Jan 22, 2008
Busy week
Lots of things to blog about this week--plenty of good MLK Day commentary. Lively Dem debate last night, in which Clinton expertly put Obama in the no-win situation of either fighting back and Not Being a Uniter or not fighting back and proving that She's the Real Fighter. Today is Tu B'Shvat, the Jewish new year of the trees.
But I won't be talking much about any of those things. It's crunch time for the pitching cycle at Utne, meaning I'll be spending most every spare moment reading magazines and photocopying the articles I like. Not so bad, actually. And I've got a couple freelance projects to work on, about which I won't complain.
Anyway, you won't see much of me till the second half of next week, though I might hit you with a quick link or two.
But I won't be talking much about any of those things. It's crunch time for the pitching cycle at Utne, meaning I'll be spending most every spare moment reading magazines and photocopying the articles I like. Not so bad, actually. And I've got a couple freelance projects to work on, about which I won't complain.
Anyway, you won't see much of me till the second half of next week, though I might hit you with a quick link or two.
Christian Unity Week
It's Christian Unity Week this week. The 100th anniversary of the first time.
If you didn't know that, perhaps that's in part because some of the ecumenical movement's efforts have been successful enough that they no longer seem controversial or even particularly interesting. Peter Steinfels has an interesting take.
If you didn't know that, perhaps that's in part because some of the ecumenical movement's efforts have been successful enough that they no longer seem controversial or even particularly interesting. Peter Steinfels has an interesting take.
Jan 18, 2008
Aw shucksabee, guess I'll change my immigration stance again
Good news for folks who can't handle Huckabee's moderate streak--he's again moving right on immigration policy.
So he's shaping himself into more of a traditional conservative to try to win South Carolina and the nomination. But which Huckabee would govern were he to be president--the old compassionate conservative Huckabee or the new paleoconservative one?
So he's shaping himself into more of a traditional conservative to try to win South Carolina and the nomination. But which Huckabee would govern were he to be president--the old compassionate conservative Huckabee or the new paleoconservative one?
Feingold on Edwards
My housemate Dan and I are both Obama supporters and political junkies. We've been talking about, among other things, the string of endorsements that Obama's been getting, and Dan wondered out loud last night whether Russ Feingold's would be forthcoming. I responded that, sadly, I wasn't sure it would be all that helpful.
Then, this morning, Dan sent me this article, an interview w/ Feingold by a small Wisconsin daily. Here's an excerpt:
Then, this morning, Dan sent me this article, an interview w/ Feingold by a small Wisconsin daily. Here's an excerpt:
The [presidential candidate] that is the most problematic is (John) Edwards, who voted for the Patriot Act, campaigns against it. Voted for No Child Left Behind, campaigns against it. Voted for the China trade deal, campaigns against it. Voted for the Iraq war … He uses my voting record exactly as his platform, even though he had the opposite voting record.So...looks like he won't be backing Edwards. He goes on to say he's having a hard time deciding whether to support Obama or Clinton. Perhaps he has his reasons for staying out of the fray on that one, but I have a hard time believing that the only "nay" in the Senate on the original Patriot Act vote would support Clinton over Obama.
Jan 17, 2008
Well, it's about time!
Starbucks gotten too eco-responsible for you?
OR, do Starbucks' various attempts to greenwash their practices drive you mad?
Either way, good news: the chain will no longer be offering organic milk.
Now if they would just stop pretending to promote progressive labor policies in their shops and fair trade policies for their growers...
OR, do Starbucks' various attempts to greenwash their practices drive you mad?
Either way, good news: the chain will no longer be offering organic milk.
Now if they would just stop pretending to promote progressive labor policies in their shops and fair trade policies for their growers...
Hooray for green government!
The White House LOVES the environment!
Why else would they be so deliberate about recycling and reusing things? Things like...computer backup tapes of e-mail correspondence?
Why else would they be so deliberate about recycling and reusing things? Things like...computer backup tapes of e-mail correspondence?
