October Surprise?

From the Times Online:

Some key decision makers in Israel fear that unless they attack Iranian nuclear enrichment facilities in the next few months, while George W Bush is still president, there will not be another period when they can rely on the United States as being anywhere near as supportive in the aftermath of a unilateral attack.

According to the Guardian, Olmert asked Bush in May to support an Israeli attack on Iran. In a rare moment of enlightenment and rational thinking, Bush refused.

Bush's decision to refuse to offer any support for a strike on Iran appeared to be based on two factors, the sources said. One was US concern over Iran's likely retaliation, which would probably include a wave of attacks on US military and other personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as on shipping in the Persian Gulf.

That is exactly right. But we must not dismiss the idea that this could happen before Bush leaves office, or even before the election. In May, the Republicans were not facing the loss of the election, nor the market meltdown. They very much need a distraction.

Then too, the Israelis may not wait for our permission.

Thanks to Lapin for the link.

Francis Sayre Jr, Former National Cathedral Dean, Dies

From the New York Times:

The Very Rev. Francis B. Sayre Jr., who in his 27 years as dean of the National Cathedral in Washington raised his sonorous voice against McCarthyism, segregation, poverty and the Vietnam War while presiding over construction of the cathedral’s majestic Gloria in Excelsis Tower, died Oct. 3 at his home on Martha’s Vineyard, in Massachusetts. He was 93.

He was the grandson of Woodrow Wilson and was born in the White House.

On the fight for civil rights:

...he urged his parishioners to join the struggle. He invoked the Prophet Elijah’s Old Testament challenge, “How long will ye go limping between the two sides?” Then he said, “That question, chilling in its candor, probes rather painfully; and I’m afraid we’ve been doing a good bit of limping ourselves, and the testing may not be far off.”

Of Joe McCarthy and his supporters:

...one of a crew of “pretended patriots” and said, “There is a devilish indecision about any society that will permit an impostor like McCarthy to caper out front while the main army stands idly by."

May he rest in peace and rise in glory.

Did You Know...

that the sons of the Israelites wore earrings as they wandered through the desert?

Aaron said to them, ‘Take off the gold rings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.’

Exodus 32:2

I did not take note of that before today.

What Is Good?

‘With what shall I come before the Lord,
and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt-offerings,
with calves a year old?
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
with tens of thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?’
He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
Micah 6:6-8

The passage above is one of my favorites in all the Bible. Walter Bruggemann talked about it in the DVD which we saw in our adult class last week, along with this passage from Psalm 50:

‘Hear, O my people, and I will speak,
O Israel, I will testify against you.
I am God, your God.
Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you;
your burnt-offerings are continually before me.
I will not accept a bull from your house,
or goats from your folds.
For every wild animal of the forest is mine,
the cattle on a thousand hills.
I know all the birds of the air,*
and all that moves in the field is mine.


‘If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for the world and all that is in it is mine.
Do I eat the flesh of bulls,
or drink the blood of goats?
Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,*
and pay your vows to the Most High.
Call on me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.’

Bruggemann said (paraphrase), "God says to us, 'You may serve me, but you may not use me. You have nothing to give me that I need.'"

Amen.

Beauty And The Beer

Husband and wife are shopping in Safeway when the man picks up a dozen bud lites and sticks it into the trolley.

'What do you think you're doing?' asks the wife.

'They're on special, only $10 for 12 cans,' he says.

'Put them back. We can't afford it,' says the wife and they carry on shopping. A few aisles later the woman picks up a $20 jar of face cream and sticks it into the trolley.

'What do you think you're doing?' asks the man.

'It's my face cream. It makes me look beautiful,' she says.

The man replies, 'So does the 12 bottle bud lites and it's half the damn price!'

Don't blame me, blame Doug.

Awwww!! You Don't See This Very Often

Thanks to Doug.

Congratulations And Best Wishes To IT And BP

IT and her PB BP will be married tomorrow. Read her beautiful post at Friends of Jake:

Dear Friends,
Tomorrow, Oct 12, your token atheist IT and her beloved partner (BP) will marry each other in a civil service in California. In all meaningful personal respects, we have been married for years, but we are seizing the opportunity to marry legally in the eyes of the State. You might call it "claiming the blessing" ;-). I'll be away for awhile on a honeymoon, where I plan to avoid the internet.

I am confident in the support of all my friends here at Friends-of-Jake's. If you feel the urge to commemorate our happy event, please leave me a note in the comments! We are also asking friends to consider donations to the No on Prop 8 campaign (because we would like our marriage to be legal after Nov 4th), or Feeding America, aka America's Second Harvest, to feed the hungry in these hard economic times.

IT is the favorite atheist of our little blogging community. We all love her and want her and Beloved Partner to have a long and happy marriage.

H/T to Fran.

Lunch At MiLa

 

Grandpère, my daughter, and I shared lunch a few weeks ago at MiLa Restaurant in New Orleans to celebrate my daughter's birthday and mine. Daughter paid the bill, which I thought was not quite right. GP should have paid, don't you think?

