TAX DAY 2010

Yes, it's April 15th again. Do you know where your 1040c is?

And it's going to be a busy April 15th in this little corner of the kingdom.

In addition to the regularly scheduled business of life at All Saints Church, we've got a press conference this morning with members of the Moral Compass to Justice folks -- an amazing cloud of interfaith witnesses committed to [1] liberty and justice for ALL and [2] to offering a rebuttal to the fear-based, violence-tinged rhetoric dominating our public discourse and polarizing our nation.

Thinking "Aw, c'mon ... it's not THAT bad." ????

Then check this out:

Palin: Give Us Our Guns And Keep The Change

As organizers of a Tea party rally yesterday in Boston balked at suggestions of racist undertones in their movement, Sarah Palin spoke to a virtually all white audience of 5,000, and accused President Barack Obama of overreaching his authority and told them, “Is this what their ‘change’ is all about? I want to tell ‘em, nah, we’ll keep clinging to our Constitution and our guns and religion — and you can keep the change.”

Read the rest at LezGet Real ... a blog that includes a video clip.

So here's my question for Tax Day 2010 ...

What happened to "give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses -- yearning to breathe free" as an "All-American Message?"

Are we really going to let traditional American values be hijacked by fear based reactionaries trying to replace life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness with guns, hate speech and the pursuit of writing their religion into our Constitution?

Ooops ... that's two questions. And if I had any more time this morning I'd probably come up with more but I've gotta run get ready for what the rest of this day holds.

Before I go, here's a prayer for the nation ... love that Book of Common Prayer! (Some small "t" traditional language for some big "T" Traditional Values.)

Almighty God, who hast given us this good land for our heritage:
We humbly beseech thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of thy favor and glad to do thy will.
Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning, and pure manners.
Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way.
Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues.
Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in thy Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to thy law, we may show forth thy praise among the nations of the earth.
In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in thee to fail; all which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.