A Nation Enters the Inventive Age

As I was watching the President speak last night, I couldn't hep but think of Doug Pagitt's new book Church in the Inventive Age.  Like Doug, the President pounded home his conviction that the world has changed and we need to adapt to it.  The road ahead may be difficult to navigate, but America's history shows that we have what it takes.   The key words from last night's speech are EDUCATE and INNOVATE.  This is because the jobs of tomorrow, unlike the jobs of yesterday require education, and the only way we can compete with China and India is if we educate and innovate.  The President noted that in proportional numbers, the US has fallen to 9th in college graduates.  In terms of Internet access we're well behind a number of other countries.  There is the severe problem that 25% of HS seniors fail to graduate from HS at a time when it is next to impossible to get a job without a HS diploma at the very least. 

Now as I listened to the President last night I heard a sober analysis and a centrist solution.  He said enough to make the partisans left and right upset.  But, what I heard last night was a President who gets it.  He's not the Prime Minister, who represents a Party, he's the President who represents a nation.  He gave the the GOP a few bones, and said okay, now since we have divided government lets see what we can do to solve problems in a centrist mode.  I'll come part way, but you have to come part way.

I heard this strongly stated in the brief but important word about Health Care.  He said, you know, if there are areas that don't work, let's fix them.  But let's not redo the legislation so that a person with a pre-existing condition can't get health care coverage, let's not take away the opportunity for families to cover their children as they enter the work force or continue their education.  But, he made clear he would not let us slip backwards.

While the pundits were poking holes (along with some of my progressive friends), my sense is that the American people liked what they heard.  And, while Paul Ryan may have made a nice defense of small government in his response, is this really what the American people want? 

What the American people want is a strong, efficient, effective government that solves problems and protects us from threats both external and internal, that delivers services on time and keeps the roads fixed.

My story for a moment.  I'm driving down Long Lake Road, a major thoroughfare here in Troy (in what was once a rather affluent city), and I'm amazed at all the potholes.  And it's only getting worse.  Is this the America we really want to live in?  Yes, the deficit is a problem, but maybe we need to be willing to pay a bit more money for things.  Maybe here in Michigan we could pay 10 cents a gallon more so we could have good and safe roads and bridges.

So, did I like the speech last night.  Yes, I thought he did what he needed to do to reframe the debate and get us moving forward.  I think he also put himself on the right path to getting re-elected, and if he does well enough Democratic senators in states leaning right might do well as well.

So, let's go out and innovate and educate! (Oh, but one thing Mr. President, while I agree we need math and science teachers, let's not forget the humanities.  One of the big problems today is people don't know their history!) 

A Busy Senate Season

There can be no Holidays for the US Senate until they finish their business. I know that they want to get home for the Holidays, but there is still a lot of key business to get finished!

They made a good start with the extension of the so-called Bush Tax cuts, which brought about much chagrin among many Democrats, who felt with some justification that the extension of these cuts for the wealthy would broaden the deficit without bringing any real value to the economy. But, there were key benefits for middle class and those on the edge that included not only tax benefits, but also the extension of Unemployment Benefits. The economy is expanding and growing and the recession itself has been over for several months, but the unemployment rate remains stubbornly high. The President met with executives from a number of Blue Chip Companies and again encouraged them to start hiring!

With the tax issue out of the way, at least for now, this week should be a busy one. As members of Congress and their staff pine for vacation, the Senate faces several very important pieces of legislation. If Lame Duck sessions are generally pretty uneventful, you can’t say that for this time around. So, here is a lineup and my response:

1. START Treaty: Treaties require a 2/3 majority to pass and this one faces opposition from certain Republicans – led by John McCain – though one of the biggest proponents of this treaty which would provide not only limits on the nuclear capabilities of Russia and the United States, but it allows for verification of these nuclear capabilities. Currently, without a treaty, we don’t have any way of verifying what the Russians are doing. Why does it matter? Well beyond matters of security, what matters is our leadership in stopping nuclear proliferation. If we want to have unfettered ability to build nukes, then how can we expect other nations to put a limit on themselves. Having nukes in this day and age is a sign of power, whether one intends to use them or not. My sense is that this will pass – GOP demands for more time to discuss the treaty is just stone-walling as they’ve had more than enough time to examine it. The military Brass think it’s important and if they think it’s okay, then shouldn’t we think so as well? 
2. DREAM ACT: Although the winds seem to be blowing against passage, this Senate Bill would make it possible for those young people who came to the country illegally (with their parents) to gain a path to citizenship by either serving in the military or completing not only high school, but also college. The military strongly supports this measure, for it gives an incentive to faithful service in the military – helping recruiting. But, it also gives an incentive for those who came to the country with their parents and who know nothing but this country, a reason to work hard toward a goal that would benefit them, but also this nation. We are a nation of immigrants and a college education is the key to success. I can think of no better way of living out our original national motto – e pluribus unum – than this Act. It may not pass, in large part due to a continued anti-immigrant fervor that is present in the country, but this is a just and right act. I call on the Senate to do the right thing!
3. REPEAL OF DADT: The “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which was implemented in 1993 as an interim measure, in large part because Congress wouldn’t support Bill Clinton’s call for ending this discriminatory policy. Well the interim period needs to end. DADT, which allows Gays and Lesbians to serve in the military as long as they don’t reveal their secret is unjust and really a threat to US security. The majority of American people support its repeal. The vast majority of service personnel see no problems with ending this policy – only John McCain and some of the higher Military Brass (mostly Marines) want to continue the policy. On a military side, as we have seen from a recent detailed Pentagon Study, there is no evidence that there would be much if any adverse affects on military preparedness if DADT was ended. In fact, there is a growing recognition that DADT rewards dishonesty and potentially undermines security, as gay and lesbian members of the military are susceptible to blackmail. What is more, there is much more support today for the inclusion of gays and lesbians in the military, than there was when Harry Truman ordered the desegregation of the military in 1948. Again, this is a matter of justice for all Americans. Equality denied for gays and lesbians is equality denied for all Americans, for it makes of them a separate class who are required to live surreptitiously lest they lose their jobs. And as we’ve seen in the most recent military adventures, some of the most skilled members of the military – especially linguists and translators – have turned out to be gay. Thus, the military has lost important contributors to its efforts. Ending DADT will have an impact not only on the military – and that maybe why there is resistance. Ending DADT in the military puts the lie to other elements of society that have engaged in the same practices. That includes the church. Repeal may open up the conversation in a way will be healthy for all.  The good news here is that there appears to be more than enough votes for a stand alone bill for this to pass!

