"Don't Speak For Me Sarah Palin"

OK ... I am WAY too busy a person to be looking at every YouTube parody somebody sends me via email ... but this one I bothered with and it was the best three minutes and eighteen seconds I've spent all day.

ENJOY!

"Obama Hockey Mom"

Local PBS "So Cal Connected" Episode on Prop 8

Some nice footage of the No on 8 clergy phone banking here in L.A. in this PBS feature on Prop 8 ...

what we're up against between now and nov 4th

Taking a break from Prop 8 to post this "blog" my niece just forwarded to me and said "can this be real? i'm not sure if this blog is real but it is scary!!!"

It IS scary.

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And it is NOT real ... it is real dirty politics!

Forget the "robo-calls" and check out this "robo-blog" ... aimed at young women voters ... and then get out there and get out the vote and make sure we turn this country around on November 4th.

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"confession of an obama blogger"
sarah p
Says:October 27, 2008 at 5:04 am

Ok, I want to clear my conscious a little. Hopefully you could make a blog post to help some fellow clinton supporters out.

I work for a campaign and can't wait for this week to be over.

I was doing it for a job. I was not a fan of any candidate but over time grew to love HRC.

The internal campaign idea is to twist, distort, humiliate and finally dispirit you.

We pay people and organize people to go to all the online sites and "play the part of a clinton or mccain supporter who just switched our support for obama"
We do this to stifle your motivation and to destroy your confidence.

We did this the whole primary and it worked.

Sprinkle in mass vote confusion and it becomes bewildering. Most people lose patience and just give up on their support of a candidate and decide to just block out tv, news, websites, etc.

This surprisingly has had a huge suppressing movement and vote turnout issues.

Next, we infiltrate all the blogs and all the youtube videos and overwhelm the voting, the comments, etc. All to continue this appearance of overwhelming world support.

People makes posts to the effect that the world has "gone mad"

Thats the intention. To make you feel stressed and crazy and feel like the world is ending.

We have also had quite a hand in skewing many many polls, some we couldn't control as much as we would have liked. But many we have spoiled over. Just enough to make real clear politics look scarey to a mccain supporter. Its worked, alough the goal was to appear 13-15 points ahead.

see, the results have been working. People tend to support a winner, go with the flow, become "sheeple"

The polls are roughly 3-5 points in favor of Barack. Thats due to our inflation of the polls and pulling in the sheeple.

Our donors, are the same people who finance the MSM. Their interests are tied, Barack then tends to come across as teflon. Nothing sticks. And trust, there were meetings with Fox news. The goal was to blunt them as much as possible. Watch Bill Oreilly he has become much more diplomatic and "fair and balanced" and soft. Its because he wants to retain the #1 spot on cable news and to do that he has to have access to the Obama campaign and we worked hard at stringing him a long and keeping him soft for an interview swap. It worked and now he is anticipating more access. So he is playing it still soft.

This is why nothing sticks.

The operation is massive, the goal is to paint a picture that is that of a winner, regardless of the results.

There is no true inauguration draft or true grant park construction going on. There will be a party, but we are boasting beyond the truth to make it seem like the election is wrapped up.

Our goal is to continue to make you lose your moral. We worked hard at persuasion and paying off and timing and playing the right political numbers to get key republican endorsements to make it seem even more like it was over and the world was coming to an end for you all.

There is a huge staff of people working around the clock, watching every site, blogs, etc. We flood these sites. We have had a goal to overwhelm.

The truth is here. I could go on and on, but you get the picture.

I am saying this because I know HRC was better for the country, and now realize this. I was too late by the time I connected to her. To me Barack was just a cool young dude that seemed like a star. I didn't know him or his policies, but now I understand more than I care to and I realize his interests are more for him, and the DNC and all working like puppets with dean. I always thought a president wanted the better good for the country. The end result I see is everyone dependent on the government, this means more and more people voting for the DNC. This means the future is forever altered. I don't see this as america, so I am now supporting John Mccain.

Sarah Palin is a huge threat, and our campaign has feared her like you can't imagine. If it seems unfair how she has been treated, well its because she has had a team working round the clock to make her look like a fool.

this is a big conspiracy and I am so shocked that its not realized.

We released a little blurb the other day that the Obama campaign was already working on reelection and now putting our efforts towards 2012. This was to make it seem like it was above us to continue caring about 2008. Trust me, its a lie. David is very smart, but its a sticky ugly not very truthful kind of intelligence.

Its not over yet, but I think the machine is working. And its a hill to climb.

I will be quitting my post on nov 5th and my vote will be for John Mccain. Fortunately, my position has been a marketing position and I don't feel I had any part of anything I would feel guilty for. But I look forward to getting out of this as the negativity and environment upsets me.

I wish you all well, and goodluck.

PS my name is not really sarah. but I am a female and I understand your plight.

Sign of the Times

It's Unfair and It's Wrong

This one's a Home Run! (New Prop 8 Ad just released today:)

Letting your voice be heard!

Today's Letters to the Editor: Pasadena Star News

Remember "It's Letter to the Editor Time, Boys & Girls!" from last week? Well, you did a great job, class! Here's what ended up in the paper today. Thanks to everybody who contributed!

===========
Re: Tim Kelly, Guest View on Prop. 8:

Centrism won't work

Centrism didn't work for Galileo or Rosa Parks. It won't work for gay marriage.
Opponents of gay marriage hold a narrow view of human sexuality, made possible only by ignoring centuries of scholarship with regard to the historical, cultural and linguistic context of the Bible, and more than a century of medical research on human sexuality.

Gay and lesbian Californians share a sexual orientation, not a "lifestyle," and should have the same rights under our constitution as heterosexual couples. Let's not enshrine discrimination into the California constitution in the name of religion. Vote "no" on Prop 8.
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Bruce Babcock,
Glendale

Justice for all
Tim Kelly's proposal for a solution to the polarizing issue of marriage equality begs this question: If Kelly's "principled centrism" had been operating in 1954 when Brown v. Board of Education caused "polarization" in the land, would he have proposed a blue ribbon panel to improve the educational standards of segregated schools to solve the "practical problems" of African-American students but keep them segregated to preserve "social order?"

The question for California voters on Proposition 8 is simple: Are we a nation of liberty and justice for all or for just some?

The answer is vote "no" on 8.

Rev. Susan Russell
All Saints Episcopal Church
Pasadena

Don't repeat history

Tim Kelly's centrist proposal sounds reasonable if you don't know any history. Gay people have been discriminated against, labeled abominations and hidden away in the closet. What Prop. 8 stands for is not the protection of marriage, but the continued rejection of gay people as ordinary citizens in the community.
What Kelly wants is a new "separate but equal" doctrine. It didn't work before and it won't work now because it is discriminatory, unfair and unjust.

Rev. Warner R. Traynham
Los Angeles

It's getting ugly out there ...

At St. John's Cathedral yesterday, the "No on 8" banner out in the front of the church was still hanging, but shredded by knife slashes.

At a gas station in Orange County yesterday, the husband of an All Saints colleague was (in his words) "acosted" in response to his "No on 8" bumper sticker.

In an email just received from the No on Prop 8 campaign we get this word:

Beginning last night and continuing this morning a coordinated cyber attack on the No On 8 website prevented some donors from being able to contribute. This attack is being investigated by federal authorities. Fortunately, there was no breach in security and we are again able to accept contributions online.

And now there's this video circulating ... where a Yes on 8 spokesperson compares Hitler and Nazi Germany to "rally his troops."
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Where does it stop?
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It stops on November 4th with a NO ON 8 vote in California and a renewed commitment by ALL Americans to liberty and justice for all -- not just some -- Americans.
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On the radio ...

Two chances to "dial in" and hear about Proposition 8 on the radio:

The first is a show called "Culture Shocks" with Barry Linn ... we're on at 1pm Pacific today for about 25 minutes.

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UPDATE: You can listen to the show here..

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The second is The Rachel Maddow Show on Air America ... we're on at 3:15pm Pacific on Thursday, Oct 30th.

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UPDATE: The bad news is, I got bumped for today's show. The GOOD news is I got bumped for Barack Obama! (So listen anyway!)

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UPDATE Now we're back ON ... at 6:30 Eastern/3:30 Pacific. Whew!

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More later ...

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Cartoon Break

An Open Letter to Traditional Values Voters

Dear Traditional Values Voter,

As the upcoming election draws closer, it becomes more and more clear that lines are being drawn between those who support traditional family values and those who are attacking the foundational values of truth, justice the American Way -- the very essence of all that makes this nation great.

If you're confused by the polarizing rhetoric and attack ads flooding the airwaves, here is a quick refresher course on what traditional values are -- and aren't.

LYING is not a Traditional Value

The proponents of Proposition 8 -- the initiative that would eliminate the right of same sex couples to marry in California -- have three key messages for the people of California: if their proposition doesn't pass clergy will be forced against their conscience to marry same-sex couples and will risk losing their tax exempt status if they don't; children will be "taught gay marriage" in school and parents will lose their ability to opt their children out of those classes; and that "four activist judges" overturned the will of the people and imposed gay marriage on California.

None of these are true. They are lies. The First Amendment protects the free practice of religion, the Superintendent of Schools has said that Proposition 8 has NO impact on what is or is not taught in schools and the Supreme Court ruling came after the California State Legislature -- the elected representatives of the people -- had twice voted for marriage equality.

EXTORTION is not a Traditional Value

In a letter dated October 20, 2008, ProtectMarriage.com wrote to contributors to the No on 8 campaign, asking the donor to "withdraw its support for Equality California" and "make a donation of like amount to ProtectMarriage.com" -- adding:

"Were you to elect not to donate comparably, it would be a clear indication to us that you are in opposition to traditional marriage. You would leave us no other reasonable assumption. The names of any companies and organizations that choose not to donate in like manner to ProtectMarriage ... will be published. It is only fair for Proposition 8 supporters to know which companies and organization oppose traditional marriage."

EXPLOITING CHILDREN is not a Traditional Value

Among the Yes on 8 commercials airing is one featuring children attending their lesbian teacher's wedding (WITH their parents permission) being run over-and-over-and-OVER again WITHOUT the parents permission! In a recent press conference, the parents gathered to "demand that the Prop 8 campaign stop the lies and stop the exploitation of our children." Meanwhile, the Yes on 8 campaign continues to laud this new, abusive ad using unauthorized images of children without their parents' knowledge or consent. And they're proud of it. From their website: "Our new ad gives us great hope."
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DISCRIMINATION is not a Traditional Value.

Here's what Senator Dianne Feinstein has to say about Proposition 8: "In my lifetime, I've seen discrimination and I see it again in Proposition 8. It would be a terrible mistake for California. It changes our constitution, eliminates fundamental rights and treats people differently under the law. Proposition 8 is not about schools or kids -- it's about discrimination. And we should always say no to that."



Let's review:

Lying
Extortion
Exploiting Children
Discrimination
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None of these are on the list of traditional values that made this country great.
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Fairness is. Equality is. Freedom of Religion is. Equal protection is. Liberty and justice for ALL (not just "some") is.

Protect Traditional Values

Vote No on Proposition 8 on November 4th.
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In the local paper

The Pasadena Star News is running a front page story on Prop 8 today ... "Polarized State" ...
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... which concludes with:

Proponents believe that if Proposition 8 fails, the state will impose its rules on religious marriage ceremonies.

Opponents believe that argument is false and note that the state allows divorced couples to remarry, but respects the right of the Catholic Church to prevent such second and third marriages.

Even among area churches, the debate over Proposition 8, is evenly split. Bill Ankerberg, Senior Pastor at Whittier Area Community Church, said he supports equal rights within domestic partnerships, but believes there needs to be a separate set of rules concerning divorce and child custody specific to gay couples due to the unique nature of the union, he said.

