Dallas Immigration Rally

We have a moral responsibility to stand up for Justice and human rights of others. Please do your share of good, for all the good you have received from this nation, the nation that stands for liberty and Justice, you have to bring a balance in your own life by giving your time to defend the rights of the ones who need to be defended.

Join us for the Mega March on Saturday (details below). If you cannot stand up for the rights of others, why should any one stand up for you?

Today, Friday, April 30, Clergy from different faith traditions joined in to express solidarity with the un-documented immigrants. The leadership in Dallas led by Domingo and Elba Garcia and Carlos Quintanilla are taking the issue to the streets tomorrow to protest the unjust immigration law passed by Arizona.

I wish I could share the beautiful sentiments expressed by so many ministers, however, I am pleased to share my thoughts and a small prayer.

Dear God:

- We are gathered here to seek your guidance; help us do the right thing.
- Help us open our hearts and minds to fellow beings;
- we believe we are one nation under God with liberty and justice to all, help us practice it.
- Give us the humility to respect your will,
- Help us embrace each one of the 7 billion of us without any distinction;
- Each one of us is capable of working toward the kingdom of heaven, help us achieve it;

I am here today because a lady by the name of Rosa Parks stood up for her rights and her right to be treated with dignity.

I am standing here today as an immigrant because Rev. Martin Luther King gave up his life to bring civil and human rights to America, it was this singular act that caused all of us to be here in America to enrich our nation. Dr. King lifted us from the burden of guilt of inhumanity that would have eaten and rotted the psyche of our nation. We are born to be just, we are conditioned to be just and we have to gaurd ourselves from straying from justice.

Please remember Jesus, Krishna, Muhammad, Gandhi, MLK, Moses.... and all those great guys were harassed and persecuted when they set out to do good for the humanity. You will be no exception if you are involved. The good news is when people see the long term sustainable good it brings by uniting us all, even those who are against the comprehensive immigration reforms will see the value in doing the right thing.

Now we have a moral responsibility to stand up for Justice and human rights. Please do your share of good, for all the good you have received from this nation, one nation America, with liberty and Justice for all. Bring a balance in your life by giving your time.

Please join us for the mega March in down town Dallas on Saturday, at 1:00 PM
Join us at the Cathedral Santuario de Guadalupe Saturday, May 1st @ 1pm on Ross Avenue in Dallas.
Acompáñanos en la Cathedral Santuario de Guadalupe

Then I shared my Religious greetings from ten different faiths.
I will be speaking again tomorrow at 1:00 PM

Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker, writer and an activist of Pluralism, Justice, Islam, India and Civil Societies. He is a conflict mitigater and a goodwill nurturer offering pluralistic solutions to issues of the day. http://www.mikeghouse.net/

Article at: http://mikeghouseforamerica.blogspot.com/2010/04/dallas-immigration-rally.html

