SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS -- 58

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HUMILITY

+ The spirit of liberty is the spirit of not being too sure you are right.

 – Judge Learned Hand

+ This has been one of my favorite quotes for a long time.  We need to have beliefs, values, opinions and loyalties.  No doubt about it.  But we keep running into people with different beliefs, values, opinions and loyalties, don’t we? When they differ from ours, are they always wrong?  I don’t think so. 

Trust the process. Be as open and tolerant and accepting as much as you can as you relate to others.  Listen.  Share.  Listen.  Share.  Listen.  Share. 

It is likely that at least some of your beliefs, values, opinions and loyalties will change as the result of sincere and authentic contact with people who differ from you.  Isn’t this a good thing?  Isn’t variety the spice of life?  Isn’t diversity a gift? 

It is good to share your beliefs, values, opinions and loyalties as long as it is done with great humility and acceptance of others.  That traditional taboo against speaking about sex, politics and religion has some merit since misunderstanding is likely when people speak without humility.  But society needs honest conversation about these things.  Humility makes it possible for us to speak about difficult topics in a way which builds trust.  Don’t be afraid to be who you are.  Let others know you want them to be who they are.  We are creating a more compassionate society through these practices.  This is so important. 

+ Spirituality and Practice offers a wonderful 12s gallery of images and quotes on Humility
> http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/galleries/category/12s/2#/37/12-humility

+ You can always find a link to any of the Spiritual Explorations posts by going to http://abundancetrek.com/sepostsaccess.html

JOYFUL WANDERING -- 48

+ Updated at 6:13pm ESDT on April 20, 2015.

+ HAPPY BIRTHDAY, REBECCA. It's great to have you in the family.

+ Let me know if you have anything to add to this post or any other post by contacting john@abundancetrek.com and use JOYFUL WANDERING in your subject line. My hope is to make this a community blog but with me as dictator! (just kidding of course)

+ I can't believe it has been almost 2 years since my last Joyful Wandering post. What's wrong with me? I love doing this.

+ I still love to simply enjoy web surfing. There is so much information, knowledge and wisdom being shared by millions and millions of us. Sorry about the split infinitive but I like to joyfully wander splitting infinitives as I wander and wonder where I am going, where WE are going together!

+ Some of my favorite places on the web may be repeated from time to time. I am not going to go back through all of the previous JW posts to see what links I have offered.

+ I am interested in many topics. Here are some of the most likely topics to be covered in this continuing series of posts:

Spirituality

InterSpirituality

Progressive Christianity

Peace & Justice

Environment

Politics

Baseball

Rock'n'Roll

+ What Barrett Lee offers on his blog is always worth a read. Here is what he posted today: AMERICA IS NOT THE FUTURE OF THE CHURCH.

+ This post by the Coffee Party goes back to early March but is well worth the read because it deals with what's happening in our political system here in the USA: Republicans dominating Congress but surrendering the White House to the Democrats. | Read the post

+ Spirituality and Practice currently features this:
American Tibetan Buddhist teacher Lama Surya Das has a new book, and it provides a doable path to overcoming our illusions of duality and experiencing oneness. "Inter-meditation" takes us from the meditation pillow out into our everyday world where every aspect of our lives becomes part of our spiritual journey. Best of all, the book is packed with practices. 
 Read our review of Make Me One With Everything. 
 Read an excerpt on Ten Keys to Inter-Meditation. 
 Read an excerpt on Thirty-Three Potent Aphorisms. 

ADVENT 2012 -- 1

+ Huffingpost offers "Fox News War on Advent" by Diana Butler-Bass.

COMPASSIONATE POLITICS -- 2

+ Spirituality and Practice offers "Praying the News: For Americans Living in Poverty" as we deal with the highest poverty rate since the Census Burea began collecting data 52 years ago. Excerpt from a prayer by Mimi A. Simpson:

Our Loving Creator God,

We bring before you this day

the burden the whole world carries

as it endures extreme poverty and hunger

in every land.

COMPASSIONATE POLITICS -- 1

+ The current homepage of Spirituality and Practice features a new book by Parker Palmer: HEALING THE HEART OF DEMOCRACY: THE COURAGE TO CREATE POLITICS WORTHY OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT. The Brussats write:

Anyone awake in contemporary American knows that something is desperately wrong with democracy and the political system. The list of messes and miseries is long and lamentable. What can we do? Parker J. Palmer urges us to practice politics from the heart. In this prophetic and practical book, he shows us how.

