PROPOSITION 8 - LEST WE FORGET

If you live in California you have by now seen this commercial. If you have not, please take a moment and view it. I know this is a rerun but this proposition must be defeated and the only way to do that at this moment is to keep the issue in front of everyone.

As Christians we are called to a new order of things -- to be compassionate. Please look the word up. The meaning is significant in Jesus' life and it should be in ours. The issues of purity are old and tattered andworn and we are called to the new. If we are to be followers of Jesus we must be campassionate.

Compassion requires a NO vote on Proposition 8.

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"

The Reality of Afghanistan

"Afghanistan is bigger than Iraq, more rugged, more impoverished and vastly more complicated, with more languages, more ethnic groups, more tribes and more lethal neighbors."

"Where there is a real military presence, it is possible to bring peace and development to Afghanistan. But where there are no foreign troops, there is often anarchy. Though European governments like to draw a line between bringing 'security' and engaging in counter-terrorism in Afghanistan, on the ground those missions blur."
Anne Applebaum, Willing To Win in Afghanistan? The Washington Post (Op-Ed), September 16, 2008.

I live between the Pentagon and Fort Belvoir - and I can total up more total "tour days" in Afghanistan than Iraq for my military friends (and their children). Stay informed, and remember all the NATO troops stationed there in our prayers.

Not That Different

A little Sunday music from Collin Raye:

I laugh, I love, I hope, I try
I hurt, I need, I fear, I cry
And I know you do the same things, too
So were really not that different, me and you

WHY DID MCCAIN PICK PALIN?

National Public Radio is running a program on both Morning Edition and All Things Considered entitled Does Race Matter in '08. The series talks with 13 persons. 7 persons are white and 6 persons interviewed are of color. Here is a little bit about York, PA. York has about double the national average of people living under the poverty line. York also has a manufacturing economy (hard to believe that in an Eastern state, huh?). This should be fertile ground for the democratic candidate since we have lost more jobs overseas than ever before. These folks talk about why they are voting for who they are voting. It is a fascinating series but it made me think about why John McCain would pick Sarah Palin. As a caveat, these are 13 people, hardly a representative sample that would hold up statistically -- but, they are, I believe, representative of the "culture wars" that are going on in many of the battleground states like California, Texas, New York, Florida, etc. And, the style and technique of the Republican strategy is reminiscent of the same swift boat techniques used last presidential go around.

Let's start with this quote from the series:

"I don't think there is a problem with a black man," says Don Getty, a retired police officer, who is white. "I personally don't think Obama is the right one. He doesn't have the experience."

Margie Orr, a black receptionist, takes exception to Getty's view of Obama's experience.

"My thing is, though, what would make you think Palin would be — OK — we know John McCain has medical problems, God forbid that this man is elected, and this white female, so what you're saying is, though, the United States would rather see — as long as they're white — they don't care if she's even a female, but as long as it's a white person ..."

"No, I don't think that's the case," Getty responds. "She has more executive experience than he does. He was a community organizer. Nobody's ever told me what a community organizer is."

Then there is this exchange:

"I look at Obama, and I have a question in my mind," she says. "Years ago, was he taken into the Muslim faith? And my concern is the only way you are no longer a Muslim is if you are dead, killed. So in my mind, he's still alive."

Although Barack Obama has said repeatedly he is not a Muslim and has never been a Muslim, Moreland is still unconvinced.

"There is something about him I don't trust," she says. "I don't care how good a speaker he is, I just can't trust him."

This is the same person who just a few minutes earlier says this:

"I can't recall any privilege that I got because I was white," Getty says. "I mean, I went to city schools. But I don't know of anything that I got because I was white that the black kids couldn't have gotten the same thing."

So lets think about at least one way Sarah Palin may have been selected to the VP slot. Karl Rove gets a panicked call from the McCain staffers. We want to win but we are losing by anywhere 4 to 6 percentage points what can we do? Rove says, "No problem." You guys saw how close the tough lady, Hilary Clinton came to getting the nomination, right? let's capitalize on a couple of issues. You need 4 to 6 points, right? We put a white woman on the ticket. It gives the white folks a chance to vote for change and without voting for a black. It eases the conscience and allows people to think that they are not racist. It gives voters the chance to say, "But I voted for change, I voted for a woman. Isn't that a good thing?" Sarah Palin gave McCain all that plus change and plus the religious right which needed a reason to not vote for a black. In addition, she has executive experience and isn't that better than a US Senator?

