Men (and Women) in Albs

Reformation Day has passed, but before it did, I remembered this bit from the movie Men in Black when Tommy Lee Jones as K is talking to Will Smith as James Edwards before he became J:

Edwards: Why the big secret? People are smart. They can handle it.

Kay: A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it. Fifteen hundred years ago everybody knew the Earth was the center of the universe. Five hundred years ago, everybody knew the Earth was flat, and fifteen minutes ago, you knew that humans were alone on this planet. Imagine what you'll know tomorrow.

So how does this apply to Reformation Day? Imagine if you will, as I did, a conversation between Martin Luther as he is putting his Ninety-Nine Theses on the door of the Wittenberg Church door and a fellow cleric...

Cleric: Whatcha doing Martin?

Luther: I've got some problems with our theology, some big problems. You know that. And it's high time everybody knows, not just the bishops.

Cleric: What do you mean Bishops, you're the Father of Lutheranism, you're not Roman Catholic! Your reformation started the whole Lutheran Church thing!

Luther: Stupid! Don't you know anything about church history! I'm Roman Catholic and so are you! So is most of Europe in 1517! Dumbkopf!

Cleric: So what is this about?

Luther: The Church needs to be reformed if...

Cleric: There's that word!

Luther: Yes, and do you know what it means? Reform, change, big change, very big change, maybe even change in italics! It doesn't mean schism, it means change. What comes of it after my death, well, we'll see where it goes from there, but what I want is for the Church Universal to change.

Cleric: What do you mean by Church Universal?

Luther: That's all catholic with a lower case c means, universal. When you read it in the creeds it doesn't mean Roman Catholic or even the Eastern Orthodox, it means the universal church. Do I have to explain everything to you?

Cleric: Looks that way...

Luther: What's causing you problems here?

Cleric: Well, here it says you want us to stop selling plenary indulgences. Why would we ever do that?

Luther: Insert eye roll here! With these indulgences we sell, with cash money we sell the holiness of good people to bad people so that they can get into heaven, right.

Cleric: Sure, that's the only way my Uncle Stugotz will even sniff heaven!

Luther: That's what I mean! You can't sell holiness! Where is that even found in scripture?

Cleric: Er, in the book of...

Luther: Yeah, don't bother. It's not found in scripture. We soil ourselves to believe this is even possible and for what, a few coins in the treasury?

Cleric: Hey, don't knock it. Giving is down. We gotta do something to put butts in the pews. We gotta get giving up Martin. The Sistine Chapel Ceiling didn't paint itself. Pope needs cash to do the work of the church.

Luther: How is another fresco going to serve the poor and the widowed and the travelers and the...

Cleric: Well Pope Trump is going to build a wall across the Rubicon so...

Luther: There is so much wrong with that statement I'm not even going to try to correct you. The point is the work of the church is not nice things. The work of the church is outside the walls, not inside the walls.

Cleric: So why put this stuff up on the door? You want the biships and doctors of the church to discuss this stuff right?

Luther: Surely yes I do. But I've been neglected in small groups. Maybe posting this on All Saints Day when we all come to Wittenberg will cause us to act.

Cleric: If you mean your trial, excommunication, and death sentence, then yes, your call to action will be met.

Luther: Yes, I suspect you're right. And do you know why, because a person is smart. We're having a decent conversation, except for your lapses in church history and that "Pope Trump" crack. A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, superstitious animals and you know it. Fifteen hundred years ago everybody thought Jesus was a poser and a Jewish heretic. Five hundred years ago the bow was the latest in war technology, and fifteen minutes ago, you thought money could take holiness from the treasury of merit to help your Uncle Stugotz. Imagine what you'll know tomorrow.

Well, that isn't what happened, but as Kurt Vonnegut once said during a Palm Sunday sermon, you can always count on a crowd to look at the wrong end of a miracle. A person is smart. Two people can have a conversation, we can have coffee and a streusel. We can discuss and if we can keep a calm head we can discuss the matters of the day.

If our day and time has shown us one thing for sure, if it's the church or politics, and let us remember a secular government is an American invention, people are dumb, panicky, superstitious animals. And you know it.

IS THIS ANY WAY TO LIVE?

It seems this is the way we live according to the RNC, living in FEAR! Is this anyway to live? You'd think inflation was 17.8%, unemployment was approaching 25%, the Gross Domestic Product was shrinking, and the crime you read about in Batman was what was happening. Is this any way to live?

For one, we don't live like this. We don't. Life isn't perfect, not by a stretch, but if all we do is watch the new on TV (and it doesn't matter what your brand is) you're going to be scared to death. It's how they keep you coming back for more. Between the 24-Hour news cycle, the pundits who feed it, and the politicians who fuel it up, keeping us living in fear keeps them in power and wealth. Do you think they'll give any of that up easily? No.

Unplug. Read The Atlantic Monthly, read The Economist. Read stuff with tables and without pictures. Get a magazine that doesn't have articles about Kardashians in it. If we don't, we'll end up living in a world Lenny warns about...

