TRAVEL BREAK

Tomorrow, I leave for my great adventure into the wilds of northwest Scotland. Please pray for safe travels for the mad three. For details of our trip, see my earlier post.

I will not have my computer with me, because I don't want to wrestle another item through security. Also, I want a break from blogging to return fresh and rejuvenated to pound the keys once again. You'll hear all about the trip and see pictures when I get home. Who knows? Even MadChauffeur may strike a pose. Before I leave, I will turn off the comments function.


Oban, Scotland

Message to the Scots: Forewarned is forearmed.



Photo of moi courtesy of Paul the BB.

Other photos from Wikipedia here and here.

UPDATE: Miss Cathy and Miss Mimi waved a tearful good-bye to MadChauffeur this morning. He left quite worried that Miss C and Miss M would not be capable of making their way on the rest of the journey without him, but they will be fine.

STORY OF THE DAY - OBVIOUS MISTAKE

Some of the stuff I learned early on was
useful, she told me, but most of it was
obviously meant for someone who was
not me.

From StoryPeople.

FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION

Transfiguration - Lorenzo Lotto, 1510-12

Luke 9:28-36

Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings,* one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah’—not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen;* listen to him!’ When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

From Fr. John Dear's sermon on the vigil of the Feast of the Transfiguration, August 5, 2005.

Tomorrow, we commemorate two events, one a great holy event, the other an evil, demonic event. On the one hand, we celebrate the feast of the Transfiguration of Jesus, when he was revealed as the face of the God of peace, as he exploded with the spiritual power of inner nonviolence and unconditional love into the light of the world, the fullness of love and peace for the whole human race. So beautiful!

On the other hand, we remember that 60 years ago, our country dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and vaporized 140,000 people in a flash and did it again three days later in Nagasaki. Dorothy Day, founder of the Catholic Worker, called our bombing of Hiroshima, "the anti-transfiguration," and said in effect that we have rejected Jesus' loving nonviolence, and created our own demonic light, the blast of the bomb, the dark cloud, and instead of bringing light and peace to the human race, we are bringing death and destruction to all.
....

First, we have to recognize and name, that we live in the culture of the anti-transfiguration.
....

And this anti-transfiguration culture is trying to instruct us, the church, on sin and morality, telling us what is right and wrong, distracting us from the criminal, immoral, and sinful murder of 130,000 Iraqis in the last two years or the development of these weapons at Los Alamos. Unfortunately, many people in the church are being misled by the culture of the Bomb. So like Dorothy Day, we have to be clear about our predicament.

Second, I would say, because of this, because of our story, we are called to go forth into this culture to fulfill Jesus' mission of Transfiguration nonviolence.
....

I think that as his followers, our job is to carry on that mission of transfiguration nonviolence, to follow Jesus down the mountain, confront systemic injustice, and go with him to the cross with perfect nonviolent, forgiving, suffering love.

How do we do this? The voice from the cloud says first we have to listen to Jesus which means we have to take time every day...to hear what Jesus is saying to us, and then go and do it.

And when we listen to Jesus, we hear a few simple commandments: Love one another; love your neighbor; forgive one another; be as compassionate as God; seek first God's reign and God's justice; do unto others as you would have them do unto you; put down the sword and Love your enemies." That is the mission for the rest of our lives.

PRAYER

O God, who on the holy mount revealed to chosen witnesses your well-beloved Son, wonderfully transfigured, in raiment white and glistening: Mercifully grant that we, being delivered from the disquietude of this world, may by faith behold the King in his beauty; who with you, O Father, and you, O Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever.

READINGS

Psalm 99 or 99:5-9;
Exodus 34:29-35
2 Peter 1:13-21




I am not a pacifist. I am not courageous enough to be a true pacifist. I wish I were. Pacifism is not talking about hating war and linking to Fr. John's web site on my blog. Pacifism is active. It's "getting in the way" as the Christian Peacemaker teams do when they put themselves between the warring parties and risk being kidnapped, like the four team members in Iraq, with one of their number, Tom Fox, being killed.

No, I am not in their company. God bless and keep them and all who strive for peace and justice.

Note: Reposted with editing from the feast day and the anniversary in 2007.

PRAY FOR THE EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD

From the State Journal-Register:

The Rev. Christopher Ashmore has pored through reams of material and watched hours of DVDs on the 14 nominees for the office of bishop for the Springfield Episcopal Diocese. And he has his own personal thoughts about his top four candidates.

