Tag Archives: Obama

Health Care Reform: conservative contrarians

Of the myriad news reports and blog posts about the passage of Health Care Reform, here are a pair of my favorites because they each swim against the tide of their own natural constituencies. One comes from David Frum, an avowed conservative and former speech writer for George Bush the latter, and the second is from Vox Nova, a Catholic blog generally pro-life.

Frum writes a scathing attack against those responsible for the health care bill in its current form—the Republican leadership.

A huge part of the blame for today’s disaster attaches to conservatives and Republicans ourselves.

At the beginning of this process we made a strategic decision: … we would make no deal with the administration. No negotiations, no compromise, nothing. We were going for all the marbles. This would be Obama’s Waterloo – just as healthcare was Clinton’s in 1994.

Only, the hardliners overlooked a few key facts: Obama was elected with 53% of the vote, not Clinton’s 42%. The liberal block within the Democratic congressional caucus is bigger and stronger than it was in 1993-94. And of course the Democrats also remember their history, and also remember the consequences of their 1994 failure.

This time, when we went for all the marbles, we ended with none.

But Frum reserves his harshest criticism for the Rush Limbaugh types, the “conservative entertainment industry”, that lathers up the froth-jawed tea partiers for their own ratings. When Rush’s listeners “are less angry, they listen to the radio less, and hear fewer ads for Sleepnumber beds.”

Frum also dissents from the after-the-loss talking points of the Republican leadership that all will be well for Republicans after the next election cycle.

No illusions please: This bill will not be repealed. Even if Republicans scored a 1994 style landslide in November, how many votes could we muster to re-open the “doughnut hole” and charge seniors more for prescription drugs? How many votes to re-allow insurers to rescind policies when they discover a pre-existing condition? How many votes to banish 25 year olds from their parents’ insurance coverage? And even if the votes were there – would President Obama sign such a repeal?

We followed the most radical voices in the party and the movement, and they led us to abject and irreversible defeat.

Much as I disagree with Frum’s policies, I think his political intuition is right on. “It’s Waterloo all right: ours,” Frum concludes.

The Vox Nova article, Stop the Pro-Life Pity Party, chides the pro-life movement for being all whine and pretense. Here is a list of critical comments:

the pro-life movement turned its back on health care reform.

With leadership like this, the unborn don’t need enemies.

their initial demand is still largely met, and the caterwauling commences that they aren’t being respected. Grow up for crying aloud.

Your agenda never included supporting health care reform. Remember, Scott Brown, a pro-choice Republican, was your savior when he was elected in Massachusetts because he was going to stop the health care bill. You opposed health care reform and didn’t really care about abortion, and you know it. (emphasis mine) Stop blaming others for your faults. Stupak was handy when you didn’t just want to sound like another shrill partisan. Stupak managed to give you legitimacy. You didn’t give Stupak anything. Who was using who here? That’s right, Stupak was used by the pro-life movement.

Again, I think the political intuition of the blog writer is right on. He correctly understands that much of the pro-life rhetoric was mere cover for deeper political motives—whether Republicanism or conservative fiscal policies–or even darker visceral eruptions such as anti-Obama racism. The blog post concludes:

Of course, health care reform is a great thing too, unless you are a pro-life activist in which case it was a bad thing due almost wholly to things having nothing to do with the unborn.

Sometimes, conservatives can shine with brilliant insight.

Did Obama have a good year?

The following is a quote from a blog aptly named Right Wing News, which attempts to set the bar for measuring Obama’s first year at messianic levels:

This time last year, I was told that once in office, President Barack Hussein Obama was going bring peace, prosperity, and all things warm and fuzzy to our beloved planet earth. All the national and international turmoil occurring at the time could be attributed solely to President Bush, a.k.a. the anti-Christ, including our two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and including any and all anti-American sentiment across the globe.

If only we had a God-like savior like Barack Obama to lead us out of despair, everything would be okay again. The world would stop sneering at us, nuclear proliferation would magically cease (because our enemies would be too busy kissing our president’s feet), and radical Islamic extremists would finally sit down and have tea with our leaders.

