Violent vandalism and partisan threats after the vote on health care reform...The growing priest abuse scandal...Korean ships sinking...terrible auto collisions in Kentucky.
My non-canine companion and I were talking about the current dismal state of affairs in our world. She alerted me that there is a glimmer of hope. In fact, she read about it in an online article. There just may be a reunion of the former members of ABBA in the works after all!
The millions of readers of the blog are well aware of my fondness for the four musical Swedes. However, reunions are successful only if they provide answers to the following questions: Do you remember when we did (fill in the blank)? What are you doing now?
If a reunion were to take place (I am not holding my breath), the event won't be what many people expect. Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny and Anni-Frid cannot put on jumpsuits featuring cats, jump up on a stage and sing/play. Things were different 35 years ago. The stars aligned for a few brief years. Even if they could still do now what they were able to do then, the environment has changed. However, it would be nice to see them perform together. I recall watching a fairly recent documentary that featured Anni-Frid (the brunette) seeing a practice for a stage performance of "Mamma Mia". For many years, she refused to listen to any ABBA music and she rarely sang. There was a scene in the documentary where she is alone in a room watching the cast sing "Dancing Queen" through a window. When she began to sing one of the alto lines, there was a brief spark of magic - a second when the stars were aligned.
Much has happened in the lives of each of the former members of ABBA in the past 35 years. Bjorn and Benny have remained very active in the music business. They have collaborated on several musical projects, including Chess, Mamma Mia and others. Benny still performs with an orchestra. Annifrid is active in environmental causes and Agnetha remains somewhat of a recluse. They are no longer ABBA. Were they to perform again, it should not be as ABBA, but as who they now are. Of course, they should sing some songs from the ABBA days. They should also consider singing other songs, including some that Bjorn and Benny might compose for a reunion event.
No matter how depressing things may seem, there is always hope!
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
The Pain That Keeps On Giving
The Holy See is in a "lose-lose" situation. Should the Vaticans public relations experts continue to dodge around a frank response to cases of sexual assaults by priests around the globe, the pain will never go away.
Are the Roman Catholic Church and Pope Benedict XVI being unfairly targeted? Of course they are. Many of those that are "stirring the pot" are more interested in bringing down the Church than in providing support to victims and working to ensure such abuse does not happen again? The SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) is only secondarily interested in securing justice and comfort for victims. SNAP's primary interest is in generating publicity for their organization. Of course, the media is biased against the Roman Catholic Church. We see multiple articles about the recent priest abuse scandals in newspapers. We see very few articles about the huge outpouring from Roman Catholics to the people devestated by the earthquake in Haiti. We never hear about the many priests that are regularly called away, often during the middle of the night, to provide comfort and reassurance to those that are struggling with the challenges of life and/or are near death.
Recent remarks by the Vatican press office claim nothing new: that SNAP is a publicity-mongering prostitute of an organization (my words, not the words of the Vatican) and that the Roman Catholic Church is being targeted by a scandal-loving media.
The only way to work through the pain of this situation is for the Vatican to, once and for all, admit to being human. Priests have sexually assaulted people, including minors. Church leaders at every level have mishandled many situations related to the sexual assaults of minors. The Vatican needs to clearly state that there are consistent guidelines that must be followed in the handling of allegations of sexual assault by any church/school employee, deacon, priest or religious. Those guidelines should be made public.
Do the continuing scandals bother me? Of course they do. However, the Roman Catholic Church is a reflection of the full humanity and divinity of Christ. Being comprised of humans, the Church suffers greatly and has for 2000 years. However, through the grace of God, the Church has remained strong for 2000 years. No institution has provided the level of care, be it health care, education, pastoral care, etc., than has the Roman Catholic Church - and the Roman Catholic Church often provides such care in areas where nobody else dares to go. The Roman Catholic Church would not be able to do this if she did not share in the suffering of humanity nor enjoy the divine grace of God.
Are the Roman Catholic Church and Pope Benedict XVI being unfairly targeted? Of course they are. Many of those that are "stirring the pot" are more interested in bringing down the Church than in providing support to victims and working to ensure such abuse does not happen again? The SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) is only secondarily interested in securing justice and comfort for victims. SNAP's primary interest is in generating publicity for their organization. Of course, the media is biased against the Roman Catholic Church. We see multiple articles about the recent priest abuse scandals in newspapers. We see very few articles about the huge outpouring from Roman Catholics to the people devestated by the earthquake in Haiti. We never hear about the many priests that are regularly called away, often during the middle of the night, to provide comfort and reassurance to those that are struggling with the challenges of life and/or are near death.