Conditioned to hate and them to blame
Their search for God is just the same
Machines for hearts, how warped a view
Forgetting that they're human too
Waiting like a branded steer
Who first will launch the burning spear
When every day may be your last
You think we'd learn from our past

I living in fear, I living in fear
I can't tell you no lies
I living in fear, I living in fear
Ouh yeah yeah yeah yeah

People say history repeats itself. The joke that comes from that is that's not true, historians repeat each other. Actually, the quote is "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

In this case, it's true, historians do repeat each other... because history has repeated.

Is this any way to live? No, it's not. Beware

Pastor Paul's July 12 Federated Flash Article

Dear Friends in Christ,

Chris Baker is a student at Garrett Evangelical Seminary in Louisville. He wrote this for his Facebook page and it is currently making the rounds on the interwebs. I haven’t found anyone who has said this in such a sound theological manner so instead of trying, I will use his words. To clarify, derailment is the act of using a counterargument or counter assertion to derail a conversation from the original point:

I saw yet another ‪#‎AllLivesMatter‬ derailment this morning, and it made me want to scream. Or, rather, it made me want to scream this: 

‬‬
When, in the Beatitudes, Jesus says, "Blessed are the poor," you don't shout "Everyone's blessed!" When Jesus says "Blessed are the hungry," you don't shout "Everyone's blessed!" When Jesus says, "Blessed are those who mourn," you don't shout "Everyone's blessed!" You don't, I hope, because you understand that Jesus declares these people blessed precisely because they never have been. Their society never blessed them. The proverbial powers that be never blessed them. Their neighbors never blessed them. No one blessed them. No one considered them blessed, worthy of blessing. Their lives, in other words, never mattered.

I hope, too, that you understand what happens next in the Gospel of Luke. The blessings are followed by curses. Woe to the rich, who have enriched themselves at the expense of the poor. Woe to the full, who have engorged themselves at the expense of the hungry. Woe to those who are laughing now, in the face of the grief and misery of others. Jesus has flipped the script. Out is in. In is out. Down is up. Up is down. And ‪#‎BlackLivesMatter‬ precisely because they haven't, and in your derailment they still don't. Biblically and theologically speaking, that's some dangerous ground you're occupying.

Now for what he doesn’t say, all lives don’t matter. He’s saying that according to the Gospel of Luke, the powerless will be blessed and those who benefit at the expense of those who are oppressed, woe unto them. Ready for the big curse, if that includes some police, if that includes some politicians, if that includes some corporations (who are “persons” under the law) then so be it. Woe unto them.

I hate to bring up the Jackson 5 here, but this is the problem of “one bad apple.” Sometimes all it takes is one person to cause a broad brush to be used. It’s one of the greatest horrors, but it’s true. Pastors understand this too. With sexual abuse, financial abuse, and other abuses of power I can be suspect.

In the Beatitudes, Jesus blesses those who have never been blessed. Those who have blessed themselves, well, woe unto them. I thank God for the Messiah who has blessed us so that we may be a blessing.

I am not here to curse woes unto people who have done well. The nation of Israel was blessed to be a blessing. Through Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah, the Christ, we have been grafted into that vine. We have been blessed, but if we are not a blessing then Christ will ask what we have done with our blessing. This is a question worth asking. This is what our society needs to ask.

Oh, and maybe when the people who have not been blessed are, that will be a blessing to all people.

See you in Church, Paul

We pray for police, military, and all others who voluntarily put themselves in harm’s way in service to others.

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

John 15:13

Snark, my Sense of Humor, and American Politics

Dear Friends,
Those of you who know me at all know I have a tremendous and vast sense of humor. I find all sorts of things funny and look to find humor in every situation, usually successfully. Those of you who know me well know that from time to time my sense of humor can be snarky. Or sarcastic. Or downright dark. I try to keep those down to a minimum. I tend to keep that part of my sense of humor out of my professional life.

Side note: Those who know me socially are asking "That's a minimum?" My best answer is "Yes, now imagine what I self edit... Now imagine what I only share with my wife... " This is when we all nominate the wonderful Marie for sainthood.

The reason I haven't updated this blog recently is because I haven't had much to say, and the things that I thought I might share were best self edited. Readers who have experienced recent postings, especially the "Lies my father/mother told me" series, are wiping their brows in gladness. This is one of the few times the phrase "thank you for not sharing" is appropriate. It's not a proud moment, but still.

I will never lose my sense of humor. Nor will I lose every element of my sense of humor, but here's something very important-- I am sick of the level of snark I have seen in the past ten years. Let me make this very clear, if I've had it up to here with snark it's probably drowning mortals. What pushed me over the edge? The current debate on the Affordable Healthcare Act.

I find much of it disingenuous. Before President Obama was inaugurated Congressional Republicans publicly declared their goal over "the next four years is to make President Obama a one-term president." While the strategy didn't work that doesn't prevent its continuation.

But don't let Congressional Democrats off the hook. They're just as bad, nobody has cornered the market on "disingenuous." The party of my inclination is just as able to brew a tempest in a teapot. The reason I don't list any is that I have read so many Facebook posts and memes about how Democrats impede government sending America into poverty that I don't need to. If you disagree with my politics you have your own laundry list.

