Time for Trump to learn, let the court slap heavy fines

TIME FOR TRUMP TO LEARN| Center for American Politcs.com

I hope everyone who has been messed by Trump staffers sue Mr. Trump, as he is the one who eggs on his staff to be violent, let the courts pile up cases upon cases, he said he will pay for it, let him, it is not the money, and it is the fact that his rudeness is established in the court.   This man Trump learns to treat people with respect.

America has always been a great country and Tramp is trashing it with his attitudes, language and violence.  Let him learn to behave.  

 Let’s hope Trump’s bad news is good news for America.  Let me write this in bullets;

Trump’s Campaign Chief Corey Lewandowski was arrested and charged with simple battery.

Corey had grabbed the arm of the reporter Michelle Fields and pushed her out.

Corey denied and trump denied.

Michelle’s ugly boss man at Brietbart does not want to press charges against Trump, everyone should be outraged at this, and because she is woman the assholes discounted her story. I am glad she pursued.

References:  

1. Corey charges with simple battery.  http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/29/politics/trump-campaign-manager-charged-with-simple-battery/index.html

2. Video of Corey and Michelle - http://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2016/03/29/donald-trump-campaign-manager-lewandowski-charged-battery-lv.cnn

3. Trump on the tape - http://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2016/03/29/donald-trump-defends-campaign-manager-corey-lewandowski-sot-lead.cnn/video/playlists/donald-trump/

Mike Ghouse

CNN: A Muslim lobby as a counterattack to Fear Inc.

Note: This is one of my 30 Blogs, this particular blog contains only my writings or writings about me. Engy Fouda has quoted me in this write up.

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A Muslim lobby as a counterattack to Fear Inc.

CNN: http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1281975

Recommended to visit CNN site, for colorful graphics on the subject matter.

By Engy Fouda (@engyfoda)

According to a recent report and investigation by the Center for American Progress (CAP), Fear Inc. is a $57 million fund network acting with the goal of spreading Islamophobia and hatred against Muslim minorities. It makes money out of what CAP describes as a “hate” business. A number of American Muslim organizations formed a coalition to launch what they described as a Muslim lobby to counter the increasing influence of Islamophobia.

The network funds misinformation from the so-called experts, who exploit a larger network of politicians, media outlets and organizations. “The name Fear Inc. is an analogy [to suggest] that a relative small group of people are pushing [towards] these ideas. They are similar to a corporation because they are making large amounts of money [by] spreading hateful messages,” said Ken Gude, senior fellow with the national security team at CAP and a member of the crew who developed Fear Inc. reports.

A coalition of leading national and local American Muslim organizations coalesced to form a Muslim lobby, also known as The US Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO). USCMO hosted the first National Muslim Advocacy Day in Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on April 13, 2015. However, still at its inception, the Muslim lobby faces significant challenges in reaching media and influencing legislation.

Media

One of the main goals of the Muslim lobby is to pushback against the daily stereotyping of Muslims in the media. Moustafa Elhusseiny, broadcaster in Al Jazeera network, expressed his frustration with prevalent stereotypes of Muslims and Arabs saying: “Americans who do not have Muslims in their social circles, carry the stereotype of the Muslim as a terrorist and an Arab as a potential threat. Some people cringe when they hear my name!”

The Fear Inc. and Islamophobia can be demonstrated by the polls resuts -shown in the pictures above- that were conducted in September 29, 2015 by the Public Policy Polling in North Carolina.

Gude added that the current Muslim lobby is doing well, but it is not enough. There is a need of more organizations to spread out. Anyone who is counterattacking Islamophobia should focus on having more communication with the media and the reporters covering the presidential campaigns. For example, on Trump’s campaign, the media focused most on “Obama is Muslim” as a smear. It is a smear but the response should not have been directed to that only. The response should have been to push back on the whole notion.  The media should get educated on how to talk about such issues.

As a reaction to Ben Carson’s Islamophobic attacks during his presidential campaign, Mike Ghouse co-founded the American Muslim Institution. “Bigoted people might not change their minds but when we talk in media on a daily basis, stand out and respond. This push back will make them hesitate to say any false statement again. After two or three years, they will not do it”, said Ghouse.

