Social Justice Sunday
In a rapid response to Senator Frist's planned event on April 24, attacking our judicial system and Democrats as un-Christian, a coalition of religious organizations, including the Clergy and Laity Network, have deemed April 24 Social Justice Sunday, "inviting citizens of all faith traditions to protest this unprecedented attack."

George Lakoff has joined the call for this response in a DailyKos diary entry:

There are more religious progressives than right-wing fundamentalists. There are more of us than of them. They may be better organized, but this is changing and that change starts April 24. This is our test. Will we stand up to them? Will we write to our ministers, priests, imams and rabbis asking them to join us in speaking out?

I am fully supportive--it's time for religious and non-religious citizens who are motivated by the theme of social justice to work together and to speak up, pressing reasonable folks--particularly religious ones (there really are some)--to rethink their strict political alliance and to consider the true calling of their faith. This kind of initiative encourages an alternative enactment of those beliefs.

My only problem with this--and I hesitate to ruin the mood of cooperation and fighting back--is that it comes too late and expects too much. The right-wing politico-religious empire has spent decades organizing, indoctrinating, and fanning very specific flames, and the Family Research Council has likely spent many months organizing this specific event, designed to take advantage of that network. I would have preferred a response date in a month at least, to give a chance for this to be implemented. Lakoff's challenge to the progressive religious community:

Will they put signs on their places of worship celebrating "Social Justice Sunday?" Will we organize and hold candle-light vigils and marches on the evening of April 24? Will we invite the media to sermons on Social Justice Sunday and to vigils?

is about as unrealistic and unaware as I can imagine. I'm for it, and will do everything I can to help its presence here in the 'ville. But, The kinds of things that are needed to make something like this remotely effective require time and strategy.

Reactionary is sexy. An organized, compelling and competing vision is sexier.