There is good news.
My Bidding adieu to Bush article, yes, the previous one, made it to the RealClearPolitics website on Friday.
Check it out here (Bush Wasn't So Bad)
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
Bidding adieu to Bush - in a kinder tone.
As George W. Bush is leaving the White House, people are already saying he’s among the worst—if not the worst—presidents that the country has seen. History may indeed choose to make the same verdict, but for now let me give a kinder assessment of his eight-year reign. There are four areas in which he was inaccurately blamed for everything that went wrong—the Iraq war, the economy, the energy crisis and the mismanagement of Hurricane Katrina. And there were places where he truly made a positive impact.
Read On...
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Read On...
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Tuesday, October 28, 2008
America is a melting pot, not a dumping ground
The first issue in the Missouri ballot for Nov. 4 asks this: “Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to add a statement that English shall be the language of all governmental meetings at which any public business is discussed, decided, or public policy is formulated whether conducted in person or by communication equipment including conference calls, video conferences, or Internet chat or message board?”
This has become a controversy with plenty of heat going around from both sides. I should analyze the whole thing and should come up with a conclusion:
Legally requiring immigrants to learn English isn’t unfair; it promotes upward mobility and assimilation.
Read on...
Digg
Saturday, October 25, 2008
I came to you as a democrat and you did not vote for me.
Who decides which side the God is on?
If you want to say any candidate is against God, remember Matt. 7: 1-5, which starts with these words: “Judge not, that you be not judged.”
Read on...
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If you want to say any candidate is against God, remember Matt. 7: 1-5, which starts with these words: “Judge not, that you be not judged.”
Read on...
Digg
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
I'm voting for Bob Barr, to be included in the debates, that is.
The presidential debates are coming. After going through numerous debates from both parties,especially democrats , it is only conceivable that the debates would see some action. However, should we leave the debates only to the big boys or should we let the firebrand third party candidates in for the debates? I already see some efforts in this matter: St Joesph Telegraph. However, let me explore the case for including former congressman Bob Barr and possibly the old warrior Ralph Nader into these debates.
Firstly, The Commission on Presidential Debates, a private, non-profit corporation, only allow candidates who poll above 15% nationally to be included in the presidential debates. This adds a serious dent to the commission's claim to be non-partisan. They are siding with the big guys who nevertheless treat the third party candidates as a thorn in their sides. A better way would be to include everyone that have made themselves into the ballot in at least 15% of the states, let us keep the number at 8 to round it off.
Firstly, The Commission on Presidential Debates, a private, non-profit corporation, only allow candidates who poll above 15% nationally to be included in the presidential debates. This adds a serious dent to the commission's claim to be non-partisan. They are siding with the big guys who nevertheless treat the third party candidates as a thorn in their sides. A better way would be to include everyone that have made themselves into the ballot in at least 15% of the states, let us keep the number at 8 to round it off.
Practically, a lot of people, the so called independents who roam the aisle and choose which side to vote at the last moment, make that decision based on the presidential debates to see where the candidates stand on the issues, what plans they have up their sleeves to send the country in the right direction and also to see the integrity and strength that they display in the debates. This means that the third party candidates, being marginal in terms of visibility to the nation will have no chance to get their ideas across to the multitudes. Who knows what the people would decide once they see all the ideas being showcased in a nationally televised presidential debate? It is absolutely the spirit of democracy. So are you saying that people do not think outside the box? Well, about that later.
At least the people of America are polling in a majority to get the third party candidates to be included in the debates. I am quoting straight from the Zogby International's website.
UTICA, New York - More than half of likely voters nationwide - 55% - want Republican-turned-Libertarian Bob Barr to participate in presidential debates this fall, while nearly half - 46% - said they think Ralph Nader should be allowed into the on-stage fray, the latest Zogby Interactive polling shows.
