Keywords by David Yonke

Have you read Maureen Dowd's recent column on the Vatican's two investigations of American nuns? The New York Times writer has some strong words for the Pope, saying things that would be inappropriate for a news story but are fitting for a column.
She mentions Toledo Bishop Leonard Blair and local Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur.

Here is a copy of her column:

Maureen Dowd:
The nuns' story
The church still treats them like second-class citizens
Monday, October 26, 2009
WASHINGTON -- Once, in the first grade, I was late for class. I started crying in the schoolyard, terrified to go in and face the formidable Sister Hiltruda.

Father Montgomery, who looked like a handsome young priest out of a 1930s movie, found me cowering and took my hand, leading me into the classroom.

Sister Hiltruda looked ready to pop, but she couldn't say a word to me, then or ever. There was no more unassailable patriarchy than the Catholic Church.

Nuns were second-class citizens then and -- 40 years after feminism utterly changed America -- they still are. The matter of women as priests is closed, a forbidden topic.

In 2004, the cardinal who would become Pope Benedict XVI wrote a Vatican document urging women to be submissive partners, resisting any adversarial roles with men and cultivating "feminine values" like "listening, welcoming, humility, faithfulness, praise and waiting."

Nuns need to be even more sepia-toned for the uber-conservative pope, who was christened "God's Rottweiler" for his enforcement of orthodoxy. Once a conscripted member of the Hitler Youth, Benedict pardoned a schismatic bishop who claimed that there was no Nazi gas chamber. He also argued on a trip to Africa that distributing condoms could make the AIDS crisis worse.

The Vatican is now conducting two inquisitions into the "quality of life" of American nuns, a dwindling group with an average age of about 70, hoping to herd them back into their old-fashioned habits and convents and curb any speck of modernity or independence.

Nuns who took Vatican II as a mandate for reimagining their mission "started to look uppity to an awful lot of bishops and priests and, of course, the Vatican," said Kenneth Briggs, the author of "Double Crossed: Uncovering the Catholic Church's Betrayal of American Nuns."

The church enabled rampant pedophilia, but nuns who live in apartments and do social work with ailing gays? Sacrilegious! The pope can wear Serengeti sunglasses and expensive red loafers, but shorter hems for nuns? Disgraceful!

"It's a tragedy because nuns are the jewels of the system," said Bob Bennett, the Washington lawyer who led the church's lay inquiry into the pedophilia scandal. "I was of the view that if they had been listened to more, some of this stuff wouldn't have happened."

As the Vatican is trying to wall off the "brides of Christ," Cask of Amontillado style, it is welcoming extreme-right Anglicans into the Catholic Church -- the ones who are disgruntled about female priests and openly gay bishops. Il Papa is even willing to bend Rome's most doggedly held dogma, against married priests -- as long as they're clutching the Anglicans' Book of Common Prayer.

"Most of the Anglicans who want to move over to the Catholic Church under this deal are people who have scorned women as priests and have scorned gay people," Briggs said. "The Vatican doesn't care that these people are motivated by disdain."

The nuns are pushing back a bit, but it's hard, since the church has decreed that women can't be adversarial to men. A nun writing in Commonweal as "Sister X" protests, "American women religious are being bullied."

She recalls that Bishop Leonard Blair of Toledo, Ohio, who heads one of the investigations, moved a meeting at the University of Notre Dame off campus to protest a performance of "The Vagina Monologues." "It is the rare bishop," Sister X writes, "who has any real understanding of the lives women actually lead."

The church can be flexible, except with women. Laurie Goodstein, the Times' religion writer, reported this month on an Illinois woman who had a son with a Franciscan priest. The church agreed to child support but was stingy with money for college and for doctors, once the son got terminal cancer. The priest had never been disciplined and was a pastor in Wisconsin -- until he hit the front page. Even then, "Father" Willenborg was suspended only because the woman said that he had pressed her to have an abortion and that he had also had a sexual relationship with a teenager. (Maybe the church shouldn't be so obdurate on condoms.)

When then-Cardinal Ratzinger was "The Enforcer" in Rome, he investigated and disciplined two American nuns. One, Jeannine Gramick, then of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, founded a ministry to reconcile gays with the church, which regards homosexual desires as "disordered." The other, Mary Agnes Mansour of the Sisters of Mercy, headed the Michigan Department of Social Services, which, among other things, paid for abortions for poor women.

