God, you root those who trust in you by streams of healing water. Release us from the bonds of disease, free us from the power of evil, and turn us from falsehood and illusion, that we may find the blessing of new life in you through the power of Christ. Amen.

- from A Calendar of Prayer for the United Church of Christ

Chuck and Hugo (photos taken by Liz)

The United Church of Christ Coalition for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns has issued a statement on gay marriage and is asking for members of the UCC to support it by becoming signers.

Marriage falls into two categories: civil and religious. Currently, these categories are being blurred and confused.

As a civil right, marriage should be accessible to all committed couples in the United States of America. The Coalition is unequivocal: all the rights and responsibilities of marriage need to be accessible to any couple who is of legal age and willing to assent to them. Civil rights must pertain and apply to all persons, not just to an exclusive group.

The Coalition applauds the decision in Massachusetts that makes marriage accessible to all heterosexual and same-sex couples. We urge all states to make similar decisions. We further urge that work be done on the federal level to repeal the so-called Defense of Marriage Act of 1996 which legalizes discrimination by denying on a federal level the civil right of marriage to same-sex couples.

As a religious rite, marriage takes place in the broader context of love, community and justice. In this theological context four things are evident:

1. Any conversation about marriage needs to affirm that marriage’s purpose and focus is always love, wholeness, justice and equality. We give thanks to God when marriage is a covenant which reflects God’s covenant with us.

2. However, any conversation about marriage needs also to take seriously the history of domestic violence, oppression of women and children and the misuse of the institution (including its historic racism).

3. Any conversation about marriage needs to de-centralize marriage as the only expression of covenant and commitment between adults. God has given to us many forms of relationship: community, friendship, family bonds, etc. Scripture gives us examples of all of these as holy and blessed: the relationships between David and Jonathan and Ruth and Naomi, the notion of the “People of God” and that of the “Body of Christ,” for example.

4. Any conversation about marriage must take seriously the reality that many lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (lgbt) and heterosexual people have made conscious choices to covenant with one another in ways other than civil or religious marriage. These covenants should also be honored and celebrated.

As The Coalition Council, we urge all Coalition and United Church of Christ members, all faith communities and society to engage intentionally and thoughtfully in conversation about civil and religious marriage, so that love and justice may abound for all people.

You can learn more and sign-on to the statement by clicking here.

My grandfather gave us a country ham from Four Oaks Farm in South Carolina for our Christmas present and this morning we cooked it up with eggs, grits, and biscuits. Liz also made a great fruit salad to go along with it. Some of our friends from Eden came by to share in the late morning feast. Check out the photos.

Beliefnet.com has a new section on their web site with information pro and con about Mel Gibson's new film The Passion of the Christ.

You can also read my other posts on the film.

The Clergy Leadership Network has updated their website - now you can become a member online, sign-up for their e-newsletter and action alerts, and read recent news articles. The CLN is the new faith group working for regime change in 2004.

Also on the updated site is information on a national gathering sponsored by CLN to be held May 16-18.

CLN is a great group for progressive religious people to become involved with.

Read more of my posts on CLN.

This morning we had another set of ultrasound photos done and we're having girls! This first picture shows both the babies side-by-side:

Here is a side view of Baby A:

And here is a side view of Baby B:

We don't have names picked out yet. Some early favorites:

7 of 9 Smith Currie
Captain Kathryn Janeway Smith Currie
Uhura Smith Currie
Dr. Beverley Crusher Smith Currie

Have any suggestions of your own? Leave them in the comment section.

The Monica Lewinski scandal first broke when a web site posted information outlining her relationship with the President. That one web posting launched a media feeding frenzy and eventually led to the impeachment of the President.

Is history repeating itself? The same site – which I won’t name – has posted information about a possible extramarital affair between an important Democratic leader and a young woman. The details are light on fact. Soon the details – whatever they are – will make the mainstream media. Blogs are already out there feeding the flames.

You can be sure of one thing: these charges are part of an on-going effort by Republicans to smear the personal lives of Democratic Party officials. That’s the only way the morally bankrupt Republicans think they can win elections.

If the 2004 campaign is fought on the issues – high deficits, lost jobs, foreign policy failures – then the Republicans are in for a huge lose. You can be sure that they’ll do everything possible to keep the real issues facing Americans off the radar screen.

Last week - on Meet the Press - the President promised to release all his military records to prove he was in the National Guard. Today the White House released records that proved George W. Bush had teeth.

What he didn't release were records that offered proof he spent all the time that was required of him in the National Guard.

The Human Rights Campaign has launched a campaign to get 1 million people to sign a petition in support of gay and lesbian rights – including marriage and civil unions.

Why is this important?

There are more than 1,000 federal protections and responsibilities denied to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender families because they cannot legally marry in this country. Here are just a few:

• ability to make decisions on a partner's behalf in a medical emergency.

