New York City ain't America, Mate

In many ways the US remains a strange land to Carey.

He has lived there for 25 years, is a dual-citizen and likens his life in New York to a Saul Steinberg cartoon depicting Manhattan as a thriving, self-contained microcosm looking out onto a bleak hinterland.

Carey says he rarely ventures into the rest of the country unless he's on a book tour.

"I'm terrified of the United States," he says.

Naturally, this fear-bunny is being inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters, an organization that only accepts 250 members at a given time.  He will, from that influential artistic perch, continue to reinforce this bizarre notion that the United States outside of Manhattan is some racist, sexist, violent, dull-witted dystopia populated by those with low-sloping foreheads.

Speaking as one who has been around the world twice, and represents in his DNA the most marginal of American experience, I regret that this...artist...is so bigoted as to artificially assign fearful, brutally stereotypical characteristics to one of the truly diverse and welcoming nations in the world.  If he would leave the cocoon of his apartment, he would discover unplumbed wonders in human nature.

What a nihilistic age this is, when artists confess their revulsion at 99% of the country in which they live and from which they willingly receive rare honors.

The Two-Party System

From the perspective of a poor half-breed from Ohio, it looks like just one expensive, happy party from here.

Personally, I'd Nominate the EPA for the Abraham Lincoln Award

Residents surrendered to federal demands only after an EPA work-crew turned the nearby Animas River bright yellow for nearly a week by releasing a three-million-gallon flood of acidic mine waste under extremely questionable circumstances in August 2015.

Suspended in the flood was 880,000 pounds of toxic metals, including lead and arsenic, that poured into the river that supplies drinking water for people living in three states and the Navajo Nation. The mine is just upstream from Silverton.

The Lincoln Award is not an honor, it's reserved for the government official or officials who has/have done the most harm to tribal Americans [what non-native people in the northeastern U.S. label as "Native Americans"].

I thought the "P" in EPA stood for "protection", as in "the government will protect you", rather than the organized crime meaning of the term.  Although, say "the government will protect you" out loud and try not to laugh.

In regards to everything you thought you knew about "Honest Abe", remember that the victor in any conflict is the one who writes the history.  The winner can create whatever historical narrative is most convenient to their sense of legacy.

The Martys of Mankato [or Why Abe Lincoln isn't Necessarily Regarded as a Hero by American Indian* Episcopalians]

On December 26, 1862, Abraham Lincoln executed 38 "Indians and half-breeds" in Minnesota for the crime of attempting to feed themselves without relying on government hand-outs.  [It's more complicated than that, of course, but I'm attempting to present the aboriginal view].  It was the largest mass hanging in U.S. history and explains why American tribal members have a rather low regard for the 16th president.

Save for one, the executed were all baptized Christians, most of them Episcopalians.

Then-bishop of Minnesota, The Rt. Rev. Henry Benjamin Whipple, had intervened in the proposed action and convinced Lincoln to execute the 38 instead of the over-300 who were originally to be hanged.  Although his actions are generally regarded as heroic, there are some in the aboriginal community who fault him for not successfully saving all of the prisoners.  This is a rather raw controversy in parts of the greater Church, as the reader may imagine.

The Rev. Robert Two Bulls, a contemporary Episcopal priest, is attempting to have the slain Episcopalians named as official martyrs with their own date on our calendar.  My opinion in this matter is, for now, my own, although I'm rankled when some of the more conservative laity and clergy of the church are dismissive of this initiative as they think it mere political correctness or an example of tedious Episcopal trendiness.

The history of American Indian Episcopalians is largely unknown and rarely taught in any of the Church's seminaries.  While a small body of scholars is attempting to address that curricular shortcoming, as we commonly open our regard to many, many of the marginalized groups within our communion, perhaps some consideration could be granted to a collection of people of color who have remained faithful, sometimes in the midst of great hardship and persecution.

As they walked to the gallows on their final day, the contemporary newspaper accounts reported that the condemned sang their tribal "death song".  In reality, the Martyrs of Mankato were singing "Onward, Christian Soldiers" in the Dakota language of their tribe.

[*In regards to the term "American Indian", as opposed to that of "Native American" that is preferred by bi-coastal whites, I refer the reader to this.]

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Next Archbishop of Canterbury

A Church of England vicar shouted: 'I'm from the Vatican, you're ******' as he lashed out at police following a nightclub vodka binge.

Parish priest Gareth Jones, 36, screamed: 'I have diplomatic immunity' as he punched, kicked, bit and spat at a police officer and a paramedic who found him passed out in his clerical frock in Covent Garden, central London.

When paramedic Ian Pollock gently shook the passed-out pastor at 2.30am to check he was alright, he awoke and growled.... 

Jones threatened to attack Mr Pollock but was unable to stand up due to his inebriated state. 

He had downed three bottles of wine, several pints of beer, a number of gin and tonics and a large quantity of vodka.

First, these are my colleagues, folks.

