Swanson writes: "Kathy Kelly is just out of prison, where she'd been sent for nonviolently opposing drone murders."
Peace activist Kathy Kelly. (photo: unknown)
ALSO SEE: Sabotage Conviction Overturned Against Nun,
Fellow Activists for Nuclear Facility Break-In
Kathy Kelly Freed, Convictions of Oak Ridge 3 Overturned
10 May 15
athy Kelly is just out of prison, where she'd been sent for nonviolently opposing drone murders.
An appeals court has just overturned convictions for Megan Rice, Michael Walli and Gregory Boertje-Obed, imprisoned for entering and protesting a nuclear weapons site at Oak Ridge, Tenn., three years ago. Resentencing on lesser charges, and quite possibly immediate release, is expected.
Amazingly, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that the government failed to prove that the activists intended to "injure the national defense." (Maybe Venezuela, accused by President Obama of being a threat to the same, should appeal to the Sixth Circuit!)
The U.S. government has just dropped charges against eight members of the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance who nonviolently protested the U.S. military's environmental destruction with a march from the EPA to the Pentagon this past Earth Day.
"It can only be speculated why the charges were dismissed," said NCNR. "The eight activists were charged with 'Failure to Comply With a Lawful Order' and were scheduled to appear for trial on June 4 at the U.S. District Court in Alexandria, VA. The group was well prepared to challenge the charge and to speak some truth to power in the courtroom. Perhaps the U.S. attorney recognized that the defendants at the Pentagon were simply exercising their constitutionally-protected right to speak out against our government's wrong-headed policies. Or possibly he agreed with the defendants' messages."
In recent months there have been absurd indictments and sentences. But there have also been surprising acquittals and the dismissal of charges.
Freedom isn't free, it's won by continued protests of wars.
Now to free all the other prisoners!
John Kiriakou, just out of prison, writes about his experience here.
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All religious groups should gain converts and support by their example, not by religious law.
If they can do it, US citizens can come back together as fellow Americans. I know some Evangelicals who are true to the values of Jesus Christ - they help the poor, feed the homeless, care for the drug addicted or alcoholic.
They do not let political positions influence their connections with people. They also show compassion for both Israelis and Palestinians instead of wanting Jerusalem for themselves - and when they get it, will give Jews 48 hours to convert or else. Unfortunately some have become the spokespeople for politicians funded by corporate interests and issue-focused political organizations like ALE and, AIPAC.
Mark Twain
And who with Eden disds't devise the Snake;
For all the Sin wherewith the Face of man
Is blacken'd,
Man's forgiveness give -and take!"
A wise Persian.
"they are unprepared to accept a duality between their spiritual inner lives and their membership in a worldly society among people with their own private minds & hearts."
They are not concerned with their own spiritual inner lives. They think religion is something other than that - a means for subjugating their women first, and the "others", second.
This syndrome is not limited to Christian fundamentalists . It is the same with ALL fundamentalist sects of the world Religions.
I think you have stated a key concept the US tried to establish with the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
A liberal society, pillared by laws, is accepting that the fundamentalist has a right to exist, participate in society, believe and practice their religion to the extent it does not infringe on the rights of other members of that society. A fundamentalist should respect the rights a liberal society would bestow on them and abide by the laws that guarantee the rights of everyone. A more perfect union is the path we should be on, not the winner take all, as you describe. Unfortunately, the US has slaughtered many fundamentalists and just plain old "other" religious members in it's history, too.
What evangelicals believe:
that the world was made in seven days and is not older than 5,000 years.
That science that questions "faith" is satanic.
That Jesus had a role in the writing of the Constitution, especially the second amendment.
That Jesus wil come at the end of times (any day now) with a sword and not peace, that he will rapture a chosen few from the whole species, the rest will be left behind.
That the United States is chosen by God to rule the world.
That the founding of the state of Israel is a sign of the coming end times
That Jesus was muscular and not meek
That the rapture happens on the first (or is it third?) day of the tribulation (big theological question for Fundies)
That homosexuals should be killed (see advances made by white evangelicals in their "missions" to African countries).
That all other kinds of Christians are heretics and apostates and will go to hell.
That non-Christians go to hell.
That women should serve their husbands.
Feel free to add your own points...
