The Cross as an Instrument of Social Transformation

For early Friends, the Cross was both a personal discipline and a method of social change. Once we accept the Cross and live in its power, we are freed to become effective instruments for "mending the world." As William Penn made clear:

The Cross of Christ.....truly overcomes the world, and leads a life of purity in the face of its allurements.... they receive power from Christ their Captain, to resist the evil, and do that which is good in the sight of God; to despise the world, and love its reproach above its praise; and not only not to offend others, but love those that offend them....True godliness don't turn men out of the world, but enables them to live better in it, and excites their endeavor to mend it.

For Penn, the Cross is a liberating experience. It empowers us to do God's will with the courage of a soldier. It frees us from worrying about what other people think of us. It is not an object for mere contemplation; rather, it excites our desire to end oppression and suffering in the world.

Throughout its history, Quakerism has produced men and women who have indeed lived under the Cross. They risked and sacrificed much in order to make this world a better place. They devoted themselves to their families and to those in need. They ministered to members of their meetings. They visited prisoners, fed the hungry, protested war and injustice. They experienced and shared the liberating power that comes from selfless service.

Are we willing to take up our Cross, as did early Friends, and make sacrifices and take risks for the sake of our beliefs? Without acknowledging the Cross and its teaching, we may forget that genocide and oppression and other social ills begin in our own hearts, and must be confronted there on a daily basis. We may ignore the fact that people like Jesus and George Fox "stirred up God's good trouble," and that we are called to take similar risks. Without the Cross, religion can become a tranquilizer, a pain-killer, or a sleeping-pill. The Cross is a wake-up call from God, rousing us from the troubled sleep of apathy into a new day of social commitment and love.

Reflections from Pendle Hill, the heart and soul of Quakerism

I arrived last night at Pendle Hill, the Quaker center for study and contemplation near Philadelphia which I last visited in the fall of 2010. Last time I was here, I took part in Paul Lacy's poetry class and had a delightful "vacation in poetry land." See http://laquaker.blogspot.com/search?q=vacation

I sometimes describe PH as the heart and soul of Quakerism--it's where Friends of all types come to recharge their spiritual batteries and reconnect with their Inward Light.

It's a modest place, with old stone houses and lots of trees. Friends meet in an old barn to worship and share insights and ideas. The ambience is peaceful, simple and Quakerly, which is not to say that conflicts don't ever arise here. They do, often, since people often come here when their lives are in crisis, but somehow Friends learn how to muddle through, and grow spiritually. It was here that I met my wife of blessed memory twenty-five years ago and spent a year deepening my understanding of Quakerism. I have frequently returned and regard PH as my spiritual home.

One of the joys of coming to PH is that one always encounters old friends, often unexpectedly. During this recent visit I have seen John de Valcourt (Santa Cruz MM), Elaine Emily, George and Eleanor Owen, John Myers, Linda Goldstein, Darlene Walker, Carol Sexton, Lloyd Guindon, Beck Birtha, and many others in passing. It's like a family reunion, a gathering place for the tribe of Friendly seekers.

I am here today to meet with Doug Gwyn and Shirley Dodson about the Brinton symposium I am helping to organize in June of this year. I have written a book about the Brintons, who were early directors of PH and played a major role in shaping 20th century Quakersim. You can find out more at http://www.pendlehill.org/workshops/summer-2011/526-the-legacy-of-howard-and-anna-brinton

This morning was wet and foggy, perfect weather for writing, so I hunkered down with my laptop in the library and composed a blog entry entitled "Are blogs Quakerly? And how do they help Universalism?" See http://quakeruniversalist.wordpress.com/2011/03/16/are-blogs-quakerly-and-how-do-they-help-universalism/

Tonight I am looking forward to taking part in a student presentation involving creative play and acting, organized by a live wire by the name of Beth Popelka (the "creativity coordinator" at PH). I don't know exactly what it will be about, but I'm sure it will be fun and expand my spiritual horizon!

