An open letter to Rick Santorum:

I take exception to two points of yours. You had said that my denomination (mainline Protestant) of which the United Methodist Church is a part of is "in the grip of Satan". Also you suspect the theology of President Obama. President Obama's home church was a U.C. C. located in the Chicago area. The U.C.C. denomination's theology is close to the UMC in fact they have an altar and pulpit fellowship exchange agreement.

Mr. Santorum:

I was educated in liberal Roman Catholic Schools in Germany and the United States. While there, I was taught by Fransiscan Sisters (OSF) who taught a social gospel of tolerance and embracing all of God's children. Yes, abortion and pro-creation were mentioned but only as a minor component of an all inclusive right to life plank. (Of which I differ as to the RCC reporoductive stance, but agree with the rest of the other nine points)

In my teens, I had already lost my father due to the Vietnam War and my mother had a stroke and I became the foster child of a Lutheran Minister and his wife. It was part of their theology to house the orphan.

On becoming a US Citizen and learning English proficiency, I became interested in the civic discourse of my community and nation.

As an adult, I became the member of a Reconciling Ministry Network United Methodist Congregation which means it is open and affirming of the LGBTQ community.

It has always my understanding that my faith and theology would never disparage another's faith practice, that it would be affirming and help each other in helping.

My theology houses the homeless, provides for the orphan...
My theology affirms the sacred worth of all people...
My theology feeds the hungry
My theology recognizes the agonizing choices one may have to make regarding reproduction
My theology would ask for full funding for education of the masses
My theology would never privatize the healing of the sick, the incarcaration of the captive....

Most of all, my theology and denomination has a social creed that provides for the uplifting of all,
the recognition of those who may be outcast and the Christ's preferential option for the poor.

My theology also taught me to forgive...well Mr. Santorum, I forgive you, but it also makes so that I would NEVER vote for you.

I ask you to search your heart and return to the Gospel you were originally taught.

Sincerely,

Michael S. Collier
Certified Lay Minister
United Methodst Church-Tacoma, Washington

I find it totally offensive that on the same day the Governor signs the same sex marriage bill into law Rick Santorum will be in Tacoma, Washington plying his particular brand of homophobic hate! Santorum will be appearing at the Washington State History Musuem Monday evening at 7pm I would love to see him given a "LIBERAL" welcome, much like George Bush I was given in Tacoma October 27, 1988. If you're in the area please join us at 6:15 in front of the Museum (better yet, make sure your inside!!! and possibly Mic check him!!!)

Last week two little boys were brutally gruesomely murdered by their father...midweek the hate spewers from Westboro Baptist Church had said that they would come and picket and protest at the boys' funeral.
The Phelps family has said Josh Powell blew up his house and killed the boys because Washington State voted for same sex marriage.

In a matter of 24 hours, over 2,600 folks had via social media committed to come and shield the family from these bigots. Folks all stripes D's, R's, religious, athiest, apolitical, LGBT, bikers, vets, Occupy Movement had all sounded a call for decency and dignity!!! Westboro Baptist and the Phelps family sent out a press release this afternoon saying that they have decided not to come to Tacoma after all.

What an amazing and joyful result to come out of such a tragedy. My heart is filled with the fact tha this town has stood up to these folks and went on record to say NO!!! No to hate, no to bigoty and no to making a travesty out of a solemn event.

THANKS TACOMA YOU'VE COME A LONG WAYS IN 20 YEARS!!!

Westboro Baptist has notified through a tweet that they are cancelling their protest at the Powell funeral in Tacoma, Washington...my question, do we believe them or not?

Last Sunday two small boys Charlie and Braeden Powell were murdered by their father in a horrific fire in Graham, Washington. The funeral for these two young boys is Saturday at 11 AM at Life Center Church (So. 17th and Union in Tacoma, Washington)

Westboro Baptist Church the congregation that has been protesting military funerals because the US is a "gay" nation has vowed to come to Tacoma to do the same thing. Part of it is because it is a very high profile funeral and the other part is that Governor Gregoire will be sigining a bill allowing same sex marriage in Washington on Monday morning.

The faith community of Pierce County through Associated Ministries has called on people of faith and others to join them as a witnesses against the hate of this group and also to preseverve the solemnity and dignity of the family's grieving process. We will meet with any and all groups who have those goals at 9AM at the Tacoma Elks Club (please park in the southwest part of the parking lot) we will meet in the Lodge room and proceed to accross from the Church at 10AM To bear witness to the greater community that we wish to heal and not divide. For info call: Mike Collier 253 229 3737

In November of 2009 four Lakewood, Washington police officers were gunned down by an assassin in a Lakewood coffee shop. The outpouring of grief from that event generated a trust fund for the dead officers children and families to the amount of 3.2 million dollars.

