Thomas MacDonagh

MacDonagh, originally uploaded by CelticWander.

Thomas McDonagh was a teacher/poet who was also one of the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising.

I don't know if their may be blood between us, as I come from McDonough. It is possible. I like to claim his, anyway. You can read more about Thomas and the 1916 Rising, here and here.

Below are the lyrics to the song The Foggy Dew. A memorial to the men who died as a result of the 1916 Easter Rising. Here is more info about the song.

The Foggy Dew

words and music by Father P. O'Neill

'Twas down the glen one Easter morn
To a city fair rode I.
When armed line of marching men
In squadrons passed me by.
No pipes did hum, no battle drum
Did sound its loud tattoo
But the Angelus bell o'er the Liffey's swell
Rang out in the foggy dew.

Right proudly high over Dublin town
They hung out a flag of war.
'Twas better to die 'neath an Irish sky
Than at Suvla or Sud el Bar.
And from the plains of Royal Meath
Strong men came hurrying through;
While Brittania's huns with their great big guns
Sailed in through the foggy dew.

O' the night fell black and the rifles' crack
Made "Perfidious Abion" reel
'Mid the leaden rail, seven tongues of flame
Did shine o'er the lines of steel.
By each shining blade a prayer was siad
That to Ireland her sons be true,
And when morning broke still the war flag shook
Out its fold in the foggy dew

'Twas England bade our wild geese go
That small nations might be free.
But their lonely graves are by Suvla's waves
On the fringe of the gray North Sea.
But had they died by Pearse's side
Or fought with Cathal Brugha,
Their names we'd keep where the Fenians sleep
'Neath the shroud of the foggy dew.

The bravest fell, and the solemn bell
Rang mournfully and clear
For those who died that Watertide
In the springing of the year.
And the world did gaze with deep amaze
At those fearless men, but few
Who bore the fight that freedom's light
Might shine through the foggy dew.

Ah, back through the glen I rode again
and my heart with grief was sore
For I parted then with valiant men
whom I never shall see more.
But to and fro in my dreams I go and
I'd kneel and pray for you,
For slavery fled, O glorious dead, when
you fell in the foggy dew.

My Home Town

Up rooted, originally uploaded by CelticWander.


This is a photo from my hometown. Springfield, IL. The tornadoes hit it Sunday night. Only minor injuries reported.

My mom was without power for nearly 36 Hours.

Pictures can be found:

Here
Here
and
Here

Chicago Matters

The executive minister, Larry Greenfield, of ABC-Metro Chicago has a post on Chicago Public Radio's Chicago Matters blog. It is a great piece on inequality in public education. All Ican say is, "Preach It!"

Clueless As Ususal?

Well, I will jump on to the bandwagon here. Tripp and Mae have both posted about the potential sale of the port security to a state owned company of the United Arab Emirates.

I just want to add that now President Bush said he was unaware of the pending sale of shipping operations. I think this is more frightening than the fact that this is happening at all. The president was unaware of a major national security issue until it was already approved by his administration? That is absolutely absurd. If anything, I think that is a major dereliction of duty on his part. It is HIS administration, shouldn't he know what is going on?

And, he is threatening to veto any legislation that would prevent the sale. This is the man who has never vetoed a bill in his entire tenure in office. He is going to veto a potential national security threat, but he will not use the veto pen to oppose immoral legislation. His priorities are seriously screwed up.

And for those right wingers throwing out their typical uncritical talking points, this is not a racial issue. I do not think the British Company in charge now should be. This is about cronyism. His buddies stand to benefit. For example Dave Sanborn. A cheif executive of DP World who has been appointed a Maritime Adminstrator. Proof is here and here.

I am not an alarmist, but the more I think about these frigtening people in power the more concerned I get. He has gone uncheck since his election and now that absolute power is beginning to corrupt absolutely and we all suffer.


[Update 4:23 pm -- I did a little digging and the last time Bush threatened a veto was when the Senate was working on the anti-torture amendment. This guy is just screwed up.]

Paying For The War II

I came across this article in today's Chicago Sun-Times.

Because of spending cuts in Bush's propsed budget up to 14,000 elderly in Chicago could loose supplemental food. The Commodity Supplemental Food Program is slated to be eliminated. It is a relatively inexpensive program in governmental term, $107 million. It provides shelf stable food for low income elderly.

The government wants to shift the receipeints of this program to food stamps. That sounds good, except for the fact that those on the CSFP program may not qualify for food stamps. Or they may not have the means or ability to make it to stores. They may be just above the cut off, due to pensions or other income. Mr. Daugherty, the receipiant interviewed in the artlice, already gets $15/month in food stamps. But due to additional cuts that amount will be reduced to $5/month. That is right, he could loose $50/month of shelf stable foods and in return he get $5 to Jewel per month. I dare you, go to Jewel and feed yourself for a month on $5.

Budgets are moral documents. They should be written to ensure that the "least of these" are cared for. How can we expect those we are now occupying to trust us with their well being, if we can not even take care of our own. By caring for the poor, we can show the world that we are a human and humble country.

In Honor Of The Olympics

You Are Hockey

Tough, athletic, and not afraid of a fight. You don't mind putting your body on the line!

What Winter Sport Are You?

Thanks Jane

Kong is King

Mae and I went to see King Kong last night.

It is one of the, if not the, most amazing movie I have ever seen. Peter Jackson is a master storyteller. There was not one unessential element to the entire movie. It was over 3 hours, and could not have been a minute shorter. I needed to go to the bathroom about 1/2 way through, but had to wait until it was over because evertime I thought there would be a lull, something new happened.

There were moments in the movie where I was so engrossed, I forgot to breathe. I have never been slack jawed until I saw this movie. There were parts that were simply unreal! Naomi Watts was fantastic as Anne Darrow. And Andy Serkis made Kong a beast of beauty. The eyes of Kong said so much more that anything I have seen. There was real love between Darrow and Kong. Believiable. Heartbreaking.

I laughed outloud during this film, that does not happen ofter. I cried during this film.

I recomend everyone go see it, if they have not. If you have, let me know what you thought.

Why I Love My Wife

Mae on the Phone, originally uploaded by CelticWander.

Because she sends me emails like this:

"hey...happy v-day! Yeah for celebrating with chocolate and flowers the brutal death of a martyr!"

I love you honey

Johari

Meggo Mae has a link to Joahri Window. I filled it out for her...please add your two cents to mine.

Thanks

Torture is a Moral Issue

Please join in endorsing this statement of faith leaders

Torture violates the basic dignity of the human person that all religions hold dear. It degrades everyone involved --policy-makers, perpetrators and victims. It contradicts our nation's most cherished ideals. Any policies that permit torture and inhumane treatment are shocking and morally intolerable.

Torture and inhumane treatment have long been banned by U.S. treaty obligations, and are punishable by criminal statute. Recent developments, however, have created new uncertainties. By reaffirming the ban on cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment as well as torture, the McCain amendment, now signed into law, is a step in the right direction. Yet its implementation remains unclear.

The President's signing statement, which he issued when he signed the McCain Amendment into law, implies that the President does not believe he is bound by the amendment in his role as commander in chief. The possibility remains open that inhumane methods of interrogation will continue.

Furthermore, in a troubling development, for the first time in our nation's history, legislation has now been signed into law that effectively permits evidence obtained by torture to be used in a court of law. The military tribunals that are trying some terrorist suspects are now expressly permitted to consider information obtained under coercive interrogation techniques, including degrading and inhumane techniques and torture.

We urge Congress and the President to remove all ambiguities by prohibiting:

* Exemptions from the human rights standards of international law for any arm of our government.

* The practice of extraordinary rendition, whereby suspects are apprehended and flown to countries that use torture as a means of interrogation.

* Any disconnection of "cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment" from the ban against "torture" so as to permit inhumane interrogation.

