Joshua Case

November 15, 2008

Podcast Interview with Richard Cizik

The newest podcast interview is live. This interview was recorded with Richard Cizik after he spoke at the Candler Leadership conference. His keynote will be released later, but this is from my sit down with him before the evening ended.

I hope you enjoy!

peace..
jc

Posted by joshuacase at 04:38 PM | Comments (0)

November 09, 2008

A New Way of Being: Why I Keep Crying!

This post has been about six days in the making. For those of you who known me for very long, you know that I've been a huge fan of Barack Obama from the beginning. In fact, while I wasn't a hefty blogger in 2004, it was then that began to talk about Barack.

Over the last several years, the lead into this election has been played a huge role in my heart and mind. I have been following blogs, reading, writing, praying, hoping and dreaming about what this time could mean. Well, needless to say, that time is over and now, all of us get to see and experience what is to come.

What I failed to recognize during this time was just how much a part of my identity and life Barack's story was having. I'd hear him talk, I'd get fired up, and I'd share the wealth. I'd listen to pun dents, think about a rebuttal, and then engage. I'd re-listen to his speeches, think about their application, and then find ways to put that hope into practice. Yes, the last few years have been deeply forming for me.

I share this with you now because since Tuesday night I've been an emotional basket-case. Every time I think about what has just happened I begin to tear up. Every time I hear Barack's voice, I tear up. Every time I listen to people talking about how this election has shaped them, yep, I tear up. But greater than success, greater than inspiration, I think I am tearing up because somewhere deep inside my spirit recognizes that regardless of whether you voted for Barack Obama or not, this election was about more than just about a political transfer of power. Somehow, deep inside I truly came to understand what it meant to be gifted with a new narrative by which to live.

You see, you don't have to be very old to remember that so much of the world's narrative has been shaped by the events September 11th 2001. In America specifically, these events, as tragic as they were, gave shape to a new way of defining oneself in America. And while they brought some people together, these events "othered" those who did not seem to appear as "American" in culture or heritage. September 11th also gave way to a new way of being experienced as American abroad. America went to war in an effort to secure its borders and as a result over time ended up isolating itself over time.

But November 4th 2008 has gifted America in the world with a new kind of narrative. For the first time since Sept 11th 2001, we have a new story to define ourselves by. Sure, some are going to miss this. Hiding behind the fear campaigns of religious fundamentalism and fear mongering, many are doubtful that the Obama story will actually bring anything good to America. But be not afraid!! There are many many more who have seen and prayed to experience all the more the hope that has been aroused within us. We believe that change has come and is coming more fully to America. Critics, be not mistaken: this hope is not merely in President-Elect Obama, but because of the hope, unity, and possibility that Obama awakened in us that we are so inspired! The next few months and years are not necessarily going to be the easiest; however, for many of us, there is room to hope that one day, "we as a people will get there!"

In conclusion, here are a couple of things I think we have to remember about Obama's leadership to come:
1. I suspect Obama will remind us in a few short weeks that this has never been an election about him getting to do stuff, but about us all getting to do stuff. He has one of the largest grassroots organization in the world today, and I suspect when mobilized, this movement of people is going to transform America for good!
2. I suspect for those who have huge expectations about Obama's leadership, that it might be expected of him to change Washington. Guess what...it isn't going to happen overnight. Re-adjust your expectations and know that change can come, but institutional change always takes time. In fact, I'd also suspect that this change will come because the hope that was inspired in us, has also been awakened in some who've been in Washington for a long time. Is that so hard to imagine?
3. Obama painted the picture for us on Tuesday that is so true. We've come a long way, but we've got a long way to go. Nothing breaks my heart, or the heart of so many others, more than to look around and see the injustices against the civil rights of so many that still exist in America today. Even from a humanitarian aid perspective, there are still so many who lack the basic needs for life in our American culture. While America always has been one of the most charitable movements of people on earth, she must wake up to the poverty, injustice, and tragedy of the stories within her borders if she is truly to remain a great nation.

I have to be honest, I'm not sure when the crying is going to stop. On the one hand, it kind of bugs me. But on the other, it feels so good to be able to experience the hope that has been awakened. To sense that in my time, greater things are still to come than have been seen before. We may not be there yet, we may not get there soon, but my friends, we are well on the way!

grace, peace, and hope for the journey...
joshua c

ps and just because, here is President Elect Obama:

Part One:

Part Two:

Part Three:

go in peace...

Posted by joshuacase at 03:30 PM | Comments (4)

November 03, 2008

Yes, We Can!

One last time!

jc

Posted by joshuacase at 03:26 PM | Comments (0)

October 29, 2008

Another Obama Moment

While only a short snippet from the larger speech, it is so important to note that this is Obama speaking in the rain with his people who had begun to gather at about 5:30am. While Barack chose to go out and be with his people in the rain, McCain canceled his rally all together, because of the rain.

Do we think this says something about their commitment to the people they hope to serve??

joshua case for obama!

Posted by joshuacase at 08:52 AM | Comments (0)

October 24, 2008

Troy Davis gets 30 Day Stay!!!

At around 12 noon today, Troy's mom called those gathered at the Candler school of theology prayer vigil to let us know that Troy had received a 30 day stay of execution!!

Watch this space for more updates on how his story has gotten heard and how justice will prevail!!

So thankful!!
joshua

Posted by joshuacase at 12:53 PM | Comments (0)

October 23, 2008

Troy Davis Facts & Testimonies

So the last few days I've been working with others again to try to bring more attention to the Troy Davis case. It was amazing to me to to hear different responses to different people about yesterday on Campus. I got all sorts of responses.

I'd ask, "So do you know about the Troy Davis' case?" And they would respond:
"Yeah, tough luck, eh?"
"No, tell me."
"No thanks, I don't want any"
"You know, our problem in America is that we don't execute them quick enough!"

When people would act sort of interested, I'd simply say, "Well, Troy is man who is scheduled to be executed for the killing of a police officer in 1989."

Again, responses varied. Tonight, there will be a whole host of us, and others from other places marching on the Capitol square. Some, like Alan, are even flying in for the event. And there are whole buses of others coming from other places!

As I also said to people yesterday, this isn't a pro/anti death penatly rally. While there is a place for that conversation, this is a conversation about a guy who in all likelihood will be executed in 4 days for a crime he didn't commit. At least as the evidence (the testimonies of the witnesses) goes. For, once again, the only evidence in this case linking Troy to the killing is the witnesses, of whom 7 of the original 9 recanted or changed.

Also, here are a few affidavits containing evidence implicating another suspect in the Troy Davis Case (From: Amnesty International, ‘Where is the justice for me?’: The case of Troy Davis, facing execution in Georgia , Feb. 1, 2007):

Joseph Washington
“I saw Sylvester Coles - I know him by the name Red - shoot the police officer. I am positive that it was Red who shot the police officer…”

Tonya Johnson
"Red then took both guns next door to an empty house and put them inside the screen door and shut the door … he threatened me after this happened. He told me that he wanted to make sure that I did not tell the police about the guns he hid in the screen door that morning. This is why I did not testify about the guns at Troy’s trial because I was afraid of what Red would do to me if I did. I have not told anyone about this until now because I was still scared… But I have decided that I must tell the truth.”

Anthony Hargrove
“I know a guy named Red, from Savannah. His real name is Sylvester Coles. I’ve known Red for years and
we used to hang out together. Red once told me that he shot a police officer and that a guy named Davis took the fall for it. He told me this about a year or so after the officer was killed…”

Gary Hargrove
“I am sure that Red was facing in the officer’s direction when I heard the shooting. … I was never talked to by the police or any attorneys or investigators representing Troy Davis before his trial. I didn’t go up to talk to the police that night because I was on parole at the time and was out past my curfew so I didn’t want my parole officer to find out about that.”

Shirley Riley
“People on the streets were talking about Sylvester Coles being involved with killing the police officer so one day I asked him if he was involved… Sylvester told me he did shoot the officer …”

Darold Taylor
“I remember reading in the paper once about how a guy named Troy Davis got sentenced to the electric
chair… One day when I was in the parking lot of Yamacraw drinking beers with Red. I told him about how I’d heard that he was the one who killed the officer. Red told me to stay out of his business. I asked him again if he killed the officer and Red admitted to me that he was the one who killed the officer, but then Red told me again to stay out of his business.”

April Hester Hutchinson
“Red turned to me and asked me if I would walk with him up to the Burger King so ‘they won’t think that I had nothing to do with it’. That’s exactly what he said… I told [the police] that I saw Red talking to my cousin Tonya and that Red was real nervous. I did not tell them about what Red had said to me because I was scared he would hurt me. I was thinking that if he did that to a police officer, what would he do to me? I didn’t want to die like that officer, so I kept my mouth shut.”

Anita Saddler
“When I saw Red and Terry, they were jumpy and couldn’t stand still. Their eyes were shifting around and they were looking everywhere. They walked up to us and Red asked us to go up to Burger King and see what happened. Like I said, they were real nervous and fidgety. Red had a gun which was stuck into his shorts. I saw the outline of his gun through his white shirt. I had seen him with a gun many times before.”

Peggie Grant (mother of April Hester Hutchinson)
“A few hours later, April called me on the phone. She told me that she had had a conversation with Red
where he asked her to walk up with him to where the officer was shot so that the police would think that he was with her and not think he did anything.”

