Saturday, June 24, 2006
If you want an indication of just how much the "professional class" at the Presbyterian Church (USA) did not like the repudiation the 217th General Assembly just handed their prize issues (see: PC(USA) General Assembly ACCEPTS Committee Report -- Removes Divestment Language -- Live Blog and Presbyterian General Assembly Votes to Declare Suicide Bombing a Crime Against Humanity Over Objections of Social Witness Policy Committee), take a look at what the Moderator of the 216th GA, Rick Ufford-Chase, tried to do the day after: Ufford-Chase's bid to reconsider divestment resolution is defeated
The remnants included 216th General Assembly Moderator Rick-Ufford Chase's unsuccessful attempt to convince the commissioners to reconsider a resolution on the Middle East because it called on the denomination to restrain from telling other nations not to protect their borders.
That wasn't the way Ufford-Chase wanted the resolution to read. He said the Presbyterian Church (USA) should not abandon its prophetic right to tell nations what to do.
He was addressing one of the statements in the new General Assembly policy that replaced the 2004 resolution favoring Palestinian interests over Israel's defense of its borders, including military occupation in some Palestinian areas and a separation barrier that has been credited with significantly reducing terrorists' suicide attacks on Israeli civilians.
The General Assembly approved the policy, written by its Peacemaking and International Issues Committee. It begins with an apology for the actions of the 216th General Assembly, which adopted a resolution calling for phased selective divestment of denominational holdings in multinational corporations doing business in Israel. That resolution included no similar sanctions against the Palestinians.
The new statement also defended Israel's right to construct a barrier to protect its citizens, while the 2004 resolution condemned that barrier.
Ufford-Chase wanted the statement defending Israel's right to build the wall extracted from the committee reports. But the majority of the assembly seemed to prefer the advice of Noel Anderson of San Joaquin Presbytery, who noted that the committee carefully considered that part of the report and approved the statement almost unanimously, and asked the commissioners to reject Ufford-Chase's request. They did...
That was just the type of thing some folks were afraid of -- that the higher-ups would try to circumvent the committee report by some maneuver or other. This was a fairly weak effort, and fortunately it failed. The system worked.
Further evidence: Some Presbyterians are noting that the PC(USA) house organs are misreporting (spinning hard) what went on.
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One has to be a moral idiot to oppose Israel's security barrier. Thank heavens that "Little Ricky" Ufford-Chase is no longer the Moderator of the General Assembly.
Please do not accuse the Presbyterian House organs of misreporting. Oh my, you folks are the "artists" of spin!!!
You certainly have perfected the "spin" so greatly from the taxi cab driver who gave me a ride to East Jerusalem to the highest ranking Rabbi...Oh, we're ready for peace...but they're not!!! You are perfectionists when it comes to projecting a 'perfect' image. Now, with the issue of divestment on the table, you're pure 'white' image has a little smudge.
But, you do have to admit that this 'talk' of divestment certainly did stop you in your tracks!!!
We all want peace. But, when the oppressed (Israel) have become the oppressors, then how can there be peace???
I'm glad to see the one-sidedness against Israel has been struck down.
Yes, the Hamas/PRC/new terrorist group attack on Israel this morning proves utterly how much the palestinians are interested in peace.
Say, if the divestment "stopped us in our tracks," howcome we're celebrating its reversal? And hey, the Episcopals reversed THEMselves this weekend, too.
Yup. That anti-divestment charge is stopped dead in its tracks. Darn. You won.
Wait a minute. Strike that. Reverse it.
Yeah, yeah, Solly, I know, I should be a bit more grown-up in my comments, but sometimes, I just have to snark.
Snark away. Some comments are made for it.