Posts By This Author
Pentagon Gains as Billions Cut from Poverty Programs
From Politico:
American soldiers learned the hard way not to walk down enemy trails in Vietnam — and certainly not twice. But here come the House Republicans, marching into the sunlight by shifting billions from poverty programs to the Pentagon, all within hours of adopting an entirely new round of tax cuts for those earning more than $1 million a year.
Read more about this story here
DC Pastor on the Politics of Faith in Government
DC-based pastor and former Sojourners staff member, Rev. Aaron Graham unpacks what it means to have faith and serve in government for The Washington Post:
It breaks my heart today to see how often politics shapes our faith, rather than faith shaping our politics. Over the years the church in America has become so biblically illiterate that we are often being more influenced by cultural and political trends than we are by the Word of God.
Read his full article here
Kirsten Powers Confronts Misogynist Pastor Face-to-Face on FoxNews
FoxNews contributor (and friend of Sojourners) Kirsten Powers has been outspoken in her criticism of the Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, a frequent guest and friend of Fox's Sean Hannity.
On March 5, Peterson took to the airways on his "Exploring Your Destiny with Jesse Lee Peterson" program and delivered a message/sermon titled, "How Most Women Are Building a Shameless Society." Powers, a Democtrat who also happens to be an evangelical Christian, began posting a litany of tweets on Twitter castigating Peterson for his blatant misogyny.
(Read a piece by Sojourners' staff writers Nicole Higgins and James Colten taking Peterson to task HERE.)
On Tuesday, Powers took the opportunity -- on the air during Hannity's show on which she is also a frequent guest -- to confront Peterson face-to-face.
You go, girl.
In Mali, Junta Claims Victory Over 'Counter-Coup'
From Agence France-Presse late last night:
Fischer Says Gay Romney Spokesman Resignation "Good News"
Business Insider reported last night:
"I think it's probably going to be a long time before Gov. Romney hires another homosexual activist to a prominent position in his campaign," Fischer said. "And that's good news if you're in the pro-family community."
Read the whole story here
Is There a Link Between Compassion and Religiosity?
NPR reports on a University of California, Berkeley study:
Census Shows 'Independent Evangelicals' One of the Largest Religious Groups in U.S.
Chicago Tribune religion reporter Manya Brachear reports:
Counted together, independent evangelical congregations comprise one of the largest religious groups in the nation, after their evangelical compadres in the Southern Baptist Convention and the biggest group, Roman Catholics.
Read the full story here
Joe Scarborough on President Obama's Afghanistan Speech: "The Neocons Won"
From Joe Scarborough's Politico blog last night:
The takeaway of President Obama's speech tonight is simple. The neocons won, the troops lost and the endless war grinds on in a land that humbled the Soviet Union, the British Empire and Alexander the Great. Good luck with that, Mr. President.
Read the full post here
Cornell West and Tavis Smiley on America's New Working Poor
From Salon yesterday:
Last Friday, the U.S. Government announced that 7.2 percent of Americans in the labor force earn so little that they are living in poverty. Reuters noted that the percentage of the working poor is the highest in at least two decades. The rate was 7 percent in 2009, 5 percent in 1999, and 5.5 percent in 1987.
Read the full story here
Still Things Left Unsaid When it Comes to Drones
From Mother Jones this morning:
White House Counterterrorism adviser John Brennan officially acknowledged the administration's targeted killing of Al Qaeda members abroad for the first time in a speech on Monday. But Brennan didn't tell the whole story: He largely rehashed the legal rationale for targeted killings of specific Al Qaeda suspects, instead of defending the use of more controversial "signature strikes," in which targets are selected based on a "pattern of behavior."
Read the full story here