Christ, Dragons, and Today

Sharing Statement March 1, 2015

2015-02-28T17:56:00.000-06:00

Today our scripture came from the Gospel of Mark. Mark emphasizes Jesus' call to sacrifice by those who would follow him, and dwells on the Passion, Jesus' ultimate sacrifice. What does that mean for us? I believe it means giving sacrificially with our time, talent and treasure to see that God's will is accomplished on earth. This church is a good place to give your time, talent and treasure as we embark on a new vision for an old institution. Right now, we ask you to share your treasure.

I Wasn't Born Yet

2014-07-28T12:14:00.000-05:00

I live in a house that turned 100 this year. Its old lumber is thick, dry and full of resin. A fire would be difficult to stop, so when a few years ago I smelled electrical smoke, I called the fire department. I searched for the source as I waited for the Fire Department and found it. The dining room chandelier was on and smelling. I cut the power to the chandelier and waited.

A fire truck pulled up in front of the house. Firefighters, all young men, hurried in. They checked the chandelier, then scurried up the attic ladder and examined the area above the fixture. They returned with reassuring news. There was no fire in the attic, my greatest fear.

"We need to check that attic wiring and the chandelier to be sure that the problem is in the fixture," a young fireman told me. He headed out to the truck.

He returned with the news that there was no voltmeter on the fire truck. I offered the use of mine. He declined, telling me they were required to use the Fire Department's voltmeter. He called the fire station and requested the voltmeter.

Five minutes later another fire truck arrived with the voltmeter and a full complement of firemen, most of whom came into the house to join the study of my dining room ceiling and chandelier. I wondered what my neighbors thought of two fire engines at my home. I was sure there would plenty of calls when the firefighters left. I was correct.

With their voltmeter in hand, the firefighters returned to the attic. All was fine with the wiring. The young fireman checked the chandelier and determined that one socket was bad. To ensure safety, he removed the chandelier and capped the bare wires.

As he handed the fixture to me, he said, "Probably old wiring, ma'am, your home is pretty old."

I shook my head. "The house was built in 1914, but I had the lighting fixtures rewired when we remodeled the house in 1979."

The young fireman looked at me and said, " I wasn't born yet,.".

Bobby's Dead and I''m Next

2014-07-26T14:27:00.001-05:00

The polio vaccine came in when I was in the first grade. I knew about polio by then. When someone in the city came down with polio, children were denied contact with anyone outside their family for several weeks. If polio came calling in the summer, all public swimming pools closed. I loved the water, no swimming seemed the ultimate victory for the virus.

A mass vaccination for all children was held in Austin in the summer I was a second grader to be. High school auditoriums were set up as vaccinations sites. My paternal grandmother arranged for us to go with our neighbor and her son to McCallum High School. That was fine with me. Bobby and I played together every day. We were best friends.

McCallum was packed. Bobby and I took our places in line. Adults were shooed to the other side of the auditorium, so mu grandmother and his mother deserted us. Bobby and I were left in a line slowly moving toward the place of vaccination.. Bobby, always the brave one, went ahead of me.

I do not know how long it took us to reach the nurse delivering the shots, but it was long enough for me to build up considerable apprehension. We had had our first shot in our elementary school, one class at a time. There had been little time to fret about that shot. Now, however, I had plenty of time to worry. Bobby did not seem worried. His nonchalance helped keep me calm. Some kids behind us were crying

Jonas Salk vaccinating a child.

Now, we were at the vaccination station. There were two nurses. One giving the shot and the other comforting the last recipient of the vaccination. Bobby stepped forward resolutely. The nurse pushed up his sleeve a little, swabbed is arm, and injected the vaccine.

Bobby's skin instantly turned a translucent white. He fell at my feet eyes closed, unmoving. Dead, I assumed. I could not move. That shot had killed my best friend.

Out of nowhere my grandmother and Bobby's mother appeared. His mother scooped him up while my grandmother cradled his head. They left with the body.

Bobby was dead and I was next. My grandmother had left me. I was as frightened as I had ever been in my life. I was so afraid that I did not cry. I wanted to run, but I was frozen in place.

The helping nurse urged me forward with platitudes I do not remember. All I remember was my heart pounding.

I managed to step to the appointed place. The vaccinating nurse rubbed my arm with something cold, then deftly injected the vaccine. I barely felt it. I took a deep breath. I was still alive,

The helping nurse patted me on my shoulder. "You can go now."

I moved away as quickly as I dared, but I did not run. The auditorium was large it took me a moment to spot my grandmother and Bobby's mother. I went to them. Between them on a bench lay Bobby. Alive.

Bobby was a still pale, but his eyes were open. The back of his had was resting on his mother's purse.

"Bobby's fine. He just fainted," my grandmother said.

I said nothing. Bobby was alive and so was I.

How much nerve damage?

2013-08-13T19:03:00.000-05:00

My neurologist came to get me from the waiting room herself. As we walked back to the examining room, she asked how I was doing. "A little worse," I had to say. She nodded and I realized she was watching me walk. I knew my walk had deteriorated in the few weeks since I saw her last. Well, that was why I was here.

We reached her office/exam room. She pointed to a gown on the exam table and gave the usual instructions. I took off my outer clothing, then put the gown on over my underwear. Stuck my head out the door and told the empty hall, I was ready.

As I waited, I contemplated what I was facing: a nerve conduction study (NCS) and an electromyogram (EMG) to determine how well the nerves to my legs were working. (clicking on the highlighted words will take you to a description of both procedures) My legs had become unbearably painful after I walked only a short distance. After eliminating circulation problems as the cause, the doctors had settled on neurogenic cludication as the diagnosis. The MRI of my lower back had been quite bad. Thirty years of arthritis had taken its toll. My vertebrae no longer had the bone formations that kept them aligned. In addition, bone spurs sprouted randomly, discs bulged, or no longer existed. At one point my nerves were compressed so tightly that they were not visible.on the computer screen. As bad as this looked, my neurologist wanted data to show the amount of damage to my nerves.

My neurologist appeared at the door.with a smile and we began. Most of the tests were pain free. There were strange sensations but no pain. Some of the needle insertions did hurt for an instant , but even that was not bad. Flexing and relaxing muscles on command was a little problematic, but I did it. I did feel uncomfortable when I needed to keep one leg raised off the exam table for one measurement. It has been a long time since I did leg raises of any kind. A few needle insertions in my back, more measurements and the tests were done.

I sat up with my legs dangling over the side of the exam table. My neurologist looked me squarely in the eye and said "there is moderate damage but it should be correctable." She paused. "You cannot wait, I can see deterioration since our last exam." I nodded.

"As we agreed, I will refer you to a neurosurgeon."

I nodded again.. After thirty years of ignoring doctors recommendations for back surgery to relieve back pain, I had reached a condition I could not ignore. I had to be able to walk.

There was a little paperwork to be completed, then I was told all my test results would be sent to the neurosurgeon. Her office would contact me.

Now, I wait.

How Your Representative Voted on Student Loan Bill to Let Interest Rates Float

2013-05-26T16:19:00.001-05:00

Smarter Solutions for Students Act

H.R. 1911

2013

Student loan rates could more than double under the Republican bill just passed.

Rates for student loans are set to double in July to 6.8%, but no higher.. Under this Republican bill, rates for undergraduate loans, would be set at that of the 10-year Treasury note, plus 2.5 percentage points, and capped at 8.5 percent The bill would peg rates on graduate student and parent loans to the 10-year T-bill, plus 4.5 percentage points, capped at 10.5 percent.

The interest rate is variable and could increase to the maximum at anytime.

Below are how the Representatives voted.

	Totals		Republican	Democrat
Aye	221	51%	217	4
No	198	46%	8	190
Not Voting	15	3%	8	7
Required:	Simple Majority