Recent remarks by the Vatican press office claim nothing new: that SNAP is a publicity-mongering prostitute of an organization (my words, not the words of the Vatican) and that the Roman Catholic Church is being targeted by a scandal-loving media.
The only way to work through the pain of this situation is for the Vatican to, once and for all, admit to being human. Priests have sexually assaulted people, including minors. Church leaders at every level have mishandled many situations related to the sexual assaults of minors. The Vatican needs to clearly state that there are consistent guidelines that must be followed in the handling of allegations of sexual assault by any church/school employee, deacon, priest or religious. Those guidelines should be made public.
Do the continuing scandals bother me? Of course they do. However, the Roman Catholic Church is a reflection of the full humanity and divinity of Christ. Being comprised of humans, the Church suffers greatly and has for 2000 years. However, through the grace of God, the Church has remained strong for 2000 years. No institution has provided the level of care, be it health care, education, pastoral care, etc., than has the Roman Catholic Church - and the Roman Catholic Church often provides such care in areas where nobody else dares to go. The Roman Catholic Church would not be able to do this if she did not share in the suffering of humanity nor enjoy the divine grace of God.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
30 Years
Thirty years ago today, Archbishop Oscar Romero of San Salvador was killed while presiding at a Mass at a hospital in San Salvador. As a teenager trying to figure out the world, I could not comprehend how anyone could kill a priest, especially while the priest is presiding at Mass. Nearly everything Archbishop Romero did, including dying a martyr's death, "oozed" of saintliness.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Looking To The Bishops
Many people have been waiting for some type of response from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. That response came out earlier today.
In spite of the efforts of many "Catholic" bloggers, radio show hosts and television hosts to give another impression, the USCCB has recognized the need to reform health care in our country. Cardinal George could make that point any more clear. Yes, the USCCB has significant concerns about the health care reform law and urges vigiliance to ensure that promises made to pro-life legislators to garner their support are honored during implementation of the law. The USCCB neither supports the new law nor supports an overhaul or repeal of the legislation. The bishops feel that the deficiencies in the current health care reform law can be addressed by additional legislation.
In spite of the efforts of many "Catholic" bloggers, radio show hosts and television hosts to give another impression, the USCCB has recognized the need to reform health care in our country. Cardinal George could make that point any more clear. Yes, the USCCB has significant concerns about the health care reform law and urges vigiliance to ensure that promises made to pro-life legislators to garner their support are honored during implementation of the law. The USCCB neither supports the new law nor supports an overhaul or repeal of the legislation. The bishops feel that the deficiencies in the current health care reform law can be addressed by additional legislation.
Spring Swing
I have heard about people that cannot remember the 60s or the 70s. I can do them at least one better. In two of the past four days, I cannot remember the 30s, 40s and 50s! When the faithful canine took me out for a walk this morning, the thermometer read 28 degrees Fahrenheit. We recently completed a quick early evening walk. The thermometer is at 60 degrees Fahrenheit. We had a similar temperature swing two days ago.
It is somewhat amazing to wake up and have to put on a couple of layers of winter clothing prior to going outside to walk on a frost-covered and hard dirt path. About twelve hours later, the same outdoor excursion can be comfortabely done while wearing shorts and a long-sleeved tee-shirt. These really have been days comprised of three seasons of weather.
It is somewhat amazing to wake up and have to put on a couple of layers of winter clothing prior to going outside to walk on a frost-covered and hard dirt path. About twelve hours later, the same outdoor excursion can be comfortabely done while wearing shorts and a long-sleeved tee-shirt. These really have been days comprised of three seasons of weather.
Monday, March 22, 2010
The Day After
The negative hooplah surrounding the passage of the health care reform bill last night is indicative of how polarized U.S. society, not just politics, has become. Why is it that when Democrats made their way to the Capitol to vote on the landmark proposal, they were screamed at and spit on? Why is it that Members of Congress resort to calling each other "baby killers"? Why is it that, within the span of 90 minutes, Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) went from being a "sane voice in the Democratic Party" to being this generations Lucifer in the eyes of ultra-conservatives?
Why can't people treat each other with the respect and dignity they deserve when disagreeing on issues, including major issues?
