DEVEREAUX GETS HOME LATE

Devereaux staggered home very late after another evening with his drinking buddy, Landry. He took off his shoes to avoid waking his wife, Betty Lou.

He tiptoed as quietly as he could toward the stairs leading to their upstairs bedroom, but misjudged the bottom step. As he caught himself by grabbing the banister, his body swung around and he landed heavily on his rump. A whiskey bottle in each back pocket broke and made the landing especially painful.

Managing not to yell, Devereaux sprung up, pulled down his pants, and looked in the hall mirror to see that his butt cheeks were cut and bleeding. He managed to quietly find a full box of Band-Aids and began putting a Band-Aid as best he could on each place he saw blood.

He then hid the now almost empty Band-Aid box and shuffled and stumbled his way to bed.

In the morning, Devereaux woke up with searing pain in both his head and butt and Betty Lou staring at him from across the room.

She said, 'You were drunk again last night weren't you?'

Devereaux said, 'Why you say such a mean thing?'

'Well,' Betty Lou said, 'it could be the open front door, it could be the broken glass at the bottom of the stairs, it could be the drops of blood trailing through the house, it could be your bloodshot eyes, but mostly ..... it's all those Band-Aids stuck on the hall mirror.

I didn't see the punchline coming, and I had a hearty laugh on a day when I really needed a laugh.

Don't thank me. Thank Doug.

PRESIDING BISHOP KATHARINE JEFFERTS SCHORI ISSUES STATEMENT ON BEDE PARRY

From the Episcopal Church Office of Public Affairs:

November 16, 2011
Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has issued the following statement concerning Bede Parry.

________________________________________

Bede James Parry was serving as organist and music director at All Saints Church, Las Vegas, when I became aware of him. His arrival preceded my own in the Diocese of Nevada.

He approached me to inquire about being received as a priest, having served as a priest in the Roman Catholic Church. At the time, he told me of being dismissed from the monastery in 1987 for a sexual encounter with an older teenager, and indicated that it was a single incident of very poor judgment. The incident was reported to civil authorities, who did not charge him. He told of being sent to a facility in New Mexico, serving as a priest thereafter both in New Mexico and in Nevada, and recently (2002) being asked to formalize his separation from the monastery.

In consultation with other diocesan leadership and the chancellor, we explored the possibilities and liabilities of receiving him. I wrote to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Las Vegas and the Diocese of Santa Fe, receiving brief responses from each bishop, who indicated no problematic behavior. I wrote to Conception Abbey, from whom I received only an acknowledgement that he had served there, been sent for treatment to a facility in New Mexico, and had been dismissed for this incident of misconduct. Neither then nor later did I receive a copy of any report of a psychological examination in connection with his service in the Roman Catholic Church. His departure from the Roman Catholic priesthood had to do with his desire to take up secular employment.

Parry was required to fulfill all the expectations of the canons regarding reception of a priest from another communion in historic succession. He did undergo a psychological exam in the Diocese of Nevada, was forthcoming about the incident he had reported to me, and did not receive a negative evaluation. His background check showed no more than what he had already told us. He was forthcoming about the previous incident in his interviews with the Commission on Ministry and with the Standing Committee.

I made the decision to receive him, believing that he demonstrated repentance and amendment of life and that his current state did not represent a bar to his reception. I was clear that his ministry would be limited to an assisting role, under the supervision of another priest, and like any other diocesan leader, he would not be permitted to work alone with children. Since that time, as far as I am aware, he has served faithfully and effectively as a minister of the gospel and priest of this Church.

The records of his reception are retained by the Diocese of Nevada, and further questions should be directed to Bishop Dan Edwards.

The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori
Presiding Bishop and Primate
The Episcopal Church

Bishop Katharine's statement answers many questions, and I'm grateful for her words. I only wish her statement had been released earlier.

What's missing and what I'd like to have seen in the letter is an offer to make amends to anyone who has experienced abuse from Bede Parry or anyone serving in the Episcopal Church and an invitation to them to step forward with their stories, along with an assurance of confidentiality and compassionate treatment from the church. As I see it, Bishop Katharine missed an opportunity to reinforce the message that all accusations of abuse will be taken seriously by the Episcopal Church.

Was Bede Parry not permitted to work with children at all, or was he under only the ordinary constraints of any adult member of the church not to work alone with children?

Bishop Dan Edwards' letter states:

Nonetheless, the bishop added the restriction that he should not have contact with minors.

I believe in forgiveness and redemption, and Bede Parry should have been welcomed into the church, but I still wonder why he was admitted to the priesthood. I don't doubt Bishop Katharine's intentions to do a good thing, but the policy on abuse of minors should be 'one strike, and you're out', and Parry had his one strike.

