O.K. The World Has Officially Gone Crazy!

During the course of this past week three issues came to my attention that have me wondering just how ridiculous people will ultimately become in terms of their prejudices, bias and downright contempt for other people...

1) And you thought we had come a long way on the issue of race over the past 50 years. Consider the case of a Louisiana Justice of the Peace, Keith Bardwell, who refuses to marry an interracial couples. Here's the Associated Press release on the story:

AP) NEW ORLEANS A Louisiana justice of the peace said he refused to issue a marriage license to an interracial couple out of concern for any children the couple might have. Keith Bardwell, justice of the peace in Tangipahoa Parish, says it is his experience that most interracial marriages do not last long.

"I'm not a racist. I just don't believe in mixing the races that way," Bardwell told the Associated Press on Thursday. "I have piles and piles of black friends. They come to my home, I marry them, they use my bathroom. I treat them just like everyone else."

Bardwell said he asks everyone who calls about marriage if they are a mixed race couple. If they are, he does not marry them, he said.

Bardwell said he has discussed the topic with blacks and whites, along with witnessing some interracial marriages. He came to the conclusion that most of black society does not readily accept offspring of such relationships, and neither does white society, he said.

"There is a problem with both groups accepting a child from such a marriage," Bardwell said. "I think those children suffer and I won't help put them through it."

If he did an interracial marriage for one couple, he must do the same for all, he said. "I try to treat everyone equally," he said.

Bardwell estimates that he has refused to marry about four couples during his career, all in the past 2 1/2 years.


2) How literally do the so-called Bible Believing folk really take the Bible? Or are we now seeing that many of them aren't simply satisfied any longer with being selective literalists, but have decided that being revisionist is o.k. after all? That is as long as the revision verifies their beliefs. Here's the story:

I read in "The Tennessean" newspaper, "Andy Schlafly, founder of Conservapedia.com, wants to save the Scriptures from liberals with his latest venture, the Conservative Bible Project. He says translations like the New International Version have added socialist ideals to the Good Book. But his rewrite of the Bible has drawn criticism from biblical scholars, liberals and conservatives.

Schlafly, the son of national political activist Phyllis Schlafly, says a conservative Bible should be masculine, for example, using the words mankind and man rather than more inclusive language. It also should shun terms like laborer or comrade. It also should put a free market spin on the sayings of Jesus."

3) Finally, 30 US Senators voted against Al Franken's proposal to get rid of an old clause in government contracts, that makes it impossible for someone to sue if they are raped on the job. Say What??? John Stewart picked up on this one on the Daily Show and you can watch his satirical attack here:
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-october-14-2009/rape-nuts
It would be funny if it weren't so sad and offensive.


My friends... pray for our land and its people!

A Gathering of Progressive United Methodists

Gathering of Progressive United Methodists in the newly forming Upstate New York Annual Conference

Saturday, September 26th

@ the Fayetteville UMC

(601 East Genesee Street, Fayetteville, NY 13066)
~ Click here to go to Yahoo Maps and view location ~


11 AM to 3 PM


Lunch will be Provided


No cost


Besides getting to know each other and building a sense of fellowship...
We'll be addressing the following issues:

     1) What do we mean by Progressive United Methodists ~ bring your definition and ideas.


     2) Getting organized in the New Upstate New York Annual Conference Area - What are the progressive issues that we hope will get addressed in the life and ministry of our new Annual Conference and across New York State? We will share ideas, resources, and (it is hoped) begin to discover our voice in our new Annual Conference.

          A) Inclusivenes Issues - In the United Methodist Church (membership, ordination, Social Principles). In NY State - GENDA (Gender Non-Discrimination Act, Dignity for All Students legislation), Marriage Equality.

          B) Race & White Privilege - What groups have been at work in our separate Annual Conferences and what can we do and build together?

          C) Environmental Issues - Who is doing what in the UMC and Upstate NY?

          D) Immigration Issues & Reform - What does the UMC have to say about Immigration Reform and what resources are out there to help congregations understand the better?

          E) Farmworkers Rights - Where are we in the UMC and Upstate New York?

          F) Poverty Issues - Urban & Rural, Healthcare Reform, and Welfare Reform.

          G) Other Issues? - Email your ideas!


     3) Preparing for General Conference 2012 ~ By the time our New Upstate New York Annual Conference Area has organized and finished with the formalities of the Unifying Conference Session, we will have less than a year to prepare for drafting legislation and the election of delegates.


Click here to email Steve Clunn at sclunn@yahoo.com
to let us know you're coming and what ideas you have.