Education and Social diffusion

The Muslim lobby is faced with several challenges on both the Muslim and non-Muslim fronts. On the one hand, very few American Muslims know about the new coalition. “The Muslim community in the Unites States is self-enclosed. Even the organizations and Sheiks do not show up in the advocacy and human rights events. They neither interact with the American society nor support any persecuted minority groups from Latinos, and Blacks,” Elhusseiny said.

On the other hand, the wider public still harbors significant prejudices against Islam and Muslims. In 2014, the Pew Research Center conducted a survey about positive thinking towards Muslims; Republicans ratings were 33%, and Democrats ratings were 47%.

The FBI crime rate reported on their website stated that Anti-Muslim cases have slightly increased from 2012 to 2014. The Southern Poverty Law Center stated that Islamophobia in the United States goes into overdrive following France attacks. In 2015,  crimes such as Chapel Hill shooting, the discrimination incidents such as Ahmed Mohamed’s arrest in Dallas, and the latest anti-Muslim statements made by the Republican presidential candidates.

“It is highly required to found a new educational organization to train new cadres to represent Muslims. The education can be done through conferences and workshops,” Hesham El-Meligy, 2013 NYC comptroller candidate, co-founder of Muslims for Liberty (M4L), added.

El-Meligy added that M4L is making conferences to correct people’s misinformation about Islam through the American Constitution. The audience is from the Tea Party. M4L is arranging a conference to counter Carson’s false claims with three of his campaign managers.

El-Meligy and Elhusseiny both emphasized that Muslims should be keener to vote. Muslims’ population should show up in: the voting base, the city council and the senate candidates.

Legislation

Gude declared that, from the legislative perspective, most of the Muslim organizations are playing defense. None tried to issue a law specific to Muslims, as this is not the target. It should be for all religions not only Muslims. The organizations are mainly concerned to stop the NYPD surveillance programs and the anti-Sharia bill.

Mapping the anti-Sharia bill shown in the pictures above.

USCMO announced on their website that the domestic priorities of the American Muslim community, includes: “Calling on Congress to urge the U.S. Department of Justice to amend its racial profiling guidance for federal law enforcement by removing any existing loopholes that continue to permit profiling in the name of national security, domestic surveillance and policing the border. Many of these programs have disproportionately targeted Latinos, Muslims and other minorities, and raise serious due process concerns.”

Gude declared that stigmatization and training of law enforcement to profile Muslims and monitor every mosque as a counter-terrorism strategy had negative consequences and lead to many false alarms. Moreover, he said that there should be no aligning based on practicing any religion, the society should stand out against Anti-Muslim, Anti-Jew, Anti-Christian, and Anti-Atheist.

Nevertheless, Ghouse added, “Muslims are safe in the United States, it is better than any other country in the world. It is a good country, it supports free speech and I am blessed to be here.”

Gude concluded that here is no big Fear Inc. report yet, but they intend to monitor and comment on the direction of the media, shed some light on respectful Muslims to recognize them and push back Islamophobia during the presidential campaign. Probably they will produce shorter videos to combat the negative Muslims’ stereotyping.

Acknowledgement: Thanks to Yomna Ali and Michael Fitzgerald for their editing.

Conservatives v. Progressives

First of all, it really should be Conservatives V. Progressives.  Indeed, they are two forces that pull and push the society to stay put or move forward. Yester year’s progressives are today’s conservatives.  In social terms, it means the acceptance of un-married couples “living together” by an average conservative was a liberal idea 50 years ago, and 10 years from now acceptance of GLBT community without reluctance would be a conservative ideal.  

Both are essential to maintain a continuous equilibrium in a given society.  |

If conservatives had won the full battle – we would still be thinking the world would be flat; we would not have allowed modern medicine to save lives; we would not have allowed newer delicious foods that we enjoy today or even allowed the movies to flourish and would have lived in caves.  

On the other hand if Liberals had won the full battle – we would have fallen out of the orbit of the earth; individualism (me, me and me) would have taken over to the detriment of family, community and societies;  and we would have had a society that goes nuts with no regulations.