The final argument for the third party candidates is that they will not be afraid to broach subjects that the democratic or republican party candidates would rather evade. They do not have to worry about offending any of their big money donors. They are also fearless of defeat and hence would be totally truthful and forceful in discussion about any matter. I can see Senators Obama and McCain trembling about the prospect of Bob Barr asking about how well their policies protect the constitution and whatever it stands for. Or Ralph Nader asking about how their policies do anything that helps America's middle class.
So in conclusion, we should all urge The Commission on Presidential Debates to include the third party or independent candidates in the debate and see democracy flourishes. This would enable the debates to actually reveal and cross examine the effectiveness and honesty of the policies of all the candidates. I would only help America. I do not see how it could hurt America.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Christians getting massacred in India as a part of religious cleansing
God and faith is in the heart, mind and souls of people; its in the morning sun-shine that they wake-up to, in the silence that they meditate in, in the tranquility of the evenings when they look towards the sky, in the thank-yous that comes from depth of their hearts... What can it be converted to? -- is it the name by which we call the same one God? Or is it the style of the rituals we do or the songs that we sing for the same one God?
While the intention of sharing this piece of news is certainly not to spread hatred or distrust between communities, it is important that we as humans and also as Indians realize the intensity and seriousness of such a carnage Whether it is a few political outfits sharpening weapons for next year's general elections, whether it is the ignorant black-sheeps of two religions getting over-zealous, the fact is that people are suffering. While they debate it out in the bright news studios, in the security of their mansions protected by followers or faithfuls, there seems to be no respite to the suffering of these people...these laymen out there at ground zero.
While the intention of sharing this piece of news is certainly not to spread hatred or distrust between communities, it is important that we as humans and also as Indians realize the intensity and seriousness of such a carnage Whether it is a few political outfits sharpening weapons for next year's general elections, whether it is the ignorant black-sheeps of two religions getting over-zealous, the fact is that people are suffering. While they debate it out in the bright news studios, in the security of their mansions protected by followers or faithfuls, there seems to be no respite to the suffering of these people...these laymen out there at ground zero.
A defaced portrait of Jesus Christ hangs on the wall of a demolished house after a mob attack at Barakhama village in the eastern Indian state of Orissa August 30, 2008. Thousands of people, most of them Christians, have sought shelter in makeshift government camps in eastern India, driven from their homes by religious violence which has killed scores of people.
A Christian girl salvages belongings from her burnt home at Minia village, about 320 kilometers (200 miles) from the Bhubaneshwar, the capital of the eastern Indian state of Orissa, Saturday, Aug. 30, 2008.
A Christian man looks at his destroyed house after a mob attack in Barakhama village in the eastern Indian state of Orissa August 30, 2008.
A Christian girl whose face was burnt during the recent religious violence, sits in a shelter at Raikia village in the eastern Indian state of Orissa August 31, 2008.
Christians set up tent shelters at Raikia village, in the eastern Indian state of Orissa August 31, 2008. Thousands of people, most of them Christians, have sought shelter in makeshift government camps in eastern India, driven from their homes by religious violence
Christians sit outside a shelter at Raikia village in the eastern Indian state of Orissa August 30, 2008.
A Christian woman cries outside her demolished house at Gatumah village in the eastern Indian state of Orissa
A Christian boy eats lunch under an umbrella inside a shelter at Raikia village in the eastern Indian state of Orissa August 30, 2008.
Christian villagers search the burnt remains of their household at Raikia bazaar of Kandhamal district in Orissa, India, Friday, Aug. 29, 2008. Thousands of Christian-run schools and colleges across India were closed Friday to protest recent Hindu mob attacks on churches and homes
Burnt vehicles are seen at Suleswar village in the eastern Indian state of Orissa August 31, 2008. Thousands of people, most of them Christians, have sought shelter in makeshift government camps in eastern India
Christians return for shelter after spending days in hiding in a forest at Naugram village in the eastern Indian state of Orissa August 30, 2008.