Troy Annual Conference Dinner

Join us at Troy Annual Conference 2009
Annual Dinner: Friday, June 12th
@ The Saratoga City Center - 5:30 to 7 PM

Guest Speaker: Mark Harrison

The Director of Peace With Justice Ministries
for the General Board of Church and Society
of the United Methodist Church

Join us for the annual dinner meeting! Our annual meeting will be held at 5:30pm on Friday June 12, during the Annual Conference Session at the Saratoga Springs City Center (522 Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY). This year we will welcome Mark Harrison from the General Board of Church & Society who will speak about Engaging United Methodists in Overcoming Global Poverty. As always, we will be electing officers, networking, and renewing memberships. Please make sure you contact Wally Davis at the Conference office (wallyd@troyac.org or 518-584-8214x10) if you plan to attend. Mark W. Harrison serves at the Director of the Peace with Justice Program. His major responsibilities are war and peace, global poverty and hunger. He also administers the agency's Peace with Justice Grant Program. His lifetime work has given him an understanding of the workings of the U.S. Congress and the United Nations. He has attended numerous ecumenical and non-governmental organizations gathering. Mark has an undergraduate degree in Urban Studies and a graduate degree in International Studies. He served as a Mission Intern in Botswana for the General Board of Global Ministries. He has lived in Italy, enjoys traveling and music. The Peace with Justice Program aims to make shalom visible and active in people's lives and communities. The General Conference assigned the General Board of Church and Society to implement the program and called the church to "strengthen its capacity to act as a public policy advocate" in communities and nations throughout the world.

---

Important Information for
Voting Members of the Annual Conference!

Go to www..unymfsa.org/ac.html to download and read a 12 page document that the National MSFA leadership has put together regarding proposed changes to the United Methodist Constitution. If you are not a voting member of Conference, please forward this information to someone who is!

What Was The NY Post Thinking - Not?

The New York Post published (February 18) the political cartoon shown here, depicting two police officers standing over the carcass of a bullet-riddled chimpanzee, with the animal representing the author of the stimulus package.

What were they thinking at the Post? Most likely they weren't! The decision to run this cartoon was not only irresponsible, but racist and hurtful. It seems unthinkable that an editor of a major newspaper with a multi-cultural readership would not understand (or ignore) the history of Black people being depicted as monkeys and apes. Worse, when confronted, Post editor Col Allan dismissed people's concerns as baseless.

If you find this publication and response unacceptable, you can respond in several different ways:
1) Please go to http://www.colorofchange.org/nypost/?id=1268-827362 and send an email to
Col Allen, New York Post Editor-in-Chief.
2) You can write or call the New York Post directly at:
C/O Col Allen, New York Post Editor-in-Chief
1211 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10036-8790
(212) 930-8000

Since Publicizing The Cartoon...

1) An internal email from New York Post editor, Sandra Guzman, was released publicly. In it, she distanced herself from the Sean Delonas' cartoon by stating that she had nothing to do with it; saw it for the first time in print, like the rest of the world; and, has expressed her displeasure to management. In an untypical fashion, the inner dissension among employees at the Post has leaked out and become public.

2) The New York Post did issue a "sort-of" apology on its website (February 19) as a result of growing criticism. As a half-hearted apology, it almost didn't do justice to the concept of an apology. Here's what it said, under the heading "That Cartoon," in its entirety:

Wednesday's Page Six cartoon - caricaturing Monday's police shooting of a chimpanzee in Connecticut - has created considerable controversy.

It shows two police officers standing over the chimp's body: "They'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill," one officer says.

It was meant to mock an ineptly written federal stimulus bill.

Period.

But it has been taken as something else - as a depiction of President Obama, as a thinly veiled expression of racism.

This most certainly was not its intent; to those who were offended by the image, we apologize.

However, there are some in the media and in public life who have had differences with The Post in the past - and they see the incident as an opportunity for payback.

To them, no apology is due.

Sometimes a cartoon is just a cartoon - even as the opportunists seek to make it something else.

My Response to the Cartoon:

I was deeply saddened to learn of the New York Post's recent publication of Sean Delonas' cartoon depicting a bullet-riddled chimpanzee, killed by what seemed to be white policemen. The caption, “They’ll have to find some else to write the next stimulus bill," obviously implied that President Obama was to be symbolized by the dead chimpanzee. Since President Obama is seen as the author of the current stimulus package and is also a Black man, it is impossible to imagine that anyone would claim that this imagery was not intended to evoke the past racially-charged comparisons of Black people to monkeys. This either points to editorial ignorance or down-right racism on the part of your editorial staff. Shame on the Post and shame on the way you are trying to down-play what has been done!

Yes, I know that the recent shooting of a chimpanzee by a police officer has been in the news, but to make this comparison goes far beyond irresponsible – it’s unconscionable!

I was appalled by the Post's sole response to readers who found the image to have racist undertones. The ridiculous attempt by Col Allan, issued Wednesday, to play down this issue is a denial of historical reality. For him to claim ignorance of this history raises questions about his ability to effectively lead a daily newspaper geared toward a mainstream and multiracial audience.

I am writing to insist that you publish an apology. I also ask that whichever editor approved Delonas' cartoon for publication be terminated. Do the right thing and take some responsibility for this egregious act!

