Anglicat

JFK: 50 Years Later

2012-01-23T13:04:00.001-06:00

This past week-end saw the 51st anniversary of the inauguration of John Fitzgerald Kennedy as President of the United States. Among the many reflections on his truncated life was an unusual one by columnist Jason Lewis that focused on his physical disabilities. According to Lewis, who relied on liberal biographer Richard Reeves for much of his research: JFK was secretly hospitalized in dozens of instances, was given last rites three times, and was essentially kept alive "by complicated daily combinations of pills and injections." There were massive amounts of cortisome injections to fight off Addison's disease, a life-threatening ailment at the time, more steroids for a pre-war back condition that resulted in spinal fusions and botched surgeries (he was wearing a back brace the day he died); a chronic stomach condition, most likely ulcerative colitis, that kept Kennedy in agony and battling debilitating bouts of diarhhea, painkillers, hormones, stimulants, sleeping pills, and a cholesterol count somewhere around 400."JFK endured all this, while his spin doctors worked with an obliging national press, to project the image of a vigorous, outdoors-loving, young knight in shining armor.His daughter's denial notwithstanding, JFK's legacy as conservative or liberal is unclear. He enjoyed the company of Barry Goldwater, pushed supply-side tax cuts, hand-delivered a re-election check for $1,000 from his father to Richard Nixon, whom he considered brilliant, rejected quotas, demurred on civil rights issues, and was opposed to withdrawing US troops from Southeast Asia. That his little brother Teddy pushed the liberal agenda perhaps makes us tend to view JFK's ideology as leaning more in that direction than is warranted. Pragmatism was always a big consideration.Personal escapades aside, a formidable strength of character may be JFK's most amazing legacy. To face his duties, day after day, despite great physical suffering, may make him more of a hero than even the portrait of a brave survivor of PT-109's sinking. Pity for the morale of all handicapped persons that JFK could not share the extent of his own physical limitations.

What's a President to Do?

2011-09-01T12:19:00.004-05:00

Dear Diary,

Decisions, decisions. Having delayed my big unemployment speech until after my spendy MarVin vacation, I must now pretend to be doing my job as quickly as possible. I could make the speech on Thursday, September 8, but no--I would lose too many viewers to the NFL season opener. Ah--Wednesday, September 7--the day Republican Presidential debates are scheduled--yes, that's the ticket! Can't have the country listening to the debate and hearing how much better of a job any of those folks could do. When House Speaker Boehner objects to this date, I must have media ready to accuse him of playing political games.

Love, Barack

Note: Obama did indeed try to schedule his speech exactly conflicting with the Presidential debates. When House Speaker Boehner quite appropriately suggested the alternate date, the New York Times did, indeed, criticize Boehner, and our local Star Fibune's editorial cartoon on Friday also pillored Boehner for the political gamesmanship introduced by Obama.

Let them Eat Unemployment

2011-08-19T20:14:00.005-05:00

Showing her now customary disregard for this nation's economic plight, Michelle "Antoinette" Obama once again wasted hundreds of thousands of tax dollars for a few extra hours of her own selfish pleasure and convenience. In order to arrive ahead of her husband at their luxury vacation destination, she took a separate VIP jet, complete with its own Secret Service contingent and staff. The President and his dog arrived via Air Force One for their extravagant 10-day holiday just a few hours later. The Obamas have pulled this carbon footprint-swelling, his & hers luxury jet stunt on nearly every one of the many vacations they have taken since Obama took office in 2009. The self-sacrifice Obama is enjoining upon those suffering economic hardship is clearly something Michelle Obamanette is not willing to undertake herself. And concern for the environment--just the talk, not the walk, as far as this first familly goes.

Do you know how your other leaders, both secular and religious, spend their vacation time? How many days of vacation do they take each year?

Heroes

2011-08-08T20:53:00.004-05:00

Sixteen of the thirty heroes murdered in Afghanistan are pictured here. Please pause and pray over each one, as well as for those who are not yet pictured, and all their families: HEROES. Thank you, bless you, may you rest in peace.

The Creepiness Obscured by the Horror: Ignore at our Peril

2011-07-30T11:10:00.003-05:00

In the extreme horror of the terrorist attack in Norway, there is something insidiously creepy that is not getting the thoughtful consideration it deserves. The youthful victims of Anders Breivik's calculated shooting spree were attending a Labor Party summer camp, and many of them were the children of Norway's political elite. Nowadays, there are many wonderful camps for children, each catering to special interest groups such as rising soccer stars (e.g., Olympic Development Camp), learning a foreign language (e.g., Concordia Language Camps) or perfecting musical virtuosity (e.g.,Interlachen). Fine and good, although I would advocate a little balance, and encourage even the most specially-gifted kiddos to expand their horizons by attending a simple get-out-in-nature sort of camp, or a church camp. But youth camps run by a political party for rising members of the party? Creepy, creepy, creepy, as in Hitler's Youth Camps.

Anders Romarheim, a fellow at the Norwegian Insititute for Defense Studies, was quick to spin away the appearance that Norway forces political indoctrination on its youth. "No other political party has a political camp like this one," said Romarheim, as quoted by the New York Times.

Could it happen here? I dearly hope there are no camps run by Democrats or Republicans for their future party elite. Let's hope this idea doesn't take root here in America. The last thing we need is to seed divisiveness by sending our kids to hobnob ONLY with kids whose parents hold the same political beliefs. That's the sort of fundamentally nasty action that provokes even nastier reactions.

Dayton Coulda/Shoulda Taken the Deal when Offerred

2011-07-21T21:53:00.006-05:00

Laid-off state workers came back to work today. One who works near my office fared very well. She has a moonlighting part-time job, and during the lay-off, she was able to work full days for seventeen out of the reported twenty days of the lay-off. Thus, she didn't even qualify for the unemployment compensation that would have covered half her paycheck.

I realize that most workers were not so lucky, that thousands of families had their July 4 holiday week-ends ruined by not being able to access the state parks, and small businesses related to governmental employment suffered a downturn. Governor Dayton ought to be very apologetic to those who suffered during the lay-off. Ultimately, he accepted a deal proposed by the legislature the week before the lay-off began. There was no need for the lay-offs.

The devil is in the small details yet to be worked out, and undoubtedly neither Republicans nor Democrats will be happy with the final budget. Still, that unhappiness is exacerbated by the fact that Dayton could--and should--have taken the deal when first offered, and not taken his blatantly political gamble. Had Dayton said "yes" to the deal when it was proposed, there never would have been the lay-offs. Will voters remember his foolishness? Let's hope so; this sort of political stuntsmanship does not need to be rewarded with a second term.

Agility: Why Can't Government be Business-like?

2011-07-20T06:46:00.006-05:00

Case in point: Anglicat belongs to a state-regulated professional organization. For the 30+ years of her membership, she painstakingly bothered with mailing a check for her annual dues through the postal service, paying for and saving the recommended Post Office receipts. For the last several years, she always included a note suggesting that an online payment process be established. In speaking with staff members on occasion, I learned about the deluge of work flooding the regulatory office around July 31, the deadline for submitting dues.

Now, finally, in 2011, the regulatory agency has moved to an online payment system. I just paid my dues from my computer seat in less than five minutes, with no lingering concerns about whether the Post Office would do its job properly and promptly. Staff members are giddy with delight in their normal workloads and the dearth of irate callers demanding assistance over misdirected forms and payment questions. Efficiency has, at last, prevailed.

So why did it take over ten years beyond what it took for the average business to provide its customers? Answer this, and we'll have an answer, as well, for the long lines at the Post Office for shabbier and shabbier service.

The Other Verse

2011-07-04T22:55:00.005-05:00

Later verses of our National Anthem are very explicit about our religious roots. Here is the fourth verse sung by a Marine: National Anthem's 4th Verse. Happy Independence Day! May we return to our religious roots! May God's blessing of America once again be ongoing!

A Better Shut-Down Plan

2011-07-02T08:00:00.008-05:00

Yes, the game of blink has begun in Minnesota. Will Governor Dayton or the state legislature capitulate in the midst of the massive governmental shutdown resulting from the failure to settle a budget? Republican lawmakers had suggested approving a short-term budget to keep the government running, but Mr. Dayton said he wasn't interested.

It is difficult not to see Dayton's refusal as anything other than a strategy of inflicting maximum pain for political gain. For example, the department that issues hunting and fishing licenses is closed, but the enforcement department is still running to apprehend any sportsman who dares to proceed without the license that is impossible to obtain. Some of the departments targeted for closure defy rationality. The lottery, that money-generator for our state government,is shut down. The Minnesota Zoo is closed for the viewing of animals, but not for an evening concert series. Given the hefty $18 dollar admission fee for a day of animal viewing, it is inconceivable that it wouldn't be fiscally responsible to keep the revenue flowing in, since animal care and feeding costs must still be borne during the shut-down. It seems that Dayton & Company hope that throngs of sportsmen, lottery players, and families wanting to see polar bears will shout the legislature into submission.

Dayton's wisest course of action on behalf of Minnesotans, other than simply agreeing to the reasonable budget proposed by the legislature, would be to shut down his own office. Please, Gov: your toadies would still get unemployment benefits.

Oi Vey

2011-05-21T08:27:00.005-05:00

So now Obama is asking Israel to go back to 1967's borders. This represents more than a map re-drawing exercise; it is a total repudiation of America's policy in the Mid-East. Obama already threw America's strongest ally, Britain, under the bus; now Israel sports the dreaded tire tread marks. How will we make allies in the future if there is no more continuity in foreign policy than the latest election? Just who is the bummer lining up to replace our traditional allies? That sound of millions of people collectively slapping their heads would be Jewish voters who finally are understanding that voting for Obama was not such a good idea.

update: Listen as Netanyahu informs Obama that it ain't gonna happen. Note his lack of teleprompter usage for this magnificent speech. Hat tip to Mary Ann for sending the link.

Nuns at the Royal Wedding

2011-04-30T08:26:00.011-05:00

A perfect stranger stopped me yesterday and commented, "Proud day for you, isn't it?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Nodding at my black shirt and white Anglican clergy collar, he explained, "Well, you're an Episcopalian, an Anglican, aren't you? The royal wedding today does you proud!"

If I hadn't realized it yet, I certainly did realize it after this kindly stranger's comment, that Kate and William's wedding yesterday did not only Anglicanism proud, but also religion in general, and the holy institution of marriage, as well.

How nice to hear words to the effect that the royal couple should help each other to become what God intended them to be. How lovely to hear Kate's brother reading scripture that enjoined them, among other things, to exercise hospitality, to which the bridal couple is clearly off to a good start, having welcomed an estimated two billion television viewers to the making of their intimate vows. How touching to hear Prince William declare, "With my body I thee honor," (and what a shame the American Book of Common Prayer does not include this updated version of the even more poetic, "With my body I thee worship)." Somehow, I think that this particular heir to the throne will NOT have a wandering eye and will indeed be faithful to his wise bride and her loving and supportive family. What a wonderful thing that the royal couple together wrote a prayer for their special day.

Best of all, for me, were the televised shots from the side that made it look like the two nuns seated next to the former Prince William were only inches away. Their habits seem to indicate that they're members of the Community of the Sisters of the Church, an Anglican order of nuns in England, Canada, Australia, and the South Pacific. One of them, Sister Judith, purportedly serves as a chaplain at Westminster Abbey. Their immediate presence next to the royal couple highlights the two statuses in life offered by God: holy celibacy and holy marriage. No matter that the Bishop of London mentioned in his sermon the over-reaching phrase, "committed relationships." Holy matrimony between a smart, discreet, and beautiful woman and a careful, discerning, and handsome man reigned supreme as the foundation of society yesterday. I think the Royal Family has turned a corner in cultural leadership. Now if the crown can only skip over Charles' head to land on William's.

Business is GOOD to Good Friday

2011-04-21T12:00:00.004-05:00

For the second year in a row, the Mounds View School District has scheduled classes for tomorrow, Good Friday. This amazing lack of sensitivity to the religious orientation of at least 95% of the students enrolled in our suburban district was compounded by, once again, the Mounds View District's scheduling of a vacation Friday earlier in the month. Last year, a middle school principal went on record that an "overwhelming" number of students were absent on Good Friday throughout the District, many specifically indicating religious observation as the reason for the absence. The administration, when contacted, plead the politically-correct line of respecting diversity, which is really sort of a laughable excuse here in suburbia. The administration further indicated that school calendars are set two years at a time, which should mean that NEXT year, we can return to enjoying Good Friday as the designated day off, since the teachers' union apparently requires a Friday off this time of year.

It is interesting to note that in the business world, at least two huge, international corporations that employ friends of Anglicat have, once again, declared Good Friday as a mandatory day off for EVERYBODY. This is just one more reason why business leaders need to be taken seriously when they consider entering public service through elective office. While common sense defers to political correctness among government-salaried bureaucrats, common sense is rewarded, and thus thrives, in the business world.

Cuba to Drill in the Gulf of Mexico

2011-04-10T21:43:00.008-05:00

We aren't--but Cuba is, less than 100 miles off the coast of Florida. But don't worry about environmental dangers! Rest assured because Rafeal Tenrreyro, head of exploration for Cuba’s state oil company Cupet reports, “Safety is more than guaranteed. Cuban institutions have made sure that is the case.” Read how now may be the time to lift the Cuban embargo: Forbes Magazine

Hat tip to Larry for the link.

