Around The Nation

I'm just back from a whirlwind trip to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where I debated the editor of The National Review, Rich Lowry, about President Obama's policy agenda. It was a spirited conversation and I'm thankful to the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies for the opportunity. We'll have audio and video of the event up later this month; in the meantime here is one (very generous) recap from a local blogger in Grand Rapids.

Before we head into another busy week I wanted to briefly note three things in our orbit you may have missed:

(1) In December, we published journalist A.C. Thompson's exposé about vigilante violence in New Orleans, which also raised serious questions about New Orleans Police Department conduct in the death of resident Henry Glover in the days following Hurricane Katrina. Last week the F.B.I. announced a full inquiry into the death of Glover. This news offers some hope that justice may prevail in the incidents exposed by Thompson; you can read an update here.

(2) Last week I noted The Nation's two National Magazine Award nominations. I neglected to congratulate journalist Nick Turse, who won the James Aronson Award for Social Justice Journalism for "A My Lai a Month," his expose about atrocities in Vietnam, published in The Nation last November. Jeremy Scahill won the Aronson last year for his reporting on Blackwater. Both the Turse investigation and the A.C. Thompson piece came to us through the Investigative Fund of The Nation Institute, which supports hard-hitting investigative reporting. As daily newspapers struggle to stay afloat, and public-interest, pro-democracy journalism and investigative reporting become ever more vital, institutions like the I-Fund are becoming more and more critical.

(3) Finally, if you couldn't join us in New York last month for "Meltdown: The Economic Collapse and a People's Plan for Recovery," a forum on the crisis with Joe Stiglitz, Barbara Ehenreich, Jeff Madrick, Bill Fletcher Jr. and Chris Hayes, we have created a page with audio & video of the full event, as well as some select articles from The Nation about the crisis. The overwhelming turnout for the event showed a hunger for clarity and understanding about the crisis; we'll be adding new videos and resources to the new page "Meltdown 101" as a resource moving forward. We hope it offers readers some clarity and answers as the economic crisis unfolds. You can also catch the event on C-Span's BookTV Sunday at 3PM and Monday morning at 6:15AM.

Comments (14)

1. It should surprise no one who investigates the truth that the setting for this debate and the "chilled" reception that Lowry (see the blogger link above) received are due to the makeup of the church itself.

   here is how this church is described

   Fountain Street Church is perhaps unique in the United States as being both liberal and non-denominational. This arose from its unusual history as an ever more liberal Baptist Church, responding to the ascendency of liberal Christianity in the late 19th century, in a consistently conservative region.

   Established in the largest town in West Michigan, Grand Rapids, in 1869 as Fountain Street Baptist Church, by 1946, FSC grew to become one of the largest liberal churches in the United States, eventually surrendering its Baptist name and affiliation altogether to become an independent, non-denominational liberal church. In 1959, a book chronicling the story of Fountain Street Church titled ‘Liberal Legacy – A History of Fountain Street Church' was published in-house by Philip Buchen, a member of the church and legal advisor to President Gerald Ford.

   In the years between 1896 and 2006 Fountain Street Church eventually shed its explicitly Christian identity for a non-creedal spiritual life that closely approximated Unitarian Universalism. Its newest mantra to "Free the Mind, Grow the Soul and Change the World" nonetheless summarizes the church's approach to religion from the earlier days to this.

   So, proudly liberal and no longer Christian; pretty much sums up both the crowd and the environment that Katrina loves.

   Posted by antisocialist at 04/05/2009 @ 1:18pm

2. The terms "hopeless" & "fraud" come to mind every time you post. Does "inner cleansing" ring a bell?. Suggest you ingest a bit of Bon Ami every day to build up some tolerance because when Jesus returns he may just be "literal" minded.

   Posted by Sorelish at 04/05/2009 @ 1:51pm

3. because when Jesus returns he may just be "literal" minded.

   Posted by Sorelish at 04/05/2009 @ 1:51pm

   Actually, that's my hope and confidence.

   Posted by antisocialist at 04/05/2009 @ 2:02pm

4. Posted by antisocialist at 04/05/2009 @ 2:02pm

   No malice intended LvL. Best of luck to you.

   Posted by Sorelish at 04/05/2009 @ 2:27pm

5. No malice intended LvL. Best of luck to you.

   Posted by Sorelish at 04/05/2009 @ 2:27pm

   Thank you.

   Posted by antisocialist at 04/05/2009 @ 2:30pm

6. Posted by antisocialist at 04/05/2009 @ 1:18pm

   "Non-demoninational" means "non-Christian"? What major denomination is YOUR church, Larry?

   Posted by Mask at 04/05/2009 @ 3:06pm

7. "Non-demoninational" means "non-Christian"? What major denomination is YOUR church, Larry?

   Posted by Mask at 04/05/2009 @ 3:06pm

   That was not the point; and that was an interim step. I was referring to this part.

   "In the years between 1896 and 2006 Fountain Street Church eventually shed its explicitly Christian identity for a non-creedal spiritual life that closely approximated Unitarian Universalism."

   By their own admission, they are no longer Christian.

   Posted by antisocialist at 04/05/2009 @ 3:26pm

8. "Did UPS back out as an advertiser on the popular "O'Reilly Factor" Fox News show, as MSNBC's Keith Olbermann reported last Tuesday?

   Absolutely not, UPS has said in a statement.

   After Olbermann went public with his claim, UPS quickly issued a statement refuting Olbermann's charge that the company pulled its advertising from Bill O'Reilly's top-rated show.

   As of Sunday evening, MSNBC had still not issued a retraction"

   Well, there goes another liberal leftist lie bound for the dumpster it belongs in! Wonder if the nation will also retract their story on O'Reilly based on the lie? (no one is holding their breath)

   Posted by comancheamerican at 04/05/2009 @ 6:41pm

9. Posted by comancheamerican at 04/05/2009 @ 6:41pm

   Again, seems odd a guy like you who loathes "perversions"...

   defending a guy who makes dirty phone calls??!?!?!?

   Posted by Mask at 04/06/2009 @ 08:49am

10. You are dense Mask, its blatant lies I loathe and perversions are lies but that was NOT the subject. Surely you're not that dumb?

    Posted by comancheamerican at 04/06/2009 @ 09:36am

11. Posted by comancheamerican at 04/06/2009 @ 09:36am

    You've defended O'Reilly elsewhere, RIO....again, I ask, aren't making dirty phone calls a "perversion"???

    Posted by Mask at 04/06/2009 @ 11:01am

12. If anybody is looking for clarity and understanding about the crisis [the economic situation], the last thing they should do is consult any "resources" put forth by The Nation magazine.

    Anybody that wants a better understanding of economics should go to the site of Dr. Walter E. Williams of George Mason University instead.

    http://www.gmu.edu/departments/economics/wew/

    Posted by sjchermak at 04/06/2009 @ 11:53am

13. Posted by sjchermak at 04/06/2009 @ 11:53am

    Oddly, SJCHER has a quite LIMITED range in his "experts", no? Nobody else but Walter Williams???

    Posted by Mask at 04/06/2009 @ 12:20pm

14. Mask,

    Thomas Sowell

    Those two individuals have forgotten more than Katrina vanden Heuvel has ever known about economics.... how is that a limited range of experts?

    The extent of the "range" is not defined by who you agree with.

    Posted by sjchermak at 04/06/2009 @ 12:52pm