Via Daily Dharma / November 29, 2016: Act on Your Compassion

Compassion, as Confucius said, is not something that’s quantifiable. Unless you do it, you don’t know what it is.

—Karen Armstrong, "Compassion Restored"

Via God / FB: SMITE!

Via JMG: Associated Press Issues Reporter Guidelines For Using The Term “Alt-Right”: They’re Really Just Racist Nazis

 

November 28, 2016 Extremists, Media, Racism

Politico reports:

In a memo to reporters writing about the “alt-right,” John Daniszewski, vice president for Standards at the Associated Press, cautioned journalists to be specific and deliberate when writing about a label that many say is just a euphemism for white nationalism.

“Avoid using the term generically and without definition, however, because it is not well known and the term may exist primarily as a public-relations device to make its supporters’ actual beliefs less clear and more acceptable to a broader audience,” Daniszewski wrote. “In the past we have called such beliefs racist, neo-Nazi or white supremacist.”

Daniszewski said that when writing about extreme groups, journalists should be as specific as possible. “We should not limit ourselves to letting such groups define themselves, and instead should report their actions, associations, history and positions to reveal their actual beliefs and philosophy, as well as how others see them,” he wrote.

 Read the original and more here on JMG

Homosexuality: It's about survival - not sex | James O'Keefe | TEDxTallaght

Via Daily Dharma / November 28, 2016: Qualities of a Good Teacher

A good teacher who embodies lovingkindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity will surely operate with his or her students in a generous spirit of deep listening and selfless action, and will be open to feedback, willing to challenge the status quo.

—Daniel Clarkson Fisher, "The Teacher Racket"

Via FB:(copied and pasted verbatim) important read.

Yale historian and Holocaust expert Timothy Snyder wrote: "Americans are no wiser than the Europeans who saw democracy yield to fascism, Nazism, or communism. Our one advantage is that we might learn from their experience. Now is a good time to do so." Snyder's a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (which includes former Secretaries of State), and consults on political situations around the globe. He says, "Here are twenty lessons from the twentieth century, adapted to the circumstances of today.

1. Do not obey in advance. Much of the power of authoritarianism is freely given. In times like these, individuals think ahead about what a more repressive government will want, and then start to do it without being asked. You've already done this, haven't you? Stop. Anticipatory obedience teaches authorities what is possible and accelerates unfreedom.

2. Defend an institution. Follow the courts or the media, or a court or a newspaper. Do not speak of "our institutions" unless you are making them yours by acting on their behalf. Institutions don't protect themselves. They go down like dominoes unless each is defended from the beginning.

3. Recall professional ethics. When the leaders of state set a negative example, professional commitments to just practice become much more important. It is hard to break a rule-of-law state without lawyers, and it is hard to have show trials without judges.

4. When listening to politicians, distinguish certain words. Look out for the expansive use of "terrorism" and "extremism." Be alive to the fatal notions of "exception" and "emergency." Be angry about the treacherous use of patriotic vocabulary.

5. Be calm when the unthinkable arrives. When the terrorist attack comes, remember that all authoritarians at all times either await or plan such events in order to consolidate power. Think of the Reichstag fire. The sudden disaster that requires the end of the balance of power, the end of opposition parties, and so on, is the oldest trick in the Hitlerian book. Don't fall for it.

6. Be kind to our language. Avoid pronouncing the phrases everyone else does. Think up your own way of speaking, even if only to convey that thing you think everyone is saying. (Don't use the internet before bed. Charge your gadgets away from your bedroom, and read.) What to read? Perhaps "The Power of the Powerless" by Václav Havel, 1984 by George Orwell, The Captive Mind by Czesław Milosz, The Rebel by Albert Camus, The Origins of Totalitarianism by Hannah Arendt, or Nothing is True and Everything is Possible by Peter Pomerantsev.

7. Stand out. Someone has to. It is easy, in words and deeds, to follow along. It can feel strange to do or say something different. But without that unease, there is no freedom. And the moment you set an example, the spell of the status quo is broken, and others will follow.

8. Believe in truth. To abandon facts is to abandon freedom. If nothing is true, then no one can criticize power, because there is no basis upon which to do so. If nothing is true, then all is spectacle. The biggest wallet pays for the most blinding lights.

9. Investigate. Figure things out for yourself. Spend more time with long articles. Subsidize investigative journalism by subscribing to print media. Realize that some of what is on your screen is there to harm you. Bookmark PropOrNot or other sites that investigate foreign propaganda pushes.

