This video talks about our upcoming book on Faith and Politics, called SPLIT TICKET. The song in the background is one of my spoken word pieces, called “Revolution.”
Archive for the ‘current events’ Category
NEW VIDEO: “Split Ticket,” Book #2 in WTF series
Monday, June 14th, 2010A Walk Around the World
Tuesday, June 8th, 2010(Originally printed in PULP)
One of my biggest issues with Western religious groups is how we tend to treat the human body. Aside from too often condemning our bodies as inherently dirty or sinful, we also tend to over-indulge them when it comes to food, to say the least. We too rarely speak of the spiritual importance of other self-care practices such as exercise.
Ideally, we wouldnt have to preach about it, but rather would live as examples to our communities. But more often than not, it seems like the religious leaders who are set apart are some of the worst offenders when it comes to self-care, or lack of it.
This isnt the case in all religious circles, however. For example, Yoga is a spiritual practice that emphasizes physical and spiritual wellness, and celebrates balance, both figuratively and literally. When I was not active in organized religion through much of my twenties, I found both the sense of community and discipline I longed for in martial arts. I was particularly drawn to Shaolin boxing, which was touted as the most ancient martial art, crafted by monks both as a spiritual practice and a method of defense.
So, although there are exceptions, it seems that religions originating from Asian cultures generally tend to get the importance of physical discipline and self-care, better than we westerners do. So, it was no great surprise when my latest spiritual inspiration was a Buddhist monk.
Endo Mitsunaga, a Japanese Zen Buddhist, is only the 13th monk since World War II to earn the honor of daiajari for completing an arduous pilgrimage. A resident monk of the Enryaku-ji temple on Mt. Hiei, near Kyoto, Mitsunaga completed a 26-mile trek in a single day through the mountains, marking the journey with 260 prayers along the way.
To complete such a task in itself is impressive, walking the equivalent of a marathon on the side of a mountain, but the 34-year-old monk has done the same walk a thousand times in the past seven years. He does the circuit, which brings him back to the monastery at its end, in strings of 100 or 200 days in a row, while wearing sandals hand-woven from grass.
By completing this pilgrimage, he has walked the equivalent of the distance around the planet Earth.
For most of us, this regimen would be all-consuming in itself, but he does this in his free time, since hes also charged with taking care of the other monks in the monastery seven days a week. His daily tasks take up about 80-plus hours a week, so he wakes up at 12:30 in the morning to begin his walk, finishing by 8 a.m. so he can work until after prayers at 8 p.m., sleep for four hours and get up to do it all over again.
Some might see the monastic life as selfish, not really offering anything to the world by walking in circles day after day around a mountain. But to me, such commitment, focus and self-discipline reveal how much were truly capable of as human beings. We tend to fall back on the my life is already too crazy argument for not praying, serving others or even caring for ourselves, but clearly, its more a matter of priorities than a matter of ability.
Its unfortunate that we have so few examples of sacrificial discipline in Western culture to help illuminate a path by which we might better ourselves. But at least, from somewhere on a mountaintop halfway around the globe, a monks quiet footsteps are heard half a world away.
Im not likely to join a monastery or walk around 26,000 miles in sandals any time soon, but Endo Mitsunaga serves as a heartening and challenging example that, given the will to do so, I can always do at least a little bit more.
New Video: Thoughts on the LOST Finale
Thursday, May 27th, 2010A recap of the show as it relates to the themes raised in my book, LOST: A Search for Meaning.
Priests and Abuse: Misplaced Anger?
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010
(Originally published in PULP)
It seems almost cliché to write about religious sexual abuse scandals in a faith-oriented column, but sometimes news stories simply demand a response.
First of all, I want to make clear that, as a leader in a faith community, Im personally both saddened and outraged every time I hear about another innocent soul falling victim to a sexual predator who uses the context of the ministry to cloak themselves in protective immunity. With every new revelation of such abuses, my question isnt why these predators arent defrocked; its why theyre not sitting in a cell somewhere.
That said, I think some of us are focusing our righteous anger in the wrong direction. Yes, priests and other religious leaders who exploit their position to take advantage of anyone in their congregation, be they of age or not, have no business in ministry. And yes, those in positions of greater power who knowingly obfuscate the scale of the problem, making it even worse by moving guilty priests around, should also be removed. But simply to direct our ill feelings toward these individuals is to ignore the deeper, more disturbing reality.
