Valentine's Day
By James Taylor

Beneath the tide the fishes glide
Fin to fin and side to side
For fishy love has now begun
Fishy love, finny fun

Paper moon, paper heart
Pink balloon, work of art
Al Capone, Bugs Moran
Valentine's Day

Bootleg gin, porkpie hat
Dew Drop Inn, dirty rat
Through the heart, Cupid's dart
Valentine's Day

Day to repay the one that you love
Gentlemen take off your hats as I speak thereof
Just a brief break from the push and the shove
We may go a few rounds without boxing gloves

Land your punch, I stand my ground
We break for lunch and a second round
We set them up, we knock them down
Valentine's Day

Me and you, you and him
Him and her, us and them
We keep score, love as war
Valentine's Day

I lost my teeth, I lost my hair
I lost my mind, you don't care
Love is war, all is fair
On Valentine's Day

As the White House struggles to find acceptance for President Bush's intention to escalate the number of U.S. troops in Iraq, one public relations move of the administration is to attack the president's critics. By claiming the opponents of the president have no alternative plan, the White House frames the argument as a choice between the Bush build-up versus failure.

 

Here are examples of President Bush and Vice President Cheney sticking to the White House talking points . . .

 

"The critics have not suggested a policy — they haven't put anything in place . . . All they've recommended is to redeploy or to withdraw our forces. The fact is, we can complete the task in Iraq. We're going to do it. We've got (Lt. Gen. David) Petraeus — Gen. Petraeus taking over. It is a good strategy. It will work. But we have to have the stomach to finish the task." – Vice President Cheney, Jan. 24, 2007

 

"I know there is skepticism and pessimism and that some are condemning a plan before it's even had a chance to work," the president said. "They have an obligation and a serious responsibility therefore to put up their own plan as to what would work." – President Bush, Jan. 26, 2007

 

But there are all sorts of plans and ideas – the president simply chooses to ignore them.

 

For example:

 

The Iraq Study Group proposed many ideas, including NOT increasing the number of U.S. troops. But the president has basically ignored every idea suggested in this bipartisan plan.

 

http://www.usip.org/isg/

 

Here's another plan . . . suggested by Sen. Joe Biden. A catchy website address, as well.

 

http://www.planforiraq.com/

 

Here's General Wes Clark's plan for Iraq. It's easy to see how the White House ignored it, what with it being published in USA Today.

 

http://securingamerica.com/node/1961

 

Clark suggests regional dialog – so rather than Syria and Iran being involved in helping increase violence in Iraq, they can be invovled with helping to find solutions.

 

Here's my senator's plan for Iraq, that Jim Webb wrote last August, before he was elected, and before he gave the Democratic response to the president's State of the Union address.

 

http://www.webbforsenate.com/issues/security_aug_speech.php

 

"We should say clearly to the people of Iraq and the region that we have no plans for a long term presence in the country. This will take the moral high-ground away from the insurgency in the eyes of the Muslim World, and it will diffuse the concerns of some Iraqis that we plan to stay for good. This will also put the Iraqi government on notice that it must cooperate and bring order to its people. We should not build permanent bases in Iraq. Right now from all reports there are four permanent bases being built there without much discussion among the American public."

 

-

 

There are just four plans for Iraq that I know about, and I'm just some guy in Richmond, Virginia. You'd think that the best minds in Washington D.C. would know about even more ideas.

 

So, when the president and vice president suggest that the critics "have an obligation and a serious responsibility therefore to put up their own plan as to what would work," they demonstrate they either are completely ignorant of alternative ideas or they are simply liars ignoring the reality of other reasonable people with other reasonable alternatives.

 

Our leaders in the White House are either willfully ignorant or liars – is it any wonder the Iraq war has been so miserably executed?

 

Senator Hillary Clinton announced today that she's forming an "exploratory committee to run for president."

The text of her e-mailed announcement is below.

According to the Associated Press, "Clinton's announcement, while widely anticipated, was nonetheless historic in a fast-developing campaign that has already seen the emergence of a formidable black contender, Democratic Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois.