10. Practice corporeal politics. Power wants your body softening in your chair and your emotions dissipating on the screen. Get outside. Put your body in unfamiliar places with unfamiliar people. Make new friends and march with them.

11. Make eye contact and small talk. This is not just polite. It is a way to stay in touch with your surroundings, break down unnecessary social barriers, and come to understand whom you should and should not trust. If we enter a culture of denunciation, you will want to know the psychological landscape of your daily life.

12. Take responsibility for the face of the world. Notice the swastikas and the other signs of hate. Do not look away and do not get used to them. Remove them yourself and set an example for others to do so.

13. Hinder the one-party state. The parties that took over states were once something else. They exploited a historical moment to make political life impossible for their rivals. Vote in local and state elections while you can.

14. Give regularly to good causes, if you can. Pick a charity and set up autopay. Then you will know that you have made a free choice that is supporting civil society helping others doing something good.

15. Establish a private life. Nastier rulers will use what they know about you to push you around. Scrub your computer of malware. Remember that email is skywriting. Consider using alternative forms of the internet, or simply using it less. Have personal exchanges in person. For the same reason, resolve any legal trouble. Authoritarianism works as a blackmail state, looking for the hook on which to hang you. Try not to have too many hooks.

16. Learn from others in other countries. Keep up your friendships abroad, or make new friends abroad. The present difficulties here are an element of a general trend. And no country is going to find a solution by itself. Make sure you and your family have passports.

17. Watch out for the paramilitaries. When the men with guns who have always claimed to be against the system start wearing uniforms and marching around with torches and pictures of a Leader, the end is nigh. When the pro-Leader paramilitary and the official police and military intermingle, the game is over.

18. Be reflective if you must be armed. If you carry a weapon in public service, God bless you and keep you. But know that evils of the past involved policemen and soldiers finding themselves, one day, doing irregular things. Be ready to say no. (If you do not know what this means, contact the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and ask about training in professional ethics.)

19. Be as courageous as you can. If none of us is prepared to die for freedom, then all of us will die in unfreedom.

20. Be a patriot. The incoming president is not. Set a good example of what America means for the generations to come. They will need it."

ETA: Feel free to share, but please copy+ paste into your own status or else it will not be viewable to all of your friends.

The root of fear is the feeling of separateness that can exist here, within oneself. The root of the fear is within the model one has of oneself. That’s where fear starts. Once that feeling of separation exists, then you process everything from either inside or outside in terms of that model. It then keeps reinforcing the feeling of vulnerability, because there are incredibly powerful forces moving both inside and outside of you. The transformative process of spiritual work is reawakening to the innocence of going behind that model of separation that one has, that cuts you off, that made you a tiny little fragile somebody. A lot of the power comes from a freeing of our own fragility.

Via Daily Dharma / November 27, 2016: Imperfectly Perfect

A cup is more valuable chipped. He was broken. I am broken. And when we can see that we are all chipped and broken, we begin to value our life as an expression of the teaching that we are truly perfect and complete, just as we are.

—Pat Enkyo O’hara, "Remembering Roshi"

Via Sri Prem Baba – Awaken Love / Flower of the Day: 11/26/16

“How do I know if I am putting my gifts and talents at the service of the greater purpose? How do I know if I am being a channel of love? When we are in the right place, or when we are occupying our place in the world, naturally our innate potentials manifest through our actions. When we are in our rightful place, we have the feeling that we fit in; we feel as though we belong to the whole. We feel comfortable and there is no need to exert much force to complete our tasks because they are a source of satisfaction and pleasure. When we have no hopes of anything in return for that which we do, we become a channel of love. Our actions become our source of contentment.”

Sri Prem Baba

Via Daily Dharma / November 26, 2016: Finding Inner Fulfillment

When we rely on things like a job, a spouse, or money to fulfill us, we’re in an unhappy situation, because we’re banking on something external.

—B. Alan Wallace, "What Is True Happiness?"

Via JMG: Nation’s Largest Labor Union Denounces “Failed” Education Policies Of Trump Nominee Betsy DeVos

November 23, 2016 Christianists, News

Via press release from the National Education Association:

Every day, educators use their voice to advocate for every student to reach his or her full potential. We believe that the chance for the success of a child should not depend on winning a charter lottery, being accepted by a private school, or living in the right ZIP code. We have, and will continue, to fight for all students to have a great public school in their community and the opportunity to succeed no matter their backgrounds or circumstances.