GO TO THE REVIEW | GO TO AN EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK ON HOSPITALITY

HEALTH CARE -- 1

+ Repeal Healthcare Reform? Most Americans are not in favor. Check out a recent poll that shows only 37 per cent of Americans think it is Too Liberal. Don't let the GOP noisemakers fool you. Scroll down to "CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. Dec. 17-19, 2010. N=1,008 adults nationwide. Margin of error ± 3" at http://www.pollingreport.com/health.htm

Scroll down to "McClatchy-Marist Poll. Nov. 15-18, 2010. N=810 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ± 3.5" and discover something very important: A majority of Americans either want the Law to stand OR WANT TO EXPAND IT SO IT DOES MORE!!! ‎35 per cent said "Change it so it does more" as compared to 11 per cent saying "Change it so it does less." 33 per cent said "Repeal it." So, more people actually want to expand it than want to repeal it! ‎16 per cent said" Let It Stand."

Sadly, the GOP wants to make us believe most Americans are against it because it is Too Liberal. This is simply NOT TRUE as the CNN Poll definitely says that only a minority think it is Too Liberal.  Go to the Polling Report.

SUPPORTING THE PALESTINIANS -- 15

+ updated at 3:57 ESDT on Sunday, October 17, 2010

+ Too many Americans are in denial or ignorance when it comes to our policies in the Middle East.  I suggest that you read Wallwritings, a great blog by James Wall, and get informed. James Wall was the Editor of my favorite journal, The Christian Century, from 1972 to 1999. Today he offers "Rahm and the General Are Gone; Time to Put Freeman Back to Work" advocating (as he has consistently) for a huge shift in our foreign policy toward the Middle East.

Excerpt 1: " ... President Obama has at least two more years in which he must work around the Congress and address himself to restoring moral fiber to his handling of the atrocious conduct of the Netanyahu-Lieberman government of Israel. I suggest he start by restoring Charles Freeman to a position of influence in his administration."

(The next 2 excerpts are written by Freeman since he was ousted from the Obama administration in early 2009 probably due to pressure from my NY Senator Charles Schuman, an AIPAC loyalist.)

Excerpt 2: "The Middle East is a constant reminder that a clear conscience is usually a sign of either a faulty memory or a severe case of arrogant amorality. It is not a badge of innocence. These days, we meticulously tally our own battlefield dead; we do not count the numbers of foreigners who perish at our hands or those of our allies. Yet each death is a tragedy that extinguishes one soul and wounds others. This deserves our grief. If we cannot feel it, we may justly be charged with inhumanity."

Excerpt 3: "There is a special irony in having been accused of improper regard for the opinions of foreign governments and societies by a group so clearly intent on enforcing adherence to the policies of a foreign government — in this case, the government of Israel. I believe that the inability of the American public to discuss, or the government to consider, any option for US policies in the Middle East opposed by the ruling faction in Israeli politics has allowed that faction to adopt and sustain policies that ultimately threaten the existence of the state of Israel… This is not just a tragedy for Israelis and their neighbors in the Middle East; it is doing widening damage to the national security of the United States.”

A NEW AMERICAN NARRATIVE -- 1

A NEW AMERICAN NARRATIVE
There are plenty of great ideas in our American narrative as we now know it. But there are also some ideas in serious need of improvement. So, some colleagues of mine as well as other concerned citizens have begun working on a new American narrative.

My colleague John Preston has put forward both a significant critique of the narrative as it stands now and some bold ideas for a significant revision. Here is his preface for THE NEW AMERICAN NARRATIVE PROJECT:

A people’s narrative powerfully informs all institutions of its society including technology, economics, politics, and religion. The American narrative has sometimes been called the “American Dream.” This dream and the political/economic ideology that is embedded in it have been more and more emulated by many other nations through the dynamic of economic globalization. This project addresses a need for a new American narrative suited for a time in which the social and environmental costs of fundamentalist capitalism are leading the world to ecological crisis and social breakdown. This crisis is an opportunity for transformation and breakthrough. Yet such a breakthrough to an ecologically sustainable new order is not possible without a new narrative. The New American Narrative Project proposes to advance a foundation for a new Dream that can be emulated by our global partners.

