Category Archives: Current Events

January 26, 2013 · 9:37 pm

Sitting vigil

vigilThe news crossed my Facebook page early this afternoon. People in Ohio and in India called for a worldwide blackout and candlelight vigil as a witness for an end to rape – for today – January 26 from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. T.V.N. Clutch, India, the Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence, and the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence sponsored the event.

The word came to late for me to organize participation with anyone else. So I spread the word as widely as I could on social media. And from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m., I turned out the lights and lit candles. It was a tad disorienting. But for those affected, the experience of being raped is more than a tad disorienting.

In the silent darkness, I reflected on how rape is not only a violation, but a means to control. I grieved. I prayed. I pondered what I have done, what I have failed to do, and what I could do. I took a picture of one candle and shared in on Facebook, using my phone, not my computer.

As I turned the lights back on, one of the first things I did was to send  a message to my Senators asking them to co-sponsor the Violence Against Women Act. While not the only piece, this legislation represents an important part of the effort to end sexual and intimate partner violence that violates women, and some men, and shames us all.

See you along the Trail.

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January 25, 2013 · 10:47 pm

25 January – an Orange Day

Orange DayToday, January 25, and the 25th of each month, is an Orange Day – a day to witness and work for an end to violence against women and girls.

On this day, I:

Work remains. Much work remains.

See you along the Trail.

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January 15, 2013 · 8:41 pm

Courage

In the morning,
when we gathered,
the early morning,
the cool, quiet morning,
we were not afraid.
And we sang and prayed;
we laughed and smiled;
we marched.

When we saw the hate,
fear spattered us.

When we saw the police,
fear arrested us.

When we saw the batons,
fear battered us.

When we saw the gas,
fear engulfed us.

When we saw the hoses,
fear washed over us.

When we saw the dogs,
fear snarled at us.

When we saw the guns,
fear tore at us.

In the morning,
when we gathered,
the early morning,
the cool, quiet morning,
we were afraid –
sore afraid –
sore, sore afraid.
But we sang and prayed;
we laughed and smiled;
and we marched.

Inspired, on the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.‘s birthday, by the Palestinians, Israelis and internationals who worked nonviolently to protect the village and olive trees of Budrus, and by all who use nonviolence to witness for justice, wholeness and peace.

15 January 2013
Shire on the Hudson

 

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January 12, 2013 · 1:39 pm

Drones

Unmanned they prowl
across the sky.

While leaders pose
to justify.

Bombs may be smart,
yet children die.

Let’s also Remember the 176 children Killed by US Drones by Juan Cole

Shire on the Hudson
12 January 2012

 

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January 3, 2013 · 12:37 am

Seriously? The House failed to do what?

The U.S. House of Representatives – primarily the Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives – failed to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act. The Senate approved reauthorization in a bipartisan vote. The House – the Republicans in the House – let the law expire. Apparently the new version is too supportive of immigrants, the LGBT community, and Native Americans.

For the first time since 1994, the Violence Against Women Act is no more. And state and local governments will receive far fewer resources to address sexual and domestic violence.

It can sometimes be said that laws are not renewed because they are no longer needed. That does not work here.

An effort to revive the Violence Against Women Act can begin in the new Congress. Anyone who loves, or who has ever loved, a woman needs to be part of that effort.

See you along the Trail.

 

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December 31, 2012 · 10:30 pm

Recordando a Roberto

Roberto_ClementeI  first posted this three years ago. For some reason, Clemente has been on my mind today and so I repost.

Forty years ago this day, Pittsburgh Pirate Roberto Clemente climbed aboard a plane in Puerto Rico bound for Nicaragua.

A massive earthquake had struck Managua on December 23, 1972. The quake devastated the city, leaving thousands dead or homeless. Clemente organized relief efforts in Puerto Rico. When he learned that some of the aid had ended up in the pockets of the leaders and had not reached the people of Nicaragua, Clemente decided to deliver the next shipment personally. He assumed his stature would make sure that those in need received the supplies.

On December 31, 1972, Clemente stepped into a DC-7 plane along with the supplies. Not long after takeoff the plane suddenly lost altitude and crashed into the waters off Puerto Rico. Clemente’s body was never found.

The people of Puerto Rico, Latinos/as and Hispanics, the people of Western Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh, and others admired Clemente for his athletic prowess. He played with fire and passion and grace and an amazing ability.

More than that, the people admired Clemente for the way he lived his life. He challenged the prejudice and racism that affected Latino players. He demanded respect for himself and the people of Puerto Rico and other Latin American countries. He worked for people who lived in poverty and responded to the needs of his sisters and brothers. He reached out to children and provided them with opportunities to develop their own athletic talents.

I remember hearing the news the news of Roberto Clemente’s death on January 1, 1973 in Grove City, Pennsylvania. It devastated me. Clemente had been the hero of my childhood. At the time of his death, he was the hero of my youth.

And today – on the fortieth anniversary of his death – I remember and give thanks for Roberto Clemente – my hero still.

See you along the Trail.

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December 31, 2012 · 5:40 pm

A resolution worth making

Several hours ago, New York television stations reported that people have already begun to gather in Times Square to welcome the New Year.

As the New Year approached 150 years ago, people across the United States prepared to welcome a moment of immense significance.

President Lincoln had issued the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862. It provided that if the states in rebellion against the United States did not cease fighting and rejoin the Union by January 1, 1863, all slaves in those states or parts of those states would be declared free from that date forward.

