Poets, Prophets and Paralegals

A Proper Sabbath

2006-01-27T21:43:00.000-05:00

American State Papers Bearing on Sunday Legislation

I read this article by a minister the other day that helps you think.

We Dare Not Speak Its Name
Within the Church there is an irreconcilable divergence emerging (1 John 2:18–19). At its extremes we see the birth of Patriot Pastors in Ohio even as liberal churches become targets for IRS investigations. We see Justice Sundays and the growth of theocratic nationalism even as more are jailed because of their faith-based resistance to the further production of war. From the pulpits of the nation the Sermon on the Mount, Christian identification with the poor, the declaration to love our enemies are all replaced with strategies of church growth or manipulations to infiltrate political parties. Congregations insist that clergy dare not speak its name. Congregations insist that clergy stay embedded in their role as chaplain and golf partner. They insist that clergy provide comfort and offer therapeutic guidance. And clergy, with paycheck in hand, and a desire for career advancement in heart, oblige their congregations with false words of "peace, peace" (Jeremiah 8).

For more articles by the Reverend Rich Lang, please see Trinity United Methodist Church in Seattle, Washington.

Today's Commentary...

"We don't work on the Sabbath..."

They pompously say.
(And Sabbath is on Sunday, by the way.)

"We are to rest upon the Lord's day."

So off to the links
To play a quick round;
Church, an excuse to go into town.

Then they sit themselves down,
In their comfy pews,
Without the slightest textual clue,
Just as long as the good Reverend is through
By noon.

Because the malls open at one, you see,
And close promptly at six.

"We'll need time between to get our appetites fixed."

A stop at a restaurant,
Give Grace for the repast,
Then worry at the wait staff
(Also known as the lost).

"Isn't it a pity," they say as they pay...

"All the heathen who work Sabbath day?"

mbwhitley©2006

Could it be Déjà Vu?

2006-01-20T20:24:00.000-05:00

The glory of great men should always be measured by the means they have used to acquire it.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
(1613 - 1680)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How It Happened...

The boy had taken two shots in the head.
The apartment, though neat, was small,
with a crucifix over a family portrait.
His grandmother wept while we undressed him.
Speechless, his gray lips fell open. Death
had drowned out in his eye the last wild look.
His arms hung limp, as if they needed to be held.
He had in his pocket a boxwood top and string.
My forefinger would have fit in either wound.
Have you seen blackberries bleed? His skull
had been punched through easily as punkwood.
The old woman watched us strip him naked, saying:
He never looked this white! Bring me the lamp.
His hair, poor thing, it's stuck to his forehead.
With this she took him in her lap. The night
was an impossible depth of sadness. Rifles
in the street said, More now! You! Now you!
One of us inside said, Here, let's wrap the boy
in a sheet. And his grandmother carried him
to the fireside, as if his limbs
might still be warmed, even while invisible
cold hands went tight around them.
She lowered her head and pulled off his socks,
and took the corpse's feet in her cupped palms.
It breaks your heart, she said. Not
eight years old! His teachers gave him good
reports. And when I needed to send a letter,
he was the one who wrote it. So,
are they murdering children now? My God!

Somebody tell me: are these people soldiers?
After breakfast, he was here at the window,
playing. This afternoon, he went walking
up that street, and they just shot him. Sir,
he was a good boy. He was sweet, like Jesus.
Me, I'm too old. It's past time for me to die.
It wouldn't have been so bad: the President could send
his troops and have me shot down in the street,
but him, a little boy! Sobs choking her, she stopped,
and everyone was crying. The she said,
And what becomes of me now, all alone? Can someone
tell me that? He was all I had left of his mother.
Why kill him? I need somebody to explain this for me.
This boy never had one thought about the President!

And everyone stood quiet, shaken
by this grief that no one ever would console.

But let me say, old woman, to make clear
what you have missed: Napoleon, though poor, is
still a prince, and he loves palaces. A prince
needs horses, household help, and money,
for the pastimes of a princely table, for the boudoir,
and the hunt. Of course, he must preserve the family
too, society, the church, and so on, not to mention
such prime real estate as Saint-Cloud,
where great men among the summer roses act
as worshipful as one is rich. On this account,
a few old women with arthritic fingers must
stitch winding sheets around their little boys.

How It Happened (December 4, 1851)
Victor Hugo (1802-1885)
translated by Brooks Haxton (Penguin Classics)

Today's Commentary:

Think about it.

Spy vs. Spy

2006-01-06T00:36:00.000-05:00

Today’s Commentary…

21st Century Welcome

Cameras all around
And Microphones abound.
Always listening, seeing what shouldn’t be seen;
Always speculating on the simplest of things.
All living in a fishbowl.
Can you swim?

