A Democratic/Socialist Manifesto

Every one's writing manifestos these days. The Tea-Party people have one. (Here's all I WILL say about the Tea Party Movement--Oh, Lordy, I have lots more to say, but will limit it to this--the Boston Tea Party was about the oppression of a foreign government...it wasn't about "our government"....'our government' is what we've got, get used to it, I have, and work positively FOR it, not AGAINST it. It is the only government we've got.....)

So, someone said to me the other day, "Obama is a 'socialist'."

This is in the same genus and species of those who say "Obama wasn't born in the US" or "Obama is a Muslim". He was born in Hawaii--which, so far as I know, is still a state--the westernmost state until a 8.6 earthquake breaks of parts of California and they float over near Japan. And, he is a Baptist. I wish he were an Episcopalian--I think he'd be happier with us except for the singing. And he is a socialist is the same way that Bill Gates is a middle class citizen.

What I say to people who tell me "Obama is a 'socialist'" is two fold:
*he is actually a moderate Democrat, AND
*I wish he were a socialist.....

I am a Democratic Socialist. I am astounded by how many people are so upset about 'the government'--actually, they usually pronounce it 'the GUV-MENT'. All I can imagine about that is that they never studied Civics.

Civics used to be taught in junior high and high school. In college it is called "Political Science". Now, I'm told, they teach "Social Studies". Civics taught you to not only 'trust' the government, but to love it. Either people have forgotten that or they had 'social studies' instead of civics.

I love the government.

I told someone that the other day and they laughed. Then I found out he was on Social Security and Medicare and lived in a city with a government that did all sorts of things he could never do for himself. Imagine that--he'd give up all that because he hates the 'guv-ment'.

Like everyone else at this time of year, I complain about my taxes. I'd like to pay less, obviously, but in the last analysis, I'd be glad to pay 'more' for more services of things I can't do for myself.

The Government picks up my trash every Wednesday. I'd have no idea what to do with it. The Government also recycles my trash that can be recycled saving me countless hassles doing it myself.

The Government plows the street I live on. I couldn't do that for myself.

The Government educates children--God help me if I got sent a dozen kids to teach!!!

The Government protects me and my family and my country through the armed services. I don't even own a gun and have no idea what a terrorist might be. God bless the government for doing that for me. And God bless those who protect me and make me safe.

The Government runs libraries for me. I can't afford many books and don't own many, but my Government gives me a place to find them.

The Government builds roads and bridges--I'd never get across a stream, much less the East River or the Hudson or the CT river if I had to figure out how to do that on my own.

In a few months I'll begin getting checks from Social Security at 63. OK, the government did try to convince me to wait until I was 70, but I want my money back soon. Where would I get that money without the Government? I will also, in a few years, be eligible for Medicare. (I know I said I wouldn't say anything else about the Tea Party idiots, but I lied. What amazes me is that a lot of the people who hate socialism get Social Security and are on Medicare. Those are 'socialistic' programs without compare!!!)

The Government keeps me from taking untested drugs, eating tainted food, having to control the environment all by myself and having to maintain national parks on my days off.

The Guv-ment also gives me police protection and does a great job of catching bad guys as well as white-collar bad guys. I couldn't do that for myself.

State Universities, by the way, are Guv-ment programs. I went to one along with lots of other people. I'm glad I didn't have to invent, build and fund a University just for me.....

I don't know a person who would say, with a straight face, "I LOVE my health insurance company". Most people I know hate their insurance company and feel over charged and under served. And many of those people get all crazy if someone suggests the Guv-ment is going to control their health care. The government ALREADY controls health care in a myriad of ways. What makes people think the government wouldn't do at least as 'awful' job as the private insurance companies (limited by 'guv-ment' already) that they hate? And those millions of people (is it 32 million, something like that?) who have no health care in the richest country the world has ever had...I don't hear them complaining about 'guv-ment' interference in their health care. In fact, they'd appreciate that and be healthier for it.

My neighbor told me that 'development' in Cheshire is pretty well done because of wet-land laws and other regulations. Hey, the 'guv-ment' did that and it is a good, by God, thing....

Every time I take the train to NYC to see Mimi or to Baltimore to see Josh/Cathy/the 3 girls, I need to thank the 'guv-ment' for subsidizing my journey. And every time I get on an airplane, trusting I am safe, I need to thank the government for that. Just like I know that baby aspirin I take at night and the toothpaste I use and the water I drink from my tap is safe--I couldn't do that for myself...the 'guv-ment' does that for me. God bless them.

