Violence erupts across the world – a shooting in a church in Illinois – a shooting rampage in Alabama - a shooting in a high school in German: over the past two days, the violence from guns floods our consciousness. One wonders – what would drive anyone to deny the sacredness of human life to the point of pushing them to pull the trigger on their weapons of death.
Surrounded by this news of violence it seems fortuitous that Bishop Desmond Tutu was in Chicago yesterday supporting Mayor Daley’s move to have new gun laws passed in Illinois. But on the same day, I heard on the news that the gun lobbyists are gathering in Washington to work toward passing laws that would be favorable to their constituents. Their argument often starts something like this: “it is not the gun that does the violence, but people.” That is a weak argument in my opinion, for without the gun the act cannot take place. I support Mayor Daley’s efforts in passing more restrictive laws and commend him for his courage in advocating for those laws.

Resources for Feb 11 discussion

Readings for this coming Wednesday – Feb 11; 7:00 pm

http://www.talk2action.org/story/2007/5/5/133116/3083
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2006/2/11/13559/0530


Take a look at the website:
http://faithfullysubversive.blogspot.com/

Web postings for Brian Parker's study

Below the web addresses for posting for Brian Parker’s study. I am also going to post them on our blog:

An example of the conservative mindset on a contemporary issue:
www.newsweek.com/id/172653/output/print
www.newsweek.com/id/175223/output/print

A background on the size, location and history of growth of different denominations:
www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5290373

A geographic breakdown of the concentration of different major denominations:
www.valpo.edu/geomet/pics/geo200/religion/adherents.gif
www.valpo.edu/geomet/pics/geo200/religion/ucc.gif
www.valpo.edu/geomet/pics/geo200/religion/methodist.gif
www.valpo.edu/geomet/pics/geo200/religion/mormon.gif
www.valpo.edu/geomet/pics/geo200/religion/baptist.gif

A background article on the IRD:www.publiceye.org/magazine/v20n1/clarkson_battle.html

A Day of Celebration

As Dr. Joseph Lowery, a United Methodist minister, gave the concluding prayer at the Inaugural ceremony today, I felt an instant connection. He began by quoting the words from Lift Every Voice and Sing, the hymn we sang at Church of the Three Crosses on Sunday: “God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, thou who hast brought us thus far on the way.” It has been a song of inspiration and hope for so many who have struggled for equality and justice in our country. When I heard the words, the spirits of Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, Dr. Mark Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks and so many others who helped pave the pathway to today, stood beside Dr. Lowery on the platform. Today, I celebrate the journey that so many before us have made possible, and my hopes run high that as we continue this journey, we might be led deeper into the light and that we will be “forever in the path” of justice, love and compassion, “where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.”

SOA/WHINSEC

For those of you interested in my Human Rights activities, I went to Columbus, Georgia, last weekend to attend the SOA Watch Vigil and Demonstrations against the School of the Americas (SOA), now known as
the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC).
Depending on who to believe, there were 8,700 demonstrators or 20,000 of us. I am inclined to believe, based on attendance, that it was much closer to 20,000.

The Memorial March on Sunday again involved the reading of names of victims of violence in Latin America, starting with Archbishop Romero and speaking other names (or sometimes no names, as "Unknown child of _____, age 14 months." As perviously, we would all raise our Crosses (on which a name of victim was inscribed) and say "Presente!" to show that the victim is remembered. The procession lasted more than two hours, with 10 - 15 names read every minute, and even in that time, only a small percentage of victims could be honored individually.

During the March, we placed our crosses, flowers and other memorials on the fence which Ft. Benning had erected to keep us out of the Base, transforming the barrier from a symbol of exclusion to a symbol of hope. As in previous years, a number of people "crossed the line," trespassing on Ft. Benning property as an act of Civil Disobedience. This year there were only six violators, who were arrested and will face trial on January 26. As in previous years, I will probably attend the trials and act as attorney for one or more of the defendants.

There was a feeling of hope during the weekend, that now that we have a new Administration, perhaps the SOA/WHINSEC will finally be closed. Last year a vote in the House failed by 12, and 35 opponents in the House are no longer there. SOA Watch is hopeful that the school will be closed that that our gathering next November will be a Celebration. It would be good to close it, as it is the visible symbol of torture, murder and massacres which are all too well remembered by the people of Latin America. If you call or talk to your Congressperson, I hope you will express your view that the School should be closed now.

Frank Schneider

A Time of Celebration

We have been part of history making in this country with yesterday’s election of an African American to the presidency of the United States. That fact alone is call for celebration, no matter which candidate received our vote. It has been too long – too long in coming. And yet while we all know that our road toward equality for all has not ended here, today at least, we can celebrate, take in a deep breath of thanksgiving for what has happened as we continue that journey toward equality tomorrow.

November 4 looms large on the minds of people across America and looms large across the screens and news pages of our media. There is as much excitement in the air around this election as I can remember in my history of voting for presidential candidates. (since 1972) As the Election Day closes in and our anxiety increases, may the rhetoric of the candidates be one that brings out the best in voters. Political rhetoric can be dangerous if it is used to continue to fan the ambers of rage that is so apart of Americans at this time as we see our world facing an catastrophic economic crisis. It is stressful times for most people, so may the political rhetoric offer an antidote to the public’s anxiety, otherwise that anxiety and fear might turn into violence which would be a sad commentary on our politcal process.