Today I heard Robin Young on NPR say that Left Leaning Churches are the starting structures for the

[theophilus]

caravans from Central America. I find this hard to believe. Does anyone have insight into this? If churches are behind this caravan then they should be ashamed to encourage people to walk thousands of miles with little ones. They should put them on planes or ships, etc. What's up with this? I have not liked Robin Young for years but is this true? Thanks.

[onecaliberal]

1. Did anyone ask her the basis or proof of her words?

That’s always missing isn’t it. There is never anyone to ask these people to put up or shut up. Crazy people are trying to kill people at the highest levels in our government.

[Crutchez_CuiBono]

2. A left leaning church?

Last edited Thu Oct 25, 2018, 10:37 AM - Edit history (2)

Where"s that at?

UPDATE EDIT AFTER COMMENTS...If those are what passes for LEFT in this world, in churches, that tells you pretty much how many there really are, and their work in relative isolation (S America). True Liberal churches are crowds of Americans at a concert, or at the beach, or at a baseball game. That is where the beauty of loving each other as Americans goes on display. It is exactly what most of Liberalism and Democrats fight for. Taking care of each other and moving ahead en masse, not fractionally.
I got it that the LEFT LEANING churches that STARTED the caravan (supposedly) were churches where they originated at. My point was "left" in any churches. Especially 'round here. Right wingers took over religion in America bc it gave them low hanging votes. That was bad enough, but, then they socially(?) militarized the culture. War on Christmas is coming. Love Jesus or youre not a Patriot. I already loved the stories of Jesus, and not bc someone told me i had to. They extracted my religion from me, changed it, then gave it back and demanded fealty.It's heartbreaking. And all for dirty tricks votes. You all know as well as I do there's no true liberal churches. I appreciate the comments, but, it's really nuanced to how many blessed churches there are in this country.
Have a good weekend. Get those leaves up.

[brooklynite]

5. Liberation Theology Catholics?

[DeminPennswoods]

25. That would be my guess, too

Liberation Theology Catholiscism is pretty strong in Central and South America.

[redstatebluegirl]

8. Unitarians, we have always been on the radar of the right.

[sfwriter]

12. and occasionally in the crosshairs...

I have friends in Knoxville.

[RhodeIslandOne]

13. Yup

There's one mass shooter who oddly never gets mentioned....

[sfwriter]

16. Technically it wasn't a "mass" shooting. The death toll is too low.

Only 2 killed mostly because 60-year-old Greg McKendry, a longtime church member and usher, hugged the gunman taking blast after blast to save my friends and their children. The half-wit rightwing nutjob thought a bunch of pacifists would be an easy target.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knoxville_Unitarian_Universalist_church_shooting

[kwassa]

11. Mine. Many others.

Most of the mainstream Protestant church denominations skew liberal.

We are the Episcopal version. The very liberal Washington diocese.

[evemac]

15. The ELCA n/t

[Jamaal510]

19. Go to

just about any predominantly Black church.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. What's the source of this? Did she cite one?

Sounds like bullshit to me; it makes no sense at all. These caravans have been happening every year for 15 years, and not because any American church is encouraging them.

[marybourg]

22. I don't think she meant NORTH American churches.

[libdem4life]

4. Yes, "Heaven" forbid we should provide for the oppressed, hungry and needy...especially brown folk.

Some radical, left-leaning brown Arab Jew talked about that a couple of millennia ago. He wrote a little screed called The Beatitudes. But then those in charge, well, they saw right through his crafty plot and killed him.

Excuse me...you were saying ...

[Ms. Toad]

18. Thank you.

I kind of had to pick my jaw up off the floor to respond to the OP.

[Hortensis]

30. Bingo! Refugees have ALWAYS traveled in groups

when they could for safety. And churches and private aid groups in troubled areas have long been helping connect people who must leave their homes with each other.

However, these days by far most "organization" is through on-line social media. People in trouble read messages from members of migrating groups and learn that way where to find and join them.

I've read that Facebook's Whatsapp has become the refugees' messaging service of choice around the planet. Free app, free texting and phone calls, safely encrypted messages. Makes me wonder where people are charging the phones that have become critical and precious around the planet to people who have almost nothing, but I imagine churches and other aid groups along the way help arrange that for a group this large.