If you haven't already spread the word, or signed a petition, its not too late. If you are a person of faith, and willing to pray, please pray.

Do what you can, where you can for justice!
Joshua

Posted by joshuacase at 01:09 PM | Comments (1)

October 21, 2008

Innocence Matters! Free Troy Davis!

About a month ago, I posted about our work and hope for the Troy Davis case. The reality is, despite being given an extension on life by the Supreme Court, the court refused to hear his case, thereby bringing an end to the appeals process. Now, with less than 6 days to save an innocent man named Troy, those of us trying to organize others to speak out on his behalf are looking for your help to get the message out.

Here are a few of the essentials:
1. Troy Davis was sentenced to death for the murder of Police Officer Mark Allen MacPhail at a Burger King in Savannah, Georgia; a murder he maintains he did not commit. There was no physical evidence against him and the weapon used in the crime was never found. The case against him consisted entirely of witness testimony which contained inconsistencies even at the time of the trial. Since then, all but two of the state's non-police witnesses from the trial have recanted or contradicted their testimony. Many of these witnesses have stated in sworn affidavits that they were pressured or coerced by police into testifying or signing statements against Troy Davis.

2. Again, while all but two of the original eye-witnesses have recanted their testimony as false, another nine eye-witnesses named Redd (another person of interest) as the shooter.

3. Decades of scientific studies confirm that distance, lighting, duration of crime, weapon-focus, other race effects can impede ability to encode sufficient detail to make an accurate identification later. Moreover, a witness’ memory of the assailant’s face is malleable. Even unintentional suggestions – let alone the overt pressure alleged here – can contaminate memory and lead the witness to confidently identify the wrong person. ALL THE EYEWITNESSES IN THIS CASE WERE EXPOSED TO DAVIS’ PHOTO PRIOR TO THE “OFFICIAL IDENTIFICATION.” The trial lawyers did NOT file a motion to suppress the identifications as unduly suggestive and inherently unreliable.
AS AN ASIDE: Of the two remaining witnesses, even their stories coming to the knowledge that it had to have been Davis is representative of the above paragraph.

To be for certain, the way that this court case has been handled from the beginning could make Troy's reality any of our realities. The case serves as a testimony to the way in which in America today, people are still falsely accused, tried, and imprisoned for crimes they did not commit. But what is worse for me than the idea that Troy might be innocent, is the fact that in the US we still practice a form of medieval punishment for crime: a.k.a the death penalty.

Even last night while thinking, praying, and working with friends on what we can do in Atlanta about the case for justice, a young German friend passed by. As I told her what we were doing, her face turned white and she looked with horror. "You know what is scary," she said? "America sees themselves as this big superpower, but they still kill people and act like they are part of the middle ages."

For Troy Davis, innocence does matters! For until the US stops acting like a superpower from the middle ages, Troy's innocence is the only thing that will save him from being killed by the system that falsely imprisoned him.

Here is what you can do in the next 6 days to help save an innocent man named Troy Davis:
1. Forward on a link to this page, or other pages about Troy Davis and spread the word. The more buzz we can create around the case worldwide, the more likely it is that the Georgia Probate Court will act on Troy's behalf.
2. Visit Amnesty International, download a flier and get signatures in the next two days. The one day the signatures to the Atlanta Probate courts or Attorney General's office.
3. If you are in the Atlanta area (or US for that matter), there are two events you can attend:
-Protest at the Capital on Thursday evevning beginning at 6
-Interfaith Vigil at Cannon Chapel, Emory University 12 Friday or, 8pm Friday.
4. If you pray, pray for the Davis family, and the MacPhail family.
5. Again, even if you are European, you have a voice in these matters. Check out this statement from the EU and send a message to your leaders!!

Again, in this case as is in so many others, innocence matters because justice hangs in the balance. You have a voice, let it be heard!

Plotting Goodness....
Joshua Case

Posted by joshuacase at 09:40 AM | Comments (1)

October 11, 2008

Debate Reactions from Wassilla Alaska?! WOW

Scary how far Alaska is from Atlanta!!

joshua case for Obama

Posted by joshuacase at 10:57 AM | Comments (2)

October 09, 2008

I love Jon Stewart!!

laughing out loud!!!
joshua case for obama

Posted by joshuacase at 03:52 PM | Comments (0)

September 23, 2008

Troy Davis Update!!!!!

CNN is reporting that the US Supreme Court has issues a reprieve less than two hours before his scheduled execution. According to some reports, many had asked Georgia to grant Davis a new trial: celebrities like Susan Sarandon, Harry Belafonte and the Indigo Girls; world leaders such as former President Carter, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Pope Benedict XVI; and former and current U.S. lawmakers like Bob Barr, Carolyn Moseley Braun and John Lewis.

This is good news and it will be an interesting case to follow now. Stay tuned as I am sure you will see more updates on it!

plotting goodness....
jc

Posted by joshuacase at 10:05 PM | Comments (0)

September 22, 2008

Is this really justice? A Troy Davis Reflection

Troy Davis is set to be executed tomorrow, 23 September, at 7pm EST.

Davis, 39, sits on death row for the Aug. 19, 1989, murder of Officer Mark Allen MacPhail. But since Davis’ 1991 trial, seven key prosecution witnesses have recanted their testimony.

This isn't actually the first time that Davis has been this close to his execution date, in July 2007, the state Board of Pardons and Paroles stepped in and stayed Davis’ execution less than 24 hours before it was to be carried out. However, just today, the board rejected pleas to reconsider its recent decision to deny clemency on grounds there is too much doubt as to whether Davis shot and killed a Savannah police officer. Here is a link to the fact sheet about Davis.

As of right now, Davis is waiting to see if in fact the Supreme court will step in and stay the execution. And while I hate to say it, I have very little hope that they will. And what's worse, if Obama doesn't win, the shifts on the US supreme will effectively mean that anyone on death row for the next 50 years will get little help from them.

Seriously, death penalty? I remember reading a story about a famous author who after watching a public execution was horrified. At that moment he commented that one could tell much about the morality of developed nation by their approach to the death penalty. Is death penalty really what it means to be developed? Is the death penalty really what it means to be moral? Then again, those of us who would stand up against it are the ones who might be considered out there on the left in the US.

If you want to try to do something for Davis, you can click here. In the event that the Supreme court doesn't step in, please take some time remember his life, and to pray for the justice of the many others on death row at this point in history.

Finally, here is a question to ponder: who would Jesus execute?

take action. seek justice. love mercy.
joshua c

ps. here is the European parliament's resolution on Davis' case:

European Parliament resolution of 10 July 2008 on the death penalty, particularly the case of Troy Davis
The European Parliament,
- having regard to its previous resolutions on the abolition of the death penalty and the need for an immediate moratorium on executions in those countries where the death penalty is still imposed,
- having regard to UN General Assembly Resolution 62/149 of 18 December 2007 on the moratorium on the use of the death penalty in the world,
- having regard to the updated and revised version of the EU Guidelines on the Death Penalty, adopted by the Council on 16 June 2008,
A. having regard to the case of Troy Davis, sentenced to death by the Georgia State Court in 1991 for the murder of a policeman and scheduled to be executed at the end of July 2008,
B. whereas, according to Troy Davis' lawyers, there is abundant proof of his innocence, material evidence against him has never been produced and seven witnesses for the prosecution have retracted their testimony,
C. whereas on 4 August 2007 the Supreme Court of Georgia agreed to reconsider new elements casting doubt on Troy Davis' guilt,
D. whereas on 17 March 2008 the Supreme Court of Georgia denied Troy Davis a retrial, although the Chief Justice dissented,
E. whereas since 1975 more than 120 people have been released from death row in the United States, having been found innocent,
F. whereas in the United States the power of clemency in cases where a capital sentence has been imposed exists as a failsafe against irreversible errors that the courts are unable or unwilling to remedy,
G. whereas New Jersey is the first US State to have abolished capital punishment by legislation since the reintroduction of the death penalty in the United States in 1972, citing the inescapable risk of executing those wrongfully convicted,
1. Calls upon those countries where the death penalty is imposed to take the necessary steps towards its abolition;
2. Asks that Troy Davis' death sentence be commuted and, in view of the abundant evidence which might lead to such commutation, for the relevant courts to grant him a retrial;
3. Appeals urgently to the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles to commute Troy Davis' death sentence;
4. Calls on the Presidency of the Council and the Delegation of the Commission to the United States to raise the issue as a matter of urgency with the US authorities;
5. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Government of the United States, the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles, and the Attorney General of Georgia.

Posted by joshuacase at 09:34 PM | Comments (6)

September 14, 2008

Bon Dimanche: Obama vs. Last 8 Years of Republican action

A few facts:

CNNMoney.com
Unemployment rate hits 5-year high of 6.1%
Wednesday September 10, 2007
By Chris Isidore, senior writer

The unemployment rate soared to a nearly five-year high in August as employers trimmed jobs for the eighth straight month, the government reported Friday.

The unemployment rate rose to 6.1%, the highest level since September 2003. That's up from 5.7% in July and 4.7% a year ago.

The U.S. economy has lost 605,000 jobs so far this year.

Retailers trimmed 20,000 jobs despite the back-to-school shopping season, which for many stores is typically second in sales only to the holiday period.

Manufacturing lost 61,000 jobs, while construction employment fell by 8,000.