"In an instant, Clinton became the most credible female candidate ever to seek the presidency and the first presidential spouse to attempt to return to the White House in her own right. Her husband, Bill, served two terms as president from 1993 to 2001."

The media prefer creating and covering a horse race, rather than understand and report on issues that matter – for example, look at how much cable television has covered Clinton and Obama this week, compared to coverage of legislation passed by the House.

Curiously, no one but the AP seems to notice that Obama and Clinton are minorities. And we here in the United States have never elected a minority to the White House, and with a closely divided electorate, we're not going to in 2008.

Obama acknowledges that he's black, and that the U.S. is a wonderful country that gives people like him opportunities.

Clinton on the other hand, didn't address her gender in her announcement. Nor do the talking heads on cable news. Clinton and the millionaire commentators demonstrate their lack of understanding when they refuse to even acknowledge her gender.

The voters of the United States will not elect a woman president any time in the near future. They will NEVER elect Mrs. Bill Clinton.

We have to wonder what the internal poll results say, that Clinton thinks she has a chance of winning.

She'll not even make it to the convention, much less win the party's nomination.

Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack will negate the democratic caucuses in Iowa, and Democrats in New Hampshire are too pragmatic to vote for Clinton. Arizona is also early in the primary process, and the voters there will never vote for Mrs. Bill Clinton.

It's not that the king isn't wearing any clothes, it's that the democratic presidential candidate is wearing a dress – and someone ought to intelligently point that out, rather than pseudo-intellectually pretending like it doesn't matter.

For Clinton to win the White House, she must win every single vote John Kerry received in the last presidential election, plus hundreds of thousands more. Can she? Nope.

Clinton can't win and won't win.

Of course, Republicans know she can't win, and that's why they, too, support her as the media darling.

It's too bad she'll be the last person in the country to realize she'll never be president.

**

Sen. Clinton's announcement:

Dear Friend,

I'm in. And I'm in to win.

Today I am announcing that I will form an exploratory committee to run for president.

And I want you to join me not just for the campaign but for a conversation about the future of our country -- about the bold but practical changes we need to overcome six years of Bush administration failures.

I am going to take this conversation directly to the people of America, and I'm starting by inviting all of you to join me in a series of web chats over the next few days.

The stakes will be high when America chooses a new president in 2008.

As a senator, I will spend two years doing everything in my power to limit the damage George W. Bush can do. But only a new president will be able to undo Bush's mistakes and restore our hope and optimism.

Only a new president can renew the promise of America -- the idea that if you work hard you can count on the health care, education, and retirement security that you need to raise your family. These are the basic values of America that are under attack from this administration every day.

And only a new president can regain America's position as a respected leader in the world.

I believe that change is coming November 4, 2008. And I am forming my exploratory committee because I believe that together we can bring the leadership that this country needs. I'm going to start this campaign with a national conversation about how we can work to get our country back on track.

This is a big election with some very big questions. How do we bring the war in Iraq to the right end? How can we make sure every American has access to adequate health care? How will we ensure our children inherit a clean environment and energy independence? How can we reduce the deficits that threaten Social Security and Medicare?

No matter where you live, no matter what your political views, I want you to be a part of this important conversation right at the start. So to begin, I'm going to spend the next several days answering your questions in a series of live video web discussions. Starting Monday, January 22, at 7 p.m. EST for three nights in a row, I'll sit down to answer your questions about how we can work together for a better future. And you can participate live at my website.

Sign up to join the conversation here: http://www.hillaryclinton.com/action/conversation

I grew up in a middle-class family in the middle of America, where I learned that we could overcome every obstacle we face if we work together and stay true to our values.

I have worked on issues critical to our country almost all my life. I've fought for children for more than 30 years. In Arkansas, I pushed for education reform. As first lady, I helped to expand health care coverage to millions of children and to pass legislation that dramatically increased adoptions. I also traveled to China to affirm that women's rights are human rights.

And in the Senate, I have worked across party lines to get billions more for children's health care, to stop the president's plan to privatize Social Security, and to make sure the victims and heroes of 9/11 and our men and women in uniform receive the fair treatment they deserve. In 2006, I led the successful fight to make Plan B contraception available to women without a prescription.

