right) is nothing short of hate speech.

And while racial prejudice and sexual discrimination (and the objectification of women in our society, hat tip to the ikonoclast) continue to fester and infect our society, the "Derangement Syndromes" surrounding political philosophies and our supposed opponents and members of opposing political movements has reached a boiling point.

It hit really close to my home (both physically close and close in terms of religion and values) Sunday with the shooting and murder of two members of the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church during morning services. The shooting occurred during a children's performance. Thank God no children were killed.

The shooter, Jim D. Adkisson, left a letter in his car with the reason for his rampage. Adkisson "stated hatred of the liberal movement."

Thankfully Adkisson himself was not killed in the rampage and didn't have the chance to commit suicide. One report stated he had 76 shotgun shells and planned to use them all. He was wrestled to the ground by church members. He is now being held by the Knoxville police.

Among the many sins of the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church were it's sponsorship of the American Civil Liberties Union and its support of women's rights and gay rights. They had recently put out a sign welcoming gays to the congregation.

These people were shot for the very beliefs I hold and practice every day.

As a society we must learn to respect each others views, religions and politics or we will find ourselves mired in internal fighting like the ongoing conflicts in Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, or past sectarian battle in Ireland.

Love is the spirit of this church and service is its law. This is our great covenant: to live together in peace, to seek the truth in love, and to help one another. Written by James Vila Blake and used in many Unitarian churches (including the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church) as a Statement of Faith.

If only everyone could live by this simple and non-sectarian creed. Please send your prayers and thoughts to the friends and members of the Knoxville community touched by this tragedy. This tragedy touches everyone.

Here is a link to the website of The Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church

One World

Please just consider this singular reality as you weigh decisions that you must indeed make about the future of Iraq and the Middle East.

We're in a really tough situation in Iraq. But not nearly as tough as situation the Iraqi's are in themselves. Tragically the United States controls the future of the Iraqi's. They will have to live under the results of the decisions we make in the 2008 elections.

Here, without any further editorial comment are the words of Saudi cleric, Muhammad al-Munajid, aired on Al-Majd TV, March 30, 2008.



Here is a transcript the most important words of Muhammad al-Munajid:

"The problem is that they want to open a debate on whether Islam is true or not, and on whether Judaism and Christianity are false or not. In other words, they want to open up everything for debate. Now they want to open up all issues for debate."

"That’s it. It begins with freedom of thought, it continues with freedom of speech, and it ends up with freedom of belief."

"They say: Let’s have freedom of thought in Islam..."

"They say: I think, therefore I want to express my thoughts. I want to express myself, I want to talk and say, for example, that there are loopholes in Islam, or that Christianity is the truth."

"Then they will talk about freedom of belief, and say that anyone is entitled to believe in whatever he wants... If you want to become an apostate – go ahead. Fancy Buddhism? Leave Islam, and join Buddhism. No problem."

"That’s what freedom of belief is all about."

"They want freedom of everything."

"What they want is very dangerous."

Barrack Obama is Simply Wrong

"You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years. ... And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."

Barrack Obama

This weekend, as you watch the Republicans and conservatives and Midwesterners and the Hillary Clinton camp rise up in unison to condemn the words of Barrack Obama keep one thing in mind, Barrack was completely, totally and entirely wrong.

He clearly fails at the most fundamental level to understand red state America and the people who live there. His remarks are condescending, but they are much worse than that. He has no respect for what is probably the majority of Americans.

Barrack and Michelle Obama simply don't understand Americans who didn't graduate from Harvard with $300,000 in student loans.

The Obama's don't understand Americans who don't attend a black radical church that routinely condemns the American experience.

By virtually any measure, I am an elitist. I admit it. I am not a traditional Christian. I'm not conservative. I attended a prestigious, very liberal college. I am in the upper percentage of Americans in terms of income, occupation and lifestyle. I know it.

But I have been relocated into very small town America. The folks who live in our little town lost most of their jobs and virtually all of their factories because of NAFTA. Due to this poorly thought out trade agreement, the jobs were exported south of the border.