Neither of them will ever win the full battle, there is always going to be a give and take to accommodate the overwhelming majority of moderates, who see the value in both conservatism and progressivism.

What has been short in supply is the voice of moderates and the peace makers.

I have chosen to be a passionate moderate, who would assert the values that work for all of us; the conservatives, progressives and the rest of us, who make up 90% of the society, any society. Where do you stand?

...............................................................................................................................
Mike Ghouse is a public speaker, thinker, writer and a commentator on Pluralism at work place, politics, religion, society, gender, race, culture, ethnicity, food and foreign policy. All about him is listed in several links at www.MikeGhouse.net and his writings are at www.TheGhousediary.com and 10 other blogs. He is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.

Texas Faith: Mark Sanford and the politics of forgiveness

Forgiveness is a central idea in every religion. All our religions are the essence of universal wisdom that are aimed at making our lives better. Whether we believe in a God or not, a learned psychologist would have prescribed repentance.  And seeking forgiveness to the one who has wronged the other releases one from the bondage of anxiety and restores normalcy to the individual.

URL - http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2013/05/texas-faith-mark-sanford-and-politics.html

  Texas Faith:   Mark Sanford and the politics of forgiveness

  

By Bill McKenzie /

| Dallas Morning News | Published on May 14, 2013 

Mark Sanford won election to Congress from South Carolina last week after a major fall from grace. As you likely know, only a few years ago Sanford was the governor of his state. But the Republican was caught in a big lie, saying he was hiking the Appalachian Trail when he actually was in Argentina with his mistress.

His political career quickly fell apart, and so did his marriage. Sanford went from a leader with national expectations to a public figure thrown way out of the headlines.

But he’s back. Sanford defeated Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch by a convincing margin. He now will return to Congress, where he once served before becoming governor.

For some, there was a big ick factor to his victory. But Sanford is not the only politician who’s ever sought a second-chance. Richard Nixon came out of the political grave several times. Similarly, Bill Clinton rose and fell and rose more than once. And, after an embarrassing presidential bid in 2012, Texas’ own Rick Perry could try once more for the White House in 2016.

From a theological perspective, what are we to make of politicians seeking second chances? Forgiveness is a concept espoused in many religions. In Christianity, it is arguably the central concept.

But how does forgiveness apply in our public life? Or, at what point, does it not apply?

MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism, Dallas, and Speaker on interfaith matters, diversity and pluralism

Forgiveness is a central idea in every religion. All our religions are the essence of universal wisdom that are aimed at making our lives better. Whether we believe in a God or not, a learned psychologist would have prescribed repentance. And seeking forgiveness to the one who has wronged the other releases one from the bondage of anxiety and restores normalcy to the individual.

Life is about physical, mental and spiritual balance. We lose our spiritual balance when we mess with the balance of our surroundings. Chief Seattle had said something to this effect, that we are merely a strand in the web of the world. If we mess with it, we mess with ourselves in the end.

One of the ways of restoring the balance within and without is forgiveness and genuine repentance. An individual finds relief when he repents, and societies find freedom when they forgive the sinner.

The teachings of Jesus say that, in effect, we can blame the sin but not the sinner. And the Prophet Muhammad says: God loves those who forgive. Indeed the two sets of people God likes the most and least are the ones who forgive and the ones who are arrogant.

Forgiveness is a universal principle regardless of the religiosity of an individual or a society, and it applies in our public life as much as it applies in our personal lives.

Presidential candidates like Gary Hart, John Edwards and several governors and elected representatives were not forgiven by society. But Bill Clinton and Mark Sanford were forgiven through the ballot and it is up to them to live up to it. President Clinton lived up to it and is serving humanity and doing a lot of good to the world we live in. Mark Sanford has an opportunity to prove that he is worthy of the new leash.

However, there are conditions when it comes to public life. The individual must not repeat the wrong and cannot pretend to have washed off the sin. His or her public actions will determine if one has repented and is worthy of societal forgiveness. Forgiveness will not be retracted if they do wrong again, but they will be nailed for a new sin.

...........

