When Faith and Duty Collide

from the New York Times:

As someone who believes Jesus Christ can be seen even in the grimy faces of those living in the city's shadows and crawl spaces, Police Officer Eduardo Delacruz says he obeyed a higher authority when he refused to arrest a homeless man in November 2002.

On the beat, however, the police commissioner trumps the Almighty, as Officer Delacruz learned when he was suspended for his action. Charged with refusing to comply with a lawful order, he faces a departmental trial in late July that could cost him his job and pension.

I found this article through Sojourners. I can't believe it.

A spike in arrests of homeless people in the fall of 2002 led advocates and civil libertarians to sue the Bloomberg administration, contending that the police were singling out the homeless. Over one month that ended in mid-November that year, the police arrested 580 homeless people, compared with 288 over the same period the previous year, on charges from sleeping in public to assault. The city settled the lawsuit by instructing the police not to focus on homeless people when enforcing violations.

Advocates for the homeless are stunned that the department would seek any further punishment of Officer Delacruz beyond the suspension.

"They're going to go to trial on that?" asked Doug Lasdon, the executive director of the Urban Justice Center, an advocacy group for the poor. "They're going to make this guy a hero."

Seriously. There's more:

Officer Delacruz said he was not opposed to arresting homeless criminals: his first arrest was a homeless man who jumped a turnstile. And he would arrest anyone who posed a danger of violence. But he said someone just down on his luck was not a criminal. That was why he thought his unit's original mission of helping the homeless find services was a noble cause.

"My position in life is to treat people like I want to be treated," he said. "That's what Jesus taught. That's what I instill in my children."

(emphasis mine)

Ms. Patel, 3rd Grade Teacher Extraordinaire

I heard this story on Morning Edition this morning, and it was so sweet I wanted to share it with you. You can go here to listen to it. The breakdown:

Video highlights of a school year full of innovative projects and activities gave commentator Steve Twomey a better understanding of why his son had been so devoted to his class. Twomey says Ms. Patel's third-grade class in Montclair, N.J., was his son's reason for living.

I'm such a softie.

North Korea and conversational English

Inside North Korea

Last night I caught this story on the NewsHour. It was all-around fascinating, but what struck me was the part filmed in the schools. It showed four students talking in English. The reporter says:

since they are barred from outside television, the Internet and unauthorized contact with the outside world, their English is literal, not conversational.

Then the students' discussion is heard. They stand around and smile at each other, talking about picnicking in Italy. It was just so ridiculous.

The hospital scenes were pretty awful. Instead of eye patches, the doctors had to improvise and use pieces of film and fabric. It was incredible.

Modern equipment taken for granted in western hospitals are nonexistent. In the Ophthalmology Department, there is no digital technology, few, if any, computerized instruments. Resident doctors like Tang Chol So are always improvising. There are no spare parts for the old examining tools. They often fix the instruments themselves, trying to make them perform beyond their original design. Dr. Tang treated eye injuries during the recent rail explosion that claimed more than 100 lives.

Such a view inside North Korea is extremely rare, so I was lucky to catch the report. Mother Jones did a story about North Korea about three months ago, but it's not the same.

I can't wait til it starts next week!

The Amazing Race 5

Why it irks me when people don't vote

I'm going to link to an old post I did in March for Women's History Month about Susan B. Anthony.

After seeing Farenheit 9/11 I am even more assured in my belief that we need to get Bush out of DC. Send him back here to Texas, that's fine. He can stay in Crawford and work with the armadillos on his ranch (although as we know from the movie, he'll probably end up being an advisor to BIG OIL).

Even if you hate Bush, and don't think much of Kerry, you still need to vote. Vote for the lesser of two evils, vote for Nader, vote for the libertarian candidate, I don't care. I'd prefer if you voted Democrat, but get out and vote. I have no patience for people who don't vote, then complain about the leadership of this country. As far as I'm concerned, they have no leg to stand on. I don't care if you're jaded about the electoral process (which I am also) or hate that big money controls both parties (which I do also). You still need to vote.

I went to dinner with my friend Michael about six months ago and we discussed politics. He complained about the USA and the fact that everyone hates us now. I asked him if he voted, and he told me he didn't. I can't remember what I responded with, but I was thinking, "then you can't really bitch about it, can you?"

