Stephen Colbert Video-WH Correspondents Dinner

Stephen Colbert Video-WH Correspondents Dinner

Here is Stephen Colbert's fantastic "schtick" at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. (From YouTube/farmhand) Enjoy!

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Colbert, Still Digesting His Correspondents' Dinner Reception [Washington Post]

What some reported as a tepid reception to his patter was actually "very respectful silence,"Colbert joked on his show last night.

Everyone Has an Opinion on Colbert's Speech - People Write Letters to Editor and Publisher

"When telling a president the truth offends the White House press corps, we are is serious trouble."

HUH?!
New York Times omits Colbert at correspondents' dinner [Raw Story]

The New York Times' article Monday on the White House correspondent's dinner failed to include any mention of Stephen Colbert, the deadpan host of Comedy Central's Colbert report, RAW STORY has found. In fact, the paper didn't mention the comic's appearance at the dinner at all.

GUFFAW!Steve Doofy Doocy

Fox News Slams Colbert: ‘Inappropriate,’ ‘Over the Line,’ ‘Not Very Funny’ [Think Progress]

John Edwards Delivers Keynote Speech to Brussels Forum

John Edwards Delivers Keynote Speech to Brussels Forum

On Sunday, Senator Edwards was keynote speaker at the first Brussels Forum . The theme was "Trans-Atlantic Challenges in a Global Era." He spoke to political, business and opinion leaders from Europe and North America about the international community's need for new tools to fight nuclear proliferation along with finding cooperative ways to help end conflicts and create stability. Speaking strongly about a common effort needed to control proliferation, with the United States and Europe taking the lead, Senator Edwards brought to my mind a a speech given by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1937 when many American citizens, believing in isolationism, held tightly to the Neutrality Act that was on the law books at the time. (Designed to ensure that, after WWI, the U.S. would not become entangled again in foreign conflicts.)

President Roosevelt was a prescient leader. Back in 1937, he knew the dangers we would someday face. He also understood the precious value of the rule of law. Read the following portion of his speech and think about where America stands on the issues today:

Excerpt of remarks from the "Quarantine speech"
by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Chicago, Illinois
October 5, 1937



To paraphrase a recent author, "perhaps we foresee a time when men, exultant in the technique of homicide, will rage so hotly over the world that every precious thing will be in danger, every book, every picture, every harmony, every treasure garnered through two millenniums, the small, the delicate, the defenseless - all will be lost or wrecked or utterly destroyed."

If those things come to pass in other parts of the world, let no one imagine that America will escape, that America may expect mercy, that this Western hemisphere will not be attacked and that it will continue tranquilly and peacefully to carry on the ethics and the arts of civilization.

No, if those days come, "there will be no safety by arms, no help from authority, no answer in science. The storm will rage until every flower of culture is trampled and all human beings are leveled in a vast chaos." If those days are not to come to pass - if we are to have a world in which we can breathe freely and live in amity without fear - then the peace-loving nations must make a concerted effort to uphold laws and principles on which alone peace can rest secure.

The peace-loving nations must make a concerted effort in opposition to those violations of treaties and those ignorings of human instincts which today are creating a state of international anarchy and instability from which there is no escape through mere isolation or neutrality.

Those who cherish their freedom and recognize and respect the equal right of their neighbors to be free and live in peace, must work together for the triumph of law and moral principles in order that peace, justice, and confidence may prevail throughout the world. There must be a return to a belief in the pledged word, in the value of a signed treaty. There must be recognition of the fact that national morality is as vital as private morality.

If America doesn't lead, who will?

If we look at the world being led by the Bush administration today, we see a 21st-Century turning of the tables on the word "isolation". Neo-isolationism is not a viable political alternative, especially when we are presented with the completely false choice of "Which will it be - isolationism or preemptive war?" It seems that our nation's current state of isolation is not of its own accord. Because of the absence of American leadership in international cooperative efforts, our nation is being isolated by the international community.

America was isolated while the world moved on the climate treaty. (Before weaker partnerships and environmental protections were formed by the July 2005 Asia-Pacific Partnership for Clean Development and Climate). America has become isolated on the issues of international women's health and on the ICC. America is being isolated from some of its closest allies as the EU backs a proposal for new UN Human Rights Council. Most unfortunate for America, she has become isolated from her allies because of the unilateralism of the Bush administration. We cannot remain an isolated country if we believe in a just world where nations can come together in common purpose to meet great challenges and to accomplish great things for future generations for every person on the planet.

