CROSSVILLE —
This week started off with two historic commemorations—a religious event that turned political, and a political event that turned religious.
On this past Sunday churches around our country celebrated the birthday of the Christian church. On the fiftieth day after Easter (Pentecost), followers of the man who had been crucified as subversive by the Roman Empire were gathered together in Jerusalem, and were empowered by God's Spirit to continue the alternative community that he had established. Rejecting the Roman system of economic inequality, they decided to share their wealth so that all could have their basic needs met (Acts 2). This was considered subversive and socialistic by the Romans with their trickle down system, but many in the 99 percent found it good news and joined Jesus' alternative community.
Today we find the same debate going on in our nation. The Republican House budget bill, to protect tax breaks for the rich and inflate military spending, aims to cut $310 billion from vital domestic social programs such as food stamps, health care, child care assistance, school lunch funding, Head Start, and aid for older people with disabilities.
Republican Paul Ryan, the House Budget Committee chair, has said that his budget plan of cutting anti-poverty programs and helping people get out of poverty and dependency into a life of independence was inspired by the teachings of his Catholic faith. In response, however, nearly ninety faculty members and priests at Georgetown, the Jesuit university in Washington, sent him the following letter:
"We would be remiss in our duty to you and our students if we did not challenge your continuing misuse of Catholic teaching to defend a budget plan that decimates food programs to struggling families, radically weakening protections for the elderly and sick, and gives tax breaks to the wealthiest few. Your budget appears to reflect the values of your favorite philosopher, Ayn Rand, rather than the Gospel of Jesus Christ."
On Monday a second historic commemoration took place—Memorial Day observances by communities all across our nation. Originally called "Decoration Day," this observance started out in the South in 1865 as a day of remembrance for those who had died in the Civil War. The idea then spread to the North, and in 1868 was named "Memorial Day" by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic. An estimated 750,000 died in that terrible war. Later, in 1950, a Joint Resolution of Congress provided a religious context for the observance of the day: "Requesting the President to issue a proclamation designating May 30, Memorial Day, as a day for a nationwide prayer for peace." (64 Stat. 158)
As one might imagine, the breadth of this concern has greatly increased over the years. It has been estimated that U.S. war dead from our 1775 War of Independence through all our other wars and military sorties to the present comes to approximately 1,300,000. We don't know what the future might hold for us since it appears that we are now in a state of permanent war. Our longest war ever, the current Afghanistan War, continues to produce many casualties, both in terms of death and permanent injuries.
The costs to our common wealth and common good over the years have been huge. We now spend more on our military than the rest of the world combined. We have about 700 military bases in 130 countries worldwide, and another 6,000 bases in the U.S. and our territories. According to research analysts at the National Priorities Project, our overall military costs budgeted for fiscal year 2013 will come to $931 billion. It also reports that the U.S. has spent nearly $8 trillion on defense since 9/11. Funds to underwrite these costs have been taken from our domestic needs in health care, education, employment development, cultural resources, and environmental sustainability.
Maintaining an empire is expensive. It will also require the soul of our nation.
Opinion
LION AND THE LAMB: Two choices before us
- Opinion
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Stumptalk: A super majority legislature
Much media attention has recently been focused on the inability of the super majority of Republicans in the 2013 legislature to enact every Republican bill into law. Why is this different from some of the recent super majority Democratic legislatures? If you were paying attention to the debates in the committees, and analyze that debate, you will find that Republicans don’t automatically follow their party leaders when it comes to doing what each individual legislator thinks is best for Tennessee. Republicans actually try to do what they think is best for our citizens.
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Tidbits: Jolie’s move a conversation starter
Angelina Jolie, named the “Sexiest Woman in the World” by People Magazine in 2005, stunned the nation last week when she revealed she had chosen to have a preventative mastectomy after genetic testing revealed she had about an increased risk of developing breast cancer.
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LION AND THE LAMB: Ten years in captivity
Traditionally male violence against women has been delivered by fist or gun. On May 6, however, another delivery system was brought to light: chains and rope.
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WE THE PEOPLE: Crashing those Pearly Gates
Too often when one of our “public servants” dies, even if he is a blot on the human race, he is elevated to sainthood before they can get a tag on his toe. Then the press eulogizes him right into heaven before St. Peter can check his credentials. Even those who are a bit skeptical of this revision of history tend to adopt a “forgive and forget” attitude. Margaret Thatcher’s recent death seems to indicate that the British are less forgiving and have a better memory.
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TIDBITS: Practical advice for new grads
Another graduation season is upon us, and soon a new crop of young adults will head out into the world, full of hopes and dreams for the future.
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STUMPTALK: The right to bear arms
The anti-gun activists are wacky as a June bug for their solutions to eliminate gun-violence. They have it backwards. Instead of going after those that perpetrate these despicable acts, they are mounting attacks on law-abiding citizens, restriction of access to firearms, limiting magazine size and universal background checks.
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Small Town Girl: Britain's missing royalty
Last week, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, after a 33-year-reign, abdicated in favor of her son, the now-King Willem-Alexander. He is now the youngest monarch in Europe and is the first Dutch king in more than 120 years. One has to wonder how Prince Charles of England felt while attending the coronation ceremonies. After all, he has been waiting to inherit the English throne from his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, for over 60 years.
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We the People: Minimum wage is not enough to live on
For folks too young or too unaware what has happened to our economy the past 30 years, here is an answer. Ronald Reagan, G.H.W. Bush and the Republican Party are responsible for what we know as "Reaganomics," an economy that continues today resulting in few "labor unions” and the resulting low wages and lack of worker benefits.
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Lion and the Lamb: In the eye of the beholder
The May 5 issue of People magazine appeared with an astonishing cover. It proclaimed in big letters "World's Most Beautiful Woman!" and featured 40-year-old actress Gwyneth Paltrow. The issue also included the facial pictures of over a hundred other American beauties from age 15 to 70.
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Tidbits: The value of a community newspaper
I'll be the first to agree the life of a reporter isn't glamorous, especially when you work at a small town newspaper.
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Stumptalk: A super majority legislature
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