BLOGGING

From xkcd.

Thanks to Paul (A.)

COMMENTS ARE NOT COMING THROUGH

Not even my comments appear on my blog. I get email notification of the comments, but they do not appear on my blog. I presume that Blogger is working on the problem, but who knows? Sorry.

UPDATE: Leo, nada, mi amigo.

UPDATE 2: The problem seems to be fixed now.

THE SEATING OF BISHOP MORRIS THOMPSON

From the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana:

Join us at the Cathedral for the enthronement of Bishop Morris K. Thompson, Thursday, May 13th, at Christ Church Cathedral at 6 pm.

The new bishop will preach and celebrate.

I'd like to have attended the service, but it would have meant spending another night in New Orleans, and I was not ready for that, since I had done so just a few nights before for the bishop's ordination. I especially would have liked to hear Bishop Thompson preach. Another time.

I confess that I was disappointed that the term "enthronement" was used on the diocesan website for the ceremony of the bishop taking his seat.

SEATING OUR NEW BISHOP
There are two aspects to the episcopate:

Bishops are for the whole Church. That’s why every election must be approved by a majority of other dioceses, and why the Presiding Bishop and other bishops come to consecrate a bishop.

Our new bishop is also for Louisiana. That’s why, after the consecration is over, we need to welcome him to our cathedral and seat him in his official chair. Mostly, we’ll be celebrating the Ascension Day. But, at the beginning of the service, the bishop will knock on the door, seeking entry, and be admitted and welcomed by the Dean and Wardens to his Cathedral Church. Then he will be conducted to his chair, to be at home in his new place

William Morris+

That's better. As I see it, "enthronement" should be banished from the Episcopal Church lexicon. A bishop is elected to serve the people of the diocese, to be the servant of all. Why then use a term that suggests that the diocesan bishop rules like a king on a throne?

I've been told that enthronement is a proper usage, and if that is true, then we should reconsider our terminology. To speak of "Seating the Bishop" seems appropriate to me. In truth, the use of enthronement is one of my pet peeves. Off with it!

None of what I've said about terminology here is meant to reflect on our new bishop. +Morris Thompson was amongst my favorites after I read the biographies of the six candidates. After I attended the walkabouts, +Morris Thompson was my top candidate, the man whom I hoped would be elected 11th bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana. I rejoiced upon his election, especially so, since my support for candidates is usually the kiss of death for their chances to be elected. Not this time, thanks be to God!

Almighty and everlasting God, from whom cometh every good and perfect gift: Send down upon Bishop Morris Thompson and upon the congregations committed to his charge, the healthful Spirit of thy grace: and, that they may truly please thee, pour upon them the continual dew of thy blessing. Grant this, O Lord, for the honor of our Advocate and Mediator, Jesus Christ. Amen.

(Book of Common Prayer, p.817, edit.)

Note: As you see, I'm inching my way back into blogging. I hope to restrict my postings to one a day, or less, as my friend Elizabeth suggested, and to write in my own voice more often, rather than linking and quoting, and to refrain from writing about what many other bloggers are already saying, but rather contribute when I have something unique to say, as my friend Lisa suggested. We'll see how this goes. Sadly, I make many resolutions that I don't keep.

ORDINATION SERVICE OF BISHOP MORRIS THOMPSON

 

Before going on a blogging sabbatical, I wanted to post about the ordination ceremony of the new bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana, Morris Thompson, at Christ Church Cathedral in New Orleans, but I was in a period of frenetic blogging, so much so, that I never wrote the post while the ceremony was fresh in my mind. The service was simple and dignified, but beautiful. Considering that south Louisiana is still recovering from Hurricane Katrina and the federal flood and Hurricane Gustav, and that oil was gushing from the exploded well in the Gulf of Mexico south of us, a modest and unassuming service was entirely appropriate. The liturgy from the Book of Common Prayer for the ordination of a bishop was the ceremony. The organists, cantor, and choirs performed beautifully, and the congregation made a joyful noise unto the Lord. A spirit of reverent prayerfulness was palpably present throughout the service, which lasted about two hours.