Marcy Kaptur, a Democratic congresswoman from Toledo and one of Blair's flock, got a resolution passed commending nuns for their humble service and sacrifice. "The Vatican's in another country," she said. "Maybe people do things differently there. Perhaps the Holy Spirit will intervene."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maureen Dowd is a syndicated columnist for The New York Times.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

National Community Church, the progressive Assembly of God church in Washington DC led by Mark Batterson, had to relocate on short notice.
The church has been meeting in a movie theater in Union Station for 13 years, but the theater owner told Batterson on Oct4. 12 that it was closing its doors -- and gave the minister only 6 days' notice.
NCC had to scramble. They have other meeting sites, and relocated their Union Station services to a coffee shop it runs called Ebenezer's.
Batterson told the Washington Post that a church is not a building, it's the people. That's exactly true, but they also need to meet somewhere...
Here's a link to the Post article.
* * *
I read Donald Miller's new book, "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years," and was not overly impressed. It's more self-centered than his other works, if that's possible, although I think Miller's a brilliant guy and a decent writer.
He's speaking in our area tomorrow night. So I called him for an interview and it was terrible, one of the worst in memory for me. Maybe because I had high hopes. But he was boring, did not expand on any questions or ideas, and seemed totally disinterested and half asleep. I was glad to hang up after an excrutiating 15 minutes.
I have interviewed thousands of people and this was one of the worst interviews I've ever done. But I've also learned that sometimes you just catch a person on a bad day. I've had some terrible interviews with people and then had terrific interviews with them at a later time.

Scott Calhoun, a professor at Cedarville University in Ohio, organized the world's first academic conference on U2, held last month in Durham, N.C.
The professor has also written an essay for the periodical Books & Culture: A Christian Review, entitled "Where Do We Go From Here: The State of U2 Studies."
Here is a link to the article.
It's a broad look at the Irish rockers, their message, their mission, and how academia views it all.
There's one newsworthy note, however: The band is planning to release a new album in early 2010 titled "Songs of Ascent."
Here's what the ever-colorful Bono has to say about the new material:

"We're making a kind of heartbreaker, a meditative, reflective piece of work, but not indulgent. It will all have a clear mood, like [Miles Davis'] Kind of Blue. Or [John Coltrane's] A Love Supreme would be a point of reference, for the space it occupies in people's lives, which is to say, with that album, I almost take my shoes off to listen to it."

By the way, I just posted some of my photos from U2's Oct. 9 concert in Tampa, Fla., on my Facebook page (including the photo above). The pics came out OK, especially considering I was about a mile away from the stage (kind of sad that "the cheap seats" cost $100 a pop).

I got this press release via email today... it's always exciting when Jimmy releases a new disc. He's one of the greatest story tellers of our day and he has a great ear for melody. OK, it's true that some of his songs are morally questionable and I delete those from my personal playlist. The vast majority of his music is relaxing, enjoyable, and stirs warm feelings of boats, beaches and harbors, which usually puts me in a good mood. Buffett's tunes have helped get me through many cold Ohio winters. -- David.

JIMMY BUFFETT RELEASES NEW STUDIO ALBUM ON DECEMBER 8

“I actually didn't go to the desert with the pre-conceived notion of returning with an album. I went looking for stories. And stories are still the things good songs are made of. The story that sparked the song, 'Buffet Hotel,' which eventually turned into the title track and name of this album, began the minute we set foot on the patio of the infamous Hotel De La Gare Buffet in the Bamako train station, better known as Le Buffet Hotel.”__

Jimmy Buffett's new album, Buffet Hotel (one t), is his first studio record since 2006. Produced by Coral Reefers Mike Utley and Mac McAnally, the album is scheduled for release on December 8. It contains 12 new songs plus a 24 page booklet. Inside fans will find “Lost In The Sahara - A Desert Memoir From Jimmy Buffett,” a rich description of his adventures in Mali that inspired the record, plus liner notes for each song. The album was recorded in London, Nashville, Chicago, Long Island, Muscle Shoals, and Bamako in Mali.

__The title cut has a strong West African influence and was conceived during a trip to the “Festival In The Desert,” a music festival that takes place annually near Timbuktu, Mali. “It was one of the best musical experiences of my life,” said Jimmy. It was there that Jimmy ran across the Buffet Hotel, an old colonial era train station/hotel where the music scene flourished in Mali after its independence in 1960.__

After Jimmy started writing for Buffet Hotel he decided to introduce three of the new songs into his 2009 set list. They are “Summerzcool,” the quintessential beach song, which became the 2009 tour name; “A Lot To Drink About,” a commentary on current events; and “Surfing In A Hurricane,” the first surf song Jimmy has ever written. __

Says Jimmy, “It was an oasis on the banks of the Niger River, not on an island or a boat, where this group of songs started spinning around in my brain.” For more details, check-in to Buffet Hotel - grand opening December 8!

