The Man on the Moon

 

John F. Kennedy,in a speech on May 25, 1961 said “I believe this nation should commit itself, to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth.”  That man was Neil Armstrong, who passed away today.

I remember that summer night back on July 20, 1969; the Summer between Junior High and High School, I was 13 years old.  We lived out in the country and did not have TV reception so I had been bugging my Mother to drive into town to watch THE Moonwalk with my cousins on their television.  She gave in, of course and we drove the 18 miles into town and we all settled down to watch Walter Cronkite bring us the details of Man on the Moon.  I remember watching the grainy black and white picture showing the surface of the Moon and being in awe as Armstrong descended from the Lunar Module and stepped on the surface.  Talk about goose bumps!  We heard the words “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”  Stepping onto the Moon

It’s always hard when you lose a hero.  They inspire you, they guide you and you are better off for what they accomplished.  The men with The Right Stuff were all heroes to us growing up in the Space decades; boys and girls would look up into the sky and dream of taking flight, the girls just had to wait a bit longer for their heroines to blast off.  There is a motivational quote “Shoot for the Moon, even if you miss you’ll land among the stars.” So another piece of my childhood comes to a close, RIP Neil Armstrong.  Thank you for taking us to the Moon and back.

 

Before there was the Internet, there was my Father

I am a child of the 60’s and 70’s.  Growing up I did not have the Internet, smartphones,  Google or Facebook; I had something better – my Father.  He provided many of the things that today’s computer-savvy generation have to search for on-line.

He was known for telling stories of his life, who needed to read other people’s blogs?

He entertained us with telling us of growing up and facing discrimination head on, of not being allowed to complete his education, of going to the “Mexican school” and why it was important to see that his children completed theirs.  He told stories of being in WWII, of how he rescued one of his buddies (he received the Bronze Star); of being in the Battle of Saipan; and how he was wounded (receiving a Purple Heart).

How he traveled from Arizona to California, working odd jobs, that trip we made every Summer to visit relatives in California was filled with stories of his trips as we passed those places.  He shared his stories of life working in the mines, first in Carlisle, NM and then spending the major portion of his life at the Open Pit in Morenci, AZ where he was active in helping to unionize the mines and suffered the heartbreak of seeing them dismantled by Phelps Dodge and Arizona legislators.  The Phelps Dodge copper mine at Morenci, was the site of a violent strike from 1983 to 1986, culminating in one of the largest union desertification in American labor history.

He was a proud storyteller.  He was a champion, protecting his family.  When my Cousins Jessie and Margie were being bullied by a teacher, he went to the school and stood up for them.  When I was bullied at Church for the clothes I wore, he stood up to the bully and the teacher who put him up to it, in front of the church and the entire congregation and made them stand down.

Life with my Dad was better than having Facebook.  The last time I saw him, he could not speak we spent the afternoon and I told him stories, talk about the ultimate in Share.  He just nodded, as I told him of my life and what I had learned from him, how to be an activist, a concerned citizen of the planet, and a man.

Happy Father’s Day, Daddy and Thanks for all you did for us.

The Pope’s “good old boy” club has struck again

I know it’s been awhile since my last post I was keeping my rants to a minimum, but this morning I saw a story in the New York Times and I could not keep my thoughts to myself.  The Vatican has decided that some Nuns are too liberal and need to be reeled in.  The boys in the back chapel have decided that nuns should be seen and not heard, and maybe even not seen.  According to the Times article,  “The Vatican’s assessment, issued on Wednesday, said that members of the group, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, had challenged church teaching on homosexuality and the male-only priesthood, and promoted “radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith.” ”  Speak out against the hierarchy and the gauntlet will fall.  I make no bones about being a recovering RC,  the church and I disagree on several views and I, like a lot of RC of my generation and the ones that followed have sought out our Spirituality in places of affirming and welcoming worship.  I wish I could say I was shocked about this action by the church “fathers” but it was something that they have been working on for a while.  The LCWR leaders and members truly walk in the shoes of Christ and perhaps it will be not much longer before the Vatican questions some of his radical feminist themes which would also be considered incompatible with not only the Catholic faith, but many others.

I am proud to say that I learned many of my Spiritual values from dedicated nuns, who did teach the Sacraments but also taught us how to live and love others by their examples.  In my youth two of my biggest influences were Sister Damien, who prepared me for First Communion, she was a Dominican nun and I remembered how she looked in her black habit with the white starched wimple; the other was my Cousin Connie whose vocation as a Carmelite nun was cut short by illness, she taught me to love Show tunes and would be very proud of the man I have become.  In college I met Sr. Jean who was living away from her congregation and put up with a crazy group of college students; Sr. Jose Hobday one of the greatest Spiritual teaches I have had the pleasure to know; Sr. Helen who was my spiritual director while I was in the Franciscan Order; and my good friend Sr. Valerie who many years ago pointed me on the Spiritual path I was to follow.