Asked how he expects Saturday’s nominating synod to play out, Ashmore, rector of Trinity Church in Jacksonville and secretary of the standing committee, which has ecclesiastical authority in the diocese in the absence of a bishop, was at a loss for words.

“I’m not really sure (of the outcome),” admitted Ashmore. “And that’s the end product of a lot of thought.

“It could come out any number of ways. I’m completely mystified.”

If all goes as expected, clergy and lay delegates from around the diocese, comprised of 60 counties and about 5,000 communicants, will pare down the number of nominees for bishop to four candidates. The Electing Synod will choose a bishop from among the four next month.
....

The past few years, the Springfield diocese has been a battleground over theological differences within the Episcopal Church. In 2006, Bishop Peter Beckwith, whose Feb. 1 retirement shocked many, requested oversight from the Anglican community, a volley at Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, with whom Beckwith had tangled.
....

“The fear is that everyone will go in different directions (dividing up the votes),” said the Rev. John Bettman, vicar of St. Paul’s Church in Carlinville. “That would be awkward, but I’ve seen that before.”

Said Chuck Evans, a lay delegate from St. George’s Church in Belleville: “I’m cautiously hopeful that the process will be executed the way it should be, that there won’t be parliamentary manipulations.

“We may have a long day ahead of us. There’s nothing wrong with that as long as it remains peaceful and civil in the process."

‘Ourselves to blame’

“We’ve been greatly fractured, and we have ourselves to blame,” conceded Ashmore. “We’ve lost the grace and dignity of who we are — brothers and sisters in Christ.”

The prayer at the head of my sidebar on the right is for the election of a bishop but, with only a few words edited, is suitable for the nomination process for a bishop.

Almighty God, giver of every good gift: Look graciously on your Church, and so guide the minds of those who shall nominate candidates for bishop for the Diocese of Springfield that they may receive a faithful pastor, who will care for your people and equip them for their ministries; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

GOOD NEWS FROM MEXICO CITY

From CBS:

The Mexican Supreme Courthas upheld the constitutionality of gay marriages in Mexico City. Gay marriages have been legal in Mexico City since March, but have drawn opposition from the Catholic Church and the Mexican government.

The 8-2 vote not only upheld gay marriage in Mexico City, it also said the law was valid to allow homosexuals to possibly adopt children.

Mexico City is the only area in Mexico that allows gay marriages and it is the first area in Latin America to have such a law.

H/T to Timothy Kinccaid at Box Turtle Bulletin for the link.

JESUS AND MO

From Jesus and Mo.

THE CHURCH LADY

The lady was a fine upstanding Southern Baptist who attended services and taught Sunday School every week. On one Sunday, an out of town slight acquaintance, a gentleman, was in the pew right behind her. He noted what a fine looking woman she was and, while they were taking up the collection, he leaned forward and said, "Hey, how about you and I having dinner on Tuesday?"

"Why yes, that would be nice", the lady responded.

Well, the gentleman couldn't believe his luck. On Tuesday he picked the lady up and took her to the finest restaurant in that part of South Carolina. When they sat down, the gentleman looked over at her and suggested, "Would you like a cocktail before dinner?"

"Oh, no," said our circumspect fine example of southern womanhood, "Whatever would I tell my Sunday School class?"

Well, our gentleman was set back a bit, so he didn't say much until after dinner, when he pulled out a pack of Lucky Strikes and asked, "Would you like a cigarette?"

"Oh my goodness, no," said the woman. "I couldn't face my Sunday School class if I did!"

Well, our boy felt pretty low after that, so they left, got in his car and as he was driving the lady home, they passed the local Holiday Inn. He'd been morally rebuffed twice already, so he figured 'What the Hell', he had nothing to lose so he ventured forth with, "Ahhh ... mmmm, how would you like to stop at this motel?"

"Sure, that would be nice," she said in anticipation. The gentleman couldn't believe his ears, and did a fast u-turn right then and there, and drove back to the motel and checked in.

The next morning, after a wild and passionate night of the most incredible love making imaginable, the gentleman awoke first. He looked at the lovely Dixie Darling lying there in the bed and with remorse thought, "What the hell have I done?"

He shook her awake and asked, "Whatever are you going to tell your Sunday School class?"

The lady said, "The same thing I always tell them, "You don't have to smoke and drink to have a good time.."

Don't blame me. Blame Doug.