I agree! And that’s why I have signed on to contribute as much as I can to this project.

The present narrative, John asserts, will lead us to breakdown. So, it is urgent that we get the narrative revised, transformed, made new. The American people are on board. The people are way ahead of the politicians, preachers and pundits who so dominate the communicating of the narrative as it now stands. We need to listen to the people who really do know best. Poll after poll after poll shows that Americans want change, demand change, know that we need change, and now have elected a President who ran on a campaign slogan of “change we can believe in.” But I am not saying this to promote our President or his party. It’s the people who know best. The people already have reason to be disappointed in the President and his party. But the people will continue to demand the kind of change which is absolutely required because the people know that a breakdown will happen if we don’t change radically and soon.

I will get back to John’s ideas in a moment. But let me offer some of my ideas which I would like to see find their way into the new American narrative:

· First, we need to tell our story, our history, in a new way. Howard Zinn’s A PEOPLE’S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES is an important contribution to this effort. Zinn believes that the privileged plutocrats have found ways to thwart the will of the people over and over again throughout our history. Nevertheless, significant advances have been made. Many more are needed. We will not make these advances, however, unless and until we deal far more faithfully and honestly with our history. We must learn from our mistakes, our failures, our missed opportunities.

· Second, we need to embrace a new American spirituality which is inclusive of our Christian heritage but not limited to it. Many Americans are appreciating other wisdom traditions like never before. More and more Americans are incorporating the myths and rituals and practices of these other wisdom traditions.

· Third, while we do need to embrace other wisdom traditions, we also need to reclaim our Christian roots, deeply cherishing our powerful personal, family and community stories of healing and meaning which have sustained us for generations. While far from perfect, our Christian story has contributed immensely to the creation of “new heavens and a new earth” and can continue to do so. Let’s not throw out the baby with the bathwater. It is good to be faithful followers of Christ.

· Fourth, we need to do a “new thing” when it comes to religion. I am envisioning something I like to call ”The New Church for the New Age.” Maybe a new word needs to emerge to replace the word “church” because of the baggage attached to that word. But, for now, I will stick with “church.” The New Church for the New Age is non-hierarchical, free, open, loving, caring, compassionate, healing, energizing, inclusive, humble, non-judgmental, fun, creative, yours, mine. Christ never meant for the church to be a closed, hierarchical, authoritarian, nationalistic and denomination-alistic institution. I think of this as a movement which has been with us since the Big Bang. It’s what God intends us to be. It is a movement which promotes what I like to call the Heavenly attributes: ABUNDANCE; JOY; WISDOM; BEAUTY; LOVE; TRUTH; PEACE; JUSTICE; FREEDOM

Now, back to John’s ideas:

John offers a circus metaphor (this will be described and discussed in future posts) to explain our current American narrative. He offers this story to explain the current American narrative:Once upon a time there was a magic land called America. Nature had blessed us with both beauty and great resources to be harvested. We who came were people whose hard work allowed us to sustain ourselves. Over time, some of us prospered more than others. Yet, even those who prospered the least shared in the good life of their community. We developed a whole new form of how government worked. We called it a representative democracy.

We also developed an economic system that was the envy of the whole world. It made use of markets to bring capital to bear in increasing both the wealth and the standard of living of our people. Some people became wealthy. These were people of special heroic character who through hard work, entrepreneurial vision, and the wise use of capital were able to contribute to the great economic engine of progress.

The best thing about this system was that it operated free from any group of politically elite planning how resources of the society would be distributed. The economic market took care of that on its own. It was as though a benevolent “invisible hand” magically directed all of this, to the great good of all. Yes, there was some inequality of wealth and income, but this was to be expected. By nature some people are lazy, some ambitious.
Some like to work moderately hard and take time to enjoy the fruits of their labor. Others are those who enjoy the drive to success and greater wealth. All in all, our American economic system was the most efficient way to distribute the goods of a society because there was no costly bureaucracy to allocate resources and manipulate prices through governmental planning. And, it was the most fair, because those who committed themselves to productivity were the ones among us who prospered.

The citizens of this land were encouraged by their parenting, their schools, and the free Market to be both industrious and loyal. Loyalty begins with an appreciation and gratitude for the social order of democracy and the free market. Loyalty does not criticize our American Way, but works with it to make it even better.

