Palin Goes Too Far

Gov. Sarah Palin. I've tried to stay away from that topic because I've doubted, and seen my own continuous failure, to (as Greg Boyd would say) ascribe unsurpassable worth to her even as I am critical of the things she says. So I've tried to just shut up.

But tonight I read an article about how she is now going after Obama's ties to an 'ex-PLO spokesman'. For a moment I was startled. But I almost fell off my chair when I saw who, in fact, she was referring to. Professor Rashid Khalidi is the Chair of Middle Eastern Studies at Columbia University (undoubtedly known to Gov. Palin as that wacky liberal Ivy league that has no ROTC program and allowed Ahmadinejad on campus for a forum). Whatever one might think of Columbia's political leanings, it is an Ivy league school with a stellar reputation, not least through their School of International and Political Affairs. But fine. Whatever. He could still be a radical. So why am I up in arms about this?

Whatever his political leanings have been, and I truly don't know what they have been or are, Prof. Khalidi (whose book Resurrecting Empire I mentioned some time back) is one of the most informed, succinct and impassioned historians I have ever read. Read his book, Resurrecting Empire. Take yourself out of a purely American mindset and allow his book to show you what our actions abroad have looked like to millions of others. What our complicity has allowed to blossom in the form of poverty and oppression, death and dismay. Allow thousands of years of rich Middle Eastern history to enter into your mind and spirit...that land of Mesopotamia and Babylon...the very lands that Sarah Palin, and others of us, read about in the Old Testament of the Bible. And then allow him to at least make the point of how our country's actions, with a fairly myopic historical perspective, have been viewed. It's hard not to be struck by how naive, at best, some of our policies have been and how arrogantly belligerent at worst. And this is not just from Khalidi's viewpoint, but countless others who share a keen interest in both the wellbeing of the United States, and the human rights of all individuals throughout the world.

I'm not saying that reading Khalidi will cause you to give up your views, for or against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as they may be, but just listen to the informed viewpoint of someone who has brought a great deal of thought, caring and expertise to this discussion.

And then ask yourself if you think Sarah Palin should even go near him in her squawking about Obama's ties to alleged radicals. It seems to me that to critique the thoughts and actions of another, one ought to have at least a modicum of understanding about the issue involved. She has shown, repeatedly, that she has none. (She might have actually done better on her foreign policy interviews if someone had allowed her to read Khalidi's book. At the very least she would have understood what the Bush doctrine was!) It breaks my heart that she is even allowed to drag his name through the mud in such a shallow, superficial, righteous way. Perhaps it's not a kind or charitable thing to say, but I think she shouldn't be allowed to speak to this issue at all without being fully exposed to the horrors of which she knows nothing. The issue she is stepping on is highly complex and has caused untold suffering for thousands--Jews and Palestinians both. And she knows, and seems to care, nothing about it. Nothing other than a last ditch attempt to take Obama (and now Khalidi) down into the mud with her. The McCain camp must be getting very, very desperate.

My new favorite blog...

Check it out sisters!

Beauty Tips for Ministers

She combines heart, sass, wit and style and a happy refutation that to be 'Godly' means somehow not cherishing yourself as well as others. Fabulous! (Now if I can just get her to start weighing in on perfume....)

What would Jesus think?

This morning I came across this video clip, about a young woman in Texas who has Down Syndrome, and was crowned homecoming queen of her high school. It's very moving. When I was growing up, as I am sure was the case for some of you, the role of homecoming queen seemed like it was reserved for the coolest, most beautiful, most popular girl in the class (and the one most likely to be dating the cutest football star). In other words, the one girl who would represent all our ideals about 'fitting in'. That stereotype may have moved on since then, but seeing this just made me wonder about the changes in the upcoming generation. They chose a young woman of heart, and no small amount of spirit, to receive the crown. They looked for beauty of a different kind. Is it too much to say that, in addition to being moved by the young woman who received the crown, I am also moved by the recognition of those who grew out of societal stereotypes enough to recognize a different and, I would venture, truer beauty in front of their eyes?