These are the folks that Obama was talking about. It's simply tragic he was so horribly wrong about their values, their religion, their goals and aspirations, their lifestyle, their values and their patriotism. It simply isn't possible to be more wrong.

If Barrack Obama had lived my life for the last ten years he would have been incapable of making a mockery of these people who make up the very heart of our country.

If Barrack had joined these amazingly wonderful people for breakfast each morning, attended their weddings and funerals, helped them serve lunch to the Army reservists each month, joined them in community colleges as they retrained for new jobs..... and received their warmth and love and support in a time of deep personal crisis, he would never have made remarks that can only be described as stupid.

My friends, and coworkers and neighbors are not bitter. They do not cling to guns or religion out of fear or desperation or any misguided motive. They are most assuredly not anti-immigrant, nor are they anti-trade.

We (and I'm proud to be included in this group) are working hard to rebuild our community, We are looking forward and not living in the past. We are optimistic. Frankly, we are a hell of a lot more optimistic than Barrack Obama.

I am more than insulted. I have lost a great deal of respect for the Illinois Senator and this potential candidate for President.

As one television commentator said a few moments ago, this may well be Obama's "Macaca Moment."

The Politics of Association

In the last 24 hours I heard Reverend Jeremiah Wright preach so much I feel like I need to tithe to his church, The Trinity United Church of Christ.

If, by some miracle (pun fully intended), you've missed the multiple replays of the last five years of Wright's sermons, Jeremiah Wright is the pastor of Barrack Obama's church and a man Obama credits for being his inspiration. Reverend Wright married Barrack and his lovely wife Michelle and baptised his children. I'm not going to bother to link to the many dozens of You Tube clips now available; you can easily find them if you actually have missed them.

So as I watched MSNBC, CNN and FOX turn into the Trinity Broadcasting Networks I meditated on the real responsibilities Obama might share for Wright's teaching and preaching.

Last week we watched the media and especially the blogosphere hound John McCain until he finally denounced ultra conservative Pastor John Hagee. And McCain never even attended Hagee's church. But earlier McCain had "welcomed" Hagee's endorsement.

As a Unitarian Universalist I've set through dozens (maybe hundreds) of sermons with which I disagree. Occasionally I've been deeply offended by the preacher. I wouldn't want to be judged by the words of the various ministers of my church. On the other hand, Unitarians have a unique concept, "freedom of the pulpit." Any speaker can speak from any religious (or atheistic or political) perspective.

So here is my view. We are not electing Jeremiah Wright President. I am deeply concerned about some of Wright's statements from the pulpit, but not from a Presidential politics perspective. I'll judge Barrack Obama from by his own words and his own actions, not by those of Reverend Jeremiah Wright.

The battle between Barrack Obama and Hillary Clinton and John McCain is so tight and so intense it's bringing about a battle of details and nuances, relationships and associations instead of ideas and policies. That is tragic.

I was pleased to watch John McCain absolutely refuse to condemn Obama for the words of his pastor last night, in spite of intense pressure from reporters. Sadly, that won't stop MSNBC, CNN and FOX from endless replays and speculations. And it won't stop the Sean Hannity's and Rush Limbaugh's from exploiting Obama's relationship with his minister.

Slavery Is Alive and Extremely Well

When does placing women on a pedestal in a position of honor cross the line into denying her most basic civil rights and, in effect, indenturing her into a lifetime of forced servitude? In other words slavery?

It's happening every day in virtually all Islamic countries, but especially Saudi Arabia.

The Associated Press reports, in what is just the latest horror story from the Kingdom, Forced annulment keeps couple apart:

