"Fear not...do not be afraid." So spoke angels in Matthew's and Luke's accounts of the birth of Jesus.
I long to hear angels speak to me. I am, in many ways, a somewhat fearful person...more than cautious, less than timid. Many others may not see that in me, because I try to keep my fears hidden, particularly from myself. But I know that I constantly turn over in my mind everything that might go wrong, the imposing barriers that I might face, and threats to which my brave act or definitive word might subject me. And what if–God forbid!–I am wrong? I hesitate, a lot, out of fear.
Angelic assurance might overcome those fears...if I were sure those comforting angels were real.
Luke's angels tell Mary first, and then the shepherds, to "fear not." Why? Because Mary has found favor with God, and is about to become the center of Luke's infancy narratives. She has a promise to fulfill. Because the shepherds will soon hear "good news of great joy for all the people," and will publicly glorify and praise God because of that news. They have a job to do.
Matthew's angels tell Joseph not to "be afraid to take Mary as your wife." Why? Because Joseph will be the center, and the hero, of Matthew's infancy tales. Joseph has work to do.
But King Herod is "frightened, and all Jerusalem with him." The King's fear infests the entire political and social establishment, and so the "slaughter of innocents" is required. What is a fearful king to do?
Through angel-inspired dreams, the wise men are warned to find another route home and Joseph is warned to take his family to Egypt's safety and then back to Nazareth. Herod's fear prompts warnings from God to vulnerable travelers. God warns rich and poor alike to know the real dangers posed by fearful human power and wealth.
These biblical commands to "fear not" prepare the way for holy orders. Orders that will command those who hear them to change their plans and even to take risks to accomplish the purposes of God. "Do not be afraid" is not assurance that the individual who hears that imperative can expect to be kept safe above the fray, in peaceful isolation from the fury of the world. "Fear not" is what it takes, sooner or later, to be useful for the world.
"Fear not" counters the prevailing message of a world driven by fear. Herod is frightened, and all Jerusalem is frightened with him, because something stronger than fear is taking root right under royal power's own nose. Things like hope, love, peace. Those things, in that child.
Our nation, like our world, has never been free of reasons to fear. So much can go wrong, and so much has. It is the nature of life itself.
But since September 11, 2001, fear has been a primary motivator of many of our national decisions. It is a fear so great we call it "terror," extreme fear.
For fifteen years our leaders and we ourselves have talked and talked and talked about terror. We have codified and regularized and indexed and fought terror on as many fronts as we can find. We have even invented fronts just to be sure we cover all the bases.
And so in 2016 we were willing to submit ourselves to a nation-wide political campaign built upon fear and terror. We elected leaders who successfully foisted their fright upon "all Jerusalem," which shudders in the face of fear and terror, real and imagined.
But there is, and in my better moments I hear, a contrary word, which I take to be the word of angels, in my more open moments: "Fear not. Hope, love, peace...those things, this child...will prevail."
The moral arc of the universe still bends toward justice, but it looks to have developed a twist or detour most did not see coming. Herod's infanticide was such a twist, and there have been many others through the centuries. Nevertheless that arc, imperfect as it is, still shines, and is still worth any courage I might possess to follow. "Fear not...do not be afraid."
"Peace on earth, good will to all" endures, from Bethlehem's child to the end of the arc he will follow. Rise up, shepherd, and follow.
Sunday, December 25, 2016
Thursday, December 15, 2016
The Russians are...they're HERE!
Why would Donald Trump, who ran his presidential campaign based at least in part upon suspicion of "the other", play nice with our nation's greatest global adversary, Russia? And why is he seeming to work so hard at getting himself and the intelligence community get off to a really bad start?
For one thing, Donald Trump knows everything, apparently intuitively. His narcissistic personality cannot accept anything being known by anyone else that he himself does not already know for himself. "Intelligence briefings?" Who needs them when you already know what is going to be said? It serves Trump's interests and personality well to call into question the only folks whom many believe could know things he doesn't know.
Trump knows Russia is filled with really good guys, from the very top of the Kremlin down to her richest oil barons. Maybe Russian spy agencies have briefed him on their character. They are so good that the best qualified person for Secretary of State is someone who knows how to "make deals" with the honorable and trustworthy Russians. Could anything go wrong?
Well, there's Syria. Working in concert with Russia, the Syrian army is rounding up and apparently executing thousands of civilian men, women, and children. We can and many have blamed the Obama administration for not stopping the Syrian civil war, but few options have seemed real-world viable. We tried to do deals with Russia in the name of fighting terrorism, and Aleppo's horror is the result. We should accept blame where blame is due, but we must not reward Russia.
If Russia and/or Russia's agents hacked into our election system in order to influence the outcome of November's presidential vote, we need to know it and we need to know it now. It would be regrettable if President Obama were aware of that possibility before the election and held off on making it public for fear of seeming to favor the Clinton campaign. His penchant for extreme caution has been one of his flaws. You can think a problem too much.
But now we know at least something, and a number of electors are asking for intelligence briefings before they vote. They need to know if the man they are supposed to elect as our president has honestly earned their votes. More power to them.
And why is this so difficult for the President-elect and his minions? Becaue there is money involved. Real money to be made by real corporations and by a real tycoon who sort-of claims to be willing to sever his ties to his many business interests in order to serve the all people of the United States of America. Desperate Mexicans and scary Moslems and fleeing refugees and the like have little to offer a man already made of billions who stands poised to make billions more as President of the richest nation on earth and Commander-in-Chief of the planet's most powerful military. He can't afford–literally, cannot afford–to think too much about anything else.
I am not an uncritical fan of the CIA and other such agencies, but I believe they play important roles in protecting our country and its interests. Government leaders and the intelligence community should respect and trust each other, and even allow some room for the benefits of doubt. Carefully listening to each other is a must. At the same time, the men and women we elect must not abdicate their responsibility to question closely and persistently the findings of intelligence experts, always considering those findings in the broadest possible context of everything known about a situation. It's complicated, this job of being the most powerful person on earth. Trump seems intent on not accepting that truth.