Born to Blog

2011-04-09T10:59:00.011-05:00

At last it is warm enough here in Minnesota to open up the garage and do some deep spring cleaning. THIS is the Lent that I am finally getting around to sorting those boxes that came from my parents' home, all those souvenirs of my youth, lovingly preserved and packed by my mother before she died. I found the plaster imprint of my kindergarten hand; the pretty-pictured religion book I spent hours thumbing, awed to be preparing for my First Communion; all the little skirts and dresses that tangibly document my increasing sewing skills. And then--what a surprise: my first journal, began when I was in fifth grade. Clearly the writing bug had already bitten. What was the compulsion then to record and comment on the days' events?

Here's the thing about writing: it lets you live twice. You get to squeeze every nuance out of life's experiences, catching in the replay dynamics too subtle to be noticed the first time around. And if you go back and read what you wrote, you get to live it even more again.

An observation jumped out at me as a sophomore reading Walker Percy's Let Us Now Praise Famous Men: "Whatever is, is holy." Certainly the holiness is not always immediately apparent, but I think it is the quest for the Holy that drives many a reach for the pen (and now for the keyboard to blog, or even for cellphone to tweet). Life is not always pleasant, but it is infinitely interesting, and ultimately, good. Far too precious not to be explored and shared. I don't know if I would go so far as Socrates as to conclude that the "unexamined life is not worth living," but attempting to notice and savor everything that's going on certainly does increase the likelihood of recognizing its richness, and inspiring that important spiritual attribute known as gratitude.

Thanks, Anglicat readers, for journeying with me.

Obama's First 2012 Campaign Ad

2011-04-01T21:40:00.003-05:00

See it here! And a happy April Fools' Day to you!

Hat tip to Mary Ann for sending the link.

Pray for Japan

2011-03-31T19:23:00.007-05:00

This video clip (click here: Pray for Japan) highlights the amazing compassion and discipline of the Japanese people. Through all the devastation, there is no looting, no rioting, no hoarding, but rather polite line-forming, sharing, dedication to duty, and painstaking honesty. As we pray for this remarkable little country to get back on its feet, we might also pray that more Americans may become more like them.

Domo arrigato to George for sending the link

Being Respectful to Birth Mothers During Adoption

2011-03-29T20:56:00.006-05:00

I have been closely involved in supporting a young woman who made the brave choice to give her beautiful and healthy baby girl up for adoption. Truly, her courage amazes me. Much to the surprise of her theologically-liberal friends, she never once considered abortion. She toyed with the idea of trying to raise the child as a young and still-in-schooling single mother, but realized she could never provide her daughter the high standards of material and emotional support and stability she wanted. Thus began her involvement with a local adoption agency.

If 40-year-old men were the ones giving birth to the prized commodity that today's healthy newborns are to the vast ocean of prospective adoptive parents, surely they would find themselves at the pinnacle of concern and control. Unfortunately, the adoption industry (and make no mistake, it is a BUSINESS, even when so-called non-profit agencies are involved) dances to the tune of the buyers, namely the prospective adoptive parents who pay agency and lawyers' fees. The birth mothers, generally very young, naive, unassertive, and scared, are the bit-players to be managed and moved off-stage as quickly and quietly as possible. Clearly, the social workers are not accustomed to birth mothers thinking that they deserve respect--and demanding it.

I watched a birth mother, less than a day after giving birth, politely listen, through her Percoset-induced haze, to a social worker's 25-minute harangue to sign away the child to the anxious prospective adoptive parents. I watched the birth mother's agency-assigned (almost) attorney speak as if she wasn't even present in the room. I watched self-centered prospective adoptive parents attempt to convince the birth mother that OF COURSE she could make the necessary 10-hour journey to the prospective family's home state so that they could complete the necessary paperwork, no matter that she was especially sore from stitches, had developed a fever, and needed to make frequent trips to the bathroom, something that would never be possible on the airplanes. I watched the social worker that was supposed to be her especial advocate try to tell her that the sort of open adoption she wanted would never be acceptable to prospective parents, and that she needed to be more realistic (the social worker would be proven wrong--very wrong--on that count, and many others).

Although the particular adoption I witnessed had a happy ending, it was only because of VERY assertive interventions that prevented various self-serving (or institution-serving) individuals from doing the things they otherwise would have gotten away with.

Abortion opponents take note: if we want to promote adoption as an attractive and workable solution for birth mothers who can't keep their babies, we must reform the process of adoption so that it is child- and birthmother-centered, not payer-driven.

To be continued.

April's Not the Cruelest Month

2011-03-29T08:01:00.005-05:00

T.S. Eliot famously wrote that April is the cruelest month. With all due respect to his disorientation and unfulfilled yearnings, in the northern climes, it is MARCH that is the cruelest month. Like dogs straining too long at too-short leashes, most of my fellow Minnesotans and I are nearly bonkers in anticipation of spring! My spirit chuckles when I see young teenagers sporting their flip-flops and shorts despite temperatures still hovering in the twenties. They know that spring is the future and choose to live in it NOW as best they can.

Our late Easter this year is not helping. Is this the first year that we see so many writers in the blogosphere urging us to "forget Lent" or to doing something happy-happy instead of our customary spiritual fasting, however we express it? Please don't, by the way, forget Lent, enticing as the idea may seem. As eager as we may be for green grass, for Easter, for the NEXT THING IN LIFE, whatever it may be, as Walker Percy wrote, "Whatever is, is holy." Our "is" in Minnesota is still snow and Lent. What wonders do they yet hold? What soul work deep within that we invited God to do this Lent, still remains unfinished?

Hold on! Hold on, and see!
(End of sermonette!)

The Yearning for Religious Tolerance

2011-03-19T11:31:00.012-05:00

Young and old, male and female, Egyptians are uniting in their desire for an end to sectarian strife. This is good news.

Why can't Episcopalians and American Anglicans show similar mutual respect? Who are the Mubareks that need ouster for and end to litigation between fellow-laborers in God's vineyards? How can cooperation and wishes for well-being replace suspicion, fear, anger, and self-serving?

Read about the encouraging news in Egypt by clicking here.

Photos from The Christian Century; hat tip for a tweet from MN's man in purple.

They'll Double your Red Cross Donation

2011-03-17T17:35:00.004-05:00

As I write this in the early evening of St. Patrick's Day, 18 hours remain in a special offer by Living Social. For every $5 donated through their website to the Red Cross for Japan relief, the online company will add $5, up to a total contribution of $2 million. They have only tallied about $222,000 so far, so less than 1/6 of their maximum contribution has been reached. How about pushing them a bit further towards their limit? Living Social is a reliable, creative online company patronized by Anglicat on several occasions. Donate by clicking here.

On Suffering & Earthquakes: Itadakimasu

2011-03-11T09:35:00.004-06:00

This morning, when I heard of the 8.9 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the first thing that popped into my mind was the strange phrase, "Itadakimasu." I learned this brief prayer/affirmation from my son's love affair with all things Japanese. At Concordia's language camp a few summers ago, they quietly began each meal with a teacher beginning the responsorial "Sei no," (meaning, roughly, "Altogether now.") The students then chimed in with "Itadakimasu," meaning, "I receive."

So why would I want to highlight a Japanese table grace with regard to the devastation in Japan and other coastal areas? It all has to do with the meaning and management of suffering, a recurring topic of interest in Anglicat's life. I think it is natural for humans to resist or fight off suffering, but that, in fact, does not seem to be Jesus' call to us. Somebody is unfairly imposing a journey of a mile upon you? Well, go two miles with the brute. Somebody hits you on the right check? Well, turn your face, not away from your attacker, but so that your left check can be equally smitten. Yikes. Part of this counter-intuitive embrace of suffering is succinctly shared among our young military enlistees with the wise and practical advice, "Embrace the suck!" In other words, don't waste time and energy fuming at harsh circumstances, whatever their source. The sooner they can be accepted, the sooner they can be transcended.

So how does one deal with all the devastating earthquakes (both real and metaphorical) in our lives? By welcoming them with joy, as if from the Lord Himself (but, of course, they generally are not FROM the Lord, just permitted by Him). Further, we help our brothers and sisters deal with their real and metaphorical earthquakes by embracing the suffering on their behalf, thereby sharing in the suffering of Christ.

Our Japanese brothers and sisters have been served up a tragic meal of suffering this day. Let's help them receive it. Altogether now: Lord Jesus, itadakimasu. This might not be a bad prayer for all of Lent 2011.

Airport Chaplaincy: Meeting Folks where They Hurt

2011-03-10T08:43:00.005-06:00

While most of us enjoyed a quiet and meditative entry into Lent yesterday, Chicago's airport chaplain logged his year's busiest day, with no less than FOURTEEN Ash Wednesday services. This WSJ article mentions how Minneapolis Somalis have been unsuccessful in persuading our airport officials to allow space for a chapel. Perhaps Episcopalians could join the effort to bring prayer space to the Twin Cities' gateway to air space. Airport chaplaincy would seem to be one fruitful way to bring folks to Christ. (click here: airport chaplains). What has proven so successful in Chicago, New York, and London deserves at least a commited try here.

Ash Wednesday: Seizing the Day

2011-03-09T12:07:00.002-06:00

Click here: Wow. I would love to see a variant of this at our malls and casinos!

Any Wonder Where Waldo Picked up this Leadership Style?

2011-03-08T16:10:00.006-06:00

Once again, the Underground Pewster has outdone himself, this time with a pre-emptive creative analysis concerning some very unfortunate plans in his Diocese. Take a look at the outdated souvenir that the Minnesota-priest-turned-Upper-SC-Bishop is dragging out of the mothballs: Listen! There's Pewster's trademark humor here, and also hyperbole--but perhaps not much of the latter.

On Racism, Ethnic Prejudice, and [Not] Whining

2011-03-02T20:11:00.006-06:00

It was a miserable snowy night, and Anglicat dearly hoped that her son's soccer referee certification class would be cancelled. The class was to be held in the conference room of a downtown hotel, and travelling through the storm would take double the usual time. Alas, the class was NOT cancelled. Anglicat dropped her son off, and claimed a table in the hotel's pub to read away the time, since driving anywhere else in the bad weather would be exhausting, if not dangerous.

Little would Anglicat have guessed, but the hotel pub, very near the State Capitol, appears to be a favorite watering hole for a few Democratic legislators. Expounding on the issues of the day, one loud mouth said, "Well, let me tell you a story about this big dumb Polak...." Anglicat's heritage, though hidden by her married name, happens to be 100% Polish, and she did not take kindly to this STATE LEGISLATOR'S outrageous slur. Refusing to apologize, he is now emblazoned on my camera phone, awaiting a more relaxed time when I can find the opportunity to identify him. This is the sort of thing that his constituents need to know.

It was only a few days later that I sat through a clergy colleague's railing about racism in America during our recent clergy retreat. The man complained that he stopped going to coffee shops because he was tired of hearing about Obama referred to as "that damn nigger." The distinguished retreat leader responded to the rant with an anecdote about the progress we are making as a culture, describing how he endorsed Obama from the pulpit he was guesting without technically endorsing him, so as not to threaten the church's tax exempt status, and how the rector of the church, whose skin tone approximates Obama's then said, "I can't endorse a candidate either, but you can just look at me." His implication was that all people of color should vote for Obama, something that is patently false, but not false enough in a country that purports to evaluate persons by their skills and accomplishments, not their skin color.

Who would guess that in the 21st century, an elected official in politically-correct MINNESOTA would feel free to demean an ethnic group with arrogant impunity? Just wait, buddy: I will, someday, discover your name and district, though you and your shameful cohort would not disclose it. Boorish prejudice is just that, whether it targets a pet protected group, or one that has quietly transcended continuing prejudice without whining. Dobrze zrobiony, mój ludzie.

Episcope': Gorillas Get it

2011-02-22T21:19:00.006-06:00

Anglicat is just now back from the Minnesota Diocese's first clergy retreat. A recurring theme was "episcope," which is generally translated as oversight of, watching over, or caring for the churches. Our distinguished retreat leader described how the rules of ministry change when one steps from rectorship to the episcopate. While as a good parish priest, one gets to be the star in the congregation, in the episcopacy, the task is to help other people to become stars, he said. "It's a ministry of encouragement," he summarized.

These comments triggered Anglicat's thoughts to drift to the 1999 film,"Instinct," starring Anthony Hopkins. By copying what the gorillas in a band were doing in the jungle, and gradually moving closer and closer, the Hopkins' character manages to join the band under the leadership of an old and glorious silverback gorilla. Hopkins describes, with awe, the experience of being under the silverback's tender and vigilant episcope':

"...the way the old silverback used to watch over all of us, even me! It's an amazing feeling, Theo, to be watched over. I discovered in that look of his more than watchfulness--tolerance, acceptance." Such a beautiful thing.

Watching over--episcope'--is a magnificent gift to those blessed to be watched over. Would that all churches could experience episcope' as the gorillas do.

St. Paul Writes to Jealous Bishops

2011-02-14T07:05:00.003-06:00

[This mysterious editing of yesterday's appointed portion of St. Paul's first letter to the Corinthians (3:1-9) appeared on my doorstep this morning. Could it really be....]

Brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food. Even now you are still not ready, for you are still of the flesh. For as long as there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations? For when you label faithful priests, "That one belongs to TEC," and another, "That one belongs to ACNA," are you not merely human?

What then is TEC? What then is ACNA? Communities through which the faithful believe, as the Lord assigns to each. TEC planted, ACNA watered, but GOD gives the growth. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters IS ANYTHING, but only GOD who gives the growth. The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive wages according to the labor of each. For we are GOD's servants, working together. You are God's field, God's building. Be servants of the servants of God.