"To just call it marriage and treat it like marriage is laziness on the part of legislators," Ankerberg said. "To just support it is to be naive."

Rev. Susan Russell of All Saints Church in Pasadena, a No on 8 advocate, doesn't believe religion is on the ballot. "Yes, we need to worry about our children," she said. "We need to worry about health care and whether or not they have a roof over their heads. Those are more important than whether or not a few gay couples want to get married."

That's how Julie Tinney sees it. She was married Oct. 25 to her partner, Mirna Castaneda, in the couple's backyard in Alhambra. "We went to the courthouse and we filed legal papers to make this happen," Tinney said. "Marriage is a legal issue, that requires legal paperwork, that gives you civil rights."

============

The Star News also has a Prop 8 poll on its website right now. Don't know long it'll be up there but check it out here and if it's still up there, weigh in.

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All-Election-All-the-Time

I'm sure it feels that way everywhere, as the November 4th Election Day looms closer on the calendar, but here in California "I gotta tell ya" (as one of my favorite bishops likes to say!) ... it really IS "all election all the time" as the Propostion 8 battle gets hotter and hotter.

Here's a quick round-up:

Let's start with the mounting controversy on the "Yes on 8" ads running on California television. Although they're full of fear mongering and bald-face lies in general, in specific there's one being run featuring children attending their lesbian teacher's wedding (WITH their parents permission) being run over-and-over-and-OVER again by the Yes on 8 folks WITHOUT the parents permission!

Here's a YouTube clip of the press conference where those parents (RIGHTLY!) demanded that the commercial be pulled:




Meanwhile, the Yes on 8 campaign continues to laud this new, abusive ad using unauthorized images of children without their parents' knowledge or consent. And they're proud of it. From their website: "Our new ad gives us great hope."

(If those are what they call "Family Values" then they can keep them!)

Meanwhile, in other news:

From the New York Times report -- "A Line in the Sand"

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, a conservative Christian lobby based in Washington, said in an interview, “It’s more important than the presidential election.”

From the L.A. Times op-ed "Gay Marriage Chicken Littles:"

When my loving parent walked me down the aisle last month and I legally married the woman I have shared my life with for almost 17 years, it didn't hurt your marriage or anyone else's. It didn't take away any church's tax-exempt status, and it didn't have any impact whatsoever on curriculum in California public schools. Instead, it gave me the same rights, protections and dignity enjoyed by straight folks. That's only fair.

Also from the L.A. Times, Steve Lopez's profile on Fr. Geoff, "Gay priest is true to his faith:"

"They said I've caused scandal to the church," he said. "I think the real scandal is the thousands of gay and lesbian children who feel abandoned by the church of their baptism."

AMEN!

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Mail Bag

We get mail. Lots of mail. Some of it with stamps on it still but MOST of it the in-your-inbox-kind -- the kind that seem to keep piling up faster than you can figure out what to say to answer them all!

And then ... sometimes ... along comes one that's just really EASY to answer -- like this one:

-----Original Message-----
From: XXXXX@yahoo.com]
Sent: Saturday, October 25, 2008 12:57 AM
To: All Saints Church
Subject: Question

Hello,

I had a question and was wanting to see if you can help me answer it. However I have a feeling you guys will ignore the question and not reply, but I urge you guys to think the question over.

Well, as I was passing by your the church i noticed several "no on 8" signs posted outside the church. I wondered why a christian church would vote no. Have you guys not read the following:

"Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator made them male and female, and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." - Matthew 19:4-6

"If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination." - Leviticus 20:13

Please answer the question, thanks.

===

Happy to.

===

From: Susan Russell
Sent: Sunday, October 26, 2008 2:19 PM
To: mailto:XXXXX@yahoo.com
Subject: Answer

Dear XXXX,

Your question regarding All Saints' position opposing Proposition 8 has been referred to me and I'd like to thank you for taking time to write, and to offer this brief response.

Interestingly your questions are not unlike the ones Jesus answered in Matthew 22:34-40 which -- even more interestingly -- was the text appointed for our sermon today at All Saints. The answer for us is that same as it was for Our Lord ... we believe that ALL the law and the prophets hang on the two great commandments: love the Lord your God and love your neighbor as yourself. And we believe that we are following both of those commandments when we marry same-sex couples here at All Saints Church ... which we have been doing since June 17th.

If you click here you can hear what our rector, Ed Bacon, had to say about why as followers of Jesus we oppose writing discrimination into the constitution.

But at the end of the day, the issue facing the voters on Election Day isn't whose interpretation of Holy Scripture is "correct." In a nation that embraces both freedom of religion and freedom FROM religion, neither of us have the right to write OUR theology into the California constitution -- and that's what Propostion 8 would do.

The California State Legislature -- our elected representatives -- have twice voted for marriage equality for all Californians, the Supreme Court has ruled it is a right protected by our constitution and the governor opposes Proposition 8. We're a nation of liberty and justice for all, not just some and All Saints Church is committed to keeping it that way. That's why we have "Vote No on 8" signs on our lawn.

Thanks again for taking time to write.

Blessings,
(The Reverend) Susan Russell
All Saints Church
132 North Euclid Avenue
Pasadena CA 91101

Jesus Had it Right: Vote NO on Proposition 8

From this morning's sermon at All Saints Church in Pasadena ... the Reverend Ed Bacon, rector:



And let the people say: AMEN!!!
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FOX News 11: Decision 2008 -- Proposition 8

So last night they aired a 30 minute "fair and balanced" segment on our local Fox News Channel 11 on the issues around Proposition 8. Our friend Fr. Geoff (pictured below) was part of the feature ...

... as were No on 8 callers here at All Saints Church. Overall, I was really pleased with the piece. I think they painted a pretty clear difference between our positions and now we just have to keep staying on message and keep getting the word out. See what you think!

Click here go to the KTTV website where you can watch the piece in four different 6ish-minute segments. And don't miss this keeper quote from Pastor Jim, wherein he says we need to:

"Compel people to embrace the teachings of the Bible and elect Godly people who would appoint appropriate judges who would understand what's best for the culture."

My, my, my!

IT'S TIME FOR ONE OF MAMA'S LITTLE PRAYERS

From Abel Lopez, Senior Associate Parish Life & Multiculturalism

Early in my childhood my brothers and sisters and I got in trouble quite often. Sometimes we created problems that got out of hand, for which we would then gather to discuss possible solutions or ways to make up our actions. Failing to find a way out of some big messes, we would conclude that it was the kind of problem that needed one of “Mama’s little prayers.”

Intrinsic in these words was our belief that Mama’s prayers were able to break through any amount of trouble and reach the divine in such a way that our little devil-acts could be erased and a new beginning granted to us. Even today, I still sometimes call Mama for her “little prayers.” Somehow they have become my comfort, not because of her intercessory powers, which I believed in as a child, but because the actions that follow her prayers were always about restoration with grace, providing a dignified way to resolve a situation.

I learned this many years later when my father would take me to the savannah in Cuba in his big Russian truck. Week after week, my father drove to a concentration camp, where over a hundred men were held in custody because of their sexual orientation. The only water they had was for drinking—none for bathing or laundry.

So we had them load our truck with clothes, socks, bed sheets and blankets that every one of us at home would then spend hours that same afternoon washing. And as we got to know these gay Cubans, our family prayer, Mama’s little prayer, was about their gaining their freedom. And, one more time, Mama’s little prayer was answered one day, when Fidel Castro shipped them all to the United States, where they found freedom. Well, of a sort.

I proudly became an American last year. America is a great land of opportunity with freedoms unimagined in other parts of the world. But there are challenges to that freedom—and one of them in this upcoming election is Prop 8, the ballot initiative that would take away the rights of same sex couples to marry.

Notwithstanding the theological reasons for opposing the measure, Proposition 8 seems anti-American to me. How can Americans propose limiting rights for some of its citizens? I’ve been told all my life that the words “Liberty and justice for all” were what America is all about.

This great ideal has been recently embodied in California law that currently upholds what we know to be true, that every Californian has the right to fundamental freedoms, including the freedom to marry the person they love. Regardless of how you feel about this issue, we should guarantee the same fundamental rights to every Californian. These rights should never be taken for granted. Proponents of Prop 8 continue to lie in their television ads.

It seems to me that it’s time for another one of Mama’s little prayers. One that inspires us to act on the side of freedom, justice and fairness. Let’s put the meaning back into the words “Liberty and justice for all,” by voting NO on Proposition 8.

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One more for the road ...

Before I head out for the day, here's a PDF of the "threat letter" the Yes on 8 folks are sending donors to the No on 8 campaign.

You'll want to read it all, but here's a bit of text from the letter, asking for the donor to "withdraw its support for Equality California" and "make a donation of like amount to ProtectMarriage.com."

Were you to elect not to donate comparably, it would be a clear indication to us that you are in opposition to traditional marriage. You would leave us no other reasonable assumption. The names of any companies and organizations that choose not to donate in like manner to ProtectMarriage ... will be published. It is only fair for Proposition 8 supporters to know which companies and organization oppose traditional marriage.

Nice, eh? I'm wondering if we ought to launch our OWN letter writing campaign ... emailing and writing the companies and organizations listed as donors on the attached and thanking them for their support for traditional democracy ... the kind that guarantees liberty and justice for all.
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Fr. Geoff on Bishop Gene

Here's a fun piece I found blog-surfing over my day-off-second cup of coffee! It's from Fr. Geoff's blog and is entitled:

"A cellphone call before breakfast"

On Wednesday morning, as I was driving to the Woman's Empowerment Conference in Long Beach, California; my cell phone rang. I didn't recognize the telephone number which was displayed but, that's not all that unusual for me these days. So, I answered the phone and to my surprise, it was Bishop Gene Robinson.

You'll want to read all of this wonderful reflection: click here to read the rest ... and join me in giving thanks for the witness of both Fr. Geoff AND Bishop Gene!
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Another new No on 8 ad ...

This one is actually changing votes ... and I just saw it during the morning news:



Of course, it takes money to buy air time so if you haven't yet donated to help in this important effort -- or you can give a little more to help in the "stretch run" -- click here. THANKS!
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"In the news ..."

Here's a peek into the kind of "point-counterpoint" going on in California over Proposition 8 -- the effort to eliminate same-sex marriage.

Entitled "Local church, political leaders voice their support for Prop. 8" it's a report on a press conference in Whittier held by clergy-supporting-8. Here are a couple of their arguments:

"If God desired the government to rule the world, he should have created it first," Pastor Ray Telles of Hope of Glory Christian Fellowship said.

Hmmm ... now there's a compelling argument for theocracy over democracy!

Pastor Ed Smith of Zoe Christian Fellowship: "It violates my civil rights," Smith said of same-sex marriage. "I cannot change my skin color. I could change, if I decided to, my sexual preference and behavior."

Even if you give him the "gay people can change if they want to" argument (which I do NOT!) I still don't "get" how my marriage violates his civil rights!

But let's here it for the reporter, who -- in an effort to be actually "fair and balanced" included some other voices in her piece:

Some area Christians say they do not support Prop. 8's definition of marriage, however. The Rev. Bruce Gray of St. Matthias Episcopal Church said many of the faithful are stepping out against the measure. Gray said he believes fear of change drives the effort against same-sex marriage.

"Many people are afraid of the changes happening in our society," he said. "Literally, the economy, jobs leaving our communities, homes becoming unstable."

The Rev. Susan Russell of All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena said her church has been blessing same-sex unions for 16 years. "We believe that the important thing about a marriage are the values that make up a marriage, not the gender of the people involved."

Russell said she supports the right of everyone to speak their mind about the issue, but hopes to see Prop. 8 defeated in November.

"What they should absolutely have the right to exercise is their faith," Russell said. "What the First Amendment does not do is give them the right to write their faith into our Constitution, and that's what Proposition 8 is about."