Betsy DeVos has consistently worked against these values, and her efforts over the years have done more to undermine public education than support students. She has lobbied for failed schemes, like vouchers — which take away funding and local control from our public schools — to fund private schools at taxpayers’ expense. These schemes do nothing to help our most-vulnerable students while they ignore or exacerbate glaring opportunity gaps. She has consistently pushed a corporate agenda to privatize, de-professionalize and impose cookie-cutter solutions to public education. By nominating Betsy DeVos, the Trump administration has demonstrated just how out of touch it is with what works best for students, parents, educators and communities.

The National Education Association advocates for investing in smart strategies that we know help to improve the success of all our students, including creating more opportunities and equity for students, classes small enough for one-on-one attention, modern textbooks and a well-rounded curriculum for every student. We also know that the voices of educators — those who know the names of the students they educate — should always be present at the table when making decisions that impact student success. Educators will continue to focus on raising their voices in support of their students and against any effort by the Trump administration to undermine the educational opportunity of all public school students.

The NEA has three million members.

Make the jump here to read the original and more

Via JMG: Civil Rights Group Denounces Betsy DeVos

November 23, 2016 Christianists, Civil Rights, Hate Groups

From the LGBT rights group Freedom For All Americans:

The Michigan billionaire is a troubling choice, given her extreme history of supporting anti-LGBT causes and opposing efforts to bring fairness and equality to LGBT Americans. Between 2010 and 2013, the DeVos family and their various foundations have given millions of dollars to anti-LGBT groups, including Focus on the Family, Family Research Council and the Alliance Defending Freedom.

Each of these organizations has fought vehemently against protecting LGBT students from discrimination and harassment. They have also lobbied for legislation to prohibit students from using the restroom that matches their gender identity; opposed rights for same sex parents; and are fighting to require education professionals – including teachers, counselors, therapists, administration and more – to out LGBT students to their parents, even if they are not ready.

DeVos, her family, and their foundations were seen as leaders in the push to ban marriage between loving, committed same-sex couples in Michigan and California.

She has also given more than half a million dollars to the National Organization for Marriage, a group that worked for years to block marriage between same-sex couples and now has made its mission clear to roll back the freedom to marry.

Make the jump here to read the original and more

Via Sri Prem Baba

Via Daily Dharma / November 25, 2016: Give Up Control

When we reach out to what is unknown to us, we let go of the notion that we can control what we experience.

—Ken McLeod, "Where the Thinking Stops"

Via a good friend / FB

Via Ron Bell / FB:

“THANKSGIVING"

O Thou Creator and Giver of Life Itself –

We thank you for families and Life itself,
be with those who have lost their dear ones.

We thank you for our homes,
be with those who are homeless.

We thank you for good health,
be with those who are in pain or illness.

We thank you for living in relative peace,
be with those in the midst of ravaging war.

We thank you for water and food,
be with those who thirst and hunger.

We thank you for friends,
be with those who are lonely and alone.

We pray in your name – your call to actively love, Amen.”

Ron Bell

Via Daily Dharma / November 24, 2016: Thanksgiving Dharma

Even the simple act of naming the things we love about being alive can help us as we move from gratitude to honoring our pain for the world.

—Joanna Macy and Sam Mowe, "The Work That Reconnects"

Via Have A Gay Day / FB:

Via Faith In America

Dear Faith In America Supporters, MAY I PLEASE ASK THAT YOU TAKE 10 MINUTES TO READ THIS NOTE ABOUT THE FUTURE OF OUR COUNTRY…AND HOW FAITH IN AMERICA CAN HELP MAKE IT BETTER.  APPRECIATE IT! Let me first state clearly that I believe so strongly that we must either change anti-LGBT religicals or we must marginalize their role in society.  It’s not an either or, but both.  As we end the year with the holiday season, please consider making Faith in America an important part of your giving.  As you consider what organizations you will support in 2017, please think about reassessing who recognizes the real work that needs to be done now with such powerful forces of anti-LGBT religious voices against equal legal and spiritual rights.  I would contend we are doing the work that needs to be done.  Our goal is to educate those that are in conflict and willing to learn, and to marginalize the role of those that are not.  https://secure.squarespace.com/commerce/donate?donatePageId=57b4e3d2414fb5af39aefab3   Here’s why As we all emerge from the fog of the election results, many of us are left wondering how we move forward onto this horizon that seemingly portends such danger to the gains we as a country have made in recent years.  At this time, Faith in America feels it is important to identify the threats to continued justice for the LGBT community…and so many other vulnerable groups….. as put forth by the new administration, to place in perspective how viable these threats are and to offer solid solutions about how those of us who value justice can leverage this setback to justice as an impetus for greater change.  The very real silver lining is that sometimes it takes a kick in the butt like this to wake more people up to do more….to ultimately gain more. I believe WE can. FIRST The choice of Mike Pence as running mate was the first indication that Donald Trump had a ‘faith strategy’….a strategy to woo evangelical voters.  Many looked at Trump’s pandering to the likes of Franklin Graham, James Dobson or Jerry Falwell, Jr. as disingenuous or cynical, but the reality is, he was smart to do it and it was clearly a factor in his winning.  On the other hand, Hillary Clinton did not have an effective faith strategy and definitely did not come up with an effective and innovative way to convince this important voting block that in fact her past performance proves that she was the candidate with strong moral values.  When I think about ‘what is a good Christian?’…Hillary is definitely it.  Mike Pence is the worst of the worst kind of person masking his outdated, ill-informed religious bigotry as his being a ‘Christian.’  Mr. Pence, I’ve met good Christians and you’re not one of them! Trump not only courted voter’s hostile to the LGBT community while occasionally saying something more moderate, but now looks like he will potentially seek to pursue policies the Vice President elect in fact championed as governor in his home state.  More concretely, this new administration has committed to nullifying executive orders of the Obama administration, inclusive likely of the protections offered to LGBT professionals employed by federal contractors.  Besides the real-life impact, it has a strong symbolic message: the government will not protect those that are discriminated against. Most disturbingly, is this administration’s professed commitment to the furtherance of LBGT discrimination through the guise of emphasizing “state’s rights” and “religious freedom” – two ruses presently employed at the state level to deny equal rights to LGBT individuals.  Principally, it is the administration’s intent to further this agenda through the appointment of a Supreme Court Justice in the tradition of Scalia.  Regardless of what he says that he believes marriage equality is settled law, if Trump appoints a Scalia type to the bench, all bets are off. Finally, through new appointments to the Department of Health and Human Services, any efforts thus far to identify and ameliorate the public health crisis that is attendant to the LGBT community by virtue of its minority status will likely be curbed.  And by virtue of the extremely harmful teachings that vulnerable kids grow up with. Second Taken as a whole, the foregoing can seem overwhelming and insurmountable.  With this said, it is important to pause and determine how likely and immediate each of these threats are.  Sadly, there can be anticipated a broad milieu that will seek to frame the conversation of LGBT rights in hostile terms.  Knowing the president elect’s experience, he will likely delegate much responsibility to vice president Pence and in so doing it can be expected Pence will seek to further his extreme views wherever possible…and clearly, his views are based on his religious teachings.  It is reasonable therefore to anticipate that federal protections through Obama’s executive order will be the first assault. Now that the Executive and Legislative branches are controlled by the GOP, it can be expected that legislation will be crafted that will further their aforementioned causes of states’ rights and religious freedom.  It is hoped that Democrats’ filibuster maneuvers would be employed in defense of the LGBT community.  Whatever pieces of legislation which are successfully passed, however, ultimately must be Constitutional.  Therefore, the appointment of a Scalia judge it is feared will potentially allow for the Constitution to be re-shaped.  It is important to note that in the era of Scalia, great gains were made for LGBT rights.  A new Scalia judge will sadly not move the court in the progressive direction we had all hoped, however, it will not fundamentally alter the composition of a court which struck down DOMA and made marriage equality the rule of the land.  Lastly, any overtures regarding Constitutional Amendments must be tempered with the knowledge that such proposed Amendments will never ultimately clear the extremely high bar set to affect such change.  There simply is not sufficient support to cause such mechanization's to turn.  If this administration can be held to one term, we are hopeful that lasting, destructive change can be averted.  HOWEVER, THIS PROFOUND IF IS IN THE HANDS OF US WHO ARE COMMITTED TO HOLDING THIS ADMINISTRATION ACCOUNTABLE. So where does this leave us? Aaron Sorkin penned a beautiful letter to his wife and daughter this week, grieving this nation’s present malady, but more importantly reminding his loved ones of the great responsibility his household now bears to arise to a momentous occasion.  