These women and so many others touched my life and there are so many more who touch the lives of God’s children.  They should be encouraged and celebrated in their ministry, not reviewed by the Vatican because they may disagree with church doctrine or teachings.  The church said the bishops “are the church’s authentic teachers of faith and morals.”  Bishops have already been shown to ignore morals in the world-wide abuse of children by clergy, how is that authentic?

He’s not his father’s Evangelist

Billy Graham has been known as the Pastor to the Presidents for his relationship with every U.S. Presidents since Harry S. Truman.  His son Franklin Graham has followed in his footsteps and assumed the lead at Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, but did not become Pastor to the President, in fact he is more of a pest to the President.

The younger Graham has made several judgements on the Obama administration.  Sounding more like a politician than a preacher, Graham made his latest comments on a recent episode of “Morning Joe” on cable network MSNBC.  He was there to discuss GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum”s comments on the “theology” of President Obama, saying that the President is a threat to religious freedom.  Graham was asked if the President is a Christian, “You have to ask him. I cannot answer that question for anybody. All I know is I’m a sinner, and that God has forgiven me of my sins,” Graham said. “You have to ask every person. He has said he’s a Christian, so I just have to assume that he is.” when asked the same question about Santorum he did not hesitate with his answer, “His values are so clear on moral issues, no question about it.”  Graham hinted that President Obama may be more Muslim than Christian, because Islam has gotten a “free pass” under Obama. Graham also said the Muslim world sees Obama as a “son of Islam,” because the president’s father and grandfather were Muslim.  The link to the full interview is on MSNBC.com it lasts about 15 minutes and is interesting viewing.

This is not the first time that Graham has questioned the President’s religious beliefs, on August 19, 2010, when asked by CNN correspondent John King if he had doubts that President Barack Obama is a Christian, Graham stated, “I think the president’s problem is that he was born a Muslim, his father was a Muslim. The seed of Islam is passed through the father like the seed of Judaism is passed through the mother. He was born a Muslim, his father gave him an Islamic name.” Franklin continues to say, “Now it’s obvious that the president has renounced the prophet Mohammed, and he has renounced Islam, and he has accepted Jesus Christ. That’s what he says he has done. I cannot say that he hasn’t. So I just have to believe that the president is what he has said.”  In a March 2011 interview with the conservative internet publication Newsmax, Graham claimed that Obama had “allowed the Muslim Brotherhood to become part of the US government and influence administration decisions.”

In the “Morning Joe” interview when asked if Mitt Romney was a Christian Franklin pointed out that he is a Mormon and many Christians view Mormonism as a cult, but he would not say what his views are.  Billy Graham may be his father but Franklin has lessons to learn on keeping politics out of the pulpit.  If we have learned anything from the past two elections, it’s that politicians are not above stooping so low as to question not only a candidate being born in this country but also what he believes.  There was a time where politicians ran on their records, not on whether they could run a corporation or have a successful Olympic games.  Theology was always best left to the theologians (usually the Jesuits), who have been educated in such matters; maybe its time for politicians to be educated on how to run a campaign that focuses on issues and preachers on how to keep politics out of religion?

Come Out Come Out Whoever YOU Are.

Another conservative Republican has come out of the closet, Paul Babeu, Pinal County Sheriff.  He actually outed himself, at a press conference in front of  his office with trusted deputies and supporters as a backdrop.  Only in Arizona.  Now you might expect that there would be backlash from his supporters but oh no, after all this is Arizona.  It was the fault of the liberal Media and an illegal, ah yes this is Arizona.  The New Times, a Phoenix alternative newspaper (in Arizona that would mean LIBERAL) had a story on its blog on Friday that the Sheriff had threatened his ex-boyfriend with deportation to Mexico.  Of course it was denied by the Sheriff.  Then he decided to come clean and outed himself as a gay man, but the rest of the story (Paul Harvey would love this one) was not true.  At his press conference he said things like “his personal life was none of anyone’s business” and “he supports gays in the military, that he was in fact a homosexual in the military”.  He does in fact support same – sex marriage.  “Legal contracts absolutely should be allowed for anybody,” he said. “Anyone who wants to see a loved one in the hospital, to be able to enjoy an inheritance, any of those rights I believe are basic human rights and privileges.”  He even went so far as to say. “For any other person to define somebody else’s relationship and to say that it’s not okay, that is not who we are as Americans.”  Yes this is a conservative Arizona Republican speaking.  So you would think that his supporters would distance themselves from someone who would make those comments, yeah right.  Remember this is the state where the Governor wags a finger in the face of the POTUS,  where children legally born in the U.S. have their citizenship questioned, and where laws are introduced to make it harder for an incumbent politician to be recalled.