I went to see the premiere of the documentary film "I Heart Revolution" last night, a film made by the band and crew of Hillsong United during three years of traveling the world playing concerts.
The movie was kind of disjointed at first but then really picked up steam as it focused on the people, places and faces the band encountered away from the spotlight.
It's really a call to action for social justice, for people who are blessed with much to help those who are scraping to get by.
The needs shown in the film are heartbreaking, from child prostitutes in India to people living in garbage dumps in South America.
Anyone who sees this film and does not feel a tug on their hearts has to have no conscience or compassion left in their soul.
I'll be writing about the movie for an article to be published Saturday, 11/7.

U2 played a 6-song mini-concert at the Brandenberg Gate on Thursday, part of a celebration marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
The 10,000 tickets for the concert were distributed free via the internet.
All well and good.
Unfortunately, the view of the show was blocked by a 6 1/2 foot metal barrier for people who showed up without tickets.
A witty NPR commentator called it "The Irony Curtain."
You can read National Public Radio's news report here.

There's a great website for Saab fans called www.saabnet.com. I often peruse the classifieds just for fun. Here's an amusing, if sad, Saab story in the site's for-sale postings:

1994 Saab 900 Turbo Convertible

Color: Dark Green Trans: Automatic Mileage: 93,564 Price: $800 OBO

1994 Saab 900 Turbo. Located in Antioch California. Bought this car for my wife in January. Purchased it for $1500. Tune up. $200.00. Then a radiator coupling cracked. Special order from Sweden. $300.00. Then the battery went out. $75.00. Then someone tried to break into it and warped the drivers side power window track. $400.00. Then the brakes needed replacement. $200.00. Then the tranny started slipping... priceless. Using this car for target practice... would be even more priceless. Come take this thing away before I make myself feel better by putting shotgun holes through her grill!!! This P.O.S. starts right up. The motor is very strong. Has a kick ass stereo system with detachable face, cd, and MP3 hook up in glove box. Leather seats in good shape. Needs a top, there is some duct tape holding a few rips together, but still functions well. Needs a tranny (I think, but I'll be damned if I'll sink another red cent into this %#&*%# car!!!). She still engages in reverse, but drive will get you nowhere. Unless you use gravity to drive her off a cliff. Just give me a picture of the smoking remains so that I can feel better about karma and life in general. Or be the first person to drive this car in reverse to Timbuktu. What do I care??? Just take this Swedish meatball away before I do something stupid like drop it on Saab Headquarters from a helicopter. First reasonable offer takes her away AS IS. Feel free to ask for more pics or questions, or call. Thanks for looking. Save a Saab today!!
Contact: David Howard, Antioch CA
Email: Click Here
Phone: 925-348-6890

... what's the story behind this photo?

I just got back from a concert by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. This band is simply incredible. Nobody puts more into a show than TSO... some say the initials should stand for Total Sensory Overload.
More pyro, more lights, more sound, more lasers, more video, more smoke, more singers, more power, more dancing girls than any other band on earth and that includes Kiss and the Stones and U2.
I know it's not a fair comparison in many ways, and I don't want to rate the TSO with those bands in terms of musical history, but as far as sheer force of willpower and determination to put on a show you won't ever be able forget, Trans-Siberian Orchestra tops the list.
If you've never seen them before this is a show you have to see at least once.
Trust me. It doesn't matter what your musical preferences are or what age you are.
You won't be disappointed.

One thing I've learned over the years is that whenever I try to help someone out, I end up being the person who benefits the most.
For example, on Friday night a group from our church went down to the Sparrow's Nest, a homeless shelter for women, for an outreach program. Our pastor, Chad Gilligan, had challenged the congregation to get outside of the box and help out someone who's not in your usual social circle.
One of our "life group" members is on the board that oversees Sparrow's Nest, so that's where we went.
We started out with a few songs, leading about 40 women in singing some contemporary praise tunes. We had a small band -- keyboards, trumpet, and I played guitar, plus vocals.
Then we shared some inspirational stories from a Moody Bible study, focusing on giving thanks.
After that we dished out some ice cream with all the toppings so people could make sundaes as they like it.
We hung out for an hour afterward just to visit.
I was surprised at how much the women truly appreciated our little effort. They kept saying they wanted us to come back and I could tell they weren't just saying it. We're looking at scheduling another visit in December to sing Christmas carols.
A few hours in a homeless shelter will make you take a new look at your own life. How could you leave there and not "count your blessings"?

I got an email from someone expressing outrage over the size and expense of First Lady Michelle Obama's office staff.

Interestingly, the email account is basically accurate on the number of people (22) and the tax-funded payroll ($1.59 million/year), but it veers way off track when it claims that her predecessor, Laura Bush, had a staff of 1.
According to Snopes.com, a free website that I wish everyone would check before forwarding emails -- especially the politically pointed ones -- Laura Bush had 24 to 26 people on her staff and Lady Bird Johnson had 30.
Whatever one's political views, please be responsible about the information you pass on.
Way too much inaccurate or malicious emails get forwarded endlessly without the sender taking a moment to check the veracity.

