TWO VIDEOS - THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA DAVIS

From NPR:

In a demonstration of support for the Occupy movement, a small group of protesters was sitting, arms linked together. Campus police told them to move. The students didn't. And that's when an officer walked down the line of seated men and women, pepper-spraying them. Some took it straight in their faces. Many of the several hundred others who were there screamed in terror and frustration.

When I first saw the video of the campus policemen spraying the peaceful protestors, I was wordless with shock and horror. The policeman went down the row twice in case the dose of pepper spray was not enough the first time around. The protestors demonstrated incredible discipline in limiting their response to chanting, 'Shame on you! Shame on you!' For shame, indeed!

On Saturday, after a news conference she held, Katehi remained inside one of the university's buildings for a couple hours. Outside, protesters regrouped. And when she emerged, there was one of the most amazing scenes so far related to the Occupy movement. As Katehi and another woman walked three blocks to an SUV, they passed through a gauntlet of several hundred students — who remained silent in a powerful show of their disdain.

The students, once again, showed amazing discipline by their silence when the chancellor of the university walked through the group on the way out of her office.

Why do the protestors inspire such fear and cruel overreaction by the police? I'm sure many of the officers have faced situations which threatened much more danger than the groups of protestors. And I'm not referring only to the UC Davis.

There is this from Juan Cole at Informed Comment, to which I've already linked in another post.

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.

Perhaps the Dept. of Homeland Security and the FBI might consider strategizing with local authorities on guidelines for using pepper spray against the protestors.

LEGAL VICTORY FOR THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN GEORGIA

From Jim Naughton at The Lead:

In a 5-1 decision, the Georgia Supreme Court this morning decided that Christ Episcopal Church in Savannah belonged to to the Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Georgia, not a breakaway faction aligned with the Anglican Church of Uganda.

An excerpt from the clearly written opinion that even I, with my poorly attuned brain to matters legal, understand without strain:

(“[T]he Dennis Canon adopted in 1979 merely codified in explicit terms a trust relationship that has been implicit in the relationship between local parishes and dioceses since the founding of [Episcopal Church] in 1789.”); Episcopal Church Cases, 198 P3d 66, 81-81 (Cal. 2009) (“Moreover, [the Dennis Canon] is consistent with earlier enacted canons that, although not using the word ‘trust,’ impose substantial limitations on the local parish’s use of church property and give the higher church authorities substantial authority over that property.”).

The Episcopal Church is not a congregational church. Anyone is free to leave but not with the property. Are you watching Bp. Mark Lawrence of the Diocese of South Carolina? Are you, as a bishop of the Episcopal Church, permitted to give away what is not yours? Of course, certain folks in the diocese may believe theirs is a special case. We shall see.

STORY OF THE DAY - PERFECTLY ANXIOUS

missing a perfectly good day because
she's sure that she should be anxious
about something

From StoryPeople.

MISS DIXIE, MAY YOU REST IN PEACE AND RISE IN GLORY

From NOLA.com:

Whoever said good booze and good times wasn't healthy hadn't met Yvonne “Miss Dixie” Fasnacht, the quirky, plain-talking, and fun-loving lesbian owner of two infamous New Orleans gay bars. When Fasnacht died last Sunday, in her Metairie, Louisiana home, she was 101.

Dixie’s Bar of Music became a place where LGBT folks mingled comfortably with luminaries like Helen Hayes, Danny Kaye, Walter Cronkite, and more than one congressman, long before coming out of the closet was considered an option. According to NOLA.com, Dixie's was opened on St. Charles Ave. in the Central Business District in 1939. A decade later she moved it to Bourbon Street in the French Quarter.
....

Despite that lofty reputation, “it was a gay bar,” said Frank Gagnard, a former Times-Picayune critic, who was a customer.

“It was more a social center than it was a pickup bar,” he said. “It was where gay people went to meet friends. Miss Dixie didn’t allow any hanky-panky at all.”

Why call Miss Dixie's bars 'infamous'? That is wrong. 'Famous' would have done nicely. Miss Dixie did not allow hanky-panky. She ran classy bars.

The bar got its name because Ms. Fasnacht, a lifelong New Orleanian, was a musician who played the saxophone and clarinet and pounded the tambourine.

In her youth, she joined a local group called the Harmony Maids. When the Smart Set, an all-girl band, came to town and the saxophone player left, Ms. Fasnacht filled in.

