[Buddha-l] Texas (quasi-Buddhist) liberals

[Fort, Andrew]

I'm sorry Stephen Hodge (and possibly others) thought I was serious--one of the problems of e-communication (and one of the reasons that emoticons, for all their flaws, can be an upaya).  As a longtime member of Amnesty International, I was persuaded about the worthlessness and immorality of the death penalty long ago, and have never made peace with living in the land of state-sponsored murder (no matter how heinous some killers are).  For international readers, "people's republic of ...." is a term both liberals and conservatives use to describe left-leaning cities in the U. S.  Austin is far and away the most liberal city in Texas.
	Quasi-Buddhist content: one of the great unresolved issues in my life is reconciling my deep anger and shame at many things my country does, particularly led by Bush, with the clear value I see in realizing emptiness and other Buddhist teachings.  How does Thich Nhat Hanh do it?  Andy Fort