There is an interview with Jürgen Habermas

Jürgen Habermas
(Ink & Watercolour on Paper, 2007)
© Terje Nicolaisen.

. . . here at The Financial Times. Unfortunately, the relative number of column inches devoted to the introductory profile of Habermas and the too-short interview that follows is way out of balance. Nonetheless, Habermas is smart and influential. The piece is worth reading.

Pope "Explains" Global Economic Problems

This article comes from the Catholic News Agency.

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Impoverished notion of economics at core of worldwide financial meltdown, explains Pontiff

Vatican City, Apr 30, 2010 / 12:52 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The global economic crisis has shown not only the fragility of the system but also the flawed assumption that the market is capable of correcting itself, said the Pope on Friday. He added that economic questions should always maintain an appreciation for the human dimension.

Pope Benedict XVI spoke with participants in the 16th Plenary Session of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences to inaugurate their five-day conference themed, "Crisis in a Global Economy. Re-planning the Journey."

Observing that "the worldwide financial breakdown has ... demonstrated the fragility of the present economic system and the institutions linked to it," the Holy Father explained that the crisis "has also shown the error of the assumption that the market is capable of regulating itself, apart from public intervention and the support of internalized moral standards."

At the root of this assumption, he continued, is "an impoverished notion of economic life as a sort of self-calibrating mechanism driven by self-interest and profit-seeking."

Within this perspective, "the essentially ethical nature of economics as an activity of and for human beings" is overlooked.

"Rather than a spiral of production and consumption in view of narrowly-defined human needs, economic life should properly be seen as an exercise of human responsibility, intrinsically oriented towards the promotion of the dignity of the person, the pursuit of the common good and the integral development – political, cultural and spiritual – of individuals, families and societies."

The Pope went on to say that "an appreciation of this fuller human dimension calls, in turn, for precisely the kind of cross-disciplinary research and reflection which the present session of the Academy has now undertaken."

Among the principles involved in the "re-planning of the journey," he said, there must be a place for "the promotion of the common good, grounded in respect for the dignity of the human person and acknowledged as the primary goal of production and trade systems, political institutions and social welfare."

It is important, he added in conclusion, that "economic decisions and policies must be directed towards 'charity in truth' ... For without truth, without trust and love for what is true, there is no social conscience and responsibility, and social action ends up serving private interests and the logic of power, resulting in social fragmentation."

European Bishops Meet on Immigration

This article comes from the website of the European Bishops' Conference.

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The Europe of people on the move. Overcoming fears. Planning projects

About one hundred delegates are scheduled to take part in the meeting, representing bishops, national directors for the pastoral care of migrants and pastoral workers, alongside representatives from civil society and the political world.

The aim of the meeting is to analyse the manifold causes and consequences of the migration movement thoughout Europe on the Church’s work.

“Mobility / migration, within the same country or between different countries, is today an important aspect of European society and it has many guises, from voluntary, often temporary mobility – for tourism, more or less forced life choices (e.g. “Travelling People” such as the Rom), the free decision to change residence (for pensioners, students, etc.) – to forced, often but not always definitive mobility: for reasons of work, for political reasons or economic poverty, due to situations of conflict or the lack of protection of human rights and personal freedom. To this last category belong especially refugees (from war or environmental refugees), political refugees, clandestine immigrants, etc.”, states Fr Duarte da Cunha, CCEE General Secretary. He continued: “If, therefore, on the one hand the very political development of the European Union (e.g. the Schengen Convention) increases and promotes temporary or long-term mobility within the EU member States, at the same time it forces Europe to carry out a more profound reflection on the mobility / migration of people from other continents. Mobility / migration is not just an internal European phenomenon, but one that in fact unites Europe with the whole world! The Catholic Church, too, feels it is part of this pehnomenon, which of course is not something new, but which is now something happening in ways and means that are very fast. Equally quick, therefore, must be the pastoral responses which we have and are adopting throughout Europe”.

According to the CCEE General Secretary the consequences of such mobility / migration are first of all cultural: “Europe is becoming multi-religious in that immigrants bring their own cultures and their own values”; but the consequences are also ecclesial: “the face of the ‘ecumene’ is changing. Christians of other denominations are settling in traditionally Catholic countries and establishing their own ecclesial structures (parishes, dioceses); and vice-versa, with Catholics settling in traditionally Orthodox or Protestant countries. The State-Church relationship itself is being transformed into a State-religions relationship”.

So what are the consequences for the Church’s work in Europe? By examining the theme in three stages, participants at the Congress will focus on the challenges facing three “institutions” which are largely affected by the phenomenon of migration. First of all the family: how does migration impact upon the education of children and what are the consequences of migration on religious education especially since migration to Europe is assuming an ever more “feminine” aspect and families are thus separated. Or again, what help needs to be given, in order to guarantee migrants a dignified life in old age, too?
Secondly, the Parish: to what extent is inter-culturalism an enriching element of pastoral work? What is the future of native-language communities? What are the “bridge-building” roles which must be undertaken by pastoral workers in the context of inter-cultural pastoral activity? What is the impact of inter-religious dialogue on catechesis and the catechumenate?
And finally Society: What is the specifically Christian element which the Christian citizen is called to bring to the world of politics and the economy?

This process will provide an opportunity to examine the fears that must be overcome and plan projects also for the new evangelisation of the continent.

The meeting is open to journalists. The working languages (with simultaneous translation) are French, English, Italian, German and Spanish.

The programme for the meeting is available on the CCEE website (www.ccee.ch). In due course, also available on the site will be the list of participants and various texts under embargo.