One thing for sure: Hillary Clinton's carelessness in using her own email server while Secretary of State is mere child's play compared to what the Trump folks seem to have been up to. Can anyone (except Trump and company) doubt that we need to know the full story? And to know it as quickly as possible?
For one thing, Donald Trump knows everything, apparently intuitively. His narcissistic personality cannot accept anything being known by anyone else that he himself does not already know for himself. "Intelligence briefings?" Who needs them when you already know what is going to be said? It serves Trump's interests and personality well to call into question the only folks whom many believe could know things he doesn't know.
Trump knows Russia is filled with really good guys, from the very top of the Kremlin down to her richest oil barons. Maybe Russian spy agencies have briefed him on their character. They are so good that the best qualified person for Secretary of State is someone who knows how to "make deals" with the honorable and trustworthy Russians. Could anything go wrong?
Well, there's Syria. Working in concert with Russia, the Syrian army is rounding up and apparently executing thousands of civilian men, women, and children. We can and many have blamed the Obama administration for not stopping the Syrian civil war, but few options have seemed real-world viable. We tried to do deals with Russia in the name of fighting terrorism, and Aleppo's horror is the result. We should accept blame where blame is due, but we must not reward Russia.
If Russia and/or Russia's agents hacked into our election system in order to influence the outcome of November's presidential vote, we need to know it and we need to know it now. It would be regrettable if President Obama were aware of that possibility before the election and held off on making it public for fear of seeming to favor the Clinton campaign. His penchant for extreme caution has been one of his flaws. You can think a problem too much.
But now we know at least something, and a number of electors are asking for intelligence briefings before they vote. They need to know if the man they are supposed to elect as our president has honestly earned their votes. More power to them.
And why is this so difficult for the President-elect and his minions? Becaue there is money involved. Real money to be made by real corporations and by a real tycoon who sort-of claims to be willing to sever his ties to his many business interests in order to serve the all people of the United States of America. Desperate Mexicans and scary Moslems and fleeing refugees and the like have little to offer a man already made of billions who stands poised to make billions more as President of the richest nation on earth and Commander-in-Chief of the planet's most powerful military. He can't afford–literally, cannot afford–to think too much about anything else.
I am not an uncritical fan of the CIA and other such agencies, but I believe they play important roles in protecting our country and its interests. Government leaders and the intelligence community should respect and trust each other, and even allow some room for the benefits of doubt. Carefully listening to each other is a must. At the same time, the men and women we elect must not abdicate their responsibility to question closely and persistently the findings of intelligence experts, always considering those findings in the broadest possible context of everything known about a situation. It's complicated, this job of being the most powerful person on earth. Trump seems intent on not accepting that truth.
One thing for sure: Hillary Clinton's carelessness in using her own email server while Secretary of State is mere child's play compared to what the Trump folks seem to have been up to. Can anyone (except Trump and company) doubt that we need to know the full story? And to know it as quickly as possible?
Friday, December 9, 2016
With every appointment, every tweet, Donald...
...Trump gives more reasons he should not be President of the United States. The head of a fast food company heading the Labor Department? Underpaid jobs for everybody!
Thursday, December 1, 2016
This country does not need...
This country does not need Donald Trump taking a victory lap to the cheers of his supporters. It needs Donald Trump to assure this nation that he means it when he says he wants to bring us together, and then to prove his intentions by surrounding himself with people who will assure the liberties of all Americans.
This country does not need the likes of Mitt Romney licking Trump's boots to curry his favor and secure a place at his right hand. It needs Republicans who opposed him to show they did so on principle and to speak against his worst excesses and most egregious appointments. I'm talking to you, John Kasich. Bob Portman, too. Your silence is deafening.
This country does not need the Democrats to keep people like Nancy Pelosi in positions of party leadership. Like Hillary Clinton and Ted Strickland, a good person, but with a ton of baggage and no new ideas. Who will listen to her, especially in the shadow of the Democrats' multiple defeats which she helped bring down on them? We need a credible opposition. Now.
This country does not need the likes of Mitt Romney licking Trump's boots to curry his favor and secure a place at his right hand. It needs Republicans who opposed him to show they did so on principle and to speak against his worst excesses and most egregious appointments. I'm talking to you, John Kasich. Bob Portman, too. Your silence is deafening.
This country does not need the Democrats to keep people like Nancy Pelosi in positions of party leadership. Like Hillary Clinton and Ted Strickland, a good person, but with a ton of baggage and no new ideas. Who will listen to her, especially in the shadow of the Democrats' multiple defeats which she helped bring down on them? We need a credible opposition. Now.
Thursday, November 17, 2016
This one is not about politics...well maybe indirectly. You decide.
There is a fascinating interview in the November issue of The Sun with child and adolescent psychologist and neuroscientist Bruce Perry. It's entitled, "The Long Shadow: Bruce Perry on the Lingering Effects of Childhood Trauma." I recommend it highly for its thoughtful insights into how childhood experiences of trauma affect our adult responses to stress.
The interview with Perry concludes this way:
"Perry: Fear is the most common reason our brain shuts down, but exhaustion, hunger, and thirst have a similar effect. If you're tired and poor, you're less able to think about the future of humankind. It's hard to be reflective if you don't know where your child's next meal is coming from. Your brain says, Get food first. If you can't find a safe place to raise your children, then reflection and learning probably seem like indulgences you can't afford. This isn't about biology or genetics. It's about the relative health and richness of our relationships and environment.
"Busyness can also shut down our higher reasoning–being overscheduled and living in an overstimulating environment, the TV always on, the phone buzzing, loud cars driving by.