Tomorrow I plan to go to the annual session of FWCC as the Pacific YM rep. I am looking forward to learning more about the Quaker Youth Pilgrimage on whose committee I have been asked to serve.

The sun has just poked through the clouds, so I may have a chance to explore the lovely grounds here, where trees of all types abound since this place used to be an arboretum.

Such is life here at Pendle Hill, the haven/heaven of Quaker peace activists....

Traveling in the Light....

During this East Coast trip I have not only been traveling light, but traveling in the Light. I spent the last couple of days in Greensboro, NC, where I was took part in a meeting of the Christian and Interfaith Relations Committee of Friends General Conference. It was wonderful being among Friends who are deeply concerned about interfaith and ecumenical bridge-building and reconciliation.

I love Greensboro, NC. It's an incredibly Friendly place. There are more Quakers in NC than anywhere else in the US! Streets and businesses in Greensboro are named "Friendly." And the people live up to this name: they exude Southern hospitality and warmth.
I spent time writing and reading at the Guilford College Library, which has a Quaker collection. In 2003, I did research there for an article I wrote about the time that Howard Brinton was president of Guilford during World War I.

During this visit, I reflected on how enjoyable it is to have a "tribe." To some degree, all religions are tribal: they are like an extended family, with shared stories, beliefs and rituals. When you meet a fellow tribesperson, you feel a kinship. This is very comforting.
The problem with religious tribalism is that one can become too comfortable. Or fall into the trap of thinking "my tribe is better than their tribe."

Many people reject religion because of its tribalism and all the baggage it includes: dogmas, rituals, etc. That's why more and more people are saying: "I'm spiritual, not religious."

This preference for Spirit is understandable, but it misses an important point. Spirit is like water. It flows freely, but if it isn't channeled, it can be useless or even destructive. If Spirit is like living water, religion is like the banks of the stream. A religion without spirit, without living water, is like a dry riverbed. Water without a riverbed is simply a flood. Religion and spirit need to go together.

To carry on this metaphor, all the streams and tributaries of the various religions eventually end up in the same place: the Ocean of Oneness, from which they all emerged in the first place.

During this visit, I was impressed with the art of a N. Carolina artist named Patrick Dougherty. I went to see his installation in the middle of the Guilford campus and was utterly charmed. His work consists of sticks woven together to create structures evocative of nature. His installation at Guilford looked like a colony of bird nests, twelve or so feet high.

A robin greeted me happily, as if she'd discovered the world's most amazing nest. Dougherty has caught the spirit of native american art better than anyone I know--by honoring and using the process by which art was created for tens of thousands of years. He also engages local people--in this case, mostly students--as helpers, thus turning his art into a community-building experience. His art comes from and returns to nature, just like the Buddhist sand mandalas....http://www.stickwork.net/installations.php

The CIRC meeting went well. Most of CIRC's work involves providing Quaker representatives for meetings sponsored by the National and World Council of Churches. This ensures that a Quaker voice and presence is at these ecumenical gatherings. CIRC also sponsors interfaith faith, of which I am the main practitioner. This summer I will be representing CIRC and QUF at the Freinds General Conference Gathering.
After the meeting I drove to DC with Friends. The drive through Virginia was beautiful. Sping has definitely sprung--the tulip trees are in blossom, the cherries are budding, and the forsythia are blazing forth with intense yellow. And the rolling hills and farms of Virginia are heavenly....like a scene from the Waltons (which was filmed here). We had lunch in Charlottesville, a quaint and charming college town.

I am currently staying in DC at the William Penn House, a very inexpensive ($40 per night) place on the hill. I am sleeping in a dorm but I have the entire downstairs to hang out in, with a lovely old living room and the opportunities to meet interesting people. This is simplicity at its best, no frills comfort. This is Quaker heaven! See http://williampennhouse.org/

William Penn house is currently full of students from Minnesota who are part of the Christian Campus Outreach. Nice kids. I enjoy being back in a dorm!