• petition for partner to immigrate.

• up to 12 weeks leave from work to care for a seriously ill partner or parent of a partner.

• parenting responsibilities of children brought into a family through birth, adoption, surrogacy or other means.

• ability to purchase continued health coverage for a domestic partner after the loss of a job.

On a more personal level, it is important because of people like Anna and Marion.

Anna and Marion have spent their lives teaching and caring for others. Anna, 71, is a retired nurse who founded a nonprofit that protects seniors from homelessness. Marion, 69, taught public school.

They have enjoyed a loving, committed relationship for the past 23 years and live in Massachusetts on a modest fixed income from their pensions and Social Security. They have the same worries as any retired couple facing health problems and financial pressures – but because the government will not grant them a civil marriage license, they do not have the same legal protections.

Anna recently had hip replacement surgery. Because their relationship is not protected under the law, the couple had to pay for legal documents allowing Marion to visit Anna in the hospital, receive information on her medical condition and make medical decisions if Anna were unable to do so. This added to the expense and anxiety of a stressful situation.

While married seniors in Massachusetts can qualify for special help from the government to get at-home care and stay out of nursing homes, Anna and Marion cannot – even though they paid taxes their entire working lives.

Their biggest worry is about losing their house. If Anna goes into a nursing home, the government could force Marion out of their house and sell it to pay the nursing-home bills. The law protects married couples from losing their homes when a spouse enters long-term care – but devoted couples like Anna and Marion have no such protection.

The Family Research Council, Focus on the Family and other right-wing political organizations are playing politics with the lives of people like Anna and Marion. They would go so far as to amend our Constitution to deny loving, committed couples like these any protections under the law.

America has problems, but this loving couple is not one of them. Anna and Marion – and all gay and lesbian couples in long-term, committed relationships – deserve equal protection under the law. Tell your elected representatives not to play politics with the Constitution.

Sign the petition now to show your support for people like Anna and Marion.

Newsweek is offering their take this week on The Passion of the Christ with a controversial cover story.

For Christians, the Passion—from the Latin passus, the word means "having suffered" or "having undergone"—is the very heart of their faith. Down the ages, however, when read without critical perspective and a proper sense of history, the Christian narratives have sometimes been contorted to lay the responsibility for Jesus' execution at the feet of the Jewish people, a contortion that has long fueled the fires of anti-Semitism.

The article by Jon Meacham is drawing fire from conservative evangelicals – but does a good job of placing the death of Jesus in an historical context.

Update: My cousin Bryan asked a good question: who are these conservative evangelicals who object to the Newsweek story? I should have provided links. Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, is one of those objecting. You can read his article here. Focus on the Family is another group upset. Read their website story. There are plenty of others if you search Google.

Tirunelveli, India (ENI). The president of the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI) on Wednesday warned of an increase in anti-Christian violence and accused India's federal government of advancing the agenda of Hindu fundamentalism. There had been a "drastic change in the political atmosphere" in India in the six years since the current government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power, said Metropolitan Geevarghese mar Coorilos, the NCCI president, in an address to the council's general assembly taking place in Tirunelveli, in southern India.

- from Ecumenical News International

Last summer I traveled to southern India with a group from Eden Theological Seminary. We studied at three different seminaries, toured historic sites, and visited with residents of Dalit urban slums and rural villages.

Christians in India are fierce advocates for the rights of the Dalit people. Dalits are the “lowest of the lowest” in the caste system. The government harasses Christian workers because of their support for Dalits and their opposition to economic globalization. The fundamentalist Hindu government now in power is afraid of the liberating message inherit in Christianity. In fact, a version of liberation theology, known as Dalit theology, has grown out of the slums.

The above picture, called Exclusion, is from a book called The Colors of Liberation – a collection of Dalit artwork published by the Dalit Resource Centre at Tamilnadu Theological Seminary. Our group stayed at this seminary for a wonderful week. Copies of the book can be purchased.

Please keep the people of India - Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, and Muslim - in your prayers. And keep track of the struggles faced by Christians by visiting the National Council web site.

The FBI has dropped their attempt to obtain records from Drake University about an anti-war forum held on campus.

Albert Mohler, the Southern Baptist seminary president, has become one of my favorite people to read. He is the Pat Robertson of his generation: a Christian who has aligned his theology with the extreme right-wing of the Republican Party. Mohler attacks gays, women, Democrats, and anyone else who might disagree with his interpretation of Scripture. Reading his commentaries gives you a glimpse into the darkest parts of religious America.