* The existence of secret U.S. prisons around the world. Any denial of Red Cross access to detainees held by our government overseas.

* We also call for an independent investigation of the severe human rights abuses at U.S. installations like Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib, and Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan.

Nothing less is at stake in the torture abuse crisis than the soul of our nation. What does it signify if torture is condemned in word but allowed in deed? Let America abolish torture now --without exceptions.

Click here to sign your endorsement

ok...i give

Entish


To which race of Middle Earth do you belong?
brought to you by Quizilla

Our First Advert

The Church of Jesus Christ, Reconciler had just posted an ad on craigslist. Check it out, here.

Paying For The War

Well, our esteemed leader has come out with a new budget. Cutting programs and funding he said were essential last week in his State of the Union Address.

He wants to make tax cuts permanent for those who make more in a year than most of us will in 10. He wants to cut funding in the education 1/3 of the targted programs are in education). Raise military spending so his administration can focus the nation’s resources on our highest priority — protecting our citizens and our homeland.

He also wants to cut social security benefits. Didn't he learn from last year? Most importantly he wants to take a way the widow/er benefit of $225, for those who lost a spouse in war. Because "eliminating it is not going to cause an appreciable financial hardship to a survivor." Even though, that $225 will help pay for a burial plot, or headstone, or vault. It is an amount that has not been raised since 1951.

Also, here is the real zinger...wounded soldiers are getting billed for missing or damaged body armor. 1st Lt. William “Eddie” Rebrook IV got a bill for $700 for body armor that got cut off him after being blown up by and IED. He was preparing for discharge when approached for the missing armor, and has been threatened with extended service time, if he does not pay.

You gotta love it. There are those who are for this war, but do not want to sacrifice a hair on their head to help it. And there are those of us who are against the war willing to pay higher taxes if it means getting our folks out of harms way sooner and safer. If it means educating the kids, so that our safety as a nation will be protected, by intellectually curious people. There are those who are for the war, but want cuts made in domestic spending to pay for the war. And there are those of us who cry when we find out the assistance guaranteed the soldiers widows/ers is being taken from them.

I'm It

Tripp tagged me:

4 Jobs You've Had In Your Life:

A character at Chuck E Chese
A summer school teacher/child minder
A carpenter in the scene shop in college
A stagehand in the performing arts center in college

4 Movies You Could Watch Over and Over:

Serenity
The Fisher King
Trainspotting
The Commitments

4 Places You Have Lived:

Springfield, IL
Decatur, IL
Chicago, IL
That is it

4 TV Shows You Love To Watch:

Mythbusters
My Name is Earl
WWE RAW
WWE Smackdown

4 Places You Have Been On Vacation:

London
Grand Canyon
McGregor, IA
Disney (both)

4 Websites You Visit Daily:

Tripp
Cliff
Daily Kos
Crooks and Liars

4 of Your Favorite Foods:

Pizza
Hot Dog w/Mac and Cheese
Ice Cream
Pastas

4 Places You Would Rather Be Right Now:

Hiking the Appalachian Trail w/Mae
Napping
Learning SCUBA
In the middle of nowhere, out west.

4 Bloggers You Are Tagging

Meggo Mae
Devon
Dr. Astro
Larry

Pre-1776 Mentality

This is a diary posted by Sen. Russ Feingold:

I've seen some strange things in my life, but I cannot describe the feeling I had, sitting on the House floor during Tuesday's State of the Union speech, listening to the President assert that his executive power is, basically, absolute, and watching several members of Congress stand up and cheer him on. It was surreal and disrespectful to our system of government and to the oath that as elected officials we have all sworn to uphold. Cheering? Clapping? Applause? All for violating the law?

The President and his administration continue their spin and media blitz in attempts to defend the fact that they broke, and continue to break, the law. Their weak and shifting justifications for doing so continue. The latest from the President seems to be that basically the FISA law, passed in 1978, is out of date [ed. The president's statement is about 3/4 down the page --jt]. His decision that he can apparently disregard "old law" fits the pattern with the President and his administration. He's decided to disregard a statute (FISA) and the Constitution (the 4th Amendment) by continuing to wiretap Americans' phone calls and emails without the required warrant, while at the same time claiming powers of the presidency that do not exist. (Perhaps he feels the Constitution is too "old," as well.) This administration reacts to any questions about spying on American citizens by saying that those of us who stand up for our rights and freedoms are somehow living in a "pre-September 11th, 2001 world."

In fact, the President is living in a pre-1776 world.

Our Founders lived in dangerous times, and they risked everything for freedom. Patrick Henry said, "Give me liberty or give me death." The President's pre-1776 mentality is hurting America and fracturing the foundation on which our country has stood for 230 years. The President can't just bypass two branches of government, and obey only those laws he wants to obey. Deciding unilaterally which of our freedoms still apply in the fight against terrorism is unacceptable and needs to be stopped immediately.

Many of you saw this week's story in the Washington Post on the exchange Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and I had during his confirmation hearing in January of last year. Mr. Gonzales misled me and the Senate Judiciary Committee under oath about whether the President could spy on Americans without a warrant. (Many of you blogged about it when the story first broke and I thank you for getting the word out.) That exchange is extremely telling about the depths to which this administration will go to grab power. I look forward to a little more honesty from the Attorney General when he testifies about the spying program before the Judiciary Committee on Monday.

I don't have to tell you how important this issue is. It gets to the core of what we as a country are all about. We all agree that we must defeat the terrorists who threaten the safety and security of our families and loved ones. Why does this President feel we must sacrifice our freedoms to fight terrorism? This is a gut check moment for members of Congress. Do we sacrifice our liberty? Do we bow to those who try to use security issues for political gain? Do we stand and applaud when the President places himself above the law? Or, do we say enough?

Stop the power grab, stop the politics, stop breaking the law.

It's time to stand up - not to cheer, but to fight back.

Good Think He Didn't Mean It

"Keeping America competitive requires affordable energy. And here we have a serious problem: America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from unstable parts of the world. [snip]...other new technologies will help us reach another great goal: to replace more than 75 percent of our oil imports from the Middle East by 2025." --George W. Bush, State of the Union Address, 1/31/06.

"One day after President Bush vowed to reduce America's dependence on Middle East oil by cutting imports from there 75 percent by 2025, his energy secretary and national economic adviser said Wednesday that the president didn't mean it literally." --Knight Ridder Washington Bureau

Here is another Gem from the NY Times:

"The Energy Department will begin laying off researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in the next week or two because of cuts to its budget.

A veteran researcher said the staff had been told that the cuts would be concentrated among researchers in wind and biomass, which includes ethanol. Those are two of the technologies that Mr. Bush cited on Tuesday night as holding the promise to replace part of the nation's oil imports."

These are the people who are to do the research to reduce our dependency by 75%.

I will not add commentary, as this speaks for its self. Also, my mom reads this and I may say some not nice words. What else did he not mean literally? Typical doulblespeak. Just like the Health Savings Accounts. The people that this is supposed to help do not have enough money to put into a savings account. Trust me, I would be one if I did not have insurance through my job.

Bappy Hirthday, Tripp

We better be blessed, originally uploaded by CelticWander.

Tripp is the sexy one on the right...the one with the great legs...go wish him a bappy hirthday! Now! Go! What are you waiting for? Do IT!

Horridly ... well, just horrid

Over at The Sneeze I happened upon this post about this song. It is the most horridly amusing "thing" I have heard....EVER!

This is what Jim Nadyer, host of The Annoying Music Show, has to say about it, "'O Holy Night,' by a vocalist whom Nayder says is so bad he remains unnamed and 'has entered the Annoying Music Show witness protection program.'"

Just listen...and if you are at work, plug in the ear phones or be prepared to get looked at by co-workers as if you are strangleing a cat...which happened t me.

enjoy

First Time For Everything

I had my first actor's nightmare last night. It was aweful.