You are welcome to write your comments:
http://mikeghouseforamerica.blogspot.com/2010/04/dallas-immigration-rally.html#comments

~~~

Driving While Amused

I drove a distance of 875 Miles from Louisville, my wife's hometown to Dallas, my home town in 14 hours, on the way; there was so much amusement to share. It feels good to be on the road, there’s so much good out there. Our Tax dollars are working well to make America, the beautiful....

I sincerely hope, as Americans we cut out all funding of foreign military aid, instead spend that money on health and education of their people. Help them help themselves in doing well and not to be at each other's throats. Republicans, wake up, it is not a charity, it is an investment in creating a consumer market for our goods (thank God, it is called goods).

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeghouse/sets/72157623953700138/show/

7. Except a short distance in Tennessee, the entire stretch was flat, flat as my belly (desired one).

3. I played the old rock and roll music from India, Elvis, Little Ritchie, BeeGees, Michael Jackson and a few others. Shaking the body to rock and roll keeps you awake and active.

1. One out of four Trucks (18 Wheelers) is Red in color, nearly half of the trucks are white in color, the other colors were Green, Purple, Yellow, Blue, Orange, Magenta (there was one). I started counting them from Nashville to Memphis and random sampled again from Little Rock to Texarkana. Of the 100 count, 26 were Red. While driving, I took several pictures, but posted a few. There is always that ubiquitous Red.

2. One out of 4 trucks were Volvo, I was puzzled to see many Volvos, the others visible ones were Mack and International.

4. I kept 80 MPH for a long while, but as I entered Texas, I discovered that at 75 MPH the SUV runs a lot smoother than at 80. It was easy to be on the phone as well.

5. There is an incredible amount of farm land in that stretch. I was wondering, if all the industries were to collapse, oil gets dried up… we can still produce enough food for all and live a comfortable agrarian life. No TV, No nothing, just basic beautiful life.

7. The roads are incredibly smooth except my own state; Texas.

8. Incredible Fog could not see beyond 100 yards, yet the nuts were driving over 80.

9. The shoulders were cut and clean.

If you have not driven, please make that pilgrimmage.... our road system is simply incredbile. Indeed, it is our Road system that turned as around, gave us mobility, broke the regional barriers and flourished the commerce. May President Eisenhowers's soul be blessed for his initiative.

South Park incident with a Muslim

First of all the idiots who threatened the South Park producers must be condemned and rounded up without any delay. It is a law and order issue. One of the pieces of my conversation with Sean Hannity was about the South Park incident

2. Secondly, it is really not a Muslim or an Islamic issue, it is an issue of radicals who do not like the freedom of others, it is about the people who like to mess other's peace. It is not a Muslim issue because this mind-set exists in every group, religion, or tradition without exception. The Right wingers have killed doctors who perform abortions and even bombed the clinics, the Gay people are mauled and killed right here in Oak Lawn by the extremists, this is not a Christian issue, this is the issue of extremism. The Bahia’s refused to serve the homeless, because they were gay. A Jewish mother disowns her daughter because she is marrying an idol worshipper. The Hussain controversy was neither a Hindu issue, a few did not like the freedom of others and vandalized the author. The Cartoon controversy is neither a Muslim issue. Jesus was right, let the one who is sin-free cast the first stone.

3. Thirdly, it is really an issue of score keeping. You hurt me and I will hurt you attitudes prevail and like idiots we blame the religion. All we have to do is seriously (real seriously) look at the number of people involved in these incidents, they are negligible. It would not make sense to label the entire group for the actions of the few, unless, we enjoy bashing other or seek thrill in trouble making.

4. Fourthly, there will be always a few, yes, just a few, who dwell in creating divisions and promoting conflicts, there is some gain for them in it. When people are bent on score keeping, both sides will be scoring as opposed to coming to terms. A majority of us sit on the sidelines, some of us have to pick the slack and work for creating a better world for us to enjoy. We are in it together to bring peace and harmony for all.

5. Lastly, my personal commitment is to facilitate dialogue, to be non-judgmental and let my time be spent on mitigating conflicts and nurturing goodwill. I would urge all of us to patiently try being a goodwill nurturer and conflict mitigaters. Doing bad does give the momentary thrills, but doing good gives lasting serenity.

Please note that I am posting this note about Drawing Muhammad as a forum for a dialogue, just as we did with Hussain. Let’s find solutions and also understand that some will not like it.

What can you do?

Stereotyping any one from any group goes against building peaceful societies. The more conflicts we allow to stew, the more difficult it will become for all of us. If someone says, this group of people behave this way, ask them to add all other groups that do similar things... and you will find that eventually every group has one of them.... Bad dudes are not a monopoly of any group.

Punish the wrong doer and not his mother, father, brother, sister and avoid doing the dumbest thing; to blame the bad dude's family, his city, state, religion or his nation.

What can Muslims do?

Follow the example of the prophet; he has created a model for every situation. Once when the bad dudes threw pieces of rock at him, he was bleeding and his associates wanted to dash out and punish the miscreants, even the Angel Gabriel said, he will take care of them. But the prophet stopped them and said, no, instead he asked his associates to pray with him for the goodwill of the miscreants.

