Spiderman Theology
I love it when the Lectionary surprises me. Today is this verse in Luke 12: 32-48, the very last verse:
Luke 12: 41-48
41 Peter said, ‘Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for everyone?’42And the Lord said, ‘Who then is the faithful and prudent manager whom his master will put in charge of his slaves, to give them their allowance of food at the proper time? 43Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives. 44Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions. 45But if that slave says to himself, “My master is delayed in coming”, and if he begins to beat the other slaves, men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk, 46the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know, and will cut him in pieces,* and put him with the unfaithful. 47That slave who knew what his master wanted, but did not prepare himself or do what was wanted, will receive a severe beating.48But one who did not know and did what deserved a beating will receive a light beating. From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded.
When I got to the end of the reading, I laughed out loud. I have used a similar quote many times: With great power comes great responsibility. It’s from Spiderman, and most people relate to Spiderman. I know I do. Today, I loved discovering its grounding in scripture.
Twenty years ago, in Kuwait, I would have posted this and asked my fellow bloggers if there were comparable scriptures from their books. A lively discussion would ensue. I would learn surprising similarities, and disturbing differences. I miss those discussions.
Outraged Innocence
We learn so much about ourselves when we bear children. As Mothers, we learn the least glamorous of all virtues: self-sacrifice, endurance, patience, steadfastness and then more self-sacrifice. Caring for a newborn baby is an endless lesson in performing in spite of sleep loss, the drudgery of feeding and caring for a being who cannot in any way care for him or herself, and the realization that life will never again be the same.
And every now and then, you get the great pay off, a great gift that makes it all worthwhile. For me, it was the first time my son came home from college, majoring in Criminal Justice, and couldn’t wait to tell me what he had learned.
“Mom, the prisons are full of poor people who committed small crimes, many because they are poor! And there are rich people who cheat thousands of people of millions of dollars, and they go free!”
He was outraged. He could not understand how a country like ours could be so unfair to a majority of its citizens.
Later, as he continued with his studies, he confronted us. “We’re like the rich! Do you know anybody who has spent time in prison? There are entire communities who know how to deal with ‘the system’ because they have family members in prison!” Once again, he was outraged, and he had begun to understand what privilege is all about.
I couldn’t have been more proud. I couldn’t take any credit; he had discovered all this on his own. I was proud to have a son who could be outraged by injustice.
He has grown into a good man. He serves justice, as best he can. There are times when he will look me in the eye and tell me cynically “there is no justice; there is only winning and losing” but I see him out there, fighting the good fight against what appear to be overwhelming odds, and I know that motherhood, and all its sacrifices, is worth it to have a son with a good heart.
Sweet Words of Truth: “Don’t BOO! VOTE!”
Thank you, Robert Reich, for printing this inspirational speech in it’s entirety, and encouraging us to share. I intended to scan, but I found myself reading every word. So much political speech is jus blah blah blah. Obama is so real, and his words so civil, polished and full of good will that I couldn’t stop reading. I hope you will enjoy this:
Friends,
If you haven’t yet had a chance to see or read Obama’s speech in Cleveland Saturday night, please do both. And then share it as widely as you can.
TEXT (I have taken the liberty of putting certain sentences in bold type.)
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Hello, Ohio!
Yes! Hello, Cleveland! (Cheers/applause.)
All right, all right, all right, settle down! Settle down, come on!
(Cheers/applause.)
Thank you! Thank you! All right, all right, all right!
Hold up, hold up! Y’all got too riled up. (Laughter.) Man, it is rocking in Cleveland right now! (Cheers/applause.) It is good to be back. (Applause.)
It is great to be with your next governor, Amy Acton! (Applause.) Your next senator, Sherrod Brown! (Applause.)
And by the way, if y’all got seats, feel free to sit down. I’ve got some stuff to say here today. (Applause.)
Let’s face it, I’ve been doing this a long time. Sherrod talks about the first time I came here, did not have a single gray hair, not one. (Laughter.)
And so, I’ve been doing this a long time, and some people might say a little too long. And one of those people is Michelle Obama. (Cheers/applause.) But she gave me a hall pass this weekend.
And when you have been campaigning as long as I have been campaigning, when you’ve worked as many elections as I have, you can tell when an election comes along that just feels a little bit different. (Applause.)
An election where people are so ready for something new, so hungry for something better, so sick and tired of being sick and tired that everywhere you go, it feels like change is in the end. (Cheers/applause.)
And in Ohio, that’s how I’m feeling right now. That’s what you get a chance to do in 10 days. After two years of chaos and cruelty, and corruption, and incompetence, the likes of which we have not seen in modern times, you get a chance to say enough’s enough. We are voting for change right here in Ohio! (Applause.)
