Diamond-Cut Life

This is the first time I’ve done a second post on a given day, but the occasion warrants it. A bipartisan report from the Senate Armed Services Committee has made a strong case for bringing criminal charges against Administration officials for their decisions that led to the U.S. torture of prisoners, including at Abu Ghraib. [...]

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One of the old-fashioned customs that I’m a fan of, right up there with playing games at parties and going to church, is newsy Christmas letters. I love reading the stories of people’s lives, which is to say, the story of how people are living out their values.
We just received a good Christmas letter from [...]

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Governor Kulongoski of Oregon, my home state, has stated a vision of combating global warming with both a state economy and general Oregon lifestyle that is cleaner and greener than the rest of the nation.
“Climate change is the most important environmental and economic issue of our time,” Governor Kulongoski said (the added emphasis is mine). [...]

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A 78 year old woman emailed Tom Brokaw yesterday to ask this question of  the two presidential candidates in last night’s debate (I’m paraphrasing):
“What sacrifices would you ask of the American people, given that we’re in the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression?”
John McCain replied that as president he would probably have to cut [...]

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In the past month I’ve been writing energetically (raving?) about the economic crisis and the presidential race. They matter a lot to me. But I think it’s our deep inner lives, the lives of our souls, that guide us into wisdom, joy and what I term the diamond-cut life.
A few weeks ago I was at [...]

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Governor Palin is quick-tongued, chock-full of energy, waaaay cute. Cuter than Senator Biden.
I couldn’t take my eyes off her in last night’s debate, despite her refusal to answer questions that would have taken her off her script. Despite her belief that a relatively miniscule amount of oil in Alaska makes her an energy expert and [...]

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Are you allowed to establish a legally recognized family with the person of your choice? That is, do you get to marry whom you choose?
I can — because I choose someone of the opposite sex. But millions of Americans with a different choice are denied the right to marry the one they love. That’s wrong, [...]

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Paul Krugman is my inspiration today with his editorial on what should be done about the current economic crisis. Mr. Krugman, who I had the pleasure of meeting here in Portland last year, is calling for a highly responsible, specifically “adult” crafting of a bailout. I embrace his analogy between good political leadership and [...]

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The things we are NOT talking about are often the biggest problems. This morning, columnist Bob Herbert of the New York Times educates us in this article on Senator McCain’s plan for national health insurance if he is elected president in November. As Mr. Herbert points out, almost nobody is writing about this or talking [...]

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Andy Jackson was good enough to offer a comment on yesterday’s post on the presidential race. Andy writing: I am revved up by McCain/Palin for the simple fact that they are not lawyers, and they are willing to buck the system. Now if only we can toss out the entire House of Reps and get [...]

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