WE MUST CALL IT WHAT IT IS: EVIL

Been reading a lot lately. One excellent book I have gotten a hold of is The Politics of Jesus: Rediscovering The True Revolutionary Nature of Jesus' Teachings and How They Have Been Corrupted.

A phenomenal book. Very quickly, I want to leave y'all with some thoughts pulled directly and shamelessly from Dr. Hendricks' book.

"...it is more important, it is our sacred prophetic duty, to
identify and call by name the policies, governmental officials, corporate
officers, events and developments, and greedy elites that are responsible for
the impoverishment of the people. Calling the demon by name is an integral
part of our vocation to treat the people's needs as holy. thus, we must
call by name every factor, condition, person, or persons that do not treat the
people's needs as holy. We must call the demon by its name:
evil.

We must call by name tax laws that favor the interests of the rich:
evil.

We must call by name corporate boards and executives who underpay their
workers while giving corporate executives annual salaries and bonuses so large
that it would take the average worker centuries of labor to earn as much"
evil.

We must call by name those who claim to hold the people's needs as holy but
in reality do not: evil.

We must call evil by name to remind the people that public officials are
supposed to be public servants, and remind public servants that it is the
welfare of the many that they are to serve, not the whims and wants of the
privileged few.

We must call the demon by name in our churches, call by name ministers'
crass materialism and their lack of prophetic engagement; must call by name
their collusion with forces that exploit and oppress those whom they are
supposed to serve.

We must call by name the perversion of Jesus' Gospel by prosperity
preachers who blame the people for their sickness and poverty, instead of
decrying the demonic mistreatment of the poor by those who hold only their own
needs as holy.

We must call evil by name when pensions are squandered, when
Americans are dispossessed of their livelihoods by greedy executives who export
American jobs to regions where they can better exploit workers'
desperation." (Bold mine) (Dr Obrey
Hendricks, Jr. The Politics of Jesus (Doubleday, 2006), pp
148,149

Dr. Hendricks goes on, I am somewhat pressed for time.

I will say this: The conservatives have done a great job in equating moral conservatism with political conservatism. The two have nothing in common.

If Political Conservatism had its way from the founding of the United States, the British would have never had to fight to keep the colonies. Breaking from Britain was a Liberal idea. The conservatives wanted to remain part of the crown.

If Political Conservatism had its way in the 1960's, Jim Crow would be alive and well. It was political conservatives that wanted to keep slavery and African-Amercians under the thumb of White America.

And now, it is Political Conservatism that wants to destroy bargaining rights in a number of states. It is political Conservatism that wants to repeal child labor laws in the State of Maine. It is Political Conservatism that seeks to deny children as well as adults in this nation a free education. It is political Conservatism that would have children go to bed hungry at night. It is Political Conservatism that seeks to deny equality to people based on their sexuality. It is Political Conservatism that seeks to destroy families of brown people that speak Spanish through the scapegoating of an entire class of people based on their ethnicity.

Make no mistake, Political Conservatism and Moral Conservatism are utterly antithetical, and they will never be reconciled.

I will leave you, Searchers with a quote from a Founding Father:

"As mankind becomes more liberal, they will be more apt to allow that all those
who conduct themselves as worthy members of the community are equally entitled
to the protections of the civil government. I hope ever to see America among the
foremost of nations in examples of justice and liberality."-George Washington

Peace, Searchers, I'm sure looking forward to having my laptop back...

COMMON SENSE BEGINGING TO REAR ITS HEAD REGARDING INTERNATIONAL DRUG POLICY?

As most of you know, I am for the legalization of marijuana. The following is from the HuffPo, it is in regards to the UN's drug report that praises Portugal's switch from incarceration of addicts to treatment. It makes sense, then we can have room for real criminals like Chris Flanagin, (chris@thurmanbishop.com Thurman and Bishop, Arkansas Community Foundation.)

Make no mistake: I am for the complete outlawing of hard drugs such as Cocaine, Meth, Heroin, Alcohol. (I know we already tried that, so I can hang that one up. However, Alcohol is the TRUE gateway drug.) Marijuana is a "soft" drug, with little or no collateral consequence, unlike Alcohol, which kills upward of 100,000 Americans yearly, and that statistic does not include deaths by vehicles. So onward Searchers, it is time for the legalization of marijuana, and a sea change in our Hemp production policy...Peace, I think I'll go smoke! From HuffPo:


UN Backs Drug Decriminalization In World Drug Report

In an about face, the United Nations on Wednesday lavishly praised drug decriminalization in its annual report on the state of global drug policy. In previous years, the UN drug czar had expressed skepticism about Portugal's decriminalization, which removed criminal penalties in 2001 for personal drug possession and emphasized treatment over incarceration. The UN had suggested the policy was in violation of international drug treaties and would encourage "drug tourism."

