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| LIVING THE SIMPLE LIFE |
Monday, April 29, 2013
A cab driver reaches the pearly gates. St. Peter looks him up in his Big Book and tells him to pick up a gold staff and a silk robe and proceed into Heaven.
Next in line is a preacher. St. Peter looks him up in his Big Book, furrows his brow and says, "OK, we'll let you in, but take that cloth robe and wooden staff."
The preacher is shocked and replies, "But I am a man of the cloth. You gave that cab driver a gold staff and a silk robe. Surely I rate higher than a abbie!"
St. Peter responds matter-of-factly, "This is Heaven, and up here, we are interested in results. When you preached, people slept. When the cabbie drove his taxi, people prayed."
Cheers,
Paul (A.)
Next in line is a preacher. St. Peter looks him up in his Big Book, furrows his brow and says, "OK, we'll let you in, but take that cloth robe and wooden staff."
The preacher is shocked and replies, "But I am a man of the cloth. You gave that cab driver a gold staff and a silk robe. Surely I rate higher than a abbie!"
St. Peter responds matter-of-factly, "This is Heaven, and up here, we are interested in results. When you preached, people slept. When the cabbie drove his taxi, people prayed."
Cheers,
Paul (A.)
Sunday, April 28, 2013
I worry that "educated" guesses by the media, especially the Telegraph, are signals to those who oppose gay bishops and gay-friendly bishops to complain loudly and weaken the chances of the appointments. I'd be pleased if Jeffrey John went to Durham and Alan Wilson to Manchester. I know Jeffrey only by reputation, but I have met Alan, and I think both men would make fine diocesan bishops. Two such appointments would be good news for the Church of England. We'll see.
The panel, which met on Friday, was told that the successor to the Rt Rev Nigel McCulloch, who retired earlier this year, should build on “significant engagement” with “lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities” in Manchester.The move comes amid growing tensions within the Church over its attitude to gay worshippers and clergy.
Such a public endorsement of working with gay Anglicans by a major diocese will cheer liberals but be seen by traditionalists as a further erosion of their views.
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As a result of the change Dr Jeffrey John, the openly gay Dean of St Albans, has been widely tipped for consideration as Bishop of Durham, a move which would catapult him into the third most senior post in the Church of England, and one held until recently by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby.
....Among those who could be considered for the role [in Manchester] is the Bishop of Buckingham, Dr Alan Wilson, one of the most prominent Church figures to speak publicly in favour of gay marriage.
A junior bishop in the Diocese of Oxford for 10 years, he would have the experience and profile to take over a diocese the size of Manchester.
Above is a scan of the menu for the English Tea at St John's Episcopal Church in Thibodaux. My friend Gwen and I both thought the tiny sandwiches, cakes, and scones were the best ever. Members of the congregation prepare the dainties and serve at the tea. The food is arranged in a circle around the plate in the order as shown on the menu, so the guests know exactly what they are eating. I had never heard of Irish tea brack, but I soon found out that it's quite tasty. At the table next to us were five youngsters from ages approximately 6 to 8. So sweet.
Yesterday was the 25th anniversary of the English Tea at St John's. Along with tea, paintings by local artists line the walls of the parish hall. Yesterday's featured artist was Dawn Koetting.
After 29 years as a veterinarian, Dawn Koetting is pursuing a childhood passion for painting and presenting to others a vision of the world we often pass by too quickly.Dawn was the vet who stood by Tom when our Rusty, the Wonder Dog, had to be put down due to advanced lymphoma some years ago. Tom will never forget her gentleness and compassion at that very sad moment.
Gwen and I enjoyed a lovely afternoon. At the tea, I always meet people I haven't seen in years, and we catch up on recent news of families. Sometimes the names don't come easily, and I remember them only after the conversation is over, so I generally try to bluff my way through.
Saturday, April 27, 2013
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| My sister Gayle |
Gayle was the person closest to me whom I've lost. I love my mother, but we were not really close, although we were together quite a lot. She was a good mother and, in many ways, a strong woman, as good as she could be under the adverse conditions of our family life as we were growing up, but she was emotionally distant. My youngest sister died too young. I love her, too, but for many years she was estranged from our family, so when she died, I grieved, especially that we were out of touch for so many years, but I didn't miss her constant presence. I finally forgave my father before he died, but to say we were in any way close would be a lie. We were on speaking terms, and that's the good news. There you have our family life.
Though Gayle lived in Kansas City, we were in touch nearly every day, either by phone or by email. I'd guess we would be communicating on Facebook if she was alive today. I think of her often and wish so much that we could talk. Gayle's husband, Frank, and her children, Donna, Gretchen, and Eric miss her presence, too.
Rather than resting in peace, I hope Gayle is partying in the great beyond. I wrote the poem below on the anniversary of her death five years ago.
Why Couldn't You Stay?
You walked away; you left us
Bereft, bereaved.
How could you go?
It wasn't your doing,
I know, I know.
Yet, how could you go?
Two years passed and gone,
Slipped away.
After you left, I'd think
I'll call her; I'll email.
Oh no! None of that!
You won't answer.
Now I know you're gone.
No thoughts of visits to come,
Seeing your face, hearing your voice,
The sound of your laughter.
Sadness lingers, emptiness remains.
Why couldn't you stay?
June Butler - 04-27-08
The photo above was taken in the Tower of London when Gayle and I traveled together a good many years ago. The picture makes me sad, but it's the perfect metaphor for me for her death. She was full of life, and she would have wanted more time, as we all would have wanted more time with her, but go she did. God bless us every one.
Friday, April 26, 2013
I promised, so here's Little Richard. At first, with the all the bad news from the sequestration, I thought the video might be inappropriate, but, strangely enough, the lyrics seem appropriate.