I would suggest, pray for goodwill to prevail, write nice notes to the producers...the more you get agitated, the more they would be tempted to agitate you. One side has to stop the conflagration. It is the opportunity for Muslims to demonstrate it. Several years ago, many mosques had prayed for the goodwill of the Dutch cartoonists upon my request... sadly the media did not report that. I have the emails from the people who did the right thing.

If you know the producers of South Park, please let them know that there are more Muslims willing to protect their rights than a few radicals who have threatened them.


It is our duty to keep law and order and faithfully guard the safety of every citizen. Hate is one of the many sources of disrupting the peace in a society and it is our responsibility to track down the source of such hate and work on mitigating it. We have an obligation to maintain a balance in the society. When we are at peace, we can generate peace and we can expect peace around us. Our words and actions should mitigate conflicts and nurture reconciliation and goodwill.

Thank you

Mike Ghouse is a frequent guest at the media offering pluralistic solutions to issues of the day. He is a thinker, writer, speaker, optimist and an activist of Pluralism, Interfaith, Co-existence, Peace, Islam, India and Civil Societies. His work is reflected at 3 websites & 22 Blogs listed at http://www.mikeghouse.net/

Hannity, Fox, Graham, police & Mt. Vernon

Sean Hannity, Rev. Franklin Graham and Police, what an exciting day!

Friday, April 23, 2010. I got the call from the Sean Hannity Radio show to be on the air with Gabriella Bridgette and Sean to talk about Rev. Franklin Graham’s statement. Rev. Graham made some uncouth remarks about another religion.

I pulled over in Mt. Vernon, Texas and could not find a Starbucks to check on the internet and prepare my talking points. Howver, driving through the town, I found the public library and walked in and talked with the receptionist about my need for a room to be on the radio show, she was excited to hear Sean Hannity and suggested me to use the room upstairs, there was no one up there. During the show, strange things happened at the Library and I have summarized it in the funny side of the story below.

Link: http://mikeghouseforamerica.blogspot.com/2010/04/hannity-fox-graham-police-mt-vernon.html

At the appointed time, they called me in and I was on the air at 1:00 PM CST. As usual Gabriella was on the air with her shrill voice and creating the hype about Muslims and Islam. Sean was throwing Rev. Graham’s comments, which I agreed partially and affirmed the condemnation of bad acts by anyone. We need to condemn oppression of women in Muslim countries, and oppression of women in every place. Sean attempted to twist my words, “are you saying you can justify mistreatment of women “I turned around and said, you did not hear my condemnation, condemnation was first and then I said, we need to stand against oppression of women in all societies.

Education is critical and singling out the wrong doers and punishing them appropriately is the key to solving the problems. Sean asked how would I educate the terrorists who are looking for the hooris in the paradise. I gave the Mumbai terrorist example where the Muslims did not give them space in their cemetery to bury them, sending a clear message to the terrorists that they will not even get a burial place let alone the cooked up promises of hooris for the terrorists, as it is not in Qur’aan.

My point was if I threaten to murder someone, it’s me whose ass needs to be hauled off and bring justice. Blaming my City Carrollton or my religion Islam is dumb and pointless as you cannot do anything to change Carrollton or Islam, you cannot change Christianity for the wrongs of Crusades, inquisitions, Holocaust etc. neither can you hang a religion, city or the nation, they are intangibles.

The same law applies to the Americans who are incarcerated as the law abiding citizens in the ratios of 1:99, then does it mean All Americans are bad people? That is their logic, when that 1/10th of 1% of Muslims do wrong, blame them not their religion stupid.

I have no disagreement with Rev. Graham or Bridgette condemning oppression, but condemning religion for the bad acts of the people was wrong. Rev Graham should have shown grace and leadership when he was disinvited at the pentagon.

I expect Rev. Graham to be a man of integrity, someone who speaks the truth. He needs to substantiate his words, anyone can say anything, the mouth is free to assemble the words, but to stand the test of truth is what matters. Rev. Graham fails on that. Here is a prayer from a friend Vanja Krupa from face book, and I do hope Rev. Graham makes it a part of his daily morning prayers, ""God, please help me to keep my mouth shut, until I know what I am talking about"

I do hope he revisits his arrogance – about learning and not shooting his mouth off without knowing about Islam. He did not learn a thing from Jesus and I hope he meditates and learns to be a responsible minister. Jesus is about love and inclusiveness; he gave us one of the greatest models of pluralism and inclusiveness.

Several months ago, Glen Beck had called on me, and I refused to go on the show, if he did not give me the time to answer his question and keep interrupting. At least with Sean, he gives the moment to respond, I will give him credit for that. He is determined to drive his point of view and may not want to see another point of view, as that would weaken the strength of his show for his right winger audience.

Critical thinking is required, Rev. Graham is a minister and he needs to be honest. If he calls a religion evil, he better have the facts and not non-sense rhetoric. No religion teaches hatred. It sounds like a drunk babbling with assembling and reassembling a few words. He is a respected member of the community and he needs to consider spreading peace and not hate. Would Jesus approve his actions?