"(Interviewer Jeanne) Supin: If Headline News is perpetually on, you may think it's making you smarter...
"Perry: But basically it's making you dumber. It's continually bombarding you and distracting you from thinking. You're unable to reflect on what you're hearing, and you end up believing anything you are told on TV. This is compounded when news stories are emotionally charged. Just hearing a story delivered in a more emotional tone of voice or with an intense image will hinder our ability to absorb and reflect on that information. It's the reflective part of the brain that helps us heal. It's the part that makes us most human."
I can think of many questions and issues in response to this exchange, some political, some not. What about you? How does it strike you?
There is a fascinating interview in the November issue of The Sun with child and adolescent psychologist and neuroscientist Bruce Perry. It's entitled, "The Long Shadow: Bruce Perry on the Lingering Effects of Childhood Trauma." I recommend it highly for its thoughtful insights into how childhood experiences of trauma affect our adult responses to stress.
The interview with Perry concludes this way:
"Perry: Fear is the most common reason our brain shuts down, but exhaustion, hunger, and thirst have a similar effect. If you're tired and poor, you're less able to think about the future of humankind. It's hard to be reflective if you don't know where your child's next meal is coming from. Your brain says, Get food first. If you can't find a safe place to raise your children, then reflection and learning probably seem like indulgences you can't afford. This isn't about biology or genetics. It's about the relative health and richness of our relationships and environment.
"Busyness can also shut down our higher reasoning–being overscheduled and living in an overstimulating environment, the TV always on, the phone buzzing, loud cars driving by.
"(Interviewer Jeanne) Supin: If Headline News is perpetually on, you may think it's making you smarter...
"Perry: But basically it's making you dumber. It's continually bombarding you and distracting you from thinking. You're unable to reflect on what you're hearing, and you end up believing anything you are told on TV. This is compounded when news stories are emotionally charged. Just hearing a story delivered in a more emotional tone of voice or with an intense image will hinder our ability to absorb and reflect on that information. It's the reflective part of the brain that helps us heal. It's the part that makes us most human."
I can think of many questions and issues in response to this exchange, some political, some not. What about you? How does it strike you?
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
What to do about news that doesn't fit
Why did President-elect Trump tweet petty and annoying comments about the New York Times a couple of days ago? Seems like a waste of his time. Doesn't Mr. Trump have more important things to do?
Well, maybe not. Perhaps he is about to go after the press with all the power he can amass to his new office. Now that he has chosen Breitbart guru Stephen Bannon, who captained his campaign to success, as his new “Chief Strategist and Senior Counselor,” his purpose in continuing to belittle the Times may be clear. That's sad. And dangerous.
Competent U.S. Presidents do their job to the best of their ability, and learn to live with the consequences of a free press. Anything less is petty and annoying. And dangerous. And sad.
Of course, there's also the possibility Mr. Trump chose Bannon because of Breitbart's views on race, nationalism, immigration, etc...because he, our President-elect, approves of those views and hopes to further them and make them mainstream. Now those busy in Trump Tower are scrambling to deny that possibility. The evidence is stacked against them.
Besides, the Klan is celebrating Stephen Bannon being seated at the right hand of Donald the President Almighty, just the way it celebrated Donald Trump's election. Hardly need to have any other reason that they are the wrong choices for America.
A.Word.A. Day’s word for Monday was kakistocracy: "Government by the least qualified or worst persons." Yep, it's one to learn.
Well, maybe not. Perhaps he is about to go after the press with all the power he can amass to his new office. Now that he has chosen Breitbart guru Stephen Bannon, who captained his campaign to success, as his new “Chief Strategist and Senior Counselor,” his purpose in continuing to belittle the Times may be clear. That's sad. And dangerous.
Competent U.S. Presidents do their job to the best of their ability, and learn to live with the consequences of a free press. Anything less is petty and annoying. And dangerous. And sad.
Of course, there's also the possibility Mr. Trump chose Bannon because of Breitbart's views on race, nationalism, immigration, etc...because he, our President-elect, approves of those views and hopes to further them and make them mainstream. Now those busy in Trump Tower are scrambling to deny that possibility. The evidence is stacked against them.
Besides, the Klan is celebrating Stephen Bannon being seated at the right hand of Donald the President Almighty, just the way it celebrated Donald Trump's election. Hardly need to have any other reason that they are the wrong choices for America.
A.Word.A. Day’s word for Monday was kakistocracy: "Government by the least qualified or worst persons." Yep, it's one to learn.
Sunday, November 13, 2016
My thoughts and hopes on this November Sunday
O beautiful for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties Above the fruited plain!
America! America! God shed His grace on Thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea!
O beautiful for pilgrim feet, Whose stern, impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat Across the wilderness!
America! America! God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm they soul in self-control, thy liberty in law!
O beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved, and mercy more than life!
America! America! May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness And every gain divine!
O beautiful for patriot dream That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam, Undimmed by human tears!
America! America! God shed His grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood From sea to shining sea!
Katherine Lee Bates, 1893
For purple mountain majesties Above the fruited plain!
America! America! God shed His grace on Thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea!
O beautiful for pilgrim feet, Whose stern, impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat Across the wilderness!
America! America! God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm they soul in self-control, thy liberty in law!
O beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved, and mercy more than life!
America! America! May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness And every gain divine!
O beautiful for patriot dream That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam, Undimmed by human tears!
America! America! God shed His grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood From sea to shining sea!
Katherine Lee Bates, 1893
Saturday, November 12, 2016
The mainstream media is afraid to report THIS!!! (Which alone makes it TRUE!!!)
Where's the outrage?
I heard the President-elect is forming a transition team of political cronies and family members.
Where's the social media outrage?
These family members will be responsible for the new President's ongoing financial interests after January 20–conflicts of interest, here we come!
Why is there no outrage in the streets?