But in its 2009 World Drug Report, the UN had little but kind words for Portugal's radical (by U.S. standards) approach. "These conditions keep drugs out of the hands of those who would avoid them under a system of full prohibition, while encouraging treatment, rather than incarceration, for users. Among those who would not welcome a summons from a police officer are tourists, and, as a result, Portugal's policy has reportedly not led to an increase in drug tourism," reads the report. "It also appears that a number of drug-related problems have decreased."

In its upbeat appraisal of Portugal's policy, the UN finds itself in agreement with Salon's Glenn Greenwald.

The report, released at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., also puts to rest concerns that decriminalization doesn't comply with international treaties, which prevent countries from legalizing drugs.

U.S. Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske is scheduled to appear at the announcement of the report. (He has said "decriminalization" is not "in my vocabulary.")

"The International Narcotics Control Board was initially apprehensive when Portugal changed its law in 2001 (see their annual report for that year), but after a mission to Portugal in 2004, it "noted that the acquisition, possession and abuse of drugs had remained prohibited," and said "the practice of exempting small quantities of drugs from criminal prosecution is consistent with the international drug control treaties," reads a footnote to the report.

The UN report also dives head first into the debate over full drug legalization. Last year's World Drug Report ignored the issue entirely, save for a reference to Chinese opium policy in the 19th Century.

This year's report begins with a lengthy rebuttal of arguments in favor of legalization. "Why unleash a drug epidemic in the developing world for the sake of libertarian arguments made by a pro-drug lobby that has the luxury of access to drug treatment?" argues the report.
But the UN also makes a significant concession to backers of legalization, who have long argued that it is prohibition policies that lead to violence and the growth of shadowy, underground networks.

"In the Preface to the report," reads the press release accompanying the report, "[UN Office of Drugs and Crime Executive Director Antonio Maria] Costa explores the debate over repealing drug controls. He acknowledges that controls have generated an illicit black market of macro-economic proportions that uses violence and corruption."
Jack Cole, executive director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) and a retired undercover narcotics detective, objected to the report's classification of current policy as "control."

"The world's 'drug czar,' Antonio Maria Costa, would have you believe that the legalization movement is calling for the abolition of drug control," he said. "Quite the contrary, we are demanding that governments replace the failed policy of prohibition with a system that actually regulates and controls drugs, including their purity and prices, as well as who produces them and who they can be sold to. You can't have effective control under prohibition, as we should have learned from our failed experiment with alcohol in the U.S. between 1920 and 1933."

Again, it is time for the legalization of marijuana, but I do want you to pay close attention to the ridiculous statement by the U.S. "drug czar" :"decriminalization is not in my vocabulary." Maybe our "drug czar" needs to be shitcanned so he can go back to fifth-grade vocab class.

Peace!

TERROR IN THE HEARTLAND,MURDER IN CHURCH *UPDATE*

I left a message a couple of days ago with Liz from Planned Parenthood. She handles media requests. In light of the shooting in a church in Kansas of a doctor that provided abortions, I was curious as to how people involved with Planned Parenthood in my area were handling things, and if there was an uptick in threats, etc., from people here.

So it's been a couple of days since I contacted her, and she returned my call today.
I asked her how people were holding up and she indicated that support in Washington and Oregon remains strong, and they have in fact beefed up security at clinics, and I was under the impression that security, while always on their mind, was a renewed subject at the water cooler in the offices region-wide.

Liz indicated to me that they take security and threats against clinics and staff very seriously, and she made it clear that law enforcement on every level, Federal, State and Local have been extraordinarily helpful.

I asked Liz if there had been an escalation in threats since the attack last Sunday, unfortunately I failed to ask her if there has been an escalation in threats of violence since Obama's election, but if you read my Blog, Liz, feel free to comment and let me know! Regarding an uptick in threats here, she said aside from the usual protesters they encounter on a daily basis, there has not been a noticeable increase in Washington and Oregon, but she acknowledged that people here are generally more supportive of reproductive rights. She could not tell me if there has been an increase of threats of violence in other areas of the country. Be safe y'all...

I would like to drop this on you, Searchers: overall I do not like abortion. Like most pro-choice people, I do not like abortion. But the right wing and Fundamentalist Christians need to realize the fact that abortion is not going away. The right wing and American Christianity has these abortion blinders on and that is all they can see.

These dumbasses, (largely made up of what I like to call (with total sarcasm) the Great White Right), especially in the Bible racist Belt, vote on this one issue, and like true provincial thinkers focus on this while the schools are crumbling around them, hell, Mrs. Searcher's worthless pappy wasted tax payer money as a state rep for 11 terms, that's 22 years, and the schools in Forrest City, Arkansas at the time were some of the worst in the state.
Jobs are disappearing and Rural America is as broke and poor as ever, but the conservatives (and yes I mean you too, Conservadems, just cause you vote for Mark Pryor or Blanche Lincoln doesn't mean you're not voting Republican) want to vote their religion instead of common sense and decency. Not surprising, religion, especially fundamentalist christianity, evangelical, whatever the hell label you want to put on it, especially in the United States, is about dumbing people down, denying rights, education and health care, and discrimination and intolerance.