This morning I am going to one of my favorite museums, the National Museum of Indians, which was created, curated, and maintained by native americans. It's a wonderful place to deepen one's understanding of native american culture: http://www.nmai.si.edu/

I plan to spend Monday and Tuesday exploring museums and then head up to Pendle Hill and Philly for more meetings.

I feel so blessed to be living a life that's free and simple and full of good people and good works. God is so good, all the time!

The King hearings on Islamic radicalization: a threat to religious liberty?

The hearings on Islamic Radicalization by Congressman Peter King raise many issues that deeply concern the interfaith community. Why are Muslims being singled out for this investigation? What impact will targeting Muslims in this way have on religious freedom in America? Will such an approach help or exacerbate counter-terrorism efforts? There are also political questions, such as whether these hearings are part of a Republican strategy to target Democrats, and especially President Obama, as “soft on Islamic terrorism.”
Interfaith groups have denounced this hearing, as the following statement clearly indicates:

Shoulder-to-Shoulder

Religious Leaders Stand Shoulder-to-Shoulder Against Extremism of All Kinds in Support of American Values

Washington, DC—March 10, 2011

As American religious leaders, we share a deep sense of obligation to call upon our fellow citizens to treat each other with compassion and honesty, and to foster an ethical commitment to bedrock American values such as pluralism and religious freedom, mutuality and respect—values also at the core of our religious traditions.

As the House Committee on Homeland Security convenes hearings on the putative “radicalization” of American Muslims, our obligation takes on renewed urgency. We gather together to affirm that we stand united with all Americans in urging our elected representatives to act—not against a single, unfairly maligned group, but against all forms of violence and extremism that endanger our security. As spiritual leaders and people of faith, we call on the United States Congress, elected officials at every level of government, and all American citizens not to perpetuate damaging false witness against our neighbors. Instead, we encourage all communities of faith and people of good will throughout this country, to stand shoulder-to-shoulder in communities of growing awareness, trust and hope.

All of our faith communities share a powerful prohibition against bearing false witness, with the understanding that destroying a person’s reputation is tantamount to destroying his or her life. To assert that Muslims as a broad group are not deeply devoted to America’s safety and the peaceful interaction of its entire citizenry – that is false witness. By subjecting American Muslims to such scrutiny, we weaken our more perfect union, and we harm the national vision of our common good that is a witness to the nations. We encourage all citizens of this country to honor freedoms guaranteed by our Constitution that enable the free exercise of religion across our great land.

Far from a “radicalized” fringe group, Muslims are woven into the American tapestry. Muslims serve as teachers and factory workers, doctors and lawyers, social service volunteers and loving parents. They serve proudly and with distinction in the military and FBI, on police forces and in fire departments, and in all branches of the US armed services next to soldiers of all faiths, many having given their lives for our country. In these and other vocations, Muslims work hard, give back to their communities, and worship in peace. The Muslim community’s clergy work closely with the leaders of our nation’s other faith groups where we study our sacred texts together, pray together, and join hands to address issues of shared concern, such as homelessness, drug abuse, and violence against women.

The rationale for these hearings rests on an assertion that the American Muslim community has failed to support American law enforcement in its efforts against terrorism. This assertion is false. A study by Duke University indicated that “the largest single source of initial information” in helping prevent terrorist attacks were members of the Muslim community. In fact, the American Muslim community is deeply engaged in preventing terrorism. We regret that the Committee on Homeland Security held such a hearing today with specific focus on the Muslim community, and in the future we encourage its Members to listen not only to the voices of Muslim Americans and the law enforcement community, but also to witnesses from other faith communities, leaders who can stand up for the good character and ethical behavior of their Muslim brothers and sisters. It is unfortunate that Chairman King did not call any law enforcement experts to testify to the claims he has made.