I see the President-elect is already modifying some of the campaign promises.
Where's the non-mainstream media's outrage?
And now the President-elect wants that legal action put off until after the inauguration...just too busy now. Yeh, right!
I am outraged!!! I knew she'd do all of that, and more!!!
(What? The President-elect isn't she?)
Where IS the outrage?
I heard the President-elect is forming a transition team of political cronies and family members.
Where's the social media outrage?
These family members will be responsible for the new President's ongoing financial interests after January 20–conflicts of interest, here we come!
Why is there no outrage in the streets?
I see the President-elect is already modifying some of the campaign promises.
Where's the non-mainstream media's outrage?
And now the President-elect wants that legal action put off until after the inauguration...just too busy now. Yeh, right!
I am outraged!!! I knew she'd do all of that, and more!!!
(What? The President-elect isn't she?)
Where IS the outrage?
Thursday, November 10, 2016
After the Dark
November's cold rain fell in northeast Ohio around 2:30 Wednesday morning when I checked my phone and confirmed what I'd feared when I'd gone to bed at 1:00: Donald Trump was our President-elect.
The cold rain continued into the dawn, which was lost in clouds. Apparently resisting President Obama's optimistic prediction, the sun did not seem to rise around here the morning after the election.
My family and most of my friends are devastated. Mr. Trump and his ilk stand against almost everything we believe and hold true, beginning with the most basic respect for women.
Maybe I didn't do enough to stop him and to assure Hillary Clinton's election. Maybe guilt is part of the reason I feel devastated. I expressed my opinions in this blog, and in numerous encounters via Facebook. I talked with friends when I was comfortable doing so, but confess I often avoided confrontations. I refused invitations to canvass door-to-door, in part because I harbored some misgivings about Mrs. Clinton and did not feel I could live up to the expectations of those who'd want me to defend her. But maybe I should have put myself outside my comfort zone for the sake of the greater good. Anyway, I probably shirked my responsibilities as a citizen, and now I regret it, even knowing that more activity on my part would not likely have changed the outcome.
Some Facebook friends whom I am quite sure voted for Mr. Trump are now advising those of us who are continuing to lament his election to accept the results and stop talking about it on Facebook (or anywhere else, I suppose). This, after they have been stuffing my feed with anti-Clinton and anti-Obama trash talk for months, much of which has attracted the most vile of responses from haters and racists.
Several years ago I served a church that was deeply divided. The people who held the power there kept asserting their right to that power and suggesting that the dissenters should accept the status quo and "be reconciled" to them. By which they meant, Get over it. See things our way.
The dissenters didn't do as they were told, and most of them finally ended up leaving that church.
I cannot and will not leave this country. My father's family came here in the middle of the 18th century, and my mother's immigrated in the early 20th. This is my homeland.
And Donald Trump will be my president. I am not a he's "not my president" guy. If he's "not my president" he doesn't have to pay attention to me. He will be my President, and our President, and we who cannot accept his vision of our nation need to keep his feet to our fire.
The sun is shining over Orange Village this Thursday morning. Darkness will not prevail. Let's make sure of that.
The cold rain continued into the dawn, which was lost in clouds. Apparently resisting President Obama's optimistic prediction, the sun did not seem to rise around here the morning after the election.
My family and most of my friends are devastated. Mr. Trump and his ilk stand against almost everything we believe and hold true, beginning with the most basic respect for women.
Maybe I didn't do enough to stop him and to assure Hillary Clinton's election. Maybe guilt is part of the reason I feel devastated. I expressed my opinions in this blog, and in numerous encounters via Facebook. I talked with friends when I was comfortable doing so, but confess I often avoided confrontations. I refused invitations to canvass door-to-door, in part because I harbored some misgivings about Mrs. Clinton and did not feel I could live up to the expectations of those who'd want me to defend her. But maybe I should have put myself outside my comfort zone for the sake of the greater good. Anyway, I probably shirked my responsibilities as a citizen, and now I regret it, even knowing that more activity on my part would not likely have changed the outcome.
Some Facebook friends whom I am quite sure voted for Mr. Trump are now advising those of us who are continuing to lament his election to accept the results and stop talking about it on Facebook (or anywhere else, I suppose). This, after they have been stuffing my feed with anti-Clinton and anti-Obama trash talk for months, much of which has attracted the most vile of responses from haters and racists.
Several years ago I served a church that was deeply divided. The people who held the power there kept asserting their right to that power and suggesting that the dissenters should accept the status quo and "be reconciled" to them. By which they meant, Get over it. See things our way.
The dissenters didn't do as they were told, and most of them finally ended up leaving that church.
I cannot and will not leave this country. My father's family came here in the middle of the 18th century, and my mother's immigrated in the early 20th. This is my homeland.
And Donald Trump will be my president. I am not a he's "not my president" guy. If he's "not my president" he doesn't have to pay attention to me. He will be my President, and our President, and we who cannot accept his vision of our nation need to keep his feet to our fire.
The sun is shining over Orange Village this Thursday morning. Darkness will not prevail. Let's make sure of that.
Thursday, November 3, 2016
Final Election Recommendation
I have been thinking for the past few days about what to write that might, just might, convince someone to vote the way I think they should next Tuesday. This election is so important, I guess I think my preferences are important, too.
Then I wondered what new I have to add, and who I will convince anyway to change their mind. Probably no one, and don't we have enough partisan pushing and pulling around us as it is?
Tonight I attended (actually sang in the choir at) the Evensong service at Christ Episcopal Church in Shaker Heights. The service celebrated the "Feast of Richard Hooker," of whom I am ashamed to say I knew nothing. Turns out he was one of the seminal thinkers and theologians of the Anglican movement. According to Fr. Peter Faass, his great contribution was to describe a middle way by which the waring religious factions during the reign of the first Queen Elizabeth could work to resolve their differences. His ability to define that middle way and the willingness, even if reluctant, of competing powers to allow the middle way's process to guide their deliberations brought a new unity to England, and set the stage for England to become the greatest power in the world for the next several centuries. The homily made the obvious move to the current political situation in our country, and urged us all to seek a middle way of dealing with our differences.