Confidence could also be hurt by another report Friday from the Mortgage Bankers Association showing a rec ord 1.2 million home foreclosures during the second quarter.

And recent filings for initial jobless benefits by the newly unemployed is now running at more than 400,000 a week, a level typically associated with a recession.

--------------------------------------------

Cost of the Iraq war

Source: The Brookings Institution's Iraq Index, and mainstream media sources. Data is presented as of September 3, 2008.

Spent & Approved War-Spending - About $600 billion of US taxpayers' funds. In June 2008.

President Bush signed a bill approving about 200 billion more for 2008, which brings the cumulative total to close to $800 billion.

U.S. Monthly Spending in Iraq - $12 billion in 2008
---------------------------------

The lack of infrastructure investment in America's bridges, roads, and levee systems. As billions of dollars have been spent on the unnecessary war in Ira q.

The June 2008 Midwestern United States floods

After months of heavy precipitation a number of rivers overflowed their banks for several weeks at a time and broke through levees at numerous locations. Flooding continued into July. States affected by the flooding included Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin.

This all while billions have been spent on the war in Iraq.

The flood left thirteen dead and damage region-wide was estimated to be in the $10s of billions.

---------------------------------

Hurricane Katrina Failure
FEMA and US Federal response

The federal flood protection system in New Orleans failed at more than 50 spots. Nearly every levee in metro New Orleans was breached as Hurricane Katrina passed just east of the city limits. Eventually 80% of the city became flooded.

Investigations were launched into response of the federal, state and local governments, resulting in the resignation of the Republican Federal Emergency Management Agency director Michael D. Brown.

---------------------------------

The federal takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac was jointly announced on September 7, 2008, by the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and the director of the recently-established Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA).

The combined GSE losses of $14.9 billion and market concerns about their ability to raise capital and debt threatened to disrupt the U.S. housing financial market. The Treasury committed to invest as much as $200 billion in preferred stock and extend credit through 2009 to keep the GSEs solvent and operating. The two GSE have outstanding more than US$ 5 trillion in mortgage backed securities (MBS) and debt; the debt portion alone is $1.6 trillion.

Missing - $1 billion in tractor trailers, tank recovery vehicles, machine guns, rocket-propelled grena des and other equipment and services provided to the Iraqi security forces. (Per CBS News on Dec 6, 2007.)

Halliburton Overcharges Classified by the Pentagon as Unreasonable and Unsupported - $1.4 billion

Portion of the $20 billion paid to KBR that Pentagon auditors deem "questionable or supportable" - $3.2 billion

Journalists killed - 132, 88 by murder and 44 by acts of war

Journalists killed by US Forces - 14

Iraqi Police and Soldiers Killed - 8,593

Iraqi Insurgents Killed, Roughly Estimated - 55,000

Non-Iraqi Contractors and Civilian Workers Killed - 554

---------------------------------

Unemployment among women rising sharply
Job losses in August echo 2001 recession, and one-month spike is the worst in 33 years.

By Tony Pugh
McClatchy Newspapers

Saturday, Sep. 13, 2008

A sharp monthly rise in unemployment for women could be a sign that the economic slowdown has begun to h it working women with a force not seen since the 2001 recession.

When the unemployment rate for women jumped to 5.3percent in August from 4.6percent in July, it was the largest one-month spike in the jobless rate for women in more than 33 years.

Black women were hit even harder, as their unemployment rate leapt 21 percent, to 9.1 percent in August from 7.5 percent in July.

Among single mothers and women with families, unemployment climbed to 9.6 percent in August - the highest level in 15 years.

If the economic slump continues to echo the 2001 recession, the effect on working women will only worsen, according to a recent report by the Joint Economic Committee, a panel that includes Democratic and Republican members of Congress and studies U.S. economic issues.

About 43 percent of all working women earn half or more of their family's income.

During recessions prior to 2001, stay-at-home moms and other women family members would often get jobs when men were laid off. But as more women entered the work force - and into male-dominated industries such as manufacturing - they became much more vulnerable to layoffs, wage cuts and other vagaries of economic downturns.

---------------------------------

Government, Wall Street race to try to save Lehman Brothers

Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. founded in 1850, was a diversified, global financial-services firm. Until its collapse on September 13, 2008. At one time it was the country's 4th-largest investment bank, behind Salomon Brothers, Goldman Sachs and First Boston

By JEANNINE AVERSA and JOE BEL BRUNO
Associated Press Writers

NEW YORK - The field of possible buyers for Lehman Brothers narrowed Saturday, but the parties involved in the discussions over the wounded investment bank's future were at loggerheads over how to finance the rescue.

An investment banking official said Bank of America Corp. and B ritain's Barclays Plc have emerged as the front runners for Lehman Brothers after a possible cash injection from its rival Wall Street banks and brokerages.

Top officials from the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department and executives from several Wall Street banks met at the New York Fed's downtown Manhattan headquarters Saturday for the second day in a row try to hash out a deal to rescue Lehman Brothers.

The financial world was watching. Failure could prompt skittish investors to unload shares of financial companies, a contagion that might affect stock markets at home and abroad when they reopen Monday.

----------

In August 2007, the firm closed its subprime lender, BNC Mortgage, eliminating 1,200 positions, in 23 locations and took an after-tax charge of $25 million and a $27-million reduction in goodwill.

In 2008, Lehman faced an unprecedented loss to the continuing subprime mortgage crisis. Lehman's loss was apparently a result o f having held on to large positions in subprime and other lower-rated mortgage tranches.

On September 10, 2008, Lehman announced a loss of $3.9 billion.

Gas prices since the Republicans have been in The White House

George W. Bush assumed office January 20, 2001.

January 22, 2001
Gas prices up nearly 4 cents a gallon

CNN -The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline rose 3.84 cents to $1.45 over the past two weeks, ending an 11-week downward trend.

Here are average prices for a gallon of self-serve regular in a few U.S. cities:
Denver: $1.40
Los Angeles: $1.48
St. Louis: $1.48
Boston: $1.56

Pre Katrina avg. gas price $2.60 per gallon 2005
Pre Gustav avg. gas price $3.66 per gallon 2008

Retail regular grade gasoline prices moved up from about $2.12 per gallon at the beginning of June 2005 to $2.33 on July 11, 2005.

Gasoline prices climbed to a new high, above $2.60 per gallon Monday August 22, 2005. The nationwide average price for a gallon of regular unleaded hit $2.614, up from $2.601 Friday, August 19, 2005.

Gas prices rise as Ike hits Texas
The average price of gas surged nearly 6 cents nationwide as Hurricane Ike hits Gulf Coast and analysts fear more increases

Gas prices rose for the fourth straight day as Hurricane Ike slammed the Texas Gulf Coast early Saturday morning.

According to a nationwide survey released by the motorist group AAA Saturday, the average price of regular unleaded gasoline edged up 5.8 cents to $3.73 a gallon, from $3.675 a day earlier.

Far from Ike's path, an aftershock is felt: $5 gas

By JOHN PORRETTO and MARK WILLIAMS
Associated Press Business Writers
Saturday, Sep. 13, 2008

The price of regular gasoline soared as high as $4.99 a gallon in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, up from $3.66 a day earlier.

In Florida, the attorney general's office reported prices as high as $5.50 a gallon in Tallahassee and said it had received 186 gouging complaints.

Prices in California on Saturday ranged from $3.49 to $4.39 per gallon. In the eastern suburbs of Cleveland, gasoline jumped from $3.55 early in the week to $3.79. Regular gasoline at Chicago-area stations averaged $4.12 a gallon.

Gas prices nationwide rose an average of nearly 6 cents a gallon to $3.733, according to auto club AAA, the Oil Price Information Service and Wright Express. Overnight changes in the national average for gas are usually measured by tenths of a cent.

The subprime mortgage crisis

Major banks and other financial institutions around the world have reported losses of approximately U.S. $435 billion as of 17 July 2008.

During 2007, nearly 1.3 million properties were subject to 2.2 million foreclosure filings, up 79% and 75% respectively versus 2006.

The estimated value of subprime adjustable-rate mortgages (ARM) resetting at higher interest rates is U.S. $400 billion for 2007 and $500 billion for 2008. Reset activity is expected to increase to a monthly peak in March 2008 of nearly $100 billion, before declining.

-------------------------------

July 15, 2008
US News & Word Report

With an estimated $32 billion in assets, IndyMac Bank of Pasadena, Calif., which federal regulators seized Friday, is poised to become the 3rd-largest bank failure in American history

Troubled US bank list grows to 117: regulator

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The number of US banks on a "problem list" grew to 117 in the second quarter from 90 in the first three months of the year, the banking industry regulator said.

The list of troubled banks is now the largest since mid-2003, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, which insures bank deposits and can take over insolvent banks.

Total assets of problem institutions increased to 78 billion dollars by June 30 from 26 billion in the first quarter, according to the FDIC, which noted that 32 billion of that total came from California-based IndyMac Bank, taken over by the regulator in July.

The FDIC said profits for its 8,400 member banks plunged 86.5 percent in the second quarter compared with a year ago to 5.0 billion dollars.

-------------------------

Also, wouldn't be funny if this was a real photo? Great photoshopped image!

bon dimanche-
jc

Posted by joshuacase at 09:58 AM | Comments (0)

September 05, 2008

In light of the Sarah Palin stuff..