To see all the other responses, at Dallas Morning News at: http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/2013/05/texas-faith-mark-sanford-and-the-politics-of-forgiveness.html/   

....Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel,India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place. He is committed to building a Cohesive Americaand offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. He believes in Standing up for others and has done that throughout his life as an activist. Mike has a presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest onSean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News; fortnightly atHuffington post; and several other periodicals across the world. His personal sitewww.MikeGhouse.net indexes all his work through many links.

Shouting Match on Hannity Show about flawed Pew Survey. Its between Sean Hannity, Bill Cunningham and Mike Ghouse.

 SHOUTING MATCH ON FOX NEWS LAST NIGHT

Here are my talking points about Sharia Law and the flawed Pew survey after losing a shouting match on Hannity show with Bill Cunningham and Hannity.  The video is embedded in the article at Huffington post link below.
 

1.  Radical Muslims are the mirror image of Radical Republicans who...
2. The survey has failed to recognize lack of alternative laws in Muslim majority nations; this makes the survey questionable in its authenticity.....
3. Sharia laws need serious updating, the laws on divorce, rape, apostasy, blasphemy, inheritance and adultery are not only outdated, but  some do not reflect the values of Quran ..
4. But Pakistanis and Bangladeshis have spoken strongly against it with 97% and 96% of them supporting freedom to practice religion
5. This may be bad news for the likes of Pamela Geller, Robert Spencer, Bridgette Gabriel, Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin, John Hagee
6. American Muslims closely resemble other Americans than they do Muslims around the world..
7. American Public is cheated out of knowledge on Hannity Show on May 1, 2013 with Mike Ghouse, Bill Cunningham and Mike Ghouse
8. I am committed to building a cohesive America, where no American has to be apprehensive or fearful of the fellow American. 

If you do like the article, please click "LIKE" at Hufington post, and if it makes sense, please tweet and share on Facebook, please write your comments as well.  This is how we build momentum to do good things.

Huffington post - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/a-few-talking-points-about-sharia-after-losing-a-sean-hannity-shouting-match_b_3200730.html

Full Survey is at: http://www.worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-worlds-muslims-beliefs-about-sharia.html 

Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. He believes in Standing up for others and has done that throughout his life as an activist. Mike has a presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News; fortnightly at Huffington post; and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes all his work through many links.

 

 

Ghouse knocks down Pamela Geller on Hannity Show

Indeed, it was a knock down drag out with dissembler Pamela Geller. Sean Hannity asked me to cut down on expletives, an unusual for me.

I just read Pamela Geller’s note on her blog, “I will be on the Sean Hannity radio show at the top of the hour (4pm) for a knock down drag out with dissembler Michael Ghouse. http://www.wsbradio.com/s/inside/seanhannity/  and http://www.hannity.com/show/2013/02/07

We argued over the word Jihad. The word was used for the first time when Prophet Muhammad’s army came home from a victorious war.  The associates asked him, what next? The prophet said, the greater Jihad begins now. The "greater jihad" is the inner struggle to hold on to the temptations to take revenge, or oppress the captured. Instead, he taught one to be humble, and be charitable and kind to them. However the meaning of the Jihad was screwed up around the 10th century to mean war on non-Muslims.

Pamela was belligerent and going on and on, that’s when I got to her. I guess this must be a first time on Hannity show. I told her “Pamela, first, you did not listen to what I said - that is the screwed up meaning of Jihad, that was an add on, and not Qur’anic or Islamic, you did not hear me, that it was in the middle ages that it was added, and unfortunately it is believed by many Muslims.”

Secondly, we are having a dialogue here, you tell a point and cut it out and I will do the same, you got this non-sense memorized and rolling it on, breath in between your sentences, let it be a dialogue… there was a dead moment, and I realized, that was the right thing for me to do. Thanks Hannity for letting it pass, I am glad he did, otherwise neither will make the points.

Then I laid it on her that she is robbing the American public by not telling the whole truth. In Islam, there is no offensive war, per Islam no Muslim can wage a war, unless in self-defense, all else about Jihad is non-sense.

An another point, although I do not like Ahmedinejad’s loose mouth, he did not say to wipe out Israel, he said to wipe out Zionism and not Israel… of course; it was over loud conversation between Pamela and I.

