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guillaumeb
guillaumeb's Journal
guillaumeb's Journal
March 1, 2019
Is intolerance a human characteristic?
Of course it is. It is part of being human.
Has there ever been a society free from intolerance?
No, for the same reason as stated above.
So when we speak of intolerance, we are speaking of human behavior. Why then, would anyone expect to find a group of humans free from intolerance?
February 28, 2019
With Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and more than 100 other House Democrats standing behind sweeping new Medicare for All legislation, advocates on Wednesday immediately mobilized to pressure lawmakers to pass the bill....
Recent polls have shown that support for Medicare for All has grown rapidly in recent years. Seventy-one percent of Americans approved of the proposal according to a survey by Reuters last year, compared with a 2009 CBS/New York Times poll which found that only 59 percent of the public backed the idea. ...
"Don't forget, when we established Social Security, Medicare, and unemployment insurance, our opponents said it was too hard, they said it was too difficult. today is not going to be any different. You're going to see probably hundreds of millions of dollars flowing in to try to kill this bill, trying to pit us against each other, telling us that it is too expensive or that you're going to give something up," Jayapal said.
"But we are ready. We can do this as long as every single person across America stands with us to organize, to fight, and to demand healthcare as a human right," she added.
To read more:
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/02/27/vowing-fight-until-we-win-advocates-plan-nationwide-mobilization-pass-medicare-all?cd-
Those who benefit from the current, profit centered system, will insist that it is too expensive, or too whatever, but the real reason is that denying health care is very profitable for the 1%, and the health industries that they control.
Advocates Plan Nationwide Mobilization to Pass Medicare for All
From the article:
With Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and more than 100 other House Democrats standing behind sweeping new Medicare for All legislation, advocates on Wednesday immediately mobilized to pressure lawmakers to pass the bill....
Recent polls have shown that support for Medicare for All has grown rapidly in recent years. Seventy-one percent of Americans approved of the proposal according to a survey by Reuters last year, compared with a 2009 CBS/New York Times poll which found that only 59 percent of the public backed the idea. ...
"Don't forget, when we established Social Security, Medicare, and unemployment insurance, our opponents said it was too hard, they said it was too difficult. today is not going to be any different. You're going to see probably hundreds of millions of dollars flowing in to try to kill this bill, trying to pit us against each other, telling us that it is too expensive or that you're going to give something up," Jayapal said.
"But we are ready. We can do this as long as every single person across America stands with us to organize, to fight, and to demand healthcare as a human right," she added.
To read more:
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/02/27/vowing-fight-until-we-win-advocates-plan-nationwide-mobilization-pass-medicare-all?cd-
Those who benefit from the current, profit centered system, will insist that it is too expensive, or too whatever, but the real reason is that denying health care is very profitable for the 1%, and the health industries that they control.
February 28, 2019
The authors:
(Holly Hollman is the general counsel of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. Marc Stern is the general counsel of the American Jewish Committee. The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily represent those of Religion News Service.)
To read more:
https://religionnews.com/2019/02/26/christians-and-jews-agree-the-bladensburg-cross-is-no-secular-symbol/
Separation of church and state is part of the US Constitution. This should not even be an issue.
Christians and Jews agree: The Bladensburg Cross is no secular symbol
From the article:
Tomorrow (Feb. 27), for the first time in history, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case asking whether the government can maintain a cross on government property. The justices will consider the government’s claim that a massive 40-foot Latin cross, maintained in the center of a major intersection, is simply a secular monument.
That claim, of course, not only defies common sense, it is offensive to many who take religion seriously. In a joint brief on behalf of Jews and Christians from a variety of denominations, we ask the court to reject this absurd claim....
Religious voices must continue to advocate for the separation of church and state. We know that religious communities benefit from the government’s fundamental obligation to avoid taking positions on purely religious matters. The First Amendment protects religious diversity and promotes peace despite our differences. The court should reject government actions that divide citizens according to religion, including any attempt to secularize sacred symbols under the false pretense of honoring veterans.
That claim, of course, not only defies common sense, it is offensive to many who take religion seriously. In a joint brief on behalf of Jews and Christians from a variety of denominations, we ask the court to reject this absurd claim....
Religious voices must continue to advocate for the separation of church and state. We know that religious communities benefit from the government’s fundamental obligation to avoid taking positions on purely religious matters. The First Amendment protects religious diversity and promotes peace despite our differences. The court should reject government actions that divide citizens according to religion, including any attempt to secularize sacred symbols under the false pretense of honoring veterans.