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Two years ago, a knock on Fatima and Mansour al-Timani's door shattered the life they had built together. It was the police, delivering news that a judge had annulled their marriage in absentia after some of Fatima's relatives sought the divorce on grounds she had married beneath her. That was just the beginning of an ordeal for a couple who — under Saudi Arabia's strict segregation rules — can no longer live together. They sued to reverse the ruling, publicized their story and sought help from a Saudi human rights group. But the two remain apart and Fatima said she is considering suicide if her recent appeal to King Abdullah does not reunite her with her husband. "Only the king can resolve my case," Fatima told The Associated Press by telephone in a rare interview. "I want to return to my husband, but if that is not possible, I need to know so I can put an end to my life." Fatima's case underscores shortcomings in the kingdom's Islamic legal system in which rules of evidence are shaky, lawyers are not always present and sentences often depend on the whim of judges. The most frequent victims are women, who already suffer severe restrictions on daily life in Saudi Arabia: They cannot drive, appear before a judge without a male representative, or travel abroad without a male guardian's permission. Recently, the king did intervene and pardon another high-profile defendant — a rape victim who was sentenced to lashes and jail time for being in a car with a man who was not her relative. The two cases have brought Saudi human rights once again into the international spotlight, revealing not only the weakness of the kingdom's justice system, but the scant rights of Saudi women. "When I heard that the (rape victim) was pardoned, I couldn't believe it. My case is so much simpler than hers, since my divorce is invalid," Fatima said. But on Feb. 25, 2006, police knocked on the couple's door to serve Mansour with divorce papers — which said his marriage had been annulled nine months earlier. "We were shattered. How did this happen? Why?" Fatima asked. Under Saudi law, a woman needs the permission of her family to marry. Fatima took the couple's 2-year-old daughter and 4-month-old son to live with her mother, who had persuaded her to let Mansour deal with the legal issues on his own. But after three months without her husband, Fatima and the children sneaked out of her mother's house and flew with Mansour to the western seaside city of Jiddah, where they sought to live in anonymity. Saudi police soon discovered them and imprisoned the family for living together illegally. "My children and I were thrown in a cell with women sentenced for pushing drugs, practicing witchcraft and behaving immorally," Fatima said. Authorities allowed her to send her daughter back to live with her father, but the infant stayed with Fatima in jail. Despite their legal fight, Fatima and Mansour remain apart. After nine months in jail, Fatima moved to an orphanage where she and her son share an apartment with several other women. Fatima said she is holding out hope the king might pardon her, and recognize her as "married to Mansour, before God." "I love him more than ever. He's the only one who has stood by me," she said.

Isn't it fascinating that the family IS NOT DISGRACED by having their sister and daughter held in jail or forced to live in a orphanage, in absolute poverty, but the family IS DISGRACED by having her live with a loving, caring and supportive husband from a lower caste?

Isn't it equally fascinating that most American Women's Rights groups are cowered into absolute silence by the plight of Islamic women?

I would just love to provide a link to the statement from the National Organization for Women...... but they have declined to issue one.

And I would love to link to a listing of all the posts by the over 100 so-called liberal bloggers over at The Huffington Post, but not one single blogger has issued one single comment. Not one.

Saudi women deserve a strong, unequivocal voice for freedom and basic human rights in the world forum.

For me this case and the thousands just like it are the strongest argument for energy independence.

"The Scourge of Illegitimacy"

Haley Barbour was re-elected Governor of Mississippi last fall and was sworn in for his second (and final) term yesterday. Why his Inauguration Speech hasn't become one of the hottest topics in the blogosphere is a real mystery to me.

Barbour made one of the most outrageous statements I've heard in recent years. Barbour stepped way over the politically correct line and dared to suggest we move our morality back to about 1955, the days of Lucy and Desi, Beaver Cleaver and Father Knows Best.

Barbour would have us bring back the scarlet letter, the shame 0f unwed pregnancy, the sin of motherhood without benefit of marriage.

And Barbour had the gall to do it smack dab in the middle of the biggest and most important speech of the year, his Inauguration Address!

"....we must not only improve education and workforce skills but also combat and reduce the scourge of illegitimacy. It is virtually impossible for significant economic progress to take root where there has been major decline in the family structure."

The Scourge of Illegitimacy? As a religious liberal and a social liberal I thought we had moved beyond casting shame upon a woman who finds herself in a difficult situation. Finally, at least in Western Society, an unwed pregnant girl is allowed to hold her head up high, complete her education, have a career and a future.

The turning point in our society's attitude is often considered the episode of the landmark television series Murphy Brown, when the successful, very single, reporter decides to have and raise a baby without having a husband!

