We Are A Nation Afraid of Our Own Shadow

Something really, really, terrible happened in September of 2001. Yes, the Twin Towers came crashing down upon over 2800 of our friends, neighbors, acquaintances, and people we did not even know. When given the chance, our president, George W. Bush, took the low road and convinced us that we have everything to fear including fear itself. He could have given the old FDR speech about how we have nothing to fear but fear itself but he chose to scare us into submission. So, in addition to the fact that we collectively were saddened by the deaths of our countrypersons, we breathed a collective sigh of relief that it wasn't us, and then President Bush followed it up immediately with, "yeah, but not only could it have been you, it may still be you!" That is correct, we are scared out of our collective wits. This is not your vanilla afraid of things, this is look under the beds, check out the closets, keep your doors locked every second of every day 'cause the Al-Quaida terrorists will seek you and and kill you scared!
With that fear he was able to accomplish what the terrorists could not -- and in one sense they have won already. Yep, they want us to be afraid, their tactics and their overall goals depend on us being afraid. We have cut civil liberties especially those issues revolving around the first, fourth, fifth, and fourteenth amendments. Our mail is read, our Internet chatter (yep even this) is spied on, your phone calls your right to a speedy trial. And with that has come this huge push of aliens. Not just foreigners but those who do not look or act like us. That's right, the immigrant is taking a huge blow to the head right now because we are afraid that some is going to sneak in and hurt us and so we want everyone to go home! And yet, which of us did not originally come from someplace else (My grandmother enter this country when she was 13, probably illegally) Our economy doesn't help this either. But the lesser known fallout is the LGBT group that is taking a tremendous pummeling right now, because we are afraid-- yep, we do not know these folks and so we are afraid and that fear now drives us to Proposition 8 (in California) and the kinds and types of things that create suicides and deaths of our friends.

So you see, Al-Quiada has won. We have lost our ability to look fear in the eye and not blink. We have adapted our lives to that fear. The terrorists require nothing more than that for they know that when we are afraid we do stupid things and unfortunately we have demonstrated to the entire world that they are right.

John Lennon: 70?

Just a brief explanation for each of the three videos that follow. First, Yoko Ono and her request for fans on this, what would have been Jon Lennon's 70th birthday.



This clip is the song that changed the music world (maybe all the world) for ever. All those who did not watch Ed Sullivan please raise your hands!



And for today, our time and here and now. This is for those in ACNA, AiMA, CAPA, CANA, the Anglican dioceses of San Joaquin, Forth Worth, Pittsburgh and for those of you in South Carolina think about this before you move on.



There are few "famous people" that when gone, I would say too bad, could have made a difference. John Lennon is one of those who could have and would have made a difference and we (collectively) as the worse off for his death. (Here endth the rant)

Archbishop Rowan Williams and Presiding Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori

One of my "favorite" people, no "bishops", has demanded that the Archbishop thow out our Presiding Bishop should she come to the next primates meeting scheduled for, I think January of 2011. Well, through the magic of a time machine and some REALLY good make-up we present the following video. Apparently, this meeting has already happened in the future and we can now report exactly how the confrontation between the Archbishop and the Presiding Bishop "shook out". Clearly, it is someone's "fawlt".

A wound In the Side of The Church

Our "fearful" leader has declared the LGBT persons are a wound in the side of the church. Let's take a quick look at that and see if we can make some sense of all of the nonsense.

Let me take you back, a way back to a small, closed room. Let see if we can listen to what is going on. . . Rowan, called the Archbishop of Canterbury, who was one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. When the Episcopal Church of the United States said, 'We have seen the Lord', he answered, 'Unless I can see the holes that the nails made in his hands and put my hand into his side, I refuse to believe'. Eight days later the Anglican Communion were in the house again and Rowan was with them. The doors were closed, but Jesus came in and stood among them. 'Peace be with you' he said. Then he spoke to Rowan, 'Put your finger here, this is the wound for those who cannot speak for themselves; and put your finger here, this is the wound for those women who have never been allowed to be priests and bishops; and put your finger here, this is the wound for those who live in poverty and cannot come to your church; and put your finger here, this is trhe wound for the children that are brushed aside each and every Sunday; and give me your hand, and put it into my side, this is the wound for those LGBT who have been beaten, kept from my church and my sacraments and have been killed for thier desire to get close to me.' Doubt no longer but believe.

You believe because you can see me. Happy are those who have not seen me and yet believe. Keep them no longer from my side.



h/t to Susan Russell and the Gospel of John

I would like for you all to go to Friends of Jake, The Poor are with us more than ever and read the blog and then the comment by JCF and then come on back and listen to this:




When, do you suppose, folks will realize that we all cannot clip coupons? When, do you suppose, folks will realize that without unions what just happened on Wall Street will become common place.

Rome and Canterbury

I need to start off with a disclaimer. I am not much of a thorough-going theologian. I think I have read a fair amount, not everything by any means, but enough to make me dangerous and so I am going to go out on a limb.

The pope came to visit Canterbury a few days ago and apparently put most of the Church of England into a "tizzy". (Tizzy is one of those theological terms, it means holy crap, we ain't ready for this one yet). There has been a great deal of turmoil over the last few years for ARCIC since the "American Church" has scrambled the eggs with ordination of wimmin and full inclusion for LGBT persons. Fortunately for ++Rowan, he was able to keep us locked in the back room for most of the papal visit.

There was some discussion that we (the Anglican Church) have nothing to offer the Roman Church. Well, I beg to differ. On a very practical level we offer Rome what they could call the English Rite, similar to the Coptic Rite which they already recognize. What would this give Rome? Well, for starters it would preserve the Roman Rite for single, male, celibate priesthood. It would simultaneously, provide for both married priests and women priests without "sacrificing" the Church's espoused history and tradition. This in turn would swell the ranks of the Roman church's clergy almost over night and stave the flow of churches currently being closed and consolidated because of a lack of ordained clergy. It would still give the Vatican distance not unlike the Coptic rite which no one talks about anyway.

The thorny issue is not the ordained priesthood, but the pointy hat in Rome -- that would have to be written around very carefully, but I bet Gary Wills would like a crack at that (and he is probably up to the task, along with a couple of others).

So you see, we do have something to offer the Roman Church and if they would take the blinders off, come into the 21st century, reopen some doors and windows, I'll bet we could make some real progress. And, little does ++Williams know that we, The Epsicopal Church in the United States, are his real strength. Our Godly stance is what we as Anglicans, can offer the Roman Church.

Archbishop Williams, can we come out of our room now?