Since our nation's involvement in WWII, we have become aware of the real dangers to national security that we face overseas. We no longer believe that we can make only unilateral decisions and expect that peace will thrive around the world as a result of those unilateral choices. Our economic interests are tied to the international community. Cooperation through international organizations, the exercising of diplomacy, the promotion of free trade, and treaty-making (along with treaty-keeping) are all necessary in order to make peaceful progress and to increase freedom and democracy for the benefit of the American people and all the world's people.

The Bush doctrine of pre-emptive war has caused our nation to be set on a new and dangerous path of unilateralism that has caused us to become isolated from the rest of the international community in ways that the people who've been responsible for shaping U.S. foreign policy within the Bush administration may have never foreseen. They have rejected multilateralism, shunned foreign alliances, international institutions, treaties, and other international agreements. Military power alone was threatened when diplomacy was sorely required. We now know that unnecessary war was waged. America's reputation in the world has been tarnished and there are few nations who currently wish to emulate our brand of foreign policy. We need to get back to the roots of our nation's core founding values and to return from the dangerous precipice of unilateralism and pre-emptive war to international cooperation and respect for the rule of law.

There have been fears that the NPT (Nuclear Proliferation Treaty) would be literally destroyed because President Bush declared that he'd work with India to change both US and international law to permit trade in US civilian nuclear technology with India while, at the same time, he is attempting to deny Iran (an NPT signatory) civilian nuclear technology. In his speech to the Brussels Forum, Senator Edwards suggests that instead of accepting the inherent weaknesses of the global non-proliferation regime, it can be looked at as an opportunity for the international community to fix what is broken. He told the Forum attendees that he believes a new global nuclear compact should be created to reinforce the NPT and close the loophole that allows civilian nuclear programs to go military. He wants the U.S. and Europe to take the lead to promote a global ban on the production of material for nuclear weapons and to establish global standards to safeguard the material so that nuclear weapons never reach the hands of terrorists.

President Roosevelt said there could be no stability or peace either within nations or between nations except under laws and moral standards adhered to by all. In his 1937 speech he said:

"International anarchy destroys every foundation for peace. It jeopardizes either the immediate or the future security of every nation, large or small. It is, therefore, a matter of vital interest and concern to the people of the United States that the sanctity of international treaties and the maintenance of international morality be restored."

Today, more than ever, Senator Edwards understands that America should be engaged and work with others to help solve this world's many problems. As he said on Sunday, "spreading democracy is not about knocking regimes down; it's about building democratic institutions and communities that will protect basic freedoms." We need to achieve those goals together.

**Transcript of Senator Edwards' Brussels Forum speech


*Cross-posted at One America Committee (guest-blogger feature)

New Book By Anonymoses

New Book By Anonymoses


Anonymoses (aka Dave Beckwith) has written a book called "The Great Chain of Conversation" which will is now available for sale at Lulu.com.

BUY THE BOOK HERE

Colbert Shines at WH Correspondents' Dinner

Colbert Shines at WH Correspondents' Dinner

Lib_dem at One America has a great summary of Stephen Colbert's remarks at last night's White House Correspondents' Dinner. One sampling of Colbert's brilliant satire:

"See who we've got here tonight. General Moseley, Air Force Chief of Staff. General Peter Pace. They still support Rumsfeld. You guys aren't retired yet, right? Right, they still support Rumsfeld. Look, by the way, I've got a theory about how to handle these retired Generals causing all this trouble: don't let them retire. C'mon, we've got a stop loss program, let's use it on these guys. If you're strong enough to go on one of those pundit shows, you can stand on a bank of computers and order men into battle. C'mon."

The video of Mr. Colbert's remarks can be seen here: Part One and Part Two

Tar Heel Tavern #62 - The Best of North Carolina

Tar Heel Tavern #62 - The Best of North Carolina


The Bull City Bully Pulpit hosts Tar Heel Tavern #62.

Beinart on Joe Klein

Beinart on Joe Klein

Peter Beinart reviews Joe Klein's new book. According to Mr. Beinart, Joe Klein is looking for something to enjoy as we look toward the 2008 Presidential campaign. (And who could blame him for wanting to leave the gloom and doom behind?) Klein's pretty tough on Democrats, and Beinart says it's for "good reason" - - political consultants are "at their most debilitating when the politicians they serve lack the courage of their convictions."

Gore in 2000 and Kerry in 2004 lacked the self-confidence to fire the consultants who kept them from saying what they really believed [..] Klein rightly flays Gore and Kerry for not being true to themselves..

Beinart mentions "the revolt against the consultants" and says that Joe Klein will likely get his wish for a more lively political campaign in 2008, when politics will become "more blunt, more free-wheeling, more fun."