Vote Details

Vote	Party	Representative	District
Alaska
No Vote	R	Young, Don	AK
Alabama
No Vote	R	Bonner, Jo	AL 1^st
Aye	R	Roby, Martha	AL 2^nd
Aye	R	Rogers, Mike	AL 3^rd
Aye	R	Aderholt, Robert	AL 4^th
No	R	Brooks, Mo	AL 5^th
Aye	R	Bachus, Spencer	AL 6^th
No	D	Sewell, Terri	AL 7^th
Arkansas
Aye	R	Crawford, Eric	AR 1^st
Aye	R	Griffin, Tim	AR 2^nd
Aye	R	Womack, Steve	AR 3^rd
No	R	Cotton, Tom	AR 4^th
Arizona
No	D	Kirkpatrick, Ann	AZ 1^st
No	D	Barber, Ron	AZ 2^nd
No	D	Grijalva, Raúl	AZ 3^rd
Aye	R	Gosar, Paul	AZ 4^th
Aye	R	Salmon, Matt	AZ 5^th
Aye	R	Schweikert, David	AZ 6^th
No	D	Pastor, Ed	AZ 7^th
Aye	R	Franks, Trent	AZ 8^th
No	D	Sinema, Kyrsten	AZ 9^th
California
Aye	R	LaMalfa, Doug	CA 1^st
No	D	Huffman, Jared	CA 2^nd
No Vote	D	Garamendi, John	CA 3^rd
Aye	R	McClintock, Tom	CA 4^th
No	D	Thompson, Mike	CA 5^th
No	D	Matsui, Doris	CA 6^th
No	D	Bera, Ami	CA 7^th
Aye	R	Cook, Paul	CA 8^th
No	D	McNerney, Jerry	CA 9^th
Aye	R	Denham, Jeff	CA 10^th
No	D	Miller, George	CA 11^th
No	D	Pelosi, Nancy	CA 12^th
No	D	Lee, Barbara	CA 13^th
No Vote	D	Speier, Jackie	CA 14^th
No	D	Swalwell, Eric	CA 15^th
No	D	Costa, Jim	CA 16^th
No	D	Honda, Mike	CA 17^th
No	D	Eshoo, Anna	CA 18^th
No	D	Lofgren, Zoe	CA 19^th
No	D	Farr, Sam	CA 20^th
Aye	R	Valadao, David	CA 21^st
Aye	R	Nunes, Devin	CA 22^nd
Aye	R	McCarthy, Kevin	CA 23^rd
No	D	Capps, Lois	CA 24^th
Aye	R	McKeon, Buck	CA 25^th
No	D	Brownley, Julia	CA 26^th
No	D	Chu, Judy	CA 27^th
No	D	Schiff, Adam	CA 28^th
No	D	Cárdenas, Tony	CA 29^th
No	D	Sherman, Brad	CA 30^th
No Vote	R	Miller, Gary	CA 31^st
No	D	Napolitano, Grace	CA 32^nd
No	D	Waxman, Henry	CA 33^rd
No	D	Becerra, Xavier	CA 34^th
No	D	Negrete McLeod, Gloria	CA 35^th
No	D	Ruiz, Raul	CA 36^th
No Vote	D	Bass, Karen	CA 37^th
No	D	Sánchez, Linda	CA 38^th
Aye	R	Royce, Ed	CA 39^th
No	D	Roybal-Allard, Lucille	CA 40^th
No	D	Takano, Mark	CA 41^st
Aye	R	Calvert, Ken	CA 42^nd
No	D	Waters, Maxine	CA 43^rd
No	D	Hahn, Janice	CA 44^th
Aye	R	Campbell, John	CA 45^th
No	D	Sanchez, Loretta	CA 46^th
No	D	Lowenthal, Alan	CA 47^th
Aye	R	Rohrabacher, Dana	CA 48^th
Aye	R	Issa, Darrell	CA 49^th
Aye	R	Hunter, Duncan	CA 50^th
No	D	Vargas, Juan	CA 51^st
Aye	D	Peters, Scott	CA 52^nd
No	D	Davis, Susan	CA 53^rd
Colorado
No	D	DeGette, Diana	CO 1^st
Aye	D	Polis, Jared	CO 2^nd
Aye	R	Tipton, Scott	CO 3^rd
Aye	R	Gardner, Cory	CO 4^th
Aye	R	Lamborn, Doug	CO 5^th
Aye	R	Coffman, Mike	CO 6^th
No	D	Perlmutter, Ed	CO 7^th
Connecticut
No	D	Larson, John	CT 1^st
No	D	Courtney, Joe	CT 2^nd
No	D	DeLauro, Rosa	CT 3^rd
No	D	Himes, James	CT 4^th
No	D	Esty, Elizabeth	CT 5^th
Delaware
No	D	Carney, John	DE
Florida
Aye	R	Miller, Jeff	FL 1^st
Aye	R	Southerland, Steve	FL 2^nd
Aye	R	Yoho, Ted	FL 3^rd
Aye	R	Crenshaw, Ander	FL 4^th
No	D	Brown, Corrine	FL 5^th
Aye	R	DeSantis, Ron	FL 6^th
Aye	R	Mica, John	FL 7^th
Aye	R	Posey, Bill	FL 8^th
No	D	Grayson, Alan	FL 9^th
Aye	R	Webster, Daniel	FL 10^th
Aye	R	Nugent, Richard	FL 11^th
Aye	R	Bilirakis, Gus	FL 12^th
Aye	R	Young, W. Bill	FL 13^th
No	D	Castor, Kathy	FL 14^th
Aye	R	Ross, Dennis	FL 15^th
No	R	Buchanan, Vern	FL 16^th
Aye	R	Rooney, Thomas	FL 17^th
No	D	Murphy, Patrick	FL 18^th
Aye	R	Radel, Trey	FL 19^th
No	D	Hastings, Alcee	FL 20^th
No	D	Deutch, Theodore	FL 21^st
No	D	Frankel, Lois	FL 22^nd
No	D	Wasserman Schultz, Debbie	FL 23^rd
No	D	Wilson, Frederica	FL 24^th
Aye	R	Diaz-Balart, Mario	FL 25^th
Aye	D	Garcia, Joe	FL 26^th
Aye	R	Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana	FL 27^th
Georgia
Aye	R	Kingston, Jack	GA 1^st
No	D	Bishop, Sanford	GA 2^nd
No Vote	R	Westmoreland, Lynn	GA 3^rd
No Vote	D	Johnson, Hank	GA 4^th
No Vote	D	Lewis, John	GA 5^th
Aye	R	Price, Tom	GA 6^th
Aye	R	Woodall, Rob	GA 7^th
Aye	R	Scott, Austin	GA 8^th
Aye	R	Collins, Doug	GA 9^th
Aye	R	Broun, Paul	GA 10^th
Aye	R	Gingrey, Phil	GA 11^th
No	D	Barrow, John	GA 12^th
No	D	Scott, David	GA 13^th
No	R	Graves, Tom	GA 14^th
Hawaii
No	D	Hanabusa, Colleen	HI 1^st
No	D	Gabbard, Tulsi	HI 2^nd
Iowa
No	D	Braley, Bruce	IA 1^st
No	D	Loebsack, David	IA 2^nd
Aye	R	Latham, Tom	IA 3^rd
Aye	R	King, Steve	IA 4^th
Idaho
Aye	R	Labrador, Raúl	ID 1^st
Aye	R	Simpson, Mike	ID 2^nd
Illinois
No	D	Rush, Bobby	IL 1^st
No	D	Kelly, Robin	IL 2^nd
No	D	Lipinski, Daniel	IL 3^rd
No	D	Gutierrez, Luis	IL 4^th
No	D	Quigley, Mike	IL 5^th
Aye	R	Roskam, Peter	IL 6^th
No	D	Davis, Danny	IL 7^th
No	D	Duckworth, Tammy	IL 8^th
No	D	Schakowsky, Jan	IL 9^th
No	D	Schneider, Bradley	IL 10^th
No	D	Foster, Bill	IL 11^th
No	D	Enyart, William	IL 12^th

Vote	Party	Representative	District
Aye	R	Davis, Rodney	IL 13^th
Aye	R	Hultgren, Randy	IL 14^th
Aye	R	Shimkus, John	IL 15^th
Aye	R	Kinzinger, Adam	IL 16^th
No	D	Bustos, Cheri	IL 17^th
Aye	R	Schock, Aaron	IL 18^th
Indiana
No	D	Visclosky, Peter	IN 1^st
Aye	R	Walorski, Jackie	IN 2^nd
No	R	Stutzman, Marlin	IN 3^rd
Aye	R	Rokita, Todd	IN 4^th
Aye	R	Brooks, Susan	IN 5^th
Aye	R	Messer, Luke	IN 6^th
No	D	Carson, André	IN 7^th
Aye	R	Bucshon, Larry	IN 8^th
Aye	R	Young, Todd	IN 9^th
Kansas
Aye	R	Huelskamp, Tim	KS 1^st
Aye	R	Jenkins, Lynn	KS 2^nd
Aye	R	Yoder, Kevin	KS 3^rd
Aye	R	Pompeo, Mike	KS 4^th
Kentucky
Aye	R	Whitfield, Ed	KY 1^st
Aye	R	Guthrie, Brett	KY 2^nd
No	D	Yarmuth, John	KY 3^rd
Aye	R	Massie, Thomas	KY 4^th
Aye	R	Rogers, Hal	KY 5^th
Aye	R	Barr, Andy	KY 6^th
Louisiana
Aye	R	Scalise, Steve	LA 1^st
No	D	Richmond, Cedric	LA 2^nd
Aye	R	Boustany, Charles	LA 3^rd
Aye	R	Fleming, John	LA 4^th
Aye	R	Alexander, Rodney	LA 5^th
Aye	R	Cassidy, Bill	LA 6^th
Massachusetts
No	D	Neal, Richard	MA 1^st
No	D	McGovern, Jim	MA 2^nd
No	D	Tsongas, Niki	MA 3^rd
No	D	Kennedy, Joseph	MA 4^th
No Vote	D	Markey, Ed	MA 5^th
No	D	Tierney, John	MA 6^th
No	D	Capuano, Michael	MA 7^th
No	D	Lynch, Stephen	MA 8^th
No	D	Keating, William	MA 9^th
Maryland
Aye	R	Harris, Andy	MD 1^st
No	D	Ruppersberger, A. Dutch	MD 2^nd
No	D	Sarbanes, John	MD 3^rd
No	D	Edwards, Donna	MD 4^th
No	D	Hoyer, Steny	MD 5^th
No	D	Delaney, John	MD 6^th
No	D	Cummings, Elijah	MD 7^th
No	D	Van Hollen, Chris	MD 8^th
Maine
No	D	Pingree, Chellie	ME 1^st
No	D	Michaud, Michael	ME 2^nd
Michigan
Aye	R	Benishek, Dan	MI 1^st
Aye	R	Huizenga, Bill	MI 2^nd
Aye	R	Amash, Justin	MI 3^rd
Aye	R	Camp, Dave	MI 4^th
No	D	Kildee, Daniel	MI 5^th
Aye	R	Upton, Fred	MI 6^th
Aye	R	Walberg, Tim	MI 7^th
Aye	R	Rogers, Mike	MI 8^th
No	D	Levin, Sander	MI 9^th
Aye	R	Miller, Candice	MI 10^th
Aye	R	Bentivolio, Kerry	MI 11^th
No	D	Dingell, John	MI 12^th
No	D	Conyers, John	MI 13^th
No	D	Peters, Gary	MI 14^th
Minnesota
No	D	Walz, Timothy	MN 1^st
Aye	R	Kline, John	MN 2^nd
Aye	R	Paulsen, Erik	MN 3^rd
No	D	McCollum, Betty	MN 4^th
No	D	Ellison, Keith	MN 5^th
Aye	R	Bachmann, Michele	MN 6^th
No	D	Peterson, Collin	MN 7^th
No	D	Nolan, Richard	MN 8^th
Missouri
No	D	Clay, Lacy	MO 1^st
Aye	R	Wagner, Ann	MO 2^nd
Aye	R	Luetkemeyer, Blaine	MO 3^rd
Aye	R	Hartzler, Vicky	MO 4^th
No	D	Cleaver, Emanuel	MO 5^th
Aye	R	Graves, Sam	MO 6^th
Aye	R	Long, Billy	MO 7^th
Mississippi
Aye	R	Nunnelee, Alan	MS 1^st
No	D	Thompson, Bennie	MS 2^nd
Aye	R	Harper, Gregg	MS 3^rd
Aye	R	Palazzo, Steven	MS 4^th
Montana
Aye	R	Daines, Steve	MT
North Carolina
No	D	Butterfield, G.K.	NC 1^st
Aye	R	Ellmers, Renee	NC 2^nd
No	R	Jones, Walter	NC 3^rd
No	D	Price, David	NC 4^th
Aye	R	Foxx, Virginia	NC 5^th
Aye	R	Coble, Howard	NC 6^th
No	D	McIntyre, Mike	NC 7^th
Aye	R	Hudson, Richard	NC 8^th
Aye	R	Pittenger, Robert	NC 9^th
Aye	R	McHenry, Patrick	NC 10^th
Aye	R	Meadows, Mark	NC 11^th
No	D	Watt, Mel	NC 12^th
Aye	R	Holding, George	NC 13^th
North Dakota
Aye	R	Cramer, Kevin	ND
Nebraska
Aye	R	Fortenberry, Jeff	NE 1^st
Aye	R	Terry, Lee	NE 2^nd
Aye	R	Smith, Adrian	NE 3^rd
New Hampshire
No	D	Shea-Porter, Carol	NH 1^st
No	D	Kuster, Ann	NH 2^nd
New Jersey
No	D	Andrews, Rob	NJ 1^st
Aye	R	LoBiondo, Frank	NJ 2^nd
Aye	R	Runyan, Jon	NJ 3^rd
Aye	R	Smith, Chris	NJ 4^th
Aye	R	Garrett, Scott	NJ 5^th
No	D	Pallone, Frank	NJ 6^th
Aye	R	Lance, Leonard	NJ 7^th
No	D	Sires, Albio	NJ 8^th
No	D	Pascrell, Bill	NJ 9^th
No	D	Payne, Donald	NJ 10^th
Aye	R	Frelinghuysen, Rodney	NJ 11^th
No	D	Holt, Rush	NJ 12^th
New Mexico
No	D	Lujan Grisham, Michelle	NM 1^st
Aye	R	Pearce, Steve	NM 2^nd
No	D	Luján, Ben	NM 3^rd
Nevada
No	D	Titus, Dina	NV 1^st
Aye	R	Amodei, Mark	NV 2^nd
Aye	R	Heck, Joseph	NV 3^rd
No	D	Horsford, Steven	NV 4^th
New York
No	D	Bishop, Timothy	NY 1^st
Aye	R	King, Pete	NY 2^nd
No	D	Israel, Steve	NY 3^rd
No	D	McCarthy, Carolyn	NY 4^th
No	D	Meeks, Gregory	NY 5^th
No	D	Meng, Grace	NY 6^th
No	D	Velázquez, Nydia	NY 7^th
No	D	Jeffries, Hakeem	NY 8^th
No	D	Clarke, Yvette	NY 9^th
No	D	Nadler, Jerrold	NY 10^th
No	R	Grimm, Michael	NY 11^th
No	D	Maloney, Carolyn	NY 12^th
No	D	Rangel, Charles	NY 13^th
No	D	Crowley, Joseph	NY 14^th
No	D	Serrano, José	NY 15^th
No	D	Engel, Eliot	NY 16^th
No	D	Lowey, Nita	NY 17^th
No	D	Maloney, Sean	NY 18^th
No Vote	R	Gibson, Christopher	NY 19^th
No	D	Tonko, Paul	NY 20^th

