The Measure of Love

Is to Love Without Measure

-EJF-

Questions Worth Asking

What Business

--does a priest think he has hearing confessions about a guy's psychodramas with his wife
when he never figured out how to have one himself?

--does a priest think he has hearing confessions concerning child rearing when he only has
hundreds of fake children or 'spiritual' part time children for whom he has no financial
or real emotional obligations regarding child rearing- and can in fact send them back from
whence they came.

-- does any bishop or Archbishop who left a district where half the churches are for sale because people have become so despondent concerning the authority of the church to rule another Archdiocese into the ground? Should they give parishioners 'teacher evaluation' forms regarding their bishops and send them to the Vatican like they do in colleges now?


These are some of the questions being asked - (don't shoot the messenger)- and they should cause the "authorities" to wonder - is it time for VATICAN III? Are we witnessing a mutiny more than a crisis of the faith? Are the reformers really heretics or purists?

http://online.wsj.com/community/groups/religion-diversity-tolerance-governance/topics/should-vatican-drop-mandatory-celibacy?commentid=1605924



If the truth sets us all free, it's about time for a real serious honest Coming to Jesus.

Get Ready for it

SAINT THERESE OF LISIEUX
FEAST DAY OCTOBER 1
(start the Nine Day Novena Now)

She's the most significant Saint some say to come out of the last century- she's French. She's a "Doctor" of the Church. (Here she is playing Joan of Arc in a play in her carmelite convent in Normandy) Now don't you want to know why she is such a big deal? See the chains above- Joan of Arc was imprisoned and executed, by fire. A Prisoner for Christ.

http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=105

Here's One That Food Channel Guy Missed

The Guy Named Guy

On the food channel there is a great show about a guy named Guy (which is a very common french name actually pronounced in france Guiee)-- a guy drives around the country in a racy convertible looking for the best local family owned or small joints that serve up the best diner food and any novel twist therefrom.


http://www.foodnetwork.com/diners-drive-ins-and-dives/index.html


My favorite burger is now the PEPPINO BURGER from a place called PEPPINOS in Washington, PA (about an hour south of Pittsburgh). He hasn't had a burger until he had a Peppino Burger!
It is owned by a WWII Vet named Bob Nicolella (first generation Italian-both parents hail from Italy) and his sons work there. I know his oldest daughter (full disclosure). The place has been in business locally for 50 years and it is a local favorite. The owner regailed us with tales of Joe DiMaggio coming all the way from pittsburgh just to have his tripe on several occassions. He had a picture of Marilyn Monroe on the wall, Joe's wife for a time. After they divorced he called Bob and asked him to take his x's picture off the wall which he did. This WWII vet proudly displays a hanging American Flag outside his restaurant.
The atmosphere is fantastic with old football photos on the wall- football in those parts is nearly a state religion. His oldest son coached football I learned at the High School where my mother, aunt and uncle attended.
Bob, the WWII Vet told us how he was at Pearl Harbor and at the last minute he got transfer orders from the Navy to transfer boats. He later learned that the boat that he was first supposed to be on was torpedoed and sank. "Those guys were in the water for six hours" he recounted. He couldn't say how many people died from that boat but he thanks his guardian angel. He had a stroke about a year ago which slowed down his 85 year old football player physique somewhat but he is still twinkle eyed when discussing that his tripe is the best in State-maybe the country and he got most his recipes from his italian mother who started him in the restaurant biz.

Washington, PA is full of historic wonderful stuff and lots of fall festivals as the trees change a beautiful array of colors. Peppinos is right across from the Visitors Center where one can pick up pamplets on the covered bridges in the area and a few pumpkin festivals and see a display of collected local indian arrowheads.

Can't wait to get back to Peppinos for Veteran's Day. Someone tell Guy to come along!