Speaking from my own experience, I have been blogging at former Senator and VP candidate John Edward's One America Committee blog, and I've paid close attention to Senator Edwards' activity out there in grassroots America. I've watched him focus on the 21st-century fight against Poverty and I see that he's inspiring others to do the same. I read about his leadership on a recent trip to New Orleans where he and college students spent their Spring break assisting in the post-Katrina clean-up and rebuilding. I've listened to his impassioned speeches at colleges, in town halls, at union gatherings. Tomorrow night he will speak in Brussels to the most influential American and European political, corporate, and intellectual leaders to address pressing challenges currently facing both sides of the Atlantic. [Brussels Forum: Transatlantic Challenges in a Global Era]

Mr. Beinart closes by saying

Whether authenticity leads to victory, however, is less certain. Democrats may be learning to speak from the heart. But in a party that has been confused about its core beliefs for almost four decades, no one can be entirely sure how that will sound.

I understand Beinart's fear and I believe we both have the same hope that the American public, after so many years of Republican talking points that sound fantastic but wound up having no meat - (not even filler), will open their ears to a Democrat whose ideas don't just sound like more empty hamburger buns. They want the whole sandwich and they won't vote for anything less. I think Joe Klein will not only become interested while watching John Edwards as 2008 approaches...he may start turning some cartwheels and singing "Hallelujah". Edwards isn't "learning how" to speak from the heart...he's doing it right now... with gusto!

I Am But A Visitor to This Place

UNC Chapel Hill in May

I Am But A Visitor to This Place

I sit here in Syracuse N.Y., but in my mind I'm goin' to Carolina. How fond I have become of the South in the Springtime. The North Carolina flowers bloom long before the snow melts away in the Northeast.

I recall the pastoral scenes from small towns along Route 85, the Blue Ridge wind singing ancient songs as it tickles my ear, the jewel-like Charlotte skyline at night, the charm of its tree-lined streets and sweet-smelling magnolia blossoms. I carry it with me throughout all my days. Every place has its own soul...it's own story. I've come away enchanted by the soul of these North Carolina places. I am haunted by great mystery, and North Carolina has more than its share of ghosts and inexplicable happenings.

One passed-down set of North Carolinian stories that has captured my imagination comes

from the days not so long ago when flesh and blood fell from the sky like rain. It happened in Sampson and Chatham counties. The first "flesh fall" recorded in North Carolina occurred on 15 February 1850 on the farm of Thomas Clarkson, thirteen miles southwest of the county seat of Clinton. The strange event was written about in the North Carolinian, a newspaper published in Fayetteville. In an account of that first incident, it was written:

"On the 15th Feb'y, 1850, there fell within 100 yards of the residence of Thos. M. Clarkson in Sampson county, a shower of Flesh and Blood, about 250 or 300 yards in length [...] Neill Campbell, Esq. living close by, was on the spot shortly after it fell, and pronounced it as above. One of his children was about 150 yards from the shower and came running to the rest saying he smelt something like blood. During the time it was falling there was a cloud overhead, having a red appearance like a wind cloud. There was no rain." [link]

The second flesh fall recorded in North Carolina occurred on February 25, 1884. Mrs. Kit Lasater, wife of a black tenant farmer who lived on the farm of Silas Beckworth in New Hope Township in Chatham County was standing in a freshly plowed field near a barn a short distance from her family's one room cabin when blood fell from a clear sky upon the ground, bushes and fence all around her. This strange event was chronicled in the local newspaper, the Chatham Record. Of the event, the paper reported:

"Many of the neighbors, after hearing of her statement, visited the spot and they all say that the ground--embracing an area of about 60 feet in circumference--was covered with splotches of something like blood: and an examination of the trees in this place showed blood on the branches. We are informed that a reputable physician of the neighborhood visited the spot and said it was blood." [link]

Chatham County has other legends, such as the one that began shortly after the first settlers came to Chatham County when they discovered a strange site, which soon became known as the Devil's Tramping Ground. An infertile circular patch of ground was thought to be Beelzebub's own footprints...the nocturnal retreat of the hellish Prince of Darkness which was shunned and avoided by the Chatham countyfolk.


Another legends surrounds lost treasure. A large amount of gold and silver was said to have been cached during the Civil War by the owner of the Williamson Plantation near Bynum on the Haw River. He was killed during the war without ever having revealed the location of the alleged cache.


I visited this little corner of the world of mystery last May. There's a lake covering the land where an entire community once stood. I sat in a very old cemetary that sits just off the side of the highway amid a small plot of leaning headstones in a field of wildflowers and weeds. Bugs buzzing 'round my head. The sound of an occasional car passing by. I found the headstone of a Silas Beckwith. Hmmm...Silas Beckwith...Silas Beckworth? Could they have been one and the same? I closed my eyes and tried to imagine blood and flesh falling down from a pink cloud in an otherwise blue North Carolina sky. Today you'd have your scientists running DNA tests and telling you exactly where that blood and flesh came from. You can't fool anyone these days. Mysteries are solved in the blink of an eye or the swish of a test tube. But what if it happened today and it stymied even the most advanced teams in the scientific community?

