Well, it appears to be all over but the shouting. Repressive force has won again, as it too often does. What are we to make of the recent events in Iran, and where if anywhere can we go from here? Did the protesters miscalculate? Was there ever any possibility of success? Has anything been gained by the bravery and sacrifices of those who took to the streets?
Certainly the lead up to the election was promising. It almost seemed as if democracy was breaking out in Tehran. People were speaking their minds and the government was permitting it and perhaps even encouraging it. As the election ended early reports suggested that reformist Mir Hossein Mousavi had won a great victory. No sooner had these reports surfaced than government reports announced that it was President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who had emerged victorious instead. In the space of a moment everything had changed.
Where was the regime in all of this. Did they also miscalculate the strength of Mousavi's candidacy? Were mixed signals the result of inner conflicts within the governing heirarchy? If they had no intention of permitting a change at the top why did they allow the election process to go forward unchecked?
The ensuing protests appeared to be a spontaneous outpouring of surprise and outrage at the turn of events. There was hope that the results could still somehow be turned around. The use of technology inspired excitement, and the media loved the story. Perhaps the regime doubted the importance of this outpouring from determined citizens who wanted and expected to have their voices heard, but not for long. International media was silenced quickly. Beatings, arrests, and humiliation of protesters followed. Protests dwindled in number and intensity. The brutality was too great to bear. The regime had won.
The endless battle about whether President Obama had said too much or too little seemed so academic. The truth is the United States had almost no impact on the events in Iran. Obama's Cairo speech had helped turn the election in Lebanon and had initially given hope to those seeking change in Iran, but fundamentally events in Iran were not influenced either pro or con by anything said in the United States. The real value of the Obama position was that it made it difficult for the Iranian leaders to blame the United States for interfering in their domestic affairs.
So what has Iran accomplished? They have demonstrated that might makes right. We have seen this occur too often in our world. The school yard bully beats up on the defenseless youngster. Politicians, even in our own country, use demagoguery to maintain the status quo. Repressive regimes control the statements and actions of their citizenry. We know the drill. It is not that hard to crush a rebellion.
There are however, some costs to doing so. The stature of this regime has dealt itself a major blow. They were unable to control their people with a call to nationalism, religion, or belief in the trustworthiness of the government. They had no choice but to resort to attacking their own citizens, forcing them to profess untruths in humiliating staged confessions, showing the worst side of the regime's determination to stay in power. I suspect that no other nation in the region can look on Iran now and see anything like nobility in their cause.
The people will never forget this moment either. The leadership itself seems to have been fractured. The people of Iran will never look on their government in quite the same way again. The notion that protesters themselves are guilty of conspiracy to kill Neda, the young woman martyred on the streets of Iran who became the rallying cry for protesters, is simply not credible. The notion that the regime can blame the United States and other western countries for fomenting unrest is not believeable. Twitter, Facebook, e-mails and cell phones have made such patently false declarations meaningless.
The government in Iran does not seem to care whether anyone believes them or not. They have determined that they will move forward as they choose, and in the short term they will succeed. The media's short attention span has run out on this story, and certainly the death of Michael Jackson has literally pushed every other story off the front burner. However, the seeds of change have sprouted among the people. By winning, the regime in Iran may well have lost. Change will come to Iran, and it will come because the people have willed it. We know not how long it will take, but the mullahs have themselves by desperately and ruthlessly clinging to power sealed the fate of their own regime.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Being Catholic in the USA in 2009
This column might be considered a primer for anyone considering joining the U.S. Catholic Church of 2009. I limit my comments to the Church in the United States because I can't really profess to know what it's like being Catholic in other countries. I feel pretty confident, however, that despite the notion that the Church is monolithic and unchangeable, the experience of being Catholic varies from country to country.
The good news is there's not much to know about being Catholic for a U.S. Catholic these days. There are really only a couple of things you need to know and follow. Once you have accepted these parameters the rest is actually easy. The bad news, however, may also be that there isn't much to know today about being Catholic in the USA.
