Tom Periello at Sunday Forum in Washington National Cathedral

"All it takes for evil to persist is for good people to do nothing." Tom Periello 


The Very Rev. Samuel Lloyd III

 An interesting conversation (linked here) at the Sunday Forum happened at the Washington National Cathedral today. The Very Reverend Samuel T. Lloyd III discussed issues at the intersection of faith and political life with Rep. Tom Periello, a first-term Congressman from Virginia.

The Hon. Tom Periello (D) Virginia

Rep. Periello believes the House of Representatives has been transformed within the last year, since it came into power in a recession; wars in Iraq and Afghanistan loom from afar; healthcare and climate change are controversial topics. He agreed there are frustrations with the limitations in law-making in the context of human potential and flaws.

What's right is not always the easy thing to do, he said. He stressed the need for housing and banking reform and job creation to get the economy moving again. He also looks at the historical aspect, and what best can be done with his time. He wonders at what citizens one hundred years from now will look back on and if they will be aghast not enough was done in terms of justice and society.

Political Strategy  Abroad

Rep. Periello said he is interested in reducing human suffering in general with a "deeds over words" approach. His role in Sierra Leone was to offer a window of hope and try to make a positive impact with his experience. In Liberia, the challenge was to change the power balance from armed groups to the people as a whole, which he described in great detail in this linked webcast. He was involved in a showdown that forced out the dictator, Charles Taylor, out of Liberia, and removed him and the other leaders peacefully.

He thinks the intensity of human suffering, of women and children, in conflict zones tears apart nations. In nations in conflict, while outside forces help with medicine and food, and with the military, few are looking at the political structure that underlies the reality and how it can be improved. He also discussed the Darfur problem, where the issue isn't fully resolved. [Please watch the webcast for more detail.] He is very interested in social justice, and has looked at political and military strategy in Afghanistan.

Political Strategy at Home

Dean Lloyd and Rep. Periello discussed the culture of the common good and how it is the antidote to the culture we have now of immediate gratification. America needs a new strategy for competing. He is hoping the next two years will see an increase in direct lending, and an improved infrastructure in America. He remarked that despite the bipartisan nature of the government,  it is important to put right and wrong ahead of right and left. He also finds it important to look at the long-term horizon. He says that Madam Speaker Nancy Pelosi starts Congress each day with a prayer.

Rep. Periello talked about the power of interest and lobby groups to advertise. They are far more powerful than party bosses, he says. The power of these groups makes politicians pull back and become more risk averse. He called the recent Supreme Court decision "shocking" as it overturned a law from six years ago. He says the short-term return on a lobby dollar is far greater than the return on a research and development (r&d) dollar, and deplored the Supreme Court decision as it disincentivizes research. With the new law, companies can finance the status quo in direct threat to capitalism.

On Healthcare Reform

Dean Lloyd and Rep. Periello discussed the moral imperatives of the health care debate and how we should find the most efficient way to deal with differences because we are all in this together. Rep. Periello held over 100 hours of town hall meetings last summer. He found citizens who wanted to be heard and he wanted them to have time to have their say.

One problem with health insurance now is that hospitals have business models with plans to make more on those with private health insurance than on those without, who are on Medicaid and use emergency rooms.

Issues in healthcare to resolve, he says, are:

1) private insurers have anti-competitive monopoly protections

2) cost control incentives are off

3) the issue of medical loss ratios

4) the under-insured shift cost burdens to the insured

We are interdependent because we are all in this together, Rep. Periello says, and we need to find the best way to deal with the reform of healthcare finance.

When Rep. Periello was asked whom he most admired in history he talked about William Wilberforce, a leading abolitionist in the British Parliament, and Bobby Kennedy, like him, a Roman Catholic lawyer interested in social education.

What Sustains the Freedom of the Republic?

The Very Rev. Samuel Lloyd III

If you're interested in human rights, you might want to watch the latest Sunday Forum, a lively 45-minute interview recorded and linked here at the Washington National Cathedral last Sunday, January 24, 2010. The Very Reverend Samuel T. Lloyd III spoke to Os Guinness about "A World Safe for Diversity: Living with our Deepest Differences in an Age of Exploding Pluralism" and was asked about his insight on the church and the civility in China.

Dr. Guinness has challenged his friends at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences that a "harmonious society" with "diversity" (and coercion) is "not good enough."

Os Guinness

Guinness says China needs:

1) integrity for each faith

2) diversity of all faiths

3) liberty for each faith, and

4) harmony of the public order.

He says that there are now twice as many Christians in China as there are party members. It's the fastest growth in the Christian church in 2000 years, although some fall away.