As Americans, we are true individuals. Although we value social bonds with one another, we have an inbred character that values a gritty independence and is the foundation of American freedom. In the American Dream, a new kind of hero has been formed. A hero in the traditional sense is willing to sacrifice his individuality and even his life for a cause or a community or a nation. The hero is a risk taker, willing to gamble the high stakes of his very life in order to gain something of great value. We have sacrificed for the national community in times of war and crisis. This is an example of our traditional heroism. The American soldier who goes to war and the fireman who enters a burning building are certainly heroes in the traditional sense.

What is different about us as Americans is that even in non-crisis situations there exists a heroic attitude just below the surface. What is new about American heroism is that it includes not only the sacrifice but the possibility of great individual…in addition to great social…reward. This is possible because our system of freedom includes a market of economic transactions. The individual who finds a way to be part of this market interaction, whether by being an entrepreneur, an investor, or an employee with a good work ethic, witnesses a heroism that commits us through our time and energy to that larger system of freedom. We therefore acknowledge how appropriate is it to “decorate” the American hero in a new way.

Just as it is fitting that we decorate the soldier for courage in a time of national crisis, it is also fitting to decorate civilian heroes whose commitment to the their loyalty and work ethic makes this nation, and world, a more prosperous place. Such heroes are not decorated in a ceremony, but by the lifestyle that their labors have produced. In this new American version of the heroic, individual sacrifices are made not only to the nation as a civil society, but for the economic markets that have made America great.

The happy combination of this sort of individualism and a free market is no coincidence. The free market in combination with a free democratic polity helps to form the new heroic individual, just as the character of the individual sustains and perpetuates a system which brings the social good of prosperity to all people. We have been uniquely blessed as a People in having an interplay between our character of individualism and free choice, and a democratic polity combined with our free enterprise system.

And so we have been blessed by God. God bless America, home of the free and the brave!
I think John has offered us an insightful way to understand the current American narrative, the one our pundits, politicians and preachers keep re-enforcing. This is, of course, the narrative which is leading us to national and global breakdown. The people know it and the people are alarmed, anxious, desperate, bewildered and determined. With God’s help, we are going to create a new narrative and a new society.

A SHUCK & JIVE REVIEW OF THE BOOK: ALL MY BONES SHAKE

+ John Shuck, in his great Shuck & Jive blog, reviews All My Bones Shake by Robert Jensen. This is an important book offering powerful reasons why the growing Progressive Christianity movement needs our strong commitment.

Excerpts:

• Dr. Jensen's story is heartbreaking and heartwarming. Heartbreaking in that this is yet another instance in which the institution caves into fear, control, and irrelevance. Heartwarming in that this community embraced one of its own, stood by him, and refused to be bullied."
• His Presbyterian story is only the beginning of this important book. All My Bones Shake is a theology book. It is theology where it matters. It is about life and what it means to be human. It is also about politics. He calls it political theology or theological politics.

Jensen says we must resist and overcome what he calls the 4 fundamentalisms which are putting all of us on the path to annihilation. Please read John's review and find out what these 4 fundamentalisms are.

The book is powerful and John's review will give you a taste of this power.

• Go to John's review.

WEALTH AS PROGRESSIVES DEFINE IT

Common Dreams offers "Beyond Scarcity: Re-Inventing Wealth in a Progressive World" by Joe Brewer. Excerpts:

• We are bound to make the world in our own image. So we had better be sure we have the right values in mind as we think about our selves in this historic transition.
• Conservatives treat wealth as material accumulation - those who show discipline and work hard can be seen through their material success. We progressives see wealth at a more fundamental level. The progressive understanding of wealth comes from a deeper idea: Wealth is seen as the well-being of individuals, society, and the earth. Wealth is already present in nature; it is not “created.” Clean air and water, strong communities, and fertile soils are inherently valuable because our well-being depends on them – independent of markets.
• The source of our wealth is the foundation of well-being. Our rewards are many - providing for our families while also resting peacefully at night because we devote ourselves to helping our neighbors. One very important way that we protect our communities is by challenging perspectives that threaten our ability to provide for one another. We reject the false choice of “making money” versus “doing good” and instead create new institutions that promote well-being across society by valuing the work of nonprofit employees, teachers, social workers, and anyone else who dedicates themselves to the betterment of society.

