This week hundreds of religious leaders have gathered in Washington DC to protest the recent budget cuts in the House of Representatives. They are urging our congressional representatives to reconsider the drastic 50 billion dollar cuts in food stamps, school lunches, foster care and student loans. Led by Jim Wallis of Sojourners, Barbara Williams Skinner, and John Perkins, they will probably be arrested for their peaceful action of prayer.
Their civil disobedience is reminiscent of the civil rights movement and the examples of Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, and countless others. Although we honor them today as national heroes, at that time their civil disobedience was perceived to be a threat to the establishment.
I applaud those who have traveled to Washington to raise their prophetic voices on behalf of the poor and for those who have no voice. May their moral outrage change the hearts of our representatives. May justice flow like a mighty river!

My readers probably know that four members of the Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) have been taken hostage in Iraq. They are Norman Kember, Tom Fox, Harmeet Singh Sooden, and James Loney. I am saddened by their capture, because they truly promote peace and are seeking to foster non-violent and just alternatives for a free and independent Iraq. Together with thousands of people around the globe I hope and pray that they will be released. But tonight I also want to point out the inspiration of their words and deeds. Loney wrote a litany for congregational use in which people commit themselves not to be complicit with (among other things) economic structures that impoverish and dehumanize, the manipulation of public information, and the perpetuation of violence. The litany ends with a call not to be complicit with the hypocrisy of political maneuvering. This last call hits close to home. May all current and future politicians, and especially myself, take heed to these words.

After five years in office President Bush is finally coming back to the issue of immigration. His recent talks in the Southwest concentrated on strengthening the Mexico-US border, although he also repeated his suggestion of guest worker permits.
According to our great moral traditions an essential way to evaluate the justice of a country is to look at the way it treats “the orphans, widows and foreigners” in its midst. The Hebrew Scriptures, for example, emphasize that foreigners should receive the same treatment as citizens. Although religious and civic groups have an important role to play in welcoming the foreigner, our national government cannot continue to shirk its duty of addressing the issue of over 10 million undocumented immigrants in our midst.
The best legislation currently being proposed is the bipartisan McCain/Kennedy bill in the Senate, which is identical to the Luis Gutierrez bill in the House of Representatives. It allows undocumented workers to obtain a three year work permit and renewable for another three years. It would require employers to request these permits, after assuring that there are not enough US citizens to fill these jobs. This is a good piece of legislation that should receive the support of us all. It would allow hard working immigrants to come out of the shadows and become fully participating members of our society.

Last Friday, in the wee hours of the morning, the U.S. House of Representatives passed (217 to 215) a budget reconciliation bill that cut $50 billion dollars from social services for our citizens. These cuts take away school lunches from poor children, food stamps from poor families, $600 million from foster care, and Medicaid funds from the sick. While these budgets cuts are further hurting poor people, extravagant tax cuts that benefit the wealthiest in our land are extended.
Jim Wallis of Sojourners has stated it very clearly:
“It is a moral disgrace to take food from the mouths of hungry children to increase the luxuries of those feasting at a table overflowing with plenty. This is not what America is about, not what the season of Thanksgiving is about, not what loving our neighbor is about, and not what family values are about. There is no moral path our legislators can take to defend a reckless, mean-spirited budget reconciliation bill that diminishes our compassion, as Jesus said, ‘for the least of these.’ It is morally unconscionable to hide behind arguments for fiscal responsibility and government efficiency. It is dishonest to stake proud claims to deficit reduction when tax cuts for the wealthy that increase the deficit are the next order of business. It is one more example of an absence of morality in our current political leadership.”
Mr. Hastert, it can’t be true that you supervised this government decision. You aren’t in favor of these cuts, are you? According to the wise mother of King Lemuel the role of government is to “defend the rights of all the unfortunate, to judge righteously, and to defend the rights of the afflicted and needy” (Proverbs 31:8-9). I can’t believe that most North Americans want resources to be taken from the poor and given to the rich. There is still time to change the course of these actions. Mr. Hastert, help us as a country retrace our steps and get back onto higher moral ground.

