Concerns about President George W. Bush.
VALUES:
A growing number of Christians are signing a petition titled "Confessing Christ in World Violence." They have a deep and growing concern about America’s "theology of war," referring to ourselves as a "righteous empire" and the official claims of "divine appointment" for a nation in a "war" on terrorism. They believe that peacemaking is central to our vocation in a troubled world where Christ is Lord.
The key concerns include:
- Jesus Christ commits Christians to a strong presumption against war.
- Christ knows no national boundaries.
- Christ commands us to see not only the splinter in our adversary’s eye, but also the beam in our own.
- Christ shows us that enemy-love is the heart of the gospel.
- Christ teaches us that humility is the virtue befitting forgiven sinners.
The neo-conservatives, the President’s advisors, believe America is a "righteous empire" that should change the world. The first step is Iraq, a country that had nothing to do with the 9/11 attack on America. In the name of democracy and freedom 1,100 American troops and 100,000 innocent Iraqi people have been killed. Most of the Iraqi deaths will spawn vengeance and retaliation from their families. To learn more about "Confessing Christ in a World of Violence" go to http://www.sojo.net/petition/signers
ECONOMY:
His budget shows the highest deficit in America’s history, jobs continue to leave the country and U.S. companies continue to avoid paying taxes in offshore tax havens. One in seven Americans are currently filing for bankruptcy. Despite the economic recovery the Census Bureau recently reported that the percentage of Americans living in poverty rose 1.3 million for the third straight year to 12.5—the highest since 1998. The number of residents without healthcare rose 1.4 million to 45 million in 2003 while incomes were stagnant.
HOMELAND SECURITY:
Our borders, ports, nuclear and chemical plants remain vulnerable to terrorists. Our first responders are not adequately trained or protected. He ignores energy-efficient solutions in favor of oil, gas, coal and nuclear power and slashed funds for renewable energy.
NATIONAL SECURITY:
He is the first U.S. President to order an unprovoked, pre-emptive war and the military occupation of a sovereign nation. He did so against the will of the United Nations, the majority of the U.S. citizens, and the world community. After 9/11 America enjoyed universal support. Bush’s pre-emptive war on Iraq turned us into a nation almost universally despised. The war on Iraq engenders a vicious cycle of escalating violence and has not enhanced homeland security. He has not tried to negotiate settlements or alleviate suffering at home or abroad and done little to promote peace, justice, freedom and human rights. A senior member of the U.S. intelligence known as "Anonymous" said in "Imperial Hubris" that we are loosing the war on terror because Al Qaeda’s real motive for attacking America is not about hating "democratic freedoms" but because they disapprove of our policies. Policies such as the U.S. troops on the Arabian Peninsula, stealing Muslim oil by forcing below market prices, America's protection of corrupt Muslin regimes, unqualified support for Israel and our wars and occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan.
ENVIRONMENT:
The Bush administration is the most aggressively anti-environmental administration in U.S. history. Their policies exempt polluters from paying fines and they have given the Environment Protection Division’s EPD jobs to former presidents of the polluting industry. The EPA is now called the Industry Protection Agency IPA in many sectors. The Sep./Oct. 2004 Sierra Magazine listed 305 anti-environmental laws since Bush got into office. The EPA reported that America’s waterways are dirtier, the amount of toxic chemicals released in the air is up 5 percent, and the Superfund needed to clean up toxic-waste is bankrupt. Bush’s Clear Skies Initiative undercuts protection against soot, smog and mercury. The Bush administration claims no clear link between air pollution and asthma. They allowed increased mercury in our watersheds and MTBE a fuel additive and carcinogen in our aquifers. The three companies that produce most of the MTBE contributed more than $1 million to Bush and other republicans. They weakened the USDA rules on meat and poultry. (Pilgrim Pride Corporation, a large poultry processor, is among Bush’s top ten financial donors) They abandoned international environmental treaties and virtually nullified the Endangered Species Act.
WOMEN:
He ended the Equal Pay Initiative, slashed funding for the Equal Opportunity Commission and abandoned anti-discrimination lawsuits. He tried to slash laws against gender discrimination and cut funding for after-school programs that benefit one half million children. His current budget freezes funding for Maternal and Child Health and he cut back funding for emergency shelters and crisis hotlines. His budget next year will eliminate the Child Care and Development Block Grant. He opposes minimum wage increases and undermines women’s reproductive rights.
HEALTH:
People who believe it is wrong to use human embryo stem cells for research need to think about why it is currently legal to allow unused human embryos from fertility clinics to be thrown away. More embryos than needed are created in in-vitro fertilization. If the embryos left over after a couple’s in-vitro fertilization procedure is not frozen, donated to another couple they are discarded.
The National Institute of Health NIH, the federal government’s primary sponsor of biomedical research, recommended embryonic research as it could substantially benefit individuals and families with diseases or handicaps. Embryonic stem cells could save lives as they can differentiate into virtually any type of human cell and possibly repair damaged tissue.
Earlier this year Reps. Castle (R-TX) and DeGette (D-CO) sponsored, along with the support of 148 bipartisan House members, a stem cell research enhancement Act (H.R. 4682) to loosen the current limit on federal embryonic stem cell research. The bill would allow the use of discarded embryos from in-vitro fertilization clinics. The bill has been referred to a Subcommittee and action is unlikely before the November election. While Congress has kept the cell research a non-partisan issue, the same has not been true in the U.S. Presidential race.
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