IMPORTANT ARTICLE ON DOING THE RECOVERY RIGHT

Thanks to The Witherspoon Society, I found this important article: "Doing the Recovery Right" by Robert Pollin. It was published by The Nation. Excerpts:

+ For most of the past generation, the aims of environmental sustainability and social justice were seen as equally worthy, yet painfully and unavoidably in conflict. Tree huggers and spotted owls were pitted against loggers and hard hats. Fighting global warming was held to inevitably worsen global poverty and vice versa.

+ Over the past couple of years, there has been a dramatic reversal of thinking: the idea has emerged that protecting the environment - in particular, defeating global warming - can also be an effective engine of economic growth, job creation and even poverty reduction.

+ The transformation of our fossil fuel driven economy into a clean energy economy will be the work of a generation, engaging a huge range of people and activities.

+ As a tool for fighting the recession, the green recovery project has as its first purpose injecting more money into the economy as quickly as possible. In this way, a $100 billion green investment program would create on the order of 1.7 million new jobs.

OBAMA MOVES QUICKLY ON ENVIRONMENT POLICIES

RealClearPolitics offers "Obama orders push to cleaner, more efficient cars" by Ben Feller. Excerpt:

"I want to be clear from the beginning of this administration that we have made our choice: America will not be held hostage to dwindling resources, hostile regimes and warming planet," Obama said in the ornate East Room of the White House, where an audience of environmentalists cheered him on.

SPIRITUALITY AND POLITICS (1)

God and politics can not be separated. God is intimately and intricately involved in everything we do. This definitely includes politics.

Since I watched the Democratic Convention on C-SPAN, I got to see and hear what few people saw or heard. I got to see and hear some very effective prayers after the big speeches were over, during the time when the pundits were chattering. So, my friends, It seems that there are Democrats who believe in God! This, of course, should not be a surprse but some Republicans seem to be very misinformed about this.

I know that most Republicans believe in God. That's great. Fantastic. Wonderful. I would like Republicans to know that most Democrats believe in God. Now that is a lot of common ground. That is a basis for a lot of mutual respect and good will.

I would be curious to find out if those who are stealing or mutilating campaign signs right now or saying really obnoxious things right now -- on both sides -- believe in God. Because God says: "Thous shalt not steal." Because God says: "Love One another."

McCain and Obama and Palin and Biden believe in God. Most Republicans and most Democrats believe in God. We can and must unite as a nation even now before the campaign is over. We can be respectful. We can appreciate those who disagree on issues facing us. Let's keep it in mind right now that "we the people" are one people "under God." We all want "liberty and justice for all." We can and will and indeed should differ on ideas about how to accomplish this goal. But let us always keep it in mind that God is involved in our thinking whether we lean to the Right or lean to the Left or seek to be in the Center.

MOSLEM CHILDREN GASSED IN DAYTON

Talk2Action offers "Muslim Children Gassed at Dayton Mosque After 'Obsession' DVD Hits Ohio" by Chris Rodda. Excerpt:

On Friday, September 26, the end of a week in which thousands of copies of Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West -- the fear-mongering, anti-Muslim documentary being distributed by the millions in swing states via DVDs inserted in major newspapers and through the U.S. mail -- were distributed by mail in Ohio, a "chemical irritant" was sprayed through a window of the Islamic Society of Greater Dayton, where 300 people were gathered for a Ramadan prayer service. The room that the chemical was sprayed into was the room where babies and children were being kept while their mothers were engaged in prayers. This, apparently, is what the scare tactic political campaigning of John McCain's supporters has led to -- Americans perpetrating a terrorist attack against innocent children on American soil.

ECO-JUSTICE CONCERNS AND THE DEMOCRATS

Eco-Justice Notes offers "The Dems in Denver" by Peter Sawtell, Executive Director of Eco-Justice Ministries. He wrote it just after the Democratic Convention August 25-28. Excerpt:

Global warming was named often in convention speeches. Frequently, it was included in the standard litany of issues that need to be addressed. That's good news, I guess. It is clear that concern about climate now has become utterly mainstream. We're certainly over any public questions about the reality of this crisis. But I was very concerned about the way that global climate change was addressed in lmost all of the speeches that I heard from the convention hall.