Yesterday’s elections were very revealing. The governors’ races in New Jersey and Virginia were widely considered to be a national referendum on the state of our country under President Bush. The failures of his leadership (on Katrina, the war in Iraq, the privatization of Social Security, tax breaks for the wealthy and cuts in school lunches for poor children, scandals, and on and on) have been quite evident. Residents of New Jersey and Virginia elected Democrats to be their governors (the Virginia Republican candidate did not even want Bush to campaign for him). This is democracy in action as voters express either their approval or disapproval of the actions of their leaders.
Yesterday’s elections are a harbinger for the 6th Congressional District and for DuPage County. Our people want a change! When Republicans have control of all of government (whether it be at the national level or here in our district) corruption inevitably sets in. As Lord Acton stated, “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” It is time to bring balance and integrity back to our district and to our country. In one year’s time we the people will have the opportunity to express our desire for a good government. Hope is on the way!

Mr. President,
I have great respect for the presidency but, sadly, I have lost respect for you. You have allowed the White House to become a house of deceit. The indictment against Scooter Libby is only the tip of the iceberg. I would like to refresh your memory about the lies that your vice president has repeatedly pronounced while you have left them go unchallenged.
On September 17, 2003 you were forced to admit, “We’ve had no evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved with Sept. 11.” On January 9, 2004 Cheney affirmed, “There’s overwhelming evidence there was a connection between Al Qaeda and the Iraqi government” even though the Defense Department had already declared his evidence
”inaccurate.” Again on June 14, 2004 your vice president affirmed that Hussein “had long established ties with Al Qaeda.” You let those falsehoods go unchallenged for political gain. In last year’s election in November, 70% of those who voted for you believed that there were ties between Al Qaeda and Saddam. 70% also believed that on the eve of the war Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. You ran as the “war president.” The overwhelming majority of those who voted for you believed the lies that your vice president intentionally and consistently spread. Mr. President, a man of integrity needs to speak the truth and to correct the lies of his surrogates, even when that truth is painful. Mr. President, I urge you to tell us the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Remove the cancer of deceit that has taken up residence in the White House and restore the dignity of the presidency.
(More complete evidence can be found in our book “Terrorism and the War in Iraq: A Christian Word from Latin America” pp. 27-61.

Congratulations to the Chicago White Sox on winning the World Series! They ended a drought of 88 years dating back to 1917. They are an example to all of us because they overcame criticisms, hard times, and many other obstacles to become the world champions (in addition, our dog is called “White Sox”). They are also a source of inspiration for Democrats and independent voters in DuPage County and the 6th Congressional District. The Henry Hyde/Republican era is coming to an end. Our citizens want to end the drought and elect a representative who will champion the cause of all the people.
Yesterday the Chicago Tribune ran an editorial on the Republican candidate Peter Roskam. The article highlighted the fact that Roskam is beholding to the National Rifle Association. In the spring Roskam proposed legislation in the state senate that called for the destruction of background check records within 90 days of a gun’s purchase. The Tribune stated that this proposal “infuriated police, who use those records to investigate ‘straw’ purchasers who buy guns for criminals. Law enforcement officers also depend on such records to properly prepare themselves when, say, serving a warrant or making an arrest at a home.” It is fortunate that Roskam’s proposal was vetoed by Governor Blagojevich.
Voters in our district are demanding that we change the direction of our country, that we retrace our steps, that we do not sell out to special interests like the NRA and that we get back on high moral ground. The tide is turning. In 2004 Cegelis obtained 44% of the votes in her race against Henry Hyde. John Kerry did even better and obtained 47% of the votes in the 6th District and our Senator Barack Obama won a fantastic 65% of the votes. 2006 is our year to win this congressional seat! In the same way that I ran eight Chicago Marathons, I commit myself to run this race well, to earn the votes of the majority in our district and to represent everyone with fairness and integrity. I invite you to join me as we champion the cause of the people and run to victory.