By its very nature, church leadership roles present extraordinary opportunities for abuse. Few other jobs offer such a combination of power, lack of accountability and social pressure to present oneself a certain way. People trust ministers or at least have done so historically because of their positions. Its assumed that it takes a special kind of person to accept a call to act as a servant of a church and its followers.
The problem is that, although this is generally true, it also is an imperfect system. True, some potential predators see ministry as a system waiting to be taken advantage of, but more often than not, I am of the opinion that the systems of religion themselves are guilty of creating these monsters, and not just letting them slip through the cracks.
Imagine being told that, for the rest of your life, people will look at you as if youre set apart, different. In some ways, they will hold an unnatural admiration for you, but this same perception also will distance you from the rest of the culture. Add to this that, in some cases, youre expected never to act on your natural sexual impulses, or even the innate craving for emotional and physical intimacy, all sexual acts aside.
Then youre given a uniform and are afforded authority over people that, by its very nature, places them in a vulnerable state, while also being drawn to you. And though its assumed youre carrying out the duties assigned to you by the higher authorities from day to day, the level of oversight generally doesnt match up with the level of responsibility you have.
Weve all heard the stories about how lots of men turn gay when sent to prison for long periods of time. Its not that these guys actually are suddenly more attracted to men than women, but for lack of a woman, a guy will have to do. This is not uncommon throughout the animal kingdom, with same-sex animals pairing off when its the only option.
So is it that these priests who molest boys are actually gay? Some may be, and may likely arent, in the sense that a homosexual act does not a gay person make. But the system itself places young boys in the trust of male priests all the time, and lo and behold, the combination of personal repression and otherworldly expectations find an outlet, though in a chilling and violent way.
An immediate reaction to such moral tragedies is to clamp down, enacting zero tolerance policies and throwing the so-called book at perpetrators. And although such action might make us all feel better for the moment, its not likely to change the behavior of a person who is already risking everything they have in the world for what amounts to a licentious thrill.
I believe that the biggest problem is the repression. When we ask people to be something theyre not by nature, those repressed dimensions find a way of seeping through the tiniest of cracks. And when they do, its usually not pretty. If we were actually more open about allowing our spiritual leaders to accept that their sexuality is actually a beloved gift from God rather than a dirty thing to be despised, it would go a long way toward allowing them to be what they actually are: human beings.
Not only that, but it also would give those followers within the church permission to accept as much about themselves, hopefully coming to realize that healthy sexuality expressed in mutually consenting relationships is as God meant it to be. Otherwise, none of us would be here!
From the first stories in the Bible, were wrongly taught to hate our bodies and to understand our sexuality as detestable and wrong. But as Ive heard it said many times before, hows that working out for you?
Couldnt it be that reading stories like those about Adam and Eve could tell us why we tend to view our bodies with shame, rather than taking from it that we should hate our physical selves? Couldnt it be that, if we are indeed created in the image of a Creator, our impulses and urges are supposed to be there, to be used and expressed in wonderfully creative ways?
If we can learn anything from history its that nature wins over the will of humanity every time. We may like to think that having the appearance of control over our sexuality makes us more highly evolved, or even somehow closer to God. Ironically, its those same God-given impulses that, when repressed find other ways into the light.
The problem is that, by then, its too late, and the shame continues.
Vehicular Manslaughter = $100 Traffic Ticket (NewSpin)
Friday, May 7th, 2010(Originally published in PULP)
We are a society whose order is built upon laws. Though there certainly is no guarantee of safety and quality of life, we generally can rest assured that the legal system will provide some recourse for victims and appropriate justice for those causing harm.
But things dont always work out the way they should.
Last September 30, Betty Joyce Kuykendall, 62-year-old Pueblo resident ran a stop sign on Tejon Avenue, rolling 85-year-old William Doroughs car with him and his two passengers, Katherine Waller, 75, and Spencer Waller, 19, inside.
Dorough was admitted to Parkview Medical Center the next day, and on October 27 died from complications from injuries related to the accident.
For this, Kuykendall was fined $100 and faces no further criminal charges.
So what happened? A number of things, actually. First, the Sheriffs deputy handling the accident reported that no one was injured seriously enough at the time, following a medical exam, to warrant any charges related to bodily injury. Instead, Kuykendall was issued a ticket for failing to stop at the stop sign and the rest was left to the insurance companies to deal with.