I have spent a lifetime opening opportunities for tens of millions who are working hard to raise a family: new immigrants, families living in poverty, people who have no health care or face an uncertain retirement.

The promise of America is that all of us will have access to opportunity, and I want to run a 2008 campaign that renews that promise, a campaign built on a lifetime record of results.

I have never been afraid to stand up for what I believe in or to face down the Republican machine. After nearly $70 million spent against my campaigns in New York and two landslide wins, I can say I know how Washington Republicans think, how they operate, and how to beat them.

I need you to be a part of this campaign, and I hope you'll start by joining me in this national conversation. Visit my new website at HillaryClinton.com to learn how you can join in:

http://www.hillaryclinton.com/

As we campaign to win the White House, we will make history and remake our future. We can only break barriers if we dare to confront them, and if we have the determined and committed support of others.

This campaign is our moment, our chance to stand up for the principles and values that we cherish; to bring new ideas, energy, and leadership to a uniquely challenging time. It's our chance to say "we can" and "we will."

Let's go to work. America's future is calling us.

Sincerely,

Hillary Rodham Clinton

An iconic leader in his lifetime, the legend of Martin Luther King, Jr. began well before his untimely death on April 4, 1968.

From his early childhood as the son, grandson and great grandson of Baptist preachers, after graduating Crozer Theological Seminary and Boston University with a Ph.D., the young minister's career paralleled the growing civil rights movement. King's growth in his faith, the church, and in leadership in the movement were inexorably linked tighter than the threads of a southern patchwork quilt.

Through activism, protests, marches, speeches and sermons, the message was the man and the man was the message. Despite vocal, often violent, and organized opposition from racists in the streets, politicians in office, and even officials in the FBI, King followed a path that he felt was laid out by God.

He could no more walk away from his crusades for civil rights, justice and equality than he could renounce his calling and ordination and walk away from Christ. In his mind, his actions and activism on behalf of "the least of these" were the best way to be a "Christ-like" follower of Jesus.

For more about Martin Luther King, Jr., here's a paper I wrote:

Martin Luther King, Jr.: The Man and His God.

On the evening of King's death, Robert Kennedy gave one of the best speeches ever given by a political candidate.

"Martin Luther King dedicated his life to love and to justice between fellow human beings. He died in the cause of that effort. In this difficult day, in this difficult time for the United States, it's perhaps well to ask what kind of a nation we are and what direction we want to move in." – Robert Kennedy

You can read and listen to Kennedy's speech, here:

Robert Kennedy's remarks concerning Martin Luther King.

Here's a song written by James Taylor, in honor of King.


Shed a little light
By James Taylor

Let us turn our thoughts today
To Martin Luther King
And recognize that there are ties between us
All men and women
Living on the earth
Ties of hope and love
Sister and brotherhood
That we are bound together
In our desire to see the world become
A place in which our children
Can grow free and strong
We are bound together
By the task that stands before us
And the road that lies ahead
We are bound and we are bound

There is a feeling like the clenching of a fist
There is a hunger in the center of the chest
There is a passage through the darkness and the mist
And though the body sleeps the heart will never rest

(chorus)
Shed a little light, oh lord
So that we can see
Just a little light, oh lord
Wanna stand it on up
Stand it on up, oh lord
Wanna walk it on down
Shed a little light, oh lord

Can't get no light from the dollar bill
Don't give me no light from a tv screen
When i open my eyes
I wanna drink my fill
From the well on the hill

(do you know what i mean?)
- chorus -

There is a feeling like the clenching of a fist
There is a hunger in the center of the chest
There is a passage through the darkness and the mist
And though the body sleeps the heart will never rest

Oh, let us turn our thoughts today
To Martin Luther King
And recognize that there are ties between us
All men and women
Living on the earth
Ties of hope and love
Sister and brotherhood

         I read an interesting idea last week concerning the execution of Saddam Hussein. The writer pointed out that if we as Christians believe in hell, and we believe that the way to avoid eternal condemnation is a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, then we in good conscience can't support sending any non-Christian to a premature death. In essence, by supporting Saddam's execution we deny him the opportunity to ever accept Jesus Christ as his savior. If Saddam were sitting in a jail for the rest of his life, justly punished for his wrongdoing, perhaps he could one day accept Christ as his savior. By advocating the unnatural end of his life, Christians who support his execution, support his eternal separation from God.