Drill Baby, Drill? (2)

This is a follow up on my post from a couple days back. Point #1: I lifted the map above from The New York Times it nicely illustrates the calamity being created by a single well. Point #2: when you are told that expanding off-shore drilling will create 'real jobs right here in America' you should reply: 'Yeah, What Kind of Jobs you Talkn' About?' ... You can find a gesture toward an answer here. The analogy to miners in Appalachia is telling - no options, incredibly dangerous work, and parents who really, really don't want their kids to follow in their footsteps.
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P.S.: And before you think 'there goes Jim, that wacky pinko, being alarmist about the environment again,' consider the damage that this 100 mile long slick will do to the economy of the area, which relies on tourism and fishing.

Worldwide Catholic Realignment?

 
This article comes from the New Republic.
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The End of the European Church


by Philip Jenkins

These are obviously dark days for the Roman Catholic Church. For over a decade, the U.S. church has been assailed by abuse charges and devastated by the resulting litigation. The Vatican used to console itself with the belief that this was a peculiarly American crisis, but, this year, similar abuse cases have arisen all over Europe — most agonizingly in Ireland, one of the world's most faithfully Catholic countries. Across the continent, bishops are facing demands to resign, while critics are urging Pope Benedict himself to consider standing down. Some media commentators are even asking if the Church can survive the crisis. 

But most evidence suggests that the Church will endure and even enjoy a historic boom — just not in places it has flourished historically. For years, its core has been migrating away from Europe, heading southward into Africa and Latin America. Some Church observers have remarked that the Vatican is now in the wrong location: It's 2,000 miles too far north of its emerging homelands. The recent abuse scandals will accelerate this radical shift, discrediting older European elites and opening the door to new generations of leaders who are more attuned to the needs and concerns of believers in the southern hemisphere. 

Literally, the Catholic world will turn fully upside down.

For centuries, the Catholic Church was unquestionably strongest in Europe. In 1900, the continent accounted for perhaps two-thirds of the Church's nearly 270 million members. Latin America had another 70 million believers, while Africa barely appeared on the map, with about two million followers. As Anglo-French sage Hilaire Belloc proclaimed in 1920, "The Faith is Europe and Europe is the Faith."

Since then, and especially since the 1960s, Catholicism has been moving south. Partly, this is due to evangelism sponsored by the Church and its religious orders; new conversions, for instance, have surged in Africa. But shifting demographics have also played its part: While populations have increased modestly in Europe, they have boomed across the global south — and Catholic numbers have grown apace. Today, the world has 900 million more Catholics than it did in 1900, but only 100 hundred million of those new additions are Europeans.

In part, European Catholicism has been declining because of a general trend toward secularization and religious indifference. Recent survey evidence, for instance, shows only half of the French claiming to belong to the Church — down from about 80 percent two decades ago. There has also been a massive decline in practice of the faith. Particularly in Western Europe, millions of Catholics are members of the Church only in the technical sense of having been baptized; they never darken the door of a church, and don't support official Church policies on issues of morality or sexuality. At the turn of the millennium, only around 18 percent of Catholics in Spain and 12 percent in France reported attending weekly mass; the figures for Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands ran between 10 percent and 15 percent.

Latin America, in contrast, is now by far the world's most Catholic region. Rapid population growth over the past century has boosted the official number of believers to around 460 million, and this number should rise to 600 million within two decades — comprising some 45 percent of the Church's worldwide membership. Vatican statistics show Brazil as the world’s largest Catholic country, with 160 million believers, or around 85 percent of the population. (More reliable estimates suggest that 65 percent of Brazilians are Catholic, because of the rise of fervent Pentecostal churches. Still, the number of Catholics is huge.)

Africa, meanwhile, is the scene of a religious revolution. During the twentieth century, Christian numbers boomed across the continent, and Catholics did particularly well. In 2000, Africa had 130 million Catholics, which, as Vatican observer John Allen, Jr. points out in his book The Future Church, represented a growth rate over the century of 6,700 percent. By 2025, there should be at least 220 million African Catholics, making up around one-sixth of the Church's worldwide membership. (I say "at least" because the African Church is likely under-counting its followers as it lacks the institutional framework to track what's happening on the ground. According to the Gallup World Poll, the number of Africans claiming to be Catholic is already pushing 200 million, which is more than 20 percent larger than any official Church figure.)

By 2050, according to projections, Africa will have far more Catholics than Europe. Indeed, projections show that, by the half-century mark, Europe will account for perhaps 15 percent of Catholics — and many of those will be immigrants from Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

So, while the Catholic Church will remain a major — likely still the major — player in the world's spiritual economy, it will be a very different entity. And its transformation will only be hastened by the current abuse crisis.

Previous abuse scandals, such as those in the United States in the early 2000s, had no obvious effect on Catholic adherence in Europe. Yet the recent allegations, which hit Germany, Ireland, Belgium and other European countries, will resonate deeply on the continent, especially since charges of official negligence seem to reach to the pope himself. The impact will be particularly strong in Western Europe, with its powerful media that are increasingly antagonistic toward the Catholic hierarchy and even the Church itself.

We can't gauge precisely what impact the crisis will have on the Church's European membership — though, according to the Forsa Institute, perhaps one-fourth of German Catholics are considering leaving the Church. At a minimum, the crisis will likely alienate already lukewarm Catholics and marginalize the minority of devoted believers. It will also severely diminish Church finances, particularly in countries where citizens opt to devote a portion of their taxes to religious and charitable causes: Expect a heavy diversion of funds away from Catholic causes.