We talk too much about bad Republicans here. There are a lot of good people left and right out there.

[theophilus]

31. I am a Christian and definitely a left leaning one. What concerned me was

that whoever revved up this particular caravan picked the best time for Trump and the absolutely worst time for us "Left Leaners".
Another poster put up a link to a great article about a Mr. Fuentes. I have not read it all yet but I think that Ms. Young's comments (She is a co-host of a program on NPR, Here and Now I think) were off base. I worry that Evangelical churches, perhaps, could have been contacted and have encouraged this group at this time. I now doubt it. However, I can certainly understand churches helping with food, water, etc. once the group started to move.

I am just thinking that there is more here than meets the immediate eye. I heard a very interesting report the other night how that Lee Atwater had confessed on his death bed that he had been responsible for the Gary Hart/Monkey Business smear that ended his bid for the presidency. We have folks in the Repug world that are worse than Atwater was, imo.

Anyway.....

[brooklynite]

6. "They should put them on planes or ships"

You know these folks don't have a visa to come into Mexico, much less here. What Plane or Ship is going to take them?

[theophilus]

32. You are, of course, right.

I just think that anyone encouraging such a journey on foot is not doing these folks a good service. Especially since they are heading into the jaws of Trumpworld. I think I heard (Sorry but I do have stuff coming into my ears from the Radio) that the last caravan resulted in three people being accepted into the U.S. Not good odds for such a hazardous trip.

[Wellstone ruled]

7. What does one ecpect from a Koch Brothers supported so called Public Broadcasting Statiion.

[Wellstone ruled]

10. If you say so.

[shanny]

14. they've done it every year for the last 15 or so

[marybourg]

21. You're sure you're not confusing NPR (radio)

and PBS(TV)? And how is this kind of criticism of public radio and or tv any different from tRump, who calls any medium that doesn’t hew to his line “fake news”?

[theophilus]

33. Here and Now, I think. I have disliked her since the Bush years (W) when she was, to me,

on his side with Iraq and some other stuff. That is my opinion.

[Ms. Toad]

17. Left leaning churches have always been involved in underground (and overground) railroads.

for people fleeing harm, regardless of laws or borders.

Why on earth would it surprise you they are involved in this one?

[pnwmom]

20. I don't know whether that is rightwing propaganda or not. But suppose it is correct.

If the lives of a family are threatened in the Honduras, what would be wrong with people in a church, who didn't have any extra money themselves, helping them travel along the way?

And the only people who can come on planes or ships are those who already have VISAS -- which most of these people do not.

[uponit7771]

23. +1

[FreepFryer]

24. Guess the model for RW propaganda drops on DU is, "I heard {right wing meme}, is it true?"

With no links, quotes or sources - nor frequently, any response to the discussion.

Lotta this shit lately.

[theophilus]

34. No freeper here. Go find someone else to fry. n/t

[FreepFryer]

37. You don't have to propagate right wing memes on purpose to do it.

All you have to do is propagate it without fact-checking it first and you’ve done your part.

[njhoneybadger]

26. It's propaganda that tells us what the Koch brothers view as their biggest threat

[dembotoz]

27. A number of evangelicals consider the pope left leaning

So it could mean anyone

[Jrsygrl96]

28. Here's the real story

https://www.thedailybeast.com/forget-trump-hysteria-heres-how-the-migrant-caravan-crisis-really-began?source=facebook&via=desktop

I hope the link works. I am not good at this.

[theophilus]

35. Thanks for this. I will read all of it when I can. This is what I was

looking for.

[allgood33]

29. I hadn't heard this. But critical thinking would have one ask who benefits at this time from

those caravans. Who really can infiltrate to get people to organize in this manner AT THIS TIME? We know that Russia and other high intel states can organize coups and terror inside other nations. The GOP and Trump are desperate because of the coming elections. This caravan is the one thing that could get not just the Trump base motivated to vote but those among us who just believe others are a problem here. It always gets down to who benefits and who is hurt where politics is involved.

[roody]

36. You need money for planes and ships.