Here is a link to the Snopes report that includes the content of the email that lists Michelle Obama's paid staff.

Bruce Springsteen committed the Spinal Tap-style faux pas last weekend when he greeted fans at Michigan's Palace of Auburn Hills by saying "Hello, Ohio!"
And the Bruceman said Ohio three times before band member Steve Van Zandt could correct him.
Well, Ohio's such a great state you can't blame Bruce for thinking about it. Right? Just kidding.
Almost every crowd and stage looks the same from the spotlight, so Springsteen should have taken a precaution that many touring bands do -- have a written reminder displayed on the platform.
When Alice Cooper played in Toledo in August, I was walking around the stage hours before the concert started and saw a large piece of masking tape on the back of a metal prop, located center-stage, with the word "COLUMBUS" written in black magic marker.
An hour later, I looked and a new piece of tape was in its place with "TOLEDO" written on it.
The tour veteran Cooper has his crew write down the location to prevent him from looking stupid when he greets his fans.
Springsteen looked a little foolish, but it's not that big of a deal. Here's the inside scoop about it from rollingstone.com's interview with Van Zandt:

“The first time I was like ‘Did I just hear that?’ The second time I looked at [bassist] Garry [Tallent] and said, ‘Did you hear what I just heard?’ At that point I knew I had to get Bruce’s attention, but I couldn’t get it through the rest of ‘Wrecking Ball.’ There was no time to really have that conversation [laughs hysterically]. I’m like, ‘Please, God, don’t give him a chance to do it again before I get a chance to talk to him.’ Sure enough, he did it a third time and I’m like, ‘That’s it. This crowd is about to rebel. They’re going to attack us!’ I just grabbed him and said, ‘You don’t realize it, but you’re saying Ohio and we’re in Michigan.’ He was like ‘What!?’

He just goes to a place onstage. At certain times he’s down on earth where we can have a conversation and a lot of the times he’s not. It’s a full adrenaline rush where you can’t have a conversation. I looked him right in the eye and he knew I wasn’t just saying something casual. It took him two or three times for him to come down to earth and hear what I was saying. He made a great joke out of it. He said, ‘I’ve been worried my whole life I’m going to do that and I finally did that.’ I guess the last gig was Cleveland. Maybe it was that. He didn’t have the city wrong. In his mind he knew he was in Detroit, but somehow Detroit wound up in Ohio for a minute.”

You can read the whole story here.

At their Baptist church in Albany, Ga., last night, pastors and brothers Stephen and Alex Kendrick announced the title and story of their highly anticipated (by many fans, not necessarily by me) next movie project.
Courageous will offer a look at the importance of fatherhood. The Kendricks brothers are hoping that their effort to reinforce and encourage fatherhood will hit home -- and at the box office -- with the same success that their movie Fireproof did with marriage in 2008.
Here's a snippet of the press release:
“The movie is about fatherhood and the title is one word: COURAGEOUS,” Alex Kendrick said, briefly outlining the plot. “Four fathers who are all in law enforcement—who protect and serve together—go through a terrible tragedy,” he said. “They begin looking at their role as fathers . . . and they begin challenging one another to fulfill God’s intention for fathers.”

That single-word title, Pastor Catt said, echoes God’s call for men to “rise with courage” in their homes and as leaders. This at a time when 4 of 10 marriages end in divorce* and more than a third of all children live away from their biological fathers.

“The statistics on fatherless children are devastating,” McBride said. “And because the family is the building block of society, one important place to rebuild families is through fathers who stay and lead and love.”

“God led us,” co-writer and producer Stephen Kendrick said to the audience of church members, many of them volunteer crew, cast, or catering in earlier Sherwood movies. “We believe God is calling men to rise up with strength and with leadership in their homes, with their families and with their children.”

“For more then a year we’ve prayed to be sure that we’re pursuing God’s idea and not our own,” Catt said. “With action, drama, and humor, this film will embrace God’s promise in the Bible to, turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers.”

Focusing on Fatherhood

“We focus on the crucial role of father; it’s not just to be a father who loves his kids,” said Alex Kendrick, co-writer/director of COURAGEOUS. “It’s to be engaged with a purpose—to be a father on purpose.”

All four leaders of Sherwood Pictures are husbands and fathers. Pastor Catt has two children; Pastor McBride has four; Stephen Kendrick has four; and Alex Kendrick has six.