Vote	Party	Representative	District
No	D	Owens, William	NY 21^st
Aye	R	Hanna, Richard	NY 22^nd
Aye	R	Reed, Tom	NY 23^rd
Aye	D	Maffei, Daniel	NY 24^th
No	D	Slaughter, Louise	NY 25^th
No	D	Higgins, Brian	NY 26^th
Aye	R	Collins, Chris	NY 27^th
Ohio
Aye	R	Chabot, Steve	OH 1^st
Aye	R	Wenstrup, Brad	OH 2^nd
No	D	Beatty, Joyce	OH 3^rd
Aye	R	Jordan, Jim	OH 4^th
Aye	R	Latta, Robert	OH 5^th
Aye	R	Johnson, Bill	OH 6^th
Aye	R	Gibbs, Bob	OH 7^th
Aye	R	Boehner, John	OH 8^th
No	D	Kaptur, Marcy	OH 9^th
Aye	R	Turner, Michael	OH 10^th
No	D	Fudge, Marcia	OH 11^th
Aye	R	Tiberi, Pat	OH 12^th
No	D	Ryan, Tim	OH 13^th
Aye	R	Joyce, David	OH 14^th
Aye	R	Stivers, Steve	OH 15^th
Aye	R	Renacci, James	OH 16^th
Oklahoma
Aye	R	Bridenstine, Jim	OK 1^st
Aye	R	Mullin, Markwayne	OK 2^nd
Aye	R	Lucas, Frank	OK 3^rd
No Vote	R	Cole, Tom	OK 4^th
Aye	R	Lankford, James	OK 5^th
Oregon
No	D	Bonamici, Suzanne	OR 1^st
Aye	R	Walden, Greg	OR 2^nd
No	D	Blumenauer, Earl	OR 3^rd
No	D	DeFazio, Peter	OR 4^th
No	D	Schrader, Kurt	OR 5^th
Pennsylvania
No	D	Brady, Robert	PA 1^st
No	D	Fattah, Chaka	PA 2^nd
Aye	R	Kelly, Mike	PA 3^rd
Aye	R	Perry, Scott	PA 4^th
Aye	R	Thompson, Glenn	PA 5^th
Aye	R	Gerlach, Jim	PA 6^th
Aye	R	Meehan, Patrick	PA 7^th
Aye	R	Fitzpatrick, Michael	PA 8^th
Aye	R	Shuster, Bill	PA 9^th
Aye	R	Marino, Tom	PA 10^th
Aye	R	Barletta, Lou	PA 11^th
Aye	R	Rothfus, Keith	PA 12^th
No	D	Schwartz, Allyson	PA 13^th
No	D	Doyle, Mike	PA 14^th
Aye	R	Dent, Charles	PA 15^th
Aye	R	Pitts, Joseph	PA 16^th
No	D	Cartwright, Matthew	PA 17^th
Aye	R	Murphy, Tim	PA 18^th
Rhode Island
No	D	Cicilline, David	RI 1^st
No	D	Langevin, Jim	RI 2^nd
South Carolina
Aye	R	Sanford, Mark	SC 1^st
Aye	R	Wilson, Joe	SC 2^nd
Aye	R	Duncan, Jeff	SC 3^rd
Aye	R	Gowdy, Trey	SC 4^th
Aye	R	Mulvaney, Mick	SC 5^th
No Vote	D	Clyburn, Jim	SC 6^th
Aye	R	Rice, Tom	SC 7^th
South Dakota
Aye	R	Noem, Kristi	SD
Tennessee
Aye	R	Roe, David	TN 1^st
Aye	R	Duncan, John	TN 2^nd
Aye	R	Fleischmann, Chuck	TN 3^rd
Aye	R	DesJarlais, Scott	TN 4^th
No	D	Cooper, Jim	TN 5^th
Aye	R	Black, Diane	TN 6^th
Aye	R	Blackburn, Marsha	TN 7^th
Aye	R	Fincher, Stephen	TN 8^th
No	D	Cohen, Steve	TN 9^th
Texas
No	R	Gohmert, Louie	TX 1^st
Aye	R	Poe, Ted	TX 2^nd
Aye	R	Johnson, Sam	TX 3^rd
Aye	R	Hall, Ralph	TX 4^th
Aye	R	Hensarling, Jeb	TX 5^th
Aye	R	Barton, Joe	TX 6^th
Aye	R	Culberson, John	TX 7^th
Aye	R	Brady, Kevin	TX 8^th
No	D	Green, Al	TX 9^th
Aye	R	McCaul, Michael	TX 10^th
Aye	R	Conaway, Michael	TX 11^th
Aye	R	Granger, Kay	TX 12^th
Aye	R	Thornberry, Mac	TX 13^th
Aye	R	Weber, Randy	TX 14^th
No	D	Hinojosa, Rubén	TX 15^th
No	D	O'Rourke, Beto	TX 16^th
Aye	R	Flores, Bill	TX 17^th
No	D	Jackson Lee, Sheila	TX 18^th
Aye	R	Neugebauer, Randy	TX 19^th
No	D	Castro, Joaquin	TX 20^th
Aye	R	Smith, Lamar	TX 21^st
Aye	R	Olson, Pete	TX 22^nd
No	D	Gallego, Pete	TX 23^rd
Aye	R	Marchant, Kenny	TX 24^th
Aye	R	Williams, Roger	TX 25^th
Aye	R	Burgess, Michael	TX 26^th
Aye	R	Farenthold, Blake	TX 27^th
No	D	Cuellar, Henry	TX 28^th
No	D	Green, Gene	TX 29^th
No	D	Johnson, Eddie	TX 30^th
Aye	R	Carter, John	TX 31^st
Aye	R	Sessions, Pete	TX 32^nd
No	D	Veasey, Marc	TX 33^rd
No	D	Vela, Filemon	TX 34^th
No	D	Doggett, Lloyd	TX 35^th
Aye	R	Stockman, Steve	TX 36^th
Utah
Aye	R	Bishop, Rob	UT 1^st
Aye	R	Stewart, Chris	UT 2^nd
Aye	R	Chaffetz, Jason	UT 3^rd
No	D	Matheson, Jim	UT 4^th
Virginia
Aye	R	Wittman, Robert	VA 1^st
Aye	R	Rigell, Scott	VA 2^nd
No	D	Scott, Bobby	VA 3^rd
Aye	R	Forbes, Randy	VA 4^th
Aye	R	Hurt, Robert	VA 5^th
Aye	R	Goodlatte, Bob	VA 6^th
Aye	R	Cantor, Eric	VA 7^th
No	D	Moran, Jim	VA 8^th
Aye	R	Griffith, Morgan	VA 9^th
No Vote	R	Wolf, Frank	VA 10^th
No	D	Connolly, Gerald	VA 11^th
Vermont
No	D	Welch, Peter	VT
Washington
No	D	DelBene, Suzan	WA 1^st
No	D	Larsen, Rick	WA 2^nd
No Vote	R	Herrera Beutler, Jaime	WA 3^rd
Aye	R	Hastings, Doc	WA 4^th
Aye	R	McMorris Rodgers, Cathy	WA 5^th
No	D	Kilmer, Derek	WA 6^th
No	D	McDermott, Jim	WA 7^th
Aye	R	Reichert, David	WA 8^th
No	D	Smith, Adam	WA 9^th
No	D	Heck, Denny	WA 10^th
Wisconsin
Aye	R	Ryan, Paul	WI 1^st
No	D	Pocan, Mark	WI 2^nd
No	D	Kind, Ron	WI 3^rd
No	D	Moore, Gwen	WI 4^th
Aye	R	Sensenbrenner, James	WI 5^th
Aye	R	Petri, Tom	WI 6^th
Aye	R	Duffy, Sean	WI 7^th
Aye	R	Ribble, Reid	WI 8^th
West Virginia
Aye	R	McKinley, David	WV 1^st
Aye	R	Capito, Shelley	WV 2^nd
No	D	Rahall, Nick	WV 3^rd
Wyoming
Aye	R	Lummis, Cynthia	WY

Notes

Where is the Speaker’s vote?

According to current House rules, the Speaker of the House is not required to vote in “ordinary legislative proceedings, except when such vote would be decisive.” In practice, this means the Speaker of the House rarely votes and only does so when it is politically useful. When the Speaker declines to vote, he or she is simply omitted from the roll call by the House Clerk.

What’s the difference between aye and yea?

There is no meaningful difference between aye and yea (and nay and no), but the terms are used in different sorts of votes based on Congress’s long tradition of parliamentary procedure. The House and Senate follow the U.S. Constitution strictly when it says that bills should be decided on by the “yeas and nays” (Article I, Section 7). The House sometimes operates under a special set of rules called the “Committee of the Whole on the State of the Union” (or “Committee of the Whole” for short), which is a sort of pseudo-committee that is made up of every congressman. During this mode of operation, the House uses the terms “aye” and “no” instead. (See the Rules of the House, Rule XX, and House Practice in the section Voting.)

Deborah, Barak and Jael

2013-05-13T14:03:00.001-05:00

In the story of Deborah and Barak in the book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible, Deborah, a married woman, was a judge and prophetess; Barak was a military leader then judge. Barak hesitated to lead his army against the Canaanites. Deborah challenged him to follow God's will. With her by his side, Barak led his army against the Canaanites and conquered. The result was 40 years of peace.

Has history repeated itself? Did President Obama achieve a great victory when Hillary Clinton was by his side as Secretary of State? I do not know, but I see no peace.

Perhaps there is another woman to be focused on: Jael. She drives a tent peg through the brain of the enemy general while he sleeps. With his death, the conflict is ended. Deborah had predicted that the general would die at the hand of a woman.

Is Elizabeth Warren the next Jael? Will she drive a tent peg through the capitalist system that controls our nations wealth at the expense of the middle class and poor? I hope so.

Salomon de Bray, the artist, shows Jael, with hammer and pin, next to Deborah and Barak.

Christian Inaction and the Second Coming

2013-05-03T17:24:00.001-05:00

Literal belief in Jesus and the Bible restrict climate change legislation

I am a scientist and a Christian. I received my doctorate in chemistry at the age of 25. I became a Christian at age of 29. The above article is very good on the views of scientists, but very poor on its analysis of the Christian belief in the second coming of Jesus. I have a literal view of Jesus but still believe in all the tenets of modern science including evolution and that climate change is man-made.

The only conflict that exists lies between fundamentalist Christians (a small but media savvy group) and atheists who enjoy portraying all Christians as fundamentalists. There is no conflict in belief about the reality of man-made climate change and their faith in the minds of mainstream Christians. Mainstream Christians believe just as scientists do that we must take action now. My own view is that we are too late. We have sown the wind, we will reap the whirlwind.

The author of the article failed to realize that it is not the belief in the Second Coming of Christ that determines how a Christian acts, but whether the belief is that the Second Coming is predictable and imminent. The immediacy of the Second Coming is a staple of fundamentalists who believe that the trumpet shall sound and Christ return within their lifetimes. Most believers in the immediacy of the Second Coming will tell you that they expect it to occur at any moment. Essentially, they are always looking over their shoulder for God.