"I am but a visitor in the land of living things. The skin we wear is but a temporary robe.... That which we may receive in this place must be left here.. things cannot be taken with us, but all of our riches that we have accumulated in memories and knowledge shall go with us forever...."

- from Robert Morning Sky's 10 commandments of the Star Warriors

PNAC and Bush Admin Gave "Experience" a Bad Name

PNAC and Bush Admin Gave "Experience" a Bad Name

Stephen Colbert is a satirical American treasure. His interview of Bill Kristol the other night on Comedy Central's Colbert Report opened up the bleeding wound that was just beginning to scar over. Mr. Kristol gets a "special dressing" for that embarrassing wound every Sunday on Fox News...another chance each week to explain away the mountainous error of his (and the PNAC's) Utopian pre-Iraq war fantasies. Mr. Kristol isn't some neocon monster. He's a very intelligent man who got a little too drunk on his own power. He and a lot of other "experienced" men and women who were "in good" with the other "experienced" men and women in Bush administration got their big chance to use some of that "experience" to create ideas that brought our nation to the threshhold of a war that was never necessary. Where "experience" might have whispered "Be careful" in their ear, they ignored the voice. Their vision was too close. They held the power in their hands. "Experience" was set aside as they embarked on a never-before attempted endeavor. Pre-emptive war. Pax Americana.

The "experience" of war-seasoned Generals was ignored.
The "experience" of chickenhawk wonks prevailed.
These "experienced" people have made a f&$king mess of things for our nation.

The next time I hear ANYONE complaining about a Russ Feingold, a Mark Warner, a Hillary Clinton, or a John Edwards with the complaint that he (or she) has no foreign policy "experience", I think I will remind them that EXPERIENCE DIDN'T WIN US ANY BROWNIE POINTS in Bush's war on terror.

Bill Kristol is still a powerful guy..and a smart fellow. After Iraq, however, we see that he has not won by the power of his (or the PNAC's) ideas. As a matter of fact, we see that those ideas are quite dangerous. Perhaps they are more dangerous than the threat of terror itself.

So, when you hear Bill Kristol flapping his gums with a flash of his winning smile on Fox News talking about our need to gear up the wheels of the military draft in preparation for war on Iran and the Sudan, remember how far "experience" got us in Iraq. These people failed us. They failed our troops. They misled us. For all their "experience", they are empty power-drunk heads with missing hearts. A recent poll showed that 94% of Americans now understand that they were lied to. These "experienced" men of power couldn't win a f*$#king heart or mind in Iraq and they aren't doing such a hot job right here at home, either. They've lost the trust of American citizens because their actions (and the results of those actions) have proven that, for all their "experience", they do not deserve trust.

America deserves better than this and we all know it. We need to start electing trustworthy, intuitive, and intelligent leaders with better ideas. "Experience" tells us that we need to put these liars far behind us.


Transcript
Video

A Soldier Writes to President Bush

A Soldier Writes to President Bush

This letter was sent to President Bush by someone I know and admire...an American soldier and patriot whose vision of America I support. Please take a moment to read it.

A Controversy in Europe Is Silenced in U.S.

A Controversy in Europe Is Silenced in U.S.

Who is this man.... and why is he at the center of a controversial news story that is big in Europe, connected to our own ineterests here in America, yet never talked about in our media?

Why don't we talk about the body counts in Iraq? If other societies aren't squeamish about it, why do American cable TV news pundits with their perfect coifs and chiclet smiles never talk about the people who are dying in the country with whom we went to an absolutely unnecessary war? Why is John Sloboda (seen in the photo) being knowingly stingy with the numbers he allows to be put up on the IBC website (Iraq Body Count)?
Why is he so hot under the collar about journalists like John Pilger who confront him on the facts? Read this story (by Gabriele Zamparini) and you will find out.

What would make a man like John Sloboda refuse to answer relevant questions from media watchdog Media Lens? The editors of Media Lens' central claim is that IBC underestimates the number of deaths in Iraq by relying on western media reports.They just aren't independent of Western media...not enough to be considered a reliable source of information. From A BBC Two report:

Media Lens and other critics have also attacked IBC for being run by "amateurs", unlike the professional epidemiologists who ran the sample-based Lancet study....An editorial asks: "How many journalists are aware that IBC is not in fact run by professional epidemiologists?