I am against supplying F-16 fighter planes to Egypt.  What is it for? The only possible enemy Egypt has is Israel, and Masri has said he will continue to honor the peace accord. This is the dumbest thing we are doing to supply them with arms.

Hagel should be confirmed for Secretary of Defense, for a change we need someone who is not a damn war monger.

John Brennan - He needs to clarify about the operations of drone, we are creating more ill-will through our indiscriminate killing of the innocents.


Reference points

http://www.hannity.com/show/2013/02/07

http://frontpagemag.com/2013/joseph-klein/the-emerging-egyptian-iranian-strategic-alliance/

Ahmadinejad warned, “The Iranian people are ready to march on Israel to destroy it if it launches an attack adventure against Iran.”

and feeling encircled by hostile governments in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and other Gulf states, the Iranian regime is looking for a new dance partner.

Moreover, Egypt has to walk a tightrope in its relationship with the United States if it wants to receive billions of dollars in financial aid and advanced weapons such as F-16s to build up its military. On the other hand, Morsi sees some leverage in hedging his bets and keeping the U.S. on edge as to just how far Egypt is willing to go in pursuing deeper ties with Iran.

Second, while Egypt may not formally break diplomatic relations with Israel and withdraw from the Camp David peace treaty in the foreseeable future, it can revert to a cold peace and allow Iranian arms to transit the Sinai on the way to Hamas in Gaza.

Ayotallah Khameini

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/08/world/middleeast/irans-supreme-leader-ayatollah-ali-khameini-rejects-direct-talks-with-us.html?_r=0

The ayatollah’s objection is an edict to which other Iranian officials, including President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, must adhere,

“The Iranian nation will not negotiate under pressure,” he said. Noting the international sanctions against Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei said: “The U.S. is pointing a gun at Iran and wants us to talk to them. The Iranian nation will not be intimidated by these actions.”

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/02/fischer-a-no-on-hagel-he-fell-short-87310.html

Sen. Deb Fischer will not support her fellow Nebraskan, former Sen. Chuck Hagel, for Defense Secretary, she wrote in an op-ed published Thursday.

“Sen. Hagel had a chance to clear the record and address bipartisan, well-intentioned concerns,” Fischer (R-Neb.) wrote for the Omaha World-Herald, referencing the former Republican senator’s performance in confirmation hearings last week. “He fell short, consequently failing to reach the heightened standard to which nominees to this position are held. I cannot support his nomination.”

John Brennan

 Brennan, 57, was expected to be examined closely about U.S. spy activities from waterboarding to the use of drones at the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, scheduled for 2:30 p.m. EST/1930 GMT.

Even so, there has been no groundswell of objection to Brennan's nomination, and he was expected to win confirmation from both the panel and, later by the full U.S. Senate.

Brennan is Obama's counterterrorism adviser and was a top CIA official under former President George W. Bush.

The biggest concerns about the nominee have come from liberal Democrats, not the conservative Republicans whose reservations about Obama's nominee to head the Pentagon, Chuck Hagel, prompted a delay in the vote to confirm the former Republican senator.

Senator Ron Wyden, a Democratic member of the intelligence committee who has pledged to press Brennan on drones, said in television interviews on Thursday he was encouraged by Obama's to provide classified documents, but that more action is needed.


Senate Committee Postpones Vote on Hagel Nomination

The Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) decided to postpone its tentatively planned markup of Chuck Hagel's nomination to be Secretary of Defense.

SASC was planning to vote on the nomination today, but committee chairman Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) decided to delay action saying that the committee's review was not complete.

Although he did not reference it, several media sources report that more than two dozen Republicans wrote Levin calling for more time to review Hagel's financial records, which they argue are incomplete.  Politico quotes a passage from the letter where questions are raised by the Republicans about whether Hagel was paid "directly or indirectly, from foreign sources" in relation to speeches or consulting work.  Hagel reportedly had been asked about this previously and replied that the financial information requested "regarding private corporate and non-profit entities ... is not mine to provide. ...I do not believe I have any of the information requested," according to Politico.