This is not the case of a politico caught with (pardon the expression) his pants around his ankles, it is a case of a politician who was caught with his pants around his ankles and made threats against an ex, threats he could not carry out but were made with enough power to cause the person threatened to believe they could happen and not just to him but his other family members in this country.  With the major Republican players heading to Arizona next week for their primary what will their reaction be, probably they will do as they have this entire campaign – blame it on Obama.  Hopefully they will tone down their opposition to gays in the military and same – sex marriage because  one of their own had to come out and admit they didn’t ask and he didn’t tell and his quote on relationships goes against their opposition to same-sex marriage “that is not who we are as Americans.”  Now we just need a reporter with guts to ask the right questions at the Arizona debate.

I believe that every LGBT person is entitled to live their lives either out or in of the closet, as long as it does not hurt another person.  I said it before this is an abuse of power and Babeu becomes the second Arizona Republican to abuse that power, a Republican legislator resigned after a public domestic violence  charge.  Many will say that the liberal media forced Babeu out of the closet and what a fine man he is and how they support him, now if they would only say that about the gay men and lesbian women who have had the courage to live openly for years.  But again, this is Arizona.

Targeting Penney’s Makes No “Cents”

Once again the extreme Christian movement has an empty cause to rally around attack J. C. Penny for choosing a new spokesperson…Ellen DeGeneres.  The store that most of us grew up with has decided to re-market  itself with a new slogan “Fair and Square” and even going so far as saying “We’re going to treat people as we’d like to be treated…fair and square.”  However there is one group, among many who don’t believe in treating people fair and square, the women’s auxiliary of the American Family Association, the One Million Moms is against Penney’s  choice of the openly gay talk show host as their new spokes person.  She’s gay, you know.

This is the same group that is thankful to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization for dropping funding of Planned Parenthood, they are upset that Macy’s used a picture of a wedding cake with two grooms on it in their catalog,  and they are against “Modern Family”.  They encourage their members to boycott, write and call corporations to protest anything those corporations do with groups that they don’t agree with (except Susan G. Komen for the Cure).  They are part of the American Family Association, a “Christian” organization that is anti-gay.  The “Moms” say they will not shop at a store that uses a “homosexual” to sell products to “traditional families”.  Ellen is also the spokesperson for Cover Girl make-up, and this group has been quiet about her role there, oh yeah they don’t wear makeup! And she has also pitched American Express card’s, but they don’t say anything about that.  I remember when growing up my “traditional” family always shopped for my clothes at J. C. Penney’s all my clothes had the Town-craft label.

I am getting fed up with the extremist Christians and their Republican Presidential candidates dictating to the rest of us on how we are supposed to live our lives, according to their rules.  Romney has said he is for the freedom of all Americans, then let us experience life, liberty and the pursuit of Justice just like other Americans.  We are not looking for gay marriage, we are just looking for marriage, the same as many other Americans.  When it comes to paying taxes, we do our fair share and don’t hide behind a lower rate than is afforded to low-income people.  When it comes to serving our Country, we have always been there, just not out in the open.  It is time for minorities in the Republican party to open their eyes and see they are not a party of inclusion, it is time for non-extreme Christians to open their eyes and see that God loves all of Creation and all members of the human family.  It is time for hate to stop, to stop trying to make us all the same, and to stop this kind of petty attack on a corporation who has the right to use whomever they want as a spokesperson.

So when you put on those clothes from a certain department store, apply some rouge from a cosmetic company, and pay the bill from a certain credit card company that you used to buy the stuff; remember Ellen told you to do it.

 

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

I grew up in the generation where Aretha Franklin taught us the meaning of R-E-S-P-E-C-T.  Arizona Governor Jan Brewer did not get the same training I did.  I was shocked to see the photo of her wagging her finger at the President of the United States.    On Wikipedia it says that “The index finger being pointed at a random person or anyone, as a matter of fact, is considered rude in some places.”  One of those places must not be Arizona!  This was how our Governor greeted President Obama, just minutes after he stepped off of Air Force One.  You see the Gov wrote a book this past summer, that’s right wrote not read.  In it she did not speak kindly of the President, I have not read the book so I cannot comment on what she said about him, but it was enough to get him upset and this is the way that Jan got back.  The President visiting the East Valley to speak at a new plant that Intel is developing.  The White House Press Pool asked Brewer about her “greeting” of the President and she replied that he walked off before she got to finish.