Important point! I don't hate the people who disagree with me! I need the people who disagree with me! People who challenge me and what I believe give me perspectives that challenge what I believe and make my beliefs stronger. You may make me either affirm or change what I believe, and either way it still makes me stronger, not weaker!

But the level of snark from both sides of the Congressional aisle don't challenge me. They now disgust me. As for me, on this day, I believe there's enough blame to go around. Again, enough blame to go around. As Shakespeare said, "a pox on both of your houses. Both of your houses!"

About fifteen years ago my father had an epiphany in Missouri state races. All of the men running for office, Democrats and Republicans both, were acting like idiot blowhards. The women on the other hand were measured and constructive. Today I look at Michelle Bachman and Hillary Clinton and wonder what happens once you reach a certain point. It's the Peter Principle of American Politics. I despair this once workable solution is now improbable.

If you want to accuse me of being snarky right now I want to plead "not guilty" but will probably settle for "no contest." I'm trying to express myself without going over the edge right now (and on a second reading too out things that were too close to the edge of snark for my comfort), but that is the tight rope I now choose to walk. That's the abyss I'm not going to throw myself into anymore, God help me.

So friends, please know that my sense of humor will remain sharp. My stories will still be funny. My puns will still be flowing like a river. And I seek to quit wasting my time and yours on snark, especially political snark. Now that's a load off my chest.

Love you all,
Paul

Pastor Paul's July Newsletter Article

My sister has recently noted that I don't post much stuff here. She's right. It's not like I'm putting long-form content anyplace else, it's just that either I haven't had much to say recently or I've had so much to say it's all garbled and not making it past my fingertips.  Well, this much has gotten past. Here is my Newsletter Article from July. God bless and enjoy!

Dear Friends in Christ,

We are coming up on Independence Day, the day we celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It is a joyful day. It is a day that should be celebrated joyfully.  The declaration beings:

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

Reading this, from the perspective of a protestant minister, something very important pops up; The Laws of Nature have a place of precedence over Nature’s God. Natural law is a view that certain rights or values are inherent in or universally recognizable. In the battle for American Independence, one of the natural laws, the inherent values the Colonists held is that being taxed without having a say about how they are taxed is wrong. “Taxation without representation is unfair.”

I gotta admit, putting natural law before the one who creates natural law bugs me, but let’s not stop there, it gets better. The declaration continues:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

This part tells the world that our national forefathers believed that our Creator has first given us certain rights that cannot be denied and that the role of Government is to ensure that these rights are not denied. God gives us rights and Government helps secure these rights.

Romans 13 tells us that government is ordained by God so we must be obedient lest we rebel against what God has instituted:

Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.

This applies to taxes too…

This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

So friends, let us obey God. Let us give thanks to God for our leaders of yesterday, today and tomorrow. Let us give thanks for our leaders local and national. Let us even give thanks for our church leaders from the Session to the General Assembly, for they too are a government body, the leaders of our denomination.

God bless you all. God bless the PC(USA). God bless the United States of America.

See you in church,

Pastor Paul

Ozzie and Miami

When he was manager of the Chicago White Sox, Ozzie Guillen was known for putting his foot in his mouth. He would say the most absurd things! This was a part of the reason the Miami Marlins were so happy to land him, and why it was so easy for the Sox to let him go.

The Miami Marlins, formerly the Florida Marlins, have two World Series Championships and no fan base. It's almost impossible to get a house for a game in Miami! Between the weather (rain at 5PM anybody?) and, well, it's Miami people, the Marlins never drew much of a crowd.

This year was the first big step in changing that. There's a new baseball stadium on the site of the old Orange Bowl. There's a retractable roof so there's no more problems with the rain. There's a change from a generic "Florida" name to a new "Miami" vibe. The last piece of the puzzle was Ozzie. Venezuelan by birth, it was hoped Ozzie could speak to the Latin population of the city in ways others could not.

Whoops.

ESPN reports Guillen told Time magazine for an article published last week that he loves Castro and respects him for staying in power for so long. If you want to alienate Miami's Cuban population, with a stadium in the heart of Little Havana, that's the best way to do it.

I think this analysis says more about what Ozzie meant to say than the quotes. Ozzie has always seen himself as a rebel. He's willing to do or say what ever it takes to win games and championships, his way of staying in power. He said he deplores Castro's politics, but loves his chutzpah. He loves the fact that a man so despised by the world can be a "success." He is still President-for-Life after all. Maybe that's the title Ozzie wants, President-for-Life. Forget these silly front office people. Forget the press. Forget the crowds. All that matters is the number of wins. Fidel is a winner and Ozzie backs the winner... even though he hates his politics.

I know little of Florida or Miami politics, but this much I have learned: There is no way of extolling love for Castro in South Florida that even comes close to being appropriate. Ozzie committed the first sin of trying to get Miami's Latin and specifically Cuban population to follow. That's all.

Ozzie has apologized. Whether it's because he "betrayed his Latin community" or for causing such a storm that he might lose his job we'll see. In my opinion he'd be a fool not to be sorry for both of these things. In both of these things he seems sincere.

In the meantime, he begins a five game suspension. Will he be fired? I suspect it depends on whether or not the storm subsides and people go to the stadium or not. We'll see next week.