I believe in the Second Coming but do not believe we will ever know how close or how far it is from us. Jesus himself said in the Gospel of Mark that only God knows the schedule, that he did not. If the Word of God did not know, how can we?

Ministers, tel-evangelists, and end times writers teach an all too gullible Christian fringe that the end is upon us, so get your spiritual affairs in order. This teaching that we know Christ will return in the present day yields at least two results.

First, the imminent Second Coming scares believers. This fear triggers a blind obedience to the purveyors of this fear. Out of fear that they are not right with God, believers give money to or buy things from those who claim that they know how believers can be safe. The focus is on saving yourself and lost souls by converting them to the only correct faith. (For my views on the many paths to God, read this. )

Second, the idea of an imminent Second Coming encourages believers to ignore the injustices around them. They reason that if Jesus is due any day now there is no need for them to take action because Jesus will fix everything. Better to spend their time focused on getting right with God than follow Jesus' command to help the least.

The time has come for mainstream Christians to make the media acknowledge a more complex faith than fundamentalists' sound bite theology, and to destroy the miasma of fear that too many create to line their own pockets. We must stand up for the intellectual truths of Christianity, for knowledge and understanding. We must embrace science and show there is no reason to fear it. We must demonstrate a faith inspired by a holy book, not bound by it. Above all, we must make known the diversity and intellectual honesty of modern Christianity.

Sequester and the Moral Failure of Congress

2013-04-29T14:16:00.000-05:00

Last week Congress voted to end flight delays by voting more money for the FAA. This was a self-serving and a genuflect to the wealthy. I am appalled that while so many suffer Congress chose to act on that measure.

"Repealing the small part of sequestration that affected Congress itself and the donor class, while letting cancer patients go without chemotherapy, seniors go without meals on wheels, pregnant mothers go without nutritional assistance, and children get kicked out of Head Start programs, is a new low in our debased public morality." Fear of Flying: Cancer v. flight delays from the Washington Post.

I am a Christian. I have never believed we were meant to be a Christian Nation nor have we ever been one. The sequester confirms we are not one. I believe we are being judged by how we treat the least among us and we are abject failures.

Matthew 25: 31-46

The Judgement of the Nations
‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” Then he will say to those at his left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.” Then they also will answer, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?” Then he will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.

Will we raise our voices for those sick with cancer, seniors without food, mothers without food for their babies, little children denied education because they are poor?

Will we raise our voices for the immigrant(the stranger), for the unjustly imprisoned, for the poor, and all who suffer needlessly in this nation of wealth?

Will Congress stand up for the least or grovel before their rich donors' Golden Calf?

Will we worship Mammon instead of God?

Individual Senators' Votes on Universal Background Checks

2013-04-17T19:03:00.001-05:00

The Senate defeated the attempt to expand background checks for gun purchases on April 17, 2013. Here is the tally:
U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 113^th Congress - 1^st Session

as compiled through Senate LIS by the Senate Bill Clerk under the direction of the Secretary of the Senate

Vote Summary

Question: On the Amendment (Manchin Amdt. No. 715 )
Vote Number:	97	Vote Date:	April 17, 2013, 04:04 PM
Required For Majority:	3/5	Vote Result:	Amendment Rejected
Amendment Number:	S.Amdt. 715 to S. 649 (Safe Communities, Safe Schools Act of2013)
Statement of Purpose:	To protect Second Amendment rights, ensure that all individuals who should be prohibited from buying a firearm are listed in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, and provide a responsible and consistent background check process.

Vote Counts:	YEAs	54
	NAYs	46

Alphabetical by Senator Name

Alexander (R-TN), Nay
Ayotte (R-NH), Nay
Baldwin (D-WI), Yea
Barrasso (R-WY), Nay
Baucus (D-MT), Nay
Begich (D-AK), Nay
Bennet (D-CO), Yea
Blumenthal (D-CT), Yea
Blunt (R-MO), Nay
Boozman (R-AR), Nay
Boxer (D-CA), Yea
Brown (D-OH), Yea
Burr (R-NC), Nay
Cantwell (D-WA), Yea
Cardin (D-MD), Yea
Carper (D-DE), Yea
Casey (D-PA), Yea
Chambliss (R-GA), Nay
Coats (R-IN), Nay
Coburn (R-OK), Nay
Cochran (R-MS), Nay
Collins (R-ME), Yea
Coons (D-DE), Yea
Corker (R-TN), Nay
Cornyn (R-TX), Nay
Cowan (D-MA), Yea
Crapo (R-ID), Nay
Cruz (R-TX), Nay
Donnelly (D-IN), Yea
Durbin (D-IL), Yea
Enzi (R-WY), Nay
Feinstein (D-CA), Yea
Fischer (R-NE), Nay
Flake (R-AZ), Nay

Franken (D-MN), Yea
Gillibrand (D-NY), Yea
Graham (R-SC), Nay
Grassley (R-IA), Nay
Hagan (D-NC), Yea
Harkin (D-IA), Yea
Hatch (R-UT), Nay
Heinrich (D-NM), Yea
Heitkamp (D-ND), Nay
Heller (R-NV), Nay
Hirono (D-HI), Yea
Hoeven (R-ND), Nay
Inhofe (R-OK), Nay
Isakson (R-GA), Nay
Johanns (R-NE), Nay
Johnson (D-SD), Yea
Johnson (R-WI), Nay
Kaine (D-VA), Yea
King (I-ME), Yea
Kirk (R-IL), Yea
Klobuchar (D-MN), Yea
Landrieu (D-LA), Yea
Lautenberg (D-NJ), Yea
Leahy (D-VT), Yea
Lee (R-UT), Nay
Levin (D-MI), Yea
Manchin (D-WV), Yea
McCain (R-AZ), Yea
McCaskill (D-MO), Yea
McConnell (R-KY), Nay
Menendez (D-NJ), Yea
Merkley (D-OR), Yea
Mikulski (D-MD), Yea
Moran (R-KS), Nay

Murkowski (R-AK), Nay
Murphy (D-CT), Yea
Murray (D-WA), Yea
Nelson (D-FL), Yea
Paul (R-KY), Nay
Portman (R-OH), Nay
Pryor (D-AR), Nay
Reed (D-RI), Yea
Reid (D-NV), Nay
Risch (R-ID), Nay
Roberts (R-KS), Nay
Rockefeller (D-WV), Yea
Rubio (R-FL), Nay
Sanders (I-VT), Yea
Schatz (D-HI), Yea
Schumer (D-NY), Yea
Scott (R-SC), Nay
Sessions (R-AL), Nay
Shaheen (D-NH), Yea
Shelby (R-AL), Nay
Stabenow (D-MI), Yea
Tester (D-MT), Yea
Thune (R-SD), Nay
Toomey (R-PA), Yea
Udall (D-CO), Yea
Udall (D-NM), Yea
Vitter (R-LA), Nay
Warner (D-VA), Yea
Warren (D-MA), Yea
Whitehouse (D-RI), Yea
Wicker (R-MS), Nay
Wyden (D-OR), Yea

Grouped By Vote Position

YEAs ---54
Baldwin (D-WI) Bennet (D-CO) Blumenthal (D-CT) Boxer (D-CA) Brown (D-OH) Cantwell (D-WA) Cardin (D-MD) Carper (D-DE) Casey (D-PA) Collins (R-ME) Coons (D-DE) Cowan (D-MA) Donnelly (D-IN) Durbin (D-IL) Feinstein (D-CA) Franken (D-MN) Gillibrand (D-NY) Hagan (D-NC)	Harkin (D-IA) Heinrich (D-NM) Hirono (D-HI) Johnson (D-SD) Kaine (D-VA) King (I-ME) Kirk (R-IL) Klobuchar (D-MN) Landrieu (D-LA) Lautenberg (D-NJ) Leahy (D-VT) Levin (D-MI) Manchin (D-WV) McCain (R-AZ) McCaskill (D-MO) Menendez (D-NJ) Merkley (D-OR) Mikulski (D-MD)	Murphy (D-CT) Murray (D-WA) Nelson (D-FL) Reed (D-RI) Rockefeller (D-WV) Sanders (I-VT) Schatz (D-HI) Schumer (D-NY) Shaheen (D-NH) Stabenow (D-MI) Tester (D-MT) Toomey (R-PA) Udall (D-CO) Udall (D-NM) Warner (D-VA) Warren (D-MA) Whitehouse (D-RI) Wyden (D-OR)

NAYs ---46
Alexander (R-TN) Ayotte (R-NH) Barrasso (R-WY) Baucus (D-MT) Begich (D-AK) Blunt (R-MO) Boozman (R-AR) Burr (R-NC) Chambliss (R-GA) Coats (R-IN) Coburn (R-OK) Cochran (R-MS) Corker (R-TN) Cornyn (R-TX) Crapo (R-ID) Cruz (R-TX)	Enzi (R-WY) Fischer (R-NE) Flake (R-AZ) Graham (R-SC) Grassley (R-IA) Hatch (R-UT) Heitkamp (D-ND) Heller (R-NV) Hoeven (R-ND) Inhofe (R-OK) Isakson (R-GA) Johanns (R-NE) Johnson (R-WI) Lee (R-UT) McConnell (R-KY) Moran (R-KS)	Murkowski (R-AK) Paul (R-KY) Portman (R-OH) Pryor (D-AR) Reid (D-NV) Risch (R-ID) Roberts (R-KS) Rubio (R-FL) Scott (R-SC) Sessions (R-AL) Shelby (R-AL) Thune (R-SD) Vitter (R-LA) Wicker (R-MS)