A Gestapo Administration (LewRockwell.com)
by Paul Craig Roberts
Caught in gratuitous and illegal spying on American citizens, the Bush administration has defended its illegal activity and set the Justice (sic) Department on the trail of the person or persons who informed the New York Times of Bush’s violation of law. Note the astounding paradox: The Bush administration is caught red-handed in blatant illegality and responds by trying to arrest the patriot who exposed the administration’s illegal behavior.
Bush has actually declared it treasonous to reveal his illegal behavior! His propagandists, who masquerade as news organizations, have taken up the line: To reveal wrong-doing by the Bush administration is to give aid and comfort to the enemy. Compared to Spygate, Watergate was a kindergarten picnic…

Bush says spying leak causes great harm
President calls domestic surveillance program limited
Associated Press-Updated: 9:31 p.m. ET Jan. 1, 2006
SAN ANTONIO - President Bush strongly defended his domestic spying program on Sunday, calling it legal as well as vital to thwarting terrorist attacks, and contended the leak making it public had caused “great harm to the nation.” Many Democrats and some Republicans in Congress have questioned whether Bush’s actions went beyond the constitutional powers and congressional resolution he has cited. In 1978 Congress established a secret court to handle sensitive requests for surveillance and to issue warrants — a system the NSA program bypassed.

Government Web Sites Are Keeping An Eye On You

By Declan McCullagh and Anne Broache
Staff Writer, CNET News.com Published: January 5, 2006, 4:00 AM PST

Dozens of federal agencies are tracking visits to U.S. government Web sites in violation of long-standing rules designed to protect online privacy, a CNET News.com investigation shows.

From the Air Force to the Treasury Department, government agencies are using either "Web bugs" or permanent cookies to monitor their visitors' behavior, even though federal law restricts the practice.

mbwhitley©2004

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License.

The Disciples for Brotherly Love Association vs. The Association of Brotherly Love Disciples

2005-12-07T19:38:00.000-05:00

FORD MOTOR CO. CAVES TO RIGHT WING'S
HOMOPHOBIC AGENDA:

Ford Motor Company has announced that "it will cut back on advertising in gay-oriented publications" after the right-wing American Family Association (AFA) threatened a boycott of the company for Ford's "track record for supporting the homosexual agenda." In the past, Ford received praise from gay rights organizations, promoting LGBT workplace diversity and donating to gay causes, including the Human Rights Campaign. While Jaguar and Land Rover ads will be pulled from gay publications, a Ford spokesperson could not confirm whether donations to LGBT organizations will continue. AFA chairman, Donald E. Wildmon, was pleased with Ford's decision: "They've heard our concerns," he said. "They are acting on our concerns." Spinwatch

Vatican Calls Gay Marriage 'Gravely Immoral'

CBS/AP The Vatican launched a global campaign against gay marriages warning Catholic politicians that support of same-sex unions was "gravely immoral" and urging non-Catholics to join the offensive.

The Vatican's orthodoxy watchdog, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued a 12-page set of guidelines with the approval of Pope John Paul II in a bid to stem the increase in laws granting legal rights to homosexual unions in Europe and North America. CBS News

A BISHOP SPEAKS: No Room for Compromise
Christianity's integrity rides on how religious people deal with gay rights

Religious people usually like to find common ground. But on this issue there can be no compromise: Those who believe homosexuality is sinful think they must battle what God abhors. Those who see an emerging definition of homosexuality as a normal, though minority, part of humanity believe they are fighting ignorance

My Episcopal Church began confronting this issue 20 years ago, when delegates to the General Convention voted down a progressive report dealing with homosexuality in the church. The next day, however, 21 Episcopal bishops announced they would not be bound by that rejection. And ever since, conservative attempts to discipline gay-friendly bishops have ended in failure. That suggests the Episcopal Church stands on the threshold of joining the Unitarian-Universalist Association and the United Church of Christ is the U.S. faith communities most open to gay and lesbian members. John Shelby Spong

Today's Commentary

Shame on You

"Isn't that a shame!"
The doctor said to me,
Peering into my eyes,
So very intently.
"You're vision is bad, less than perfect, you know."
"Isn't that sad? A terrible blow."

"For our world is God-graced,
And perfection the ideal;
Sin has no place.
You've been given a raw deal."

"Our original blueprints say,
20/20 is the STANDARD vision;
To say you just aren't built that way,
Is not enough of a reason."

"Forgiveness is only achieved
If you quit seeing less,
And start seeing more;
Choose otherwise, my friend,
And you'll make the Chosen sore."

"Of course, we don't know
How mankind's innovations
Have altered our blueprints,
And created aberrations..."

"It's the God of Perfection
We worship, you see,
Anything less doesn't deserve our society,
Or love of family, or pride in work;
And, heaven forbid you approach a clerk
Seeking to honor commitment
By those chosen to govern us all--
Accepting imperfection may lead to our fall!"

"So you'll have to step back,
And be grateful to be alive;
And don't even think about creating strife
Demanding rights to happiness;
Imperfect humans must learn to accept less
(If they keep choosing to be imperfect)."