In one of our prayers tonight we prayed, "Grant that we may maintain that middle way, not as a compromise for the sake of peace, but as a comprehension for the sake of the truth." I am not sure how to understand that exactly. "Comprehension" could refer to being complete ("comprehensive") or to understanding ("comprehend"). But either way, it results in truth. In other words, we seek a middle way not for peace alone, but in order to be complete, and to completely understand. Partisanship dares neither see the whole picture nor to understand it.
People at odds with each other work together because something greater than their own convictions and commitments compels them to seek mutual understanding with their adversaries. They fight for what they believe, but they never close the door on their opponents or stop listening to them. Out of that mutual understanding there may, in time, arise a new truth neither side could see before they tried the middle way. And that new truth can be the basis for new kinds of greatness.
I won't tell you again who to vote for. Not now. It's time, I feel, to start looking forward to what we Americans can and will do together beginning, I trust, next Wednesday morning. Hope for it, work for it, if it be your way pray for it. It's the most promising way ahead for the homeland we share.
Then I wondered what new I have to add, and who I will convince anyway to change their mind. Probably no one, and don't we have enough partisan pushing and pulling around us as it is?
Tonight I attended (actually sang in the choir at) the Evensong service at Christ Episcopal Church in Shaker Heights. The service celebrated the "Feast of Richard Hooker," of whom I am ashamed to say I knew nothing. Turns out he was one of the seminal thinkers and theologians of the Anglican movement. According to Fr. Peter Faass, his great contribution was to describe a middle way by which the waring religious factions during the reign of the first Queen Elizabeth could work to resolve their differences. His ability to define that middle way and the willingness, even if reluctant, of competing powers to allow the middle way's process to guide their deliberations brought a new unity to England, and set the stage for England to become the greatest power in the world for the next several centuries. The homily made the obvious move to the current political situation in our country, and urged us all to seek a middle way of dealing with our differences.
In one of our prayers tonight we prayed, "Grant that we may maintain that middle way, not as a compromise for the sake of peace, but as a comprehension for the sake of the truth." I am not sure how to understand that exactly. "Comprehension" could refer to being complete ("comprehensive") or to understanding ("comprehend"). But either way, it results in truth. In other words, we seek a middle way not for peace alone, but in order to be complete, and to completely understand. Partisanship dares neither see the whole picture nor to understand it.
People at odds with each other work together because something greater than their own convictions and commitments compels them to seek mutual understanding with their adversaries. They fight for what they believe, but they never close the door on their opponents or stop listening to them. Out of that mutual understanding there may, in time, arise a new truth neither side could see before they tried the middle way. And that new truth can be the basis for new kinds of greatness.
I won't tell you again who to vote for. Not now. It's time, I feel, to start looking forward to what we Americans can and will do together beginning, I trust, next Wednesday morning. Hope for it, work for it, if it be your way pray for it. It's the most promising way ahead for the homeland we share.
Friday, October 28, 2016
Yeah, and I'm angry, too, elite and privileged though I am
This is a sort of random set of thougths and observations. I'll see if there's a common thread running through them all before I give it a title...
Yesterday at the gym I saw a middle-aged guy wearing a red t-shirt with this question on the back of it: "Martyr or Marines/Which will get the most virgins?" I worked my way around to see that the front read "USMC," so I assume he knew the answer to his question. Offensive in many directions, in my estimation.
Eligible US voters have no excuse for not voting in this Presidential election. None. Even if you think your state's officials (you can vote them out, you know) are making it more difficult than it needs to be for you to vote, you can push yourself and get it done. Of course, I urge you to vote for Hillary Clinton (see my previous posts for my unassailable reasoning), but vote you must.
Speaking of the Clintons, Inc, I really wish they'd all announce that win or lose, they are going to build a wall between their Foundation and themselves, such that no one could ever, ever get the slightest notion that they could ever profit personally from it in any way. The Republicans have announced they've got enough on Hillary for at least two years of congressional inquiries, etc., so for the nation's sake don't even SEEM to give them any more.
Today the news is that Mr. Trump is edging up in "the polls". (Tomorrow it will probably be different). One reason given: Independent voters are deciding to vote for him, deciding their preferred candidate won't get elected. Makes me wonder how many Libertarians are in fact much closer to Donald Trump (and the Repulicans) than they are to Hillary Clinton (and Democrats), but they won't admit it. Which is probably news to no one but me.
A headline in yesterday's online USA Today read something like this: "Slab found on which Jesus Laid." Grammar police: should the word be "lay", or "was laid", or "was lain"? (And, while you are at it, where should those commas go?)
By the way, I voted for Ted Strickland for Ohio Senator, deciding that although the Democratic party is guilty of forcing a very poor choice upon us before the primary season even began, that is not reason enough to risk being responsible for maintaining the Republican majority in the Senate. Rob Portman seems more level-headed than many in (or hanging onto) his party, but I judge him by the company he keeps.
Wrote a letter to the local paper a couple of weeks ago in which I took on another letter-writer who claimed that from day one President Obama has fanned the flames of hatred toward police. I asked what our President had done since "day one" besides being black, and stated that the claim was clearly racist. The only printed response came from a man who called me a communist fellow-traveler and "useful idiot." He didn't even mention the issue I raised, so I conclude I am not as useful as he gives me credit for being.
I am trying to be the reasonably good president of the Board of a local non-profit musical organization. Please, please, let me pastor a church again! This presidency is tough, kind of like it would be if a whole church were made of choir members and their leaders. That church choirs are "The War Department of the Church" is an observation I've heard all my life, though I must admit I never had too much trouble with them. Maybe because they thought I could sing. Maybe that's it: my musical organization knows better, and DOES NOT think I can sing. Maybe I should take a hint...