 

         People who call themselves Christian and who may find themselves in church every Sunday morning, seem to have no difficulty with the State committing murder in society's name. They justify State murder by citing the Mosaic law, and yet, curiously, they don't demand society enforce other aspects of the law and allow parents to stone disrespectful teenagers. (Deu 21:21)

 

         Ironically, one of the constant contemporary complaints against Jesus was that he violated the Mosaic laws. Of course, pro-death penalty Christians usually miss the additional irony of Christians, followers of a man executed by the State, supporting the State executing others.

 

         While capital punishment is mentioned repeatedly in the Old Testament, only a few people are executed in the New Testament, including Jesus, an innocent man falsely accused.

 

         There is no question that innocent people are executed in the United States, (here in the Commonwealth of  Virginia, Earl Washington, Jr. was within nine days of being murdered by the Commonwealth for a crime he didn't commit. Virginia has since released him and paid him restitution). But unfortunately, the records of innocent people who have been victims of capital punishment are scarce because the execution usually ends the investigation into exonerating them.

 

         When American Christians support State-sanctioned murders painted as executions, they have ceded to the government rights that they shouldn't have given away.

 

         We allow the State to implement a justice that we as followers of Christ should consider only God's. If we as Christians believe God is the giver of life, then why would we allow other people to willfully take life? We as Christians can support protecting others from violence, by nonviolently removing violent people from the population – that's why we have prisons – but lovers of the Prince of Peace have no excuse to support killing.

 

         Curiously, Christians in most of the rest of the world recognize that the government shouldn't murder helpless prisoners, and so the United States is one of the few industrialized nations in the world to still murder its own citizens, and the only Christian-majority country performing executions.

 

         A major cornerstone of Christ's message is very clear: "A new commandment I give to you," Jesus says, "that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35)

 

         Somehow, followers of Christ manage to find a justification for State-sanctioned murder in the Old Testament, and conveniently ignore the new commandment Jesus gave us. Because of Jesus, we have a new covenant; part of that new covenant includes no-longer sacrificing goats and no-longer killing other people. The simple fact is, some followers of Christ literally look past Christ's teachings, ignore the example of his execution, and rationalize their own acceptance of capital punishment, completely independent of scripture.

 

            Imagine Jesus of Nazareth saying, "yes, that man should be executed. Kill him." Picture the Prince of Peace saying, "that woman's crimes are too heinous, electrocute her." If you can't imagine Christ saying it, then how can you as his follower say it?

 

The simple fact is, Jesus loves Saddam Hussein. When they supported Saddam's execution – Christians denied him the opportunity to find Christ.

 

How is that an appropriate way for followers of Christ to demonstrate the love of Jesus?

The minister who baptized me and who married my wife and me lost his wife this morning.

 

Diagnosed with a terminal illness, this past summer she wrote her own obituary.

 

"You may have heard today that Judy Westbrook died," she wrote. "Nothing could be further from the truth for she is more alive now than ever!"

 

A faithful follower of Christ, with a huge heart that represented the love of Christ, Judy was a good person who made the world better by her presence.

 

I'm reminded of the words written to his wife by Union Major Sullivan Ballou, a week before his death at the battle of Bull Run, ". . . do not mourn me dead, think I am gone and wait for thee, for we shall meet again." (click here to read the entire letter.)

 

We mourn Judy's passing and celebrate her life. We also consider the fact that this day, she is in paradise.

 

Nearly every past or present culture in the world has some form of afterlife, where souls go when they leave our world.

 

But in all the world, past and present, only Jesus Christ, died, and was resurrected to demonstrate to us that death holds no ties to we who follow him. 

 

In addition to the words of Sullivan Ballou, I'm also reminded of the words of Shakespeare's Horatio, upon the death of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. "Now cracks a noble heart. Good night, sweet Prince, And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!"

 

After a long, difficult struggle, Judy's noble heart has returned to our God, flights of angels singing her to her rest.