============

If you've got a minute, email Airan Scruby and thank her for her efforts to get both sides into her story. Would be other reporters will go and do likewise!

(On the schedule today is a planning meeting for the November 1st event at St. John's Cathedral, a press conference with local rabbis against 8 and then we're getting ready for Fr. Geoff to go on the local Fox News station tonight at 10:30, opposite the San Diego pastor orchestrating the Quallcom Stadium gig I blogged about last week. That's what a "day off" looks like during election season!)

On All Saints Day, Celebrate the Sanctity of ALL Marriages!

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Faith for Equality:

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A No on Prop 8

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Multi-faith Celebration

A multi-faith, multi-ethnic Los Angeles celebration by people of faith who oppose Proposition 8. More details to come ... save the date and join us!

Let's pack the house and show California voters people of faith who preach faith-based-values -- not fear-based-venom!

Date: Saturday, November 1st

Time: 12:00 noon

St. John's Cathedral

514 W. Adams Blvd.

Los Angeles CA 90007

For more information contact:

The Reverend Deb Peevey

From Fr. Geoff

Here's yesterday's entry on Fr. Geoff's blog ... our courageous Roman Catholic priest friend who has become a hero to so many for his refusal to support his church's position on Proposition 8:

======

I had the pleasure today of attending the Women's Empowerment Conference in Long Beach, California. I found myself munching on some food, looked up and saw Madeleine Albright at the table next to me.

I stood next to an environmental vehicle display and found myself shaking hands with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is opposed to a constitutional ban on same sex marriage.

I talked with Bobby Shriver, heard about his wonderful work with Red, a product line that helps AIDS patients. He was also very supportive of NO on Prop. 8.

I had the honor of sitting next to Maria Shriver, our State's First Lady and hearing of her personal support for NO on Proposition 8. I met with the Benedictine Nun, Sr. Joan Chittister and heard of her support for NO on Proposition 8.

I met with the famous feminist, Gloria Steinem and heard of her support of NO on Proposition 8. I was interviewed by the Washington Post.com and then, appeared on the Peter B. Collins Radio show with Rev. Susan Russell of All Saints Episcopal Church to discuss NO on Proposition 8.

Had any ONE of these things happened today, I would have considered today exceptional. However, all of these things happened in one day and it seemed totally unreal. The fact that so many remarkable and extraordinary individuals are supportive of Equality, Fairness, and Human Rights is both uplifting and hope inspiring.

As Melissa Etheridge said at a concert last night which raised nearly 4 million dollars for NO on Prop. 8, one day in the future people will look back at this time and find it hard to believe that some groups attempted to deny same sex couples the right to marry.

=====

And how honored am I to be among so "great a cloud of witnesses" -- including Fr. Geoff -- as we work together to strive for peace and justice and respect the dignity of every human being!

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New No on 8 Ads

California Clergy Urge No on 8



My favorite comment so far on YouTube: "It's nice to see that not all religious people are rabid morons."

A whirlwind of gay weddings

Rabbi Lisa Edwards was featured in Monday's L.A. Times:

"Even though I've just been crazy busy, it feels like such an extraordinary moment in time and it feels like such a blessing to be with these couples," said Edwards, 56, whose temple -- better known as BCC -- bills itself as the first synagogue for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Jews. (The congregation has straight members as well.)

The rush to the altar is triggered by the possibility that voters might approve Proposition 8, the California ballot measure that would override the court ruling and ban legal gay marriage. But couples marrying now hope that will still leave their marriages legal.

The California Supreme Court ruling that the state cannot prohibit same-sex marriages doesn't require religious organizations to recognize them. But clergy whose faiths sanction gay marriage -- particularly those with large gay congregations -- have found their schedules similarly affected.

=======

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And a big AMEN to that one! It is an absolute whirlwind here ... between the press & political ramifications of the impending election, the pastoral work with those considering marriage, preparing for marriage or freaking out that they won't be ABLE to get married (if the election goes the wrong way) and then there's the liturgical impact of not just planning but presiding at all these weddings.

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See, you're tired just reading about it, aren't you?

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All of this is my way of saying VERY publicly that if I've told you I'll do something and haven't followed through yet; if you ask me to do something and I don't manage to pull it off; if I'm behind on any other deadlines, to-do lists or commitments I'm asking for blanket absolution until November 5th when life gets back to at-least its chaotic life-as-we-know-it-at-All-Saints-Church.

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It's Letter to the Editor time, boys and girls!

So here's an op-ed in today's Pasadena Star-News offering a sort of "apartheid-esque" solution to the marriage equality issue here in California. It BEGS for Letters to the Editor pointing out [a] separate-but-equal never is -- [b] it starts from the false premise that marriage equality undermines "social order" and [c] that "meeting in the middle" leaves the people on the margins still marginalized (among others.) You can click here to write and send your letter.

Oh ... and for the record ... Tim Kelly, the op-ed writer ... was the Senior Warden of one of the trying-to-breakaway-from-the-Diocese-of-Los-Angeles-and-take-diocesan-property-with-them congregations: St. Luke's, La Crescenta when the break-away was initiated in 2006.

Here's my question for Mr. Kelly: If his "principled centrism" had been operating in 1954 when the Brown v Board of Education decision caused "polarization" in the land, would he have proposed a blue ribbon panel to find a way to improve the standards of segregated schools to solve the "practical problems" of African-American students but keep them segregated to preserve "social order?"
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Prop. 8 friends, foes should meet halfway
By Timothy A. Kelly -- 10/21/2008

As director of the DePree Public Policy Institute, I have been asked to weigh in on the matter of Proposition 8, which would amend the California Constitution to specify that "only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." I do so hesitantly, since this is a matter that evokes the strongest passions on both sides.

One side claims that the fight for same-sex marriage is analogous to the civil rights movement of the 1960s, and it is clear as day to them that Proposition 8 is simply denial of equal rights.

The other side claims that there are theological, moral, or natural-law reasons to uphold the traditional definition of marriage, and fears that anything less will deny society's right to protect the social order by harming the institution of marriage. Not only so, but both sides are prone to pointing the finger at those who disagree and hurling insults that are neither helpful nor warranted (e.g., "homophobe," "sinner"). What to do?

I want to begin by pointing to the concept of "principled centrism" that has proven helpful in dealing with other hot-button issues. The basic idea is that the nation is too polarized, that both the far right and the far left are far wrong, and that there is a need to create a safe place in the center where civility and dialog can flourish. In order to do so, the underlying principles informing both sides must be identified, in the hopes of then finding some common ground.

Surprisingly, this is often doable!

So what are the underlying principles informing the debate over marriage?
On the one hand same-sex marriage proponents are asking for what they see as their basic equal rights. On the other hand, traditional-marriage proponents are asking for what they see as their right to protect the social order. Both sides have a point! And if there's any common ground, it may be that both sides are looking for a way to be able to live in peace and harmony. Both recognize that in the storm and stress of life it is fair to ask that the laws of the land do not harm law-abiding citizens.

This does not solve the problem, but starting at the level of underlying principles lessens the polarization and helps us see that there are no villains in this drama. It makes it a little easier to understand and respect each other. It makes it likelier that we can sit across the table from those with whom we disagree, and have a productive conversation.

What then? There must be a good faith effort to find a compromise solution that meets in the middle - that respects to the extent possible the principles of both equal rights and social order.

On the side of equal rights, same-sex couples point out that the current California domestic partnership laws ("domestic partners shall have the same rights, protections and benefits as married spouses") are not adequate. In emergency situations, for instance, same-sex partners are sometimes not allowed the access that would easily be granted to a spouse.

On the side of social order, many individuals and families feel that something precious is lost if the definition of marriage is changed to accommodate non-traditional couples. Some argue that children have a right to be raised by their biological mother and father if at all possible (notwithstanding obvious exceptions and the blessing of adoptions), and that traditional marriage inherently supports this right.

So where is the center? At the risk of sounding simplistic, I suggest that both sides would do well to give the other what is being asked for. This means holding onto the traditional definition of marriage, but taking seriously the problems that same-sex couples have under current domestic partnership laws.
As a voter, I wish there was a third option wherein I could vote for Proposition 8 but only with the caveat that a blue-ribbon task force would be created by the governor's office to solve the practical problems that same-sex couples report. I believe this would be doable.

Such a solution (Prop. 8 plus a blue-ribbon panel) fully satisfies neither side, but is an example of a "principled centrist" effort to find common ground and a way to move forward. It vilifies nobody, and respects the fact that both sides have understandable concerns based ultimately on their deeply held principles.

Timothy A. Kelly is director of the DePree Public Policy Institute and associate professor of psychology at Fuller Graduate School of Psychology in Pasadena.

Home again, home again, jiggity jig

So I'm home again. I'm grateful to have my three-trips-in-ten-days schedule behind me, I'm grateful for lots of good work done with lots of faithful, fabulous friends and allies and I'm NOT so grateful for overpriced hotel food and intermittent Internet access.

Here's a quick "travelogue:"
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ANAHEIM
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The Claiming the Blessing Steering Committee met in Anaheim Oct 9-11 to continue our commitment to "promoting wholeness in human relationships, abolishing prejudice and oppression, and healing the rift between sexuality and spirituality in the Church." We looked back at the Lambeth Conference 2008 and looked ahead to General Convention 2009 ... including a site visit to the Anaheim Convention Center where the Episcopal Church will gather next July.

Among the highlights of our Anaheim gathering were:

* reports on the progress of "Voices of Witness: Africa" -- the in-progress documentary giving voice to the LGBT faithful in Africa;

*reports on the "Inclusion Activist" workshops being held all over the church in preparation for General Convention and beyond;

*welcoming representation from TransEpiscopal to the CTB Steering Committee;

*reviewing the status of resolutions in process toward GC'09.

PALM SPRINGS
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Then it was off to Palm Springs for the Diocese of Los Angeles Fall Clergy Conference -- where the fabulous Howard Anderson (former Minnesotan and new rector of St. Matthew's, Pacific Palisades) led us in an inspiring exploration of where our 16th century Anglican roots meet the 21st century Emergent Church.

From my conference notes:

The Three “H’s” of Anglicanism

• Humility
• Hospitality
• Humor
  

The Three “I’s” of Anglicanism

• Incarnation
• Inclusion
• Intellect (tempered by humor and humility)
  
  
  “God is already deeply active in the world and our job is to go where that activity is apparent and point it OUT to the world.”
  
  “In the DNA of Anglicanism is in post-modernism because there has always been a “both/and." Our Anglican charism is inclusion – and, as Rabbi Friedman taught, when you resonate with your DNA, you do your best work.”
  
  “We are moving from doctrinal certainty to transparent humility.”
  
  “Keep us always in the company of those who fearlessly seek the truth;
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  And protect us under the shadow of your wings from those who think they already have it.”

CHICAGO

Then it was Chicago, and a meeting of The Chicago Consultation, a collaborative group supporting "the full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered Christians in the Episcopal Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion."

It was a great, pro-active gathering of over 30 bishops, clergy and lay leaders focused on continuing to network and coordinate our work and witness at General Convention 2009.

And now -- as noted -- it's home again, home again, jiggity jig. And while I rejoice in all the good work done over these last ten "very bizzy days" on "things Episcopal" the next ten days (or so!) will be dominated by "things Electoral" as the November 4th election looms and it's all hands on deck to get out the vote in general and beat back Proposition 8 in specific!
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Go-Bama! (Colin Powell Endorses Barack Obama)

So here's the news ... in case you missed it like I did because you were on a plane to Chicago ...



... or whatever.

It's the seven minute segment from this morning's "Meet the Press" and I think it's worth listening to the whole thing ... not only because of the punchline but because of Powell's thoughtful analysis of what we need to move forward as ONE nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the propostion that ALL are created equal.