Aren't the European and American societies already aware (and sick) enough of the lies that make up the debate by those who want to hide and/or cover up the numbers? (See David Fuller's BBC follow-up and Media Lens' final word).

Bottom line, we still don't know exactly how many people have been killed as a result of the Iraq War. The powers that be, along with the assistance of a media that keep the story "fuzzy", don't want you to know. Is John Sloboda a willing accomplice to the "fuzz" or an independent thinker? Decide for yourself.

If you aren't curious to know how many have died...if you do not want to know the truth...then you may keep your head buried in the sand while some of us try to reach the truth for the sake of truth.


*See:

- Do Iraqi Lives Matter? March 2006, Cat's Dream

- Iraqi Civilian Deaths - Time to Know the Truth, March 2006, Cat's Dream

- Dead Reckoning: Counting Iraq's Civilian Dead, May/June 2006, Mother Jones

- Counting the Iraqi Dead; Interview: Tallying the cost of war, and holding power accountable, April 2006, Mother Jones

If We're Addicted to Oil, Where's The Rehab, Already?

If We're Addicted to Oil, Where's The Rehab, Already??

How can you look at your country's people with a straight face, as their leader, and tell them that they'd better "get over their oil addiction" when it's not an addiction, but a necessity? Knowing that we live in the era of globalization where families are not only forced to spread out all over the nation to find job opportunities based on their respective professions, but all over the world - how can George W. Bush pop in at a Gulf Coast gas station and shake someone's gas-pumping hand or put his arm around some poor price-gouged sap and tell them he's going to be able to do a damned thing to help them while hypocritically and unfairly criticizing their alleged "gas-addiction?"

Where's the rehab? There isn't any, you say?
Say! What kind of outreach program is this, anyhow?
Today Bush rejected the idea of a tax on the windfall profits of oil companies.

What has the Bush administration done (and what will they do) to change anything at all? In Biloxi, Miss., Bush renewed his brave call for Congress to give him the authority to "raise" mileage standards for all passenger cars. According to the Washington Post, White House officials said later that they didn't know when or how the president would use that authority! Is Bush all talk and no plan? It seems that way. Tell me where I'm wrong if you disagree. I haven't seen anyone in Congress or the Bush administration juiced up about raising passenger car standards. There has been no action in years. And now the consumer is in deep trouble with these outrageous oil prices.

The reality of globalization, peak oil, and war is coming home to roost and the GOP cannot explain away the great American giveaway with meaningful policy to counter the effects of these rising oil prices. They're being pushed into a corner and now they are trying to look like bold environmentalists when they are little more than robbers and rapists hiding behind years of perveted policy. Blaming the consumer for their habits is cheap and it won't bring about the solutions required by great minds. (There are no great minds in the GOP today, I am convinced.)

Do you say to a cocaine addict, "You need to get off coke"...and then offer $100 apiece to a large group of people to convince them to start brand new poppy fields in order to harvest more coke for the addict's nose?

Think ANWR. The GOP's idea to issue $100 "tax rebates" is no solution, It's an offer to entice Americans to give the GOP political authority to rape the ANWR. To pump out more of the stuff we're being told we're "addicted" to while blaming our culture for the government and the market's failure to come up with real solutions.

I say to that: Bullcrap! we're not addicted. We travel to work, to see our families, to go to the dentist and take our kids to football practice. Show us some creative solutions and to the GOP: stop trying to politically pay us off for supporting our "habit"!

You're in power now - take some real responsibility - show us some REAL ideas!

Partick Fitzgerald Update

Patrick Fitzgerald Update

- I just love Steve Benen's blogpost title: It's beginning to look a lot like Fitzmas.

- Swopa cleverly says that "Rove is trying to pull off one more would-be Houdini maneuver to escape Fitz's tightening of the straps on his legal straitjacket."

- Jeralyn at Talk Left is on the story with an update. According to Raw Story, MSNBC's David Schuster will report today that Rove's lawyers have been told there will be no announcements for at least ten days. Jeralyn has a great collection of news and blogposts at her site.

- Steve Soto has more to say about David Schuster's reporting:

Shuster of MSNBC reported today that despite the sunny appearance from Rove after his grand jury testimony yesterday, he described the experience as “hell”, and he now thinks it is possible that he will be indicted.

