We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Monday, September 27, 2010

The Founding Fathers Weren't Anti-Islam

from Washington's Blog.

This great blogger delves into some early US history and attitudes expressed at that time with regard to Islam and other religions and comes up with some rather surprising stuff. This piece is a good antidote to all the right-wing hate propaganda that is now being implanted in the minds of so many Americans. 

During a visit to Methow Valley in central Washington state a few days ago, I read some opinion pieces in the local paper that truly shocked me. It is apparent, far more than I previously thought, that the far-right nut fringe is having a lot of success in rural America in fostering hate against Muslims. Read about it in this link (not a permalink, so read it now) which shows in the last two items a letter to an editor followed by a featured opinion piece by a local writer, William Slusher.
at
Labels: , ,