And now, on to the work that brought me to Chicago: two days of meetings with "the Chicago Consultation" looking ahead to General Convention 2009 and beyond -- striving to make this a CHURCH where respecting the dignity of every human being are not just words we say in church on baptismal Sundays but values we live out 24/7.

More to come on that ... but for the moment, thanks to Colin Powell for his work and witness to this nation in this time of choice and challenge. And prayers invited for OUR work and witness as we gather at Seabury Western Theological Seminary and continue this work we have been called to do.

Another picture worth 1000 words ...

This month's issue of "The Advocate" features California newlyweds ... including Diocese of L.A. priest Warren Nyback and his charming partner Michael Witmer. (They're at about "3 o'clock" on the photo ... Warren in black and Michael with a red tie.)
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Threatening bunch, aren't they? Easy to see why the Sanctity of Marriage is shaking it its boots, what with people like these lining up to pledge to love, honor and cherish til death do them part.
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Anyway, mazel tov to Warren and Michael ... and all the other couples represented by this sampling on the magazine cover. Let's hope (pray, organize and contribute!) that California voters do the right thing on November 4th and protect the right of ALL Californians to marry!
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L.A. Times Endorses Obama

Barack Obama for president
October 19, 2008

He is the competent, confident leader who represents the aspirations of the nation.

It is inherent in the American character to aspire to greatness, so it can be disorienting when the nation stumbles or loses confidence in bedrock principles or institutions.

That's where the United States is as it prepares to select a new president: We have seen the government take a stake in venerable private financial houses; we have witnessed eight years of executive branch power grabs and erosion of civil liberties; we are still recovering from a murderous attack by terrorists on our own soil and still struggling with how best to prevent a recurrence.

We need a leader who demonstrates thoughtful calm and grace under pressure, one not prone to volatile gesture or capricious pronouncement. We need a leader well-grounded in the intellectual and legal foundations of American freedom. Yet we ask that the same person also possess the spark and passion to inspire the best within us: creativity, generosity and a fierce defense of justice and liberty.

The Times without hesitation endorses Barack Obama for president.

Our nation has never before had a candidate like Obama, a man born in the 1960s, of black African and white heritage, raised and educated abroad as well as in the United States, and bringing with him a personal narrative that encompasses much of the American story but that, until now, has been reflected in little of its elected leadership. The excitement of Obama's early campaign was amplified by that newness. But as the presidential race draws to its conclusion, it is Obama's character and temperament that come to the fore. It is his steadiness. His maturity.

These are qualities American leadership has sorely lacked for close to a decade.

The Constitution, more than two centuries old, now offers the world one of its more mature and certainly most stable governments, but our political culture is still struggling to shake off a brash and unseemly adolescence. In George W. Bush, the executive branch turned its back on an adult role in the nation and the world and retreated into self-absorbed unilateralism.

John McCain distinguished himself through much of the Bush presidency by speaking out against reckless and self-defeating policies. He earned The Times' respect, and our endorsement in the California Republican primary, for his denunciation of torture, his readiness to close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and his willingness to buck his party on issues such as immigration reform.

But the man known for his sense of honor and consistency has since announced that he wouldn't vote for his own immigration bill, and he redefined "torture" in such a disingenuous way as to nearly embrace what he once abhorred. Indeed, the presidential campaign has rendered McCain nearly unrecognizable. His selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate was, as a short-term political tactic, brilliant. It was also irresponsible, as Palin is the most unqualified vice presidential nominee of a major party in living memory.

The decision calls into question just what kind of thinking -- if that's the appropriate word -- would drive the White House in a McCain presidency.

Fortunately, the public has shown more discernment, and the early enthusiasm for Palin has given way to national ridicule of her candidacy and McCain's judgment.

Obama's selection also was telling. He might have scored a steeper bump in the polls by making a more dramatic choice than the capable and experienced Joe Biden. But for all the excitement of his own candidacy, Obama has offered more competence than drama.

He is no lone rider. He is a consensus-builder, a leader. As a constitutional scholar, he has articulated a respect for the rule of law and the limited power of the executive that make him the best hope of restoring balance and process to the Justice Department. He is a Democrat, leaning further left than right, and that should be reflected in his nominees to the U.S. Supreme Court. This is a good thing; the court operates best when it is ideologically balanced. With its present alignment at seven justices named by Republicans and two by Democrats, it is due for a tug from the left.
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We are not sanguine about Obama's economic policies. He speaks with populist sweep about taxing oil companies to give middle-class families rebates that of course they would welcome, but would be far too small to stimulate the economy. His ideas on taxation do not stray far from those put forward by Democrats over the last several decades. His response to the most recent, and drastic, fallout of the sub- prime mortgage meltdown has been appropriately cautious; this is uncharted territory, and Obama is not a master of economic theory or practice.

And that's fine. Obama inspires confidence not so much in his grasp of Wall Street finance but in his acknowledgment of and comfort with his lack of expertise. He will not be one to forge far-reaching economic policy without sounding out the best thinkers and practitioners, and he has many at his disposal. He has won the backing of some on Wall Street not because he's one of them but because they recognize his talent for extracting from a broad range of proposals a coherent and workable program.

On paper, McCain presents the type of economic program The Times has repeatedly backed: One that would ease the tax burden on business and other high earners most likely to invest in the economy and hire new workers. But he has been disturbingly unfocused in his response to the current financial situation, rushing to "suspend" his campaign and take action (although just what action never became clear). Having little to contribute, he instead chose to exploit the crisis.

We may one day look back on this presidential campaign in wonder. We may marvel that Obama's critics called him an elitist, as if an Ivy League education were a source of embarrassment, and belittled his eloquence, as if a gift with words were suddenly a defect. In fact, Obama is educated and eloquent, sober and exciting, steady and mature. He represents the nation as it is, and as it aspires to be.

Hot off the presses: New No on 8 Campaign Sign

Unnecessary
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Unfair
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Wrong

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Because it IS personal!

Actress and gay-rights activist Ellen DeGeneres has filmed a 30-second ad urging people to vote against Proposition 8, the gay marriage ban, and will be paying for the ad to air, the No on 8 campaign announced on Friday. The YouTube postings of her video have already been viewed roughly 80,000 times.Eddie Fernandez of the No on 8 campaign said DeGeneres is starting by purchasing $100,000 in air time for the ad.

Make it 80,001 ... Here's the commercial Ellen is soon-to-launch to help defeat Propostion 8:

Go, Ellen!

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Grace in Action

Today's my day off -- the first one I've had in a little longer than I want to admit. And so I'm off to a self-indulgent start: doing some blog-surfing in between bill paying while the laundry and dishwasher happily hum in the background.

Later I'll head out to enjoy the beautiful-day-in-the-neighborhood and hopefully take in a movie with my sweetie this evening. Oh ... and a haircut. I most DEFINITELY need a haircut.

But first I wanted to post up this opportunity to invite you into a little taste of what mission and ministry at All Saints Church in Pasadena looks like:




These are members of our Prayer Shawl Ministry. The pictures are from our Celebration of Ministries Sunday a few weeks ago, but there's also a 3 minute video that just went out to parish members this week as one of our stewardship witnesses.

I'd love for you to watch it. It came via email with this note from our rector, Ed Bacon:

I invite you to enjoy the following short video. It tells the story of our prayer shawl ministry, which makes the prayers of the parish tangible in the shawls that bring warmth and comfort to people in need. Together this video and the community of spirit that produced it are invitations to inspiration and calls for commitment. Your support of All Saints Church makes this important Pastoral Care ministry possible.

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So settle back and take 3 minutes to see the side of All Saints Church that isn't about the stuff you usually read about us ... the powerful pastoral work that goes on 24/7 in Pasadena and beyond as we work to turn the human race into the human family -- with our politics AND with our prayer shawls!

Grace in Action: The Prayer Shawl Ministry

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Here's what we're up against here in California ...

They've named it "TheCall California" ... and here's a look at what they're preaching as they fundraise, network, phonebank and advertise to eliminate the right for same sex couples to marry in California:


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It's impossible to watch this and not recognize that Christianity not only has been but CONTINUES to be a primary contributor to the problem of the oppression of LGBT people.
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It has therefore never been more important for us to speak up AS Christians and be part of the solution -- by working to deafeat Proposition 8.
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Father knows best on Prop 8

OK ... it's not exactly the New York Times or Boston Globe, but here's an editorial from the Chico News & Review supporting Fr. Geoff's stand against Prop 8:

Priest takes a stand for gay marriage—and pays the price

“How is marriage protected by intimidating gay and lesbian people into loveless and lonely lives?”

It’s a good question, one that speaks to the heart of the issues surrounding Proposition 8, the measure on the Nov. 4 ballot that would amend the California Constitution to limit marriage to heterosexual couples. What makes the question especially poignant is that the person who asked it was a 50-year-old Roman Catholic priest in Fresno named Geoffrey Farrow who, just before telling his parishioners that he opposed Prop 8, came out as a gay man.

“I know these words of truth will cost me dearly,” he said, according to an article in the Los Angeles Times. “But to withhold them … I would become an accomplice to a moral evil that strips gay and lesbian people not only of their civil rights, but of their human dignity as well.”

Sure enough, a few days later Farrow’s bishop removed him as pastor, stripped him of his salary and benefits, and ordered him to stay away from all church communities in the area.

Supporters of Prop 8 say it will protect marriage as it is traditionally understood—a union between a man and a woman. If approved, the measure would vitiate a May 2008 California Supreme Court decision that declared the constitution gives same-sex couples the right to marry.

The measure, in other words, would eliminate a constitutional right and impose the beliefs of the majority on the minority. That’s a big step backwards. Many years ago, we remember, it was illegal for a black person to marry a white person in California. That was wrong, and so is discriminating against gay and lesbian people. As long as the state of California sanctions marriage, the rights and dignity marriage bestows should belong to anyone who chooses to take the vow.

There is absolutely no evidence that same-sex marriages will harm or otherwise affect heterosexual marriages. In the five months since the Supreme Court’s decision, the sky has not fallen. Thousands of Californians—gay and straight—have married, and all of them are facing the challenges of matrimony in their own ways.

We applaud Father Farrow’s courage in advocating for fairness and human dignity. Obviously, it was something his heart told him to do. As he himself put it, “At what point do you cease to be an agent for healing and growth and become an accomplice of injustice?”

LA Roundtable: On the Propostion 8 Debate in California

So remember back a week or so ago when we met Pastor Jack from Calvary Chapel? He was the guy with the "V-Blog" on YouTube explaining why he and his congregation are supporting Proposition 8.

We were both invited to come to a taping of the "L.A. Roundtable" show on October 7th to bring our different perspectives to the table ...

... so here we are! Ready to "rock and roll."



The 60 minute show included two different roundtable discussions ... one on Proposition 11 (a redistricting proposal) followed by ours on Proposition 8.

The show we taped on Oct. 7th is now running on the local public access channel and is ALSO online. So ... if you're interested in seeing "The Pastor Jack & Susan Russell Show" click here and check it out ... at 29:35 into the video clip.
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PS -- You don't want to miss Pastor Jack -- at 44:08 -- explaining how high taxes in Denmark are the result of the passage of same-sex marriage ... ("It's a biological fact and it's a chemistry fact.") ... and from there it's a VERY short few steps to (you guessed it!) BEASTIALITY!

Videos du jour

Watching "Hello, I'm No on Prop 8" might just be the best 51 seconds you'll spend today:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9T7ux8M4Go

And if you've got another minute-and-five seconds, make it a double feature and watch "And She's the California Constitution:"



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yU4udzEbcdQ

Ready ... Set ... FORWARD!!!
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On a lighter note ...

If you had purchased $1,000 of shares in Delta Airlines one year ago, you will have $49.00 today.

