EYE ON WHICH BALL?

From the AP:

Republican Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana says he supports conservative organizations challenging President Barack Obama's citizenship in court.

Vitter, who is running for re-election, made the comments at a town hall-style event in Metairie, La., on Sunday when a constituent asked what he would do about what the questioner said was Obama's "refusal to produce a valid birth certificate."

Such claims about Obama's birth certificate have been discredited. But with the crowd applauding the question, Vitter responded that although he doesn't personally have legal standing to bring litigation, he supports "conservative legal organizations and others who would bring that to court," according to a video of the event.

"I think that is the valid and most possibly effective grounds to do it," Vitter said, although he later cautioned that the matter could distract from policy issues.

"I think if we focus on that issue and let our eye off the ball ... I think that's a big mistake," he said. "I'm not dismissing any of this. I think first and foremost, we need to fight the Obama agenda at the ballot box starting this fall."

If the crowd applauds, you go with the crowd, right? But not to the point of actually joining the legal battle, because perhaps, Sen. Vitter, you really do understand that the claims have no legal standing.

Howevah! You may want to reconsider whether it might be a good thing if your constituents focus on the matter of Obama's birth certificate, because it may distract them from the little matter of your retaining a staff member for two years after knowing that he held his girl friend captive and slashed her with a knife. Think about it. That's the ball that you don't want your constituents to have their collective eye on.

There's no mention in the article of any attendees at the town meeting questioning Vitter about the little matter, but perhaps only loyalists were allowed in. In any case, Metairie is one of the bastions of Vitter's support.

H/T to Steve Benen at the Washington Monthly and to Lapin for the link.

ON THE OTHER HAND....

Lapin notes in the comments:

And an excellent post this morning by "Wilf" at Thinking Anglicans:

"What none of the press reports seem to acknowledge is that there is significant accommodation of those opposed to the ordination of women as priests and bishops. They have a statutory right to ask for male only ministry, which they will then get. For many of us that is a pretty big concession.

What has happened is that the legislation commended by the Synod has framed concessions for objectors in this way (the ability to decline ministry) rather than by setting up alternative structures or introducing the ability to claim that women priests are lawful but invalid. This is consistent with the approach of the 1992 measure (i.e. resolutions A and B).

If press journalists are reading this - please stop saying that there is no accommodation for those opposed in the legislation.

And if the ABC is reading this - please say something positive about the wonderful contribution of women priests over the last 16 years and deacons over the last 23. This sort of morale-boosting affirmation would be very well received by a group of priests who have to spend a great deal of time being told that they're a problem."

Quite true. It's not as though those opposed to women bishops for reasons of conscience walk away empty-handed. The moaning of the objectors distracts us all, including the press, from the accommodations for them that are included in the legislation.

And wouldn't it be lovely if the ABC praised and thanked the women who have served the Church of England and its people for a good many years?


UPDATE: Ann Fontaine at The Lead posts on the years-long process still to come before the Church of England ordains its first woman bishop.

JESUS AND MO - EARTH

As usual, click on the picture for the larger view.

From Jesus and Mo.

AWWWW...

From the Guardian:

It is an unusual romance, to say the least. He is made of flesh, blood and shell while she is constructed entirely out of plastic.

But after years of heartache, Timmy the tortoise seems to have found some sort of comfort by teaming up with Tanya the plastic toy tortoise.

Timmy, a Hermann's tortoise (Testudo hermanni), appears to dote on Tanya night and day since the pair were brought together by keepers at the sanctuary where he lives after he was "bullied" by other real tortoises.

The sprightly 60-year-old fetches her food (and does not seem to mind that she does not eat it) and nuzzles his head against hers. He will not go to bed unless she is put into his hut before him.

Surely one of the sweetest stories I've read in a while. Wouldn't it be lovely if Timmy found a live turtle sweetie? Although the way he dotes on Tanya, perhaps he wouldn't take to a live lady turtle. He may prefer the quiet type.

Thanks to Cathy for the link.


UPDATE:Thanks to Lapin for the link to a video of Timmy and Tanya.

BEEN THERE

A woman was following a grandfather, in the supermarket, with his badly-behaved 3-year-old grandson. It was obvious to her that he really had his hands full. The child was screaming for sweets in the candy aisle, and for fruit, cereal and soda in the other aisles.

Meanwhile, Gramps was working his way around, saying, in a very controlled voice, "Easy, William. We won't be long. Easy boy." Another outburst, and she heard the grand-dad calmly saying, "It's okay, William. Just a couple of more minutes, and we'll be out of here. Hang in there, boy."

At the checkout counter, the little terror was now throwing items out of the cart. Gramps said again, in a continuing controlled voice, "William, William. Relax, buddy. Don't get upset, now. We'll be home in five-minutes. Just, stay cool, William."

Very impressed, the woman went outside, where the grandfather was loading both his groceries, and the obnoxious little cuss, into the car.

She said to the calm elderly gentleman, "It's really none of my business, but, you were simply amazing, in there. I just don't know how you actually did it. That whole time, you simply kept your composure and, no matter how loud and disruptive he eventually got, you just calmly kept saying that things would soon be okay. William is so very lucky, to have you as his grand-father."