Hopefully this upcoming election will not be as close as the last one (and Florida won't have so many issues). But if it is, who knows but your vote might make a difference.

Perhaps I am too idealistic, or maybe I just have a low tolerance threshold about this kind of thing. But I think you get what I'm trying to say. Women fasted in jail so I could go vote. People died in the South working for the right for others to vote.

I'm voting, damn it.
[/rant]

Farenheit 9/11

'Fahrenheit 9/11' Sets Documentary Record

Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" took in a whopping $21.8 million in its first three days, becoming the first documentary ever to debut as Hollywood's top weekend film.

If Sunday's estimates hold when final numbers are released Monday, "Fahrenheit 9/11" would set a record in a single weekend as the top-grossing documentary ever outside of concert films and movies made for huge-screen IMAX theaters.

I spent most of Friday trying to get tickets for that night's showing of this film at the Arbor, but all shows were sold out by 3:30pm. We ended up seeing it at Tinseltown Pflugerville at 10pm. It sold out also - the theatre was full despite the torrential rain. It is an amazing film. It is so funny in parts, and so incredibly sad in others. I'd agree with those who say it's like two separate films. The first part is like a typical Michael Moore film, but as soon as the analysis of Iraq starts, he moves out of the film. The part with the soldier's mom was the hardest for me to watch. I wanted to bawl when she read the letter he wrote his family a week before his death.

It was neat to see it with such a huge crowd. There were about five times during the film where everyone clapped.

I have to recommend it to anyone. It is worth seeing for film-history reasons as much as political.

even though I don't drink coffee . . .

I appreciate the gesture.

Brey explains his blog neighborhood of which mine is a part. I'm tempted to do the same thing now, but he does it much better than I would.

(It's not set up to link to an individual post, so you'll have to scroll down to The Blog Neighborhood).

Lee Iococca and Kerry

a match made in (fill in blank)?

Iacocca Changes Support From Bush to Kerry

Four years after former Chrysler Corp. chairman Lee Iacocca cut ads supporting George W. Bush's election, he's switching alliances to presidential challenger John Kerry.

Iacocca decided to announce his endorsement in person at a Kerry speech Thursday on creating high-tech industry jobs in Silicon Valley.

I thought the media had forgotten. . .

about the Plame case. But no! I'm happy to report that Bush was interviewed today in regards to the leak of her name to the media.

Investigators want to know who leaked the name of Valerie Plame, an undercover CIA operative, to syndicated columnist Robert Novak last July. A federal grand jury in recent months has questioned numerous White House and administration officials.

Disclosure of an undercover officer's identity can be a federal crime.

BAADASSSSSS!

What I learned from the free showing last night of Baadasssss! :

1. Bill Cosby helped finance the last stages of filming for Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song.
2. Melvin van Peebles had to use p*rn filmmakers, because they weren't unionized. I think that was the reason. He also wanted a decent minority representation on the crew.
3. Earth, Wind and Fire did the soundtrack.
4. There is a whole lot of nekkidness and cussin' in 'SSBS'.
5. I now have no desire to see same film.

Although I really enjoyed Baadasssss!, it didn't really make me feel like I need to see the film it documents. It is a semi-comic tale of the making of Melvin van Peebles' historical work. Mario, his real-life son, plays his father.

I love the combination of story and interviews, especially the real interviews during the credits. David Alan Grier is hilarious, and there are a few scenes that had me cracking up. I'd strongly recommend at least renting the film, if you can't catch it in the theatre. Be prepared for scenes "of a graphic nature", and enjoy!

sad news

Muscular Dystrophy Advocate Dies at 13

Mattie Stepanek, the child poet whose inspirational verse made him a best-selling writer and a prominent voice for muscular dystrophy sufferers, died Tuesday of a rare form of the disease. He was 13.

I wasn't a big fan, but it's still sad news.

Hermanas are doing it for themselves

This story in the New York Times today is fascinating. I hope that these enterprising women can get an organization together. Apparently, houses of single immigrant men in the Northeast are hiring immigrant women to come cook for them. I got sucked into the story by the picture of the soup. Yum.