One of his new targets is Jewish leaders in America who have raised questions about Mel Gibson’s new film The Passion of the Christ. He writes:

The Passion has offended the usual parties--those who accuse the Gospel of anti-semitism. Abraham Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League wrote Gibson a public letter raising "serious concerns about the film you are making about the last hours of the life of Jesus." Foxman also asked "to be assured that it will not give rise to the old canard of charging Jews with deicide and to anti-Semitism." Similar concerns were raised by officials at the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

The issue of anti-Semitism is not even really relevant to the discussion. It tell(s) us far more about the despisers of Christianity than about Christianity itself.

Mohler speaks for a large number of evangelical Christians. He has used Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he serves as President, as a training ground for conservative activists opposed to modern society – even modern scholarship.

Braveheart doesn't care what liberal theologians think of his film--nor should he. Those who accuse the New Testament of anti-Semitism deserve no place at the table. They represent the academic enablers of anti-Christianity. Their Jesus bears little resemblance to the true Jesus of the gospels, but looks remarkably like an open-minded liberal ready for tenure at the Harvard Divinity School.

Viewers beware: The Passion of the Christ is a movie made for people like Albert Mohler. It may have little to do with the reality of Jesus.

Statement on the Controversies
Surrounding Mel Gibson’s
The Passion of Christ

from the Council of Centers on Jewish-Christian Relations

There has been growing discussion in the media and among the general public concerning Mel Gibson’s film, The Passion of Christ, scheduled for release in February. We, directors or personnel of the twenty-five member organizations of the Council of Centers on Jewish-Christian Relations, have been monitoring this developing conversation for many months. We wish to offer assistance to our communities as they struggle with the difficult questions that this film is raising.

These questions arise because, while the events of the Passion are central to Christian faith, elements of their portrayal, particularly in popular Passion Plays, have often been theologically and morally problematic. Specifically, their portrayal of Jews collectively as killers of Christ has historically fomented hatred and violence toward Jews. In the wake of the Holocaust, the Roman Catholic Church and all major Protestant denominations have officially rejected the claim of deicide and collective Jewish guilt for the death of Jesus. In a world where antisemitism is on the rise, these teachings take on new urgency.

We call on Christian leaders, in the United States and throughout the world, publicly to affirm their churches’ teachings on appropriate portrayals and interpretations of the Passion and to make these teachings readily available to the general public. And we ask that all people seek to model the behaviors of justice, honesty, and compassion that have led to the enormous progress in Christian-Jewish relations in the past forty years.

A study guide has also been developed by the Council for those who plan to see the film.

My sister Jennifer in Hillsboro, Oregon sent a slew of new photos of my little nephew Ian Rock. It wouldn’t be fair to my readers if I didn't share at least one with you.

Wes Clark is pulling out of the race. He deserves the thanks of the American people for using his unique position as a former US General to challenge the Bush White House on Iraq and the war on terror. Our country is better off because of his efforts. You can bet money that this won’t be the last you hear of General Clark.

How do reporters write stories on The Passion of the Christ without first seeing it?

That’s the question being asked by the Religion Newswriters Association. So far the film has mostly been screened by conservative evangelicals who have been forced to sign a confidentiality agreement that restricts viewers from making anything another other than positive statements about the film.

"We would like to see it for ourselves," said Michael Paulson, a four-year religion reporter for The Boston Globe. "Not rely on the opinions of hand-picked viewers."

Only three journalists are known to have seen the film. One of those, from the conservative Washington Times, recounted her experience:

Julia Duin, a religion reporter for The Washington Times, tells a bizarre tale of being invited to a screening at a church in Orlando, Fla., on Jan. 21 by Gibson's publicist. At the event, she says she was forced to sign a confidentiality agreement promising not to reveal anything about the film, was kicked out before the film started, and eventually snuck back in to view all but 25 minutes of the movie.

"Paranoia is a good adjective to describe it," she said of the experience. "I did not enjoy it." When asked about the film, she said it was "not very complimentary to the Jewish leaders of the time, but I didn't think it was anti-Semitic. I don't think you come away from it thinking that Jews are all bad for all time."

The agreement Duin had to sign stated that "'The Passion of the Christ,' is a work in progress, not yet ready for public scrutiny." It also required screeners to agree to "hold confidential my exposure, knowledge and opinions of the film and the question and answer session with Mr. Gibson."

The statement added that a media embargo for reviews and articles about the film's contents would be in effect until the week the film opens, but "pastors and church leaders are free to speak out in support of the movie and your opinions resulting from today's experience and exposure to this project."

What is Gibson trying to hide? You can read all my updates on the film by clicking here.

The Oregonian is a paper that loves to endorse Republicans like George W. Bush. The only time they've endorsed a Democrat was Bill Clinton in 1992 (though they changed their minds and backed Bob Dole in '96). So their editorial on Bush this week was all the more damning:

Sadly, George W. Bush's performance during a "Meet the Press" interview on Sunday was lackluster across the board. By now, Americans are familiar with a kind of contagious unease they sometimes feel, watching the president fumble for answers.