As faith leaders, we are committed to building a future in which extremism is an artifact of the past, and where religious identity is not the cause of hostility but of acceptance. This country’s spiritual, religious and ethnic diversity serves to enrich our public discourse. When our public discourse is enriched, extremism is seldom given quarter.

We urge the members of our government as well as citizens of good will to refrain from passing judgment on religious or faith groups based on the actions of the few who pervert their spiritual traditions through acts of violence and hostile rhetoric. We believe that politicians, cultural figures and members of the media are never justified in exploiting religious differences in order to advance ideological or political aims. Our leaders in Congress and the Administration must stand up and speak out against these hearings – hearings that perpetuate misrepresentations and harm our country rather than lead it to greater awareness and a strengthened citizenry.

Spiritual leaders have a moral responsibility and a sacred calling to categorically denounce derision, misinformation or outright bigotry directed against anyone, regardless of faith community. Silence is not an option. Only by taking a stand together can we fulfill the highest calling of our respective faiths, and thereby play a role in building a safer, more secure America.

http://www.ucc.org/news/interfaith-groups-condemn.html

Journalist Jonathan Alter makes the case that these hearings will hurt rather than help efforts to combat the threat of terrorism in the US because it will sow mistrust in the Muslim community. See http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-03-10/how-peter-kings-muslim-hearings-help-the-terrorists/

The ACLU opposes these hearings on Constitutional grounds: http://www.aclu.org/free-speech-national-security-religion-belief/aclu-submits-testimony-rep-king-s-radicalization-heari

I feel led to add a Quaker voice to this chorus: by singling out Muslims, King’s hearings violate our Quaker testimony on equality. Efforts to demonize Muslims run counter to our Quaker belief that there is “that of God” in everyone. And as a Universalist Friend, I find much to commend in the Islamic teaching that “there should be no compulsion in religion.”

Granted, terrorists and religious fanatics are a threat and such threats need to be contained. But the best way to counter religious extremism is by modelling religious toleration, not by promoting witch hunts. I am pleased that so many religious groups have come together to denounce Congressman King’s hearings. This is a good time for Friends to let our elected officials know how we feel about targeting Muslims in this way.

The Call to the Desert and God’s Time Zone

This Lent I am traveling in the ministry to the East Coast on Quaker business. I am going first to Guilford College in North Carolina to attend a meeting of the Christian and Interfaith Relations Committee of Friends General Conference (the national Quaker organization), then heading up to DC to stay at the William Penn House and do some sightseeing, then to Pendle Hill for a meeting on the Brinton symposium I am helping to organize, and finally to Philadelphia for my first meeting as the Pacific Yearly Meeting rep to the Friends World Committee for Consultation, an umbrella organization for the 250,000 or so Quakers world-wide. Finally, I plan to visit my sister in Princeton and spend some time with my niece and nephew. This is, I believe, what Jesus meant when he said, “I have come to bring life, and to bring it more abundantly!

I left my apartment and my 20-year-old cat Xenia in good hands. Arthur, an attender of our Meeting, has agreed to be my cat and apartment sitter. This is a mutually beneficial arrangement: Arthur is a brilliant guy, a former lawyer turned comedian and script writer, who had a fall in fortune and is currently homeless, living in a car, while he makes plans to sell some of his scripts to studios in Hollywood. He needs a place to stay, and I need someone who will give my cat plenty of love—a task for which Arthur is eminently qualified.

I am also leaving behind Doris, the elderly woman whom I have been visiting in the hospital. I am quite concerned about her since she wants to go back to her apartment even though the doctors feel she is not ready. But I trust the she and the rest of the LA world will be able to manage without me. I need to remember: God is in charge, not I.

It seems fitting somehow to make this journey as Lent begins. When Jesus withdrew into the desert, he left behind the city and its demands so he could focus on his inward life. Such withdrawal from the world is important if we are to maintain spiritual balance.

