The Oct/Nov issue of the Catholic Worker carried an article called “November 1989 Remembered” by Dean Brackley, SJ that commemorates the 20th anniversary of the massacre at the Jesuit University in El Salvador on November 16, 1989. It documents the event and the search for justice that followed.

The victims were:

• Slain priest Ignacio Ellacuria, 59, was rector of the Central American University and a widely respected leftist intellectual who was frequently denounced by the far right who claimed he was a spokesman for the Marxist-led Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front.
• The university’s vice rector, Ignacio Martin-Baro, 50, also a Spanish-born Salvadoran citizen, was best known as an analyst of national and regional affairs and as the founder and director of the Public Opinion Institute, a highly respected polling organization.
• Segundo Montes, 56, a Spanish-born sociology professor and Jesuit priest who did extensive work on Salvadoran refugees in the United States.
• Arnando Lopez, 53, a Spanish-born philosophy professor and Jesuit priest.
• Joaquin Lopez y Lopez, 71, a Salvadoran-born Jesuit priest who was director of a center for humanitarian assistance affiliated with the university.
• Juan Ramon Moreno, 56, a Spanish-born Jesuit priest who was director of two university-related programs.
  Julia Elba Ramos, 42, a cook, and Cecilia Ramos, her daughter, 15.

At the time of the murders, the Reagan Administration considered the right-wing government of El Salvador an important ally in the war against Communism despite its extremely poor human rights record. If you’re interested in primary sources on our relationship with El Salvador during the 1980s, check out:

El Salvador: War, Peace, and Human Rights, 1980-1994
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/nsa/publications/elsalvador2/

According to the National Security Archive website, “Among the unique materials included in the set are National Security Council memoranda outlining the Carter administration’s decision to resume military aid to El Salvador in 1981; field reports from the CIA station in San Salvador on human rights, death squad activities, and the extreme right wing; defense intelligence analyses tracking regional arms flows, training, and financing provided to the Salvadoran guerrillas; U.S. embassy and State Department cable traffic on dozens of critical human rights cases, including the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero, the El Mozote massacre, the killings of U.S. marines in San Salvador’s “Zona Rosa,” and the murder of the Jesuit priests in 1989; and United Nations documents on the peace process, including the full text of the Chapultepec peace accords and the U.N. Truth Commission report.”

History is supposed to teach. If it does, we need to stop coddling “allies” who murder their own people over differences in politics or religion.

Reference:
6 PRIESTS, 2 OTHERS SLAIN IN SAN SALVADOR FIGHTING INTENSIFIES FOR CONTROL OF CAPITAL
By Lee Hockstader and Douglas Farah Washington Post Foreign Service Friday, November 17, 1989 ; Page A01

The week of Veterans’ Day we had heavy rains and high winds here in Douglas, Alaska. That storm took out something that I’ve loved seeing for ten years — our backyard eagle pole. The pole was originally part of a dock in Douglas in the early 1900s. It stood about 10 feet high or so and part of the pole remained above water even at high tide. It looked like this:

Eagles liked to perch on this pole, as shown here:

But after the recent storm, our backyard now looks like this:

We’ll see eagles as some preferred being on the beach. But now they won’t look like proud masters of all they survey and I’ll miss that.

Note: Throughout this series, items that are hyperlinked were in the Constitution as written in 1787 but have since been amended or superseded.

Article II of the Constitution of the United States established the Executive Branch with the President as its head,  Here is Article II, Section III:

Section. 3.

He shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient; he may, on extraordinary Occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them, and in Case of Disagreement between them, with Respect to the Time of Adjournment, he may adjourn them to such Time as he shall think proper; he shall receive Ambassadors and other public Ministers; he shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed, and shall Commission all the Officers of the United States.

If you’ve wondered why the President delivers a State of the Union address to Congress every January, this is why. The Constitution doesn’t say the President has to give a speech, only that he provide Congress with a report on the State of the Union. President Jefferson and his successors up until President Wilson in 1913 sent letters to Congress in lieu of speeches.

Note to Reader: This blog entry has been revised since first posted. I was experimenting with e-mail posting to my blog and the “zeroth” draft escaped the pending folder.

My friend Paul Adasiak posted a very interesting exercise I think we should all consider doing at home. The post is called Ten important places and was posted on Paul’s The Fairbanks Pedestrian on 11/12/09.

Paul starts out with:

Here’s a nice way to measure your neighborhood: Do you have ten interesting places? I’ve just begun The Great Neighborhood Book: A Do-it-Yourself Guide to Placemaking by Jay Walljasper — a concise and uplifting guide to making a neighborhood not only worth living in, but worth envying.