Guinness has written many books on "what America is about" in the words of The Very Rev. Sam Lloyd.

Dean Lloyd is concerned the infighting in the country appears to be getting worse and wonders what can be done?

Guinness offered several ideas:

1)"We have to know how to live with our differences"

2) "E pluribus unum" Latin for "out of many, one" (author unknown) is a motto on American coins and what Guinness calls "America's greatest achievement."

3) Guinness says there has been an explosion of pluralism although America has long been one of the most diverse countries in the world, and has increased diversity in its population after the Second World War and in the 1960s.

Guinness says that there has been a rise in the notion of the separation of church and state. Civility has broken down, now that almost anything is up for litigation.

But he says that:

1) strong leadership is essential, and

2) we need to articulate the vision of a civil public square.

"Civility" is a tough republican virtue and a prime democratic necessity, Guinness says. Every faith is free to enter and engage in public life. Freedom of conscience is key. Religious liberty happens when the rights of the smallest communities and religions are respected. Respect for freedom of conscience must be educated in children until it becomes a matter of the heart.

Guinness thinks civic education should be taught to know what it is to be American - the "unum" in "e pluribus unum".

Guinness says it's better to be tolerant than intolerant, but says that tolerance can be condescending, from the strong to the weak, and says the higher value is "free exercise" to have faith. Madison changed the word "tolerance" to "free exercise" in the Virginia Declaration to stress the values of freedoms of all kinds.

Dean Lloyd asked what effect civility has on polarization?

Guinness replied that there is currently an escalation of extremism and says the danger is "it's a deficit of democracy." He claims extremism mounts until an innocent victim is scapegoated and hopes it doesn't happen in this country.

With civility, Guinness says everyone has the right to their opinion. In the historical context, the First Amendment shifted the discourse from coercion to persuasion.He says the framers of the Constitution were realistic, but that the dark side could bring down the American Republic in the next 50 years. The falling off of ideals which will bring freedom, if abandoned, will bring destruction.

He referred to Machiavelli's golden triangle of freedom: freedom requires virtue, virtue requires faith and faith requires freedom.

Guinness thinks Americans are consumed by the near future, in comparison to the Chinese who take the view of thousands of years. He says, the important question that must be asked is: "What sustains the freedom of the Republic?"

Dean Lloyd asked Guinness about the international scene, and how can Americans approach other nations with this idea of civility?

Guinness replied that freedom of conscience is the key to living with our differences. He says that human rights efforts parallel this effort to live with civility. [We know from my earlier post that President Obama's Administration has elevated internet freedom as one of the freedoms associated with human rights around the world.]

Guinness says that the civil public square is a framework in which people are free to be different but know how to negotiate these differences civilly and persuasively, not violently.

Guinness was questioned from the audience: how can one teach civility? Guinness replied that it should be taught to children at the earliest ages, and parents and leaders must be good examples of civility. He thinks there should be "double transmission": the old teaching the young, and those who have been here longer should teach civics lessons to new immigrants.

Guinness was also questioned, is the U.S. a nation in decline in its sustaining values, and what other countries have the most civility? Guinness thinks that of all the countries in the world, America has the greatest capacity for renewal. It can be turned around with understanding of "first principles". He cites De Tocqueville, a French writer in the 1700s who said that "in a revolution, as in a novel, the most difficult part to invent is the end". He says that some issues now being dealt with are in repudiation of the framers of the Constitution. He says "sustainable freedom" should be discussed more. How we live with our differences must be done right or the consequences will be with our children.

Os Guinness, D.Phil., is a Fellow at the East-West Institute in Washington, D.C. ." His latest book is "The Case for Civility and Why the Future Depends on it." Guinness, who is a descendant of the Guinness Irish beer brewers, calls himself "an unashamed follower of Christ" and believes Christians should be in the vanguard leading forward. His grandfather was a physician in China where his mother was also a surgeon. He says he compared Camus, Sartre and Russell on one side to Pascal, Dostoevsky, G.K. Chesterton and C.S. Lewis and decided the Christian faith must be true. He came to faith in the 1960s and also studied Hinduism in India with a guru. He quotes George Whitefield: "I am never better than when I am on the full stretch for God" as this conversation echoes.

Guinness Brewery celebrated its 250th anniversary last year and has a proud history of philanthropy, helping the poor and homeless.

[I listened to this conversation three times - my apologies for any inaccuracies in this unsolicited post. You are encouraged to watch the talk.]

Human Rights Freedoms: Expression, Assembly, Association & the Press

China is accusing America of promoting "information imperialism" in this HuffPost article.