UPDATE: I laughed at one of the comments at YouTube: "any music made after the 60's is worthless." I don't agree, but I do believe after the 1950s and early 1960s it's been downhill for rock 'n roll, with a few exceptions. Of course, I may be prejudiced, having come of age during the 1950s.
The Democrats have lost on sequestration.
That’s the simple reality of Friday’s vote to ease the pain for the Federal Aviation Administration. By assenting to it, Democrats have agreed to sequestration for the foreseeable future.
....
In effect, what Democrats said Friday was that in any case where the political pain caused by sequestration becomes unbearable, they will agree to cancel that particular piece of the bill while leaving the rest of the law untouched. The result is that sequestration is no longer particularly politically threatening, but it’s even more unbalanced: Cuts to programs used by the politically powerful will be addressed, but cuts to programs that affects the politically powerless will persist. It’s worth saying this clearly: The pain of sequestration will be concentrated on those who lack political power. (My emphasis)
There you have it. If you're not a member of Congress, or if you're not wealthy or influential, forget about relief from consequences of the sequester. If you're poor, or unemployed, or on Medicaid or Medicare, too bad for you. Funding for scientific and medical research will be cut. Good-bye to grants for art, music, and writing.
So, Democrats, what's the plan? Why did the sequester seem like a good idea? Will you pull a magic rabbit out of a hat to fix the sorry mess the sequester has created?
Cuts in housing vouchers to 140,000 low-income families
Elimination of 70,000 Head Start slots
Cuts to Vista, which will hurt the program that performs antipoverty work in many states
An 11 percent cut in unemployment benefits for millions of jobless workers
Cuts of about $25 million from a program to provide free school breakfasts.
Cancer clinics across the country have begun turning away thousands of Medicare patients
What about cutting your salaries by 10%, members of Congress and Mr President? I read somewhere that Obama had voluntarily taken a 5% cut in his salary, so he'd only need to volunteer another 5%.
What are the chances that the cries of those who suffer severe consequences as a result of the sequester cuts will be heard? Slim to none, I'd say. Republicans like nothing better than cuts to programs that help "the least of these", and Democrats no longer seem to care.
My dear friend Margaret wrote the following letter to her senators and representative:
My prayer for you is that the words from the song of the prophet Ezekiel become the reality for you that will move you to exercise your power to end the Sequester and relieve the suffering people in these United States of America.
Dear....,For you members of Congress who apparently believe that the inconvenience of delayed flights is the most serious consequence of the Sequester, may I remind you of your oath upon assuming your offices?
My name is Margaret. I am the Episcopal priest serving the Cheyenne River Reservation. It is a difficult job, at best, but I have never felt more fully alive than when serving the good people of South Dakota.
Here is my concern: The "Sequester" cuts have cut to the bone here on the Reservation. Our Social Services workers will be working without a direct office supervisor, and will be expected to absorb the work load of their supervisor when she is laid off beginning May 1. They already each have over 150 clients. I have heard one serves more than 260 clients --adding more is going to make a difficult job impossible.
But more importantly, the clients themselves have been cut off --they have received no monies since the beginning of March. They are coming to my door asking for heating fuel, food, clothes, diapers. Children are at risk. There are no Tribal programs that can assist these folks, they are mostly disabled, elderly with grandchildren in the home, or are desperate for work. Last night, after a funeral, I delivered left over food to people's homes. Funeral food to a family of six of baloney sandwiches, biscuits, two apples, two oranges and some chocolate cake.
I cannot afford to feed all the people who come to my door asking for help. I have emptied my own freezer, my own cupboard in order to help these desperate folks.
I would like to invite you and any one else who is interested to come and stay here for ten days. Just ten days. I would like you to open my door and hear the stories, see the faces, see the desperation and despair. I would like you to feed the people from my freezer --and when it is empty explain to them why it is they have to go hungry and cold.
I would like you to attend the funeral I would probably do sometime in that 10 days and see the faithfulness, the generosity, the generational grief. I would like you to come with me on home visits and see the extreme poverty out of which that faithfulness and generosity and grief springs.
In the last six months, I have done 40 funerals --six infants, two teen suicides, and many, many folks under the age 40.
And food, shelter and heat are not the only problems here --the Indian Health Services were also part of the Sequester cuts. And the cuts are affecting the Head Start programs.
Have you all become so twisted up in your political lives that you have forgotten the people you have been called to serve?
I think so.
Look, it's really easy --have no cap on Social Security payments --everyone pays, all the way up. Including you. Don't make me pay 25% and more on taxes while the ultra-rich pay 15%. Don't give yourself healthcare benefits and raises and then deny them to others.
Don't punish the children and the elderly and the poor and the disabled by cutting the programs that at least keep them alive at poverty levels. Oh, and by the way, don't sacrifice the environment for monetary gain --that will kill us all.
I'll say it again: Don't exempt yourselves from the burden the poor must bear every day.
I can only say I am shocked and depressed by my own government. Do better than this. The people you are supposed to serve deserve better.
Shocked and depressed,
The Rev. Margaret Watson
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.The very first words of the Constitution are as follows:
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. (My emphasis)When Native American citizens of the richest country in the world live as Margaret describes the situation of her parishioners, something is very wrong. In the best of times, her people number among the poorest. In bad times such as these, their plight is desperate.
My prayer for you is that the words from the song of the prophet Ezekiel become the reality for you that will move you to exercise your power to end the Sequester and relieve the suffering people in these United States of America.
A new heart I will give you
and a new spirit put within you.
I will take the stone heart from your chest
and give you a heart of flesh.
I will help you walk in my laws
and cherish my commandments and do them.