Solving global warming was presented with about the same urgency, and with about the same level of complexity, as procuring funds for college tuition or establishing universal health care. Until Al Gore spoke from the football field on Thursday afternoon, I heard no details about the vast scope and alarming impacts of the changing climate, and I heard nothing that called for profound changes or exceptional commitments. If the carefully scripted statements from the podium and in countless interviews are indicative of where the Democrats are willing to take us, then I must echo Gore's long-standing assessment. "We have the vision and know-how and technology we need to address global warming, but we lack the political will." This week revealed political awareness, but we're still far from the strong political leadership needed to dramatically reduce climate impacts.

Global warming was named often, but "the American dream" was the convention's repetitious drumbeat. Every biography was crafted as an example of the American dream, and every citizen was promised that they could live the dream. Here, too, I am concerned. The dream that was described -- both implicitly and explicitly -- went far beyond the ideal that "anybody can grow up to be President" or that we can all live a decent and fulfilling life.

Descriptions of "the dream" often moved far beyond a sufficiency that serves the common good, and praised the sort of prosperity and growth which are primary drivers of the ecological crisis. When 95% of all working families are considered "middle class", then there's little space to critique excessive consumption and inappropriate wealth. The American dream that was voiced spoke, too, of regaining US power in the world, rather than discerning a new role within the community of nations. That over-extended form of the American dream is an eco-justice nightmare.

DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA IS A SERIES OF NARROW ESCAPES, AND WE MAY BE RUNNING OUT OF LUCK

Common Dreams offers an excerpt from a new book, DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA, by Bill Moyers, one of America's great journalists and prophets. We need to take his alarming analysis seriously and strive to save democracy in America. Here's an excerpt from the excerpt:

We have fallen under the spell of money, faction, and fear, and the great American experience in creating a different future together has been subjugated to individual cunning in the pursuit of wealth and power -and to the claims of empire, with its ravenous demands and stuporous distractions.

• read article

POWERFUL NEW MOVIE ON THE WAR

CommonDreams offers "John Cusack’s War: The Actor Battles to Un-Embed Hollywood With His New Film, ‘War, Inc.’" by Jeremy Scahill. Excerpt: "John Cusack began working on his new film “War, Inc.,” which premieres in LA and New York May 23, about a year into the US occupation of Iraq. From the moment US tanks rolled into Baghdad, Cusack was a voracious consumer of news about the war. He took it deadly seriously, regularly calling independent journalists and asking them questions as he sought as much independent information as he could. Watching the insanity of the erection of the Green Zone and the advent of the era of McWar, complete with tens of thousands of “private contractors,” Cusack set out to use the medium of film to unveil the madness."

• read article

EARTHKEEPING 101 (1)

+ No matter who becomes President, we the people need to take charge and let the leaders know that the planet is in peril and earthkeeping must be an absolute priority. It is encouraging to see how much the Lutherans are doing to raise our earthkeeping consciousness. Presbyterians have a developed a clear and comprehensive policy for restoring creation. Many concerned Presbyterians are involved in a network called Presbyterians for Restoring Creation. An inspiring and informative organization emphasizing the necessity of a spiritual awakening to save the planet is Celestine Vision. I intend to blog consistently on this crucial concern. Thank you Al Gore for helping so many of us to realize that the planet is in peril and that we can and must act rapidly.

GREAT COMMENTARY ON OBAMA VS. CLINTON

+ Ellen Goodman has been a longtime Liberal columnist. She has really come through in her latest column. She differentiates the two candidates in a very perceptive way. Excerpts:

It's not news that both these candidates share the same fundamental goals. But one believes that change is fought for in a kind of trench warfare. The other believes that it can come in a transforming wave. And in some ways, this whole primary contest is over which way Democratic voters believe the political world really works.

To some, hope is just another word for naivete. To others, experience is an excuse for cynicism. What people believe about this seems to fall along the actuarial table.

• Read column

SECRET NAFTA SUMMIT IN NEW ORLEANS

+ Greg Palast offers "José Can You See? Bush’s Trojan Taco." Excerpts: "First, the summit planned for the N.O. two years back was meant to showcase the rebuilt Big Easy, a monument to can-do Bush-o-nomics. Well, it is a monument to Bush’s leadership: The city still looks like Dresden 1946, with over half the original residents living in toxic trailers or wandering lost and broke in America." "The second reason Bush has kept this major summit a virtual secret is its real agenda - and the real agenda-makers. The names and faces of the guys who called the meeting must remain as far out of camera range as possible: The North American Competitiveness Council."

• Read Article