Is McCain a racist? Does the McCain camp use racist tactics to divide and win? Well, you decide for yourself.

One of the most telling parts of the program allows us to each answer this question clearly for ourselves:


Of the seven white voters and six voters of color, the majority of white voters are supporting McCain. All of the people of color are supporting Obama.

What does that say? Coincidence? Or is something else at work?

"I only heard one person even say or even think the reason they were voting that was because of race," says property manager Charlotte Bergdoll, the sole undecided voter.

She said she didn't see a connection between race and political choice, and in that assessment she wasn't alone.

But after the voters spent more time debating that divide — again, all the voters of color behind Obama, and almost all the white voters behind John McCain — most came to a reluctant conclusion.

Does race matter on a subconscious level? There was a series of exasperated utterances of "Yes."

I Remember

Something very special is happening at the Pentagon today, a dedication. Sacred Ground: The Pentagon Memorial

Please remember those left behind, particularly the family of LTC Neil Hyland. He was my tenant, and then my next door neighbor. He died in the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. Rest in peace, Neil - and all who died with you that day. And so today, I remember.

THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SAN JOAQUIN AND PITTSBURGH

In a well written piece Father Bruce Robison compares and contrasts the Diocese of Pittsburgh with the Diocese of San Joaquin. See the following link for the entire article.

"A Reflection on San Joaquin and Pittsburgh
--The Rev. Bruce Robison, Rector, St. Andrew’s, Highland Park
(Pittsburgh)"

This article is located at Father James Simon’s blog entitled Three Rivers Episcopal, a blog that James (The Three Legged Stool) called our attention to a few weeks ago. The quote I would like to call your attention to is:

“More pertinently, though, I have continued to follow the San Joaquin situation, and I’m writing this commentary, because I and many others have wondered if there might be a few clues there about what might lie ahead for us here, in Pittsburgh, with our “realignment vote” at diocesan convention now only a bit more than a month away. After all, of the four dioceses of the Episcopal Church that seem on the course for “realignment” (San Joaquin, Pittsburgh, Quincy, and Fort Worth), San Joaquin went first.”

This is, for the Pittsburgh Across the Aisle folks of some genuine import. There is at least one theory that says you know where you are going by following where you have been. The Pittsburgh folks have extrapolated this theory just a tad and said, "We know where we are going by using the Diocese of San Joaquin as an example and by that example we can, to a large extent, plot our course for where we want to go.

But, what if this is all a smokescreen? What if there is a larger plan? What if the answer to the proverbial question, “How does one eat an elephant? Answer: One bite at a time.”, really apply to the TEC?

If we take every “realignment” as an isolated event then yes, the Pittsburgh approach makes sense. But what if each realignment is but one more step in an overall plan to takeover the entire Episcopal Church? Then we (TEC) are always one step behind and getting further behind with every realignment. And each time the next diocese moves to the Southern Cone or the AMiA or CANA and TEC is forced to pick up the pieces TEC gets further and further behind.

Ahhh, but there is one thing we may need to consider: “tipping point”.

“The term tipping point describes a point at which a slow gradual change becomes irreversible and then proceeds with gathering pace. It is derived from the metaphor of a rigid solid object being tilted to a point where it begins to topple.”

For us, TEC,  our "tipping point" comes from so many legal entanglements that we wake up one morning and discover we are they.

These seemingly related only in concept "takeovers" are in fact a larger and more direct attack on the Episcopal Church. That yes, Pittsburgh can learn from what happened in San Joaquin but that will quite easily play into the hands of the “Primates Council”. The current  strategy TEC is following will eventually give up the Episcopal Church. What we need, really need, is a strategy that will stop these thugs in their tracks.

