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When Israel entered the promised land they felt a God given mandate to slaughter the inhabitants- men women and children. They excused their slash and burn foreign policy by pointing out that they were God’s chosen people. When Britain ruled the waves, they sang “God save the queen.” England excused any barbarous act as an unfortunate necessity in their calling to bring civilization to the world. When Germany marched across Europe they wore belts inscribed with “God is with us.” But we all know that the world had to wait until America arrived to discover God’s real favorite nation. Across this great land, on any given Sunday, you can hear preachers praying for our troops and exclaiming that we are now God’s torch bearers in an otherwise Godless world.

When the United States exploded the atomic bomb incinerating thousands of Japanese civilians, President Harry Truman went on the radio and said,  “We thank God that it has come to us, instead of to our enemies; and we pray that He may guide us to use it in His ways and for His purposes.”

Samantha Power recently appeared before a Senate committee as a nominee to be the US ambassador to the United Nations. She said, “If I am given the honor of sitting behind the sign that says “United States,” I will do what America does best: stand up against repressive regimes, fight corruption, and promote human rights and human dignity.”

I’m sure it was hard for Jesus to be a Messiah, but it is even harder for us in the US to be a whole nation of Messiahs.  It is not easy for the same nation advocate for human rights as Samantha Power mentioned, but also to the be the nation that has vetoed more appeals to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights than any other.

As we consider whether to arm Syrian rebels we have come full circle. We helped form Islamist militants to terrorize Russia. Then Islamist militants were the target of a global war on terror. Al Qaeda had become the very manifestation of evil. Now as we discuss arming the rebel coalition, we must ignore the fact that some of them are rooted to Al Qaeda.

It is not easy to invade nations for the sin of possessing the same weapons we have, or of bullying them into accepting treaties that will destroy their economies and cultures, but that is the burden we must bear as God’s favorite nation.

I don’t know what I can add to the title of this post. A family had gathered to remember a victim of gun violence when gunfire broke out killing a six year old girl. I’m sure someone will argue that the child should have had been carrying a weapon, but it seems to me we need to rethink the whole notion that violence makes us safer. Biology teaches us that a species can go extinct just as surely from its of its own absurd weaponry as from a predator.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/21/quianna-tompkins-6-year-old-girl-shot-memorial_n_3631349.html

24/7 Wall Street puts out a list every year of the worst companies to work for in the US based on worker surveys. The entire list is linked below, but here are a few you may recognize:

Sears (7) which also owns Kmart is next to last in customer service next only to Walmart.

Radio Shack (5) was criticized by workers who felt they were  “being required to hoist services onto customers that realistically would not benefit from them.”

Dollar General (4) In addition to low pay requires such unpredictable hours that workers have difficulty holding a second job.

Dillards (3) was criticized by workers as treating low level employes like “faceless numbers” and as “pawns in a chess game.”

DISH won worst company to work for for a second year in a row. Business Week calls them the “meanest company in America.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/20/worst-companies-to-work-for_n_3629056.html

Heather McLeod has a great post in the Hothouse Blog arguing that there is a link between the anti-feminist movements conservatives love and the normalization of objectifying and sexualizing images of women that have been normalized in mainstream and liberal culture.

“I’m not sure what terrifies me more: the thought of my daughter growing up with other people making decisions about her reproductive health and judging her if her sex life doesn’t involve marriage or men, or the thought of her growing up in today’s mainstream liberal culture. You know, the one where Monster High dolls are the second best-selling in the world, the tooth fairy is branded and sexualized, and teenage girls measure their self worth by how many “likes” they get on half-naked selfies they post on Instagram.”

 

http://www.hothouseblog.org/2013/07/which-is-worse/

“Animal seriousness” is a term for the unintentional irony produced when our species takes itself too seriously. It may have been Heidegger who coined the term, but I became a student of “animal seriousness” when a philosophy professor lecturing on the rationalist Leibniz threw a piece of chalk at me for asking a question he did not like. How strange, I thought, to throw a tantrum while lecturing on rationalism and not even realize what one has done.

It is a rule of our species that the more serious one’s profession, the sillier one must dress. So priests, generals and and graduating scholars wear more and more garish outfits as they climb the ladder of seriousness. I was at a graduation at the seminary sometime back when I noticed the doctoral stole falls colorfully along the backside precisely where a baboon displays its colorful rump. What a wonderful manifestation of “animal seriousness!”

My life in the church has been rich with moments of animal seriousness.  I love that courts swear people in on the same Bible that prohibits taking oaths. I love that communion, which is a symbol of grace, can only be administered by an ordained clergy. I love that St. Paul (or whoever wrote that particular letter) seriously and unintentionally quoted a philosophic paradox when he said, “All Cretans are liars. One of their own philosophers said so.”