It is no wonder I switched sides. Peace, Searchers...

PUSHING FOR EQUAL RIGHTS IN AMERICA (HINT-THE GUY IN THE PICTURE ISN'T DOWN WITH THAT)

I dedicated the latter part of last week, that is Thursday and Friday, to chasing down elected officials in Arkansas to try to establish who specifically legislates the Office of Child Support Enforcement. I believe I have it narrowed down to two individuals, Representative Greg Reep of Warren, AR and Senator Percy Malone (pictured) of Arkadelphia, AR. (When I write "Thursday and Friday," it implies I took a mere two days to research information. That is a simplification; I have been pursuing this information for months...)



I interrupted Rep. Reep's golf game, and we agreed to talk later. When I spoke with Reep, he came across as a thinker, he listened to my statements regarding the current crises facing families and asked that I supply him with information so he could research the issues.


When I reached Arkansas State Senator Percy Malone it was quite another story. With a voice and twang that would do Jim Nabors proud, (shout out to Sylacauga, Alabama) Mr. Malone rebuffed my statements with such eloquent remarks as, "When it comes to child support I don't much care about the adults," and "I don't have anything to do with what happens across the country," and then the ubiquitous pseudo-intellectual statement: "All I care about is the kids" which is nothing more than a bullshit statement, especially when it comes from the mouth of a politician, as it is meant to appeal to some heartstrings in voters, because who in their right mind would be against children? *collective gasp*

"What Arkansas State Senator Percy Malone fails to
realize is that children and adults are intricately intertwined and
interdependent. There is not a father on this planet that does not
want to interact with his children, neither is there a mother that doesn't crave the same."

For Mr. Malone to not be able to put the two together is quite remarkable, but as another Arkansas Senator,Mark Pryor, famously said: "You don't have to pass an I.Q. test to be in the Senate." Clearly.

Mr. Malone's failure to grasp the fact that policy in Arkansas can cause severe harm to a 6 year old child half a continent away speaks whole volumes about his lack of knowledge as it pertains to modern times. Mr. Malone, pick up a newspaper or plug in that clam-shell thingy, I think it's called a lap-top or sumthin...


When I suggested that the state discontinue the policy of making non-custodial parents reimburse the state when the custodial parent applies for certain types of aid, (and the state forces and coerces the custodial parent to sign away their rights to child support, without qualified legal council) his immediate, knee-jerk statement was "Oh they'll never change that," which reveals Senator Malone's deep fear of change in the status quo. This is exactly the type of person that should not be in office.


One of the problems with guys like Percy Malone, (and he's not alone, Mrs. Searcher's father has the same unenviable trait,) is they exist in a bubble due to their elected position. Most have seen prosperity for all of their lives, couple that with living in Arkansas, throw in a heaping dose of conservatism, with a lack of intellectual curiosity, and out pops people like Percy Malone. And Mrs. Searcher's pappy.


Another problem with guys like Percy Malone is they prominently display their religion on their state websites. In this case, Malone's website lists "Baptist" as his church affiliation, but when given the opportunity to discuss real issues such as policy that is resulting in the destruction of families, Mr. Malone makes statements that denigrate an entire group of people which directly contradicts the teachings of the central figure of the Baptist denomination, Jesus Christ.


I emailed Mr. Malone after our conversation, the body of which you can read at the end of this post. I intend to call Mr. Malone's office tomorrow, 06.04, to obtain a statement. I will publish the results of the call.

Lest there be any confusion, let me be clear: I intend to see reform come to child support enforcement. I believe the statutes as they are written violate the 14th amendment to the Constitution of the United States, as well as Articles 1,2, 3,6,7,21.2, and 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Email to Percy Malone:

Mr. Malone- May 29, 2009

Thank you for your time Friday discussing crucially important child support issues. I regret that you were unable to articulate with any eloquence the rationale behind the reckless policies of the Office Child Support Enforcement. I do appreciate your stated concern regarding "the children" and your adamant declaration that you "don't much care about the adults." This is abundantly clear as you continue to support policies that contribute to the despair and destruction of families. Armed with your regrettable comments as well as the memory of our short phone conversation it comes as no surprise that you cannot comprehend a connection between adults and children. Apparently in the world of Percy Malone, children somehow appear without the help of adults, and when the benevolent Mr. Malone waves his magic wand all children are self-sufficient, because in Mr. Percy's world, children and adults have no connection. Brilliant.

As for your statement, "I don't have anything to do with what happens across the country," this gives me a glimpse into your lack of vision, lack of intellectual curiosity, as well as your provincial mindset. Your inability to connect dots in the simplest of pictures is remarkable.

I realize you got off on the wrong foot with me but I am confident we can move forward amicably while you still hold office. I look forward to frequent future conversations with you as the OCSE policies as currently written must be reviewed in the context of the age we live in today as opposed to maintaining the status quo. The review of these policies must only result in one thing: a sea change in the Office of Child Support Enforcement.

Sincerely,



Peace, Searchers


image credit: Arkansas State Assembly website.