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Quote of the Day. “After all, I’m a soldier, I’m an NCO, I’m a problem solver. What’s it going to look like if I can’t get things straight in my head?” Vivienne Pacquette, retired noncommissioned officer who served two tours in Iraq, explaining why women with post-traumatic stress disorder often choose isolation over embarrassment. (New York Times)

FAITH IN THE NEWS

Orthodox head brings ‘green’ views to D.C. “Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual head of the world’s 250 million to 300 million Orthodox Christians, arrived in Washington on Sunday night bearing the standard as the world’s foremost religious leader on environmental issues.”

Ministry Aims to End L.A. Homelessness by 2019 “A Christian ministry launched an ambitious initiative this week to cut homelessness on Los Angeles’ infamous Skid Row by 90 percent within three years, and completely end homelessness in the nation’s second largest city within 10 years.”

Science, faith used to be allies (Mark I. Pinsky, USA Today) “What is sometimes obscured by the clamor is that there was once an era in American history when science and religion were considered symbiotic allies, rather than the rancorous adversaries they too often are today.”

Internet full of believers “The World Wide Web has become the hottest place to build a church. A growing number of congregations are creating Internet offshoots that go far beyond streaming weekly services. “

Hate crimes law no threat to religious liberty (Mary Sanchez, Kansas City Star) “The clergy is nervous – the hellfire-and-brimstone cultural conservative clergy, anyway. Congress’s recent vote to finally include sexual orientation in hate crimes legislation has caused near hysterics in some religious communities.”

NEWS AT HOME

Health Care. Obama Strategy on Health Care Legislation Appears to Be Paying Off “After months of plodding work by five Congressional committees and weeks of back-room bargaining by Democratic leaders, President Obama’s arms-length strategy on health care appears to be paying dividends, with the House and the Senate poised to take up legislation to insure nearly all Americans.” Health insurance mandate alarms some “Among some libertarians and conservatives, the most troubling aspect of the pending healthcare reform bills is the prospect of a federal requirement that Americans buy insurance.” States likely to shape health reform “The debate over whether to let states opt out of any government-run health insurance plan overlooks a key facet of the health-care measures being assembled in Congress: When Washington is done, the shape of any new health-care system is likely to be finalized in Lansing and Boise and Baton Rouge.”

Climate Change. Senate climate bill faces challenges “The climate-change bill that has been moving slowly through the Senate will face a stark political reality when it emerges for committee debate on Tuesday: With Democrats deeply divided on the issue, unless some Republican lawmakers risk the backlash for signing on to the legislation, there is almost no hope for passage.”

Civil Rights. Martin Luther King’s daughter Bernice takes up mantle as US civil rights leader “Now Bernice King, the youngest child of Martin Luther King, has a new mission: to revitalise the civil rights organisation co-founded by her father as the first woman to lead the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.”

Politics. G.O.P. Moderate, Pressed by Right, Abandons Race “A moderate Republican whose candidacy for an upstate New York Congressional seat had set off a storm of national conservative opposition abruptly withdrew on Saturday, emboldening the right at a time when the Republican Party is enmeshed in a debate over how to rebuild itself.”

Feature – Foreign Policy. Shared interests define Obama’s world “President Obama is applying the same tools to international diplomacy that he once used as a community organizer on Chicago’s South Side, constructing appeals to shared interests and attempting to bring the government’s conduct in line with its ideals.”

NEWS AROUND THE WORLD

Afghanistan. Karzai declared elected president “Hamid Karzai has been declared the elected president of Afghanistan by poll officials, after they scrapped the planned second round of the vote.” Karzai declared Afghan poll winner “Hamid Karzai, the incumbent president, has been declared the winner of Afghanistan’s presidential election.” Ban Ki-moon pledges to stand by next Afghan government “After meeting Karzai and his main rival in the disputed August election, Abdullah Abdullah, Ban urged Afghanistan’s election authority to decide quickly on whether to press ahead with a second round on Saturday.” Out of Race, Karzai Rival Is Harsh Critic of Election “Afghanistan’s last presidential challenger, Abdullah Abdullah, dropped out of the race on Sunday, accusing the government of profound corruption and electoral fraud even as the Obama administration rallied around President Hamid Karzai.” 

Pakistan. Pakistan takes Taliban stronghold “Pakistan’s army says it has captured a key Taliban stronghold in South Waziristan, as a bomb kills at least 30 in Rawalpindi.”

Iraq. Scattering of Attacks in Iraq “A week after the deadliest attack in Iraq in more than two years, a scattering of smaller bomb attacks around the country on Sunday raised fears of a sustained escalation in violence as American forces withdraw.”

Iran. Iranian guards warn over protest “Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have warned opposition groups not to hold protest rallies as the country marks 30 years since the seizure of the US embassy.” Opposition in Iran Urges Continuing Challenge “As Iran prepares for a major commemorative rally on Wednesday, the leaders of the opposition movement called over the weekend for a renewed challenge to the government, setting the stage for a possible showdown between protesters and the police.” Iran wants review of nuclear plan “Iran said today that it has not rejected a U.N.-backed plan aimed at limiting the country’s ability to make nuclear weapons, and it called for a technical panel to review the plan.”

Mideast. Top U.S. officials: Mideast peace talks have hit impasse “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with U.S. special envoy George Mitchell again Monday afternoon in an attempt to find a way to allow the Palestinians to return to the negotiating table. Senior U.S. officials admit that the talks have reached an impasse.”

Latin America Arms Sales. Weapons sales are on the rise in Latin America “Whether it’s called an ‘arms race’ or a ‘coincidental modernization’ of existing stocks, a wave of weapons purchases by Latin American nations is causing neighbors to watch each other with growing mistrust and fear.”

OPINION

Abortion foes seek to use health plan to curb access (Editorial, USA Today) “Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., is leading an effort to change that bill and ban abortion coverage in any government-run ‘public option’ or in any private policy purchased through the new medical insurance exchanges. That goes too far. It would mark a broad new expansion in the effort to restrict access to abortion.”

Add abortion restrictions (Rep. Bart Stupak, (D-MI), Opposing view, USA Today) “House Democratic leaders introduced their health care plan last week with language, known as the Capps amendment, that would mandate public funding for abortion. The Capps amendment is being sold as a compromise that maintains the status quo on the issue of federal funding for abortion. That is simply not the case.”

Hearts, minds and health care (By E.J. Dionne Jr., Washington Post) “The next health-care fight has already started. It’s the battle to define the bill that President Obama will eventually sign as a victory for consumers, taxpayers and the common good.”

Sojourners’ Daily Digest is a compilation of the top news related to our commitments of life and peace, economic and racial justice, and care of creation, with a special focus on news of the engagement of faith in public life.