A bit of excitement, at least for me, came when the young people from our church passed in procession. Dianne Guthrie carried St. John's banner, and Chelsea Rivera served as crucifer representing the Southwest Deanery, immediately preceding the dignitaries in the procession into the cathedral. I offer my congratulations and prayers to Dianne and Chelsea, who will both graduate from high school this year.

The thurifer, Brad Copeland, proceeded down the aisle swinging the thurible with considerable vigor on what seemed quite a long chain, which was a little scary to me. However, Brad seemed quite confident of his skills, and all went well.

For you musicians and music lovers:

Opening Voluntary - Fantasie in A Major - Cesar Franck

Hymn - The Old Hundreth Psalm

Procession - Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation,
Alleluia! Sing to Jesus

Bishop Stacy Sauls, Bishop Morris Thompson's bishop in Lexington, KY, preached the sermon.

Post Sermon - King of Glory, King of Peace

Before the Ordination - Come Holy Ghost, Creator Blest

The Examination

My brother, the people have chosen you and have affirmed their trust in you by acclaiming your election. A bishop in God’s holy Church is called to be one with the apostles in proclaiming Christ’s resurrection and interpreting the Gospel, and to testify to Christ’s sovereignty as Lord of lords and King of kings.

You are called to guard the faith, unity, and discipline of the Church; to celebrate and to provide for the administration of the sacraments of the New Covenant; to ordain priests and deacons and to join in ordaining bishops; and to be in all things a faithful pastor and wholesome example for the entire flock of Christ.

With your fellow bishops you will share in the leadership of the Church throughout the world. Your heritage is the faith of patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and martyrs, and those of every generation who have looked to God in hope. Your joy will be to follow him who came, not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Are you persuaded that God has called you to the office of bishop?

Answer
I am so persuaded.

Offertory - Now Let Us Rise and Hymn the Grace

Communion - I Come With Joy to Meet My Lord, I Am the Bread of Life

Closing hymn - Lift High the Cross

Voluntary - Prelude & Fugue in B Major, Opus 7, No. 1 - Marcel Dupré

Note: I'm still on sabbatical, but for this post. Since I was present, I wanted to give my impression of the ceremony before too much more time passes.

JESUS AND MO

I couldn't let this pass, could I? Okay, I'm done. Really.


author says:

You may notice a new banner ad at the bottom of the comic. It's a new volume of J&M strips, available from Lulu!
....

My wife thinks I'm wasting my time writing J&M. If you are kind enough to buy a copy, it will help convince her that she is wrong.


Peace and blessings,

J&M

From Jesus and Mo.

THE WOUNDED BIRD IS TIRED...

...and will take a break from blogging. I'm burnt out, and, since I can't discipline myself to blog in moderation, going off cold turkey seems to be the only way I can have a rest. Wounded Bird will stay as it is, with comments open, and, after a break of an indeterminate period of time, I may have something to say. I'll post at Facebook when I've written something new. However, my posts will very likely be much less frequent in the future.

For over three years, I've blogged nearly every day, except when I've been traveling. Until now, I've enjoyed myself, and when blogging came to seem more like a chore, than fun, I thought it best to bow out for a spell.

Thank you all who have visited over the years. A special thank you to those who took the time to leave comments. You provided me with much of my energy. Through the world of blogs, I've made fantastic friends in real life and virtually through the intertubes. I couldn't have gone three-plus years without you. Thanks to all who sent links, jokes, and funny pictures which helped me fill my pages. Again, I couldn't have done it without you.

I won't say, "Good-bye," because I'll see y'all around and about in Blogland.

THUS SPAKETH BP'S CEO TONY HAYWARD

From the The Guardian:

"The Gulf of Mexico is a very big ocean. The amount of volume of oil and dispersant we are putting into it is tiny in relation to the total water volume," he said.

Yeah, yeah, Tony. Most consoling. By the way, the Gulf of Mexico is not an ocean. It is a gulf. Its name gives it away.

Hayward promised that BP would "fix" the disaster, which is on course to eclipse the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill as the worst US oil spill in history. "We will fix it. I guarantee it. The only question is we do not know when."

Hayward stressed that BP's efforts to contain the spill had succeeded in dispersing the oil and preventing large amounts reaching the shoreline around the Gulf. But environmentalists are concerned about the unseen damage being done to marine life by the oil which is sinking to the seabed.