We in the US have been experiencing a media flurry about the selection, the conventions, and the biased-both-ways coverage of Sarah Palin. In all of my watching of this, I think Jon has summed it up the best. But even I am a little biased. Thanks BM for the link.

just for fun....
jc

Posted by joshuacase at 10:47 PM | Comments (0)

September 04, 2008

A different view of the World: Politics from Abroad

Here is an article originally from the FT. I have to be honest, as one who just returned from Europe, last night's speech by Sarah Palin was a reminder of what I had not missed about living in the US. There is just something about that posture of politics that makes me ask the question, "Did she really just say that?"

Now, I am far from trying to be unfair here. But for a party that most consistently is representative of the Christian right, I finding a great disconnect in the language they use, and the beliefs they profess. The economics they suppose, and the mission they support.

This is a very tricky political season for me. And as I said to a professor today, if Obama doesn't win, as one who has called a new generation to involvement in the political process, there will be a new generation exiled within the political systems of America. That my friends would be really really tragic.

Long story short, here is the article from FT. I hope it gives a little perspective of those outside looking on American politics. Politics which do effect others outside of ourselves. Whether we want to think it does or not.

Palin fascinates European media

Sarah Palin, the Republican vice-presidential nominee, grabbed European headlines on Thursday with the focus either on her ideology or her gender.

“The Republicans hope to have found their Obama,” opined Le Monde, the left-of-centre French daily, following the mother of five’s rousing speech to the Republican convention on Wednesday. In Germany, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung greeted ”the rage from Wasilla [her home town]” as a woman who presented ”herself as a pugnacious and self-confident politician”.

The French media provided full coverage of the pregnancy of her teenage daughter (treatment they would be reluctant to apply to their own political figures) and have joined the debate as to whether adding her name to the presidential ticket is reckless folly or a tactical masterstroke on the part of John McCain.

But what intrigues the French is not so much her good looks or her achievements as a working mother. France has plenty of glamorous female politicians, many of them with large families. What intrigues the secular and still left-leaning French is how the choice of Ms Palin, an anti-abortion, creationist Christian, has pushed the candidacy of Mr McCain to the right and transformed the US presidential contest into a battle of values rather than policies. “The choice of Ms Palin turned the centrist John McCain into the ”heir to Bush”, Le Monde said in an editorial.

Writing in the conservative Le Figaro, Nicole Bacharan, a French historian, said the arrival of Ms Palin would ”trigger the eruption of moral intolerance in the campaign”.

Sarah ‘Barracuda’ Palin, the fanatic of the heartlands of America,” screamed Le Point magazine’s website. The weekly described her speech to the Republican Convention “as a declaration of war [on the] Democrats as well as on the media and elites who dare to raise doubts about her ability to serve as vice-president of the United States”.

It also quoted a US army veteran, Bill Coll, as raising parallels with a French female hero. “The great leaders sometimes come from the countryside, from the most remote spots. Remember Joan of Arc! Sarah could be our modern Joan of Arc”.

Closer to the US, in Canada, French-speaking media were more hostile. “To paraphrase Martin Luther King, today we could say: “I had a nightmare,” wrote Lysiane Gagnon, of La Presse, a French speaking daily newspaper of Montreal. ”Worst is that this nightmare seems realistic, taking into account the age and the health of John McCain.”

She condemned John McCain, anointed as the Republican presidential candidate on Wednesday, for “being ready to give the vice presidency to an uncultured woman with archaic convictions, without any serious political experience, only to rally the fundamentalists. This is no longer impetuousness, but madness”.

In Britain, more attention was paid to Ms Palin’s success in combining career and family. “Almost overnight, Sarah Palin replaced Hillary Clinton as the screen on which we project our doubts and hopes about women and success,” wrote Nancy Gibbs, in the Times. ”In noisy public forums, everyone seemed suddenly certain of beliefs they used to reject: of course a woman can manage five kids and the vice leadership of the free world, said conservative defenders previously known for asserting a woman’s need to submit to her husband.”

“Sarah Palin is the image of a certain superheroine, but don’t expect John McCain’s running mate to fight for female rights” claimed Joyce McMillan on the Scotsman. “It is the age of Sarah Palin, the Wonder Woman who … puts her formidable power at the disposal of the male leader, to use as he sees fit.”

With every hope for all our futures...regardless of political inspiration or nationality...
joshua c

ps.
Education is only one of the civil rights issues of our age Mr. McCain. There are many others, most of which you don't see as civil rights!

Posted by joshuacase at 10:14 PM | Comments (0)

September 03, 2008

The becoming of something new!

Like Jason Clark and Mike Clawson, I am excited about the new season that is upon me. For the first time in quite some time, I have stepped back into an official classroom. While it has been quite a cross-cultural experience moving back to the US, stepping back into the classroom has been another experience all together. Yet, it has been thrilling as well.

So, in light of my excitement about the new season and all the books (some good and some daunting) I'm going to get to read, I want to share some of the stuff on my reading lists. Or, as Jase alluded to them, a few of my traveling companions for the next few months:

J. Collins, Introduction to the Hebrew Bible. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2004.

John B. Cobb Jr. Postmodernism and Public Policy: Reframing Religion, Culture, Education, Sexuality, Class, Race, Politics, and the Economy. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2002.

Alfred N. Whitehead. Process Theology and Reality: An Essay in Cosmology, eds. David R. Griffin and Donald Sherburne. New York: Free Press, 1978.

Catherine Keller. On the Mystery: Discerning God in the Process. Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 2008.

Also, a couple of new magazine subscriptions I am enjoying these days are: The Economist and Fast Company. Both great sources of information for me.

Finally, I wanted to share with you a poem we read together as our "opening ritual" in my Process-Relational Theology class taught by Dr. Mary Elizabeth Moore. It's already been a great course, and we've only met once;) It was written my Dr. Moore, so I quote it here as hers:

Meditating on New Beginnings

I do not know who I am today
I am traveling fast and do not know the way;
I don't know the buildings and everyday stuff,
Nor what is important and what is fluff;
But I know I am venturing with the hand of grace,
I will be a new person in this new place.

I have entered a strange and familiar land
With hopes of new beginnings written in the sand,
But I find no sand at all-only Georgia clay;
I carve my hopes on the clay today.

In time, my hopes will bake into the earth-
Indelible marks on this land of joy and mirth;
My hopes will sink deeply into the soil
Seeking encouragement for their toil.

My hopes are stronger, bolder than I could dream;
They push the old wine skins, bursting the seams;
They grow through the cracks of old hopes grown dim,
They send fresh shoots, bright green and thin.
They carry the promise of friendships abounding-
Shared visions that soar,
shared lives that are grounding.
In the midst of a life that is strangely askew,
I still love the old and embrace the new.
Both travel with me as I follow new visions,
Built on the old ones and begging revision.

My lifelong yearning is to make a contribution
To the love that can grow in the midst of dissolution-
In a sea of hurt, to find beauty and life,
In a sea of possibility, to swim toward the light,
To make a small contribution to the repair of the world-
Feeding seeds of life as the seek to unfurl-
Seeds sending roots toward just peace and harmony,
Seeds dwelling in soils of tragedy and comedy,
Seeds reaching their tendrils to the margins and the center
With hopes of inclusive community rendered,
Seeds sending shoots through horrors and sadness,
Crying out and scorning all that is madness,
Seeking a way beyond violence or depression,
A way that leads to reconciliation-
Reconciliation with people and the earth,
Reconciliation with God who gives new birth.
On this day of new beginnings, may it so be! Amen.

-------------

have a great new beginning today..it is different than before...
joshua c

Posted by joshuacase at 10:10 PM | Comments (2)

August 09, 2008

About Barack Obama

So I noticed it had been a while since I wrote anything really about Barack, so I thought I would put out a few comments from others about the Senator that I've come across.

Here you go:
"He walks into a room and you want to follow him somewhere, anywhere." - George Clooney (who by the way is going to speaking at a dinner in Geneva in support of Obama in just a few weeks)

"I'll do whatever he says to do…I'll collect paper cups off the ground to make his pathway clear." - Halle Berry

"Everything's going to be affected by this seismic change in the universe.” - Spike Lee

"This is not a campaign for president of the United States, this is a movement to change the world." - Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-MD)

“I have thrown myself into a new world—one in which fluffy chatter and frivolous praise are replaced by a get-to-the-point directness and disciple-like devotion…Then, in a moment of divine intervention, he saw me…grabbed my hand, and gave that brilliant smile of his. I literally said out loud to the woman next to me who witnessed my good fate, ‘I’ll never wash this hand again’." - Samantha Fennell, who left her pretty hefty job at Elle Magazine to work for the campaign!

“Politics doesn't even begin to describe it. A visit to an Obama rally is a pilgrimage.” - David Wright, ABC News

“…followers willing to wait for hours on end to hear him speak have been crowding out huge concert halls and sports arenas to get a glimpse of their new progressive avatar and drive long distances to obtain the Obama darshan or to simply be in his presence…Many even see in Obama a messiah-like figure, a great soul, and some affectionately call him Mahatma Obama. - Dinesh Sharma, Harvard PhD

“Many spiritually advanced people I know identify Obama as a Lightworker, that rare kind of attuned being who has the ability to lead us not merely to new foreign policies or health care plans or whatnot, but who can actually help usher in a new way of being on the planet, of relating and connecting and engaging with this bizarre earthly experiment. These kinds of people actually help us evolve.” - Mark Mortford, San Francisco Chronicle

Yeah, I know, almost makes me want to tear up all over again. But no, not yet. The road is long, and far from over!