I am also fascinated when those who consider themselves nonreligious display the same “animal seriousness.” I am fascinated when people who have left the church call people who remain a bunch of judgmental hypocrites, as though the church has copyrighted hypocrisy and they who stand outside are now immune. I am fascinated by the irony that some atheists never seem to forgive God for not existing. I am fascinated by the unintended humor of skeptics who build a career ridiculing religion, as if spending one’s life arguing with a fool does not make one an even greater fool.

Religion is rich with “animal seriousness,” but leaving religion does not make one exempt. I am fascinated by those who ridicule the myths of religion unaware that believing a mammal can be objective may be the most dangerous myth of all. Even our most magnificent castles of rational thought are built upon the omnivorous swamp of mammalian tissue. Woe to those who forget.

Prejudice is invisible to the person who holds it. One does not even know that one has it, unless one is caught off guard. This is a very emotional clip of Dustin Hoffman recounting how his preparations for Tootsie brought him to realize how he had dismissed women for their appearances. Thanks to Bob Jensen for the link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPAat-T1uhE

The Sorites Paradox, or the “paradox of the heap” is an ancient Greek puzzle posed by a pupil of Euclid named Eubulides. The paradox demonstrates that the results of human logic depend upon one’s initial assumptions.

The paradox begins with a large pile of sand. The philosopher then removes one grain and asks, “Is this still a pile?” The answer, it would seem, is that it is still a pile because no one missing grain establishes a logical point where a pile of grains can no longer be called a pile.

But then suppose we start with a single grain and add another. Now the philosopher asks, “Has the one grain now become a pile?” Again, it seems perfectly logical to assert that two grains do not magically become a pile, and that no one added grain is a logical point where grains of sand always become a pile.

The paradox of the heap demonstrates how the same logic leads us to two opposite conclusions depending on our initial assumptions. I often think of Sorites paradox when abortion is argued.  Two perfectly logical positions, each based on differing assumptions end up with opposite conclusions. If one begins the debate with the abstraction of a fully developed baby in one’s head, there is no point in pregnancy when it would be logical to say, “that is not a life.” But if one begins with the abstraction that pregnancy is an event that happens within a woman, there is no logical point in the gestation process that clearly turns the egg into a person.

Depending on one’s initial assumption the “right to life with no exceptions” and the “abortion on demand” argument are both perfectly logical. Being prochoice means getting beyond these two abstractions. Being prochoice recognizes that both the prolife and pro-abortion position are perfectly logical, but are based on abstractions and so neither has the right to impose itself on the other.

Gestation is a continuum like the Sorites paradox. Depending upon one’s initial assumptions, logic can take honest people to very different conclusions, therefore no one can make the logical case for taking that decision away from everyone else.

Anyone who recognizes the paradoxical nature of the topic of abortion is already well on their way to being prochoice.

He seems like such a nice guy. His red hair and matching nose seem to radiate joy and compassion like the Dalai Lama with fries.  But Ronald has a problem, he is an abusive employer. Recently, Ron and the corporation we know as McDonald’s decided to give out sample budgets to their hundreds of thousands of underpaid employees. The budget overlooked a few items like food and heating and suggested that what responsible employees should do is seek two full time jobs.

In Ronald’s defense, let me say he is very very rich. It is understandable that he blames poverty upon the people he himself underpays. It is the American way. Many rich in America assume that people are poor because they are inferior and either lazy or disorganized. So it was natural for Ronald and the others to take on the role of loving parents and to pass out budgets that would demonstrate to the poor stupid workers just how they themselves got so rich.

The problem is that Ronald and the others didn’t get rich by pinching pennies, they got rich through wage theft. For the rich to give budget advice to the poor is like an actor who gets liposuction and then writes a book on how to diet. So here is my advice to Ronald McDonald, the clown prince of capitalism:

Ronny, listen to me. If you really want to help the poor, keep your budget advice and pay a living wage.

http://www.salon.com/2013/07/18/get_a_clue_mcdonalds_the_other_insult_no_ones_talking_about/

Many assume religious people are pro-life, and certainly the fundamentalists who deign to speak for us all would have everyone think so, but many national Christian and Jewish denominations have made pro-choice statements on abortion. Here is a sampling of national Christian and Jewish statements found on the website of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice:

   “We believe that legislation concerning abortions will not address the root of the problem. We therefore express our deep conviction that any proposed legislation on the part of national or state governments regarding abortions must take special care to see that individual conscience is respected and that the responsibility of individuals to reach informed decisions in this matter is acknowledged and honored….”  Episcopal Church

   “Problem pregnancies are the result of, and influenced by, so many complicated and insolvable circumstances that we have neither the wisdom nor the authority to address or decide each situation….
   We affirm the ability and responsibility of women, guided by the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit, to make good moral choices in regard to problem pregnancies.” -Presbyterian Church
             
