A Media Community Integrating Spirituality, Democracy, Ethics
Heavy Burdens, Hard To Bear
“They preach, but do not practice. They bind
heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on
men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger.”
An Iranian appeals court announced last week that it was reducing the sentence and ordering the immediate release of Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi, who was convicted by an Iranian court last month of spying for the U.S. and sentenced to eight years in prison.
Saberi's release is good news, as her conviction was based on highly dubious charges and unreliable judicial procedures in Iran.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton had called for Iran to release Saberi. "We believe she should be freed immediately, that the charges against her are baseless and that she has been subjected to a process that has been non-transparent, unpredictable and arbitrary,"
President Obama weighed in "I am gravely concerned with her safety and well-being… We are working to make sure that she is properly treated. She is an Iranian-American who was interested in the country which her family came from. And it is appropriate for her to be treated as such, and to be released."
These salvos are right on target and I would expect nothing less of my government. The Grand canyon credibility gap lies in the admonition of Jesus in the opener. “They preach, but do not practice.”
Beginning in 2001, the U.S. held Al Jazeera cameraman Sami al-Haj for six years in Guantanamo with no trial of any kind.
In Iraq, we imprisoned Associated Press photographer Bilal Hussein, part of AP's Pulitzer Prize-winning war coverage. He was held for almost two years with no charges of any kind, after Hussein's photographs from the Anbar province directly contradicted Bush administration claims about the state of affairs there.
In this very moment as we celebrate Saberi's release in Iran, the U.S. continues to imprison Ibrahim Jassam, a freelance photographer for Reuters. Last December an Iraqi court found that there was no evidence to justify his detention and ordered him released. But, our administration has refused to recognize the validity of the Iraqi court order and announced it would continue to keep him imprisoned. Hey White House, can you spell sovereignty?
It is a woeful season in America when a medieval theocracy metes out greater justice than an alleged enlightenment democracy. How long will we heap heavy burdens on others without lifting a finger to remove them? It is hard for a life, a body, a soul, a family, a nation, an interwoven world to bear.
In a related issue, President Obama has reneged on his pledge to obey a court order to release more torture photos. He stated "the most direct consequence of releasing them, I believe, would be to further inflame anti-American opinion and to put our troops in greater danger.”
Even if this nation is too stiff necked to follow its principles for the sake of integrity we will do well to take heed of an intergalactic spiritual law.
Obama’s statement recognizes this hard wired reality, which our superpower will not be able to stave off forever.
“Do not be deceived, a man reaps what he sows.”
heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on
men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger.”
An Iranian appeals court announced last week that it was reducing the sentence and ordering the immediate release of Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi, who was convicted by an Iranian court last month of spying for the U.S. and sentenced to eight years in prison.
Saberi's release is good news, as her conviction was based on highly dubious charges and unreliable judicial procedures in Iran.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton had called for Iran to release Saberi. "We believe she should be freed immediately, that the charges against her are baseless and that she has been subjected to a process that has been non-transparent, unpredictable and arbitrary,"
President Obama weighed in "I am gravely concerned with her safety and well-being… We are working to make sure that she is properly treated. She is an Iranian-American who was interested in the country which her family came from. And it is appropriate for her to be treated as such, and to be released."
These salvos are right on target and I would expect nothing less of my government. The Grand canyon credibility gap lies in the admonition of Jesus in the opener. “They preach, but do not practice.”
Beginning in 2001, the U.S. held Al Jazeera cameraman Sami al-Haj for six years in Guantanamo with no trial of any kind.
In Iraq, we imprisoned Associated Press photographer Bilal Hussein, part of AP's Pulitzer Prize-winning war coverage. He was held for almost two years with no charges of any kind, after Hussein's photographs from the Anbar province directly contradicted Bush administration claims about the state of affairs there.