What if President Kucinich/Gravel/Paul tried to amend the Constitution with the anti-imperialism of the book of Revelation?
Jan 16, 2008
Jan 15, 2008
In Congress alone
This isn't supposed to be a political blog. But I've been fairly obsessed with politics for the last few months, so it just kind of comes out that way. I haven't been too worried about it.
Until now. I was just working on a post for another blog, and I meant to type the phrase "second coming of Christ" but accidentally wrote "second coming of Congress." I didn't even notice I'd done it until the third or fourth time I read through the paragraph. Better tell the separation watchdogs to let the Fugitive Safe Surrender program be for a spell and come file lawsuits against MY HEAD.
What a very strange mistake to make. This is a cause for some concern.
Until now. I was just working on a post for another blog, and I meant to type the phrase "second coming of Christ" but accidentally wrote "second coming of Congress." I didn't even notice I'd done it until the third or fourth time I read through the paragraph. Better tell the separation watchdogs to let the Fugitive Safe Surrender program be for a spell and come file lawsuits against MY HEAD.
What a very strange mistake to make. This is a cause for some concern.
How about me, Mike? Can I get in, too?
Huckabee, fielding questions about who gets to go to heaven:
Which is not to say that Huckabee would say exactly this in any other context, in front of a different group of people. He's made it clear that he's quite adept at tailoring his message, and more than willing to do so.
"I'm going to stick to the things that make it critical for me to be president of the United States," Huckabee said Sunday. "I have deep convictions about who goes and who doesn't, but as far as who makes that decision, it isn't me, it's God. I'm going to leave that up to him."Marty's unsatisfied with this response, and understandably so. It should be noted however, that while this may be the careful response of a slick politician, it isn't JUST that--it's also pretty good theology. Demurring on the state of others' souls and deferring to God's judgment is not a mere cop-out. In fact, I'd say it's a pretty critical corrective to some of the worst impulses of Christianity.
Which is not to say that Huckabee would say exactly this in any other context, in front of a different group of people. He's made it clear that he's quite adept at tailoring his message, and more than willing to do so.
Jan 14, 2008
"All it would have taken was exactly what Obama did"
Ezra has an effective take-down of the Clinton campaign talking point that Obama did very little to oppose the Iraq war once in the Senate.
Still skeptical of Huckabee
In the media frenzy over Mike Huckabee's rise to the top tier of GOP candidates, it's been all but forgotten just how ambivalent the religious right establishment is about the guy. A couple good correctives: this Mark Levin post, in which fewer than half the members of the Arlington Group express support for Huckabee, and this piece from Columbus, Ohio's The Other Paper, which describes Huckabee's unpopularity among state party bosses.
In other Huckanews, the blithely policy-lightweight tone of his candidacy may be over, assuming he's a quick study: the campaign has hired Jim Pinkerton, a real big shot. Walter Shapiro has the essential facts.
In other Huckanews, the blithely policy-lightweight tone of his candidacy may be over, assuming he's a quick study: the campaign has hired Jim Pinkerton, a real big shot. Walter Shapiro has the essential facts.
Budgets are moral downloads
The Bush OMB is releasing its annual budget Feb. 5, and for the first time, it's going paperless.
Such a bold eco-move on the administration's part! Of course, this is what we've come to expect.
The inimitable Sen. Byrd: "Let us hope that they send us a budget that is worth the paper it would have been printed on."
I'm glad I'll be nowhere near the DC policy advocacy community when, on the annual morning on which folks are accustomed to going and picking up a copy of the budget, they instead have to cue up to try to load the 2,200-page doc from OMB's Web site.
Via Grist.
Such a bold eco-move on the administration's part! Of course, this is what we've come to expect.
The inimitable Sen. Byrd: "Let us hope that they send us a budget that is worth the paper it would have been printed on."
I'm glad I'll be nowhere near the DC policy advocacy community when, on the annual morning on which folks are accustomed to going and picking up a copy of the budget, they instead have to cue up to try to load the 2,200-page doc from OMB's Web site.
