ANOTHER PROBLEM CAUSED BY DEFORESTATION

 

Don't blame me. Blame Doug.

IT'S OFFICIAL - STEVENS TO RETIRE FROM SUPREME COURT

From the New York Times:

Associate Justice John Paul Stevens, leader of the liberal wing of the Supreme Court, announced on Friday that he would retire at the end of this term, setting up a confirmation battle over his replacement that is virtually certain to dominate the political scene this summer.

In a brief letter to President Obama, whom he addressed as “my dear Mr. President,” Justice Stevens said he was announcing his retirement now because he had “concluded that it would be in the best interests of the Court to have my successor appointed and confirmed well in advance of the commencement of the Court’s next term” in October.

We will miss you, my dear Justice Stevens, especially because:

Confronted with a court far more conservative than the one he joined, Justice Stevens showed the world what his colleagues already knew: that beneath his amiable manner lay a canny strategist and master tactician, qualities he used to win victories that a simple liberal-conservative head count would appear to be impossible. A frequent dissenter even in his early years on the court, he now wrote more blunt and passionate opinions, explaining on several occasions that the nation was best served by an open airing of disagreements.

And there he is pictured with Chief Justice Roberts who, with respect to his service as a justice in the highest court in the land, is not fit to loose Justice Stevens' sandal.

There. I said it - the first thought that came to mind when I saw the picture of the two together.

"IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE TIMES ONLINE"

Dear June,

We want to let you know that Times Online will be replaced by our brand new websites, thetimes.co.uk and thesundaytimes.co.uk in early May.

Both will give you the opportunity to explore, enjoy and browse our titles like never before and are available by subscription only.

Instead of just reading the news, you can watch it, challenge it and debate it.

No price for the subscription is given. I started to register for the free trial period, but they wanted too much information. I will miss the Times, but unless the cost is quite low, I'll give up reading the newspaper.

Will you pay to read the Times?

STORY OF THE DAY - OPEN HEART

He told me one time he forgot himself &
his heart opened up like a door with a
loose latch & he tried for days to put it
all back in proper order but finally he
gave up & left it all jumbled up there in
a pile & loved everything equally.


From StoryPeople.

PLEASE PRAY FOR KATHY

A message from Kathy on Facebook:

Kathy Jensen
I have fractured my ankle in 2 places - slipped and fell in a rush to try to get to a lacrosse game. No orthopedic doctor was on call so after spending much of the night in the ER with the usual full house of people who cannot get any other kind of care, I just have a plastic splint and pain pills and have to call my internist in the morning to get a referral to an orthped dr. Stupid (me). Annoying (everything else).

Prayers for Kathy that her pain is not severe and that she heals quickly.

UPDATE: Elizabeth Kaeton said...
So sorry, KJ. If misery loves company, you've got it with me. I have apparently torn the rotater cuff in my left shoulder. I'm praying that physical therapy will help me avoid surgery. So, let's break out a bottle of wine and whine together.

Prayers for Elizabeth, too, please.

DEATH ON THE DANZIGER BRIDGE

From NOLA.com.

A New Orleans police officer who fired his gun at civilians on the Danziger Bridge a week after Hurricane Katrina pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday, offering a chilling account of what transpired on the bridge that early September day in 2005.

Michael Hunter, 33, became the first officer who actually participated in the shooting to enter a guilty plea. Two investigators have already confessed to playing roles in a wide-ranging cover-up of the police shooting, which injured four unarmed civilians and left two men dead.

Hunter, who resigned last week after he was charged in federal court, contends that fellow officers shot at people they should have seen were unarmed. The account of events Hunter signed Thursday afternoon, called a factual basis, provides the most specific details to date about officers' actions on the bridge, which spans the Industrial Canal at Chef Menteur Highway.

Hunter, 33, said a New Orleans police sergeant fired an assault rifle at wounded civilians at close range after other officers stopped shooting and after it was clear that the police were not taking fire. He also says he saw another officer in a car fire a shotgun at a fleeing man's back, although the man did nothing suggesting he was a threat to police. That man, 40-year-old Ronald Madison, who was severely mentally disabled, died of his wounds.

As part of his plea, Hunter also acknowledged taking part in a conspiracy with colleagues to conceal the circumstances of what he considered an unjustified shooting. At one point, in a meeting with other officers, a supervisor said "something to the effect of, we don't want this to look like a massacre," the court document says.

"I don't think you can listen to that account without being sickened by the raw brutality of the shooting and the craven lawlessness of the cover-up," said U.S. District Judge Sarah Vance after the factual basis was read aloud in the still courtroom by prosecutor Bobbi Bernstein, deputy chief of the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.

Beyond saying that I'm shocked and sickened by the story of members of the New Orleans Police Department allegedly gone wild on a shooting spree and then even more members of the department allegedly participating in a massive cover-up of the carnage, I don't know what to say.