Inside the overcrowded immigrant homes that speckle New York's suburbs, Hispanic women like Ms. Gress-Escamilla have begun to forge their livelihoods. The women call themselves cocineras, or cooks, a disparate door-to-door army that brings a taste of home to men living far from their wives and mothers. These women make dinner, overhear secrets, console those who cannot find work and quickly get used to grown men calling them madre, or mother.

"They're people from my hometown," Ms. Gress-Escamilla said in Spanish, through a translator. "You get to know them and have a sense of family with them. They need to eat."

So after the men leave for their long days of work, the women arrive and head toward the kitchen. They make soup, a main course, rice and beans and maybe a dessert or empanadas if someone is celebrating a birthday. They set the dishes on the stove to be warmed later, slip out the front door and move on to the next house.

The homes are flung far across the suburbs, and the women sometimes work for weeks without pay. But the payments are in cash, the women do not have to speak English, and they can grasp at their dreams of independence from bosses and night shifts at fast-food restaurants. "I am my own boss," said one cocinera, Josefa Barrera-Rios.

(my emphasis)
The New York Times > New York Region > Far From Mother, a Mother's Touch

The Torture Team!

It's a Saturday, and I'm working at the office. Whoo hoo.

Check out this flash comic by Mark Fiore. He is so good at making me laugh at what really disturbs me about current events. Okay, I usually laugh and get angry at the same time. I think that's what I mean to say. Just go see it for yourself.

my invitation to you

Dear friend,

Michael Moore's new film, "Fahrenheit 9/11," opens on Friday, June 25. An expose of the Bush administration's actions after 9/11 and in Iraq, the movie is the first documentary ever to win the grand prize in the world-famous Cannes Film Festival. The New York Times said, "Whatever you think of Moore…[these are] pictures that have been largely shielded from our view."

I'm going on opening weekend along with other members of MoveOn PAC. I hope you'll come too and see what all the fuss is about. Sign up to come along and find out how to buy tickets at:

http://www.moveonpac.org/f911/

MoveOn PAC is an online group, 2 million members strong, that organizes citizens to work together to change the country this year. I hope you'll come along.

Thanks!

(I'm posting this instead of e-mailing it. Thanks MoveOn!)

another reason for me not to like Bush

Strategy: Bush Allies Till Fertile Soil, Among Baptists, for Votes

Ack! It doesn't surprise me, but I am still a little stunned:

President Bush's re-election campaign took its effort to enlist churches in turning out conservative voters to the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention this week, urging pastors to do everything short of risking their churches' tax-exempt status to support the president's re-election.

Mr. Bush's courtship of Southern Baptists, the largest Protestant denomination, began Tuesday when he addressed them in a live telecast from the White House and thanked them for their prayers. The campaign's appeals picked up in earnest the next day, when Ralph Reed, the former head of the Christian Coalition, who is now an official of the Bush campaign, arrived to ask pastors more explicitly for their help in winning votes.

Mr. Reed delivered his remarks at a Bush-Cheney "pastors reception," paid for by the Bush campaign. The hosts were the departing president of the Southern Baptists and three other prominent leaders, and the reception was in a conference room of a hotel adjacent to the convention. As the pastors came in, a campaign aide collected about 100 signatures and addresses from ministers pledging to endorse Mr. Bush's re-election publicly, to "host a citizenship Sunday for voter registration," to "identify someone who will help in voter registration and outreach" and to organize a " 'party for the president' with other pastors" on specific dates closer to the election.

As the pastors mingled around fountains of soft drinks and trays of cubed cheese, Mr. Reed urged, "Without advocating on behalf of any candidate or political party, you can make sure that everyone in your circle of influence is registered to vote."

Mr. Bush's political advisers often repeat their belief, Mr. Reed reminded the pastors, that about four million conservative Christian voters did not vote in the last presidential election. The campaign is determined not to let that happen again.

And the leaders of the 16 million Southern Baptists have already organized what they say is the first major voter registration drive in their history, beginning at the annual meeting.