Bob's daughter Roberta Pia Nicolella who is a brilliant artist painted a brilliant picture of the White House that has been exhibited, inter alia ,at the National Press Club and other places- prints go for $300 and her father proudly has a framed one nailed to the wall in the restaurant so the college kids don't take it off the wall. The original is still for sale for $5,000. Her day job is a civilian with the Military out by Walter Reed.

The Million Moderate March

And now a word from our sponsors- the folks who have Sh** to do.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Rally to Restore Sanity
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

Newsflash- say it aint so Sarkozy-

Tell the Truth- did you just MAKE THAT UP?

Merkel and German press deny saying what Sarkozy claim they said- Germany is not following
French lead on this one (do they ever?)


http://www.aolnews.com/world/article/germany-denies-nicolas-sarkozy-claim-on-gypsy-expulsions/19638305

The second account of the royal French family fabricating has hit the wires -first Michele O didn't say being First lady is "Hell"- she apparently said (lost in translation and Carla's british inflection) things are going 'swell' or 'all is well (that ends well)' or 'did you hear that bell?" or
make a wish in the well ...or something.

Now apparently Merkel didn't say let's send all the gypsies packing back to bulgaria. She said
'How do we prevent Malaria" or "I like the Hair on Ya" or "Beware those that beware ya"

Look, the French are not particularly known to be fabricators even when the news is bad.
They don't even hide affairs on purpose much-or they are rather bad at it. They don't tend to lie with "I was out with the boys"- they say, can all the boys and girls come along-I love them all, as Carla did in inviting her couterie of old lovers to the beach down South.
What's to lie about.

Did Merkel express support for her embattled neighbor? probably- Did she rescind after all the international heat? probably. Did Michele open up about the hell of the fish bowl- maybe.
Is Carla Bruni what Ahmadinijad called her? Ask her!

Sarkozy and the Romani

The fight is just beginning.

Sarkozy's reception at the EU was less than cordial over the mass expulsion and forced eviction of entire communities (tent villages) of Romani-an ethnic group originating it is believed in India that nomadically floating around eastern europe (romania) for a time before venturing in to the heart of europe. It is reported that Sarkozy got his french cuffs in a twist when declaring that he is the leader of france and all of france will not be insulted by the criticism that this was the best way to deal with crime- just evict an entire ethnic group without actual data or evidence of any criminal act of each or any individual- just to romania with all of them. I hate to tell Sarkozy that I know a few French folk who think the whole plot outrageous (even reminiscent of the Mass expulsion/forced eviction of Jews during and before WWII).

Merkel of Germany it is reported is following suit- we don't want any of them either. They generally have a bad rap- they embody all the stereotypes of pick pocketing thieving beggars who assault you in the train stations with beggarly tricks including borrowed babies drooling and ill clad huddled in corners of jackets. You cannot miss the stereotype any more than you can miss "their" cardboard signs, outstretched soiled hands and eyes that seem to smirk as try to look hungry and probably are.

We in this country of course recognize this as just plainly racist- just because someone is of any ethnic group, it doesn't justify the mass stereotype of the entire ethnicity and certainly not justifying deportation. What would be of our Irish and Italian immigrants were that the case? Where would we be if we sent back all those dirty puritan pilgrims from England stealing the land from us native Americans- the native Americans might think----We are a nation of immigrants and when people arrive hungry and destitute sometimes they steal the bread until they acculturate assimilate and establish their communities. Is it that France and Germany don't want them assimilated or aren't they trying?

There is a UN office of forced evictions/deportations- they visited New Orleans not too long ago looking at the government dictates to abolish all public housing in NOLA as the local housing authority was absorbed into HUD. Perhaps the UN should investigate what really is going on with the ROMA communities in Western Europe. Is every family really running a chop shop? Are none of their kids in French schools doing well? Are they all pick pocketing thieving beggars? I suspect the answer is a resounding NO. They all however apparently seem to be victim to the same racial stereotyping we are far too familiar with in this country.

Do not oppress the stranger or the Alien- you yourselves were alien's in the Land of Egypt.