If you had purchased $1,000 of shares in AIG one year ago, you will have $33.00 today.

If you had purchased $1,000 of shares in Lehman Brothers one year ago, you will have $0.00 today.

But, if you had purchased $1,000 worth of beer one year ago, drank all the beer, then turned in the aluminum cans for recycling refund, you will have received a $214.00. Based on the above, the best current investment plan is to drink heavily & recycle.

It is called the 401-Keg.

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(Thanks, Susy! :)

Who Won????

CNN
Who fared better in Wednesday's presidential debate?
Sen. John McCain 13%
Sen. Barack Obama 84%
No clear winner 3%

MSN

Who won the final presidential debate?
John McCain 32%
Barack Obama 61%
Tie 2.3%
Not sure 4.7%

CBS

Who won the final presidential debate?
Barack Obama: 85.08%
John McCain: 13.15%
It Was A Draw: 1.76%

Fox News

Who won the final presidential debate?
John McCain 32%
Barack Obama 68%

What say you??????????????

This just in from the Diocese of Los Angeles ...

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

The Supreme Court of California has determined that all citizens of our state should have equal access to marriage as a civil right based in our state constitution. The Court's ruling provides the Church with an opportunity to reflect on our own theology of marriage. In the Diocese of Los Angeles, we have sought to provide the Church's blessing to all the baptized people of God.
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Among those are people who have sought to have same-sex relationships blessed in the community of faith. I know that the acceptance of same-sex unions has caused spiritual struggle and questioning for some members of our Diocese, our Church and the Anglican Communion. My policy has been to allow clergy to respond to the needs of their community with pastoral sensitivity including the blessing of these unions as they deem appropriate to the pastoral context.

Earlier this year, when the court made same-sex marriage an option in civil law, I felt it necessary to convene a task force to develop a diocesan policy by which clergy in our Diocese might officiate at same-sex marriages. The task force has developed educational materials that I hope will help you and members of our Diocese to reflect on the issues involved in same sex-marriage as we discern our way forward.

I hope that all clergy in our Diocese might educate our congregations about marriage and have conversations about it.

Performing and blessing these marriages is not simply theoretical. There are real people in congregations large and small who have waited sometimes for many years for this opportunity, and the witness of their faithful love has been an inspiration to me. Other couples will step forward in the future. I hope you will take the opportunity in the next several weeks to listen to their stories. Many among these couples are members of our congregations.

While no one in this Diocese will be forced to move beyond what his or her conscience allows, we seek to provide that gracious space for those whose conscience compels them to bless the marriages of all faithful people as together we discern the work of the Holy Spirit who continues to lead us into all truth.

Your Brother in Christ,
J. Jon Bruno
Bishop of the Diocese of Los Angeles

New "No on 8" Commercial

This is the TV ad that's ready to hit the airwaves -- and the one that the focus groups tell us actually WILL "move the middle."

What it takes now is $$$$$$$$$$ to buy the airtime to get the word out.

I don't know about you, but I don't have anything left to give. And I just gave another $50.

Because here's the deal:

On November 5th, the rest of the world will still need saving -- but if we work together between now and November 4th we can see to it that California ends up on the right side of history in the struggle for marriage equality.

Join me. Click here to donate. Do it now. It's the right thing to do and NOW is the time to do it!

I got to meet a hero today

At a press conference today at Dignity House in Highland Park I got to meet Fr. Geoff Farrow ... the Roman Catholic priest who has risked so much to speak truth to power on behalf of the LGBT faithful.

Here's Fr. Geoff with Our Lady of Guadalupe over one shoulder and the Call to Action spokesperson over the other.

I was particularly moved by how profoundly he understands the stand he is taking to be a PASTORAL position (with political implications.)

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Here's the statement Fr. Geoff offered today (as posted on his blog:)

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You can be a good and faithful Catholic and vote NO on Proposition 8.
Many priests, nuns and ordinary Catholics will vote NO on Proposition 8 because they believe that taking away civil rights from same sex couples is wrong and strips them not only of civil rights but, also of basic human dignity. I know this because they have expressed this to me directly.

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Many pastors simply refuse to say anything at all on the subject publicly. Most of my brother priests try to help Catholic same sex couples in the same fashion that they help Catholic heterosexual couples who use contraception or, who have divorced and remarried. We try to assist these souls in the confessional and in counseling sessions. We attempt to humanize what can otherwise be impossibly rigid doctrines that crush people or drive them away from the community of faith.
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As an elderly Pastor once told me: “We are not technicians, we work with human lives”. People are not statistics, they are not a political issue, they are human beings. Initially, I too simply decided to remain silent. But then, more and more people came to me and asked for guidance on this issue. At the same time, the Diocese became more and more vocal in its support for Proposition 8 and began to organize lay people to vote yes on 8.

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When I was asked to promote my congregation to vote yes on Proposition 8 I was placed in a position of having to choose between my position and the spiritual and emotional well being of those who I was called to serve. Theologians such as, St. Thomas Aquinas have taught of the primacy of one’s personal conscience because on the day that you die it will be your conscience that either acquits or condemns you before God.
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In good conscience, I cannot place an impossibly heavy load on the backs of those entrusted to my pastoral care and leave them to fend for themselves as best they can. The cost of this would be abandonment of faith, possibly of God. It would probably contribute to isolation, depression and possible despair or, worse (especially for young people). I gave them the advice that most of them would receive privately from most priests, I simply did it openly at the end of Sunday Mass from the pulpit.

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I was deeply grateful to be there to witness HIS witness ... along with other courageous Roman Catholic leaders ... modeling that faithful Catholics CAN vote No on 8 ... and also to be joined by Episcopal colleagues: Mark Hallahan+ (Chair of the Bishop's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Ministry) and Canon Lydia Lopez (Diocesan Communication Office.)

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For all that I was so very grateful to be amongst so great a cloud of witnesses, how it must grieve the heart of God that we ... all of us ... are spending our time, energy and resources responding to this $24-million-plus campaign to mobilize bigotry and to write discrimination into the California Constitution in the name of "Family Values."

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TWENTY FOUR MILLION DOLLARS ... while there are children who go to bed hungry and we have families without healthcare while others are facing foreclosure, eviction and homelessness.

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No wonder Jesus wept.

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Fr. Geoff asked in his interview earlier this week in the Los Angeles Times: "How is marriage protected by intimidating gay and lesbian people into loveless and lonely lives?"

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He answered his own question in today's press conference. In English and in Spanish. And let's pray that there were those with ears to hear and hearts to listen and minds to change -- that the sacrifices this brave priest is making on behalf of the Gospel will bear the fruit of the defeat of Proposition 8 on the November 4th ballot.

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A prayer at the end of the day

I'll write more about clergy conference later this week ... it was a great program (the theme was "Back to the Future" and the content was how the DNA of authentic Anglicanism prepares us to be a genuinely emerging church) and Howard Anderson was really quite wonderful (but I'm biased there because he's one of my favorite people on the planet.)

For now -- as I pack up and get ready to head back to Pasadena -- here's one of the prayers he offered ... a few words that speak volumes!

Keep us always in the company of those who fearlessly seek the truth;

And protect us under your wings from those who think they already have it.

And let the people say, "AMEN!"
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L.A.Mayor Villaraigosa Steps UP Against Proposition 8!

Just received via email from Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa:

I entered politics because the America of my dreams includes everyone, not just a few.

Too many people have suffered injustice, discrimination, and inequality. It's time to bring every American out of the shadows and into the light. Our laws should not be used to single one group out to be treated differently. Instead, our laws should guarantee the same fundamental rights to every Californian.
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Same-sex marriage is the law of the land in California. In my legal capacity as Mayor of Los Angeles, I have proudly officiated many same-sex weddings since the Supreme Court ruling in June confirmed the constitutionality of these unions.
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These are loving, committed couples who want to get married for universal reasons: they love, care for, protect and take responsibility for each other.
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I vow to vote No on Proposition 8 because I believe our civil society demands that we uphold -- not eliminate -- these fundamental rights. I believe all Californians deserve to be treated equally. And I believe that government exists to protect individual rights, not to undermine them.

Unfortunately, polls now show that the anti-marriage equality "Yes on 8" campaign is leading, just as vote-by-mail ballots arrive in voters' mailboxes across California. The "No on 8" campaign needs our help today to get the marriage equality message out on TV immediately.

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That's why I'm taking a stand against Prop 8 today by contributing $25,000 to the "No on 8" campaign. And I would like you to join me by digging deep and contributing whatever you can afford -- whether it's $5, $50, $500, or $5,000 -- to the "No on 8" campaign on Courage's ActBlue page right now:

Opponents of marriage equality have blanketed California with misleading ads and have raised an unprecedented sum of money, outspending the "No on 8" campaign by over $10 million. In fact, the "Yes on 8" campaign received so many individual contributions, both large and small, that the sheer volume crashed the Secretary of State's reporting system last Tuesday.

I know that many defenders of marriage equality just like you have contributed a lot of money so far to the "No on 8" campaign -- but we need to redouble our efforts now to match the flood of money raised by supporters of Prop 8.
Californians from across the political and cultural spectrum have united to fight Prop 8 and defend fundamental rights.

How much will you give to protect the fundamental rights of all Californians? I'm taking a stand against Prop 8 by donating $25,000 today. Can you contribute $25, $250, $2,500 or whatever amount you can afford.

Our state constitution protects our rights. It should not be used to deny civil rights to anyone.

Please join me in supporting the No on 8 campaign. And tell your friends by forwarding this Courage Campaign message. Together, we can take a stand for the right of every Californian to marry the person they love.

Thank you for vowing to vote No on --and contribute to the defeat of -- Prop 8.

Antonio Villaraigosa

Mayor of Los Angeles

P.S. With ballots arriving in mailboxes already, there's not much time to get the "No on 8" message out before November 4. Please take a stand for marriage equality today by contributing what you can right now.

Fr. Geoff in today's L.A. Times

Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times

I'm at our Diocesan Clergy Conference today but taking time to post us this link to the front page article in today's L.A. Times about Fr. Geoff Farrow ... the Roman Catholic priest standing up against Proposition 8. You'll want to read the whole piece here ... but here are two "take away" quotes:"


"How is marriage protected by intimidating gay and lesbian people into loveless and lonely lives?" he asked parishioners of the St. Paul Newman Center. "I am morally compelled to vote no on Proposition 8."

"I know these words of truth will cost me dearly," he said. "But to withhold them . . . I would become an accomplice to a moral evil that strips gay and lesbian people not only of their civil rights but of their human dignity as well."
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Cartoon of the times ...

In case the "bubble" is too small to read, it says:

"Let’s play house. You pretend the bank foreclosed on your home and I’ll challenge your right go vote ‘cause you no longer have a local address."

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This one gets an A+ ...

True or False?

Don't miss this not-quite-three-minute "debunking" of the Yes on Prop 8 lies ...



... which deserves WIDE distribution!

Ready ... Set ... FORWARD!!!!!
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All things work together for good ...

... for those who love and serve the Lord.

Romans 8:28

Here's a very contemporary (today!) illustration of that eternal truth:

This morning I received the following email:

Rev. Susan Russell,

I found your name in this article and then looked up your contact information on the church website. Because you appear to be very involved in the No On Prop 8 campaign, I was hoping you might be able to help me with a problem we are having. Right now, ordering signs from the website, they won't even ship until October 20th, which is a lot of days without signs to battle the "Yes" signs I am seeing in the neighborhood. Are you aware of any local source where we can just walk in and buy No signs?

Thank you,
"Jane"

====

I replied:

Dear Jane,

I got mine at the local Democratic party headquarters. But there's also a No on 8 center in Silverlake and one in West Hollywood

Blessings,
Susan

====

"Jane" replied (nine minutes later!):

Great! I contacted the Silverlake office and they said they have them in stock. I'm on my way! :)

====

So there you have it ... one small yard sign toward marriage equality ...