And the great thing is here in Ohio, you can vote early through November 1st. So don’t procrastinate, don’t equivocate. Make a plan to vote early in person or on election day. If you need to find out how to do it, go to iwillvote.com/oh.
AUDIENCE: I-O!
PRES. BARACK OBAMA: O-H?
AUDIENCE: I-O!
PRES. BARACK OBAMA: Some things don’t change. (Laughter.)
AUDIENCE MEMBER: We love you, Barack!
PRES. BARACK OBAMA: I love you back! You know that.
Now, you’ve heard some great speakers. I do not have to tell you how tough things are out there, but I do think it’s worth reminding ourselves how we got here, and the promises that the current occupant of the White House was making on the campaign trail two years ago.
AUDIENCE: Boo!
PRES. BARACK OBAMA: Don’t boo! And by the way, y’all must not have been to my rallies before, because you know you’re not supposed to boo. What are you supposed to do?
AUDIENCE: Vote!
PRES. BARACK OBAMA: Correct. They can’t hear your boos. They’ll hear your vote! (Applause.)
Now, two years ago, there were a lot of people who, they weren’t crazy about the guy’s character, but they were frustrated about post-COVID inflation.
They were seeing prices go up, and they heard him make a bunch of promises to get costs under control.
And those weren’t the only promises he made. He also promised he’d impose tariffs that would bring down the deficit. He promised he’d stop getting us involved in unnecessary wars. He promised he’d pass a beautiful healthcare bill, the most “beautiful bill” that would make everyone’s lives better. So, I think we should examine how did these promises work out.
Well, first of all, if you thought everything cost too much before you know who, everything is more expensive now. Your mortgage costs more. Your healthcare costs more. Your utility bills cost more. Interest rates are up, and then there’s gas, $4 a gallon, $5 a gallon. Diesel is over $y and climbing.
Now, I want to be fair. As a former president, I can tell you sometimes, factors beyond the president’s control end up foiling the best laid plans; that happens. A president doesn’t have control over the entire economy, but that is not the case here. (Applause.)
In this case, this administration’s actions are directly responsible for rising costs. The current president chose to make a series of bad decisions. Most importantly, he decided to start an unnecessary war that nobody asked for and nobody voted for. (Applause.)
Now, this is something I know a little about. Let’s think about this Iran war. The original rationale was, we’re going to go in there and get them to give up their nuclear program, their nuclear weapons.
Now, the thing was, Iran didn’t have nuclear weapons because I had put a deal in place — (Applause.) — that everybody acknowledged kept them from getting nukes. And I didn’t have to fire a missile to do it. I just had to engage in diplomacy.
He pulled out of it, starts this war. Seven months later, six months after they declared victory, because remember they said, “Oh, this is the best war ever, it’s going great,” seven months later, how’s that war going? Our allies and our bases have been attacked. Americans have been killed. Hundreds of Americans have been wounded. We have run down our stock of missiles, and Iran now has veto power over the Strait of Hormuz, where oil goes through to the world market.
This is the reason why the price of oil is up. Nobody disputes that. This is the reason the price of diesel is up. This is the reason why the price of just about everything is up. Meanwhile, you’ve got the defense secretary, who’s squarely focused —
AUDIENCE: Boo!
PRES. BARACK OBAMA: Wait, wait, don’t boo! Wait, wait! No, no, no, he’s very focused on important matters like the jawlines and testosterone levels of our troops — (laughter) — and live streaming executions, because that’s how he thinks you cultivate that manly warrior spirit.
How much time do you think this defense secretary spends looking himself in the mirror in the morning? (Laughter.) I mean, you know he’s working his hair because that’s how warriors look.
These are not serious people. They’re not serious people, and the problem is you end up having to pay the price for their lack of seriousness. (Applause.)
Now, oil prices aren’t the only reason prices keep going up. There’s also this whole tariff business. Our current president loves tariffs, loves them, tariffs!
Now, he was warned at the time, when you impose tariffs, consumers pay the tab because it’s not just the goods that you use directly that have been imported from someplace else. It’s also the car you build here in America. They might need a part from somewhere else, and now suddenly there’s a tariff on it, so the prices go up. He was warned about that. “No, no, no, that’s not what’s going to happen. It’s going to be great. Everything’s going to turn out great.”
No, that’s not what happened! In fact, tariffs helped contribute to rising prices. And the big trade war he’s starting now is with that well-known evil empire, Canada! (Laughter.) Canada! I mean, these are the people who gave us maple syrup and Martin Short. (Laughter.) Canadians, they’re the nicest people; they’re so nice! They’re like our friendly neighbors to the north, and he’s picking a fight with them. And instead of bringing down deficits like he said with these tariffs, we’re now running a debt to the tune of $40 trillion, 40 trillion!
