IS THE PUBLIC OPTION STILL ALIVE?

Over the past week, senators -- 18 so far -- have been signing on to a letter urging Majority Leader Harry Reid to pass a public option using reconciliation. Today, Reid finally spoke on the matter, releasing a statement through a spokesman.

"If a decision is made to use reconciliation to advance health care, Senator Reid will work with the White House, House and members of his caucus in an effort to craft a public option that can overcome procedural obstacles and secure enough votes," the statement reads.

Democracy for America puts the number at 20 senators. DFA lists the senators who have signed the letter.

I hate to get my hopes up again, because I fear that health care reform including the public option will not be enacted, although polls show that the people overwhelmingly support health care WITH a public option. Apparently, even if the House and the Senate could agree on the form which the health care bill will take, there are procedural hurdles that will need to be crossed that may require 60 votes.

The leaders in the House and Senate could reach a point at which they will have to decide whether to call for a vote knowing that the vote will be close and not knowing the outcome with certainty. Neither the leadership nor the members like uncertainty. The conventional wisdom is that if the Democrats lose the vote, they will suffer a humiliating defeat that will carry them to defeat in the elections later this year.

My thought is if the Democrats do nothing, they will suffer a humiliating defeat at the polls. I'd rather see the Democrats fight for health reform with the public option and lose, rather than do nothing. At least, they will have fought the good fight. Others disagree and believe that a win must be certain before moving to a vote.

What do you think?

From the WashingtonMonthly:

Gallup reported this week on the states with the highest and lowest rates of church attendance. The results fell largely along regional lines: "Mississippians were the most frequent churchgoers in the nation in 2009, as was the case in 2008, with 63% of residents attending weekly or almost every week. Nine of the top 10 states in church attendance are in the South; the only non-Southern state is Utah, with 56% frequent attendance. At the other end of the spectrum, 23% of Vermont residents attend church frequently, putting it at the bottom of the list of churchgoing states. Other states at the bottom of the church attendance list are in either New England or the West."

Check out the charts at the Gallup link.

FEAST OF FREDERICK DOUGLASS - PROPHETIC WITNESS

He was a firm believer in the equality of all people, whether black, female, Native American, or recent immigrant. He was fond of saying, "I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong."
....

Douglass produced some regular abolitionist newspapers, including The North Star. Its motto was "Right is of no Sex — Truth is of no Color — God is the Father of us all, and we are all brethren."

From Satucket.


John 8:30-32

As he was saying these things, many believed in him.
Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, ‘If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.’

Readings:

Psalm 85:7-13
Isaiah 32:11-18
Hebrews 2:10-18
John 8:30-32


PRAYER

Almighty God, whose truth makes us free: We bless your Name for the witness of Frederick Douglass, whose impassioned and reasonable speech moved the hearts of a president and a people to a deeper obedience to Christ. Strengthen us also to be outspoken on behalf of those in captivity and tribulation, continuing in the Word of Jesus Christ our Liberator; who with you and the Holy Spirit dwells in glory everlasting. Amen.

Picture from Wiki.

JUST POOR JUDGMENT

From the Kansas City Star:

Two former high-level Bush administration officials who provided legal justification for harsh interrogations of overseas terror suspects are likely to escape any formal punishment now that the Justice Department has concluded they should not be held legally responsible.

In a long-awaited report released early Friday evening, Deputy Associate Attorney General David Margolis said that former department lawyers John Yoo and Jay Bybee should not have their law licenses revoked as a consequence of their legal advice to the Bush administration signing off on the controversial interrogation methods.

In a 69-page legal memo, Margolis concluded "that these memos contained significant flaws. But as all that glitters is not gold, all flaws do not constitute professional misconduct. ... I conclude that Yoo and Bybee exercised poor judgment by overstating the certainty of their conclusions and underexposing countervailing arguments."

So. The Bush administration lawyers who advised that "enhanced interrogation techniques" were allowable will suffer no consequences, not even loss of their licenses.

Obama ordered no more torture, but what kind of precedent is set by the decision to let these men off the hook? What about a future president who decides that torture is permissible?

"YOU SHALL LOVE...."

[Jesus] said to him, ‘ “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’

Matthew 22:37-40

Whoever, then, thinks that he understands the Holy Scriptures, or any part of them, but puts such an interpretation upon them as does not tend to build up the twofold love of God and neighbor, does not yet understand them as he ought. If, on the other hand, a man draws a meaning from them that may be used for the building up of love, even though he does not happen upon the precise meaning which the author whom he reads intended to express in that place, his error is not pernicious, and he is wholly clear from the charge of deception. (St. Augustine - On Christian Doctrine 1.36[40])

Powerful words from St. Augustine concerning Jesus' powerful summary of the law and the prophets.

H/T to Tobias Haller at In a Godward Direction for the quote from Augustine.

See also Paul the BB's post A thought or two.

Does the God in whom you believe love creation, including us?

If the answer to that last question is "No," then your deity is either uninteresting or repugnant.

1 John 4:16

So we have known and believe the love that God has for us.

God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.

Thus far, the only Lenten discipline that I've decided on is to attend Evening Prayer, Lenten meditation, and silent reflection on Thursday evenings at St. John. Time is passing, and that may be my one consistent discipline. If so, if I'm faithful to that one discipline, I will be doing better than I've done in a good many Lents in the past. And perhaps it would be an entirely good thing to spend a bit of time pondering God's love for us and pondering and practicing my love for God and my love for neighbor.