I would gladly pay more taxes to have more Government assistance in the things I need and have to have for my connivance and safety. If there were no 'guv-ment', which many people seem to be suggesting their shouldn't be, it would be chaos, a nightmare, nature writ in tooth and claw.

I AM a Democrat--a 'yellow dog' one....I'd vote for a 'yellow dog' if it was on the Democratic line rather than Mother Teresa as a Republican.

AND, I am a socialist.

I became a socialist who loves and trusts the government with parents who were committed Republicans, by studying Civics.

I'd pay more taxes gladly to get Civics back into the public school curriculum.

This is my manifesto--everyone should have one....Ponder that, and write your own....

How can I say goodbye?

I dropped by the church this afternoon--Friday--though it is my day off...just to check in and say hi and be there. Just that.

I am confounded, befuddled, confused and bewildered by how I can possibly 'say good-bye' to this place and these people who have been a part of my life for so long, so fully and have healed me and made me whole in so many ways....

I'm down to 42 days and 6 Sundays and I'm terrified, frustrated, almost crazy with proleptic grief.

It has finally 'hit me' that this is for real--this isn't just another one of my schemes or ideas or plans. This is going to happen.

Maybe I'll drive down on Friday afternoon and sit in the parking lot of St. John's for a few months.

Maybe I'll just go crazy.

All will be well, I know that from the depths of my being.

Right now, I can't imagine that or deal with it.

How can I ever say 'good bye'?

one of those things to ponder....

So, I called a friend who is as big a WVU basketball fan as I am. ("Danger/danger" if you don't care about basketball skip to the last couple of paragraphs for this will be tedious for a while.)

Dashawn Butler is a basketball player for WVU. He is a wondrous athlete and a extremely good basketball player. In fact, in the over 100 years of WVU basketball, only 2 players have scored more points than him--Jerry West (the icon of West Virginia and the player who is depicted on the NBA logo) and Hot Rod Huntley, who not only played as a pro but was the only white man ever to be a team member of the Harlem Globetrotters! He was a 'hot rod' and became a well known basketball 'color' commentator. Jerry West (called 'Zeak from Cabin Creek" played basketball in high school for East Bank High School. After he led them to the state championship two years in a row, they renamed the town "West Bank" for a while.) I grew up trying to do the tricks Hot Rod did or be the cool customer Jerry West was. When Dashawn was asked about being third in scoring to the two of them, he said (historically accurately) "Both of them did it in 3 years in many fewer games. I'm just a guy who got to play a lot more. They are great, I'm lucky."

Quite a statement for a basketball star in 2010. After WVU won the Big East Tournament on a last second shot by Dashawn, his coach, Bob Huggins, told the interviewer that Dashawn is the most 'complete' player he's ever coached (this is a guy who has won more games as a college coach than any active coaches besides the coaches of Duke, Sryacuse and UConn) "but," he continued, a little teary--not like Bob at all!--"he is a much better person than he is a basketball player...."

I just get misty writing this stuff. Dashawn is all that an more. A genuinely wonderful young man of 22 or so.

I've been worried that he might not play pro ball--not that it would ruin his life--but I hoped it for him. But I knew he reminded me of someone who had a long and productive professional career, but I couldn't remembe who.

Then I did: it was Michael Cooper, a 6'7 guard for the LA Lakers (my favorite pro team since Jerry West played for them and was their general manager for years....). Like Michael Cooper, Dashawn is a 6'7 guard who plays tenacious defense, rebounds, can shoot a 3 or drive the lane, is quicker than he is fast and, by pro standards, is quite thin. When I remembered that Dashawn was like Michael Cooper, I called my friend to tell him.

(OK, here's where non-basketball folks can come back....)

My friend answered the phone and I said, "Michael Cooper. That's who Dashawn is like. He CAN play pro ball...."

After a pause, my friend said, "do you know I almost broke my neck trying to get to the phone and all you have to say is 'Michael Cooper'?"

Well, that was pretty much the end of that. But here's what I've pondered since:
*all I did was make a phone call
*what I had to say, I thought, would be interesting to my friend here in the midst of March Madness--WVU won by 29 in the first round, by the way....
*I never told him he needed to almost break his neck to get to the phone--he has an answering service, let it pick up for goodness sake!

What I've pondered under my castor oil tree is this: how many times, in much more serious situations, do I blame others for my inconvenience, annoyance, near mishaps, etc., etc.....?

A lot I believe....and all they were trying to do was to be helpful or tell me something they thought I'd want to here or simply be a part of my life. And I blame them for my misery.

I should make a list and go apologize for all the times I can remember that I blamed someone else for my discomfort, confusion, pain, bad day.....

That might be worth pondering.....

What I won't miss....