More Than a Movie

Sherwood movies entertain as they touch audiences where they live, and they show the means to live more fully through faith in God. FLYWHEEL focused on compromise and business integrity; FACING THE GIANTS on despair and hope; FIREPROOF on a dying marriage rekindled.

With previous Sherwood movies, fans, churches, and organizations across the country (and world) became “partners” in the movie’s impact—giving prayer support for production, distribution, and the movies’ messages. Ministries and outreaches used the films in creative ways. Churches built series and group studies on the topics; Sunday schools seized the momentum of good entertainment that emphasizes life-changing truths.

“It’s been the Bible’s story of Jesus multiplying the boy’s fish and loaves,” Alex Kendrick said. “God has multiplied these movies beyond our wildest dreams.”

Principle filming of COURAGEOUS begins March 2010 in Albany. Like the previous three Sherwood films, COURAGEOUS will be marketed by Provident Films.

Sherwood Pictures is a ministry of Sherwood Church of Albany, Georgia, under the leadership of Senior Pastor Michael Catt and Executive Pastor Jim McBride.

To learn more about it, click here.

The legendary film score composer Ennio Morricone, who has composed the music for 450 films in his 50-year career, was interviewed by the National Catholic Register in its 11/15-21 edition.

Here's an interesting quote from the 81-year-old composer and maestro (i added the underline):

Q. You’ve probably often been asked this question: What makes a great film score?

A. I don’t know. If I knew, I would always write more music like this. I don’t have a formula for the music; I just write at any given moment, and, therefore, it depends on an inspired or less inspired moment. In any case, when I’m less inspired, I’m always saved by professionalism and technique.

And here's another notable quote:

Q. What is your opinion of Pope Benedict XVI, who is also very musical?

A. I have a very good opinion of Pope Benedict XVI. He seems to me to be a very high-minded Pope who has a great culture and also great strength. He has a great wish to correct [liturgical] errors that have existed and continue to exist, and he tried to fix them just a few days after being elected. Today, the Church has made a big mistake, turning the clock back 500 years with guitars and popular songs. I don’t like it at all. Gregorian chant is a vital and important tradition of the Church, and to waste this by having guys mix religious words with profane Western songs is hugely grave, hugely grave. The same thing happened before the Council of Trent, when singers sang profane songs with sacred melodies and sacred words. He [the Pope] is doing well to correct it. He should correct it with much more firmness. Some churches have taken heed [of his corrections], but others haven’t.

You can read the entire interview with Ennio here.

On a personal note, reading about Morricone always reminds me of my longtime friend from childhood, Tom Donovan, with whom I grew up in New York and kept in touch with over the decades. Tom, who died in 2005, was a major fan of Morricone going back to the Spaghetti Westerns he scored for Clint Eastwood in the late 1960s.
Despite Tom's best efforts, I never really got too into Morricone's music, but I recognize and appreciate his brilliance.

British church humor.

* * *
Some high school girl walking along the sidewalk with a group of friends today told me that she really liked my sunglasses. I smiled and said thanks. I didn't tell her they're fishing sunglasses that I bought for $4.95 at Meijer's.
Who needs Oakley or Ray Ban?
* * *
When we went to the homeless shelter last week to try to lift people's spirits a little bit, one woman told me I looked like Mel Gibson's double (ha!) and another one said I looked like Michael McDonald (the Doobie Brother) which is more possible. We both have plenty of white hair.
* * *
I got a card in the mail today from a minister who had some of the kindest words I've ever received as a journalist. She said that I "represent the religious section with so much integrity. It's an honor to know you. I believe in you and what you do, how you do it, and who you are."
Wow...I'm waiting for her to ask me for a favor.
* * *
On the other hand, I got a few critical comments from people who didn't like my article on Ray Comfort, the anti-Darwin guy. I traded emails with the unhappy campers and they were understanding.
I admitted I didn't give the whole picture, but feel that Darwin's theory of evolution is pretty well known by now. I was just trying to profile a rather colorful guy who is doing all he can to disprove Darwin -- including passing out 194,000 copies of "Origin of the Species," unabridged and unedited, but with a 50-page Christian introduction by Mr. Comfort.
I've learned that certain topics will generate emails no matter how I write the story. Evolution and Creationism and Intelligent Design is one such topic.
Here is a link to that story.
* * *
I covered a lecture the other night by Dr. Rick Gaillardetz, an esteemed Catholic scholar at the University of Toledo, on the power of the Eucharist to heal the planet. It was interesting talk but rather difficult to report for the general public. I finished the article today and I think it worked out fine.
I also learned that the professor is teaching a course next spring on the early Christian church's impact on western culture, which will include a 10-day trip to Italy. I am considering signing up for the course. I have a lot to learn and Professor Gaillardetz is an outstanding professor. I hope it works out where I can take the class.
* * *
My son-in-law Dustin created a video for a local church that is planning a huge giveaway to help the needy. I'm not 100% sure but I think this is the video. Check it out if you have a free 4:52.
* * *
A colleague at the paper tells me that he's been learning the guitar riffs for "I Dig a Pony" by studying lessons given on YouTube. I never thought to use YouTube as a guitar instructor. I think I'll give it a try.
* * *
A thought for the day:

“The difference between where you are and where you want to be is the pain you don’t want to endure.”

