The Huffington Post provides a slideshow of pictures of Bush's visit to the wounded at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. A word of caution: the pictures are hard to look at. Thanks to Roger for the link.
Rmj at Adventus links to an essay by Christopher Dickey, in which Dickey says this:
What I wonder is whether in the real-world crisis of Iraq there is enough sanity and bravery in Washington to deliver us from the evil that's been created in Iraq.
I doubt it. God help us.
Monday, November 12, 2007
From The Diocese Of Wenchoster
Too much time has passed since I've posted about the Diocese of Wenchoster, so today we'll have a look at what's happening there. First a word from the bishop. In his most recent column, at the diocesan website, the Bishop of Wenchoster speaks about the change of seasons and the troubles in the Anglican Communion:
For it hes bin a lawng season, hasn’t it? A tame when we have been troubled bay so many issues end disagreements, too much strafe end discord. Es the wither changes it is now tame to put such trivia behained us, end polish our conkers. That is a far, far bitter way to sittle disputes. I know main is!
May you awl be blissed by the Lawd these coming days!
+ Roderick Codpiecium
The website offers news from the southern Province of England:
Unconfirmed reports circulating in the southern Province of England this week are suggesting that if the bishops of the Episcopal Church (USA) are invited to attend the next Lambeth Conference, the Bishop of Doorminster may decline his summons.
The Right Reverend Ali Barbar has intimated to his closest friends and his personal chaplain (male, married, three children) that he has grave misgivings about “certain types of American bishops, if you follow my exegesis. (Wink.) Bless you.” At a recent diocesan press conference he refused to comment any further on the matter other than to re-emphasize his dislike of mincing and fawning while in procession....
And last, but certainly not least, the final word goes to the head verger, Mr. Grindle:
There we were me and Mrs. Grindle who is no longer using the capsules thank you very much henjoying our second cup of breakfast tea well it was a Saturday when we ‘eard a commotion in the ‘allway and Brasso the family retriever bounds hinto the room with the newly-delivered Church Times himagine my surprise when I read that they ‘re making a big song and dance habout churches being green and by that I mean hecologically friendly and nothing to do with junior clergy or mildew of which we ‘ave plenty of both....
Mr. Grindle continues the story without pausing for breath, but I'm afraid I must pause. You'll find the rest by clicking on the link above.
If you'd like to know more about the diocese, you can visit their website.
For it hes bin a lawng season, hasn’t it? A tame when we have been troubled bay so many issues end disagreements, too much strafe end discord. Es the wither changes it is now tame to put such trivia behained us, end polish our conkers. That is a far, far bitter way to sittle disputes. I know main is!
May you awl be blissed by the Lawd these coming days!
+ Roderick Codpiecium
The website offers news from the southern Province of England:
Unconfirmed reports circulating in the southern Province of England this week are suggesting that if the bishops of the Episcopal Church (USA) are invited to attend the next Lambeth Conference, the Bishop of Doorminster may decline his summons.
The Right Reverend Ali Barbar has intimated to his closest friends and his personal chaplain (male, married, three children) that he has grave misgivings about “certain types of American bishops, if you follow my exegesis. (Wink.) Bless you.” At a recent diocesan press conference he refused to comment any further on the matter other than to re-emphasize his dislike of mincing and fawning while in procession....
And last, but certainly not least, the final word goes to the head verger, Mr. Grindle:
There we were me and Mrs. Grindle who is no longer using the capsules thank you very much henjoying our second cup of breakfast tea well it was a Saturday when we ‘eard a commotion in the ‘allway and Brasso the family retriever bounds hinto the room with the newly-delivered Church Times himagine my surprise when I read that they ‘re making a big song and dance habout churches being green and by that I mean hecologically friendly and nothing to do with junior clergy or mildew of which we ‘ave plenty of both....
Mr. Grindle continues the story without pausing for breath, but I'm afraid I must pause. You'll find the rest by clicking on the link above.