Weekly Standard: Replace Rumsfeld with McCain

Weekly Standard: Replace Rumsfeld with McCain

Employing the logic that Senator John McCain's fate is already tied to Iraq, Ari Richter of the Weekly Standard raises the idea of McCain replacing Donald Rumsfeld as Secretary of Defense. I tend to agree with this logic. Bush owes John McCain the chance - especially after all the dirty rotten crap Bush pulled on McCain in the 2000 presidential election race. And McCain certainly would garner more respect and cooperation from our Military, who seem to be teetering on the edge of full blown revolt. The Generals want someone they can work with and respect. We Democrats already know that Bush won't choose anyone of whom we'd approve to replace Rummy. If I was President, my choice would be Wes Clark or Tony Zinni, but I realize that my vision is much different than Bush's. I wouldn't have sent troops unilaterally into Iraq in the first place and I certainly wouldn't have lied or tolerated misleadings and lies from my administration to the American people about Iraq. Rumsfeld needs to go. We know (and can safely cross party lines to agree on) that much. If McCain gets the job and screws up, America will likely decide he doesn't deserve a shot at the presidency. If he comes out smelling like a rose, so be it. All the better for America. There are still some fantastic Democratic candidates waiting to offer better solutions and a competitive new vision for America.

Immigration: Jim Crow 2006

Immigration: Jim Crow 2006

The Rev. Graylan Hagler, senior pastor of Plymouth Congregational United Catholic Church in the District, said yesterday that members of his predominantly black congregation also plan to join the boycott: "There is a growing solidarity between people of color in this country. ... We join with this struggle and embrace it." [Washington Times]

He also called the criminalization of immigrants the new Jim Crow-ism of 2006.

The lack of dignity and respect for human beings in any new immigration legislation will cause a new civil rights battle in this nation.

CSPAN recorded the event from where these comments took flight. See "Int'l May 1st Coalition on Immigrant Boycott" (4/27/2006)


An informal poll of 2,000 immigrants conducted in 20 cities in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia showed that 97 percent of them would risk losing their jobs to participate in an immigration-themed boycott of school, shopping and work planned for May 1st. [see Washington Times]

Catholic Church Speaks Decisively on Immigration

Catholic Church Speaks Decisively on Immigration

The Catholic Bishops are speaking decisively and firmly on the moral issues surrounding immigration while the Conservative Christian leadership is appearing as a fractious and morally confused front.

Democratic Senators Ted Kennedy, Dick Durbin, and Harry Reid will appear with Roman Catholic Cardinals today for a press opportunity [per ABC's Note].

This is not only an American issue. In London today, the Archbishop of Westminster has called on London's Catholic parishes to embrace migrants whatever their legal status (ahead of a major Mass in the UK capital.)


AP writer Rachel Zoll reports [Boston Globe] that "the national immigration debate is muddying Republican relations with Roman Catholics, swing voters who make up about one-quarter of the American electorate." I see the immigration issue as the issue that may reverse the slow tide of once solidly Democratic Catholics leaning toward Republicanism. (What ever were they thinking, anyhow? ;)

Read the first paragraph of this anti-Catholic/anti-human rights manifesto and you may understand why Catholics are turned off by the radical and decidedly immoral stand that is being taken by the far Right.

Citizens Campaign for the Environment (CCE)

Citizens Campaign for the Environment (CCE)


CitizensCampaign.org is a website representing Citizens Campaign for the Environment (CCE). CCE is working on Environmental issues, including the hazards of lawn and garden pesticides. I briefly spoke with one of their representatives Gerard Dolan tonight on my front porch. I was in the middle of a "My Name is Earl" episode (with Clint Howard as Crazy Rodney ;) and he was trying to get through the entire neighborhood, so we only were able to speak briefly. Gerry is not only an environmentalist, he is also an Iraq war veteran with a brand new baby boy (Congrats again, Gerry!) If you're in Syracuse and he or any of the CCE reps come to visit you, be sure to sign their petition to the County legislators for a requirement on Pesticide Neighbor Notification. There are also job opportunities at CCE. See the website for details.

The local office of CCE is at 466 Westcott Street, 2nd Floor, Syracuse, N.Y. 13210, phone 315-72-1339.

Syracuse: Catholic Mass in Support of Moral Immigration Reform

"When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not wrong him. The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens; you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. I the Lord am your God." (Leviticus 19:33)

Syracuse: Catholic Mass in Support of Moral Immigration Reform

Dedicated to the Memory of Sister Karen Klimczak

Sister Karen Klimczak, along with Rev. Roy Herberger, founded Bissonette House, a halfway house for former inmates in the city of Buffalo, N.Y. to provide ex-convicts with opportunity for a new life. Bissonette House was named for a priest named Father A. Joseph Bissonette who'd been murdered at the site. It was a holistic approach to help transition the former inmates who'd had no family or home to go back to after their release from prison back into society. On this past Good Friday, a resident of the house who'd been involved with drugs and was attempting to steal a cell phone killed Sister Karen Klimczak in the same place where she'd tried to help them find jobs and better lives. In conversations that had taken place before she was killed, Sister Karen had maintained that if she were ever the victim of a violent death, she would be adamantly opposed to a death sentence for the perpetrator. If there is one clear message that Sister Karen would wish to ring out from her death, Rev. Herberger believes she would want it to be "forgiveness."

