Thomas Jefferson and Al Gore. Both spokesmen for truth, both statesmen of exemplary principle. But are we truly heeding their words?

My hope that we have not labored in vain, and that our experiment will still prove that men can be governed by reason." --Thomas Jefferson to George Mason, 1791. ME 8:124

"I have so much confidence in the good sense of man, and his qualifications for self-government, that I am never afraid of the issue where reason is left free to exert her force." --Thomas Jefferson to Comte Diodati, 1789. Papers 15:326

To see a global awakening that somehow enlightens the human spirit to see the moral imperative and to act on it. To see people actually giving a damn about their actions in regard to their effect not only on themselves but on the world. To see responsible governments globally that do not utilize resources for war and exacerbating the conditions that bring about war, poverty, disease, and hopelessness, but rather using them to really foster peace, prosperity, equality, and sustainability.

William Blum interviewed by Jason Miller

(including satirical commentary by Miller)

"We have morality on our side...."

---William Blum

This is part three.  Part two is here.

Last week the Courtney campaign asked that inappropriate internet campaign attack ads be removed.  Last week, began a sequence of local and national school shootings and bomb threats that leave the nation grieving and searching for answers.

Inside the Washington beltway, America has learned the depths of depravity that Republicans have exercised while praising Jesus, waving the American flag, and systematically dismantling the Constitution, Geneva Conventions, and Habeas Corpus.

And yet, shocking as Representative Foley's cyber-stalking of young boys may be, following the trail of Representative Rob Simmons' supporters into the shadows of violent gaming sites is equally disturbing and disorienting.  As I write this, a CNN news story features a misguided crusader claiming that Harry Potter books are harmful to young people.

The environmental aspect to Gore is just showing he has common sense, fortitude, hope, and that he is a proactive person. There is much more to the man than that. Here is part of an email conversation between Ron and myself.

I must preface this by stating that what Al Gore did at NYU this past Monday was nothing short of heroic. And whether you agree with his proposals or not it cannot be denied that to come out and suggest solutions perceived as radical to the status quo way is absolutely refreshing and much needed in our national dialogue.

I just came from the live webcast at the NY Botanical Gardens where Al Gore and an array of very distinquished climate scientists and environmentalists spoke this morning, so please excuse any inconsistencies in this report on it, as I am writing it from memory.

It is the duty of all religions and beliefs and the duty of those who have no religion to respect this planet and cherish its gifts. It is a human duty.

Link

As someone who also believes in the words of Jesus Christ and a supreme being from whom all good flows, the well written article above illustrates perfectly what we as Christians should be doing to protect and preserve this planet, but it doesn't stop with just Christians. And that is what I was taught in my life as a child growing up in a church.

I grew up in a home where church was an integral part of our lives. Every Sunday from the time I was five years old I went to church with my parents who were also very involved in it. I went to Sunday School, was confirmed, served as an usher, a Church Council member (a post I was unanimously elected to five times,) and also sang in my church choir for 10 years as one of their lead soloists. I also started working when I was 15 as a teacher in the Community Summer Bible Study School where I taught 3-5 year olds, and did that for about three summers until I went to college.

We hold the very fate of our planet in our hands. That is the inconvenient truth of it and we better accept it before it is too late, because we can and must solve this crisis.

Below you can view the ad that is said to have sparked the environmental movement that began in earnest on the first Earth Day in 1971. My thoughts on that, and what and who I believe can and will rekindle it.

When an unplanned event happens once, it can rightly be considered an accident.

56 Die in "Mistake" at Qana.

Mistake kills Four UN Observers.

Fleeing Civilians Hit by Mistake.

US Bomb Hits Wrong House by Mistake.

US Bombs Wedding Party by Mistake.

Bombing Mistake takes 14 lives.

US Bomb Kills Adghan Civilians by Mistake.

US Bombs Journalists by Mistake.

Canadian Soldiers Bombed by Mistake.

US Bombing Mistake Kills Afghan Civilians.

To paraphrase Ian Fleming, once is happenstance, twice is a coincidence, but when you kill the wrong people over, and over, and over, that's depraved indifference.  And it's time for it to end.

Are We Better Than Them?

I'd guess that to 95% of people, this sounds like an extremely silly question: are we better than them.  

I don't mean do Americans have somehow more intrinsic worth than the people of Iraq or elsewhere.  I deeply believe what the founding fathers proclaimed and Lincoln reaffirmed -- all men are created equal.  I also believe that for this war (or any war) to mean anything, that belief has to extend to all people, everywhere.

When I ask "are we better than them," what I'm really asking is whether our cause is more just.  Are we on a firmer moral foundation?  In even simpler terms, are we the good guys?

Do we deserve to win this war?