The Book of Daniel premiered on NBC a year ago tomorrow. It lasted three weeks before it was canceled. The first four episodes and the remaining four were all released on DVD on Sept. 26, 2006. I received the two-DVD set for Christmas.

The dramatic comedy focused on Episcopalian minister and father, Daniel Webster as he dealt with family problems, church politics and prescription painkillers.

The program was doomed before it ever aired, in large part because of a massive protest effort led by the religious right and groups like the American Family Association – protesters who hadn't actually seen the program they were protesting.

A major source of offense seemed to be rooted in the irreverent personification of Jesus Christ and Daniel's on-going conversation with the bearded, long-haired, robe wearing, wise-cracking character.

The protestors took credit for getting The Book of Daniel off the air, and instead of a program with a Christian lead character who talks with Jesus Christ, tonight NBC airs the original Law and Order in the timeslot.

Daniel talked to Jesus. And Jesus talked to Daniel. The good that could come from mainstream America seeing that on television far outweighed any negative aspects of the show.

As a Christian who talks to Jesus, I had a special affinity for Daniel. His struggles and weaknesses, seemingly so offensive to the protestors, simply made this good man all the more human.

Despite the acerbic, thinly-veiled hostility of the wealthy WASP characters, the program had a lot of heart and in many ways was simply charming.

I enjoyed the series for the three weeks it aired and I enjoyed the discussions on the Blog of Daniel website last year. Watching the DVD this past week, I especially enjoy watching Daniel react to the chaos in the world around him, as he struggles to get to know Jesus better.

Perhaps the protesters were bothered by the naked emotion Daniel displayed when talking to Jesus. Perhaps their view of Jesus was different than Daniel's view. Or their relationship with Christ was different than Daniel's relationship.

Daniel was a kind, caring, compassionate man who loved his family and loved God, and who struggled to do God's will in a world that refused to hear Jesus talking. It's too bad the protesters thought television would be better off without The Book of Daniel.

I think television, and the world, would be better off with more people like Daniel.



Buy The Book of Daniel DVD here.

400 years ago today, the men who were to settle Jamestown were packed aboard three boats bobbing off the southern coast of England.

In one of the first reports to the Virginia Company, Capt. Gabriel Archer plainly laid out the settler's reasons for risking their lives and establishing a settlement in the new world " . . . which we hope may tend to the glory of God, His Majesty's renown, our country's profit, our own advancing, and fame to all posterity . . ."

These were just some of the reasons 105 settlers boarded the Susan Constant, the Godspeed and the Discovery on Friday, December 19, 1606. The three ships weighed anchor sometime near midnight, and slowly slipped down the Thames with the tide.

The ships made their way to the coast, and there they sat. For more than a month, the men languished at anchor in the Downs, within view of Kent, England, waiting for an east wind. The delay would have deadly repercussions for the settlers many months later.

They sat in their warm ships for weeks, getting to know one another, playing games and swapping stories. Most certainly, in quiet moments, the water softly slapping against the ship and surrounded by sleeping strangers, the men took serious stock of their lives.

During quiet moments, nearly all of us look at ourselves and take stock of our lives in one way or another. You may have paused for self-reflection this morning, and would certainly do it if you were about to embark on the most significant journey of your life.

From something as serious as a new haircut, or as frivolous as a career change and getting a new job, our lives are marked with notable and important moments.

Turning points

Rev. Buddy Westbrook, after my baptism at Bethany Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), spoke of the "hinges" that are the turning points in our lives.

Buddy reminded the congregation that our lives are marked by significant turning points, and when we witness someone passing a turning point, like a baptism or marriage, we're reminded of our own.

Sometimes, we pass life's mile markers, without even knowing it. Other times we reach a hinge in our life, experience massive change, and then move on in a new and exciting direction. It's important we take the time to be like the settlers and reflect as we pass life's markers.

* *

This is an except from my forthcoming book, Jamestown: 7 Modern Lessons from an Ancient World.

For more information, visit:

Jamestown: 7 Modern Lessons from an Ancient World

Millions of Muslims streamed out of Mecca today, the first day of the Hajj pilgrimage.