A lot of people have been disrespecting the Office of President lately, just last week the Boston Bruins were invited to the White House after winning the Stanly Cup, and their goalie Tim Thomas decided to stay home.  Thomas is a supporter of the Tea Party had this to say about the government…

“I believe the Federal government has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the People. This is being done at the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial level. This is in direct opposition to the Constitution and the Founding Fathers vision for the Federal government. Because I believe this, today I exercised my right as a Free Citizen, and did not visit the White House. This was not about politics or party, as in my opinion both parties are responsible for the situation we are in as a country. This was about a choice I had to make as an INDIVIDUAL. This is the only public statement I will be making on this topic. TT”

Yes, Thomas is entitled to his opinion, but the visit to the White House is one that every championship team makes, both at the College and Profession level.  To turn it into a political statement was unacceptable, he did not have to become best friends with the President and in snubbing him, Thomas proved he was not a team player.

There was a time in America that the Office of President was treated with Respect, you did not have to agree with his politics, but you had respect for the person who was in the office or had been in the office.  I remember that just after he left office Gerald Ford was playing in a golf tournament in Tucson and he met with the local press, I was in my first year as a radio reporter for KTKT and all my fellow reporters were asking him questions about his golf game.   I was the rookie reporter and getting a chance to ask a former President of the U.S. a question was so thrilling, I still remember my question to this day…”Mr. Ford, there is a Hispanic running for the Republican nomination for President.  If he does not make it to the nomination what has he done to bring Hispanics to your party?”  Gerald Ford looked at me, smiled and replied and the press conference was over.  I was gathering my equipment to leave and one of the deputy press secretaries came up to me and whispered in my ear, “Mr. Ford appreciated that you did not ask him about his golf game and had a good question for him.”

Even past Presidents deserve R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

How many more?

I just read about another young person taking their life.

I know that we have told them over and over that it gets better.

I think we should tell them the truth, life does have its bumps and there are moments where you feel like you don’t have a friend in the world, but it does get better.

It gets better because you don’t have to travel that road alone, there is family as well as, friends who have become family, to help you move forward.  Life does suck , but it does get better.   Even when you get to be my age, you think you have seen it all or heard it all and then WTF, you have to pause for a moment or two because you did not see that curve coming.

Living life as a person, there will always be someone, somewhere who does not like your hair, your clothes, the color of your skin, who you love and those people only think of themselves using words that hate throwing punches that hurt, or passing laws that restrict.  It’s all based on fear.  They can not envision a world where different is okay, where people come together to form a puzzle that answers many questions, to make a quilt that warms and provides comfort.

Recently a group of evangelical leaders endorsed Rick Santorum for the GOP Nomination, not because he has a sound fiscal plan, not because he will end all wars, not because he has a good foreign policy, no they endorsed him because their “top concerns going into this year’s presidential election include repealing President Obama’s health care overhaul, the national debt and abortion.”  They like other special interest groups have a specific agenda and will even go so far as to support a Catholic to achieve it.  What they fail to realize is that God has a seat for all at the table.  They are showing their fear of people who think about issues, who don’t follow blindly, and want to make a difference.

So young people should know that it does get better, we make it better because we work together, we trust those close to us, and we reach out.

Sometimes we have to remind ourselves of that, as well.

We also have a Dream

Every year on the Sunday closest to Martin Luther King day our church, Community Church of Hope is treated to the delivery of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.  We all sit in awe as Robbynne provides a stirring rendition of those words that were delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, words that encouraged a nation, inspired people, and gave many hope.  Those words speak of that encouragement, inspiration and hope.  They did that day in Washington and continue to do so yearly to our church community and where ever that text is shared.

Our LGBT community was part of the March on Washington back in August, 1963, one of the key organizers Bayard Rustin was a gay man and there were many gay men and women marching that day.

Next year marks the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington and there does not appear to be unity between the two communities that joined together back in August, 1963.  Some African-American religious leaders have taken a stand against same-sex marriage not seeing this as a civil rights struggle, where a group of people are not being allowed access to equal rights, to marry the person the love because they are the same-sex.  It wasn’t so long ago that people were not allowed to marry because of the color of their skin.

