Kenneth Sutton's aide-mémoire
“The Westboro Baptist Church, of Topeka, Kansas, is a hate group masquerading as a Christian church.” Thus the Kansas-based organizers of The Million Fag March describe one of America’s most notorious hate mongers.
What you need to know
Date: March 30, 2008
Time: 11:00 AMWhere: Westboro Baptist Church, Topeka, KS
Requirements: This is not a “gay-only” event. Just come with the ability to send a message to the WBC and Fred Phelps that intolerance is unacceptable.
Oh my God. Clinton won only one jurisdiction in the entire state of Washington: Washington State Democrats — Caucus Results by Jurisdiction
The Wall Street Journal has an article on Mormon reaction to anti-Mormon feeling raised by Mitt Romney’s campaign for the Republican presidential nomination:
“I don’t think that any of us had any idea how much anti-Mormon stuff was out there,” said Armand Mauss, a Mormon sociologist who has written extensively about church culture, in an interview last week. “The Romney campaign has given the church a wake-up call. There is the equivalent of anti-Semitism still out there.”
I’m sorry, but what we’ve seen is not the equivalent of anti-Semitism. It is prejudice, and unfair questions and accusations based on ignorance or hatred, but I simply can’t see it as equivalent to anti-Semitism.
Al Jazeera English — News — Myanmar Charges Protesters
Myanmar’s government has filed sedition charges against 10 pro-democracy activists detained during massive protests against the country’s military rulers last year.
Last week I did something I’ve never done before. I made a contribution to a political candidate’s campaign: Senator Barack Obama.
When November comes, I will vote for the Democratic candidate. I cannot imagine that anyone running, no matter their faults, could possibly be worse than the war criminals currently in office. But of the three major primary candidates, Senator Obama’s campaign seems to me to have the right focus: the future, and how to bring Americans together around our shared future. We surely do not have the same vision for the future, all of us Americans, but we just as surely will share the same actuality. I’d like someone in office who wants to help us shape that future in a productive way.
David Zarembka critiques a few news reports on the situation in his Report 17 — Hoodwinked: International Coverage of the Crisis in Kenya
If this story had been true, it would have been one of the biggest massacres in the current violence in Kenya. Even though the story was fabricated, it was passed on by at least CNN and Time. I have never seen any reference to it in the Kenyan media.
This ought to be a red flag not only for coverage of the recent events in Kenya, but overall coverage by the international media in Africa.
Today is the ninety-sixth anniversary of the beginning of the Bread and Roses strike in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Perhaps it is time to stop and think about this issue. Frankly, as I look at what’s going on around us it’s hard to feel there is not a class war going on. And that the super rich are winning.
I think I started following the group blog Too Sense because of a post that Andrew Sullivan linked to, but I can’t quite remember for sure. But I am sure that I am enjoying the writing of dnA, who’s the only contributor I’ve read so far.
As a side note, one of the worst campaign strategies I’ve ever heard of in my life is associating your opponent with Martin Luther King Jr. Clearly, Hillary wants to lose.
dnA’s profile says “Artsy, Angry Mixed Kid from the Diamond District. Also I’m a total amateur at this. I’m sure I’m doing something wrong.” On the contrary, I’m pretty sure dnA is doing an awful lot of things right.
Carol, blogging at among Friends has a number of posts about the situation in Kenya, including a message from Friends United Meeting staff yesterday:
The country Kenya is now in chaos now and many people are dying and properties destroyed as a reaction to the announcement of the results. We are appealing for prayers that calmness may come to our country.
Peace and unity may prevail in our country. We are all safe wherever we are. Pray for Kenya!! Pray for Kenya!!!God bless
John Muhanji
There is a also a press release from Friends United Meeting.
There’s been a dirty election in Kenya (Death toll mounts over Kenyan president’s re-election), and guess who the US government is supporting?
But the US, which cooperates closely with the Kibaki government on anti-terrorism matters, congratulated the president on his re-election and said it supported the electoral commission’s decision. Robert McInturff, a state department spokesman, said: “The United States congratulates the winners and is calling for calm, and for Kenyans to abide by the results declared by the election commission.”
Oh yeah, doesn’t that make me proud to be an American (as if our long history of propping up dictators wasn’t bad enough).