Grouped by Home State

Alabama:	Sessions (R-AL), Nay	Shelby (R-AL), Nay
Alaska:	Begich (D-AK), Nay	Murkowski (R-AK), Nay
Arizona:	Flake (R-AZ), Nay	McCain (R-AZ), Yea
Arkansas:	Boozman (R-AR), Nay	Pryor (D-AR), Nay
California:	Boxer (D-CA), Yea	Feinstein (D-CA), Yea
Colorado:	Bennet (D-CO), Yea	Udall (D-CO), Yea
Connecticut:	Blumenthal (D-CT), Yea	Murphy (D-CT), Yea
Delaware:	Carper (D-DE), Yea	Coons (D-DE), Yea
Florida:	Nelson (D-FL), Yea	Rubio (R-FL), Nay
Georgia:	Chambliss (R-GA), Nay	Isakson (R-GA), Nay
Hawaii:	Hirono (D-HI), Yea	Schatz (D-HI), Yea
Idaho:	Crapo (R-ID), Nay	Risch (R-ID), Nay
Illinois:	Durbin (D-IL), Yea	Kirk (R-IL), Yea
Indiana:	Coats (R-IN), Nay	Donnelly (D-IN), Yea
Iowa:	Grassley (R-IA), Nay	Harkin (D-IA), Yea
Kansas:	Moran (R-KS), Nay	Roberts (R-KS), Nay
Kentucky:	McConnell (R-KY), Nay	Paul (R-KY), Nay
Louisiana:	Landrieu (D-LA), Yea	Vitter (R-LA), Nay
Maine:	Collins (R-ME), Yea	King (I-ME), Yea
Maryland:	Cardin (D-MD), Yea	Mikulski (D-MD), Yea
Massachusetts:	Cowan (D-MA), Yea	Warren (D-MA), Yea
Michigan:	Levin (D-MI), Yea	Stabenow (D-MI), Yea
Minnesota:	Franken (D-MN), Yea	Klobuchar (D-MN), Yea
Mississippi:	Cochran (R-MS), Nay	Wicker (R-MS), Nay
Missouri:	Blunt (R-MO), Nay	McCaskill (D-MO), Yea
Montana:	Baucus (D-MT), Nay	Tester (D-MT), Yea
Nebraska:	Fischer (R-NE), Nay	Johanns (R-NE), Nay
Nevada:	Heller (R-NV), Nay	Reid (D-NV), Nay
New Hampshire:	Ayotte (R-NH), Nay	Shaheen (D-NH), Yea
New Jersey:	Lautenberg (D-NJ), Yea	Menendez (D-NJ), Yea
New Mexico:	Heinrich (D-NM), Yea	Udall (D-NM), Yea
New York:	Gillibrand (D-NY), Yea	Schumer (D-NY), Yea
North Carolina:	Burr (R-NC), Nay	Hagan (D-NC), Yea
North Dakota:	Heitkamp (D-ND), Nay	Hoeven (R-ND), Nay
Ohio:	Brown (D-OH), Yea	Portman (R-OH), Nay
Oklahoma:	Coburn (R-OK), Nay	Inhofe (R-OK), Nay
Oregon:	Merkley (D-OR), Yea	Wyden (D-OR), Yea
Pennsylvania:	Casey (D-PA), Yea	Toomey (R-PA), Yea
Rhode Island:	Reed (D-RI), Yea	Whitehouse (D-RI), Yea
South Carolina:	Graham (R-SC), Nay	Scott (R-SC), Nay
South Dakota:	Johnson (D-SD), Yea	Thune (R-SD), Nay
Tennessee:	Alexander (R-TN), Nay	Corker (R-TN), Nay
Texas:	Cornyn (R-TX), Nay	Cruz (R-TX), Nay
Utah:	Hatch (R-UT), Nay	Lee (R-UT), Nay
Vermont:	Leahy (D-VT), Yea	Sanders (I-VT), Yea
Virginia:	Kaine (D-VA), Yea	Warner (D-VA), Yea
Washington:	Cantwell (D-WA), Yea	Murray (D-WA), Yea
West Virginia:	Manchin (D-WV), Yea	Rockefeller (D-WV), Yea
Wisconsin:	Baldwin (D-WI), Yea	Johnson (R-WI), Nay
Wyoming:	Barrasso (R-WY), Nay	Enzi (R-WY), Nay

The Decline in Church Attendance - A Benefit

2013-03-23T17:36:00.003-05:00

There continues to be articles that either lament the decreased attendance in mainline churches in the United States or rejoice in the decline of the institutionalized church. Both see as an increased absence of religion in younger Americans. One side recoils in horror for souls they assume are lost forever while others cheer the downfall of established churches assuming that their own movements can profit from mainline Protestant decline. I believe that the smaller numbers in attendance do not reflect a change in faith but instead a change in American mores. Ultimately, mainline churches will benefit from congregations of the committed.

When I was a kid in the fifties, church attendance was mandatory in order to function in society. People who did not attend some religious institution were seen as outside the bounds of society. Their businesses were to be shunned and their children proselytized. I lived in a city that was predominately Southern Baptist, so the majority of church goers were Baptist even if they were only "Sunday Baptists" engaging in less than Christian practices during the week.

By the sixties, community standards were beginning to relax, As a teenager, I could stop attending church with only mild approbrium from family and friends. (The church my mother and I attended did not approve of members asking questions. I was told my questions were a sign of unbelief.) Adults still faced social stigma for not attending church at least once a month.

By the time I received my doctorate in chemistry in the early seventies, I caught only minor flack for being a confirmed deist and never attending church. God was not present in my life. I never attended church and neither did most of my friends. My supervising professor did. He was a committed member of his Presbyterian church and had tried to persuade me ever so gently not to work in the lab on Sundays. He never succeeded.

When the eighties rolled around, all that remained of obligatory church attendance for younger Americans had devolved into attendance on two occasions: Christmas Eve and Easter. Still, older Americans were entrenched in the weekly ritual of morning worship and indoctrinated in its social benefits. But, there was another form of worship on the rise - the megachurch. Many of these churches had existed since the fifties, but their growth took off in the eighties. These churches vacuumed up members as people fled the cities for the suburbs.

I had a front row seat on the growth of one megachurch. In 1979, I helped start a church in Austin, Texas. (In 1975 I became a Christian and joined a liberal Baptist church) Very few of the sixteen that originally saw the need for a new church thought about becoming a megachurch although it was our pastor's dream from the beginning. We started with 60 in attendance on the first Sunday and grew to over 6000 attendees spread over three services every Sunday morning.

By the nineties, mainline churches had started to see a precipitous drop in attendance. I think two things happened. First, the megachurch provided religious entertainment with few strings attached. One hour Sunday morning was all that was demanded. Second, people who had grown up in the days of mandatory church attendance and for whom it still was a way of life began to die off. Together, these factors caused the decline in mainline Protestant churches.

Who remains in the mainline churches? Some survivors of the days of mandatory attendance have proved to be long lived and continue to occupy the pews. Most of the remaining congregants are believers and true converts. The rest are the flotsam and jetsam of modern society, people who feel lost in a megachurch or are somehow outside societal norms. In the mainline Protestant church they find a welcome if for no other reason than they fill the pews. Perhaps that is too cynical. In the small church I now belong to, such people are loved, accepted and nurtured. I hope that is true in most churches.

So, the megachurch has siphoned off those that want church as entertainment, a way to compartmentalize religion by reserving it to their occasional Sunday attendance, or a way to meet people in a supposedly safe environment. Megachurches do have their committed, but they are few. The mainline church has shrunk but still cares for the least including, but not limited to, the damaged humans that find their way through their doors. The decline is an illusion of numbers only. The relative number of true followers of Christ remains unchanged. Those that came because society demanded it are gone as well as those that found their answer in the megachurch. Today membership in the mainline church is a matter of belief first, attendance second. I think that is the way it should be.

The Many Paths to God

2013-03-09T13:27:00.000-06:00

By -=Bruce Berrien=-

Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"
Jesus answered, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:5-6.

Whether we are Atheist, Christian, Jew, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Wiccan, etc., I believe that the aspect of God that we encounter when we die is the Word, God in action, no matter what we called or did not call the supreme being(s) in life. That is what John 14:6 tells us. It is a statement of mechanism, not exclusivity.

I believe that Jesus is the highest revelation of God in human history and the best path to God. That is why I am a Christian. I also believe that all faiths have God's truth. I do not believe God condemns anyone because of their place of birth or faith or lack of faith, nor do I believe that Christians have an exclusive claim on God.

Conservative Christians are repelled by the possibility that their God and the God of Islam could be the same while they embrace the God of Judaism. Muslims trace their ancestry through Ishmael, the son of Abraham by the slave girl, Hagar. Theirs is the God of Abraham whether conservative Christians like it or not. Just as the God of Judaism is the God of Abraham. Even without the link through Abraham, I think that inherently all monotheists share the same God.

Atheists do not believe in any Supreme Being, but are closer to God than the nominally religious. To reject God you must first think about her. Such thought puts an atheist closer to God than all those who are indifferent or oblivious, lost in their own daily lives. Atheists will be judged just as we all will be, on how we treat the least.

My personal belief is that everyone at some point will be confronted by God and know that God is real. At that point whether before or after death, one can choose to be with God or not.

The immortal soul is a Greek concept, not Hebrew. I believe that without God, there is no existence. If a person rejects God, knowing God exists, then that person after death ceases to exist. No hell, no eternal punishment, just ending.

The God of love that Jesus modeled desires to wrap us in her love forever, but the choice is always ours.

How Christians Will be Judged

2013-03-04T14:11:00.003-06:00

The Bible passage below seems to be ignored by many conservative Christians and Republicans as evidenced by their support of the sequester that shreds many services for the hungry, poor, homeless and ill. If the United States were truly a Christian nation, the government would embody those that ministered to Jesus in Matthew 25:41-45.

On the day of judgment, Jesus will ask "Why did you not care for me when I was hungry, poor, homeless, disabled, and sick? Conservative Christians will answer, "We did not see you suffering like that in our neighborhoods." Then Jesus will answer, "I am everywhere in the world with the least of my people. In your nation, you elected representatives to cut all the programs funded by the federal government that would feed the hungry, aid the poor, help the handicapped, and provide medical care for the sick." Conservatives will answer, "The help would have come from the government, not us personally. We would help those next door." Jesus will answer, "Do you think I only want you to care for the person next door? Do I care if you help with your own hands or through the hands of others? I care for the least of these my brothers and sisters. When these least were hungry, struggled in despair with no money, wandered the streets of your great cities, and died alone in your parks; I starved, had no money to care for myself, slept under the bridges in your cities, and died alone in a homeless camp. 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' "

Matthew 25:31-45

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The Judgment
³¹“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. ³²All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; ³³and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.
³⁴“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ³⁵For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; ³⁶ naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ ³⁷Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? ³⁸And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? ³⁹When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ ⁴⁰ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’
⁴¹“Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘ Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; ⁴²for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; ⁴³I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ ⁴⁴Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not ^[a]take care of You?’ ⁴⁵Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’

How Texas Senators and Representatives Voted on Violence Against Women Act

2013-03-01T13:05:00.001-06:00

Votes on the Violence Against Women Act Passed 2013

Texas Delegation

Those that voted for VAWA are printed in blue.
Those that voted against VAWA printed in red.
Those not voting in green.

Texas Senators:
Senator John Cornyn [R]
Senator Ted Cruz [R]
Texas Representatives by district number:
1 Rep. Louie Gohmert Jr.[R]
2 Rep. Ted Poe [R]
3 Rep. Sam Johnson [R]
4 Rep. Ralph Hall [R]
5 Rep. Jeb Hensarling [R]
6 Rep. Joe Barton [R]
7 Rep. John Culberson [R]
8 Rep. Kevin Brady [R]
9 Rep. Al Green [D]
10 ]Rep. Michael McCaul [R]
11 Rep. Michael Conaway [R]
12 Rep. Kay Granger [R]
13 Rep. Mac Thornberry [R]
14 Rep. Randy Weber [R]
15 Rep. Rubén Hinojosa [D]
16 Rep. Beto O'Rourke [D]
17 Rep. Bill Flores [R]
18 Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee [D]
19 Rep. Randy Neugebauer [R]
20 Rep. Joaquin Castro [D]
21 Rep. Lamar Smith [R]
22 Rep. Pete Olson [R]
23 Rep. Pete Gallego [D]
24 Rep. Kenny Marchant [R]
25 Rep. Roger Williams [R]
26 Rep. Michael Burgess [R]
27 Rep. Blake Farenthold [R]
28 Rep. Henry Cuellar [D]
29 Rep. Gene Green [D]
30 Rep. Eddie Johnson [D]
31 Rep. John Carter [R]
32 Rep. Pete Sessions [R]
33 Rep. Marc Veasey [D]
33 Rep. Filemon Vela [D]
35 Rep. Lloyd Doggett [D]
36 Rep. Steve Stockman [R]

Lectionary Musings for February 24, 2013

2013-02-21T14:24:00.002-06:00

Luke 13:31-35
13:31 At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, "Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you."

13:32 He said to them, "Go and tell that fox for me, 'Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work.

13:33 Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.'

13:34 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!

13:35 See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, 'Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.'"

Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem, but at his own pace. He is in the area controlled by Herod Antipas when Pharisees come to warn him that Herod wants to kill him. The warning rings a little hollow when we contemplate Herod's actions when later Herod has the chance to kill Jesus. Herod sends him back to Pilate, not the actions of a man who has been waiting three months to kill Jesus (according to Luke's time table), Perhaps the Pharisees simply want to get Jesus away from their fiefdoms and think he will be afraid of a threat from Herod.