How long will it be
Before my astigmatized self,
Gets put in a pen,
With other outcast human wealth?

Mishapen eyeballs, missing limbs
And chromosomes
All those imperfections
Who don't deserve homes,
Or love of a husband or love of a wife;
Just be thankful we live where we retain life.
Never mind it's of censure and patronization
We're in the land of the Free
And God's favorite nation.

Remember Cindy?

2005-11-18T15:27:00.000-05:00

Sheehan, Other Activists Convicted Over Protest LA Times

Cindy Sheehan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Today’s Commentary…

The Worth of Our Children?

A lone woman stands
By the side of the road
Carrying alone, her share of the load.

She supported her son—
Who was chosen to die—
Now all she asks is the simple word:
Why?

Enter Leviathan, whose minions are legion.
Each giving their own particular reason,
Speculating on the gal’s motivation
For bothering der Fuhrer on his vacation…

“Demented, Deranged, unpatriotic…”

“Rude, small potatoes, is she psychotic?”

“Doesn’t she know to leave well ‘nuff alone?”

“How dare she ask why our kids are not home?”

Talk shows and commentators spilling forth froth;
Politicians, veterans, men of the cloth…
Others who’ve sacrificed the seed of their loins
To the great god of War, Oil and Coin,
Rise angry in support of Leviathan's position,
Calling for Ms. Sheehan’s wholesale damnation.

Why afraid of this one little word “why?”

Just explain to me please, why her son had to die?

Why anyone sons and daughters must die
Is simply because our leaders just lie.

They haven’t the balls to ask simple questions,
Or take strong stances based on right answers.
They twist and they shape the history around them
Hoping that hindering truth will crown them
With the laurels of victory, power and clout--
They’ve forgotten about evil or routing it out.

Choosing service to mammon,
These leaders of state
Serve individual’s heads on a plate.
These bully pulpits of voting factions
Cannot stand alone and call for action.
With Leviathan panting at their back,
They’ll stay the course and save their own neck.

Supporting loyal loved ones who are in harms way
Is different from asking our leaders today
To speak only of truth, and to have sound reason
To cut off our youth in their flowering season.

Is your son in Iraq or your daughter too?
Has anyone asked the question of you:
If there are no weapons of mass destruction,
And terror is rising from our meddlesome ways,
Will our kindred be fighting ‘til the end of our days?

If democracy is sold—wholesale—down river
To retain oil rights for the Hilton’s new rover,
Then shouldn’t you look around in fear,
For those that you call most dear?

The ones who fight (and fall) are not to blame,
We are aiming for much bigger game.

Don’t sell-out our future, you statesmen,
To the highest bid on the floor.
Don’t kill off our kids, unless you also kill yours.
When all of your youngsters are in-listed in action
Then perhaps you can have the satisfaction
Of hanging them high,
Those unpatriotic askers of “why”.

Related News and Features:

From One Mother to Another:
Open letter to Cindy Sheehan : News from Occupied Iraq
“Watching your campaign on TV, I felt compelled to get in touch with you, to extend my condolences, compassion and solidarity…Iraq is boiling with wrath and anger at the US presence. Not as Americans, as the Bush administration tries to convince you, but against the colonial rule they try to create in Iraq.” Zaidom Ma'moon Fadhil Hasson AL-Samarr'ee

Fast Withdrawal of G.I.'s Is Urged by Key Democrat

"Our military has done everything that has been asked of them. It is time to bring them home," Mr. Murtha said, at times choking back tears. Mr. Murtha's proposal, which goes well beyond the phased withdrawal of United States forces from Iraq that other moderate Democrats have proposed, stunned many Republicans who quickly held their own news conference to criticize the plan. The New York Times

Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) is a conservative Democrat who "has earned bipartisan respect for his work on military issues over three decades in Congress." Rep. John M. McHugh (R-NY), who serves on the on the House Armed Services Committee, said, "When he talks, I listen." The Progress Report - American Progress Action Fund

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

2005-11-08T15:03:00.000-05:00

Read EFF's Legal Guide for Bloggers

We’re gonna go a’ bloggin’,
Instead of taking to the streets;
Voters spouting off in digits,
‘Stead of ‘tending people meets.

Our banners turned to faceys frowning;
Our slogans—quotes abounding;
Our battle cries resounding
In guerrilla-spoke binary;
Our exposés are sweetly sung,
By the Microsoft canary.
Singing silent tales of fraud,
Thieving and corruption,
We’re waiting in our desk chairs,
For the coming revolution.

The only part we hadn’t figured
‘Bout our ‘lectric trigger:
The reform we shout,
To the elected clout,
Will never get past bytes—
Tho’ we type our spite
With all our might
(And hope spell-check gets it right).

So we’ll continue to sit
Amid our foam—and spit
At gov’ment ‘net illiterate—
Remaining out of sight.

mbwhitley©2004

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License.