When pushed for an argument, he always backs up into the "Your Latte is getting cold" cliche or some such banality -and he once, in a giant but typically reactionary leap of presumptuousnes s, told me I "--obviously knew nothing about spirituality".
My wife's older brother is one of these "Born-again" Evangelicals who at one time told his own ailing, lovely, classy and spiritual mother that she'd go to Hell just because she kept her own beliefs to herself and didn't go to HIS church. We cut off all contact with he and his humorless, God-bothering alleged friends some years ago; he altered their dad's will to pretty much cut my wife out; -so VERY Christian, innit?! And he's a devotee of Rush Limpballs, so go figure.
On the other hand and to be fair, the leader of our local cat rescue organization, which I also volunteer to and support as best I can, is a deeply sincere Christian believer who actually walks the talk but you'd never know it as it's very personal to her; and there are many happy kitties with good homes or being fostered by virtue of this good, loving woman.
I'm going to make an effort to dialog with you. We have a lot to discuss since I have been a Pentecostal Pastor for 51 years and have stood firm in support of Israel and Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
You make some good points that I would like to discuss since I'm fine w/ the term "marriage" for same sex unions.
what I don't understand is your personal inconsistency. You sing the praises of the Democratic party. This is the party that illegally removed the words "God" and "Jerusalem" from is 2012 Presidential Platform in a verbal vote that was clearly NOT a majority.
Your thoughts pls.
That's 'cause himself is probably speaking' in tongues as Pentecostalists tend to do. If you've never witnessed this, it's quite trip -and Pentecostalists aren't the only denomination that do it. I was at a Catholic "Charismatic" service with my late ex-wife (one time only) and many of these seemingly rational Middle Class White people started yattering in all kinds of sounds which didn't equate to any language I've ever heard and must have come from a Galaxy far, far away -and they saw Angels hovering over us all too.
Now I've had some strange, Shaman-guided hallucinogenic experiences in different Andean "Oriente" and North African locations but these people had been drinking only coffee before this sudden onset of the "Spirit".
All this experience should make me open to almost any spiritual occurrence but I was a bit apprehensive rather than moved by these gibbering antics.
Explains a lot; the Tea-Thugs have their own language too, which is all to easy to comprehend -"Fuck everybody who isn't white, rich and Protestant Christian!"
As for that verbal vote being "clearly NOT a majority," surely if that were so the majority would have stepped up to complain? If you were watching on TV, you may simply have gotten a false impression.
This site along with 10's of thousands more dispute your assertions. There was talk about the removal but Prez. Obama vetoed that idea & yes any conversation about God & Jerusalem were open for any & all discussion.
If you are going to write, perform a tad more research unless you enjoy being seen as totally fact wrong in a public forum.
2) If you support Israeli, do you support Israeli's using Palestinian for target practice? Jesus would not countenance that, but the Old Testament god would - do you ignore Jesus's teaching of love thy neighbor, turn the other cheek, etc.? Are you a Jesus-following Christian, or a picker-and-choo ser? OT when it supports you, picking four words that supposedly prohibit homosexuality out of hundreds of other proscriptions you ignore? Sure they have "bombs' - mostly rocks and duds.
Why should not the imprisoned (ghettoized) Palestinians have a way to protest sufficiently to get the Israelis and the world's attention?
The only thing is that they are NOT aware of who they're being victimized by. They can start by looking at their own evangelical leaders
"Voting against their own interests" is just as toxic to the left as the "47%" is to the right. It has same the toxic effect in alienating people.
Calling people stupid and dumb isn't going to get them to change their minds. I get the point that the piece is trying to make, but I don't think it's effective.
I agree with you. But I'm at a loss to see how the piece could have been written in order to have been more effective. Can you offer a couple hints?
Republicans have become completely dependent on their culture war to maintain power because they still have nothing to offer middle class, working people. It's just a continuation of their racist Southern Strategy, reaching all 50 states. They have managed to convince these same culture warriors that the very rich need to benefit more than the rest of us and that government is evil and anti-American. I'm not sure how much longer they can sustain this myth with no facts to support it.
I think the only thing keeping them in power today after all that's happened over the last decade is the failure of the Democratic Party. They can't define themselves and shy away from the progressive agenda, in fear of these culture warriors. Bought off by the same corporate powers as the Republicans. The conservative movement has won and reshaped our country. Both parties are pushing the same agenda in too many ways. What a mess and what a shame, we had so much potential.