The Washington City Toilet Paper Strikes Again

With Prurient Shallow Disgusting Reporting.



Dennis Sobin, Founder and President of the Safe Streets Foundation and Prisons Art Gallery, might like to sue the Washington City Paper for libel, but he has been declared a vexatious litigant for fighting, inter alia, all the horrendous slander and libel about him out there over the years, some of which is pure fiction by people who just don't like his ideas. Made up garbage. It is true he has a less than virtuous past. It is true he profited off those sleazy 900 or 976 numbers in the 80s- as did every major phone company (I worked at MCI -later Worldcom- in their General Counsel's office on a temporary project on the team fighting the multimillion dollar class action lawsuit brought by folks who felt they were defrauded by these numbers generating expensive phone bills)-



Will Sommer, the Washington City paper reporter, who attended two hearings in a half year battle to rescind the Civil Protection Order brought, Dennis believes, frivolously and harassingly by his overzealous Asst DA Son, wasn't at all interested in reporting a balanced view of Mr. Sobin who kindly took him in his partial confidence only to be sadly betrayed by this piece of yellow journalism. Will Sommer was interested, as he himself states in the article itself -in 80s sleaze. Twenty year old garbage. Dennis wanted to talk about his Prison Arts Foundation, and Mr. Sommer couldn't get his mind out of the gutter.

Pathetic reporting. Sommers flatly misreports what the city was trying to do to Mr. Sobin in stating that the city was after a renewal of a CPO (civil protection order) for one year when they were after Five Years which the kind Judge refused to grant as a ridiculous over-reach of the city. Additionally, they were really after locking him up again (more obviously than subtextually as they had a marshall appear in court right next to him) over a piece of campaign literature that was found outside the Wilson Building because the son absurdly claims that the entire building is his place of business as legislative counsel to Fenty and he ordered his father to stay 100 feet away from his place of business- nevermind his father was lobbying city hall before he was born.


So let me tell you the other side of the story Sommer refused to report muckraking a distorted trash piece that you should put next to your toilet to wipe yourself with, Mr. Sommers. (If I were on the Board of any real paper I would fire Sommers but the Washington City Paper doesn't really care about fact checking much I found)


The Dennis Sobin story is one of amazing redemption; his and many others he vigorously assists. He built a foundation that has not only the respect of the Arts Community, and is a recipient of Grants from the DC and Federal government and private foundations alike, he has garnered the support of a partner at a major international law firm, Greenburg Traurig, who is pro bono counsel on an expanded much larger high end gallery of prisoner art. Sobin has literally saved lives by mentoring prisoners and ex-prisoners in the arts. This is no trivial matter. Sommer mocks the Kennedy Center as though that were some small achievement. The Musical prodigy who arranged Sobin's opera who is a PHD candidate in music composition at Catholic U. is now employed by Arena Stage. The foundation which he has built is not a 'one man show' (as the DA who prosecuted him stated falsely in court) but has a Board, some of whom showed up on stage at the Kennedy Center event, comprised in part of Wardens in other States and has garnered the support of law enforcement personnel, staff and volunteers, donors, mentees and loyal customers.



Dennis Sobin eagerly came to Archbishop Wuerl's Midnight Mass last Christmas Eve to take photographs that he put in a montag to music in a CD that he gave as gift- because I, his lawyer, sang in the cathedral Christmas mass choir. He regularly plays guitar which he taught himself in prison at homeless breakfast events in several churches throughout the city and has been hosted by Saint Matthews Cathedral at Christmas, Western Presbyterian Church, Episcopalian and Lutheran churches alike throughout the city. This was of course all in the record that Will Sommers ignored. In fact most of the record Will Sommers ignored if he read it at all. There is even a letter of commendation from a prominent Pastor in the record and many many thank you letters from people who purchased and used the art (half the proceeds go to the prisoner and the other half to the gallery as is customary) for calendars, T-shirts, magazines, church ministry fundraisers, and the like.



