Presidents in trouble - AKA Arrested Development?

President Jimmy Carter speaks his mind -- and he's really ticked off.

"The president is self-defining what we have done and authorized in the torture of prisoners."
"I don't think it, I know it, certainly,"

President Bush's office responded:

"The president has not authorized it, nor will he. Our interrogation methods are tough, safe, necessary and legal. And our country is being protected,"

I trust President Carter's word more than I trust President Bush's word.

UCC President John Thomas and UCC Executive Minister for Justice and Peace Linda Jaramillo were arrested yesterday in front of the White House. They were trying to deliver boxes containing 60,000+ signatures on a petition to end the war in Iraq.
They weren't arrested for trying to deliver the boxes -- but rather for refusing to leave when police asked them to. No one from the White House would receive the petitions.
Sure -- it was something that sought publicity -- not for Thomas and Jaramillo (who paid a $100 fine and were released a couple of hours later) but rather publicity that Church leaders don't want to be silent as the war continues in perpetuity.

No national publicity on this one . . . but we'll see what develops.
* Northwestern University - Medill Reports

I think we should get President Carter together with President Thomas . . .

Voices in conflict

A high school advanced theater class in Wilton, Connecticut, put together a series of dramatic readings from words spoken by soldiers serving in Iraq. The high school principal cancelled the play because of the controversial issues it raises.
I hope the students and the soldiers voices are not silenced. I think we're going to hear more from this class. Maybe their voices will be the ones that start a movement where people with different opinions about the war talk to each other instead of at or about each other.

Public Relations Problem and more

• Kofi Annan says that the prison at Guantanamo Bay is torturing prisoners.
• Donald Rumsfeld says the prison at Guantanamo Bay is not torturing prisoners.
• Kofi Annan is calling for Gitmo to be closed as soon as possible and that prisoners should be transferred to the US for trial.
• Donald Rumsfeld says that we can't just let prisoners go.

I know that the US has a public relations problem. I think that any move we make regarding Guantanamo Bay at this point will be met with extreme criticism.

But we've got to quit demonizing the accusations and instead answer them with honesty and integrity. And we've got to find a way to respect that there is more than one opinion on the matter -- coming from real people.

Do you think we can do that?