In this very moment as we celebrate Saberi's release in Iran, the U.S. continues to imprison Ibrahim Jassam, a freelance photographer for Reuters. Last December an Iraqi court found that there was no evidence to justify his detention and ordered him released. But, our administration has refused to recognize the validity of the Iraqi court order and announced it would continue to keep him imprisoned. Hey White House, can you spell sovereignty?
It is a woeful season in America when a medieval theocracy metes out greater justice than an alleged enlightenment democracy. How long will we heap heavy burdens on others without lifting a finger to remove them? It is hard for a life, a body, a soul, a family, a nation, an interwoven world to bear.
In a related issue, President Obama has reneged on his pledge to obey a court order to release more torture photos. He stated "the most direct consequence of releasing them, I believe, would be to further inflame anti-American opinion and to put our troops in greater danger.”
Even if this nation is too stiff necked to follow its principles for the sake of integrity we will do well to take heed of an intergalactic spiritual law.
Obama’s statement recognizes this hard wired reality, which our superpower will not be able to stave off forever.
“Do not be deceived, a man reaps what he sows.”
Comment
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Comment by Vicky Dill on May 21, 2009 at 11:41am -
I am truly confused that President Obama won't veto the credit card legislation that has the provision to allow guns into national parks buried in it. I understand that getting such bills to the gavel is a lot of work, but I fear not vetoing this bill signals that the NRA continues to get whatever they want! Perhaps we did not clamor sufficiently! I think we DID stop the Texas leg from decimating all stem cell research (although what they are proposing it odious enough); perhaps not everyone in Whoville stood up and shouted that we don't want our national parks to be full of sniper fire.
Washington must be a labyrinthine place where you can only get to a finish line dazed and confused. I hope we all can continue to expend maximum energy, until we're running on only fumes, forwarding a larger consciousness -- one that will save the planet, help us regain our humanity, and find new uses for metal and fire in the wilderness. We are a scared human race and there are some many better uses for arms.
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Comment by chazdee on May 19, 2009 at 8:15am - This is so right on, Chuck. When will the US start to look at what we have done to other countries as well as our own people? And it didn't start with Bush either. I recommend Howard Zinn's, "A people's history of the Unites States" to learn more. And btw, can we agree the CIA should be dismantled? WTF have they ever done but cause trouble? Oh yeah, lots of things, but they're secret.
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Comment by E.L.A. Bruns on May 18, 2009 at 10:27pm
- You don't have to wander far to find those who don't practice. See the Statesman article: State judge arrested in sex, bribery case
About
The Free Souls Connection
The Free Souls Connection is an initiative of the Free Souls Project with the intention of cultivating a community of Progressive media producers and users in the areas of Spirituality, Democracy and Ethics.
We invite original written, audio, and video creations in the lineage of Spiritual Humanism, the wellspring of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, forming the basis for a healthy integration of Spirituality, Democracy, and Ethics.
Rev. Theodore Parker expresses this trinity of American values marvelously. “There is what I call the American idea…a democracy, that is, a government of all the people, by all the people, for all the people; of course, a government of the principles of eternal justice, the unchanging law of God; for shortness' sake I will call it the idea of Freedom.”
Come Ministers, Radio Hosts, Musicians, Poets, Bloggers, Cartoonists, Commentators and all artists for the common good!
Let us support, nurture, encourage, and commune with one other and our sacred world.
We invite original written, audio, and video creations in the lineage of Spiritual Humanism, the wellspring of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, forming the basis for a healthy integration of Spirituality, Democracy, and Ethics.
Rev. Theodore Parker expresses this trinity of American values marvelously. “There is what I call the American idea…a democracy, that is, a government of all the people, by all the people, for all the people; of course, a government of the principles of eternal justice, the unchanging law of God; for shortness' sake I will call it the idea of Freedom.”
Come Ministers, Radio Hosts, Musicians, Poets, Bloggers, Cartoonists, Commentators and all artists for the common good!
Let us support, nurture, encourage, and commune with one other and our sacred world.
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