....
Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place and standing up for others as an activist. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. Mike has a strong presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News, fortnightly at Huffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes everything you want to know about him.

United Methodist Church Panel on Politics and Religion

UMC PANEL

Politics and Religion:
A Discussion on the Role Religion Played in the Recent Presidential Election
November 29, 2012 12:00-1:30 PM
Panelists: Sam Hodges, Jeff Weiss, Derek Jeter and Mike Ghouse
URL: http://us5.campaign-archive2.com/?u=f39de1c5273648e9a4297c0e1&id=a99ed23aa9&e=5ea40fdbce

….

Note: due to time limitations; I am pleased to record just a few random notes from event, If I get the time, I will elaborate on each panelists take. 

A few highlights:

Jeff Weiss shared how the candidates Santorum, Bachman and Gingrich had defined themselves in sectarian terms, while Sam Hodges shared the movement of the society towards secularization, and Derek talked about the bubble Republicans lived in. My take was the trend towards pluralism, and that this election has firmly established the separation of church and state. 

Jeter spoke about the position of the evangelicals and we all discussed about the fears and phobias of each group, the fear of evangelicals to see the world move towards sinful societies, a violation of God’s covenant. He and I carried the discussion further about how the conservatives in Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism and others want to hang on the covenant. I can see the safety and clarity of that position. He was open to seeing it from a pluralistic point of view as well, meaning the same scripture is viewed differently by the liberals. 

It was a great honor for me to sit between Jeff and Sam, both of whom I have come to admire for years. Jeff was a recipient of the Pluralist Award for his equal opportunity criticism of faiths while Sam is also a recipient of the award in 2011 for this drive to present another point of view. The awards are bestowed at the annual Unity Day event. www.UnitydayUSA.com

 

My talking points (not sequences or written in sentence format) written earlier, but not shared as written, most of the conversation was in response to each other’s comments.

We think you should plan to have a short opening statement about who you are (2-3 minutes only please   and then be ready to answer questions from the group.

I was born and raised in India and chose to be an American some two decades ago. The most attractive thing about America is freedom, the personal, social, business, religious and cultural freedom. It’s near absolute freedom except where the public safety is concerned. Freedom is the most cherished value for me, it means questioning everything, including my own belief, and why I do or don’t do things.

I was raised in a Muslim family like millions of other Muslims, and when I was a teen, I chose to be ir-religious, however, there was not a religious place I did not visit or participate, and people’s faith amazes me. I remained an Atheist for nearly thirty years and about 15 years ago I chose Islam to be my religion, let me be clear, it could have been any religion, all of them provided the same value; to find peace within and peace with what surrounds.

 I have made some outrageous statements to the orthodox folks - that my religion is not superior or inferior to any. If it is superior, it amounts to arrogance and arrogance is the mother of all evil and conflicts. Religion is about humility.

My mission is pluralism - that learning to respect the otherness of others and accept the God given or genetic uniqueness of each one of us, if we do that, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge.

Much of my work is linked to some 5 sites, and 30 blogs on each topic at www.MikeGhouse.net  Thanks to Dallas Morning News, Huff post, Washington post, Hannity and sanity… for giving me the opportunity to express my thoughts.

I am committed to building cohesive societies, where no one has to live in apprehension, discomfort or fear of the other. My book will be out by Christmas and movie will be done next Christmas.
  

Where do we draw that fine line between church and state in the election process….for instance, if a church paid for billboards with political messages, or endorsing a specific candidate, should they lose their non-profit status?

Church is about faith, governance is about living with each other
First amendment
Non profits political orgs.. Where you don't even disclose the giver
Are we assuming all members of the church vote the same way?
Why should a pastor coerce an individual to hide his political identity to majority?
Big donors to sway? Isn't that a loss of freedom and democracy?

Where's the freedom?
Shouldn't that be an individual decision!

The purpose of nonprofit status was to give a break to smaller churches so they can attract donations… I kind of liken it to the Sherman anti-trust act which It prohibits certain business activities that reduce competition in the marketplace

How does the rise in social media change the dynamics of religion and politics? How should churches react to political messages posted on their Facebook pages by church members?