I spent a couple of hours today out on the back steps and in the church trying to think of what I won't miss when I leave St. John's.

I came up with almost nothing.

I think I won't miss messing with the diocese and bishops so much--but that's just me and my resentment of authority.

I think I won't miss the stuff about taking care of the buildings--but I don't do that anyway, other people handle that stuff.

I think I won't miss the requests I get to do something or the other because I'm Rector of the big down-town church. But since I ignore most of that anyway, how can I 'not miss it' too much?

Truth is there is nothing much I 'won't miss' about being Rector of St. John's. Almost everything about being Rector of St. John's is stuff I will miss and miss desperately.

So, 'poor me', I guess. I am going to miss all this...all this...so damn much....

If you ever think "you know"--stop it...

You never know. That's my mantra and one that serves me well as the Rector of a remarkably diverse, outreach driven urban parish. You just never know.

A local choral group is singing as a benefit for the Soup Kitchen/Food Closet housed at St. John's. The director of the Soup Kitchen was inviting volunteers to consider coming and one of them, a woman who is probably late 40's early 50's (I hope I'm not too far off) who is a nursing student and volunteers several days a week told the director she's be glad to come and sing.

Barbara had to explain it was a concert that had singers but the woman did a little bit of a spiritual hymn for her so Barbara came to find me. It turns out this woman once was a vocalist for Count Basie's band. She did the first verse of "Swing Low" out in the hall of the church office and it made the hair stand up on the back of my neck.

"What do you do on Sunday morning?" I asked her.

"I go to church," she told me.

"How about coming here?" I responded.

I hadn't known she was working on a nursing degree and I certainly had no idea she could sing like an angel.

Most of the people I run into around here have something that shocks and surprises and delights me to share--and I never imagine that.

You just never know what's all around you, especially in a place like this....

there is a God...

At the 8 am eucharist last sunday, the day of beginning daylight savings time ("Spring forward, Fall back" I had to tell myself a dozen times or more before changing my alarm clock) I was very tired. I'd stayed up until 12:15 a.m. or so watching West Virginia University defeat Georgetown University for the Big East title (Go Mountaineers!!!) When I started to bed I realized it wasn't under 'spring forward' rules 12:15 a.m. at all--it was 1:15 a.m.

(Actually, according to the way we do it, you are supposed to wake up at 2 am and move your clock ahead to 3 am since that is 'really' when DST starts. Does anyone in the universe do that? I think not.)

So, I went to bed at what passed as 1:15 (time being relative, after all) and got up at 6:25. I normally sleep at least 8 hours and more often 9 hours. I love to sleep, perchance to dream, and I do have lots and lots of dreams--many of which these days are 'anxiety' dreams since my life is going to change so radically in a month and a half. But, never mind, I love to sleep. I went through decades of not sleeping well and now I do. I can sometimes, on a Friday, not wake up until 10 am or so. God bless me.

So 5 hours of sleep is not enough, not enough, Great God Almighty, not enough. I was a mess at the 8 am service and just as I was breaking the bread I realized I had to go to the bathroom in the worst way. (Harriet told me never to share this, but I must because I have so few boundaries....)

So I told Fred to distribute the bread and then do the laying on of hands and Bob would do the wine and I'd be back as quickly as possible.

I rushed to the little bathroom off the vesting room, trying to free myself from robes and chasubles and all the accoutrement's of priesthood before I soiled myself.

And that was when I was given a 'proof' of the existence of God....A voice said to me, "TURN OFF YOUR MICROPHONE", and I did, sparing the folks receiving the sacrament from the sounds of my relieving myself of all my burdens.

God, I believe, told me to do that.

So, there is a God, in case you were wondering....God bless God.....

church like it isn't most places

A couple of Tuesdays ago, St. John's shopping cart lady, who has been semi-adopted and mostly tamed by a couple in the church, happened in to our clericus Eucharist in the chapel. She called my "Jimmy Baby" and gave me a pineapple hard candy.

I told her we were having church and she could stay if she wanted. She did and did most of the responses of the people. We pass the elements at that small service, so I passed the plate with wafers to her, said, 'The Body of Christ" and told her to pass it on to David. Well, instead, she decided to carry the paten around the room. When she got to one priest, not used to such on the spot liturgical innovation, she said "Go on, Take one...."

I've decided the next revision of the Eucharist should change the words of distribution to:
Priest: "Go on, take one...."
Communicate: "Thank you, I will...."

Church like this happens at St. John's all the time. I'm not sure it happens in 99.5% of other Episcopal Churches. I wish it did, but I doubt it, woe be unto the church at large....

Go on, take one...taste and see how sweet the Lord can be....