Support for Coach Ricky Sargent

Here's a plug for Coach Ricky Sargent.

Let me begin with a little about where I'm coming from. First, my mother and father taught me to respect and obey authority. You had better believe I obeyed my high school coach when we were out on road trips. Second, I have no kids of my own. The concerns of the parents, while understood, are not ingrained on me like they would be a parent. Finally, let's just say 60 miles today isn't what 60 miles was when I was in high school. I remember thinking it was a huge distance, but after living in rural Colorado and in Texas, 60 miles is nothing.

Ricky Sargent was the football and track coach at Hempstead ISD. The kids were being rowdy on the bus, so when they stopped at 11PM in Gittings, Texas, 60 miles from home, the coach told everyone they weren't getting any food.

Two boys, cousins, decided to disobey. They got left behind. The coach even went back to wait with the boys!

Now let me add two more things. First, getting stranded in 2012 is different from even being stranded when I was in High School in the late 1970's. The boys called their mommas from their cell phones, they didn't have to call collect from a gas station pay phone. Let me also mention again they were stranded in Giddings, Texas. Giddings is a wide spot in the road outside of Austin with a population of less than 6,000. It's not like they were left in a crack den in a methed-up neighborhood.

There is talk of discipline breaking down. Well here's somebody who showed that actions have consequences and for that he got fired. What did the young boys learn, "if I cry to momma I'll get what I want." What did the mommas learn? Nothing, by their actions all they say is "I can't discipline my children and neither can you."

I like what Coach Sargent did. Was it a good thing to do? In this litigious society it wasn't the smart thing to do. Do I think the the school board did the right thing? I think that to cover their collective asses in a litigious society they did what they had to do.

On a side note, what if the coach "had been playin'" and pulled around the corner? What's the lesson to the rest of the team? "Go ahead, disobey me, there are no consequences and by disobeying you are the only members of the team to get food." Now that would be messed up. Good for you coach. Here's hoping you, your 2011 State Championship in football, and no-nonsense attitude get a better job quickly.

Stories from MyFOX26 in Houston...
School Bus Abandons Student Athletes at Burger Joint
Hempstead ISD Fires Popular Coach

Bored by Politicos

Last night was the State of the Union with the Republican Response.

Last week, the Fellowship of Presbyterians created the Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians. (This is either their third or forth name in a year.)

I have officially decided that I don't want to be bothered with most of these clowns.

As for the State of the Union , let me guess what was said... We're a strong nation. There are ways we can be better. I got some ideas, but all I will say right now are broad brushstrokes that will be parsed for weeks. By the way, those jokers are getting in the way for me to do real work.

As for the Republican Response: We're a strong nation. There are ways we can be better. We got some ideas, but all we'll say right now are broad brushstrokes that will be parsed for weeks. By the way, those jokers are getting in the way for us to do real work.

In the Presbyterian Church, it's thinly veiled like this--Those guys aren't biblical! I'm not going to be divisive, but their take on gays is all wrong so we're out of here as long as we can find a way to get out of here with millions in real estate and our pensions.

The other side's take is thinly veiled as--don't let the door which you're leaving with us hit you in the ass on the way out.

Yes, I have made a fatal error in all four of these general statements: Extremes make good sound bytes but actually represent very few people. They're great for headlines and bylines. They're great for getting my name out there, but on the whole they're useless.

That's where I am right now. In the nation we call it politics and in the church we call it polity. Both words come from the Greek word "polis" which means "city." (As in "The Super Bowl will be played in Indiana Polis soon.) In general today the today deals with how the city (or other jurisdiction) operates. Frankly I can live without the garbage the "polis" thinks is important.

It's quit being about people and is more about power more than ever and that has completely bored me to tears. If you agree, sign up for my new "Cry Me a River" party.

It's About Who We Are

By now you are familiar with the "Urinating Marine Brouhaha." Video and still photos exist showing four United States Marines urinating on corpses in Afghanistan. What you may not be aware of is that according to the Huffington Post Texas Governor and Presidential Hopeful Rick Perry is defending these Marines.

Governor Perry defends the Marines saying on CNN's "State of the Union," "Obviously, 18-19-year-old kids make stupid mistakes all too often. And that's what's occurred here."

I believe Governor Perry is horribly wrong.

Let's start here: Hasn't Mothers Against Drunk Driving taught us "kids do stupid things" is no defense, especially in life and death situations?

Another reason I believe Governor Perry is wrong is that photos like this embolden the enemy and weakens support at home. The effects of the events at Abu Ghraib Prison made this point clear years ago. As the old saying goes, those who refuse to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. In this case, the time between the two events is eight years.

The article points out that desecration of corpses is a violation of the Geneva Conventions. I say we shouldn't need an international treaty to say it's wrong to pee on the dead. When I managed a bar in the Westport district of KC, MO I once had to tell someone they couldn't pee off of the roof of the bar next door. When he said he didn't see a sign that said he couldn't I said, "Ah dang, someone took my sign? I'll have to make a new one. Get down. If you're so dumb you need someone to tell you not to urinate on a dead body you aren't smart enough to be a marine.