A vehicle burns inside a church in Nuagoan village in the Kandhamal district of the eastern Indian state of Orissa, August 25, 2008. REUTERS/Sanjib Mukherjee d.
A burnt doll is seen outside a Christian home at Suleswar village in the eastern Indian state of Orissa August 31, 2008
Christians and social activists protest against the recent communal violence in the eastern Indian state of Orissa, in New Delhi, India, Friday, Aug. 29, 2008. The protest by Christian institutions comes days after violence wracked eastern Orissa state where Christians have clashed with Hindu mobs targeting churches, businesses and homes
School children attend a prayer meeting to pay tributes to the victims of the recent clashes between Hindus and Christians in Orissa, in the northern Indian city of Shimla August 29, 2008. Hindu mobs ransacked a church and clashed with Christian villagers in eastern India on Thursday, police said
Citizens attend a protest against the killings of Christians in Orissa during a meeting in a Mumbai church August 29, 2008.
A Christian school teacher pleading to the VHP activists to spare him
All the Christians around the world should unite in protest against these atrocities. Spread the word.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
A letter of support to Prof. Douglas W. Kmiec
Dear Prof. Kmiec,
Thank you for the courage that you have shown to support Barack Obama. Even though many of his policies violate the message of Jesus Christ, there are other aspects in which he has a superior claim of doing the Lord's work. Your decision has proved at least this much: No party in America has a monopoly on Jesus.
I hail from a predominantly Catholic community. The Church that I knew and its message contrasts a lot from what I have seen and heard in the Catholic church in the United States. Out there, the Church prominently preaches social morality. The one about being the keeper of your brother. The message in which God helps anyone who helps, not himself, but his neighbor. We hear the story about Jesus telling us on the judgment day that he came to us as a poor man and we neglected him.
However, the Catholic Church in the United States appears to be on a war for personal morality, even though not all aspects of it. The right of a woman to choose or gay rights are personal choices, that we do not have to judge. Nobody forces anyone to be gay. Nobody can force me to have an abortion at my family. Such laws or Supreme Court judgments do not really affect my life or do not make me sin. Let the Lord be the one who judge them.
My uncle, Arch Bishop of Guwahati, has remarked on many occasions during his visits to the United States that the Church in the US has lost its direction fighting against abortion and gay rights. The debate sadly pushes aside the real issues that face the society; the real action that needs to be taken by us as fellow Christians. The inequality and poverty should be the primary issues that we need to care about as a society. Abortion and gay rights, which are cases of individual morality should be left to each person.
So I'd love to see the Church giving Social morality, at least the same importance that it gives to individual morality. Also, looking at the Republican policies in the past decade has made me wonder how I can justify those actions. Cutting health-care to children in different states is definitely not pro-life. Waging an unnecessary war that results in thousands of deaths and trillions of tax payer money is not a Christian way of doing things. The so called conservatives, at least the neocons do not stand for my values as a Christian.
But, there is always a word of caution in all these issues when it comes to liberals. As much as I applauded your decision to support Obama, you and I, as Catholics, should hold him accountable for having our religious rights unscathed. The story about Boston Catholic charities not being able to exorcise our religious beliefs in case of adoption should be a dire warning. Even from a totally agnostic point of view, the end result, that is those charities closed down does not benefit the nation or the people.
In the same vein, I am delighted at Obama's decision to make use of religious groups in making progress with the society. However, like the case of Catholic Adoption agencies, there is a trap hidden in his own words. While it is acceptable that these religious groups do not discriminate against their benefactors, he has asked the groups not to discriminate in hiring processes too. How would a Catholic charity be Catholic if its workers are Jewish or Atheists? Inasmuch as a Pro-Choice organization would want to hire someone who shares their ideas, even a Catholic organization, or any religious bodies for that matter, would want to hire people that share its values. We should fight to keep Obama accountable in this aspect.
Keeping in mind all these, I am appalled to hear that you were denied communion by a priest for endorsing Obama. Such bigotry is not part of Jesus Christ's message. Such hate is not professed by bible as I know it.