The other day Officer Skeeter Manos was arrested for embezzling 151K from that fund and converting it to his own use. He took trips and stayed at high end hotels, gambled and also brought stuff at REI and appliances for his home the federal indictment says (per the Tacoma News Tribune)

One of the questions I have is that defendants in federal indictments almost NEVER get bail and if they do get released before trial it is 99.99% to a half way house. Why was this cop released on his own recognizance? Specially when he probably still has a fairly large amount of cahis disposal, wouldn't that make him a flight risk? One more instance of cops getting special treatment when they go bad. IMHO!

Due to the passage of Same Sex Marriage, Fred Phelps pastor of Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas will be picketing the funeral of the Powell children. The funeral will take place Saturday morning at Life Center Church in Tacoma...I am hoping those from the progressive church community along with other progressives come out about 9:30 to stand as witnesses on behalf of tolerance and civil rights AND to aid in lending dignity to the mourning process for this family!!! If you can make it please let me know.

Just for shits and giggles I sat down and looked at a map today and this iswhat I came up with
please disagree with and add your own predictions:

HI 4, WA 12, OR 7, CA 55, NM 5, CO 9, NV 6 98 for Obama
MN 10, IA 6, WI 10, MI 16, IL 20 61 for Obama total 159
ME 4, NH 4, VT 3, MA 11, CT 7, RI 4, NY 29 62 for Obama total 221
PA 19, NJ 13, DC 3, MD 10, DE 3, VA 13 61 for Obama total 282


AK 3, ID 4, MT 4, WY 3, UT 6 20 for the GOP
ND 3, SD 3, NE 5, KS 6, OK 7 TX 36 60 Total for the GOP 80
MO 11, AR 6, LA 9, KY 9, TN 11 46 Total for the GOP 126
MS 7, AL 9, GA 15, SC 9, NC 15 WV 5 60 Total for the GOP 186

Toss Ups:

Arizona 11
Florida 27
Ohio 19

Total 57

My guess is that Obama will win with 282-339 electoral votes

For my 10,000th post please indulge me in a bit of personal rambling....

I was born in Germany 12 years after the carpet bombing of my home town Frankfurt. Everywhere I went, I saw the traces and direct signs of destruction...It was hard not to be anti-war

Because of the unsanitary conditions at the time, as an infant I contracted a case of encephalitis, was in the hospital for six months and my parents recieved a bill for the equivilant of 17.46 (1957 dollars)
It is hard not to be for single payer universal health care which liberals support.

My mother had her left leg amputated along with the toes or her right foot, seeing her struggle and her pain (a direct result of WWII), it is hard not to be anti-war

At 7 a week before Christmas my father died as a result of wounds sustained in the Vietnam War,
it is hard not to be anti-war

Finally emigrating to the US we lived in our first family home and at 15 I achieved my US citizenship, I have always felt like a guest in the US but increasingly the Democratic Party and the liberal wing has been the one to embrace multi-culturalism and open doors and that to me affirms my worth and possibilites as fough for by the liberals.

I know some don't like organized religion, but because of my Catholic education both religion and history classes were infused with a great deal of peace and justice education...it helped form my liberal thinking.


I grew up eating dinner while watching the news during the 1960's when the liberalism was in it's ascendancy...the images of war and civil unrest seared my mind with the contrast of what was written in the textbooks and it was hard not be a liberal.

I grew older and understood more of politics and right at the threshold of being an adult (16), my mother died and I became a war orphan..I was given a great set of foster parents and government help to go through college and really began to understand the importance of a safety net not only in a deeply personal way, but in the greater context of the solciological good and it was hard not to supress my affinity with those who are liberal.

In 1988 I protested the appearance of George Bush Sr. in Tacoma, WA...I was beat up, spit upon and threatened (illegally) with deportation and once again my heart sang with those who are for civil liberties.

I was blest enough to be able to run for US Congress from the left...while we did not win, we provided a major impact on making this town more liberal and also moved our DINO Rep. to stop voting funding for the SOA... in many other nations being a lower middle class immigrant, that door would have been closed to me. Once again it's hard not being a liberal.

In the 1990's I got cancer and we had no health insurance, the bill came to $168,000.00 and we lost all we had and so once again I am a liberal because I see first hand the need for a single payer system.

I'm middle aged now and through many experiences have seen the need for social justice, rights of bargaining a realistic safety net, and universal health care. And who has been there: the LIBERALS. I thank God I am a liberal and wouldn't want it anyother way and I think DU for giving me a vehicle to express that!!!

Sorry for the length, Peace to my brothers and Sisters at DU!!!

Since President Obama has a lock on the nomination....I was thinking of going to the Republican caucus and being a delegate for Gringrich because that would weaken Romney, and then as soon as the caucus votes are certified, start asking a bunch of quesons and making liberal motions to mess up their caucus and watch their heads explode...if I had enough people to do it and big enough scene ensued we might be able to get some press coverage. Not identify ourselves as actually being Democrats..but if the press came, we'd just discuss the issues calmly and cooly while they're going crazy...it worked when George Bush Sr. came to town on October 27, 1988? It would be kind of like an "Occupy the GOP Caucus" Thoughts?