Then article says that Arizona Republican Senator John McCain disagrees with the Governor. The former pilot and Vietnam Era Prisoner of War says we don't lower ourselves to the level of our enemy. Doing what "our enemy does" lowers us. You can disagree with me, but Senator McCain has an expertise in this situation that nobody should ever have. McCain's point about the difference between what we do and what the enemy does is the most important.

McCain's point is not about the enemy. It is not about what "others do so we do the same or worse." It's about who we are. Are we a nation that kicks cats and pees on the dead? Are we a country that doesn't hold young men who wear the uniform of our nation accountable for their actions? Are we a people who blame others for looking at the internet and catching us with our pants down (literally) when we post it on the web?

If the answer is yes, we have become a disappointing nation.

If we hold ourselves to be a Christian nation, we need to hold ourselves accountable to what God wants for us and for all creation. These actions show a basic lack of dignity and respect that takes us too far away "loving God and your neighbor as yourself."

Love God, love the Marine Corp, and hold people accountable for what they do. Sorry Governor Perry. I think you're very, very wrong.

Congratulations to our National Leaders, You've Really Done It Now

I know that I should refrain from language that is not so nice, but sometimes there are few phrases that express meaning more clearly than a colorful one. Congratulations to the President and Congress, you've really screwed the pooch this time.

Standard & Poor's is the most often cited ratings agency for bonds and other sorts of debt. In short, the better your rating, the cheaper it is to get financing. It' s kind of like a credit score for people who finance big debt. This is what they had to say about the "quality" of US Debt after the last round of talks that raised the debt ceiling:

We lowered our long-term rating on the U.S. because we believe that the prolonged controversy over raising the statutory debt ceiling and the related fiscal policy debate indicate that further near-term progress containing the growth in public spending, especially on entitlements, or on reaching an agreement on raising revenues is less likely than we previously assumed and will remain a contentious and fitful process.

— Standard & Poor's, United States of America Long-Term Rating Lowered To 'AA+' On Political Risks And Rising Debt Burden; Outlook Negative, www.standardandpoors.com/ratingsdirect

Yes, Standard and Poor's didn't lower the government's credit rating because the debt ceiling was raised, but because of how the debt ceiling was raised. Much of the quality of debt rating has to do with the confidence a lender has about whether or not the debt will be repaid. Our leaders have just shaken the confidence straight out of our S&P's rating.

This is not a "Republican Thing" or a "Democrat Thing." It's not a "President Thing" and it's not a "Congress Thing." This is a pox on both of their houses. They have completely screwed the pooch, they have killed the goose that laid the golden egg. Welcome to the wonders that were Rome, Greece, and Britannia. We have no one to blame except for the leaders that put us there.

Is there a way out? As a child of God, I believe in redemption, there's a way out. Do I think it has to do with any of the Bozo's inside the beltway? Maybe that one Independent from Vermont, but anyone else, no.

So what do I say about voting next time? Vote against! Vote against incumbents everywhere! Start fresh and maybe we can get two solid years of governance in before the corporations begin to buy themselves a new set of politician.

"Vote 'No' on Politicians! It Won't Get Worse."

Government Cheese

"Government Cheese" written by Bob Walkenhorst and recorded by The Rainmakers.

This song was written in the early 1980's when one of the foods distributed to poor people was cheese, forever known as "Government Cheese." The song was an anthem to Reagan Conservatives and everyone else who though this was an absurd creation of the welfare state. The first verse goes like this:

Give a man a free house and he'll bust out the windows
Put his family on food stamps, now he's a big spender
no food on the table and the bills ain't paid
'Cause he spent it on cigarettes and P.G.A.
They'll turn us all into beggars 'cause they're easier to please
They're feeding our people that Government Cheese

As a liberal, it isn't my favorite in the catalog, but as someone with a lick of common sense I can't deny much of it. But there's also a final verse I want you to consider:

Give a man a free ticket on a dead end ride
And he'll climb in the back even though nobody's driving
Too goddamn lazy to crawl out of the wreck
And he'll rot there while he waits for the welfare check
Going to hell in a handbag, can't you see
I ain't gonna eat no Government Cheese

Here's my new point: Politicians, those who are nominally our leaders, are bought and sold by people who finance campaigns. Politicians need votes to get elected; getting elected takes money; money buys influence. Money buys influence.

Politicians have been given the ticket on the dead end ride of campaign finance and they aren't bothering to get out of the wreck because they keep getting their checks. This is why people in Washington don't change, they keep getting paid. In the end, the real difference between Republicans, Democrats, and Welfare Queens is the source of the check. What a bunch of hypocrites! Any way you slice it, they've all lined up to a teat and are feeding well while the rest of us are left to rot.

Good luck everyone. What we need is someone in government who will say, "I ain't gonna eat the corporate cheese." Until that happens, what we've seen for the last four weeks is going to be the beginning. I just pray it isn't the beginning of the end.

Nope, Nothing Is Certain

In a letter to Jean-Baptiste Leroy on November 13, 1789 Ben Franklin wrote: Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.

Well, guess what--Franklin was wrong!