Let's face it. The primary piece of information you need to know centers around abortion. In case you hadn't heard, it's bad! Well that really doesn't cover it, does it? If the issue were that abortion were bad I believe you would find almost no one who would not concur with that characterization. To be a good Catholic, however, you need to know and accept that abortion is 'more bad' than anything else one can name. It is worse than the holocaust, worse than all the evils of war, worse than a possible nuclear attack, far worse than the murder of an abortion doctor (which is actually a good thing, because the recent murder permanently closed an abortion clinic). One issue politics should be the norm for all Cathoics, because even if the world goes to hell in a hand basket, it is O.K as long as we address the abortion issue in the terms dictated by the heirarchy.
Like the two great commandments of Jesus in the New Testament, the second criterion for being Catholic is in some ways like the first. Simply put, this criterion is about obedience. If the Pope, Bishop, priest, or your local conservative Catholic newspaper says it, follow it. Do not think, do not deviate, certainly do not voice the slightest hint of disagreement. If you follow these prescriptions you will have fulfilled the whole law. Anything short of that prohibits you from considering yourself a 'real' Catholic.
I wish I could say at this point that I have just written a caricature, a satire, or an exaggeration of what it means to be Catholic, yet I am hard pressed to see wherein I have exaggerated. Don't misunderstand. It is of course true that many pro-life Catholics are as horrified at the recent murder of the abortion doctor in Kansas as anyone else, and it is not my intent to denigrate their heartfelt beliefs in any way. My criticism here is of the heirarchical Church and the way it relates to the laity and the larger community.
It continues to be a sad commentary that the more than 200 year history of the Church has for all practical purposes been reduced to these two items. Certainly the history of the Church has its own dark periods, scandals, etc., but it also has immeasurable riches, true holiness, and ideas that have so much of value to offer the modern world. Catholic Social teaching going back to Pope Leo XIII's great encyclical Rerum Novarum of 1891 sought to elevate the poor and give worth and dignity to every individual. Priests, Nuns, and other religious marched side by side with their African American brothers and sisters in the 1960"s to help guarantee basic justice for African Americans.
In earlier generations the Church accommodated itself to paganism, other religions and cultures, and even totalitarian governments. It grew strong under American democracy and the notion of the separation of Church and State. Now it seems to have forgotten the many lessons it learned during the 20th century about tolerance and operating in a pluralistic society. The reality of the sexual abuse crisis, the failure of leadership by the bishops, and the attempt to exercise discredited leadership by denying communion to politicians or threatening excommunication rather than being exemplary pastors have all conspired to exacerbate a leadership crisis in the U.S. church.
Too many of 'John Paul II's bishops have come to power in the USA exemplifying an authoritarian leadership style. The result can be seen in such recent actions as a total of 60 bishops criticizing Notre Dame for inviting President Obama to speak. Other more supportive bishops remained silent. This continuing movement towards repression and the imposition of a rigid conformity demonstrates how the Church in the United States has become bankrupt and bereft of all that has made it a welcoming beacon for past generations.
Part of the answer needs to come from the people in the pews. We must begin to speak up. We must organize and exert lay leadership. We must demand our Church back. We must challenge patently irresponsible and unjust actions by Bishops. We must refuse to support and follow Bishops who seem to believe that being a pastor means to bully and threaten all who question them.
The good news is there's not much to know about being Catholic for a U.S. Catholic these days. There are really only a couple of things you need to know and follow. Once you have accepted these parameters the rest is actually easy. The bad news, however, may also be that there isn't much to know today about being Catholic in the USA.
Let's face it. The primary piece of information you need to know centers around abortion. In case you hadn't heard, it's bad! Well that really doesn't cover it, does it? If the issue were that abortion were bad I believe you would find almost no one who would not concur with that characterization. To be a good Catholic, however, you need to know and accept that abortion is 'more bad' than anything else one can name. It is worse than the holocaust, worse than all the evils of war, worse than a possible nuclear attack, far worse than the murder of an abortion doctor (which is actually a good thing, because the recent murder permanently closed an abortion clinic). One issue politics should be the norm for all Cathoics, because even if the world goes to hell in a hand basket, it is O.K as long as we address the abortion issue in the terms dictated by the heirarchy.
Like the two great commandments of Jesus in the New Testament, the second criterion for being Catholic is in some ways like the first. Simply put, this criterion is about obedience. If the Pope, Bishop, priest, or your local conservative Catholic newspaper says it, follow it. Do not think, do not deviate, certainly do not voice the slightest hint of disagreement. If you follow these prescriptions you will have fulfilled the whole law. Anything short of that prohibits you from considering yourself a 'real' Catholic.