The rest of the entry deals with defining what a neighborhood is — mostly comfortable walking distance from your home and what kind of places qualify as interesting. If you live in Fairbanks, Paul would really like to hear from you.

With the first significant snowfall of the season outside my door today, I decided not to walk anew, so I might not remember all the places. But I’ll try to do this from memory.

Assuming a ten minute walking time:

1. Douglas Cafe
2. Douglas Library
3. Douglas Methodist Church
4. Sandy Beach
5. Treadwell Historic Trail
6. Savikko Park
7. Treadwell Ice Area

If we assume a half hour walk from our home, then other places become reachable.

8. Overlook on Gastineau Channel, popular with tourists.
9. Trailhead for Gastineau Meadows trail

Should any readers live in Douglas, I’d like your take on whether I’ve missed anything. All readers except Fairbanksians are welcome to post their ten or so special places in comments.

This exercise was so interesting, I can see myself ILL’ing Great Neighborhood Book: A Do-it-Yourself Guide to Placemaking.

I was happy to read that some of the Gitmo terrorism suspects will be tried in New York in regular federal court. If we could give open trials to the suspects in the first World Trade Center bombing, we can give trials to their successors.  If we can give open and fair trials to the worst of the Nazis as we did at Nuremberg, we can try suspected al-Qaeda members in open court with full protections for the accused.

It would be better if everyone had their day in court without the admission of evidence provided under torture, but this decision is a small step towards honoring the values of America’s Founders. If they wanted exceptions to evidence and open trials, they would have put them into the Constitution.

The presence of suspected al-Qaeda suspects on American soil will not make us less safe. The terrorists are already resolved to do their worst. If New York is attacked in the next six months, it will probably will have resulted from a plan set in motion years before, as were the 9/11 attacks, or the work of homegrown terrorists who would attack eventually regardless of facts on the ground.

If we are attacked and the presence of al-Qaeda members in New York is claimed as a reason, then remember that freedom isn’t free. If we want to live as a free people with the rule of law, then we may have to sacrifice. And that sacrifice can’t be outsourced to our soldiers as much as they wish they could lift that burden from us.

Reference:

Accused 9/11 Mastermind to Face Civilian Trial in N.Y.
By CHARLIE SAVAGE
Published: New York Times, November 13, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/14/us/14terror.html

As a Christian, I believe in a single creator of our entire universe who wishes to be in fellowship with the sentient creatures He made. As an astronomy buff, I believe there is intelligent life in the universe. Put these two beliefs together and I can’t escape the conclusion that humans will be a tiny minority in Heaven. It’s simple math. There are nearly uncountable numbers of stars in the observable universe. On estimate from the European Space Agency suggests that the total number of stars in the galaxy something like 10²² to 10²⁴ stars. Even if we assume that only 1 in a billion stars harbors a world like Earth with intelligent life, the total number of intelligent races in the universe would be something like 10¹¹ to 10^13. That’s 100 billion to 10 trillion sentient races in the universe.

Unless God is a segregationist, which I don’t think He is, we will be dealing with many people quite unlike ourselves. Maybe we should start practicing tolerance and civility now with the beings that are most like ourselves. The task will not be easier in Heaven.

Today is Veterans Day in the United States. If you know a veteran, thank them for their service to their country and for their part in defending America’s freedoms. Let them know that you know they can’t defend freedom alone and will do your part.

For information and tips about educating people about Veterans’ Day, check out the VA’s Veterans’ Day page at http://www1.va.gov/opa/vetsday/. USA.gov has a resource page for veterans and active duty members at http://www.usa.gov/Federal_Employees/Military_Veterans.shtml.

Note: Throughout this series, items that are hyperlinked were in the Constitution as written in 1787 but have since been amended or superseded.

Article II of the Constitution of the United States established the Executive Branch with the President as its head,  Here is Article II, Section II:

Section. 2.

The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States; he may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices, and he shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.

He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law: but the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments.

The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session.

How does this list of powers square with your current view of the Presidency? Or of America’s view of Presidents since FDR?

Note: Throughout this series, items that are hyperlinked were in the Constitution as written in 1787 but have since been amended or superseded.

Article II of the Constitution of the United States established the Executive Branch with the President as its head,  Here is Article II, Section I:

The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his Office during the Term of four Years, and, together with the Vice President, chosen for the same Term, be elected, as follows:

Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector.