Reviled and mocked by Republicans and conservatives and Evangelical Christians, the show was still the turning point in society's attitude toward unwed motherhood. If Candice Bergen's Murphy Brown can raise a child and pursue a career without being married, then any woman can!

And, as it turns out, 20 years later, many, many woman do.

But the societal change that was supposed to liberate women, also freed men from the responsibility of marriage. And it cleared one of the very last obstacles to premarital sex.

And so illegitimacy rates have exploded. While rates among blacks has stabilized at an astonishing 68% of all birth, rates among whites and other races are rising rapidly. Overall, the percentage of children born outside of wedlock is 33.5%

Sadly, what today's women haven't been able to duplicate is Murphy Brown's career and financial success. In fact, illegitimacy has become a financial disaster for the women and for society itself.

The facts are terrifying.

Children in one-parent families are twice as likely to drop out of school as those in two-parent homes.

Boys in one-parent families are much more likely to be both out of school and out of work.

Girls in one-parent families are twice as likely to have an out-of-wedlock birth.

Children raised in single-parent homes are more likely to be suspended from school, to have emotional problems, and to behave badly.

Boys whose fathers are absent from the household have double the odds of being incarcerated. This is true even when other factors, such as race, income, parents' education, and urban residence, are held constant.

Family structure is even more important than income. Each year spent without a father in the home increases the odds of future incarceration by 5 percent, so that a child born to an unwed mother is 2.5 times more likely to end up imprisoned, versus 1.5 times for a boy whose parents split up when he was a teenager.

But, in spite of these and dozens of other facts from studies over the last 20 years, it is still politically incorrect to say what Haley Barbour said.

But it is a real problem. And, in our society we don't stop for a second to legislate controls and prohibitions against behavior much less damaging that illegitimacy. Seat belt laws, child restraints and booster seats, and limits or outright prohibitions against smoking, drinking and drugs are common.

Laws are routinely passed to protect the welfare and health of children. And yet politically correct society dare not even mention the single factor that has been proven to place the child at risk of poverty, failed educational outcome, drug addiction, criminal behavior, incarceration and even worse.

At least until Haley Barbour did the unthinkable. He came out and said illegitimacy was a serious problem that must be addressed.

Haley Barbour's complete Inauguration Address can be found here.

Separation of Church and State

As I wrote about Mike Huckabee (immediately below) I was reminded of an essay I had written here in this blog two years ago about the real nature of the separation of church and state in the United States.

Huckabee and others who think the United States is (or was) a "Christian Nation" that has now somehow lost its way because of the ACLU and "secular humanists" like me, need to read up a little on their history.

Therefore, in the spirit of Christmas, I've edited and expanded this bit of history of Christmas in the United States from my original essay. You can read the complete essay here: The Truth About Christmas Trees

Separation of Church and State was much stronger when our country was founded than it is today. Christmas itself WAS NOT a government holiday. In fact, stores and businesses did not close on Christmas until just a little over 100 years ago. Congress held sessions on Christmas Day. Scrooge was not unusual in expecting his employees to work on Christmas. It was not a "holiday." In fact it was Dicken's "A Christmas Carol" than began a movement toward making Christmas a Holiday. Dickens was considered a radical and a socialist and a general trouble maker. Calvin and protestant leaders rejected both the celebration of Christmas and Easter as pagan trivializations of sacred events. The White House NEVER had a Christmas tree until President Franklin Pierce, our 14th President set up a tree in 1856. And he was nearly impeached for adopting the German pagan tradition. It was a huge controversy. Christmas DID NOT become a National Holiday until 1870!!! Alabama was the first state to make Christmas an official holiday in 1836. Believe it or not, the southern states celebration of Christmas was one of reasons for the Civil War!!! It wasn't just slavery that set the southerners apart from the righteous Northerners. Southern States celebrated Christmas (Arkansas and Louisiana joined in passing Christmas Holiday laws), but Northern states strictly forbid any such celebration!! At one time you would be fined in Boston for openly celebrating Christmas!! In the early 20th century Teddy Roosevelt again banned the Christmas Tree from the White House, but this time on the grounds of conservation. As an ardent conservationist, he led a battle against cutting down trees for decoration. The White House must set an example.