I will make an attempt to reach him and see if he can at least see another point of view like Jesus, if he can, he can marshal his masses to do a lot of good in the world.

May we learn to be inclusive and not push people to dig in their heels, including the terrorists.

NOW THE FUNNY SIDE OF THE STORY

I had things to talk, our show was for one hour and we had to cut it off due to disturbance at the place I was on phone with; the Franklin county Library in Down town Mt. Vernon.

I was attempting to match the shrill voice of Gabriella over the phone and was talking about Terrorism, and in no time the staff of the library stood across me, either they were scared to see this odd looking man wearing a Aussie hat and talking about terrorism with this big black bag and spread out phone and charger paraphernalia or simply the voice in the library. They were telling me to cut off and get off… I told them that I had the permission from the receptionist, and I was on the radio. They were telling me to cut it out. I lost my coherency on the radio with so many disturbances, as the police officer approached me upon their call in. I got off the phone.

We laughed it off, as the police officer had heard me on the radio and I had apologized the staff
members and told them what happened. I took the pictures of the officer and the library to share it on my blog.

WRONG BOOKS

While I was updating on the facebook about the incident, the man next to me was reading the history Encyclopedia of the world and he was on the page about India. He looked at me and I looked at the picture of King Ashoka, my first words were OMG, they had the Turkish head gear on Ashoka. God help the historians and book publishers to at least verify what they are writing.

I was doing a Radio show of my own several years ago, and was looking at the internet for historical information about the Highway built in India from Calcutta to Lahore; it was called the Grand Trunk road built by Sher Shah Suri in around the 10th century. There were several sites out there that claimed it was built by British or someone else. I routinely find mis-information about Hinduism and Islam in books out there in the market.

HOW THE RADIO SHOWS ARE PRODUCED

While I was on the road to Louisville, I had Sean Hannity people called me back again to be on the evening show and they wanted me in a studio, and they were searching for a studio in Texarkana, as I was about 50 miles away on Interstate 30 but found one in Shreveport and I had two hours to get there and per him it was 71 miles and I had 121 Miles to go, there was no way I could have made it in two hours with the unknown rush hour traffic in Shreveport, furthermore, it was going away from my route to Louisville.

A television station called me up to be on their evening news and they were setting up a place in Little Rock , Arkansas and the issue was same – I had two and a half hours to get there and had 180 miles to go. They may reschedule me on Wednesday this week.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN;

I enjoy Willie Nelson’s number on the road again, so was I, and reached Yasmeen’s house in Louisville at 3:00 AM. Drove the 450 Miles stretch straight, thinking about life and the need for people to be divisive. What is the need to hype and for what?

If Rev. Graham spends his energy on peacemaking, he probably can add significantly than lying about other faiths for possible gains of money, as there is no truth in his words. If Gabriella can put the same efforts in creating a better world, she probably can add some good to the world rather than create more clashes. What is their motivation?

Do they understand that they are doing the opposite of their intentions of creating a better world?

When I am with them again, I will talk about this and several other issues.

Mike Ghouse is a frequent guest at the media offering pluralistic solutions to issues of the day. He is a thinker, writer, speaker, optimist and an activist of Pluralism, Interfaith, Co-existence, Peace, Islam, India and Civil Societies. He Presides the Foundation for Pluralism and the World Muslim Congress and Co-Chairs the Center for Interfaith inquiry. He is a board member of the Dallas Peace Center and Memnosyne Foundation and a former commissioner at the City of Carrollton. Mike is a Dallasite for three decades and Carrollton is his home town.

His life mission is to open people's hearts and minds towards fellow beings by mitigating conflicts and nurturing goodwill. He is a peace maker and an educator with two Masters degrees and working on his doctorate in Psychology. He has two books on the horizon; Pluralism 101, it is all about respecting the otherness of other and Basic Islam- everything you wanted to know about Islam. He has authored over 800 articles on the subjects, many of them are published in the newspapers and magazines around the world. His work is reflected at 3 Websites & 22 Blogs listed at http://www.mikeghouse.net/

Pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeghouse/sets/72157623803170989/

Documentary on War and Peace

Watch this 4:30 Seconds documentary on War and Peace
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RVUj1O3guY

I urge the viewer to hold the temptations to comment, until the whole documentary is viewed. This is a great documentary and a lot of things have been said in 4 minutes and a lot of suggestions have emerged. To see the change you want to; you need to act.

http://mikeghouseforamerica.blogspot.com/2010/04/documentary-on-war-and-peace.html

Defending oneself is a necessity, aggressive war is not. We cannot be safe unless others around are safe and it is in our interests to ensure safety for others, so we can be safe.

Dallas Peace Center, under the leadership of committe Chair Roger Kellenburg is diligently working on understanding and developing the idea of converting the economic base from military complex to peace products.

