No two sides

In case you missed it, here's WV Senator Joe Manchin's statement on recent events in Charlottesville:

"I condemn in the strongest possible way the hatred and bigotry carried out by white supremacists in Charlottesville. This hateful ideology has always contradicted the very foundation our country was built on and has no place in our society and our communities today. There are not two sides to the story when the other side is Nazi’s, the KKK and white supremacists. The President should not leave any ambiguity about these hate groups - there aren’t two sides, there is only right and wrong."

Too bad some other people didn't get the memo.

A blast (and warning) from the past

Since the tragic events of the last weekend in Charlottesville, a long forgotten video produced by the US War Department during WWII has gone viral over the internet. I think most of what's gone out over the interwebs has been excerpts from the full version, which lasted about 17 minutes.

The uncut version of the film "Don't Be a Sucker" is available here. It was first produced in 1943 and re-released in 1947. I highly recommend giving it a look. It's an eerily contemporary warning to Americans to resist the temptations of fascism and authoritarianism.

Too bad it's not just a curious relic of another time.

WV Council of Churches statement on Charlottesville

CHARLESTON, W.V. — West Virginia Council of Churches Condemns Violence in Charlottesville, VA

For many years, as stated in our Public Policy Issues Booklet “the West Virginia Council of Churches laments the deterioration of political debate in our society as it is expressed through the demonization of political adversaries, falsehood masquerading as truth for political gain, and the corrosive effect of anonymous money.  All of these have a negative influence on public trust and the participation of citizens in the political process.  We call for civility, mutual respect, financial transparency, disclosure, and truth telling in campaigning and other forms of political activity”  (WVCC Public Policy Issues Booklet, p. 7).

Today, in Charlottesville, Virginia, we have seen the end result of the failure to attend to those things that nurture civil society and of the failure to see one another as sisters and brothers.  We whole-heartedly condemn the violence and the hate that was displayed in Charlottesville, Virginia.  We unequivocally reaffirm our belief that Black lives do matter and that our country must come to terms with the racism endemic in our society.  We pray for peace and healing in Charlottesville and in our country.  It is our hope that all people of good will, politicians and citizens alike, will condemn this violence, begin to heal the wounds in our country, and “let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5: 24).



The West Virginia Council of Churches (WVCC) represents 14 Christian denominations in West Virginia. Its mission is to make visible the unity of Christ's church, and to provide a Christian witness on public issues, as well as to engage in cooperative mission and service for all West Virginians.