What Happens When a Christian Extremist Assasinates the President?

Perhaps, you are like me and the mere thought of this makes you shudder. However, we need to wake up to this reality and danger. In the past couple of months, one man went to the pentagon with a gun because of his hate for the government; another man flew his plane into the federal [...]

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Does Condeming the Lives of Others Make People More Likely to Be Immoral?: Mark Souder, Ted Haggard, and Rent Boys

This past week, conservative Republican, Mark Souder resigned when the affair with his staff member became public. He becomes the most recent tragedy in the story of the Religious Right and the crusade for family values. The situation is ironic, because Souder was someone who fought against sex education in favor of abstinence only education, [...]

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Why a Young Gay Iranian May Change the Face of the Immigration Issue: A Modern Rosa Parks?

Mohammad Abdollah was carried to the United States when he was three years old by his parents. He went through all the necessary steps and education, but he still is an illegal immigrant 21 years later. This week, in response to the draconian immigration laws that were passed in Arizona, he and a group of [...]

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Brazil as the New Mediator in the Islamic World-Very Interesting and Potentially Promising

This past week, Brazil made a move to work as a mediator between Iran and the West on the issue of nuclear enrichment and development. They also recently went to Israel to work as a broker on a peace deal between the Israelis and Palestinians. This is something that is not been heard of in [...]

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Defending Street Preachers, Scientologists, Islamic Dress, and Westboro Baptist Church

This past month in Great Britain, a street preacher was arrested for preaching against homosexuals in the town square. It was stated to be hate speech, which is illegal under British law. This past year has also seen the burka made illegal in the country of France, even though this dress is important for many [...]

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Arizona to Ban Ethnic Studies Classes: Keeping History and Literature White

History has often said to be the story of the victors. Who are the victors in U.S. society? Well, it has traditionally been the White European population. Because of this, many modern historians and educators have found it very important to really focus on the histories of ethnic minorities and oppressed people. I know in my own U.S. History classes it is easy to focus solely on the large leaders and victors and not focus on the lower classes, oppressed, and ethnic minorities.

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Why “Drill Baby Drill” Has Disappeared from the American Consciousness

This past month, there was the largest oil disaster in the United States since the 1980’s with the Exxon Valdez disaster. This horrible accident happened just weeks after Obama announced more offshore drilling projects (which he now is considering halting). In the midst of the huge ecological consequences of this disaster, we need to realize what this can teach us as a nation.

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Sweet Irony: How Arizona’s New Immigration Law Will Actually Lead to Amnesty for Undocumented Workers

In the 1960’s when the nation saw Civil Rights Protestors being sprayed down with hoses, beaten, and jailed by southern police officers, many who never cared much about the issue of Civil Rights started feeling compassion and solidarity with the African-Americans in the South. The man who thought he was going to put out the [...]

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Have We Sub-Consciously Made Undocumented Workers Sub-Human?

Last week, a Republican congressional candidate from Iowa said it would be a good idea to put micro-chips in illegal immigrants, just like they do in dogs. Another congressman from Texas was speaking in the U.S. House and explaining how we have stopped grasshoppers from getting into the country, so we should have no problem doing the same with immigrants.

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Practices of Prayer Through Yoga

When someone begins to speak of the spiritual elements of Yoga or meditation, some automatically label them a hippy or perhaps “out there”. However, it is so important to realize the practical implications of how yoga and meditation can be used for spiritual strength and growth. I am recent to the practice of yoga and meditation in my own life. I grew up in a tradition where it wasn’t really talked about much. Much more was made of the mind and belief, than the spirit and essence. Neither emphasis is wrong; however, both are needed to have a vibrant spiritual life.

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When Our Greatest Strength Becomes Our Greatest Weakness

In our Ancient Civilizations Class, we just finished studying about Julius Caesar. It was stated that his greatest strength, his courage and independence, was also his greatest weakness-which ultimately led to his demise. Somehow, this seems to be the case with most of us in our lives. We have certain individual strengths which allow us [...]

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Words of Wisdom from a 12 Year Old on the Dangers of Climate Change

This past week, we celebrated Earth Day at the school. So, I was trying to bring up awareness about environmental issues with my students. We talked about how we can reduce consumption in our own lives and what the future will be like when they are older- both positive and negative possibilities. Many of the [...]

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Arizona's New Immigration Law: Leading the Country in Xenophobia

This past week, the state senate in Arizona passed a bill making it legal for the authorities to detain anyone who they have suspicions of being an illegal immigrant. I wonder who they are going to suspect and detain? Perhaps, dark skinned people, people who speak English with an accent, or who are from a [...]

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The Problem With Glorifying the Past: When Our Memory is Skewed

Don’t you just wish you could go back to the days of the Founding Fathers? Hmm…well, I guess if you are a white Protestant male landowner. It wouldn’t be so nice if you were African-American, a woman, a religious minority, or poor. While I think the Founding Fathers were brilliant men and really set up a very good system of government, let’s not deify them.

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Why We Need To Be Vigilant Yet Careful to Speak of Persecution: Franklin Graham Dropped as Speaker from Pentagon Prayer Event

Today, I was researching some about the religiously persecuted around the world. Some of the stories shock us, sadden us, and give us a great desire to do something to change it. For example, in places like Iran where people can still be killed for converting to a different faith. To places like North Korea [...]

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