As a nation I cannot be threatening others and expect them to take the crap, their threats are as ugly as our threats to them, in reality both sides want safety but we go about in the wrong ways by showing off the animal fear in frightening each other. We are equipped with a brain to deal with the situation rather than deal with the horns, armgs and legs. Let me or my nation take the first step to bring safety for others, in turn we will be safe and every one would be.

The hallmark of civil societies is resolving conflicts through dialogue as it becomes sustainable, oppression and suppression guarantees re-emergences of the conflicts. I hope our policy makers get this simple idea in their heads.

If you subscribe to the ideas of peace through dialogue, please consider joining the Dallas Peace Center - http://www.dallaspeacecenter.org/, Dallas' oldest peace organization on a vision of reconciliation: to promote education and dialogue. I am one of thee board members of the Dallas Peace Center.

Mike Ghouse
http://www.mikeghouse.net/

Mike Ghouse is a frequent guest at the media offering pluralistic solutions to issues of the day. He is a thinker, writer, speaker, optimist and an activist of Pluralism, Interfaith, Co-existence, Peace, Islam, India and Civil Societies. His work is reflected at 3 websites & 22 Blogs listed at http://www.mikeghouse.net/

Honoring Imam Dr. Yusuf Zia Kavakci today

Honoring Imam Dr. Yusuf Zia Kavakci today

Saturday, April 10, 2010
Dallas, Texas

I am pleased to share a few interfaith moments about Imam Dr. Yusuf Zia Kavakci, a scholar of Islam, a lawyer and an Imam. He has now established an institution with his name to impart education to the youth born and raised here in the D/FW Metroplex.

http://wisdomofreligion.blogspot.com/2010/04/honoring-imam-dr-yusuf-zia-kavakci.html

Health Care Reform Winners and Losers

The biggest winners are the American Public and losers are the Republicans
Article follows my commentary.

HEALTH CARE is a national priority right after the defense of the nation. We need a safe and a healthy America. Healthy Americans can be more productive and produce more tax dollars to offset the investment. As Republicans have it, it is not a charity, it is an investment in productive citizenry. Congratulations to ev...ery American! This is one of the best things that has happened in America. Thank you Mr. President

The Eisenhower road system cost us trillions, it was considered a sheer waste at one time; on the other hand it gave America mobility and automobiles, home construction jumped - it boomed our economy and enriched us with quality of life that you can only imagine.

Education system, no child left behind program is a serious investment in our future, it is not a hand out, it is an investment that keeps us up with the world and perhaps ahead.... See More... See More

This reform will enrich every American, it is not a charity, it is a serious investment in well being of Americans that make America.

I am a damned Republican too, who wanted to oppose every good reckelessly, but we owe it our country and not the party. Republicans are loosing big time, and they will loose a whole lot more ground until they come to senses, and reflect American values and conncet with Americans. A majority of Republicans like me are silently enduring the extremist take over of our party. It is time to change and we need moderate people in the leadership and not extremist right wingers. We have a choice to let the party go to dogs or survive in the interest of democracy and have serious oppostion in the governance.

Mike Ghouse
www.MikeGhouse.net

Health Care Reform Winners and Losers
Steve Pendlebury

http://www.aolnews.com/the-point/article/obama-pelosi-stupak-health-care-reform-winners-and-losers/19409302?icid=mainhtmlws-bv-wdl2link3http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aolnews.com%2Fthe-point%2Farticle%2Fobama-pelosi-stupak-health-care-reform-winners-and-losers%2F19409302


AOL News (March 22) -- House passage of his health care bill is President Barack Obama's biggest triumph since his election. But Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Bart Stupak are also high on the list of those getting credit -- or blame -- on the day after the history-making vote. Here's some of what's being said online about who won and who lost.

Winner: President Obama
Commentators across the political spectrum acknowledged the monumental significance of Obama's victory on health care reform. Slate's John Dickerson called it "a turning point in his presidency."

"Speaker Nancy Pelosi made it happen, but Obama worked harder and more intensely than he has on any other issue of his presidency," Dickerson said -- noting that, unlike emergencies such as the auto industry bailout and economic stimulus package, this was a project the president chose to take on.

"If Barack Obama does nothing else in his term in office, this will make him one of the most consequential presidents in history. It's a huge transformative event in Americans' view of themselves and of the role of government," said National Review Online's Mark Steyn.

The conservative blogger added that it's "hard to overestimate the magnitude of what the Democrats have accomplished." However, Steyn warned that Obama's plan would lead to "longer wait times, fewer doctors, more bureaucracy, massive IRS expansion, explosive debt, the end of the Pax Americana, and global Armageddon."

Not everyone on the left is cheering the president's win, either. Pro-choice groups are upset about his agreement to issue an executive order clarifying the ban of federal funding of abortion -- a deal with Stupak that helped push the bill past the magic 216-vote mark. The National Organization for Women charged that Obama's decision "breaks faith with women," and NARAL Pro-Choice America called it "deeply disappointing."

Winner: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
While the reforms that eventually are enacted will no doubt be branded Obamacare, they are also very much Pelosi's handiwork.