Let's just clarify a definition of imperialism: "The imposition of a foreign viewpoint or civilization on a people" [dictionary.reference.com] and "a policy of extending your rule over foreign countries [wordnetweb.com]."

Western countries have long-standing values of freedom of expression, assembly, association and the press. They believe all people are born with these rights, as John Kerry says here. I think China need not worry that Secretary Clinton is advocating a takeover or domination of China, but is merely asserting the idea of human rights in all its forms as central to American foreign policy.

The point China misses is contained in the word "free" - as in free flow of information. For some reason, Chinese people do not consider each other sufficiently responsible to access social networks and improve without barriers their sum of knowledge and such on the internet, but they are responsible enough to work, drive cars and buy houses.

How much sense does that make? Not a lot.

Laws have to be passed in China to expand basic human rights for all. They should pass laws to promote the truth of their country's history and encourage transparency of economic competition.

My point is that cleaning up the internet can go too far. If Chinese can't get information freely on the internet about previous uprisings and can't organize themselves as easily as they would with Facebook, then Beijing authorities should fear their own people, because they, the leaders, have not served well. Perhaps the Chinese should review and criticize their human rights ideologies.

Not only China, but also Tunisia, Uzbekistan, Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam are considered by the U.S. State Dept. to be countries without free flow of information.

These countries should not close down opportunities. They should not isolate, discriminate and persecute their citizens. The ideas of their good citizens can be shared on the internet if freedom of expression is accepted universally as a human right.

Social media brings people together, opens competitive international commerce and gives confidence to investors and business owners. These countries should open themselves up. They should be fair and respectful of individuals. Their citizens should be active, prosperous, engaged participants in the world community.

Internet Freedom: A New Human Right

Alec Ross,  pictured below, was on NPR this morning in this segment. He's been recruited to  be an  a Senior Advisor for Innovation, to modernize the State Department's branches with up-to-date technologies, to endorse modern technology as a platform for innovation and to network with other countries to track criminals.

Alec Ross flickr.com

The federal government thinks companies like Google--and the 30+ other companies that have been hacked--shouldn't have to worry about cyber attacks. (That'll be the day!) The reason is, President Obama's Administration believes the ability to operate with confidence in cyberspace is essential to innovation and prosperity and as a means to improve general welfare around the globe. Internet freedom as a concept draws in other concepts of freedom.

President Obama elevated internet freedom to a basic human right in his speech at the Shanghai Town Hall, and Secretary Clinton made a major foreign policy address today on the same topic. Clinton said in her speech "those who disrupt the free flow of information pose a major threat."

Hillary Clinton

Did you know that 31% of internet users are forced to use censored sites? The United States Government wants an explanation. Internet freedom is a global issue now that Google has decided it will not continue to censor its Chinese sites. Extreme examples of censorship abound in a country-by-country examination around the world. The State Department advocates the use of tools of digital diplomacy. We can each become a "Global Citizen."

News of so-called honor killings in the Middle East of women accused of using social media sites shocked my sixteen-year-old daughter and myself as I drove her to school this morning. Women and other human beings around the world have a right to an uncensored internet. (One has to be skeptical the beings (probably men) who would do these beatings and killings count as humans). We in the West tend to take freedom on the internet as a given, as a huge repository of the world's knowledge.

The American government approves and encourages the use of Google, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter and the internet in general to spread information. Alec Ross is also interested in promoting the use of radio communications to aid overseas fighting and cell phones to aid law enforcement.

The State Department (here with a video of Clinton's speech at the Newseum) is planning to offer tools and resources on its website to encourage free use of the internet.

LAMP For Haiti

LAMP for Haiti is a wonderful contribution option for those who would love to help the people of Haiti. Donations are accepted on the website.

Over 80% of donations go directly to pay for medical care; the remainder is for administrative costs.

 The medical clinic on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince is headed by amazing physicians, friends of my friends who have jumped to fill current emergency needs.

The clinic in Cite Soleil, Haiti (pictured above) provides free medical care and works to safeguard the human rights of the residents.

Whoopi Goldberg: Pat Robertson is Wrong

As someone who considers myself spiritual, when famous so-called Christians say incendiary opinions and pass them off as facts, I get embarrassed and ashamed.

One has to wonder whether Pat Robertson's heart is in the right place. His recently televised views on Haiti sound nothing short of insane. How can anyone say as a fact an entire country, in this case Haiti "made a pact with the devil" and is cursed? Saddens me he professes to hold a Christian view. Christian myself, I don't agree with him. What he says goes against much of Christian teaching. Many have lost those they loved and everything in Haiti and will have to work hard to rebuild their lives.

Haiti presents a grave, humanitarian disaster, and it just seems to me that effort, compassion and care are the appropriate reactions to take as they recover.

