How Howard Pew's Vision Gestated Rick Santorum -- and Lessons for Progressive Philanthropy

Recently, a friend posted on facebook a Clay Bennett cartoon that captured the puzzling religious nature of the Republican platform -- at least as it has been developing in the 2012 primaries. In the cartoon a woman is strapped to the "USA bed" and a priest seems to be doing an exorcism wearing a GOP embroidered stole. The woman cries out, "I distinctly asked for an ECONOMIST."
In the 2012 Republican revival of a certain religiosity in politics, Rick Santorum and his ilk are but the new incarnations of the kind of right wing evangelical conservatives that Howard Pew loved. Of course, both Pew and Santorum hail from Pennsylvania. Pew, an inheritor of the Pennsylvania based Sun Oil Company,Our canadagoosecoat look, work and feel exactly like the originals. and a significant philanthropist, took a religious cast in opposing the jobs and other welfare programs of FDR's New Deal. Pew believed that "... Welfare-state-ism, Marxism, Fascism and any other like forms of government intervention ..Find deals on monclerouterwear1 at great prices.. antithetical to the teachings of Jesus,SocialPicks is tracking the performance of diorhandbags . to our American way of life and to the dignity of the individual." And he spent his millions promoting just that vision.
Santorum is embodying this old philanthropist's view against "state-ism" and offering again "Spiritual mobilization." Pew even railed against the "social gospel" believing that religion was only about faith and not about social issues.
Rick Santorum is probably the greatest beneficiary of these tumbling walls so far. The court has formally declared that churches can receive federal funds -- imposing religious beliefs in a previous secular partnership between charities and the government. And now with Citizens United, it empowers Rick Santorum's theocratic views and give nonprofits significant means to lobby. The end of the divide between education and advocacy and political action that prevailed so long is here.
The right is running with this new understanding. Progressives needs to get off their butt and out of their self imposed straight-jackets. President Obama, at least, has said he will not unilaterally disarm -- and he's finally off to the races with SuperPACs.
The progressive charities, for the moment anyway, should take what the Court has given them: we can use advocacy, whether religious or political, in our activities. I think we have not only our own progressive wealth holders but a majority of small donors who helped finance the Obama campaign -- and will do so in the new money regime. Olivier Zunz argues in "Philanthropy in America" that the majority of the Supreme Court believes that this is a necessary condition of freedom in a strong democracy. If progressives don't adopt to this new playing field -- at least in 2012 -- well then Santorum and the theocrats will change our democracy in ways too awful to contemplate -- and we have only ourselves to blame.

Theater Review: 'Private Parts' at The Sandbox, SF Playhouse

Graham Gremore is a talented guy. His one man show Private Parts, which enjoyed a world premiere Saturday night before a packed house at SF Playhouse,,replicalvhandbag has not set an Overall Goal. is a strong vehicle for showcasing his humorous singing, melancholy piano playing, and outrageous story-telling. All told, it makes for an interesting, sometimes swervy-vervy, 90 minutes of theater.

The biographical show takes us to St.Buy canadagoosecoat are becoming popular. Paul, Minnesota where "nothing ever changes." Gremore's mother chain smokes Benson & Hedges,Most energysaving can ship the same day FREE via Ground shipping. and just wants a new dryer so she doesn't need to hang her panties (underpants!) outside where they continually disappear. Dad, a soft spoken computer software salesman, is an enigma. Slowly, his stuff around the house begins to disappear. First small things like a razor, or toothbrush. Then his desk somehow vanishes in the dead of night. Unraveling this mystery was one of my favorite parts of the show,With the boom of guess canadagooseparka boutiques, and Gremore does a marvelous job sprinkling updates to the story line in-between musical numbers and encounters with quirky neighbors.

As a child, at least once Gremore tried to escape home. With his older sister Georgia in tow, they started running on the coldest of Minnesota nights. They didn't get far, and Dad picked them up half a block down the street, and merrily suggested they bring jackets next time they plan to runaway.

It was when a second grader explained the meaning of being gay – "You can't be gay unless you have a job" – that Gremore found his calling. That's what I want! To sleep with a man, get up in the morning,You can find all the cheapcanadagoose1 you need here. and go to work. That sounds nice.

Gremore impressively jumps from character to character, re-enacting his childhood. Bill English's seasoned direction is immediately evident. The small black box theater (The Sandbox – SF Playhouse's space for new works) is used to utmost effect. Lighting, a small piano, and some hanging windows stylishly fashioned out of cloth are all that's needed to bring the story to life. I found Gremore at his best behind the piano singing alternatively poignant, hilarious songs, such as "Lizard Lady."

I was surprised to discover, though, at the end of the night that I knew most about everyone but Graham himself – sister Georgia, grandmother Mickey, oddball neighbors, and parents all figure prominently. If there's a missing connection perhaps it's that we don't quite get to understand his ambitions, or learn why, for example, he feels compelled to tell this story.