"When the history books are written, it'll be Pelosi's cajoling, wrangling, consoling and corralling of the fractious big tent Democratic majority which will get the credit for passing health care reform," Japhy Grant predicted on True/Slant.

Salon's Steve Kornacki noted that the nation's first female speaker of the House has "racked up an impressive list of achievements" since Obama took office, such as the stimulus bill, cap-and-trade, and now health care. "For a woman who supposedly hails from her party's left-wing fringe, she sure has a knack for winning over moderates when it matters."

"If she's not the best [speaker] to do this job, she's certainly in the top two or three in history," said House Democratic Whip Jim Clyburn.

Her success on health care makes Pelosi an even bigger target for her critics. GOP Chairman Michael Steele declared immediately after the House vote: "It is time to fire Nancy Pelosi." The Republican National Committee's Web site now redirects to FireNancyPelosi.com -- a fundraising page featuring a photo of a defiant-looking House speaker on a background of flames. Of course, there's a Twitter hash tag #FirePelosi for those who agree with Steele. But there's also the hash tag #hotforspeaker for those who don't.

As far as the likelihood of Pelosi actually losing her job goes, "Saturday Night Live" recently addressed the matter in a sketch about how unpopular the health care bill was. At one point, Fred "Obama" Armisen remarked: "Does anyone seriously think Nancy Pelosi could lose in her San Francisco district? A place where Republican candidates often finish fourth, behind professional dominatrixes and homeless people."

Winner and Loser: Rep. Bart Stupak
The Michigan Democrat who insisted on tough anti-abortion language in the House-passed version of health care reform was a hero to abortion opponents. That changed in just a few hours Sunday when Stupak agreed to vote yes after Obama promised an executive order to satisfy anti-abortion Democrats.

The Susan B. Anthony List has stripped Stupak of the "Defender of Life" award it was to present to him Wednesday night. Marjorie Dannenfelser, the group's Campaign Fund president, issued a statement saying anyone who votes for this health care bill "can no longer call themselves 'pro-life.'"

Big Journalism's Izzy Lyman blasted Stupak as a "liar" in a post that was typical of reaction from the right. Lyman accused the abortion foe of "trading his 'yes' vote for a 'worthless, non-binding' executive order." Other conservatives pointed out such an order can be trumped by a federal law.

Stupak came out on the winning end of the vote. But on the question of whether he ranks as a winner or loser, Politics Daily's David Gibson called it a draw.

"Before all this, Bart Stupak was a little-noticed congressman from northern Michigan, and while it's clear he gained an enormous amount of national recognition in these past months, it is also clear that among conservative pro-lifers his reputation has been seriously tarnished. The 'Judas' charge quickly zipped around the anti-abortion blogosphere," Gibson said.

Loser: The Guy Who Yelled 'Baby Killer' at Stupak
For more than a year, the debate over revamping the nation's health care system has been notable for its lack of civility. After reports of protesters screaming racial and anti-gay slurs at Democratic lawmakers, House Minority Leader John Boehner had to tell his members to "behave like grown-ups" if the bill passed.

But it seems every major event on Capitol Hill these days must have its "You lie!" moment. While Stupak was speaking about abortion funding Sunday night, somebody on the House floor -- apparently a lawmaker -- shouted "Baby killer!" But who? If anyone knows for sure, they're not saying.

"It was on the floor, but it wasn't very far behind me," Rep. John Campbell, R-Calif., told reporters. "But it was definitely on the floor, but it wasn't me. I don't think it's appropriate at all."

Later, Campbell told Talking Points Memo, "I am being told it's a Texan. The people who know won't give it up."

Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, refused to identify the shouter, but added "I can make a guess." However, his fellow Republicans Michele Bachmann of Minnesota and Tom Price of Georgia denied it was a congressman.

UPDATE 2:15 PM: Rep. Randy Neugebauer has admitted he did it. The Texas Republican said Monday afternoon he has apologized to Stupak and his House colleagues.

Scare tactics were the big loser in the health care battle, according to Paul Krugman. The New York Times columnist charged that "the emotional core of opposition to reform was blatant fear-mongering, unconstrained either by the facts or by any sense of decency." Krugman called the House vote "a victory for America's soul" -- adding, "This time, fear struck out."

The president's opponents are already vowing to strike back at the polls in November. As Politics Daily's Jill Lawrence notes, it remains to be seen how health care will affect the next election. But even short-term gains in Congress pale in comparison to what David Frum described as the "most crushing legislative defeat since the 1960s" for conservatives and Republicans.

"Legislative majorities come and go. This health care bill is forever," the conservative columnist wrote on Frum Forum.
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3000 THANKS; What are you most likely to say?

Just imagine if aliens from different planets gather in a convention on “Protecting the Universe” held on Planet Zenorina. The first thing we would do, is to introduce each other when we meet face to face with the “others” and while banging the heads (their custom) what would you say about yourselves?

Continue: http://wisdomofreligion.blogspot.com/2010/03/3000-thanks-what-are-you-most-likely-to.html
---

A tribute to Elliott Dlin

Notes Added: The Holocaust Museum has just sent the release on Dr. Dlin, it follows my tribute.
~~~~~

