Southern Baptist Convention Says U.S. Should Welcome Refugees, Denounces Confederate Flag

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday June 17, 2016 · 11:59 AM PDT

2016/06/17 · 11:59

The Southern Baptist Convention — the nation’s largest Protestant denomination (and a pretty conservative one at that) — passed two resolutions this week that should give progressives cheer: it called for Christians not to fly the Confederate flag, and it reaffirmed its support for welcoming refugees into the U.S. (Note: The second link, about the refugee resolution, includes a helpful chart that summarizes the many hoops applicants must jump through during the 1 ½ - 3 years it takes for them to gain admission to this country.)

The Confederate flag resolution was surprisingly unambiguous: “[W]e call our brothers and sisters in Christ to discontinue the display of the Confederate battle flag as a sign of solidarity of the whole Body of Christ, including our African-American brothers and sisters...”

The resolution on refugees, unfortunately, was somewhat weakened by the inclusion of a superfluous call for “governing authorities to implement the strictest security measures possible in the refugee screening and selection process, guarding against anyone intent on doing harm.”

In response to that concern, Matthew Soerens of World Relief, a church-supported organization that works with refugees, said “Most churches want there to be a strong vetting system in place for who is in the United States. The good news is, that system is in place.” (Emphasis mine.)

I am not a good writer, and I don’t know how to handle graphics, so I apologize for the shortcomings of this very short diary. But I hadn’t seen either of these items reported on DK yet. I think this information can be useful when talking with conservative friends and family. It never hurts to be able to say that our progressive position on an issue enjoys the support of a conservative organization.

[UPDATE] Local news anchor tells truth, catches hell

VirginiaJeff

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday September 28, 2015 · 6:17 AM PDT

2015/09/28 · 06:17

Update: [11 pm Monday] Thanks so much to everyone who responded!
Kossack monkeybrainpolitics perfectly expressed the reason for such an effort with this declaration: "Waves of hate have to be countered with Tsunamis of support."

And you brought it!

Diane Walker's Facebook page, which had been weighted down with false accusations and racist insinuations, was today filled with words of support and encouragement. (The station's main Facebook page likewise was heavily permeated with calls for management to back her.) Her Facebook followers jumped by 20 percentage points just since this morning. (Overall, she's up 30 points from one week ago.) These numbers are closely tracked by the TV station and will not go unnoticed.

In addition to the boost Walker received from Facebook likes, I am told that calls to the station today ran heavily in her favor. I'm confident that much of the credit for all these things belongs to you and the friends you contacted.

Meanwhile, the angry group that had been pushing to get Walker fired -- once almost 2,400 strong -- appears to have completely stalled and lost interest in harassing her.

Whatever happens going forward, at the very least you showed the powers-that-be how ridiculous it is to quickly cave to the conservative fringe. You also helped show that supporters of #blacklivesmatter are in it for the long haul.

If anything further develops, I'll post a followup. Thanks again!
___
___
One of the largest TV stations in Virginia has thrown one of its own journalists under the bus for telling the truth about the current relationship between police officers and the communities they serve.

What she said was actually pretty innocuous.

A news anchor for the NBC affiliate in Richmond, VA, Diane Walker ran a blurb on her Facebook page last week promoting an upbeat story about a local cop who spontaneously took time out to play a game of catch with children. In her remarks, Walker noted that police officers in some parts of the country have gotten a lot of criticism, "some of it deserved," then went on to say, "But, here's one instance we could see more of: a cop who stops to play catch with some neighborhood kids."

Walker noted that the kids' mom "feared the worst when that officer first got out of his cruiser and was headed towards them." But the end result, Walker said, was a "heartwarming story" that she encouraged her followers to tune in for later than afternoon.