At the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Syracuse, N.Y. last Tuesday, a cardboard sign in the shape of a white dove with blue trim graced the steps of the altar bearing the simple phrase: "I leave peaceprints."


I was told that Sister Karen had created these cut-out signs to display on lawns in Buffalo and that it had been her belief that we leave behind our fingerprints on everything we do. She chose to leave the mark of peace wherever she went and she inspired and challenged others to do the same thing.

It was in that spirit on Tuesday that a Witness and Celebration mass was presided over by Bishop Thomas Costello of the Diocese of Syracuse and attended by mostly sisters who represented Region 2 Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) in New York State in support of the immigrant community and immigration reform that respects all people as human beings. A small group of migrant workers from Guatemala joined the sisters and Bishop Costello in the mass by providing witness, rhythm, and song. This was a group of people that the public had "met" last October when their meager temporary living quarters made of cinder blocks at a pumpkin and onion farm in the town of Schroeppel in Upstate New York had exploded as a result of a propane tank failure and one migrant worker was killed and nine workers were seriously injured. All that was left intact were the mattresses from the floor that they'd slept on and the cardboard boxes they'd lived out of while doing their seasonal work. They couldn't speak a word of English. They were afraid to give their names to the press. Until that place exploded, no one knew or cared much about who they were or why they were there.


A Journey of Hope


Before the mass, there was a rally held at a federal building in
Syracuse where the migrant workers had provided witness to what they had experienced while working the farm fields of America. The LCWR had expressed their preference for immigration reform that would take into account the fullness of the humanity of these migrant workers. Current immigration policies keep an estimated 11 million undocumented persons in the shadows, separate families and disrupt family life and cause undue hardship to those who are working hard. Largely in line with the particulars of the "Secure America Act", co-written by Senators Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts and John McCain of Arizona, a representative of the LCWR advised me that the organization supports the following for migrant workers in the United States:

- Worker Protections
- Reunification of Families
- A Path to Legalization



In the spirit of Sister Karen Klimczak's message of forgiveness and peace, the purpose of this event was to raise people’s awareness of the important issue of the plight of immigrants. The LCWR would like all of us to become more knowledgeable about the particulars of the legislation that is now before the U.S. Congress. As Sister Patricia Burkard of the Sisters of St. Francis in Syracuse has said, "Hopefully, the hearts of whoever hears our message would be moved to actively engage in advocacy for justice for immigrants and that our country will once again welcome the stranger and embrace those who come to this land in search of a better life."



A Message from Most Rev. Thomas Costello

Below I have written a brief summary of Bishop Thomas Costello's homily.

Migrant workers can be cursed, insulted, but they cannot be bid "good riddance". A new population of foreign-born workers in America is affording us more blessings than we can readily identify and while there are problems with immigration, most can be adjusted; some can be solved, but all must be endured. The immigration system we have now in this country is broken. Current laws undermine human dignity and family life. The immigration reform that has come out of the U.S. House of Representatives was flawed, and the reconsideration of the reform toward a more favorable bill for human rights has come from the Senate (*Kennedy-McCain). The Bishop said that the Catholic social teachings and experience as an "immigrant church" (with 71% of new parishioners being foreign-born) play a large part in shaping policy.

Bishop Costello reminded those present of the spiritual directives in the Bible that call upon the faithful to speak out about the issue of immigration. In Deuteronomy, the chosen ones were enslaved in Egypt and God (my comment: in a decidedly political act) God helped them to escape their enslavement. Deuteronomy 27:19 states, "Cursed is he who distorts the justice due an alien, orphan, and widow."
Exodus 12:49 says, "The same law applies to the native-born and to the alien living among you." Exodus 23:21 says, "Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt." The Bishop said that, from our spiritual heritage alone, we should know how alienation feels. Let alien, orphan, and widow find sustenance. Love them.

In the New Testament Gospel of Matthew, Jesus' teachings are clear. He calls upon us to "welcome the stranger." (Mt. 25:31-46) In the parable of the Good Samaritan, He blatantly tells us to embrace the stranger no matter how different he or she may be from us. St. Paul advocated hospitality to the stranger when he reminded us to entertain angels. Hebrew 13:2: "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." We are all one family of God.