I am glad that a health care reform proposal was passed. As a manager of a non-profit organization with 15 employees, the costs of health care is a huge challenge. An even bigger challenge is the number of people I personally know that would like access to health insurance coverage, but cannot afford it or have a pre-existing condition that makes them virtually ineligible for any type of coverage.
Too bad that we can't pass some type of proposal that could help minimize the negative impacts of increased polarization in our society.
Why can't people treat each other with the respect and dignity they deserve when disagreeing on issues, including major issues?
I am glad that a health care reform proposal was passed. As a manager of a non-profit organization with 15 employees, the costs of health care is a huge challenge. An even bigger challenge is the number of people I personally know that would like access to health insurance coverage, but cannot afford it or have a pre-existing condition that makes them virtually ineligible for any type of coverage.
Too bad that we can't pass some type of proposal that could help minimize the negative impacts of increased polarization in our society.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Hoos Missing?
For the past several weeks, my faithful canine and I have had regular interactions with a couple of owls in the park across the street. Every evening, we hear two owls softly hoo-hoo-hoo at each other. One has a very low tone and the other a much higher tone.
Now that most of our snow is gone, the faithful canine and I have been able to make our way on some deer paths along the edge of a wooded area. Every morning, we "scare up" our owl friends. When we get close to where they are pontificating from the top of a tree, they swoop down on us and make their way to another nearby tree. These are not attacks, but efforts to let us know that our feathered friends are keeping their eyes on us.
For the past two mornings, we have not come across our friends. The faithful canine and I will keep our ears open at night and our eyes open in the morning.
Now that most of our snow is gone, the faithful canine and I have been able to make our way on some deer paths along the edge of a wooded area. Every morning, we "scare up" our owl friends. When we get close to where they are pontificating from the top of a tree, they swoop down on us and make their way to another nearby tree. These are not attacks, but efforts to let us know that our feathered friends are keeping their eyes on us.
For the past two mornings, we have not come across our friends. The faithful canine and I will keep our ears open at night and our eyes open in the morning.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
No Single Cause
Well, it sure didn't take long for the increased publicity of sexual assaults by priest to lead to calls for eliminating mandatory celibacy for priests.
This just in: Mandatory celibacy is NOT the reason why a priest sexually assaults anyone. Any sensible person realizes that sexual assault is NOT a crime of sex. It is a crime of power. For every article about a priest that has sexually assaulted a child, there are several articles about teachers/coaches sexually assaulting young people in our school systems. There are numerous articles about boyfriends sexually assaulting the children of their girlfiends. I see such articles several times a week. These perpetrators are not under a vow of celibacy, yet they still sexually assault young people.
This just in: Mandatory celibacy is NOT the reason why a priest sexually assaults anyone. Any sensible person realizes that sexual assault is NOT a crime of sex. It is a crime of power. For every article about a priest that has sexually assaulted a child, there are several articles about teachers/coaches sexually assaulting young people in our school systems. There are numerous articles about boyfriends sexually assaulting the children of their girlfiends. I see such articles several times a week. These perpetrators are not under a vow of celibacy, yet they still sexually assault young people.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
The Tip of The Iceberg
I just read a report in the Sunday newspaper that claims the priest sexual assault issue is creeping ever closer to Pope Benedict himself.
This may be the proverbial "tip of the iceberg", but from a different perspective. I serve as legal guardian for several people with developmental disabilities. One of these people is a convicted sexual offender. His victim was a minor. I have written about him before. His offense was in no way predatory. However, he does have issues of concern.
Many years ago, before there was a statewide sexual offender registry and notification requirements when a registered offender was to move into a neighborhood, I knowingly approved of the transfer of this man to a neighborhood where many minors resided. On the surface - the "tip of the iceberg" - one could question why I would approve such a move. Wasn't I just leading the fox into the hen house? I was not. A team of people put together a plan to address the ongoing issues of this man and provide him with the opportunity to live as full of a life as possible, while ensuring the safety of people around him. He did have ongoing counseling. He had someone keeping eyes on him all the time. His team has been able to nip many potential disasterous situations in the bud. He has shown no signs of seeking to sexually offend in many years.
Without looking at the rest of the iceberg, the "tip of the iceberg" would show that I authorized a sexual offender to live in a neighborhood with children. However, the rest of the iceberg puts things in perspective - that we recognize concerns related to this man and have put together a plan to address those plans in a manner that recognizes the dignity and safety of the people surrounding this man AND the man himself.