But as the Bush campaign escalates its appeals to conservative Christian churches, experts in election law say, it is inviting pastors toward potentially treacherous terrain where letting personal endorsements spill over into the business of their churches can jeopardize their tax-exempt status.

"It is pushing the line," said Larry Noble, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics and the former general counsel to the Federal Election Commission. "It goes to the question of, 'How often can you switch hats?' "

The dividing line in the tax laws gets even blurrier, Mr. Noble said, when the same pastors are also engaging in their clerical capacity in churchwide voter-registration drives that are officially nonpartisan. And the line can become blurrier still, he added, if the church officials are specifically directing their messages to partisan voters - if, for example, Southern Baptist leaders believe that most of their members are likely to vote Republican.

If you aren't registed with the NYTimes, go to bug me not to get a code to log in. It is worth it to read this article.

the dead zone in Oregon

MoJo Blog had a lot of informative entries yesterday, but the one that interested me most was this one on the study of a dead zone off the coast of Oregon:

Specifically, scientists studying a "dead zone" -- an oxygen-starved area of the ocean where marine life has vanished -- off the Oregon coast appear to have established a link between the phenomenon and shifts in ocean currents caused by climate change.

This affects us, people. How much longer will this administration ignore the environmental damage being done? I think it will be ignored until it is too late.

Vonnegut makes a good point

I'm sure you've probably already read it by now, but I just discovered this article by Kurt Vonnegut (because it was quoted in my Sojourners newsletter). Here's my favorite part (with my emphasis):

Eugene Debs, who died back in 1926, when I was only 4, ran 5 times as the Socialist Party candidate for president, winning 900,000 votes, 6 percent of the popular vote, in 1912, if you can imagine such a ballot. He had this to say while campaigning: As long as there is a lower class, I am in it. As long as there is a criminal element, I'm of it. As long as there is a soul in prison, I am not free.

Doesn't anything socialistic make you want to throw up? Like great public schools or health insurance for all?

How about Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes?

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. ...

And so on.

Not exactly planks in a Republican platform. Not exactly Donald Rumsfeld or Dick Cheney stuff.

For some reason, the most vocal Christians among us never mention the Beatitudes. But, often with tears in their eyes, they demand that the Ten Commandments be posted in public buildings. And of course that's Moses, not Jesus. I haven't heard one of them demand that the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes, be posted anywhere.

"Blessed are the merciful" in a courtroom? "Blessed are the peacemakers" in the Pentagon? Give me a break!

AlterNet: Cold Turkey

the still-present gender gap

MoJo blog has an insightful post reflecting on a recent study on the gender gap. Here's the kicker: "Between 1983 and 1998, women on average earned only 38 percent of what men did." Gosh, I'm so glad there is no need for feminism anymore. Obviously, women are receiving the equal rights and equal pay they deserve.

Here's a link to the NYTimes article covering the study.

and God bless America!
(/sarcasm)

Leonard Pitts: Media's picture of Reagan era is incomplete

My boss just handed me this opinion column to read, after we had talked about the Reagan funeral coverage at break. We wondered how Carter's funeral will stack up to it (heaven forbid he die anytime soon), and how Ford's funeral might be treated. As neither of these presidents is viewed as a diety by either party, it's doubtful they will receive the over-extensive coverage Reagan did.

My favorite quotes:

"I refer, in case my drift goes uncaught, to the fulsome media tributes that have attended the former president's death. Not just fulsome, but uncritical, bereft of balance, lacking perspective. If all you knew of Ronald Reagan is what you saw on newscasts or read in the initial coverage from USA Today, The New York Times, The Washington Post or The Miami Herald, you'd think him a cross between Wilford Brimley and John Rambo, a twinkle-eyed grandfather with a fondness for jelly beans who single-handedly saved America, kicked the Commies in the butt, and maybe even found a cure for the common cold while he was at it. You'd never know about what he said in Mississippi."

"So let me say this for the record: Some of us watch these proceedings with the sober respect you'd have for any loss of life, but also with dry eyes. The media have sold us a fraudulent version of history. Everybody loved Ronald Reagan, it says.

"Beg pardon, but ''everybody'' did not."