As Whoopi Goldberg said today on "The View": Pat Robertson is wrong! And here is an article by a Christian man who agrees with us.

Beautiful Photographs of Canada in a Slideshow

"With much of Canada in winter's grip, it's time again to share your photographs of snow-draped landscapes, foggy harbours, ice fields and winter play." globeandmail.com

Please sit back and watch these! If you love to look at scenery and landscape photos, you'll enjoy this slideshow of photographs of Canada from The Globe and Mail. Rarely, if ever, have this many beautiful photos of Canada been available together at the same place. These beautiful scenes expand, have titles to explain, and can make a slideshow for your computer. May they collect summer photos as well. Thanks Globe and Mail!!!

Ecuador: A Short Summary

Differentiating Facts:

1. Called "Republic of the Equator": a mega-diverse country. One of only two countries in South America (with Chile) not to border Brazil; Columbia is north, Peru is east and south, and Pacific Ocean is west. Also includes the Galapagos Islands.

2. Capital City: Quito, called "Light of America" and "Face of God" - Old Downtown is one of the first Unesco World Heritage Sites. City: Guayaquil.

3. Public education mandatory, free ages 5-14. Only 10% go to high school. 61 universities. Fewer than 1% of faculty have doctorates.

Historical & Geographical facts:

1. Exists from 3,500 B.C. Pop: 13,625,000. Spanish language: 65% Mestizo, 25% AmerIndian. National Holiday: August 19 (1809).

2. Three main geographic regions: 1) the coast 2)"the highlands" 3) "the east" and Galápagos Islands.

3. Had a long-lasting border dispute with Peru resolved in 1942 with unity against Axis Powers in WWII. Domestic military interventions in 1960s.

Economic Facts:

1. Recent constitution approved by referendum 2008. Multilateral approaches taken to international issues. $U.S. Dollar.

2. Water insufficient. 686 cases of malaria/100,000 people.

3. Natural resources, oil, gold, fish, shrimp, timber. Rich agriculture. Panama Hats.

General Facts:

1. Aver. Life expectancy: 70. Popular sports: capoeira, bullfighting, rock climbing.

2. Networks of national highways and intercity buses (not many trains).

3. Aguardiante: "fire-water" sugar-cane based spirit. Drinkable yogurt often consumed with pan de yucca, a light bread filled with cheese and eaten warm.

Yemen (al-Yaman): A Short Summary

Differentiating Facts:

1. Republic: headed by President Saleh, with Vice President, Prime Minister, and Deputy Prime Minister. Still largely a tribal society. Kidnappings 1990s - present. Since 2004, Civil War between Yemeni forces and Shiite rebels, also 2009 South Yemen separatism.

2. Many population shifts in long history. Kidnappings of tourists. Ocean piracy. Rapes of refugees. Violence against women. High birth rate (average 6 babies per mother). Fastest growing country in Arabia. 46% pop. less than 15 yrs. of age. Malarial mosquitoes. Lack of vaccinations.

3. Censorship practiced. Freedom of speech, press and religion are restricted.

Historical & Geographical Facts:

1. Arabian Peninsula country in southwest Asia. 20 governates and 1 municipality. Notable cities --Capital: Sana (also sp. Sana'a & Sanaa). Shibam: "Manhattan of the Desert."

2. Pop. 23 mil. 53% Sunni, 47% Shi'a. Four Main Regions: west coastal plains, western highlands, eastern highlands, Rub Al Khali (desert) in the east. Over 200 islands, many volcanic.

3. Est. Nov. 1, 1918. Independent judiciary practices Muslim Sharia law. Britain withdrew from Aden with closure of Suez Canal in 1967. Before 1990 existed as 2 entities.

Economic Facts:

1. Currency: Rials. Long operations trading spices, timber, textiles. Strategic location on Bab el Mandeb-strait linking the Red Sea & the Gulf of Aden is one of the world's most active shipping lanes with a high risk of piracy.

2. China and Soviet Union have provided economic assistance since mid-50s. 40% Unemployment (2007). Dwindling natural resources (e.g. oil, water). Fear of economic collapse by 2017. Monetary reform programs with World Bank and IMF.

3. Neighboring Saudi Arabia has built new border control measures. Good relations with Somalia and Djibouti.

General facts:

1.  99% Muslim. Only 1% pop. non-Muslim.