Here's a screen capture of Walker's original Facebook post, which has since been deleted:

The text:

POLICE OFFICERS HAVE IT ROUGH and it some cases it's deserving, as we've seen in Ferguson, New York, South Carolina .... But, here's one instance we could see more of: a cop who stops to play catch with some neighborhood kids. The kids' Mom says that one moment in time helps to change negative perceptions people have about law enforcement. But honestly, she feared the worst when that officer first got out of his cruiser and was headed towards them. See more of this heartwarming story Today on First At Four: Turn to NBC-12 at 4.

VirginiaJeff

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday August 23, 2015 · 9:00 AM PDT

2015/08/23 · 09:00

The short of it: My son wants your insights about small alternative news media or community news outlets. Anything from the name of a favorite independent online publication to articles/studies about this growing phenomenon would be helpful.

VirginiaJeff

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday October 30, 2014 · 11:23 PM PDT

2014/10/30 · 23:23

And the Ron Burgundy Award goes to ...

VirginiaJeff

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday October 26, 2014 · 10:15 AM PDT

2014/10/26 · 10:15

I'll keep this short and sour.

Bill Maher's pronouncements about Islam gave aid and comfort to the xenophobic rightwing, who took to the airwaves to crow that "even liberal atheists" agree with their bigotry against Muslims.

Now bigots have a new reason to celebrate. On Friday's edition of Real Time, Maher provided cover for conservatives who want to tag Michael Brown with their favorite code-word for "scary black man." During a discussion about the pitfalls of promoting false narratives, he said, "I’m sorry, but Michael Brown’s people say he was a gentle giant. Well, we saw that video, of where he was in the 7-11 [sic]. No, he wasn’t a gentle giant. He was committing a robbery and he pushed that guy. He was acting like a thug, not like a gentle giant."

I suppose we should be grateful to Maher for conceding that Brown "certainly didn’t deserve to be shot for it." Meanwhile, conservatives are rejoicing -- again.

Crowd sourcing request

VirginiaJeff

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday July 16, 2014 · 12:35 PM PDT

2014/07/16 · 12:35

This isn't really a diary, so I apologize for breaking protocol.

I'm currently having a heated online discussion with one Kathleen McKinley (and someone else, who's apparently a fan of hers.) McKinley's bio says she "blogs politics for The Houston Chronicle & NewsBusters."

Yes, I know, I should just walk away and save myself the aggravation. But I'm in the mood to punch back at someone, so I'm going to hang in there just a little longer.

McKinley's current argument is that George W. Bush was "much more maligned than Obama." Specifically, she claims there were many more instances of protesters waving signs that depicted Bush as "hanged, tortured, shot, Hilter (sic) - not a few times, but over & over."

She also claims that no one was ever arrested for threatening Bush, but that many people have been arrested for threatening Obama.

Her only support for these claims is a link to a rightwing blog from 2009.

Now, my personal observation as a middle-aged news/politics junkie is that Obama's been the target of more vicious attacks than any president in the last 40 years. To help me get that across, I'd like to find a link to a site that has compiled photos of the hateful signs, effigies, etc., that have been directed at Obama.

As for McKinley's claim regarding the number of people arrested for threatening the president, I don't doubt there have been many more investigations into threats against Obama, for the simple reason that the fever pitch of lunacy reached new heights after his election. But if possible, I'd like to find some data regarding arrests for threats made against Bush.

So, these are the two things I'm hoping folks can help me with: links to any websites that have compiled photos of over-the-top anti-Obama signs/displays, and any info regarding arrests for threats directed at Bush.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give. I may have to step away from this page for about an hour, but if I do, I'll respond to any and all questions as soon as I get back.

Oh, one more question: What is it called when someone dumps a bunch of diverse arguments and fallacious claims into a short space, so that's it's virtually impossible to address them all in the time/space allotted? She keeps doing that to me, and I know there's a word for it. Thanks again!

VirginiaJeff

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday March 27, 2014 · 12:40 AM PDT

2014/03/27 · 00:40

I was watching the local news Wednesday night on a Fox affiliate here in Richmond, VA, when I heard something shocking: Democratic Sen. Mark Warner was in trouble!