If you'd like to know more about the diocese, you can visit their website.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
In Honor Of All Veterans
Image from the U. S. Dept. of Veterans affairs.
To all who have served in the armed forces of our country, I honor and thank you for serving. I honor you who have served in wars, you who have experienced the horror of war. I honor you who have returned from war wounded in body, mind, or spirit.
I honor your loved ones who waited, and worried, and prayed for your safe return. With them I join in thanksgiving for your return home.
Lord God, Almighty and everlasting Father, I ask your blessing upon all veterans today. Pour out your love upon them and bring healing of body, mind, and spirit. Grant all strength and courage as they go forward, and, Lord God, give them comfort, consolation, and your peace that passes understanding to keep their minds and hearts.
UPDATE: Doorman-Priest has a beautiful post for Remembrance Day.
UPDATE 2: From Frank in the comments:
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years contemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
Laurence Binyon
The text of the entire poem, For the Fallen, is here.
Troop Deaths Not Counted
From Iraq Coalition Casualty Count:
Post Iraq Deaths Not Confirmed By the DoD
Name Date
Richards, Jack D. 29-Jul-2007
Cassidy, Gerald J. 25-Sep-2007
Smith, John "Bill" 01-Oct-2005
Salerno III, Raymond A. 16-Jul-2006
Note: The soldiers listed above died from wounds received in Iraq, however, the DoD has not included their deaths in their official count.
That's disturbing. I wonder why they're not counted.
And lest we forget Afghanistan, from the AP:
KABUL, Afghanistan - Militants ambushed and killed six U.S. troops walking in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan — the most lethal attack of the year. The deaths made 2007 the deadliest for the U.S. military here since the 2001 invasion, mirroring the record U.S. toll in Iraq.
May all the dead from all our wars rest in peace.
Post Iraq Deaths Not Confirmed By the DoD
Name Date
Richards, Jack D. 29-Jul-2007
Cassidy, Gerald J. 25-Sep-2007
Smith, John "Bill" 01-Oct-2005
Salerno III, Raymond A. 16-Jul-2006
Note: The soldiers listed above died from wounds received in Iraq, however, the DoD has not included their deaths in their official count.
That's disturbing. I wonder why they're not counted.
And lest we forget Afghanistan, from the AP:
KABUL, Afghanistan - Militants ambushed and killed six U.S. troops walking in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan — the most lethal attack of the year. The deaths made 2007 the deadliest for the U.S. military here since the 2001 invasion, mirroring the record U.S. toll in Iraq.
May all the dead from all our wars rest in peace.
Louisiana Follies
From the Daily Comet:
State Rep. Carla Dartez, D-Morgan City, said she is mulling withdrawal from the Nov. 17 runoff race after NAACP president Jerome Boykin says she referred to his mother as "Buckwheat."
The incident came out during Boykin's radio show on KBZE, FM 105.9.
During a telephone conversation with The Daily Comet, Dartez denies any racist meaning or intent. But Boykin said he sees the reference as a slur. Buckwheat is a reference to a black "Little Rascals" character.
After winning the runoff, Dartez called Boykin's mother to thank her for her volunteer work in driving voters to the polls and allegedly ended the conversation by saying, "Talk to you later, Buckwheat."
From the Times-Picayune:
Jefferson Parish administrators located a noose, a whipping post sign and other items hanging in a sewerage superintendent's office that were brought to light this week by a public works employee [Terrence Lee] who called them racially offensive and designed to intimidate black workers.
....
[Parish President Aaron] Broussard, hinted during a news conference that another explanation might surface for a wooden contraption from which hung a knotted, looped rope.
"There are going to be some facts revealed about these objects that, when you get more information about them, will help explain what is now a question mark," he said when asked whether a rope tied in the shape of a noose would ever be deemed acceptable by the parish's antiharassment policy. "But I will leave it at that until all the interviews are complete."