The Hajj is one of the pillars of Islam, required of every adult Muslim at least once in their life if they can afford it and are physically able. They save money for years, travel to Mecca, on the coast of Saudi Arabia, and participate in the five day ritual.

More than 2,000 people have died in the past decade participating in the ceremonies, most of them crushed or trampled during stampedes. Hundreds of protesters have been killed in clashes with Saudi police.

To participate in the pilgrimage, the pilgrims must be in a state of Ihram - a special state of ritual purity that includes wearing white clothes, and prohibits wearing cologne or scented oils, fighting, arguing, killing or hunting. Women must not cover their faces, even if their version of Islam back home requires women to cover their faces there, and men are prohibited from wearing clothes with stitching.

After walking seven times around the Kaaba, the massive cube in the center of Mecca's Great Mosque, pilgrims also run seven times along a passageway in the Great Mosque, to commemorate a search for water by Hagar, the mother of Ishmael, who was the son of Abraham and the ancestor of Muhammad.

Here's where Islam gets really interesting . . .

Islam, Judaism, and Christianity all recognize Abraham, and the covenant God made with Abraham.

While Islam follows the descendents of Ishmael, Judaism and Christianity focus on Abraham's son Isaac, and Isaac's son Jacob, later known as Israel.

In Genesis 21:6-21, Abraham leaves Hagar in the desert with her son, and her search for water is still commemorated by Muslims today. In the Jewish and Christian telling of the story, God blesses her, gives her water, and her son grows up to be an archer. In the Muslim telling of the story, the abandoned child's descendant is Muhammad.

This common ancestry, if it's taught at all in the Muslim world, apparently means nothing to the radical Muslims who call for the destruction of Israel and blow up Christians.

So, on this first day of the Hajj, millions of Muslims will commemorate a son of Abraham, the ancient ancestor of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism.

The God of Abraham is the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, and the Father of Jesus Christ.

When Muslims pray to the God of Abraham, they pray to the Father of Christ.

Muslims pray that there is only one God, but it's the exact same God looking down on Muslim, Jew, gentile and Christian.

I mentioned that Islam, Judaism, and Christianity all recognize Abraham, and the covenant God made with Abraham. Jews, Christians and Muslims also recognize the covenant God made with Moses.

All three faiths believe God talks to humans, and makes agreements or covenants with us.

The God of Abraham, the God of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism, spoke through the prophet Jeremiah, "Behold, the days come, says the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day [that] I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt . . . But this [shall be] the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel . . . I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people." (Jeremiah 31: 31-33)

Hundreds of years later, that new covenant was Jesus Christ and as God said, the laws are written on our hearts.

Christ gave us a new covenant and a new commandment, "That you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this shall all [people] know that you are my disciples, if you have love one to another." (John 13:34-25)

The God of Abraham has written the law on our hearts, and the son of God put it into simple words we can understand . . . "love one another."

You don't need the Bible to be a follower of Christ. Christ isn't about the Bible. There where thousands of followers of Christ before a single word of the Bible was written down. People had been followers of Christ for more than 300 years, before the modern Bible was assembled in 367 A.D.

Thousands of people, perhaps tens of thousands of people, were followers of Jesus Christ, people who worshiped the God of Abraham and believed in God's new covenant, when Islam came into being.

According to Islamic tradition, the angel Gabriel dictated the Koran to the illiterate Muhammad, who memorized and repeated what he was told, while others wrote down what he said.

Muhammad died sometime around 633 A.D. and the earliest written sources of the Koran can be found to have originated around 750 A.D.

Islam and the Koran are about one man . . . and his views. Islam can't exist without the Koran.

Christianity is about one man, the son of God. Christianity doesn't need a book at all.

Christ doesn't require us to take our lives into our hands and go on exotic pilgrimages with millions of others. He doesn't require us to perform elaborate ceremonies or sacrifice animals.

He asks us to love him, as he loves us, and to love one another as we love him.

As our Muslim brothers and sisters spend the next week performing the Koran-dictated tasks of the Hajj, and worshiping the God of Abraham, the God of Christ, we can pray that the Lord will keep them safe, and that their hearts will be open to the love of Christ, and to our God's new covenant.