The "Mosts" in 2010

2010-12-31T16:24:00.005-06:00

Most Idiotic Statement of the Year:"
"We have to pass this bill so that we can see what's in it."
-Nancy Pelosi on the Obamacare Bill.

Most Insulting Statement of the Year:"We Can't Just Leave It Up To The Parents'" Michelle Obama on why the Feds should be setting local school menus.

Smartest Statement of the year:
"I don’t want to make her mad," quipped Bill Clinton, after Obama said that he had been keeping the First Lady waiting for a half hour and that he would be leaving the Press Conference in Clinton's hands.

Understatement of the year:
"I don't think there's a sense that I've been successful."
-Barrack Hussein Obama

Worst fashion statement of the year:
Lose these so-nerdy-they're-tacky golf shoes. In fact, lose the idea that you need to spend so much time on the golf course. Statistics show that you've already spent more time on the golf course in two years than George Bush did in his entire 8 years. And all the time on the basketball court...

Christmas Still

2010-12-30T13:06:00.003-06:00

Many pastors in the liturgical churches plod the honorable campaign of holding Christmas back a bit so that parishioners can enjoy a good and holy Advent, a spiritual preparation time for Christmas. It's a counter-cultural campaign that is not easy to wage, because the stores begin to roll out Christmas in October, and office parties begin immediately after Thanksgiving. Ignorance is part of the problem; it was only a few years ago that the not-so-venerable Minneapolis Star Tribune published a series of articles intended to commemorate the "Twelve Days of Christmas," beginning on December 13! Then--there's the utter disappearance of all things Christmas on December 26--or shortly thereafter. Woe to those gifted with a Brookstone gadget that doesn't work--the Roseville Mall kiosk had already disappeared by Monday morning, December 27--forcing treks to Mega Mall for the inevitable exchanges.

Personally and vocationally, Anglicat still wages the campaign. The family Christmas tree is displayed Thanksgiving week-end, but without Christmas ornaments until "Joy Sunday," the Third Sunday in Advent. The writing of Christmas cards is intentionally delayed until during the true twelve days of Yuletide. The freshness of Christmas carols is still enjoyed at home through Twelfth night, because the CDs were not hauled out until the Christmas tree was decorated. At church, parents are grateful that our Christmas pageant will take place this coming Sunday, after the hyperosity of the secular trappings has subsided.

So how about music at church? Well--pastors seeking to hold onto Christmas through Christmas have to campaign even against the latest in cultural trends at church, as well. This year's "Musician's Handbook" recommends nary a traditional carol except for "Once in Royal David's City" and "The First Nowell."

Christmas is such a profound miracle: God becoming man, that man might be reconciled to God. And the King born on Christmas shall reign forever and ever (halleluia! halleluia!). We need a season to prepare for commemorating this amazing gift, and more than a day to savor it. Merry Still Christmas!

MinneSNOWta

2010-12-30T07:30:00.003-06:00

For readers in the sunny climes who have no idea what a major blizzard is like, check this out: time-lapse blizzard. The photographer snapped a still photo once every five minutes for 20 hours, so you get to see twenty hours' accumulation in about 40 seconds. The photos were actually taken during a New Jersey storm, but a blizzard is, after all, a blizzard, and Minnesota's 38 inches would look much the same....

Only in Minnesota...

2010-12-28T06:10:00.001-06:00

...Snow Golf! How about a round?

A Minimalist Christmas

2010-12-24T10:19:00.000-06:00

Without ever planning it, many Minnesotans are ending up with a minimalist Christmas this year. We've had more snow this month that at any time since record-keeping began, and we still have a week to go, further condensing this stunning accumulation. At Anglicat's house, we simply cannot wade through the deep snow to reach the trees we normally wrap with lights. Our eager-beaver neighbors across the street, who had strung lights along their front fence before Thanksgiving, can't display their lights, because they are buried beneath the snow that the highway department pushed up against the fence. So, its a darker than usual Christmas season, except for the light that is reflected by the snow from various outside night lights.

Too, the fatigue from excessive driveway-cleaning seems to have taken the wind out of many sails: As one very clever neighboring bishop quipped:

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
[My son} and I are shov’ling, shov’ling til we groan.
Thirty-seven inches is a lot of snow,
We are not discouraged as our muscles grow.

This human-energy-crisis-evoked scale-down put a new emphasis on the family creche. With fewer decorations catching the eye, Anglicat spent more than the usual amount of time contemplating Joseph and Mary as they slowly approached the Bethlehem stable on our harvest table. The very pregnant Mary in our particular family manger set carried special meaning, as we await the birth of a loved one's first child in January. Tomorrow we'll replace that figurine (with a bit of reluctance) with the one of Mary cradling the baby Jesus in her arms.

So far, Anglicat seems to be more at home with expectation mode than fulfillment mode this year. This, actually, is not a bad way to begin the Twelve Days of Christmas. The usual twelve varieties of cookies most definitely did not get baked this year, but will still be baked before Yuletide segues to Epiphany. This minimalist Christmas Day hearkens back to a time when people did not put up their trees until Christmas Eve, when Christmas began on the 25th, rather than ended with it.

Yes--it's only BEGINNING to look a lot like Christmas. Anglicat wishes all her readers a very happy one.

We're Sorry, England

2010-12-18T06:51:00.007-06:00

It was plenty bad that we sent you Gene Robinson to permanently muck up the Anglican Communion. But no, America had to muck things up in the world of secular international relations, as well. We elected a President who so hates America, that his hatred extends to her closest ally.

Back to England went the bust of Sir Winston Churchill that had comfortingly rested in the Oval Office as a symbol of British-American solidarity since 9/11. During his first state visit to the Obama White House, the Obamas contemptuously gifted Prime Minister Gordon Brown with a cheap DVD set available at any Target and unplayable on European equipment. When the Obamas were welcomed at Buckingham Palace, their gift to the Queen was an Ipod loaded with Obama's speeches. Add to these diplomatic slights Obama's failure to EVER mention Britain's 10,000-strong support of our efforts in Afghanistan, his refusal to support Britain in its dispute with Argentina over the Falkland Islands and in its efforts to limit the growth of pan-European government, and it becomes abundantly clear why the Obamas were not invited to join the other international heads of state at Prince William's wedding. Their exclusion from the guest list sends the clearest message of all just how far the Obamas have distanced themselves from our much-needed ally.

It will be a classier celebration without them. We'll try to mend our ways before Prince Harry is ready to step to the altar. Please forgive us our exceptionally poor choices in electing bishops--and presidents.

Major hat tip to David Cassidy

Two Feet of Snow!

2010-12-12T14:04:00.003-06:00

That's what nearly fell on the Twin Cities this week-end. The Metrodome has collapsed, many churches cancelled services, and the plows are only now catching up with the smaller streets. That's MinneSNOWta!

Incarnation in our Midst

2010-12-11T20:48:00.006-06:00

Joy breaks into lunchtime at the mall: surprise! The season of alleluia is coming soon, very soon.....

St. Nicholas at Ground Zero

2010-12-06T07:36:00.003-06:00

While many of us enjoyed our traditional "gold coin" chocolates at church yesterday in anticipation of St. Nicholas' Feast Day today, a more somber commemoration took place at New York's Ground Zero. Among the buildings demolished by terrorists on September 11, 2001, was the Greek Orthodox church of St.Nicholas. Loyal St. Nicholas parishioners gather each year to light candles and pray at the location of their former church home. Why not simply rebuild? That possibility is lost in a myriad of rules and wrangling with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. While the red tape can be sliced and funding multiplied for the egregious Islamic Center proposed for Ground Zero, the red tape only seems to pile higher for poor St. Nicholas. The faithfulness alone of the parish's 70-odd families suggests that their sojourn of nearly 10 years be brought to an appropriate and happy end. Details.

Hat tip to Bill Morris.

Of Thee I Cringe

2010-12-01T19:31:00.004-06:00

In between his basketball and golf games, President Obama has found the time to write a book. It is a children's book published--surprise, surprise--just in time for the Christmas gift-buying season. He severely botched management of the Gulf Oil Spill through delay, wasted trillions in pork that did nothing to help our economic recession, ramrodded through massive health care changes that leave businesses crippled and fearful about the future, has made us a laughing stock among the international community, and still he takes the time to write a children's book.

Exasperation with this book is not limited to his taking the time to write it. The title tramples too close to hallowed ground. "Of Thee I Sing" are words from a patriot's love song to America: "My country tis of thee, sweet land of liberty of thee I sing." Obama hijacks these words for the name of a book praising his daughters Malia and Sasha. Anglicat is tired of Obama and his wife dissing America. Remember how Michelle said after her husband's nomination that FOR THE FIRST TIME, she was proud of America? So Obama's heart does not swell with pride over this once-great land; it swells for his privileged daughters. No surprise here, given all the apologizing he has done to foreign leaders concerning what he considers America's faults. We so need to return to the White House a first family that appreciates, loves, and sings the praises of America.

Glad you love your daughters. B.O. but please save any future book writing for your retirement years. May those years come very soon. Meanwhile, please give a few thoughts of gratitude to the country and people that made your meteoric rise to affluence and power possible. Do you think that could have happened in any other nation?

Cataloguing our Gratitude

2010-11-25T05:44:00.006-06:00

Like my own father, Mark Twain had a late November birthday that occasionally coincided with Thanksgiving Day. 1905 was a year that his birthday and the holiday fell on the same day, and Mr. Clemens seized his 70th birthday as an opportunity to stretch our spiritual imaginations through humor, when our guard is down. He wrote:

"Every year every person in America concentrates all his thought upon one thing, the cataloguing of his reasons for being thankful to the Deity for the blessings conferred upon him and upon the human race during the expiring twelve months. This is well and as it should be; but it is too one-sided. No one ever seems to think of the Deity's side of it; apparently no one concerns himself to inquire how much or how little He has had to be thankful for during the same period; apparently no one has had good feeling enough to wish He might have a Thanksgiving day too. There is nothing right about this. Do you suppose everything has gone to His satisfaction during the year?"

Things have changed a bit since 1905. I'm not so sure that most persons, let alone "every person in America," will be concentrating his or her thoughts upon "the cataloguing of his reasons for being thankful." Were God to answer our gentle inquiries as to what would make Him thankful, I would venture that our gratitude would be high on His list. So among the preparations and enjoyment of turkey and cranberries, let's do go about cataloguing our many reasons to be thankful.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Hat tip to Mariellen.

"Missioner for Mission"?

2010-11-15T06:22:00.008-06:00

Could it be that the budget for the Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota has blossomed to the extent that TWELVE Missioners could be added to the Diocesan staff? ER--no--it's just a shift in terminology.

Names are very important to the new bishop, Brian Prior. We are now "The Episcopal Church in Minnesota" rather than the "Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota," as handsome mugs distributed at -er-Diocesan--Convention remind us each day with our morning cup of Joe. Similarly, we no longer have a receptionist, finance officer, or Bishop's secretary. Instead, we have a "Missioner for Hospitality," a "Missioner For Management," and a "Missioner for the Bishop." The former Canon Missioner whose work has been taken up in part by the regional deans, has now morphed into the "Missioner for Formation," whose responsibilities now include overseeing the development of the additional "Total Ministry" or "Shared Ministry" teams necessitated by more and more churches being unable to afford seminary-trained clergy. We even have a "Missioner for Canons"--sure is nice to think that the canons might one day be evangelized. We have a "Missioner for Ministry" and a "Missioner for Financial Resources." If it weren't for the fact that the daily maintenance on the "Mission Center" is contracted out, we might have a "Missioner for Custodial Resources."

But--the piece de resistance in our Newspeak vocabulary is the redundant "Missioner for Missions." Timothy Hodapp's job is to coordinate "resource sharing and networking with faith communities, develops Covenant Congregations, and serves as a resource in building the new relationships. He is a primary resource for those imagining how to develop new or emergent faith communities and also coordinates the activity and vision for Regional Deans, resourcing them to serve their regions." Given that Tim is a partnered gay guy, it would be difficult not to notice that among Minnesota's Episcopal "Faith Community," the more things change, the more things remain the same, and that a rose by any other name would--well, you get the idea.

Thanking Veterans at Applebees

2010-11-11T06:52:00.005-06:00

Restaurateurs looking for a way to create excitement and customer good will, and honor veterans at the same time, need only to toodle over to their local Applebee's today. Once again, this patriotic chain is offering every Veteran a free meal on Veteran's Day. When Anglicat grabbed her favorite Marine last year, we were treated to an upbeat atmosphere complete with 1940s boogie woogie music and patriotic decorations. The special menu prepared for the Vets was extensive and delicious. It was great fun to see current military personnel, aged legionnaires with portable oxygen tanks, and pony-tailed Viet Nam Era Vets all enjoying the festivities together.

Even if you're not a Vet yourself and don't know one you can kidnap for this holiday, still cruise on over to Applebee's today--and everyday. This is one restaurant that deserves our frequent and generous patronage!

Monday Morning Quarterbacking the Gubernatorial Race

2010-11-09T08:35:00.008-06:00

Even before the statutorily-triggered gubernatorial recount has officially begun here, the tally is already shifting in Emmer's direction. Dayton's 8,000+ lead was diminished by 103 votes yesterday, as the tinier errors were already being detected. Still, as Secretary of State Ritchie rather injudiciously tweeted (bragged?) yesterday, 8,000 votes seem a rather large gap to overcome.

