There
is usually a silent peace vigil on Fridays, from 5 to 6 PM, sponsored by
Homewood Friends and Stony Run Meetings, outside the Homewood Friends
Meetinghouse, 3107 N. Charles St. The next scheduled vigil is on Apr. 1.
Black Lives Matter. Since this is a First Friday, there will be a potluck
dinner afterwards, followed by a DVD showing.
The Hiroshima-Nagasaki Commemoration Committee, Baltimore Quaker
Peace and Justice Committee of Homewood and Stony Run Meetings and Chesapeake
Physicians for Social Responsibility are continuing the FILM & SOCIAL
CONSCIOUSNESS DVD SERIES. The DVDs will be shown at Homewood Friends
Meetinghouse, 3107 N. Charles St., Baltimore 21218, usually on the First
Friday. At 7:15 PM, from January through June, a DVD will be shown with a
discussion to follow. There is no charge, and refreshments will be
available. The series theme is CHANGE IS INEVITABLE.
On Fri., Apr. 1 see GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK [USA, 2005], a historical drama, directed by George Clooney, and starring David Strathairn, Clooney, Robert Downey, Jr., Patricia Clarkson and Jeff Daniels. The movie was written by Clooney
and Grant Heslov (both of whom also
have acting roles in the film) and portrays the conflict between veteran radio and
television journalist Edward R. Murrow and U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin, especially relating to the anti-communist senator's actions with the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. The movie, although
released in black and white, was filmed on color film stock but on a greyscale set, and was color corrected to black and white during post-production. It focuses on the theme of media
responsibility, and also addresses what occurs when the media offer a voice of
dissent from government policy. The movie takes its title (which ends with a
period or full stop) from the line with which Murrow routinely signed off his broadcasts. GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK was nominated for
six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director for Clooney
and Best Actor for Straithairn.
Call 410-366-1637 or email mobuszewski [at] verizon.net for further
information.
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Obama,
You’re Wrong About Sanders
Before Obama further insults the intelligence
and idealism of Sanders supporters by suggesting he knows better than they do
about which candidate they should put their faith in, he might consider a
few key things. (Photo: Jacquelyn Martin/AP)
On Monday, President Obama scolded
journalists for not covering the substance of the presidential campaign. I
entirely agree.
Where I disagree with the president is when
he criticizes Bernie Sanders and his supporters, as
well as Donald Trump, by saying: “When people put their faith into
someone who can’t possibly deliver his or her own promises, that only breeds
more cynicism.”
Obama is wrong — and insulting to voters —
when he suggests that they need him or the media to determine whether they
should put their faith in Sanders. Sanders supporters know exactly why they are
supporting the Vermont senator.
Sanders and his supporters believe — and I
entirely agree — that Democrats should stand for powerful transforming change.
They believe Democrats should mobilize armies of small donors and workers to
support that change and should motivate more voters to come out on Election Day
to elect more Democrats to the House and Senate, so that the party can
negotiate with Republicans from a position of strength and a mandate for
change.
Obama and Democrats should consider with
prayerful reflection why, since Obama became president, Democrats have lost
control of the House, the Senate, governorships and state legislatures across
the nation. It is fact, not opinion, that Democrats have suffered extreme
damage at all levels during Obama’s presidency, because too many Republican
voters were motivated to vote and too many Democratic voters were not inspired
and stayed home.
Before Obama further insults the intelligence
and idealism of Sanders supporters by suggesting he knows better than they do about
which candidate they should put their faith in, he might consider this: The sum
of all polling, according to RealClearPolitics, finds that Sanders would defeat
every Republican opponent in a general election, would defeat Trump by an epic
landslide margin of more than 17 percent and runs stronger than Hillary
Clinton against all GOP opponents.
My answer to Obama’s speech to journalists is
not that Democrats should support Sanders or Clinton, but that it is profoundly
unwise and destructive to Democrats for the president to gratuitously criticize
Sanders and insult those who put their faith in him. Regardless of who is
nominated, Sanders is a major part of the solution to the challenges that Democrats
face, and when Obama criticizes Sanders he becomes the problem, not the
solution.
Make no mistake, Hillary Clinton is the
probable nominee for the Democratic Party, and if she is nominated I will work
like hell to get her elected. But make no mistake about this, either: Bernie
Sanders still has a chance to win a majority of elected delegates, and he and
his supporters should be respected.
Sanders has touched a chord in American
politics. He speaks to the heart of many Democrats. He offers the conviction
politics of authenticity and principle that Americans hunger for and find
sorely lacking in politics today. He thrills young people, appeals to
independents and attracts blue-collar workers who might otherwise be tempted by
Trump.
If Obama wants to help his party
do better than it has done so far on his watch, while offering high praise to
Clinton, he should speak of Sanders with respect and admiration, not
condescension and contempt. If he wants to elect more Democrats to the House
and Senate, he should sing the praises of Sanders for inspiring small donors to
give him more than $43 million in February, and he should offer those small
donors a standing ovation worthy of their great aspirations. Then, perhaps,
they will donate to progressive Democrats running for the House and Senate
regardless of who is nominated for president.
For the same reasons that Sanders should
avoid negative attacks against Clinton, Obama should avoid negative opining
about Sanders and condescension toward his supporters, who bring enthusiasm,
idealism and commitment to the cause that serves all Democrats and is as
precious as gold to any nominee, whoever he or she may ultimately be.
© 2016 The Hill
Donations can be sent
to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD
21218. Ph: 410-323-1607; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/
"The master class
has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles.
The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject
class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their
lives." Eugene Victor Debs
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