I do not normally remember dreams, so the fact I remember this says alot.

Feel free to give intrepreations in the comment...curious about it...

Here goes:

For some reason I was running late getting to the show, not sure why, I just remember being late. Once at the theater I could not find costume pieces since the laundry was done over the break. I miss the scene leading into mine so I intend to enter the stage during the cross-fade into my scene and the one previous. I have no lines in the previous scene, so only my presence is missed. As I prepare to enter the scene doing the military march routine we do, the stage is 3x the size (up until now, everthing has been "normal'), I am missing my gloves and 2 essential props. At this point all hell breaks loose. The stage is huge; the jail cell is in 3 parts, as opposed to one piece flown in; and everyone is improving, ok, I can deal with that; the audience starts adlibbing; yelling; Ted Kennedy is one of the "prisoners" in the scene, except for it is 1980 canidate Kennedy, not the one we see today. We start doing the scene (Teddy and Me). My pulse is through the roof. The curtain comes down and we try to reset the chaos of the scene. The curtain comes up and the same thing happens.

Very Weird....not the typical actor's nightmare. I have my clothes on, I know my lines, but that does not seem to matter, since everyone seems to be adlibbing

What think you???

Tears

Tears, originally uploaded by CelticWander.

Carnacki over at dailykos.com reminds us that Mrs. Alito's tears that have caused a lot of hub bub have overshadowed these tears.

God Grant us Peace.

I Got Tagged

So, Tripp tagged me on on Friday for the Friday Feast but I did not find out until today, so here goes:

Appetizer: Have you ever seen a ghost or an angel?

An angel, yes in deed. I was in a car accident in high school (my senior year I think), and as the car spun into the trees I saw a face in the windshield, and felt a sense of calm and reassuance. When I crawled out of the passanger side of the car, I only had a scrape on my arm from broken glass. I looked at the drivers side and there was a branch through the windsheild, it was kissing a tree pretty good...Yes, I think an angel helped me out there.

Soup: What is your favorite board game?

Sequence. Lots of fun.

Salad: What is the last movie that made you cry?

Not sure, honestly, I think I may have been a little teary when I saw to favoite characters die in Serenity.

Main Course: What would you do if you had 3 months off from your job?

Travel. Start and finish in Ireland. Make one big circle around Europe.

(if I had 6-9 months...Hike the Appalachian Trail)

Dessert: What kind of shoes are you wearing today?

New Balance 400 Running Shoe

The sacrifices one makes

before..., originally uploaded by CelticWander.

On Friday I am opening The House That Swift Built at the Atheneaum in Chicago. If you get a chance come see it.

Anyhoo...I had to make a sacrifice for the show...I offered too, so, it was not forced...

Here you see me before...

Click here to see during...

Click here to see me after the sacrifice...

He Makes Sense

Jesse Jackson, love him or hate him, he makes sense here:

Messiah's message lost in shuffle

Early returns on Christmas are up, we are told. Are these reports on an increase in church attendance? Or a decline in the numbers of homeless? The spread of peace in the world? No, the reports are about sales, better than last year, particularly in the high-end luxury stores. Christmas -- the mass celebrating the birth of Christ -- is the biggest shopping season of the year.

But of course, that's not what the Christmas story is about. Nor is it about the right's newest goofy campaign -- the hyped up ''war on Christmas.'' The ideologues over at Fox News have decided that to save Christmas, we've got to insist that stores advertise ''Christmas sales,'' not holiday sales, and that cards wish people a ''merry Christmas,'' not a happy holiday. Behind their moralizing, these folks are trying to use Christmas for petty political purposes. But that's not what the Christmas story is about either.

It's about a couple -- Mary and Joseph -- forced by an oppressive government to leave their home to travel far to be counted in the census. They were homeless in a strange land. Christmas is the story of a child born in a cow's barn and placed in a manger, a makeshift crib. This was a working barn. Jesus had straw for a floor, fouled by the animals. The innkeeper had no room for the strange couple. If he had understood who the baby was, he would have offered them his bed.

The measure of Christmas can't be about Christmas cards or holiday cards, for Mary and Joseph had no address. It isn't about buying and selling things. Yes, wise men followed the star and brought gifts to the poor child. But their wisdom was not in the value of their gifts, but in their ability to see what the innkeeper missed: the power of the infant asleep in a wooden manger. The Christmas story instructs us to treasure every child, for even the poorest child of a homeless couple has limitless potential.

Unlike the reports on the business page, the reports on the moral page are grim. Poverty is up in this country -- more than 30 million now in poverty. Homelessness is up, with mayors reporting record numbers seeking shelter each night. More people go without health care for lack of insurance -- more than 45 million Americans now. The survivors of Katrina are being abandoned once more.

Reports from the values page are also pretty dismal as well. Inequality is at record levels, yet the administration insists on cutting taxes on the wealthy, while opposing any increase in the minimum wage. College tuition is soaring, but Congress voted to cut student loans to help pay for those top-end tax breaks.

What is Christmas about? It is about an oppressed people praying for a Messiah, a mighty warrior who would conquer their oppressors. The expectation grew so high that even Herod grew uneasy. But when the Messiah came, he came as the prince of peace, not of war. He taught love and hope and charity, not violence and vengeance. He was the greatest liberator of them all, but he carried no arms and provisioned no army. His army would be the legions of the faithful.

But this year, the reports from the peace page are also grim. Our soldiers are in armed occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan. Our cities are girded against the threat of terrorist attack. We possess the mightiest military that the world has ever known, but we are more insecure than ever. We turn our backs on the genocide taking place in Darfur. The fake moralists howl about the labels on our store sales, not the hunger of the poor.

A mass for Christ is not about shopping, whatever the name. Christmas should celebrate family and community. It should remind us to measure ourselves by how we treat the ''least of these.'' Today in America, millions of poor children head to school not ready to learn. They suffer from malnutrition, from inadequate health care, from mean streets and broken homes. One of five children is raised in poverty. We are failing the standard he taught us.

Let us all remember the true spirit of Christmas this year. Protect the babies in the dawn of life. Care for the elderly in the dusk of life. Nurture the sick; shelter the homeless. Stop for the stranger on the Jericho Road. Work for the promise of peace. Surely that is what Jesus would want under his tree. Merry Christmas everyone.

The War on Chrismahaunakwanzaka

Rep. John Dingell of Michigan gave the following speech on the Floor of the House. It is brilliant response to House Resolution 597. A resolution designed to protect the icons of Christmas. The absurditiy of it is that it does not protect the menorah or the Kwanza candles, just Christian icons of Christmas. Anyhoo...here is the speech:

Twas the week before Christmas and all through the House
No bills were passed ‘bout which Fox News could grouse;
Tax cuts for the wealthy were passed with great cheer,
So vacations in St. Barts soon would be near;

Katrina kids were nestled all snug in motel beds,
While visions of school and home danced in their heads;
In Iraq our soldiers needed supplies and a plan,
Plus nuclear weapons were being built in Iran;

Gas prices shot up, consumer confidence fell;
Americans feared we were on a fast track to…well…
Wait--- we need a distraction--- something divisive and wily;
A fabrication straight from the mouth of O’Reilly

We can pretend that Christmas is under attack
Hold a vote to save it--- then pat ourselves on the back;
Silent Night, First Noel, Away in the Manger
Wake up Congress, they’re in no danger!

This time of year we see Christmas every where we go,
From churches, to homes, to schools, and yes…even Costco;
What we have is an attempt to divide and destroy,
When this is the season to unite us with joy

At Christmas time we’re taught to unite,
We don’t need a made-up reason to fight
So on O’Reilly, on Hannity, on Coulter, and those right wing blogs;
You should just sit back, relax…have a few egg nogs!

‘Tis the holiday season: enjoy it a pinch
With all our real problems, do we honestly need another Grinch?