The fighting did not cease. On December 31, 1862, the nation waited. African-Americans gathered for Watch Night Services awaiting the word. And the word came.

The Emancipation Proclamation did not end slavery outright. It did not immediately free anyone as the Union could not enforce the proclamation in the rebellious states. It did not address the issue of slavery in the so-called border states. It did not recognize that many people held in slavery had taken matters into their own hand and had freed themselves.

But the Emancipation Proclamation sent a message of hope to African-Americans. It sent a message of support to all who worked for freedom. It sent a message of intention to the nation and the nations. The war to preserve the Union became a war for human liberation as well.

The Emancipation Proclamation provided a measure of protection to the African-Americans who had freed themselves or who had been freed either by the efforts of the Union army or abolitionists. It paved the way for further steps such as the acceptance of African-Americans into the U.S. military and the eventual abolition of slavery.

This 150th anniversary affords an opportunity to remember the events of the past and to remember the people, our ancestors, who gave of themselves that all people might know freedom, justice, and equality.

This 150th anniversary affords an opportunity to repent, acknowledging that, while great strides have been made, the journey to racial justice remains long and challenging. We have work to do.

And so this 150th anniversary affords ourselves an opportunity, in the words of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “to rededicate ourselves to the long and bitter, but beautiful, struggle for a new world. This is the calling of the [children] of God, and our [sisters and brothers] wait eagerly for our response.”

May it be so.

See you along the Trail.

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December 25, 2012 · 1:17 am

Silent night, 24-25 December 2012

The familiar words of “Silent Night” filled the sanctuary of Forest Hill Church, Presbyterian as the 11:00 PM service drew to a close.

Outside at least six Cleveland Heights police cars, lights flashing, roared past.

It occurred to me that the world is rarely silent.

Life is messy, chaotic, confusing, and noisy. And much of that noise stems from our violation of one another and God’s creation.
Gun shots.
Drone attacks.
Land mines.
Shouts of anger.
Tears.
Bombs.
Hate-filled rhetoric.
Collisions.
Screams of fear.
Clanging chains.
Machinery ripping at the earth and its resources.
A cacophony of pain and abuse and exploitation fills life’s sound track.

But it is precisely this messy, chaotic, confusing, noisy life to which God comes. In Jesus, God enters this life freely. Experiences this life fully. Embraces this life wholeheartedly. 

This un-silent life, filled with deafening days and noisy nights, matters to God. Matters so deeply that God gives us Jesus to offer another way, inviting us anew to:
accept new beginnings,
offer forgiveness,
pursue peace,
seek justice,
love kindness,
live into hope,
and walk with God.

May we do so
on silent nights
on noisy nights
on this night
on all nights.

See you along the Trail.

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December 20, 2012 · 10:29 pm

Tell NBC to Air PC(USA) documentary: TRIGGER

As we seek ways to respond to gun violence in the United States, here is information about a video that could lead to discussion and other resources in a post from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness:

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons (daughters) of God. (Matthew 5:9)

The 219th General Assembly (2010) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) adopted a policy statement: Gun Violence, Gospel Values: Mobilizing in Response to God’s Call. The policy called for “the church [to] take responsibility to build public awareness of gun violence and the epidemic of preventable gun-related deaths, totaling more than 620,000 over the past twenty years, with hundreds of thousands more wounded. Even while taking the focused and urgent efforts below to achieve practical solutions, that the councils and congregations welcome discussion from all viewpoints, and that the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy review and summarize responses for the 220th General Assembly (2012).”

Trigger profileTrigger Documentary – Produced by the PC(USA)

NBC has first dibs through May, 2013, on airing a PC(USA)-produced documentary on gun violence. The documentary named TRIGGER :The Ripple Effect of Gun Violence is produced by award-winning producer David Barnhart. Our latest inquiry reveals that many of the local NBC affiliates are not even aware that the documentary exists. We need your help! Please call your local NBC affiliate today and request that the documentary be aired in prime time given the recent tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, and more than 30,000 people killed in the U.S. every year by gun violence.   

To find your local NBC affiliate, go to NBC’s website, search by state and choose your local station.  Once on the right website, look for a “contact us” or “feedback” link. Ask them to air TRIGGER in prime time.

Gun violence daily affects communities on levels equivalent with major natural and human disasters, and it is seen in almost every community. We may hear briefly about the victims and survivors of these shootings, but what happens after the media attention moves on and the wider public becomes numb to “just another shooting”? Drawing upon conversations with lawmakers, emergency room chaplains and surgeons, survivors and victims’ families, former ATF officials, police officers, community leaders and others, this documentary shares the story of how gun violence impacts individuals and communities and examines the “ripple effect” that one shooting has on a survivor, a family, a community, and a society. TRIGGER also addresses the critical issue of gun violence prevention (such as keeping guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill) by moving the conversation away from the polarizing extremes that have long dominated the debate and by lifting up the voice and experiences of those who seek common ground and a new way forward. View the documentary trailer. Please call today!  Encourage your friends and church members to do the same.

Resources for responding to gun-related tragedy:

See you along the Trail.

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December 17, 2012 · 8:22 am

As I should pray every day

Many concerns and joys and needs appear in my prayers.

This day – as should happen every day –

I pray
for children who go to school;
for parents and families who send their children to school;
for teachers, administrators, and all who work at school;
for parents and families who send their loved ones to work in schools.

With thanks to J.C. Austin and Shannan Vance-Ocampo and Derrick Weston for reminding me.

See you along the Trail.

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