  
“We recognize tragic conflicts of life with life that may justify abortion, and in such cases we support the legal option of abortion under proper medical procedures by certified medical providers.” -Methodist Church  

 

  “Catholics for Choice was founded in 1973 and strives to be an expression of Catholicism as it is lived by ordinary people. We are part of the great majority of the faithful in the Catholic church who disagrees with the dictates of the Vatican on matters related to sex, marriage, family life and motherhood. We are part of the great majority who believes that Catholic teachings on conscience mean that every individual must follow his or her own conscience – and respect others’ right to do the same.
  Catholic for Choice’s mission is to shape and advance sexual and reproductive ethics that are based on justice, reflect a commitment to women’s well-being and respect and affirm the capacity of women and men to make moral decisions about their lives. We are committed not only to policy change, but also to a change in the culture in which policy decisions are made, a change in people’s hearts and minds about the ways they think about sexuality and reproduction.” Catholics for Choice

 “(We) Affirm our unwavering commitment to the protection and preservation of the reproductive rights of women; pledge our presence and support wherever, whenever, and for however long our goal may require it at the federal, state and local levels of government; further, we affirm our commitment to work in coalition with compatible pro-choice groups.” Union of Reform Judaism

      “Judaism does not believe that personhood and human rights begin with conception. The premise that personhood begins with conception is founded on a religious position which is not identical with Jewish tradition. Therefore, under special circumstances, Judaism chooses and requires abortion as an act which affirms and protects the life, well being and health of the mother. To deny a Jewish woman and her family the ability to obtain a safe, legal abortion when so mandated by Jewish tradition, is to deprive Jews of their fundamental right of religious freedom…” United Synagogue for Conservative Judaism

   “Although the Jewish tradition regards children as a blessing, a gift of life itself, the tradition permits the abortion of an unborn child in order to safeguard the life and physical and mental health of the mother. The rabbis did not take a consistent stand on the question of whether a fetus resembles “a person.” They did not think it possible to arrive at a final theoretical answer to the question of abortion, for that would mean nothing less than to be able to define convincingly what it means to be human.
   We recognize that abortion is a tragic choice. Any prospective parent must make an agonizing decision between competing claims—the fetus, health, the need to support oneself and one’s family, the need for time for a marriage to stabilize, responsibility for other children and the like. Some of us consider abortion to be immoral except under the most extraordinary circumstances. Yet we all empathize with the anguish of those who must make the decision….” -Jewish Reconstructionist Federation

   “We grieve with all who struggle with the difficult circumstances that lead them to consider abortion. Recognizing that each person is ultimately responsible to God, we encourage women and men in these circumstances to seek spiritual counsel as they prayerfully and conscientiously consider their decision…We also recognize that we are divided as to the proper witness of the church to the state regarding abortion…Consequently, we acknowledge the freedom of each individual to advocate for a public policy on abortion that reflects his or her beliefs.” -American Baptist

   “For two decades the AFSC has taken a consistent position supporting a woman’s right to follow her own conscience concerning child-bearing, abortion and sterilization. AFSC is deeply aware that the decision to terminate a pregnancy is seldom an easy one. That choice must be made free of coercion, including the coercion of poverty, racial discrimination and availability of services to those who cannot pay.” (American Friends Service Committee)

The link below will take you to the full faith statements of these and other religious organizations. The larger documents detail the concerns each group has with abortion. Being pro-choice does not mean being pro-abortion. No one is pro-abortion any more than they are pro-amputation. Being pro-choice means believing women are moral agents and trusting that, if they have a full and healthy range of reproductive options, women will usually do a better job of making ethical decisions for their own lives than will the government or any one religious sect who would try to speak for us all.

http://www.rcrc.org/issues/weaffirm_2012.cfm

I probably didn’t need to point out that this recommendation is coming from a Republican, but State Senator Aaron Osmond of Utah is calling for an end to compulsory education for children. Such legislation attacking public education only seems to come from the Republican Party. Senator Osmond posted the following thoughts on his blog:

Before 1890, public education in America was viewed as an opportunity—not a legal obligation. Prior to that time, the parent was primarily responsible for the education of their children. The state provided access to a free education for those that wanted to pursue it. The local teacher was viewed with respect and admiration as a professional to assist a parent in the education of their child.

Then came compulsory education. Our State began requiring that all parents must send their children to public school for fear that some children would not be educated because of an irresponsible parent. Since that day, the proverbial pendulum has swung in the wrong direction.

It is past time for Republicans to rise up and go on record against the members of their party who wage on public education.  If I were Republican I would be furious that my party has become the hiding place of such an anti-intellectual movement. It is not the fault of the Republican party that it has crazy candidates, every party does, but we all have an obligation to renounce the hate and ignorance in our midst. If there is such an outcry in the Republican Party, I haven’t heard it.

http://www.senatesite.com/home/compulsory-education/