Incoming mayor Mitch Landrieu has his work cut out for him when he takes office in May. I believe that he has the potential to be a good mayor, but cutting the murder rate and cleaning up the NOPD is a daunting challenge. I wonder why he even wanted the job. Is the NOPD fixable?

Present mayor Ray Nagin seems to have left office before his term is up, except for attempting to close the deal on contracts that Landrieu will be stuck with during his term.

Pray for the city of New Orleans.

FAREWELL TO BISHOP JENKINS

 

 

The pictures are from Churchwork, the official publication of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana and are from "a photo essay of Bishop Jenkins' final act as Bishop - a Eucharist celebrating Epiphany and his retirement - as well as fond memories and well-wishes to a man who has been our leader, our advocate and most importantly, our friend."

(Photos by Jacob Croft Botter)

 

"The priests of the diocese join Bishop Jenkins at the altar for the prayer of consecration."

 

"Bishop Jenkins administering Holy Communion."

Bishop Jenkins is a good man and a good pastor. He served the Diocese of Louisiana well. May God bless him and his lovely wife Louise as they enter a new phase of their lives. May God give Bishop Jenkins healing and the peace that passes understanding to keep his mind and heart. I do not, for one minute, believe that his service in Louisiana is finished, but I pray that he takes time to rest, heal, and be renewed.

STORY OF THE DAY - BLIND SPOT

I'd like to think that things are getting
better, he said, but my eyes are getting
worse, so maybe I miss a lot.


LOL! My eyes are better, and things look better in some ways but look awful in other ways.

From StoryPeople.

BISHOP MORRIS THOMPSON IS COMING

 

If you recall, after the walk-about to meet and greet the candidates for bishop in the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana, I named the Rev. Morris Thompson as my favorite amongst the candidates. If you don't remember, I remind you.

My favorite of all and the one I would vote for if I had a vote is Fr Morris Thompson. He looked good on paper, and I liked him face to face.

A friend who once attended a church where Fr Thompson served applauded my choice.

June -
It's the middle of the night, but just caught up with your blog, not perused for several months. Happy to see that you like Morris for bishop !!
He was an assistant at our church in Ashland, loved by all, and now rectors a large church in Lexington KY, where he is highly thought of. Good friends of ours there have watched, loved and benefited from his pastoral gifts thru the years. They would hate to lose him, but feel he may best serve in wider pastures & offer his gifts as bishop in a diocese that has been through the tribulations that La. has.

And lo! A miracle happened. My favorite was elected as 11th bishop of the Diocese of Louisiana.

I don't know if Christ Church Cathedral will hold all the people who want to attend. Bishop Charles Jenkins, our retired bishop, was consecrated at St Dominic's Roman Catholic Church because it accommodated a larger number than Christ Church. Still, I'm pleased that the ceremony will be at the cathedral. I presume arrangements will be made for an overflow crowd to view the ceremony elsewhere on the cathedral grounds.

No reservations will be taken, so first come, first served with seating. I'll try to get a seat, but I won't arrive earlier than 8:00 AM, when the doors open. Is it possible that my peon of praise here for our bishop-elect might get me a special seat at the ceremony? Probably not, but if a seat is offered, I won't say no. After all, I'm an old lady.

I've wondered whether "ordain" or "consecrate" is the proper term for making a bishop. I've heard opinions in favor of both terms. The invitation states:

"The Most Reverend Katharine Jefforts Schori the Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church will ordain and consecrate The Very Reverend Morris King Thompson, Jr...."

The Via Media applied?

The scan of the invitation is taken from Churchwork, the diocesan magazine.

COMING INTO HIS OWN

 

With flourish and fanfare, President Obama and President Dmitri A. Medvedev of Russia signed a nuclear arms control treaty on Thursday and opened what they hoped would be a new era in the tumultuous relationship between two former cold war adversaries.

Meeting here in the heart of a once-divided Europe, the two leaders put aside the acrimony that has characterized Russian-American ties in recent years as they agreed to bring down their arsenals and restore an inspection regime that expired in December. Along the way, they sidestepped unresolved disputes over missile defense and other issues.

“When the United States and Russia are not able to work together on big issues, it is not good for either of our nations, nor is it good for the world,” Mr. Obama said as his words echoed through a majestic, gilded hall in the famed Prague Castle. “Together, we have stopped the drift, and proven the benefits of cooperation. Today is an important milestone for nuclear security and nonproliferation, and for U.S.-Russia relations.”

Mr. Medvedev called the treaty signing “a truly historic event” that will “open a new page” in Russian-American relations. “What matters most is this is a win-win situation,” he said. “No one stands to lose from this agreement. I believe this is a typical feature of our cooperation. Both parties have won.”

Our president is getting his groove, and I like what I see. Obama restores dignity, intelligence, rationality, and a host of other good qualities to the presidency. He is truly a graceful man. It's great to have the burden of being embarrassed by my president lifted.

Thank you President Obama and President Medvedev for your efforts to make the world a safer place.

From the New York Times.