You shall be my people,
and I will be your God.
(Ezekiel 36:26-28)
Thursday, April 25, 2013
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| Sen. Lindsey Graham |
Even though the man suspected of detonating two bombs during the Boston Marathon has already received his Miranda rights, South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham Monday continued to press for the suspect to be "interrogated" and treated as an "enemy combatant" for intelligence-gathering purposes. But Graham said the information gathered shouldn't be used in court because the suspect is a U.S. citizen.The authorities questioned Tsarnaev for 16 hours before he was read his Miranda rights. During that time, he confessed to the crimes, thus the confession cannot be used in court to make the case against him. Once he was read his Miranda rights, Tsarnaev stopped talking. Since there's probably enough evidence besides the confession, the prosecutors probably still have a strong case for Tsarnaev's conviction as one of the Boston bombers.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, a 19-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen born in Kyrgyzstan, was charged Monday in federal court for last week's bombing, which he allegedly set off with his brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26. Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed last week during a police search for the suspects.
Dzhokhar Tsnarnaev
The Justice Department has declined to treat Dzhokhar Tsarnaev as an enemy combatant, which would have allowed authorities to question him without an attorney present.
It’s...dismaying that authorities dribbled out bits of Tsarnaev’s confession Monday and Tuesday after saying he’d been read his rights. They never directly said he kept talking after he’d been Mirandized, but they created that impression.I've read elsewhere that the confession came after the reading of Miranda rights, and I see the source of the information now. Was this deliberate obfuscation by the authorities intended to confuse?
Despite previous statements about Tsarnaev's capture, it now appears he had no gun, and the authorities won't say what all the gunfire at the scene was about.
Although police feared he was heavily armed, the suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing had no firearms when he came under a barrage of police gunfire that struck the boat where he was hiding, according to multiple federal law enforcement officials.In time, I trust all the information in the news reports will be sorted out. I intended my post to be about Graham and his call for Tsarnaev to be treated as an enemy combatant, but as I heard and read more news, the post grew longer.
Authorities said they were desperate to capture Dzhokhar Tsarnaev so he could be questioned. The FBI, however, declined to discuss what prompted the gunfire.
Trying without success to avoid press coverage of the opening of the monument to George W Bush on the campus of Southern Methodist University. SMU should have sent Bush packing when he approached them. The library is a blight on the campus.
UPDATE: Or as Adrastos at First Draft said yesterday, "The Bush lieberry is opening tomorrow in Dallas."
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Texas Gov. Rick Perry is on a four-day recruitment trip to California this week, trying to lure Golden State businesses to set up shop in the Lone Star state.Go to Texas (wide open for business) where you can pollute as you please and operate a dangerous business with little regulation or oversight. Or come to Louisiana where similar policies allow you to do business in whatever way you like.
The trip, which began Sunday, will take Perry to San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Los Angeles and Orange County, but the recruitment started last Monday when Perry made an ad buy in California inviting Golden State businesses to enjoy the tax and regulatory benefits available to them in Texas.
“Building a business is tough, but I hear building a business in California is next to impossible. This is Texas Governor Rick Perry, and I have a message for California businesses. Come check out Texas,” Perry says in the 30-second ad. “There are plenty of reasons Texas has been named the best state for doing business for eight years running. Visit texaswideopenforbusiness.com and see why our low taxes, sensible regulations and fair legal system are just the thing to get your business moving to Texas.”
Meanwhile in West, Texas:
The number of people who died in a fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas, last week now stands at 15, officials said Tuesday. Some earlier reports had indicated that 14 people had lost their lives. At least 200 more were injured.
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| Governor Perry tours disaster zone |
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
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| The Good Shepherd, mosaic in Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Ravenna, 1st half of 5th century |
The Good Shepherd metaphor no longer works all that well for me, though at one time, it did, for I loved the idea that the Lord was my shepherd. The Good Shepherd is not the problem, but I no longer relate to being a sheep. Though sheep are not dumb animals, as is widely believed, they do tend to herd, and my inclination is more toward being a loner than a member of a herd. I'd be the sheep who strays away, and the Good Shepherd would have to leave the other 99 to come to look for me. After a while, I'm sure even the Good Shepherd, the Best Shepherd of all, would be annoyed by my behavior. Mind you, I have not thought through the theological implications of not wanting to be a sheep. What I've written is sort of an extended thought for the day, about which I could change my mind once I consider further the consequences of not being a sheep.
I should add that I love the looks of Scottish Blackface sheep.
The mosaic pictured above is lovely, isn't it?
Image from Wikimedia Commons.
Adolphus Busch IV, heir to the Busch family brewing fortune, resigned his lifetime membership in the National Rifle Association on Thursday, writing in a letter to NRA President David Keene, "I fail to see how the NRA can disregard the overwhelming will of its members who see background checks as reasonable." (My emphasis)How much more insane commentary will the members have to hear from Wayne LaPierre before there is a stampede out of the National Rifle Association? How many more cowardly retreats from voting for background checks by members of Congress before they awaken to the fact that 90% of the citizens of the US favor background checks? For whom do the craven Congress critters work? The citizens or the NRA? I think we know.
....
"The NRA I see today has undermined the values upon which it was established," wrote Busch. "Your current strategic focus clearly places priority on the needs of gun and ammunition manufacturers while disregarding the opinions of your 4 million individual members."
In the three years since it first provided images of the sun in the spring of 2010, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) has had virtually unbroken coverage of the sun's rise toward solar maximum, the peak of solar activity in its regular 11-year cycle. This video shows those three years of the sun at a pace of two images per day.Amazing and beautiful. The musical accompaniment is "A Lady's Errand of Love" by Martin Lass.