The right wing blogosphere is happily chirping at double digit unemployment and other indices that the economy continues to struggle. Much as blowhard Rush Limbaugh was castigated for his comment that he hoped Obama would fail, the truth is that many applaud bad domestic and international news for the political damage that may inure to the Democrats.

Republican refusal to participate in governing our nation, preferring instead to “just say no” lest Obama be credited with bipartisanship, reflects the same politics first, country second mentality. Even routine Senate business such as the year end defense spending bill meets a Republican filibuster—not that the Republicans don’t support the troops but because they smelled a political advantage.

This chart, posted at Think Progess, shows the dramatic increase in the use of the filibuster in the last generation and exploding in the current Congressional session. Many suggest that the Senate is broken, prompting Senator Harkin to announce that he will seek changes in the rules of the Senate since the filibuster is purely a self-imposed policy and not written into the constitution.

What does the public think? Has the Republican “politics first” charade succeeded? Is the chest-thumping of the right wing blogosphere justified? Is the party of tea-party protests, death panels, and the filibuster swaying the hearts and minds of the American public?

Not so much.

With a hat tip to blogger Pastor John Petty, a Gallup poll suggests the public is smarter than the Republicans think. Here is the question posed by the Gallup pollsters Dec 11-13: “please tell me whether you consider each of the following to be a winner or a loser in politics this year.”

The results? President Obama came out a winner by a 58-38% margin while the Republicans in Congress were nearly the opposite at 38-52%. The poll showed even higher “winner” results for three women of Obama’s circle, First Lady Michelle, Secretary of State Clinton (long the bane of Republicans), and newest member of the Supreme Court Sonia Sotomayor (despite Republican opposition 31-9).

Maybe, just maybe, the Republicans would fare better if they actually chose to participate in governance instead of foot-dragging, obfuscating, and political manuevering.

Huge gay rights happenings in D.C.

Saturday and Sunday this week, the 11th and 12th of October, will see thousands of LGBT activists descend on our nation’s capital for the National Equality March sponsored by Equality Across America. Many religious LGBT advocacy groups will participate:

Integrity USA (Episcopal)

Dignity USA (Catholic)

More Light Presbyterians

Meanwhile, on Saturday evening, President Obama will address the 13th Annual National Dinner of the Human Rights Campaign.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.

President Obama is not the first sitting President to attend an HRC Dinner: that honor goes to President Clinton in 1997.

And all of this comes together as the Matthew Shepherd Hate Crimes bill nears final passage.

Today [October 8] the U.S. House of Representatives passed the conference report for the FY 2010 Defense Authorization bill by a vote of 281 to 146, bringing critical hate crimes protections closer to becoming law than ever before. Earlier this week, the House voted down a last-ditch effort to eliminate the hate crimes language, through a procedural effort called a motion to instruct conferees.

The conference report now proceeds to the Senate for its final vote in Congress. In July, the Senate voted to attach the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act to the Defense Authorization measure and is expected to approve the conference report as early as next week. President Obama has repeatedly pledged to sign the bill when it reaches his desk.

Integrity USA, the Episcopal LGBT advocacy group, quotes this news report about the historic legislation:

WASHINGTON — A House vote Thursday put Congress on the verge of significantly expanding hate crimes law to make it a federal crime to assault people because of their sexual orientation. The legislation would bring major changes to law enacted in the days after Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination in 1968.

“No American should ever have to suffer persecution or violence because of who they are, how they look or what they believe,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., noting that hate crimes legislation has been on her agenda since she first entered Congress more than two decades ago.

Civil rights groups and their Democratic allies have come close to expanding the hate crimes bill several times in the past decade, but have always fallen short because of lack of House-Senate coordination or opposition from former President George W. Bush.

But this time, it appears that they may succeed. The legislation was attached to a must-pass $680 billion defense policy bill that the Senate could approve as early as next week. President Barack Obama has promised to sign it into law. The late Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., was a longtime advocate of the hate crimes legislation.

The House vote on the defense bill was 281-146. Unlike usual defense bill votes, most of those in opposition — 131 out of the 146 — were Republicans objecting strenuously to inclusion of what they referred to as “thought crimes” legislation in a defense bill.

ELCA Social Statements including Health and Healthcare

With the adoption of the Social Statement on Human Sexuality at the recent ELCA 2009 Churchwide Assembly, the ELCA now has ten social statements.