What was downright unnerving this time, however, was the president's failure to betray even a whisker of the possibility that he has learned something from the collapse of prewar intelligence on Iraq.

Americans now know that the President brought the country into a unprovoked war with Iraq based on bad intelligence and a misinformation campaign led by Bush himself.

His unwillingness to adjust course made his statement "I'm a war president" far from reassuring. Although we can all hope that the future proves the president right about Iraq, Americans need straight answers now. And Bush gave no sign he's demanding them.

Where is this president's anger? Where is his determination to get to the bottom of intelligence failures that led him to conclude Saddam Hussein was hiding weapons of mass destruction?

"In light of not finding the weapons of mass destruction, do you believe the war in Iraq is a war of choice or a war of necessity?" NBC's Tim Russert asked the president.

"I think that's an interesting question. Please elaborate on that a little bit," Bush said. "A war of choice or a war of necessity? It's a war of necessity. We . . . had no choice when we looked at the intelligence I looked at . . ."

Which was in error, Mr. President.

The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force in Des Moines, Iowa has issued subpoenas to Drake University demanding that the school hand over records concerning an anti-war forum held on their campus. One of the items the FBI has demanded is a list of everyone who attended. The Associated Press reports:

In addition to the subpoena of Drake University, subpoenas were served this past week on four of the activists who attended a Nov. 15 forum at the school, ordering them to appear before a grand jury Tuesday, the protesters said.

Those served subpoenas include the leader of the Catholic Peace Ministry, the former coordinator of the Iowa Peace Network, a member of the Catholic Worker House, and an anti-war activist who visited Iraq in 2002.

"This is exactly what people feared would happen," said Brian Terrell of the peace ministry, one of those subpoenaed. "The civil liberties of everyone in this country are in danger. How we handle that here in Iowa is very important on how things are going to happen in this country from now on."

Why is a FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force being used to investigate American citizens opposed to the war in Iraq? The FBI won’t comment. But the Bush White House has used the FBI in the past to gather information on Americans opposed to their military policies.

No administration has been so brazen in their misuse of the FBI since Richard Nixon.

Cartoon from the Center for American Progress.

About the cartoonist

Matt Wuerker is a freelance cartoonist/illustrator whose work appears in magazines and newspapers across the country. His new book,"The Madness of King George: The Ingenious Insanity of our most 'Misunderestimated' President" done with writer Michael K. Smith, will be out in December from Common Courage Press.

(from MoveOn.org)

In an attempt to evade responsibility for the misleading statements that pushed the nation into war, Bush has announced plans to form an independent inquiry to look into what went wrong. An inquiry would serve the Bush administration well: it would envelop the issue in a fog of uncertainty, deflect blame onto the intelligence services, and delay any political damage until 2005, after the upcoming election.

But the facts need no clarification. Despite repeated warnings from the CIA and the Defense Intelligence Agency, President Bush and his administration hyped and distorted the threat that Iraq posed. And now that reality is setting in, the President wants to pin the blame on someone else. We can't let him.

Congress has the power to censure the President -- to formally reprimand him for betraying the nation's trust. If ever there was a time for this, it's now.

Join our call on Congress to censure President Bush.

If you listen to KBOO Radio in Portland than you've heard the voice of Andrew Stelzer. Andrew worked in their newsroom and was a man about town. When he first moved to Portland from New York City, I hired him to work at the Goose Hollow Family Shelter where he served for over two years as a shelter manager and administrative assistant. In that job he kept me from falling apart day after day. He was a great person to have around. Now he's been hired for a big-time radio job in Tampa, FL. The station is WMNF. Andrew, Portland's going to miss you. Good luck!

My cousin-in-law Charles Martin got me started with this new Google-inspired online community called orkut. Check it out. If you're single this might be another place to meet people. Otherwise it seems like a good venue for networking and maybe finding old friends. You have to be invited to join this group. If you want an invite let me know and I'll get one for you.

Several new visitors have found my blog via AboutItAll.com. Thanks for the plug.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has issued a good statement on Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ and guidelines for Lutherans to consider when watching the film.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has committed itself to "live out our faith in Jesus Christ with love and respect for the Jewish people" (1994 Declaration to the Jewish Community). Our Guidelines for Lutheran-Jewish Relations include reminders that "the New Testament . . . must not be used as justification for hostility towards present-day Jews," and that "blame for the death of Jesus should not be attributed to Judaism or the Jewish people." In keeping with these commitments, we view with concern recent public reports regarding the forthcoming film on the Passion by Mr. Mel Gibson.