PROPOSITION 8 RULED UNCONSTITUTIONAL IN CALIFORNIA

From The Lead:

According to the ruling by Judge Vaughn R Walker, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California:

Proposition 8 fails to advance any rational basis in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license. Indeed the evidence shows Proposition 8 does nothing more than enshrine in the California constitution the notion that opposite sex couples are superior to same sex couples.

Good news, indeed. One battle won, but the fight is not over.

For more information and quotes, check out The Friends of Jake.

"THE SOLUTION TO GAY MARRIAGE"

Chrislove at Daily Kos:

Larry is an ardent NOM [National Organization for Marriage] supporter and a believer in “traditional” marriage. And he apparently represents Cross Bearer Ministry in Indianapolis.

This is how Larry feels about gay people:

As my correspondent who sent the picture in an email attachment said in the subject line, "Bit of nastiness to kick-start the morning." I couldn't agree more. At the above link to Kos, you can see Larry in full glory in a video interview.

As Chris says, Larry admits that he "has experienced his share of homosexual feelings...but he apparently had the willpower to resist...."

Ah, yes.

THIS IS KATE

 

Isn't she adorable? Not me. Kate

 

She's tiny, isn't she? Kate weighs 5 pounds 4 ounces. She came to visit today with her daddy, a young friend of ours. I got a good baby fix with the precious little one.

SEEING THE OBVIOUS

Ta-Nehisi Coates writes in The Atlantic about the comparison between the ban on gay marriage and the former ban on interracial marriage. His commentary sheds new light on the the controversy for me.

Much worse, the comparison with interracial marriage actually understates the evil of reserving marriage rights for certain classes of people. Banning interracial marriage meant that most black people could not marry outside of their race. This was morally indefensible, but very different than a total exclusion of gays from the institution of marriage. Throughout much of America, gays are effectively banned from marrying, not simply certain types of people, but any another compatible partner period. Unlike heterosexual blacks in 1960, the ban gays suffer under is unconditional and total and effectively offers one word for an entire sector of Americans--Die. For evading that ban means virtual--if not literal--suicide.

A more compelling analogy would be a law barring blacks, not from marrying other whites, but effectively from marrying anyone at all. In fact we have just such an analogy. In the antebellum South, the marriages of the vast majority of African-Americans, much like gays today, held no legal standing. Slavery is obviously, itself, a problem--but abolitionists often, and accurately, noted that among its most heinous features was its utter disrespect for the families of the enslaved. Likewise, systemic homophobia is, itself, a problem--but among its most heinous features is its utter disrespect for the families formed by gays and lesbians. Of course African-Americans, gay and straight, in 1810 lacked many other rights that gays, of all colors, today enjoy. Thus, to state the obvious, being born gay is not the same as being born a slave. But the fact is that in 1810, the vast majority of African-Americans--much like the vast majority of gays in 2010--lacked the ability to legally marry.

Well, yes. It's obvious, but, before now, I did not see the obvious.

H/T to Jim Burroway at Box Turtle Bulletin for the link.

THE REV. JOHN SMYLIE CONSECRATED BISHOP OF THE EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF WYOMING

From Episcopal Life:

The Rev. John Sheridan Smylie was consecrated as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Wyoming during a joyful ceremony July 31 at the Casper Events Center.

Hundreds of well-wishers, ecumenical and other guests celebrated the occasion, which represented "an icon of community working together with the Holy Spirit to create a time of celebration that leads to a season of service whose purpose is to love one another and to bring Glory to God," Smylie said in a statement posted on the diocesan website.
....

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori was the chief consecrator while Bishop Michael Curry of North Carolina served as homilist at the service, which included original music authored by Smylie. Curry also served as a co-consecrating bishop, along with Bishop Brian Prior of Minnesota.

Our friend, Ann Fontaine served as one of the Masters the Minister of Ceremony at the consecration of Bishop Smylie.

Congratulations and blessings to Bishop Smylie and the Diocese of Wyoming.

JONATHAN BUILDS A BOAT...AT AGE 13

From the Daily Comet:

Jonathan Boudreaux, 13, was the youngest person to ever enroll in wooden boat-making classes at the Louisiana Center for Traditional Boat Building.

A November 1994 Daily Comet article describes Boudreaux as “the next generation” of Louisianians to keep the state’s wooden-boat tradition alive.

Tom Butler, center director, made a prediction 16 years ago about Boudreaux: “We’ll all be died off, and this guy is going to still be building boats.”

Boudreaux, now 29, is still making boats, though they are fabricated from cold steel and weigh hundreds of tons.