A tribute to Dr. Elliott Dlin
6:00 PM, March 3, 2010

I am saddened to hear the loss of our own; Dr. Elliott Dlin from the Jewish community of Dallas. I am stressed up, I cannot believe this. We had a dinner last week on February 23rd with our group after the Holocaust event at SMU.

On Wednesday 24th, he shoots me an email to go for lunch to talk about the conference on Holocaust and Genocides I have scheduled, I could not meet with him then, I get another email to meet at Bishop McGriff's funeral on Friday 26th. Alas, we had connected.

I have known Elly since 2006, we have worked together at two of the three Holocaust and Genocides events here in Dallas. He is (was) one of the best educators about Holocaust and gave me a personal tour of the Dallas Holocaust Museum with my other friend Bernie Mayoff.

I had invited him to a meeting at the Memnosyne Foundation in 2008, and from there he became friends with us at Memnoysne as well and he was part of the interfaith service network advisory. We planned a interfaith work to clean and paint the holocaust museum, where people from different faith joined in for the project.

Eliott was the Directors of Dallas Holocaust Museum and through his encouragement I became a member of the Museuem.

The foundation for Pluralism honored him with aplaque recognizing his work in the community at the 2nd Annual Holocaust and Genocides commemoration -
http://picasaweb.google.com/HolocaustandGenocides/IIAnnualReflectionOnHolocaustAndGenocideslectionOnHolocaustAndGenocides#
I will be updating information about him on the face book as well as at:

I mourn the loss of a friend, from God we come and to God we go.
May your soul be blessed and rest in peace. Amen

Mike Ghouse, Chair
Reflections on Holocaust and Genocides
www.HolocaustandGenocides.com
Dallas, Texas

LINK TO THIS TRIBUTE:
http://mikeghouseforamerica.blogspot.com/2010/03/tribute-to-elliott-dlin.html

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Shared by the Dallas Holocauts Museum at 4:00 PM March 4, 2010

Elliott Dlin: The Ultimate Upstander

Dear Friends,

On Wednesday, March 3rd, we lost a friend and Holocaust scholar. Elly Dlin brought as much passion and knowledge as anyone could to our mission to preserve the memory of the Holocaust and to teach the moral and ethical response to prejudice, hatred and indifference, for the benefit of all humanity.

Elly's enthusiasm for teaching about the Holocaust and genocide made it impossible for his audiences to be indifferent; he had the power to transform bystanders into Upstanders. His contributions to the Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance were many, but his most remarkable and impressive was the exhibit he set up at our current Record Street location, which now serves as the foundation for all that we do. To say he will be missed is an understatement.

Elly fulfilled many roles, but just last Sunday, he performed a comedy routine at the DHM/CET Purim Party in his Edmonton Oilers hockey jersey. A man of many talents and many friends. And, many have expressed an interest in making contributions to the DHM/CET in Elly's memory. Your sincere support is very much appreciated. We will be working to create a lasting and appropriate memorial to Elly, what he stood for, and his many contributions to the DHM/CET. Your input would be most welcome as we proceed in a thoughtful discussion on how to best honor Elly's legacy.

Sincerely,

"A different world cannot be built by indifferent people"

Elliott Dlin, an internationally-regarded expert on the Holocaust and Museum Director of the Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance, devoted his life to fighting indifference.

Dlin believed that indifference is not a neutral position. The Holocaust, he said, would not have been possible without the inaction of so many who stood by from 1933-1945. In dozens of lectures to teachers, school students and community groups, Dlin championed the term "Upstander"--someone who stands up to racism, prejudice and indifference.

"The Holocaust is the turning point in modern history that transformed the unimaginable into the replicable," he said recently. "It demands involvement and vigilance, and its lessons must be taught anew to each generation."

Dlin, 57, died Wednesday, following a heart attack. Services will be 2 p.m. Sunday in Edmonton, Canada, where he was born. A memorial service in Dallas is pending.