Please publish an apology that acknowledges that it was a mistake for the Post to publish this cartoon within the next two weeks, or I intend to bring legislation before my denominational body (The United Methodist Church) to ask for members to consider boycotting your paper as both readers and advertisers. I will also be talking with my colleagues in other denominations asking that they do the same. I look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,
Rev. Steve Clunn

My Response to the Half-Hearted Apology:

Dear Mr. Carlucci,
Publisher, New York Post

"NOT GOOD ENOUGH!"

Your half-hearted attempt at an apology; one that holds no one accountable for your cartoon's racist portrayal of President Obama and that acknowledges no wrong on your part is simply an insult!

I am not one of your enemies or "opportunists." However, I was and continue to be deeply offended by your practice of allowing such a cartoon to be published and then not taking any responsibility for your egregious mistake.

To post this half-hearted apology on the internet, rather than publishing it in your newspaper (as you did the cartoon) adds insult to injury.

I will continue to wait the two weeks that I mentioned in my earlier email to you, for a "real" apology (that admits your mistake) to be published in your paper. If this does not happen, I will move forward with calling for my denomination (United Methodist) and others to lead a boycott in readership and advertising of the Post.

Very Sincerely,
Rev. Steve Clunn

What Happened to Bishop Gene Robinson's Prayer for President Obama?

"Sunday afternoon, HBO televised the Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial — a concert planned by the Presidential Inauguration Committee — to kick off the festivities surrounding Obama's inauguration on Tuesday.

Openly gay bishop Gene Robinson delivered the opening prayer before the start of the concert, but the prayer was not included as part of HBO's broadcast.

Contacted Sunday night by AfterElton.com concerning the exclusion of Robinson's prayer, HBO said via email, 'The producer of the concert has said that the Presidential Inaugural Committee made the decision to keep the invocation as part of the pre-show.'"

To get more of the story: check out
Michael Jensen’s Blog: AfterElton

Below is the text of Gene Robinson's Prayer for President-elect Barack Obama:

(Click Here: to View the Prayer on You Tube)

A Prayer for the Nation and Our Next President, Barack Obama
by
The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire
Opening Inaugural Event ~ Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC
January 18, 2009

Welcome to Washington! The fun is about to begin, but first, please join me in pausing for a moment, to ask God’s blessing upon our nation and our next president.

O God of our many understandings, we pray that you will…

Bless us with tears – for a world in which over a billion people exist on less than a dollar a day, where young women from many lands are beaten and raped for wanting an education, and thousands die daily from malnutrition, malaria, and AIDS.

Bless us with anger – at discrimination, at home and abroad, against refugees and immigrants, women, people of color, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

Bless us with discomfort – at the easy, simplistic “answers” we’ve preferred to hear from our politicians, instead of the truth, about ourselves and the world, which we need to face if we are going to rise to the challenges of the future.

Bless us with patience – and the knowledge that none of what ails us will be “fixed” anytime soon, and the understanding that our new president is a human being, not a messiah.

Bless us with humility – open to understanding that our own needs must always be balanced with those of the world.

Bless us with freedom from mere tolerance – replacing it with a genuine respect and warm embrace of our differences, and an understanding that in our diversity, we are stronger.

Bless us with compassion and generosity – remembering that every religion’s God judges us by the way we care for the most vulnerable in the human community, whether across town or across the world.

And God, we give you thanks for your child Barack, as he assumes the office of President of the United States.

Give him wisdom beyond his years, and inspire him with Lincoln’s reconciling leadership style, President Kennedy’s ability to enlist our best efforts, and Dr. King’s dream of a nation for ALL the people.

Give him a quiet heart, for our Ship of State needs a steady, calm captain in these times.

Give him stirring words, for we will need to be inspired and motivated to make the personal and common sacrifices necessary to facing the challenges ahead.

Make him color-blind, reminding him of his own words that under his leadership, there will be neither red nor blue states, but the United States.

Help him remember his own oppression as a minority, drawing on that experience of discrimination, that he might seek to change the lives of those who are still its victims.

Give him the strength to find family time and privacy, and help him remember that even though he is president, a father only gets one shot at his daughters’ childhoods.

And please, God, keep him safe. We know we ask too much of our presidents, and we’re asking FAR too much of this one. We know the risk he and his wife are taking for all of us, and we implore you, O good and great God, to keep him safe. Hold him in the palm of your hand – that he might do the work we have called him to do, that he might find joy in this impossible calling, and that in the end, he might lead us as a nation to a place of integrity, prosperity and peace.

AMEN.

With all of the controversy that has been building around the choice of Rick Warren to give the invocation at President-Elect Obama's inauguration, based on Mr. Warren's anti-LGBT stance; is it any wonder that members of the LGBT communities are feeling slighted? I hope this isn't a sign of things to come.