Social statements are major documents addressing significant social issues. Typically, they provide an analysis and interpretation of an issue, set forth basic theological and ethical perspectives related to it, and offer guidance for the corporate Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and its individual members . . . . In all cases social
statements are the product of extensive and inclusive deliberation within this church, a process that is an integral part of their educational purpose. Because of the considerable resources and care that this church invests in them, and because of the participatory process used in their development, social statements are the most authoritative form of social policy and are adopted only by the Churchwide Assembly.”

Here is the list; each statement may be reviewed and downloaded from the ELCA website:

Abortion
Church in Society
Death Penalty
Economic Life
Education
Environment
Health and Healthcare
Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust
Peace
Race, Ethnicity, and Culture

The 2009 Convention also called for the study process to begin on another possible social statement entitled “Justice for Women”. The process of study and creation of a social statement takes years and resources (about a million dollars). The recommendation that was adopted calls for Churchwide assembly action in 2015. Two other study processes are already underway based upon earlier Churchwide authorizations—Genetics and Criminal Justice.

As I write this, Air Force One is approaching the MSP Airport about 40 miles up the road from Northfield. The President is on board, and he will take his campaign for health care reform to a local venue later today, which begs the question for me: “What does the ELCA say about health care?”

At the 2003 Churchwide Assembly, the voting members passed a social statement on Health and Healthcare by a margin of 935-34. The full document extends for 32 pages, but the sense of the document is set out in the introduction (emphases are mine):

Health is central to our well-being, vital to relationships, and helps us live out our vocations in family, work, and community. Caring for one’s own health is a matter of human necessity and good stewardship. Caring for the health of others expresses both love for our neighbors and responsibility for a just society. As a personal and social responsibility, health care is a shared endeavor.

And, in the statement of crisis:

Health care in the United States, its territories, and Puerto Rico suffers from a prolonged crisis. People unnecessarily endure poor health. Rising health care costs leave a growing number of people without adequate health care. Health care resources often are rationed based on ability to pay rather than need. Finding access to quality health care services is difficult for many. The growing number of elderly people adds another stress on health care resources. Fear and self-interest defeat social justice in the political processes of health care reform.

The stress on individuals and families because of society’s inability to fashion an adequate health care system makes action increasingly urgent. The breadth and complexity of the challenges require serious conversations and bold strategies to establish the shared personal and social responsibilities that make good health possible. The health of each individual depends on the care of others and the commitment of society to provide health care for all.

For the ELCA, as for many religious groups in the US, health care is a matter of right and justice and not merely a scarce market commodity allocated by ability to pay rather than by need. It is first and foremost a moral issue and only secondarily economic. The social statement is constructed around the concept of “shared endeavor”.

Hear the words of Ted Kennedy, in his death bed letter to President Obama as reported by the President in his recent address to a Joint Session of Congress:

He repeated the truth that health care is decisive for our future prosperity, but he also reminded me that “it concerns more than material things.” “What we face,” he wrote, “is above all a moral issue; at stake are not just the details of policy, but fundamental principles of social justice and the character of our country.”

A few weeks ago, Lavonne Neff offered commentary on T.R. Reid’s book, The Healing of America in a blogpost on Sojourner’s website. Here is what she says about the book:

“The primary issue for any health care system is a moral one.” If we believe no one should die for want of access to health care, we can find a way to provide care for all. If we believe health care is a commodity like TVs and automobiles, we can continue to exclude those who can’t pay. “All the developed countries I looked at provide health coverage for every resident, old or young, rich or poor. This is the underlying moral principle of the health care system in every rich country — every one, that is, except the United States.”

A shared endeavor.

How the religious right stains all Christians

This is a reprint of a post in Street Prophets.

I won’t be silent – This is not CHRISTIAN!

by angeleyes

Mon Sep 07, 2009 at 03:48:18 PM PDT

I’ll begin by saying this. I’m angry. Righteously Angry!!

Just a little background on me. I’ve been a dedicated Charismatic, Evangelical Christian for almost 20 years. I was raised in a Christian home. I’ve studied the bible – which I believe is the inspired Word of God. I’ve meditated on the teachings of Jesus Christ. I’ve ministered and represented His teachings publicly.

