A Bit of Perspective

This has clearly not been a good couple of weeks for those working for social justice, health-care, racial and gender equality or any number of other issues. With such great change lingering seemingly inches out of reach, we can do well to remember how far we've come already. While providing universal health-care (which I believe is a right) is certainly a noble goal, and something we should strive for, taking a minute today to look back on things that have happened in the past that make the fact we're even discussing an idea like that incredible.


On August 13, 1965, Jonathan Daniels, an Episcopal Seminarian, was arrested with 29 others for simply picketing a Whites only store. He sat in jail for 6 days with the other adults refusing to be bailed out unless all were granted bail. As they walked to the only store in town that served non-whites they were accosted by a "Special Deputy" armed with a shotgun.

The man, Tom Coleman, leveled his shotgun at a 17 year old girl named Ruby Sales. Daniels moved quickly to shove Ruby out of the way taking the full brunt of the shotgun blast himself. He was killed instantly. John Morrisoe, also a protester and a Catholic Priest, was shot in the back as he fled with the other black protester.

Thomas Coleman was acquitted by a jury of his all white peers after Shooting a priest and a priest-in-training downtown in broad daylight.


July 23-28, 1967 had one of the worst riots in American histories. The streets of Detroit saw 467 injured, 2,509 stores looted, 388 families left homeless and 43 killed.

Clifton Pryor was mistaken for a sniper and shot dead by the National Guard. Ernest Roquemore was shot in the back by a US Army Paratrooper. He was 19. Roy Banks was shot when he was mistaken by a National Guardsman for a looter. He was a deaf mute. A tank rolling through the streets of Detroit shot Tanya Blanding. She was upstairs in her house. She was four years old.


On May 4, 1970, nine unarmed students were wounded and four more shot and killed when the Ohio National Guard opened fire on a crowd with live ammunition. Jeffrey Miller, 20 (Pictured), was shot through the mouth and killed instantly while standing 81 meters from the National Guard. Allison Krause (19), William Schroeder (19), and Sandra Scheuer (20) were also unarmed protesters shot by the Ohio Army National Guard.

As the US invaded expanded involvement in the already unpopular VietNam War into Cambodia, these students who were protesting the expansion of the use of force were unarmed themselves, but cut down by the US military. Again, none of the shooters faced criminal charges.



These were dark moments in American history, in fact, they were some of the darkest. As we debate now our views and lament our losses, whether they are a lack of legislative achievement or a perceived loss of American values, we would do well to remember that a generation ago Americans were killed at home with impunity, often by our government. Those in my generation could not conceive of tanks rolling through any of our cities instituting martial law and backing it up with lethal force. Shooting even the most unpopular people point blank in broad daylight would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, just ask Scott Roeder.

Though we have far to go and much work to do, we should in our defeats draw strengths from our victories over violence and hatred and be glad at least, that we no longer have to fear the bullets of our own soldiers turned against us as a method of crowd control. So let us continue to debate passionately about our future, but let us remember together how far we've come.

How could this week get worse?

This week this happened:

The Democratic Party lost Edward Kennedy's Senate seat.

Seriously.

Our party totally caved on saving the lives of 46,000 people a year.

The Supreme Court decided that corporations are actually people, just like you and me.

Conan O'Brien had to step down from The Late Show.



I'm not sure how this week could get any worse.

I hope there isn't a way.

A man, a plan, a truck; a total missing of the point!

The morning after Republican Scott Brown not quite stunned Martha Coakley in the Massachusetts Senate race, I, like so many others, want to throw in my two cents. While many are urging the Democratic Party to move to the right, I'm looking at you Lieberman, that seems to be exactly the wrong way to go.

As a Democrat, I feel I'm in a position to talk about why many people are either turning away from the party or not showing up to vote. Here's my conclusion.

We suck.

Really, really suck.


It's not that we have bad ideas, or unpopular policy, it's that we're governing as if Republicans matter. We have an overwhelming majority in both the House and the Senate, even with the Brown win. We have the American public behind us. Seventy some percent of Americans STILL want a public option. Yes, employment is a major issue, but with the numbers continually improving, we (as a party) have to accept that we are going to lose some folks who don't recognize it can't be fixed overnight.

Our main problem is that in spite of all the support on the issues, and all of the majorities we have, our electeds sit around on their thumbs, fretting and wondering how much they should water down what they want to do.

Here's a hint, when the electorate hands you a landslide presidential victory and the largest majorities in Congress in around 40 years, you go big.

The people who are walking around in Revolutionary War costumes with Lipton Tea bags hanging off their hats and signs that say "Gov: Hands off my Medicare" aren't going to vote for us whether or not we pass insurance reform. Ever. We can't satisfy them, and with our majorities we shouldn't even entertain the idea of trying.

President Bush didn't even win a majority of the vote in 2000. His response to that was "So what?" A w. is a w. for W. And he was right.