Recognizing his stature and influence as a film producer and celebrity, we can expect that Mr. Gibson's project will shape or reshape understandings of this central Christian story for millions of viewers. It is imperative that such influence be exercised with due regard for the powerful heritage of the Passion as gospel truth for Christians and as human tragedy for many Jews. It is possible to use the occasion of this major media event to build understanding and goodwill among Jews, Christians, and many others.

This statement is an important one for the Christian community.

The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism has also put up a new section on their web site offering readers updated information on the film. The Religious Action Center is an important voice in social justice and their site covers a range of current topics.

(CNN) -- American Airlines is investigating reports that a pilot asked passengers to identify themselves as Christians so non-Christians on board could talk to them about their faith, a spokesman said Sunday.

Well, I always pray when I fly American.

Some of my favorite moments:

***

Russert: The Bush-Cheney first three years, the unemployment rate has gone up 33 percent, there has been a loss of 2.2 million jobs. We've gone from a $281 billion surplus to a $521 billion deficit. The debt has gone from 5.7 trillion, to $7 trillion up 23 percent.

Based on that record, why should the American people rehire you as CEO?

President Bush: Sure, because I have been the President during a time of tremendous stress on our economy and made the decisions necessary to lead that would enhance recovery. We’ll review the bidding here. The stock market started to decline in March of 2000. That was the first sign that things were troubled. The recession started upon my arrival. It could have been some say February, some say March, some speculate maybe earlier it started, but nevertheless it happened as we showed up here.

***

Russert: The General Accounting Office, which are the nation's auditors...

President Bush: Yeah.

Russert: ...have done a study of our finances.

President Bush: Um hmm.

Russert: And this is what your legacy will be to the next generation. It says that our “current fiscal policy is unsustainable.” They did a computer simulation that shows that balancing the budget in 2040 could require either cutting total Federal spending in half or doubling Federal taxes.

President Bush: Um hmm.

***

President Bush: If you look at the appropriations bills that were passed under my watch, in the last year of President Clinton, discretionary spending was up 15 percent, and ours have steadily declined.

And the other thing that I think it's important for people who watch the expenditures side of the equation is to understand we are at war, Tim, and any time you commit your troops into harm's way, they must have the best equipment, the best training, and the best possible pay. That's where we owe it to their loved ones.

Russert: That's a very important point. Every president since the Civil War who has gone to war has raised taxes, not cut them.

President Bush: Yeah.

Russert: Raised to pay for it. Why not say, I will not cut taxes any more until we have balanced the budget? If our situation is so precious and delicate because of the war, why do you keep cutting taxes and draining money from the treasury?

President Bush: Well, because I believe that the best way to stimulate economic growth is to let people keep more of their own money.

***

For more on the interview check out the Center for American Progress.

Still the best band ever.

Pat Robertson's right-wing Christian Broadcasting Network is showing their support for Mel Gibson's movie The Passion of the Christ with special online resources on their web site. Check them out. While you're at the site make sure to read the materials on Ronald Reagan, gays, and women. It's a real treat.

Governor Howard Dean has made one of those historic runs for President that will impact American politics for a generation. Contributing to his campaign and voting for him in Missouri’s primary were worthwhile moments. Howard Dean won’t be the next President of the United States, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be President one day. Governor Dean may be the Ronald Reagan of this generation – a person who transforms a party over time and eventually claims the prize. Now – just like Reagan in 1968 and 1976 – Howard Dean needs to face the reality of losing back to back primaries and get behind the winner. Our task is to defeat George W. Bush and reclaim our democracy. I’m sorry that Howard Dean won’t be that man – this time.

Blog for America : Dean: 'This Race and Debate Will Continue' | February 07, 2004

Liz got all dolled up for our dinner out this evening. Here she is – now 15 weeks pregnant. She’s just beginning to show. Only 6 more months before we have twins hanging out around the house.

Tomorrow is my 35th birthday and tonight we celebrated by going to Giovanni’s on the Hill. This has to be one of the best restaurants we’ve ever come across. People should fly to St. Louis just to eat there. Oprah made it famous after a missed flight to Chicago stranded her overnight and she found herself wanting Italian food. She liked the pasta so much that she invited Giovanni Gabriele on her show. We had Ecuadorian shrimp, salmon pasta, veal, and salads. The only downside: my course was named after Ronald Reagan. But they also had pictures on the wall of Al Gore and Dick Gephardt. So there was a bi-partisan feel to the place.

On April 25, 2004 there will be a national pro-choice march in Washington, DC. The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice has information on their web site about how people of faith can become involved. General information can be found here.

Kathie Lee Gifford told Larry King last night that The Passion of The Christ was in no way anti-Semitic.

Here’s part of the transcript:

GIFFORD: You know what, we had a screening of it in our own home a couple weeks ago. And I had a lot of friends who were curious about it.

KING: You're not Catholic?

GIFFORD: I'm not Catholic. No, I am a very bad Christian.

