(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Thermal Thursday: Progressive Christian Profile: Minnesota State Senator John Marty [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-01-19 Today’s Topic: Fred Clarkson — of Political Research Associates and the force behind the annual Daily Kos celebration of Religious Freedom Day — suggested that I share with you a profile of John Marty, who is an excellent example of what it means to be a progressive Christian politician. I looked him up and think he is correct! So here is John Marty from his own website: “An Icon of Progressive Courage”: The Conscience of the Senate: The son of Dr. Martin Marty, a renowned author, minister and theologian, and his wife Elsa, John grew up in a home engaged in the civil rights and anti-poverty movements, where his parents taught him deeply-rooted values, such as respecting the dignity of every human being, the value of working hard and playing fair, and the importance of taking responsibility to bring change when confronting injustice. His alma mater is St. Olaf College, a Lutheran school in Minnesota, from which he earned a degree in ethics. According to Wikipedia, he then, amongst other jobs, worked for the Lutheran Brotherhood Foundation. What may be striking, if you are unfamiliar with progressive Christians are his views on the issues: Education: Contrary to many conservatives who seem determined to keep the most people as ignorant as possible: John works for education policies that address the needs of the whole child and family. Children who are homeless, children who go to school hungry, children who go home to dysfunctional households are not able to thrive in school. John’s work in the Senate addresses these inter-related social needs: he has authored the Minnesota Health Plan that would provide comprehensive health care, including chemical dependency and mental health treatment, he has been leading the fight to address hunger and homelessness, and he has fought for economic and social policies that will enable all students to be prepared to thrive in school. Reproductive Rights: John has been a consistent voice for reproductive rights, authoring legislation to protect a woman’s right to choose, pushing for comprehensive sexuality education and the teaching of male sexual responsibility. Senator Marty led a tough, but unsuccessful, fight to repeal Minnesota’s outrageous parental notification law, in which a pregnant minor needs to notify both parents before obtaining an abortion, even if one of the parents is abusive, and even if the father impregnated her or was totally absent from her life. -snip- John has carried legislation to significantly increase funding for Minnesota’s women’s clinics and is working to end public funding for the so-called “positive alternative” clinics that attempt to deceive women with misleading information about abortion. LGBTQ Rights: On LGBTQ rights, Marty was pushing for equality in early 1990s in the midst of strong public support for DOMA. Senator Marty introduced marriage equality legislation in 2008 and publicly stated that despite the unpopularity of the position, he thought it could pass within five years, which turned out to be an accurate prediction. And so on. What was most striking to me was that he does not accept corporate contributions and has been working to limit their influence in politics, and fighting corruption on several fronts: John Marty’s career in the senate is perhaps best defined by his nationally-recognized efforts to improve democracy in Minnesota, opening up the political process, taking on the corporate powers and the special interest money, and fighting conflicts of interest. His leadership and personal commitment to these issues has led many to call him the conscience of the Senate. Government Ethics. John Marty authored Minnesota’s landmark law banning all gifts from lobbyists and interest groups to public officials. He has worked to eliminate conflicts of interest from our political process. -snip- A Constitutional Amendment to overturn Citizens United and Buckley v Valeo. The corrupting influence of special interest money in our elections affects virtually every issue in politics. To end this corruption, we need to clarify that the First Amendment was not intended to allow corporations, wealthy individuals, and interest groups to buy clout in the political system through massive contributions and dark money expenditures. Senator Marty is the lead author of legislation calling on the U.S. Congress to propose a constitutional amendment to overturn “Citizens United” and require that Congress and the states regulate political spending so that every person, regardless of their economic status, has access to the political process, and that no person gains, as a result of their money, substantially more access or ability to influence elections. Much more at the links, as the senator has made some headway on these issues. So next time you hear that progressive Christian politicians aren’t interested, aren’t outspoken, or can’t get things done, show them the work of, amongst others, John Marty. Finally as always, let’s elevate our Community Cred and repost The Needs List! From Aashirs nani (with permission) on Helping Humpday: PLEASE NOTE: When sending via PayPal, be sure to select “Send to family/friend” to avoid fees on either end. Be aware, both donor and recipient, that GFM not only charges fees, but also money received through that platform is treated as taxable income. If you are requesting help through GFM, also be aware that there can be delays in accessing the money. COMMUNITY NEEDS LIST AS OF 1/18/23: Note also that Chef Bobby Neary, “@nuevopioneer,” has passed away. We are sad! If you knew him and would like to honour him, please consider a donation to the Satos, the street pets of Puerto Rico! I’m in for a mickle each week toward a variety of DKos members on the Needs List. I hope you’ll join me. Always glad to see the needed amounts gradually decreasing! If helping financially isn’t the right choice for you at this time, you can still help. Tip and rec the diary so it stays visible. Share on social media: Twitter, Facebook, whatever platform you use, to bring the attention of others outside our daily readers. And offer words of encouragement to people who are struggling. It can be scary to be struggling, and it can feel lonely. Let them know we understand and are here to help. If you have time, please visit the diaries above and leave comments for their authors. Those words of encouragement are vital! If you don’t like fundraisers, please just move along. They are a longstanding tradition at DKos — Until we vote in enough progressives to create a much stronger social safety net! (Maybe in 2 years.) Bobby’s Sato Missilu (h/t DOV) [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/1/19/2148146/-Thermal-Thursday-Progressive-Christian-Profile-Missouri-State-Senator-John-Marty Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/