Media coverage of the abuse and the Vatican's mangled response will also provide ample ammunition for those who want to keep religion out of the political realm. European opponents of the Church will find it much easier to silence the Vatican's voice in future legislation concerning issues like abortion, gay marriage and adoption, or reproductive technologies. In any of these controversies, the rhetorical conflict is easy to predict: When Church leaders cite the defense of children and their rights as their reason for backing or opposing policies, secularist critics will immediately point out that bishops and cardinals haven't always been so concerned with children's welfare. It will be a tough criticism to counter.

But the effects of the abuse crisis will be far smaller in Africa and Latin America, where religious loyalties are intimately connected with complex social and familial networks. (African Catholicism, for example, is still tied up with loyalty to family, region and ethnicity, a sacred geography and history — much like the system that existed in Europe in bygone centuries.) The secular media also don’t enjoy the same pervasive presence in Africa and Latin America that it does in Europe, and the Church has its own powerful media voices that will defend the faith. If abuse revelations do drive some Catholics away from the Church — and perhaps to rival faiths — then those people were probably on the verge of defecting anyway. The exposes will just have provided a final push.

Indeed, as the crisis quickens the wane of Europe's Catholic influence, it will help solidify the Church's new roots in the south. Membership there will continue to burgeon, and Church's hierarchy will increasingly be paved with southern clerics. When the time comes to choose someone to succeed Pope Benedict XVI, the cardinals, acutely aware of the effects of the abuse crisis, will probably consider more innovative international candidates, untainted by European connections. A Latin American pope would be a likely choice. Yet, in speculating what the Church might look like in 2050, John Allen imagines an African pope who would represent the interests of his home continent on the world stage. It is very possible that the abuse crisis will only push this scenario closer to the present day; the next time the cardinals must choose a new Vatican leader, they may ask, why not an African?

By that point, perhaps, some keen theorist may be boasting, "Africa is the Faith." And who would dare question the statement?

Catholic, Orthodox Leaders Anticipate Cyprus Visit

This article comes from  the official website for Benedict's June visit to Cyprus.
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Pope's visit to Cyprus historic, say Catholics and Orthodox

Nicosia, Apr 12 (CNA) --- The visit of Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI to Cyprus is a pastoral visit with many dimensions, the Apostolic Nuncio in Cyprus, Antonio Franco stressed in a press conference on Monday, in which the Catholic Church in Cyprus (Maronites and Latins) publicised the schedule of the Pope’s visit to the island.

The visit was officially announced last Saturday in Rome and Nicosia.

Nuncio Franco said that the three days visit of Pope Benedict starts on June 4th in Paphos, on the western coast, where he will have a moment of pilgrimage on the footstep of Saint Paul. On Saturday the Pope will meet with Archbishop of Cyprus, Chrysostomos II and on Sunday the Pope will present to all prelates of Catholic churches in the Middle East the “Instrumentum Laboris” the document for the Synod of Middle East, in next October, he added.

Nuncio underlined that “it is the first time that a Pope visits the island but the Christian presence in the island is Apostolic, comes from the preaching and the presence of Paul and Barnaba on the island is the characteristic history of the island. It is really for me and for all of us to receive the Holy Father in this pastoral visit here in Cyprus”.

“We must prepare for this visit so it may bring fruits of a spiritual renewal in our communities because the Pope comes as the head of the Catholic churches but also as the spiritual leader to bring and stress the spiritual values to orient our lives, the lives of every Christian, every believer,” he said.

Youssef Soueif, the Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus, stressed that the visit of Pope Benedict “is a grand and important event in the recent history of Cyprus and is a gesture of love and peace”.

Announcing the schedule of the apostolic trip of the Pope to Cyprus, he said that the head of the Roman Catholic Church arrives at Paphos Airport. A pilgrimage and ecumenical prayer will follow at Column of Saint Paul, at the Church of Saint Kyriaki. On Saturday, June 5th Pope will meet with President of the Cyprus Republic, Demetris Christofias. He will also meet with the Catholic community of Cyprus ( Maronites and Latins) at the Elementary School of Saint Maronas in Anthoupolis. He will visit the Archbishop of Cyprus, Chrysostomos II and in the afternoon he hold Holy Mass at the Holy Cross Latin church where he will meet with the whole of the clergy and laity, who are dedicated to the pastoral service.

On Sunday, the schedule includes Holy Mass at “Eleftheria” Sports Stadium, at the end of which the Pope will present to all prelates of Catholic churches in the Middle East the “Instrumentum Laboris”, the text to prepare the meeting of bishops on the issue of Christians in the Middle East, which will be held in Rome in October. The conclusion of the day and the visit will be with players to the Virgin Mary at the Virgin Mary of Graces Maronite Cathedral, at Paphos Gate.

Soueif said that the visit of the Pope to Cyprus “will be a great opportunity to promote humane and Christian principles and values, based on freedom, forgiveness, reconciliation and peace”. During this pastoral trip, the successor of Saint Peter is making a pilgrimage, following the steps of Saint Paul, he added, saying that the Holy Father in a spirit of brotherly dilection is meeting the Orthodox Church, all the churches and all the people of goodwill.

“In a spiritual disposition, ecclesiastical and cultural, though the joy of resurrected Jesus, we are preparing to welcome Pope Benedict XVI in our country, where his presence among us will be a blessing,” he noted.

The representative of Archbishop of Cyprus, Demosthenis Demosthenous said that the Church of Cyprus expresses joy and pleasure for the apostolic trip of Pope Benedict to the island, a historic visit. “It will mark as we believe the history of Cyprus towards the horizons of peace, symbiosis and the final reconciliation”, he added, noting that Christians will give a global example of peace, solidarity and peace. “Cyprus welcomes joyful Pope Benedict XVI”.