The evidence is strong and is getting stronger that Fort Hood mass-murderer Major Nidal Hasan is a Muslim terrorist. We must be careful not to lump the world's 1 billion Muslims together, just as we can't blame all Christians for the outrageous acts of a few lunatics. But the evidence that Hasan was a religiously motivated Muslim terrorist is overwhelming.

On the day the shooting happened, Nov. 5, witnesses at the scene said Hasan shouted "Allahu Akhbar" before opening fire in a brutal rampage that killed 13 and wounded more than 30 others at the Texas Army base.
Neighbors said Hasan had given them copies of the Qur'an before he was scheduled to be deployed to the front. Medical doctors had expressed concern over his increasingly zealous religious beliefs.

Then it came out that Hasan had exchanged emails with an Islamic clergyman who is believed to be a recruiter for al-Qaeda.

Today, Levine Breaking News quoted a disturbing excerpt from one of those emails:

United States Army Major Nidal Hasan told a radical cleric considered by authorities to be an al-Qaeda recruiter, "I can't wait to join you" in the afterlife, according to an American official with top secret access to 18 e-mails exchanged between Hasan and the cleric, Anwar al Awlaki, over a six month period between Dec. 2008 and June 2009.

* * *
It looks like Major Hasan expected to kill and then be killed that fateful day. I'll bet he was shocked when he woke up in a hospital bed, paralyzed.
Normally I would hope someone who committed such an atrocity receive the death sentence, but with his attitude I think life in prison would be a far greater punishment.
* * *
Former presidential candidate John McCain has called Hasan's attack "an act of terror" and Gwynne Dyer, one of the best journalism columnists of today, in my opinion, marveled in a Nov. 10 essay at how reluctant we all are to state the obvious. He wrote:

"It is evidence of the profound denial that still reigns in the majority community in the United States that the most obvious explanation for Major Hasan's actions didn't even make the media's short list.

"I cannot know for sure what moved Major Hasan to do the terrible things he did: Each individual is a mystery even to himself. But I do see the U.S. media careening all over the road to avoid the huge and obvious fact that obscures half the horizon. Time to grow up."

National Religious Leaders Release Historic Declaration on Christian Conscience

Washington, D.C., Press Conference Unveils 4,700-Word Statement Signed by More Than 125 Orthodox, Catholic & Evangelical Leaders

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20, 2009—Today a group of prominent Christian clergy, ministry leaders and scholars released the Manhattan Declaration. The 4,700-word declaration issues a clarion call to Christians to adhere to their convictions and informs civil authorities that the signers will not - under any circumstance - abandon their Christian consciences. Addressed not only to Christians, but to the President, Congress and civil authorities, the document - signed by more than 125 religious leaders - addresses the sanctity of life, traditional marriage and religious liberty. The Manhattan Declaration is available here.

Excerpts from the declaration include:

"We are Christians who have joined together across historic lines of ecclesial differences to affirm our right - and, more importantly, to embrace our obligation - to speak and act in defense of these truths. We pledge to each other, and to our fellow believers, that no power on earth, be it cultural or political, will intimidate us into silence or acquiescence."
"We recognize the duty to comply with laws whether we happen to like them or not, unless the laws are gravely unjust or require those subject to them to do something unjust or otherwise immoral."
". . . We will not comply with any edict that purports to compel our institutions to participate in abortions, embryo-destructive research, assisted suicide and euthanasia or any other anti-life act; nor will we bend to any rule purporting to force us to bless immoral sexual partnerships, treat them as marriage or the equivalent or refrain from proclaiming the truth, as we know it, about morality and immorality and marriage and the family."

I'm not a big fan of the American Music Awards -- nor the Grammys, for that matter. The first is a teenybopper popularity contest and the second is all about the money.
But I recorded the AMA's and watched a few performances last night.

My first and foremost impression is that Adam Lambert was pathetic.
What a disappointment!
Lambert is capable of so much more than what he showed last night. It was a disgusting no-class performance in which he grabbed a couple dancers by the head and thrust them into his crotch. He kissed the keyboard player, grabbed one female dancer's crotch a couple of times as she hung on a pole above his head
What the heck was he thinking?
I don't care if he's straight, gay, transgender or asexual, that was totally inappropriate for a network music-awards telecast and showed Lambert has lost any sense of class or style he may have had during his American Idol stint.
Making it worse, the song he sang last night was just awful. It barely had a melody and Lambert just shrieked like a banshee as he strutted around that bizarre troupe of dancers.