Earlier Thursday, [chief aide to Brousssard, Tim] Whitmer described a portion of the object outside the frame of photos taken by Lee in 2005 and shown to reporters this week. Whitmer called it a "butt-kicking machine" that propels a boot upward and outward when someone pulls the rope.
....
He also confirmed finding a sign saying, "BILL'S WHIPPING POST." A dart board that Lee said had an image of a black man pinned in his groin instead bore the image of a white man when found by administrators Wednesday, Whitmer said.
Ernest Johnson, president of the Louisiana NAACP stated that the incident is disturbing, especially coming so soon after the Jena 6 case and the protests in Jena, Louisiana and the discovery of a noose hanging in a hardware store in Ruston, Louisiana.
I remind you of the story of the local policeman, who had a small noose hanging from the mirror of his pickup truck, which was parked in the police parking lot.
I believe Carla Dartez when she says that she meant no racial slur. She was thanking Ms. Boykin for her help. But calling her "Buckwheat"? Words have consequences, as Dartez found out.
As for the other incidents, I attribute no such innocence to them.
UPDATE: Allie at The Conformist Rebel writes of a hunger strike by students at Columbia University with mention of a noose in the story. Racism is not dead in this country, nor is it confined to Louisiana.
State Rep. Carla Dartez, D-Morgan City, said she is mulling withdrawal from the Nov. 17 runoff race after NAACP president Jerome Boykin says she referred to his mother as "Buckwheat."
The incident came out during Boykin's radio show on KBZE, FM 105.9.
During a telephone conversation with The Daily Comet, Dartez denies any racist meaning or intent. But Boykin said he sees the reference as a slur. Buckwheat is a reference to a black "Little Rascals" character.
After winning the runoff, Dartez called Boykin's mother to thank her for her volunteer work in driving voters to the polls and allegedly ended the conversation by saying, "Talk to you later, Buckwheat."
From the Times-Picayune:
Jefferson Parish administrators located a noose, a whipping post sign and other items hanging in a sewerage superintendent's office that were brought to light this week by a public works employee [Terrence Lee] who called them racially offensive and designed to intimidate black workers.
....
[Parish President Aaron] Broussard, hinted during a news conference that another explanation might surface for a wooden contraption from which hung a knotted, looped rope.
"There are going to be some facts revealed about these objects that, when you get more information about them, will help explain what is now a question mark," he said when asked whether a rope tied in the shape of a noose would ever be deemed acceptable by the parish's antiharassment policy. "But I will leave it at that until all the interviews are complete."
Earlier Thursday, [chief aide to Brousssard, Tim] Whitmer described a portion of the object outside the frame of photos taken by Lee in 2005 and shown to reporters this week. Whitmer called it a "butt-kicking machine" that propels a boot upward and outward when someone pulls the rope.
....
He also confirmed finding a sign saying, "BILL'S WHIPPING POST." A dart board that Lee said had an image of a black man pinned in his groin instead bore the image of a white man when found by administrators Wednesday, Whitmer said.
Ernest Johnson, president of the Louisiana NAACP stated that the incident is disturbing, especially coming so soon after the Jena 6 case and the protests in Jena, Louisiana and the discovery of a noose hanging in a hardware store in Ruston, Louisiana.
I remind you of the story of the local policeman, who had a small noose hanging from the mirror of his pickup truck, which was parked in the police parking lot.
I believe Carla Dartez when she says that she meant no racial slur. She was thanking Ms. Boykin for her help. But calling her "Buckwheat"? Words have consequences, as Dartez found out.
As for the other incidents, I attribute no such innocence to them.
UPDATE: Allie at The Conformist Rebel writes of a hunger strike by students at Columbia University with mention of a noose in the story. Racism is not dead in this country, nor is it confined to Louisiana.
From The Academy In Canada
From Times Online:
From Marilyn Monroe’s curvacious wiggle to the catwalk strut of a supermodel, scientists have decoded the secrets of a woman’s walk — and have found that those swaying hips are not always intended to impress the opposite sex.