Jesus does not fear Herod. He does not even respect Herod calling him "that fox". He tells the Pharisees that he is busy caring for the least and will not move on until he has finished his work. The words"today and tomorrow, and on the third day" here and in the following verse just mean an indefinite period.

But Jesus has a purpose in his journey. That purpose is to die in Jerusalem. He makes that clear in his lament that the city kills the prophets and stones others. Yet, God has tried again and again to gather her chicks under her care, but they have refused to accept her love. The use of a feminine image reminds us that God is neither male nor female. This passage also reminds us that it is ultimately our choice to accept God's love or not.

The New Revised Standard Version translation of the beginning of verse 35 is not very enlightening. The New International Version translates that first sentence as "Look, your house is left to you desolate," House in this case refers to Jerusalem and reminds us that by rejecting Jesus as God Incarnate, Jerusalem is choosing to separate from God. Yet, God's love does not stop because we turn away. God is always the father waiting for the prodigal child to return.

Jesus quotes Psalm 118:26.giving us the last sentence of verse 35. That quote reminds us that a triumphal entrance into Jerusalem awaits Jesus on Palm Sunday. Christians today see that Psalm 118 as a messianic psalm. At the time of its writing, this verse applied to the king's entrance into the temple. Jesus knows what is coming: celebration, death and triumph. Jesus is in control. God will choose the place and time.

Lectionary Musings for January 27, 2013

2013-01-25T16:04:00.000-06:00

¹⁴Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. ¹⁵He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. ¹⁶When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, ¹⁷and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: ¹⁸“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, ¹⁹to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” ²⁰And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. ²¹Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Ruins of Sepphoris

This week's lectionary reading in Luke's gospel finds us in Chapter 4. Jesus returns to the synagogue of his youth and reads from the writings of the prophet Isaiah. The passage he chooses may well have been written about Isaiah himself. Now, Jesus applies them to himself and they take on new meaning.

His focus will not be on the religious whom he sits among. His focus will be on the poor, those that are not full participants in their faith. Jesus will make them valued members of his faith and recipients of his all encompassing love.

He will seek those who cannot seek him: the captives, the blind, the oppressed. To them, he will proclaim the love of God.

He claims ownership of this passage and proclaims himself God's anointed. He does not claim to be the Messiah yet. This is the opening of his ministry. He is setting the stage for the revelation of divinity that is to come.

Why would he choose to make this proclamation in Nazareth? Nazareth, where he grew up, was a small village of Jews. However, Nazareth was adjacent to a new city, Sepphoris. Sepphoris had been rebuilt by Herod Antipas after it was destroyed by the Romans in 4 BCE. By the time of Jesus it was a bustling city whose population was much influenced by Rome. Perhaps Jesus intended for his words to go beyond the boundaries of Nazareth to Sepphoris.

Those that frequented the synagogue in Nazareth may well have frequented the ten synagogues in Sepphoris. Having grown up in the area and worked in Sepphoris, Jesus would know that what was said in Nazareth would spread to Sepphoris. In a subtle way, Jesus is announcing himself not just to Jews but also to Romans.

Jesus tells those that hear him that the world is changing, that a new force has entered into both the world of Jews and the world of the Romans. There is no fanfare, but God's good news is seeping into the world. Drop by drop hearts will be changed.

The President's Inaugural Address January 21, 2013

2013-01-21T11:36:00.000-06:00

As
Prepared for Delivery –
Vice President Biden, Mr. Chief Justice, Members of the United States Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens:
Each time we gather to inaugurate a president, we bear witness to the enduring strength of our Constitution. We affirm the promise of our democracy. We recall that what binds this nation together is not the colors of our skin or the tenets of our faith or the origins of our names. What makes us exceptional – what makes us American – is our allegiance to an idea, articulated in a declaration made more than two centuries ago:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Today we continue a never-ending journey, to bridge the meaning of those words with the realities of our time. For history tells us that while these truths may be self-evident, they have never been self-executing; that while freedom is a gift from God, it must be secured by His people here on Earth. The patriots of 1776 did not fight to replace the tyranny of a king with the privileges of a few or the rule of a mob. They gave to us a Republic, a government of, and by, and for the people, entrusting each generation to keep safe our founding creed.
For more than two hundred years, we have.
Through blood drawn by lash and blood drawn by sword, we learned that no union founded on the principles of liberty and equality could survive half-slave and half-free. We made ourselves anew, and vowed to move forward together.
Together, we determined that a modern economy requires railroads and highways to speed travel and commerce; schools and colleges to train our workers.
Together, we discovered that a free market only thrives when there are rules to ensure competition and fair play.
Together, we resolved that a great nation must care for the vulnerable, and protect its people from life’s worst hazards and misfortune.
Through it all, we have never relinquished our skepticism of central authority, nor have we succumbed to the fiction that all society’s ills can be cured through government alone. Our celebration of initiative and enterprise; our insistence on hard work and personal responsibility, are constants in our character.
But we have always understood that when times change, so must we; that fidelity to our founding principles requires new responses to new challenges; that preserving our individual freedoms ultimately requires collective action. For the American people can no more meet the demands of today’s world by acting alone than American soldiers could have met the forces of fascism or communism with muskets and militias. No single person can train all the math and science teachers we’ll need to equip our children for the future, or build the roads and networks and research labs that will bring new jobs and businesses to our shores. Now, more than ever, we must do these things together, as one nation, and one people.
This generation of Americans has been tested by crises that steeled our resolve and proved our resilience. A decade of war is now ending. An economic recovery has begun. America’s possibilities are limitless, for we possess all the qualities that this world without boundaries demands: youth and drive; diversity and openness; an endless capacity for risk and a gift for reinvention. My fellow Americans, we are made for this moment, and we will seize it – so long as we seize it together.

For we, the people, understand that our country cannot succeed when a shrinking few do very well and a growing many barely make it. We believe that America’s prosperity must rest upon the broad shoulders of a rising middle class. We know that America thrives when every person can find independence and pride in their work; when the wages of honest labor liberate families from the brink of hardship. We are true to our creed when a little girl born into the bleakest poverty knows that she has the same chance to succeed as anybody else, because she is an American, she is free, and she is equal, not just in the eyes of God but also in our own.
We understand that outworn programs are inadequate to the needs of our time. We must harness new ideas and technology to remake our government, revamp our tax code, reform our schools, and empower our citizens with the skills they need to work harder, learn more, and reach higher. But while the means will change, our purpose endures: a nation that rewards the effort and determination of every single American. That is what this moment requires. That is what will give real meaning to our creed.
We, the people, still believe that every citizen deserves a basic measure of security and dignity. We must make the hard choices to reduce the cost of health care and the size of our deficit. But we reject the belief that America must choose between caring for the generation that built this country and investing in the generation that will build its future. For we remember the lessons of our past, when twilight years were spent in poverty, and parents of a child with a disability had nowhere to turn. We do not believe that in this country, freedom is reserved for the lucky, or happiness for the few. We recognize that no matter how responsibly we live our lives, any one of us, at any time, may face a job loss, or a sudden illness, or a home swept away in a terrible storm. The commitments we make to each other – through Medicare, and Medicaid, and Social Security – these things do not sap our initiative; they strengthen us. They do not make us a nation of takers; they free us to take the risks that make this country great.
We, the people, still believe that our obligations as Americans are not just to ourselves, but to all posterity. We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations. Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires, and crippling drought, and more powerful storms. The path towards sustainable energy sources will be long and sometimes difficult. But America cannot resist this transition; we must lead it. We cannot cede to other nations the technology that will power new jobs and new industries – we must claim its promise. That is how we will maintain our economic vitality and our national treasure – our forests and waterways; our croplands and snowcapped peaks. That is how we will preserve our planet, commanded to our care by God. That’s what will lend meaning to the creed our fathers once declared.
We, the people, still believe that enduring security and lasting peace do not require perpetual war. Our brave men and women in uniform, tempered by the flames of battle, are unmatched in skill and courage. Our citizens, seared by the memory of those we have lost, know too well the price that is paid for liberty. The knowledge of their sacrifice will keep us forever vigilant against those who would do us harm. But we are also heirs to those who won the peace and not just the war, who turned sworn enemies into the surest of friends, and we must carry those lessons into this time as well.
We will defend our people and uphold our values through strength of arms and rule of law. We will show the courage to try and resolve our differences with other nations peacefully – not because we are naïve about the dangers we face, but because engagement can more durably lift suspicion and fear. America will remain the anchor of strong alliances in every corner of the globe; and we will renew those institutions that extend our capacity to manage crisis abroad, for no one has a greater stake in a peaceful world than its most powerful nation. We will support democracy from Asia to Africa; from the Americas to the Middle East, because our interests and our conscience compel us to act on behalf of those who long for freedom. And we must be a source of hope to the poor, the sick, the marginalized, the victims of prejudice – not out of mere charity, but because peace in our time requires the constant advance of those principles that our common creed describes: tolerance and opportunity; human dignity and justice.
We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths – that all of us are created equal – is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall; just as it guided all those men and women, sung and unsung, who left footprints along this great Mall, to hear a preacher say that we cannot walk alone; to hear a King proclaim that our individual freedom is inextricably bound to the freedom of every soul on Earth.
It is now our generation’s task to carry on what those pioneers began. For our journey is not complete until our wives, our mothers, and daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts. Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law – for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well. Our journey is not complete until no citizen is forced to wait for hours to exercise the right to vote. Our journey is not complete until we find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see America as a land of opportunity; until bright young students and engineers are enlisted in our workforce rather than expelled from our country. Our journey is not complete until all our children, from the streets of Detroit to the hills of Appalachia to the quiet lanes of Newtown, know that they are cared for, and cherished, and always safe from harm.
That is our generation’s task – to make these words, these rights, these values – of Life, and Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness – real for every American. Being true to our founding documents does not require us to agree on every contour of life; it does not mean we will all define liberty in exactly the same way, or follow the same precise path to happiness. Progress does not compel us to settle centuries-long debates about the role of government for all time – but it does require us to act in our time.
For now decisions are upon us, and we cannot afford delay. We cannot mistake absolutism for principle, or substitute spectacle for politics, or treat name-calling as reasoned debate. We must act, knowing that our work will be imperfect. We must act, knowing that today’s victories will be only partial, and that it will be up to those who stand here in four years, and forty years, and four hundred years hence to advance the timeless spirit once conferred to us in a spare Philadelphia hall.
My fellow Americans, the oath I have sworn before you today, like the one recited by others who serve in this Capitol, was an oath to God and country, not party or faction – and we must faithfully execute that pledge during the duration of our service. But the words I spoke today are not so different from the oath that is taken each time a soldier signs up for duty, or an immigrant realizes her dream. My oath is not so different from the pledge we all make to the flag that waves above and that fills our hearts with pride.
They are the words of citizens, and they represent our greatest hope. You and I, as citizens, have the power to set this country’s course.
You and I, as citizens, have the obligation to shape the debates of our time – not only with the votes we cast, but with the voices we lift in defense of our most ancient values and enduring ideals.
Let each of us now embrace, with solemn duty and awesome joy, what is our lasting birthright. With common effort and common purpose, with passion and dedication, let us answer the call of history, and carry into an uncertain future that precious light of freedom.
Thank you, God Bless you, and may He forever bless these United States of America.