With both Minnesota's House and legislature now shifting to Republican majorities for the first time in decades, DFL wags are claiming that the failure to elect the Republican candidate for governor represents a rejection of Tom Emmer's strongly conservative ideology. I don't think so. The reticense of moderate voters to fully swing with the Republicans this year has everything to do with the particular personality of the gubernatorial candidate. Tom Emmer was a highly successful trial attorney. Trial attorneys, of necessity, tend to have a certain temperament. Those of us who have enjoyed the mixed blessing of working with and/or otherwise relating to trial attorneys know that there tends to be a dark side to all that necessary assertiveness, just as there is a dark side to almost every personality trait. Early in the campaign, the Star Tribune did a marvelous job of exposing that dark side. Several less-than-favorable altercations with former colleagues and contractors were enumerated, and it left an unsavory taste in the memory buds of many voters. Then, although independent candidate Horner was much closer in ideology to Dayton than Emmer, it was from Emmer's camp that Horner seemed to woo several thousand critical votes.

Given the usual shenanigans and the election night "snafu" that triggered a tally-reporting error to the tune of thousands of votes erroneously recorded in Dayton's favor, it is still quite possible that Emmer may win the race. Whether despite, because of, or irrelevant to, his feisty trial lawyer's temperament, Emmer might well make a fine governor. The Monday-morning quarterbackers among us, however, can't help but grieve the handy election that Marty Seifert would likely have delivered to the Republicans this year. Teamed with the Republican majorities in both the House and Senate, Seifert would not have had to compromise away the small-government values upon which he campaigned, as caucusers legitimately feared he would, given his track record of legislative compromise. Seifert + the Republican majority in the House + the Republican majority in the Senate would have been one sweet equation. It will be very interesting to see how the gubernatorial tally ultimately adds up.

Uncontested Races

2010-11-03T07:06:00.003-05:00

Casting my ballot yesterday, I was saddened to discover that no fewer than 22 candidates ran unopposed in my district. Mostly local judgeships, but also the Mayor's spot, were there simply for the taking. Not a good sign for the democratic process here....

The Shenanigans Begin: Voter Fraud in Minnesota

2010-11-01T03:10:00.003-05:00

Is anybody surprised that the state workers directed the mentally-disabled persons to vote for DFL candidates? These ballots MUST be disqualified: VOTER FRAUD . Wouldn't it be interesting to learn if these same mentally disabled persons "voted" in 2008?

Al Quaeda No Longer a Threat to the U.S.?

2010-10-31T17:17:00.002-05:00

The incumbent in Minnesota's 4th Congressional District unbelievably sees no continuing threat from Al Quaeda: debate. Let's send Teresa Collett in her place. Her determination to bring fiscal responsbility to Washington is a bonus.

Christoffa Corombo Day

2010-10-11T10:45:00.006-05:00

Our local teachers' union negotiated a day off last Friday. They called it "I-Day," short for "Instructional Day." I-day is basically a bonus day for lazy teachers to be free of classroom responsibilities so that they can do all the grading that they used to get done without a day off.

God forbid that our school district schedule the day off today (or better yet tomorrow, October 12), the traditional Columbus Day holiday. Poor old Christopher has suffered greatly under revisionist historians' censorship pen. School children no longer learn to sing, "In fourteen hundred, ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue." Columbus did not depart from the exploitative norms of the time; he abused slaves and the Native Americans that he mistakenly called, "Indios," believing that he had reached the shores of Asia. And of course, the discovery of the Americas by Europeans would lead to the conquest of the lands and subjugation of its native inhabitants in the four centuries that followed. So--forget his vision, courage, and accomplishment in putting together a flotilla of three ships that would challenge the ignorant misconceptions of the time and extend the frontiers of scientific knowledge. Fall afoul of our politically-correctness history squad, and you're relegated to footnote status for all time.

Or not. Eat some Genoa salami today and tomorrow in honor of Christopher Columbus, or maybe some Spanish food in honor of Ferdinand and Isabella, who bankrolled his explorations. Isabella, for sure, wanted to bring Christianity to the native peoples, and that, in itself was a good thing, even if the cruelty of the times (think Spanish Inquisition) horribly stained her vision, and Columbus' mission.

Three cheers for the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria! Three cheers for the Genovese man known as "Christoffa Corombo" in his native tongue. He sought to prove that the world was round and to find a fast route to the Far East, and stumbled upon the Americas in the process. That's rather notable, si?

Aborted but Alive and Giving God Glory

2010-10-04T20:39:00.004-05:00

Gianna Jessen is one amazing lady: listen.

Squandering Episcopal Authority

2010-09-30T11:45:00.005-05:00

The Episcopal House of Bishops meeting in Arizona did not spend a nanosecond in official discussion of the proposed Anglican Covenant, but had plenty of time to discuss that darling of the Obama administration, immigration reform. At least we can take some comfort that they did not relocate their meeting; according to one source, finances were the reason for convening the meeting in the state with the new immigration law that a majority of Americans around the country (but not the Obama administration) want their states to emmulate. Given the rocky financial shape of the national church, it simply is no longer feasible to make the grand gestures of the past that entailed great financial loss.

The upshot of the HoB discussion on immigration reform was to urge Episcopalians to call their Senators and ask them to vote for the so-called Dream Act. Fortunately, this little misguided bit of legislation that would only motivate more illegal immigration, was soundly defeated in the Senate. How unfortunate that more wrong-minded bills can't reach the Senate and House floors this close to elections: nothing increases Congressional willingness to listen to constituents more than an upcoming election.

In any case, many Episcopal Bishops fell into the usual lock step with Democrat party platform and entreated their faithful to call their Senators, even providing contact information. Regrettably, our own Bishop did this very thing, not once, not twice, but multiple times, through the various media channels at his disposal. We Minnesotans had enjoyed a blessed seven months and four days since his consecration without our man in mitre stepping on to the regrettable path of his predecessor by telling his flock how to exercise their secular political rights. If Bishop Prior can refrain from doing this again for another seven months and four days, at least we will be well beyond the November elections. The Episcopal Church in Minnesota does not need to have its symbol of unity dividing it through misguided advice on how to cast our secular votes. We are quite intelligent enough to make our own, prayer-informed decisions in the political arena.

Mayo:Monument to Health Care Waste

2010-09-24T08:48:00.007-05:00

Anglicat wishes to thank her many readers who politely inquired about her prolonged absence from the blogosphere. Although she is doing fine now, she did have some medical adventures that afforded her the opportunity to become acquainted with some of the more intimate corridors within Minnesota's monument to medical extravagance, the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. In her characteristic brief style, Anglicat will explore a few of the more interesting ways that Mayo rakes in--and disperses--millions of health care dollars.

A visitor's first step onto the sprawling Mayo campus generally seems to inspire shock and awe. The soaring archways, palatial entryways, elegant tiling, opulent chandeliers, and splendid artwork all signal that one has arrived at a sublime Xanadu surely trumping any of the world's finest cathedrals. Is all this extravagance a shrine to healing or to greed?

One answer to that question came in the form of a very interesting bill arriving in Anglicat's postbox yesterday. Mayo insists on reviewing lab work done at what it considers to be the inferior institutions that don't have the good fortune to bear the name "Mayo." So, patients seeking consultations at Mayo must go to the trouble of having their actual pathology slides transported to the pathologists at Mayo for their almighty evaluation. OK--seemed a bit odd at the time, seeing that the Twin Cities medical labs are not exactly primitive outposts with poorly-trained specialists. But--giving them the benefit of the doubt: Mayo wants to have quality control, start to finish, over every stage of providing care--OK, MAYBE that might be necessary. And how much could it cost to re-review (and ultimately concur with) a laboratory finding? Well, $368 to be exact in this instance. Appalling, even if covered by insurance; waste is waste. Multiply this by the thousands of patients seeking Mayo consultations daily, and it suddenly becomes clear one way that Mayo funds its offensive opulence.

Let Carmelite Convent at Auschwitz Guide NYC Mosque Decision

2010-08-27T17:59:00.005-05:00

What's amazing about the controversy swirling over the construction of a mosque near the site of New York's Twin Towers that were destroyed by Islamic terrorists, is the notion that this is a historically unique situation. To the contrary, a similar controversy raged over 25 years ago when a Carmelite Convent was built near the site of the infamous Auschwitz Concentration Camp. When Jewish groups called for the removal of the convent, representatives of the Catholic Church agreed in 1987 to abandon the convent. Although it took six years for the Carmelite nuns to fully relocate, they did abandon the premises in 1993. Since then, a few nationalistic and fervently Roman Catholic Poles have attempted to reintroduce Christian symbolism near the site of the old Carmelite Convent, but nothing permanent has been erected there, except for a Papal cross, a vestige of a Papal Mass of Reconciliation celebrated there by Pope John Paul II.

Although many Polish Roman Catholics died at Auschwitz, including many priests, both the Polish government and the Catholic Church agreed to a generous accommodation of Jewish sensibilities. All governmental units and all Muslims of good faith must similarly accommodate the sensibilities of the victims of the 9/11 attacks. Misguided political correctness must not be allowed to force the unspeakable outrage of erecting a mosque so near the very site that Muslim terrorists destroyed, taking thousands of innocent souls with them on their hateful crash course with death. Liberals need to back off with the epithets of Islamiphobia. Right is right, and building the mosque so near the hallowed ground of 9/11 is simply wrong. Poland grasped the underlying principle; so did the Roman Catholic Church. Now is time for the United States and all Islamic leaders to follow suit.

Animal Lovers, Environmentalists, Anyone with Common Sense: Beware Dayton

2010-08-13T00:57:00.012-05:00

In yesterday's 90 degree weather, Minnesota gubernatorial candidate Mark Dayton left his two dogs unattended in his car. After 40 minutes in the State Capitol building, Dayton got the bright idea to call one of his numerous aides to start the car and keep the air conditioner running in order to cool down the two dogs. Campaign staffers were quick to claim that the windows were open (in the State Capital parking lot? Really? Thieves take note!).

It wasn't a good idea to leave the dogs unattended in the car, and it wasn't a good idea to create the desperate situation where it became necessary to keep a car running in order to cool them off. Clearly, Masabi and Dakota needed to be left at home in the Dayton mansion. Apparently, it's not always fun--or safe--to be a mega millionaire's dogs.

This video clip catches Dayton making the call to get the car air conditioner going:

Beware the Ides of August

2010-08-12T14:37:00.004-05:00

For several years running, Anglicat has observed a rash of unfortunate events occurring around the middle of August. This year is proving to be no exception. Yesterday, a woman in St. Paul intentionally jumped to her death from a highway overpass, causing four shocked motorists unavoidably to hit her body. Today I passed a three-car crash in which all three vehicles were totalled. Network snafus, computer glitches, and crossed communications of all sorts seem to be making everyones' days a bit more challenging than usual.

So--Anglicat is not a superstitious sort, but she does believe in currently-unexplainable mysteries that someday will be explained. She has two questions for readers: have you tended to observe a higher incidence of accidents and other unfortunate events in mid-August? If so, to what do you attribute it: solar flares? Transitional stress of the season as young adults and children begin to head back to school? Obama? (Just kidding there. Really.)

..and Rejoice: Koua is Free!

2010-08-09T10:40:00.007-05:00

A grave injustice was inflicted on a Hmong man 2 and 1/2 years ago when he was incarcerated for what was, in reality, a horrific accident involving no negligence on his part. Driving back from church one Sunday morning with his wife and children, his Toyota jerked into unintended acceleration, and would not stop, although he repeatedly hit the brakes. Three people died through injuries sustained when the Toyota collided with their own car. Koua Fong Lee had no previous moving violations on his record, and no involvement with alcohol, but ineffective assistance of counsel led to his conviction and the judge bizarrely imposed an 8-year sentence. The sentence was harsh, particularly compared with a 4-year sentence imposed upon a drunk driver with a previous record who caused multiple innocent deaths.

Koua's particular model of Toyota was not the model famously recalled for the unintended acceleration problem. Yet, with a retrial request in the hands of competent out-of-state counsel, dozens of owners of that particular Toyota model came forward to attest to their own horrific experiences with unintended acceleration. To cut to the happy ending, the judge at last ordered a new trail, and Koua to be released pending that new trial. Then more good news came when Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner announced she would not seek retrial.

Gaertner had doggedly fought against petitions for Koua's retrial up until the last moment. Cruelly, just before the judge's verdict announcing that Koua deserved a new trial, Gaertner had tried to persuade Koua to accept a deal that would have provided for his immediate freedom, but would leave a felony conviction on his record. This proposed deal should be filed under "Heartlessly Shameless Ploy" to save Gaertner's professional record. Ruthless and cynical prosecutors like this have no place in our judicial system.

I haven't taken the time to research if Gaertner is up for re-election, or what it would take otherwise to get her out of office. When I see signs posted for Tammy Pust running for Ramsey County Attorney, I hope it's for Gaertner's seat, and I hope that Pust wins a resounding victory. Now reunited with their innocent father, may one of Koua's children, one day claim that seat.

Why We Must Continue the Fight in Afghanistan

2010-08-06T22:49:00.006-05:00

It is estimated that 90% of Afghani women suffer domestic abuse, some much worse than Aisha, whose husband cut off her nose and ears and left her to die. It was the local Islamic court that determined that in running away from her husband's abusive family, Aisha had shamed the family. The court ordered the husband to carry out the punishment of mutilation.

Women will surely pay the price if the Taliban is left unchecked. Clearly, no woman ever gets a fair break in Islamic courts.

And do you think American Muslim women are safe from the subjugation imposed by Sharia law? Read how one idiotic New Jersey judge (Judge Joseph Charles) applied Islamic law in refusing to protect a young, tortured Muslim woman from her abusive husband because their religion permitted such treatment. Sharia law--Afghanistan, Kenya, New Jersey--where next?

