PeaceBang

How Many Days Old Are You?

As of 5/31/2005 6:17:00 PM…
I am 39 years old.
I am 472 months old.
I am 2,055 weeks old.
I am 14,382 days old.
I am 345,186 hours old.

Wanna know how I know?

http://www.paulsadowski.com/birthday.asp

All of which begs the question: which of those 14,82 would I live again, if I had the chance? Which would I throw out?

Et vouz, PeaceBangers?

New Obsession

A wonderful, downright saintly member of my congregation who has served as the Clerk of the church for 27 years has done this amazing thing: he has transferred all of the church records since 1642 onto DVD.

It took him seven years of painstaking scanning work. What an invaluable contribution to the study of American religious history, and particularly of Unitarianism.
So now I have over 360 years of church history on my computer at the the office and I’m totally mesmerized by it. I could well go blind reading the spidery hand of former pastors describing the births, deaths, christenings, church services and other observances they deemed worth recording. There is a heart-wrenching series of notations by a predecessor who was fired in the 1950’s, chronicling the series of events leading to his painful and prolonged departure.

There is a series of 17th century confessions of fornication, one of which I preached about this past February.

All hail church volunteers who keep the church militant and the church triumphant joined in such tangible ways, such that the stories of all our stories across the generations become one sacred narrative.

A Molly Ivins Column You Must See

[I don’t know if it’s acceptable blog etiquette to lift a column wholesale like this, but I wanted you to see every word, and especially to be seared by the testimony of Representative Senfronia Thompson. - P.B.]

Tuesday, May 24
by Molly Ivins
Austin, TX

Here in the National Laboratory for Bad Government, it’s Duck and Cover time — the Legislature is in session. The Can’t-Shake-Your-Booty bill passed the House, saving us all from thescourge of sexy cheerleaders. But nothing else is getting done. The state is being run by people who do not know how to govern. Keep in mind that based on past form, whatever lunacy is going on in Texas will eventually sweep the country. Rarely are the words of one state legislator worth national attention, but when Senfronia Thompson, a black representative from Houston, stalks to the back mike with a certain “get-out-of-my-way”look in her eye, it’s, Katie, bar the door. Here is Thompson speaking against the Legislature’s recent folly of putting a superfluous anti-gay marriage measure into the state constitution:

“I have been a member of this august body for three decades, and today is one of the all-time low points. We are going in the wrong direction, in the direction of hate and fear and discrimination. Members, we all know what this is about; this is the politics of divisiveness at it’s worst, a wedge issue that is meant to divide. “Members, this is a distraction from the real things we need to be working on. At the end of this session, this Legislature, this leadership will not be able to deliver the people of Texas fundamental and fair answers to the pressing issues of our day.
“Let’s look at what this amendment does not do: It does not give one Texas citizen meaningful tax relief. It does not reform or fully fund our education system. It does not restore one child to CHIP [Children’s Health Insurance Program] who was cut from health insurance last session. It does not put one dime into raising Texas ‘Third World’ access to health care. It does not do one thing to care for or protect one elderly person or one child in this state. In fact, it does not even do anything to protect one marriage. “Members, this bill is about hate and fear and discrimination. . . .

When I was a small girl, white folks used to talk about ‘protecting the institution of marriage’ as well. What they meant was if people of my color tried to marry people of Mr. Chisum’s color, you’d often find the people of my color hanging from a tree. . . . Fifty years ago, white folks thought interracial marriages were ‘a threat to the institution of marriage.’
“Members, I’m a Christian and a proud Christian. I read the good book and do my best to live by it. I have never read the verse where it says, ‘Gay people can’t marry.’ I have never read the verse where it says, ‘Thou shalt discriminate against those not like me.’ I have never read the verse where it says, ‘Let’s base our public policy on hate and fear and discrimination.’ Christianity to me is love and hope and faith and forgiveness — not hate and discrimination.
“I have served in this body a lot of years, and I have seen a lot of promises broken. . . . So . . . now that blacks and women have equal rights, you turn your hatred to homosexuals, and you still use your misguided reading of the Bible to justify your hatred. You want to pass this ridiculous amendment so you can go home and brag — brag about what? Declare that you saved the people of Texas from what?
“Persons of the same sex cannot get married in this state now. Texas law does not now recognize same-sex marriages, civil unions,religious unions, domestic partnerships, contractual arrangements or Christian blessings entered into in this state — or anywhere else on this planet Earth.
“If you want to make your hateful political statements then that is one thing — but the Chisum amendment does real harm. It repeals the contracts that many single people have paid thousands of dollars to purchase to obtain medical powers of attorney, powers of attorney, hospital visitation, joint ownership and support agreements. You have lost your way. This is obscene. . . .
“I thought we would be debating economic development, property tax relief, protecting seniors’ pensions and stem cell research to save lives of Texans who are waiting for a more abundant life. Instead we are wasting this body’s time with this political stunt that is nothing more than constitutionalizing discrimination. The prejudices exhibited by members of this body disgust me. “Last week, Republicans used a political wedge issue to pull kids –sweet little vulnerable kids — out of the homes of loving parentsand put them back in a state orphanage just because those parentsare gay. That’s disgusting. “I have listened to the arguments. I have listened to all of the crap. . . . I want you to know that this amendment [is] blowing smoke to fuel the hell-fire flames of bigotry.”