Asked if the Pope will meet with the Turkish Cypriot imam of Turkish occupied occupied Lefke village, as Turkish Cypriot press reports suggest, Nuncio Franco said that for the time being he is not aware of such an issue, but there is still time. “When there is such a question we will deal with it,” he added.


CNA/RP/MM/2010
ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

US Bishops May Challenge Immigration Law in Court

This article comes from American Catholic.  I warned about this quiet insurrection months ago (see the Immigration tag on the side bar).  The bishops want to undermine the character of American society and the strength of the American economy.

Why, you ask?

Because the United States stands as the Vatican's biggest rival in terms of global influence.
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More Church Leaders Call for Opposition to Immigration Law


By Patricia Zapor

WASHINGTON (CNS)—The chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Migration, the archbishop of New York and the bishops of New Mexico have joined a growing chorus of opposition to Arizona's new immigration bill.

Bishop John C. Wester of Salt Lake City said he would like the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to support an expected legal challenge to the law, noting that the bishops' first concern is for the well-being of the people who will be affected if the law takes effect. Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas of Tucson, Ariz., earlier in the week called for the USCCB to become involved in a legal challenge.

"A law like this has a great capacity for hurting people who are just going about their business, getting an ice cream," he told Catholic News Service April 28 in a phone interview, paraphrasing President Barack Obama's comment a day earlier to an audience in Iowa.

"Now, suddenly, if you don't have your papers, and you took your kid out to get ice cream, you're going to get harassed—that's something that could potentially happen," Obama said. "That's not the right way to go."

Obama has asked the Justice Department to evaluate the law's constitutionality. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder told reporters April 27 that his office might challenge the law in court; the mayor of Phoenix is contemplating a similar challenge. The sheriff of Pima County told reporters he would not enforce the law in his territory, which includes Arizona's second-largest city, Tucson. The sheriffs of Maricopa County, home to Phoenix, and at least one county on the Mexican border wholeheartedly embraced the law.

Bishop Wester said although the U.S. immigration system is broken, the Arizona law is not necessary.

"Instead of putting energy into that, why not put your energy into pushing federal legislators to pass comprehensive immigration reform?" he asked. Comprehensive reform legislation has been introduced in the House and is in the drafting stages in the Senate. Such bills typically include mechanisms for enforcement at the border and in the workplace, a path to legalization and citizenship for people already in the country, and changes to the system for work- and family-related immigration visas.

Bishop Wester said an antagonistic, fractured political climate in Washington makes for dim prospects for a comprehensive reform bill, especially in an election year. But as was shown at a pro-reform immigration rally in Washington in March that drew more than 200,000 people, he said, people are becoming energized about calling for reform quickly.

Religious leaders of many denominations around the country criticized the legislation. The Catholic bishops of New Mexico called the law "wrongheaded" and said they are concerned that "legal immigrants and U.S. citizens would probably be interrogated by the police if they look Hispanic, or in any other way, foreign." They said they hope the law's implementation will be stopped.

The law criminalizes the act of being in Arizona without immigration documentation. Federal law treats that as a civil violation. The Arizona law also requires police officers to arrest those they suspect of being in the country illegally and permits lawsuits against individuals or agencies who people think are not enforcing the law.

In New Mexico, Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan of Santa Fe, Bishop Ricardo Ramirez of Las Cruces and Bishop James S. Wall of Gallup, whose diocese includes part of northern Arizona, said they believe the law "would lead to racial profiling, community distrust and a pervasive fear among immigrants." As with all the statements from church leaders and most of those from political leaders, the New Mexico bishops laid the responsibility for fixing immigration problems with the federal government.

"It is clear that we need immigration reform at the national level in order to deal with the disparities in the present immigration law," they wrote. "We bishops are concerned that other states might try to initiate such a wrongheaded law as well."

They added that the law "is not in keeping with the best traditions of our nation."

In New York, Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan on his website blog echoed Los Angeles Cardinal Roger M. Mahony in decrying the Arizona law.

Archbishop Dolan attributed the law's passage to a climate of fear during a time of tension and turmoil in society.

"It's a supreme paradox in our American culture—where every person unless a Native American, is a descendant of immigrants—that we seem to harbor an ingrained fear of 'the other,' which, in our history, is usually the foreigner (immigrant), the Jew, the Catholic or the black," he wrote, saying that this is another of history's "periodic spasms of 'anti-immigrant' fever."

"Arizona is so scared, apparently, and so convinced that the No. 1 threat to society today is the immigrant, that it has passed a mean-spirited bill of doubtful constitutionality that has as its intention the expulsion of the immigrant," wrote Archbishop Dolan. "What history teaches us, of course, is that not only are such narrow-minded moves unfair and usually unconstitutional, but they are counterproductive and harmful."

The ethos of Catholic culture, however, is one of welcome, he wrote, saying that the church has been a spiritual mother to immigrants—"who were and are mostly Catholic, who have found a home in parishes and schools which helped get them moved in and settled in America."

He said that even from a purely business point of view, "a warm welcome to immigrants is known to be good for the economy and beneficial for a society."

In addition, welcoming immigrants, helping them become legalized and naturalized as citizens, "to help them feel at home, to treat them as neighbors and allies in the greatest project of human rights and ethnic and religious harmony in history—the United States of America—flows from the bright, noble side of our American character," Archbishop Dolan said. "To blame them, stalk them, outlaw them, harass them and consider them outsiders is unbiblical, inhumane and un-American."