Via Grist.
The holiness of water
The current issue of Ruminate--a terrific, newish faith-based lit magazine--includes a lovely little creative nonfiction piece about the concept of holy water in the context of a drought.
More at Utne.
More at Utne.
Jan 13, 2008
Kirkpatrick on Huckabee
I think David Kirkpatrick is one of the smartest religion writers around, even though I think his "Seminal!" "Conversation-changing!" NYT magazine piece on the evangelical "crackup" was little more than the culmination of two years of dubious MSM trend pieces.
In today's Times, Kirkpatrick gives some good insight into Huckabee's success w/ young evangelicals, implicitly making the crucial point that, if there is a crackup among evangelicals, it's between leaders and people in the pews--it's about authority itself more than it's about evangelicals becoming more moderate or following new, younger leaders or whatever (even though the headline suggests the last).
In today's Times, Kirkpatrick gives some good insight into Huckabee's success w/ young evangelicals, implicitly making the crucial point that, if there is a crackup among evangelicals, it's between leaders and people in the pews--it's about authority itself more than it's about evangelicals becoming more moderate or following new, younger leaders or whatever (even though the headline suggests the last).
"The sexes have always lived together, but the races have not."
Good op-ed today by Lorrie Moore, one of my favorite fiction writers. I disagree with her conclusions--that it's rather late in our history of gender relations to be super excited about the prospect of a female president for its own sake, and that electing Clinton would necessarily mean more of the mediocrity of the 90s. I actually think that electing a female president would be a huge accomplishment, very exciting in and of itself. But I believe the same thing about electing a black president, and I like Obama better on most of the issues AND think he has a far better chance of winning the general election. So, while I don't think the identity politics element of this race should be downplayed or disparaged, I'm grateful that, for me and my vote, the race and gender questions are mutually neutralized. Obviously, that's easy for me to say, as a member of neither group.
I tend to think that arguments that either racism or sexism is the bigger problem today and/or that one candidate or the other represents the bigger triumph over bigotry are fairly pointless--they're fundamentally arbitrary and impossible to prove. (Though when such an argument is made by a black woman, it does offer some valuable experiential insight.) But I'm interested in Moore's piece, as it makes such an argument in reverse--i.e., she's a white woman arguing that race matters more.
My interest in the piece is also writerly--check out this fantastic lede:
I tend to think that arguments that either racism or sexism is the bigger problem today and/or that one candidate or the other represents the bigger triumph over bigotry are fairly pointless--they're fundamentally arbitrary and impossible to prove. (Though when such an argument is made by a black woman, it does offer some valuable experiential insight.) But I'm interested in Moore's piece, as it makes such an argument in reverse--i.e., she's a white woman arguing that race matters more.
My interest in the piece is also writerly--check out this fantastic lede:
When most of us first laid eyes on Hillary Clinton, it was during “60 Minutes,” and she was sitting by her man saying she was not one of those women who would stand by him. Not long after that, she told us she didn’t make cookies. At that remark I thought I heard the cheering of nonbaking working women everywhere, but apparently I was wrong, and quickly we the people were favored with Mrs. Clinton’s own contrite cookie recipe, which I have not yet had time to try.Hardly an unprecedented idea, but how often do you get to read prose like that in the opinion pages?
Jan 11, 2008
Church lawsuits aren't just for Anglicans
Though in this case, it's the conservative congregation, not the universalist, tradition-forsaking, gay-loving communist theologically diverse larger church body, that initiated the suit itself.
In Pittsburgh--incidentally, an even bigger center of ANGLICAN conservatism than west suburban Chicago or Northern Virginia--the local PCUSA presbytery's dispute with its largest church has just escalated to a legal fight.
Via RNS blog.
In Pittsburgh--incidentally, an even bigger center of ANGLICAN conservatism than west suburban Chicago or Northern Virginia--the local PCUSA presbytery's dispute with its largest church has just escalated to a legal fight.
Via RNS blog.
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