Kuykendalls lawyer advised her to plead guilty and to pay the fine. Her check was processed at the Colorado Department of Revenue on October 26, one day before Dorough died from complications related to the wreck.
The Pueblo District Attorneys Office, which is responsible for determining if the initial charges were sufficient or if she should be charged with something like vehicular manslaughter, didnt receive the Sheriffs report of the accident until December 16. By then it was too late to charge Kuykendall with anything further, as she was protected by the principle of double jeopardy as outlined in both the Colorado and United States constitutions, which ensures that a plaintiff cannot be charged twice for the same crime.
By the time our office received the full report and evidence, says Bill Thiebaut, Pueblo District Attorney, and a copy of the summons and complaint, and the disposition of the traffic case, the defendant had entered a guilty plea to the traffic charge.
In most cases, explains Thiebaut, Our office would staff the case and determine if someone committed a chargeable offense. If it was determined that a defendant should be charged, our prosecutors seek justice with a charge or charges equal to the offense. The problem is, at least in this situation, that it took two-and-a-half months for the paperwork to reach the DAs office.
I wondered if this is a normal timeframe for processing the materials needed to determine appropriate charges. It is not unusual that we receive reports after this length of time elapses, Thiebaut says. It takes time to put together the case.
As for the injuries not being reported, Thiebaut states: Apparently, the deputy sheriff did not know the extent of the injuries to the victim and issued a summons and complaint at the scene for a traffic violation.
I asked Pueblo County Sheriff Kirk Taylor for his assessment of the incident, to which he said, In reviewing the case, I have found that my deputies responded appropriately given the circumstances that they were faced with. This was a terrible tragedy and atypical when it comes to investigating and prosecuting an offender.
According to the Sheriffs report, the lack of reported serious injury is based on medical exams performed at Parkview Medical Center by a doctor and nursing staff. When the parties from the accident were taken to the hospital, says Taylor, my deputy inquired with the hospital personnel whether or not the individuals had sustained injuries that would amount to Serious Bodily Injury (SBI) as defined by statute. He was advised on the night of the accident that there was no SBI by both the doctor who examined them as well as several nurses.
The Sheriffs report details the nature of Doroughs injuries, not discovered upon intake at Parkview the day of the accident, but identified the following day when Dorough returned to the hospital and was admitted for complications. His neck was fractured and required surgery that would fuse portions of his cervical spine together.
In the week following the surgery, Doroughs condition worsened, ultimately requiring him to be intubated. He later had the tube removed but by then had partial quadriplegia, according to the report, which meant William (Dorough) could move his extremities but did not have any strength.
On October 27, medical staff recommended a second intubation, but Doroughs family declined, citing quality of life issues. He died at 11:11 am later that morning.
Deputy Jonathan Post, the one reporting on the investigation for the Sheriffs Department, questioned Dr. Rochelle Elijah, Doroughs hospital physician, asking why the Sheriffs Department was not told about Doroughs injuries when he returned to the hospital the next day. Elijah said she did not know, according to the Sheriffs report.
Asked also if Doroughs death was directly linked to the accident, Elijah said it was. The report does not list any of the medical staff by name that examined those involved in the accident the day of the wreck.
Following Doroughs death, Deputy Post and others from the Sheriffs department returned to the scene of the accident, gathering further information about the scene, which then was forwarded on to the District Attorney. But since Kuykendall had paid her traffic ticket, the DAs hands were tied.
So the DAs office did what they could, given the information they were provided when they got it. The Sheriff s Department issued the only reasonable ticket they could, given that attending doctors found no serious physical injury to any of the victims.
I asked Thiebaut if this kind of thing happens elsewhere, or if this was a freakish, isolated incident. Yes, there is precedent, he explains, however, this does not come up as often as you might think. Most bodily injury, serious bodily injury or death cases follow the model procedure [where the person causing harm is charged with inflicting injury or death]. On rare occasions, however, this scenario does play out.
In these cases, with double jeopardy shielding the would-be plaintiff from further criminal consequences, the only option for victims is to sue. According to Thiebaut, there is a civil case underway.
Incidentally, Betty Kuykendall has since been diagnosed with a neck fracture of her own from the accident and was scheduled to undergo surgery, according to the final report addendum included in the Sheriffs file.