But I'm certainly not going to ban Christmas from these pages. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

the Wizard.....

Mike Huckabee

I've got a certain grudging respect for Mike Huckabee. The man has a a level of intellectual honesty, integrity and honor all too often missing in today's pandering politicians, especially those running for President.

As I watch the "makeover of the week" by candidates like Mitt Romney and John Edwards, it is refreshing to see a candidate who actually knows what he believes, a candidate who doesn't need to wait for the latest opinion poll before taking a stand.

Because Huckabee and I disagree on virtually every major issue, I cannot possibly support him for President, but he is one candidate I can actually respect.

Huckabee is at the center of a firestorm over this television ad:



Secularists, many liberals and those who desire a true separation of church and state object to the overt Christian nature of this ad. But in spite of a withering attack on this ad, his public persona and Christianity itself, Huckabee remains firm, confident and relaxed.

Elizabeth White, reporting for the Associated Press, writes:

SAN ANTONIO - Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee made no apologies Sunday for the religious tone of a recent holiday campaign commercial and said it is important to look for Jesus at this time of year. "You can find Santa at every mall. You can find discounts in every store," Huckabee said from the pulpit of Cornerstone Church. "But if you mention the name of Jesus, as I found out recently, it upsets the whole world. Forgive me, but I thought that was the point of the whole day." Speaking at a later church service, Huckabee said: "I got in a little trouble this last week because I actually had the audacity to say 'Merry Christmas.' Isn't that an odd thing to say at this time of year?" Huckabee also discussed the ad during an interview on CBS' "Face the Nation" before delivering the sermons. Asked whether he was running for president of Christian America, Huckabee said he was campaigning to be the "president of all America, to be the people's president. And that's how I served as governor." Separately, The Dallas Morning News on Sunday endorsed Huckabee for the Republican presidential nomination. The newspaper said that while he is not an "ideal candidate," he "is the change agent the nation most needs." The Morning News also endorsed Democrat Barack Obama "because of his consistently solid judgment, poise under pressure and ability to campaign effectively without resorting to the divisive politics of the past."

I can understand the logic of a paper that would endorse Huckabee on one hand, and Obama on the other.

I don't believe Huckabee can win, nor do I think he should, but I appreciate a candidate who is genuine and honest and has a certain quiet courage of conviction.

"God Bless 'Em"

A Tip O' the Wizard's Pointy Cap goes this morning to Jeanne Phillips, aka Abigail Van Buren, who publicly came out in favor of Gay Marriage and unions this week in a statement of remarkable kindness, understanding and understated courage.

Lisa Leff, reporting for the Associated Press writes:

"For years, rumblings have surfaced on the Internet, conjecture about her casual references to "sexual orientation" and "respect."

"Now, Dear Abby is ready to say it flatly: She supports same-sex marriage."

"I believe if two people want to commit to each other, God bless 'em," the syndicated advice columnist told The Associated Press. "That is the highest form of commitment, for heaven's sake."

"What Jeanne Phillips, aka Abigail Van Buren, finds offensive and misguided are homophobic jokes, phrases like "That's so gay," and parents who reject or try to reform their children when they come out of the closet."

"Her views are the reason she's being honored this week by Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, a national advocacy group that provides support for gay people and their families. The original Abby, Phillips' 89-year-old mother, Pauline, helped put PFLAG on the map in 1984 when she first referred a distraught parent to the organization."

This is real and genuine progress for the gay and lesbian community. Dear Abby can do more to foster understanding and acceptance of the gay lifestyle than activist mayors and political grand standers who violate the law and alienate the public in general.

This is real progress in changing the hearts and minds of the public on gay rights. Thank you Jeanne Phillips. God Bless You.

Do You Feel Lucky?

It isn't easy being a liberal in a small town in the deep south. It's especially difficult being a religious liberal. My church, the Unitarian Church, sanctions religious gay marriages. I'm proud of our open, inclusive congregations.

My favorite Unitarian Minister is a woman. Another rather wonderful sign of progress and equality.