Thanks for saying what I was thinking, Mr. Pitts!

links to Reagan cartoons

Mikhaela's links to Reagan toons

Lest we forget the man behind the god the conservatives want us to worship. I'm sure he was a great guy, and we all know I appreciate his contribution to the movie world (see my review of my fave movie of his), but we need to keep our perspective here. He made many mistakes as President. On this day of remembrance, that's what I'll keep in mind.

what I'm doing tonight

My friend Mel and I are going to this tonight. I'm looking forward to visiting St. Andrews. My friends who used to attend there claim it is too progressive. I won't get to see much of their worship style tonight, but I am eager to see their space, as well as hear more about violence in the media. Children, violence and the media - all fascinating topics to me.

Can we forgive torturers?

I started this post yesterday, but couldn't post it b/c we closed early:

Hector Mondragon was tortured over 20 years ago in Columbia. In this article, he points out that those who torture are still human:

Torturers are not "a few bad apples" who just need to be thrown away or have the rotten piece cut off. They are human beings who have been converted into instruments of the system of economic exploitation and oppression. None of them came to be this way on their own. Condemning a few of them to jail might be "fair," but it is not going to stop the nightmare.

He asserts:

I feel in heartfelt communion with the terrible pain and humiliation of these tortured prisoners, but I also find this communion with the disgrace of the torturers and their human misery. I think that we all deserve redemption from this system of death and reconciliation to our dignity as human beings.

Amen, Hector!

I just found out about this . . .

I was at CD Universe, just looking around, when I saw this on their Top Seller list. I couldn't believe it. A new CD by this group? And all covers of "California pop songs". . . I thought it was bad enough to be found singing along with one of their 90's hits in a dress store. I did love their harmonies though.

I'm attempting to put together a themed summer CD for Charlie's summer CD swap. I think I've decided on "Songs from Summers Past". It looks to be quite a variety, and will include one Backstreet Boys song, I think. Just because I can. No, really, there's a story behind it.

Change for America: Julian Bond For President

text from a speech Julian Bond, the current president of the NAACP, gave at a recent conference. My favorite parts:

About conservative Republicans (with my edits): "They preach racial neutrality and they practice racial division. They celebrate Dr. King and they misuse his message. . . Their idea of a pristine environment is a parking lot before the lines are painted in. . . Their idea – their idea of compassion is to ask the guest at the millionaire’s banquet if they want an extra helping or a second dessert. They’ve tried to patch the leaky economy and every other domestic problem with duct tape and plastic sheets. They’ve written a new constitution for Iraq and ignored the Constitution here at home. (Applause.)"

About Democrats (emphasis mine): "And what about the opposition party? Too often they’re not in opposition; they’re an amen corner. With some – (applause) – with some notable exceptions, they’ve been absent without leave in this battle for America’s soul. (Applause.) When one party is shameless, the other can’t afford to be spineless. (Applause.) These economic imbalances not only mean difficult times for many, they also undermine democratic values. The danger is that plutocracy will prevail over democracy, that the free market will rule over the free citizen."

The current administration: "We have a president who talks like a populist and governs for the privileged. We were promised compassionate conservatism; instead we got crony capitalism. We have an attorney general who’s a cross between J. Edgar Hoover and Jerry Falwell. (Applause.) And we have a Senate majority leader who has voted consistently against labor rights, against civil rights, against women’s rights, and he’s the one who replaced the bad guy."

There is more. I wish I could have heard this speech - as powerful as it is to read, I imagine it was much more when heard. Thanks to Change for America for posting it.

musings on Vanity Fair

I have gone here to view the trailer of Vanity Fair. As a fan of the book and the director (Mira Nair), I have to comment on the trailer. I hope I am wrong in my perception, but it appears they have made Becky Sharp a sympathetic character. I think Thackeray would not be too happy about it. The only character in the book who gets off scot-free is the narrator, and perhaps Dobbin. Becky is a gold-digger who works for acceptance in society by doing some rather devious things. Amelia is a simpering wimp, a goody-goody who accepts what life doles out to her. Captain Rawdon Cawley is as focused on money as his wife, Becky. This is why the book is so great and funny. I am afraid the movie will lack this satirical feeling. The trailer makes it out to be a melodrama. I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

updated blogroll

I finally updated my blogroll to include participants in the UWC who link to me. Sorry it took so long, but now I'm sharing the love.