Now, you would think that with all this going on, our current president must have at least passed some legislation to bring down prices. You would think, right? But the only bill they passed of any significance in the last two years was a trillion-dollar tax break that mostly benefitted the richest Americans.
AUDIENCE: Boo!
PRES. BARACK OBAMA: What did I say? What did I say? Don’t boo, vote!
AUDIENCE: Vote!
PRES. BARACK OBAMA: Vote! Now, I’ve heard the argument, the president’s done some things folks wanted him to do, like tightening up the border. And you know what? I believe that we do need to make sure that our border is orderly and secure, and that people who want to come here do so lawfully.
And in fact, when I was president, I got criticized by some close Democratic allies for tightening up enforcement at the border. But I don’t recall anybody campaigning on sending masked agents running through our streets. I don’t recall anybody talking about law-abiding citizens being arrested, detained, or shot! We did not ask for that! That’s not what we have to do to get our borders under control. (Cheers/applause.)
When you go through all this, the tally of promises, things have not worked out the way we might have expected, although I must say, I did expect it. (Laughter.)
And let’s be honest. Does anybody really think this guy in the White House right now is spending all that time thinking about these issues?
AUDIENCE: No!
PRES. BARACK OBAMA: I mean, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but he seems very focused on home renovations. He should be on HGTV. (Laughter.) The guy’s building a ballroom that’s bigger than the White House. He’s paved over the Rose Garden, put a helicopter pad on the South Lawn, and there’s gold everywhere. What’s up with the gold? (Laughter.) Everything, more gold. He’s got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory. (Laughter.) Just gold everywhere. (Applause.)
He’s clearly not focused on lowering prices for you!
Now, there is one thing he does seem to focus on in addition to home renovation, and that is how to enrich himself and his family and his children. Just look at the last couple weeks. We’ve got a United States Ambassador shaking down a donor to pay off a $100,000 credit card bill. Then we learned there’s a Venezuelan billionaire who wanted a pardon, paid one of Trump’s personal lawyers $50 million to be general counsel at a company nobody knows anything about. And lo and behold, he gets the pardon, falls out of the sky.
And this culture is set at the top. We have never seen a president excel so wildly and just straight up grifting on your dime. (Applause.) Never seen a president so intent on selling favors and shaking folks down. We have lost count of all the deals he and his family have done, from meme coins to taxpayer-funded contracts for his kids’ companies. And this is someone who has become billions of dollars wealthier in office.
And by the way, this is not disputed. I’m not making this up. It’s all there, and not a single Republican in Congress has done anything to stop it, not Jon Husted, not any of the Republicans on the ballot here in Ohio. Most of them have supported him every step of the way.
You remember that old thing about drain the swamp? The only thing that got drained was the reflecting pool in the National Mall after some no-bid contract got it all messed up. And then they tried to blame a three-time Olympian and say he vandalized it. (Applause.)
All right. I mean, the list could go on.
And here’s the tough part, all right? Like it or not, I want a little reality check. We’ve got two more years in this administration.
AUDIENCE: No!
PRES. BARACK OBAMA: Wait, wait, wait! I mean, wait, hold up. I mean, that’s how our system of government works, but you know what? You know what we’re not stuck with? We’re not stuck with a spineless Congress and Republican governors who are enabling lawlessness and carelessness and cruelty, and indifference for working people. (Applause.)
We’re not stuck with that. We’re not stuck with folks who are enabling policies that take more and more out of your paycheck, and cut your health care, and drive up prices. We’re not stuck with that.
This election is our last, best chance to at least rein in some of the foolishness of this administration. (Applause.)
It’s the circuit breaker in the system. We need to flip that circuit breaker! We need to start bringing some accountability to this administration. And just as important, we need to start showing the American people, who are hungry for solutions, what real leadership looks like, what concrete plans look like that actually lower costs and actually make healthcare more affordable, and make housing more affordable and get utility bills under control. We can’t just be against this administration’s behavior. We have to start showing them what a future on the other side of this administration can look like. (Cheers/applause.)
And that starts with you, Ohio. That starts with you. That starts with electing Amy Acton governor! (Applause.)
That starts with sending Sherrod Brown to the United States Senate! (Applause.)
It starts with them.
I almost feel bad for their Republican opponents, almost, because after spending the past couple years just singing this president’s praises, doing his bidding, they’ve now come to realize everybody’s pretty upset about all these broken promises.
So, what are they doing? First of all, they’re pretending like they’ve never heard of the guy. (Laughter.) “Donald who? I’m sorry. Who?” (Laughter.) And then, of course, they’re also doing what they always do, we’re just running all kinds of scary ads to make you think Democrats are radicals and communists, and that the woke police will arrest you and force feed you tofu. (Laughter.)