I wish I could say at this point that I have just written a caricature, a satire, or an exaggeration of what it means to be Catholic, yet I am hard pressed to see wherein I have exaggerated. Don't misunderstand. It is of course true that many pro-life Catholics are as horrified at the recent murder of the abortion doctor in Kansas as anyone else, and it is not my intent to denigrate their heartfelt beliefs in any way. My criticism here is of the heirarchical Church and the way it relates to the laity and the larger community.
It continues to be a sad commentary that the more than 200 year history of the Church has for all practical purposes been reduced to these two items. Certainly the history of the Church has its own dark periods, scandals, etc., but it also has immeasurable riches, true holiness, and ideas that have so much of value to offer the modern world. Catholic Social teaching going back to Pope Leo XIII's great encyclical Rerum Novarum of 1891 sought to elevate the poor and give worth and dignity to every individual. Priests, Nuns, and other religious marched side by side with their African American brothers and sisters in the 1960"s to help guarantee basic justice for African Americans.
In earlier generations the Church accommodated itself to paganism, other religions and cultures, and even totalitarian governments. It grew strong under American democracy and the notion of the separation of Church and State. Now it seems to have forgotten the many lessons it learned during the 20th century about tolerance and operating in a pluralistic society. The reality of the sexual abuse crisis, the failure of leadership by the bishops, and the attempt to exercise discredited leadership by denying communion to politicians or threatening excommunication rather than being exemplary pastors have all conspired to exacerbate a leadership crisis in the U.S. church.
Too many of 'John Paul II's bishops have come to power in the USA exemplifying an authoritarian leadership style. The result can be seen in such recent actions as a total of 60 bishops criticizing Notre Dame for inviting President Obama to speak. Other more supportive bishops remained silent. This continuing movement towards repression and the imposition of a rigid conformity demonstrates how the Church in the United States has become bankrupt and bereft of all that has made it a welcoming beacon for past generations.
Part of the answer needs to come from the people in the pews. We must begin to speak up. We must organize and exert lay leadership. We must demand our Church back. We must challenge patently irresponsible and unjust actions by Bishops. We must refuse to support and follow Bishops who seem to believe that being a pastor means to bully and threaten all who question them.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Government Motors
I believe everyone, including President Obama, would agree that it would be better if the United States government was not involved in the auto industry. The notion of 60% of General Motors being owned and perhaps operated by the federal government is not a particularly happy thought. Yet, I also believe there are a number of points that one should consider before attacking this acquisition as some unspeakable socialist plot.
Let us begin with the reality that General Motors and Chrysler were both companies that were in the process of failing. Additionally, General Motors in particular is not just any company. I must confess that when I think of General Motors I think of Dinah Shore back in the 1950's, singing every night that we should "see the USA in our Chevrolet". For those who need to ask the question 'Who is Dinah Shore', I can only say that there is and has been a special relationship with our American Car companies and the notion of letting them collapse is not easy to accept. Two Presidents with very different points of view on almost every issue were in agreement that everything possible had to be done to retain our American automotive industry.
The recession has been real, and doing nothing did not seem to be a reasonable option. It is not just sentimentality that demanded action on General Motors. Clearly bankruptcy was imminent. The ramifications were also pretty clear. Thousands of auto workers would be out of jobs. Thousands more retirees would have likely lost their pensions. Car dealerships would close and more jobs would be lost. Suppliers to General Motors and Chrysler would be forced to shut down adding to the domino effect that would intensify and deepen the economic recession, perhaps even resulting in a depression.
Those who advocated doing nothing may have been tough minded, but it still seems irresponsible to have sat idly by while so many were suffering and to continue to advocate letting the free market determine the future. Some might say that the government's efforts have been a waste of time and money as both companies have wound up in bankruptcy anyway. No one, of course knows what the ultimate result will be, but I believe we may already be seeing some potential bright spots.