I worry about many people making judgements related to priest sexual assault issues based on a perspective that is limited to seeing the "tip of the iceberg". Did sexual assaults take place? Yes. Did some Church leaders know about it? Yes. Did some Church leaders cover up sexual assaults? Yes. One will accurately come to those conclusions by looking at the "tip of the iceberg".
Is nearly every single Catholic priest a decent man seeking to serve God in the best way possible? Yes. Is nearly every single Catholic priest a man that has not sexually assaulted anyone? Yes. One will accurately come to those conslusions when looking at the entire iceberg.
I think it is critical that, when looking at individual accusations and the "big picture" related to sexual assaults by priests, one looks at the entire iceberg. Neither individual cases of sexual assaults by priests nor the entire scandal can be appropriately addressed without the utilization of a broad perspective.
This may be the proverbial "tip of the iceberg", but from a different perspective. I serve as legal guardian for several people with developmental disabilities. One of these people is a convicted sexual offender. His victim was a minor. I have written about him before. His offense was in no way predatory. However, he does have issues of concern.
Many years ago, before there was a statewide sexual offender registry and notification requirements when a registered offender was to move into a neighborhood, I knowingly approved of the transfer of this man to a neighborhood where many minors resided. On the surface - the "tip of the iceberg" - one could question why I would approve such a move. Wasn't I just leading the fox into the hen house? I was not. A team of people put together a plan to address the ongoing issues of this man and provide him with the opportunity to live as full of a life as possible, while ensuring the safety of people around him. He did have ongoing counseling. He had someone keeping eyes on him all the time. His team has been able to nip many potential disasterous situations in the bud. He has shown no signs of seeking to sexually offend in many years.
Without looking at the rest of the iceberg, the "tip of the iceberg" would show that I authorized a sexual offender to live in a neighborhood with children. However, the rest of the iceberg puts things in perspective - that we recognize concerns related to this man and have put together a plan to address those plans in a manner that recognizes the dignity and safety of the people surrounding this man AND the man himself.
I worry about many people making judgements related to priest sexual assault issues based on a perspective that is limited to seeing the "tip of the iceberg". Did sexual assaults take place? Yes. Did some Church leaders know about it? Yes. Did some Church leaders cover up sexual assaults? Yes. One will accurately come to those conclusions by looking at the "tip of the iceberg".
Is nearly every single Catholic priest a decent man seeking to serve God in the best way possible? Yes. Is nearly every single Catholic priest a man that has not sexually assaulted anyone? Yes. One will accurately come to those conslusions when looking at the entire iceberg.
I think it is critical that, when looking at individual accusations and the "big picture" related to sexual assaults by priests, one looks at the entire iceberg. Neither individual cases of sexual assaults by priests nor the entire scandal can be appropriately addressed without the utilization of a broad perspective.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Some People Never Leave
It happened this weekend. We were alerted to it beforehand. While going out to get the Sunday newspaper, I spotted the "House For Sale" sign in our next-door neighbor's front yard. We have been next-door neighbor's for nearly 16 years. Several years ago, I took one of their kids on a roller-blading trek around the block and brought him home with a boken collarbone. I played midnight hockey on Fridays nights with the father. When I moved in, the oldest of their three children was not yet a teenager. Now, all the kids have left home - the reason for putting the house on the market.
The "old" neighbors are moving to a new home that is not too far away. We will still have regular contact with each other. I don't know that I am up to "breaking in" a new family next door, especially if they have children.
The "old" neighbors are moving to a new home that is not too far away. We will still have regular contact with each other. I don't know that I am up to "breaking in" a new family next door, especially if they have children.
Not Always As It Seems
In recent weeks, there has been several violent clashes between Christian and Muslim groups in Nigeria. Hundreds of people have been slaughtered in various attacks. I noticed that most of the news reports portray the clashes as being based on religious affiliation. In Pope Benedicts prayers and comments related to the situation, he seems to specifically stay away from any reference to the clashes being based on religious affiliation. In a recent report from ZENIT, Archbiship Onaiyekan of Abuja provides some clarification. He states that the clashes are based on economic issues and are classic confrontations "between farmers and herdsmen, only the Fulani (herdsmen) are all Muslims and the Berom (farmers) all Christians".
Archbishop Onaiyekan may be right, but I am still not quite at the point of holding my breath.
Archbishop Onaiyekan may be right, but I am still not quite at the point of holding my breath.
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