"Elly brought as much passion and knowledge as any one could to our mission to preserve the memory of the Holocaust and to teach the moral and ethical response to prejudice, hatred and indifference, for the benefit of all humanity," said Thomas S. Halsey, Chairman of the Board of the Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance. "His enthusiasm for teaching about the Holocaust and genocide made it impossible for his audiences to be indifferent; he could transform bystanders into Upstanders."

Rabbis William Gershon, David Glickman and Joseph Menashe of Congregation Shearith Israel said, "Elly was not only a wonderful Holocaust Scholar, but an excellent communicator who deeply touched so many lives. Our hearts go out to the Dlin Family, his colleagues at the Holocaust Museum, as well as to the entire Jewish community. His passing is a true loss for all of us."

Dlin joined the Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance as its Executive Director in January 2002, when the Museum was located at the Jewish Community Center of Dallas. In 2005, the Museum relocated to 211 N. Record St. in Dallas' West End Historic District. Dlin personally developed the Museum's current exhibition, which examines one day in the Holocaust-April 19, 1943-from three different perspectives. The Museum hosts more than 50,000 visitors annually.

"Elly's contributions to the DHM/CET were many, but his most remarkable and impressive was the exhibit he set up at our Record Street location, which now serves as the foundation for all that we do," said Halsey. "To say he will be missed is an understatement."

Last December, at the request of the Museum board, Dlin assumed the new title of Museum Director, focusing on educational, archival and other content-related programs. The Museum has purchased land for a new facility at Houston Street and Pacific Avenue, adjacent to the Sixth Floor Museum, and a fundraising campaign is being planned.

Born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Elliott Dlin emigrated to Israel in 1977 after completing an MA in Modern European History from The University of British Columbia in Vancouver.

Initially, he taught high school in Jerusalem, then spent 22 years in senior positions for Yad Vashem, Israel's national museum and memorial to the Holocaust in Jerusalem. Dlin worked in the education department where he focused on developing and writing curriculum as well as training teachers to teach about the Holocaust. He helped establish the "International Seminars for Teaching Anti-Semitism and the Holocaust," a multi-language, multi-dimensional program that continues today. From 1993 to 1999, he served as director of the Valley of Communities, a 2.5-acre commemorative site in Yad Vashem where he lectured and curated more than a dozen exhibitions.

In Dallas, Dlin was a passionate speaker and captivating educator. His lectures and presentations wove together historical fact and moral perspective, often leaving spell-bound audience members wanting to hear more. He specialized in bringing a comprehensive worldview to the approach of teaching about the Holocaust, believing memory is both personal and communal.

In January, Dlin was Guest Scholar at Temple Emanu-El for a three-part lecture series entitled, Understanding the Holocaust: Changing Reflections in Film, Media and Beyond. On February 23, he was a presenter and panelist for a program at Southern Methodist University exploring the Texas Holocaust and Genocide Commission, established by the Texas Legislature and signed by Gov. Rick Perry last June.

At the time of his death, Dlin was nearing completion of a Ph.D. dissertation in Museum Education at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, the subject of which is a comparative study of Holocaust Museums in North America.

Dlin is survived by his wife, Carol Bachman-Dlin; four sons, Yeshai, Oren, Ronen and Raviv; his mother, Helen Dlin; his brother, Dr. Arnold Dlin; a sister, Bonnie Cassios; and many nieces and nephews.

Memorials may be made in Dlin's name to the Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance, the American Heart Association or to Yad Vahsem.

Elly at a Feb. 23 panel
Elly was a presenter and panelist at the Museum's Feb. 23 event at SMU, exploring the Texas Commission on Holocaust and Genocide, co-sponsored by the Memnosyne Foundation and the SMU Human Rights Program


Elly at the Feb. 28 Purim Party
Elly was an avid fan of his hometown National Hockey League team, the Edmonton Oilers.

Elly at a Yom Hashoah Event
Since his arrival to the Museum in 2002, Elly has overseen planning of the annual Yom Hashoah Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony at which we recognize and honor our cherished Holocaust Survivors.

The Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Holocaust, and to teaching the moral and ethical response to prejudice, hatred and indifference, for the benefit of all humanity.

For more information, visit dallasholocaustmuseum.org.
And, please visit us at 211 N. Record Street, Suite 100, Dallas, 75202.
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Religious Conversions or Recruitment

Religions are beautiful, if every one gets it as Jesus intended, Mohammad wanted, Moses taught, Krishna explained, Nanak practiced, Buddha enlightened, Zarthustra showed or the native traditions point out... there would be no problem. All they wanted was a better world by following a few basic principles. They were looking at the end result and not the means. Religion is not the problem.

The purpose of religion is ......... Continued at: http://wisdomofreligion.blogspot.com/2010/03/religious-conversions.html