Hail to the Redskins...

...hail victory. Washington upsets Dallas - in Dallas! - 26 to 24. Dallas folks are free to come on in and trash the officiating, etc. Your powder-blue cream puffs lost on your own (Astro)turf.

The happy young man to the right is Redskins wide receiver Antwaan Randle El.

Sunday Music - Gounod's Sanctus

Sanctus, Gounod's St. Cecilia Mass (Messe solennelle en l'honneur de Sainte Cecile). The tenor soloist is Michel Fabiano.

UPDATED:A VETERAN'S VIEW OF JOHN MCCAIN

The first debate is now over. Read to the bottom for an update!


Let me begin by saying that I am a veteran of the Viet Nam era. And not just any veteran, I volunteered and joined the Marine Corps. I did so when I was 17 but delayed enlistment until the January after my 18th birthday. I put boots on the ground in Da Nang in July of 1968 -- part of the ongoing Tet Offensive replacement program. I am by MOS a tanker, an 1811. The difference between us and the 0311's -- they walked and we rode. I have seen combat close up and real personal. I am NOT voting for John McCain. John McCain was a pilot. He fought a sanitary war from afar. While it was not his "fault" he was shot down; many, many pilots did lots of sorties and never were shot down. While I deeply admire his prisoner of war status and greatly respect what he must have gone through, still, he has never been in combat up close and personal. It is way different than from 10,000 feet as a fighter bomber. It is way different to have boots on the ground. I am deeply concerned for his decision-making efforts when it comes to war and much more concerned about his ability to push the red button when strained. I would not want this sanitized war person with his finger on the button.

Secondly, and just as important, I will never vote for a Republican again as long as they treat veterans the way they treated John Kerry and John Murtha of Pennsylvania. It seemed that just when we were going to get a true Viet Nam veteran in the White House the Republican party devoted much of their "527" money to "swiftboating" John Kerry and his war record. When Mr. Murtha, another highly decorated Marine, spoke out against the war in Iraq the republicans came after him hammer and tong. No, I shall never vote for a republican as long as they denigrate the service of Viet Nam veterans. I hold no grudge against POWS that told the NV everything the NVA wanted to hear. I hold no grudge against those who dodged the draft and went to Canada and I respect those who dodged the draft and went to jail. I expect the same courtesy back. I especially do not ever expect to hear a national party say such mean, vile and hateful things against decorated war heroes.

No, I am not voting for John McCain nor am I ever going to vote for a republican because of their lack of respect and dignity afforded the veterans of the Viet Nam war who now sit in office trying to provide another service to our country. It is my fondest wish that each and everyone of you will vote and vote your conscience.

This president will not hesitate to send your sons and daughters to: 1, Iran, Afghanistan, Georgia, North Korea, Iraq, Ukraine, or any where else so he can feel good about himself. Each and every time he spoke of these areas in the context of power and warfare his eyes gleamed. He acts like he wants to go to war so bad he can taste it! It seems to me his answer to the economy is warfare!

Are you an "Angli-CAN"?

We're taking off our gloves and digging into church politics at our new blog, Real Anglicans. OTA will still be up and running, but think of it as the "nice twin." Fred already has some timely and feisty posts, so head on over. (We are using Haloscan over there, it does keep things a bit livelier on a hot topic).

Why the second blog? I think Fred said it best on the welcome message, so I'm repeating it below. See you there!

Hello world! A small group of us have opened up a more freewheeling area for those of you who are undergoing changes. The Diocese of Forth Worth and the Diocese of Pittsburgh, to name but two. We also understand that the Diocese Quincy is considering a move to the southern climes. We are also aware that several more dioceses are in the process of becoming something they perhaps do not wish to become. You are all welcome to post here at Real Anglicans. We call ourselves the real Anglicans because among other things, we subscribe to the doctrine, discipline and worship of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America AND/including tradition, scripture and reason. We believe that Episcopalians are, in fact, the only real Anglicans in the United States. In the last few years, groups have been trying to abscond with the most revered of names, and we have decided wrest it from the grip of imposters. "It" being the name Anglican. We have had enough of those scalawags in places such as Nigeria, Kenya, Sydney, the "Southern Cone," and Rwanda - to name but a few - stealing land, property and the good name of Anglican. We believe that uncaring, unthinking and fundamentalist persons should not be allowed to besmirch our good name and traditions. We are prepared to cross pens with anyone thinking otherwise. Fortunately, when you are in our ballpark you play by our rules or you move on. As authors of this blog we get the last word and we intend to use it.

To our brothers and sisters throughout the country: we know you are hurt, and we know you are angry and this blog is the place to vent. We also know you may need thoughts and ideas as well as prayers for how to proceed. We are hopeful that those from the Diocese of San Joaquin will also post helpful hints and ideas. We are also hopeful that from time to time a "bigwig" may cruise by and pick up an idea or two they can use -- or perhaps leave an idea or two. A sage once told me that if two persons each give the other a quarter and walk away then each still only has a quarter. However, if two persons each give the other an idea then walk away they each have two ideas. We hope you each gain at least that much.