The Republican dominated Congress is incredibly moving forward to reduce federal spending on entitlement programs by fifty billion dollars. These cuts would reduce access to Medicaid services for children in the child welfare system. They would also reduce federal supports for abused and neglected children through changes or cuts to Title IV-E Foster Care and Adoption Assistance. This is morally unacceptable! It is wrong to punish children for the mistakes of a fiscally irresponsible administration. It is time for Mr. Bush to cut the funding for his wealthy friends. Contact your representatives and demand that they put children ahead of money for the very rich.

1. Support abused and neglected children by REJECTING budget proposals that:
* Cap or block grant Title IV-E Foster Care and Adoption Assistance.
* Restrict the use of Medicaid targeted case management and rehabilitative services for children in the child welfare system and lower the federal matching rate for Medicaid services.
2. Call for a real reform of the child welfare system that provides more funding for prevention and support services while fully funding key programs, including foster care and adoption assistance.
For more information go to http://www.cwla.org/advocacy/nocapsonkids.htm

On Friday night, two of the three candidates for the US Congressional seat for the 6th District, debated the topic “Iraq: Should We Stay or Should We Go?” I was joined by my Democratic rival Christine Cegelis. The Republican challenger Peter Roskam was invited but did not participate.
The best way to understand the question is whether we see Iraq as our colony or as a free nation. President Bush’s policies (a dozen permanent US bases in Iraq, our control over their oil, no exit strategy) show that he sees it as our colony and therefore argues that we should just keep our troops there indefinitely. I believe that we need to set a timetable for their withdrawal because Iraq is an autonomous nation. The majority of the Iraqi people and the Iraqi government now see the presence of our troops as counterproductive to the wellbeing of their country. Our soldiers are perceived by the insurgents, rightly or wrongly, as a hostile occupation of their holy land by infidels. Iraqi President Talabani has urged the withdrawal of 40,000 to 50,000 US troops by the end of the year.
Therefore, I believe that we, in conjunction with the Iraqi government, should set a specific timetable for the removal of our troops. Although Bush claims that this would be the wrong signal to give to the insurgents, he shows a total misunderstanding of the nature of the conflict. Setting a timetable is the correct signal for the Iraqi people and government. It would show that we respect their autonomy. An 18 month timetable will encourage the Iraqis to assume more ownership for the progress of their country. They will take greater steps for protecting their people and they will cut the umbilical cord from what is increasingly seen as hostile foreign occupiers.
Mr. Bush and Mr. Roskam: If you really want the best for the Iraqi people reconsider your positions. It is time to start bringing our troops home.

On Wednesday night my Democratic rival, Christine Cegelis, and I were able to express our views and policies at a public forum organized by the Dupage Democracy for Illinois organization. We were able to address a wide range of issues, including the war in Iraq, the economy, education, abortion, and the environment. The importance of the forum was heightened by the fact that the other Democratic candidate, Peter O’Malley, had announced that morning that he was dropping out of the race due to family commitments. It was the first time that an audience had the opportunity to observe Christine and me, side by side, debating the issues. Of course, my supporters claimed that I came across stronger in the debate, whereas Christine’s followeres might claim that she did. What is more significant are the people in the audience who entered the forum uncommitted and have now offered to support me.
Democratic voters must answer tough questions: Which candidate has the best chance of winning against the Republican challenger, Peter Roskam? Which candidate has stronger policies more in keeping with the interests and convictions of voters in the 6th District? Which candidate can better articulate those positions and better persuade the undecided and independent voters? Who can better mobilize new voters like our youth and immigrants to participate in our democracy? The answer is up to you.
For a good summary of the forum I encourage you to check out Hiram Wurth’s blog at http://www.wurfwhile.com/archives/000716.html
He was the principal organizer of the forum and provides a balanced summary of the issues that we addressed.