KING: Rooming.

GIFFORD: I try to live my life according the way Jesus lived his but I'm human and don't do that great. The movie was the most powerful thing that I've ever seen in my life. Without a doubt. As great a "Braveheart" was, this is 10 times "Braveheart." This is the most powerful film I've ever seen. People that could not speak for 10 minutes afterwards.

KING: What about the anti-Semitism?

GIFFORD: Not a bit. Then you are going to have to call the whole New Testament anti-Semitic. If you want to do that, fine. But I think the people that are calling are doing it because they have a certain agenda that is just unfair. They're defaming, Mel, actually.

KING: Some responsible people have said it, some very responsible people.

GIFFORD: Yes, they have. I have a Jewish gay friend, one of my dearest friend, who watched it in our home. And afterwards he said to me, it's not anti-semitic at all. If a Jewish guy killed somebody else a month ago in the Bronx, am I responsible for it?

It is bothersome to me that people like Gifford are so dismissive of Jewish concerns. People have e-mailed me or posted comments on my blog with similar statements.

Yes, fellow Christians, the followers of Jesus have done terrible violence to the Jews in the name of Christ. There is, in fact, anti-Semitism in the New Testament. I wonder if Gifford has ever studied it.

What bothers me the most are her comments that Jewish leaders are simply trying to defame Gibson. That statement alone smacks of anti-Semitism on Gifford’s part and a total disregard for history.

George W. Bush promised this week to appoint an "independent" nine-member commission to look into why he lied about Iraq having WMD. Today he managed to come up with only seven of the nine members. The good news: one of those members is John McCain. The bad news: he didn't allow democrats to participate in developing the commission and the report won't be done until after the elections.

My wife Liz brought a group from Missouri Progressive Vote Coalition to the downtown St. Louis boatshow to protest the Yacht tax loop hole. As Liz wrote in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch,

When the super-rich want to buy a $1 million yacht, they pay $14,500, or 1.45 percent in taxes, in the form of a watercraft fee. When anyone buys a ski boat for $20,000, they'll pay $1,465 in taxes, or 7.325 percent. The boat buyer pays taxes at a rate five times higher than the yacht buyer.

This yacht loophole is well protected by Republicans in the Legislature at a great cost to our state. Had the millionaire paid sales taxes on his million-dollar purchase, our state would have gained an additional $73,250 - enough to pay the starting salary of more than 2.5 teachers in a school district like St. Charles. Yacht buyers have been given an unfair tax break by the Legislature that robs our state of funds that could go to education.

Hundreds of people attending the boat show were given flyers with information on how they could contact the Missouri Legislature to demand the loophole be closed. Two media outlets were there to do stories.

Thanks to our neighbor Garrett Enloe for the photo.

I'm trying out a new feature to bring sound to my blog. This is just a test.

It turns out my seminary colleague Becky Klemme has a great web site. Check it out.

CIA Director George Tenet gave a speech today in which he said US intelligence agencies never told the White House that Iraq was an imminent threat.

In the run up to the US war against Iraq all we heard from the White House was how Iraq was nearly ready to invade the US unless something was done to stop them.

Yet this week the White House even claimed they never called Iraq an imminent threat. All this is a bad attempt by the Bush White House to re-write history and cover-up how they misled the America people into supporting a war that has cost over 500 Americans and thousands of Iraq's people.

Did the White House claim Iraq was an imminent threat when asking for support for their war? Let their own words damn them:

"There's no question that Iraq was a threat to the people of the United States." • White House spokeswoman Claire Buchan, 8/26/03

"We ended the threat from Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction."
• President Bush, 7/17/03

Iraq was "the most dangerous threat of our time."
• White House spokesman Scott McClellan, 7/17/03

"Saddam Hussein is no longer a threat to the United States because we removed him, but he was a threat...He was a threat. He's not a threat now."
• President Bush, 7/2/03

"Absolutely."
• White House spokesman Ari Fleischer answering whether Iraq was an "imminent threat," 5/7/03

"We gave our word that the threat from Iraq would be ended."
• President Bush 4/24/03

"The threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction will be removed."
• Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, 3/25/03

"It is only a matter of time before the Iraqi regime is destroyed and its threat to the region and the world is ended."
• Pentagon spokeswoman Victoria Clarke, 3/22/03

"The people of the United States and our friends and allies will not live at the mercy of an outlaw regime that threatens the peace with weapons of mass murder."
• President Bush, 3/19/03

"The dictator of Iraq and his weapons of mass destruction are a threat to the security of free nations."
• President Bush, 3/16/03

"This is about imminent threat."
• White House spokesman Scott McClellan, 2/10/03

Iraq is "a serious threat to our country, to our friends and to our allies."
• Vice President Dick Cheney, 1/31/03

