Themes

• Amazing Grace Autumn Concept BlueBlack Falling Leaves Island After Sunset Platinum Vidiyal

Tags

barack_obama beauty climate_change death_penalty earth faith follow_jesus forgiveness god grace human_dignity human_rights humility interrogation iraq jesus justice love movie nuclear_weapons peace politics poverty revenge rule_of_law stoney terrorism torture united_church_of_christ war

• Recently Written

  • going to new orleans
  • nrdc update: 37 wolves killed
  • i applaud jimmy carter
  • here!
  • justice stevens disavows the death penalty
  • disconnected faith?
  • more on jeremiah wright
  • on earth as it is in heaven
  • ucc runs an ad
  • putting the wolf in danger

• Recent Comments

  • Tim: James Wall expresses similar sentiments in an editorial piece in The Christian Century: Carter’s Middle...
  • John Gibson: I find it very interesting while checking out this blog that the dealth of wolves be mentioned but...
  • San: It’s nice to see a strong poem featured here, one that is laden with meaning in an open-ended, mysterious...
  • Tim: David: I trust the Lord will treat you with considerably more charity and grace than you have treated his...
  • David F., Evanston IN: From http://www.ucctruths.com Jeremiah Wright for UCC President Wednesday, April 30, 2008...
  • Carol Graffius: The greatest warrior that ever lived in my eyes and in the eyes of the Lakotas was Crazy Horse....
  • Tim: They should have been mailed an invitation, Erika. We’d love to have them join us! So by all means,...
  • Erika Elizabeth: I was wondering if Jubilee Methodist on the Eastside was invited to partake in Cool Congregations? I...

• Admin

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Wordpress
  • XHTML

Subscribe

detainee bill passes senate

Posted on September 28, 2006 | Filed Under justice, torture

John Kerry (Democrat): This bill gives an administration that lobbied for torture exactly what it wanted.

No, this administration did not lobby for torture. It lobbied for a free and unfettered hand in conducting its “war on terrorism” by whatever means it deems necessary and effective … which may include means that most people would consider torture. The problem here is not leaders that advocate cruelty, but leaders that believe that they should be given “extraordinary” and unilateral latitude in getting the job done. Getting it done is more important than how it is done.

But one of the cornerstones of democracy …

ny times on torture compromise: a bad bargain

Posted on September 22, 2006 | Filed Under justice, torture

It is the rule of law that protects citizens and nations from tyranny. When we agree together to adhere to a law that binds both of us/all of us then we have a standard to which both of us/all of us are held accountable, and a means to address grievances with each other. When one party holds itself above the law or redefines the law unilaterally, then there is no longer any common standard and no means of holding anyone accountable. It simply becomes a matter of who is bigger, who is stronger, who can impose their will on the …

the colors of the sea

Posted on September 21, 2006 | Filed Under personal life, the natural world

Another favorite Monhegan Island photograph. Don’t miss the gulls at the upper left! I especially love the color — the colors! — of the sea.

Click on the photo to see an enlarged image.

well said …

Posted on September 20, 2006 | Filed Under spirituality

A Christian View of War
By Oliver “Buzz” Thomas

“Pray for our troops.”

Millions of signs and bumper stickers carry the message, and part of me likes it. But part of me keeps waiting for another bumper sticker — the one I still haven’t seen. Whether Jesus would drive an SUV, I’m still not sure. Truth is he’d probably ride the bus. Or the subway. But if he had money for a car and didn’t give it all away to the hookers and the homeless before he got to the used-car lot, I’m pretty sure that his bumper sticker would say “pray …

my best friend

Posted on September 20, 2006 | Filed Under personal life

I was thinking about my best friend today …

the face in the mirror

Posted on September 19, 2006 | Filed Under beauty, justice

You should review the short documentary film made by a New York City high school student: A Girl Like Me. A September 19 editorial by Leonard Pitts led me to the site. As he writes, Be warned: if you have a heart, the new doll test will break it.

Our culture does a very poor job at recognizing and affirming real beauty. I believe beauty is there to be found, in many different sizes and shapes … and colors. So many fail to see beauty when they look into a mirror — or look into their own souls — because …

more debate over interrogation guidelines

Posted on September 18, 2006 | Filed Under justice, torture

From the Boston Globe, September 18, 2006:

In the fight over rules for the interrogation and trials of terrorism suspects, there is a split — not so much between Republicans and Democrats or the White House and the Senate, but between leaders like President Bush with no combat experience and those like Colin Powell who know combat and want to maintain the Geneva Conventions as a protection for US troops. Powell prefers the bill before Congress sponsored by Republican Senators John McCain, John Warner, and Lindsey Graham, all of whom have considerable military experience. Their bill, which the Senate Armed …

keep looking »