Parkview Medical Center and staff involved in the case may end up being the subject of civil action before all is said and done, but I was left wondering what kind of legal responsibilities the medical staff may have failed to meet. Could emergency room doctors and nurses face legal fallout for missing two serious injuries in two different people the day of the wreck, one of which was eventually related to a mans death? And are they legally bound to report the injury to the Sheriff once it was discovered, considering an investigation was underway?
To be continued…
Public School Cuts Run Deep
Wednesday, April 14th, 2010NewSpin
By Christian Piatt
Originally published in PULP
Call it schadenfreude, but I couldnt help but smile when I read about Dr. John Covington, former Pueblo City Schools superintendent, having to contend with the ugly business of shutting down nearly half of Kansas Citys public schools. Granted, it was clear when he split town for the Midwest that he was entering a hot mess of a district.
But hey, when upward mobility calls, right?
Despite my sadistic need for karma to beat up Covington a little, the closure of 29 schools is nothing short of a crisis for children and families living in the city. Such a dire situation makes some of the recent developments in our own back yard a little easier to swallow.
Schools District 70 announced that, as of next year, it will be cutting back to four-day school weeks to try to balance the budget. Naturally, parents are concerned about the quality of their kids education, young ones taking the bus in the dark and what to do with the little buggers an extra day of the week when the rest of the world works.
Many parents in Pueblo are barely making ends meet as it is, particularly in outlying areas covered by District 70, and the challenge of paying for an extra day of child care every week might be the difference between making the car payment and giving it up to the bank. Obviously, the schools are trying to save money, so to stay open just to babysit would make no sense, but what to do?
As a vocal advocate that churches and community service groups should step up when theres an identifiable need, this is a great opportunity to put words into real action. Some churches offer parents night out or daytime relief once a month or so for caregivers. But if retired, unemployed or underemployed congregants could provide a safe haven for children to play and continue learning, it might actually help all of us justify those big buildings that, too often, only get used on Sunday mornings.
The busing issue is more easily addressed. True, there might be days when the buses have to run in darkness or at least twilight, but how many parents are content to leave their children at a bus stop on their own, even in broad daylight? I realize that rural areas tend to create a climate where everyone knows everybody else, but given the fact that sexual crimes against children are usually committed by relatives or family friends, this is hardly an excuse for a lack of vigilance.
When I rode the bus to school the city bus, mind you, not a school bus in Dallas, my folks stayed with me until the bus came. Yes, it took time, but it also communicated to me that my safety was a priority. Sometimes wed carpool and parents would take turns at this job, but even in the winter months when the bus ran into the evening, I knew there was always someone waiting for me on the other end.
Regarding the quality of education, the comments of a teacher friend of mine from District 70 makes the point well. She explained that, given busing schedules as they are now, combined with all the transitions kids have from one class or program to another, its hard for teachers to pack in all the curriculum-mandated material theyre expected to cover.
With the four-day schedule, she explained, teachers will still have the same number of contact hours in a week, but with one-fifth fewer transitions. This means longer periods of contact in the classroom, and, according to her, a better chance to cover important content than in a five-day system.
This still doesnt point to the 800-pound gorilla in the room, the absurdity of a donut-shaped district the educators and administrators are struggling to manage. Meanwhile, Pueblo City Schools sit square in the middle of it all, with some of its schools much closer to District 70 facilities than other schools in their own district.
Its understandable how reluctant either district may be to consider redrawing district lines or cost-sharing more than they already do, but considering what Kansas City schools are now facing, reshuffling the deck sounds like a much less bitter pill to swallow if funding continues to lag.
Finally, this still doesnt address the other problem we have in Southern Colorado, which is the value or lack of it that we seem to place on public school funding. Ours is one of the absolute lowest in per-capita funding of public education compared to income, and within Colorado, our two districts are near the bottom of that miserable pile.
I understand the resistance to raising taxes, particularly when were all hurting financially. But the old adage, you get what you pay for, tells only part of the story when it comes to childrens minds. Actually, the lack of investment will have a negative ripple effect, for decades to come, in the form of overburdened social services, swelling criminal-justice dockets, teen pregnancies, dropouts and substance abuse growing unchecked.
Maybe the more appropriate saying is pay now, or pay later. The four-day week may be relatively good news, compared to what may be coming if we dont step up to support public education. Unless were looking for John Hatchet Man Covington to come back our way and work similar magic for our kids, its time to make big changes while we still have a chance.