... and one large illustration of how things intended for evil can be used for good.
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For who wrote the "article" that inspired Jane to search for my email address, contact me and get hooked up with a "No on 8" yard sign? None other than David Virtue -- his latest pseudo-news report: "Episcopal Lesbian Priest in Desperate Plea to Deep Six Proposition 8."
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So thanks, David. Thanks, Jane. And thanks EVERYONE working to [a] love and serve the Lord and [b] preserve marraige for all in California!
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Fr. Geoff has a blog ...

Fr. Geoff Farrow -- the courageous Roman Catholic priest who spoke out against Proposition 8 from the pulpit -- is paying a huge price for his witness.

From his blog yesterday:

I felt the need to speak, not for myself but, on behalf of those who have no one to speak for them in this matter in our Church. Personally, my life has been rather difficult since I made this statement as I knew it would be. I have no regrets since, it was my hope that this statement would lead to greater discussion of the treatment of gay and lesbian people in and by the Church. Also, it is my earnest hope that in some small way, this helps to preserve the civil rights of gay and lesbian persons which are currently under attack by the proponants of Propostion 8.

Visit Fr. Geoff's blog and join me in offering words of support.
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Matthew Shepard and the Church

Tomorrow, October 12, 2008, is the 10th anniversary of the death of Matthew Shepard. In observance of that date and in celebration of Matthew's life, my friend and Integrity'a past-president Michael Hopkins offers the following reflection:

Matthew Shepard and the Church
by the Reverend Michael Hopkins

Ten years ago a young gay man, Matthew Shepard, was beaten and left to die in rural Wyoming. Two days later he did die. His death received national attention, joining with the death not too long before of an African-American man, James Byrd, dragged behind a truck in Texas.

The two deaths revealed the intolerance and hatred of "minorities" that still lies just below the surface of America. It can be said that we have come farther along in these last ten years both in terms of sexual orientation and race, but hate crimes continue as a sign that we have many miles to go.

I had a personal relationship with the death of Matthew. Besides being a gay man myself, Matthew was also an Episcopalian, as, of course, I am. In addition, I was President of IntegrityUSA (for all of ten days) at the time of his death. I felt compelled to attend his funeral at St. Mark's, Casper, on behalf of his sister and brother gay and lesbian Episcopalians.

There I came face to face with the hatred that killed Matthew in the guise of protestors from a church in Kansas led by a man named Fred Phelps. They held signs proclaiming Matthew was a "fag" who was even now burning in hell, and their verbal taunts were even more horrific. The only consolation was a group of good souls standing silently between them and those of us waiting in line in the cold outside the church.

Mr. Phelps and his followers are in the extreme even in the realm of those Christians who are of the opinion that sex between men or between women is intrinsically sinful. And yet the entire church that remains ambivalent about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people is culpable in the physical, psychological and spiritual violence inflicted on us. This includes my own beloved church, much as most of it would term itself "progressive." Real discrimination continues and discrimination is at least spiritual violence, pure and simple.

In the Episcopal Church, one of the options for the general confession in our liturgy includes repentance for "the evil done on our behalf." It is a powerful phrase, although the church has barely begun to unpack the many ways it is true and face up to them, which is the only way for repentance to be genuine. The awful truth is that the death of Matthew Shepard was part of the "evil done on our behalf." Any amount of ambivalence or hostility toward lgbt people is in collusion with such an evil act.

Someone at the time of Matthew's death, on various listservs on which Episcopalians can be found, emotionally declared that the church had "blood on its hands." The statement was met with a great deal of protest and even outrage. As a leader, I myself distanced myself from the remark, its own collusion. It was, however, the truth.

My deep prayer as I contemplate this anniversary is that one day, in my lifetime, the church (at the very least, my church) will own up to this truth, repent of it, apologize, and finally amend its life to erase the ambivalence. As Matthew showed us, it is a matter of life and death.

In Memoriam

Matthew Wayne Shepard
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December 1, 1976 - October 12, 1998
.

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May he rest in peace and rise in glory.

And let the people say, AMEN to the Boston Globe ...

... and "make it stop" to John McCain!

From today's Boston Globe:

The head of the nation's biggest labor federation is joining the chorus of voices warning about the increasingly angry crowds coming to John McCain's campaign events.
.

At rallies this week, McCain's criticisms of Democrat Barack Obama have been met with shouts of "terrorist," "liar," and other harsh words.

"Sen. John McCain, Gov. Sarah Palin and the leadership of the Republican party have a fundamental moral responsibility to denounce the violent rhetoric that has pervaded recent McCain and Palin political rallies," said John Sweeney, president of the AFL-CIO, which has endorsed Obama.
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"When rally attendees shout out such attacks as 'terrorist' or 'kill him' about Sen. Barack Obama, when they are cheered on by crowds incited by McCain-Palin rhetoric -- it is chilling that McCain and Palin do nothing to object.

"In a world where unspeakable violence is too often promulgated by extremists, it is no small or trivial matter to call someone a terrorist -- or to incite potentially dangerous individuals toward violence," Sweeney said in a statement.

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"John McCain, Sarah Palin and Republican leaders are walking a very thin line in pretending not to hear the hateful invectives spewed at their rallies. McCain should end this line of attack in the strongest possible terms. Anything less puts McCain in the same camp as the racists and extremists who are bringing their angry rhetoric to his campaign events."

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And from YouTube

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And if a picture is worth 1000 words, this video is worth about 100,000:

California Faith For Equality Press Release

PRESS RELEASE

FAITH LEADERS NETWORK APPLAUDS CONNECTICUT SUPREME COURT DECISION

CALIFORNIA FAITH FOR EQUALITY, a statewide network of congregations and people of faith united for equality, celebrates the decision made today by the Connecticut Supreme court that same sex couples have the fundamental right to marry.

“We are pleased that another state has recognized that same sex couples have the fundamental right to marry,” said Kerry Chaplin, Interfaith Organizing Director for CALIFORNIA FAITH FOR EQUALITY.

“As people of faith, we believe that laws should not treat people differently. We recognize that same sex couples are part of our community and worship with us regularly. Our faith traditions teach us to love our neighbor and we believe that ALL our neighbors – not just some - should have the same fundamental rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness that marriage can bring.

“We are not surprised that some faith traditions do not want to marry same sex couples. That is their right. However, it is not the right of these religious traditions to define for EVERY faith who they can and cannot marry. Today we have another indication that more and more Americans join us in supporting marriage equality.”

CONTACT: Kerry Chaplin
323-683-4330

Integrity Applauds Connecticut Supreme Court Decision

October 10, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Integrity applauds today’s Connecticut Supreme Court ruling in favor of marriage equality. "Today's decision is a decision in favor of marriage and against bigotry," said Integrity President Susan Russell.

"It is another step forward toward making this a nation of liberty and justice for all -- not just some -- and it is a cause for celebration for all Americans. It is also a source of great encouragement for those of us working to preserve marriage for all in California."

"Integrity is committed to continue to work toward full inclusion for the LGBT faithful in the Episcopal Church and to advocate for equal protection for LGBT Americans -- and we give thanks for those who made today's Connecticut Supreme Court decision possible."

(The Reverend) Susan Russell, President

BREAKING NEWS:Connecticut Court Rules FOR Marriage Equality!

The Connecticut Supreme Court posted its decision on Kerrigan v. Public Health -- a marriage equality case -- 17 minutes ago.

Here's the whole decision

Here's the bottom line:

We conclude that, in light of the history of pernicious discrimination faced by gay men and lesbians,1 and because the institution of marriage carries with it a status and significance that the newly created classification of civil unions does not embody, the segregation of heterosexual and homosexual couples into separate institutions constitutes a cognizable harm.

We also conclude that (1) our state scheme discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation, (2) for the same reasons that classifications predicated on gender are considered quasi-suspect for purposes of the equal protection provisions of the United States constitution, sexual orientation constitutes a quasi-suspect classification for purposes of the equal protection provisions of the state constitution, and, therefore, our statutes discriminating against gay persons are subject to heightened or intermediate judicial scrutiny, and (3) the state has failed to provide sufficient justification for excluding same sex couples from the institution of marriage.
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YOU can make a difference

An important update from the No on 8 Campaign:
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Friends in faith:

I am writing to you from the center of the California NO on Prop 8 campaign. I serve as the Statewide Faith Organizer. I am a full time volunteer who moved here from out of state to help defeat Prop 8.

As you know, we are in an historic battle to preserve marriage rights for same sex couples in the State of California. The margin is razor thin and our most recent poll shows us 3 points down. We are in a struggle for the hearts and minds of undecided voters in California. You have undoubtedly heard that we are down in the polls as well as donations, but I write to assure you that we are not down in spirit!

No civil right has ever been won without progressive people of faith!

We have the best and largest coalition and field campaign ever created for LGBT rights! We have raised more money than we ever have when fighting an LGBT ballot measure! We have field offices covering the State of California and over 100 phone banks working night and day. Many of them are located in churches, synagogues and Unitarian Universalist Fellowship halls from Eureka to San Diego. Even the 7th Day Adventists have over 500 people who havesigned on to a NO on Prop 8 petition.

This is what we need from you!

-We need you to get on the phones.
-We need you to make and solicit donations.

New technology allows us to enlist your energy to directly talk one on one to undecided California voters. Reaching out to them is the single most important act you can take to help us win on November 4. Phone banks can be established in your congregations, homes, and/or on your own!

Go to our website and help us double our phone banks and reach out to every Californian who needs more information and wants to have a one on one conversation. If you have ever said that you wished there was more that you can do...NOW is the moment to act.

We also need donations. Every individual can go to No on 8 and donate today!

If you've already donated, do so again! Now is the time for sacrificial giving. We recommend $2008.00 to honor the year this mile- stone decisionwas made. Or $365.00 for the full year that teams have been on the ground readying for this struggle! The cost of a marriage license in California is $77.00.

Do whatever you can, but do it today! We can only win by getting our message out. Won't you please join us in making history today?

In service to a more just world,
Debra

Rev. Debra Peevey

Statewide Faith Organizer

NO on Prop 8 mailto:8deb@noonprop8.com

571 723 4788 land line

623 670 6598 cell

"No on 8" Fights Back:

It is WAY past time to call "BS" on the lies from the "Yes on 8" camp ... and (thank goodness!) that's what this "just released today" 30 second TV spot from the No on 8 Campaign does:



Click here to contribute to get this commercial "air time" ... because what we most need to do now it get the word out to what they call "low information voters" that WHAT THEY ARE TELLING YOU IS NOT TRUE!!

(AKA: Baldface Lies are not a Biblical Value!)
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One down, two to go ...

It's "all-marriage-all-the-time" around here this week. I just got home from "Round One" ... being the "No on 8" voice on an Interfaith Panel up in the Santa Clarita Valley (Shout-out to St. Stephen's for hosting it!) The local news article described it thus:

Mark Saucy, professor of systematic theology at Biola University will speak in favor of Prop. 8. Susan Russell of All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena will speak against the proposition. Following the main speakers, four local religious leaders, two from each side of the issue, will respond to the main speakers and then open up a question-and-answer session to the audience.

And that's pretty much what happened. Mostly.

Except that, IMHO, Dr. Mark didn't so much speak in "favor" of Proposition 8 as he did in favor of his theological perspective -- which I found a few things to say "Amen" to ... and a bunch of other things to say "Not So Much" to.

Not surprising, that.

What I kind of DID find surprising -- even after all this time in the trenches -- was the staggering arrogance of the unexamined privilege of the "Yes on 8" speakers. The two other "yes" guys were "local religious leaders" -- a nice Morman man and a pastor from Grace Baptist Church -- who really seemed to see no "disconnect" between the freedom this country gives them to practice their religion AND the freedom this country gives us from having them practice it on us.