Those of us in the vicinity of the leak are pretty anxious to know when the "fix" will be in.

So your job may be on the line. That's tough, especially in these tough economic times. But I have a sneaking suspicion that you won't be reduced to life on the dole.

Thanks to Cathy for the link.

"DANGEROUS DEEPWATER DRILLING"

Oil spill underwater video - 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill

From NOLA.com:

The failed blowout preventer on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig had a hydraulic leak and a dead battery in one of its control pods, and testing in the hours before an April 20 explosion revealed that pressure in the well was dangerously out of whack, a House committee investigating the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico said Wednesday.

"The more I learn about this accident, the more concerned I become," said Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, who has cast the explosion and the ongoing oil spill that followed as a cautionary tale of America's dependence on oil and what he characterized as "dangerous" deepwater drilling in particular.

In recent days, the Energy Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations has been combing through documents provided by BP, the oil giant that had been on the verge of announcing a huge find in the deep waters 50 miles off the Louisiana coast, and Transocean Limited, the contractor whose offshore rig blew up three weeks ago, killing 11 workers and opening an undersea gusher that is releasing about 5,000 barrels of crude a day into the Gulf.

The investigation by the subcommittee, of which Rep. Henry Waxman is chairman, obtained more information than the two Senate committees which grilled the CEO's yeaterday. Waxman is one of my heroes in Congress. He's a bulldog. He won't let go.

The finger-pointing blame game amongst the corporations involved continues unabated, but the consequences of the disaster will affect all the companies involved, no matter their efforts to throw the blame off themselves.

According to Waxman, just after midnight the morning of April 20, Halliburton finished cementing the well. Waxman said that James Dupree, the BP senior vice president for the Gulf of Mexico, told the committee staff that a 5 p.m. pressure test, to determine whether any gas was leaking into the well through the cement or casing, had an unsatisfactory result, and a second test also discovered a disturbing imbalance between pressure in the drill pipe and in the kill and choke lines.

Waxman said that while Dupree indicated that the well blew right after the second test, BP lawyers told the committee that additional tests were done and well operations resumed. Two hours later the well blew.

"The investigation will have to tear that apart piece by piece," said Lamar McKay, the president and president of BP America, of the discrepancy in the pressure tests.

Why, why, why wasn't the well shut down when the tests showed unsatisfactory results? Why?

Rep. Charlie Melancon (D), my rep in Congress, is running against Sen. David Vitter for his Senate seat, but he's far behind Vitter in the polls. He needs to wake up to the reality of conditions in the US today. Melancon says:

"We're the United States, and I would have thought if this was going to happen, it would have been in maybe a South African continent or some Third World country that just looked the other way or said, you know, if there's still such a thing -- and I'm sure there is -- kickbacks, that that would have happened there and not here in the United States," Melancon said. "And, of course, having come through Katrina, Rita, Gustav, Ike and now Horizon, it's just, I guess, the anxiety is building on South Louisiana as though there's a bull's eye on us."

Where ya been, Charlie? Asleep? Are you just now noting all is not hunky-dory in our country? Although our decline started before the Cheney/Bush regime, didn't you see the trashing of our institutions and agencies during the 8 years those guys were in charge? You voted their way a good many times, loyal Blue Dog Democrat that you are.


My hero.

AN INTERVIEW WITH ARCHBISHOP DESMOND TUTU

Yesterday afternoon, I listened to and read the transcript of Archbishop Desmond Tutu's latest interview on Public Radio. What a godly and delightful man.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu: There's no question about the reality of evil, of injustice, of suffering, but, you know, at the center of this existence is a heart beating with love. You know, that you and I and all of us are incredible. I mean, we really are remarkable things. That we are, as a matter of fact, made for goodness.

Archbishop Tutu begins the interview with a prayer:

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy faithful people and kindle in them the fire of thy love. Send forth thy spirit and they shall be made and thou shalt renew the face of the earth. Amen.

I know the prayer with slight changes in wording from my Roman Catholic elementary and high school days.

Ms. Tippett: Right. You had spiritual companions.