Second, I have to admire his style.  He certainly has a command of the common patois, at least while disadvantaged by drink.

Third, I've seen American clergy drink more and then celebrate a Eucharist.

Fourth, don't get upset with me for making light of this.  He is part of a church with a solid structure in place for treating addictive issues among clergy so I'm confident he will receive appropriate help.  We are, after all, a community dedicated to reconciliation.

Five, he didn't hurt anyone but himself.  Besides, every man should take a swing at a cop at least once in his life.  Or a military officer; preferably one's own.

From the Rector's Bookshelf

It's been out for several years now, but it still gives the reader a full foundation in history, culture, literature, etc. about the Middle East, both how it was and why it is.

Walking the Bible: A Journey by Land Through the Five Books of Moses 

Both a heart-racing adventure and an uplifting quest, Walking the Bible describes one man's epic odyssey—by foot, jeep, rowboat, and camel—through the greatest stories every told. From crossing the Red Sea to climbing Mount Sinai to touching the burning bush, Bruce Feiler's inspiring journey will forever change your view of some of history's most storied events.

50th Out of 51. On the Bright Side, We Beat Puerto Rico.

Click to enlarge.

Since today's trend is to remember Muhammad Ali, I recalled a quotation of his that was, among others, posted to the door of my office at Berkshire School many years ago. It speaks rather well to the necessity of preparation in all things, not just boxing:

"The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses - behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights."

Make Up Your Minds, Will You?

Expect more shark attacks this year, experts say

Expect fewer shark attacks worldwide this year, expert says

Note: Both articles quote from expert George Burgess, who is the nucleus of every, single shark attack story on or in the news this past month.

Also, both articles were published within the last 24 hours.  I'm guessing they were written in January and February.  I'm also guessing that Burgess has made himself into a pretty good cottage industry, not to mention fulfilled his role as an adviser to the Discovery Channel's Shark Week.  Hats off to you, George.

Something of George from an earlier post: Ever Wonder about the Experts Behind Shark Attack Stories?

The 21st Century in One Cartoon

Almost Forgot to Post Some Music

Now We Begin the Weekend on a Positive Note

Surfing to be added to the 2020 Olympics.

We've Been a Little Heavy Today. Here's Something from the U.S.'s Funniest Senator

Our kid laid down a bunt at TeeBall tonight--then ran in front of the ball, fielded it, & threw himself out at 1st.#LowLightsOfLittleLeague

— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) June 2, 2016

Judging from How Often My Car was Broken Into When I Lived in Cleveland, the Law is Redundant

New Ohio law allows breaking into cars

Pastored a Parish and Lived There for Five Years; Still Know People There

The best one can expect from our elites is benign neglect:

New documents show Cuomo administration resistance to EPA warnings on Hoosick Falls: Aggressive resistance to federal regulators.

I'm Beginning to Think Average, Middle-Class Americans are a Terrible Burden on the Elite Class

TSA Says Passengers Only Have Themselves to Blame For Long Lines

'VFW Halls All Across America' Have Warped View of Economy

Trump has taught me to fear my fellow Americans

The GOP has selected someone who is unfit to be president, lacking the temperament, stability, judgment and compassion to occupy the office.

This really is a season of fear.  These folks should try Christianity; it puts things in perspective.

You Work in the Most Secure Building on Planet Earth; Not Everyone is as Fortunate. Or Safe.

Proud of our White House Staff who #WearOrange for gun violence prevention today. pic.twitter.com/QR84z8nSFe

— Paulette Aniskoff (@PAniskoff44) June 2, 2016

A Cri de Coeur from a Young Person of Faith. In a Wheelchair.

Well, that’s dumb. My legs don’t work. I am crippled. It’s just a fact of my life, and you need to get over it. Political correctness is around to make the Able Bodies more comfortable with the idea of me — it’s not for me. If you really cared about what I thought and wanted to treat me like a person, then you wouldn’t make movies about how the nicest thing I could do for my family would be to off myself. You should be ashamed of yourselves.

You may not believe in God. You don’t have to, and I can’t make you. But I do, and because of that I believe in the value of all people. I believe we are all made in His image and likeness. That’s why I believe all people are worth something. If you believe that people only get their value from each other, then people can take that away. But if our value comes from God, then nobody has the right to say someone who walks is worth more than someone who doesn’t.

Or Forceps

#WearOrange because everyone should be able to raise their children without the fear of gun violence. #BLM

— Planned Parenthood (@PPFA) June 2, 2016

"The Imagination of C.S. Lewis"

That’s a lovely attribute of a rare, prized gift Lewis possessed – the ability to make goodness, and the Good Life, seem thrilling, radiant, and enchanting; to convince people that the right ordering of our loves can lead to greater fulfillment and to genuine human flourishing. That connection has often been lost, including by those who, when they speak out on behalf of morality and decency, sometimes come across as moral scolds, dour, and utterly unappealing; what we once referred to as a killjoy.