Then they passed the amendment.

[Herein ends the reading. All hail Senfronia Thompson, a prophet who is treated in her own home town exactly as Jesus expected she would be. — PeaceBang]

Kitties and Doggies Break

Okay, I was away from my cat for a week, and I forgot how funny she is. My favorite thing is when she walks into the kitchen squealing with a little yawn, stretches way out, and then falls over on her side in that exact position, splatting onto the floor like someone shot her. It’s hi-larious.

(*squeeeeeal… splat*)

So, PeaceBangers, what silly/stupid/endearing thing does your cat/dog/gerbil/snake/guinea pig do that makes it worth spending six hundred bucks a year on kibble and mashed chicken guts and chew toys?

Let’s hear from some of those lurkers out there! C’mon, don’t be shy!

She’s a Real Gem

Gem Sweater
Originally uploaded by Peacebang.

There are many reasons I love our church secretary: she’s warm-hearted and delightful, she’s funny, she’s conscientious and incredibly talented and a perfectionist, she has the most lovely phone manner you could ever ask for, she can find any graphic you want for the cover of the order of service, she’s a whiz with the newsletter (which is always perfect and always goes out on time), and she finds web sites like this:

http://www.lesliehall.com/8-sweaters.html

I’d Hate For You To Miss This

Two recent posts by one of my favorite bloggers, Dan of PlanetDan:

http://www.planetdan.net/blog/index.html

I am directing you toward the balloon Crucifix (”The Passion as Interpreted By Bonkers the Clown”) and the announcement of a new line of greeting cards for adulterers…

P.S. Did you see the “American Idol” finale? I watched it for the first time last week, just in time to see Vonzell get cut (is she gorgeous or what??) and Carrie and Bo progress to the insanity of the final competition.

The thing is a marvel of old school, Lawrence Welk-y “WOW, WOTTA SHOW” production values and direction, which I think is brill. They manage to be both incredibly cheezy and fun, and to wink at their fun cheeziness at the same time. I love Ryan Seacrest’s flaunty gay “I’m not gay” thing, and those three judges are the Wyrd sisters of American pop culture (doctoral thesis, someone? someone?) The contestants are sincere and adorable, and I love that it takes both vocal chops and mental stability to make it to the end. Carrie and Bo aren’t any better than really good karaoke singers I’ve known in my life; I love them because they represent all those unknown talents who will never get their day in the bright sun of huge, instant fame. Besides, they’re both shiny and sweet and hard-working, and … (omg, did you see the parents of that one black contestant in the audience? Looking like they were wearing costumes from “Ain’t Misbehavin?” Get out the TiVo. You cannot miss it. They were unbelievably smashing).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MR. EMERSON

sage of concord
Originally uploaded by Peacebang.

Dear Mr. Emerson,
Happy Birthday.

Thank you for “The Over-Soul,” and “History” and “Nature” and “Circles” and “Friendship,” and for admitting that it’s really awkward and difficult to make pastoral calls, and for loving and nurturing Bronson Alcott (the “tedious archangel”) and Margaret Fuller even though they worked your last nerve.