So to my friends and my colleagues I say with delight,
A merry Christmas to all,
and to Bill O’Reilly…Happy Holidays.

Effin' Hypocrites

Over at Street Prophets I came across this diary. I probably should not be blogging right now because I am so angry.

If you remember back in March the President flew back to Washington DC from Crawford, TX to take care of the Terri Schivo issue. Dr. Frist had diagnosed her via a 3 minute video tape, and everyone was fighting for her. I am torn about what "should" have happened, but I think I would side with the husband, but that is not what this blog is about. This is about the classist, racist, hypocritical law in Texas that allowed a conscious woman to die. Ms. Schivo may or may not have been consious, but Tirhas Habtegiris, a legal immigrant from Africa, was, and she was told on Dec. 1 that the medical staff was pulling her life support plug in 10 days.

She knew she would not make it long, but wanted to remain on life support until her mother arrived from Africa. But that would take a little while. In the meantime she had become a burden to the Republic of Texas since she did not have insurance. You see, when Pres. Bush was Gov. he vetoed a bill that would have put the the sole decision of advance directive into the hands of the patient or proxy. Instead the bill remained the same and allows for the state to decide that they will no longer cover the patients medical expenses, and allow for the medical facility to pull the plug regardless of the patient/proxy's directive. So, because a person is poor, the state can decide when their life should end.

Where are the protesters with red tape over their mouths? Where are the high and mighty preachers? Where are the vacationing congress members flying back to Washington? Where the hell are they? Is not Ms. Habtegiris's life just as valuable as Ms. Schaivo's? Or is it less vaulable becasue she can not afford insurance? Because she is poor, and an immigrant?

If these two faced sons of bitches in Washington are going to slap us around with this "Culture of Life" mantra, they better be fighting for everyone, not just their base. White Christian good looking women are not the only people who suffer. They are the one's everyone pays attention to, but there are more. There is the poor immigrant in Texas, there is the laid off factory union member, there is the Arab American, there is the crack baby...these are lives, too! But what do we expect for a society that kills it's own in some sort of Divine Judgement.

If you care so much about a "Culture of Life", how about you proove it? Pass laws that protect the vunerable. Pass Healthcare. Ban the Death Penalty. Provide adoption outlets that do not cost an arm and a leg. Take care of the least of these. If you are going to claim the mantle of Christianity and shove it in the face of everyone you meet, you best well live into it fully. You can not pick and choose.

Noone...ever should know the day they will die.

1000

Tomorrow the 1000th person will be executed by the state since the Supreme Court reversed its decision on the death penalty.

Please pray for the soul of the victims of the crimes
Please pray for the soul of the executed
Please pray for the families of both

Please pray that we turn from the cycle of redemptive violence

Here is a prayer by Sister Helen Prejean

God of Compassion,
You let your rain fall on the just and the unjust.
Expand and deepen our hearts
so that we may love as You love,
even those among us
who have caused the greatest pain by taking life.
For there is in our land a great cry for vengeance
as we fill up death rows and kill the killers
in the name of justice, in the name of peace.

Jesus, our brother,
you suffered execution at the hands of the state
but you did not let hatred overcome you.
Help us to reach out to victims of violence
so that our enduring love may help them heal.

Holy Spirit of God,
You strengthen us in the struggle for justice.
Help us to work tirelessly
for the abolition of state-sanctioned death
and to renew our society in its very heart
so that violence will be no more.

Amen.

Wisdom

I love Clarence Jordan.

"Jesus said it is not enough to limit your love to your own nation, to your own race, to your own group. You must respond with love even to those outside of it, respond with love to those who hate you. This concept enables men to live together not as nations, but as the human race. We are now at the stage of history where we will either take this step or perish."
--Clarence Jordan from The Substance of Faith and other Cotton Patch Sermons

Get Your Hands Dirty

A Baptist Declaration in Opposition to Present U.S. Policies in Iraq

We, in the United States, who are followers of Jesus and Baptist by conviction are perplexed by the spiritual conflict present between radically different visions for our nation, both at home and around the world. One is inspired by our interpretations and applications of the teachings of Jesus, while the other is based in a ruling ideology of the current administration and its supporters throughout government and society.

Jesus teaches that we should live with confidence and hope in a sovereign God who graciously makes it possible for us to return God’s love of us by being a loving neighbor to all of God’s creation, even those who are our enemies. For followers of Jesus, justice, reconciliation, and peace are based on the demanding commandment to love others.

In contrast, the government of the United States, in both its executive and legislative branches, including members of both political parties, has increasingly enacted policies that are based on fear and intimidation, hatred and manipulation. It has declared an elusive and unending war on terrorism to justify its own violent acts of retribution and to establish an American empire to be imposed upon the rest of the world.

Toward these ends, the government refused to delay hostilities until weapons inspectors in Iraq completed their work; it relied on discredited informants and distorted intelligence to build a case for war; it instituted preemptive military action that violated international law and the counsel of most nations, including longstanding allies; it pursued a military strategy of terror – of “shock and awe” – against Iraq, while failing to plan and provide adequately for the consequences of protracted war and the reconstruction of devastated land; it provoked insurgent activities with the rhetoric of bravado and policies of exclusion in the rebuilding of Iraq; it allowed or fostered a culture of abuse against prisoners that violated international conventions and our own nation’s fundamental values; it continues to demonize not just supposed enemies but nations who are perceived to be tolerant of those foes; it operates with a sense of America’s moral superiority while justifying its own crimes as necessary in an unbridled campaign against terrorism.

These national policies and practices based on fear and intimidation, hatred and manipulation, have brought devastating consequences. By conservative accounting, over 30,000 innocent Iraqi civilians have lost their lives, of which an estimated ten percent were children; untold thousands have been severely injured; and still more have suffered permanent impairment. Over 2,000 American soldiers have died and 15, 000 wounded. A military action to defeat terrorism on its “primary front” has drastically increased the number of insurgent terrorists in Iraq and networks of terrorism in other countries. The rebuilding of Iraq has slowed and civil war is an on-going threat in the near or long-term future. The United States is expending more than seven billion dollars per month on the Iraqi war and costs are expected to exceed $570 billion by 2010. National Guard and military reserves serving in Iraq are not available to assist in disaster relief at home. The vast appropriations for war are requiring cutbacks in domestic programs for those in need and limitations on aid that might otherwise be used to promote global well being and peace. The standing of the United States in the eyes of the world continues to deteriorate. The stance of the government is a cause of increasing division at home.

As Baptists in the United States, we have no desire to further the division in our nation or across the globe. But neither can we remain silent in the face of the policies and practices of our nation that are so diametrically opposed to our religious faith and what we understand to be the democratic values of the nation.

We ask, therefore, Baptists and all Christians, along with other citizens of good will, to join us in the following actions:

• Seek God’s forgiveness in private and public confession for our own complicity, through acts of commission and omission, in the unnecessary harm our nation is inflicting upon the people of Iraq and in the global war on terrorism. We encourage others, including religious and civic leaders, to make such private and public confessions. We trust this can occur in devotional life and public worship, as well as in civic forums.

• Protect the fundamental freedom to dissent and hold opinions contrary to the dominant culture and government policies. We believe that this can occur in private conversation, peaceful public demonstrations, and raising our voices through the media, internet blogs, and other means of communication.

• Expose, in whatever means and opportunities are available, the intimidating and manipulative appeals to fear and hatred to justify and foster practices of coercion and military aggression adopted by our government. We believe this can happen in educational settings and through the public media.

• Challenge in spoken and written word our fellow citizens and our public leaders to reflect on the foundations and consequences of our nation’s policies and practices and to recommend and actively support alternative policies and practices that promote diplomacy, human rights and development, and the protection and just distribution of the earth’s resources. We suggest this take place in sermons, newsletters, op-eds, letters-to-the-editor, and through other means of communication.