I disagree with nearly everything President Bush did as President, but even I have to admit he was a terribly effective president. When he wanted something done, he got it done. At the moment, we have folks like Lieberman, Nelson, and Stupak doing something Republicans would never ever consider doing by attempting to torpedo torpedoing their own party's signature issue.

I know not every bill is exactly what we want, but I'd a lot rather have our fairly pathetic Senate health-care bill than the Republican's plan which seems to be, mostly, "don't get sick." It's time to get it together and start passing meaningful legislation that helps people instead of hand-wringing and fretting about how much that meaningful legislation is going to tick off Glen Beck.

While I can offer assurances I will keep voting, working, and doing all I can to advance a progressive agenda, I can also strongly sympathize with all those who are disappointed that our party is acting like a bunch of pathetic, lily-livered weaklings. The lesson we take from this election isn't that we should moderate ourselves even deeper into the ineffective abyss, it's that it's time to wake up, flex some muscle and show voters we can deliver on our promises.



EDIT: Shortly after posting this morning, Huffington Post reported on THIS poll, basically confirming what I said. Voters punished the Democratic Party for being weak on health care and Wall St.

New Year's Resolutions, only two weeks late

In the past this blog has been primarily short essays, if you will, posted roughly once a week. Alright, once every week and a half to two weeks. Also, though I intended to keep this blog restricted to about three subjects, it has overwhelmingly focused on things with a decidedly Episcopalian bent. Part of that is my preference, part is that way more people who are way more knowledgeable in their fields get paid way better than I do to write on sports and politics. While lots of people get paid more to write on religion, I at least feel I occasionally have a viewpoint worth contributing there.

As a result, I'm planning on posting more. Way more. And mostly shorter posts. I'm going to try and post at least every other day, and more likely every day. I'm still planning on occasionally writing lengthy (for the web) thoughts on things that move me to write, but I'm going to loosen up the filter here a bit and stop just writing on things that move me like the death of Ted Kennedy & the Sewanee Community after Tragedy. Hopefully this will make this whole enterprise more enjoyable for you, the reader, and for me, as the poster.


To mark my departure from the purely serious and sincere, I'm going to post an exceptionally silly clip. This isn't indicative of the tone this blog will take in the new year by any means, but it's funny and irreverent, and with all of the horrors in the world today, the immense tragedy, the suffering, and the hopelessness one has to feel in the wake of the Haiti tragedy, hopefully this will brighten everyone's day (if you'll excuse the moderately coarse language.)

Just not before you make a donation to Episcopal Relief and Development, because before you can escape for a minute, you really should help out.


And now for something completely different.

On the Feast of Stephen

“When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep.” Acts of the Apostles 7:54-60


Stephen was a deacon in the early Church, called to aid the apostles when the rapid growth of the Church had made necessary additional administrators. St. Stephen was, unfortunately for him, the first martyr of many for the Church.

It seems a bit unusual that today of all days, the day after one of the most joyous of the year, we choose to remember and feast St. Stephen, someone who was murdered for the church. It would seem to fit better after Easter where it would serve as a nice parallel to the crucifixion, with the caveat that though we experience eternal life through Christ, he alone can conquer death. Instead we celebrate today; the day after a birth, mere moments after reflecting on the awe of a new birth and the joy of a Messiah come, a martyr who killed brutally.

This jerks us back to reality. This move in the calendar forces us back into the hardship of life after allowing us a day to celebrate. Though Christ has come, he has not come to cure all of our ills. His call to service is one fraught with risk. What this baby asks of us is not always going to be easy, and in fact it will rarely be so. We will be called to give up our jackets to those who have none, to welcome back those who have wronged us, to love the unlovable, heal the sick, sacrifice ourselves for others. Through Stephen, we must be reminded of the sacrifices Jesus made for us and recognize that, for most of us, we will have far less asked of us, and should offer our sacrifices joyfully.

And everyone, those called to make sacrifices both large and small should remember to do so as Stephen did, with their eyes and hearts turned to God and full of forgiveness.

"Bidden or Unbidden, God is Present" or "A Christian Defense of a Secular Christmas"

This winter, people across the country will gather together, exchange gifts, eat dinner with their families, and celebrate Christmas.

For a distressingly large portion of the population, this celebration will include no trip to any church, no reading of Luke, and no acknowledgment of the spiritual reason behind this holiday so near and dear to so many. They won’t hear a choir sing “Once in Royal David’s City” by candlelight. They won’t take communion with their family. They won’t have the good fortune of hearing a compelling message of peace on earth and the story of the birth of one who came to reconcile us to God.

It would seem that their Christmas would lack any presence of the Divine.

But bidden or unbidden, God is present.

There are those who say Happy Holidays to us, rather than Merry Christmas. Those who get a bit too into decorating the house with lights, or perhaps over-doing it with presents. Maybe they worry too much about having a massive spread on the table and are stressed about the looming credit card bills. They may seem to focus solely on the material aspects of this holiday.

But bidden or unbidden, God is present.