Thank you for keeping extensive and indexed journals so that we could see how your hurt about the way the Divinity School Address was criticized led you to pen “Self-Reliance,” and please accept our apologies that that fine essay has been forever after claimed by perpetual adolescents as an apologia for bone-headed immaturity.

They’re just not reading it.

Thank you for grieving that you could not adequately grieve your many losses, and for letting us into your miraculous mind through the auspices of your pen.

Thank you for declining to live at Fruitlands and for your gentle sarcasm and your immense kindness, and for teaching me that the best way to distract a fussy child is to ask him or her to go look at the sky and report back what it’s doing. Thank you for nurturing the heart-breakingly brilliant and cranky Henry Thoreau and for having him as a guest in your home and for planting so many pear trees, and for eating pie for breakfast (because I like to do that sometimes too).

Thank you for rising above your usual thoughtful, careful style of disagreement and venting your spleen about the evils of slavery and particularly about the Fugitive Slave Act, and please excuse us for not remembering that about you more.

I, for one, will never credit you with dealing the death blow to nascent American Unitarianism. I love you and your Muse, and I bless you for all your works.

Thank you also, Mr. Emerson, for all the friendships created between those who love you, and for … well, you know the rest. We talked about it that time I visited your grave in Concord in 1994.

Eros (1844)

The sense of the world is short, —

Long and various the report, –

To love and be beloved;

Men and gods have not outlearned it;

And, how oft soe’er they’ve turned it,

Not to be improved.

It would be a good day to spend a long time on this site:

http://www.rwe.org/comm/

By Request Only

mary kay
Originally uploaded by Peacebang.

Michael asked me to blog on this monumentally bizarre affaire d’amor.

Mikey, my provocative friend, I am afraid I have nothing worthwhile to say about it. It’s so absolutely unspeakably weird.

So let’s start with Mary Kay’s hair and see if that inspires me.

Her hair looks great now. No more fried jailhouse perm. I dare say this nasty cradle-snatcher looks…well…radiant. She could do a Pantene commercial any day.
I feel you, Breck Girl. I dig the slightly revolutionary chapeau. Is that a hip hop thing, or a Marxist thing, or what?

I think this next pic was taken back in the days when MK was a 30-something mother of four and that foxy li’l Vili Fualaau was something like… oh, I dunno… 12? 13?

Wow. How does this read to you? To me it reads Donna Reed Goes Very, Very Bad. Betty Rubble Does Dallas.

So, Peacebangers:
Is this a story of the vile exploitation and sexual manipulation of a minor?
Of course.

Is this the story of many emotionally ruined lives (to begin with, Mary Kay, Vili Fualaau, her 6 children… etc.)? Could be.

And is this possibly also an authentic love story?

PeaceBang doesn’t like to think so, but PeaceBang understands that all the Marie Fortune and Andrea Dworkin and Riane Eisler in the world can’t keep love from occasionally manifesting itself as a big, messy, chthonic ooze.

Folks, millions of people forge lasting relationships on foundations of exploitation, control, domination, sexual enthrallment and destruction of childhood innocence.

You probably even know a few of them, if you think about it hard enough.

So let’s just turn out the light on Mr. and Mrs. Fualaau and back slowly out of the room. I suppose after all these two have been through, they deserve some privacy.

But… yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuk.

Cold-Free Since October of 2004

Airborn
Originally uploaded by Peacebang.

I am such a fan of this stuff. I take them at the first sign of a cold and I haven’t had a full-blown cough since last fall. Considering that I spent much of December sharing water bottles and stage make-up with germy little child actors, and that I just spent two days with my adorable but crusty-nosed, hacking baby nephews, that’s pretty impressive.

I woke up with a sore throat and a slightly stuffy nose and headache yesterday in PA and pounded the Airborne, and then I flew home on bacteria-infested USAirways flight 1058. I drank two Emergen-C’s tonight and wanked a few Zicam nose swabs up my nose (I learned about Zicam from my pal Tracy Silva who used them all the time when we were in “Ragtime” together. Yes, I’m dropping her name. Google her and you’ll see why we’re all beaming with pride over her since last June).

I slummed for the evening with “American Idol” (my second time ever watching it — GO, BO BICE!) and even… yes… watched Kevin and Britney’s show. Like a train wreck. Could not look away.

Now I’m over-tired but so glad to be home, and heading off to my very own bed.