I take a fair amount of heat, especially in Democratic circles for my Christian beliefs. It’s frustrating sometimes to be sure, but you know, with idiots representing my faith saying things like this:

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/…

I completely get it.

Part of the reason I believe Christianity today is so misunderstood is because those of us who are passionate about our faith, and happen to be sane, rational creatures are overshadowed by maniacal kooks who “wear” the Christian label, but are far from followers of the faith.

I woke up this morning and was checking the morning news headlines on CNN. There was the story of this Pastor (if I have to call him that) Steven Anderson of the Faithful Word (although I’m not sure what “word” that would be) Baptist church in Arizona who really has opened his mouth, as a supposed Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and actually said that he hates President Obama and wants God to “break his teeth” (a veiled reference to Psalms 58:6 where David was asking God to go after the truly evil folks who were after him and were trying to slander him and take his life). HE SAID WHAT?!!

So I immediately started scouring the internet to see what the TRUE Christian response has been – crickets. No one from the faith has denounced him publicly yet? How is this even possible!

Well, I won’t be silent! This man does not represent the Jesus I know, love, and serve. I won’t sit quietly by while this man grabs the spotlight and purports to speak for those of my faith.

The Christian faith is built on the foundation of love. There are denominational and doctrinal differences for sue, but the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, humility and self control are fundamental to the faith, and the bible says against these things there is no law (or rule that anybody could come up with that would negate them). When Jesus said to “love your neighbor as you love yourself”, he meant it. It’s not up for debate.

By publicly voicing his desire that President Obama be killed, have his teeth broken, and whatever else looney things this man has uttered from his filthy mouth, he has violated the very principal precept of our faith. Now faith, hope, and love remain, but the GREATEST of these is love (1 Corinthians 13).

I don’t have a pulpit to stand in and denounce this man. None of the major news outlets are contacting me and asking me my opinion on Pastor (cough!) Anderson’s ravings. I just have this diary.

If there are any Pastors, Ministers, Church Elders, etc. who are reading this, please, IT’S TIME FOR US TO SPEAK UP! We’ve got the “harmless as a dove”, “meek and mild” thing perfected dang near to a fault. We MUST speak out when someone is misrepresenting our faith! Not later, but NOW. Use your voice wherever you are planted, but we have to push back. Let’s write Focus on the Family, CBN, Family Research Council (since they seem to want to be “on point” for all things Christian) and ask them to remain faithful to the Word of God that commands us to represent his teachings above our own selfish motives, and public denounce Pastor (cough!) Anderson and anyone else who, in the name of our Lord, says such things.

Do you really want to keep explaining away these clowns? Let’s marginalize them NOW!

Not my father’s Republican Party

Dad first voted for FDR for President in 1944 and Truman in ‘48, but after that he became an active Republican. Ours was a Rockefeller Republican household in the ‘60s, supporting Nelson Rockefeller, the liberal Governor of New York, during the ‘64 and ‘68 Republican nominating process. Pro-civil rights. Pro-choice (before there was such a word). Dad got involved on the local level and received the party’s endorsement for the Minnesota State Legislature in ‘72 (lost by 40 votes). But he was the local school board chairman and mayor of our small town in central Minnesota.

By the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, things were changing. The “Neanderthals” (Dad’s term) gained ascendancy in the local party structure, and he ceased his involvement, but he still voted Republican. In 2007 as the Presidential nominating process heated up, Dad said he might vote for that young black man if he got the nomination. Of course, Obama did get the nomination, but I’m not sure if Dad was able to break his Republican habit when the election judges came to his assisted living home.

Now one wonders whether we are we witnessing the death throes of the Republican party. America needs a two party system, but is this the face of the loyal opposition?

The party is so weak it cannot control its own lunatic fringe. The inmates are in control of the asylum. The party spokes folk are Limbaugh, Hannity, and Palin, liars and lightweights and demogogues. Elected officials do not reproach their own, they fear them. Look what happened to Specter when he dared to be a moderate voice. Some elected officials choose to feed the frenzy for their own political ends … see Grassley and the “death panels”. One aspect seldom noted is their extreme anti-intellectualism wherein ignorance is not merely tolerated, it is embraced. The nativist, racist, anti-intellectualism is mindful of the “Know Nothing” party of a century and a half ago.