My first suggestion, after much thought, is that the primate involved, in this instance, Greg Venables, the Province and every bishop in that province be named personally and individually liable for these incursions. Certainly they are the direct as well as indrect beneficiaries of the "realignment".  They benefit immediately with the illegal transfer of property and cash to the various entities within the new province.  In addition, we test out some new legislation that perhaps attacks these individuals, perhaps under the Alien and Sedition Acts or perhaps under some IRS or INS code that gives these Primates the opportunity to expend their resources and their time and their attorneys in court. Perhaps were Mr. Venables named in suits in Fort Worth and San Joaquin and Pittsburgh and forced to appear any number of times – or better yet, when here arrested as a flight risk and held here until these suits were over the other Primates may begin to think twice about these stupid, mean-spirited and ugly forays into the Episcopal Church.
Now, we will hear one more time about how awful we are that we are "suing" and we my stand to lose more laity but hey, in about 5 years we are all going to be "Southern Conaliones" otherwise so what's to lose?

If we want to avoid the inevitable then we will need to create a much broader strategy that includes some form of offense. A defensive strategy will only postpone the inevitable.

Sunday Music: We're Rockin' Today

A bit on the darker side here, but a powerful message. From the reigning queen of the Christian Rock genre, Natalie Grant:



It might be time to cycle back to Rutter next Sunday...

A GROWING MONOLITH

In a blog close to some of us toujoursdan offers the following comments:

"Secondly, for business to out perform others as the free market demands, they need the best talent they can get. So attributes like gender, race and sexual orientation have become less and less important than the ability to do the job well. In-demand workers are going to seek out the best deal they can get and gravitate towards business, and (if they are skilled immigrants) countries, that give them the best benefits packages. This is incompatible with political initiatives that were used to limit equality of people based on race, and still attempt to do so on gender and sexual orientation."

Well, this is a good a place to start as any.

When was the last time anyone saw an anti-trust suit? Someone took on Microsoft and pretty much lost. Before that there was ATT and it was broken up -- but wait, look now? Presto - chango now you see it now you don't and now you do! Honestly we have not had a successful anti-trust campaign since Robert Kennedy was Attorney General.

Let's look at but one example. The oil companies own everything from well-head to distribution point. They are allowed, by tax law, to move the "revenues" anywhere along that line to reduce and/or eliminate taxes. The oil companies are netting between 8 and 10 billion dollars a year!

The price of oil went up because: (pick one)
a) of the hurricane?
b) Because of the lack of production facilities?
c) the lack of new oil fields?
d) the lack of new drilling?
e) or the presence of war in the middle east?
f) none of the above.

If you picked none of the above you would be absolutely correct! The price of oil went up because someone with a lot of money decided to play the market with their dollars! And what happened last week? Some hedge funds lost their shirts because they bought high and got stuck! I would say that these folks screw with our lives but they do not even know we exist. They do not care or even think about middle class or lower class or even upper class. They are in it for one reason -- self-gratification. I made a bunch of money one time and I can do it again -- and they do. And we let them. It makes them feel good!

The net result of much of this interaction, at least on the real world, is jobs are going oversees. Rich land, land that can feed the world, is being paved over and houses are being build that no one can afford and that those that could are now being foreclosed on and no one cares about them. Oh, sure, the current administration will bail out banks and Fannie and Freddie not because of the help it provides to the people but because the stock holders will scream bloody murder! Self-gratification.

Now, back to the original question. What capitalists of this nature need are dull-witted,non-thinking automatons that get paid nothing and have no benefits and cannot or do not think; that will not organize and will not complain but will live on the edge so that they will be thankful for that crumb that falls from the master's table.

David Korten, author of The Great Turning, states,

"To end poverty, heal the environment, and secure the human future it is necessary to turn from growth to the reallocation of resources as the defining economic priority. Eliminate harmful uses (military, advertising, sprawl, and financial speculation), increase beneficial uses (environmental regeneration, food and energy self-reliance, health, education, and productive investment), and give priority to the needs of those the old economy excludes and represses (the desperate, hungry, and indentured)."

This is what we must be about.This is what we must change.

Peter Jensen's Latest Word

I came across this from the ++Jensen (of the Peter type) and thought it deserved a reprint. It may be a first draft. You can use the website to see his product. You must drink a cup of coffee before reading this post and you must promise to wash your hands when you are done.

