McCain Snuggles Deeper into Falwell's Pockes

John McCain continues to cozy up to the Fundamentalist Far Right, hoping that this group can make him president just like they did George W. Bush.

McCain will give the Commencement Message at Liberty University in May, where he will share top billing with Gary Bauer, founder of the Campaign for Working Families (CWF) a political action committee (PAC) “dedicated to electing pro-family, pro-life and pro-free enterprise candidates to federal and state offices.” CWF (www.cwfpac.com) has become on the largest PACs in Washington D.C., and Bauer has been waging a war on what he calls the “Tyranny of the Courts”, meaning that courts who uphold women’s rights, or privacy rights of homosexuals, or that “forbid the execution of convicted killers who were under the age of eighteen” are somehow “stripping power from the states,” and that the “only solution is a major change in who sits on the courts.”

While McCain may not share Bauer’s political or religious views or the views of Liberty University Chancellor Jerry Falwell, he certainly is attracted by the millions of dollars raised by CWF and other organizations, like the Family Research Council, associated with the university.

Even the Liberty University Public Relations Office admits that McCain has not always gotten along with the Fundamentalists:
“While Sen. McCain and Liberty University Chancellor Jerry Falwell have had their share of political differences through the years, the two men share a common respect for each other and have become good friends in their efforts to preserve what they see as common values. This will mark his first ever appearance at Liberty University.”

Instead of pandering to Fundamentalist extremists who what to legislate away the Human Rights guaranteed all of us in the Constitution, John McCain should be fighting to protect those Human Rights. Jerry Falwell and Gary Bauer have the right as individuals to believe whatever they wish, but they do not have the right to force their beliefs onto others.

With Hillary Clinton making issues like flag burning a large part of her campaign, and John McCain blatantly courting the religious right, the 2008 Presidential Campaign shows unsettling signs of being a race for the votes of a vocal minority on the far right.

Here is a naïve idea: why don’t we find some candidates who actually care about the Constitution and Human Rights and want to defend them from bigots and extremists?

He'd Rather Switch Than Fight

John McCain got so beat up by the Neo-Conservative Wing of the Republican Party that he has decided that he has no chance of becoming President unless he sells out completely and gets into bed with the devil.

As the Seattle PI reports, McCain who once stood against the influence of religious fundamentalism has now begun courting the Christian Right:
“When running against Bush in the 2000 presidential race, McCain said neither party should pander to "the outer reaches of American politics and the agents of intolerance," including "Jerry Falwell on the right." But last fall the senator met with the right-wing preacher.”

And despite the beating that the Bush Campaign put on McCain, saying that he capitulated to the Communist North Vietnamese while a prisoner of war there and that he did not support veterans, McCain is now trying to get chummy with the Bush White House. He has even gone so far as to start hiring some of Bush’s and Tom DeLay’s political operatives.

According to the Washington Times McCain has hired Terry Nelson who is named in the indictment of Tom DeLay in the Texas money laundering case:
“Terry Nelson, political director for the Bush-Cheney re-election campaign, was hired by McCain's Straight Talk America PAC, a move the Democratic National Committee immediately jumped on for what it sees as proof of the GOP's "culture of corruption," playing up Nelson's ties to money-laundering charges against DeLay, a Republican U.S. House of Representatives member from Texas."A reputed champion of campaign finance reform, John McCain just hired the middleman in Tom DeLay's money-laundering scheme," the DNC charged.Nelson was deputy chief of staff at the Republican National Committee in 2002 when DeLay employee Jim Ellis allegedly delivered a check to Nelson for $190,000 in corporate contributions. Texas law bars the use of corporate funds for political purposes. Funds later went to seven candidates named in the initial transaction by a non-federal RNC arm.”

So McCain’s play at being a moderate is over. His voting record exposes him as clearly far to the right. According to the Washington Post:
“Mr. McCain is happy to shower benefits on the most fortunate. He recently voted to extend tax cuts on dividends and capital gains, an action that will worsen the budget deficit while mainly benefiting people with very high incomes.”

And recently McCain’s office has said that he would have signed South Dakota’s new anti-abortion law. So he is clearly onboard with the Religious Right’s battle to take away a woman’s control over her own body. And he is willing to bankrupt the country to make the Corporate Right happy. And he is already talking tough about containing Iran.

So he has abandoned the middle and moved to the right. But will his new friends on the fringes of the right have him? That is a question that has not been answered yet.

Q & A

There has been quite a bit of buzz because Helen Thomas, a veteran White House reporter who has been black listed by the current administration, finally got to ask George W. Bush a question.

The question she asked was this:
“Q: I'd like to ask you, Mr. President, your decision to invade Iraq has caused the deaths of thousands of Americans and Iraqis, wounds of Americans and Iraqis for a lifetime. Every reason given, publicly at least, has turned out not to be true. My question is, why did you really want to go to war? From the moment you stepped into the White House, from your Cabinet -- your Cabinet officers, intelligence people, and so forth -- what was your real reason? You have said it wasn't oil -- quest for oil, it hasn't been Israel, or anything else. What was it?”

The President’s answer—more of the same:
“A: I think your premise -- in all due respect to your question and to you as a lifelong journalist -- is that -- I didn't want war. To assume I wanted war is just flat wrong, Helen, in all due respect –“

“My question is, WHY DID YOU REALLY WANT TO GO TO WAR?”

