Here is a press release about an effort to clear the fear about marriage equality in California:

A wise man once taught me the importance of knowing one’s truth and then speaking it.  But having spoken it, harder still is standing for and continuing to speak in one's truth.

Father Geoffrey Farrow just did that in speaking out against a direction from his bishop to encourage people to vote for California's Proposition 8, a proposition that, if passed, would end same sex marriages in that State.  Rather, from the pulpit Father Farrow defended the right of all people to marry, regardless of sexual orientation.

As most of you know, I was appointed pastor here at the Newman Center on April 15th of this year.  When I arrived, I set out to address a series of various projects to repair our facilities.  To date, most of these deferred maintenance items have been addressed.  In the middle of dealing with contractors, the parish finance committee, the building department of the diocese, neighbors, etc., I received a FAX from the bishop's office on the 30th of June. It was the bishop's pastoral letter for the month of July.

This single FAX threw my whole summer, and in fact, my whole life into a turmoil.  Recently, I was speaking with some of our parishioners who advocate for the ordination of women. In the course of our conversation, a question arose which has haunted me: "At what point do you cease to be an agent for healing and growth and become an accomplice of injustice?"  By asking all of the pastors of the Diocese of Fresno to promote Catholics to vote "Yes" on Proposition 8, the bishop has placed me in a moral predicament.

 
Here is more:

Take a look at the video that unfortunately would not embed for me.

A petition opposing racially charged commentary on Fox News that so far over 600,000 people have signed was delivered by Nas to the network’s New York offices.  Fox did not accept it but Stephen Colbert did on his show last night.

People are still signing it – see Color of Change.

Hat tip to Michael Winship for his article, What Patriotism Is.  He highlights an example of what standing and speaking truth to power is – Major David J.R. Frakt exemplifies it in his defense of a Guantanamo Bay inmate, a suicidal young boy who was tortured by lengthy sleep deprivation.

From the closing argument of Major David J.R. Frakt in favor of dismissal of the case against Mohammad Jawad (but please read it all):

Senator Dodd blocked a bad bill today – telecom companies who complied with illegal, warrantless wiretapping of Americans will not get their free pass so easily – not today.

But what Senator Dodd’s standing up points up is the fact that a brave Senator could stop the funding for the war in the same fashion.

As Eve Ensler points out, a filibuster could end the war.  Who will be that stand up Senator?  The one who will begin the end of a very unpopular war?

Watch this film.

Ray McGovern has spoken truth to power consistently – and here he speaks it to us.  He prompts us to think about our own power.

This video is about an hour long.  Invest the time and learn about the Virtue of Anger -- which is a rich subject in and of itself (just ask a certain purple, muscle-bound pastor).

Democracy Now! reports today:

World War II Interrogators Criticize U.S. Interrogation Practices 
Meanwhile the Washington Post reports a group of World War II interrogators gathered on Friday at Fort Hunt and criticized the Bush administration's interrogation practices. 90-year-old Henry Kolm said: "We got more information out of a German general with a game of chess or ping pong than they do today, with their torture." One of the World War II veterans refused to accept honors from the Army's Freedom Team Salute, citing his opposition to what has happened at Guantanamo and in Iraq.

You can read the Washington Post article here.

The subject of interrogation techniques authorized by the Department of Justice is in the news again as the confirmation hearing of Michael Mukasey (nominated to replace Alberto Gonzales as Attorney General) approaches.  The Fort Hunt interrogators’ criticism is timely.

For plain, impassioned speech about who is an American (that would be all of us) – Cenk Uygar is a Stand Up Guy for writing This is Not a Christian Nation.  I’ve cut pieces of it here for you – but do read it all because editing this in any fashion does it injustice:

Buddhist monks are standing up in protest to the military junta in Burma.  As Rahul Mahajan says:

As the American public continues to answer poll questions and sits peacefully and patiently waiting for Congress to do something about the Iraq war, something remarkable – and inspiring – is happening in Burma. A five-week cycle of protest and repression is close to cresting, and the long-term political implications for the country are still unclear.

The protests have been spearheaded by Buddhist monks – the country of 50 million has roughly 500,000 of them – who have gradually coalesced around the symbol of the overturned begging bowl. For a monk to turn his begging bowl over in front of someone indicates that he thinks the person is unworthy to contribute to the monk’s sustenance and that he will take no alms from that person. In this case, the “person” is the military and the junta that rules Burma. Some monks are suggesting also that they will provide no religious services for the military – something like the Catholic Interdict, except that the stakes are somewhat lower in a religion without eternal damnation and hellfire.