A few days before Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed the bill into law April 23, Cardinal Mahony blasted it on his blog, calling it "the country's most retrogressive, mean-spirited and useless anti-immigrant law."

Arizona's bishops—including Bishops Kicanas, Wall and Phoenix Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted—opposed the bill as it came through the Legislature. On April 26, Bishop Kicanas on his diocesan website called for the USCCB general counsel to review the legislation with an eye toward having the conference join friend-of-the-court briefs in support of overturning it.

A statement issued by the USCCB April 27 from Bishop Wester called the law "draconian," and said although its legal impact is limited to Arizona, its potential effect on how immigrants are perceived and treated extends nationwide.

With nearly three months before the law takes effect, calls for economic boycotts of Arizona grew on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. The Los Angeles City Council and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors were considering resolutions that would require their governments to cancel contracts with Arizona companies and bar city employees from traveling to the neighboring state for business.

Politicians in the adjacent Mexican state of Sonora threatened to cut off Arizona's largest trade partner and the Mexican federal government warned its citizens to be careful while traveling in the state because of the risk of harassment.

Law Professor: US has the Right to Control Borders

This post comes from the Legal Insurrection blog.  For an example of the opposite viewpoint, see Archbishop Timothy Dolan's article here.
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Just Say It - "All Immigration Laws are Racist"


By Prof. William Jacobson

There is a fundamental disconnect in the arguments being mounted against the Arizona immigration law. What many of the critics want to say, but do not, is that they view all immigration laws as inherently racist because most illegal immigrants are non-white.

There are some legitimate civil liberties concerns regarding the standard by which police can require someone to produce identification or other information. These concerns are not unique to the Arizona immigration law. Much of the history of our criminal laws is an attempt by the courts to set forth standards for police conduct regarding searches and seizures, and questioning of suspects.

But a point I have made before is that a law which may end up being tossed by the courts on civil liberties grounds does not make the law racist. Issues such as random DWI checkpoints have posed serious legal issues for reasons completely unrelated to race.

That a racially neutral law may be enforced in a racially discriminatory manner also does not make the law, or supporters of the law, racist. Our traffic laws are a prime example.

Police often are accused of singling out minorities for traffic stops based on race, but that does not mean we stop enforcing traffic laws altogether, or accuse proponents of speed limits and stop signs of being racist. Rather, we implement policies which prohibit racial profiling and do our best to enforce such policies.

I realize that this may be too nuanced for some. But the distinction is important because of all the hyperventilated charges that Arizona now is a Nazi, Communist and Apartheid state (quite a combination).

At its heart, the accusations of racism stem from the view which many critics of the Arizona law share, but will not state: All our immigration laws are racist because the vast majority of illegal immigrants are non-white, and of those, a majority are Mexican. Immigration laws, therefore, must be racist, and those who seek enforcement of the laws are racists.

This is the argument which is not made, because it inevitably leads to an open border policy which is a non-starter politically. Open borders are advocated by many groups, but not explicitly by any major political party or politician.

Hence the tension. You will hear charges of racism no matter what is done to enforce the immigration laws.

If the federal government took steps to fully control the Mexican border and stop people before they entered the U.S. , so that Arizona police did not need to ask for identification, you still would hear charges of racism.

I do not believe that most Americans share the view that controlling the border -- whether along the Mexican border or at JFK airport or at crossings from Canada -- is inherently racist; so too, it is not racist to enforce the immigration laws against people who violate the border controls.

Rather, the issue is sovereignty. Is the United States, like every other country in the world, entitled to control its borders, to determine who can enter and under what terms, and to enforce the laws which protect this sovereignty.

That is the debate we need to have, because the debate over the Arizona immigration law is just a sideshow in the larger national debate over sovereignty.

Liberal Democrats set for most MPs since 1923 according to latest poll

The Liberal Democrats are on course to sharply increase their number of MPs, largely at Labour's expense, according to a Guardian/ICM poll published this morning.

The unique ICM poll of voters in 42 seats within the grasp of Liberal Democrats suggests the party's vote is climbing more strongly in Labour-held marginal seats than in Conservative ones.

And remarkably shows that the Lib Dems could increase their number of MPs to at least 80, 17 more than the party won in 2005 and the largest at any election since 1923. A result that would surely be most welcomed in the yellow camp.

The poll was carried out on Tuesday night before the prime minister's criticism of a voter in Lib Dem-held Rochdale as "bigoted", which could have already further weakened Labour’s chances. Regardless, its results show that Labour and even the Conservatives may lose seats to the Lib Dems if voting patterns reflect the polls.

In the 42 polled Lib Dem target seats, the party came second in 2005 and could take on a swing of 6% or less. The poll shows Lib Dem support is now 39% (+4), compared to 35% (-1) for the Conservatives and 18% (-5) for Labour.

Paul Burstow TODAY

Paul Burstow, the Liberal Democrat MP for Sutton and Cheam will be answering questions today in the library at 1.15. All are welcome! Please let us know how you think he gets on, plus your opinions on tonight's third leadership debate - here are 12 things to watch out for...

PS: Has anyone watched Dermot O'Leary's political interviews on BBC3? What did you think of them?

Annals of Fair Use: “Shame on Al Gore” and Shame on the State of Texas

Cameron Todd Willingham, 1994.
From Texas Death Row © Ken Light.

Regular readers will know that I have pretty expansive understanding of "fair use" when it comes to photographs. I acknowledge that many cases are quite complicated. Some, however, are not. And when Al Gore and his company not only used this image by Ken Light without permission, but then appealed a small claims court ruling in Light's favor, they were well out of line. Arguably, the judge that found for Gore on appeal is totally wrong. You can find a story on the case here in The New York Times.