Thanks to Paul (A.).
Monday, April 22, 2013
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| MICHELANGELO Buonarroti Last Judgment (detail) Fresco Cappella Sistina, Vatican |
Fear ItselfImage from the Web Gallery of Art.
Fear itself …
that is the thing explaining
why bombers bomb
why we cannot control guns
why the Pope suppresses nuns
speaking “radical” humanist words
why “real men” loathe nerds
and arm themselves against
delusions of apocalypse.
Fear is the power of coercion
trumping all notions
of civility, compassion “fittest” assumed to mean
the ruthlessness of nihilists
protecting their own small niche
at the expense of all “soft” targets
“not my problem”
“take care of our own”
dismissing the thoughtful
the adaptive, the truly strong
who mean it when they say
life itself is sacred.
Fear is the tool of men
protesting too much, claiming
to be defenders of liberty
when what they are protecting
is their consumption of advantage
their right to shoot, to profit
to procreate any way they choose
but not you, not you
you must be frightened into
compliance with their rule
their privilege, their proprietary
fist enforcing the lie of superiority
“emotion” labeled “girly” “useless”
except when it is “manly anger”
an excuse to pretend the violence
is just … but it is just their fear
their adrenaline addiction
raging, tolerated, “just the way it is”
not inevitable
just the way things will be
until the greater we
says no
passes the laws that prevent
paranoid bullies from expecting
and getting
our cooperation in their death industry
fear itself.
(Marthe G. Walsh)
Confession: The two in the pictures are the prettiest, but with better tending loving care, all the plants could be as pretty.
The African violets sit on top of my sewing machine in the only suitable spot with proper exposure, which means I must move all seven plants in order to sew. Also, in the interest of full disclosure, two of the plants need repotting, because the roots have grown above the soil.
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Last week was tough all around the world, but sometimes you have to take a laugh break.
A woman who is three months pregnant falls into a deep coma.
Six months later, she awakens and asks the doctor to see her baby.
The doctor: You had twins, a boy and a girl. Luckily, your brother named them for you.
The Woman: Oh, no! Not my brother! He's an idiot. What did he name the girl??
Doctor: Denise.
Woman: Well it isn't so bad, and what did he call the boy?
Doctor: Denephew.
A woman who is three months pregnant falls into a deep coma.
Six months later, she awakens and asks the doctor to see her baby.
The doctor: You had twins, a boy and a girl. Luckily, your brother named them for you.
The Woman: Oh, no! Not my brother! He's an idiot. What did he name the girl??
Doctor: Denise.
Woman: Well it isn't so bad, and what did he call the boy?
Doctor: Denephew.
Another view of Chechens. New Orleens (sic) is my home town. I was just reflecting that there are those who have already widened their circle of ethnic groups who must be feared to include Chechens. Alas…
Thanks to Juan Cole for sharing the video.
Saturday, April 20, 2013
My son and his girlfriend of several years are getting married today. Please pray that Patrick and Marlet have many happy years together. The wedding will take place at Patrick's house with family and a few close friends as guests.
O gracious and everlasting God, look mercifully upon Patrick and Marlet who come to you seeking your blessing, and assist them with your grace, that with true fidelity and steadfast love they may honor and keep the promises and vows they make; through Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.A song for Patrick and Marlet.
(Book of Common Prayer)
Leonard Cohen's great song "Dance Me to the End of Love" by The Civil Wars, a new musical duo I've recently discovered, whom I enjoy very much.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Former Congressman Barney Frank (D-Mass):"In this terrible situation, let's be very grateful that we had a well-funded, functioning government. It is very fashionable in America ... to criticize government, to belittle public employees, talk about their pensions, talk about what people think is their excessive health care, here we saw government in two ways perform very well," Frank said on CNN's "Starting Point," noting the cooperation between state, local and federal authorities.Barney's right. The resources to cope with such a tragic event have to be available before the disaster takes place. And let's remember the first responders and volunteers risked their lives rushing in to help the wounded, not knowing whether there might be another explosion.
"No tax cut would have helped us deal with this or will help us recover," he said. "This is very expensive." (My emphasis)
....
"We're not asking people, look, do you have private health insurance or not, can you afford this or not? Maybe the government's going to have to pay for it," he said. "And this is an example of why we need -- if we want to be a civilized people -- to put some of our resources into a common pool so we are able to deal with this, and to deal with it, you can't simply be responsive once it happens."
Five Democrats voted against strengthening background checks for gun sales.
Sen. Mark Pryor of Arkansas
Sen. Mark Begich of Alaska
Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota
Sen. Max Baucus of Montana.
Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, who switched his vote only to allow the measure to be called up again.
Double shame on you, senators.
Four Republicans voted for the bill.
Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine
Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois
Sen. John McCain of Arizona
Thank you, senators.
The rest of the Republican senators, double shame on you.
Sen. Mark Pryor of Arkansas
Sen. Mark Begich of Alaska
Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota
Sen. Max Baucus of Montana.
Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, who switched his vote only to allow the measure to be called up again.
Double shame on you, senators.
Four Republicans voted for the bill.
Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine
Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois
Sen. John McCain of Arizona
Thank you, senators.
The rest of the Republican senators, double shame on you.
Here's what I mean when I say David Brooks' columns in the New York Times turn my brain into scrambled eggs.Brooks discusses "big data" versus "narrative" as predictors of human behavior.