H/T to Kurt Wiesner at The Lead.

WHAT ABOUT THE CONSTITUTION?

 

From Juan Cole at Informed Comment:

Not only did the police, at the orders of billionaire mayor Michael Bloomberg, abruptly move on the protesters, they are alleged to have deliberately kept the press away, which is clearly unconstitutional if true.

The US constitution prohibits Congress from restricting the right of citizens to assemble peacefully and to petition for redress of grievances. For a history of the relevant US Supreme Court cases, see this link.

The government is also forbidden to interfere with the workings of the free press, so that the NYPD’s attempt to keep reporters away from the scene of their unprovoked attack on the demonstrators compounds the unconstitutionality of it all.

Read the rest at the link above.

The Republicans bang on about their reverence for the Constitution, but when it comes to ousting OWS demonstrators, well, the Constitution be damned.

Further, in another post at Informed Comment, Cole says:

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan let slip in an interview with the BBC that she had been on a conference call with the mayors of 18 cities about how to deal with the Occupy Wall Street movement. That is, municipal authorities appear to have been conspiring to deprive Americans of their first amendment rights to freedom of assembly and freedom to petition the government for redress of grievances.

Likewise, A Homeland Security official let it slip in a phone interview that the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security had been strategizing with cities on how to shut down OWS protests. The FBI is said to have advised using zoning ordinances and curfew regulations, and to stage the crackdown with massive police force at a time when the press was not around to cover the crackdown.

Why the panicky response to OWS? The heavy-handedness of the police as they attack, drive out, and arrest the protestors will only add to the list of grievances and will likely draw more supporters to stand in solidarity with them and more protestors to join them.

UPDATE: And what about you, Democrats? Last time I heard Obama was a Democrat. What about the Constitution?
(Added in response to comments to the post pointing out my error in not calling the president to account.)

JESUS AND MO - SSSH...

Author says it's an oldie from 2008.

From Jesus and Mo.

YOU KNOW YOU NEED A NEW LAWYER WHEN...

* You met him in prison.

* During your initial consultation he tries to sell you Amway.

* He tells you that his last good case was a Budweiser.

* When the prosecutors see who your lawyer is, they high-five
each other.

* He picks the jury by playing "duck-duck-goose."

* He tells you that he's never told a lie.


Cheers,

Paul (A.)

I shall remember.

Paul (A.) is such a sport to send me lawyer jokes, him being a lawyer and all.

POPE BENEDICT TO ESTABLISH ORDINARIATE FOR AMERICAN ANGLICANS

From Catholic Culture.org:

Cardinal Donald Wuerl has announced that Pope Benedict XVI will establish an ordinariate for American Anglicans who wish to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church. Two Anglican communities--one in Texas, the other in Maryland--have entered into full communion in recent months and are expected to become part of the ordinariate.
....

The US ordinariate will be established on January 1, and “at that time, I assume that an Ordinary will be named,” Cardinal Wuerl said at the fall meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. “If the Ordinary of the new Ordinariate is married, then he can be ordained a priest, but not a bishop.”

“From its erection, an Ordinariate will have the option of using the Roman Missal or the Book of Divine Worship already used by the Pastoral Provision or Anglican Use parishes,” Cardinal Wuerl added.

Read the rest at the link.

Blessings on the journey to the American Anglicans who will enter the Roman Catholic ordinariate. The members of the group may be able to continue to use their Book of Divine Worship, but methinks they will no longer be Anglicans, but rather Roman Catholic converts.

I wonder what present members of the Roman Catholic Church who don't like the new liturgy for the mass will think about the 'Anglicans' being privileged to use a different liturgy. Will Roman Catholics who do not like the new mass be given the privilege to use the Book of Divine Worship, if they so choose?

And then there's the matter of the RC priests who remain under the obligation of celibacy, who may be disgruntled that the 'Anglican' priests have their wives and families.

Thanks to Ann V. for the link.

AM I A LIBERAL?

 

Click on the image for the larger view.

Of late, I've shied away from calling myself a liberal, not out of fear or because the label is derided by conservatives and the extreme right, but because, in many ways, the meaning of liberal has been blurred to the point that I'm not sure what the word means today. However, with this reminder of the accomplishments of liberals from O'Donnell, I'll wear the label proudly...for today.

STIRRINGS IN AMIA

From BabyBlueOnline:

1. A Letter to Bishop Chuck Murphy from Archbishop Nathan Gasatura, primate of the Anglican Church of Rwanda.
2. A Letter to Bishop Chuck Murphy from Bishop John Rucyahana.
3. A Letter from the Rev. Cynthia Brust of the AMiA Press Office to the Rev. Canon George Conger.