Hopeful...
joshuacase for Obama

Posted by joshuacase at 06:41 PM | Comments (1)

So glad Bush is in Beijing!!!

If you are not laughing, you should be! Maybe horrified is the real emotion. See the story here.

All joking aside, I was a bit sad to see this story about John Edwards. I guess that really takes him out of contention for places in Barack's cabinet!

I am however even more concerned about the Chinese rights activist Zeng Jinyan who has disappeared in the wake of the Olympic games! There are several places out there with facts and theories about Zeng Jinyan, so if you are interested you can check them out. But tragic story directly links to my concerns posted on the opening day of ceremonies!

Enjoy the Olympics, but remember those who have been (are being) silenced!
joshua

Posted by joshuacase at 09:05 AM | Comments (0)

August 08, 2008

The Olympics begin...so what now?

Before coming to the USA, I was around much more talk about the Olympics. Only the talk was mostly around who was boycotting and who wasn't. While much of the talk around here is about how the US will dominate various sports (see 'redeem team' basketball and swimming), and many of advertisements have the voices of the greats (aka Morgan Freeman), I am still confused about the humanitarian and ethical issues surrounding the Olympics in Bejing! Much of this was highlighted by Bush being booed at the opening ceremonies.

Here are a few of my concerns:
1. Olympic Lawmaking: The Beijing municipal authority has declared that more than 70 local laws and decrees would be made before the 2008 Summer Olympics which would banish local people who don't have hukou (residency permits) of Beijing. It would also banish vagrants, beggars, and people with mental
illness from the city. The Geneva-based group, Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions has claimed that 1.5 million Beijing residents will be displaced from their homes for the Olympics event. Beijing's
Olympic organizing committee and China's Foreign Ministry have put the number at 6,037.

2. Tibetan Independence: Groups, such as Students for a Free Tibet, have initiated a campaign to protest the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics. Hollywood actor Richard Gere, in his position as the chairman of the International Campaign for Tibet, called for the boycott of the games to put pressure on China to make Tibet independent. There has also been plans by Tibetans to organise their own version of the Olympics in May at the headquarters of Tibetan government-in-exile, because Tibet doesn't get representation.

3.Violence in Darfur: Activists working to address the ongoing violence in Darfur, Sudan, have called for pressure to be exerted on China because of their financial and diplomatic support for Omar al-Bashir, who is responsible for the Sudanese government's proxy militias. Some have begun to refer to the Beijing Olympics as the "Genocide Olympics" as noted in The China Post as a way of connecting Beijing's close political and economic ties to the Sudanese regime. The Chinese government, in turn, has criticised
the activists for "politicising" the Olympics and outlined its plans to help the Sudanese economy.

4. Environmental concerns: Concern has been raised over the air quality of Beijing and its potential effect on the athletes. Although the Beijing Municipal Government, in its bid file in 2001, committed to lowering air pollution, increasing environmental protection, and introducing environmental technology, research data shows that even if the city were to dramatically cut down its emissions, pollution would still drift over the neighboring provinces,[ At current levels, air pollution is at least 2 to 3 times higher than levels
deemed safe by the World Health Organization.] Some countries have set up offshore training camps in Japan or South Korea to avoid the pollution.

5. Discrimination: The new toilet facilities built in the Beijing stadiums can no longer be used by regular Chinese citizens living or working in the area. Concerns have been raised by Communist party officials that the hygiene issues of local citizens would affect the Beijing Olympic image. There is now a penalty of 100 to 500 Yuan imposed on any Chinese locals caught using the bathrooms.

All in all, Laura and I don't have cable so we are not supporting the Olympics with our watching, but I will check up on stuff online. If we get cable before its over, we will probably watch as it is the national committee who is penalized by lack of national support, not the Chinese government. I do not believe, as some, that this is the Olympics the West has longed for. While I do know of people traveling there on "missions trips" and of people hoping for the financial partnerships the Olympics will bring, I myself am less than hopeful that the real answer is that America, or any of the nations in the West, will really benefit from this venture in sporting history.

Thanks for hanging out this long if you have! Are you boycotting?

jc

Posted by joshuacase at 08:43 PM | Comments (1)

August 07, 2008

The New Conspirators & Tom Sine

Today I did a podcast interview for an upcoming release on the Nick & Josh Podcast. I am continuing my duties with the fellas even as the transition continues. And to be honest, I love the gig as much as anything!

Today I had the privilege of talking to Tom Sine of Mustard Seed Associates and The New Conspirators (US-web). Over the course of about 3 hours, Tom and I got to talk several times while both trying to connect with the other. Just when it seemed as though all hope was lost, hope prevailed and the interview happened. No Barack Obama didn't jump in a save the planet, but it sure felt like it;) Tom really is a great guy.

I just wanted to put out the info that this podcast is coming soon. As much as anything, I urge you like Andrew Jones, 'If you cant make the conference, at least buy the book.'

Kester also has pretty impressive plug on the book. He writes, 'When the great book of life is opened, some would see it that it’ll be the stellar Christians like McLaren, Baker, Rollins and Wallis who should get all the plaudits. I wouldn’t want to take anything away from any of them, but quietly, ‘one mustard seed at a time’ Tom has been actually inspiring people to do the stuff. It’s a quiet, background role, perhaps, but I think if you could trace the significance of his words and actions through all the things that have happened because of them, you’d have quite an amazing list. Vaux certainly owes him its existence in many ways.'

So yeah, it was an honor to speak to Tom. And watch out, there will be another postcast after this one on life in community during major economic recession...with Tom. Yeah, the man has some great ideas for emerging, missional, mosaic, and monastic community in the global era.

Wait for interview...but check out the book!
joshua c

Posted by joshuacase at 08:49 PM | Comments (0)

June 07, 2008

Thank You Jon Stewart!

Well, while I have not been able to watch Jon Stewart regularly since moving to Europe, his freshness and honesty have always been welcomed!

If you have been following this campaign stuff for as long as I have, this video shines a light on how in the beginning, it was all 'Hillary has this nomination all locked up'. The broadcasters couldn't have been more wrong!

joshua case for Obama!

ps.
and the stuff about McCain...exactly my point!

Posted by joshuacase at 10:25 AM | Comments (0)

June 04, 2008

Let us begin!! Let us unite!!

(just a taste of the speech. but it is worth listening to)

As everyone should have seen by now, Obama has clinched the nomination for President from the Democratic party. This means that he will becoming the first African American to receive the backing of a major party in American history.

I am a bit hesitant to blog too much right now; especially in light of Hillary Clinton's comments about Bobby Kennedy being killed in June, and her unwillingness to concede defeat. I am also a bit hesitant to blog too much about speculations on the running mate. However, one thing is clear, Hillary would love to be the running mate. But can he trust her?

However, I am proud. Proud that I've been able to watch as Americans have taken some pretty bold steps to unite behind a vision that can bring real change to the country and to the image of America abroad. As much as anything, I think Obama's nomination is an exciting thing to be returning to America for. Because of Obama, many people are saying that Georgia (where I'll live) which has voted traditionally Republican, is now a swing state and could back Obama. Let us see!

And finally, not for the last time, here is 'Yes, We Can!'

joshua case for obama

Posted by joshuacase at 09:12 AM | Comments (0)

May 20, 2008

Obama sets record in Portland

Obama recently set a record in Portland, Oregon USA while speaking to 75'000 people!! Read the rest of the story here.

Also, in case you wondered what today could mean for the Obama campaign, and the never-ending bid for the democratic nomination, David Plouffe writes:

We're poised to reach a major milestone tomorrow. When the votes are counted in Oregon and Kentucky, we could secure a majority of delegates elected by the voters.

A clear majority of elected delegates will send an unmistakable message -- the people have spoken, and they are ready for change.

As we near victory in one contest, the next challenge is already heating up. President Bush and Senator McCain have begun coordinating their attacks on Barack Obama in an effort to extend their failed policies for a third term.

Last week, President Bush used a speech before the Israeli parliament to launch an unprecedented partisan attack. Senator McCain echoed his divisive misrepresentation of Barack's foreign policy vision, engaging in the same fear-mongering and distortion.

We're just 16 pledged delegates away from reaching an absolute majority.

Be sure to tune in tomorrow night to see Barack's speech.

Thank you,

David

David Plouffe
Campaign Manager
Obama for America

joshuacase for obama

Posted by joshuacase at 08:10 AM | Comments (0)

May 14, 2008

More Obama

Well, as predicted, Obama didn't win West Virginia, and he will not win Kentucky either. At least not this time around;)

In case you missed his speech last week after the North Carolina primary victory, I suggest you watch this one. Again, another one of the good ones that he will be remembered for. Rhetoric and vision, passion and inclusion that I am sure will return in the campaigns to come!

joshua case for Obama.

Posted by joshuacase at 08:44 AM | Comments (0)

April 23, 2008

The day after...

As expected, Hillary pulled off the win last night. But this concession speech by Barack still inspires and still says to the country and to those who want change, there is hope!

on to indiana and north carolina in two weeks time!!
jc

Posted by joshuacase at 11:07 AM | Comments (0)

March 30, 2008

Children of Men...again!