He is a naval architect and marine engineer, an integral player in the construction of large supply vessels, tugboats and offshore barges.
....

Boudreaux learned about the University of New Orleans’ naval-architecture and marine-engineering program during his senior year in high school. He said he knew instantly that is what he wanted to do.

“I love boats, their power, what they do, what they’re capable of doing,” he said.
....

Butler said many former students have reached out to him over the years, but Boudreaux’s story is particularly meaningful.

“I got kind of emotional,” Butler said. “(The tradition) went on to another generation.”

Tom Butler in the article is Grandpère. After 31 years, Tom finally has a building to house the Center's fine collection of wooden boats, some of them quite old, boat building tools, pictures, art work, etc., but the building, which is owned by the city of Lockport, Louisiana, is not quite finished, and the museum is not officially open. However, boat building classes are presently being taught in the museum. The boats are all made of wood, and the students in the classes are taught the old ways of building wooden boats.

The museum is a historic old building, built in 1917, which was formerly an old Ford dealership. It's ideal for a museum which houses sizable boats, because the set of large doors in the building, which were used to move cars into the showroom, are now used to move boats into the museum. Below is a picture of the building.



The next picture shows some of the boats, still jumbled up. In the center is a very old dugout canoe.




UPDATE: I corrected the date of the building from the 1930s to 1917, after a sharp rebuke from Tom. My bad. I should have let him proofread the post.

GIFTS FOR MAMA

Four brothers left home for college, and they became successful doctors and lawyers and prospered. Some years later, they chatted after having dinner together. They discussed the gifts they were able to give their elderly mother who lived far away in another city.

The first said, "I had a big house built for Mama."

The second said, "I had a hundred-thousand-dollar theater built in the house."

The third said, "I had my Mercedes dealer deliver an SL600 to her."

The fourth said, "You know how Mama loved reading the Bible, and you know she can't read any more because she can't see very well. Well, I met this preacher who told me about a parrot that can recite the entire Bible. It took twenty biblical scholars twelve years to teach him. I had to pledge to contribute $100,000 a year for twenty years to the church, but it was worth it. Mama just has to name the chapter and verse and the parrot will recite it."

The other brothers were impressed. After the holidays Mom sent out her Thank You notes.

She wrote: "Milton, the house you built is so huge I live in only one room, but I have to clean the whole house. Thanks anyway."

"Marvin, I am too old to travel. I stay home, and I have my groceries delivered, so I never use the Mercedes. The thought was good. Thanks."

"Michael, you gave me an expensive theater with Dolby sound. It could hold 50 people, but all of my friends are dead, I've lost my hearing, and I'm nearly blind. I'll never use it. Thank you for the gesture just the same."

"Dearest Melvin, you were the only son to have the good sense to give a little thought to your gift. The chicken was delicious. Thank you.

Luv Ya, MAMA"

Thanks to Paul (A.).

"IN THE STILL OF THE NIGHT" - NEVILLE BROTHERS

Thanks to Susan S. for finding this smooth, cool lovely.

PRAY FOR THE PEOPLE OF PAKISTAN

From the New York Times.

Floods driven by record-breaking rainfall have killed at least 800 people and destroyed thousands of homes over the past week, officials said Saturday, in the latest disaster to test Pakistan’s already strained government.

Pakistanis on Saturday crossed a main highway damaged by a flood in Charsadda, in northwestern Pakistan, near the border with Afghanistan. More Photos »

The crisis comes as the government is struggling to fight an Islamic insurgency and to cope with the aftermath of Wednesday’s plane crash in which 152 people died in the fog- and rain-shrouded Himalayan foothills just outside this capital city. It was the deadliest domestic plane crash in Pakistan’s history.

Officials said the deluge was the worst since 1929 in northwest Pakistan, where water levels in dams continued to rise. And with more rain forecast for all but that part of the country, increasing the likelihood of more flash floods and landslides, government officials issued pleas for international aid.
....

On Saturday, television stations broadcast grim images of people stranded on rooftops and wading through muddy water as they waited for rescuers or tried to recover valuables from houses.

A man identified only as from Charsadda told the AAJ television network that his whole village had been forced to spend the night by the roadside. “We have lost everything,” he said. “Nothing is left.”
....

Amjad Ali, a rescue worker in Nowshera, called conditions “very bad. They have no water, no food.”

Elsewhere I've seen the number 1,100 killed. The people in the area have seen enough troubles to last a lifetime. Pray that aid to those in great need will arrive quickly.