Those who live on the dark side are welcome to post here -- beware we will delete those posts that are abusive -- we do know the difference between edgy and abusive.

A personal note in closing. We are madly, wildly and passionately in love with our Lord, Jesus Christ. We came to this conclusion through our beloved Episcopal Church. Truly we struggle from time to time but scripture, reason and tradition bring us through every time. Our God is madly, wildly passionately in love with us and sent Jesus to make sure we knew that. Trust us when we say we will no longer stand idly by and allow some group of thugs parading around as God's chosen stealing from us God's poem of love to us. Forewarned is forearmed.

A Little Sunday Mozart

Mozart's Laudate Dominum
(This recording of the classic is from Katherine Jenkins'
CD: Second Nature.)

IS THE JOB DONE?

Mr. Robert Duncan is now the former bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh. But, is the job finished in Pittsburgh? I think not, there is at least one more to do. Let me say upfront, I do not understand for certain that a diocese without a bishop falls under the presiding bishop but I certainly hope so and here is why.

Here is a portion of one of two statements on the Pittsburgh diocesan website:

“This is of course a very painful moment for Pittsburgh Episcopalians. The leadership of The Episcopal Church has inserted itself in a most violent manner into the affairs and governance of our diocese. While we await the decision of the diocesan convention on realignment to a different province of the Anglican Communion, we will stand firm against any further attempts by those outside our boundaries intimidate us,” said the Rev. David Wilson, president of the Standing Committee.

.

Ya'll want painful, come visit St. Francis in Turlock, California. You want painful, come visit with a life-long Episcopalian that had her church sold out from underneath her so that Mr. Schofield can fund his move to the Southern Cone. Presumably this was written by and for the Standing Committee of the diocese of Pittsburgh. And, guess who is on the Standing Committee? Yes none other than The Reverend Geoffery Chapman, St. Stephen's Church, Sewickley, PA. This is one of my "favorite" people -- he wrote the Chapman Memo that the entire orthodox world is force feeding the rest of the Anglican Communion one word at a time.

"The Chapman Memo"

Tell you Pittsburgh folks what. How does the following sound? Since the Reverend Geoffery Chapman's has/advocates the abandonment of the doctrine and discipline of the Episcopal Church we ask for the following. Given the fact that the Presiding Bishop has ultimate control of the diocese at this time, Rev. Chapman could be inhibited and ultimately deposed as well. He can then sit on the sidelines just like is beloved boss. Perhaps then the Archduke of the Southern Cone could welcome the Rev. Chapman into the fold as well.

All those in favor signify by saying "Aye".

Sound Fundamentals

"The economy is fundamentally sound."  John McCain.

Apparently Presidential hopeful John McCain does not live on the same planet nor in the same country as you and I.  This statement is beyond comprehension.  The mortgage world is beyond absurd.  I work in Stockton, CA, the city with more foreclosures than any other.  The unemployment rate in the county I live in, is over 13% and the nationwide unemployment is 6.1%.  I have no idea how many manufacturing jobs have been moved overseas in the last 8 years but I would hazard a guess that it is more than in the history of the country.  In fact, we are in danger of losing every manufacturing job in the country to overseas labor.  My brother-in-law works for Sylvania lighting in So. California and most of the light bulbs they now sell are made in China. This process has a demonstrated 60% failure rate and yet Sylvania accepts that failure rate because the labor is so cheap it still is profitable.  We have not had a true anti-trust suit since Bobby Kennedy was Attorney General (for your youngsters that would be 1963).  Now we see the federal government nationalizing AIG.  This of course after such colossal failures with Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Lehman Brothers.  AIG will cost the taxpayers 85 Billion dollars -- that has got to be close enough to salvage a lot of personal home mortgages.  Couple that with the 100+ Billion dollars spent in Iraq funding George W. Bush's and Dick Cheney's friends.  Washington Mutual is about to go under.  In the meantime oil companies announce record profits of 10-13 billion dollars per QUARTER.
 
Enter presidential hopeful, John McCain.  John has 7 homes which he sometimes cannot remember.  I do not know if that is he cannot remember he has 7 homes, where they are or why he has them.  John believes that middle class income is $4million.

The economy is fundamentally sound the same way the emperor is dressed.  It is because I say it is, and, if one says it enough then we will all believe it.  I genuinely feel like I have fallen through the looking glass.
 
I am ready for a change -- the kind of change that John McCain cannot bring because he cannot see anything but a fundamentally sound economy.
John, you will get my vote --- when pigs (with or without lipstick) fly!

Don't believe me?  Try this:

"Wall Street's Just Deserts"