The amazing thing shouldn’t be that Helen Thomas asked this question.
The amazing thing shouldn’t be that any reporter asked this question.
The amazing thing is that hundreds and thousands of reporters have not asked this question repeatedly for that last five years.
The amazing thing is that the major media organizations in this country have been asleep at the wheel on this issue. (Note: My appologies to the few reporters that have been asking questions. I know you are out there. It is just depressing that I can count you on my fingers and that you don't get any serious air time.)
The amazing thing is that the American People (that's you and me folks) haven't been asking the questions ourselves, since it is obvious were are not being represented by our "elected representatives" or by the corporate news media.

Q: Every reason given has been proved false, Mr. President. So why did you really want to go to war?
A: Uh...

Q: Every reason given has been proved false, Mr./Ms. Reporter. So why haven’t you been asking the President WHY?
A: Uh...

Q: Why?
A: [insert cricket chirps here]

Passing the Torch

The United States was once the leader in the struggle for human rights. It is my hope that we will be again. But as long as our government is maintaining torture camps and spying on its own citizens, I think the world must look elsewhere for inspiration and guidance in the area of human rights.

One place where human rights are still respected and advanced is at the European Court of Human Rights. The ECHR works with European Countries to maintain and further human rights and fundamental freedoms, such as: Everyone deserves rights and freedoms. The right to life. A prohibition against torture. Prohibitions against slavery and forced labor. The right to liberty and security. The right to a fair trial. The right to respect for private and family life. Freedom of thought, conscience and religion. Freedom of expression. Freedom of assembly and association. The right to marry. The right to effective remedy (even if your rights have been violated by your own government). And the Prohibition of discrimination.

The ECHR allows citizens of European countries to bring cases before the Court and the rulings of the court are binding on European Union Member Nations. The ECHR hears thousands of cases each year. And nations with laws found to be in violation of the Articles of Human Rights must amend their laws.

According to Ode Magazine:
www.odemagazine.com/article.php?aID=4275
"The ECHR can actually set policy for all of Europe, as happened last year in the case of British environmental activists convicted of libel in UK courts for passing out a flyer at a McDonald’s restaurant. Deciding the flyer’s assertions that McDonald’s exploits its workers and sells unhealthy food defamed the global fast-food chain, British courts ordered the activists to pay the corporation 40,000 pounds (59,000 euros; $70,000 U.S.) in damages. After years of unsuccessfully contesting the decision in the British court system, the two activists brought their case to the European Court of Human Rights, which ruled in February 2005 that the McLibel case, as it came to be known, violated the European human-rights treaty’s guarantees of freedom of expression and right to a fair trial. The British government was directed to pay the activists 57,000 pounds (84,000 euros; $100,000 U.S.) in compensation. But the impact of the ruling goes far beyond that. The ECHR’s judges held that British libel laws restrict people’s rights to criticize corporations. The UK government is now obliged to reform its laws, and so will any other of the 45 European nations with similar limits on free expression in their law books."

You can read about the ECHR and the Articles of Human Rights at: http://www.echr.coe.int/ECHR

I am glad that the torch of human rights has been picked up by others at a time when the United States seems to be smothering human rights in the name of fighting terrorism. I hope that America will one day take up the torch of human rights again and perhaps help to found an International Court for Human Rights.

Sometimes Things Work

Sometimes Things Work

Life often throws you curveballs and sometimes it just throws rocks. Recently my mother’s ten-year struggle with cancer came to an end. There was a long, long list in the back of my mind as my mom lay dying, a list of all the things that could go wrong: She might linger in pain, my siblings might fight, my dad might collapse, the funeral home might take advantage of our grief. The list was long and realistically there were lots of things that could have gone wrong. But they didn’t go wrong.

Instead of fleeing from what was actually happening and wallowing in fear, my father and I did our human best to stay with the present moment. My mother got to see all of her children and to say farewell. She did not spend her last days in horrible pain. The drugs helped. My brothers and sisters did not fight. We were all sad to be losing Mom, but we were glad to see her resting peacefully at last after a long fight. Dad did not collapse in grief. The funeral home was fantastic. We couldn’t push the situation away, so we just quietly moved through it. And things were alright. Things worked.

So many people sacrificed and gave of their time and their love during Mom’s illness and after her death. Dad’s 24/7 care was matched only by Mom’s unending concern for all of us. Relatives and friends came from all over the country to pay their respects. And we all shared our memories, our stories, our love and our tender aching hearts. Thanks to everyone for being so wonderful.

Sometimes things work. And the fact that everything worked so well at a time when we are told that everything will fall apart says something, something I am still trying to figure out. Maybe the Big Scary Traumas in life are only big and scary as we anticipate them. Maybe the Universe does not throw things at us that we can’t handle. Maybe the present moment contains everything we need to be at peace. Maybe when our focus shifts to those around us and what they need our own ego-driven needs and desires are reduced. Maybe we all can grow up and mature. Maybe we can choose our responses to even the most horrible circumstances. Maybe there is more love and compassion in this world than we normally notice.

What I do know is that my mother gave me an incredible gift. She asked me to stay until the end, not for her but for my dad. She helped me to focus on those around me and got me out of my own ego. Mom gave me the opportunity to watch the end of this mortal life and helped me to stay with it and not run away, physically or mentally, to stay with the present moment. Mom helped me to see what is truly important in this life, and it wasn’t work or fame or money. Mom showed me that we are rich only if our lives are filled with love and attention and compassion for those around us. Mom showed me that when your heart is filled with love death is not a frightening ending, but a wondrous and joyful beginning.

Thanks Mom for showing me that sometimes things work.