Fr. Roy Bourgeois - "I Will Not Be Silenced"

From the Boston Globe:

WESTON - A prominent priest whose support for women’s ordination has him in trouble with the Catholic Church ratcheted up his confrontation with the hierarchy yesterday, calling the church’s refusal to ordain women a “scandal’’ and “spiritual violence.’’

“I will not be silenced on this issue,’’ said the priest, the Rev. Roy Bourgeois, to about 100 people in Weston at an event hosted by the congregation of Jean Marchant, a former staffer for the Archdiocese of Boston who claims she was ordained as a priest in an unsanctioned ceremony four years ago.

The Catholic Church views Marchant and Bourgeois as having been automatically excommunicated for participating in unsanctioned ordination ceremonies.
....

“If they choose to kick me out of the church because I believe that men and women are equal, so be it,’’ Bourgeois said. “I will never be at peace being in any organization that would exclude others.

“What’s going on in our church today is spiritual assassination, it’s spiritual violence being done that’s inexcusable. That is a scandal,’’ he said.
....

And in 1994, Pope John Paul II declared that “the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women,’’ citing both tradition and the fact that Jesus’ apostles were male.

That's nonsense, and the pope knows it. He should be ashamed to make such a statement. Jesus' apostles were Jewish, too. He and the cardinals and bishops could huddle and make the change, if they so chose. Or Pope Benedict could simply declare an end to the discrimination by fiat.

In an interview yesterday, Bourgeois, 70, a Louisiana native, said he has stopped wearing a clerical collar and celebrating the Eucharist and other sacraments out of respect for the church’s view that he has been excommunicated.

But, he also said at one point, simply, “I am a priest."

He said he is confident his position on women priests is the correct one.

“If anyone should be excommunicated, it is the patriarchy involved in this discrimination," he said. “But I don’t believe in excommunication - no one has a monopoly on the truth."

Fr. Roy is a priest, a mensch, and a man of courage. He comes of good Cajun stock in Lutcher, Louisiana, across the river, not far from where I live. In fact, we could be cousins, as the Bourgeois name is in the genealogy of the Cajun branch of my family.

He should wear his excommunication proudly, like a badge of honor, except that he does not believe in it, and neither do I.

Oh my goodness! I nearly forgot. H/T to MadPriest for the link. He would never have forgiven me had I not given him his due.

Louisiana News Briefs

From the Advocate:

Bloggers and the Louisiana Republican Party are beating up on U.S. Rep. Charlie Melancon, D-Napoleonville, for not holding a “Town Hall Meeting” concerning a proposed overhaul of health care.

Melancon, who attended a rally last week at which about 500 fishermen protested the price they are being paid for their shrimp, said he is meeting with smaller groups to discuss proposals to expand health care coverage.

The reason is because opponents in Louisiana and across the country have been disrupting the meetings of Democratic elected officials and keeping others “from asking honest questions,” Melancon said.

“They’re picking up the talking points of the fear mongers,” he said. “They don’t want to discuss the issues, they want to control the meeting.”

Melancon is considered a possible candidate to run against U.S. Sen. David Vitter.

I wonder how one gets to meet with Charlie in a small group.

Howevah! If Charlie runs against David Vitter for the Senate seat, he'll have my vote.


Again from the Advocate:

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie may have a new property in mind for their ever growing brood: The Louisiana Governor’s Mansion.

Pitt joked to HBO talk show host Bill Maher last week that statewide office interests him more than running for New Orleans mayor, the job for which some are half-facetiously recruiting him to run.

“What I ought to do is run for governor of the great state of Louisiana (against) Bobby Jindal,” he said.

“I’ve never met Bobby. It’s not fair to say,” Pitt added.

Pitt’s campaign platform: He’s pro gay marriage, pro legalized marijuana and anti religion.

Pitt and Jolie purchased a home in the French Quarter two years ago, making his eligibility to run in 2011 iffy.

The Louisiana Constitution requires a gubernatorial candidate to have lived in the state for at least the preceding five years.

Now wouldn't that be a contest? Jindal is incompetent. Could Pitt, the actor, be more incompetent? I think not. Brad's not just a pretty face. He has done more for New Orleans than either Jindal or Mayor Ray Nagin.

Story Of The Day - Best Of Times

I'd like to leave you with something
valuable, she said. You probably already
have, I said, but we take most of our
lives to remember that, even in the best
of times

From StoryPeople.

I love "Story of the Day". I post the little stories probably only for Ann and me, and Ann gets them by email, too, so I suppose they're just for me. Anyway....

700,000 Bankruptcies Per Year Because Of Medical Bills

From T. R. Reid in the Washington Post:

This fragmentation [in US health care] is another reason that we spend more than anybody else and still leave millions without coverage. All the other developed countries have settled on one model for health-care delivery and finance; we've blended them all into a costly, confusing bureaucratic mess.

Which, in turn, punctures the most persistent myth of all: that America has "the finest health care" in the world. We don't. In terms of results, almost all advanced countries have better national health statistics than the United States does. In terms of finance, we force 700,000 Americans into bankruptcy each year because of medical bills. In France, the number of medical bankruptcies is zero. Britain: zero. Japan: zero. Germany: zero.

Given our remarkable medical assets -- the best-educated doctors and nurses, the most advanced hospitals, world-class research -- the United States could be, and should be, the best in the world. To get there, though, we have to be willing to learn some lessons about health-care administration from the other industrialized democracies.