Furthermore, because it appears that President George W. Bush and members of his administration are, and will continue to be, indifferent and unresponsive to the widening public desire to end the American military presence in Iraq, we as Christians and people of civic good will must communicate regularly and energetically – through letters, telephone calls, and face-to-face visits – with our elected representatives in the United States Senate and House of Representatives for legislative actions that will:

• end the involvement of our nation in the Iraqi war;

• provide for means that will allow other nations and international bodies to seek and implement a peaceful end to the Iraqi conflict and the reconstruction of that country; and

• support programs that mandate diplomatic solutions to international conflicts and the use of war as a last resort.

If, as a follower of Jesus, you share our deep concern about the policies and practices of our nation, we invite you to join us in casting off the fear that has bound us. We ask that you endorse this statement on the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America website (www.bpfna.org) or convey it to the BPFNA office by mail (4800 Wedgewood Drive, Charlotte NC 28210 USA), fax (704.521.6053), or e-mail (bpfna@bpfna.org).

In the spirit of discipleship and Baptist freedom, we invite you to join in this endeavor.

Final Image

eddieshirttitle3hq, originally uploaded by CelticWander.

Last night was a tribute show to Eddie Guerrero. It was a truly moving show. It opened with a 10 bell salute with all the wrestlers out on the stage. There is nothing as emotionaly jarring as seeing a 7' 500# man weeping.

It was followed up by a memorial video set to Johnny Cash's version of Hurt.

Throughout the night clips of Eddie's career were show. Interviews with his friends in the back. And matches in his memory.

The final match was with the world champ. At the end of the match he took off the t-shirt he was wearing, which was one of Eddie's, and laid it in the middle of the ring, and layed the belt across the waist.

This image is burned into my brain. It was so moving. And appropiate, as in amateur wrestling when a wrestler retires or passes, his shoes are set in the middle of the ring.

Eddie_Guerrero

Eddie_Guerrero, originally uploaded by CelticWander.

7:30 am yesterday, Eddie Guerrero was found dead in his hotel room in Minneapolis.

Many of you know that I am a pro-wrestling fan. Eddie was the epotime of the artist. He created a character who was fun loving, and determined.

Eddie struggled for years with additction to pain killers and booze, but just recently celebrated 4-years of soberity.

In a business that seems to claim many way too young, very rarely does it happen while the wrestler in in his prime. Eddie was on top of the mountain. Not only did fans love him, but he was a father figure to many of the younger guys in the locker room.

He found grace during the lowest part of the valley and allowed it to cary him to soberity, and that grace was shown to all of his fans and co-workers.

Eddie will be missed...

Viva la Razza

Street Prophets

I readt Street Prophets everyday.

One of the best parts of it is the prayer closet. I try my darndest to keep the Koinonia Communities prayer hours. It is a good way to refocus my day. Since street prophets has begun, the prayer closet hast been such a blessing. It is amazing how the power of the holy spirit can move even through cyber space.

Make Dada Proud!

It make me all gibbley inside to know that dadaism has a 21st century outlet.

I received this beautiful piece of spam mail today, and, well read it for your self!

cripple but turbine see valve it's numb a.
schoolmaster some antietam ! den it's baboon try salk some bondsmen it's dramatist be brinkmanship but finery , bocklogged try stayed and.
niamey on sternal , dragoon , shari try debase try contribution but mosque some.
allison some apocrypha in car or charta it's.
quad on riviera the jonquil a wrought on several it's hyades , columbia on crazy try newsstand try jamaica be amende not.
symphony try derriere not anorthic may abelian some credulity not kenneth see commentator may.
puke it homecoming a armillaria it's resistible see.
mach try spastic a travertine not catheter in pocketbook the aqueous it's kittle and builtin may wreck ! son it's camera but.
dreyfuss ! assemblage some min it washbowl be frangipani ! schoolroom the derisive in.

Snooch to the Booch

Jay and Silent Bob, originally uploaded by CelticWander.

Happy Halloween

Oops

Oops, originally uploaded by CelticWander.

Snoogans

Snoogans, originally uploaded by CelticWander.

...

..., originally uploaded by CelticWander.

Preemptive Strike

Ok, for those of us who are political junkies, we are following this Plame thing. It is looking like Scooter Libby, VP Cheney's chief of staff, will get indicted today for making false statements to a grand jury.

For all of my Republican friends, don't start cryin that this is a partisan attack and that indicting on making false statements is just a way to make the Grand July not look like a waste of time.

All I have to say to that cry baby defense is remember that making false statements to a grand jury led to the impeacment of the President of the United States.

Do not say perjury is a technicallity. Remeber it is what lying about ones personal sex life that led to the impeachment of the POTUS.

Also, remember Clinton lied about having an affair (which is awful), but Libby and probably Rove are lying about commiting TREASON.

_______________________

Update Noon: Scotter was indicted on 5 counts: 2 perjury, 2 making false statements, 1 obsruction of justice

A Scary Video

Here is a link to a NASA time lapse photo of the Gulf of Mexico Region for this summer.

It is truly scary. Watch how hot the Gulf gets. Nothing but a power generator for hurricanes.

Why

Why, originally uploaded by CelticWander.

Enough Said

13 Hours of Work by Mike Luckovich

Palestine

My friend Amy is in Palestine for the next 2 months.

I have added her blog of the trip my sidebar. She is there as part of The Christian Peacemaker Teams. Please remember her and her community memebers at Community of the Holy Trinity, as they miss her while she is gone.

First Thoughts...returns

It has been a while since I have posted first thoughts. No excues really, other than laziness. Well, here we go!

Readings for Sunday, Oct 9:

Exodus 32:1-14
Psalm 106:1-6, 19-23
Philippians 4:1-9
Matthew 22:1-14

Well, after reading the Matthew passage I am reminded why I have not posted the last several weeks. These parables are hard. They, at first read, present the Jesus that is mean and judging. He is not the one I like. "`Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' For many are called, but few are chosen." Ouch. But, Tripp's sermon from last week helps me to look at these hard parables through a different lens. One of context. This parable comes right after the one from last week. Which comes right after Jesus clears the temple of the money changers. He is being punked out by the big wigs of the temple, and it doing what he does best...turning the tables and punking them out in return (pun intended). So, this parable continues that streak.

Jesus continued the conversation by speaking to them with Comparisons. "The God Movement is like a governor who gave a big dinner for his party chairman. He told his secretaries to invite the prominent dignitaries, but they refused to accept. So he told his secretaries to try again. 'Tell them,' he said: 'The banquet is all arranged for-the steer has been butchered and the hogs barbecued. Y’all come on to the dinner.' But they couldn’t have cared less. One left to go out to his farm; another went to his store, The rest of them taunted and insulted the secretaries. At that, the governor had a duck fit, and ordered the names of the scoundrels to be struck from the list of his friends. Then he said to his secretaries, 'Plans for the banquet are all made, but the people I invited aren’t fit to come. So go to the various precincts, and whoever you find there, invite them to the banquet.' Well, they went to the precincts and brought in everybody they could find, good and bad. The banquet hall was filled with guests, and the governor went in to greet them, There he saw a guy sitting at the table who looked and smelled like he had just come in from his farm. The governor said to him, 'Hey, buddy, how did you get in here, looking and smelling like that?' He just clammed up. Then the governor said to the waiters. 'Tie the bum up and throw him in the back alley.' Outside there’ll be yelling and screaming, for the big ones were invited but the little ones got in. (Cotton Patch Version by Clarence Jordan)

It takes on a whole different perspective. God invites everyone, but judges those who like the people in the previous lessons who say they are his, but then continue to disregard his invitations and instructions. (Please note that the Governor is the one who says to kick out the disinvited guest...not the secretaires)

Meanwhile back in the desert our recently freed friends are beginnig to miss Moses. He has been up in the mountain for a while, and well, without him to remind the people that the LORD of their ancestors is the one true God they want something to worship. So they approach Aaron (I had never realized that before this reading), the 2nd in command, and he says to give him all of their gold, and he will melt it and make an idol for them. Now, I don't know if this was Aaron trying to be sneaky and punish them for forsaking God [ed. I realized I did not finish this thought...Is Aaron punishing them by getting rid of their gold?] or if he was just as bummed out. But, anyway he makes an idol, and their ruccus worshiping it interrupts the nice conversation God and Moses were having. God is ticked and says, "Get down there and tell them that because they are so pig-headed and keep forgetting that I am providing them with food everyday, I am going to get rid of them. Screw 'em. I will make you the father of a great nation."