This is a party without a head, without a heart, and without a soul.

The mainstream media (MSM) often merely fans the flames, but CBS anchor Katie Couric recently lived up to the tag line of her esteemed predecessor, Walter Cronkite, “and that’s the way it is.”

Watch CBS Videos Online

UPDATE:

I had to add this cartoon from Street Prophets:

GOP response

Health care reform: stand up and be counted.

Public option? Blue dog Democrats? Mandates? Subsidies? Obama’s Waterloo?

Are you following all this? Do you care?

For a generation, the religious left has railed against the influence of the religious right on public policy. Has the left taken the separation of church and state arguments too literally? Shall we not allow our faith to inform our political judgments? Shall we allow the perplexing minutiae of complex legislation to cloud our moral judgment?

Hold on, it appears that there are voices from the left, crying from the wilderness. Steven Waldman, the editor of Beliefnet, suggests:

During Republican administrations, the religious right flexed its muscle around issues like abortion and judicial appointments.

As the religious left grew in importance during the election, it was unclear how they would attempt to exert their influence.

It looks like the first big test is health care. They were non-existent players in 1993; this time, they’re trying to have a big impact.

Jacqueline L Salmon, a Washington Post staff writer, adds:

In recent weeks, hundreds of clergy members and lay leaders have descended on the offices of members of Congress, urging lawmakers to enact health-care legislation this year. With face-to-face lobbying, sermons, prayer and advertising on Christian radio stations, the coalitions are pressing the idea that health care for everyone is a fundamental moral issue.

Maybe its ok, maybe we need to stand up and be counted, maybe we should allow our faith to influence our politics. To borrow an overused and trite expression, “What would Jesus Do?” Minister, lawyer, and author Oliver Thomas suggests (thanks to Pastor John Shuck for the quotes):

Mixing church and state might be inexcusable, but the influence of religion on our political views is inevitable. Accordingly, the First Amendment does not prohibit laws that reflect our religious values as long as those laws have a secular purpose and effect. So it is curious that, until recently, little has been written about the moral dimension of the health care debate. The focus has largely been on how to pay for insuring 46 million uninsured people in America and whether to provide a so-called public option. At last, religious leaders are stepping forward to explain what our Scriptures and religious traditions have to teach us about the most important domestic policy issue to come before the Congress in recent years.

The answer, it turns out, is a lot. Not directly, of course. Our Scriptures were written long before talk of deductibles, pre-existing conditions and single payers. But indirectly, the Christian, Hebrew and Muslim texts have much to say about the quality, availability and affordability of health care. …

Such "care" extends to health care. The legendary Jewish scholar and physician Maimonides listed health care first on his list of services that a city should offer its residents. …

Christians find similar teachings in the New Testament. One of Jesus’ most famous parables is about health care. A Samaritan traveler happens upon a seriously wounded man lying by the side of the road. The Samaritan attends to the man, dresses his wounds and pays a substantial sum for his care and recovery. Jesus ends the story by telling his hearers to "go and do likewise." …

For Muslims, the Holy Quran contains multiple admonitions to attend to the needy. …

Nevertheless, Cigna insurance executive turned whistle-blower Wendell Potter testified recently that the insurance industry fearing competition is engaged in a campaign to scare Americans away from any sort of public plan.

In truth, says Potter, America’s nearly half-century-old Medicare program has proved itself an efficient choice. Administrative costs of Medicare? Less than 5%. Of the private plans? Closer to 20%, according to Potter.

Jesus admonished his disciples to be as innocent as doves, but he also warned them to be "as wise as serpents." Let’s hope Congress can be the same.

As Thomas suggests, this is an issue for all people of faith, and The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism is clearly on board. The following video is of David Saperstein, “the most influential rabbi in America” according to some. The article from which this video is copied also references the speeches by “Dr. Sayyid Syeed, National Director of the Office of Interfaith Relations of the Islamic Society of North America; Sister Simone Campbell, Executive Director of NETWORK – A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby; and Rev. James Forbes, President and Founder of the Healing of the Nations Foundation of New York and Senior Minister Emeritus of the Riverside Church.”

