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"When fascism come to America..."

Ryan — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 00:01:26 +0000

Sinclair Lewis stated that "When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and cross." While I doubt Pennsylvania State Representative Daryl Metcalfe of Butler County is a true fascist, his recent behavior reminded me of the quote.

Over the last two weeks he has caused quite a stir in the legislature. First, hey refused to vote for a proclamation honoring a peaceful Muslim group in the state because "the Muslims do not recognize Jesus Christ as God." He tried to justify his vote by saying the following:

"Specifically, he rejected the document's comparison of William Penn, a symbol of freedom of religion, to the current Ahmadiyya spiritual leader, who according to the resolution "has accumulated an exemplary record of humanitarian service that underscores his commitment to an ideal society."

Metcalfe claimed that "William Penn's view of a godly society would have been very different from that of the Muslims."

Obviously Metcalfe knows nothing about the founding of Pennsylvania. According to the founding document of the colony, The Frame of Government, written by Penn:

“One Almighty and eternal God . . . shall in no wayes be molested or prejudiced for their Religious Persuasion or Practice in matters of Faith and Worship, nor shall they be compelled at any time to frequent or maintain any Religious Worship, Place or Ministry whatever.”

While its not known if a Muslim ever lived in the colony before independence, it is known that Jews settled in the colony and were tolerated by the Quaker dominated regime. Based on this simple fact, its clear that Metcalfe is either historically illiterate or trying to rewrite the history of the founding of Pennsylvania to fit his sectarian ends.

Not to be topped by his attack on peaceful Muslims, Metcalfe then followed by trying to spread the gospel to Deputy Speaker Josh Shapiro, who is Jewish. According to Shapiro, Metcalfe said the following:

"He said that he would be happy to council me and help me find Jesus in my life," said Shapiro, adding that Metcalfe had discussed the possibility of Shapiro avoiding hell.

Metcalfe obviously cannot handle the basic tenants of a pluralistic society to save his life. He is willing to trample all over them, insult anyone of faith who believes in pluralism, and embarrass the Republican Party of Pennsylvania in the process. He should be ashamed for insulting the values of the commonwealth.

I have a regular gig!

erinp — Fri, 16 May 2008 22:27:08 +0000

My local Whole Foods is hosting a "Local Market" on the first Sunday of the month from June-October, and they invited me to participate! The first market will be on June 1 and it looks like it will be a lot of fun:

* The following vendors will have an 8’ table, table cloth, and space under the big tent provided by Whole Foods Market: Kelli Dietrich, From the Garden, Jlove Jewlery, Alice Dougherty, Occasions to Savor, Simple Bangles, Creole Soul, Poo Paw, Naturally Neil, Helen’s Pure Foods, Nature’s Inspirations, Farview Farm, Bucks County Preserves, Blackstone Studio, The Natural Baker, and Abington Art Center.

* We will have a grand opening ceremony at the first market (June 1st at 10am) with a bread breaking ceremony. Special guest, State Representative Josh Shapiro, will be here to help cut the 5’ loaf of French bread.

* There will be live music, kids activities, and grilling at each market.

Some Palestinians are supporting Obama and some want their change back

casualcausality — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 04:06:18 +0000

While U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama leads rival Hillary Clinton in the polls, Palestinians in Gaza are launching their own attempt to boost his campaign.

Isn't this support a bit bizarre? Obama has made considerable effort over the last year to demonstrate his allegiance to Israel. And in his appeal to U.S. Jewish communities, the deputy speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Josh Shapiro proclaimed Obama's “100 percent voting record on Israel issues.”

To dissociate himself from the comments made by his pastor Jeremiah Wright on the racist occupation of Palestine, Obama labeled Israel one of the United States' "stalwart allies" that was no way responsible for its occupation of Palestine and the situation in the Middle East, which instead is "emanating from the perverse and hateful ideologies of radical Islam."

He's also an ardent supporter of the continuing U.S. destruction and occupation of Afghanistan. He has voted to fund the Iraq war. And he praised Israel's 2006 assault on Lebanon that left hundreds dead and vital infrastructure destroyed.

Moreover, he fully supports the occupation of Palestine and endorses the latest attacks on Gaza that have killed more than 100 people - including two farmers last week -- since the beginning of this year.

For more information on Obama & Palestine read a hilariously titled op-ed on Al-jazeera: "Can I have my change back?" by Palestinian-American Poet Remi Kanazi.