2. Arabic language is used. Compulsory school attendance not enforced.

3. Khat, an evergreen shrub, chewed by men and women is deeply rooted in culture for its caffeine-like effect.

A Politeness Test For the Smart and Polite Commenter

I guess it would make me happier if online commenters would stop and think before they send in a comment and take a politeness check. I'm not referring to comments on this site, but in general on the internet:

1.Would you be embarrassed to hear your comment repeated to a live audience, perhaps on television, at school or church, or at your funeral?
2. Would you likely get permission, encouragement and approval to send it from your grandparents, your parents, your children, bosses or significant others?
3. Is every word included and spelled perfectly?
4. Is the grammar perfect?
5. Are the sentences complete?
6. Did you even know the opposite sex usually find graphic anatomical references silly and primitive and ignore them? Same with expletives?
7. Put the comment in perspective. Will the comment show knowledge on the part of the sender or ask a legitimate question, or does the commenter just trash aspects, and sometimes even the writer, of the article because of the freedom to do so?
8. Why does the commenter want to hurt the writer with thoughtless comments? Imagine receiving the comment - how would it make you feel?
9. If the commenter isn't sure if a comment might hurt anyone, why not set it aside and read it again later, before sending it?
10. Can a commenter have the humility to admit to a possible mistake and not send a comment labored on and usually typed in haste, if it might not be appropriate?

If a comment doesn't pass with 'yes' to all the above, maybe it's better to delete it and not send it. Truth is important but some comments aren't. They can, at their worst, be toxic, useless and in Rumsfeld's words "notably unhelpful".

Since their inceptions, I have admired the achievements of sites like HuffPost and Daily Beast for fresh news. Professionals in many fields now have the opportunity to air their stories in online forums. Previously, they didn't have the chance and their views were aggregated together in sound bites and commoditized by the more mainstream journalistic venues.

These are people who know what they are writing about, feel strongly enough to write an article, and are literate enough to write an article for all to see. They can be royalty, experts and scientists at heights of lifelong careers giving away the fruits of their knowledge for free. I think of this as a good thing, much as I still like investigative journalism.

The down side to these and other sites to me are the Comment sections after an article I like. Eyes stray on them, whether one consciously intends to; it often can't be helped. It hurts me to think how laceratingly bone-crushing some negative comments must be for the experts who have spent the time to write for free and whose generous intentions were to impart first hand knowledge. Those comments can bite even other commenters who have added an innocent comment only to find it pounced on and flamed.

bridal.aruba.com

The world used to be kinder and softer, when extreme criticism wasn't as close and aggressive a neighbor as it has become in the online world. True, reading news isn't the same as to have a satisfying fireside flaming-hot dinner with candles. Some would disagree even with that and say reading news can be preferable, no doubt.

My point is that when some disagree online, whether they intend to or not, they abuse innocent writers and readers, often graphically, in an impolite way. In gratitude, they throw away in public disgust the fresh fruit of their most revered hosts and hostesses. Impolite comments can drive out good commenters who stop reading them, and everyone can lose  by missing out on reading full ranges of ideas. Home-made comments are the verbal equivalents of roadside bombs or bomb missiles, and avoided in some sites, especially if the first ones turn off viewers.

Impolite commenters  must not realize how powerful, potentially harmful and dangerous they are. Their statements will likely be seen by the author of the article. Commenters aren't generally vetted on the internet, but their gender, if not their age, often can be guessed, by their command of the language, choice of words and grammar usage.

Make sure your comments are responsible uses of your freedom and power. Know that your comments can cause others to perhaps form negative opinions of you. Hostile comments intended to provoke tend to be useless and hurtful.

V. Van Gogh, Parable of the Good Samaritan

The Golden Rule from the Bible (Matt.#22:39) should apply to commenters: Do unto others as you would have done unto you. I'm all for the truth and free speech. It's a worthwhile skill to combine them and help others with a gentle touch.

International Health Care Comparisons in a Table

Table of international health care costs per year and average life expectancy 

newser.com

Inspirational Music at Washington National Cathedral

This morning the National Cathedral had another wonderful service of worship replete with  ceremony, teachings and music in the mainline Christian tradition.

The ever-changing panoply of clergy and choirs and the formal vestments and decorations in splendid array are delightful to see at any time. Again, it's a great service to the country the National Cathedral has done. It has opened up its services on the internet for all to see, at any time of day and whatever our health.

I love the formality of the service and selections of my favorite old music. Many have been church favorites for hundreds of years, but sadly aren't played often nowadays. This is where to hear them.

These are my favorites from today (permissions are on the Cathedral site):

Hark! the herald angels sing, by Mendelssohn
Angels we have heard on high, Gloria
Holy, holy, holy, A Community Mass
Fairest Lord Jesus, by St. Elizabeth
Alelluia! Sing to Jesus, by Hyfrydol

Personal note: I've had a fever (103 F) for a week.