Read and Mourn: State-Funded Islamic Courts Now In Kenya

2010-08-05T03:59:00.010-05:00

Twenty-three million dollars' worth of White House meddling in Kenya achieved its goal: Kenya's voters passed a referendum on a new Constitution with sweeping "reforms" that included the establishment of state-funded Islamic courts. See section 170 of the new Constitution. Our Muslim-Advocate-in-Chief issued his congratulations: Obama press release .

The Christian Churches in Kenya were united in their opposition to the broad sweep of the proposed new Constitution. "We believe the [new]constitution doesn't meet religious, moral, economic and justice concerns," said Oliver Kisaka, a top official with the National Council of Churches of Kenya."It privileges one religion over another. It allows abortion on demand. It has strong socialist tendencies," he said, also objecting to the provision for international law to take precedence over Kenyan law. See Christian perspective .

Deeply troubling, the new Constitution exempts women from the Constitutional provisions for equality vis-a-vis the Islamic courts. Hello, more subjugation of Muslim women(read section 4 of the new constitution, linked above).

The adoption of a new Constitution was a condition of the power-sharing agreement brokered between President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minster Raila Odinga that ended the violence that rocked Kenya in 2007-2008. The provisions establishing the Islamic courts were slipped into the draft of the Constitution, which was aimed primarily at limiting the powers of the Presidency.

How long before we see provisions for establishing Islamic courts slipped into some omnibus spending bill in the United States?

White House Backs Islamic Courts and Abortion in Kenya

2010-08-04T12:05:00.008-05:00

The White House apparently spent $23 million of taxpayer money to push for the passage of Kenya's proposed new Constitution, being voted on this very day. Controversial provisions slipped into the proposed Constitution (along with limitations on the powers of the President) include the establishment of publicly-fund Islamic courts and the legalization of abortion in certain circumstances.

The chairman of Kenya's electoral commission, one Isaack Hassan, predicts that the proposed Constitution will be voted in resoundingly. The main opponent is Kenya's Christian community, which sees the handwriting on the wall with the establishment of publicly-funded Sharia courts.

Details here: Pushing for Sharia courts and the legalization of abortion.

The Blessing of Presence

2010-08-02T19:48:00.005-05:00

There lives far from here a very kindly and generous old Episcopal gentleman who faced quite a dilemma. The granddaughter he loved dearly wanted him to come to her "wedding" to her lesbian partner. The widowed grandfather had always welcomed graciously this grandchild and her partner to dinners and parties in his home. He even ventured that he enjoyed the company of his granddaughter's partner. Still, a "wedding," to his mind, was something reserved for one man and one woman, and he simply could not bring himself to attend a ceremony of which he thoroughly disapproved. He offered to attend the ceremony if he could quietly and respectfully state his objections, but that was not acceptable to the granddaughter. The invitation to her dear grandfather was to come, please come, but to keep your mouth shut. Other family members were enlisted to pressure the grandfather into attending the ceremony. They thought they could rely on his generous nature to indulge their demands, but he gently persisted in his refusal to participate in a lie. "But please do come soon after the ceremony for dinner," he repeated. He would continue his loving relationship with his granddaughter and her partner.

Conservatives in the Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota now face a similar dilemma. Our new bishop has extended a picnic invitation to his "clergy friends." He writes that (his wife) "Staci and the boys will be joining me and I encourage you to bring the important people in your life, including your partner or spouse, kids, grandkids, and nieces and nephews."

Now there are few things Angicat would like more than to meet the family of our new Bishop and afford the opportunity for my family to meet them. But expose children to partnered homosexuals as if their unions represent a good and godly lifestyle? No. There are more ways to bless a relationship than a ceremony in church: there is the blessing conveyed by mere presence. Like the good grandfather, that is not a blessing I am willing to convey. It is not a blessing I want my children to behold.

So, I join the throngs of conservatives gaining lots of practice at lovingly holding our ground. And what are the revisionists gaining? Experience in emotional blackmail. "Come," they say, "not as who you are, but who we want you to be. Freedom to be who we are is a privilege afforded only us, not you." Pity.

Pray as Kenya's Constitution Comes to a Vote

2010-07-30T11:33:00.003-05:00

On August 4, Kenyans will once again vote on a proposed new constitution that would grant Islamic Sharia courts jurisdiction over Muslims to determine personal status, marriage, divorce and inheritance. This would be a giant step backwards for Muslim women in Kenya, who would lose the Constitutional guarantee of equality. It also would grant preferential status to the Islamic minority in Kenya, in that they alone would be exempted from the Law of the Land that binds all other Kenyans.

No matter which way the vote goes, there is the potential for the same intense violence that rocked the East African nation in 2007. Atrocities such as locking children in a church and burning them alive may once again shock the world.

Please pray for the rejection of this proposed new Constitution in Kenya. Please pray for peace there. Please pray for the Christians working in Muslim-controlled areas of Kenya such as Bishop David Mutisya in Garissa.

A Little Tenderness

2010-07-28T09:52:00.004-05:00

I loved this Weston Priory song years ago when I first heard it, and always enjoy listening again, especially when the book of Hosea comes up in our lectionary. Here's Gregory Norbet, the composer, singing it himself--beautiful. Enjoy!

Our Man in South Carolina

2010-07-27T06:19:00.004-05:00

While Minnesota's new bishop appears to have enjoyed a smooth and perhaps even blissful introduction to office, the priest we sent to South Carolina to become bishop of the Diocese of Upper South Carolina has had to hit the ground running. The newly Right Reverend Andrew Waldo stepped quickly when asked to intervene in a leadership dispute between Cathedral lay leadership and the Cathedral's long-tenured Dean, the Very Rev. Philip C. Linder. Waldo suspended Linder, the man who came in second after Waldo during the Episcopal elections. Waldo is conducting a series of members-only meetings among the Cathedral community where attendees must sign an oath of confidentiality before being admitted to the meetings.

Far outsiders will probably never know the real reasons for this very painful circumstance in the life of everyone involved. What looks to have been a difficult situation at the Cathedral, perhaps compounded by the Dean running for Bishop and his subsequent loss, and then the long wait for Waldo to take office, perhaps resulted in more brinksmanship than might have occurred during a time without transitions. Nor, of course, do outsiders really need to know the details. We might even find ourselves yearning for the days when journalists, both secular and religious, politely skirted coverage of church conflicts like this. What remains unchanged is the need for prayer: for Minnesota's adopted son now serving as Bishop in USC, for his former opponent/fellow candidate Dean Linder and his family (especially his wife who worked as a parish nurse at the Cathedral), for all the Cathedral community, and for all those who watch and find their faith challenged when the church seems to show clay feet.

Nil, Baby, Nil

2010-07-19T11:40:00.007-05:00

Nil. Nada. Zip. Bupkis. Zilch.

While we hope that these words describe the amount of oil leaking from the newly-capped well in the Gulf, it appears that there may be some seepage down below. Apparently, the Obama administration wants to uncap the well immediately, while BP wants to wait until relief wells are completed: disagreement.

What the words do describe is the information about the cap in the mainstream media. Our local paper, the Star Fibune, has yet to give it any major front page coverage, relegating it to a fourth page sleeper article last week, with no word over the week-end. Louisiana Senators believe that the Obama administration is trying to deal with the political fall-out from the issue of Obama's incompetence in dealing with the oil spill by "trying to move it off the front page." Given the lack of coverage of developments in the Gulf, it's difficult, indeed, to avoid the conclusion that the mainstream media is indeed cooperating with Obama's strategy to white out the story: silence .

We all remember Press Secretary Gibbs' revelatory comment about "never wasting a good crisis." The Obama administration has so much to gain by prolonging the Gulf crisis. There's the potential for more scary propaganda emanating from the Gulf to complicate plans for drilling in the Arctic. There's the possibility of taking steps towards the nationalization of the oil industry (who would have thought the car-manufacturing take-over could have happened so quickly?). There's the need for greater damage so as to create false impetus for cap and trade. There are Republican leaders and constituencies in the Gulf to hobble further. Why take the focus off BP's spill so that it can shine on Obama's incompetence with the containment and clean-up? Yep--better uncap that baby tomorrow.

Hat tip to Drudge.
Update: The Feds are backing off: the cap stays.

Just maybe...

2010-07-17T08:10:00.006-05:00

June saw the highest number of Army suicides since the Viet Nam era. Thirty-two soldiers took their own lives, and the Defense Department says they have no answers to explain the spike.

It can never be proven, of course, but I would suggest that there is a likely connection between General McChrystal's ouster and these suicides. McChrystal was an inspiring figure, willing to grab a gun and return fire along with the lowest foot soldier, rather than hide behind his rank. He (so we are told) spoke the truth, calling idiots "idiots," a trait bound to win the admiration and loyalty of those who must carry out the orders, policies, and programs of idiots. He was a hero who made the intolerable tolerable by simply removing the strain of pretense. And he got the boot.

Will America ever let its warriors be warriors again? The military is not a social laboratory for establishing political correctness. Our soldiers, marines, sailors, and airmen have a tough job and need to be left alone to do it well. Nasty reporters and meddlesome politicians need to be given the bum's rush. Details here: Army suicides. And may God protect, heal, strengthen, and comfort all our military men and women, living and dead, and all their families.

Mel, Mel, Mel

2010-07-14T14:50:00.009-05:00

Oh my. Let's not listen to those raunchy tapes cleverly procured by Mel Gibson's ex-girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva. It's not that he deserves protection from the consequences of his abusive rants; it's just that it's a little repulsive to hear Grigorieva calmly baiting Gibson, knowing that the tape recorder was catching his every expletive and self-damning revelation. Too much information.

And, my, how far the religious conservative has fallen, demonstrating just how viciously Satan exploits the dark sides of those who take big strides for God. The director of "The Passion of Christ" created so much positive buzz for Christianity. And he seemed such a faithful disciple, albeit finding expression through an ultra-conservative break-away sect from Roman Catholicism. The lovable family man with seven straight-arrow kids and a chapel in his mansion went on to build a 42-million dollar church in tony Agoura Hills, California. But then came the falling out of marital stability and the falling into the double liege of alcohol and extra-marital liason.

What can one learn from this super-sized morality drama dripping from the biography of one enormously-talented, and formerly good-natured guy? The lessons are enumerable, but as a person of faith, I would note one does well to be very careful about over-attachment to the trappings of faith. Is one truly in love with God or rather with the mysterious mumbo jumbo of incense and the Latin Mass, when one does not understand a word of the ancient language? Is one truly seeking to be faithful to the ancient practices of the church, or does one resonate more with the affirmation of a macho, misogynist view of women? Does one know Jesus or simply a bunch of man-made rules?

Let's say a prayer for Mel, that he might regain a faith truer than the one he lost. Braveheart, we still love you and want you back on track. Let's hope that the path to that track is not any more painful than it needs to be.

Felons Likely Fueled Franken's Finish

2010-07-12T15:33:00.005-05:00

It has been conclusively demonstrated that 341 convicted felons in heavily-Democrat Minneapolis and St.Paul voted illegally in the 2008 elections, with the possibility of many more illegal felon votes yet to be confirmed. Al Franken was given the Senate seat on the slim margin of only 312 votes. Ramsey County (where St.Paul is located) is taking the matter seriously by prosecuting the illegal voters. Hennepin County (where Minneapolis is located) seems to be trying to blow the matter off, unwilling to take steps to guarantee the integrity of future elections against felons' votes. Yet another reason to call Franken's finish--foul.

Joe Bites...Again, in order to Appear on Leno

2010-07-12T09:42:00.005-05:00

On Thursday it was in Portland; Friday it was in Los Angeles that the Vice President screwed up thousands of air travellers' itineraries. And what urgent and lofty mission necessitated this massive inconvenience? Joe was flying out of Los Angeles after an appearance on the Jay Leno show.

"I think that it's appalling that Vice President Biden commandeers such a wide swath of airspace when he travels," passenger Jason Campbell wrote to Columnist Sharon Waxman. "Are the American people aware that the VP and presumably the President and who knows who else in the president's cabinet create such significant travel disruption when they travel the country?"

Government officials, eager to deflect blame, implied that flights were cancelled for only a 45-minute period. That may be true, but when one flight is cancelled, it generally means hours before a traveller can re-book travel on another flight, even when changing the routing. Then, there are the lost luggage and missed connections repercussions rippling throughout the entire network of air travel.

All this for the sake of a Leno appearance? Read the disgusting details here: Inconsiderate Joe. Joe, why don't you just stay home? The country would be the better for it in so many ways.

Joe Bites

2010-07-09T23:18:00.003-05:00

Commercial flights were grounded in Portland, Oregon, last evening, and all traffic to the airport blocked, so that the motorcade for Joe Biden could deposit him at the airport unimpeded for his own flight.

Unfortunate travelers including Anglicat's husband suffered the cancellation of their flights for the Vice-President's convenience. Since when does the Vice President rate such a droit de seigneur?

Biden, you added six hours to my husband's travel itinerary and forced him to miss our son's soccer game. That bites.

Iran's Regulations for Stoning--Such Civility (Not!)

2010-07-09T10:39:00.003-05:00

Well isn't it just wonderful that Iranian stonings are highly regulated, and not the chaotic, uncivilized slaughters we all imagine. Reported in Newsweek:

According to Amnesty International, the Iranian penal code specifies that "stones are large enough to cause pain, but not so large as to kill the victim immediately." Article 102 of the Penal Code states that men should be buried up to their waists and women up to their breasts for the purpose of execution by stoning. Article 104 states, with reference to the penalty for adultery, that the stones used should "not be large enough to kill the person by one or two strikes; nor should they be so small that they could not be defined as stones."

