kobrien.net

Here’s a great write-up on who is to blame for the current economic crisis:

http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/who_caused_the_economic_crisis.html

In a NY Times article, the President-elect of the Christian Coalition, Rev. Joel C. Hunter stepped down from the post he’s had since July. What was the reason? He wanted the group to focus more on poverty and environmental issues. However, “He said that many evangelical leaders hewed to narrow moral issues because they were ‘deathly afraid of being labeled a liberal by other Christians, the media, talk radio.’

Since when are Christians afraid of fighting poverty and being custodians of our planet? How did these become taboo topics? I sure hope that someday soon Christians will wake up and realize that a couple bad eggs have steered them off the path and remember what it truly means to be Christian.

Here are two quotes from Thomas Jefferson on the difference between political parties. Just as true then as it is now:

“Men by their constitutions are naturally divided into two parties: 1. Those who fear and distrust the people, and wish to draw all powers from them into the hands of the higher classes. 2. Those who identify themselves with the people, have confidence in them, cherish and consider them as the most honest and safe, although not the most wise depositary of the public interests. In every country these two parties exist, and in every one where they are free to think, speak, and write, they will declare themselves. Call them, therefore, Liberals and Serviles, Jacobins and Ultras, Whigs and Tories, Republicans and Federalists, Aristocrats and Democrats, or by whatever name you please, they are the same parties still and pursue the same object. The last one of Aristocrats and Democrats is the true one expressing the essence of all.” –Thomas Jefferson to Henry Lee, 1824. ME 16:73

“Both of our political parties, at least the honest portion of them, agree conscientiously in the same object: the public good; but they differ essentially in what they deem the means of promoting that good. One side believes it best done by one composition of the governing powers, the other by a different one. One fears most the ignorance of the people; the other the selfishness of rulers independent of them. Which is right, time and experience will prove. We think that one side of this experiment has been long enough tried and proved not to promote the good of the many, and that the other has not been fairly and sufficiently tried. Our opponents think the reverse. With whichever opinion the body of the nation concurs, that must prevail.” –Thomas Jefferson to Abigail Adams, 1804. ME 11:52

http://www.jibjab.com/thisland.html

Senator Zell Miller (D) of Georgia gave a great speech on the Senate Floor about the usefulness of the 9/11 commision and well worth the time to read it. It certainly gave me a new outlook on the 9/11 commission. The text version can be viewed here.