Whenever I take a plane flight, I feel as if I have entered an alternative world. It’s not like going to the mountains, or to the desert, but it is definitely another world, one that seems to exist outside of time and space, high above clouds. A plane flight would have seemed magical a century ago, but now has become routine to all except children, mystics and poets. I will be leaving the Pacific time zone and entering the Eastern time zone, three hours later than this one. But of course the time zone that really matters is God’s time zone.

Since Kathleen’s transition, I have been living more and more frequently in God’s time zone. In God’s time zone, there is no hurry, no deadlines, no busy-ness. There is ample time for each person, for each experience, for smelling the coffee and the roses, and for reflection. Each moment is precious, as Kathleen realized during the final year of her life. She lived, as I do now, in what Eckhard Tolle calls the “Power of Now.”

Last night I went to the Ash Wednesday service at the Culver Palms Methodist church not far from where I live. I went there in part to affirm my connection with Kathleen as well as with Christ, and partly because I have friends at this church who are very dear to me: Gene and his wife Penny, Veda, Jennifer Lim, and a few others. Last fall at this church I gave a presentation about the Parliament of the World’s Religions, and I have been asked to return in May to be part of a Methodist women’s study session on Islam.

The Ash Wednesday service was sparsely attended and the ritual was fairly routine, a repetition of familiar words about repentance, and our need to recognize our mortality.

Even though the spiritual energy of this group seemed pretty low, I was grateful to be part of this stalwart and faithful group of Christians. It was as if we were gathered around the dying embers of a great bonfire, trying to remember what the fire was like in all its glory.

“Christ died, Christ is risen, and Christ will come again.”

This is the standard formula for Lent and Easter—a formula so familiar its meaning is often forgotten. What strikes me as significant is the present tense of the second phrase. It doesn’t say “Christ has risen” but “Christ IS risen.” Risen when? In the Eternal Now. And risen where? Not just in some symbolic place we call “the right hand of God,” but in each of us. If Christ is not risen and alive in our hearts, what difference does it make if he rose two thousand years ago or is sitting comfortably at God’s right hand? The only Christ that matters is the living Christ, the one who lives within me and within you.

If all of us in that church had a sense of the Living Christ, we would not have needed ashes to remind us of our mortality. Our little ego selves would have burned to a crisp in the fires of Divine Love!

After the imposition of ashes and communion, I went to Bible study with Penny and her husband Gene, who is Jewish. Gene is a remarkable man who has embraced Christianity without abandoning his Judaism. He and I have been close friends and walking/talking buddies.

The Bible study consisted of half a dozen stalwarts. Like most Methodist classes, it is carefully programmed, with a video, study guide, and questions that are supposed to be open-ended, but often lead to predictable responses.

We were reading the book of Matthew, chapter 20, the story of the landowner who hired laborers at different times of day but paid them all the same salary. A story hard to reconcile with our human ideas about fair labor practices.

We were also asked to respond to the passage in which Jesus commands his disciples to go out to preach the gospel, heal the sick, and perform other miracles. Our group leader asked:

“How would you feel if Jesus commanded you to do this?”

These humble Methodists responded almost in unison: “Terrified.” And then confessed their feelings of inadequacy, and their inability to live up to Christ's radical demands.

Humility is a virtue I admire greatly, yet I couldn’t help seeing this passage differently. Like many charismatic teachers, Jesus was not asking his disciples to do something he felt was impossible, or even difficult. He clearly saw the Divine Essence (what Quakers call the “Inward Light”) in them as well as in himself. When he called upon them to do their utmost for the Most High, he was so confident of their capacity they responded without hesitation, indeed, with enthusiasm.

I realized that I have responded in the same way when I have been asked to do something by someone imbued with the Christ spirit. When I was asked to be the leader of the Methodist youth group at Del Rosa UMC in San Bernardino, I didn’t have any experience. I had never been part of a church youth group, and I was relatively new to Methodism. But my wife (the pastor of the church) had confidence in me. She believed I could do it, and she supported me wholeheartedly. And I was able not only to lead this Methodist youth group, I was also empowered to start a youth group for the Quakers. This was probably one of the most important ministries I have ever undertaken, and I couldn’t have done it without her, and without the Christ spirit.