I actually think Lambert tripped at one point while he was climbing some stairs but did a somersault and kept on singing. Either it was a trip and a quick recover, or some goofy choreography.

Sorry, Adam, you have a lot of talent but you're making some absolutely horrendous career choices. If you don't change things around, you'll be going from mainstream to downstream to washed up in a hurry.
* * *
Lady Gaga, on the other hand, is an amazing show person (show woman? showman?) I don't know much about her (or his) personal life but the performance last night was mesmerizing. Bizarre, yes, but you couldn't take your eyes off the artist in that frightul costume, smashing a glass wall with a mic stand and smashing whiskey bottles while playing a flaming piano. I kind of felt like I was rubber necking at an accident scene. I don't even remember the song but the visuals were unforgettable.
* * *
In the grand finale, Taylor Swift beat Michael Jackson for artist of the year.
Are you kidding me? I don't think that was a good decision on the voters' part and only reinforces my lack of respect for the AMAs. Swift is cute and sweet and a talented artist but she's no MJ, and this year of all years the Gloved One deserved the honor.
I thought Swift made a wise move, or at least it was a good coincicence, not to attend the ceremony in person. She was in London and spoke via live video (it was 3:52 a.m. when she acknowledged the big award).
With 6,000 miles between her and the stage, no buffoon could jump up in her face and tell the world that somebody else deserved the award.

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release November 23, 2009
THANKSGIVING DAY, 2009
- - - - - - -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

What began as a harvest celebration between European
settlers and indigenous communities nearly four centuries ago
has become our cherished tradition of Thanksgiving. This day's
roots are intertwined with those of our Nation, and its history
traces the American narrative.
Today, we recall President George Washington, who
proclaimed our first national day of public thanksgiving to be
observed "by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and
signal favors of Almighty God," and President Abraham Lincoln,
who established our annual Thanksgiving Day to help mend a
fractured Nation in the midst of civil war. We also recognize
the contributions of Native Americans, who helped the early
colonists survive their first harsh winter and continue to
strengthen our Nation. From our earliest days of independence,
and in times of tragedy and triumph, Americans have come
together to celebrate Thanksgiving.
As Americans, we hail from every part of the world.
While we observe traditions from every culture, Thanksgiving
Day is a unique national tradition we all share. Its spirit
binds us together as one people, each of us thankful for our
common blessings.
As we gather once again among loved ones, let us also
reach out to our neighbors and fellow citizens in need of a
helping hand. This is a time for us to renew our bonds with
one another, and we can fulfill that commitment by serving our
communities and our Nation throughout the year. In doing so, we
pay tribute to our country's men and women in uniform who set an
example of service that inspires us all. Let us be guided by
the legacy of those who have fought for the freedoms for which
we give thanks, and be worthy heirs to the noble tradition of
goodwill shown on this day.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in
me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do
hereby proclaim Thursday, November 26, 2009, as a National
Day of Thanksgiving. I encourage all the people of the
United States to come together, whether in our homes, places of
worship, community centers, or any place where family, friends
and neighbors may gather, with gratitude for all we have
received in the past year; to express appreciation to those
whose lives enrich our own; and to share our bounty with others.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twentieth day of November, in the year of our Lord
two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States
of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.
BARACK OBAMA
# # #

Matthew Roberts, a long-haired, 41-year-old DJ living in Los Angeles, learned when he was 10 years old that he was adopted.
A few years ago, Roberts, who describes himself as a peace-loving vegetarian whose hero is Gandhi, decided to try to find his biological parents.
His adoptive father warned him: Nothing good will come of this.
Roberts contacted a social service agency, which got him in touch with his birth mother, Terry, who was living in Wisconsin.
Mother and son communicated a few times but Terry was hesitant about telling Matthew who his father was.
Matthew kept pressing, however, and his mother eventually relented.
The shocking news: His father is Charles Manson.

"I didn't want to believe it. I was frightened and angry. It's like finding out that Adolf Hitler is your father," he said.

A reader sent me this note that she said had been found in a run-down shack in Germany after World War II:

Bach gave us God's Word,
Mozart gave us God's smile,
Beethoven gave us God's fire...
GOD GAVE US MUSIC SO WE COULD PRAY WITHOUT WORDS!

