General News

Ideological Purity in a Time of Sarin Gas

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When a head of state, Bashar al-Assad, whose regime has already used what amounts to mobile gas chambers on his own people, remains firmly in power – with no prospect of end to that power – there is nothing whatsoever about that circumstance that can be remotely characterized as a moral victory. And yet, many on the Tea Party Right and what I’d call the Neo-Soviet Left are indeed crowing about the post-August 20th series of domestic and international political events vis-a-vis the Syria crisis; political events, like the deluge of Americans calling and writing to their members of Congress, which have averted what may or may not have been a pointless and merely “symbolic” cruise missile strike against the Assad regime, a mere “shot across the bow” as President Obama put it. Simultaneously, the one-note nature of this particular brand of opposition against any U.S. military intervention in Syria has effectively midwifed a new – and exceedingly dangerous – geopolitical paradigm: the use of the United Nations to elevate the regime of a gas murdering despot to a legitimate interlocutor on the world stage. As a card-carrying liberal, as a spiritual progressive, that’s not an international system I want this generation, nor future generations, to live in. Earlier this week, at a Syria policy panel discussion held at Washington’s Busboys and Poets, Judith Le Blanc, field director of Peace Action, openly thanked Vladimir Putin – yes, the same Vladimir Putin who is presently making life a living hell for gays in Russia – for his “leadership” on bringing about the recent Syrian chemical weapons disarmament plan.

Health

Ending Historic Discrimination- Obama Streamlines Mental Health Care

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Discriminatory practices of health insurance companies have led to poor access to care and inadequate coverage, leaving only a fraction of those with mental illness getting treatment. But under the Affordable Care Act, people suffering from mental illness will no longer be left unsupported.

Culture

Born to Belonging: Praying the Primal Elements

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In the Anthropocene Age of the human, we can see that our actions have caused high impact of global geophysical change and we are now living on a new planet that is different than that of our ancestors. As beings who have come from the elements of the earth, we need to learn to appreciate them before we cause our own destruction.

Culture

Muslim Women Set Precedent for Religious Freedom

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In the struggle for workplace-related religious freedom, Muslim women have, perhaps unwittingly, blazed a new trail. While on the one hand the hijab makes them a target for unfair practices, it also becomes a beacon for the legal system to rally under. For most judges and juries, the fact that a woman would be fired due to her dress is such an obviously unfair concept that it begs retribution. And although the Abercrombie and Fitch lawsuit is arguably the most popular, it certainly isn’t the only one Muslim women have fought in recent times.

Healing Israel/Palestine

Awakening to a Disappearing Palestine

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Ada Glustein writes about the awakening process she and others might face upon discovering that the “new home for Jews” came along with the displacement of the Palestinians. She offers compassionate advice of what can be done to rid the Jewish community of fear and ignorance and replenish it with love and care.