Brings me (at last) to Sparrow, who is running for President, and carrying out his campaign on the pages of The Sun magazine. He writes, "I am teaching myself to drop a glass, then catch it before it hits the ground. This will give me the dexterity I need for the Presidency."
Good luck, Sparrow. I'm voting for Hillary anyway, and you should, too.
Yesterday at the gym I saw a middle-aged guy wearing a red t-shirt with this question on the back of it: "Martyr or Marines/Which will get the most virgins?" I worked my way around to see that the front read "USMC," so I assume he knew the answer to his question. Offensive in many directions, in my estimation.
Eligible US voters have no excuse for not voting in this Presidential election. None. Even if you think your state's officials (you can vote them out, you know) are making it more difficult than it needs to be for you to vote, you can push yourself and get it done. Of course, I urge you to vote for Hillary Clinton (see my previous posts for my unassailable reasoning), but vote you must.
Speaking of the Clintons, Inc, I really wish they'd all announce that win or lose, they are going to build a wall between their Foundation and themselves, such that no one could ever, ever get the slightest notion that they could ever profit personally from it in any way. The Republicans have announced they've got enough on Hillary for at least two years of congressional inquiries, etc., so for the nation's sake don't even SEEM to give them any more.
Today the news is that Mr. Trump is edging up in "the polls". (Tomorrow it will probably be different). One reason given: Independent voters are deciding to vote for him, deciding their preferred candidate won't get elected. Makes me wonder how many Libertarians are in fact much closer to Donald Trump (and the Repulicans) than they are to Hillary Clinton (and Democrats), but they won't admit it. Which is probably news to no one but me.
A headline in yesterday's online USA Today read something like this: "Slab found on which Jesus Laid." Grammar police: should the word be "lay", or "was laid", or "was lain"? (And, while you are at it, where should those commas go?)
By the way, I voted for Ted Strickland for Ohio Senator, deciding that although the Democratic party is guilty of forcing a very poor choice upon us before the primary season even began, that is not reason enough to risk being responsible for maintaining the Republican majority in the Senate. Rob Portman seems more level-headed than many in (or hanging onto) his party, but I judge him by the company he keeps.
Wrote a letter to the local paper a couple of weeks ago in which I took on another letter-writer who claimed that from day one President Obama has fanned the flames of hatred toward police. I asked what our President had done since "day one" besides being black, and stated that the claim was clearly racist. The only printed response came from a man who called me a communist fellow-traveler and "useful idiot." He didn't even mention the issue I raised, so I conclude I am not as useful as he gives me credit for being.
I am trying to be the reasonably good president of the Board of a local non-profit musical organization. Please, please, let me pastor a church again! This presidency is tough, kind of like it would be if a whole church were made of choir members and their leaders. That church choirs are "The War Department of the Church" is an observation I've heard all my life, though I must admit I never had too much trouble with them. Maybe because they thought I could sing. Maybe that's it: my musical organization knows better, and DOES NOT think I can sing. Maybe I should take a hint...
Brings me (at last) to Sparrow, who is running for President, and carrying out his campaign on the pages of The Sun magazine. He writes, "I am teaching myself to drop a glass, then catch it before it hits the ground. This will give me the dexterity I need for the Presidency."
Good luck, Sparrow. I'm voting for Hillary anyway, and you should, too.
Thursday, October 20, 2016
Thoughts for those who don't think they can vote either for Mrs. Clinton or for Mr. Trump
I know that many are so disturbed and disgusted by our two major party presidential candidates that they plan either not to vote at all, or to vote for one of the "third party" candidates. To some one or all of these candidates seem a more palatable choice than either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. In some ways I can see why.
More importantly, I understand where you are coming from. I've taken lonely, principled stands myself sometimes. It is lonely, but somehow exhilarating, to know you've done the right thing despite all.
But if you care about our democracy, your principled stand may turn to sand if Hillary Clinton does not win by a decisive, overwhelming margin. Donald Trump's clear assertion that he will only accept this election's results "if I win," is so wide of the mark of our nation that it threatens to shred its very fabric, a fabric he has been stretching and cutting up for over a year now anyway.
If you think President Clinton will not further your priorities, think again about what President Trump would do about them.
Perhaps you like Mr. Trump's threat of non-acceptance and the kind of disruption and even violence that his supporters might inflict on us all if he doesn't win. Perhaps you think that kind of chaos fits your desire to break up the too-cozy major party stranglehold on America. But how will what you want come out of that kind of crisis? Where will it come from? Who will have the power to implement your goals in such a situation?
I am all for principles. But sometimes my personal principles must take a back seat to principles that serve the common good. This is one of those times. Flaws and all, Mrs. Clinton is our only viable option in this election for President of these United States of America. Vote for her. Then go back to work for what you believe our government really needs to be and do.
More importantly, I understand where you are coming from. I've taken lonely, principled stands myself sometimes. It is lonely, but somehow exhilarating, to know you've done the right thing despite all.
But if you care about our democracy, your principled stand may turn to sand if Hillary Clinton does not win by a decisive, overwhelming margin. Donald Trump's clear assertion that he will only accept this election's results "if I win," is so wide of the mark of our nation that it threatens to shred its very fabric, a fabric he has been stretching and cutting up for over a year now anyway.
If you think President Clinton will not further your priorities, think again about what President Trump would do about them.
Perhaps you like Mr. Trump's threat of non-acceptance and the kind of disruption and even violence that his supporters might inflict on us all if he doesn't win. Perhaps you think that kind of chaos fits your desire to break up the too-cozy major party stranglehold on America. But how will what you want come out of that kind of crisis? Where will it come from? Who will have the power to implement your goals in such a situation?
