Blog Posts

Open Letter to Pope Francis

03/16/2022 - 18:06

The war in Ukraine is bringing hell on earth, as all wars do - the deaths of so many people, the maiming and killing of children, the terror and fear, the destruction of homes and livelihoods, the millions of refugees fleeing for safety, the damage to soldiers as they engage in war's killing and destruction. The recent trip to Kiev by the three European prime ministers was tremendously moving to me and to the world - their courage, resolve, their solidarity. To publicly announce their planned trip and make it by train as bombs fell in Ukraine was inspiring and must have have given some pause both to the Russian leadership and the soldiers on the field.

I realize that you and other religious leaders are in an unusual position to act as peacemakers in ways that no other folks can. Your public presence in Ukraine, standing with the people against war could bring an abrupt halt to the slaughter and convince parties to negotiate an end to the war. Though there are many wars being waged in our world today, this one is particularly dangerous as it has the potential to escalate into a nuclear war that would threaten humanity’s very existence. In light of the terrible slaughter and the potential apocalyptic outcome, I urge you to go with a contingent of your cardinals, bishops and priests to Ukraine, to make a public pilgrimage to vigil, fast and pray for peace, to stay until peace is re-established. Please invite Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, to join you with some of his clergy, and invite leaders of other religions to join you as well. You could travel by rail bringing humanitarian assistance to areas currently cut off from such critical supplies and bring the light of Love and Peace to these besieged areas, visiting the Russian soldiers as well...

Open Letter to Susan Collins after the storming of the Capitol

01/09/2021 - 09:07

There is sometimes wisdom in waiting to act or speak after horrific events, acts of violence, angry actions or words. However, the long silence held by you and many of your colleagues in the face of the President's constant lies and extremist incitement, his disregard for the constitution and the principles of the his office leave me gasping and nearly speechless as well. The insurrection at the Capitol was just the latest example.

Black Lives Matter

07/29/2020 - 09:12

Since the protests following the killing of George Floyd and the plea / insistence that Black Lives Matter, I've noticed a number of placards and road signs in our rural county that announce All Lives Matter or America Matters or Maine Lives Matter.

Pandemic Polemic

03/30/2020 - 10:34

I appreciated Bruce Poliquin’s call for unity in the Bangor Daily News on March 29. The times certainly demand it. The times also demand increased discernment. The coronavirus pandemic shines the light on our absolute connection as humans.

To Representative Golden re Impeachment

12/17/2019 - 09:19

Dear Congressman Golden,

Please vote for impeachment of the president. There is a rising danger in the presidency of Donald Trump that no one will hold him accountable for lying, bullying, deceiving the public and Congress, for his strong-arm, anti-democratic and mob-like behavior toward members of the opposition, world leaders, and members of his own party.

The Bully Pulpit

01/19/2019 - 12:29

The partial US Government shutdown is in its 28th day. The president seems poised to make an offer to Congress later today that might offer some solutions to other immigration issues (DACA and other protections) while granting him the funds he wants for his wall. Helpful to have suggestions as to a way forward with some of the very complex human and societal issues that immigration poses. Terrible to have it wound up with the shutdown - nothing less than extortion really. We have slid into an era of bullying, intimidation, inflicting pain, and bribery as a means of governing. Maybe it

After Syria Missile Strike (Reprint)

04/25/2018 - 15:49

The images of war and killing were compelling. They made a simple case to punish the perpetrator. Not that all the facts were in, the complexities known, but then judgment and retribution works so much better before they are fully informed. It's impossibly sad, of course, that the images and news of people fleeing for their lives, month after month, have led only to a fierce protectionism - Keep 'em out. History so often has shown it easier to avenge the dead than to embrace and shelter the living. Fifty-nine cruise missles, a "targeted" military action, as if to say that violence for a specific purpose has no need for further explanation. We have become so used to our own military superiority and posturing that we no longer abide by the laws of the international community which prohibit attacks such as this. Vigilantism on the world stage is against the law as surely as it is within nations; it profoundly threatens the future of a peaceful and lawful world community.

Who needs censorship when you have ideology?

04/02/2017 - 11:17

Tiny excerpt from an article re-printed on Alternet that explores Violence and how it is described, East and West North and South, written by Vijay Prashad, professor of international studies at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut.

Eleven Million

03/24/2017 - 14:28

The cartoon showed the newspaper man coming into his boss' office, holding out the newspaper whose giant headline read "Trump to enforce the law" followed by his concern "We're worried this headline might be too disturbing for our readers" On the surface you could say, "Sure, that's right. He's just enforcing the laws that we've had for a long while, just making sure that we're following our own rules and being fair. People shouldn't be allowed to cut in front of the line. The law's the law. We're a nation of laws.

Blizzard

02/19/2017 - 10:29

In this part of Maine, we had three and a half feet of snow in the past seven days from three different storms. The middle storm was a wild blizzard that went on for 28 hours, with winds gusting to 60 mph and drifts five and six feet deep in places. During its height, I couldn't see the goat barn, a hundred and fifty feet away - all was washed from view by the storm's fierce commotion. It's a similar experience witnessing Donald Trump's ascendancy to the White House - commotion and storm, howling winds, loss of visibility and perspective, the real landscape getting buried beneath drifts of alternate facts, deliberate lies, swirling and dangerous fears, a virtual whiteout of common sense and common purpose.

These Times

02/06/2017 - 23:21

First of all, we have each other and there is great joy in re-discovering our communities, our values, our purpose, our strength and determination. The peoples of the world have suffered enough through history to know that circling the wagons and defining enemies is always our undoing. Always. We must be ever more inclusive, ever more compassionate - always working within to lay down the burden of fear, vengeance and meanness that so easily salts our lips. I find it particularly challenging in these times, when there seems to be an explosion of meanness and division at so many level

Thoughts about Political Chaos, Divide and Conquer

02/02/2017 - 09:29

I was recently remembering Karl Rove's strategy for winning the presidency for Bush - him saying something like You have to spread lies faster than they can disprove them. I can't verify that that was the actual quote. I did come across what's quoted below on reddit (full post here) and thought that we ought to be thinking, in this time of what seems deliberate political chaos and "alternative facts", how to respond creatively, without falling into the trap the article attributed to Rove wishes to ensnare us in.

September 11

09/23/2001 - 21:35

The terrible attacks of September 11th have brought out much of the best in Americans – heroism in the evacuation, search and recovery at the World Trade Center; the tremendous outpouring of compassion, goods, time and money to those affected by the destruction; the space in the heart that transcends personal boundaries to embrace our neighbors and countrymen as kin, sharing grief and sorrow, hope and pain. Against the darkness of violence and hatred, we stand united.

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