Forgive my departure from campus ministry and family update into the political for a moment please. Christian author, liberal activist and pastor Brian Mclaren has written An Open Letter to Conservative Christians in the U.S., on Health Care that has me thinking.
He makes the point that Christians are called to civil and truthful debate regardless of their politics. Sadly, in doing so I think Brian engages in some of the same patronizing and marginalizing techniques that he is critical of on the right. Read the letter and decided for yourself here.
He is highly critical of Christians on the right distroting facts to scar people, a lack of courage to speak up among Christian leaders against this “propaganda” and he takes particular issue with Sara Palin.
I fully agree that some on the right have been overly dramatic and a few have even been misleading. However, he fails to even mention the equally disturbing rhetorical problems on the left undermines.
Sadly, liberals have also played the Hitler card (http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_wa_town_halls_baird.html) and thrown in the KKK card to boot (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfoGCYFRQlM). And if we want to talk whoppers, no discussion of truth in health care should fail to mention our Presidents often repeated claim that this reform “will be paid for” (http://factcheck.org/2009/07/obamas-health-care-news-conference/). Does any Limbough, Hannity, Beck or Palin misrepresentation even compare to this 700 billion dollar fib?
I would not have used the phrase “death panel,” as Palin did, but neither do I find her analysis completely “flippant.”
Wouldn’t it be better to focus our dialogue on the impact of health care reform for kids like Trig, instead focusing on the particular rhetoric of his mother? To that end, is it really so irrational to suggest that the final form of this legislation may not protect us from government abuses at the end of life?
Camille Pagalia an Obama support and well know liberal commentator can see Palin’s logic with total clarity (http://www.salon.com/opinion/paglia/2009/08/12/town_halls/index.html). Even factcheck.org admitted that HR 3200 “requires Medicare to cover counseling sessions for seniors” introducing a government funded financial motive for doctors in end of life issues.
The reality is that five competing bills are being pushed on a time line that is clearly designed to discourage careful analysis. In light of this deliberate hurry up tactic, and the exponential growth of our national debt we all need to prayerfully educate ourselves on the issues and speak up responsibly.
I could not agree with you Brian more that “little discernment was being exercised “ in some aspects of the Iraq war. We agree, as well, that again our nation is rushing over a cliff with the timeline(s) purposed for this massive legislation.
Growing up, both my wife and I ate enough government cheese to learn about the de-habilitating humiliation induced by government dependency. As adults, we belong to faith communities where the Biblical mandate to help the poor is emphasized. Because of this background we a deeply committed to real solutions for the poor and uninsured.
This is not just rhetoric for us. 8 to 15 at risk teens eat, laugh, study and talk about their faith and future in our living room 2-4 nights every week. We are personally and intimately engaged with the kids behind California mammoth graduation rate failure statistics. We have to get this right for these kids, for my kids and our nation.
To that end, I am for one am gong to fully engage on this issue and do my best to truthful speak up in a civil manner. I hope you will as well.