I am all for principles. But sometimes my personal principles must take a back seat to principles that serve the common good. This is one of those times. Flaws and all, Mrs. Clinton is our only viable option in this election for President of these United States of America. Vote for her. Then go back to work for what you believe our government really needs to be and do.
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
"If Donald Trump were a true American Patriot..."
If Donald Trump were a true American patriot, he would immediately stop his unsubstantiated attacks on the integrity of our election process and system. Nothing he has said or done so far in his campaign has been more dangerous and more disingenuous that his claim that "this election is rigged."
He would also make it clear to the American people, including his followers, that he is prepared to accept the results of the election as the expression of the will of the people unless and until there is verifiable reason to believe otherwise. He would urge everyone to do the same.
Finally, he would let the public know that he understands that we are a nation governed by laws, and that violence, personal threats, and intimidation have no place in the American political process.
It would be great if he did all of these things in his opening statement at tonight's debate. It would be better if he did it in the next five minutes. He owes it to each of us and to us as a people.
He would also make it clear to the American people, including his followers, that he is prepared to accept the results of the election as the expression of the will of the people unless and until there is verifiable reason to believe otherwise. He would urge everyone to do the same.
Finally, he would let the public know that he understands that we are a nation governed by laws, and that violence, personal threats, and intimidation have no place in the American political process.
It would be great if he did all of these things in his opening statement at tonight's debate. It would be better if he did it in the next five minutes. He owes it to each of us and to us as a people.
Thursday, September 1, 2016
Deserve What?
At the end of another media discussion about the failings of our Presidential candidates, one of the talking heads sighed and concluded, "The American public gets the kinds of candidates it deserves." Not the first time–nor most likely the last–hearing that.
Such statements are demeaning and off-putting. I'm not saying we deserve perfect candidates because we are a perfect people. People and nations are never perfect. But for the most part we are a decent people, trying our level best to make the good we are and have better, and to overcome what's wrong. We make mistakes, and sometimes worse than mistakes. But there is an impulse in the vast majority of us to create "a more perfect union." What we deserve is candidates who speak to our national aspirations, and who genuinely want to help us achieve them together.
When those who run for office are so compromised that we get lost in their faults and failures and no longer dare to entrust them with our hopes and dreams, we are getting far, far less than we deserve.
Such statements are demeaning and off-putting. I'm not saying we deserve perfect candidates because we are a perfect people. People and nations are never perfect. But for the most part we are a decent people, trying our level best to make the good we are and have better, and to overcome what's wrong. We make mistakes, and sometimes worse than mistakes. But there is an impulse in the vast majority of us to create "a more perfect union." What we deserve is candidates who speak to our national aspirations, and who genuinely want to help us achieve them together.
When those who run for office are so compromised that we get lost in their faults and failures and no longer dare to entrust them with our hopes and dreams, we are getting far, far less than we deserve.
Monday, August 22, 2016
The Frustrating Hillary Clinton
I probably don't need to make public the fact that I plan to vote for Hillary Clinton in November. Not only do I think she is by far the best qualified candidate to serve as President, I also believe a Trump presidency would be disastrous for our country and world and the things I care about. And I am among those who believe that voting for either of the oft-mentioned third-party choices is not the way to go. Not only are they sadly lacking in qualifications, but Hillary Clinton will need every vote she can get to make it clear that our country does not want Donald Trump in the White House.
But I really wish there were something Ms. Clinton would or could do to make it easier for me to vote for her. For example, the email controversy. That it won't go away is in some ways as much her fault as it is the fault of her detractors. No doubt, there are people out to "get" her, and they will not stop until they do.
Why did she use a personal email server in the first place? I've never understood it. You are one of the most influential persons in the whole world engaging in online communications about matters upon which the fate of millions depends, and you write from your home email? Come on!
But she did it. And now she tends to say things that make it worse, either because they are later shown to be untrue, or because they try to cast the blame somewhere other than with her. The latest example is claiming Colin Powell said it was okay. Did you ever let your kids off the hook because someone told them to do something they shouldn't have done? After a while most of us learn (usually the hard way) that such excuses hardly ever work. No she and Powell are into a "did not/did too/did not/did too" exercise.
I like Hillary Clinton for President. I like her a lot. But she is really frustrating...and the only real choice I have.
But I really wish there were something Ms. Clinton would or could do to make it easier for me to vote for her. For example, the email controversy. That it won't go away is in some ways as much her fault as it is the fault of her detractors. No doubt, there are people out to "get" her, and they will not stop until they do.
Why did she use a personal email server in the first place? I've never understood it. You are one of the most influential persons in the whole world engaging in online communications about matters upon which the fate of millions depends, and you write from your home email? Come on!
But she did it. And now she tends to say things that make it worse, either because they are later shown to be untrue, or because they try to cast the blame somewhere other than with her. The latest example is claiming Colin Powell said it was okay. Did you ever let your kids off the hook because someone told them to do something they shouldn't have done? After a while most of us learn (usually the hard way) that such excuses hardly ever work. No she and Powell are into a "did not/did too/did not/did too" exercise.
I like Hillary Clinton for President. I like her a lot. But she is really frustrating...and the only real choice I have.
Sunday, August 21, 2016
Presidential Vacations in a Changing Climate
I really do not mind that US Presidents take "vacations," since I cannot believe they are "vacations" in the sense most of us think of the word. I understand that they must choose locations where their security and the security of their families will not be compromised, and where they can be in touch with the whole world at any time they need to be. What fun is all that?
As to whether President Obama should have gone to Louisiana, the clear answer to that seems to be "No, not right away." All they needed was a whole 'nother set of complications to worry about in the immediate aftermath of the disaster.