Well, that's some relief. Couldn't have the victims die before they suffered multiple blows, now could we? And let's save them the petty annoyance of being hit with pebbles. Details here.

Mother to be Stoned after Receiving 99 Lashes: Pray and Hope

2010-07-07T06:56:00.009-05:00

While President Obama contorts NASA's mission to include wooing Muslim favor, let's visit yet another outrageous example of pending Islamic "justice."

Sakine Mohammedie Ashtiani survived 99 lashes as punishment for a phony adultery charge. She should have been released from prison, but a judges' panel suspected she might have been involved in her husband's murder. She was eventually cleared from the murder charges, but the judges' panel, based on unspecified "judges' knowledge," decided she should be put to death. Surviving five years of jail AFTER serving the 99 lashes, her new sentence of stoning could be administered at any moment. Her son, allowed to visit his mother for 15 minutes on Mondays, is working with humanitarian advocates to save his mother's life and gain her well-deserved release from jail. International attention is the only thing that can save her at this point.

You know the drill: read the details here, pray, and hope that the international protest is sufficient to move Iran's strong men.

An Episcopal Resettlement Officer Addresses Illegal Immigration

2010-07-05T11:52:00.007-05:00

In her long and interesting ecclessial vocation, Anglicat did a stint as a Refugee Resettlement Officer for Episcopal Migration Ministries. She enlisted, trained, and supported parishes in church-based refugee resettlement. Most of her refugee clients were ravaged souls from Bosnian concentration camps. There were also a few last survivors of Vietnamese "re-education camps" and KGB "tricks" against Russia's evangelical Christians trickling through, along with one displaced Azerbaijani victim. It was a sobering privilege to share the refugees' painful histories. Some carried pictures of themselves when little more than skeletons just released from Serbian concentration camps. Women had stories that could never be told in front of children. Some were ridden by guilt over family or friends who suffered even more or who were left behind. Truly, the resettlement of victimized peoples such as these represents America at its best.

Through all this, Anglicat (although she had not developed that moniker yet) was deluged with requests from people with friends who desperately wished to move to America in order to have a chance at a decent and prosperous life. "Economic hardship," Anglicat always had to inform them, although empathizing greatly, "is not a ground upon which refugee status could be claimed."

While the Episcopal Church has been forced to shut the doors of its Episcopal Migration Ministries because of the budget fall-out following 2003, the world's hot spots keep generating more refugees. Recent and continuing atrocities in Kyrgyzstan, the Sudan, and Burma make this abundantly clear. Given Congress' ever-decreasing limits on the number of refugees allowed to enter America each year, it has not been difficult for other resettlement agencies to pick up the slack.

Now, Arizona's new law seeking only to enforce existing Federal law is bringing the issue of illegal immigration to the forefront. Obama, eager for new Democrat votes, is pushing for amnesty for all the law-breakers who are here through the deliberate breaking of our immigration laws. If the US is to answer the humanitarian call to resettle true refugees, the flow of illegal immigrants into this country must not only be stopped, but reversed. Cries of "sending the illegals south of the border will result in breaking up families" must be evaluated by the illegals' own willingness to break up their own families in coming here--and, of course, breaking our laws in the process.

As usual, the Episcopal Church has come down on the wrong side of this issue, as is apparent from the latest issue of the Episcopal News. Not only should all faithful Christians support Arizona's immigration legislation, they need to work for their own states to adopt similar laws. That the Obama administration, which opposes the Arizona legislation, needs to be voted out of office, goes without saying.

Independence Day Prayer

2010-07-04T06:45:00.003-05:00

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord." Psalm 33:12.

Eternal God, stir Thou our minds and stimulate our hearts with a high sense of patriotism as we approach the Fourth of July. May all that this day symbolizes renew our faith in freedom, our devotion to democracy, and redouble our efforts to keep a government of the people, by the people, and for the people truly alive in our world.

Grant that we may highly resolve on this great day to dedicate ourselves anew to the task of ushering in an era when good will shall live in the hearts of a free people, justice shall be the light to guide their feet, and peace shall be the goal of humankind: to the glory of Thy holy name and the good of our Nation and of all mankind. Amen.

Offered by The Rev. Edward G. Latch, D.D., chaplain to the House of Representatives, July, 1964.

Scripture for the Holiday Week-end

2010-07-03T21:15:00.003-05:00

II Chronicles 7:14
If my people humble themselves and pray and seek my presence and turn from their evil ways, I will hear them from heaven and pardon their sins and heal their land.

Lord have mercy upon us. Heal us. Help us to choose wise and prayer leaders like our forefathers, that we might be restored to greatness under your care. In You we trust. Amen.

"L" Words: Letter of the Law Doesn't Matter????

2010-06-29T07:43:00.007-05:00

Kagan, Obama's nominee for the Supreme Court, thinks that it's fine for a law to ban books, because the government won't really enforce it. How can we have someone so cavalier about the letter of the law come this close to sitting on the bench of the highest court in the land? This is so horribly absurd. Can't believe it? Listen to her own words HERE .

There's "liberal," like Justice Stevens, who Kagan would be replacing if Congress confirms her nomination. This should be distinguished from "ludricous," which is the only accurate way to describe her legal philosophy.

Hat-tip to Breitbart by way of Drudge. Just too important not to pass along.

An Ode To Snowbirds

2010-06-28T06:36:00.003-05:00

We rounded the tip of the longest day of summer last week. In tune with this planetary marker, an anonymous prayer blog contributor compared midsummer’s brightness to Christ: “The Swedish Midsummer night is like you, O Christ. You are our light and there is no darkness in you.”

As Anglicat enjoys the summer’s light and warmth, she is grateful for the return of Minnesota's beloved snow birds. Swooping in to worship with us, swell the volume of our hymn-singing, cook for our soup ministries, host our coffee hours, organize, bake for, and serve at our rest stop ministries, and read to our shut-ins, among other things —how energizing and Christ-like is their annual appearance!

This, in turn, reminds Anglicat of the sweet Servant Song written by Richard Gillard:

Won’t you let me be your servant,let me be as Christ to you?
Pray that I may have the grace to let you be my servant, too.

We are pilgrims on a journey. We are brothers on the road.
We are here to help each other,walk the mile and bear the load.

I will hold the Christ light for you in the night-time of your fear.
I will hold my hand out to you, speak the peace you long to hear.

I will weep when you are weeping. When you laugh I'll laugh with you.
I will share your joy and sorrow till we've seen this journey through.

When we sing to God in heaven we shall find such harmony
Born of all we've known together of Christ's love and agony.

Won’t you let me be your servant, let me be as Christ to you?
Pray that I may have the grace to let you be my servant, too.

We year-round northerners are so grateful that "summer people" come to share our lives. Before they leave all-too-soon in the fall to shine their Christ-light again in the southern climes, may we have discovered how to be their servants, too.

Shakespearean-Level Tragedy

2010-06-26T02:48:00.005-05:00

Pundits across the media spectrum are weighing in on Obama's decision to fire General McChrystal from his leadership of America's military efforts in Afghanistan. With rare exceptions, the analysis seems to revolve around Obama's perceived need to assert both himself and America's civilian control of the military. The best analysts have recognized the tragic dimensions of McCrystal's firing. McChrystal was an enormously valuable asset to America. Just as Eisenhower found a way to reign in General Patton's lack of discretion, were Obama a better and stronger leader, he could have found a way to discipline McChrystal without firing him. Unfortunately for America, Obama's lack of true executive character and skill left him having to save face at enormous cost to America's interests.

What makes our enemies happy is not good for us, and the Taliban is rejoicing over McChrystal's ouster. Taliban spokesman Qari Muhammad Ahmed Yusuf described McChrystal's ouster as "divine victory" (see Daily News) . Truly, McChrystal's hard-won street credibility among the Afghani power players will not be transferred to Petraeous easily, nor to anyone who would have stepped in to the job.

Further, by firing McChrystal, public attention has been distracted from Obama's total lack of competence in reviving our economy, managing the oil spill, and protecting our borders.

As Dennis Miller quipped, McChrystal will never have to pay for a drink or a round of golf ever again. We know that his staff spoke the truth about Obama and Biden, and the other incompetents appointed by the current administration to manage things in Afghanistan. It is ludicrous that a rag like The Rolling Stone was the fulcrum on which an enormously competent American hero was leveraged out of service. In this Lear-like tragedy, the most tragic character flaw is not McChrystal's but Obama's. He is our Thin-Skin-in-Chief.

Thank you, General McChrystal, for your remarkable service. It is unfortunate that allowing your staff to tell the truth has cost you your job. May things go well for you in the future. You are a true leader.

Oil-Sucking Barges Halted by Coast Guard

2010-06-19T05:38:00.003-05:00

File this one under unbelievable. It took heroic efforts on Governor Jindal's part to get an oil-sucking barge operating near Louisiana's beleaguered shore. Along comes the Coast Guard to shut it down. Lacking the authority to overrule the Coast Guard, Jindal appealed to the White House, which failed to intervene.

So why did the Coast Guard stop the best thing that's happened to manage the oil spill near Louisiana's coastline? The Coast Guard needed to confirm that there were fire extinguishers and life vests on board, and then it had trouble contacting the people who built the barges. Such is life in the Obama nanny state.

Louisiana is not the only state suffering from Obama's lack of leadership. Alabama's Governor Riley described to ABC News that even now, sixty days into the oil spill crisis, there's still no single person giving a "yes" or "no." The Gulf Coast governors have developed plans with the Coast Guard's command center in the Gulf, but progress slips away when other agencies start weighing in, like the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "It's like this huge committee down there," Riley said, "and every decision that we try to implement, any one person on that committee has absolute veto power."

Obama's complete lack of competence in leading our nation through the aftermath of the oil spill makes George's Bush's effectiveness during the Katrina aftermath clear, at last. And, Bush did not have competent governors serving beneath him as Obama does in Jindal and Riley, thwart them though he does. Giving further evidence of his total politicization of what should be non-partisan leadership, Obama is more concerned with using the oil spill crisis to push his energy agenda than fix the desperate situation now.

Read ABC's account here: absurd.

So You're NOT a Superhero?

2010-06-17T09:55:00.010-05:00

I've been pondering who on earth could have been Obama's target audience for Tuesday night's speech. Who possibly would be comforted by his absurd explanations that he could not dive into the ocean and plug the oil leak, nor could he drink up the massive spill with a straw? No rational person is seeking a super-hero, only the clear executive leadership that George Bush, Rudy Guiliani, and Bobby Jindal have shown. Obama, in explaining that he is not a super-hero, was speaking to to his dim-witted voting base who believed that he was a Messiah, the one to pay their mortgages and otherwise redistribute wealth. "I can't do this so let's all believe in God," was the essence of his sobering message to a falsehood-drunken demographic.

Read what a psychologist has to say about the man who delivered this message: diagnosis . Let's hope Obamacare includes huge benefits for mental health care; more and more Obama voters are realizing that they must have been delusional when they voted for him.

In Between Golf Games....

2010-06-16T23:56:00.007-05:00

1) Thirteen nations offered skimmers, booms, and other technical assistance beginning just two days after the crisis in the Gulf began. Obama either rejected or ignored the offers. Over 20 million gallons of oil could have been removed from our shores per day by using only the skimmers offered by the Netherlands.

2) Dozens of American corporations have green products available to clean up the oil, but Obama has not authorized the use of any.

3) Obama has ignored Governor Jindal's request from Day 2 of the crisis for permission to build a sand bar to block the oil from reaching the shoreline

4) 52 days into the crisis, Obama took his idea of a bold step. Following the advice of Hollywood director Spike Lee he displayed anger publicly and talked about kicking @$$ and plugging the "damn hole.". Pathetic.

5) On day 58 of the crisis Obama made a major speech from the Oval Office straight out of Saul Alinsky's playbook: never waste a good crisis. He announced his push for cap and trade: politics instead of leadership.

6) 57 days into the crisis and Obama had yet to speak with BP's Chairman, reminiscent of his nine-month delay in speaking with General McCrystal, the leader of our military efforts in Afghanistan. But he has ample time for Democratic fundraisers, multiple vacations, days off golfing, and date nights with Michelle.

7) Against the pleas of Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, Obama placed a 6-month moratorium on oil drilling, creating even more economic disaster in an area whose fishing and tourism industries have been leveled.

America elected a President with zero executive experience and now we are paying dearly for that lack of experience. Too bad a Navy Seal can't fill the current leadership vacuum the way the Seals triumphed despite Obama's bungling during the Somali pirate crisis. Obama may have been able to organize a community to vote Democratic, but he can't coordinate the wise offers of assistance from the international community, and he refuses to mobilize our own American ingenuity to protect our shores until the leak can be plugged. Time for the pretender to exit, stage left, of course.

Can 2012 come soon enough?

Off on the Wrong Path--Again

2010-06-08T09:04:00.007-05:00

Mischaracterization of the causes for the rift dogging the Anglican Communion sadly is being peddled once again. While the false description of the situation might appear to serve the purpose of calming waters that have been distressingly turbulent, only the real truth can heal and lead to permanent shalom.

In a blog posting that sadly is being touted by our Diocese here in Minnesota, Diana Butler Bass shows an amazing lack of understanding of the Orthodox viewpoint. She wrongly states, "some other Anglicans--mostly in Africa--are pretty mad that we've included our gay and lesbian friends and relatives in our churches."