In 1891 Pope Leo XIII recognized the right of all people to move freely from nation to nation. Prompted by the refuge crisis after WWII in 1952, Pope Pius XII committed us to caring for the pilgrim, alien, exile, and immigrant alike. (Encyclical Letter Exsul Familia). Pope John XXIII recognized that refugees cannot lose their human rights simply because they are deprived of citizenship of their own states. When there are just reasons in favor of it, he must be permitted to emigrate to other countries and to take up residence there. The fact that he is a citizen of a particular state does not deprive him of membership in the human family, nor the citizenship in that universal society, the common, world-wide fellowship of men. The human rights of every single person demand respect regardless of their legal status. (Pacem in Terris, 1963)

There are economic ramifications surrounding the politicization of immigration reform. There will always be poverty and greed in play. Fear is real since 9/11. When all is said and done, we see that U.S. popular opinion and governmental policy is unfriendly to "the stranger." The INS is probably the least "user-friendly" part of the governmental bureaucracy. There is a sense of apathy about the issue because it is so complicated and confusing. The Bishop assures us there are things we can do to support immigration reform that takes into consideration the dignity of every human being, regardless of their native land.

1. Prayer.
2. Education - becoming self-aware and teaching others.
3. Advocacy

I have one more thing to share with you about the day. I was speaking to one of the Sisters before the mass and I said to her that I couldn't believe that our President was an inhumane person and I hoped he would become a stronger proponent of a moral resolution on immigration reform and lead our nation out of fear and distrust toward an understanding and just compromise on the issue. The Sister replied that perhaps this was President Bush's chance to get into Heaven, because up until now, he hasn't met up to the standards for entry into Gloryland on most of the other issues. ;)

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NYT: Bush Fuzzy and Bland on Immigration

NYT: Bush Fuzzy and Bland on Immigration

Today's New York Times editorial gives President Bush a virtual "NO-DUH!" award for what said in California about the immigration issue yesterday.

"...all President Bush offered was a restatement of the painfully obvious and a bunch of bland generalities.."

They also criticized him over what he failed to say.

"this is a moment for specifics. The president could have argued forcefully for comprehensive reform and spelled out the distinction that the Senate has drawn between an earned route to legalization and the detested free ride of amnesty. Instead, he blandly labeled the Senate compromise an "interesting approach," as if he were pondering a piece of modern art rather than the fate of something central to his domestic agenda."

I wish President Bush was a stronger leader on such an important issue. I didn't vote for him in the last two elections because I do not share his vision for America. Now I'm left to wonder what the hell his vision is. When he fails to argue effectively and convincingly, it opens the door for the radical faction within his own GOP to move the bill far-out Right where most Americans would not care to see it go. I wonder if he has any strong conviction on the issue? I'm not hearing it in the form of any ideas that would spark our curiosity or inspire us to hope for a decent legislative compromise. I don't see Bush as inhuman and I think it's true that mass deportation would be a waste of our tax dollars. But where was he yesterday (other than "in California?")

I had hoped we'd hear something decisive and clear from Bush yesterday. And then I woke up - - and realized there's not much more to Bush's recent hollow rap on immigration than just rap. And then I woke up - -and realized there isn't much of a leadership vibe going on in the noggin or that heart of Bush's. Is he just an empty suit? We need solid leadership - and knock-knock-knock...HELLO-O?!?....nobody's home. And they accuse Democrats of not having a plan!?!

And could there be any bigger turds than the shameless people within the RNC who've decided to spread out-and-out lies to Mexican immigrants by broadcasting on Spanish-language radio ads in the Southwest that Democrats are supporting efforts to turn illegal immigrants into felons (when Democrats are advocating the opposite?)

Today in Syracuse I'll be attending a public witness on behalf of immigrants that is sponsored by the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, who are leaders of orders of Roman Catholic Sisters across New York State. It will begin at 11:30 a.m. at the James M. Hanley U.S. Court House and Federal Building in Syracuse. From the Catholic Sun:

Immigration lawyer Sister Gaye Moorhead, RSM, will address the sisters during the event. Other speakers will include those who work directly with immigrants as well as immigrants themselves who will share their personal experiences of living and working in the U.S. The public witness will be followed by a Mass celebrated by Bishop Thomas Costello at 1:15 p.m., at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Syracuse. The Sisters of St. Francis have renewed their commitment to stand by immigrants, this time as advocates. The sisters have asked people of all faiths to join them in this event.

Another purpose of the event is to build support for the McCain-Kennedy “Secure America Act,” which includes elements of immigration reform supported by the sisters. In their quest for justice for immigrants, the sisters want government officials to know that opportunities for citizenship, protection of workers’ rights and reunification of families must be part of any effective reform.

I'll be reporting on the event's outcome.

Tags: Bush, Immigration

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