First vid: We’re ALL Social Justice Christians
Wednesday, April 7th, 2010When “Social Marketing” does more harm than good
Wednesday, March 31st, 2010My wife, Amy and I were watching TV the other night, and a series of commercials came on that told me a lot about who the sponsors of the show thought I was. First, there was a Pepsi ad for this program they have where they give grants to people with good, community-changing ideas. Second was a Sun Chips commercial touting their new compostable packaging.
I remarked to Amy about how prevalent this kind of social marketing had become, and did so with no small amount of disdain in my voice, I expect, based on the way she looked at me.
Basically, its popular these days for companies to tout their social responsibility to help persuade you to buy their product. From Sun Chips (owned by junk food giant Frito Lay) to Pepsi, and even Coke with their every time you drink our sugary, caffeine-laced soda, youre participating in worldwide recycling promotion, everyone wants to get in on the action. Of course, food and beverage manufacturers arent the only ones getting in on the action. Car manufacturers, clothing designers and all manner of retail chains try hard to give you wamr fuzzies about their products.
On the surface, I know it seems cynical to grumble about companies trying to be socially responsible, even if it only is to better their bottom line. After all, if the result is the same, who cares what their motivation really is, right? But the concern I have hearkens back to my time-tested theory about capitalism at the consumer-level, which is that companies try hard to make us feel good about buying their stuff, and we agree not to ask too many questions, because wed rather feel good (even if falsely or superficially) about getting what we want rather than doing the hard work of digging deeper for truth and God forbid maybe having to sacrifice some wants for our ethics.
First, we should never take a company at their word that what theyre doing is good for us or the planet. As an example, heres a recent mention about Sun Chips installation of a ten-acre field of solar panels to help operate one of their factories, for which they won an Effie. This award, it turns out, is not an environmental award, but rather an effectiveness in marketing recognition. This from Effies website:
On Earth Day 2008, Sun Chips factory in Modesto, Calif., opened a 10-acre solar grid so that Sun Chips would be made with solar energy. However, the brands users were not hard-core green consumers, and they didnt care to hear about the details. They just wanted to know they were doing something a little better.
Im not saying this move to solar is a bad thing, but there are a few questions Im left wondering about (though evidently, the marketing folks are clear that the general population doesnt really care):
What percentage of the factorys total consumption is generated by solar?
Was this part of a government mandate for communities/companies to get certain percentages of their energy from renewable sources, or was it voluntary?
Does the company have any standards for their suppliers and the way they grow, harvest and transport their products?
In short, the idea is to find out if this company seriously is committed to the values theyre promoting, or if its simply a photo-op. Before we give ourselves pats on the back for being responsible consumers, we should try to find out.
Second, and perhaps more important, I have concerns that we allow companies who engage in this kind of social marketing to assuage our guilt for our way of life, allowing us to feel like weve done our good deed simply buy buying a soft drink or eating chips. Yes, guiding our dollars to more responsible outlets is an important thing to consider, but this doesnt let us off the hook as human beings, responsible for the care of ourselves, our fellow human beings and the planet. Its not unlike how some folks figure they dont have to work hard at making the world a better place all week long, just because they go to church on Sunday.
If the companies we support truly are walking the talk, and if we can verify this, more power to them, and more power to us to support their efforts with our money. And if guiding our purchases in such a way is simply a reflection of a greater effort in all parts of our lives to do right by ourselves and our world, thats great.
But lets not fool ourselves; just because we drink Fat Tire instead of Miller Lite or buy our gifts from 10,000 Villages doesnt mean we dont have a hell of a lot of work left to do.
Can Protestants be “too Catholic?”
Monday, March 29th, 2010I posted a comment on my Facebook Page and Twitter Page recently about how it seems ironic to me that so many churches who focus on atonement theology (the idea that Jesus died for your sins as central to what they believe) seems to jump right past Holy Week and on to Easter.
It seems to me that someone who preaches about and studies the death and suffering of Christ so much the rest of the year would have a field day emphasizing this central tenet of their beliefs on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. But most of the churches in town that I know focus on this kind of image of Jesus have had slogans like Christ is Risen! on their signs for a couple of weeks already.
But can we really celebrate the resurrection, whatever meaning that takes on for your and your church, if we skip over the crucifixion? Moreover, arent we missing something if we dont participate in the Passover Seder meal on the Thursday before Easter? Yes, this is traditionally a Jewish ritual, but it is, after all the meal that took place at the Last Supper.