(Trailer)

Last night I watched the movie Children of Men again. Every time I watch it, something new comes to me about the film and about the way the movie speaks so graphically with wisdom about the folly and tragedy of our age.

One of the things which I discovered on the DVD after this watch however, was a short film done by director Alfonso Cuarón entitled "The Possibility of Hope". It was hidden with the extras. In it he has numerous philosophers, scientists and futurists giving commentary on the film. One of the most notable voices, at least to me, was Slavoj Zizek. Throughout the years, my friend Peter Rollins and others over at the church and postmodern culture have engaged with Zizek's teaching and thoughts. So for me, it was a fun find.

Below is part one. There are two more parts online: Part Two, Part Three.

I have also blogged about Children of Men here and here.

To quote Zizek from part three, "The magic is to turn a desperate situation into a new beginning."

have hope?
joshua

Posted by joshuacase at 12:16 PM | Comments (0)

March 26, 2008

Barack Obama: Towards a More Perfect Union

There is no secret. I am a Barack Obama fan. Here is one of the best speeches he has given yet. Maybe second best to the Yes, We Can! speech.

enjoy...
joshua case for obama

Posted by joshuacase at 07:07 AM | Comments (1)

February 27, 2008

No End In Sight: An Event for Barack Obama

In the next couple of months (time to be determined but most likely April 27) Geneva for Obama is going to be hosting a fund-raising event where we show the movie No End in Sight. If you haven't heard of or seen this film, make sure to watch the above trailer and check out the website.

If you are interested in participating, please let me, or Karen know. Also, regardless of whether or not you like Obama, Hilary, or McCain, make sure you are registered to vote. If you live abroad and want to register for the upcoming elections, visit this site.

Remember, 'YES, WE CAN!'.

peace...
jc

Posted by joshuacase at 09:40 AM | Comments (0)

February 21, 2008

In Case You Missed It: Make That 11 for Obama!

Barack Obama has won the international primary!! In Geneva, according to Democrats abroad, he won something like 78%-22%. Overall in the global primary he won 65%-32% for Clinton.

Here is a longer piece on it.

Make That 11 for Obama
By BRIAN KNOWLTON

WASHINGTON — Senator Barack Obama won his 11th straight nominating contest on Thursday, carrying the Democrats Abroad global primary by a 2-to-1 margin over Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and prevailing among American expatriates in every region of the world.

The results represented thousands of ballots submitted from Americans in 164 countries and territories from Feb. 5 to 12.

The overseas Democrats were allocating a small number of delegates – 4.5 — on Thursday, under a proportional system that allotted 2.5 to Obama and 2 to Clinton. A further 2.5 will be determined at a Democrats Abroad convention on April 12 in Vancouver, Canada. The group also holds 4 superdelegate votes, for a total of 11 votes at the national convention in late August in Denver.

But in a close contest, Democrats Abroad said they felt particularly engaged.

Democrats Abroad for the first time allowed votes to be cast online, though others were cast by mail, fax or in person, and they came in “from Antarctica to Zambia – from A to Z,” said Christine Schon Marques, the group’s international chair, in a phone interview from Geneva. “Many people overseas are very concerned about the war in Iraq; they’re looking for change.”

One of the Antarctica voters was Adam Lutchansky, a 26-year-old Alaska native who just finished a six-month stint working in the power plant at McMurdo Station and voted via the Internet.

“We only get mail service six months out of the year and it takes about a month for a letter to make a round trip to the U.S.,” he said by e-mail message, “but even here in Antarctica we have a dependable Internet connection. It was great to finally see a political body get onboard with the security and flexibility of the Internet.”

By way of comparison, Mr. Obama’s global 66-to-33 percent lead over Mrs. Clinton was nearly identical to the edge he recorded in states like Minnesota, or his home state of Illinois.

Mr. Obama won by strong majorities in every region and nearly every country. The senator, who was born in Hawaii, did particularly well in the Asia-Pacific region, winning 79 percent of the vote in Japan and 76 percent in Indonesia, where he lived as a youth. He also did well in Europe, carrying more than 70 percent of the vote in France and Switzerland.

Mrs. Clinton won in Israel, the Dominican Republic and the Philippines. Her best regional showing was in the Americas, with 44 percent of the vote.

Republicans do not hold a global primary. They cast votes directly in their home districts, as overseas Democrats also have the option of doing."

G-O-BAMA!
jc

Posted by joshuacase at 09:59 PM

February 09, 2008

Bono, Brian McLaren and the Archbishop of Canterbury

Recently at the God Politics Blog, Brian McLaren posted some thoughts on his time at Davos in conversation with a few Muslim friends. While the thoughts are quite refreshing and the kind I have come to respect and admire from Brian, they strike me as deeply curious today as the Archbishop's thoughts on Sharia law in the UK seem to have created such a fuss. He is quite frankly be accused of everything by the lawyers, clergy, politicians, and by the the media. But the man is, more than just rambling here...he is protestifying to a greater reality with even bigger questions about who God is and where God comes into politics within the diversified unity of nations.

Now, I am no Englishman (Sting's song in my head), but I really can not get what all the fuss is about. As one of the Spiritual leaders in the kingdom, he is merely reflecting back 'facts' to a country about itself and, quite possibly, about 'how' it can continue to exist as a whole nation, under God or, maybe even a different reality, under Gods. Though he doesn't say this, it seems to be implied not merely by his role in the life of the Church and the nation, but by his mystical understanding of Christian unity.

I feel like these conversations are just the beginning of what is going to prove to be a long debate among countries where there have been long held religious and cultural values, which begin to need to flex or die. As a mystic, I feel that Rowan is trying to lead the way on a discussion that has sensitivities which are beyond the body politik and which, as a spiritual leader, he understands. For this, it feels he is very much on the leading edge of the dialogue. Maybe, almost shockingly so, the church is there for the first time in a while?

I hate to say it, but in many ways, I fear that this is the same reason why Brian and others get such criticism. Why? Because they too are asking questions as spiritual leaders who professionally have thought about certain issues in certain ways that others might not have. With Brian and others, of course, the even greater challenge lay in the realities of the landscape of America's existing democracy. Not to mention the fact that most Americans, probably more than admit it, have some sense of fear about anyone who is Muslim because of the way in which the media has been used for the last 8 years to portray them. A portrayal which has unfortunately been reinforced by a politic and policy.

And Bono, what of him? Where does he come into this equation or conversation? One word: COEXIST.

Now what we should not hear in the words of the Archbishop are we need to all become a weird a-typical sort of religious body which is neither Christian nor Muslim. But, what Bono and other continually call us to, is to asking the question of how in a multi-religious society, we must be able to live and habitate together. Not as inferior or greaters, but as equals. This is the essence of coexistence. We hold in tension not merely our disagreements, but the autonomy of our similarities.

There are lots of others who have thoughts on this discussion now. But just you wait. The discussion is really, only beginning.

i am an alien...
joshua

Posted by joshuacase at 11:09 PM | Comments (0)

February 06, 2008

Super Tuesday continues!

Well, the vote counting is not over yet, but one thing is for certain, I am very proud of a couple of Southern States in concern to my candidate. Ala-Obama, and Ge-Obama did well!

Here are the results:
Alabama:

and, Georgia:

And in case you missed it, check out this video of Obama preaching/speaking/visioneering at the former church of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It is about 34 minutes long, but it is good.

stay engaged!
joshua

Posted by joshuacase at 08:49 AM | Comments (0)

February 04, 2008

YES, WE CAN!!!!

Tony Jones and Lammert Vrieling have made my week. HTs boys! HTs!

vote 'yes, we can' to the new american dream!!!!
joshua

Posted by joshuacase at 12:38 AM | Comments (2)

January 30, 2008

Carter (and Mike Todd) Wouldn't Lie!!

WASHINGTON (CNN) — One former president has long assumed a very outspoken role in the presidential race. Now another is speaking up.

Jimmy Carter says he's not formally endorsing any candidate, but in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, the former president lavished praise on Barack Obama, calling his campaign "extraordinary"

"Obama's campaign has been extraordinary and titillating for me and my family," Carter told the newspaper in an interview published in its Wednesday edition. According to the paper, Carter was particularly praiseworthy of the Illinois senator's rhetorical skills, comparing them to those of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Carter also said Obama "will be almost automatically a healing factor in the animosity now that exists, that relates to our country and its government."

Carter, a onetime governor of Georgia and one of only two Democrats to win the White House in the last forty years, also said he thinks Obama's candidacy could put several southern states in play in a general election match up.

Carter also commented on the recent criticism surrounding Bill Clinton, following that former president's comments on the campaign trail that some have viewed as racially divisive. Carter said Clinton personally called him to explain the remarks.

"He doesn't call me often, but the fact that he called me this morning and spent a long time explaining his position indicates that it's troublesome to them, the adverse reaction," he said.

"I told him I hoped it would die down. — the charged atmosphere concerning the race issue," Carter continued. "And I think it will."

And Mike Todd wouldn't either!!!

vote for change!!
jc

Posted by joshuacase at 10:38 PM | Comments (6)

January 20, 2008

Greg Boyd on Huckabee and Jesus for President?

Greg Boyd blogs:

"Well, you may have already heard about it. Huckabee publicly proclaimed that we need to amend the constitution to bring it into conformity with "God's standards."

You can check out the minute and a half clip HERE.

Man, is he going after the evangelical vote, or what?!

