RADICAL RIGHT Beck's War Against Social Justice Fox News' radical host Glenn Beck recently told his listeners to "run as fast as you can" if they find their church preaching "social justice," claiming it is a "perversion of the Gospel." "Social justice was the rallying cry," he argued, "on both the communist front and the fascist front. This is not an American idea." Beck even told his listeners to report preachers of social justice to the authorities: "If you have a priest that is pushing social justice, go find another parish. Go alert your bishop." Christian leaders of all denominations -- from progressive Jim Wallis to arch-conservative Southern Baptist theologian Albert Mohler -- have challenged Beck's attack on social justice. Religious scholars of Beck's adopted faith, the Church of Latter-Day Saints, have explained that social justice is essential to Mormonism. Bread for the World is asking Beck to "[q]uit using [his] bully pulpit to spread misinformation and fear." Wallis has initiated a petition at Sojourners, his social justice organization, for people to let Glenn Beck know they are social justice Christians. In response, Beck has announced that the "hammer is coming" down on Sojourners and Wallis, whom he claims is a "Marxist." Despite Beck's threats, Wallis has repeated his invitation to sit down and have "an open and public discussion on what social justice really means." WHAT IS 'SOCIAL JUSTICE'?: The concept of social justice runs throughout the Old and New Testaments and includes such virtues as "caring the for the poor and speaking about human rights," explains Pastor Michael Hidalgo. Social justice, the Center for Social and Economic Justice defines, "is the virtue which guides us in creating those organized human interactions we call institutions." "The poor have the most urgent moral claim on the conscience of the nation," writes the Catholic Office for Social Justice. Social justice necessarily involves the government and the economy. As Peg Chamberlain, President of the National Council of Churches, explains, "one cannot claim to be following the teachings of Scripture while also saying that Jesus and the prophets cared nothing for economic justice and that a discussion of such principles has no place in the Church." The ideas of economic justice, workers' rights, and redistribution of wealth are "in no way foreign to the biblical text." There are certainly disputes among progressive and conservative religious traditions about the proper application of social justice, particularly between the role of material needs and faith. However, to reject the concept entirely is to reject the church -- not one parish or priest, but all. ECONOMIC JUSTICE: Economic justice is central to communities of faith, who warn against economic systems unconstrained by social justice. The global financial meltdown was not just an economic failure, writes Center for American Progress Senior Policy Adviser for Faith and Progressive Policy Sally Steenland, but also a "moral crisis that exposes the fatal flaws of unfettered capitalism and rebukes the worship of free-market forces whose excesses are having brutal consequences for everyday Americans." "What is really broken in our economy," writes Center for American Progress Senior Fellow Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, "is that it no longer works for all the people." Churches and synagogues are on the front lines of providing financial advice to those abused by the mortgage industry. More than 40 different religious denominations and faith traditions are part of PICO, "a national network of faith-based community organizations" working "to increase access to health care, improve public schools, make neighborhoods safer, build affordable housing, redevelop communities and revitalize democracy." President Obama was once a community organizer as part of the Gamaliel Network, a "multi-faith, multi-ethnic, multi-political, multi-cultural" non-partisan group that works for comprehensive immigration reform, health care for all, and economic opportunities for low-income people. FAITH IN PUBLIC LIFE: Glenn Beck claims his attacks on social justice are based on his support for the "separation of church and state," even though he is simultaneously promoting David Barton, a radical pseudo-historian who wants to eliminate those walls. Beck does not distinguish the difference between imposing one's religious views on others and acts of civic and public engagement motivated by faith. However, millions of Americans working for a more just society without requiring everyone else's allegiance to their own private faith. Instead they recognize the universal messages of healing the sick, caring for creation, and providing refuge to immigrants. Faith in Public Life is a multi-faith group that works for "advancing the common good in the public square," including the Forty Days for Health Reform project. Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good is promoting initiatives like Go Green for Lent, following the Vatican's lead as the world's first carbon-neutral state. "Now is the time for followers of Christ to help solve the global warming crisis," says the Evangelical Climate Initiative. Galen Carey of the National Association of Evangelicals has called for Congress to "pass meaningful immigration reform this year." Christians for Comprehensive Immigration Reform are planning a march on Washington on March 21, unwilling to stand by "as our broken immigration system rips families apart, and anger, frustration, and misunderstanding divide our nation."