Even more importantly (Light would surely agree) is this story from The New Yorker, the source from which Al and company lifted Light's picture of Willingham; it argues that Willingham, who was executed in 2004 very likely was innocent of the crimes he was accused of committing.

"PowerPoint Makes Us Stupid"

Agreed. According to this story in The New York Times this PowerPoint slide has evidently been making its way around the Internet. It - no joke - purportedly depicts U.S. military strategy in Afghanistan. It was part of an official presentation to General McChrystal last summer in Kabul. The military is evidently learning what Ed Tufte has been preaching for several years. Once he has finished with his current posting to Washington - as adviser to the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board - perhaps Tufte can be transferred to Afghanistan?

And, of course, it goes without saying that the stupidity of our being involved in our current wars in the first place is not a product of PowerPoint.

Best Shots (111) ~ Sophie Ristelhueber

(138) Sophie Ristelhueber ~ Because of Dust Breeding (Detail)
(28 April 2010).

John Guy

John Guy's website has been mentioned before on Nonsuch HP. It includes this article on historians' views on Elizabeth and politics which is particularly useful for Year 13s gathering interpretations. There are also notes on Elizabeth and religion, the mid-tudor crisis and the role of faction amongst others.

Year 12s will find useful articles on Henry VII's reputation and foreign policy plus the significance of Wolsey, his domestic and foreign policies, and his fall.

Archbishop Dolan Rebukes "Nativist" Americans

This article comes from the Catholic News Agency.  Does everybody miss the fact that we are talking about ILLEGAL immigration?

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Archbishop Dolan calls Arizona illegal immigrant law "harmful"

New York City, N.Y., Apr 28, 2010 / 06:18 am (CNA).- Archbishop of New York Timothy Dolan has criticized Arizona legislation targeting illegal immigrants as “mean-spirited” and “counterproductive and harmful.” Viewing the measure as a manifestation of historic American nativism, he said immigrants should be welcomed and their legalization and citizenship should be advanced.

Writing in an April 27 entry on his blog “The Gospel in the Digital Age,” Archbishop Dolan said at times of social turmoil the immigrant “unfailingly becomes the scapegoat.”

He then listed what he described as “periodic spasms” of anti-immigrant “fever”: the Nativists of the 1840s who led mobs to torch Irish homes and Catholic churches; the Know-Nothings of the 1850s; the American Protective Association of the late 19th century who feared the arrival of immigrants from Italy, Poland, and Germany; the Ku Klux Klan who fomented hate against blacks, Jews, Catholics and foreigners; and the eugenics movement.

He also listed the Protestants and Other Americans United group of the 1950s who were “apprehensive about Catholic immigrants and their grandkids upsetting the religious and cultural concord of America.”

“And, here we go again!” Archbishop Dolan continued. “Arizona is so scared, apparently, and so convinced that the #1 threat to society today is the immigrant that it has passed a mean-spirited bill of doubtful constitutionality that has as its intention the expulsion of the immigrant.”

According to the archbishop, history teaches that “not only are such narrow-minded moves unfair and usually unconstitutional, but they are counterproductive and harmful.”

Claiming the anti-immigrant sentiment is not dominant, he pointed to another sentiment of the country, “one of welcome and embrace to the immigrant.”

He noted that New Yorkers look out at the Statue of Liberty, whose “torch of welcome” has caused joy to millions of their immigrant ancestors.

This ethos is especially a part of Catholic culture, which he described as “a spiritual mother to immigrants in America.”

Archbishop Dolan also argued that welcoming immigrants is known to be good for the economy and beneficial for society.

The “bright, noble side” of the American character is “to welcome the immigrant, to work hard for their legalization and citizenship, to help them feel at home, to treat them as neighbors and allies in the greatest project of human rights and ethnic and religious harmony in history.”

“To blame them, stalk them, outlaw them, harass them, and consider them outsiders is unbiblical, inhumane, and un-American,” he charged.

Acknowledging the duty of every society to protect its borders, he said this must be done “justly, sanely and civilly.”

“My brother bishops in Arizona worry this is not the case there.  They have been joined by Cardinal Roger Mahony, Jewish, other Christians, and various civic and human rights groups.”

“I’m on their side,” he concluded, describing this as the “Statue of Liberty” side, not the “Nativist” one.

Brown and the "Bigoted" Woman

Gordon Brown has made the classic mistake today of forgetting to turn his microphone off after a difficult public encounter in Rochdale. Clearly frustrated, he described her as a "bigoted woman" but his comments were quickly out in the open. You can hear his comments and pretty painful public apology on the BBC site here, while the Guardian live blog gives a fascinating insight into how a "gaffe" story can turn into a media frenzy. Scroll down until you get to 12.56.

PS: Fast forward to about four minutes on the video above to hear the end of the conversation and Brown's unfortunate comments.
PPS: Nick Robinson's comments on the incident are here

The Death of Elizabeth I

Here is an excellent discussion of how Robert Cecil handled the succession of James I as Elizabeth I's reign slowly came to an end. The In Our Time programme covers plenty of other historical topics, often with contributions from leading historians and academics. If you come across any that are particularly interesting, let us know.

Eggs, Fists and Smoke Bombs thrown in Ukrainian Parliament

When politics becomes overly passionate; fists, smoke bombs and eggs were thrown in the Ukrainian Parliament yesterday after it ratified an agreement to extend the Russian Black Sea Fleet's lease in a Ukrainian port until 2042.