"Thanks, lady," said the grandfather. "However, I'm actually William. This little brat's name is Steve."

Don blame me. Blame Doug.

MORE ON WOMEN BISHOPS IN THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND

Lapinbizarre has left a new comment on your post "PROTECT ME, PLEASE, FROM FEMALE MINISTRY!":

According to Simon Sarmiento's account at Thinking Anglicans, the "Women Bishops" measure has passed, apparently without a vote count. The proposal of Simon Killwick, an Anglo-Catholic priest, that the measure be sent back to committee for further revision, was defeated 102 to 293 (12 abstentions), and an amendment requiring 2/3 majorities for any future revision to the legislation passed by 287 to 78 (20 abstentions) even though the steering committee opposed the measure. Clearly, therefore, General Synod is firmly behind the legislation, notwithstanding the closeness of Saturday's vote.

Thanks, Lapin. The whole process had become too detailed and complicated for me to follow. I don't have a "Robert's Rules of Order" kind of mind. My brain tunes out of its own volition after a spell.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I gather that if the actions taken at General Synod on women bishops are ratified by GS two years from now, after further discussion and consideration by the dioceses of the CofE, the first female bishop could be ordained in 2014. The wheels of justice in the Church of England grind slowly....

And there's Jonathan Wynne-Jones" scarifying piece in the Telegraph:

Canon David Houlding, a prebendary at St Paul’s cathedral, estimated that as many as 200 traditionalist clergy could leave the Church, taking thousands of worshippers with them.
....

Fr Jonathan Baker, principle of Pusey House and a leading traditionalist, warned that young Anglo-Catholic priests will struggle to see a future in the Church of England.

“It is bound to be more difficult to hold on to people now,” he said. “How can you stay in a family where members of the family have no need of you.”

The continuing threats of departure became tiresome after a while, as I know from the ongoing warnings by certain members of our own Episcopal Church, who continue their stance with one foot in and one foot out of the church, all the while bemoaning the church which has fallen into heresy and revisionism and is hardly even Christian any longer. Although I wish that no one would leave, the repeated threats tempt me to give the malcontents a gentle push toward the door. But, of course, I would never do such a thing!

"...THE WORD IS VERY NEAR TO YOU...."

In his sermon posted at Ekklesiastes, Tobias Haller tells a beautiful story of faith inspired by the reading assigned for the day from Deuteronomy 30:11-14.

The commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away… No, the word is very near to you…

Listen, or read, or both. You won't be sorry. Remember that Tobias was once an actor, and he does not hesitate to use his thespian skills in preaching.

STORY OF THE DAY - IMAGINARY NUMBERS

I have a friend who does numerology in
California & she called me up one night
& said that 444 was the number of Wal-
Mart, which is 30 percent off of 666 &
we were both amazed & then I hung up
the phone & said now I remember why
we moved to Iowa.

From StoryPeople.

For all my friends in California...and my friends in Iowa

FEAST OF NATHAN SÖDERBLOM

Nathan Söderblom was born in Trönö, Sweden, in 1866 and ordained in 1893. He was chaplain at the Swedish Embassy in Paris from 1894 to 1901, and earned a doctorate in comparative religion from the Sorbonne. He then became professor of the history of religion at the University of Uppsala, and in 1914 became Archbishop of Uppsala and Primate of the Church of Sweden.

Soderblom, a Lutheran in a church that had retained the historic episcopate, valued the liturgy and devotional tradition of traditional Catholic worship, while seeing much of worth in the writings of liberal Protestant scholars. He believed it his duty to work for a united Christendom, both catholic and evangelical, and saw practical cooperation on social issues as a promising first step. During World War I, he worked tirelessly to alleviate the conditions of prisoners of war and refugees. For this and his subsequent work for Church unity and world peace, he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1930. At Stockholm in 1925, he organized the Universal Christian Council on Life and Work. Meanwhile, a chiefly Anglican group had formed an inter-denominational Conference on Faith and Order. In 1948 the two groups merged to form the World Council of Churches. As Archbishop of Sweden, he was concerned to deepen the channels of communication between the Church and the laboring masses, and also between the Church and the intellectuals. He died 12 July 1931.

By James Kiefer

Readings:

Psalm 133
2 Kings 22:3-13
1 Corinthians 1:10-18
John 13:31-35

PRAYER

Almighty God, we bless your Name for the life and work of Nathan Söderblom, Archbishop of Uppsala, who helped to inspire the modern liturgical revival and worked tirelessly for cooperation among Christians. Inspire us by his example, that we may ever strive for the renewal of your Church in life and worship, for the glory of your Name; who with Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

A man for our season or any season.

Dedicated to my Swedish Lutheran clergyman friend, Göran Koch-Swahne.

"LONG ENOUGH?"

Solemn Pontifical High Mass: 20th Anniversary of the Traditional Latin Mass (Part 7)

Sorry, folks, I know the video shows a solemn occasion, but this one had me rolling on the floor.

Many thanks to Lapin for the laugh and the title for the post.