Let me state unequivocally that Orthodox Anglicans (including Episcopalians) here in America, in Africa, and everywhere else truly desire to continue to include our gay and lesbian friends and relatives in our churches. What we don't want to do is affirm a lifestyle that is contrary to God's will for humanity, as can be discerned through our canon of scripture. Everyone is welcome and needed in God's church, just exactly as they are, however they are. To paraphrase other writers, we come as we are to the church, but God loves us too much to let us remain as we are. Whether we realize it or not, when each of us walks through the doors of a church, we open ourselves to a process of transformation. The transformation can only occur when we recognize our need for it. When something needs to be fixed, it can't be fixed or managed when we actively deny the need to be fixed.

So--Orthodox Anglicans are left, by default, with the unsavory task of holding the Biblical line about what isn't to be affirmed in human life. At our best, we do so in full and open recognition of the ways we fall short, and our own struggles to allow the transformation necessary in our own lives. Our task is made harder by mischaracterizations like Ms. Bass' recent posting, and its not-so-subtle insinuation that Orthodox Anglicans are just a bunch of unsophisticated homophobes. That sort of misguided attack comes from revisionists at their worst.

For the sake of thoroughness, I'll cite Ms. Bass's unfortunate posting. Let's all read it so that we can be ready to extirpate its erroneous assumptions wherever we encounter them: mischaracterization . Whether we're orthodox or revisionist, we all need to be clear about the underlying issue. The issue most definitely is NOT inclusion of our gay and lesbian friends and relatives in our churches. The issue is God's love for humanity and how that overwhelming love works in the world.

Ah, the Week-end: Make Like a Moose

2010-06-04T10:45:00.000-05:00

A good example for us all: baby moose.

Soccer Field Socialism

2010-06-03T13:57:00.004-05:00

In order to protect the self-esteem of its poor little babboos who are not very good at playing soccer, an Ottawa soccer league has established a strange new rule. If any team wins by more than 5 points, they automatically lose by default. The more hard-working teams are thus reduced to avoiding the net at all costs once the 5-goal limit is approached. So much for the opportunity to encourage the striving for excellence and the development of gracious good sportsmanship. Read it here: mediocrity wins.

Educating the Confederacy of Fools

2010-06-02T10:13:00.003-05:00

The guy chosen by the Confederacy of Fools: dossier.

The Confederacy of Fools Casting Ballots

2010-06-01T09:36:00.003-05:00

Neal Boortz, as usual, passes along an interesting perspective today:

"The danger to America is not Barack Obama but a citizenry capable of entrusting a man like him with the Presidency. It will be far easier to limit and undo the follies of an Obama presidency than to restore the necessary common sense and good judgment to a depraved electorate willing to have such a man for their president. The problem is much deeper and far more serious than Mr. Obama, who is a mere symptom of what ails America. Blaming the prince of the fools should not blind anyone to the vast confederacy of fools that made him their prince. The Republic can survive a Barack Obama, who is, after all, merely a fool. It is less likely to survive a multitude of fools such as those who made him their president."

Read it all here . As we emerge from our Memorial Day recollections, please continue to pray for America.

Memorial Day Blessings

2010-05-29T09:49:00.004-05:00

As we all head out for the various recreational activities that mark the holiday we have come to know as summer's opener, let's not forget the reason for our festivities. Let's honor all those who died--and are dying still--so that we might live with freedoms unparalleled in the history of the world. Let's not do anything even remotely close to the disgrace of the lazy curb-sitters pictured here.

The PERFECT Patron Saint for Anglicans

2010-05-28T08:52:00.004-05:00

Who could be better-disposed to watch over our motley clan than the Patron Saint of Dysfunctional Families? Saint Eugene de Mazenod, a child himself of divorcing parents, spent his youth seeking refuge in Italy, along with his father's family, during the French Revolution. His father, born to the French nobility, and his mother, herself enthrall to her own wealthy, ambitious and controlling bourgeois mother, married for convenience, not love. Before answering the call to priesthood, De Mazenod lived alternately in high luxury and extreme poverty. A sort of clerical entrepreneur, De Mazenod asked that his first assignment after ordination NOT include parish work, so that he was free to work among youth and the poor at large. He later would establish the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, an international religious order of men whose many ministries include offering retreats and spiritual direction at a spectacular retreat center here in Minnesota, Christ the King Retreat Center in Buffalo.

As TEC began breaking apart in the aftermath of General Convention 2003, Bishop Keith Ackermann of Quincy was among those who quipped, "We're leaving, and we want the house, the bank accounts, and the kids." Conservative Episcopalians, whose spiritual kin reside on both sides of TEC's ecclesial divide, unfortunately are well-acquainted with the squabbles of their parents, both in court and out. Saint Eugene de Mazenod offers a wonderful spiritual companionship to conservative Anglicans as we now live into the aftermath of ecclesial divorce.

De Mazenod's Missisonary Oblates are preparing for next year's 150th anniversary of their founding. They are praying with apparent fruitfulness for an outpouring of vocations, both lay and ordained. Their Oblate fellowship groups are open to both women and men. Their website includes a fascinating video narrating a mini-biography of De Mazenod. Check out their website: Patron Saint .

Jesus, Joe & my Cousin Moe

2010-05-27T17:49:00.003-05:00

Is it possible to form a legitimate dislike for a sermon even before it starts? Yes, when it is prefaced by a prayer based in fuzzy theology masquerading as eloquence. This is how the brother of the new Bishop of Upper South Carolina began his sermon during the service of consecration: "In the Name of God the Father by whom we are created, God the Son, with whom we are redeemed...." Stop right there. With whom we are redeemed? Really? Jesus is redeemed along with me and everybody else, just like every other human being?

Well hush my barbecue-filled mouth if this little prayer didn't render The Rev. Mark Waldo's Ode to Andrew just a wee bit disappointing, even if the sermon was so very cute. Read it here: for the love of Andrew. Thanks, bro [not].

The Worst Danger: Islamic Terrorists Crossing the Mexican Border

2010-05-22T06:09:00.003-05:00

The most dangerous illegal immigrants crossing our border with Mexico are not Hispanics. They are terrorists from Yemen, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia who travel to Central America, learn Spanish, and then blend in with Hispanic illegals as they gain access into the United States. Hezbollah emblems, decorative patches depicting the Twin Towers explosions, Islamic "prayer" rugs, and literature extolling martydom are among the items left behind by the Middle-Eastern illegals in their various pathways to America.

Take a look at this news footage: Islamic terrorists crossing the Mexican border.

Let's join the governor of Arizona in demanding that President Obama secure our borders. Now.

Spiritual Directon without Christ?

2010-05-22T02:38:00.005-05:00

Some slick promotional material arrived today. A local "Spirituality Center" is seeking to partner with me. They want my prayers, they want me to refer people, and they want my money. They assure me that their "superbly trained" staff has made the center "the premier place to go for spiritual direction in the Twin Cities."

"Premier place?" Well, frankly, I don't know if Anglicat is cool enough to partner with a "premier place" for spiritual direction. I sort of like to think that spiritual direction in the Christian tradition might make some mention of the words "Jesus," "Christ," or even "Christian," but no such word graces the three slick pieces of literature I received today. There are pretty pictures of the planet earth, piled stones, and concentric circles on a water surface, but nary a cross or even a symbol of the Trinity can be found anywhere.

And about those "superbly trained" staff members: it was not so long ago that the staff boasted two Jesuit priests. Now there does not appear to be a one, although of course the center's new director is a FORMER Jesuit priest and Trappist monk no less.
And some of his superb training includes training as an executive coach. His biographical sketch mentions that he writes frequently for the National Character Reporter, America, and the Business Journal.

I guess I'm supposed to be impressed about the Spirituality Center's sponsorship of a workshop by "author and holistic psychiatrist" Dr. Henry Emmons this coming October. His new book "The Chemistry of Calm:A Powerful, Drug-Free Plan to Quiet Your Fears and Overcome Your Anxieties," will be released shortly before the workshop, according to the slick little flyer.

Ignatius of Loyola may have gone a little overboard centuries ago when he wrote his famous Rule 13 of the Jesuits' "Rules for Thinking with the Church. "I will believe that the white that I see is black if the hierarchical Church so defines it," wrote the former Basque knight. And now his spiritual descendants have swung very far in the opposite direction in totally distancing themselves from the church and Christianity itself.

Maybe the good Doctor Emmons will partner with the Loyola Spirituality Center in Saint Paul. There's nothing wrong with their New Age-friendly work, it's just that some poor Christian soul seeking spiritual direction in the Christian tradition might be misled. Traditional Christians can probably find more strategic targets for their prayers, their referrals, and their dollars. St. Ignatius would likely quite approve the detour to more clearly Christian endeavors.

Thanks for asking, Loyola. You're dressed mighty fine, but Anglicat has a different Partner in mind....

Kagan: Obama's Harriet Miers Moment

2010-05-17T09:45:00.001-05:00

Five years ago, President Bush nominated a woman for the Supreme Court with zero judicial experience. The media screech was so loud, that the woman was never even given a hearing.

Now it is Barack Huseain Obama who has nominated a qualifications-impaired candidate. Elena Kagan needs to be scuttled as promptly as Miers. Not only does she lack judicial experience, Kagan's judgment in her professional life seems particularly bad. Putting her personal agenda above national security, as a Harvard dean, she denied military recruiters access to the Harvard campus because she disagreed with the military's don't ask/don't tell policy with regard to homosexuals. When the Supreme Court affirmed that withdrawal of federal funding could be linked to denial of recruiter access, Kagan did an about-face, rather then cause Harvard to lose federal funding. Even more unsavory, Kagan championed book-banning in the recent Citizens United vs. FEC, an argument which was handily rejected by the Supremes.

Add to Kagan's lack of judicial experience and her tendency to argue the wrong side of the law, the demographic lopsidedness her nomination brings. If she is appointed, each and every Supreme Court Justice will have been educated at Harvard or Yale. Sequestering herself further in the ivory tower of academia, she served as a Harvard dean before entering politics to work with Joe Biden. If she steps up to the Supreme Court, not one single Protestant will be sitting there. While Anglicat is no fan of the belief that one's judicial decisions are pre-determined by ethnicity, reglion, or other personal factors, she finds it interesting that the only sort of diversity that seems to matter to the current administration is diversity of a non-Anglo-Saxon, non-Protestant sort.

Enough with the political and ideological nominations. Let's have someone with a demonstrated track record on the bench for intelligent, consistent decision-making. At the very least, let's not select someone who needed Supreme Court decisions to spell out for her that yes, indeed, Dean Kagan, you are and would be breaking the law in barring folks from your little ivory tower world, and in seeking to ban books and pamphlets that Americans have every right to circulate and read.

On Greeting Church Visitors: How Not to

2010-05-10T11:04:00.000-05:00

Too funny: The Nasty Vicar.

Hat tip to Sarah Masterson.

Garrison Keillor: Yellow Dog Misogynist

2010-05-10T08:53:00.007-05:00

With his favorite whipping boy now out of the White House for almost a year and a half, Garrison Keillor has turned his considerable sour side to female clergy. Women of the cloth do not seem to inspire much of Keillor's creativity, but when they do, the result is overwhelmingly harsh.

It was about nine years ago that Keillor first portrayed a female cleric. Insecure and over-medicated, she was a new associate minister driven to distraction by the Norwegian bachelor farmers who would not so much as raise their eyes from their shoes when she greeted them. This week-end, Keillor portrayed a female interim pastor, the "Rev. Barbara Hamm," a compulsive eater so disliked by the congregation that they were beginning to hurry with the search process in order to find a permanent replacement for her. In his portrayal of both of these characters, there is no trace of the affection with which he repeatedly sketches Lutheran Pastor Ingqvist, or the Roman Catholic pastor at Our Lady of Perpetual Responsibility.

Get a grip, guy. It is really very unbecoming for a Yellow Dog Democrat to be so down on women. In truth, it seems as if you'd rather see a yellow dog in the pulpit than the brightest, most competent female clergy person. Maybe if a surpassingly sexy clergy woman were to wear black spandex vestments and talk in low, breathy whispers you'd find something positive to write about.

TEC's New Tool: "Public Narrative" over Biblical Narrative

2010-05-05T21:11:00.008-05:00

A hammer in the hand can be used to build a house or crucify an innocent man. Such is the case with all tools, neutral in themselves, but capable of being dedicated either to good purposes or evil purposes, depending on the motivations of the wielder of the tool. Let's explore the "leadership art" of "Public Narrative," as embraced by the Episcopal Church, taught in three training sessions at General Convention, and favored by the Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation (EGR), a TEC-funded organization dedicated to promoting the Millennium Development Goals.

The techniques involved in "Public Narrative" may seem innocent enough. After all, effective preachers and other orators have used the basic principles involved for time immemorial; the telling of emotionally-gripping stories is a great way to capture interest and inspire commitment--unless of course, it shades into demagoguery. According to EGR's Devon Anderson in a recent training session, the art and technique of Public Narrative enables the user to "keep control of the narrative." She cited the example of John Kerry losing control of his public narrative when he was "swift boated." The concern is not for the truth, but for retaining control of the story at any cost. In this, the similarity between Public Narrative and the principles of community organizing, as encoded by Saul Alinsky, become apparent.

The Rev. Anderson, quoting Public Narrative trainer Marshall Ganz, explained recently, "Making moral choices in the absence of emotion is pointless." The effective path to inspiring action, she emphasized, travels from values through emotion to action. Note the decidedly un-Anglican absence of reason in this trajectory. It's as if Hooker's famous 3-legged stool of scripture, reason, and tradition is being replaced solely by emotion. Can a stool with one leg stand?