Moses replies, "Woah there buddy. I know you are ticked and all, but just take a second here. What will the Egyptians say? Huh? 'Oh, look, their God freed the only to kill them. We could have done that.' Come on now, LORD, you can change your mind. It is ok. Remeber what you told Abe, Issac and Jake? You promised them and yourself that you would make a great nation from their decendandts. You want to be know as a liar?" With that the LORD changed his mind.

God can change God's mind? There are countless times through out the Hebrew Bible that God does that. I think this just furtheres the argument my by Jesus in the parable. You see when the governor invites people to the party, he and only he decides who can come and who can not. Is this not the Good News we are to witness? We are to be the secretaires and invite all to the table. It is up to them whethere or not they come, and if they do not come, do not worry about it becasue the Governor will have other parties. Maybe, by being thrown out of this particular party, the big wigs are brought to their knees and humbled and will come to the next party as the least of these?

So, as the secretaires going out and inviting others to the party, we should follow Paul's advise and do it with a rejoicing heart. Do it with gentleness and humility, for we are but servants of the LORD. For if we do these things the peace of God will be with us. Let us go invite with a song in our hearts:

Hallelujah!
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, *
for his mercy endures for ever.
Who can declare the mighty acts of the LORD *
or show forth all his praise?
Happy are those who act with justice *
and always do what is right!
Remember me, O LORD, with the favor you have for your people, *
and visit me with your saving help;
That I may see the prosperity of your elect
and be glad with the gladness of your people, *
that I may glory with your inheritance.
We have sinned as our forebears did; *
we have done wrong and dealt wickedly.
Israel made a bull-calf at Horeb *
and worshiped a molten image;
And so they exchanged their Glory *
for the image of an ox that feeds on grass.
Wonderful deeds in the land of Ham, *
and fearful things at the Red Sea.
So he would have destroyed them,
had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach, *
to turn away his wrath from consuming them.

Serenity

The Balad of Serenity (an mp3 link)
by Joss Whedon

Take my love, take my land
Take me where I cannot stand
I don't care, I'm still free
You can't take the sky from me
Take me out to the black
Tell them I ain't comin' back
Burn the land and boil the sea
You can't take the sky from me
There's no place I can be
Since I found Serenity
But you can't take the sky from me...


I have never been a fan of Sci-Fi. I prefer stories about human follies and triumphs versus those of aliens and laser gun toting superheroes.

I love Firefly; a t.v. show that was canclled after only 1/2 a season. I love Serenity; the movie that opened this past weekend and is a follow up to the tv show.

I love a sci-fi movie and tv show. Why is this? Well, I think it is because both are about people. Not about laser guns or spaceships. They follow flawed, real people.

anyhoo...

SEE THE MOVIE...

this was a wast of time post, but heck...your are reading it anyway

Katrina Help

Click Here for the list of Agencies I have come up with.

Thanks
jt

In honor of 9/30/05

Serenity opens on Friday!!!

You scored as Shepherd Derrial Book. The Preacher. Out here, folks need a minister, if only to remind them that God hasn't forgotten them. It isn't about making them worship, it is teaching them to do right by themselves and other people. Why is that so hard for some to understand? Shepherd Derrial Book 88% Zoe Alleyne Washburne 81% Simon Tam 81% Capt. Mal Reynolds 75% The Operative 75% Hoban 'Wash' Washburne 75% Kaylee Frye 75% River Tam 56% Inara Serra 50% Jayne Cobb 19% Which Serenity character are you? created with QuizFarm.com

Update

Here is the news from Baton Rouge as of 9/11

Yesterday, our entire team went to Plaquemine Civic Center. Our census is beginning to go down as we sent 20 people on a bus to Texas. It is so exciting to see these people pack up what little they have, clean up their areas, and line up for the bus. This shelter has been a safe haven for so many over the past couple of weeks, and as they move on, they face a life a uncertainty and new beginnings.

Our day was spent in ministry to this community. We played with the children, talked with the parents, and took care of medical needs. We have treated several wounds from the storm, but infectious disease has been kept at bay. We have been blessed with two wonderful doctors - Dr. Jack (from MN) and Doctor J (from NY). These two men came to help completely on their own, and will be staying at the center through the end of the week.

Today we will be going to Plaquemine for our last day. Our after school tutoring center opens this afternoon on the stage. Many volunteers have worked to clean, arrange, and stock the center with supplies for the children. Today, we are arranging volunteers to come in to tutor and read with these children. Some in our group will be going to other shelters much less fortunate that our run by churches. We have learned a lot about "bureaucracy" during this trip, and have seen firsthand, that not everyone has access to the same services. Continue to pray for all of these victims to get the help and support they need.

The Red Cross is now moving into the "transition phase" of caring for these people. Their lives are returning to whatever "normal" is going to be for them. Now that their immediate needs (food, housing, clothing, and medicine) have been met, it is time for them to transition into becoming self sufficient once again.

Most of the 9/7 group will be homeward bound for Northern Illinois this week. Donna, Sue, and Mary departed yesterday, as Donna hurt her leg. More groups are beginning to join our team, and we are now represented by volunteers from South Dakota, Wisconsin, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota and Virginia. We are not all working in the same areas, so we don't have as many updates about the other locations. We do know that a lot of tear down and rebuilding has been done, and that are workers have worked tirelessly to help this area. We have become our own "family" down here, and leaving will be difficult. Please pray for all of our team members for safe travel and emotional well being as we also begin to transition back to our "regular" lives.

A huge thank you for all of your donations, support, and prayers. A very special thank you to the Sunday School Classes of Trinity Lutheran Church for the wonderful home cooked (southern style of course) meal last night! Thanks Trinity! This church has taken on a monumental task of caring for the volunteers, as well as volunteering in the relief efforts themselves. Please keep them in your prayers as they continue to serve in the days to come. Lynn

Did I miss something?

I have hear/read the phrase "Claptrap" more times in the last 2 weeks than I ever have the previouse 28 years.

Did I miss the new Britney song or something? Why has this prase/word (which is it, by the way? Can something be both a word and a phrase?) become so used in the last 2 weeks?

Help me...i am a lost soul

The Satruday Update

Here is Lynn's update for 9/10

September 10, 2005

Today took our team to various shelters in the area. The Plaquemine group has now been on site since Thursday, and the residents are calling us by name. Our first baby "arrived" at the shelter this afternoon. She was born the 7th by C-Section. We have a crib set up next to a hospital style bed for mom. The rest of the family is sleeping next to her on a mattress. Just imagine what this family is going through bringing their new bundle home - to a homeless shelter with 411 people! Please pray that the mother and baby remain healthy until they can find permanent housing.

Our three year old who they thought had leukemia - has severe mono! Who would have thought you could be thankful for mono? Infectious diseases are being kept at bay. Treating boils, wound care, and dispensing meds was the order for today. Our medical clinic has now moved into an emergency care center now that the basic needs have been met.

Tomorrow, most of our team is coming with us. There is a tremendous need to play with these children. They have nothing to do on the weekend, and are beginning to go stir crazy. Our "non medical" team is going to play with the kids, scrub floors, and spray down beds and living areas.