Now, I can't help but wonder what this sincere man means when he says he wants to "amend the constitution to fit God's standards." Of course, he probably means he wants to outlaw gay marriage, since the Bible teaches that marriage is between a man and a woman. But if we're going to make our constitution fit "God's standards," as reflected in the Bible, why stop there?

Marriage throughout most of the book of "God's standards" allowed for polygamy and even concubines. If the Bible is to be our standard for marriage in America, perhaps our constitution should be amended to reflect its comprehensive view of marriage.

So too, the Bible allows for (and even occasionally commands) slavery, as the good old pre-abolition Christian South was eager to point out to the liberal secularists in the North. Would Huckabee have us amend our constitution to fit this aspect of the book of "God's standards"? Why not? If our goal is to conform to "God's standards," why be selective?

How about the way women are treated as property throughout much of the Bible? And let's not forget the pervasive "holy wars" we find in the Old Testament. If we want a constitution that truly reflects "God's standards," why not incorporate these as well?

And of course, the Bible knows absolutely nothing of any "inalienable right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness." This comes out of John Locke, not the Bible. So maybe these pagan concepts should be jettisoned if we're going to seek to have a constitution that conforms to "God's standards."

Then again, for Christians "God's standards" are centered on Jesus Christ and the New Testament. Since Huckabee is appealing to Christian voters, and apparently wants to promote a "Christian America," why shouldn't he center his constitution amending policy on this central aspect of the book of "God's standards"?

Now that would be interesting.

Can you imagine if it was in the U.S. constitution that whenever we as individuals or as a nation were attacked, we by law would have to turn the other cheek, love our enemies, bless our assailants, do good to our persecutors, refuse to retaliate, offer them whatever they ask (expecting nothing in return), offer to feed them, clothe them and provide housing for them, and of course offer our lives up on their behalf, however evil they may be (e.g. Lk 6:27-35; Mt 5:39; Rom. 12:17-21)?

Goodbye to "the right to bear arms"!

If this is the direction Huckabee would like to amend our beloved constitution, I would greatly admire his courage and wish him the best -- because there's no way in perdition Christians would get him elected if that is what he meant! They may want a constitution that "conforms to God's standards," but only certain passages carefully selected out of his book of holy "standards," and certainly not the standards set by Jesus Christ!

Isn't it ironic?

Now please hear me. My point is not to weigh in on the political issue of gay marriage. Vote your faith and values (like anyone doesn't do this). My point is that there's something profoundly naive, if not disingenuous, about trying to pretend like we can resolve this or any other political issue in our pluralistic society by trying to make the Bible law.

Even worse -- much worse -- when Huckabee and other well-intentioned Christians talk this way, they earn the right to be despised by non-Christians, and thus to have the Gospel they claim to represent despised as well. The beauty of God's self-sacrificial love is once again smothered in the ugliness of politics.

Jesus never let politics get in the way of the message he was sent to bring. And the central job of his followers is to simply imitate him (Eph. 5:1-2).

How I'd love it if Huckabee would call on all Christians to consider their own sins to be much worse than the sins of gay people (Mt 7:1-3; I Tim. 1:15-16) and to commit to demonstrating God's love for gay people by sacrificially serving them.

Of course, he'd never get elected.

He might get crucified.

But I'd certainly vote for him!

Blessings
Greg"

THANKS GREG!!!
jc

Posted by joshuacase at 08:02 AM

January 14, 2008

Obama: the first postmodern candidate?

As posted by Mike Clawson. Thanks Mike!

Andrew Sullivan had an interesting article in The Atlantic Monthly recently about Barack Obama. His premise is that Obama, by virtue of his upbringing, his racial complexity, his age, and his experiences is probably the first presidential candidate who can actually move us beyond the Left-Right, Black-White, Secular-Religious polarities of the Civil Rights/Vietnam Era which have been defining American politics ever since the 1960s (what Sullivan calls "Boomerism"). He suggests that what more and more Americans have in common these days is this sense of complexity that Obama embodies - a feeling that the old categories don't describe us very well anymore, that we are "both/and" rather than "either/or". In other words (my own, not Sullivan's), Barack Obama is the first postmodern candidate.

Towards the end of the article Sullivan sums up his point like this:
To be black and white, to have belonged to a nonreligious home and a Christian church, to have attended a majority-Muslim school in Indonesia and a black church in urban Chicago, to be more than one thing and sometimes not fully anything—this is an increasingly common experience for Americans, including many racial minorities. Obama expresses such a conflicted but resilient identity before he even utters a word. And this complexity, with its internal tensions, contradictions, and moods, may increasingly be the main thing all Americans have in common.

Throughout the article Sullivan also details several other specific ways that Obama bridges old divides; in his approach to faith, for instance. He points out that Obama had a Muslim father, was raised by a secular humanist mother, and converted to Christianity as an adult. His faith is genuine, and yet complex. He understands and speaks (authentically) the evangelical language of conversion, and yet without embracing the absolutism of evangelical extremes. Sullivan quote a speech by Obama given last year in which he describes his religious conversion. I was thoroughly impressed. Obama said:

One Sunday, I put on one of the few clean jackets I had, and went over to Trinity United Church of Christ on 95th Street on the South Side of Chicago. And I heard Reverend Jeremiah A. Wright deliver a sermon called “The Audacity of Hope.” And during the course of that sermon, he introduced me to someone named Jesus Christ. I learned that my sins could be redeemed. I learned that those things I was too weak to accomplish myself, he would accomplish with me if I placed my trust in him. And in time, I came to see faith as more than just a comfort to the weary or a hedge against death, but rather as an active, palpable agent in the world and in my own life.

It was because of these newfound understandings that I was finally able to walk down the aisle of Trinity one day and affirm my Christian faith. It came about as a choice and not an epiphany. I didn’t fall out in church, as folks sometimes do. The questions I had didn’t magically disappear. The skeptical bent of my mind didn’t suddenly vanish. But kneeling beneath that cross on the South Side, I felt I heard God’s spirit beckoning me. I submitted myself to his will, and dedicated myself to discovering his truth and carrying out his works.

That is an expression of faith that I, and I believe many others, can identify with. Elsewhere Obama has said “Faith doesn’t mean that you don’t have doubts.” That kind of "faith with humility" is something that resonates well with a postmodern generation.

Another point Sullivan makes about Obama's bridge-building abilities is in regards to the image of America that he will project to the world. He asks us to consider the following hypothetical situation:

It’s November 2008. A young Pakistani Muslim is watching television and sees that this man—Barack Hussein Obama—is the new face of America. In one simple image, America’s soft power has been ratcheted up not a notch, but a logarithm. A brown-skinned man whose father was an African, who grew up in Indonesia and Hawaii, who attended a majority-Muslim school as a boy, is now the alleged enemy. If you wanted the crudest but most effective weapon against the demonization of America that fuels Islamist ideology, Obama’s face gets close. It proves them wrong about what America is in ways no words can.

It's an interesting, and electrifying possibility in my opinion. In a way that no other candidate can, Obama typifies both what America really is and what it ought to be - diverse, complex, inclusive, welcoming. The article makes a number of other excellent points, and does a good job of describing many of the reasons that I do support Obama, as I've said before, not as my "ideal" candidate (if such a thing exists), but as one that I could nevertheless get behind. If he wins, Obama could become our first truly postmodern president.

Posted by joshuacase at 01:38 PM

December 06, 2007

Obama and King: A Call to Serve Justice

A segment from one of the best speeches I have heard in a long time. Reminiscent of Dr. King, but set today. You may not be able to vote in the american elections, but you can hope for those who get elected. If you are like me, this is the kind of person I want leading the way to a different tomorrow.

This is a call to serve. This is a call for justice.

Not that I need to, but i have also attached the video of Dr. King's famous, "I have a dream" speech. If you have never heard it, now is your chance. If you have never listened to the whole speech, do. It is one of the greatest speeches ever spoken in context. It is a call for change. It is a call for justice. You will be inspired!

And by the way, what is your dream?

dream on...and be the change of things!!!!
joshua

Posted by joshuacase at 11:37 AM | Comments (5)

December 03, 2007

Climate Conference Begins today!!!

UN Kicks Off Bali Climate Conference
By JOSEPH COLEMAN –

"BALI, Indonesia (AP) — Faced with melting polar ice caps and worsening droughts, climate experts at a massive U.N. conference Monday urged quick action toward a new international pact stemming an increasingly destructive rise in world temperatures.

A key goal of the two-week conference, which opened with delegates from nearly 190 countries in attendance, will be to draw a skeptical United States into an agreement to cut emissions of carbon dioxide and other so-called greenhouse gases.

While the U.S. delegation declared it would not be a "roadblock" to a new agreement, Washington remains opposed to steps many other countries support, such as mandatory emissions cuts by rich nations and a target for limiting the rise in global temperatures.

The American position suffered a blow Monday when the new Australian prime minister signed papers to ratify the Kyoto Protocol climate pact. The move leaves the U.S. — the world's top emitter of greenhouse gases — as the sole industrial power not to have joined.

Conference leaders urged delegates to move quickly to combat climate change.
"The eyes of the world are upon you. There is a huge responsibility for Bali to deliver," said Yvo de Boer, the executive secretary of the conference. "The world now expects a quantum leap forward."
The conference kicked off amid growing global momentum for dramatic action to stop rising temperatures that scientists say could lead to swamping of coastal areas and islands by higher oceans, the wiping out of species, economic havoc and a spike in natural disasters such as storms, fires and droughts.