Dennis Sobin's indefatigable creativity is beyond inspiring. He is a book author, has recorded numerous CDs, produced plays and mentored others to write and produce them, mentored artists and pushed municipalities to make art supplies available in prisons, and has a national network of people affected by the criminal justice system helping him, supporting him, and encouraging him in an incredibly noble mission to advance the creative arts of people who lost their freedom nationally.



In this country to lose your freedom equates in some minds with losing your life. Dennis is about resurrecting the lives of people by freeing their souls and minds and he is incredibly successful at it. Some people view him as a national treasure. Who cares what he did in the 80s.



At the trial on the Civil Protection Order brought by his son, an Asst. DA in DC, one such soul testified that Dennis literally saved his life rescuing him from the streets and called him a 'saint' as he detailed how Dennis literally wanders downtown Washington, DC handing out bottled water to homeless people just because it's hot-and he's been there. In fact today's Express reports that one in seven people in America live in poverty and a lot of them wander around Washington, DC hanging out at places like Miriam's Kitchen -where he has greeted guests playing guitar gently. What has Mr. Sommers done for anyone else in his life?



The Prisons Arts Foundation deserves the support of everyone. It is an amazing piece of Washington, DC landscape and history that someone has come this far in his mission to resurrect others while people still want to see him buried alive- like apparently the Washington City Toilet Paper. Flush. Flush.



The GW Paper (George Washington University) The Hatchet did less of a hatchet job on him than the City paper which isn't worth the paper they cr***ped on. It's Free and worth the price you paid for it.


http://media.www.gwhatchet.com/media/storage/paper332/news/2010/09/09/Arts/Safe-Streets.Arts.Foundation.Encourages.Creativity.Talent.From.All.Walks.Of.Life-3929150.shtml

Black Caucus Independent Film Juried Selections

A MUST SEE FOR ALL IN DC WHO CARE ABOUT KIDS

I had the distinct privilege and honor of being invited by my client, the Director of the Safe Streets Foundation, Dennis Sobin, who is very involved in racial equality issues in the justice system across America as the Director of a Foundation (http://www.prisonsfoundation.org/) that runs a gallery of works produced by inmates throughout the country, to the juried independent film segment of the Black Caucus today at the DC Convention Center to view two films, and what is the most significant documentary on Juvenile Justice to hit the screens. JUSTICE FOR ALL is absolutely without question a Must See for anyone interested in racial issues in the justice system in this country (it touches on what is going on in England briefly as well in this area comparatively) pertaining to the youth trapped in the juvenile justice system, and how they are warehoused with and treated as adults many places (states) still crying out for federal reform. This is an incredibly well researched piece of reporting.

Everyone in the Justice Dept. should see it. Obama should have a private screening with policymakers. It should be mandatory viewing in all law schools. The ACS should show it.

Justice for All is on DVD and may be ordered directly from http://www.urbanministries.com/

We have to look particularly hard now at the private prison system particularly in Florida. Beyond Scary.

Loving the Lord your God

With All Your Mind

Means education is prefered to illiterate cluelessness, wisdom prefered to ignorance and stupidity-by not just the Democrats, but by God. There is even a book called Wisdom in the Catholic bible. Not a bad thing at all.

So why do the Republicans insist on championing the dumb-downedness of people who think 'virtue' is a misnomer for 'abolish the Department of Education' and keep them all barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen forever. There is an element of the Republican mantra that is as ignorant as the Taliban when it comes to the dignity of women- and higher education is almost mocked with the "Jesus never went to college" sort of idiocy you would expect from a Mullah.

God uses the simple to confound the wise-we are taught.
This is how the Tea-Partiers convince the hee haw hokiest of folks that we want a hee haw hokie set of straw chewing idiots making any policy whatsoever as the leader of the "Free World"
Well, sometimes- when the wise are off track and child-like innocence can alert them to it and direct them in more profundity in their wisdom. But God doesn't prefer or champion ignorance. Solomon was a great king precisely because there was no one wiser in all the world.