Maybe we ought to spend our time evaluating politicians' responses to flooding in Louisiana (and to fires in California) by talking about what they plan to do to deal with climate change, since these two kinds of natural catastrophes are clearly what we've been told for decades that climate change will bring. The denial of a changing climate can no longer be accepted; the reality of it threatens us all. Who is going to lead us toward at least slowing it down? (Hint: not the guy who wants to revive the coal industry.)
As to whether President Obama should have gone to Louisiana, the clear answer to that seems to be "No, not right away." All they needed was a whole 'nother set of complications to worry about in the immediate aftermath of the disaster.
Maybe we ought to spend our time evaluating politicians' responses to flooding in Louisiana (and to fires in California) by talking about what they plan to do to deal with climate change, since these two kinds of natural catastrophes are clearly what we've been told for decades that climate change will bring. The denial of a changing climate can no longer be accepted; the reality of it threatens us all. Who is going to lead us toward at least slowing it down? (Hint: not the guy who wants to revive the coal industry.)
Thursday, July 14, 2016
No Ideas for the Future? Focus on the Past!
USA Today reports that Benghazi will be "the focus of one of the nights at next week's (Republican) convention."
It has struck me the past two weeks that although the focus of the nation's attention has been on bloodshed in our streets, the focus of the Congress has been on Benghazi and Clinton's emails. Even granting that these are important issues, they are in fact in the past, and nothing can undo them. We can learn from them, of course; but it is clear to everyone that the constant attention to them is not driven by what can be learned from them but by who might be ruined by them. The Republican leadership, lacking ideas about how to solve current problems, concentrates on selectively-chosen past mistakes.
The fact that the RNC will spend one whole evening of its air time on Benghazi is further proof of the lack of ideas in the Trump camp or in the leadership of the Republican party. It's disgusting.
It has struck me the past two weeks that although the focus of the nation's attention has been on bloodshed in our streets, the focus of the Congress has been on Benghazi and Clinton's emails. Even granting that these are important issues, they are in fact in the past, and nothing can undo them. We can learn from them, of course; but it is clear to everyone that the constant attention to them is not driven by what can be learned from them but by who might be ruined by them. The Republican leadership, lacking ideas about how to solve current problems, concentrates on selectively-chosen past mistakes.
The fact that the RNC will spend one whole evening of its air time on Benghazi is further proof of the lack of ideas in the Trump camp or in the leadership of the Republican party. It's disgusting.
Monday, July 4, 2016
Independence
This is what you shall do: Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul; and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body.
Walt Whitman; Preface to 1855 edition of Leaves of Grass
Walt Whitman; Preface to 1855 edition of Leaves of Grass
Thursday, June 16, 2016
Grabagun, Rob Duran!
A couple of days ago a Facebook friend shared a post by a man named Rob Duran. Mr. Duran began by saying he felt he had to "fix a few people on here because emotions are high and stupid shit is being supported." He wanted to "fix" folks confused about what is and what is not an assault rifle. As a guy who can't remember the last time I even held a gun, much less shot one, I am among those who need fixing.
Mr. Duran offers a brief history assault rifles, particularly AK-47s and M-16s, and writes that they have been banned for civilian use by several acts of Congress as far back as 1934. He then continues with information about the AR-15, stating that "it does the same thing as any other standard rifle." He claims that anyone who thinks the AR-15 is anything more than a standard rifle sporting some "aesthetic differences" is "pants-on-the-head-retarded." The AR-15 "isn't more dangerous that any other standard rifle," and the only reason it gets used so often in shootings is because it is "the most popular rifle in the country...the iPhone of rifles...affordable, accurate...(and) easy to personalize because everyone makes accessories for it."
Not wanting to be guilty of supporting stupid shit, I decided to do a little research via the Internet on Mr. Duran's views. If this is such a clear matter, why are so many otherwise well-informed people ignorant about it?
There's a lot out there about the issue, but perhaps the most interesting to me is the website maintained by Grabagun, a business that makes it as easy as possible to do just that in exchange for cash. I will simply quote from that website's introduction to its ads for "Complete AR and AK Rifles":
"To the average gun enthusiast, it is sometimes difficult to tell the differences among the various types of ARs and AKs. This issue is especially true when it comes to the AK-47 and the AR-15. It can be easy to get these confused, as many of the world’s strongest militaries are using one or the other, making it difficult to differentiate between the two.
"The AK-47 is the top-selling weapon on the globe. It is used by militaries and civilians the world over. The AR-15, however, is the top-selling rifle in the United States. It is a little longer and lighter than the AK, and fires more rounds per minute. The AK is a little less expensive, generally speaking, and is favored by European militaries more so than in the United States.
"Regardless of where your heart lies, the fact that a debate still rages on between these two shows the fierce loyalty they inspire. The same can be said for a great number of AR and AK rifles available to the public."
I conclude that since "the average gun enthusiast" is sometimes confused about the differences between "various types of ARs and AKs" (maybe because of the "accessories" easily available for the AR-15?), that I may be forgiven if I am "stupid" about the whole topic. Whatever, the people at Grabagun do not think the differences between the two are so great that they can't list both under one category. Maybe they need educating.
I am, in fact, willing to be educated by Mr. Duran himself if he'd like to try, although I don't respond well to teachers who consider me stupid, or an idiot, or (I can hardly type this a second time) "pants-on-head-retarded."
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
A Comprehensive Census of the Internet
The internet is largely populated by many who know everything and few who forgive anything. The Cincinnati Zoo story is but a single example.
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Liar, liar, California's on fire.
People who don't think California has been experiencing a drought will never be convinced that the earth's climate is going through a change, no matter what the scientific evidence. I don't see why Donald Trump deserves a single vote. Not a one, purely on his inability to grasp simple facts.
Saturday, May 21, 2016
Does who is telling the lie make it less a lie?
How is it that people who are willing to spend years and millions of dollars trying to prove that Hillary Clinton has lied in the past don't hold Donald Trump accountable for the lies he spews forth in public every day?
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