Then there is the distinction between commodity decisions and flourishing decisions. Some decisions are straightforward commodities: what route to work is likely to be fastest. Big data can help. Flourishing decisions are things like who to marry, who to befriend, what career calling to pursue and what college to choose. These decisions involve trying to find people, places and things that harmonize with your subjective self. It’s a mistake to take subjective intuition out of this decision because subjectivity is the whole point.Grammar! Should be "whom to marry, whom to befriend," right? Brooks' column appears in the "Newspaper of Record." I assume the newspaper employs editors. If Brooks does not know that when a pronoun comes before an infinitive, the object form is used, then surely a checker at the paper does. Or has grammar usage of "who" and "whom" changed when I wasn't paying attention?
The meaning of the paragraph is cloaked in fog. I believe Brooks sees himself as a wise, unshrill moderate, who can look at both sides of an issue or problem and come up with opinions that everyone agrees are quite reasonable, even when they disagree with him. From this position, he sees himself as qualified to advise us how to remake our society into his land-of-the-free-and-home-of-the-brave ideal. Ah, if only he made sense.
I remain amazed that Brooks appears regularly in such prestigious forums as the NYT , "Informed Sources" on PBS, and the Sunday talk shows. That's to say nothing of Yale's invitation to to Brooks to teach a course on humility. And not just because of the grammar lapses. He may know what he means, but his muddled style of writing makes it difficult for me grasp the points he wishes to convey to readers and listeners. Is Brooks the best the hirers at prestigious forums can do?
Brooks seems to want everyone to be moral and responsible. Well, don't we all, each of us with our individual views on what is moral and responsible behavior? Oh, and he probably wants us to be humble, too, a virtue which he knows well, because he's teaching the course at Yale on humility.
Moving on; the final paragraph in the column left my brain in so scrambled a state that I can only guess at the root of Brook's worries.
Most of the advocates understand data is a tool, not a worldview. My worries mostly concentrate on the cultural impact of the big data vogue. If you adopt a mind-set that replaces the narrative with the empirical, you have problems thinking about personal responsibility and morality, which are based on causation. You wind up with a demoralized society. But that’s a subject for another day.My best guess is he means that the use of narrative is superior to big data for the purpose of encouraging moral and responsible behavior, or the culture collapses. Before he writes on the subject of the state of our society, I hope Brooks looks around outside the upscale suburb, from which he observes the world in his nearly $4 million house, and notes that we are already, in large part, a demoralized society. Once he's made the discovery, I'll try to remember to read his commentary - that is, if my brain is unscrambled by the time he writes.
H/T to Charles Pierce at Esquire for calling my attention to Brooks' column.
Image from Wikimedia Commons.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Excerpts from Martin Luther King, Jr's response to a letter from fellow clergy who opposed the civil rights protests, suggesting that the actions were "unwise and untimely". We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. Frankly, I have yet to engage in a direct-action campaign that was "well timed" in the view of those who have not suffered unduly from the disease of segregation. For years now I have heard the word "Wait!" It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This "Wait" has almost always meant "Never." We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that "justice too long delayed is justice denied."
....
Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself, and that is what has happened to the American Negro. Something within has reminded him of his birthright of freedom, and something without has reminded him that it can be gained. Consciously or unconsciously, he has been caught up by the Zeitgeist, and with his black brothers of Africa and his brown and yellow brothers of Asia, South America and the Caribbean, the United States Negro is moving with a sense of great urgency toward the promised land of racial justice. If one recognizes this vital urge that has engulfed the Negro community, one should readily understand why public demonstrations are taking place. The Negro has many pent-up resentments and latent frustrations, and he must release them. So let him march; let him make prayer pilgrimages to the city hall; let him go on freedom rides–and try to understand why he must do so. If his repressed emotions are not released in nonviolent ways, they will seek expression through violence; this is not a threat but a fact of history. So I have not said to my people: "Get rid of your discontent." Rather, I have tried to say that this normal and healthy discontent can be channeled into the creative outlet of nonviolent direct action. And now this approach is being termed extremist.
....
There was a time when the church was very powerful–in the time when the early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society. Whenever the early Christians entered a town, the people in power became disturbed and immediately sought to convict the Christians for being "disturbers of the peace" and "outside agitators." But the Christians pressed on, in the conviction that they were "a colony of heaven," called to obey God rather than man. Small in number, they were big in commitment. They were too God intoxicated to be "astronomically intimidated." By their effort and example they brought an end to such ancient evils as infanticide and gladiatorial contests.
Things are different now. So often the contemporary church is a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. So often it is an archdefender of the status quo. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the church, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the church's silent–and often even vocal–sanction of things as they are.
But the judgment of God is upon the church as never before. If today's church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century. Every day I meet young people whose disappointment with the church has turned into outright disgust.
....
I hope this letter finds you strong in the faith. I also hope that circumstances will soon make it possible for me to meet each of you, not as an integrationist or a civil rights leader but as a fellow clergyman and a Christian brother. Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear-drenched communities, and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty.
----------------
Martin Luther King, Jr's letter was written in response to a letter from eight fellow clergymen. The link to the letter from the clergy is on Standford University's site, from which I took the quotes from MLK's letter.
Colin Coward at Changing Attitude:On the contrary, from my experience, I know that Christian worship is often complacent, reinforcing tradition, focussed on maintenance and survival, bums on pews, money on the plate, rather than the redeeming, liberating power of being born anew in the Holy Spirit into the resurrection energy of Christ. (And a danger here is to think emotionalism equates with this experience – I’m writing about something far deeper and more disturbing)Read Colin's entire post. It is excellent. Colin is one of a group of six members of the LGB&T Anglican Coalition who will meet with Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby this coming Thursday for a conversation. Since the discussion is confidential, Colin will not issue a report. Pray that the conversation will bear good fruit.