So, I wish to congratulate you for your stance and would love to see you continue to champion the Catholic values, be it demanding for government policies with an emphasis on social morality or fighting for religious freedom in the public square.
Thank You,
Politics Avalanche
Update: Prof. Kmiec actually responded with a message of agreement. He alerted us that the love of our homosexual neighbors in California ought not be turned around as a discrimination against the church. I applaud that. As much as they have the right for unions, it should not be held against a judge or a clerk or a priest who would not want to perform ceremony due to religious beliefs.
Thank you for the courage that you have shown to support Barack Obama. Even though many of his policies violate the message of Jesus Christ, there are other aspects in which he has a superior claim of doing the Lord's work. Your decision has proved at least this much: No party in America has a monopoly on Jesus.
I hail from a predominantly Catholic community. The Church that I knew and its message contrasts a lot from what I have seen and heard in the Catholic church in the United States. Out there, the Church prominently preaches social morality. The one about being the keeper of your brother. The message in which God helps anyone who helps, not himself, but his neighbor. We hear the story about Jesus telling us on the judgment day that he came to us as a poor man and we neglected him.
However, the Catholic Church in the United States appears to be on a war for personal morality, even though not all aspects of it. The right of a woman to choose or gay rights are personal choices, that we do not have to judge. Nobody forces anyone to be gay. Nobody can force me to have an abortion at my family. Such laws or Supreme Court judgments do not really affect my life or do not make me sin. Let the Lord be the one who judge them.
My uncle, Arch Bishop of Guwahati, has remarked on many occasions during his visits to the United States that the Church in the US has lost its direction fighting against abortion and gay rights. The debate sadly pushes aside the real issues that face the society; the real action that needs to be taken by us as fellow Christians. The inequality and poverty should be the primary issues that we need to care about as a society. Abortion and gay rights, which are cases of individual morality should be left to each person.
So I'd love to see the Church giving Social morality, at least the same importance that it gives to individual morality. Also, looking at the Republican policies in the past decade has made me wonder how I can justify those actions. Cutting health-care to children in different states is definitely not pro-life. Waging an unnecessary war that results in thousands of deaths and trillions of tax payer money is not a Christian way of doing things. The so called conservatives, at least the neocons do not stand for my values as a Christian.
But, there is always a word of caution in all these issues when it comes to liberals. As much as I applauded your decision to support Obama, you and I, as Catholics, should hold him accountable for having our religious rights unscathed. The story about Boston Catholic charities not being able to exorcise our religious beliefs in case of adoption should be a dire warning. Even from a totally agnostic point of view, the end result, that is those charities closed down does not benefit the nation or the people.
In the same vein, I am delighted at Obama's decision to make use of religious groups in making progress with the society. However, like the case of Catholic Adoption agencies, there is a trap hidden in his own words. While it is acceptable that these religious groups do not discriminate against their benefactors, he has asked the groups not to discriminate in hiring processes too. How would a Catholic charity be Catholic if its workers are Jewish or Atheists? Inasmuch as a Pro-Choice organization would want to hire someone who shares their ideas, even a Catholic organization, or any religious bodies for that matter, would want to hire people that share its values. We should fight to keep Obama accountable in this aspect.
Keeping in mind all these, I am appalled to hear that you were denied communion by a priest for endorsing Obama. Such bigotry is not part of Jesus Christ's message. Such hate is not professed by bible as I know it.
So, I wish to congratulate you for your stance and would love to see you continue to champion the Catholic values, be it demanding for government policies with an emphasis on social morality or fighting for religious freedom in the public square.
Thank You,
Politics Avalanche
Update: Prof. Kmiec actually responded with a message of agreement. He alerted us that the love of our homosexual neighbors in California ought not be turned around as a discrimination against the church. I applaud that. As much as they have the right for unions, it should not be held against a judge or a clerk or a priest who would not want to perform ceremony due to religious beliefs.
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