Social media had taken over religion...
Posting should be with disclosure... That it was a pr firm, no way to monitor...
I have personally crossed my own lines a few times... I was the only one, at times, and felt it was unfair to Romney...even though I was not voting for him..

How successful were religious groups during this election cycle (nationally and/or locally) …. are there any measurable statistics?

Very successful, all were driven by fear
-83% Jews, 95 Muslims, African 96, Latino 73%

The glbt was not an issue at all... The ones opposing are ones giving votes
There is a Trend towards pluralism... Separation of church and state in practice

What can we (as church communicators) do in the next four years to prepare for 2016? Will religion be more of an issue or less?

Keep state out of church
Same sex marriage, contraceptives, Sharia, question the politicians if they know the stuff to oppose or support an issue

Religion will not be an issue in 2016, the ones who bring, stand to lose, 2010 was an Anomaly...

----------- ­­­­­­­­­­­­­-----------------

We have a great panel that will discuss the role religion played in this latest political cycle.

How did the various groups use religion as a positive marketing piece for a candidate? Or was it used as a negative weapon against a candidate? Did religion really play a role or was it just used to deflect attention?

Bring your questions about politics and religion and challenge our panel of experts in this arena!

Event Details

When: Thursday, November 29

Time: 12 noon to 1:30 p.m.

Where: Christ United Methodist Church, 2801 Valwood Parkway, Farmers Branch

Cost: $15 and includes lunch.

RSVP: Email or call Deb Christian, dchristian@umr.org,  214.630.6495  x147

About our Panel:

 Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker, writer, initiator, organizer and mediator committed to building cohesive societies, and offering pluralistic solutions on current issues. Mike is a frequent guest on Fox News, “The Hannity Show”, and on nationally syndicated Radio shows including Dallas TV, print and radio networks, and occasional interviews on NPR. Mike is a member of the Texas Faith Panel at The Dallas Morning News and writes about issues facing the nation every week. He writes for The Huffington Post regularly, and occasionally for Washington Post and other daily newspapers and magazines around the world. Mike has published over 1000 articles on a variety of subjects.

Derrick Jeter has dedicated his professional life to challenging honest skeptics and seekers to wrestle with the most pressing questions regarding the life of faith and the preservation of liberty. After his undergraduate work at UT and receiving a master’s degree from Dallas Theological Seminary, Derrick began a public speaking consultancy, working with business professionals and politicians. Derrick is also the author of two books published by The Jeter Press: A 911 for 9/11: Finding Answers to the Evil of September 11, 2001 and O America! A Manifesto on Liberty.

Sam Hodges, a managing editor at the United Methodist Reporter, has had a long career in newspapers, including reporting on religion for the Dallas Morning News. While at the Mobile (Ala.) Press-Register, he won a George Polk Award for a series on scarcity of dental care for poor children. He has won several other awards, and was a journalism fellow at the University of Michigan. He’s the author of a published novel and co-editor of a published book of his great-great-grandfather’s Civil War letters.

Jeffrey Weiss is a weekly columnist for Real Clear Religion, and a longtime reporter and blogger for The Dallas Morning News. He was previously general assignment reporter, and social services reporter for The Dallas Morning News, and a regular contributor to the late Politics Daily. He has also reported for The Miami Herald. Weiss was awarded second place in the Templeton Religion Reporter of the Year award, and Schachern Award for Best Religion Section by The Religion Newswriters Association, as well as a contributor to the piece that won the Wilbur Award for Best Religion Section by The Religion Communicators Council, in addition to many other nominations and honorable mentions.

We are extremely thankful to Christ UM

C in Farmers Branch for being such a gracious host to our organization, but we would love the opportunity to visit other organizations throughout the DFW area. If your organization would be interested in hosting RCC for a luncheon in 2013, please contact Andra Dunn at programs@dfw-rcc.org for more details.

Our goal for the upcoming year is to grow our organization and inspire religious communicators in the metroplex in their ministry of telling the story of their organization, engaging their audience, and shining their light even brighter in a world that is hungry for positive and uplifting messages.

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Mike Ghouse

www.MikeGhouse.net