But I must drive a hour and a half to attend church. The closest thing we have to a liberal church here in our small town is a Methodist Church with a pastor who makes most Baptists look left wing.

Still I chose to live here in a town of only 8,000 and my wife and my family love it. There is actually a lot to be said for small town values, especially the friendship and mutual support in a tight knit community. If you have tragedy, a crisis or even a fallen limb off a tree, thee are twenty people who genuinely rush to your side. We can argue politics over our morning coffee and they will still stop to help if my car breaks down on the side of the road.

I feel lucky. This is a great community, a great state and a great country.

But my rights as an American citizen are really an accident of birth. Unless reincarnation is more of a reality than I've assumed, I did nothing to deserve this wonderful accident. And if reincarnation is a reality, I must have done something really good in a previous life to receive this much bounty now.

We can argue politics. We can officiate religious gay marriages. We can lobby our government and perhaps, someday, legal gay marriages will become a reality.

I can go to the local Baptist Church and witness my grandson be baptised as I did last Sunday. There is no restriction on religious freedom. I can be Unitarian one Sunday and Baptist the next (at least in spirit).

Tragically both my boys have been married and divorced. One is remarried to a wonderful girl and we even gained a granddaughter in the process. Gone are the stigmas against divorce, remarriage and even sex outside of marriage.

Maybe that's not all good. Divorce rates are high and too many children are born out-of wedlock. Society is evolving and solutions sometimes come slowly. But freedom is a wonderful thing.

I am very lucky, indeed.

But what if I had been born in Iran instead? It's just a matter of luck. I didn't chose to be born here. Saeed Ghanbari didn't chose to be born in Iran. It was just a matter of luck.

From today's Daily Mail (United Kingdom) , story by David Williams

Rough justice: 80 lashes for 'immoral' Iranian who abused alcohol and had sex His face covered by a balaclava, an official brandishing a cane repeatedly lashes the back of a man found guilty of breaking Iran's morality laws. Two police officers hold the legs of 25-year-old Saeed Ghanbari and another his arms to ensure there is no escape from the punishment of 80 lashes handed down by a religious court. Traffic was brought to a halt in Qazvin, 90 miles west of the capital Tehran, as more than 1,000 men gathered behind barricades to watch the public flogging. Some took pictures on mobile telephones, others climbed traffic lights for a better vantage point as Ghanbari was marched to the centre of the square under the watch of blue-uniformed guards carrying machine guns. A four foot long metal bench was taken from a police van and the convicted man was made to lie on it on his stomach, his fawn checked shirt pulled-up to his shoulders to expose his back and waist. One police officer held his hands together beneath the bench, two others gripped his legs to ensure there was little movement. Two police officers stood-by, their faces covered with balaclavas - each to administer 40 lashes. The public lashings have been endorsed by the judiciary as a way of deterring alcohol abuse at a time when it is on the increase among young men but some religious leaders are said to be questioning their validity, fearing they have an adverse impact on the country's image abroad. Although men and women convicted of flouting public morals are routinely flogged in detention centres, public floggings are considered rare. Human Rights groups say there have been a marked rise in recent months in the number of people sentenced to executions and floggings in Iran.

This isn't funny, but I can't help but think about the movement here in the U.S.A.to teach abstinence. I'm guessing public flogging might just do the trick.

If a flogging like this took place at the hands of a fundamentalist Christian in small town Mississippi, the entire world would be outraged. This simply can't happen and won't be tolerated in the United States.

Amnesty International, which said it is "greatly concerned by continuing human rights abuses in Iran", has highlighted figures revealing 117 people were executed in 2006 with thousands facing floggings. They included a woman, who had been forced into prostitution as an eight-year-old, receiving 99 lashes because of "acts contrary to chastity." Earlier this year, a man was flogged after a copy of the Bible was found in his car.

If our misadventures in Iraq have taught us nothing else, it has proven our inability to force our morality upon other countries, especially Islamic countries. We cannot convert the world to democracy and religious freedom at the point of a gun.

Still, what should we do? A girl received 99 lashes for being raped as a eight year old.

As I send my check tonight to Amnesty International I just want to ask you one question: Do you feel lucky?