The Bali meeting will be the first major conference of its kind since former Vice President Al Gore — due to arrive next week — and a U.N. scientific council won the Nobel Peace Prize in October for their environmental work.

The immediate aim will be to launch negotiations toward a pact to replace the Kyoto Protocol when it expires in 2012, and set an agenda for the talks and a deadline. The U.N. says such an agreement should be concluded by 2009 in order to have a system in place in time."

Read more below..but stay up on this one. It could prove to be the straw that breaks the camel's...back.

greener today than yesterday...and that's a good thing...
jc

Among the most contentious issues ahead will be whether emission cuts should be mandatory or voluntary. Also to be tackled will be to what extent up-and-coming economies like China and India will have to rein in their skyrocketing emissions, and how to help the world's poorest countries adapt to a worsening climate.

The American delegation was clearly on the defensive in Bali, presenting a statement detailing the ways the U.S. is fighting global warming without submitting to mandatory emissions targets.
"We're not here to be a roadblock," insisted Harlan L. Watson, the senior U.S. climate negotiator. "We're committed to a successful conclusion, and we're going to work very constructively to make that happen."
Confronted with the scientific reports of the past year, the Bush administration has signaled a willingness to play a larger role in the negotiations, and U.N. officials agree they must craft a post-Kyoto framework that Washington will go along with.

Australia abandoned the anti-Kyoto alliance with the U.S. on Monday, when new Prime Minister Kevin Rudd signed the paperwork to ratify the pact. Delegates in Bali erupted in applause when Australia's delegate, Howard Bamsey, told the plenary that Canberra was jumping on board.
Environmentalists at the conference cited what they saw as growing international momentum for tougher safeguards against global warming. Even critics of the Bush administration pointed out that many individual states, such as California, were on the forefront of cutting emissions.

"Despite the failure of the current president to take serious action on global warming, the political landscape in the United States is shifting dramatically in favor of mandatory limits on global warming pollution," said Alden Meyer of the Union of Concerned Scientists, citing upcoming action in the U.S. Congress.

Trying to fend off charges that America is not doing enough, Bush said last week a final Energy Department report showed U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide, a leading greenhouse gas, declined by 1.5 percent last year while the economy grew.

Posted by joshuacase at 06:04 PM

December 01, 2007

World AIDS Day 2007

(HT: IUSY)

International statistics

Last Updated: November 2007

People living with HIV
33.2 million people worldwide
30.8 million adults
15.4 million women
2.5 million children under 15

New HIV cases in 2007
2.5 million total new cases
2.1 million adults
420,000 children under 15

AIDS deaths in 2007
2.1 million total deaths
1.7 million adults
330,000 children under 15

HIV by Region 2007

Sub-Saharan Africa
22.5 million adults and children living with HIV
1.7 million adults and children newly infected with HIV
5 % adult prevalence
1.6 million adult and child deaths due to AIDS

South and South-East Asia
4 million adults and children living with HIV
340,000 million adults and children newly infected with HIV
0.3% adult prevalence
270,000 adult and child deaths due to AIDS

East Asia
800,000 adults and children living with HIV
92,000 adults and children newly infected with HIV
0.1% adult prevalence
32,000 adult and child deaths due to AIDS

Eastern Europe and Central Asia
1.6 million adults and children living with HIV
150,000 adults and children newly infected with HIV
0.9% adult prevalence
55,000 adult and child deaths due to AIDS

Caribbean
230,000 adults and children living with HIV
17,000 adults and children newly infected with HIV
1.0% adult prevalence
11,000 adult and child deaths due to AIDS

Latin America
1.6 million adults and children living with HIV
100,000 adults and children newly infected with HIV
0.5% adult prevalence
58,000 adult and child deaths due to AIDS

North America
1.3 million adults and children living with HIV
46,000 adults and children newly infected with HIV
0.6% adult prevalence
21,000 adult and child deaths due to AIDS

Western and Central Europe
760,000 adults and children living with HIV
31,000 adults and children newly infected with HIV
0.3% adult prevalence
12,000 adult and child deaths due to AIDS

Middle East and North Africa
380,000 adults and children living with HIV
35,000 adults and children newly infected
0.3% adult prevalence
25,000 adult and child deaths due to AIDS

Oceania
75,000 adults and children living with HIV
14,000 adults and children newly infected with HIV
0.4% adult prevalence
1,200 adult and child deaths due to AIDS
-------------------

You don't have to be or know a person who is HIV positive for these facts to make you sick. AIDS is a global pandemic and as people of this age we must do something about it.

Yesterday I suggested a couple of things we could do to get our heads around AIDS in our communities. In hindsight, maybe our heads are the problem. Maybe, less than knowing the issues, we need to know the people. Maybe, less than facts, we need hearts of compassion. Maybe, more than the out of giving, we need to discover the art of caring.

AIDS hasn't happened emerged in a vaccum. Societies, people, global economies, health structures, and religions have all aided and encouraged its spread through the last century. No one is innocent.

Watch this story about a group in Kenya working within a community of AIDS victims. Combining care, practical health, and important medicine, this group is seeing change happen. It's not the only story out there, but it is one.

commit to care and be changed!
joshua

Geneva, Switzerland
1 December 2007

Posted by joshuacase at 10:24 AM | Comments (0)

November 30, 2007

World AIDS Day ACTION!!!!

My friends in Geneva at the Anglican UN Office Geneva have just released a report entitled, "Working Together!? The Anglican Response to HIV & AIDS in Africa". It is a good comprehensive read. If you click on the title, you can down load the pdf. Here is the article about the article.

The report took quite a bit of work and was complemented by not only CAPA, but UNAIDS as well. My friends Mike, Paul, and Ruth (among countless others) will have invested deeply in this report!

As we approach World AIDS day tomorrow, it is very important that we as a fragile humanity continue to keep this pandemic squarely in front of us. After the first 40 million people died, AIDS surpassed the Black plague in deaths. This isn't a disease that plays around, and it will not be eradicated through passe answers or shouting to people infected with the disease from the couch to change their lifestyles. No, this disease needs the attention and affection of us all.

So tomorrow, on World AIDS day do something. Take 30 minutes and do some research on how you can help people who are being effected and infected by this disease. Sure, Africa is great place to start, but why not ask how many people in your local community are affected by the disease? What's being done in your neighborhood, city, province, state, canton, or country ? Do people feel free to tell others they have the disease? Do people who have it have to live in shame or is there a place of sanctuary and care for them? Has the outbreak of AIDS been on the rise in your community or on the decrease? Why? Who is caring for those infected and their loved ones...really?

All of these are just questions that are on the tip of the iceberg. Regardless of where or how you live, AIDS is effecting the world in which you live. We can make it such that this disease does not become, as Bono suggests, 'the crisis by which we will all be judged by God and history'. We must act now.

Here are a few organizations to look into:
UNAIDS
AIDS Alliance
International Coucil of AIDS Service Organizations

Take a breath. Take an action. Care.
jc

Posted by joshuacase at 09:30 AM | Comments (0)

November 29, 2007

The Archbishop of Canterbury on World AIDS Day

While I am not exactly sure who thought it was the best of ideas for it to be done this way, here is message from the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams concering World AIDS day.

Can anyone tell me who the people are in the paintings in the back of the room? Extra points for the painters;)

peace...
jc

Posted by joshuacase at 09:25 AM | Comments (0)

November 22, 2007

Obama

Check out these images of Obama in this Time Photo Essay.

If you are not a registered voter, register today!

blessings...and Happy Thanksgiving!
jc

Posted by joshuacase at 11:01 PM

Brian McLaren & Domesticated Jesus...WAKE UP!

I've put these two videos together for a reason. What Brian and Bono have to say ought to go together. In this case, the idea, that we just need some help..that things must change, that there is hope is prevelant.

Both revolutionaries. Both passionaries. Both hoping for what is good! Both to be thankful for!

U2's Peace on Earth

God has showed you, oh mankind, what is good. And what does the one true God require of you? That you would act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:8

do good...
joshua

Posted by joshuacase at 08:14 AM | Comments (1)

November 08, 2007

Thursday is for Greg, and Thomas..together!

Greg Boyd has been getting loads of feedback apparently about his entry entitled, "Washing Osama's Feet". Here is a link to his most recent entry, which is a follow up entry, entitled, "The Worst Heresy Imaginable".

On Tuesday I didn't manage to get up a Tuesday is for Thomas, but maybe, that wasn't so bad. The question of 'who is my neighbor' and 'who is my enemy' is one that Jesus continually wants us to ask. In fact, from generation to generation, the answer to this question changes quite often. The portrait and conversation that Greg is having is quite a tough one in light of the person that Osama represents; however, we must ask the question, who is my enemy and how would Jesus ask me to treat them?

Thomas Merton, in 1961, was facing quite a different enemy. In fact, in his journal entry of 12 November of that year, he begins to wrestle with the way the enemy is illicting response from people within America..where he is living as an monk in Kentucky. He writes:

"I must pray more and more for courage, as I certainly have neither the courage nor the strength to follow the path that is certainly my duty.

With the fears and rages that possess so many confused people, if I say things that seem to threaten their interests or conflict with obsessions, then I will surely get it.

It is shocking that so many are convinced that Communists are about to invade o