(Side note: I know this is shocking stuff for some, but Jesus wasnt a Christian; he was a Jew.)
Some of the responses I got to this comment were more lighthearted, pointing out that those who emphasize death and suffering so much year-round may see Easter as a time to take a little break, albeit maybe poorly timed. But Liesl, another friend of mine, pointed out that, in the church of her childhood, the reason Holy Week was not observed is because it is too Papist.
Basically, what shes saying is that, since Protestants broke away from the Catholic Church thanks to Martin Luther (the root meaning of Protestant is protest against many teachings of the Catholic church at the time), its in our theological DNA to reject all things Catholic. Since the Reformation, lost of us have defined ourselves more by what were not like in the Catholic tradition than by what we are though. And frankly, I think weve missed out on a lot of good things the Catholic church does really well.
As for Disciples in particular (the denomination of my wife and me, who co-founded Milagro Christian Church together six years ago), we have a real opportunity to connect with people who have some historical connection with Catholicism, but who do not actively participate in that church tradition any more. For one, we observe communion every week, much like the Catholic church, but rather than placing the church in a position of arbiter over who is fit to receive it or not, most Disciples churches observe an Open Table, which means that its not up to us as leaders to determine your fitness to take communion. We offer it to all people; whether you choose to take it is between you and God.
The fact that some of us also observe the liturgical calendar (observation of holy Week and following the Lectionary, among others) also appeals to a lot of people who are Catholic, and yet they find an openness in our lack of creeds or dogma that gets them past whatever alienated them from church in the past. As for Milagro, nearly half of our congregation is made up of these kinds of folks. so for us, the connection to Catholicism is not only valuable to enrich our sense of connectedness to deeper tradition; its a part of who we are today, as a faith community.
We do, however, have a couple of folks who respectfully decline to participate in thins like out Maundy Thursday, Passover Seder and Good Friday services namely because they feel too Catholic or too not-Christian. Here, we just agree to disagree, though I cant help but think theyre missing out on a broader perspective on their faiths of origin.
(Another side note: its common practice here in Pueblo to ask folks, Are you Catholic or Christian? is if the two are mutually exclusive. Weird.
So Im curious what others think. Do you feel like we may have gone a little too far with the Reformation, losing out on things like images and theology of the Divine Feminine, Holy Week and the like? Or is it important to maintain a cleaner break, setting ourselves apart from the faiths of Judaism and Catholicism that we came from? For that matter, is there value in digging deeper, looking into even things like Gnosticism, Zoroastrianism and other Pagan beliefs that informed many sacred practices we still embrace today?
Let me know what you think.
An open letter to critics of health care reform
Wednesday, March 24th, 2010
I understand that not everyone is a fan of the changes coming with the new health care reform legislation. However, I expect most can understand why at least the 32 million people anticipating having some kind of coverage would beg to differ.
This is not my issue. My beef is with the fear-mongering about the government takeover of health care. this is a broken system, and most of us simply find basic health care and insurance untenable. Its been a problem for decades and nothing substantial has been done, so kudos to those lawmakers who bucked up and spent some political capital to do SOMETHING. But in debating the laws implications, lets stick to logistics rather than capitalizing on fear of big government to polarize public opinion.
I would also suggest that such rhetoric is hypocritical for anyone benefiting from any of the following taxpayer-supported programs, which we have no choice but to support through our taxes:
Medicare
VA Benefits
Public Education (this includes state universities)
Social Security
Transportation systems (you drive on a road I/we paid for with our taxes)
I could go on, but the point is that ALL of us benefit from taxpayer-supported programs. Sure, health care is a huge portion of our national economy, but how about national defense? Ive yet to hear a tea party activist complain about their tax dollar going to missile systems or to fund internment camps for enemy combatants. Why is this? isnt the health of our citizenry at least as important?
For me, this is an issue of theological importance. If Jesus were here today, it would be hard to argue that he wouldnt chastise us for our treatment of the poor and less privileged, here in the wealthiest country in the world. And while Id love to see our communities address this and other issues without government intervention, how much longer do we wait? How many more thousands/millions should remain sick or die while we debate how to best reform a broken health care system? How many more decades should we say is acceptable until we say enough?
Its not a perfect bill, and no one is saying it is. But thank God something is changing. At least now were taking some responsibility for one of the most sorely neglected issues of social justice weve yet to content with as a nation.