The love of Christ, embodied in people who love us, empowers us to venture beyond our comfort zone and to perform what may seem miraculous. That love is what has enabled me to do what I have done, and what I continue to do.

“Greater things than I have done, you shall do.” These were the amazing words of encouragement that Jesus spoke to his incredulous students—words that Kathleen occasionally preached more often than any other pastor I know. Now they come to me with new meaning as I apply them not only to Christ but to her. Will I be able to do even greater things than Kathleen did? God knows I am not trying to compete with her, but I hope and am confident I can do extraordinary things through the love of Christ that lives in me and was revealed to me through her.

Thanks to Kathleen’s example, and Christ’s abiding love, I am becoming a pastor like her. And I am learning to live in the Power of Now.

As we enter the Lenten season, the time when we are to make a conscious effort to turn back to God, it is worth remembering that just prior to entering the desert, Jesus had an amazing experience of God’s love. Jesus had gone down to the River Jordan and had been baptized by John, who was calling on his people to repent. After being washed in the waters of the Jordan, Jesus saw beyond the shadow of a doubt that he was God’s beloved child, in whom God was well pleased.

As a sign of that Divine Love, he saw the Holy Spirit descend from heaven—a dove like the one released by Noah after the flood. What an incredible experience! To know that one is totally, utterly loved by God.

Yet no sooner did Jesus have this transcendent revelation of God’s Love than he learns what this Love means. It’s not all-expense-paid trip to the Good Life, but a call to go to the desert and to face trials and temptations.

This is not a journey we want to make, but each of us who seek the Truth must make. Jesus spent forty days fasting and praying in the desert and had encounters with Satan, his shadow self. Buddha, sitting under the bodhi tree, meditated for many months and had to face Mara, the temptress. Mohammad went to cave to meditate and pray in solitude each year during the month of Ramadan until one day, when he was 40 years old, he had a vision of an angel who clasped him around the waist and told him to “Recite.” Mohammad was tempted to believe this was an hallucination, but his wife Khadija had faith in him and told him that this vision was from God. Each of us must face our own particular temptations, our own demons, if we are to become free from the petty tyranny of our little ego selves and know the freedom of Divine Love.

Temptation will be the topic of a future reflection. If you are interested in reflections on Lent from a Quaker perspective, I recommend that you check out the entries of Rachel Stacy, a young Friend who is writing a series of Lenten reflections at quakeruniversalist.org.

The Cross and Early Friends

In reflecting on early Friends' attitude towards the Cross, I am reminded of what James Baldwin once said about the African-American experience of Christianity: "White Americans learned about the Cross from a book, but black Americans learned about the book from the Cross." The same may be said about Fox and early Friends: they did not learn the Cross from the Bible, but rather they learned about the Bible through the Cross. In the 17th century, thousands of Friends were arrested, tortured, and jailed for their beliefs. Despite incredible persecution, they did not lose faith in the power of love. Perhaps the most remarkable document of this period, or of any period, is a petition signed by 164 Friends and sent to Parliament in 1659:

We, in love to our brethren that lie in prisons and houses of correction and dungeons, and many in fetters and irons, and have been cruelly beat by the cruel gaolers, and many have been persecuted to death, and have died in prison, and many lie sick and weak in prison and so straw, so we, in love to our brethren, do offer up our bodies and selves to you, for to put us as lambs into the same dungeons and houses of correction....For we are willing to lay down our lives for our brethren, and to take their sufferings upon us

...
Given the dangerous conditions of British jails at this time, it is hard to imagine a more striking application of Jesus' definition of love: "No greater love hath a man than he lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). Clearly, the experience of the Cross was a life-transforming one for early Friends, giving them the strength to do things that we can scarce imagine doing ourselves today.