The Republican party is now imploding beyond any democrat's wildest dreams- because the fraction that champions ignorance (no-outright Silliness in Suits) in the name of virtue is battling with the more main-stream old guard that ran the country into the ditch and mass murdered hundreds of thousands of Iraqis that never invited us in and had absolutely zero to do with 9-11.

Both are all way way off track. It's an amusing firefight that is destined to burn the whole house down (if some people don't wise up pretty darn soon).

A funny Thing Happened On The Way To Church

I met a Yalie Mediator Attorney Rabbi.



At NY Ave Presby church (see note below) in DC Rosh Hashana services were held for anyone who cared to show up free of charge. "We are egalitarian, we don't have a priestly class" proclaimed a woman cantor from the alter who beautifully chanted psalms in Hebrew. "We all have the ability to bless each other" she declared. This resonated with the protestant view of 'priesthood of all believers" thoughts.

The head Rabbi, a gentle soft spoken man of a wise 60 years is a practicing professional mediator- attorney who worked for years in DC Superior Court as an attorney in the family law area in childhood neglect/abuse issues, and is a yale law graduate. Immediately I loved this guy. His name is John. John the Rabbi Yalie mediator-attorney.



Christ is the mediator between God and Man I thought, bridging the chasmic gap between sin and holiness. Kadosh Kadosh Kadosh they chanted which means Holy Holy Holy. Christians sing Holy Holy Holy Lord God almighty about once a week if they go to daily mass.

If only we all knew what we all have in common.



The confessional model that the catholics follow, which is taught as something that comes from Christ's commissioning (while nowhere in scripture is there an account of anyone going to confession per se, to any of the apostles, but an admonition to 'confess your sins one to another' which protestants mean to anyone, including anyone you sinned against, not just a priest--gives priests alone 'absolution' powers. Sometimes I find this to be a convenient excuse not to actually ask forgiveness of the one offended to request forgiveness. A quick 'Hail Mary' will do you.

Sometimes people go for literally years without getting it right between people who offended them and visa versa, and sometimes don't even realize what they did wrong to be so offensive. Spiritual blindness comes in all classes, ages, sizes, races and genders. People hold to their perspectives t hat it was all the other guy's fault- and they take no ownership of what they did wrong, insisting on playing blame game politics-and recruiting all their friends to ally with their view. Confession conveys information only to the priest, and confidentially. Sometimes people don't even understand how what they have done- sometimes even chronically over and over again, that is deeply harmful to someone else and they are blindsided by the reaction. Compound this problem a thousand fold over if the offender is a priest, who recruits all his priestly friends to the view, and demands the other go to confession. That goes no where in a hurry.

So I recommend to all my catholic brothers and sisters that if they really want to get it right, and make it right, that the Church should hire John the Yalie Mediator Attorney Rabbi on retainer and use him when it is necessary to get to a chronic conflict that doesn't seem to heal--especially when a priest is involved as a part of the problem.


This is the season, just before Yom Kippur, to get all the conflict behind us for a new fresh start. Christ, the mediator between God and Man surely would hire John the Yalie Mediator Attorney Rabbi if he thought it would help heal.
Kadosh Kadosh Kadosh.
The Lord Our God is One.

Not to Brag but....

The Better Angels Won

No Koran Burning- ANYWHERE PEOPLE.

A.M.D.G.

Now join the marchers for the 911Unity Walk for Peace this Sunday in Washington, DC.

2010 Unity Walk – Sunday, September 12
To learn about the walk, visit our FAQ .

**We still need volunteers for this Sunday's 9/11 Unity Walk to help with various tasks such as on-site registration, setting up tables, directing people along the course of the walk, and providing support to the host locations. The work is easy, the time is short (3 hrs) and it's a great opportunity to meet people from all "walks" of life! Contact Jody at
jtuyanik@yahoo.com

On Sunday, September 12 from 1:30 to 4:30 pm, the 6th Annual Unity Walk will welcome all people to “Building Peace by Serving Each Other.”

