Corporation Money Ads

Our Supreme Court struck down this week a big piece of what many considered campaign reform. Large moneyed interests, corporations, etc. will not be barred from being able to put on advertisements promoting their political views on issues. To do so, in the Court’s opinion, is to limit right of political expression by those who have the big bucks to do so. Once again the Other Golden Rule applies; Let those who have the gold, rule.

Okay so big corporations are now in the position to have even greater influence over the decisions that affect all Americans. Could we have at least this one piece of sanity? How about at the end of every ad, the source of the money that paid for that ad has to be clearly stated and boldly displayed? That way everyone with an axe to grind gets to grind it, but at least I know who is grinding that axe and as a voter I have a bit more perspective about whether I want to fully trust in what that ad says.

When I say, “clearly labeled,” I mean it. No shell names like, Americans for Health Care, when the money comes from Blue Cross, Blue Shield and United Health Care. No Americans for a Cleaner Environment endorsement, rather a prominent line that goes, “This ad paid for by the Gas and Oil Corporations of America, Chevron, Standard Oil, Mobil.” I’m not talking about a disclaimer size note that flashes for a millisecond in fuzzy light gray print at the bottom of the screen. I say if you want to try to persuade folks, be forthright about it. Clearly say who you are so folks can decide for themselves. After all every letter to the editor has the name and town of the person submitting it.
I’m sure there are a million details that would have to be worked out and I leave that to the politicians. My point is simply this, every company or group of corporations with the money to influence my vote, ought to stand up and proudly label themselves. Tell me, and the rest of America, who you are, and then let me and every other citizen decide who we will vote for—who best represents the interests of our country. By the way, my name is Tim Mabbott and I’m the pastor of a Christian Church in Prairie Village, Kansas. And this is my opinion until someone convinces me otherwise; we’re all entitled to one even if we don’t have a million dollars to proclaim it.

Don't Let Pat Robertson Be Your Excuse

By now lots of folks have seen or heard about Pat Robertson's comments about Haiti (something about Haitians pact with the devil being the reason for this devastating earthquake). The important thing to recognise about those comments is that they don't represent the all of Christian thinking any more than my comment here represents the totality of Christian response. Some will use Pat Robertson's comment as an excuse to beat up on the Christian faith. How many books currently on the market written by atheists use these kinds of extreme view to justify their arguments for atheism?

Here are the Christian responses I'm seeing. I'm seeing Christians trying to contact loved one's who were in Haiti helping to built up the country when the earthquake struck. I'm seeing Christians now forming work groups to make more hygiene kits, because the ones they made this summer are now being used in Haiti and more are needed immediately. I'm reading the letters of Christians who are telling their brothers and sisters in faith not to be discouraged because all of the hard work building facilities has been undone, but rather to realize that the most important part of the work was the relationships that were built. It is that history of compassionate relationship that will give hope to those Haitian people in the difficult days ahead.

In my mind these are just a few of the Christian responses I'm seeing. They are a world apart from Pat Robertson's view. The Christian community I'm part of, was in Haiti, is in Haiti, and will be in Haiti with an even stronger commitment just as soon as such support is appropriate.

New Decade New Roles New Graces

As I write I'm waiting on my first grandchild, a boy who will be named Evan Christian Lee. His mother, our daughter Sarah, and I were on the phone talking about his impending birth. Sarah and Kimon are using a doula as a part of the birth plan. A doula is a kind of birth coach who helps the mother through the stages of delivery. Among the things the doula discussed with Sarah and Kimon was the latest research on delivery reveals that the very best action to take with a newborn isn't to hustle the baby off to a bed in the nursery, but rather to put the baby right next to the mother with skin to skin contact for at least an hour. Keeping the baby and mother close, research reveals, helps the baby to regulate his heart beat, breathing and body temperature. Amazing who would have thought that 1000's of years of human instinct had a chance of being right? wink wink

I sit here thinking about the church and the ancient wisdom it contains. I look forward to the day when science reveals to us, no doubt to our surprise, that there is this mysterious connection with something the scientists can quite define, that helps folks live lives of hope, courage, love and compassion and somehow those folks have more joyful and fulfilled lives.