RADICAL RIGHT -- VIRGINIA ATTORNEY GENERAL ORCHESTRATING FIGHT TO INVALIDATE HEALTH AND ENERGY REFORM, FLOATS SUPPORT FOR BIRTHER LAWSUIT: Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R) has positioned himself as the leader of a state-based movement on the right to invalidate key progressive initiatives, including health care reform and climate change legislation. Yesterday, it emerged that Cuccinelli has floated his support for yet another fringe conservative idea: the "birther" movement. In an audio clip allegedly recorded after his election last year, Cuccinelli was asked how he could legally challenge President Obama's citizenship. Cuccinelli responded by laying out the legal framework, adding that the "speculation" that Obama is from Kenya "doesn't seem beyond the realm of possibility." It is "possible," Cuccinelli said, that he might "challenge" a federal law because "someone qualified to be president didn't sign it." After the news broke, however, Cuccinelli quickly backtracked, releasing a statement yesterday afternoon stating, "I absolutely believe that President Obama was born in the United States." Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell (R) also distanced himself from his Attorney General's comments. When asked about Cuccinelli's remarks, the governor's spokeswoman said, "All questions should be directed to the Office of the Attorney General." When pressed further, she stated, "The president was born in the United States. This is a non-issue and we will have no further comment."
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Tomorrow, C-Span will formally announce completion of the C-Span Video Library as "virtually every minute of its video archives," covering 23 years of history, have been uploaded onto the Internet. "You can see if politicians are saying one thing today, and 15 years ago were saying another thing," said C-Span founder Brian Lamb. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is playing hardball to get the final votes for health care reform, but "Pelosi and her leadership team are warning members that the bill is final" and there will be no more legislative changes made to secure those votes. "No horse-trading," a Democratic source with knowledge of leadership's thinking told Politico. "They are closed for business." A new study by the UCLA-based Center for Health Policy Research finds that nearly 1 in 4 Californians under the age of 65 had no health insurance last year. The data shows that 8.2 million people were without coverage in the state during 2009; Californians 65 and older were exempted from the research because they are covered by Medicare. "Student lenders are mounting a final push" to derail landmark student lending legislation that would cut out the private lender middlemen from federal student loans. The lending industry is warning of a "government takeover" of federal student loans. After Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) unveiled his new financial reform bill yesterday, business lobby groups immediately "moved to oppose specific provisions in the legislation." The National Association of Federal Credit Unions, the Financial Services Roundtable, and the American Insurance Association lodged their complaints against more regulation. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, is bringing most U.S. Special Operations forces under his control after concerns over continued civilian casualties and unit disorganization. "What happens is, sometimes at cross-purposes, you got one hand doing one thing and one hand doing the other, both trying to do the right thing but working without a good outcome," he said. The White House "renewed its threat to veto the fiscal 2010 intelligence authorization bill over a provision that would force the administration to widen the circle of lawmakers who are informed about covert operations and other sensitive activities." House Intelligence Committee chairman Silvestre Reyes (D-TX) praised the provision for improving congressional oversight of intelligence activities. "Palestinians hurled rocks and burned tires in several neighborhoods in disputed East Jerusalem" today after Hamas called for a "Day of Rage" to protest the "reopening of a landmark synagogue after 40 years." About 3,000 officers were deployed to keep order and 49 people were wounded in clashes. The Senate "cleared the way" yesterday for final approval of a Democratic jobs bill, voting 61 to 30 to end debate and proceed. Six Republicans voted in favor of cloture for the bill that includes tax breaks for companies that hire workers "along with an extra $20 billion for highway and transit construction." And finally: Stephen Colbert reviews Karl Rove's new book. "Spoiler Alert: Bush was a great president!" Colbert said. "It's just like 'Pride and Prejudice,' but even more prejudiced!"
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"A cap-and-trade bill...would take already painful job numbers and make them dramatically worse."
-- Carly Fiorina for U.S. Senate online ad, 3/10/10
VERSUS
"John McCain will create a cap-and-trade system that will encourage the development of alternative energy sources. He will help advance clean coal technology, and nuclear power. And all of this will both create jobs and lower the cost of energy."
-- Fiorina, 9/03/08
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