2010 Unity Walk – Sunday, September 12 (1:30 - 4:30 pm)
Starts at: 3801 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
(onsite registration starts at 1:00 pm)
Building on last year’s focus on service, the Unity Walk continues to empower diverse individuals to come together for dialogue and volunteer opportunities. Once again, participants are invited to visit a variety of religious congregations for open houses and celebration located along Washington, DC’s picturesque Embassy Row. The program will start at the Sikh Temple (3801 Massachusetts Avenue, NW). Then, participants will have time to visit open houses in the surrounding area before making their way to the Islamic Center where they can learn even more about community service projects. After a brief presentation, the Unity Walk participants will proceed down to the Gandhi Memorial near Dupont Circle where the program will conclude.So far, confirmed speakers include: Rev. Mpho Tutu, founder and Executive Director of the Tutu Institute for Prayer and Pilgrimage, William Aiken, Public Affairs Director of the Soka-Gakkai International Buddhist Center, and Clark Lobenstine, Executive Director of the Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington. The emcee and moderator for this year’s program will be Sister Maureen Fiedler, host of Interfaith Voices, an hour-long radio show.For more about the walk, including logistics and practical information about what to expect, see our FAQ . You can also follow us on Facebook . Please also see our Media section for the latest press releases and other materials.Pilot program for interfaith youth leadership developmentThis summer, the Unity Walk is proud to announce a pilot initiative in the Washington, D.C. area that empowers high school students from diverse backgrounds to become leaders in interfaith dialogue and service. In partnership with ML Resources Social Vision, a venture philanthropy that invests in innovative initiatives, the Interfaith Youth Action Group (IYAG) will build on previous efforts by the Tony Blair Faith Foundation’s Faiths Act Fellows and the Interfaith Youth Core. IYAG has four main objectives. (1) GUIDE selected Youth Action members (also known as the leadership core) to design year-long community service initiatives with both a global and local expression, using the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals as their platform. (2) EMPOWER and build capacity of these youth members to become leaders and role models in their respective faith communities and schools. (3)FOSTER dialogue among participants on issues of faith, ethnicity, and race. (4) CREATE momentum and deliver impact of these efforts in the Washington, D.C. area. We are looking for enthusiastic and open-minded high school-aged youth to participate. If you would like to get involved or learn more, please contact Meg Poole, 9/11 Unity Walk at

mpoole@meridian.org
Read more...

God is Good, really Good. God is Great

Just thought you needed a reminder.

Not sure if they planned it this way but the birthday of the Blessed Mother yesterday also kicked off the Rosh Hashana celebrations this year (whoever 'they' are)- but it looks like divine planning.
So yesterday you could go to a special Mass on the Birthday (I hit the suburbs) and then go to a
Presbyterian church in Washington (not kidding) to celebrate Rosh Hashana with a Jewish congregation called Fabrangen which offers free holiday services (donation envelope at your seat in the pew.)

From the prayer book, which is basically right out of scripture, I found this which I want to share:

We are loved by an unending love.
We are embraced by a love that finds us
even when we are hidden from ourselves.
We are touched by fingers that soothe us
even when we are too proud for soothing.
We are consoled by voices that guide us
even when we are too embittered to hear.
We are loved by an unending love.
We are supported by hands that uplift us
even in the midst of a fall.
We are urged on by eyes that meet us
even when we are too weak for meeting.
We are loved by an unending love.
Embraced, touched, soothed, and counselled, ours are the arms, the fingers, the voices,
ours are the hands, the eyes, the smiles.
We are loved by an unending love.

Rami Shapiro. (from the Fabrangen High Holy Days prayerbook, www.Fabrangen.org)

The Birthday

of the Blessed Virgin Mary

is tomorrow. Go to the nearest Catholic church and pray (or better yet catch a Mass) and ask her to intervene to stop the Florida so called 'pastor' from his wierd "international" [in gainesville, florida] burn the Koran day.