Today a group of mental health workers arrived to help. The local school is having a difficult time with not only the influx of children, but behaviors as well. These children are given tons of candy, and are not getting enough sleep. They are in new schools that may be different than what they are used to. I hope to meet with the Supt. of Schools tomorrow, and together with the mental health workers we are going to start some parenting sessions, and an after school homework club. I hope to get into the schools on Monday to see what else we can do to help. Imagine that - me working with school children! (For those of you who do not know me, I am the Director of Curriculum for CCSD #46).

Our Fort Wayne Seminarians arrived safely tonight, after their bus accident in Memphis. Another group has arrived from Northern Illinois and will be joining us tomorrow. Volunteers are scheduled here through the 23rd and more calls are coming in. It is amazing to see everyone working together to help those less fortunate than themselves!

God Bless them all!

If You Are Able

(NOTE: I am keeping this at the top of the page, scroll down for my normal updates.)

Donate to the Red Cross

Here are some other options:

ABC-USA Missions

Lutheran Church Charaties (From Cousin Rev. Andy)

ELCA Disaster Response

ECUSA Relief Fund

A comprehenisive list of other services is here at Daily Kos



Larry the ECC has specific pages let me know, and I will add it to this list.

News From The Front

I just got 2 emails from Rev. Andy, my cousins husband. My Cousin, Lynn is in Baton Rouge doing some relief work with Lutheran Charaties (photos and updates).

Here are 2 emails from here. One is from Thurs., Sept 8, and one is from this morning.

Thurday 9/8

Dear Andy,

Hi - Finally getting the last 6 people out into the field. Patience is the name of the game and change is the order of the day.

The hopitality is amazing - just had lunch with a displaced preK teacher whose husband is a synod worker - they have been evacuated since the Hurricane (to Houston) - their Lutheran School is closed and she was quite concerned about her students who she didn't know where her students were. She was allowed to come back to see her home today - but they have to be out by 6 pm. She was happy that they had not sustainged water damage. She had to clean out the rotting food from her refrigerator and people have been advised to bury their rotting food!

People are wandering the streets looking for food and clothing. We have a group on a work crew - a hospital group and a large group at the "Miracle Center" where the last of the evacuees are being brought. A local pastor runs the center. Next door to Trinity is a Baptist Church that the Red Cross is running a food distribution center. Thousands of meals are being served twice a day. I met the Baptist pastor helping with the distribution - and on top of all they are doing they are feeding our volunteers! Everyone is truly working together.

We have got things fairly well organized for our group for now. Changes are continuous based on the calls we receive to help. This church has been amazing! I visited the school at lunch time. They have received 63 new students this week. They have all received new uniforms, and look like they were fitting in well. The cutest little pre-schooler was having a major meltdown and when I asked if it was because of being displaced, I was told that she had been attending preschool the past three weeks here, and was having a difficult time adjusting to her new class size of 12 from a class of 22!

The guys unloaded the semi of medical supplies today at Covington-Slidell. Everywhere is in need of so many things.

Thanks for the prayers - please continue. I have never been so frightened as I was last night driving the last couple of hours into Baton Rouge. There is a mandatory curfew from 10 - 5, and no gas available after 10. We had 400 gallons of gas on the trailor, but stopping was risky because of our precious cargo. We had to stop and wait for a car that was running low, and we had to move three times so people did not realize what we had in our trailor. Finally made it in at 1:30 am and we were up and going at 5 today. We're on our way out to a hospital center now so will close for now. Hope to get a chance to update soon.

Love, Lynn

Friday Morning or Late Thursday night

Good Morning!

It's 11:00 and I'm about done for the night.

Our one medical team came back with incredible stories from the storm refugees. There is rampant pink eye, and various other diseases sprouting up. There is not enough medicine to meet the needs.

Part of our group is staying in a motor home in Covington. They are on a chain saw mission. They took our cook Ernesto along and are living in a motor home a parishioner donated. It sounds like that area was extremely hard hit. They are attempting to get other motor homes to make a camp for people to stay in. It is far from here so we won't see them until we get ready to leave. My driver, Scott is there so hopefully he'll decide to come back and pick me up.

I will be working at a shelter tomorrow from 7 - 7. The needs are tremendous and there is plenty of work to be done. At least we are doing what we came to do.

Went on a food run tonight. Stores were closed after 8. Finally, found an open WalMart. It was packed with people. Armed policeman at the door - and empty food isles!!! No milk or eggs. People had baskets full of food.
I assume these are people that have finally found housing and have had to start over. It took us over an hour to check out.

5:30 comes early. I'll call you tomorrow night. I love you. Lynn

Please pray for Lynn and everyone helping out.

Last Post for the Day

I just came across this diary at dailykos. It talks about a small miracle amdist the Hell in the Superdome. The story comes from the LA Times. Read the article for the Hell, but here is the miracle...i cried:

Suddenly, incongruously, the first notes of Bach's Sonata No. 1 in G minor," the Adagio, pierced the desperation.

Samuel Thompson, 34, is trying to make it as a professional violinist. He had grabbed his instrument — made in 1996 by a Boston woman — as he fled the youth hostel Sunday where he had been staying in New Orleans for the last two months.

"It's the most important thing I own," he said.

He had guarded it carefully and hadn't taken it out until Wednesday afternoon, when he was able to move from the Superdome into the New Orleans Arena, far safer accommodations. He rested the black case on a table next to a man with no legs in a wheelchair and a pile of trash and boxes, and gingerly popped open the two locks. He lifted the violin out of the red velvet encasement and held it to his neck.

Thompson closed his eyes and leaned into each stretch of the bow as he played mournfully. A woman eating crackers and sitting where a vendor typically sold pizza watched him intently. A National Guard soldier applauded quietly when the song ended, and Thompson nodded his head and began another piece, the Andante from Bach's Sonata in A minor.

Thompson's family in Charleston, S.C., has no idea where he is and whether he is alive. Thompson figures he is safe for now and will get in touch when he can. In the meantime he will play, and once in a while someone at the sports complex will manage a smile.

"These people have nothing," he said. "I have a violin. And I should play for them. They should have something."

A sense of beauty in the midst of Hell.

Good News

I just heard the G-Rod said that any child refugee can enroll in Illinois schools. They are considered homeless, and therefor do not need to meet residency requirements.

I have heard this going on in other states as well.

Psalm 40

The last couple of days during lunch I have made my way over to the chapel in Northwestern Hospital to pray. Today, I was angry, fustrated and in no mood.

Instead of starting right off and praying, I picked up the Bible that was in front of me and opened it up. I opened to Psalm 40:

1 I waited patiently for the LORD;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
2 He drew me up from the desolate pit,*
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and put their trust in the LORD.

It is a Psalm of hope and promise. But what struck me and what I prayed on was verse 1.

Waiting patiently for the LORD. It is hard, but I pray for patience. I pray that the people of the Gulf have patience.

I keep praying on this.

Unreal

This quote (found on page 3) made my stomach almost wretch. This is from Homeland Security Cheif Michael Chertoff:

"The critical thing was to get people out of there before the disaster," he said on NBC's "Today" program. "Some people chose not to obey that order. That was a mistake on their part."

Mr. Chertoff, have you seen the photos of the people who stayed? No? Well, most of them are the poor, the elderly, the unemployed, the homeless, those who have no way to get out of town, those who have not the money to catch a bus out of town. How about instead of blaming them for their state of afairs, you look in the mirror. There were 36+ hour of warning for this storm. There could have been convoys prepared for those who could not get out on their own. They could have been plans in place to move people from the Superdome in case something like this happened.

Urf...sorry to keep posting this stuff, but if I do not get it off my chest I will be ill.

Honest Questions

Here is a link to a diary which is a snip of editorals from across the country.

Things are bad. Real bad.

Happier News

Chris Jones in today's Chicago Tribune has a great article about the beauty of Chicago theater.