They can talk until the cows come home about what "Father God" has planned for "mankind" and how the Bible is their blueprint for moral decision making and I'm still going to find their arguments non-responsive to the question, "And how does that give you the right to write discrimination into the Constitution of the State of California?"

AND ... all that being said ... it was a high privilege to be there. It was a great joy to be able to bring an alternative perspective to the monolithic bias of the those working to eliminate the right to marry for same sex couples here in California. It was an honor to share the stage with Rabbi Mark Blazer and UU Pastor Ricky Hoyt and a great joy to talk to those in the audience afterwards who are committed to getting out both the vote and their voices into to the debate on this important issue.

Perhaps the most moving moment of the evening was when Rabbi Blazer noted that we are smack dab in the middle of his high holy days -- and that in the spirit of repentence he wanted to ask forgiveness from those who had been wounded by the Torah ... by the Scriptures he holds holy ... which had for too long been used as a weapon of human exclusion rather than a vehicle for God's love.

So, like I said ... one down, two to go. Tomorrow morning is the Roundtable L.A. gig with Pastor Jack from Calvary Chapel (see YouTube in post below for the scoop on him and his perspective) and then another panel on Wednesday night at Cal State L.A.

I'm chalking it all up to "the things we do for Jesus."
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Here's a view from "the other side" ...

... this is the guy I'm up against tomorrow morning on local L.A. TV ...



... Oy vey!

Roman priest preaches "No on 8"

You can watch the video report here ... but here's a transcript of the "Breaking news" from Fresno:

10/5/2008 Fresno, CA, USA (KFSN) -- Father Geoffrey Farrow of the Saint Paul Newman Center in northeast Fresno shocked parishioners Sunday morning when he came out against Proposition 8, an initiative that would eliminate the right for same sex couples to marry in California.

After 23 years as an ordained Catholic Priest, Father Geoffrey Farrow has likely given his final mass. Sunday morning he invited us to hear his message, a message that shocked many parishioners.

11 o'clock mass began as usual Sunday. Father Geoff led parishioners through prayer and communion.

The homily taught of acceptance, love and rejection. But it was his closing remarks that left some parishioners stunned. "What most Catholics hear about being gay or lesbian at their parish is silence."

Fr. Geoff says after numerous inquiries from parishioners asking for direction on Proposition 8, if passed would ban gay marriage, the Father said he must go against the Bishops recommendation and instead go with what he feels is right.
"In directing the faithful to vote yes on proposition 8, the California Bishops are not only entering the political arena, they are ignoring the advances and insights of neurology, psychology and the very statements by the church itself that homosexual is innate," says Fr. Geoff.

The priest acknowledges his controversial comments will have consequences. "I know that these words of truth will cost me dearly. But to withhold them would be far more costly and I would become an accomplice to a moral evil that strips gay and lesbian couples, not only of their civil rights but of their human dignity as well."

We sat down with Father Geoff before mass, and he answered the question many are probably wondering... Is he gay? "It's a secondary issue. But yes, I am. And when I was a boy I asked God please make me normal and the prayer never got answered and I realized why. Because God would've made somebody else he wouldn't have made me."

Sunday mass ended with about half the congregation giving a standing ovation. Outside parishioners had mixed reaction about the priest's remarks.
Esmeralda Gonzalez, Parishioner, says "My reaction was extremely shocking I believe that as the body of Christ and as being Catholics we are made to follow by commandments. And God made it to be Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve."

Joshua De La Cerda, Parishioner, says "This is something Jesus would have done, or Christ would have done, spoke out for the truth."

Fr. Geoff said after months of struggling with what to do, said in the end he followed his heart. "In any event regardless of what I or anyone else does in their life, one day you die, and on that day were you true to your conscience, were you true to what you believe. And I think that's the question each of us has to answer. If the answer is no, hell already began before you died."

The parish is clearly divided over this controversy. A few parishioners left in tears.

We contacted Bishop John Steinbock, the head of the Diocese of Fresno this afternoon. He said he has not talked to Father Geoff Farrow, only has heard rumors about what happened today. He told us Proposition 8 is not a homosexuality issue rather about the institution of marriage which is the basis of our society.

=========

Take a minute and join me in emailing Fr. Geoff for his witness:

People of Faith Voting No on 8

(Op-ed in yesterday's Whittier Daily News by Diocese of L.A. colleague Bruce Gray -- pictured here with wife Cathy at a BCGLM Garden Party. )

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Marriage Responsibility -- for all

WHEN I read "Same-sex marriage foes stop at Whittier church," an article about a visit by the Rev. Louis Sheldon to an area church, I read it from start to finish and realized I had to tell my story.

This summer, my wife and I attended several weddings of family and friends. One of the most meaningful ceremonies we attended was for Daniel and Gary, a couple who had already been living in a committed, monogamous relationship for over 15 years.

They had already shared all that they had and all that they were, but now they were getting married with the witness of friends and family. There was no press or T.V. cameras present and no political statements - just two people deeply in love, standing before a judge in their backyard exchanging vows of total commitment to each other.

My wife and I sat there holding hands with silly smiles on our faces as we prayed silently to God for this couple that they would continue to be blessed and guided in their life journey together, now finally called a marriage.

We are both Episcopal priests and are well aware that some would invoke God and the Bible to condemn Daniel and Gary. Sadly, many people hear condemnations from ministers like Rev. Sheldon and think that this is the only Christian response to gay people. The fact is, many people of faith strongly support marriage equality and will vote no on Proposition 8. We will vote no because it would take away marriage for same-sex couples in California and leave our friends - and so many others - in grief.

The article quoted Whittier City Councilwoman Cathy Warner, who is Mormon, as saying, "I personally believe in the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman." On one hand, I agree with this because that is what I experience in my marriage to my wife. On the other hand, I also saw that same sanctity of marriage before us when Daniel and Gary promised devotion to each other.

But regardless of how people of faith feel about gay people, my wife and I believe that the vast majority of Californians - even many conservative people of faith - realize that this is a simple matter of fairness.

It's not fair to take away marriages from loving couples. No church will be forced to perform marriages. Even though divorce is legal, Catholic priests are not forced to perform weddings for divorced people. Faith communities will continue to have the right to practice what they preach.

Our Episcopal Church has been in the news recently because of disagreement over gay people. But, despite our differences, California Episcopal bishops urged people to vote "no" on Proposition 8. Bishops from both northern and southern California spoke about such core values as love and mutual responsibility. They said it best, "society is strengthened when two people who love each other choose to enter into marriage, engaged in a lifetime of disciplined relationship building that serves as a witness to the importance of love and commitment."

The bishops recognized that keeping marriage available to same-sex couples is more than beautiful backyard weddings; it means that loving couples have lifelong obligations to care for one another that are not easily dissolved.

Only with the state's permission, through divorce courts, would this responsibility be lifted - and not without consideration for the support of both people. This model of lifelong commitment for all couples, gay or straight, goes far beyond civil unions which can be ended with a letter to the county courthouse.

When citizens of California vote "no" on Proposition 8, we will be lifting up lifelong marriage, with all its rights, privileges, and obligations, as our ethical grounding for all loving couples. When we Christians and other people of faith vote "no" on Proposition 8, we will be lifting up the freedom of believers in each faith group to set their own standards within their own tradition - and not impose them on others.

The Rev. Bruce W. Gray is the rector at
St. Matthias Episcopal Church in Whittier.

WOO HOO!!!!

DODGERS SWEEP!!!

DODGERS SWEEP!!!

DODGERS SWEEP!!!

,

Bob Herbert Hits the Nail on the Head

==========

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Op-ed in today's NYT:
Palin's Alternate Universe

Sarah Palin is the perfect exclamation point to the Bush years.

We’ve lived through nearly two terms of an administration that believed it could create its own reality:

“Deficits don’t matter.” “Brownie, you’re doing a heckuva job.” “Those weapons of mass destruction must be somewhere.”

Now comes Ms. Palin, a smiling, bubbly vice-presidential candidate who travels in an alternate language universe. For Ms. Palin, such things as context, syntax and the proximity of answers to questions have no meaning.

In her closing remarks at the vice-presidential debate Thursday night, Ms. Palin referred earnestly, if loosely, to a quote from Ronald Reagan. He had warned that if Americans weren’t vigilant in protecting their freedom, they would find themselves spending their “sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was like in America when men were free.”

What Ms. Palin didn’t say was that the menace to freedom that Reagan was talking about was Medicare. As the historian Robert Dallek has pointed out, Reagan “saw Medicare as the advance wave of socialism, which would ‘invade every area of freedom in this country.’ ”

Does Ms. Palin agree with that Looney Tunes notion? Or was this just another case of the aw-shucks, darn-right, I’m-just-a-hockey-mom governor of Alaska mouthing something completely devoid of meaning?

Here’s Ms. Palin during the debate: “Say it ain’t so, Joe! There you go pointing backwards again ... Now, doggone it, let’s look ahead and tell Americans what we have to plan to do for them in the future. You mentioned education, and I’m glad you did. I know education you are passionate about with your wife being a teacher for 30 years, and God bless her. Her reward is in heaven, right?”

If Governor Palin didn’t like a question, or didn’t know the answer, she responded as though some other question had been asked. She made no bones about this, saying early in the debate: “I may not answer the questions the way that either the moderator or you want to hear.”

The problem with Ms. Palin’s candidacy is that John McCain might actually win this election, and then if something terrible happened, the country could be left with little more than an exclamation point as president.

After Ms. Palin had woven one of her particularly impenetrable linguistic webs, Joe Biden turned to the debate’s moderator, Gwen Ifill, and said: “Gwen, I don’t know where to start.”

Of course he didn’t know where to start because Ms. Palin’s words don’t mean anything. She’s all punctuation.

This is such a serious moment in American history that it’s hard to believe that someone with Ms. Palin’s limited skills could possibly be playing a leadership role. On the day before the debate, the commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, Gen. David McKiernan, made an urgent appeal for more troops, saying the additional “boots on the ground,” as well as more helicopters and other vital equipment, were “needed as quickly as possible.”

The morning after the debate, the Labor Department announced that the employment situation in the U.S. had deteriorated even more than experts had expected. The nation lost nearly 160,000 jobs in September, more than double the monthly losses in July and August.

Conditions are probably worse than even those numbers indicate because the government’s statistics do not yet reflect the response of employers to the credit crisis that has taken such a hold in the last few weeks.

Where is the evidence that Governor Palin even understands these complex and enormously challenging problems? During the debate she twice referred to General McKiernan as “McClellan.” Neither Ms. Ifill nor Senator Biden corrected her.

But after Senator Biden suggested that John McCain’s answer to the nation’s energy problems was to “drill, drill, drill,” Ms. Palin promptly pointed out, as if scoring a point, that “the chant is ‘Drill, baby, drill!’ ”

How’s that for perspective? The credit markets are frozen. Our top general in Afghanistan is dialing 911. Americans are losing jobs by the scores of thousands. And Sarah Palin is making sure we know that the chant is “drill, baby, drill!” not “drill, drill, drill.”

John McCain has spent most of his adult life speaking of his love for his country. Maybe he sees something in Sarah Palin that most Americans do not. Maybe he is aware of qualities that lead him to believe she’d be as steady as Franklin Roosevelt in guiding the U.S. through a prolonged economic downturn. Maybe she’d be as wise and prudent in a national emergency as John Kennedy was during the Cuban missile crisis.

Maybe Senator McCain has reason to believe that it would not be the most colossal of errors to put Ms. Palin a heartbeat away from the presidency.

He’s got just four weeks to share that insight with the rest of us.

Pittsburgh Chooses Schism This Day

ENS reports that the Diocese of Pittsburgh has -- as expected -- voted to "realign" with the Province of the Southern Cone.