Further, with "values" as the starting point rather than, say, the stories of the Bible, Christians get launched on paths that can be travelled equally well by atheists. Inspired by Public Narrative, well-intentioned Christians end up doing (presumably) good things in the world, without any reference to God's will or God's guidance.

From Anglicat's law school days, she recalls a wizened professor counselling that "tough cases make bad law." By this, the good professor meant that the emotionally-wrenching details of certain factual situations must not be allowed to defeat rational judgment either in writing laws or setting precedent in case law. Our lawmakers today could really use my old professor's advice to inoculate themselves against the emotionally manipulative stories used, for example, to persuade them to vote for a heath care reform package that is guaranteed to lower the standards of health care for all, diminish personal choice, and bankrupt our nation so that we will no longer be able to accomplish all the good that we do at home and around the world.

TEC would do very well to distance itself from Pubic Narrative, with its focus on "Story of Self," "Story of Us," and "Story of Now." The Biblical narrative still contains the greatest story ever told, and must be the starting point for God's work in the world.

The Atheist, the Sexist, and the Marketing Sense-Impaired

2010-04-28T14:18:00.007-05:00

Hard to believe, but the Democrat Party Convention in Duluth last week-end started off with an objection to reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Seems that an atheist delegate objected to the phrase "under God," but was quickly quashed by the Chair.

I don't know how women can get away with such blatant stereotyping, but candidate Margaret Kelliher proclaimed that she would win her gubernatorial bid because 68% of voters are women. What an insult to women's intelligence. Since when do women voters vote lockstep for female candidates? While I would love to vote for Condoleeza Rice for just about any high governmental office (ditto Michelle Bachmann), I can't imagine willingly filling in the oval by Betty McCollum's name or this Kelliher. Imagine the uproar if a male candidate claimed every male voter's support? On this ridiculous assertion alone, voters should reject this woman. But they didn't.

Lastly, file this in the "What Were They Thinking" folder. Many of the ocean of early R.T. Rybak supporters sported blue-green T-shirts and signs, proclaiming victory for "Team Teal." Was this color choice intended to suggest that Rybak is a BLUE democrat with greener-than-average tendencies? Whatever--Team Teal was lacking in zeal, because ultimately the convention's endorsement went to Kelliher.

Should Kelliher prevail in the Primary over Mark Dayton and any other late comers, that should be a big boost for Minnesota's Republican candidate, be it Marty Seifert or Tom Emmer. We'll know which red candidate gets his convention's endorsement this Friday. Both top Republican candidates have agreed to bow out of the race, if they do not win the convention's endorsement. Emmer's currently ahead, but Seifert has gone negative, and it is difficult to read how his attack mode will play with the delegates. One thing's for sure: it's a lot easier to build party unity behind a positive campaigner, than a negative one.

Off to a Nice Start

2010-04-27T10:23:00.005-05:00

It's spring, Minnesota has a new Episcopal Bishop, and Episcopalians of all sorts seem very optimistic.

Bishop Brian Prior is commencing his ministry with a series of "conversations" throughout the Diocese--but oh--don't use that word, whenever it is possible to avoid it. He knows that "Diocese" has come to have some very negative connotations here, so he jokes about not mentioning that bad word in the company of the youth who are present. Relaxed, and frequently humorous, he puts all those gathered at the workshops at their ease as they quickly settle down to work together.

Only two of the seven scheduled workshops are located in the Twin Cities. That Bishop Prior is getting out to Duluth and Rochester is wonderful, and even more so that he's also getting out to Saint Cloud, Detroit Lakes, and Mankato. Anglicat joined the happy gathering last Saturday in Saint Cloud.

With tongue literally in cheek, Bishop Prior announced that he would not be seeking to be the next Presiding Bishop (an aspiration that would seem entirely logical, given his previous ministries in the national church). This joking announcement set particularly well with a Dio--er--group of folks wearied from a previous Bishop too much gone and too busy with matters outside the --er-- state. He also never mentioned secular politics even once, despite the fact that the political endorsing conventions were happening almost simultaneously with two of the workshops. This focus on the true business of church was yet another breath of fresh air for all, but especially for those who have endured sermons questioning the spiritual maturity of those whose political affiliations tend more towards the red than the blue.

Lastly, to mention four good things--one more than Anglicat's usual limit for illustrations on this blog--is that Bishop Prior seems to see himself primarily as a pastor. During a Holy Week sermon to the clergy, he said that he seeks to make sure that those who are seeking to nurture others are also getting nurtured themselves. It may be challenging for a bishop who thrives on personal contact to adjust to the ministry-on-the-run that the size of this--Diocese--will require.

Ah, sweet spring. Godspeed, Bishop Prior and all the Episcopalians of Minnesota.

Information about the remaining workshops can be obtained at the following link. Get there!

Saturday Morning Humor

2010-04-24T08:30:00.002-05:00

The "Hide the Decline" folks are back: take a look on this rainy Saturday morning: Global Warming Fraud .

An Overdue Development: Media Conscience

2010-04-21T05:33:00.006-05:00

The recent airport tragedy that decimated Poland's leadership has brought the world's attention to our strongest European ally. Poland's President, Lech Kaczynski, suffered unrelenting criticism from the media elite because of his unhesitating support of strengthening his nation's already-close ties with the United States. Following the example of the American mainstream media's biased and relentless assaults upon President Bush, the European--and even the Polish--media conveyed an ugly caricaturization of Kaczynski as hopelessly dim, old-fashioned, awkward, out-of-touch, and even ill or troubled by alcoholism. This was far from the truth, admitted Adam Michnik, editor of Poland's largest newspaper after Kaczynski's death. "He was very harshly criticized by many in the media including me. Now I will have to examine my conscience and ask myself if in my criticism of him I wasn't unfair or just plain brutal."

Kaczynski always walked the upper road with regard to his unfair treatment by the media. Much to the chagrin of his advisers, Kaczynski never dignified the libelous attacks with any official response. The result, many now realize, was a grossly inaccurate public image of a man who was, in fact, wise, decent, honest, and very kind to people. As Polish Radio reported (quoting a man-on-the-street interview), "I do not think we really knew our president. Maybe now--somewhat belatedly--we will get a chance to learn about him."

Has ever the American media come as clean about its hurtful excesses as these Polish journalists? It's time to turn the tables, so that the American mainstream media can follow the lead of its more honest colleagues in Poland. We need to learn about our recent and current Presidents: the overwhelmingly positive about President Bush, and the overwhelmingly negative about President Obama. We need to know our presidents for who they are, not for how the liberal mainstream media wishes to caricaturize them.

Hat tip to Dr. Tomasz Piotr Przytula, Professor of Mass Communications at St. Cloud State University, for his thoughtful article appearing in the April 13 Star Tribune: "Mourning a Stalwart Ally and Patriot".

The Parole Conundrum

2010-04-19T09:32:00.003-05:00

Here's a problem that I wish were hypothetical. In 1981, Ming Sen Shuie kidnapped his former high school teacher and her seven-year old daughter. Over the course of seven weeks, he repeatedly raped his former teacher, and killed a 6 year-old-boy who was unfortunate enough to witness the abduction of the teacher and her daughter. At trial, Shuie lunged at his former teacher and stabbed her with a knife, with the resulting injuries to the teacher requiring 62 stitches.

Thirty years later, Shuie is up for parole from his life sentence. The very mental and emotional abnormalities that led him to kidnap, kill, and rape have also led him to make an "excellent adjustment" to prison life. Shuie has strong attachment and dependency needs, but lacks the social skills to build normal relationships, and he dislikes change. During pre-trial psychological examinations, Shuie expressed wonderment that his teacher and daughter wanted to leave him when they escaped after their seven-week ordeal, "since they had been with [him]for so long." In a nutshell, although prison is the perfect place for Shuie, because he has adjusted so well to prison life, parole guidelines seem to guarantee his release from prison. Hopefully that will not be the end of the story of the correctional system's involvement with him.

Minnesota is one of 20 states that allow for civil commitment for dangerous persons after their prison terms have been completed. Whether Shuie will be shuttled from his prison home to this new program will be determined by means of a three-day trial this week. Despite Shuie's attempts to express remorse and otherwise cast himself in a favorable light, recent psychological evaluations indicate that he is still "extremely dangerous" and lacks the ability to control sexual impulses, refuses treatment opportunities, and believes that no problem exists. Let's hope that Anoka County District Judge Jenny Walker Jasper has her own head screwed on tightly when she makes her decision.

As long as life sentences can be curtailed through unrealistic parole guidelines, we need some mechanism to keep the public safe from violent felons such as Shuie. His future recidivism is a statistical certainty, were he to be set free.

New Church Plants in Minnesota

2010-04-13T16:42:00.007-05:00

In June of 2009, ACNA Archbishop Robert Duncan called for the planting of 1,000 new churches. Since them, 106 churches have been added to ACNA's rolls, for a grand total of 809 congregations, with more in various stages of planning. Anglicans in Minnesota have caught the missionary fervor. No less than three church plants are taking shape in the Twin Cities: in Roseville, just over the state line in Wisconsin, and in southwestern Minneapolis. Of these, Anglican Church of the Trinity in Minneapolis seems to be moving ahead the fastest. The weekly public worship is set to begin on Pentecost, May 23.

The speed with which Trinity Anglican Church is moving forward is due in large part to the organizational skills of Mariellen Jacobson. Prior to completing her term as Treasurer at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Edina, Ms. Jacobson was a key force in the formation and growth of the Lay Leaders' Network in the Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota. News of the church plant and ways to become involved are detailed on the new church's blog, which is linked here: Anglican Church of the Trinity .

So what will be the reaction of local Episcopal churches to the new kids on the Anglican block? Anglicat, who recognizes all Anglicans as her spiritual kin (hence the URL for this blog, "Anglikin") hopes and prays that the reaction will be one of the gracious welcome and the joyful helpfulness appropriate to fellow workers in God's vineyard.

Godspeed to all those seeking to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ, through whatever institutional structures they deem best.

"Vexatious Requesters"

2010-03-19T12:40:00.002-05:00

The Hawaiian Senate is considering a bill that would allow Hawaii's Health Department to ignore requests to see copies of Barack Obama's Hawaiian birth certificate. State officials claim that they receive 10-20 requests per week, and that responding to them takes too much staff time, because questioners do not drop their requests when told that copies of the certificate are not available to anyone who does not have a "tangible interest," according to policy chief Lorrin Kim. Under the bill, individuals would be declared "vexatious requesters" and denied access to government records for two years.Rep. Cynthia Thielen opposes the bill saying, "Do we really want to be known internationally as the legislature that blocked inquiries into where President Obama was born?"

With this secrecy-promoting bill, Hawaii's Democrats are missing a splendid opportunity to gain revenue for a state budget so strapped that public schools are now open for only 3 and 1/2 days per week. By charging a hefty sum for copies of the controversial birth certificate, Hawaii would maintain a sense of transparency and gain much-needed revenue. :D

Yes, Anglicat is vacationing in Oahu. She would be delighted to meet with any Anglicat readers here if a convenient time can be arranged. Email her at kgjeffrey@msn.com.

134,216 Volunteer Hours

2010-03-11T12:32:00.002-06:00

According to an email message this morning from Organizing for America, 134,216 hours of volunteer work have been pledged in Minnesota alone to keep the phones ringing on Capitol Hill in support of pushing through Obamacare. The message came with my representative's phone number and a script to use when making the call. The message linked to a highly-sophisticated website urging other direct advocacy action.

Now Anglicat understands that the Americans who oppose the devastation that would be wreaked on our economy if Obamacare passes, are busy folks with jobs, kids, and other responsibilities. Unlike the students and other activists solicited by the evil Organizing for America, we have a hard time carving out volunteer hours for elections, let alone the year-round campaigning that Barack Obama aggressively solicits. We know that if somebody is going to pay the bills, the business of America needs to be business, not political activism. Yes, all that is true. BUT in this extremely close SECOND vote on the reform that the majority of America clearly does not want, we need to carve out a few moments to contact our representatives yet again. Hard copy letters are best, followed by faxes, then emails, and lastly phone calls. But doing anything is better than doing nothing. So find the time to send a "no" to this obscenely complex* and economy-busting bill. Your children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren will thank you.

*Nancy Pelosi urged last night that we need to pass the 2000-page bill so that we can find out what's in it. Wonderful: blindly vote for something without even reading, let alone understanding, its content and implications. That's how our current Speaker of the House is steering our country.

A Bishop is Born

2010-02-13T20:38:00.004-06:00

Yep, it was by and large a gracious service, and the Episcopal Church's newest bishop was consecrated today at the Minneapolis Convention Center. One of the best parts took place before the liturgy began. Bishop-elect Brian Prior stood by the door through which all the Diocese's gathered clergy walked in procession. He shook the hand of each and every priest and deacon, warm greetings passing in both directions. The handshake was a small gesture, but one very gratefully noted and received. One Diocesan old-timer commented how different this consecration was from the previous one, seventeen years ago, at which organizers nervously awaited the final consent needed to total the minimum number of consents needed for the consecration legally to occur. It was only one hour before the liturgy was scheduled to begin, that the final consent was received, according to the story. Anglicat has not been able to verify this surprising tidbit, and would be grateful if other long-tenured members of the Diocese could confirm, elaborate, or rebut this interesting anecdote.

More details about today's consecration to follow in subsequent threads.

Photo credit: Sarah Rust Sampedro.