A few weeks ago, a retired pastor in my church preached eloquently in favor of universal health care, but he also was sensitive to appearing to sound pro-Obama or pro-Democrat. Maybe that’s the hangup for some religious leaders – supporting a cause is one thing but a party is another. Yet, if the GOP continues to be the Party of NO! and the voice of the pharmaceuticals and the insurance companies, more concerned with scoring political points than solving a problem, this administration and the Congressional leadership appear to be the only ones listening, and they are the direction we should funnel our voices and our support.

Finally, if you want an incisive view of the complexities of the debate, check out the New York Times op-ed piece of Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman. Krugman supports the Democratic plan in Congress and suggests the Blue Dog Democrats who are not yet on board jeopardize the basic structure of health care reform.

Stand up and be counted.

ELCA Youth Gathering: the journey to New Orleans

Keith Pearson is the pastor of First Lutheran of Hector, Minnesota … and my brother in law. He just got back from the ELCA youth gathering in New Orleans, along with a handful of youth from his own parish. They were part of a larger group of several dozen from the area who journeyed together. Pastor Keith has consented to a reprint of his five days of blogs, his own first person account. Check out Keith’s blog, which contains a ton of pictures.

Day One

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Much of our first day was simply about getting there. We had some last minute schedule changes, some delays, and one lost bag, but in the end we arrived here safe and sound.

Once on the ground in New Orleans we checked in to our hotel and then headed to the New Orleans Convention Center where our activities began. At supper time we managed to sample a little taste of New Orleans at “The Crazy Lobster,” a restaurant right on the edge of the Mighty Mississippi. Some were bold in their food orders, others stuck to burgers and fries. We even had a little live New Orleans Jazz music to accompany our meal.

It was pretty exciting to see this big old city filled with teens from around the country. Everywhere you look you could see groups of kids (most in flocks of like-colored shirts) soaking in the sights and sounds. Quick shout-outs happened between the groups, declaring where they came from and inquiring about our group. I have to say, there is something in the air that’s pretty exciting.

After supper it was back the hotel for “Community/Hotel Life.” There was a band in the ball room and swimming at the pool. The kids scattered to their preferred activities before turning in for the night.

Day Two

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Day 2 was the real beginning or our New Orleans experience. We began the day with our turn in the interactive learning center. There were games for the sake of playing together and there were games and activities that made you think about your role in the world.

We also had our first full day on the streets of New Orleans. That in itself is quite an experience. This is definitely NOT Renville County. You’ll have to ask the kids what they thought and what they saw. All in all the City is very happy to have us here and they are being very gracious and welcoming to this massive influx of teenagers. Although this is still a large city and we are always watchful for dangers and all the other darker sides of humanity that come with this sort of setting, still we have felt quite safe and secure everywhere we have gone.

Our closing event for the evening was our first “Mass Gathering”. Try to imagine 37,000 teens and their adult leaders filling the seats of a major venue like the Superdome. Now imagine a 20 story illuminated cross, pounding music and cheering crowds. It had all the elements of a major rock concert, but the star of the show was Jesus. There were wonderful speakers telling their dramatic stories of faith in action and the power of the Holy Spirit working through simple, often young people. There were teams of teens acting out lessons and preaching the gospel in ways that had the kids cheering, laughing, and struck silent by the power of what they were experiencing. There was definitely something electric about the evening – and it had nothing to do with lights and sound or video projecting jumbotrons. The underlying current was a power of something unseen and yet profoundly felt. It was the presence of the Holy Spirit.

I wish you could have been here.

Day Three

Service Day

Friday, July 24, 2009

Day 3 was our service day. It began REALLY early. We had to be at our “launch site” at 6:30 a.m. having already had breakfast and packed for the day. That means we had to leave our hotel by 6:00 a.m. to make the 20 minute walk to the Convention Center where we would pick up the bus that would take us to where our day would begin. We didn’t know what we would be doing exactly, but our category of choice was “Health and Wellness.”