If we all ask her, she will stop him.

http://www.ewtn.com/library/mary/marykran.htm

Where they burn books

They will end in burning human beings-- Heinrich Heine, 1821, Germany.


http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/analysis-pastor-terry-jones-plan-to-burn-quran-latest-in-long-line-of-religious-fire-starters/19623998

remember JOAN OF ARC. Jean D'Arc

On the potential 'buffer zone' around sacred texts see,

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-weigant/fred-phelps-hatemongering_b_490995.html
And is not 'inciting to riot' or 'breach of the peace' a crime in Florida?
http://law.justia.com/connecticut/codes/title53a/sec53a-178.html

Send the Marshalls

Before you have to send in the Marines


to Florida to stop that alleged "Pastor" from his Koran burning stunt.

Isn't "hate crime" still on the books!?- clearly this is a religiously inspired hate crime, which with foreseeable certainty will result in riotous mayhem and blood shed. If you thought a few Danish cartoons were innocuous-


Stop the bus I want to get off. Christian fundamentalism at it's worse. Did he not read about the Nazis book burning in the 30s?

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2010/0907/Dove-World-church-plan-for-Koran-burning-triggers-counterprotests



Even Sean Hannity calls this "unnecessarily provocative."
When Sean Hannity is moved to speak out against whack job pastors who completely misunderstand the nature of Jesus, you know it's getting too whacky for words.

Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the Senior most Catholic official in the Eastern Coast of the entire US spoke forcefully out against this act, as was reported today, probably because he cares that there are massive numbers of displaced homeless refugee Christians in Iraq, Jordan, and Syria as a result of our wars who will be in serious lethal danger if there is a Christian Koran burning by Americans.

http://asbarez.com/80943/congressmen-urge-secretary-clinton-to-assist-iraqi-armenian-christian-refugees-2/



While it was reported today that the Muslims are toning down their EID celebrations in honor of the victims of 9-11, some of whom were Muslims, we have Christian peddlers of the distorted Jesus made in the image of vengeful nut-jobs insisting on their right to desecreate other people's sacred texts.

This so called "pastor" is reckless, irresponsible, and ignorant and should be stopped before the damage is done. He is trying to make a bully bully name for himself like someone running for mayor 'tough on crime' by locking up everyone walking while black.

The New Testament Bible by the way has, taken out of context without commentary, some very potentially offensive verses- such as the one we all heard last week where we were told we had to 'hate' our mothers, sisters, brothers, etc. or we could not be disciples ( hate being translated elsewhere in the spanish as 'prefer' meaning it's an admonition against idolotry or anything taking you away from your love of the Lord or authentic love through the Lord of what you ought to authentically love...), or the verse on "i didn't come to bring peace but a sword...."
Suppose some Muslim took that all out of context without commentary and found it so offensive that they wanted to burn the bible- would that not raise the ire of a few second amendment yahoos? I can just hear the Bum Rush's screed over that one. But some Florida pastor is going to get a pass on burning the Koran in a public stunt?

The Koran has verses about the Virgin Mary, about Jesus, about Moses leading the people from slavery to freedom, about Abraham, whom all Muslims claim as their father in the faith. the Koran is a sacred text of over a billion people in the world. They don't let it touch the floor.

Stop the madness people. Or we are all asking for it. Don't say I didn't tell you so.
Just send in the Marshalls.

All We Are Sayin

Is Give Peace A Chance

"We stood down war, we stood down depression..." declared Obama from America's heartland over Labor Day in Wisconsin. Damn Straight We Did.


Combat troops are home from Iraq.
The war is now at home against the despair, blight and disintegration of the American dream- and it is a war we can win. Yes, We Can.
Bush's wars didn't avert the war at home- it exacerbated it.