Let me be personal as one of the highlights of my life.
Primarily it was a spiritual conference and a spiritual experience. As one of the organizers, I was in a position to see how the Lord answered a conference time. I was simply extraordinary and I must testify. I know many people all round the world not to mention the Lord’s will. I will illustrate my natural personality. I was giving a great thought. The run-up to Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria, asked us all to stop. To him, it was very important that we sought the mind in each other. I found this decision a difficult one. I was conscious. The sheer variety of people. The level of trust we followed. The chairman’s wisdom was the Jerusalem Declaration. A document which in my opinion I have to say Archbishop Orombi was in tears. In part this was because of the content. People had shared their pain and I had seen much more: I have just received an email from an immense Sudanese bishop blessed by some of the Sydney delegation. He went home. He reports that nineteen people came to know. Lord! Indeed there is no limit. Help give in. The Anglican Communion know that all of you were comfortable. Our decision not to know the whole story extend over many opinions.
Overwhelmingly, the Communion is still opposed to sex. GAFCON made that clear. Yet there are powerful forces which will treat the ‘sanctification of sin’ as Jim Packer.
Fundamentally there is a strategy for patience. We had to have a work out. We go from here to a nuclear explosion. Those closest to the centre of it will suffer first. The rest of us will take some time, but we will escape.
The other approach, the offensive activities, requires long periods of time and much talk. In the meantime parishes and even whole dioceses are left. I appreciate a number of people who share the second approach to protect orthodox liver. Biblical standards plays into the hands of those who go by the more acceptable novel.
Holding GAFCON was absolutely necessary and the result of my mind not attending. When people say Lambeth, they fail Lambeth. The best way to make world Anglicanism – and indeed well beyond Anglicanism, was to attend.

You will find (and you may wish to read) the original here:
Trusting God at "GAFFE"con

They will "have no truck"

(A little humor break)

A certain fundi-con commentator with an odd definition of virtue wrote this about the FOCA primates on his "news" blog: "...They will have no truck with sexual behavior outside of heterosexual marriage between a man and a woman."

At first, I thought of our Leonardo and what happened to Red. But then, I realized he was using a clever idiom meaning "will have no dealings with," so certainly he wouldn't want to go anywhere near that truck.

I, for one, will have no truck with hateful bigots. And hatred is not a virtue.

And Leonardo, I promise, we'll return Red. Do you mind if we keep the tractor-pull conversion intact? It looks really snazzy. We kept it red, but there is a decal on the side with a really cool volcano and the lettering "Big Len.". Will put a pan of brownies and a box of Belgian chocolates in the glove box, and the tank will be full.

Back to your regularly scheduled program...

LET'S NEGOTIATE?

A recent article appeared in another blog that has just infuriated me. I was minding my own business (as best I can) when I slipped over to an old favorite of mine and a good friend, James. James posts under the "Three Legged Stool" and is quite calm, reasoned, analytical and almost always, well okay, always a good read. He posted a veiled reference to another blog and I made the mistake and jumped over to read the blog. Well here goes cause I am genuinely tired of the cr*p folks are trying to foist on TEC and the Anglican Church of Canada. If I were king here is what I would say:

First, TEC and ACoC will not stop recognizing the rights or each and every person that God has created. We intend to reach out in God's love and with the help of Christ's mercy and bring as many people into the love and knowledge of God that we can. We in TEC and ACoC cannot live up to the old testament commands and so we will, with God's help live in a relationship with our Lord and Saviour that allows us to love God with all our heart, and soul, and mind and we will love (ALL) our neighbors as ourselves. These are the commandments we will live by and with the mercy of God we will be reconciled with our God in life everlasting.

Second, we recognize the the Archbishop of Canterbury is a focal point for the Anglican faith once delivered and that one cannot be Anglican with out direct ties to an Anglican church. That it is hard to understand a person or group who wishes to be Anglican in all that that means and yet rejects the Archbishop of Canterbury since he/she is appointed by the HEAD OF THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION.

Third, we reject out of hand any DEMAND by any bishop, archbishop, primate or any other person in power who refuses to work towards peace and harmony within their own province. The attack and killing of anyone, Muslims included that is not immediately and convincingly condemned by a person in a position to stop cannot change the argument to some other area of concern in hopes that no one will notice the problems in their own country. No demand by any primate will be considered that does not seek to free captives held hostage in the primate's country first. No demand by any primate will be considered that does not seek to end the rape and murder of women in the primate's country first. No demand by any primate will be considered that does not seek to solve the problems of young boys being pressed into service by rebels in the primate's country first. No demand by any primate will be considered that does not seek to end the disappearance of persons in opposition to the entrenched government in the primate's country first. We will not respond nor in any way act on anything these primates have to say or ask or demand so long as they continue to raid parishes and diocese in provinces not of their own for the purpose of money and power.