ENS article here.
The Presiding Bishop's statement below:

"I believe that the vast majority of Episcopalians and Anglicans will be intensely grieved by the actions of individuals who thought it necessary to remove them from The Episcopal Church," Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said after the vote. "I have repeatedly reassured Episcopalians that there is abundant room for dissent within this Church, and that loyal opposition is a long and honored tradition within Anglicanism. Schism is not, having frequently been seen as a more egregious error than charges of heresy. "

"There is room in this Church for all who desire to be members of it. The actions of the former bishop of Pittsburgh, and some lay and clergy leaders, have removed themselves from this Church; the rest of the Church laments their departure. We stand ready to welcome the return of any who wish to rejoin this part of the Body of Christ."

On this St. Francis Day ...

... here's a "Blessing Du Jour:"

The Franciscan

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Four Fold Blessing

Debate "Morning After"

No matter how you think it went, it was a interesting night ... this debate that USA Today noted "... started with high stakes and low expectations."

Here's what some of the commentary looked like this morning:

CNN says: Palin back on track; Biden wins

Arizona Republic: Biden wins; Palin passes

The L.A. Times called it "mostly political theater"

FoxNews says "Palin Helps McCain Regain Political Footing"

US News&World Report reports: Palin Seized Her Moment But Still Lost

and the New York Times notes: "Palin Recaptures Her Image"

And the post-debate polls were looking like this:

CNN:

Sen. Joe Biden -- 66%
Gov. Sarah Palin -- 28%
Neither -- 5%

NY Daily News:

Sarah Palin -- 38%
Joe Biden -- 56%
Neither -- 6%

CBS (uncommitted voters):

Biden -- 46%
Palin -- 21%
Tie -- 33%

And here was my favorite commentary ... from the Chicago Tribune:

Palin stands her ground; Biden states his case
By James Oliphant Chicago Tribune

ST. LOUIS — They were in the same room Thursday night, but Joe Biden and Sarah Palin often seemed to be participating in separate debates.

One debate dealt with issues. The other served as a platform for Palin's unique brand of Alaskan-bred populism and twangy asides. On the campus of Washington University, the two vice presidential candidates showed off their wildly different styles born of disparate histories. The result was at times an oddly disjointed affair, where the two skittered and shifted off-topic.

With the GOP ticket trailing in national polls, Palin spent most of the time on the attack. She was armed with talking points involving tax increases, domestic drilling for oil, critiques of Democrat Barack Obama's record on the war in Iraq and stinging one-liners. And she repeatedly attempted to steer the debate to allow her to use that ammunition, regardless of the question at hand.

As a result, Biden, the longtime Washington insider, frequently was forced to explain the intricacies of congressional procedure and nuances of international diplomacy, often in a defensive posture.

For Biden, the debate served as much as an introduction to American voters as a test of his mettle. Although the Delaware senator has served in Congress for more than 35 years, he isn't well known nationally. Two attempts to run for president, 20 years apart, were unsuccessful.

His assignment Thursday was simply to maintain the momentum the Obama campaign has been building during the last three weeks. But along with that came a challenge posed by Palin's sex. He needed to walk a line between respectful and combative—and avoid coming off as patronizing or condescending. The McCain campaign has made a habit of terming attacks on Palin sexist or elitist.

Palin was not burdened by such concerns and, as befitting her overnight rise from a state politician to a national star, she spent much of the affair showcasing her feisty, salt-of-the-earth personality, employing such phrases as "darn right" and "bless their hearts" and smiling and even winking at the audience. She referred to herself again as a "hockey mom" and said she was talking to "Joe Six-Pack."

She said she appreciated the chance to talk to the country without "the filter" of the "mainstream media."

At one point, smiling at the crowd, she said, "How long have I been at this, like five weeks? So there hasn't been a whole lot that I've promised, except to do what is right for the American people, put government back on the side of the American people, stop the greed and corruption on Wall Street."

Along those lines, she portrayed herself and her running mate, John McCain, as "mavericks" and populists, saying together they would fix broken government. "Change is coming," she repeated like a mantra. But her folksiness masked a willingness to use a broad brush to attack Obama and Biden, repeatedly suggesting that Obama didn't support the military, saying he sought to make the United States beholden to foreign oil and pushed to increase taxes at every opportunity. Several times, Biden seemed frustrated.

"Facts matter," he said at one point.

Palin seemed most comfortable talking about her work as governor of Alaska, dealing with the energy industry. "The chant is 'drill, baby, drill.' And that's what we hear all across this country in our rallies because people are so hungry for those domestic sources of energy to be tapped into," she said. "They know that even in my own energy-producing state we have billions of barrels of oil and hundreds of trillions of cubic feet of clean, green natural gas."

She succeeded Thursday in one crucial respect: re-establishing herself as a charismatic, composed performer. The evening had offered a needed opportunity to reverse a growing perception among voters that she lacks the intellectual firepower and experience to be a heartbeat away from the presidency.

Her command of the issues had come under heavy fire in the last two weeks, largely because of her interviews with CBS' Katie Couric. Those interviews showed a rambling, sometimes incoherent side of the Alaska governor that had not surfaced in pitch-perfect stump speeches crafted by the McCain campaign.

But after Thursday, that question may recede a bit as an election issue, switching again to whether McCain and Palin can present a convincing case that their administration would offer something different than the current one.

And that's where Biden seemed the most commanding. Avoiding directly attacking Palin, he went after McCain again and again: on the economy, branding the Arizona senator as a deregulator who encouraged the current Wall Street crisis; on foreign policy by tying McCain to the war in Iraq; and on health care, where Biden labeled McCain's health care plan, which involves tax credits, "the ultimate Bridge to Nowhere."

"Look, all you have to do is go down Union Street with me in Wilmington or go to Katie's Restaurant or walk into Home Depot with me where I spend a lot of time and you ask anybody in there whether or not the economic and foreign policy of this administration has made them better off in the last eight years," Biden said. "And then ask them whether there's a single major initiative that John McCain differs with the president on. On taxes, on Iraq, on Afghanistan, on the whole question of how to help education, on the dealing with health care."

At one point near the end of the debate, Biden seemed to be overcome in referring to the car accident that killed his first wife and his baby daughter in 1972.

At the close of the debate, both sides claimed victory.

"All McCain and Palin are offering is more of the same," said Obama campaign manager David Plouffe. He said Palin "did a good job of articulating the McCain agenda—a failed agenda."

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said he was "very pleased that [Palin] was able to articulate in a way that people can understand the differences between Sen. McCain and Sen. Obama."

joliphant@tribune.com
Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune

Whew!!!

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What a relief. In spite of all the predictions of crash and burn in tonight's debate, we got 90 minutes of full sentences and well-articulated positions of diametrically opposed visions for America as we dig out of the Bush years and look forward to the future.
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Good for Sarah Palin. She did her homework ... and she clearly internalized her talking points (to the point of not actually answering several of Gwen Ifill's questions, but let's not quibble) and I was frankly relieved to see the energy turning to the issues in front of us and away from the personality-focused feeding frenzy of the last few weeks.
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Here was one of my favorite bits, thanks to CBS (you have to watch a brief commerical but I think it's worth it):
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Watch CBS Videos Online

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Of course I thought Biden "won." He was smart, clear, detailed and -- for my money -- came down where I wanted him to on his vision for what our national priorities should be. Of course, there are those who argue you can "win by not losing" ... as one of the pundits was just saying about Palin's performance.

But "not losing" isn't enough to bring about the game-change McCain needs to convince the American people that for all his talk about his "Maverick" ways, we'd be looking at more-of-the-same if we handed the keys to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to another Republican at this point. (And although I was genuinely relieved by the more respectful tone and timbre of the both the debate and post-debate critique, I did allow myself to be amused by one of hte commentators who described Palin's style as "relentlessly colloquial" -- which one finds either charmingly refreshing or deeply annoying).

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So now we're ... maybe, please-please-please ... back to the issues. Finding a just end to an unjust war. Figuring out how to bail out a country staggering under the weight of 8 years of failed Bush economic policy. Fixing the health care mess, bolstering our education system and working with global partners to do something to solve global climate change.

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Tick-tock to November 4th!

For tonight ...

Anglican Disunion

A parishioner left me a hard-copy of this reflection on things Anglican in my parish mailbox awhile back and I just got around to reading it today ... and to finding it online to post here.

If you're looking for a great, capsule version of where we are and what next after Lambeth, look no further. Jack Miles pretty much covers it in:

WHAT IS ROWAN WILLIAMS TRYING TO HOLD TOGETHER?
September 12, 2008 Commonweal Magazine

Do read it all ... maybe even print it out for future reference. But if you're in a hurry, here's his conclusion:

In short: politically conservative or moderate, socially liberal, and in that mix probably ahead of the curve. All surveys, after all, show that younger Americans are more tolerant of homosexuality than older Americans; few show any durable shift to the political left. Ten years from now, how many Episcopalians will want to exchange the security of local governance for the perils of remote governance by an Africa-dominated council-all to escape the peril of gay marriage and gay ordination?

By then, to be sure, the GAFCON Americans, with a bishop or two of their own, may be a self-governing church, but as such-without, so to call it, the African inflation-they will be almost negligibly small. Meanwhile, for their own children, a decade from now the dinner-table question may well be: “You guys set up a whole ’nother church over that?”

Fr. Webber writes perceptively of “the central question of Anglican life: Can a Christian community exist without a central authority and narrow definitions of doctrine? One proposed answer is an Anglican covenant, which some see as a hopeful way forward, but others reject it as changing the focus of Anglican life from communion to laws.”

My prediction is that ten years from now, the nays will have it. The Episcopal Church will be about the size it is now, governed about the way it is now. GAFCON will have faded, losing some of its members to the Catholic Church but more to a kind of inertial reconciliation with the Episcopal Church. Episcopalians will adapt benignly, if need be, to a looser relationship with Canterbury and the Lambeth Conference, which is unlikely to adopt a covenant at all comparable to one of the classic “confessions” of the Reformation.

As for Christian communion among the churches of this tradition, Lambeth is, after all, only one vehicle for it and, as the Church of Ireland has reminded us, an optional one at that.

PLAY BALL!

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DODGERS

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CUBS

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6:30 Eastern/3:30 Pacific

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BE THERE!!!

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McBush "Comes Out" as Dictator Wannabe

So I was driving into work a little later than usual this morning ... had to wait for Mr. Ben to come and help us figure out why our sprinklers are watering the car in the driveway rather than than the flowers in the garden.

ANYWAY, I'm half-listening to the radio, thinking about traffic and to-do lists and what I want to do about lunch today and I hear the tail end of an interview with John McCain on the economic bailout that makes me say, out loud, in my empty-but-for-me car, "WHAT????"

So I get to work ... do the things I have to do and then decide rather than going out to find some lunch, I'll eat what's already here in my office and try and figure out if what I heard coming in was accurate or not. So I Google "McCain" and "Dictator" and ... sure enough ... my hearing is still good.

You can watch the clip here ... or click here ...




... but if you don't have 2:16 minutes, here's the quote that grabbed my attention in the radio this morning:

MCCAIN: I just want to make a comment about the obvious issue and that is the failure of Congress to act yesterday. Its just not acceptable. […] I’m not saying this is the perfect answer. If I were dictator, which I always aspire to be, I would write it a little bit differently.

Yesterday. He said this YESTERDAY. In the middle of the greatest economic challenge we've faced in generations when the country is crying out for an end to polarizing politics and a way to resurrect hope, energy and commitment to the American Dream, John George W. McBush-Cain thinks this is the kind of rhetoric that the nation needs?

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We need someone who aspires to be a dictator in the White House as much as we need someone who can't remember what newspaper she reads as President of the Senate.

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Lord have mercy. I'm going back to work now.

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