Obama's 50 bil infrastructure bank is genius. State of the art high speed rail, roads, transport and communication systems to compete in a shrinking world global economy.

OBAMA could yet be a greater President than FDR or Lincoln. Now he needs to unify the Union behind the vision.

America the Beautiful.
And Functional. And Fit, Fair and Free. Land of the Brave. Land of the Prospeous from the smallest businesswoman to the highest executive. All at the same time. Green technological innovations to create brand new technologies for a new century.

With Liberty and Justice FOR ALL.
Say it strong, say it loud; Damn Proud to be American.

Today if the sky be blue
I am thinking of you
Today if the ocean has waves that crash the shore
You are on my mind once more.
Today if the trees bend with the breeze.
I am thinking of you please
pick a daisy petal one by one
and say she loves me she loves me not
She loves me today because the sun
is out. She loves me tomorrow
even when its not.
Today if the grass is green
My love is even more keen
Today as sure as you breathe
that's how sure my love is true.
Surely surely it's a mystery
understood only by fools.

(sounds better with the music in the song_)

Are you trapped in banalities
of suburban inanities
where additions to the balconies
are your deepest joy
Dearest sweet boytoy of the affluent
ping ponging your attentions
with carrots of promotions and pretentions to
larger banalities
and higher balconies.
Bless your crushed and crooked heart
If Jesus lives in more than art
throw a rapunzel lifeline over the rail
and scale down to fields of lavendar
happily ever after. Amen.

Happy Labor Day Weekend

CRANK UP THE SOUND FOR THAT ONE.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkHTsc9PU2A




(other than the wierd pentagram looking thing in the middle of this one i liked this video because the dog in front reminds me of the new mascot pooch living with the Jesuits at Holy Trinity and roaming around Georgetown.)

AND IN CASE YOUR SOUND IS BROKEN....OR FOR YOUR NEXT KARAOKE PARTY

Best New Calendar of International DC Events

Conflict Solutions International

http://www.csiorg.org/ -Founded by a former UN office of legal counsel senior attorney who did peace/reconciliation work in the Balkans, Conflict Solutions International is fast becomming the "it" org. to evaluate/discuss foreign policy in a world of think tankery with a heart for peace.

Check out it's new on line calendar of events in the DC area to keep yourself informed and join in the dialogue.
www.CSIorg.org/calendar

Best Blog Award

A Must Link :

http://www.persecutionblog.com/

This tracks persecutions against Christians around the world.
The Christians in the Holy Land are diminishing exponentially.
Their plight often gets subsumed in the shadows of and caught in the cross-
fires of larger Muslim-Jewish conflict.

Bravo for all the ongoing peace efforts- Shimon Perez met with the Pope to today.
Obama held a press conference with Netanyahu and the Pres. of Egypt, Palestinian Abbas
and the Jordanian leader to break new ground in the peace dialogue.

PRAY FOR THE CHRISTIANS IN THE HOLY LAND.
It's their home too. And many Jews subscribe to the Jesus narrative, they just don't call themselves
"christians." It is after all, a greek word.

Here oh Israel. The Lord our God. The Lord is ONE.
We are all ONE family.

The Kennedy Center is Jumpin

The Page to Stage, Prison to Stage Festival is Almost Here!

This Saturday, Sept. 4, the Kennedy Center hosts a collection of the most inspiring musical works from persons who once had a run in with the law.
For a fuller description see the July 13th entry to this blog (archives to the right).


And ITS ALL FREE!! Come one and all.

The SAFE STREETS FOUNDATION/Prisons ART Gallery are sponsoring the Prison to Page segment of the Page to Stage festival featuring prominent playwrites who have had run ins with the law. The law won but so did they. The Foundation is devoted to mentoring people into productive creative lives to fight recidivism which keeps us all safer.

Works are professionally performed and arranged.

There will be an events/exhibit table where social justice organizations and ministries are displaying materials. Lawyers are welcome to leave cards/firm brochures.

www.prisonsfoundation.org

See you there!