The authors:
(Holly Hollman is the general counsel of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. Marc Stern is the general counsel of the American Jewish Committee. The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily represent those of Religion News Service.)
To read more:
https://religionnews.com/2019/02/26/christians-and-jews-agree-the-bladensburg-cross-is-no-secular-symbol/
Separation of church and state is part of the US Constitution. This should not even be an issue.
February 26, 2019
Support for multiple candidates is a strength, not a weakness.
The US conservative, corporate media love to claim that because the Democratic Party has numerous candidates, that shows weakness and division in the Party.
This simple meme ignores actual history as recent as 2016, where the GOP had over a dozen deeply flawed candidates, but the same conservative media never stated that this indicated any weakness or division in the GOP.
The Democratic Party is a big tent Party, and the big tent has room for multiple candidates. Not all Democrats support all of the same policies, but this is called diversity.
The GOP, by contrast, is the Party of racism, and greed, and climate denial, and Trump.
Unfortunately, because the US media is 90% owned by conservatives, the GOP will always receive favorable coverage. But 2018 showed that an energized electorate will overcome this media bias, and the structural advantage of the GOP.
If typical Democratic voters actually voted at levels of the typical GOP voters, 2010 would never have happened, and President Obama could have done much more.
So the challenge for Democrats is to energize the base using appeals to reason, rather than the fear based appeals of the GOP.
February 26, 2019
To read more:
https://www.npr.org/2019/02/23/697256711/religious-leaders-in-cuba-outspoken-and-critical-of-proposed-constitution
Interesting that another officially secular Government exhibits the exact same intolerance as the Chinese Government.
Should we care that intolerance is a human characteristic?
Religious Leaders In Cuba Outspoken And Critical Of Proposed Constitution
From the article:
People in Cuba vote Sunday on whether to make socialism "irrevocable" on the island and establish the Cuban Communist Party officially as the "supreme guiding political force" in the state and society.....
No opposition parties are allowed in Cuba, but in the deliberation over the proposed constitution, religious groups on the island have taken a lead in criticizing the government plan, revealing a level of influence they have not previously demonstrated....
After starting a Christian blog in his community, Lleonart faced harassment from local Communist party leaders.
"They would tell me, 'Pastor, you could be better in your pastoral work if you stuck to teaching songs to your congregation and talking about the Bible and staying inside the church,'" Lleonart said. "They told me I was mixing with too many delinquents." After his children began suffering the consequences of his activism, Lleonart and his family sought political asylum in the United States.
No opposition parties are allowed in Cuba, but in the deliberation over the proposed constitution, religious groups on the island have taken a lead in criticizing the government plan, revealing a level of influence they have not previously demonstrated....
After starting a Christian blog in his community, Lleonart faced harassment from local Communist party leaders.
"They would tell me, 'Pastor, you could be better in your pastoral work if you stuck to teaching songs to your congregation and talking about the Bible and staying inside the church,'" Lleonart said. "They told me I was mixing with too many delinquents." After his children began suffering the consequences of his activism, Lleonart and his family sought political asylum in the United States.
To read more:
https://www.npr.org/2019/02/23/697256711/religious-leaders-in-cuba-outspoken-and-critical-of-proposed-constitution
Interesting that another officially secular Government exhibits the exact same intolerance as the Chinese Government.
Should we care that intolerance is a human characteristic?
February 24, 2019
To read more:
https://www.politicususa.com/2019/02/23/report-warren-wants-native-americans-included-in-slavery-reparations.html
In my opinion, this is an excellent idea, but how can one expect that a country founded on slavery and land theft expect that the descendants of the founders, the beneficiaries of the theft, will give back what they took?
Report: Warren Wants Native Americans Included in Slavery Reparations
From the article:
The Hill is reporting this morning that Democratic presidential candidate Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts has announced that Native Americans would be part of her plan to provide reparations for slavery and other past crimes committed by the U.S. government.
To read more:
https://www.politicususa.com/2019/02/23/report-warren-wants-native-americans-included-in-slavery-reparations.html
In my opinion, this is an excellent idea, but how can one expect that a country founded on slavery and land theft expect that the descendants of the founders, the beneficiaries of the theft, will give back what they took?