Lord God, we pray for those affected by the flooding in Pakistan. Give comfort and consolation to those who have lost loved ones. Stir up love and compassion in the hearts of those with means to provide speedy aid to relieve the suffering of all who have experienced great loss. In our common humanity, we pray to you, O God, Father of us all.

STORY OF THE DAY - ETERNAL REWARD

Of course I believe in heaven, my
grandma used to say. There's got to be
some reward for living with your
grandfather for all these years.


Posted without commentary. :-)

From StoryPeople.

"...LIKE A TUMOR ON THE BACK OF...KATRINA...."

From Tim Gautreaux, a writer and teacher from Hammond, Louisiana, in the Guardian:

Those who live in Louisiana all their lives develop an understanding of disaster. We know a hurricane can turn over hundreds of offshore oil rigs in one pass and then come to land and do the same to our homes. Refineries explode, rigs blow up, pipelines burst, well pressures cause accidents that take fingers, feet, arms, legs and life itself.
....

So, even though I am not an oil worker, the industry is part of my environment, my history, and when I saw images of the April Deepwater Horizon explosion and fire, I thought at once, "Wait a minute. Something's wrong. That rig is state-of-the-art, the size of a small factory, loaded with technology that rivals the space programme in complexity. Why is the fire so enormous?" And later, when the labyrinth of pipes and valves keeled over in a rumbling, hissing nimbus of flame, I was astounded, thinking, "Why didn't the blowout preventer shut down the well?"
....

The nightly news told of oil coming ashore. Unlike its neighbour states, Louisiana has no shore, no sand beach except for a small spit called Grand Isle, no dunes, hills, cliffs. The entire Gulf border and its wide attendant marshes are exactly at sea level. The shore is mostly gritty mud held in place by tall, dense marsh grass. What is not water is grass, thousands of square miles of it. When the oil kills the grass, the shore will begin to melt away. This coastal marsh is home to millions of birds – pelicans, terns, egrets, great herons – and a rich variety of mammals and reptiles. It is threaded through by countless miles of narrow bayous, inlets and lagoons, all spawning areas for shrimp and succulent blue-claw crabs, nesting grounds for vast flocks of migratory geese and ducks – a hot and humid greenhouse teeming with life.

Louisiana is a relatively small state, but it contains 40-45% of the nation's coastal wetlands. The neighbour states of Texas, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida have similar fertile and productive marshes, though such areas are much smaller.
....

I don't think people living outside the region understand what is happening. One so-called environmentalist suggested Gulf fishermen and oil workers should just get educated in green technology and work in solar panel factories. What are they supposed to do for 20 years until the technology is perfected and the factories built? Fishermen want to work as fishermen; the Gulf is 1,000 miles wide and they are independent members of a huge culture, not employees.
....

After a charter boat captain shot himself in the head, I turned off the television. But everywhere I went, neighbours, bank tellers, waitresses, university professors all fretted about the spill. Last year, one billion pounds of fish was harvested from the Gulf; now only a tiny fraction of that is being caught in the small areas still open, and chances are even that clean catch will be distrusted by buyers outside the region. How many years will it take for Gulf seafood's reputation for quality to return?

This disaster rides like a tumour on the back of the monster Katrina, a storm that in 2005 killed more than 1,800 people in the New Orleans area. Many residents of the region were finally getting their homes rebuilt, their boats and docks restored.

Read the entire poignant essay. The best of the English newspapers have covered the human stories and reactions to the oil gusher catastrophe with sensitivity and understanding. A tip of the hat to them.

Tim has published collections of short stories and two novels. He teaches at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana.

"WE'RE TIRED OF BEING RESILIENT"

"I don't know how many more disasters the Louisiana people can cope with," Mr Brigtsen said. "We're tired of being resilient."

Brightsen's is a lovely, small uptown restaurant which serves fine food. The first scene in the video shows the River Road and the Mississippi River levee at the end of the street.

Right across Dante Street from Brightsen's is Dante's Kitchen, another good restaurant. All over the city of New Orleans, small restaurants such as these serve very good to excellent food. Not all the restaurants will make it.

I'm like Brightsen's wife. I want to cry.

From the Telegraph in the UK.

THE PRICE OF PETROL IN FRANCE

Thanks to Susan S., who thought I may not have De Gaulle to send this out to the world. I thank Susan for many a laugh while I was putting the post together.

PS: Susan thought Counterlight, especially, might appreciate the post. I don't know. I think he may groan.