STORY OF THE DAY - LITTLE MAN

I just want a little man of my own, she
said But without all the quirky
personality issues I'm going to
have to train out of him anyway


From StoryPeople.

AROUND THE BLOGS

Read all about Doxy's choice for Lenten discipline at Wormwood's Doxy. In the comments to Doxy's wonderful post, is the best suggestion evah for a Lenten discipline:

PJ DeGenaro said...

This year for Lent I am volunteering to take on everyone's unwanted bad habits. I will eat your Godiva truffles and your red meat, drink your alcohol and coffee and even your Diet Coke. I mean, it's the least I can do, right? So send all your self-indulgences to me, PJ. I'll consume the transfats so you don't have to! And as for that biting thing, Doxy, I'm really looking forward to it.

::wink wink wink etc. ::

Please pray for Margaret and her possible choice of a Lenten (and perhaps even longer!) fast at Leave It Lay Where Jesus Flang It.

And last, but not least, read Elizabeth Kaeton at Telling Secrets on apologia always sideways.

DIANE BRUCE RECEIVES CONSENTS

From The Lead:

In the consent process from diocesan standing committees for the next bishops suffragan in the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, as of Feb 17th, with 56 consents needed, the Rev. Canon Diane Jardine Bruce has 56, and the Rev. Canon Mary Douglas Glasspool has 45 with the process continuing until early May.

Bruce receives necessary consents to election as bishop suffragan; votes continue for Glasspool

May 5 is the deadline for receiving consents for Mary Glasspool. Please pray.

A REQUEST FROM JAY

On March 1st I will begin a 60 day sabbatical from my work as Diocesan Youth Missioner for the Episcopal Diocese of WNY. The subject of my sabbatical is "Personal Piety in an Episcopal Context in the 21st Century". It's a subject that I've become very interested in over the last decade. As Episcopalians (and Anglicans in general) are very much a people defined by our corporate worship I think there's a real gap when it comes to helping our members develop a personal piety.

My favor is this: I'm asking a variety of bloggers for a moment with their audiences. I'd like to have this appeal put on your blog and ask all your readers (Anglican/Episcopal and not) to answer two simple questions:

1: What does the phrase "Personal Piety" mean to you?
2: Outside of corporate worship settings what do you do in the way of personal piety?

The answers can be sent to a seperate email I've established for this project - personalpiety at gmail.com. (obviously they should remove the "at" and replace it with an @) I do not need their names unless they are willing to share. It would be useful if they could indicate if they are Anglican or not. Input from non-Anglicans is very welcome as either a simple comparison group but also as a resource for ideas that would be consistent with our "context".

I will be doing a lot of the "work" of the sabbatical "in the open" as it were, using my blog "The View From the Phlipside" for blogging and videos and whatever else pops into my head during the sabbatical. My intent is to explore the subject in greater detail there. I would certainly invite anyone to look in and comment as they feel called.

This is a presumptuous request I know. But I think I may be better served in my journey if I can hear from more voices than just those close by.

I understand completely if you choose not to do this. But as a teacher of mine taught me years ago, "You don't know if you don't ask".

Peace
Jay Phillippi
Diocese of WNY

My response to Jay:

Hi Jay,

Your request is not presumptuous at all. I'd be pleased to cooperate.... Yours sounds like an interesting project. I'm wondering what my response would be. All over the place, I'm thinking.

Blessings,

June

To which Jay responded:

And yes, I'm expecting, hoping even, that the response will be all over the place!

If you are so inclined, please help Jay with his sabbatical project. I'm intrigued, and I'll try to gather my thoughts and share my answers with Jay. Be sure to give yourself permission to go all over the place!

THE DAY FOLLOWING ASH WEDNESDAY

 

Last evening, I attended the Ash Wednesday service at St. John. The liturgy was just what I needed. I know that God is always present with us, but it had been a while since I experienced God's felt presence. I know that we're not to look for or expect the consolation of God's felt presence at all times, for God is no less present because feelings are absent, but it's a lovely thing when the feeling comes. Thanks be to God. The Scripture passages came alive as true words that were meant for me. The music, the brief sermon, the liturgy, everything came together and simply worked.

This morning, I read the following from Celtic Daily Prayer:

The other morning some of us were together in a church where the rector was saying Morning Prayer and leading us in guided silent prayer. He said, 'Let us pray for those whom we love.' And that was easy. Then he said, 'Let us pray for those whom we do not love.' And there rose up before my mind three men for whom I had to pray. They were men who have opposed my work. In this they may have been wrong. But my wrong was in resentment and a feeling of letting myself be cut off from them, and even from praying for them, because of it. Years ago I read a quotation from Mary Lyon that recurs to me again and again: 'Nine-tenths of our suffering is caused by others not thinking so much of us as we think they ought.' If you want to know where pride nestles and festers in most of us, that is right where it is; and it is not the opposition of others, but our own pride, which causes us the deepest hurt. I never read a word that penetrated more deeply into the sin of pride from which all of us suffer, nor one which opens up more surgically our places of unforgiveness.

Samuel Moor Shoemaker - And Thy Neighbor