For legal purposes, a corporation has the same rights as every individual person. But with government bailouts of "corporations too large to fail" there is now corporate immortality.

Also, there are corporations that do not pay corporate taxes. These are very big corporations too.

So we actually have individuals in this country that can't die and don't pay taxes. It looks like Franklin was wrong after all. I don't think he'd be happy with that.

On the Death of Osama Bin Laden

It was a Tuesday morning at seminary in Austin, Texas, I was learning the Hebrew alphabet. After class I went to the Financial Aid Office because I needed to do some paperwork. It was there that I heard of the attacks on the World Trade Center. Listening to it on the radio was surreal. It was like listening to H.G.Wells "War of the Worlds," but this time it was real.

Last night, just after midnight, I couldn't sleep so I turned the TV on to ESPN. After about a minute I noticed the "BREAKING NEWS" logo at the bottom of the screen. This is where I learned of the death of Osama Bin Laden. I changed to the news and watched. Since then I have wondered how to respond to the death of a terrorist who was responsible for the deaths of thousands of Americans. Rabbi Shmuli Boteach has posted his response on algemeiner.com. I enjoy much of what he has to say.

But let me start with where I disagree. He says "Judaism stands alone as a world religion in its commandment to hate evil." He goes on to say that Christians don't understand the words of Jesus, he knows that because he has studied the New Testament and has even published a book sourcing it throughly. Let me take this sidetrack for a criticism of the Rabbi, what Christians call commentary and Jews call midrash exist to help teach and understand the word of God. You are allowed your commentary, but as I am unqualified to teach you your faith, you are equally unqualified to teach me mine. Instead, let's find common ground.

Saying that, his closing comment is where the rubber hits the road:

"I hate Osama bin Laden but I will not rejoice in his death. It would have been better for the world had he never been born. But once he was, and once he directed his life to unspeakable cruelty, it was necessary for him to be stopped and killed. And for that I give thanks to G-d and the brave soldiers of the American military for making the world a safer, more just, and innocent place."

These are good words.

Evil is to be hated. Evil is to be fought. Justice is to be honored and celebrated. Death is to be mourned. To dance on one grave is to dance on all of them. Honor the soldiers who won this battle. Honor the soldiers who have fallen fighting this battle. Know that it was necessary to end the reign of terror caused by Osama Bin Laden and know that the battle doesn't end with his death.

So these are my first words on the death of Osama Bin Laden. My problem with my own words is that right now it seems like wet concrete. There is plenty of substance, but it's not ready to bear the full weight of what it will eventually support. I guess there is nothing to do but let it cure until it can bear the full weight.

Someone wrote last night that the celebrations of Bin Laden's death were unseemly. I agree with him, but I understand this spontaneous, emotional outburst. Catharsis is never tidy.

Who Watches the Watchmen?

Friends, and I say this because I have friends who are "Birthers". I have heard many say that President Obama should have shown his birth certificate then "all of this would have been done." Friends, here's my question, to whom should he have shown his birth certificate? Yes, that's it, who should have seen it? I don't think it should be Donald Trump.

So what qualifies someone to become President? Article II, Section 1, Clause 5 of the Constitution sets the principal qualifications one must meet to be eligible for the Presidency. The President must be a natural born citizen of the United States who is at least thirty-five years old and been a permanent resident in the United States for at least fourteen years.

As for what it means to be a "natural born citizen," this didn't become contentious until after the Civil War with Reconstruction. It became a sticking point because suddenly potential presidents, citizens of the Southern United States, had sworn allegiance to a foreign power, the Confederate States of America.

The Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution defined citizenship primarily in the first sentence of Section 1: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside." The rest of the amendment dealt with reconstruction issues and certainly not to any person born after 1868.

In fact, the Fourteenth Amendment made the term "natural born citizen" obsolete.

Here's the end: According to this State of Hawaii Certificate of Live Birth Barack Obama was born in the state of Hawaii (not a territory since 1959) and is a citizen of the US.

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What is missing from the constitution is who checks these qualifications for each candidate? Why? Because until Barack Obama there hasn't been a major party candidate suspected of not meeting these eligibility criteria. This brouhaha came up because nobody knew the answer to the question "Who watches the watchmen?"

As for me, I assumed (yes, I know what that means) that whether it be in his home state of Illinois, or whoever certifies ballots before the primary or general election, or Hillary Clinton, or the Democratic Party itself; I assumed someone, somewhere asked if he was a citizen and found a satisfactory answer.

This is who's supposed to check this stuff out, whether by law or by simple common sense. Then again, what's so common anymore.

Why isn't anyone else asking if this was checked out before we voted? Pundips (my combined word for "pundit" and "dip$#!%") everywhere have barked at the President, I haven't heard of anybody who has asked about those who were supposed maintain the integrity of our federal elections. Then again, you get more mileage complaining about the President then you get complaining about a faceless bureaucrat leading a faceless bureau.

Friends, it's time to watch the watchmen.