There has for several years, at least according to our friends at Fox News, a so-called “War on Christmas” has allegedly been raging. Legions of secularists have supposedly been shunning all spiritual associations of the holiday and have been returning to some form of modern Saturnalia. I haven’t noticed anything of the sort, but I’ll accept for arguments sake that they’re out there. These people who are “secularizing” Christmas are out shopping for presents and food to spend a special time with their families. While it may be true they do not intend to go to church or celebrate along side us as we welcome Jesus, are they not gathering in their own way with love in their midst?

And bidden or unbidden, God is present.


Around this time of year, it is not just devout Christians who increase their charitable donations. Many will give to Toys for Tots. The Salvation Army collects millions of dollars through their bell-ringers. People will gather with those they see only once a year and break bread together as a family. Good Cheer and generosity are commonplace. Tens of millions will give presents, living for the look of joy on the recipients face when just the right gift is given. People will gather together in an atmosphere of palpable love, a once a year ritual that offers comfort and joy.

And bidden or unbidden, God is present.


There are times of the church year that, while conducive to introspection and deep theological thought, can cause us to get caught up in the significance of worship and ritual and cause us to forget the importance of the presence of God in simple and everyday interactions. When a family gathers together and share their stories of the past year over dinner, laughing and loving, remembering those ties that bind them together, God, who is but love, is there. When a single mother who works two jobs plows through another 16 hour day to give her child the present he so desperately wants, God is there. When someone volunteers to distribute meals at the soup kitchen on Christmas Eve, God is there. When the troops in WWI stopped shooting at each other long enough to play a Christmas Eve soccer game, God was there.

It is easy to declare that the reason for the season is to have rears in the pews for an hour on Christmas Eve to sing carols and nod off through a sermon. It’s easy to demand that everyone say “Merry Christmas” rather than “Happy Holidays.” What is perhaps more difficult is to recognize the presence of God in these seemingly secular situations.

It is impossible to deny that at this time of year, people are more generous, more hopeful, more loving. Maybe it’s the scent of evergreen in houses, the presents people receive or the smiles that abound, but for a month people are happier. They more often think of others, serve more, and love more and for this I am especially grateful. Though this isn’t bumping up church attendance, it is showing people God's love, whether they know it or not. While many would condemn these rather secular celebrations as missing the point of the holiday, I am wonderfully happy that for a little while, people put the better angels of their nature on display, and can experience the presence and love of God, bidden or unbidden.

Second week of Advent

Advent is commonly known as the season for waiting. We commemorate the waiting of the Hebrews for their Messiah. We acknowledge our waiting for the second coming. We revel in the waiting for Christmas, and the joy and excitement that it brings.

Waiting, however, is generally no fun.

Waiting conjures images of one standing in line with a letter to be mailed at the post office, a deposit to be made at the bank, or God forbid, the interminable line to get your drivers license renewed. Waiting emphasizes our inability to do anything as we sit at the mercy of the worker or teller or clerk. In that aspect, waiting can offer us something. It does remind us that we do not have absolute control over what will come. Though it is good from time to time to be reminded of our powerlessness, waiting is too passive a term for this season.

When we welcome company into our home, we do not simply wait, we prepare. There are dishes to be washed, carpets to be vacuumed, pillows to be set out and food to be cooked. It is an active time, especially when the guest is an honored one. Though advent is often said to be a time to slow down, I think it would perhaps be better not to slow down, but rather to change our focus. As the world around us turns to more goods, more services, more consumption, we should be just as active, with our efforts towards bringing the Kingdom to earth. We are called to be even quicker to love, and to make even more haste to be kind. We should take more time to appreciate our family and friends, and to give thanks for all the blessings we have received. The way we best prepare for the Kingdom is to work to bring it about here on earth. And if we are truly praying for “Thy will to be done on earth as it is in heaven,” then we should be focusing our salvation in this life, rather than just using salvation as the carrot to the stick of eternal damnation

Unlike many denominations, we in the Episcopal Church seem to talk very little about “Salvation.” It seems a very icky and overly evangelical term to many of us, especially those who grew up in the South being asked about “their personal Lord and Savior” often enough to make even the Archbishop of Canterbury question whether there was a just and loving God. The connotations that come with that word are often uncomfortable enough to keep us from openly addressing it as an issue. This is something that needs to be addressed and the Advent season is the perfect time to do so. While we are spending our time preparing (not waiting!) we should be working towards making ourselves whole, and living more fully into the Great Commandment.

Loving our neighbors, and serving those less than us bring us closer to God, and thus closer to salvation, to wholeness of soul. Our goal needs to be to try our best to get it right today, here, now. It is a choice we have to make, to live into that relationship. We can’t just wait until we croak and then let God do all the work. We need to be doing our best to live and grow in that relationship here and now, today, not tomorrow or next week or next month. By working on the fullness of our relationship with God, and our relationships with each other, we do real work towards our wholeness and therefore our salvation. More importantly, it gives us a chance to prepare ourselves for the Kingdom, both in this life and the next. And that is what advent should be all about.