I don’t think that what I’m trying to describe has been researched. Maybe it’s impossible to research because as I know from experience, it’s hard to talk about and describe to other people, the feelings, ideas, insights, intuitions, that can flow when, in stillness, silence and open-hearted contemplation you open yourself to the infinitely loving presence of the living God. In that space, resistance melts, dogma becomes irrelevant, and deep truth seems to grasp awareness. (My emphasis)
I, too, find it difficult to describe the effect of the presence of God in my life, but Colin comes quite close in his words - so close that I felt a frisson. And it's not that we suddenly become saintly in all we do and say, but the change of heart runs deep and changes how we think and view the world and each other. For me, the best way I know to move forward in living the Gospel is to keep things simple and be mindful of the Two Great Commandments and the Golden Rule.
He said to him, ‘ “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’
(Matthew 27:32-40)
In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.
(Matthew 7:12)
Pope Francis has backed the Vatican’s doctrinal crackdown on a major group of American nuns, reasserting the Roman Catholic Church's conservative approach to various social issues in a move that could cool the warm reception he has received from some liberal Catholics since taking office last month."[R]adical feminist themes"? It is to laugh. Perhaps I am what the Vatican would consider a radical feminist today because of the fine example of the nuns who taught me in my Roman Catholic elementary and high schools. Not that the words were ever mentioned, but the great majority of my teachers set an example for me by their intelligence, kindness, knowledge, and common sense. That the investigation of the nuns will continue is disappointing, but, on the other hand:
The Vatican said in a statement Monday that Francis had reaffirmed the doctrinal evaluation and criticism of U.S. nuns made last year by the Holy See under his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI. The assessment accused the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, an organization that represents most U.S. female Catholic orders, of promoting "radical feminist themes" and ignoring the Vatican's hard line on same-sex marriage and abortion.
Father James Martin, a prominent Jesuit priest in the United States who led a Twitter drive last year to defend the nuns, said it was too soon to say whether Francis, the church's first Jesuit leader, was shutting the door on dialogue.I hope Martin is correct that the nuns will get a fair hearing, and their harassment will soon be a matter of history.
"Given the long history of the LCWR investigation, it's not surprising that Pope Francis is asking the Congregation [for the Doctrine of the Faith] to continue its work. It would have been odd for him to halt things at this point, so early in his job," Martin said. "But given that he himself is a member of a religious order, I would imagine that the sisters will get a sympathetic hearing from him."
Monday, April 15, 2013
deciding everything is falling into place perfectly asFrom StoryPeople.
long as you don't get too picky about what you mean
by place. Or perfectly.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
If you remember the Baghdad blogger, Riverbend, a young Iraqi woman, who blogged from post-invasion Iraq at Baghdad Burning, you'll be interested to know that, she posted for the first time in five and a half years. After suffering hardships during the occupation, Riverbend and her family, concerned for their safety, made a harrowing journey from Iraq to Syria. Subsequently, she and her family left Syria before the worst of the fighting began there for another Arab country, stayed a year, and then left for a third Arab country.
She asks of the people of the US:
She asks of the people of the US:
Finally, after all is said and done, we shouldn't forget what this was about - making America safer... And are you safer Americans? If you are, why is it that we hear more and more about attacks on your embassies and diplomats? Why is it that you are constantly warned to not go to this country or that one? Is it better now, ten years down the line? Do you feel safer, with hundreds of thousands of Iraqis out of the way (granted half of them were women and children, but children grow up, right?)?No, Riverbend, we are not safer. The invasion of your country was a mad scheme of the Cheney/Bush maladministration based on lies and misinformation. Americans owe you and the people of Iraq our deepest apologies. Some of us tried to stop the madness, but to no avail. May you be safe and at peace in your present home. Although you say your post may be your last, I hope you change your mind and let us hear from you again.
... I'll meet you 'round the bend my friend, where hearts can heal and souls can mend...H/T to Athenae at First Draft.
Saturday, April 13, 2013
The catkins pictured are male flowers from one of three oak trees in our yard. The picture above was taken three years ago when we had another bumper crop, as we are having this year. The picture below is by Bill Fieg from the Baton Rouge Advocate, but the link to the photo no longer works .
As you see in the closer view, catkins resemble caterpillars. Grandpère finds the flowers annoying, because he likes our driveway clear. The flowers produce pollen which can cause discomfort for people with allergies. Fortunately, we do not seem to be allergic to the pollen.
Friday, April 12, 2013
Thursday, April 11, 2013
IT IS hard to imagine a prime minister doing such a thing now, and even then it seemed rather surprising. In May 1988 Margaret Thatcher went to the General Assembly of the (Presbyterian) Church of Scotland and gave what would soon be called the Sermon on the Mound. It was an impassioned statement of a certain form of Christianity. The Conservative leader stressed individual salvation over social reform, the legitimacy of moneymaking when combined with altruism, and the “responsibility that comes with freedom and the supreme sacrifice of Christ”.Thatcher's political philosophy, nurtured by her view of Christianity that little resembles the Gospel, put the baroness squarely on the side of pulling oneself up by one's bootstraps and not looking to the government for support. Her speech makes for quite an interesting read, and it's easy to see why she and Runcie did not get on, and why she wished to insure that he was not followed by another archbishop who would write "left-wing tracts" against war and sympathizing with the plight of the poor and unemployed. Thatcher speaks of the Kingdom of God in her speech:
In religion, as in so much else, Mrs (later Lady) Thatcher was a bundle of paradoxes. She was the last British prime minister openly and emphatically to acknowledge the influence of Christianity on her thinking, in particular terms not fuzzy ones.
....