Yes, everyone knows today as Black Friday. But a small but well-intentioned group of people are hoping to turn this day around and get people to stop being so obsessed with consumerism and escape Madison Avenue's grip.
It's an ambitious attempt but if it ever makes a dent in Black Friday sales figures, it will be a miracle.
Buy Nothing Day has been around 20 years and was observed last year in 65 countries but it never gets any media coverage and networks have refused to accept the proponents' paid ads. Why? Because they fear repercussions from their advertisers.
You need advertising to run a media outlet, so running paid ads or news stories about a group that is trying to get people to NOT go shopping on Black Friday... well it's a tough sell, so to speak, to the media moguls.
Believe me, I tried. There's a faith-based group called Alternatives for Simple Living that has voiced its support for Buy Nothing Day (BND), which got me interested in the efforts. But no such story will see any ink in a mainstream paper.
I am aware of the delicate situation and don't want to hurt the advertisers, but do you really think people will stop shopping because they read about the BND campaign in their local newspaper?
Today, for the first time in my life, I went out shopping at 5 a.m. for Black Friday. The BND campaign inspired me to see what it's like.
Folks, it's scary... It's nuts.... I was not prepared for the intensity and scope of this "holiday."
OK, you probably know all about it but here's what I found:

There was literally no place to park. You had to hunt for a parking spot or hope you catch someone backing out. Inside the stores, lines weaving up and down the aisles in every store, with shoppers waiting hours to check out.
By 5 a.m., every advertised "door buster" sale I was interested in was already sold out.
A Best Buy salesman told me somebody was lined up since noon Wednesday to buy a laptop... he spent Thanksgiving standing outside the store.
Another woman told me she got to Wal-Mart at 3:30 a.m. and everything she wanted was already gone.
I did end up buying some computer gear and a game... so I did not do my part for Buy Nothing Day.
I'm a little disappointed in myself, but then again Obama says we need to spend ourselves out of this recession (which in my opinion is actually a depression).
I don't think advertisers or the media have anything to worry about.
Buy Nothing Day has got a long long way to go before it is even a blip on Americans' radar screen.

My church has made some great moves in the last few years, and one in particular is having broad implications: paying off the mortgage.
At one point, 20 years ago or so, the $4 million mortgage was such a burden that the bank was threatening to foreclose -- and that was not a bluff.
Today, through some wise stewardship of finances, good planning, and the congregation's sacrificial giving, that entire debt is erased.
It has freed up money that has allowed us to do some long-neglected building repairs and renovations that had been patched up or put off before.
Some of the financial expenses are not very exciting, such as fixing the roof and the heating/air conditioning. You don't "see" much for your money but, just like owning a home, a church absolutely needs to spend money on these essentials at times. And it looks like the roof and HVAC are going to cost us a whopping $300,000 over the next few years.
Ouch.
But one thing people will be able to see from this recent financial breakthrough is a new cafe that is being added onto the atrium.
Construction is under way and the cafe is on schedule to be finished by Christmas.
It will be a gathering place where people can meet before or after services, hold Bible studies, book clubs, or just fellowship.
Adding a cafe should generate a sense of excitement about coming to church and give people a renewed sense of community.

It's always a tradeoff when you put money into a church building, because that money could be used for other ministries -- and there are many needs out there.
But churches need renovations and improvements just like you home does. We all redo our kitchens or add family rooms or remodel the bathrooms. Buildings get stagnant and change can have a real impact on your attitude and your feelings about a place.

At the same time, you don't neglect the ministries and the needs. Our church gives about half a million dollars a year to missions, for example, and the cafe project has not taken one dime out of any other ministry.
It is, as the cliche goes, a "win-win situation." Stop in and have a cup of coffee sometime!
* * *
The next thing we need to do with the cafe is to find the right "fair trade coffee" company.
I thought everybody knew about this social-justice issue, but I talked to some people recently who were unaware of it.
Fair trade coffee is where Americans or people in other developed nations pay the coffee growers and workers a fair price for their products and their labor.

Too many farmers and laborers in Third World countries have been exploited for decades by wealthy land owners, corporations and/or governments.

In recent years, many socially concerned individuals and groups, especially churches, have worked hard to avoid this exploitation.

They buy their coffee directly to the farmers, or as directly as possible, and skip the middle man's excessive markup or work with middle men who treat the workers fairly.

The cost we pay for a cup of coffee here may be a few cents higher -- although sometimes it's the same price or lower than we've been paying -- but the coffee growers and laborers get six or seven times the income than they were getting before.

Knowing how much coffee is consumed at churches, some socially conscious Christian groups have set up ministries to buy fair trade coffee for their flocks. The Catholic Church, Lutheran World Mission, and Presbyterians are among the leaders in this area.

So, my church is now "shopping" for the right business relationship for coffee at the new cafe. If you have any recommendations please let me know by email at davidyonke@hotmail.com.