Iraq poses "terrible threats to the civilized world."
• Vice President Dick Cheney, 1/30/03

Iraq "threatens the United States of America."
• Vice President Cheney, 1/30/03

"Iraq poses a serious and mounting threat to our country. His regime has the design for a nuclear weapon, was working on several different methods of enriching uranium, and recently was discovered seeking significant quantities of uranium from Africa."
• Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, 1/29/03

"Well, of course he is.”
• White House Communications Director Dan Bartlett responding to the question “is Saddam an imminent threat to U.S. interests, either in that part of the world or to Americans right here at home?”, 1/26/03

"Saddam Hussein possesses chemical and biological weapons. Iraq poses a threat to the security of our people and to the stability of the world that is distinct from any other. It's a danger to its neighbors, to the United States, to the Middle East and to the international peace and stability. It's a danger we cannot ignore. Iraq and North Korea are both repressive dictatorships to be sure and both pose threats. But Iraq is unique. In both word and deed, Iraq has demonstrated that it is seeking the means to strike the United States and our friends and allies with weapons of mass destruction."
• Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, 1/20/03

"The Iraqi regime is a threat to any American. ... Iraq is a threat, a real threat."
• President Bush, 1/3/03

"The world is also uniting to answer the unique and urgent threat posed by Iraq whose dictator has already used weapons of mass destruction to kill thousands."
• President Bush, 11/23/02

"I would look you in the eye and I would say, go back before September 11 and ask yourself this question: Was the attack that took place on September 11 an imminent threat the month before or two months before or three months before or six months before? When did the attack on September 11 become an imminent threat? Now, transport yourself forward a year, two years or a week or a month...So the question is, when is it such an immediate threat that you must do something?"
• Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, 11/14/02

"Saddam Hussein is a threat to America."
• President Bush, 11/3/02

"I see a significant threat to the security of the United States in Iraq."
• President Bush, 11/1/02

"There is real threat, in my judgment, a real and dangerous threat to American in Iraq in the form of Saddam Hussein."
• President Bush, 10/28/02

"The Iraqi regime is a serious and growing threat to peace."
• President Bush, 10/16/02

"There are many dangers in the world, the threat from Iraq stands alone because it gathers the most serious dangers of our age in one place. Iraq could decide on any given day to provide a biological or chemical weapon to a terrorist group or individual terrorists."
• President Bush, 10/7/02

"The Iraqi regime is a threat of unique urgency."
• President Bush, 10/2/02

"There's a grave threat in Iraq. There just is."
• President Bush, 10/2/02

"This man poses a much graver threat than anybody could have possibly imagined."
• President Bush, 9/26/02

"No terrorist state poses a greater or more immediate threat to the security of our people and the stability of the world than the regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq."
• Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, 9/19/02

"Some have argued that the nuclear threat from Iraq is not imminent - that Saddam is at least 5-7 years away from having nuclear weapons. I would not be so certain. And we should be just as concerned about the immediate threat from biological weapons. Iraq has these weapons."
• Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, 9/18/02

"Iraq is busy enhancing its capabilities in the field of chemical and biological agents, and they continue to pursue an aggressive nuclear weapons program. These are offensive weapons for the purpose of inflicting death on a massive scale, developed so that Saddam Hussein can hold the threat over the head of any one he chooses. What we must not do in the face of this mortal threat is to give in to wishful thinking or to willful blindness."
• Vice President Dick Cheney, 8/29/02

Our Portland friends Michelle Moyer Westwood and John Westwood had a baby girl on Sunday. Madeline Olivia Westwood came early, but is doing well. We're excitied to have another baby born into our circle of friends.

Voting for Howard Dean on Tuesday was one of those rare moments when you could actually feel proud of a vote. The Dean campaign is asking supporters to stick with them until Wisconsin. That's all the time they've got left and the Governor knows it. After supporting Howard Dean for more than a year, I need to see a win before I move on to another candidate who can defeat GWB. You can read the most recent campaign message here:

Blog for America : From Roy Neel: You are breaking records | February 05, 2004

Good luck, Governor!

Mel Gibson is set to delete a scene from his film The Passion of the Christ.

A reporter for The New York Times wrote yesterday about the movie:

Mel Gibson, responding to focus groups as much as to protests by Jewish critics, has decided to delete a controversial scene about Jews from his film, "The Passion of the Christ," a close associate said today.

A scene in the film, in which the Jewish high priest Caiaphas calls down a kind of curse on the Jewish people by declaring of the Crucifixion, "His blood be on us and on our children," will not be in the movie's final version, said the Gibson associate, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

This reporter was shown a two-hour version of the R-rated movie this week. The film features agonizing passages as Jesus, played by Jim Caviezel, is mercilessly beaten by Jewish and then Roman guards, and jeered and hounded by a Jewish mob on his way to his Crucifixion. It is unclear how close this version is to Mr. Gibson's final film.