The organizers of the Gathering had explained to us that the situation on the ground was changing daily and so they couldn’t know in advance exactly where we would be or what we would be doing. When we first boarded our bus we were told that we were going to a day-camp where we would be working with children. When we arrived at the site it was actually a high school football stadium that was in need of attention. It seems the field had been a site for helicopters to land and ambulances and other transport vehicles to pull in and get the injured and sick out of the city after hurricane Katrina. All of this activity on wet ground had left ruts in the field and the flood waters had coated the concrete stands with algae and mold.

The first question that came to my mind was, how can this still be a problem after four years? Most of what we have seen in and around New Orleans looks pretty normal. We have not witnessed any blatant remnants of the hurricane damage. Once we started working I began to understand. Our tasks for the day were to paint a swing set, scrape and paint a locker room, fill in the ruts in the field, and power-wash the concrete stadium seating area. We came fresh and eager to dig in and get to work. I dare say we even came with a little attitude (it’s part of that midwest work ethic). Surely we could handle this.

Then reality set in. The tools and supplies we needed were not available immediately, and when they did arrive they were still in short supply. There wasn’t enough paint to cover all the surfaces that needed it. Rather than three or four power washers there was only one. And then there was the heat! I don’t know what the temperature was or what the official humidity level reached, but it was positively oppressive. In a very short period of the physical output required for this work zapped the energy out of everyone. We struggled to keep pouring in enough water to keep ahead of the dehydration. We all kept a high vigil over each other to head off any heat-related problems. Talking with Isaiah, the sole staff person at this facility, he thanked us over and over again. He said if it were not for our help all this work would be his solo task.

In the end we had to give up the effort a little ahead of schedule. And although we had accomplished much, many left feeling as though we could have done more, disappointed that the job was not finished. I told the group that this was true for just about everything God calls us to do. We rarely get to see the end of the job and there is always more to do than we have time, tools or the ability to do on our own. We have to give thanks for the ability to do what we can with the resources at our disposal and trust God to finish with the job with the hands of others.

At our mass gathering this evening the theme was Hope. Through the compelling stories of this evening’s speakers we heard that it is through small and large acts of kindness and love that hope springs for those who may have felt their situation was hopeless. Hope is the fruit of love, and hope breaks open a world of possibilities.

I am extremely proud of our kids for the gift of hope they provided this day. They served tirelessly and joyfully, and would have worked much harder and longer if we would have allowed them to do so. I did not hear one complaint nor one request to stop.

Day Four

A tour that expanded our understanding.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Our day began with a bus tour of the city’s four major districts. We began with beautiful mansions and lush gardens and finished with the infamous “Lower 9th Ward” – the site of some of the worst devastation. It was quite a contrast going from beautiful historic mansions that were virtually untouched, to one of the poorest areas of the country nearly obliterated by the storm. In fact, if it were not for a few traces of concrete and paved streets you may not know anyone ever lived here.

It has been four years since hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and so much remains to be done. It is humbling and maybe even a little disheartening to look at the tremendous amount of work left to be done. It would be easy to give up and just move on, but God rarely sends us down paths that are easy. When we hear the stories from people who have lived through these past four years, and when they show us photos from those first days I am encouraged. Progress has been made and things are much better, but there is still so much to do.

Our day finished off with another “Mass Gathering” at the Superdome – the same place that became an island of hope for the truly desperate survivors. There to kick off our final big night together we were greeted by the Mayor of New Orleans and received a personal “thank you” from him. That was followed by a letter of thanks and encouragement from none other than our country’s president, Barack Obama. You know you have been part of something truly significant and important when the President of the United States takes notice and is suitably impressed with your actions.

Day Five

Saying goodbye, telling the story.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Our last day in New Orleans would be mostly a travel day. We would not be doing any projects, attending any workshops, or joining in the final “Mass Gathering” that would officially close our event. We would, however, say goodbye to New Orleans and begin reflecting on our experience.

While the kids enjoyed a welcome opportunity to sleep in a bit and then pack up for the trip home I stopped down in the hotel restaurant for a bite to eat. I decided to treat myself to a real meal for the first time since our first night in New Orleans. The restaurant was nearly empty (I was there kind of early), and so my waitress was waiting patiently for more customers to come. I asked her a simple question: “Do you live here in New Orleans?” When she said “Yes” I then asked the question that quite literally opened the flood gates: “Where were you when the flood came?”

