Answering The Red Queen: My mission should I choose to accept it?

Some time back, The Red Queen issued a challenge to me, and other progressive-leaning Christians to call the right-wing crazies to the carpet for, well, preaching a false gospel, basically. for behavior that must make Jesus not only weep, but rage.

There’s a community in Atlanta called The Open Door Community. Here’s what they have to say about themselves on their website:

The Open Door Community is a residential community in the Catholic Worker tradition (we’re sometimes called a Protestant Catholic Worker House!). We seek to dismantle racism, sexism and heterosexism, abolish the death penalty, and create the Beloved Community on Earth through a loving relationship with some of the most neglected and outcast of God’s children: the homeless and our sisters and brothers who are in prison.

We serve breakfasts and soup-kitchen lunches, provide showers and changes of clothes, staff a free medical clinic, conduct worship services and meetings for the clarification of thought, and provide a prison ministry, including monthly trips for families to visit loved ones at the Hardwick Prisons in central Georgia. We also advocate on behalf of the oppressed, homeless and prisoners through nonviolent protests, grassroots organization and the publication of our monthly newspaper, Hospitality.

Soggy but safe & sound….


Well, What’s left of Tropical Storm Ernesto has passed out into the Atlantic and should be visiting the Carolinas soon, hopefully It won’t re-strengthen. Basically yesterday amounted to a really rainy day, & for Darlin’ a day off work (he was actually gonna try & go get some work done but then it started to get reall rainy … I have yet to check out the church interior, gotta do that soon….

I was supposed to hear back yesterday about a job I applied to, but i’m guessing they took the day off… I’ll be making a phone call today…

Meanwhile…

It’s Fursday!!
And for your viewing enjoyment, I bring you a man playing the piano with his balls

ok, maybe not so much funny as mildly amusing….

Nasty Weather

I thought moving to Central Florida meant I would miss most of the Hurricane/Tropical Storm fun…….

yep, that big blue blob in the middle is Lake Okeechobee. I’m about 50 miles away as the crow flies…

Not so much worried about personal safety this time… we’re on relatively high ground & Mom & Dad’s house is concrete block…

I’m just hoping the roof of the church stays in place & doesn’t become completely porous

Time to batten down the hatches, I guess…

Small-Town Politics Happy Dance


So, the mayor of my charming little adopted hometown of about 8000 decided that the city needn’t bother to speak the native language of about 1/5 of its residents… you know, the ones who do most of our agricultural work (in a county whose economy is largely based on citrus and other fruits & vegetables which need to be harvested by hand), a big chunk of our construction, and a whole laundry list of other back-breaking, no-respect, low-paying jobs.

The “Illegal Immigration Relief Act” was copied almost verbatim from a similar ordinance passed in Hazelton, PA, and would have, amongst other things, declared English the “Official Language” and the only language the city does business in. In a recent TV interview, the mayor seemed unconcerned that this could pose a problem for pesky little things like reverse 911 notices (in a town with an air force bombing range recently approved to use live ammunition)

It also would penalize property owners & landlords for knowingly allowing an “illegal alien” (Interestingly enough the US immigration website uses this term, but does not have a definition in its glossary – yes, i know, it’s a commonly understood term, but it’s a vague term to be used in a piece of legislation without providing a definition) to rent, lease or “use” their property. (just in case the landlord decides to let somebody stay without paying rent?)

The city attorney spoke to a local newspaper, saying the law was poorly written and probably unconstitutional. He’s now looking for another job. No “official” reason was given why he was fired, but a council member was quoted as saying it was due to a recent “embarrasing incident”

When I started this post, this measure was up for a vote: After a five-hour city council meeting, the vote came down at 11:00 monday night, failing 3-2 the same margin by which it was originally expected to pass. One councilwoman changed her vote to no, commenting that she had prayed for guidance.

I’m not foolish enough to think that illegal immigration isn’t a problem, but I don’t think the solution lies in passing wrongheaded ordinances that appeal only to prejudice and snobbery.

What do you know abaout a group called Grassroots Campaigns?

Well, i was browsing craigslist today in the tentative beginnings of a search for gainful employment (i clicked on the nonprofit section in the hopes that I might find something more interesting than the usual boring office jobs – or at least a boring office job for the common good) andI found this ad. Yes, I know this probably shows how incredibly ignorant i really am in all things progressive (or political for that matter – what can I say, i’m still more opinionated than informed- help me!)

Anyway what do y’all know about these folks? are they legitimate? effective?