Presidential Memoranda Signed January 16, 2013

2013-01-20T14:22:00.001-06:00

Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Much has been made of the President signing twenty-three Executive Orders on gun control. In reality, he directed twenty-three executive actions be undertaken which including signing three executive memoranda. Here is a list of the twenty-three actions and below them links to the actual memoranda signed by the President. None of these actions take guns away from sane gun owners.

Executive actions

Issuing a presidential memorandum to require federal agencies to make relevant data available to the federal background check system.
Addressing unnecessary legal barriers, particularly relating to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, that may prevent states from making information available to the background check system.
Improving incentives for states to share information with the background check system.
Directing the attorney general to review categories of individuals prohibited from having a gun to make sure dangerous people are not slipping through the cracks.
Proposing a rule making to give law enforcement authorities the ability to run a full background check on an individual before returning a seized gun.
Publishing a letter from the A.T.F. to federally licensed gun dealers providing guidance on how to run background checks for private sellers.
Starting a national safe and responsible gun ownership campaign.
Reviewing safety standards for gun locks and gun safes (Consumer Product Safety Commission).
Issuing a presidential memorandum to require federal law enforcement to trace guns recovered in criminal investigations.
Releasing a report analyzing information on lost and stolen guns and making it widely available to law enforcement authorities.
Nominating an A.T.F. director.
Providing law enforcement authorities, first responders and school officials with proper training for armed attacks situations.
Maximizing enforcement efforts to prevent gun violence and prosecute gun crime.
Issuing a presidential memorandum directing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to research gun violence.
Directing the attorney general to issue a report on the availability and most effective use of new gun safety technologies and challenging the private sector to develop innovative technologies.
Clarify that the Affordable Care Act does not prohibit doctors asking their patients about guns in their homes.
Releasing a letter to health care providers clarifying that no federal law prohibits them from reporting threats of violence to law enforcement authorities.
Providing incentives for schools to hire school resource officers.
Developing model emergency response plans for schools, houses of worship and institutions of higher education.
Releasing a letter to state health officials clarifying the scope of mental health services that Medicaid plans must cover.
Finalizing regulations clarifying essential health benefits and parity requirements within insurance exchanges.
Committing to finalizing mental health parity regulations.
Starting a national dialogue on mental health led by Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of health and human services, and Arne Duncan, the secretary of education.

Presidential Memorandum -- Tracing of Firearms in Connection with Criminal Investigations | The White House

Presidential Memorandum -- Improving Availability of Relevant Executive Branch Records to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System | The White House

Presidential Memorandum -- Engaging in Public Health Research on the Causes and Prevention of Gun Violence | The White House

Lectionary Musings for January 13, 2013

2013-01-10T16:28:00.001-06:00

I have decided to bring a little discipline to my religious life.by musing on one of the lectionary readings for the coming Sunday. Yes, I now belong to a church that follows a three year cycle of readings from the Bible. As a Southern Baptist reject, I have found these readings to be surprisingly comforting. My musings today will be on Luke 3:15-17, 21-22, labeled by commentators as the baptism of Jesus.

Why did Jesus have to be baptized?   I know scholars can provide answers. I suspect that in the past I had explored the question either on my own or in a study group setting, but no glib answers spring to mind.

We know some people were confused and thought John the Baptist was the Messiah. Even John's own denial may not have stopped their belief in him. Jesus knew he was the Messiah, but he does not wish to announce it to the world. He is content to let the confusion continue for a while. This will give him time to call his disciples and begin the long, circuitous death march to Jerusalem. I think with his baptism Jesus is announcing the beginning of his ministry to God.

One oddity in Luke's narrative is that John is arrested and thrown into jail before Jesus is baptized. I had never noticed this because all the narratives of Jesus baptism have long since blurred into one preferred story in my mind. A commentator called my attention to this strange glitch in Luke's story of Jesus' baptism. If John is in jail, who baptizes Jesus? God, the Creator.

By going to the place of baptism, Jesus announces his intention to become the God that has always been within, the God submerged within the human until this time. Now that divinity will be free and fully engaged in the world around him.

Jesus prays, heaven opens and the "Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved, with you I am well pleased."" Here for me is the Trinity: Creator, Holy Spirit, and Word.

In the beginning, the Trinity is one. The Holy Spirit (Love) is the binder between Creator and Word as the universe is spoken into existence. In choosing to be born of a woman, the bond was not severed, but I believe it must have been stretched. How could it not have been as the Word of God was poured into a vessel as limited as a human being?

At baptism, Jesus acknowledges who and what he is. The Holy Spirit descends and binds Creator and Word together. The Trinity is whole. Jesus will show us God in human form linked by Love to the Creator.

How does this passage speak to me? It reminds me that Jesus made a conscious commitment to pursue the purpose God had set for him. I believe that we are confronted at some point with existence of God, just as Jesus was confronted at his baptism by the Creator. When does this happen? At different times, in different ways, with different concepts of God. Then and only then are we required to make a choice. We can choose to become some small part of God's plan, God's being, or God's eternity, but it is our choice and I believe it comes for everyone on this planet.

For me, this choice came at age 29. I had received a doctorate in chemistry at age 25 and was actively engaged in science. I was a confirmed deist, not attending any church and not interested in doing so. I had been told as a child by Sunday School teachers and ministers that Christians did not ask questions about God or about our faith. Any faith that did not like questions was not for me. After age 13, I never attended a church of any kind again.

As the years passed, I did feel I was missing something in my life. I began a totally unsystematic study of various faiths minus Christianity, of course. I also made random attempts at finding some volunteer opportunities (none religious) where I could be of service. Nothing seemed to fit.

I was a voracious reader. I had enjoyed C. S. Lewis' Narnia series as a child. Now, I read his science fiction trilogy. I was a little put off by the obvious religious overtones, but I enjoyed all three books. Looking for more by him, I read The Screwtape Letters. Suddenly, there was more to Christianity than I had believed. I decided perhaps I should see if there was an intellectual side to Christianity afterall.

I made a choice and joined a liberal Baptist church with an engaging minister who presented short messages that challenged you to think. At the same time, I joined a study group led by a doctoral candidate in philosophy. Both the minister and the study group made me realize that Christianity was a faith of the intellect as well as the soul. I could ask all the questions I wanted. So when I was asked to be a deacon, I said yes to serving and yes to God. My choice was to believe.

As a Christian I met a God who revealed herself in the Bible as Creator, Love and Word. Now that Love came to me as the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. There was no speaking in tongues, no tongues of fire. no overwhelming emotion. Just a quiet assurance that I had found my way.

Jesus was a year older than I was when he made his choice. Perhaps the message of his baptism is that even if one committed oneself to God as a child (remember Jesus in the temple at 12), adulthood demands a fresh decision. Choose.

That ain't no house cat!

2012-11-26T12:01:00.002-06:00

Toby has been gone for many years, now. He lived with us for over fourteen years before kidney failure killed him. He showed up on our front porch asking for food. My mother fed him, of course.

He was an enormous cat, not fat, just big. His head was even with my knee when he stood on all fours. A classic tabby, his fawn and black swirls reminded you of an ocelot. I told my mother that such a beautiful animal must belong to somebody. She responded, "Someone dumped him." I think she was correct.

Even though we had dogs, Toby did not leave. He probably knew that for all their noise, they liked cats. The second day he appeared on the porch, I decided to take a closer look at him, so I could place an ad in the newspaper ( this was long before the internet). He was neutered that was good, someone had cared about him. He had enormous feet, but the front ones looked a little strange. To my horror I discovered that he had been declawed. Neither Mother or I believed a cat should be declawed. We also believed a declawed cat should never be outside. (Toby would change our opinion on that.) I looked him straight in the face and realized his head was lopsided. One side was much larger than the other. It only took me a moment to determine that Toby had a large lump on the side of his head just over his jaw joint. He did not protest as I felt it and that scared me. I thought cancer.

Off to my veterinarian this new cat and I went. When we arrived, I was asked for a name for my new cat. "Toby," I said without thinking, and Toby he was. The veterinarian examined the lump. Toby never moved.

"He's a good cat. I think this is an abscess that needs to be drained," my veterinarian said.

Those words were great news. An abscess could be treated.

She took a scalpel out of a drawer and made an incision. Toby did not like that, and it took all my strength to keep him on the exam table. He was big and strong. He wanted to leave, but he did not bite.

The veterinarian's diagnosis was correct. Yellow pus flowed out of the incision in a torrent. Once drained and flushed, she filled the hole with antibiotic ointment. I left with pills and ointment and instructions to bring him back if he did not improve.

He improved. The wound healed without any complications and no visible scar.

I placed the ad in the paper and asked around the neighborhood, but no one claimed Toby. He became part of the family, unphased by four dogs and two other cats. We did not try to make him an indoor only cat because we had a doggy door that opened into a fenced yard. We hoped Toby would have sense enough to stay in that yard, and for the most part, he did. The yard was surrounded by a six foot chain link fence (tough neighborhood, bars in back and a flop house across the street in front). Toby loved to perch on a fence post and survey both the back yard and the adjacent alley.

One day, my mother was in the back yard trimming shrubbery. Toby had assumed his normal perch on the fence post where he could supervise. My mother was five feet two inches tall and slender. That meant there was a twenty pound cat with the markings of an ocelot teetering on a metal fence post about a foot above her head. Mother paid no attention. Toby did this all the time. If he lost his balance, he simply jumped to the ground.

Suddenly, she heard a man yell, "Ma'am, ma'am, look out for that wild cat."

Mother looked around. She did not see the wild cat. The only cat in sight was Toby, who had now decided to jump to the ground beside her.

"Ma'am," yelled the man who was sprinting down the street toward the fence, "Run."

At that moment, it dawned on Mother that the wild cat the man was so concerned about was Toby. As the man reached the fence, Mother reached down and petted Toby.

"He's no wild cat. Toby is a house cat."

The man had reached the fence and now simply stared at mother. "Are you sure?" he finally asked.

"Yes," said Mother. "He's a family pet."

The man shook his head, turned and walked away.

Mother heard him mutter as he left: "That ain't no house cat."

A Christian Response to the Conservative Mantra, No Help Through Government

2012-08-20T14:06:00.000-05:00

The Bible passage below seems to be ignored by many conservative Christians, and Republicans in the House as evidenced by their vote for the Ryan budget that shreds services for the hungry, poor, homeless and ill. I fear this is the budget that Romney will inflict on this nation if elected. I would offer my own updated version of Matthew 25:41-45.

On the day of judgment, Jesus will ask "Why did you not care for me when I was hungry, poor, homeless, disabled, and sick? Conservative Christians will answer, "We did not see you suffering like that in our neighborhoods." Then Jesus will answer, "I am everywhere in the world with the least of my people. In your nation, you elected representatives to cut all the programs funded by the federal government that would feed the hungry, aid the poor, help the handicapped, and provide medical care for the sick. Conservatives will answer, "The help would have come from the government, not us personally. We would help those next door." Jesus will answer, "Do you think I only want you to care for the person next door? Do I care if you help with your own hands or through the hands of others? I care for the least of these my brothers and sisters. When these least were hungry, struggled in despair with no money, wandered the streets of your great cities, and died alone in your parks, I starved, had no money to care for myself or my family, slept under the bridges in your cities, and died alone in a homeless camp. 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' "

photo by kkirugi

Matthew 25:31-45

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The Judgment
³¹“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. ³²All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; ³³and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.
³⁴“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ³⁵For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; ³⁶ naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ ³⁷Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? ³⁸And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? ³⁹When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ ⁴⁰ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’
⁴¹“Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘ Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; ⁴²for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; ⁴³I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ ⁴⁴Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not ^[a]take care of You?’ ⁴⁵Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’

The Lost Generation

2012-06-10T20:43:00.000-05:00

My mother's generation is always lost. None of the brothers and sisters have any sense of direction. I could not drop my mother at a mall and expect her to find the ntrance later so that I could pick her up. We learned to find mall entrances that were named. That way she could ask people how to find that exit and know when she reached the correct exit where I would be waiting. Usually, I just went with her. It was much faster because I could go directly to whatever store she wanted to shop in. I found out that alone she meandered through the mall periodically asking directions and backtracking frequently. She was not disturbed by this, I think, because she had done it for too many years.