Imagine! 700,000 bankruptcies per year due to medical bills. How can we, the richest country in the world, call ourselves a civilized country? Do the numbers of bankruptcies shock you Mary Landrieu, David Vitter, and Charlie Melancon? They shock me. Must we study health care models for a longer period of time while folks get sick, die, and go bankrupt because they can't pay medical bills for the lack of a decent health care plan?

You're well-covered by a government-run health plan. Why can't your constituents have what you have? We pay your salaries. You work for us. Give the citizens of the US the help they need with health care. Isn't it time that we cease to be a disgrace and embarrassment around the world?

The entire article is worth a read. It's long, but it has a lot of interesting information about health care in the US as it compares to health care around the world.

H/T again to Paul the BB. I'm stealing all his stuff today. What are blog friends for if not for stealing their material? Really.

UPDATE: The 700,000 bankrupt because of medical bills are real people, not just numbers. Hedwyg tells her story at her blog. Please read her post.

For Shame, Mary Landrieu!

Shame on you, Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA), for blocking real health care reform. Is it the money that the health care industries give to your campaign fund? Why do you insist that the public option be excluded? Why not do something for your constituents, instead of favors for the health care industries? Why not do the right thing, Senator Landrieu?

Senator Mary Landrieu [OpenSecrets]
Insurance: $397,231
Health Professionals: $598,866
Pharmaceuticals: $224,196
Hospitals/Nursing Homes: $268,145
Health Services/HMOs: $165,505

TOTAL: $1,653,943

From Bold Progressives.

H/T to Paul, the BB, for the link, although I see that I may have to get on a plane to ABQ and wash his mouth out with soap and water.

Lazy Sunday

Today I'm taking the day off from anything strenuous, even strenuous thinking. Yesterday, I took my 13 year old granddaughter clothes shopping. She wears uniforms to school, but she needed fall and winter clothes for the weekends. I told her that we'd tackle the fall clothing first and that winter outfits could wait. Sometimes the need for winter clothes arrives late in the year, indeed, and we'll cross that bridge later. GD is a serious shopper. She knows just where to go in the stores for her size. She, said, "I'm so lucky. I can still wear girls sizes, and now junior sizes fit, too, so I have two places to look."

She didn't miss a rack of clothes with her size in the entire store. She picked out 11 items to try on. I cautioned her that we would not be buying all 11 items, and she said, "Oh, I know that. I won't like the way some of them look, and others won't fit." That turned out to be the case. She picked out one pair of tight, worn-looking jeans, one dressy knit top, an adorable dress that both she and I loved, and black-beaded, strap-between-the-toe flip-flops, which I liked a lot, too. A little funk into the mix is fine. Oh, and three bras, but I probably should not tell you that. Then, to my delight, she was done for the day, with only one stop.

Clothes shopping for myself is no longer a pleasure, because nothing looks good on me. I need to lose weight, and my clothes are simply to cover me and make me presentable in polite society. However, I took great pleasure in shopping with GD. All the clothes look good on her attractive, budding figure. She is a trip, funny and enthusiastic about her shopping, reminding me of myself many years ago. Except that I was always searching for a bargain, so I headed for the sales racks first. GD doesn't give that a thought.

Afterward, we went to lunch at Sicily, a restaurant with an all-day buffet, one price for all you can eat. GD didn't eat much, and I ate too much. She's good company, and we have bonded in a way that we probably never would have if her parents had not divorced. For now, I am the principal feminine presence in her life during her time with her dad, and my time with her is precious to me.

Update On Sue's Brother, Myron

From Suzanne in the comments:

Thank you for posting this note Mimi. I took another trek to the hospital today, and Myron looks more like himself and more of the swelling has gone down and he actually looks like himself. The docs are beginning to reduce the deep sedation, and also have inserted a monitor into his brain and determined the pressure in normal. Thanks be to God for that!
The concern now is for the fractures in his spine and weather or not there will be any paralysis.

Again thanks for the post. This has be an extraordinary time and I'm whipped.

O God, the strength of the weak and the comfort of sufferers: Mercifully accept our prayers, and grant to your servant Myron the help of your power, that his sickness may be turned into health, and our sorrow into joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

May God give strength, courage, and the peace that passes understanding to all who love Myron, as they minister to him; in Jesus' name. Amen.

Angel Dog

Lapin sent me a reminder of one of his favorite dog pictures. It's one of my favorites, too.

Please Pray For Sue's Brother

Roseann sent me the following prayer request from Sue, who often keeps us informed about Roseann:

Sorry I haven't been in touch. My younger brother [Myron] was involved in a horrible bicycle accident Thursday night. He has numerous fractures, bleeding on the brain, and 2 fractures of the back. In other words he is a mess. I've been running back and forth to the hospital and finally crashed last night.

I hope you are feeling better, I know you are home with the weiner dogs, and I'm sure they are entertaining you royally.

I'm surrounded by Baptist folks who love to pray and boy do they go on. I'm beginning to think they pray God into submission.......LOL

I'll be in touch when I can.

Sue

Roseann has a nice, newsy post at her blog, Give Peace A Chance, Please!

Don't Touch!

A co-worker got a pen stuck inside our printer. He started to try and remove the pen, but I told him we don't have time for that now, just put a note on the printer telling folks not to use it and then report it to the Help Desk. So he grabbed a piece of paper and scrawled on it. I left before he finished the note.

About 20 minutes later, one of my techs comes in laughing and says he was just in the lobby, saw a piece of paper on a printer and went to investigate.

Attached is what he found. Sometimes things don't always come out the way you want them to........





From Doug.