The brawl came as a result of the bitter divisions within the country and its ministers over the Russian influence in this former Soviet republic under its new Moscow-friendly leadership.

The newly-ratified extended agreement between the countries' presidents won 236 votes in the 450-seat parliament, overturning the previous government's position that the Russians must leave when the current lease on their Black Sea naval base in Sevastopol expires in 2017.

Cue the eggs and the fisticuffs… (video below courtesy of Wall Street Journal)

Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych and his political allies have said the overtures to Moscow, which sees Ukraine as part of its sphere of influence, are paying off and the the lease accord will give its economy billions of dollars in discounts on imported Russian gas.

"There is no alternative," Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said as parliament convened to vote on the fleet deal. "Ratification means a lower price for gas" and that will enable Ukraine's government to adopt a budget for this year. "And the budget means agreement with the International Monetary Fund, the possibility of getting investments."

Boxer with brain cell provides a unique election quirk via deed poll

It is not only quirky, but clever. Voters going to the ballot boxes in the Essex constituency of South Basildon and East Thurrock on May 6th will see a line on their ballot papers enabling them to vote for "None Of The Above".

But this is not a new way of abstaining - it is actually the new name of the ex-boxer formerly known as Terry Marsh, pictured left, who has changed his name by deed poll to "None Of The Above X" to stand as a parliamentary candidate.

The former World Light Welterweight boxing Champion, now known as Mr X, said he made this unusual move to “legitimise the election in this constituency" and claimed he will not take the seat in Parliament if he wins at the ballot box.

Electoral law bans parties from using the name, but it does not ban individuals.

Local pundits believe the move could divert some crucial votes in the poll where boundary changes have now made it a close race for the seat with Labour seeking to protect a notional majority of 905 votes (2.14%) over the Conservatives.

Drill Baby, Drill?

Fire boats try to put out the Deepwater Horizon before it sank.
Photograph © KPA/Zuma/Rex Features.

Does anyone remember the Republicans chanting "Drill Baby, Drill" during the 2008 presidential election campaign? We dodged the McCain/Palin bullet and got a fistful of "hope" instead. Does anyone recall that Obama insists on expanded offshore drilling as a key component of what passes for his energy policy? "Change" anyone? This rig has collapsed into the sea. A dozen or so workers died, many others were injured. The industry is dirty and dangerous and does nothing what-so-ever to wean the U.S. off of fossil fuels. At the moment the well head is pushing in excess of 40,000 gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico each day. I'd say that Obama's policy is a joke, but that would make light of what is an ongoing calamity.

Catholic Global Presence on the Rise

This article comes from the Catholic News Agency.

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Catholic global presence increasing, Vatican study reports

Vatican City, Apr 27, 2010 / 11:05 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Vatican Publishing House released today a report on the Catholic Church's global presence, showing an increase in the Catholic population in 2008. Although the number of Catholics has risen globally, the study recorded a constant decline in priests, seminarians and non-ordained religious within Europe.

The recently released edition of the Statistical Yearbook of the Church compiled findings from 2000-2008, and documented that the number of Catholics in the world increased from 1.045 billion in 2000 to 1.166 billion in 2009, a growth of 11.54 percent.

Specifically in Africa, the Church grew by 33 percent, in Asia by 15.61 percent, in Oceania by 11.39 percent and in America by 10.93. The number of Catholics in Europe remained generally stable throughout the nine year period, increasing only by 1.17 percent.

The Vatican yearbook also reported that the number of bishops in the world went up from 4,541 in 2000 to 5,002 in 2008, a growth of 10.15 percent.

Non-ordained religious fell from 55,057 in the year 2000 to 54,641 in 2008, with the strongest decline taking place in Europe and Oceania. The number of women religious stood  at 800,000 in 2000, but had dropped to 740,000 in 2008. In Africa and Asia, however, the number of women religious increased by 21 and 16 percent respectively.

While the amount of diocesan priests increased globally by 3.1 percent, the study showed that the number of priests was down by 3.04 percent. Europe, the yearbook said, showed a consistent overall decline in priests, representing 51 percent of the world's priests in 2000 yet in 2008, representing just 47 percent.

Although the number of students studying philosophy and theology at diocesan and religious seminaries increased globally from 110,583 in 2000 to more that 117,024 in 2008, Europe again saw a reduction in numbers. The Vatican study reported that the number of seminarians increased in Africa and Asia.

As reported earlier this week, Pope Benedict XVI is expected to release a letter announcing the creation of a new Vatican dicastery called the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization. The new department will be aimed at bringing the Gospel back to Western societies that have lost their Christian identity, most notably Europe and the United States.

The Holy Father has made the restoration of the Catholic faith in Europe one of the major efforts of his pontificate.

How representative will the election be?

Interesting article here from the Guardian exploring how well minorities are represented within Parliament, and whether the election will do anything to change this. There are currently 15 MPs from ethnic minorities (13 are Labour MPs) but things may well improve after May 6. The Conservatives for example have 44 candidates from ethnic minorities, and up to 10 of them may be in winnable seats. What are your thoughts?

An appetising alternative look at the three leaders - from Pizza Express

In a very clever (and slightly appetite-watering) publicity stunt, the restaurant chain Pizza Express has produced a set of images of the three main political party leaders as they would appear as pizzas.

Gordon Brown:

"If Brown were a pizza he’d be made of: fiery chilli, tuna for cleverness, ground beef for trademark untidiness and spinach for strength..."

David Cameron:

"If Cameron were a pizza he’d be made of: lots of cheese (cheesy), Posh rocket, healthy broccoli and asparagus (environmental)..."