Precisely because she had such well-defined ideas, Mrs Thatcher was almost bound to have stormy relations with England’s established religion. In her time, the Archbishop of Canterbury was Robert Runcie (pictured above), an Oxford contemporary who irked her considerably. A decorated tank commander, he commemorated the Argentine dead at a service following the Falklands war; he produced “Faith in the City”, a left-wing tract on urban blight; and he chided the government for demonising its opponents. Mrs Thatcher preferred the chief rabbi, Immanuel Jakobovits, who shared her view that self-improvement, not subsidies, would relieve poverty.
She helped to ensure that Archbishop Runcie was succeeded by George Carey, an unpretentious evangelical who this week remembered her as a person of “uncomplicated but very strong faith”.
The New Testament is a record of the Incarnation, the teachings of Christ and the establishment of the Kingdom of God. Again we have the emphasis on loving our neighbour as ourselves and to "Do-as-you-would-be-done-by".Thatcher's view of the Kingdom of God sounds very like the prosperity gospel preached today. All Christians are meant to be prosperous, and those who are poor - well it's their own doing.
I believe that by taking together these key elements from the Old and New Testaments, we gain: a view of the universe, a proper attitude to work, and principles to shape economic and social life.
We are told we must work and use our talents to create wealth. "If a man will not work he shall not eat" wrote St. Paul to the Thessalonians. Indeed, abundance rather than poverty has a legitimacy which derives from the very nature of Creation.
Why, why, why does Obama continue to think if he cuts vital programs which are popular throughout the country that the Republicans will play nice? Why does he make concessions before negotiations even begin? I'm exhausted from having to goad a Democratic president and Democratic legislators to do what progressives elected them to do.Dear Mr President:
After reading your budget plan, I'm wondering why I supported you. For one thing there is no link, nor should there be in the talking points about Social Security and Medicare. The fix for Social Security is simple: lift the cap.
True, Medicare will eventually need to be addressed, but let's keep the two separate. They are two different programs and are funded differently.
Do you really think Republicans will suddenly become serious because you offer them cuts in two of the most popular programs of the federal government? They will not, and they will find a way to use the offers against you.
Please stop worrying about possible future Republican presidents and concentrate on governing now. You are the president now, and you need to do the right thing by the people who supported you.
Thank you for your attention.
My next effort was to call Mary Landrieu's office to appeal to her to vote for background checks for those who purchase firearms. When I asked what was her position, I was told she had not made up her mind on whether to vote for the bill or not. I left the message with the staff member that I couldn't understand her hesitation. The background checks are not even comprehensive, as the law will not apply to private sales. Why is her support of the measure even in question? Yes, I know the senator will be up for reelection in 2014, and she may have a tough fight ahead, but sometimes getting reelected should not be the top priority. Sometimes you just do the right thing.Come on, Democrats, throw me a bone. Show me that I don't waste my efforts in supporting and voting for Democratic candidates.
UPDATE: Post edited to remove the inaccurate report from "The Raw Story" that Mary Landrieu voted against ending the filibuster. The two Democratic senators who voted against are Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska) and Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.). I am pleased to make the correction.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
What she did do was redistribute the burden of taxation downward, cutting top income tax rates while raising consumption taxes, which fall most heavily on low incomes. Her downfall came with the poll tax, a drastically regressive tax — the same amount for everyone, regardless of income — that was too much even for her own party.Bobby will be so proud. Who knows but that Krugman's "tribute" might push Bobby's poll numbers up a bit?
And what that means is that her truest heir in America is … Bobby Jindal, the not-so-whizzy whiz-kid governor of Louisiana, who proposed scrapping his state’s income tax and replacing it with sales taxes.
....But strange to say, it’s not just Acela riders who hate this idea; so do the citizens of Louisiana, who disapprove by 63 to 27 percent. Jindal’s own approval has collapsed, so he’s having his own poll tax moment.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
I hear from English friends that the media there is trying to pretty up Margaret Thatcher's legacy, though they are not quite as fawning over there as the media here in the US. So. We have to put up with St Ronnie over here. Why shouldn't the English have St Maggie over there? It's only fair. Besides, the two were such good friends.
SOMETIMES WE WIN!
The people of Louisiana have won only a reprieve from the negative consequences of Jindal's tax plan and are left with many problems still to be solved. Political leaders in the state need to accept the reality of raising revenue to prevent further depredations on programs, institutions, and infrastructure than have already happened during the first term of the Jindal administration, but I doubt the will is there in either the governor or the legislature. The repeated rounds of mid-year budget cuts because of faulty projections of revenue must be addressed to enable state programs and institutions to operate with a measure of stability.
Gov. Bobby Jindal bowed to public sentiment Monday and shelved his plan to immediately eliminate income taxes and raise sales tax.Jindal's withdrawal of the plan demonstrates what citizens can accomplish by working together. Hardly anyone except Jindal and his close advisers liked the tax plan, which was poorly crafted, with numbers that did not add up. Perhaps Jindal and his inner circle have learned a lesson about opening up their planning process to outside advice, rather than operating in secrecy and holding plans close to the chest until the eleventh hour before the legislature convenes. Still, Jindal and cohorts are crafty, so citizens must must remain vigilant and not let down the guard, for further nefarious schemes are likely to emerge.
The governor admitted defeat on the first day of the legislative session during a speech to a joint gathering of the Louisiana House and Senate.
Jindal said he heard the complaints that he moved too fast and that his approach was not the best one.
House Democrats, religious leaders, public research groups, the business community and even the governor’s own accounting consultant found fault with his proposal to eliminate the state’s personal income and corporate taxes in favor of a higher state sales tax rate and a broadening of the sales tax base.
“Let me do something politicians don’t normally do,” Jindal said. “We’re going to adjust our course. We’re going to park our tax plan.”