BabyBlue posts the entire text of a letter from Bishop Terrell Glenn announcing his resignation from AMiA:

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus.

I am writing to inform you that I have resigned from the Anglican Mission in America. I communicated this to my brother bishops earlier this week at our fall retreat in Myrtle Beach and submitted a letter to that effect to Bishop Murphy, our Chairman and Archbishop Rwaje’s Primatial Vicar. This is not a decision that I have made lightly or in haste or in reaction to any of the impending decisions about the future direction of the Anglican Mission that are before the Council of Bishops and the Anglican Mission. Rather, it is a decision that Teresa and I have made after several months of agonizing prayer as we have sought to do what we believe the Lord has called us to do.

Read the rest of Bishop Terrell's letter at BB's link above.

BabyBlue's post also includes a video of 'Anglicans Unscripted' with Kevin Kallsen and George Conger discussing the present situation in AMiA, along with commentary on the relationship between AMiA and ACNA, which now seems to be fraying, followed by a segment with Bishop Julian Dobbs of CANA. By now, my head is spinning. I confess that I don't have a firm grasp of the identities and history of the several groups. I'll take a stab at making connections: AMiA is connected to Rwanda; CANA is connected to Nigeria; ACNA is connected to the Southern Cone; the kneebone is connected to the thighbone.... Oops! I went off the rails there.

Then I sobered up quickly. The next two segments of the video contrasted the handling of allegations of child abuse by assistant coach Jerry Sandusky at Penn State and the subsequent cover-up, resulting in the firings of head coach Joe Paterno and the president of the university, with the months-long silence of Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori about questions concerning the reception of Bede Parry, a former Roman Catholic priest with a history of sexual abuse of young people, into the priesthood in the Episcopal Church. The subject of the final section of the video was the Anglican Covenant.

The Parry story is not going away. The PB's silence is deafening.

Thanks to Lapin for the link.

BOROWITZ REPORTS...

Startled Deer Becomes New Republican Frontrunner

Inability to Speak Considered a Plus

Read the rest.

OUR DOUGHBOY - JOSEPH T. BUTLER, SR.

 

I wanted the picture above of my father-in-law for Armistice, Remembrance, Veterans Day, but it was in New Roads. Now I have a scan, and I'll use it next year at the proper time, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.

 

Joe's papers show that he was not discharged until many months after the armistice was signed. As you see, Joe was one of the fortunate ones, as he did not engage in even a skirmish or an expedition. He brought home a French sword, which was given him by a Frenchwoman of his acquaintance. The sword belonged to her deceased husband. I'm sure she was a very nice lady, so no 'Madame from Armientières, parley voo' here. Besides, the two were single at the time.

 

Joe's occupations are listed as mechanic and farmer on the papers, and his home town as Butler, Louisiana. The small community of Butler, Louisiana, disappeared from the map, if it was ever on the map. Once the older folks died off, and the youngsters migrated away, the community was no more.

Joe competed in The Inter-Allied Games, which were...

...a one-off multi-sport event held from June 22nd - July 6th 1919 at the newly constructed Pershing Stadium just outside Paris, France following the end of the First World War. The forum for the games, Pershing Stadium, had been built near the Bois de Vincennes by the U.S. Military in cooperation with the YMCA. The event was only open to participation by military personnel who were currently serving or had formerly served in the armed forces during the War. 18 Nations participated in the proceedings which included, among others, track & field events, swimming, baseball, football, rugby, basketball, tennis, boxing, horse riding events, pistol and rifle marksmanship, and wrestling. Following the conclusion of the games, Pershing Stadium was presented as a gift to the people of France from the United States of America. The area, still known as Le Stade Pershing, continues to be used as an open air recreation park to this day.

After the war, Joe attended Louisiana State University and won letters in several sports. He was inducted into the LSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1982. It was only right. When he competed in the early 1920s, athletes got no help or scholarships. They even had to buy their own uniforms.

 

 

Joe was musical, too, and played the violin, the guitar, and the banjo. He loved the old country hymns and went to the Baptist church for choir practice on Wednesdays, but he didn't go to church on Sundays. He liked the singing but not the sermons. Joe and Grandpère both say Joe's mother preached frequently to her husband and children, and he'd had enough. We still have some of her letters, and they are quite like sermons.

When he graduated from LSU, Joe took a job as a teacher/coach at the high school in New Roads, LA, met Laura Janis, married, and settled there for the rest of his life. His teaching career ended when his principal wanted him to wear a tie, and he refused. He then took up welding, opened his own shop, and worked as a welder for the rest of his working life. Come hell or high water, Joe took a nap after lunch from which he was not to be disturbed.