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 Over the next few week's it looks as though Tom McMahon is taking us on another excursion away from his Sacraments series. It's a useful excursion though looking at American spirituality amidst the coming Presidential election. Today he looks at the Democratic Convention. The "spirituality" in an American Presidential Election… As I watch the Democratic Convention on TV I wondered if there would be any interest downunder and in other parts of the globe concerning my thoughts on the spirituality of the American presidential election; I am not a politician yet I do vote conscientiously, taking seriously the Greek word POLIS as I look beyond Wall Street, sky scraper-high rises, and mass transportation to the human beings who make up the CITY. It is the human element that I am interested in; I contrast the evolution that I have lived in for the past 80 years, looking back into the Middle Ages and forward to the Age of Technology. Has the Gospel of Jesus any relevance or potency that can better the American way of life? Is America doomed into materialism and a collapse of a great experiment where all are created equal. The American politic is rife with corruption; it's a rich man's arena.; American people are confused and ignorant as to the value of human dignity and we are intoxicated with the power of money and militarism. The situation is overwhelmingly complex. There is a mean spirit abroad in America, stemming from an easy life, boredom, ignorance and "I've got mine and I don't care what you haven't got"; there is as well a spirit of generosity and human concern. We are a house divided; for me education is key to a hope of a healthy future while at times I feel crushed under ignorance and arrogance. With Victor Frankel I approach life with hope and optimism.
I have voted democrat since first casting my ballot for Adlai Stevenson while in '50's seminary; I marched on Market Street, San Francisco in a protest parade against the Iraqi War. My father was a 1920's union organizer. I lost my commission in the US Army for protesting the stupidity of Vietnam. FDR was my mother's hero. I know well the papal encyclicals on labor. I know the giant chasm that exists between institutional Church and the life of ordinary people. I see this chasm in political life. I will watch with interest where our youth go, they seemingly having in the near past abandoned both church and politics; I wonder about my youthful sons.
Throughout the Democratic Convention there was an appeal to identify Barack Obama with the working class of America, single mothers with children, union workers who have lost their jobs in Detroit, the marginalized who have no health insurance, and the wounded military who have served in an unjust war; I was reminded of Franklin Roosevelt in his fireside chats and John F. Kennedy appealing to the young to be of service to our nation. America is in serious trouble at home and abroad; amidst some ballyhoo I wondered if one man can heal the wounded spirit of my country. As a therapist I am aware of the mean spirit that thrives on fear and ignorant prejudices, especially in electing a person of color and who is promising change. The role played by Catholics… Catholics will play a major role, having gained good fortune and power since my illiterate foreparents came to America 148 years ago; in 2004 as they feared terrorists would harm their children Catholic young mothers played a large role in electing George W Bush as he lied our way into Iraq. Pre Civil War racial prejudice still reigns strong in America and I would say that we are ripe for cutting off our nose to spite our face. Catholics will be challenged. I took hope from the consistent effort at the Democratic Convention to connect with the needs of the ordinary. I wonder if Obama is elected if he can confront the power blocks of corporations that rape the American people. One day at a time, as they say in AA … one hurdle to go to get this man of color into office … and then the challenge to accomplish that for which we hope. I shall send along a report on the Republican Convention. Tom McMahon, San Jose, who holds to "there are no experts", hopeful that a spirit of truth and gentility will prevail. 21/08/2008  Image Credits: Clicking on the images in the body of the article will take you to the original source.
©2009 Tom McMahon |
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Tom McMahon, ordained in 1954 and now married, lives a very fulfilled life in San Jose and continues to contribute voraciously to several Catholic discussion lists in the States. He has been an enthusiastic supporter and encourager of the Catholica initiative from the very beginning.
How economic inequality harms societies... We feel instinctively that societies with huge income gaps are somehow going wrong. Richard Wilkinson charts the hard data on economic inequality, and shows what gets worse when rich and poor are too far apart: real effects on health, lifespan, even such basic values as trust. Richard Wilkinson, is Professor Emeritus of Social Epidemiology at the University of Nottingham, and cofounder of The Equality Trust, a nonprofit that aims to reduce income inequality by educating and engaging the public while supporting political commitment to address the problem. 16m55s [String on the Catholica Forum where the general issue of wealth inequality and this documentary was first discussed 25Jan12] | [WATCH THE VIDEO]
Doco 035: 25Jan12
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