I'm reminded of Greg Boyd's recent sermons on how Jesus always extended the invitation to the kingdom of Heaven to those on the margins--those who are overlooked and underestimated, diminished and rebuked for not fitting in with our ideals. Of course, the psychoanalyst in me says that in ostracizing or avoiding them, we are also projecting on to them the parts of ourselves that we cannot, or will not, deal with. From that perspective, seeing a community embody a spirit of inclusion of that which is different from the mainstream, still sadly lacking in far too many parts of the world, gives me great hope not only for those who have suffered with disabilities or conditions that have made them invisible, and the enormous pain of that invisiblity, but also for those whose eyes and hearts have become whole enough to move beyond such division into a community of equality.

We're Going Forward...

Check out this video clip of some remarks given by Donna Brazile, in response to a discussion on race in the Presidential election. It's the best thing I've regarding this election in the past few months (yes, it even trumps SNL)!

(Hat tip: Andrew Sullivan)

Keeping Sane

Between watching the market news, the campaign, and reading on average 300 pages of Freud a week, this is the resulting post....



(Hat tip: Andrew Sullivan)

Calling all New Yorkers...

I was very glad to learn of this initiative, and thought to share it here....

September 19, 2008


Dear New Yorker,

I am writing today in hopes that you might join me in spreading the word about efforts currently underway to provide badly-needed relief to hurricane victims in Haiti.

As you know, this past month, three deadly hurricanes left more than 100 dead and tens of thousands homeless in Haiti before barreling into the U.S. and wreaking havoc and destruction along the Gulf Coast.

On Thursday, following similar relief efforts to our neighbors in the South, Governor Paterson directed the opening of the New York Army National Guard Armory in Brooklyn to allow for the collection of donated relief supplies for the hurricane-stricken island nation of Haiti.

Items in high demand for shipment to Haiti include:

Bottled water (packed in cases or six packs at a minimum). Single bottles are inappropriate donations since they would have to be repackaged.
Rice (dried in bags)
Beans (dried cans only)
Sterno canisters
Tarpaulin (of any size, preferably 10 ft. x 10 ft. or larger) - to be used for both roofing and flooring
Nylon cord (100 ft. rolls)
Hygiene items limited to toothbrushes, toothpaste, mild soaps
New underclothes (children sizes)
New hand towels


Soldiers from the New York National Guard will be on hand to receive, sort and prepare donations at the following locations:

Bedford Armory
1579 Bedford Avenue at Union Street, Brooklyn
Sept. 18 - Sept. 26, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.



Adam Clayton Powell State Office Building
163 West 125th at Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd., Harlem
Sept. 18 - Sept. 26, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.



As the aftermath of these hurricanes continues to unfold, it's important that we do what we can to help alleviate some of the pain and suffering in Haiti.

The Council and I have already begun reaching out to our constituents to encourage them to collect and donate. If you could please pass this information along to the members of your community and encourage them to do the same, we'd deeply appreciate it. Working together, we can help make a difference in the lives of the Haitian people.

In closing, I would like to thank all of our state and city elected officials, especially Governor Paterson, Council Members Mathieu Eugene and Larry Seabrook, and the members of the Council's Black, Latino and Asian Caucus, for heading up this important relief effort.


I would also like to thank our brave men and women of the New York National Guard for once again stepping in during a time of crisis to help those in need.

For more information about the Haitian relief effort, please call (212) 681-4010 or e-mail relief@chamber.state.ny.us.

Best wishes.

Sincerely,
Christine C. Quinn
Speaker
New York City Council

Ideology

This past week or so has been a whirlwind of new ideas, tons of reading (300 pages of Freud in one week!?!), and of course, meeting new people.

Out of all of this, one phrase, made as an offhand comment by a professor well versed in church history, has stayed with me as perhaps one of the most profound commentaries on theology as well as society I have ever heard...He said (without being able to remember his exact wording, unfortunately) that 'whenever people are unable to discern between that which is life-giving, and that which is not, they cling to ideology'.

Your thoughts?