VirginiaJeff

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday November 12, 2009 · 7:17 PM PST

2009/11/12 · 19:17

It had been a month. Maybe I'd finally pissed off enough people with my debunking replies, no one would dare send me any more right-wing chain letters.

No such luck.

Misery loves company. Which is why I'm sharing the latest letter with anyone willing to slog through it.

Or you could just skim over it, then jump to my reply at the bottom. Either way, thanks for letting me vent. I live in a conservative town, so there aren't many people I can bitch to. The last time I called a friend to blow off steam about one of these things, the friend blamed it all on ... Obama. "Well, Jeff," she said. "People are really scared."

They're scared. So they send things like this to me on Veterans Day: (Letter begins below the fold)

VirginiaJeff

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday May 28, 2009 · 9:35 PM PDT

2009/05/28 · 21:35

That's pretty much the headline of an editorial by Ellen Ratner. Well, here's the ACTUAL headline: "The(sic) Is No Connection Between the Timing of the Sotomayor Announcement and the Trouble in North Korea"

Huh?

The first sentences of her commentary are no less bizarre. Ms. Ratner writes: "Many analysts feel that President Obama tried to change the subject from North Korea with his Supreme Court nomination. Nothing could be further from the truth."

Oh, well, that's good.

VirginiaJeff

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday April 27, 2009 · 11:16 AM PDT

2009/04/27 · 11:16

Under the headline "Bipartisanship Didn't Last Long For Obama," CNN.com purports to answer this question: "What's the reason for the partisan divide?"

Then, without any journalistic skepticism, CNN answers that question by suggesting that Republicans can't be blamed for trying to stonewall economic legislation. Their party is simply standing up for "genuine philosophical differences." CNN's journalistic approach to this story is to perpetuate the fallacy that all political views on an issue are equally valid. (Would a news piece leave unchallenged someone's contention that genital mutilation is GOOD for women? No way.)

If only there were a THIRD group of largely non-partisan experts to turn to for an opinion about the validity of heavy government spending during a severe recession. Like, say, a group of ECONOMISTS?

VirginiaJeff

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday January 23, 2009 · 11:54 PM PST

2009/01/23 · 23:54

As mcjoan describes in her post The Myth of 61 and the Fear Wurlitzer, a growing number of news outlets are reporting claims that dozens of former Guantanamo detainees have returned to Al Queda.

My instinct is to assume some conservatives are spreading these stories in an effort to re-ignite national paranoia and slow down the Obama administration's efforts to give justice to the detainees. But let's assume for a moment these stories are more than urban myths. The journalists involved should be asking their sources two very pointed questions:

First, if "enhanced interrogation techniques" are so effective (as the Bush administration insisted) how did so many terrorists manage to fool their interrogators and get released?

VirginiaJeff

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday December 20, 2008 · 4:10 PM PST

2008/12/20 · 16:10

This is my first entry, so I'll probably make plenty of newbie posting mistakes.

I welcome all feedback. I only ask that you show the strident "Wingnuts" out there (Anne Coulter, Sean Hannity, et al) how to have a discussion/debate based on reason, as opposed to rage.

The uproar over Rick Warren reminds me of one of my favorite movie scenes, one which offers a life lesson I've tried to keep in the forefront of my mind.

Newer
Older

RSS

Southern Baptist Convention Says U.S. Should Welcome Refugees, Denounces Confederate Flag

[UPDATE] Local news anchor tells truth, catches hell

Kossacks, I need your knowledge!

(Updated) News Anchor Has Hissy Fit Over "Defiant Nurse"

Bill Maher: Michael Brown was "acting like a thug"

Crowd sourcing request

Wish I got paid to make stuff up, just like Ed Henry!

The drought ends! (I get a new chain letter.)

Sotomayor & North Korea: Coincidence?

Tell CNN to correct its story

Released from Guantanamo to kill again?

Rick Warren & choosing your battles