The band later called her to join the musicians in Pittsburgh, where, Ms. Fasnacht said in a 1996 interview, she saw snow for the first time.

Because that bowled her over, one of the musicians said, “We’re not calling you Yvonne anymore. We’re calling you Dixie,” Ms. Fasnacht said in the interview. “Anyhoo, I’ve been Dixie ever since.”

I read a whole, long piece on Miss Dixie several weeks ago, but I can't remember where, and I have not been able to find a link online.

Miss Dixie was a fixture, a character, one of many who would have been labeled eccentric in many places, but she blended in easily with the great diversity which is New Orleans.

Into your hands, O merciful Savior, we commend your servant Yvonne. Acknowledge, we humbly beseech you, a sheep of your own fold, a lamb of your own flock, a sinner of your own redeeming. Receive her into the arms of your mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the saints in light. Amen.

Grant, O Lord, to all who are bereaved the spirit of faith and courage, that they may have strength to meet the days to come with steadfastness and patience; not sorrowing as those without hope, but in thankful remembrance of your great goodness, and in the joyful expectation of eternal life with those they love. And this we ask in the Name of Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

Picture from the Advocate.

Thanks to David@Montreal and Doug for sending links to the story.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS ON THE CAUSES OF THE DEFICIT

 

From the The Christian Left on Facebook.

EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF NEW YORK ELECTS BISHOP COADJUTOR

The Rev. Canon Andrew Dietsche was elected bishop coadjutor of the Episcopal Diocese of New York on the 4th ballot. According to his profile, "Andrew Dietsche serves the Diocese of New York already as Canon for Pastoral Care."

Thanks be to God. Prayers, blessings, and best wishes to the new bishop coadjutor and the members of the Diocese of New York.

H/T to Ann Fontaine at The Lead.

EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF CENTRAL FLORIDA ELECTS NEW BISHOP

From the Orlando Sentinal:

The Rev. Gregory Orrin Brewer, rector of the Calvary-St. George's Parish in New York City, was elected Saturday to be the fourth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida.

Brewer will succeed Bishop John W. Howe, who is retiring. Consecration of the fourth bishop of Central Florida is scheduled for March 24, 2012 at First Baptist Church of Orlando, followed by the retirement of Bishop Howe.

Brewer was one of seven candidates for bishop elected by delegates to the diocese's special convention held at Trinity Preparatory School in Winter Park.

Thanks be to God. Prayers, blessings, and best wishes to the new bishop-elect and the members of the Diocese of Central Florida.

H/T to Ann Fontaine at The Lead.

WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE DIOCESE OF SOUTH CAROLINA?

Click on the image above for the larger view.

As I was getting ready to post the screenshot of Bishop David Anderson's letter at the American Anglican Council, I noted that Mark Harris had a new post on this very subject. Since I don't have a legal mind, and I don't know quite what to make of this latest move by Bishop Mark Lawrence, I will not post commentary, but rather refer you Mark's post at Preludium.

The South Carolina Episcopalians also address the subject of this latest move as well as earlier actions which indicate that something is afoot in the diocese.

Thanks to Lapin for the link that lead me to David Anderson's letter.

TWO STORIES OF THE DAY

Today she decided to be suitably
ambiguous, so you can think whatever
you like about her (Amount of time
scheduled for the opinions of others =
Zero)

From StoryPeople.

MEETING THE DEVIL

I never met the Devil (yet) but I imagine
it's a pretty scary experience but then
again I guess that's the point.

From StoryPeople.

Yesterday, I was depressed about the state of the church, the state of the country, and the state of the world, so I didn't have the heart to put together blog posts, even if the posts involved mostly copy and paste, thus the combination of stories today. I'm not thinking much about the stuff that depressed me yesterday.

TWO CHURCH OF ENGLAND DIOCESES VOTE THE ANGLICAN COVENANT DOWN

According to Simon at Thinking Anglicans, here and here, the Dioceses of Birmingham and Truro in the Church of England voted down the Anglican Covenant. The votes bring the total to four dioceses in England that have voted against the covenant. 23 dioceses, 50%, must vote FOR the covenant, or it dies.

Earlier, the Dioceses of Wakefield and St Edmundsbury & Ipswich voted against the covenant.

The Dioceses of Lichfield and Durham voted in favor of the covenant.