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And if the presentation of this Certificate of Live Birth isn't enough, if you suspect it's a fraud, well then SUE! Don't be Trump and make a media circus of "checking its authenticity yourself." I would think that any citizen would have the right to ask in court if their President was born in this country or not. Somewhere there's a lawyer who would love to take this to either Congress or the Supreme Court or both. In a land of Checks and Balances there's someone who should be willing to host this lawsuit. Quit complaining and do something! SUE 'EM! Get your answers outside of the court of public opinion and put it in a court with the teeth to do something within the law to enforce the law.

That's how we do things in a nation of laws.

What Now?

This one's for you, Donald!

This article by Rachel Rose Hartman is posted on today's Yahoo News:

The president had released his certificate of live birth in 2008, but many "birthers" said the absence of a long form birth certificate prompted questions about Obama's birthplace of Hawaii. In recent weeks potential GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump has brought birther questions into the forefront of the media.

"At a time of great consequence for this country--when we should be debating how we win the future, reduce our deficit, deal with high gas prices, and bring stability to the Middle East, Washington, DC, was once again distracted by a fake issue," Pfeiffer said. "The President's hope is that with this step, we can move on to debating the bigger issues that matter to the American people and the future of the country."

So now, all you "Birthers," what now? Can we now get on with the affairs of state and get out the Birther controversy?  Not yet, for one, Donald Trump is going to take credit.

Trump on Wednesday took full credit for the release.

"I feel I've accomplished something really really important and I'm honored by it," Trump said at a press conference held during his pre-scheduled visit today to New Hampshire. Trump noted that people have long been requesting the document, but Trump was the only one who got the president to release it. Trump suggested Wednesday this development will boost his own potential presidential candidacy.

Yes Donald, you've done something important, you've distracted a nation, you've gotten Sarah Palin's support, and you've made Bill O'Reilly sound reasonable to lefties nationwide and that's truly something. Of course, he's not done yet.

Trump said he and others are still going to have to assess the document's authenticity. We're "going to look at it. We have to see if it's real, if it's proper," Trump said. But he added that he's "sure it's the right deal" and is looking forward to moving on to more important issues such as OPEC and China. 

"He and others are still going to assess the document's authenticity." It just goes to show that we are a nation of voyeurs, we aren't going to believe anything unless we see it ourselves. This doesn't make us leery of politicians and their words, it makes us selfish because only our opinions matter. "It's not a fact unless I say it is." It also goes to show he and "Birthers" everywhere are never going to be happy until Barack Obama is out of office. So it goes...

In the meantime, smoke screens everywhere are blowing around distracting the nation from what are important affairs of state. We the people need to hold the feet of elected officials everywhere to the fire to govern to benefit the lives of all Americans.

On the other hand, I want to see the birth certificate for The Donald's hair, that thing can't be American made.

Finding What You're Looking For

It has been reported that Iran is considering boycotting the 2012 Olympics in London because the logo, a stylized rendering of the Olympic year, 2012, resembles the word "Zion."

I guess that if you're always looking for a "Zionist Conspiracy" you'll always be able to find one.

How about boycotting because I still can't see either a "2" or an "N" out of whatever that is in the lower right corner.  How about boycotting because it's really pretty ugly?

Oh, that's happening too.  Never mind.

Grace Presbytery Ratifies Amendment 10-A

PRESBYTERIAN POLITY FOLLOWS!  Actually there is more than that, but you probably figured it our with the blog title's spoiler.

Today Grace Presbytery voted on the overtures from the 219th General Assembly. The hot button topic was Amendment 10-A. (The full text of the amendment can be found on pages1-2 on this link ) Many say this is the amendment about allowing the ordination of sexually active gays and lesbians. It is more accurate to say this amendment allows for the nomination to ordained office for gays and lesbians.

Some would say this is just parsing the amendment, but I believe the distinction is important. Even if selected by a nominating committee, it is always up to the congregation to elect--led by the wisdom of the Holy Spirit--who will lead them as Decons, Elders, and Ministers of the Word and Sacrament.

The Amendment was ratified with an unofficial vote count of 243-149.  (All vote counts on the Presbyterian amendments are unofficial, all the Stated Clerk will report is a Yea or Nay vote, so technically there is no "official" vote count to report.)

I believe what I said about this topic two years ago (found at this link) is still important, but it is not what I think needed to be heard, and it was not what I needed to say.  I was just four speakers away from the microphone when the vote was called, but I didn't hear what I was about to say from any other speaker, so I want to share it with you here and now.

Madam Moderator and my friends of Grace, I am the Reverend Paul Andresen, Minister of Word and Sacrament from First, Marshall and I speak in favor of the amendment. 

The Reverend Doctor David Johnson recently asked a group of friends "Why do you stay in the Presbyterian Church?"  I took this question very seriously.  Finally after considering theology and worship and polity and a number of other things, it was ultimately revealed that the Church of Christ which meets as the PC (USA) is my home an you are my family. 

This was expressed better in the book of Ruth as Naomi sends away her widowed daughter-in-law, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God."

I do not know how the vote will be cast today, but this I do know.  We are family, even when we argue we are the children of God.  We are better together than we are apart and I pray you will not send me away. 

Madam Moderator, thank you.