The Electors shall meet in their respective States, and vote by Ballot for two Persons, of whom one at least shall not be an Inhabitant of the same State with themselves. And they shall make a List of all the Persons voted for, and of the Number of Votes for each; which List they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the Seat of the Government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate. The President of the Senate shall, in the Presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the Certificates, and the Votes shall then be counted. The Person having the greatest Number of Votes shall be the President, if such Number be a Majority of the whole Number of Electors appointed; and if there be more than one who have such Majority, and have an equal Number of Votes, then the House of Representatives shall immediately chuse by Ballot one of them for President; and if no Person have a Majority, then from the five highest on the List the said House shall in like Manner chuse the President. But in chusing the President, the Votes shall be taken by States, the Representation from each State having one Vote; A quorum for this purpose shall consist of a Member or Members from two thirds of the States, and a Majority of all the States shall be necessary to a Choice. In every Case, after the Choice of the President, the Person having the greatest Number of Votes of the Electors shall be the Vice President. But if there should remain two or more who have equal Votes, the Senate shall chuse from them by Ballot the Vice President.

The Congress may determine the Time of chusing the Electors, and the Day on which they shall give their Votes; which Day shall be the same throughout the United States.

No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.

In Case of the Removal of the President from Office, or of his Death, Resignation, or Inability to discharge the Powers and Duties of the said Office, the Same shall devolve on the Vice President, and the Congress may by Law provide for the Case of Removal, Death, Resignation or Inability, both of the President and Vice President, declaring what Officer shall then act as President, and such Officer shall act accordingly, until the Disability be removed, or a President shall be elected.

The President shall, at stated Times, receive for his Services, a Compensation, which shall neither be increased nor diminished during the Period for which he shall have been elected, and he shall not receive within that Period any other Emolument from the United States, or any of them.

Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:–”I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

This section of the Constitution is the source of the oath that every President takes upon assuming office. Note that it doesn’t say “preserve, protect and defend the United States”, but the “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”  The Founders certainly wanted the country to continue to exist, but they felt it more important to defend the freedoms contained in the Constitution.

The first hyperlinked section of this article reflects the original practice of electing a President. At the time of the drafting, the President and Vice-President could come from different parties under some circumstances. This happened in 1800. Based on that experience, Congress proposed and states ratified the 12th Amendment.

UPDATE 11/2/2009 – Edited to correct formatting error in Sec 258.

The US House has released HR 3962, its final version of a health care reform bill.

Despite what you may hear in the anti-reform press and blogosphere, this bill will not force abortions or abortion coverage on anyone. It won’t preempt existing state restrictions on abortion. In fact, there are explicit protections in the bill to prevent this. Here are the relevant provisions:

SEC. 258. APPLICATION OF STATE AND FEDERAL LAWS REGARDING ABORTION.

(a) No Preemption of State Laws Regarding Abortion- Nothing in this Act shall be construed to preempt or otherwise have any effect on State laws regarding the prohibition of (or requirement of) coverage, funding, or procedural requirements on abortions, including parental notification or consent for the performance of an abortion on a minor.

(b) No Effect on Federal Laws Regarding Abortion-

(1) IN GENERAL- Nothing in this Act shall be construed to have any effect on Federal laws regarding–

(A) conscience protection

(B) willingness or refusal to provide abortion; and

(C) discrimination on the basis of the willingness or refusal to provide, pay for, cover, or refer for abortion or to provide or participate in training to provide abortion.

(c) No Effect on Federal Civil Rights Law- Nothing in this section shall alter the rights and obligations of employees and employers under title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

SEC. 259. NONDISCRIMINATION ON ABORTION AND RESPECT FOR RIGHTS OF CONSCIENCE.

(a) Nondiscrimination- A Federal agency or program, and any State or local government that receives Federal financial assistance under this Act (or an amendment made by this Act), may not–

(1) subject any individual or institutional health care entity to discrimination; or

(2) require any health plan created or regulated under this Act (or an amendment made by this Act) to subject any individual or institutional health care entity to discrimination,

on the basis that the health care entity does not provide, pay for, provide coverage of, or refer for abortions.

(b) Definition- In this section, the term ‘health care entity’ includes an individual physician or other health care professional, a hospital, a provider-sponsored organization, a health maintenance organization, a health insurance plan, or any other kind of health care facility, organization, or plan.

(c) Administration- The Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Health and Human Services is designated to receive complaints of discrimination based on this section, and coordinate the investigation of such complaints.

In the coming days I hope to find time to highlight what I think are some very helpful provisions in this bill. But I figured I’d start with the issue I figured would be first in line for the misinformation crowd.