In this version, the Roman leader Pontius Pilate is depicted as being reluctant to harm Jesus, who Pilate's wife warns is holy. Largely to mollify a restive Jewish mob outside his window, Pilate agrees to a severe lashing and scourging of Jesus, but the crowd and the high priest demand more.

Pilate says in Latin: "Ecce homo" — "Behold the man" — displaying the broken and bleeding Jesus to the crowd. But the high priest insists, in Aramaic, "Crucify him." Pilate responds, "Isn't this enough?" The mob roars, "No," and only then does the Roman leader agree to the Crucifixion.

Because passion plays historically preceded outbreaks of anti-Semitic violence in Europe, the film passage is a particularly sensitive matter with Jewish groups at a time when anti-Semitism is on the rise in parts of Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Jewish groups remain concerned about the film. Gibson, who's father has denied the Holocaust took place, would not in a recent interview at first answer the question of whether or not he thought the Holocaust happened. His final answer was unclear.

...Mr. Gibson further raised hackles among Jewish leaders in an exclusive interview by the writer Peggy Noonan published in the March issue of Reader's Digest.

Rabbi Marvin Hier, director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, accused Mr. Gibson of insensitivity when he compared Jewish suffering in the Holocaust to that of millions of others who died in the war.

Ms. Noonan, a former speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan, asked Mr. Gibson about his father, a conservative Catholic who was quoted in a New York Times Magazine article last March as denying that Holocaust took place. Mr. Gibson answered that he loved his father. Ms. Noonan insisted: "You're going to have to go on record. The Holocaust happened, right?"

Mr. Gibson responded: "I have friends and parents of friends who have numbers on their arms. The guy who taught me Spanish was a Holocaust survivor. He worked in a concentration camp in France. Yes of course. Atrocities happened. War is horrible. The Second World War killed tens of millions of people. Some of them were Jews in concentration camps. Many people lost their lives. In the Ukraine several million starved to death between 1932 and 1933. During the last century 20 million people died in the Soviet Union."

In a letter to Mr. Gibson, Rabbi Hier wrote: "We are not engaging in competitive martyrdom, but in historical truth. To describe Jewish suffering during the Holocaust as `some of them were Jews in concentration camps' is an afterthought that feeds right into the hands of Holocaust deniers and revisionists."

Meanwhile, conservatives like the Southern Babtist Convention, who believe that Jews should be converted, are defending the film.

(cartoon from Jack Ohman, The Oregonian)

Oregon's new future is here:

The state also must cut deeply into human services. Falling caseloads have freed up money that Kulongoski can use to patch some holes in Oregon's safety net, but tens of thousands of poor children, seniors and disabled people will lose some or all of their health care benefits. Oregon could lose more than $300 million in federal matching grants. These will be painful, damaging cuts, but Oregon has no choice now except to make them.

Shelley Chrystal Mactyre dropped by my blog the other day and had a few nice things to say. It turns out that her father attended Eden Theological Seminary - where I'm at right now. And Shelley attends First Congregational United Church of Chrsit in Hillsboro. My sister and her family also attend there. I'm hoping they'll meet. In the meantime, check out Shelley's site.

One more court victory for civil rights:

worldwide pablo: Out of the closet, George

He called my blog cool. Joe's got some good things to say on taxes and public education.

Did you know?

* 33.6 million people—including almost 13 million children—live in households that experience hunger or the risk of hunger. This represents approximately one in ten households in the United States (10.7 percent).

* Preschool and school-aged children who experience severe hunger have higher levels of chronic illness, anxiety and depression, and behavior problems than children with no hunger, according to a recent study.

* Following years of decline, participation in the food stamp program has been on the rise over the past two years. In August 2003, over 22 million people participated in the food stamp program.

* The U.S. Conference of Mayors reports that in 2002 requests for emergency food assistance increased an average of 19 percent. The study also found that 48 percent of those requesting emergency food assistance were members of families with children and that 38 percent of adults requesting such assistance were employed. High housing costs, low-paying jobs, unemployment, and the economic downturn led the list of reasons contributing to the rise.

31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, "Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.' 37 Then the righteous will answer him, "Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' 40 And the king will answer them, "Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, F189 you did it to me.' 41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, "You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' 44 Then they also will answer, "Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?' 45 Then he will answer them, "Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

- Matthew 25:31-46 (NRSV)

Read more at Bread for the World

Prayer of Confession (used on Election Night)

Dear God, help us to lay aside selfishness and self-interest. Let us be aware of the wounds that misused expertise can cause. Streer us away from the glutton of greed. Move our world closer together. Help us to be more fully communicative, cooperative, and focused toward the end of living as one healthy community. Amen.

(written by Dallas A. Brauninger)