Watch it fellas. Don't jump to conclusions. You must know the code.
If she flaunts herself too openly at fertile times, she could be made pregnant by an unsuitable man, so women may have an evolutionary interest in sending out mixed messages, says Meghan Provost and her team, from Queen’s University, Ontario.
Be careful of those mixed messages, guys. Remember the code.
The women who were ovulating walked with smaller hip movements and with their knees closer together, New Scientist magazine reported. When 40 men were shown the images of the women walking they rated those in the less fertile part of their cycle as having the sexiest walks.
This is how "scientists" at Queens University spend their time. Previous studies showed that lap dancers earned more tips during their fertile periods, however, this study contradicts those findings.
Dr Provost said: “If women are trying to protect themselves from sexual assault at times of peak fertility, it would make sense for them to advertise attractiveness on a broad scale when they are not fertile.”
Well, of course! How women walk the walk is due to evolutionary concerns, good genes, etc. Because of the study, we now know that women don't want to be raped during their fertile periods. When women "advertise attractiveness on a broad scale when they are not fertile", what should we conclude?
The comments to the article indicate that not everyone is convinced that this study provides useful information.
From Marilyn Monroe’s curvacious wiggle to the catwalk strut of a supermodel, scientists have decoded the secrets of a woman’s walk — and have found that those swaying hips are not always intended to impress the opposite sex.
Watch it fellas. Don't jump to conclusions. You must know the code.
If she flaunts herself too openly at fertile times, she could be made pregnant by an unsuitable man, so women may have an evolutionary interest in sending out mixed messages, says Meghan Provost and her team, from Queen’s University, Ontario.
Be careful of those mixed messages, guys. Remember the code.
The women who were ovulating walked with smaller hip movements and with their knees closer together, New Scientist magazine reported. When 40 men were shown the images of the women walking they rated those in the less fertile part of their cycle as having the sexiest walks.
This is how "scientists" at Queens University spend their time. Previous studies showed that lap dancers earned more tips during their fertile periods, however, this study contradicts those findings.
Dr Provost said: “If women are trying to protect themselves from sexual assault at times of peak fertility, it would make sense for them to advertise attractiveness on a broad scale when they are not fertile.”
Well, of course! How women walk the walk is due to evolutionary concerns, good genes, etc. Because of the study, we now know that women don't want to be raped during their fertile periods. When women "advertise attractiveness on a broad scale when they are not fertile", what should we conclude?
The comments to the article indicate that not everyone is convinced that this study provides useful information.
Friday, November 9, 2007
Words on Iraq War From Bush 41
From USA Today:
"Do they want to bring back Saddam Hussein, these critics?" the elder Bush told USA TODAY in a rare interview. "Do they want to go back to the status quo ante? I don't know what they are talking about here. Do they think life would be better in the Middle East if Saddam were still there?"
Well, then why didn't Bush 41 take Saddam out during the first Gulf war and save his son the trouble? Or perhaps the proud father has done some rethinking, since things have gone so well in Iraq under Bush 43.
We can't poll the opinions of the dead in Iraq, but we could ask their families and friends. We could ask the wounded and their families. We could ask the 1 to 2 million refugees inside and outside of Iraq what they think. After all, it is their country.
Thanks to Lapin, who keeps me supplied with material.
"Do they want to bring back Saddam Hussein, these critics?" the elder Bush told USA TODAY in a rare interview. "Do they want to go back to the status quo ante? I don't know what they are talking about here. Do they think life would be better in the Middle East if Saddam were still there?"
Well, then why didn't Bush 41 take Saddam out during the first Gulf war and save his son the trouble? Or perhaps the proud father has done some rethinking, since things have gone so well in Iraq under Bush 43.
We can't poll the opinions of the dead in Iraq, but we could ask their families and friends. We could ask the wounded and their families. We could ask the 1 to 2 million refugees inside and outside of Iraq what they think. After all, it is their country.