February 23, 2019
To read more:
https://religionnews.com/2019/02/20/you-may-be-reading-the-bible-wrong-peter-enns-says-the-bible-itself-shows-a-better-way/
You may be reading the Bible wrong. Pete Enns says the Bible itself shows a better way
From the article:
The Bible isn’t a rule book, an instruction manual, or a road map, says Peter Enns, a Hebrew Bible scholar and the host of the popular podcast The Bible for Normal People.....
The Bible doesn’t work well as an owner’s manual that lays out for us what to do or think at every turn. It is holding out to us the invitation to accept the sacred responsibility going forward and working things out....
I would just want to stress that the punch line of the book is that the Bible is designed for us to seek wisdom, and to ask ourselves what this faith we are a part of requires of us in this moment. The answers to those questions are rarely simply written out for us. And we are all in the same boat on that. I think that’s actually what God wants: to raise us to be thoughtful, mature followers rather than young children always looking for a parent to tell them what to do. The Bible, simply by being what it is, points—or even pushes—us in that direction. And that is good news.
The Bible doesn’t work well as an owner’s manual that lays out for us what to do or think at every turn. It is holding out to us the invitation to accept the sacred responsibility going forward and working things out....
I would just want to stress that the punch line of the book is that the Bible is designed for us to seek wisdom, and to ask ourselves what this faith we are a part of requires of us in this moment. The answers to those questions are rarely simply written out for us. And we are all in the same boat on that. I think that’s actually what God wants: to raise us to be thoughtful, mature followers rather than young children always looking for a parent to tell them what to do. The Bible, simply by being what it is, points—or even pushes—us in that direction. And that is good news.
To read more:
https://religionnews.com/2019/02/20/you-may-be-reading-the-bible-wrong-peter-enns-says-the-bible-itself-shows-a-better-way/
February 23, 2019
To read more:
https://religionnews.com/2019/02/20/you-may-be-reading-the-bible-wrong-peter-enns-says-the-bible-itself-shows-a-better-way/
You may be reading the Bible wrong. Pete Enns says the Bible itself shows a better way
From the article:
…...The Bible doesn’t work well as an owner’s manual that lays out for us what to do or think at every turn. It is holding out to us the invitation to accept the sacred responsibility going forward and working things out....
I would just want to stress that the punch line of the book is that the Bible is designed for us to seek wisdom, and to ask ourselves what this faith we are a part of requires of us in this moment. The answers to those questions are rarely simply written out for us. And we are all in the same boat on that. I think that’s actually what God wants: to raise us to be thoughtful, mature followers rather than young children always looking for a parent to tell them what to do. The Bible, simply by being what it is, points—or even pushes—us in that direction. And that is good news.
I would just want to stress that the punch line of the book is that the Bible is designed for us to seek wisdom, and to ask ourselves what this faith we are a part of requires of us in this moment. The answers to those questions are rarely simply written out for us. And we are all in the same boat on that. I think that’s actually what God wants: to raise us to be thoughtful, mature followers rather than young children always looking for a parent to tell them what to do. The Bible, simply by being what it is, points—or even pushes—us in that direction. And that is good news.
To read more:
https://religionnews.com/2019/02/20/you-may-be-reading-the-bible-wrong-peter-enns-says-the-bible-itself-shows-a-better-way/
February 23, 2019
To read more:
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/china-uighur-muslim-crackdown-xinjiang-surveillance-tracking-sensenets-a8786076.html
Chinese 'Muslim tracker' surveillance system monitoring movements of 2.5m people in Xinjiang
From the article:
A Chinese surveillance company has been tracking the movements of more than 2.5 million people in a region where authorities have waged a crackdown on Muslim minorities, a researcher has discovered.....
China’s crackdown on Islam in Xinjiang has involved the incarceration of millions of Muslims in re-education camps where inmates have allegedly been tortured, forced to consume pork and alcohol, and ordered to renounce their religion....
Outside analysts believe the western region may be a testing ground for techniques that could be creeping into other parts of the country.
China’s crackdown on Islam in Xinjiang has involved the incarceration of millions of Muslims in re-education camps where inmates have allegedly been tortured, forced to consume pork and alcohol, and ordered to renounce their religion....
Outside analysts believe the western region may be a testing ground for techniques that could be creeping into other parts of the country.
To read more:
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/china-uighur-muslim-crackdown-xinjiang-surveillance-tracking-sensenets-a8786076.html
February 21, 2019
Blackberry Smoke "A man of constant sorrow".
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