Each Senate Bill is an important piece of legislation. Each will be historic if passed. Each will require at least some degree of bipartisanship. My hope and prayer is that the Senate will act in a way that is just and right. In my mind that involves passage of each piece of legislation. Then, they go home and celebrate the holidays as they see fit, knowing that they have done the right thing!

Muslims, Middle Schoolers, and Lawsuits -- Sightings

We have heard a lot lately about the deficiency of American religious literacy.  Very little is taught in schools about the bible as literature, even though biblical references can be found throughout western literary works, or on comparative religion, even though America is becoming increasingly diverse religiously.  So how do we respond?  Well one way is to introduce children to other faith traditions, which is something that has been undertaken in a certain Boston area school.  But due to certain parties that possibility is under attack.  The question at hand is this:  Does the First Amendment free exercise clause prevent schools from introducing children to other faith traditions?  You wouldn't think so, but if a law suit has its way, that may be the interpretation of the Constitution.  And this comes at the wrong time!  Take a read of Joseph Laycock's report.

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Sightings  10/14/2010

Muslims, Middle Schoolers, and Lawsuits

- Joseph Laycock

In May, Wellesley Middle School took a class field trip to see the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center (ISBCC) in Roxbury. The curriculum had previously included field trips to a synagogue as well as performances of gospel music and lectures by Hindu religious leaders. As with most middle-school field trips, students must bring permission slips and parents are recruited as chaperones.

           

While the school had organized field trips to mosques before, this was their first trip to the ISBCC, which opened in 2009. The ISBCC is the largest Islamic center in New England, featuring an elementary school, an interfaith center, an exhibition space, and a morgue for Muslim burial services. Its weekly services are attended by Boston Muslims of 27 different ethnicities. It hosts visits from numerous youth groups and learning institutions, including Harvard.

           

But the ISBCC has also been plagued by controversy. Construction began in January 2004 amid allegations that Dr. Walid Fitahaihi, an ISB leader, had made anti-Semitic comments. In October of that year, opponents of the project formed the group, “Citizens for Peace and Tolerance” (CPT). The group’s website tracks the “radical links” of several ISB leaders. In a maneuver that is now all too common, a handful of comments and financial connections are used to implicate an entire community center that serves thousands.

           

When an anonymous Wellesley mother who volunteered to chaperon contacted the CPT, she was asked to videotape the field trip. The tape was then edited and uploaded onto the opponent group’s website in a ploy similar to those used against ACORN and Shirley Sherrod. The edited footage shows that after the students received a history lesson from an ISBCC representative, five students participated in the midday prayer, at least somatically, by bowing towards Mecca. The chaperon does not intervene but whispers the words “Oh my God!” in apparent horror.

           

To be certain, this scene was not ideal pedagogy and seems to reflect a lack of communication between school officials and ISB representatives. Generally, religious practitioners are not experts in the history of their own traditions or the constitutional distinctions between teaching and proselytizing. The task of the teacher is to incorporate the voice of the practitioner into a balanced and critical perspective of the course content. But the footage does not show the teachers––who are presumably licensed and competent––preparing students for their visit or debriefing them afterwards. In fact, it is impossible to discern what message students took from the field trip as their voices have been completely absent from the ensuing media coverage.

           

Now, attorney Robert N Meltzer has stepped forward, representing the anonymous mother and claiming that the field trip violated the students’ First Amendment rights. He is quoted saying “We believe that a school cannot bring middle-school children to any house of worship. Period.” Most jurisprudence concerning religion in schools debates the Establishment Clause of the Constitution, rather than the Bill of Rights. Rather than arguing that the field trip represents government support of Islam, Meltzer is claiming that it violates the religious freedom of students not to set foot in a mosque. The fact that students chose to enter the mosque and participate in a prayer is irrelevant, it is argued, because middle-schoolers lack the autonomy to make such decisions for themselves. However this argument fails to address the fact that parents signed permission slips and were physically present when the five students participated in prayer.

           

Meltzer has announced that the lawsuit will go forward unless the school district agrees never again to offer field trips to places of worship. Regardless of the lawsuit’s outcome, this will have a chilling effect for public schools across the country. This may be a local conflict, but the collateral damage is national education. The fear of lawsuits not only deprives students of a genuine multicultural experience in a curriculum increasingly dominated by standardized tests, but it also stymies religious literacy at a crucial time in our nation’s history. 

References

The Pluralism Project profile on the Islamic Society of Boston Community Center.

Kathleen Burge, “Mosque trip violated rights, lawyer says,” Boston Globe, September 22, 2010.

The official website of Citizens for Peace and Tolerance.

Joseph Laycock is a PhD student in religion and society at Boston University, and the author of Vampires Today: The Truth About Modern Vampirism (Praeger Publishers, 2009).

Sightings is published by the Martin Marty Center.