Fourth, TEC and the ACoC will not negotiate with primates or anyone that negotiates from the position of "we have more people than you do so that makes us right and you wrong". There is no basis in fact, logic, theology or epistemology that warrants this argument as anything but invalid. Numbers does not make anyone right. Truth makes one right and we have seen no truth in GAFCON claims.

Fifth, GAFCON funding sources that create an illusion of "solvency" does not create an argument that TEC or ACoC will deal with on any level. Solvency is not a criteria for correctness nor is it a criteria for the love of God or Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit will not, not descend on anyone because that person or group is either solvent or insolvent.

Sixth, TEC and ACoc will not stop litigation and will not negotiate against ourselves in this process. GAFCON and the myriad alphabet soup affiliates must not mistake TEC ACoC kindness for weakness. We also will not negotiate with thieves and robbers and bigots. If GAFCON wants to negotiate then GAFCON needs to return all property and money to the appropriate diocese and once that is done TEC and ACoC will begin to consider the possibility of negotiations and perhaps think about reconciliation.

Seventh, TEC and ACoC will not negotiate with any GAFCON or affiliates who continue to meddle in the internal affairs of another province. Where these primates found the time to jet around the world when their own countries suffer from starvation, kidnapping, murder, rape, and theft is unconscionable and TEC and ACoC will not negotiate anything with these primates until such time as they demonstrate a capacity for propensity for mercy, love, care and concern for those most affected by these crimes in their own countries.

Eighth, TEC and ACoC will not negotiate with any primate or group of primates that will not in love and humility exchange the peace and receive the sacrament of the Eucharist with our primates.

Ninth, TEC and ACoC will not negotiate with any primate or group of primates that believes they can put together such documents as the Jerusalem Declarations or the GAFCON Communique and demand anything. The art of negotiations is based on a good faith belief that each side can achieve it's goals and that no side can dominate. These primates simply wish to dominate -- women, LGBT, weak bishops, weak churches, sinners and tax collectors and TEC and ACoC stands with Jesus in protecting all classes of people and has determined that no one is for sale, no one is up for negotiations and no one will be traded for someone else. This is NON NEGOTIABLE.

Thank you, turn me over, I think I am done on this side.

UNITED STATES FIRST STRIKE POLICY

The issue I have heard absolutely nothing about from either candidate is one which cannot be reversed, at least not anytime soon. And yet, is the most dangerous to our safety of any foreign policy issue we currently pursue. That issue is the first strike policy President George W. Bush advanced prior to his invasion of Iraq. It was not enough to fabricate a reason to invade a sovereign nation and overthrow a government. Something the United Nations was specifically designed to counter. It was not enough to go against the rationale his father, George H.W. Bush put forward for not removing Sadam during Desert Storm. This president, George W. Bush has completely given up the moral ground by declaring that the United States will attack any country first that appears to threaten the United States. Talk about an outrageous foreign policy change! The old policy made it "okay" to hunt down murderous thugs and evildoers when they committed acts of barbarism in the United States. That which made it okay was the fact that we would NEVER do something like that to someone else. Now, that is all changed.

Now, many will claim that we have, on occasion, stepped into a country on pretense. BUT, we have never advanced that theory as a stated foreign policy. The old policy meant that when someone attacks the World Trade towers we are the ones offended and we can be outraged. If someone attacked our trains, or our subways, or some other dam or electric grid or anything we would have been the country with a significant grievance before the United Nations. Now, with this policy in place, we no longer hold the high ground. Anytime some group blows something up in the United States we have no moral authority to appeal to, since the response will be, "you are our enemy and we needed to strike you before you struck us." It does not matter who or from where these folks come from, it is now justified.

My issue is, at least at this time, I hear no significant presidential or vice presidential candidate discussing how to reverse this incredibly stupid blunder by a president that barely understands basic civics let alone complex foreign policy. How is it that we can believe for one minute that we can be safe if everyone else in the world lives in fear that we might, at any moment, drop a couple of tomahawk missiles and have a few Stealth bombers drop bunker busters on their capital. I would like to see Mr. Obama begin to craft a plan to counteract this incredibly overarching policy that will inevitably get the United States into a big pot of trouble.