[Buddha-l] Persecution in modern Colorado?

[jkirk]

Amen to everything in this message.

Yes, here the Mennonites are more active than most others. There seem
to be 2 groups of Quakers here--quiescent ones who just meet and sit once
a week ( a friend belongs to this group and she never seems to know much 
about political skullduggery although she does attend many Peace demos), and 
a bigger
outfit with a meeting hall about whom I still know nothing. Reading what you 
say
about the Friends in ABQ, maybe I should trot over there and see what the 
other group are up to so far as social action goes. (Of course, I'm not 
unaware of the national Amer.Friends Serv. Com.).
Joanna
=================


> On Tuesday 03 October 2006 21:43, jkirk wrote:
>
>> Yes, not only disappointed with some Buddhists, but also with different
>> kinds of Christians who claim to worship the Man of Peace. And also with
>> the majority of the Unitarians here. The minister treads lightly when it
>> comes to taking positions on politics regarding any topic, except for the
>> LGBT and racism topics.
>
> Unitarian fellowships are quite variable. The Albuquerque Unitarian 
> fellowship
> is quite involved with environmental issues and with ritual hand-wringing
> over the influence of the religious right. On the other hand, the minister
> has devoted several sermons over the past couple of years to pointing out
> that Unitarians welcome everyone, even Republicans, and she warns the
> congregation not to make disparaging remarks about fundamentalists and 
> other
> crackpots. All the same, I can't imagine a Bush Republican lasting for 
> more
> than a week or two in our congregation, if only because of the sea of cars
> with "Impeach Bush Now" bumper stickers in the church parking lot. (It's
> almost as bad as the University of New Mexico faculty parking lot!)
>
> For REAL social and political engagement in this city, one has to seek out 
> the
> company of Quakers and Mennonites. Their striving for peace, economic
> justice, and environmental responsibility is tireless. And in New Mexico 
> and
> Arizona the Friends are also working hard to keep the Mexican border open 
> and
> to thwart the craziness of vigilante groups who think America will not be
> safe as long there is not a fortified twenty-foot cement wall all along 
> the
> Canadian and Mexican borders. The Quakers seem to be among the few who
> realize that Mexicans come here to work, because there is no work for them 
> at
> home, and that welcoming them here would be a good idea, because fruit and
> vegetables are rotting in the fields because nearly all Americans are too
> lazy to do the hard work of harvesting them.
>
> It wouldn't surprise me if the administration pushed through legislation
> melting down the statue of liberty (that goddamn symbol of French culture 
> in
> the harbor of New York!) and recasting it with a giant bronze image of
> President George III and his consort, the  Lady Condoleeza, giving the 
> finger
> to incoming visitors: "Piss on your starving and huddled masses. They are 
> not
> buying enough to support America's billionaires!"
>
> Like a lot of people, I was really inspired to read about the Amish people 
> in
> Pennsylvania raising money to support the wife and family of the gunman 
> who
> shot several Amish students dead before killing himself. Now that is both
> good Buddhism and good Christianity. Would that more Americans would 
> follow
> that example rather than sending cluster bombs to any government who 
> promises
> to fight terrorists by blowing off their children's legs.
>
> -- 
> Richard P. Hayes
> Department of Philosophy
> University of New Mexico
> http://www.unm.edu/~rhayes
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