Nick Clegg:

"Clegg would be: keen as mustard, fresh as tomatoes, spicy Italian sausage showing his passion and peas…because he’s peace-loving..."

While these are very clever productions, neither of the pizzas look particularly appealing to order although if they help to increase public appetite for the election then they are good!

NOTE: if Orange is your mobile phone network provider then why not in addition to 2 for 1 on Wednesday treat a friend to 2 for 1 pizza? To benefit from the Orange Wednesday Pizza Express promotion click here to download the voucher.

Bonne appetite...

Science and Maps

There is plenty of good history on TV at the moment. Tonight BBC2 begins showing its flagship programme "The Story of Science", ambitiously showing the history of science. The notes on the website state that it is "a tale of courage and of fear, of hope and disaster, of persistence and success", interweaving "great forces of history – revolutions, voyages of discovery and artistic movements – with practical, ingenious inventions and the dogged determination of experimenters and scientists". Tonight's episode focuses in particular on the growing realisation that the earth rotated around the sun, and not vice versa, and the impact of this on society, religion and culture.

Meanwhile BBC4 is showing several programmes about the impact of maps on history and their utility as sources for the period they represent. "Maps: Power, Plunder and Possession" examines maps from the Ancient World to Google Earth, and shows how they were used as tools to project political power and propaganda, such as the Romans' maps of the newest parts of the Empire that they had conquered. Meanwhile the "Beauty of Maps" does exactly what it says on the tin, looking in wonder at particular maps and examining some of their secrets. It has a special website where you can examine some of these for yourself.

If you watch any of these programmes, please post a review either as a comment below or in an email to us. We would love to hear what you think, or if you have any other recommendations.

Blitz Street

Channel Four's Blitz Street attempts to recreate what is must have been like to experience being bombed during World War 2. They have recreated some typical 1940s houses on an army base and have then subjected them to various bombs to see what the explosions must have been like. The explosions are of course very impressive but even more interesting are the eye witness testimonies from people (often children at the time) who experienced being bombed. The programme is on Mondays and you can watch episodes on YouTube here.

PS: If you only have 5 minutes - go to minute 36 of the first episode!
PPS: Here is the Telegraph's review of the programme.

Eyjafjallajokull

This is not usually the kind of image I mention here. But this appeared in a British tabloid over this caption: "Spectacular: The Northern Lights are seen above the ash plume of Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano last night." I'd have to agree. There are a handful of similar shots here.

Archbishop: Use Internet for Inter-Cultural Dialogue

This article comes from Zenit.

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Archbishop calls for digital witnesses

ROME, APRIL 26, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Today's world needs digital witnesses who can evangelize and dialogue with other religions through the Internet, affirms the president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.

Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli said this Friday in an address to participants in a conference on "Digital Witnesses: Faces and Languages in the Cross-Media Age," an initiative promoted by the Italian bishops' conference.

The conference, which began Thursday and ended Saturday, concluded with an audience with Benedict XVI in Paul VI Hall.

"Today we find ourselves as though exploring a new world," Archbishop Celli said. "Now not so much importance is given to the means of communication as to the protagonist, the witness."

"A witness," he continued, "which meanwhile has become digital, underlining in this technical detail a transformation" that "really opens and unveils every day a new world before our eyes."

These advances, the prelate said, have implied a "change of rhythm in the relations that knowledge and human learning have always woven with civil society."

Orientation

The archbishop affirmed, "Life, events, all that surrounds us are a continuous and incessant reminder: The media has already entered our life in many ways and often not only orient it but condition it; they claim, so to speak, a consideration that corresponds to them by right."

Because of this, he said, attention must now be focused on the human being, "who has run the risk of being crushed by the invasion of new technologies and who is asked to take up again fully his own responsibility."

Today, Archbishop Celli affirmed, "we are not called to be simply citizens, perhaps lost or just full of wonder in the digital continent."

"Our task is not, either, to occupy just any space and to make ourselves present because there is nothing else to do," he added.

"We are called, rather, to leave a visible imprint," the prelate said, "recognizable imprints that make one think because of the marks we have in fact left by our presence." 

"If the Internet by definition is virtual, to us corresponds the task of making it concrete, of giving it depth, of offering it, in a certain sense, a soul and hence, life," he said.

Virtual roads

"As the first apostles went out into the then known roads," the archbishop affirmed, in this way the Internet "will have to serve us to spread the Good News," which is not only a "poetic image."

He noted: "Of course we need to be well equipped with knowledge and, therefore, it corresponds to us to know today the ways and to move with certainty. But above all we are asked today to have a clear goal and to thoroughly know the objectives."

Referencing the words of Benedict XVI for the 44th World Communications Day, the prelate called for "authentic and courageous witnesses," so that the digital continent will "smooth the way for new encounters, always ensuring the quality of the human contact and care for persons and their real spiritual needs."

This means to employ "the digital culture that presents itself today not only as a useful but a necessary service, underlining the anthropological dimension of the whole phenomenon of communication," he said.

The archbishop concluded by referring to the "courtyard of the Gentiles," mentioned by Benedict XVI, a space in which the Church can engage in dialogue with believers of other religions and with non-believers, as happened in the Temple of Jerusalem. 

Archbishop Celli affirmed, "I believe the Pope is inviting us to a 360 degree dialogue, open to all men" and "we should reflect on the vocation of our media at home."

"They are not schools of religious fundamentalism," he said, "but hope to be true moments of encounter, of dialogue, of listening lived in respect, but also in the authenticity of what we are."

[With the contribution of Mirko Testa]