There is a lot of loud talking

October 26, 2010

A very interesting day so far. Awakened in the middle of the night as a very sharp and abrupt storm moved through. According to the news, the storm is 800 miles long and gaining strength. Not going to be good for many people as it moves east.

Took some time to get some exercise while listening to the Diane Rehm Show, a discussion of the Wikileaks’ latest document dump. The documents reveal nothing more than many of us suspected. If the war was legitimate, well-planned, and guided by wise and informed people, I’d be shocked at what the documents show. But what has been going on over there is what one gets when arrogant fools decide to spread democracy where it isn’t wanted. If you think the insurgency in Iraq is ugly, picture someone moving in an occupying us with their brand of how to live correctly.

Later in the morning was my preparation of a Cuban dish to be served over rice: picadillo. We’ll see how it goes. First tasting hopes that it ages well by dinner time. While doing the cooking, Sirius Radio’s “Symphony Hall” was proving to be an apt replacement for Classic 99, a radio station owned and operated by the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod and sold, after many years, to an outfit playing contemporary Christian music. We are now left with no local station playing classical music unless you can receive an HD signal.

Caught a few minutes of Rush Limbaugh … more than enough, actually. I’ve noticed from his program, Glenn Beck’s, and the folks on the Patriot channel on Sirius, that there is a lot of loud talking and sometimes screaming. Let me say that talking louder and louder doesn’t create a credible message.

How may ways can the extreme right twist things around to conceal their complete and paralyzing disgust that there is “one of them” living on the second floor of the White House. But, my God, am I glad Obama won. It’s as though people forgot there wasn’t a viable alternative. Write your own scenario for what this country would look like had the pair of mavericks  won.

(In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve voted for Republicans many, many times and had a subscription to the National Review for years. But that party is gone and the beliefs that went with it. That old party was interesting in governing on behalf of the American people. The current incarnation stands for little that the country needs to be successful in today’s world.)

There must be some hurry

October 20, 2010

Even though the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Roderick Nunley’s stay of execution yesterday, and the U.S. Supreme Court did likewise, Missouri’s Attorney General will continue to press for his execution. The state has until midnight tonight to complete the  execution on its planned date of October 20.

I wish, often, that our legal system was as interested in justice as it is in vengeance. Why, if there are legitimate legal issues surrounding Nunley’s case, would anyone want to press on toward taking his life? There must be some hurry I don’t understand.

A small attempt to be present

October 13, 2010

Missouri has an execution scheduled for 12:01 a.m. on October 20. I have known Roderick Nunley for nearly 5 years, and we have talked on a regular basis during my chaplain visits at his cell door.

On the evening of October 19, I will hold my own personal vigil as a small attempt to be present to the reality of what’s happening in that space and time.

There are choices to be made

October 11, 2010

Election Day is coming quickly. There are choices to be made.

I can vote for:

those spreading fear or those spreading hope

those displaying selfish indifference or those who see and support those in need

those who preach American exceptionalism or those who see us as a global neighbor

those favoring the monied interests or those favoring each American’s interests

those who want to obstruct or those who want to govern

those who diminish and exclude or those who welcome and include

those who believe in a God of judgment and condemnation or those who believe in a God of forgiveness and love

those who believe the Founding Fathers wanted us to stay with them or those who believe the Founding Fathers wisely guided us toward the future

those who see the Constitution as a rigid handbook for a privileged few or those who see the Constitution as a living document and road map for all

There are choices to be made.

We can only do what we can do

September 19, 2010

A rainy, dreary day – a Sunday – and a good day for watching football. But if the grass dries out a bit, I’ll be out there grudgingly pushing a mower as my TV chair beckons. Purring in the background will be the washing machine.

Also on my mind, and adding to the dreariness, our state has a man awaiting execution on October 20. My thoughts are with him every day. Our last execution was May 20, 2009.

He and I began talking on a regular basis nearly five years ago. Those five years for him  have been spent in solitary confinement. While I’ve never been alone in a cell 24/7, I do believe visits at the cell door would be most welcome. I can only hope my visits were welcome to him. They seemed to be.

If his execution is stayed, I will resume seeing him as often as I am able. In the meantime, a combination of institutional policy and my availability has prevented my spending any time with him in his current environment and pre-execution status. It’s frustrating, but we can only do what we can do.

Whether or not I ever see him again is beyond my control. We shall see.

I sure wonder what has happened

September 17, 2010

I sure wonder what has happened to the Republican party I grew up with. The dumbing down is mystifying. But then fear and misinformation needs no metric of competence especially when fueled by selfish indifference to what happens to our country and those in need.