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Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
Howard Bess says his book was on a list which Sarah Palin wanted banned. I wish Bess would produce the list. In the past people have offered lists of books that Palin supposedly wanted banned and they were obvious fakes (some of them included names like the four Harry Potter books which weren't even written at the time). If Bess is sure his book was on the list he ought to produce it for us.
Salon previously published information about Women Against Sarah Palin...seems to the time is ripe to add GASP...Gays Against Sarah Palin!
He has been a long time liberal activist who interprets the bible in a way to suit his political views.
This is nothing new for the people who live here. Bess is well known to clash on purpose with anyone of a conservative bent.
He would say we should fear the election of anyone to the right of Obama who is known by his fellow democrats as the most liberal person in the US Senate.
So if you are a "progressive", he is your pastor and this is your church...if you want to attend one.
I don't think he is the only one
It is great to finally see a thoughtful article on what I consider to be the real nature of the threat which the Sarah Palin nomination presents. This story is spot-on in its identification that Palin's religion dichotomizes people into absolute good and absolute evil. When one is on the side of absolute good, one can do anything to those on the side of evil because the evil ones by their status are deemed the "enemy" and do not merit humane treatment. Indeed, given such a dichotomy, one need not stretch in order to imagine Mrs. Palin gutting one with a knife while smiling because what she is doing not only is for the will of God, but also is God's Will for the heathen, for his own good. Equally horrible is the specter of taking some action that would help bring about the "End Times" because, as Mrs. Palin would be among those rescued from it by the Rapture, she would not be around to see what dues would have to be paid by the rest of us for her decision. A belief system which rationalizes such scenarios has the potential to be atrocity producing. And a true believer wielding governmental power has the means to produce the atrocity. For the results of the objectification to which such an absolute good/evil dichotomy can give rise, one need not look any further than the treatment of the "evil ones" at Abu Ghraib. Such a result dehumanizes all it touches. Sarah Palin is, and should be, scary. Fundamentalism (whether it be Christian or Islamic) fused with politics generates the type of establishment of religion that the First Amendment was designed to prevent. The Founders recognized that a state religion is hideously corrosive of the liberty of those individuals who chose neither to adopt nor endorse it. Thank you for making the threat crystal clear. Our citizens need it.
Two things:
The article while interesting is very much a " he said/she said" style and since I do know both individuals personally I would advise a little more balance in this act.
And for those of you posting comments about an Anti Palin Rally in Wasilla of 2,000. Check the facts please. The rally was held in Anchorage ( around 48 miles from Wasilla) and it was reported that there may have been 1,500.
I think everyone should consider more facts instead of just gleefully tossing around the dirt that may or may not be the "truth". The internet sure has made politics a little more interesting don't you think?
Got any intimate details on any other candidate?
Do you realize how utterly paranoid and stupid you sound?
Get a grip, man.
I met Howard during the time I served a United Methodist church in Anchorage and found him to be a dedicated activist committed to the idea that when Jesus invites all to the table he means ALL - NO EXCEPTIONS.
This is my understanding of the core of the Gospel message. Through love we are transformed from the human race into the human family.
Howard, it is great to hear that you continue to do the wonderful things I knew you to be doing back in the 1980's.
John
www.progressivechristiansuniting.org
Palin is a side show barker who travels with an old fool among the Oakies in Wal-Mart's production of "The Grapes of Wrath". The production is without the classics's content to avoid troubling the help.
In this story, David Talbot writes "Bess is unnerved by the prospect of Palin -- a woman whose mind is given to dogmatic certitude -- standing one step away from the Oval Office." I find the phrase "dogmatic certitude" an eye-catching improvement over similar phrases such as "closed-mindedness" and "logic-tight compartments." Kudos, Mr. Talbot!
Sorry to be a bit late to the party, but in regards to fundamentalists and the Old Testament, what galls me is not so much favoring the "fire and brimstone" God of the OT vs. the compassionate, "peacenik" God of the New Testament, it's that they pick and choose.
Fundies, especially of the Sarah Palin ilk love to quote the apocalyptic prophets such as Joel or Daniel or Jeremiah, or rehash the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah with great relish. Far more seldom do you see them pondering the social justice message of Amos (an angry lefty if there ever was one)or the implications of Elijah staying with the Widow of Zaraphath (God's mercy extends even to them furriners), just to name a few stories.
I believe the Bible as a whole shows us the follies of those who believe they are more righteous and therefore better than everyone else. To paraphrase another Old Testament verse: Pride goeth before a fall.
Xanthro and many others in this thread, seem to have made a cottage industry about excusing the behavior of Sarah Palin and demonizing anyone who opposes her election.
We are looking for insight into her demeanor, judgement, knowledge, and temperment. What's out there isn't very promising in trying to build a positive picture of her.
Intellectually, there isn't much there - undistinguished student taking 6 years to finish (did she?).
As for the punk who is pushing the Ayers crap, whoa. We haven't finished deciding whether or not the Clintons killed Vince Foster or the Bush administration orchestrated the 9/11 attacks!
If you are the type of voter who wants a Christian theocracy in the US, Palin is your girl. If you want a government that takes away a woman's right to her medical destiny/privacy, she's also the gal for that (castrating "undesireables" should be on the table).
Dealing with Putin, Chavez, and a general rise in anti-Americanism in the world, she's.... well not so much.
Much of the initial coverage about Fort Hood turned out to be wrong. Is there anything wrong with that?
The accountability imposed by another country for the CIA's kidnapping and torture reveals much about our own.
Fox News' morning show plays to type, talking about whether Muslims in the Army should face "special debriefings"
The survivor and author is upset about comparisons some on the right are making to genocide
Once seen as a lunatic fringe, reactionary anti-women groups are courting respectability
Salon headlines in your mailbox