My mother is gone, but her younger sisters and two brothers survive. I keep an eye on my 88 year old aunt., Sue. Sue lives alone, still works three days a week, and is even worse than my mother about directions. In the grocery store, she will turn back to the aisle she has previously visited because she has no sense of which overall way she should be heading. I shop with her just to save time. Sue has shopped in the same store for the last five years but will still get lost. She copes well. She simply heads in one direction until she reaches a landmark or an employee.

As it turns out, the men are just as directionally challenged. When my grandmother died at age 96, all her sons and daughters were alive and came to the cemetery located in a very rural area of Central Texas. Her three sons decided to visit the old home place (where they grew up) which was not far from the cemetery. When the rest of the family realized the three planned to go together, intervention was called for. My uncle by marriage was dispatched to go with them and to bring them back to the church where a luncheon had been prepared. Lunch was well underway before my uncles returned. My uncle by marriage came in and sat down with a sigh. "I will never do that, again. Joe(my grandmother's middle son) can't drive and none of them know where they are or where they are going."

Photo by Lewsisms

Now to the present. I usually take my Aunt Sue shopping, but in the last week I have been ill and told by my doctor to take it easy. My cousin,Gene, 55, who is profoundly autistic, was home with his mother, my Aunt Sue, for a week. My aunt and my cousin were invited to swim at Kathy's (another cousin's) home. All went well with swimming and pizza. Then. my uncle, Ralph, who lives with his daughter, Kathy, and her husband, offered to take Aunt Sue, his sister, home. Sue asked if they could stop by Walmart on the way home. "No problem,' Ralph responded. Kathy overheard and took action. She told her father how to get to the store and carefully wrote out the directions to the Walmart nearest Sue's apartment. The store was on the way to Sue's apartment. She handed Uncle Ralph the directions. He insisted they were not necessary, but she made him take them.

Ralph, Sue and Gene (in the back seat) headed to Walmart. Soon they were nearing the area where the store should be located. Neither Ralph or Sue could remember Kathy's directions, neither really knew where they were, and neither could find the written directions. With Gene (who cannot speak) protesting, but unable to tell them they were off course, they continued on. At the time, Ralph and Sue assumed Gene wanted to go home. Later, it dawned on my aunt that he had known they had missed Walmart. Gene quieted, I am sure realizing that he could not help. After several attempts at finding the store, they gave up and proceeded to Sue's apartment with the aid of Ralph's GPS device. Only there did they find Kathy's carefully written instructions. My aunt had been sitting on them the whole time.

The saga of the lost generation continues.

(Names changed to protect the directionally challenged.)

Memories of Childhood

2012-03-10T15:28:00.002-06:00

I think of my childhood as fairly normal until I talk to someone about it. Seems they find having a bone disease that puts you in a wheelchair and a schizophrenic mother rather odd. I always think my childhood ended when my mother's schizophrenia was diagnosed. I was 13 years old. At 18, I committed my mother to the state hospital for the insane. After treatment. I brought her home again and made her my responsibility for the rest of her life.

Navajo child photo by Neeta Lind

When I look back I realize there were other odd things in my childhood. I lived in Austin, Texas but I had a Navajo playmate when I was five. Texans had done an excellent job of removing Native Americans from Texas. Early Texans either killed Native Americans or married them. I have a Cherokee and Choctaw ancestor. I never thought that having a Native American playmate was odd. His mother and my mother were friends. What struck me as odd was that his name was Norman. His family moved away and my mother lost track of them. I wonder what Norman is doing now.

When I was four, I remember being downtown shopping with my mother. After much whining on my part, she bought me candy cigarettes. Hey, this was the fifties: smoking was cool. My mother only allowed me one. I was very miffed about that. I got my revenge ( totally unplanned, I swear) in the elevator of the only department store in Austin. As the doors on the elevator closed on a full elevator, I turned to mother and said "Give me my cigarettes." Mother did not flinch although the elevator was now silent. She looked at me and said "No." She did not explain the situation to a bunch of strangers. I did learn she had felt some consternation when she told my paternal grandmother what had happened. I did not get the "cigarettes" until we were home. I never remember having another pack.

I was a smart kid, but it took me a long time to realize that. I always expected to fail the next test in school. I never did. I just thought I was lucky but weird. As an adult, I know I am just weird. Most days that does not bother me.

Abortion is the Issue

2012-02-22T15:56:00.000-06:00

Most of my family and many of my friends are conservative evangelicals. That is a function of where I live: a state where Southern Baptists predominate. Sad to say, most are one issue voters and that issue is abortion because their church tells them you are not a Christian if you do not want the government to end legal abortions. I belonged to evangelical church for many years, even though I was a liberal Christian. My evangelical church narrowed its beliefs until there was no place for me. Evangelicals in general seemed to me to have become less accepting. I moved to another denomination where my views are accepted, but not necessarily believed by all.

I do not know when a clump of cells changes to a person. I personally would never have had an abortion unless my life was in danger. At my age now, the question is moot. At some point in a pregnancy, I believe it is morally wrong to terminate the pregnancy because the fetus has acquired a soul. However, I do not believe I have the right to impose my personal belief about abortion on others. I certainly do not believe that the government has any right to impose anyone's religious beliefs about abortion on others. I am pro-choice and anti-government interference.

Conservative evangelicals ignore the science of biology. Theirs is an anti-intellectual mindset. From their viewpoint, a fertilized egg has acquired a soul and therefore should not be destroyed. Never mind that studies have shown that over 70% of all fertilized eggs do not implant during a woman's lifetime. I do not think that God is wasting 70% of all souls. The God I know is not so capricious.

I want to stress that conservative evangelicals have been taught that ensoulment begins when sperm meets egg by their churches for so long that it is accepted as fact. I have had discussions on this issue with my family members and friends. There is absolutely no reasoning with them. I lose friends from such discussion. My family members assume I am not a Christian and pray for my salvation.

Abortion is the single issue that always determines how conservative evangelicals vote. If the abortion stance of all the candidates is the same, then conservative evangelicals will choose who to vote for on the basis of other issues. Evangelicals will knowingly vote against their own economic self-interests to choose a candidate who is anti-abortion. I do not think that will change in 2012.

That's a Baptist Myth

2012-01-11T15:38:00.001-06:00

Monday I picked up my 87 year old aunt at the dentist. She had taken Special Transit Services there. She needed to pick up medicine at her pharmacy and then do some grocery shopping. This was no problem and the reason that I picked her up.

At the pharmacy we had to wait for one prescription to be filled. At 87 she only takes three medications, two are for the same ailment bone loss. The other is a very mild drug to reduce her blood pressure. Her mind is sharp, she still works, and she lives alone.

Our conversation began innocuously. We talked about what she needed at the store and her plans for the week. I recently began attending a church that has communion every Sunday. I told her I liked that. She agreed having attended a country church with an eclectic membership that also had weekly communion. Now my aunt attends a Baptist church. Baptists have the Lord's Supper quarterly. I have always thought that uncomfortably meager for an ordinance designed to make us one with Christ. My aunt agreed.

Now you have to know that my whole family, including my aunt, are conservative fundamentalists. That sounds redundant but trust me it is not. I am the only one outside the fold of fundamentalism. My rule at family gatherings is to never discuss religion. I simply wander away when talk goes to areas I cannot agree with. My mother was liberal, too. I often asked her if she was sure she was related to these people. She would smile and nod. She was one of ten siblings. I am an only child, but my extended family is huge, huge and conservative.

I love my aunt and know that I worry her immensely. I once let slip that I did not believe in hell. She prayed for me for months, afraid for my salvation. I do not understand how your salvation can be threatened by the belief in the existence or non-existence of hell, but she sincerely believed it matter. This slip took place not long after Southern Baptist voted for hell. A question: Why would you vote for eternal torment? Anyway, my aunt finally came to the conclusion that I was still saved despite my aberrant belief. It probably helped that I am the one that looks after her. I take her to the doctor. I stay with her in the hospital. After her knee replacement, I did all her grocery shopping and other chores.

Photo by htlcto

So now we are discussing the Lord's Supper and she tells me that at the independent church she went to in the country, some of the members wanted to use wine instead of grape juice. I muttered something about doing it both ways. "Oh, no." she said. "Jesus did not drink wine. It was unfermented so it was just grape juice" Without thinking I replied, "That's just a Baptist myth."

I knew from my aunt's expression that I was in trouble. I got a lecture on reading the scripture and believing the Bible. She was absolutely positive that "fruit of the vine" at Passover was grape juice. In my childhood church (Southern Baptist), I remember whole sermons devoted to this. I knew better that to do anything more than say I would read up on what Jesus drank at his last meal. That seemed to mollify her, but I suspect my salvation is once more a worry for her.

Of course, I learned long ago that Jesus drank wine. As a teenager, I investigated the unfermented wine hypothesis put forth by my childhood church and found it ridiculous. Jesus first miracle was to change water into wine. I have always assumed his mother was so adamant that he make water into wine at the wedding at Cana because he and his buddies drank so much. Jesus shared wine the last night of his life, not grape juice. That he drank grape juice is a Baptist myth.

The Golden Idol

2012-01-08T20:50:00.000-06:00

By Barry Blitt

We are a self-centered nation. Our goal is wealth. Our God has become the golden idol of gratification.. Our corporations, who we are told are people, look only at the bottom line, not the worker at the bottom.

Romney tells us he is for a "self-reliant" nation not an "entitlement" nation. What does that mean? Do we expect the disabled and the elderly to be "self-reliant?" Does the GOP expect to send representatives to nursing homes to tell the residents they must be "self-reliant" and care for themselves? Do they euthanize those that are not?   Oh, no, nothing that extreme Republicans would say. But they would return Medicaid to the states without oversight. States like Texas provide as little care as possible even with federal supervision. Without federal oversight, nursing homes would become swift tickets to the mortuary.

Christ told us there are only two commands. Love God and love your neighbor. How do you love your neighbor? Christ answered that in many ways. All touch my heart, but the ones that sear my soul are these:"For I (Christ) was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in. I needed clothes and you clothed me. I was sick and you looked after me. I was in prison and you visited me."   How do we make these words the truth?.   When we do for "one of the least of these brothers of mine."

How can we as Americans let the homeless sleep in the gutter? How can we deny health care to those who cannot afford it? We have a for profit prison industry which lobbies for laws that provide more prisoners for their facilities. The health insurance industry makes money by denying care to the sick. Republicans wish to repeal the law that went into effect this year that makes insurance companies use 80% of the money they collect in premiums for the health care of those paying the premiums.   Profits above lives.

Too many flee to gated communities in fear of the other. I believe Christ wants us to embrace the other. Those that flee to those protected communities may find that another kind of evil has been locked up with them, a spiritual evil, an evil that is only satisfied by avarice and separation.

We need to become a nation that sees every person as too valuable to be lost. We need to argue for future greatness not for protection of the status quo. Our goal is should not be wealth. We must dethrone the golden idol of gratification.