News Alert
|
Get intelligent!
|
Main Menu
| Home |
| Radio Shows - LISTEN |
| Brad's Blog |
| Irwin's Blog |
| Brad In the Media |
| Irwin in the Media |
| Bridges TV - WATCH |
| Podcast |
| Forum |
Movies
Building Bridges: Abrahamic Perspectives on the World Today
with Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, Season II
Now Available on a 3-DVD Set
A first-ever 15-part series conceived by a rabbi for Bridges TV-American Muslim TV Network, the show brings together religious leaders of the three major Abrahamic faiths to grapple with the divisive issues splitting our traditions and country. Fast paced and tied to today's news, it gives viewers a deeper understanding of how people of faith see the world, and each other, with live interviews from the American public.
Price: $25.00 (3 DVD Set)
To order, click here.
Members Login
Hirschfield & Kula and
IntelligentTalkRadio.com
is produced and managed by
Scott Newman Productions
| Brad Blog Sept. 4, 2007 |
|
|
| Tuesday, 04 September 2007 | |
|
Shameless Hypocrisy Meets False Compassion
By Brad Hirschfield
Larry Craig has resigned, and perhaps that's a good thing...
After all, there is something odd about a guy who busied himself advocating and legislating in the name of public decency remaining in office after getting busted and pleading guilty to being indecent in public. But that is not the hypocrisy which should be occupying our minds and taking up space in the media. That honor should go to the shameless hypocrites in the Republican establishment who spent the last seventy-two hours doing everything in their power to bring about the end of Senator Craig's political career.
Republicans who have spent the last eight years campaigning as the choice for America's "values-based voters," politicians who wrapped themselves in spiritual values, apparently have no such commitments when it comes to values like forgiveness. Kentucky Senator, Mitch McConnell called Craig's acts "unforgivable" -- strange words from a man who prides himself on his commitment to traditional Christian values. Seems to me, that forgiveness is near the top of that list. I am not suggesting that Craig should not be held accountable for his actions, actions to which he admitted in a now regretted moment of honesty. But I do find it odd that instead of supporting their colleague's honesty and trying to help him both accept responibility while offering him support at the moment he did so, these guys jettisoned him like so much unwanted ballast on a leaky balloon ride, in order to save his cherished senatorial seat which he was likely to loose when he came up for reelection. And none of this even touchs the grotesque double standard that allows Louisianna's David Vitter to continue serving in the Senate after having been caught using an escort service that everyone but Vitter acknowledges was a front for a prostitution service. (Aren't they all?) I don't mind values-based voting, in fact I am all in favor of it. But it's high time to admit that for Republicans that simply means the value of keeping anyone who has ever had a homosexual encounter out of power, and keeping republicans in power, even when it means betraying all of your other values except the for these two. Of course, before the Democrats get too full of themselves, it bears pointing out that their false compassion is as ugly as the Republicans hypocrisy. Where were Democratic leaders, who should have been reaching out to support Senator Craig as a victim of the kind of sexual politics which force good men into closeted lives and unsafe sexual practices? Why were they not offering Larry Craig the support of the party which claims to be the only one to practice true compassion? Why? Because they were were too busy feeding off the political carcass left by Craig's actions and too busy smugly promoting their own aggenda which has as little to do with genuine compassion as the Republican aggenda has to do with spiritual values. The story of Larry Craig is actually a sad one, one in which the promise of the best values of neither party were realized and that's what the rest of us should be asking of the leaders of whichever party claims our votes. And whichever one does a better job of addresing those questions, is the one at which I'll be most interested come November. How about you? |
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
Read more Brad at Beliefnet.com
| May- July 2008 |
|
CNN Radio “The Paula Gordon Show” 6/21/08
PBS TV: The Jewish People: A Story of Survival, an original one-hour film explores these themes of resilience, fortitude and achievement of the Jewish people, moving chronologically over four millennia. Featuring Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, it is hosted by Martha Teichner, Senior Correspondent for “CBS News/Sunday Morning.”
5/7/08 WLIW NYC
6/1/08 WETA DC
6/2/08 WHYY, Philadelphia
6/4/08 KOCE, LA
6/5/08 WTTW, CHI
WORT-FM (Madison) “A Public Affair” 5/8/08
KPBS (San Diego) “These Days” 5/22/08 |
| April, 2008 |
|
WRPI-FM (Albany) “In the Spirit” 4/24/08
Open Court Tru-TV (formerly Court TV) 4/16/08
The Morning Show, Wisconsin Public Radio 4/15/08
Religion News Service 4/15/08
Brad ranks #37 in Newsweek's 50 most influential Rabbis in America 4/11/08
The Jewish News (New Orleans), 4/11/08
The Journal News (Gannet Westchester) 4/5/08
The Norman Transcript (Oklahoma) 4/4/08
|
| April - July 2008 |
|
The Detroit Jewish News Online 6/13/08
Voice of America 6/11/08
“In the Spirit” WRPI- FM (Albany) 6/5/08
The Mitch Albom Show WJR-AM, Detroit 6/2/08
KOOP-FM (Austin) Soul Talk 4/17/08
The Drive with Steve Fast on WJBC (Central Illinois) April 14
Maria Sanchez Show on KVTA (Ventura, CA) April 14
Irwin ranks #7 in Newsweek's 50 most influential Rabbis in America 4/11/08
The Jeff Farias Show, on Nova M Radio Network (Phoenix) April 10
The Pope’s visit with the Jewish community, and the sacredness of paying our taxes on the Louie B. Free Show Tuesday, April 8 at 2:05 pm EST, WASN, WRBP, and WGFT (all in the Cleveland/Pittsburgh area)
|
| Arizona Daily Star 3/7/08 |
|
Brad & Irwin in the Arizona Daily Star 3/7/08 |