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Protect the right to be left alone

20 Mar 2011 - Preaching the News for Sunday

God promises to make Abram’s name great in this Sunday’s first reading, and indeed it came to pass for this great patriarch. But in the increasingly invasive electronic age we live in, many consumers long for a bit more anonymity. To that end the Obama administration has urged Congress to adopt legislation that protects privacy. Assistant U.S. Commerce Secretary Lawrence Strickling called for the legislation at a hearing on online privacy held by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. And in his opening statement, committee chairman Senator Jay Rockefeller (D -W. Va.) said it was time for Congress to act. "There is an online privacy war going on, and without help, consumers will lose," Rockefeller said. "We must act to give Americans the basic online privacy protections they deserve. Self-regulation, by and large, has been a failed experiment. The majority of consumers are uncomfortable being tracked online and it is time the law gave Americans a choice in the matter." Strickling said the Obama administration had found a "strong level of support among industry" to create the privacy protections and proposed "working with all stakeholders to develop appropriate codes. We think we can get to a regime that will greatly improve privacy for consumers and still meet the needs of businesses who want to continue to see the growth of the Internet," he said. The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) welcomed the Obama administration's call for online privacy legislation. "This is a historic announcement, marking the first time the White House has called for a baseline consumer privacy bill," CDT president Leslie Harris said. Source: An article by Christ Lefkow for Agence France Presse

internet privacy online privacy lawrence strickling jay rockefeller center for democracy technology leslie harris

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Tunisians spring toward democracy

30 Oct 2011 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In a warning that should have been heeded by the dictatorial rulers who are falling one by one across the Middle East, Jesus accuses the scribes and Pharisees in this Sunday’s gospel of laying “heavy burdens hard to carry” on people’s shoulders and warns that “whoever exalts himself will be humbled.” After having inspired the uprisings now dubbed the “Arab spring,” millions of Tunisians cast votes last Sunday for an assembly to draft a constitution and shape a new government. Their small country could now lead the way to greater democracy in the region. Partial election results midweek suggest that Ennahda, a moderate Islamist party, is leading. The party has begun reaching out to rivals about forming a coalition with secular groups in case it doesn't win an outright majority. Tunisia’s uprising inspired revolts across the Middle East and North Africa this year, leading to the overthrow of the rulers of Libya and Egypt and unrest in Syria, Bahrain, and Yemen. Libya’s new rulers have spoken of following Islamic law, while in Egypt the once-banned Muslim Brotherhood has set up a leading political party. Tunisia’s vote for the assembly that will write a new constitution is widely seen as a test of democratization efforts in the region. More than 90 percent of the 4.1 million registered Tunisian voters cast ballots in the elections. “Tunisia, which has ignited the first spark for the Arab Spring, is now igniting a second spark: the possibility of having moderate Islamists in power,” Tunisian writer and political analyst Salah Attia said. Sources: Articles by Mariam Fam and Jihen Laghmari for Bloomberg and The Huffington Post

elections ennahda tunisia democracy arab spring

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Hong Kong crisis

05 Oct 2014 - Preaching the News for Sunday

This Sunday’s psalm describes how God transplants the vine of Israel from Egypt to nationhood with poor results. When Great Britain transferred control of Hong Kong to China in 1997 the understanding was that the island would enjoy special status. A wave of protest in Hong Kong engulfed the city on Monday as thousands of residents defied a government call to abandon street blockades first initiated by students and other residents demanding democratic elections in the semiautonomous Chinese territory. Crowds in Hong Kong turned out in unprecedented numbers for another round of massive pro-democracy rallies on Tuesday night. On Wednesday, China's National Day, tens of thousands of demonstrators thronged major roads and public spaces, bringing much of the city to a standstill. Since the demonstrations began to heat up last Friday, Hong Kong residents from all walks of life have come out to protest what they see as a reversal on the Chinese government's position on direct elections for the city's leadership. Protesters are united around one central issue: They want to be able to choose their top leader, the chief executive, without interference from China. While Hong Kong's chief executive is currently appointed by a committee that largely consists of Communist Party loyalists, Article 45 of the Basic Law, Hong Kong's constitutional document, stipulates that he or she should ultimately be selected "by universal suffrage upon nomination by a broadly representative nominating committee in accordance with democratic procedures." In preparation for Hong Kong's first direct elections, scheduled for 2017, authorities in Beijing outlined at the end of August the details of the national committee that would nominate the candidates. Beijing made sure that the new rules guaranteed candidates would need to be vetted by China's leadership. The decision angered many in Hong Kong who had hoped to be able finally to elect their leader. For more than a year, an eclectic group of pro-democracy activists, encompassing university professors, Christian evangelicals, students, and a set of lawmakers in Hong Kong’s Legislative Council had warned Beijing that if it set rules for the elections that did not comply with internationally accepted norms for free and fair elections, they would engage in nonviolent protests in the Central district of Hong Kong, the heart of Asia’s most important financial center. They drew on civil disobedience movements of the past, citing Henry David Thoreau and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.Homily hint: The right to nonviolent protest and resistance is a hallmark of Christian activism and has fueled movements from the abolition of slavery to civil rights. Pray for those who struggle for self determination in a world of autocrats and dictatorships. Source: Articles by Michael Forsythe for The New York Times and Eline Gordt for The Huffington Post

china democracy hong kong peaceful demonstration

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Homily stories

03 Jul 2011 - Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A

On the eve of the Fourth of July as celebrations are under way, I have a confession to make: I am not very fond of parades. There is nothing more boring for me than to stand on the sidelines as floats and bands pass by. It is even more of a drag to watch it on television. I've never marched in a parade. But I am guessing that some kind of actual involvement would be more fun than just watching it. Waving at the crowds, hearing their cheers, throwing beads, being a participant rather than just a spectator could make it exciting. The story of our faith unfolds like a parade before us. Jesus comes to us as the prophets promised. He offers to take away our burdens if we come to him. Do we stand on the side or do we join in the parade and march alongside those seeking rest and those who have gone before us who have found rest and helped unburden those who were struggling under the weight of injustice? We who live in democracies are blessed with an incredible gift of freedom. We can choose how and where we worship or whether to worship at all. For Christians living in a free land, the best way to celebrate our liberty is to join in the parade and walk with Jesus.

Authors Father Dominic Grassi

Faith democracy religious freedom jesus

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