The time for tweets and News Feed posts is more important than ever.  You can be a huge asset in educating, in moving our messages more viral to a much wider audience.  Will you commit 15 minutes a day to watch our social media, like, comment and share?  Now we must pick up peaceful arms, roll up our sleeves and place all hands-on deck.  Will you help us hold fund raisers? Support our fundraising efforts by sharing with friends and family?  By March 1, 2017 we need to raise $ 2 million so we can quickly enhance the implementation of our efforts. We are moving across a horizon now where the hostilities of a minority yet influential group of sadly uneducated are in plain view. They are uneducated about who LGBT people are, their accomplishments and goodness in life, and the extreme suffering too many have been subject to.  They have been misled by their religious leaders. They interpret Scripture in an outdated and misguided way.  I’ve met too many parents who tell me they actually never really read “the clobber verses” until their child came out….and once they did, they realized they were wrong or not really applicable to their loving child.   Faith in America would like to encourage all of you to see the opportunity this presents for those who embrace love and justice for ALL.  The curtain has been pulled back and the prejudicial motivations of those who ushered in this administration are in plain view.  We must now offer remedy in the form of knowledge alternatives….be they medical or theological…. and we must seek out our political and allies as stakeholders to champion our causes.  Now is the time to choose and rally around our fair minded and compassionate leaders. More specifically, for those of you who have graciously supported the cause of Faith in America – now more than ever we need all of your help to protect what progress has been made and continue to raise awareness about the LGBT public health crisis.  Hundreds of thousands are tormented with mental illness, homelessness, and, one to two thousand take their lives each year.  Consistent with FIA’s stated goal of ending religious based teachings, which underlies this epidemic, we are launching two ground breaking, game changing initiatives:  Medical Advisory We are assembling concrete data led by prominent psychiatrists, physiologists and pediatricians to educate anti-LGBT people….from religious leaders to parents and all….about the very real and dangerous harm anti-LGBT religious teachings have on LGBT people’s mental health, especially youth.  Distilling it down to the basic root cause of the vast majority of anti-LGBT behaviors, we must give more than a theological reason to stop the toxic teaching that “homosexuality is a sin.”  More on this to follow in the months to come. Campus accreditation's Hundreds of campuses across this country employ LGBT discriminatory language in their school’s bi-laws.  At the time when youth’s principal lifespan task is to form deep, intimate relationships – our LGBT students are precluded from achieving this monumental lifespan task.  Is it any wonder why there are such disproportionately high rates of suicide among college aged LGBT students? Faith in America has conceived what it believes to be a game changer to end these teachings on college campuses.  Leveraging the legal expertise of board members Roberta Kaplan, Howard Vine, and Shannon Minter, along with legal counsel Phil Wells, FIA will be executing a comprehensive strategy to end these teachings on campuses across the nation.  These campaigns are called END THE HARM. We need your help to do this.  Please give of your time and money.  We have run our organization mostly through volunteer efforts. Now we must have professional full time help to mount the kind of effort we are compelled to accomplish. END THE HARM now requires countless people hours to do pain staking research and data base population, as well as meeting convening’s. We need your help on social media. Additionally, this will be enhanced and significantly benefit from dedicated public relations and media staff to elevate the cause, and make it part of the mainstream conversation. We are assembling the team now. Your generous donations will have a profound, measurable impact on the lives of LGBT youth everywhere. United, together we will successfully combat forces of fear and lack of knowledge, of animus which has been unleashed before our eyes.  Your partnership now can be the force for good that triumphs over evil and fear. I know from personal experience that Faith In America's work provides hope to our youth and gives them promise for a new horizon filled with love and justice and.... a“whole” life. I want to share something that happened to me on Election Day.  One of our long-term employees came to see me. With tears in their eyes, told me about how their 20 something child came out over the weekend.  For generations, this family has attended and still does, what has become one of the most virulently anti-LGBT churches in our rural area. But when their childcame out, as they told me, they knew that everything I had been saying in Faith in America's messaging had been "right." Their 3 year younger child read our website and saw a speech I gave and told his parent that “Mitchell was right."  Before leaving we stood up and hugged, and this person told me they loved me.  It was quite emotional and I must admit, nourishing…..makes my commitment to this work worthwhile. I instinctively asked if they felt their child was a sinner. Looking in my eyes, the verdict: no. This is our work. To make a world where children are not just accepted, but embraced. If need be, one at a time. With your increased support, we can reach much larger numbers. I’ll end as I started: As we end the year with the holiday season, please consider making Faith in America an important part of your giving.  As you consider what organizations you will support in 2017, please think about reassessing who recognizes the real work that needs to be done now with such powerful force of anti-LGBT religious voices against equal legal and spiritual rights.  I would contend we are doing the work that needs to be done.  Our goal is to educate those that are in conflict and willing to learn, and to marginalize the role of those that are not.  https://secure.squarespace.com/commerce/donate?donatePageId=57b4e3d2414fb5af39aefab3 Warmly, Mitchell Gold Co-Founder, Faith in America                                                                      Support our work? Make a tax-deductible contribution to Faith In America today.