Waiting for a Miracle

Can Marianne Williamson take on Henry Waxman — and transform Washington, D.C.? Readers loved Hillel Aron's profile of Williamson (“It Takes a Miracle,” Jan. 17), even if some found him unduly skeptical about her chances.

Writes CityKat, “This article is a fairly accurate picture of who Ms. Williamson is. If you've read her books or heard her speak, you know she has a brilliant mind. I don't think it is fair to say, 'Few think she has a chance.' It depends on who you talk to. If you look at the quality and intelligence of people in elected office, I would think Williamson would be a breath of fresh air, welcomed with open arms.”

Gene Rothman agrees. “Kudos for the informative story on Marianne Williamson. I heard her once give the keynote address at an event sponsored by the Southern California Committee for a Parliament for the World's Religions. I expected her to be motivating, engaging, brave and intelligent, and so she was. But I may have unconsciously 'typed' her as a spiritual leader who would pull her punches on issues like corruption, imperialism and the like, with some version of a softening 'kumbaya' message. Her moral principles, however, proved me wrong over and over again on each issue she addressed. …

“As a lifelong grassroots and political activist, I would say that there are major, potentially life-threatening crises on issues … that simply cannot be addressed by politics as usual. Only a massive grassroots campaign might force the political elites to finally listen to us.”

Richard Winger sets us straight on election law: “This is excellent journalism, and very interesting. But the story should not refer to the November election as a 'runoff.' A runoff is only held when no one gets 50 percent in the election itself. But the June event is not an election, because no one can ever be elected in June. Even if someone gets 100 percent of the vote in June, he or she is not elected and must run in November.”

Finally, Steve Eastin weighs in on Aron's description of the Divine Light Mission as a “kooky” group: “I have been a follower of the teachings of Prem Rawat (his real name) since I was 20 and he was 12. I am now 65. … The incredible humanitarian work he has done through the organization Words of Peace Global includes providing relief for disaster victims and the most successful program to fight recidivism in Texas prison history. He recently spoke to several thousand of his Southern California 'kooky' followers at the Long Beach Convention Center. His message continues to be that we should pay attention to this gift of a human life with gratitude for every breath we are given. Aron should have done a little research before casting aspersions on something he obviously knows little about.”

Corrections

Our story about Williamson did get one fact wrong: In 1974, when Henry Waxman first ran for Congress, he was 34. We regret the error.

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