What, then, did the Cross mean to Fox and early Friends?

Seeing the Crucifixion and the Resurrection in a New Light

Like most people of his era, Fox took for granted the literal truth of Christ's crucifixion and resurrection. He seems never to have doubted that Jesus Christ was the son of God, was nailed to a cross, and rose from the dead. What was highly unusual, however, is that Fox referred to the literal death and resurrection of Christ as an historical precedent for validating equality between men and women:

So when Christ was risen.... the women went first to declare the Resurrection out of death, out of the grave. Now, they said, 'certain of our company came and told us he was risen' (Luke 24:22). Certain women they were, disciples, learners and followers of Christ. This seemed as idle tales, but when they came into the belief of it, male and female believed: so both are one in Christ Jesus, and all praise God together.

According to Fox, the testimony of women regarding the Resurrection seemed like a mere fantasy to Christ's male (chauvinist) disciples. But because women were the first to experience and witness to the Resurrection, they became equally entitled to be ministers of the Gospel. This was a radical view at the time, but one that Fox believed was rooted in historical fact. As I will show later, Fox's open-minded approach to the Resurrection is at the heart of authentic Quaker understanding of the Christian story. ( Elizabeth Watson's attempts to re-tell the Gospel from the viewpoint of its women is in keeping with Fox's revolutionary approach to reading Scripture.)

(To be continued....)

What you can do to oppose Islamophobia in Orange County

Those of you who follow my blog know about the "hatefest" that took place in Orange County last month may be wondering what you can do to combat this kind of Islamophobia. See http://laquaker.blogspot.com/2011/03/american-muslims-receive-messages-of.html

Today I received this petition from a Sufi Friend of mine, calling on Congressmen Miller and Royce to denounce calls for violence against fellow Americans

Specifically targeted are Steven G. Thornton (District Director for Gary Miller), Amy Michelle Porter (Chief of Staff to Ed Royce), Darrin W. Schrader (Legislative Director to Ed Royce), see more...Steven G. Thornton (District Director for Gary Miller), Amy Michelle Porter (Chief of Staff to Ed Royce), Darrin W. Schrader (Legislative Director to Ed Royce), Audra L. McGeorge (Communications Director for Ed Royce), Sandra Breitengross Bitter (Legislative Director to Gary Miller), John G. Rothrock (Chief of Staff to Gary Miller), Kevin D. McKee (Executive Director for Gary Miller), Rep. Gary Miller (CA-42), and Rep. Ed Royce (CA-40)


Here's the background:

Last month, a group of protestors picketed a charity event hosted by the relief wing of Islamic Circle of North America. Aiming to raise funds for local women's shelters and combat homelessness, the event featured two highly controversial speakers whose presence drew protests. The rhetoric of the protest was exceptionally bigoted, with chants of "Muhammed was a child molestor," "why don't you go beat up your wife like you do every night," and "you beat your women and  you rape your children."

The hateful insults are nothing, though, compared to comments by Villa Park Councilwoman Deborah Pauly, who mentioned she had a son serving in the Marines and added "I know quite a few Marines who would be happy to help these terrorists to a, uh, early meeting in paradise."

Two congressman - Gary Miller and Ed Royce - spoke at the event.

This call for members of the armed services to murder their fellow citizens is despicable, and it is unacceptable for an elected official in this country to participate in an event calling for violence against American citizens.

Call on congressman Miller and Royce to denounce such comments and apologize to the Muslim community, members of the armed services, and America at large for their participation in this event.

Further information is posted at http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/03/03/orange_county_muslim_protest/

Winning this campaign depends on our ability to call on thousands of supporters like you. After signing this petition, please follow us on Facebook - just click 'Like' at the top of the page.

http://www.change.org/petitions/congressmen-miller-and-royce-denounce-calls-for-violence-against-fellow-americans#?opt_new=f&opt_fb=t