NSP - Current Thinking

An NSP Activist Sums it Up Neatly

Rabbi Michael Lerner — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 09:47:49 -0700

NSP activist Bruce Fisher's letter to a group of Minnesota activists sums up neatly our present situation with NSP. Your feeeback is also welcome. We add two points: 1. The reason why a concern with passing flawed legislation to show that SOMETHING was accomplished is a huge mistake is that unless you change the essential framework from those of the capitalist marketplace and the military industrial complex, there is little reason to believe that your changes will survive when a new Congress and new President get elected. The most important accomplishment a President can make is to convince people of a new way of thinking about their situation, and from that, legislation flows. That was what made Roosevelt, for the Left, and Reagan, for the Right, the most significant presidents of the 20th century. Obama did not have to win a single legislative victory--what he did need to do was to talk honestly to the American people and help them see the world from a progressive perspective. 2. Failing to do that (our point 1), and instead putting forward legislation that was flawed from the start rather than legislation that embodied concretely the theme of a Caring Society, Obama created huge disillusionment and despair among those who had momentarily allowed themselves to hope that something fundamental could be changed in America. From that despair arises either passivity and humiliation (on the Left) or anger and willingness to move to the Right (from the Centrists who feel misused and manipulated by Obama and hence willing to listen to the fascistic-based anger coming from Tea Party rightists).

Our only hope now is to build an independent movement that does not look to Obama but instead demonstrates and organizes for its own POSITIVE VISION. Unfortunately, most on the Left who have not given up remain focused on critique of what's wrong rather than articulating a positive vision. And that is why supporting the Global Marshall Plan and the ESRA-Environmental and Social Responsiblity Amendment to the US Constitution becomes so important.

Israel and the Anti-Muslim Blow-up

Rabbi Michael Lerner — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 08:09:01 -0700

Columnist M.J. Rosenberg gives us an insight into the way anti-Muslim rhetoric has been nourished by the "pro-Israel" hard Right.

An Open Letter to the Iraqi People

Rabbi Michael Lerner — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 06:49:26 -0700

From Soldiers who are repenting for their role

Forgiveness

Rabbi Michael Lerner — Mon, 24 May 2010 18:08:23 -0700

Editor's Note:

Every night since the attack on my home by right-wing Zionists, I've been saying a prayer of forgiveness for them. While the political meaning of that act, and of the demeaning of critics of Israel, will be explored more fully in the July/August issue of Tikkun, on the spiritual level it is very important to not let negativity, even terrorism or violence, get the upper hand by bringing us down to the same level of anger or hatred that motivates those who act violently attack or those who demean and attempt to delegitimate the critics of Israel's treatment of Palestinians.

If we are to build a world of love, we have to constantly work against the impulse to respond to anger and hatred with our own angry or hateful response. So, every night, I work on forgiving those who have assaulted my home, those who publicly demean me or Tikkun or the NSP, and those who spread hatred against the many people in our world who legitimately critique the policies of the State of Israel toward Palestinians.

It was in this context that I thought I'd forward you some notes taken by therapist Linda Graham at a recent weekend retreat on Forgiveness conducted by Jack Kornfeld and Fred Luskin. Fred is author of Forgive For Good and Jack is the author of The Art of Forgivenes, Loving Kindness and After the Ecstasy The Laundry (and teaches at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in northern California). Linda Graham who took these notes is a Marriage and Family Therapist in San Francisco--her website is www.lindagraham-mft.com.

--Rabbi Michael Lerner RabbiLerner@Tikkun.org www.spiritualprogressives.org

P.S. if you haven't signed up for the Tikkun/NSP conference yet, please do so now at www.spiritualprogressives.org/conference.

Chomsky: On Tea Partiers

Rabbi Michael Lerner — Fri, 14 May 2010 07:06:09 -0700

'We should not underestimate the depth of moral indignation that lies behind the furious, often self-destructive bitterness about government and business power."

A psalm for Rabbi Lerner after the vandalism at his home

Rabbi Michael Lerner — Sat, 08 May 2010 22:33:51 -0700

Dear Rabbi Lerner -

The news of the personal attack on your family's home
brought this psalm to mind.

ESRA: Environmental and Social Responsibility Amendment to the US Constitution

Rabbi Michael Lerner — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 16:26:00 -0700

Please circulate and seek endorsements by your local city council, religious, civic and professional organizations, political parties, and your State Legislature and U.S. Congressional and Senatorial representatives.

And please sign this yourself: by going to

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/525/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=4159

DC Conference Agenda

Rabbi Michael Lerner — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 15:21:56 -0700

conference has already taken place

Ha'aretz story about Tikkun's Award to Judge Goldstone after he was denied right to attend his grandson's Bar Mitzvah

Rabbi Michael Lerner — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 19:23:06 -0700

We are proud to have been part of the effort (made also by the Ta'anit Tzedeck, Shalom Center, and others) to publicly challenge the attempt by the Zionist movement in South Africa to bar Judge Goldstone from attending his own grandson's bar mitzvah!

Extremes of Unequal Wealth in the U.S. Actually Impacts Directly on YOUR Life and the Life of Your Family and Friends

Rabbi Michael Lerner — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 06:42:37 -0700

It's worse than you think! The bottom 50% of the US population own only 2.5% of the total wealth in the U.S. The top 10% own