The people of Louisiana have won only a reprieve from the negative consequences of Jindal's tax plan and are left with many problems still to be solved. Political leaders in the state need to accept the reality of raising revenue to prevent further depredations on programs, institutions, and infrastructure than have already happened during the first term of the Jindal administration, but I doubt the will is there in either the governor or the legislature. The repeated rounds of mid-year budget cuts because of faulty projections of revenue must be addressed to enable state programs and institutions to operate with a measure of stability.
Monday, April 8, 2013
What to say? I'd like to say R.I.P., Maggie, but what I will say is borrowed from an idea of my good friend Pj on Facebook.May the Zooniverse look kindly upon Margaret Thatcher. And should the Almighty Ones see fit to send her on another journey through this earthly realm (once she graduates from the re-education center along with her bast mate Ronnie), may they remember to equip her with a heart.Gold, pure gold. My comment:
"While Maggie and Ronnie are in the great re-education center in the sky, I'd hope they'd be forced to meet up with people who were hurt by their governance, which might speed up the growth of hearts for the two."So before I say R.I.P, I'd like that bit of re-education to happen. Perhaps if Maggie and Ronnie met with the people who suffered from their policies, they might grow hearts that feel empathy and suffer a little for a spell as their eyes are opened. Pj says further:
If only they could come back and tell their followers what they've learned.If only.... Pj, you are an inspiration.
Maggie will have
The leaders of both Britain and the United States seem to have got carried away in their initial statements. We're told not to speak ill of the dead, nor are we to dance on their graves, but surely the commentary from both men is over the top - way over.
David Cameron, who is cutting short his trip to Europe to return to London following the news, said: "It was with great sadness that l learned of Lady Thatcher's death. We've lost a great leader, a great prime minister and a great Briton."Thatcher is not the first woman who would leap to my mind as "an example" for my granddaughter or any other young girl or woman I knew. Ruthlessness is no compliment to either sex, nor is it character trait worthy of recommendation to those of an impressionable age.
He told the BBC: "As our first woman prime minister, Margaret Thatcher succeeded against all the odds, and the real thing about Margaret Thatcher is that she didn't just lead our country, she saved our country, and I believe she will go down as the greatest British peacetime prime minister."
....
In a statement, President Barack Obama said that, "the world has lost one of the great champions of freedom and liberty, and America has lost a true friend."
"Here in America, many of us will never forget her standing shoulder to shoulder with President Reagan, reminding the world that we are not simply carried along by the currents of history—we can shape them with moral conviction, unyielding courage and iron will."
He added that her premiership was "an example to our daughters that there is no glass ceiling that can't be shattered". (My emphasis)
Perhaps the Reformers of Christianity made a mistake when they threw out Purgatory. My vision for Purgatory would be an afterlife Truth and Reconciliation Commission, in which not just Margaret Thatcher, but all of us confront those whom we have hurt, acknowledge what we have done, and experience at least part of the pain we have inflicted on them. Then we ask and receive forgiveness and move ahead together through the Pearly Gates.
I much preferred writing about the other English Maggie.
 |
| BOTTICELLI, Sandro Cestello Annunciation 1489-90 Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence |
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.’ Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her.Soon after receiving the angel's message, Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth, who is pregnant with John the Baptist, and prays one of the greatest prayers in the Scriptures.
(Luke 1:26-38)
MagnificatIn Botticeli's painting, Mary seems to be recoiling from the angel, which makes me wonder about the artist's intention. (Botticelli is not alone in depicting Mary shrinking away.) Does he suggest that Mary recoils from the very sight of the angel, or is she shrinking from the message brought by the angel that she will be the mother of the Son of God? Does Mary think, "Oh no! Please, not me, " before she reflects and says, "...let it be with me according to your word"?
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in you, O God my Savior,
for you have looked with favor on your lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
you, the Almighty, have done great things for me,
and holy is your Name.
You have mercy on those who fear you
from generation to generation.
You have shown strength with your arm,
and scattered the proud in their conceit,
Casting down the mighty from their thrones,
and lifting up the lowly.
You have filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
You have come to the help of your servant Israel,
for you have remembered your promise of mercy,
The promise made to our forebears,
to Abraham and his children for ever.
(Luke 1:46-55)
Tobias Haller posted his own lovely poem on the Annunciation, which suggests that Mary saw no angel at all. Along with the poem is a beautiful icon of the Madonna and Child, written in his own hand.
Image from the Web Gallery of Art.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Dame Maggie and I are the same age, but she lost the love of her life, the playwright Beverley Cross. Her words about her loss are poignant.
'Is it lonely?’ She replied: ‘I don’t know. It seems a bit pointless. Going on one’s own and not having someone to share it with.’Nor do I understand why everything must go so fast.
Warming to the theme of aging she also said she didn’t like it and added: ‘I don’t know who does. Noel Coward-- and I don’t mean to name drop.
'But he said,”The awful thing about getting old is that you have breakfast every half-hour.” And that’s sort of what it is. I can’t understand why everything has to go so fast.‘
Interviewer Steve Kroft asks her: ‘But you have no interest in finding someone else?’We're together there. I don't think there's any way that I could learn to live in intimacy with another person at my age. And by intimacy, I do not necessarily mean sex. Dame Maggie and I have in common that we are both survivors of breast cancer.
Dame Maggie replies: ‘Absolutely not. I – no way’.
If Maggie continues to work, I'll be more than grateful. In the late 1980s, from a second row seat at the Gielgud Theatre in London, I had the great pleasure of seeing her in Peter Shaffer's play, Lettice and Lovage, written especially for Maggie. Her performance was beyond superb. Although there are other performers in the drama, Lettice, Maggie's character, carries the play. It's a night I'll never forget. Tickets were scarce, but the concierge at the hotel managed to find a single seat for me. To the right is a scan of the copy of the play which I bought that night.
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