Things I’ve Seen

This week - the environment

Fistfuls of dollars (free registration required)

It’s all coming true. Before the war, hawks insisted that Iraq was a breeding ground for terrorism. It wasn’t then, but it is now.

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These days it’s hard to find a military expert not reporting to Donald Rumsfeld who thinks we have enough soldiers in Iraq. But to those who say, “Send in more troops,” the answer is, “What troops?”

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Still, even the government of a superpower can’t simultaneously offer tax cuts equal to 15 percent of revenue, provide all its retirees with prescription drugs and single-handedly take on the world’s evildoers - single-handedly because we’ve alienated our allies. In fact, given the size of our budget deficit, it’s not clear that we can afford to do even one of these things. Someday, when the grown-ups are back in charge, they’ll have quite a mess to clean up.

Stop beating around the bush. Tell us what you really think, Paul.

Fascinating article on an attempt to change Alabama’s tax system

Susan Pace Hamill, a Beeson theology student, published a master’s thesis arguing that “Alabama’s tax structure economically oppresses low-income Alabamians and fails to raise adequate revenues.”

Hamill, a tax-law professor at the University of Alabama, spent her sabbatical studying Scripture at Beeson. Her 112-page thesis, published in the fall 2002 issue of the Alabama Law Review, is an attack not only on Alabama’s regressive tax code — which requires poor families to pay up to three times the percentage of income in state tax that wealthy families pay — but on the Christians who permit such an injustice to persist.
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While the Bible is a famously supple text, allowing multiple, even contradictory exegeses on everything from the role of women to the death penalty, its message on the poor has an almost nagging consistency. The Jesus portrayed in the Gospels has enormous respect and compassion for the poor and little regard for wealth.
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“Susan is right on this issue,” says Frank Thielman, a New Testament scholar whom Hamill calls one of Beeson’s “super-size” conservatives. “The Bible’s on the side of the poor. Jesus is on the side of the poor. I don’t want to be caught on the other side.”

For most of the world, the idea that conservative Christianity (as measured by the view taken of the inerrancy of the Bible) is on the side of the poor would come as no suprise; [The Bible’s] message on the poor does indeed have an almost nagging consistency. Here in Sydney, the Hillsongs Church (for whose theology I, as a liberal/credal Christian, have very little time) has been supporting Opportunity International, one of the most progressive (and deeply Christian) empowerment-of-the-poor movements I know of. US evangelicals seem a breed apart… so it’s encouraging to see, even there, the nagging message of Jesus about the poor can find suprising support.

Two recent polls show Howard Dean leading the Democratic field in the two key early primaries - Iowa and New Hampshire. The Iowa result is not statistically significant, but in both cases the change from the previous poll is dramatic.

It’s a long time to go until January (Iowa - 19th, NH - 27th), but this ought to ensure solid media coverage for Dean in the run up. Which is good for several reasons…

Firstly, if Dean is going to turn out to be a lemon in the ‘real’ campaign, the Democrats have a chance to get an early warning.

Secondly, if he isn’t a lemon, the more early exposure people get to him the better.

I don’t think I’ve ever read anything quite like Billmon’s Dream Time. Quoting can’t do it justice (but I can’t resist…)

I ended up a very different person than the one my Dixie Daddy had hoped to raise.

But maybe not that different, after all. True, I’ve lived in racially diverse neighborhoods most of my adult life. I’ve had black neighbors, black co-workers, black nurses — even, for a time, a black doctor. No worries. But I can’t honestly say I’ve ever had any black friends. And I can’t honestly say I’ve ever really tried. At some basic psychological level, black people are still the Other for me, and probably always will be.

There is, however, one thing I’ve always sworn to myself: The world of my childhood dies with me. My children are going to grow up free — or as free as I can possibly make them — of the taint of racism. That’s going to be my own personal victory over the bastards who gave America slavery and segregation, including the ones in my own family.

Go and read it.

For background - MLK’s “I have a dream” speach, annotated for Biblical and historical references. I found this via Body and Soul (of course), where there are other good links on the subject.

Now that we are in Iraq, what ought we do? Remaining there simply incites further aggression against the imperialism of the west, the UN seems (unfairly?) tarred with the same brush, a force drawn from Moslem nations would be terribly problematic (who in the region is neutral?), but simply withdrawing is a huge abdication of responsibility.

One essential element is a change of direction by the US; and it’s hard to imagine how a regime so confident that it is right will be able to admit how wrong it has been. A new administration would have an opportunity, but to do what? Via Body and Soul I see the International Crisis Group recommendation.

There needs now to be a three-way division of real governing responsibility between the CPA, the Interim Governing Council and the United Nations, embodied in a new UN Security Council resolution. The UN, as the institutional embodiment of international legitimacy, should be given, in addition to responsibility for the coordination of humanitarian relief, explicit authority over all aspects of the political transition process, including oversight of the Interim Governing Council and other transitional institutions; supervision of the constitutional process; and the organisation of local, regional, and national elections. It would, in addition, be given a defined role in supporting the development of civil society, rule of law institutions and a free media.

The UN would have a particular responsibility, through its newly constituted mission in Iraq, to identify as soon as possible, after consultation with the CPA and the Interim Governing Council, a realistic indicative timetable for the adoption of a constitution, the holding of local and functional elections, the holding of national elections (to be held within 24 months, and preferably sooner) and the withdrawal of foreign forces subject to a request to that effect by a newly elected sovereign government of Iraq.

I see no hope for the next 18 months, but if the Democrats win, and especially if Howard Dean wins, there may be hope thereafter.

For many years, The Crucible was my favourite play. In this article on the BBC website, Arthur Miller talks about the modern echoes he sees, both of the Salem Witch Trials, and the McCarthy era that the play so powerfully criticises:

Miller told BBC World Service’s Masterpiece programme he felt there were echoes of the House Committee on Un-American Activities’ investigations - founded on fear of the USSR - in many of the policies of the current Bush administration.

“This threat from abroad is a very useful way of holding onto power,” Miller said. “We’ve got it now with Bush and Iraqis.”

(Since late last year, Copenhagen, by Michael Frayn, has probably taken over as my favourite play. No criticism of The Crucible…)

Billmon has a real knack for putting quotes together from different sources; without commentary, he (is Billmon a he? I’m assuming so from the ‘Bill’ bit, but I’m aware I could be wrong) allows the contrast to speak for itself.

Here are some quotes on freedom in Iraq.

[update - in a comment, Billmon himself confirms the ‘he’. Wow. Billmon read one of my blog entries!]

…and don’t come back until you’ve read Riverbend’s blog.

So, Fox have dropped their stupid legal challenge after the judge called it “wholly without merit”. Real kudos here to Penguin for (a) not being bullied and (b) commercial savvy…

Publicity surrounding the case helped boost Franken’s book to the top of the Amazon.com best-seller list. Penguin rushed the book into stores early and ordered additional copies printed after being sued.