Every year the rhetorical question is asked “How would Dr. King react to gay people?”  Many people try to answer that question, which of course only Dr.  King knew.  The closest person to him was Coretta Scott King and her thought was that he would not be against inclusion for LGBT people…

Coretta Scott King: “make room at the table for lesbian and gay people.”
“My husband, Martin Luther King Jr., once said, ‘We are all tied together in a single garment of destiny… an inescapable network of mutuality,… I can never be what I ought to be until you are allowed to be what you ought to be.’ Therefore, I appeal to everyone who believes in Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream to make room at the table of brotherhood and sisterhood for lesbian and gay people.

Gays and lesbians stood up for civil rights in Montgomery, Selma, in Albany, Ga. and St. Augustine, Fla., and many other campaigns of the Civil Rights Movement. Many of these courageous men and women were fighting for my freedom at a time when they could find few voices for their own, and I salute their contributions.”

Coretta Scott King, speaking at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force’s Creating Change Conference on November 9, 2000.

His daughter Bernice King disagrees, she has been part of the movement to establish a national ban on same-sex marriage even leading a march to her Father’s grave in support of that movement.

Only Dr. King knew his feelings, his words give us an idea that he believed people should have a dream, as my friend Robbynne reminds us every year…

“I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.”

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.”

He believed in freedom and justice for all, equality for all and that no one should judge another.  Hopefully that Dream will come true for all.

Hate, the new Ecumenical movement

It wasn’t too long ago that different churches decided it was time to let bygones be bygones.  To focus what they had in common and not their differences.  This was the start of the Ecumenical movement and led to many positive changes in doctrine and worship.  I was involved in the Ecumenical movement when I was in college at the University of Arizona, the one in Tucson.  I was involved at the Newman Center, for Catholic students.  We started an exchange program with other religion’s student centers, we would go to their services and they would attend ours.  We had fellowship and came away with new knowledge about each others religious beliefs.  For awhile that was what the ecumenical movement was all about.  Merriam-Webster.com provides the following definition of ECUMENICAL:

1 : worldwide or general in extent, influence, or application

2 a : of, relating to, or representing the whole of a body of churches

   b : promoting or tending toward worldwide Christian unity or cooperation

That was what we did in the mid 70’s when we sat down with our friends from Hillel (Jewish), The Institute for Religion (LDS),  Episcopal Campus Ministry, Lutheran Campus Ministry, United Methodist Wesleyan Foundation, and other groups.  We talked about what we had in common and how we all supported various causes.  This was years before churches entered the public debate on social causes like same-sex marriage.

Ecumenical dialog has taken on a new meaning, churches are now joining forces to take on the issue of marriage, as they see it and have defined it for centuries, “The promotion and protection of marriage—the union of one man and one woman as husband and wife—is a matter of the common good and serves the wellbeing of the couple, of children, of civil society and all people. The meaning and value of marriage precedes and transcends any particular society, government, or religious community. It is a universal good and the foundational institution of all societies. It is bound up with the nature of the human person as male and female, and with the essential task of bearing and nurturing children.”  These words are the opening paragraph of a letter written by a group of leaders from various churches.  It was sent yesterday (January 12)  MARRIAGE AND RELIGIOUS FREEDOM: Fundamental Goods That Stand or Fall Together goes on to list the various ways that same-sex marriage will hurt church’s religious freedoms:

•   Ministers being “forced” to perform the marriage ritual of a same-sex couple; I don’t see myself getting married in the future, but I can assure you it would not be by a minister being forced to perform the ceremony and that ceremony would be in the church of an affirming congregation.  After all it is a celebration.
• “…every law where rights depend on marital status—such as employment discrimination, employment benefits, adoption, education, healthcare, elder care, housing, property, and taxation—will change so that same-sex sexual relationships must be treated as if they were marriage.”  Well they are equal rights.
• “…the refusal of these religious organizations to treat a same-sex sexual relationship as if it were a marriage marked them and their members as bigots, subjecting them to the full arsenal of government punishments and pressures reserved for racists.”  They are just confirming what has been said already.

The bottom line is that this group of “religious” leaders has seen the writing on the wall – tax exemption status could be affected.  They are more concerned with that issue and only that issue.

Thomas Jefferson wanted separation of church and state, “Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his god, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people who declared that their “legislature” should “make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” thus building a wall of separation between church and State. Adhering to this expression of the supreme will of the nation in behalf of the rights of conscience, I shall see with sincere satisfaction the progress of those sentiments which tend to restore to man all his natural rights, convinced he has no natural right in opposition to his social duties.” (Separation of church and state in the United States – Wikipedia)  He wanted people to be free  from legislation denying them the right to worship as they pleased, he did not want them to push for legislation to deny others their equal rights.