This does not mean that Presbyterian Churches [PC(USA) that is] can ordain gays and lesbians starting tomorrow.  There are more presbyteries to vote.  Then even if it passes, I don't see challenges going away quickly. It's a divisive issue which will continue dividing the House of God.  Still let us pray for unity, let us pray for peace, and above all, let us pray for Grace.

Sarah Palin and Blood Libel

I would like to thank Governor Palin for this much, if I am any indication I would like to thank her for teaching an entire generation the term "blood libel."

Here's a video of the Governor's statement, this version is from Governor Palin's facebook page and hosted at vimeo.com:

Sarah Palin: "America's Enduring Strength" from Sarah Palin on Vimeo.

If you are like me, you went to Wikipedia and read this, "Blood libel (also blood accusation) refers to a false accusation or claim that religious minorities, in European contexts almost always Jews, murder children to use their blood in certain aspects of their religious rituals and holidays." Thanks WikiWorld!

There are lots of thing to be said about this, but in my opinion none have said them better than Ruth Abrams in her blog The Versatile Writer. She writes:

Sarah Palin is not a member of a persecuted, segregated minority. Though she has resigned her legitimately elected office, she’s a political leader who is being accused of overblown, violent rhetoric. Of that I think she’s actually guilty. I’ve read the things she said and seen her little gun sight map. I don’t think her rhetoric is the key issue underlying the Tuscon shooting–it’s not even in the top three key issues, which are gun control, the lack of adequate mental health care and the stigma attached to seeking mental health care. [BTW, I don't agree with her stance on gun control as an issue in this matter, but I do agree with her stance on the state of mental health issues in America. -PAA]

But look, Sarah Palin, if someone shoots one of your political opponents and thousands of people turn to look at your gun-related metaphors for how to vote her out of office, it’s not “blood libel.” It’s people saying your wild west, violent, anti-intellectual style is as dangerous as your reactionary political substance. It may be opportunistic, but I’m glad they are. Now cut the cultural appropriation and pull up your socks–take some responsibility for what you say.

In her video response, Governor Palin says "each individual is accountable for his actions" saying this is not the time to blame talk radio or other such media for the actions of deranged individuals. What the Governor fails to take into account is that you should blame the person who yells "fire" in a crowded movie house as well as the person who starts the stampede. Media have been screaming "fire" for years and are now in shock when somebody fires.

She also mentions late in the piece that the cry from some politicians to "take up arms" is a metaphor for voting. I guess this means the 2nd Amendment's right to keep and bear arms is a rephrasing of voting rights. I'm glad we got that out of the way.

Finally, at about the 2:15 mark,in a place where Governor Palin extols the benefits of political rhetoric, she mentioned "maps of swing districts that were used by both sides of the aisle." Yes, both sides of the aisle. I'll take her at her word on this, but then ask the question every parents asks every teenager, "Would you jump off a cliff if everyone used sniper sight imagery in their civil political rhetoric?"

I pray somebody begins to say no and demands better from those who will govern us. We must demand more of those who we elect to office. In fact, let's quit electing politicians and start electing leaders.

Ration after the Irrational

Some of my friends have been trying to make sense of the violence of this weekend. Shoot, I gave it a shot in yesterday's sermon myself. Still, there is a danger in all of this.

These acts yesterday were the acts of a man with real mental trouble. I am not fit to diagnose, not will I ever be called upon to judge his mental health. But after hearing some interviews and seeing his YouTube videos, he did not seem to be in perfect mental health to me.

So when people of good conscience try to make conclusions beyond his actions, there will be some lapses.It's inevitable! What Jared Loughner did was beyond reason. Some political rhetoric in the Cable News Sphere and the Talk Radio Sphere and the BlogoSphere and the Twittersphere and whatever other else spheres are out on the other side of civility too. But to connect the two, trying to create a relationship that says one causes the other is perilous at best.

Friends, don't try to make sense of the acts of a killer. It's not going to help. What we must do is take responsibility for our own actions, our own speech, and our own images. Which reminds me, this isn't the first time a "peace sign" has been replaced by the Mercedes-Benz logo, but can we try to make it the last?

And That's All I Have to Say About That, The Coda

Yeah, I realize it's a stupid heading title, but alas, it fits. Since this is the coda, you should read the next post first.

Over the past eight hours or so, something that I have noticed missing from the sermon piece is that I speak of a Jewish woman, a woman whose faith is important to her, and use it in a Christian context. Literally, I take her shooting, I take her story, and put it in an a-Semitic setting.

I say a-Semitic instead of antisemitic because I neglect it entirely! My writing is completely without reference to her faith and that's what the prefix a- means, without.

So, how can I talk about what has happened to this woman and put it in a Christian context?

First, John 4:22 (references here) reminds us "salvation comes from the Jews." Any Christian who takes an antisemitic stand fails to remember this most basic of all truths, salvation comes from the Jews.

Second, my denomination, the Presbyterian Church (USA), has made a statement that the Jews have always had a special relationship with the Lord, further saying that this relationship did not end with the life of Jesus of Nazareth.

Finally, what happened in Tucson transcends denomination, it is a tragedy of at least national proportion. If I split the hair in my sermon too finely by not mentioning Representative Giffords' faith, I apologize.

It was an oversight, not a slight.