Paul, the BB, first called my attention to the restaurant when he posted a picture of the interior of the restaurant, taken from the outside, during one of his many meanderings around New Orleans in the CBC (Central Business District). I could not find his picture to give a link, but I was intrigued by the decor. When I checked for reviews of the restaurant, I found this, and it was enough for me to suggest that we go to lunch there. I know, I know. Too many links for one post.

We arrived there at a few minutes after two o'clock, late for lunch, but we were the only patrons in the restaurant. I was sorry to see that. I'd have thought we'd see a few diners finishing their lunch. The wait staff was excellent, attentive, but not to the point of intrusiveness. The three-course lunches are reasonably priced and offer a small, but inviting, number of choices. My daughter and I ordered the same dish:

Smoked Pepper Dusted Petit Filet, Mixed Vegetables, Roasted Shiitakes, Red Wine Sauce, along with a Shrimp and Artichoke Salad

GP ordered:

Filo-Crusted Redfish
Spring Peas and Pearl Onions, Lobster Emulsion, with the Shrimp and Artichoke Salad

The salad was delicious, and my daughter and I both loved our entrées. GP didn't rave about his dish, as we did ours. I don't know why he ordered redfish, because he warns me not to order speckled trout and redfish, because he catches them, and why should we pay restaurant prices for them? He's not overly enthusiastic about meals which I think are delicious. He's not overly enthusiastic about any restaurant meals. I think his taste buds are failing. Nothing seems quite good enough.

Then on to dessert. I had the Vanilla Bean Rice Pudding With Confiture of Louisiana Strawberries, which is to die for, and Daughter had the Chocolate Mousse, which is also to die for. I know because we tasted each other's desserts. GP had the Louisiana Citrus Sorbets, Housemade using Plaquemine’s Parish Citrus, Shortbread Cookie, Mint Purée, which he did allow was quite good. Yay! Finally. The menu varies, so you will not find all of the dishes we ordered listed in the menu on their website.

Our waiter told us that the restaurant is busy during the dinner hours. I hope that's so, as I'd really like to see this one make it. From the website:

MiLa is the culmination of both the marriage of chefs Slade Rushing and Allison Vines-Rushing and their respective home state cuisines – Mississippi and Louisiana.

They do quite a good job of it, and I wish them well in their venture. I love the decor that the two chose for the restaurant. I thank Paul for drawing MiLa to my attention. If you're from New Orleans or not far away, I urge you to give this wonderful place a try. Visitors to the city, too, go have a meal there.

McCain's Snarling Mob

I've spoken before about what a dangerous game I think the McCain/Palin campaign plays in trying to rouse fear about Obama in the electorate. The video demonstrates the results of that tactic. They're ugly, and even McCain seems to think that things are getting out of hand. You reap what you sow, Senator. Will he stop the vicious ad campaign? Will he muzzle himself, but especially, will he muzzle Palin? I think not.

Josh Marshall at TPM says:

And yet this conveys too much suggestion of planning and intent. I have more the sense of someone desperately casting about and losing control of the situation itself. Even hypocrites can get in over their heads. Indeed, in a more nuts-and-bolts strategic sense McCain has really gotten himself into a hole because the campaign he's been running has almost entirely been premised on the claim that you should be scared of an Obama presidency. Not that McCain, if he'd run a very different campaign, couldn't have run on issue disagreements with Obama. But right now if you take away fear of Obama becoming president, there's almost no reason not to vote for him since McCain has basically conceded the issue agenda to Obama. If you look at every poll for months, voters are dying for change. Fear of Obama is the only thing keeping him from leaving McCain in the dust. Take that away and McCain's done.

Further, Juan Cole at Informed Comment says:

So having created this foaming-at-the-mouth mob, McCain finds himself booed by it when he offers some pro forma boilerplate about Obama being decent and a family man. But his campaign ads haven't been alleging decency, they've been alleging "terrorist ties." You can't wave raw meat dripping blood at Doberman Pinschers and then suddenly pull it away without producing snarling, baring of incisors, and straining at the leash.

I have nothing further to add.

Bloggers' Prayer

Fr. Scott quotes the prayer below which he will pray, and he invites other bloggers to join with him in praying.

"Almighty God, you proclaim your truth in every age by many voices: Direct, in our time, we pray, those who speak where many listen and write what many read; that they may do their part in making the heart of this people wise, its mind sound, and its will righteous; to the honor of Jesus Christ our Lord."

(Book of Common Prayer, page 827)

The prayer is one of the many hidden treasures in the BCP, which I had not yet discovered in my 14 years in the Episcopal Church. Shame on me. It's a lovely prayer. I've prayed a version of it myself, asking God's help that my blog will bring honor to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (No, don't laugh. I am not kidding!) I well know that I have, too often, failed to live up to that ideal, but I hold on to it in hope that one day I will, and I shall continue to try.

My only quibble with the prayer is in the joshing comment I left at Scott's place on "what many read". I told Scott, "Depending upon what you mean by 'many'...."