Thanks to Lapin, who keeps me supplied with material.
Bush Speaks - Again
From Holden at First Draft. Holden quotes a few of our leader's bons mots from his comments after a visit to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio:
On his home state:
I am here to highlight one of the world's top rehabilitation facilities -- right here in my home state of San Antonio, Texas.
On one of the wounded troops that he met there:
I'll never forget looking at Christian's eyes, and wondering whether or not he was going to make it. See, both his legs were blown off, and he didn't look good.
Do these words seem to come from a person with all his wits about him? San Antonio is a state? When he looked at Christian, did he feel even a little guilt or regret? I expect not, or he would have kept quiet instead of uttering this insensitive inanity.
Holden does this day after day, combing through the exchanges between Dana Perino and the White House Press Corps, as she stumbles, evades, and weasels her way out of answering hard questions. He brings us Bush's press conferences and his impromptu exchanges with the press - Bush unscripted - which yield the "best" material. He's been doing this for years, and my hat is off to him for his perseverance. It can't be easy.
On his home state:
I am here to highlight one of the world's top rehabilitation facilities -- right here in my home state of San Antonio, Texas.
On one of the wounded troops that he met there:
I'll never forget looking at Christian's eyes, and wondering whether or not he was going to make it. See, both his legs were blown off, and he didn't look good.
Do these words seem to come from a person with all his wits about him? San Antonio is a state? When he looked at Christian, did he feel even a little guilt or regret? I expect not, or he would have kept quiet instead of uttering this insensitive inanity.
Holden does this day after day, combing through the exchanges between Dana Perino and the White House Press Corps, as she stumbles, evades, and weasels her way out of answering hard questions. He brings us Bush's press conferences and his impromptu exchanges with the press - Bush unscripted - which yield the "best" material. He's been doing this for years, and my hat is off to him for his perseverance. It can't be easy.
Racial Heritage In New Orleans
Ormonde at Through the Dust writes about the gumbo mixture of racial heritage in New Orleans and south Louisiana and links to a story about Bliss Broyard, the daughter of writer Anatole Broyard, a critic and essayist for the New York Times, who was of mixed white and African-American heritage. He moved north to attend college and became a passablanc, a person of mixed heritage who "passed" for white. Only on her father's deathbed did Bliss learn of her mixed heritage.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
On Being Holy And Being Good
Beginning in my teen years, I had a religious conversion of sorts, probably as a result of something that I read or a sermon I heard at the mandatory, yearly retreat that we were required to attend by my Roman Catholic high school superiors. I began attending daily mass at 6:30 in the morning at an Ursuline convent within walking distance of my home.
I wanted to be holy - holy in the sense of being close to God and desiring to do his will, but I thought that I was not "good" enough and that, very likely, I would never be "good" enough in the context that I understood "being good". While I was present at those early morning masses, I felt holy for half an hour or so, and I kept my feeling of being close to God for a time afterwards - but not for very long - only until I did something "bad". For a teenager in the RCC in those far-away times, trying not to "be bad" was like walking through a minefield. The "bads" were lying in wait.
After high school perhaps, and definitely after college, my fervor diminished, and, although I still tried to follow the rules, I had much more of a sense of going through the motions, knowing I was falling short, but hanging on to the rituals anyway.
Then in my early forties, I had another spiritual awakening that took the form of a sureness of the presence of God in my life - a God who would always love me and always be with me, whether I was "being good" or not. That certainty has remained for 30 years now, thanks be to God.
I won't say that I have not had periods in my life when I cried out, "God where are you? Have you abandoned me?" But deep down, I knew that he had not.
Sometime after the consecration of Gene Robinson as a bishop in the Episcopal Church, I was drawn more and more to reading the Gospels with closer attention to the words and actions of Jesus, with the result that I made a 180 degree turn from thinking that it was wrong for Robinson to have been consecrated to believing that it was very right. In a sense, this was another spiritual awakening that I believe has drawn me even closer to God, with a stronger desire to follow the way laid out by Our Lord Jesus Christ, sinner though I am.