Allowing these companies to fall into bankruptcy would almost certainly have produced the drastic results mentioned earlier. The structured bankruptcies we have seen in Chrysler and that is just underway with General Motors seem to represent a very different process. Many dislike the government's intervention, but that intervention has produced a structure that essentially laid out exactly what would happen while the company was in bankruptcy. Some complain that the Union was given preferential treatment in the process, but the reality is that the company was going under and everyone had to take a hit and they did. It appears that Chrysler is just about to come out of a brief bankruptcy with a chance over time to be successful again. General Motors has already had some success in selling off the Hummer and Saturn. We can hope that their bankruptcy period may also go smoothly and we will again have a viable auto industry.
Many things can still go wrong. The recession itself can still produce many pitfalls ahead. I believe, however, that the greatest danger we have in this country today as far as progress is concerned is adhering to a rigid ideology of either the right or the left. For example, government intervention of any kind is always wrong. Such an attitude results in such questionable actions as the Governor of South Carolina refusing stimulus money even though it means teachers and other employees of his own state will lose their jobs. Another example would be an inability to see that government is the only entity that can and will spend money during the recession to attempt to get the economy moving again. At the other end of the spectrum it has been shown that raising taxes during a recession can also do damage. The times demand a pragmatic approach rather than an ideological one. President Obama and his team will not always make the right decisions, but I for one am glad we have a team in charge that is trying to find out what will work to make things better for the American People and moving to implement those programs. A certain amount of trial and error is going to be necessary during these difficult times, but working together I believe we can make this nation hum again.
Let us begin with the reality that General Motors and Chrysler were both companies that were in the process of failing. Additionally, General Motors in particular is not just any company. I must confess that when I think of General Motors I think of Dinah Shore back in the 1950's, singing every night that we should "see the USA in our Chevrolet". For those who need to ask the question 'Who is Dinah Shore', I can only say that there is and has been a special relationship with our American Car companies and the notion of letting them collapse is not easy to accept. Two Presidents with very different points of view on almost every issue were in agreement that everything possible had to be done to retain our American automotive industry.
The recession has been real, and doing nothing did not seem to be a reasonable option. It is not just sentimentality that demanded action on General Motors. Clearly bankruptcy was imminent. The ramifications were also pretty clear. Thousands of auto workers would be out of jobs. Thousands more retirees would have likely lost their pensions. Car dealerships would close and more jobs would be lost. Suppliers to General Motors and Chrysler would be forced to shut down adding to the domino effect that would intensify and deepen the economic recession, perhaps even resulting in a depression.
Those who advocated doing nothing may have been tough minded, but it still seems irresponsible to have sat idly by while so many were suffering and to continue to advocate letting the free market determine the future. Some might say that the government's efforts have been a waste of time and money as both companies have wound up in bankruptcy anyway. No one, of course knows what the ultimate result will be, but I believe we may already be seeing some potential bright spots.
Allowing these companies to fall into bankruptcy would almost certainly have produced the drastic results mentioned earlier. The structured bankruptcies we have seen in Chrysler and that is just underway with General Motors seem to represent a very different process. Many dislike the government's intervention, but that intervention has produced a structure that essentially laid out exactly what would happen while the company was in bankruptcy. Some complain that the Union was given preferential treatment in the process, but the reality is that the company was going under and everyone had to take a hit and they did. It appears that Chrysler is just about to come out of a brief bankruptcy with a chance over time to be successful again. General Motors has already had some success in selling off the Hummer and Saturn. We can hope that their bankruptcy period may also go smoothly and we will again have a viable auto industry.
Many things can still go wrong. The recession itself can still produce many pitfalls ahead. I believe, however, that the greatest danger we have in this country today as far as progress is concerned is adhering to a rigid ideology of either the right or the left. For example, government intervention of any kind is always wrong. Such an attitude results in such questionable actions as the Governor of South Carolina refusing stimulus money even though it means teachers and other employees of his own state will lose their jobs. Another example would be an inability to see that government is the only entity that can and will spend money during the recession to attempt to get the economy moving again. At the other end of the spectrum it has been shown that raising taxes during a recession can also do damage. The times demand a pragmatic approach rather than an ideological one. President Obama and his team will not always make the right decisions, but I for one am glad we have a team in charge that is trying to find out what will work to make things better for the American People and moving to implement those programs. A certain amount of trial and error is going to be necessary during these difficult times, but working together I believe we can make this nation hum again.
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