Her name was Brenda and she had been on vacation with her family. And so she had to watch the events unfold along with the rest of the world. She couldn’t return home for two and a half months. The Marriott kept her and all the other employees on the payroll and even got emergency money from Mr. Marriott himself (she told all of this with deep appreciation). She lost several friends who were trapped and killed by the flood waters. Most of her family was scattered, thankfully all surviving, but most never to return to New Orleans. “I haven’t seen my one sister since the storm. I used to see her every Sunday. Now she’s just a voice on the phone to me.”

She spoke of her love for New Orleans and how this was where her heart is. She was grateful for the places that had been her temporary home while waiting to get back to the city, but said that nice as they were they were not home. She also spoke with hope that others would eventually feel the pull of their hearts to return to New Orleans. Still, she said, “I don’t think New Orleans will ever be the same.” I suspect she is right. It will never be the same, but I do believe a new New Orleans will emerge from this experience, and I think I will like that city.

Now it is our responsibility to tell the story of the people of New Orleans. Ask one of the kids or chaperones who attended the 2009 ELCA National Youth Gathering about their experience.

Obama criticized by left and right

Obama memorandum On June 17th, President Obama signed a memorandum extending partial benefits to same-gender partners of federal employees, a decision that has drawn criticism from opposite sides of the gay rights debate.

The left has been emboldened by hallmark advances at the state level and wants nothing less than a full loaf. According to MSNBC.com:

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama signaled to gay-rights activists Wednesday that he’s listening to their desire for greater equality in “a more perfect union.” But he didn’t give them even close to everything they want, bringing to the surface an anger that’s been growing against the president.

While Pam Spaulding was receiving an award at the Women’s Media Center Awards, others filled in on her popular blog, Pam’s House Blend. In a post entitled, “Dump DOMA“, guest poster Lurleen includes a series of angry comments such as What a lame-assed, watery, pathetic presidency this is. Although the President has spoken in favor of repealing DOMA, the brief filed by the Department of Justice in support of DOMA is especially vexing.

Similarly, The Other McCain vents and offers commenters space to vent also.

But much as certain conservatives are gloating at the response of gay Democrats (see Glen Reynolds at Instapundit), conservatives are mostly critical. Well known conservative Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council suggests that the President has violated both the letter and spirit of DOMA. Dan Gilgoff of God and Country blog reports:

Conservative Christian groups criticizing the president’s memorandum extending certain benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees are alleging that the president is approximating the benefits of marriage—that he’s basically creating ‘marriage light.’

While the left complains about the pace of Obama’s reform, the right fears the direction. As an old negotiator, I am reminded of the adage that when neither party to a deal is satisfied, then the agreement is probably a fair compromise.

Obama’s Notre Dame visit continues to rankle

THE WASHINGTON TIMES

The University of Notre Dame said Thursday that it will not award its Laetare Medal for the first time in 120 years, after having the first recipient reject the award over the university’s decision to honor President Obama and its subsequent defenses of its actions.

Instead, the university will have Judge John T. Noonan Jr., a previous Laetare recipient and noted legal scholar, “deliver an address in the spirit of the award” at the May 17 commencement ceremony, said the Rev. John Jenkins, university president.

Because Judge Noonan is a previous winner of the Laetare Medal, “we have decided, upon reflection, to not award the medal this year,” Father Jenkins said in a statement.

Harvard law professor Mary Ann Glendon, a former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, said Monday that she was rejecting the medal because of Mr. Obama’s pro-choice actions as president and because the university cited her presence as justifying the Obama invitation. Father Jenkins said then that “it is our intention to award the Laetare Medal to another deserving recipient.”

Judge Noonan, a Notre Dame law professor from 1961 to 1966, received the Laetare Medal in 1984. He also has been a visiting law professor at Harvard, Stanford and the Angelicum in Rome. He was appointed by President Reagan to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 1985 and has served there since.

The Laetare Medal, approved by the university’s founder, the Rev. Edward Sorin, was first awarded in 1883 and had been given every year since that time. It is the university’s most prestigious honor, given to Catholics “whose genius has ennobled the arts and sciences, illustrated the ideals of the church and enriched the heritage of humanity.”

Its past recipients include President Kennedy and sainthood candidate Dorothy Day.