To make this not too long, I'm telescoping the story and glossing over periods of preparation of the ground and planting of the seeds that took place before the seemingly abrupt transitions in which the love of God flowered and bore fruit. I'm probably not even aware of much of the the work of God in my life before the reality of his love and his presence became sure.
I have come to a new understanding of "being good". It is God who makes me (and you) good. He is my Creator, and he has declared that his creation is good. My new understanding of holy has not so much to do with "being good" - I'm already good. God has declared it to be so - but with being close to God, with being a friend of God. That is the desire of my heart, and however awful some of the things that I do may seem to me, or to others, I want to be holy in that sense, and I pray to God to make me holy and to keep me holy.
Upon my bed at night
I sought him whom my soul loves;
I sought him, but found him not;
I called him, but he gave no answer.
"I will rise now and go about the city,
in the streets and in the squares;
I will seek him whom my soul loves."
I sought him, but found him not.
The sentinels found me,
as they went about in the city.
"Have you seen him whom my soul loves?"
Scarcely had I passed them,
when I found him whom my soul loves.
I held him, and would not let him go
until I brought him into my mother’s house,
and into the chamber of her that conceived me.
Song of Solomon 3:1-4
I wanted to be holy - holy in the sense of being close to God and desiring to do his will, but I thought that I was not "good" enough and that, very likely, I would never be "good" enough in the context that I understood "being good". While I was present at those early morning masses, I felt holy for half an hour or so, and I kept my feeling of being close to God for a time afterwards - but not for very long - only until I did something "bad". For a teenager in the RCC in those far-away times, trying not to "be bad" was like walking through a minefield. The "bads" were lying in wait.
After high school perhaps, and definitely after college, my fervor diminished, and, although I still tried to follow the rules, I had much more of a sense of going through the motions, knowing I was falling short, but hanging on to the rituals anyway.
Then in my early forties, I had another spiritual awakening that took the form of a sureness of the presence of God in my life - a God who would always love me and always be with me, whether I was "being good" or not. That certainty has remained for 30 years now, thanks be to God.
I won't say that I have not had periods in my life when I cried out, "God where are you? Have you abandoned me?" But deep down, I knew that he had not.
Sometime after the consecration of Gene Robinson as a bishop in the Episcopal Church, I was drawn more and more to reading the Gospels with closer attention to the words and actions of Jesus, with the result that I made a 180 degree turn from thinking that it was wrong for Robinson to have been consecrated to believing that it was very right. In a sense, this was another spiritual awakening that I believe has drawn me even closer to God, with a stronger desire to follow the way laid out by Our Lord Jesus Christ, sinner though I am.
To make this not too long, I'm telescoping the story and glossing over periods of preparation of the ground and planting of the seeds that took place before the seemingly abrupt transitions in which the love of God flowered and bore fruit. I'm probably not even aware of much of the the work of God in my life before the reality of his love and his presence became sure.
I have come to a new understanding of "being good". It is God who makes me (and you) good. He is my Creator, and he has declared that his creation is good. My new understanding of holy has not so much to do with "being good" - I'm already good. God has declared it to be so - but with being close to God, with being a friend of God. That is the desire of my heart, and however awful some of the things that I do may seem to me, or to others, I want to be holy in that sense, and I pray to God to make me holy and to keep me holy.
Upon my bed at night
I sought him whom my soul loves;
I sought him, but found him not;
I called him, but he gave no answer.
"I will rise now and go about the city,
in the streets and in the squares;
I will seek him whom my soul loves."
I sought him, but found him not.
The sentinels found me,
as they went about in the city.
"Have you seen him whom my soul loves?"
Scarcely had I passed them,
when I found him whom my soul loves.
I held him, and would not let him go
until I brought him into my mother’s house,
and into the chamber of her that conceived me.
Song of Solomon 3:1-4
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)