my lazy crazy weekend

1. Reagan died. I feel muddled about it. He made some great quotes, and had a lot of class, but he made a lot of mistakes too. I will say, he is in one of my favorite classic movies, entitled One for the Book, or the Voice of the Turtle (I kid you not, my friend). I have about 25 favorite classic movies, and this is one of them. You just can't go wrong with Reagan, lovely Eleanor Parker, and sharp Eve Arden. The plot: Eleanor Parker plays a scatterbrained actress who has had problems with love. Eve Arden is her friend who has made plans with two men for this evening. EP takes one of the guys, a soldier on leave played by Reagan. Of course, it's a love story, but it is slightly risque for the time period. Anyway, you can't find it on video, but maybe TCM will play it again and you can catch it.

2. I am reading Peyton Place. It is extremely interesting, although very un-PC. I've wanted to read it for a while, since it had such an effect on pop-culture. I found it at the library on Saturday and have read 4/5 of it.

3. I went to an amazing church service on Sunday at Central Pres. My family used to go there when my sister and I were very small, but I have a feeling it is more liberal now than it was then (as my father is somewhat conservative). It was so wonderful to be able to pay attention during the sermon, and actually get something from it. It was so inspiring - I took notes, and I NEVER do that. Well, sometimes I write snide comments in my bulletin. But not this time. It just shows me all I am missing at my current church home. If I had to choose a church right now, I think it would be this church over St. James Episocopal. Partly because, although baptized Episcopalian, I am not used to the high church stuff they do.

update: TCM will be showing my fave Reagan movie on Thursday, June 10. See the schedule for the day here. It's showing at 3:15pm my time.

Burger King Moms

Giving Burger King Moms a voice by Jim Wallis. He makes an excellent point - with all our current focus on the "war on terrorism", we have left our working poor on the sidelines:

"The Republicans look after their wealthy constituents, and the Democrats want to be the champions of the middle class. Neither makes a priority of the needs of the poor. Is that because the problems of poverty are disappearing in America? Hardly. The poverty rate (including that for children) has risen over the past two years. More people than ever are without health insurance. Increasing numbers of people can't find affordable housing. The minimum wage hasn't been raised for seven years."

We need to work on our focus here.

Fahrenheit 9/11 Trailer

you must watch it.

I can't wait to see it! The trailer is funny, but oh so frightening at the same time.

a must view

WorkingForChange-Fiore presents: Quit yer whining!

It's all worth it, really.

Alexandra Polier's story

John Kerry intern scandal - Alexandra Polier's account

A very well-written, very sad story from the woman whose life was pretty much ruined by the Washington rumor mill. My favorite paragraph (with my own emphasis):

And so my education had taken me pretty much as far as it could. I started out as an ambitious young woman inspired by politics and the media. I’ve ended up disenchanted with both. If I had been an ambitious young man, this story would not have happened. I’m never going to know exactly what happened, but that matters less to me now. I lost a good friend and learned a few lessons. I am struck by the pitiful state of political reporting, which is dominated by the unholy alliance of opposition research and its latest tool, the Internet. Even the Wall Street Journal’s Website ran Drudge’s story, with only a brief disclaimer that his stories weren’t always accurate.

it doesn't have to be like that

I couldn't think of a title for this post, so I quote Erasure. This week looks to be crazy hectic and I just have not had time to view my regular news sources. I make time to read a few of my favorite blogs (and comment), but I miss reading all of them. I hope to get back in my groove soon, but for now, this looks to be my post for the week (at this blog).

Neat find: Thanks to Chris, I have gotten hooked on the never ending story blog. It's an ongoing story, composed by whomever wishes to post. When you write this way, sometimes the plot gets bogged down in the details, but it is fun.

random: I participate in this group blog called the University without condition. I joined because I thought it would be an educational experience as well as a neat concept, but I am feeling a tad wary of it now. Maybe I was incorrect in my assumptions about it. Anyway, I'd like to be involved in a group reading blog, but I don't know if this one is ultimately right for me. I'm feeling pretty much ambivalent about it currently.