Here is my favorite quote:

t's easy to think other cities must have something like this wonder. They don't. Most of them cannot hold the community together. And they don't have our tradition - of edgy comedy, of actors who look like actual people, of grit on the stage, of the sweat of self-revelation on the performer's brow. They don't have the Chicago actor's stubborn willingness to go on with the show for 10 people in the house. They don't have our capacity and love of probing the dark underbelly of the art and of life. They don't have the sheer fun of being able to pick from scores and scores of live shows to see each and every Saturday night. We think the Chicago theater scene is a wonder. Unique. And the very life-beat of Chicago itself.

Sorry, One More Thing

Bush said this morning, "Nobody anticpated the levees breaking."

Sorry Georgie, either you are uniformed or are lying.

Here is a link for you with a wonderful list of article, essays, and many other pieces, saying that BECAUSE YOU TRANSFERED MONEY TO IRAQ instead of keeping it HERE, they could not do necessary repairs...ass.

Before you think I am making politcs out of this...this goes beyond politcs into human decency.

Here is another great post with links about how uninformed or full of crap our leader is.

I was going to post a Rant

But then I came across this editorial in the New York Times:

September 1, 2005
Waiting for a Leader

George W. Bush gave one of the worst speeches of his life yesterday, especially given the level of national distress and the need for words of consolation and wisdom. In what seems to be a ritual in this administration, the president appeared a day later than he was needed. He then read an address of a quality more appropriate for an Arbor Day celebration: a long laundry list of pounds of ice, generators and blankets delivered to the stricken Gulf Coast. He advised the public that anybody who wanted to help should send cash, grinned, and promised that everything would work out in the end.

We will, of course, endure, and the city of New Orleans must come back. But looking at the pictures on television yesterday of a place abandoned to the forces of flood, fire and looting, it was hard not to wonder exactly how that is going to come to pass. Right now, hundreds of thousands of American refugees need our national concern and care. Thousands of people still need to be rescued from imminent peril. Public health threats must be controlled in New Orleans and throughout southern Mississippi. Drivers must be given confidence that gasoline will be available, and profiteering must be brought under control at a moment when television has been showing long lines at some pumps and spot prices approaching $4 a gallon have been reported.

Sacrifices may be necessary to make sure that all these things happen in an orderly, efficient way. But this administration has never been one to counsel sacrifice. And nothing about the president's demeanor yesterday - which seemed casual to the point of carelessness - suggested that he understood the depth of the current crisis.

While our attention must now be on the Gulf Coast's most immediate needs, the nation will soon as why New Orleans's levees remained so inadequate. Publications from the local newspaper to National Geographic have fulminated about the bad state of flood protection in this beloved city, which is below sea level. Why were developers permitted to destroy wetlands and barrier islands that could have held back the hurricane's surge? Why was Congress, before it wandered off to vacation, engaged in slashing the budget for correcting some of the gaping holes in the area's flood protection?

It would be some comfort to think that, as Mr. Bush cheerily announced, America "will be a stronger place" for enduring this crisis. Complacency will no longer suffice, especially if experts are right in warning that global warming may increase the intensity of future hurricanes. But since this administration won't acknowledge that global warming exists, the chances of leadership seem minimal.


Ok, I am back.

I have a couple of ideas that could win the good will of the people back.

1.) Assure those who are the poorest of the poor and the weakest of the weak (you know, the ones who could not afford to evacuate the cities) that they will be taken care of. That they will be loved.

2.) Bring home the national guard troops to help in the recsue/recovery efforts. Around 2/3 of the national guard of MS, LA, and AL are in Iraq providing woefully inadequate numbers for such a massive effort.

3.) Call for sacrifice amongst the American People. They want to help. They need to know how.

4.) Talk to the American people like they are adults, not chlidren. You are very condecening in your speeches. We are not as stupid as you think. While you are at it, work on not having that stupid smirk on your face that you get everytime Iraq is discussed.

5.) Give the American people updates on what is going on. Do not rely on the media. It is your job to lead the people. Do it.

6.) As rebuilding begins in The Gulf Coast, DO NOT contract out the jobs of rebuilding infrastructre to your buddies. Follow in the footsteps of FDR, create the GCRP (Gulf Coast Rebuild Project). Let the people who are now jobless work. Give jobs to them. Have the people take pride in their efforts. This can be co-oridninate through the Army Corps of Engineers.

7.) GET RID OF THE TAX CUTS. Right now the only people who need the relief are those directly affected by Katrina. The rest of us can Sacrifice the tax cuts (see number 3), and since they will not truly affect most of us we can handle it. Call on your buddies to pay more.

8.) Ignore the car lobby, and enforce CAFE standards. Make sure that our automobiels meet strict emissions and fuel comsumption standards.

9.) Regulate the utility companies this and the upcoming winters. Make sure that they charge honestly for heating fuel. There is no way people of even median income can afford the upconming $700 heating bills this winter.

10.) Act like you are in charge! Yesterday's speech did not do that. Yesterday, you pawned out every job. At least look like you give a damn!

A couple of Photos

Ceremony, originally uploaded by CelticWander.

I have uploaded a couple of wedding photos...most of them are the posed ones...i will add more candids as the days come

First Thoughts Week 2

Exodus 12:1-14
Psalm 149
Romans 13:8-14
Matthew 18:15-20

Man, I feel like Sonny, Robert Duvall's character in The Apostle, when he is in his bedroom yelling at God.

"I don't know who's foolin' with me, you or the devil. I love you Lord, but I'm mad at you!".

The readings this week, particualarly the Exodus and the end of the Gospel reading are full of such promise for the followers of God. They assure us of God's presence among God's people.

"The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt."--Exodus

"Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them."--Matthew

Tell that to the folks living down in the Gulf of Mexico. Tell that to the residents of New Orleans whose entire town is gone. 90% of Biloxi, MS gone. These folks have every right to say, "I don't know who's foolin' with me, you or the devil. I love you Lord, but I'm mad at you!". Mad at you for breaking the promise. There were more than two or three gathered in your name, where were you? Do you not see the blood of the Lamb upon us? We asked and it was not done. I'm mad at you!

I have been praying and meditiating on these readings over the last 24 hours as the news down south worsens. I have been trying to find the silver lining in the midst of the chaos and destruction.

I think I have something. This morning I heard the governor of Louisana, Kathleen Blanco, and what she said reminded me of the promise of baptism. Through the death, burial and reseurction of Lord Jesus we have live anew. She did not bring up baptism, but the analogy she used reminded me of it.

There is a sense of hope in looking at this destruction through the image of baptism. Though the destruction is unfathomable and there is a sense of hell on Earth, through the grace of Baptism we are reborn stronger than before.

Paul give us more hope in the Romans passage, "For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near."

But it is damn hard to trust that things will be ok. DAMN HARD.

Listening to first person accounts of the hell in Dixie it seems that things will never be ok. The man who's wife slipped from his hand in the rushing water, he can do nothing but asume she is dead [Update 11:24 a.m.: the man's name is Harvey Jackson...God be with you, Mr. Jackson and all others in your same situation}. To see bodies floating by, life snuffed out in an instant. God I am mad at you!

But through faith we have to be living examples of the healing power of God. "Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet"; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, "Love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law....Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light."--Romans. We have to use the stregth and power the Holy Spirit enabled us with in baptism. We must be lights in this darkness. Full of grace and unconditional love.

We must take hope in the Lord:

"For the LORD takes pleasure in his people
and adorns the poor with victory."--Psalms 149:4.

May The Lord Give You Peace!

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Please feel free to leave your thoughs!

Kind of Cool

You are elegant, withdrawn, and brilliant. Your mind is a weapon, able to solve any puzzle. You are also great at poking holes in arguments and common beliefs. For you, comfort and calm are very important. You tend to thrive on your own and shrug off most affection. You prefer to protect your emotions and stay strong.

The World's Shortest Personality Test