Archbishop Tutu: Yes. They are more than that. I mean, they are people who helped to form me. And then discovering that the Bible could be such dynamite. I subsequently used to say if these white people had intended keeping us under they shouldn't have given us the Bible. Because, whoa, I mean, it's almost as if it is written specifically just for your situation. I mean, the many parts of it that were so germane, so utterly to the point for us …

Ms. Tippett: Can you recall one of those early discoveries as the Bible as dynamite? Some teaching that you suddenly saw as so relevant?

Archbishop Tutu: Well, it's actually right the very first thing. I mean, when you discover that apartheid sought to mislead people into believing that what gave value to human beings was a biological irrelevance, really, skin color or ethnicity, and you saw how the scriptures say it is because we are created in the image of God, that each one of us is a God-carrier. No matter what our circumstances may be, no matter how awful, no matter how deprived you could be, it doesn't take away from you this intrinsic worth. One saw just how significant it was.

Ah yes. The Bible is dynamite, right from the beginning. The creation story is the source, in great part, of my sense of myself as a person of value.

Ms. Tippett: There is a lot of violence in South African society right now, and that violence is connected, as you say, to these 300 years that couldn't possibly be resolved by the Commission.

Archbishop Tutu: Yeah.

Ms. Tippett: I mean, how do you think about what's happening now and that as part of this project?

Archbishop Tutu: I think, I mean, that we have very gravely underestimated the damage that apartheid inflicted on all of us. You know, the damage to our psyches, the damage that has made — I mean, it shocked me. I went to Nigeria when I was working for the World Council of Churches, and I was due to fly to Jos. And so I go to Lagos airport and I get onto the plane and the two pilots in the cockpit are both black. And whee, I just grew inches. You know, it was fantastic because we had been told that blacks can't do this.

Ms. Tippett: Right.

Archbishop Tutu: And we have a smooth takeoff and then we hit the mother and father of turbulence. I mean, it was quite awful, scary. Do you know, I can't believe it but the first thought that came to my mind was, "Hey, there's no white men in that cockpit. Are those blacks going to be able to make it?" And of course, they obviously made it — here I am. But the thing is, I had not known that I was damaged to the extent of thinking that somehow actually what those white people who had kept drumming into us in South Africa about our being inferior, about our being incapable, it had lodged some way in me.

As a result of living many years under the thumb of an oppressive government, even Archbishop Tutu, who seems a model of a whole man, suffers from damage from which he has never fully recovered. But then he goes on to say:

Archbishop Tutu: Well, yeah, but I have to say, you know, if you are devoid of hope then roll over and disappear quietly. Hope says, hey, things can, things will, be better because God has intended for it to be so. You know? At no point will evil and injustice and oppression and all of the negative things have the last word. And, yes, I mean, there's no question about the reality of evil, of injustice, of suffering, but at the center of this existence is a heart beating with love. You know, that you and I and all of us are incredible. I mean, we really are remarkable things that we are, as a matter of fact, made for goodness. And it's not a smart aleck thing to say; it's just a fact. Because all of us, even when we have degenerated, know that the wrong isn't what we should be, isn't what we should be doing. We're fantastic. I mean, we really are amazing.

Archbishop Tutu is fantastic and amazing. I recommend listening to the entire interview or reading the transcript.

H/T to Ann Fontaine at The Lead for the link to the interview.

HE DID IT. NO, HE DID IT. NO, HE DID IT

From NOLA.com:

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held hearings on the the explosion of BP's Horizon rig to question the top company executives about what caused the explosion that killed 11 workers and led to the oil leak that no one seems to know how to stop.

At both hearings, BP America President and Chairman Lamar McKay said the failure of the blowout preventers owned by rig operator Transocean had to be considered as a possible cause.

Steven Newman, CEO and president of Transocean Limited, said the blowout preventers "were clearly not the root cause," suggesting they might have been damaged by debris from cement barriers installed by Halliburton just before the accident.

Tim Probert, Halliburton's president of Global Business lines, said the company had followed BP directions, and noted that the drilling contractor "used seawater for the final cement plug," which some industry officials said is unusual.

All three executives emphasized, however, that it is much too early to determine a precise cause.

Same as ever.




Thanks to Ann for the cartoon.