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"I don't think they will let it stand. I think they will attack it on the floor."
- Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), who persuaded the House Appropriations Committee to restore $147 million to the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) food assistance program, but fears a short-lived victory. (Source: The Hill)
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The Top 3 Signs This War Will End
One of the amazing things about scripture is that, even after thousands of years, it continues to inspire. Many scholars believe that the prophet Isaiah lived in the 8th century B.C.E. Nearly 3,000 years later, his words in Isaiah 2:4 still give me hope.
"[The Lord] shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. (Isaiah 2:4)"
While this day that Isaiah describes might still be a long way off, our work for peace is not in vain. In the past few months, I have seen some hopeful signs that we are getting ready to turn at least some of our swords into ploughshares:
- Congress is fed up with the war in Afghanistan, and their turn against the war mirrors the quickly changing public opinion. Last week, an amendment offered by Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Walter Jones (R-NC) garnered the support of 204 members of Congress. This amendment calls for an end to the war in Afghanistan by requiring the president to provide a plan and timeframe for an accelerated drawdown of military operations in Afghanistan. The vote for a similar amendment in July 1, 2010 garnered only 162 votes in favor (McGovern-Obey-Jones). The growth in support was unexpected and puts pressure on the president to begin a significant troop withdrawal in July, and provide clear benchmark reports to Congress.
- The country is fed up with the war. When the war started 10 years ago, the first Harry Potter movie edged out the first Lord of the Rings movie at the box office, and most of our current Sojourners interns were still in middle school. Today, 64 percent of the country no longer believe that the war in Afghanistan is worth fighting. The 10 years of war have shown us that terrorism isn't best fought and defeated by full scale wars, but rather by good intelligence, good police work, targeted actions, and draining the swamp of terror through focused and smart development.
- Despite the lack of bipartisan agreement in Congress, many Republicans and Democrats agree that the war in Afghanistan is a waste of lives and resources. Congress is making cuts to programs that help people move out of poverty, while also voting to spend $100 billion a year on a failed strategy and corrupt government in Afghanistan. Cutting this needless military spending not only helps the deficit, but it will also save the lives of both Americans and Afghans. Politicians who are serious about both security and fiscal responsibility know that it is time for us to get out of Afghanistan.
Our exit strategy needs to be responsible and must focus on long-term stability, development, and security for the Afghan people. It needs to respect the long-standing traditions and realities of the country (through political tools such as power-sharing), while ensuring rights and education for women and girls, who are crucial to the country's future. There is much work left to be done. The president has heard from Congress, but now he needs to hear from you. Tell President Obama it is time to end this war.
Jim Wallis is the author of Rediscovering Values: A Guide for Economic and Moral Recovery, and CEO of Sojourners. He blogs at www.godspolitics.com. Follow Jim on Twitter @JimWallis.
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Congress has failed the Gulf oil spill victims by neglecting to pass any legislation to aid the people, ecosystems, and economies harmed by last year's disaster.
We must urge Congress to pass legislation to direct BP's Clean Water Act penalties where they're needed most; otherwise these funds will simply end up in the Treasury, and the Gulf Coast will continue to bear the burden of this great injustice.
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ON THE GOD'S POLITICS BLOG |
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Afghanistan Weekly Digest: Democrats Unite. Taliban. The Cost of War.
by Hannah Lythe
It's more angst than outright anger, but House Democrats are showing real unity for the first time in pressuring President Barack Obama on Afghanistan -- with influential moderates now expressing their impatience alongside the anti-war left that drove the early Iraq war debate.
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Music, Art, and the Pursuit of Justice
by Linda Alvarez
As an attorney, I work in a world where my innate sense of justice daily collides with the system we've invented to try and serve justice.
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Why We Need Renewable Energy Sources That are Cheaper and Safer
by Jim Rice
The ongoing nuclear crisis in Japan has caused considerable concern among Wall Street types, many of whom had already voted with their wallets against the financial feasibility of nuclear power by refusing to invest in new plants.
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Unveiling the Walls that Divide Us
by Theresa Cho
There are many invisible walls of poverty, injustice, and violence that happen around us and separate us into categories based on religion, race, gender, sexuality, nationality, class, and ethnicity.
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The Dark Underbelly of Fundamentalist, Charismatic Christianity
by Aaron Taylor
There's a dark underbelly in American fundamentalist Christianity, even the wonderful versions like the one I love. In my late-20s, I began to notice the poor track record that fundamentalist Christianity produces on a societal level.
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Japan's Nuclear Dependency
by Jim Wallis
Despite the ongoing catastrophe of nuclear reactor meltdowns following last spring's earthquake, the Japanese people remain largely supportive of nuclear energy.
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We Won't Self-Examine, McDonald's Tells Nuns
by Elizabeth Palmberg
Two weeks ago, McDonald's shareholders voted down a shareholder resolution asking the corporation to study how its advertising to children contributes to widespread childhood obesity.
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A Family Vacation Gone Awry: The Pain of Child Abuse
by Ernesto Tinajero
I was on the verge of my tenth year of life. My stepfather rented a big cabin next to Lake Mead and several families joined us for a week of vacation together.
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The Real Crisis in Ohio: Senate Bill 5
by Troy Jackson
The real crisis in Ohio has been Senate Bill 5, legislation rammed through the Ohio legislature and signed into law by Governor John Kasich several weeks ago.
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Friday Links Round Up: School Lunch. Commencement. Women.
by Jeannie Choi
School Lunch. Commencement. Women. Here's a little round up of links from around the Web you may have missed this week.
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The Meaning of America: President Obama's Address to Parliament
by Valerie Elverton Dixon
Biblical wisdom teaches: "It has not yet been revealed what we shall be." Such is the case with every child, every grandchild, and great grandchild.
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North Sudan Attacks, Occupies Border Region
by Elizabeth Palmberg
The folks at the Satellite Sentinel Project have confirmed that North Sudan has burned three villages in Abyei (a disputed border region which is supposed to be jointly controlled by North and South Sudanese forces), is militarily occupying it, and is massing more troops nearby.
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Thank You to Our Sponsors!
by Kierra Jackson
At Sojourners, we have the privilege of working with a wide range of advertisers -- all of whom help support our mission to articulate the biblical call to social justice.
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Top Stories:
If This Were a Dream, What Would It Mean?
The Huffington Post
Pamela Gerloff references Rev. Jim Wallis' recent blog post on how men need to start being better role models in how they treat and respect women.
Political Standoff Over U.S. Debt Ceiling Begins
The Christian Post
Anugrah Kumar covers recent political maneuvers around the U.S. debt ceiling and mentions the efforts of Sojourners and other organizations to protect critical programs.
Five Words That Could Save the Church
Foxnews.com
Ian Morgan Cron uses Rev. Jim Wallis as an example of "a gracious approach to public discourse."
"Sojourners in the news" articles are the most recent news clippings that mention Sojourners in any way - whether favorably or unfavorably. Though we provide the text on our site for your convenience, we do not necessarily endorse the views of these articles or their source publications.
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