We are not going to fall for that. They run that same okey-doke every election, and it’s tired, tired. We’re clear about the choice in this election. Jon Husted is a guy who, as Sherrod already mentioned, voted not once, not twice, voted 14 times to support the Iran war that’s helping drive up gas prices here in Ohio, 14 times.
AUDIENCE: Boo!
PRES. BARACK OBAMA: Don’t boo.
AUDIENCE: Vote!
PRES. BARACK OBAMA: Voted three times to block folks from reining in the tariffs that have been driving up costs, voted to kick hundreds of thousands of Ohioans off Medicaid and raise healthcare costs.
And by the way, this is the same guy who, as lieutenant governor, pushed so hard for data centers, he’s been called a data center’s best friend. Now, I don’t know if that’s a title I want, but that’s it.
You know who hasn’t been called that? Sherrod Brown. (Applause.)
If there is one thing we all know about Sherrod Brown, and I’ve known him for two decades, is that he is not looking out for the high and mighty. He’s not working on behalf of people living high on the hog. He’s looking out for folks who are doing an honest day’s work and are still having trouble getting by. And that’s who he is; that’s who he’s always been. (Applause.)
And by the way, you can tell by how he’s dressed. (Laughter.) I mean, this is not a guy who enriched himself, cozying up to corporations. He still is wearing the same suit he was in when I met him 20 years ago! (Laughter/applause.)
He got a haircut for this rally — (laughter) — but y’all know he’s too cheap to get a haircut more than, I don’t know, once every couple months. He’s got this quarter zip. Connie told him, you know what? We’ve got to spruce you up a little bit. (Laughter.)
Sherrod is not somebody pretending to look out for working folks. He has always been there for you — (Applause.) — even when it’s hard, even when he might lose an election, even when he knows folks are going to spend millions of dollars against him! He’s always challenging the status quo, always taking on the system, always fighting for you!
And that’s what he’ll do in the United States Senate. He’ll ban members of Congress from trading stocks, ban them for life from lobbying after they leave. He’ll put a cap on how much utility companies can raise rates. And when it comes to data centers, he’ll make sure corporations and not Ohioans are paying the full cost of their energy needs. (Applause.)
He’ll fight to make sure decisions about data centers are made not in secret deals, but out in the open by you, in Ohio communities. It’ll build on the great work we did because he was there every step of the way, passing the Affordable Care Act, and he’s going to make it illegal for drug companies to charge Americans more than what they charge in other countries — (Applause.) — and taking on insurance companies who are denying Ohioans care and protecting health care for hundreds of thousands of Ohioans. That’s who Sherrod is.
So, if you want lower costs, vote for change. Vote for Sherrod! (Applause.)
You want to end the war and get gas prices under control, vote for change and vote for Sherrod. You want to stop corruption and grifting, vote for change. Vote for Sherrod Brown! (Applause.)
And then you’ve got a governor’s race here. Let’s talk about that.
Now, there’s one political observer who was recently asked whether Vivek Ramaswamy wants to be a good governor or some kind of political celebrity, and the political observer said, “I don’t know. I assume he wants to be both.” This wasn’t some Democratic pundit who said this; it was Republican Governor Mike DeWine.
Vivek’s own supporters know it’s all about what’s in it for him. We all know that guy, who’s just thirsty, just wants to get attention no matter what, willing to do anything. And in recent days, we’ve seen there is no line he will not cross, no low he will not sink to, to try to get in the limelight. I mean, think about this latest ad he ran.
AUDIENCE: Boo!
PRES. BARACK OBAMA: Do not boo. I want us to just focus on this. Wait, wait!
There’s a decency that we should expect out of our public officials. (Applause.)
And I don’t know what’s happened where the standards of behavior have gotten so low that somebody can run an ad like that. There’s got to be something inside you where you just say, no office is worth stooping that low, because you know what? Character matters.
Amy has spoken movingly about her painful childhood and all she’s experienced, and the abuse, neglect, and homelessness. And she’s never forgotten the people who looked out for her, who refused to look the other way when she needed a helping hand. And that’s why she dedicated her life and her career to looking out for Ohioans, looking out for people in need, looking out for people who maybe didn’t get a fair shot. (Applause.)
That’s what she did when Mike DeWine recruited her to join his cabinet and lead Ohio’s Health Department. And that’s what she’s going to do as governor. (Applause.)
She’ll cut taxes for as many as 775,000 Ohio families to lower costs and put money in your pockets and lift people out of poverty. She understands childcare shouldn’t bust the family budget, so she’ll make childcare more affordable, forgive medical debt, because no one should go broke because they need a medical procedure. (Applause.)
And on day one, as governor, she will sign anti-corruption executive orders to make sure Ohio’s government is working for Ohioans and not special interests. (Cheers/applause.)
Amy Acton is not in this to be some kind of political celebrity. She’s in it for you. (Applause.)
Look, these are unsettling times. These are unsettling times. The economy is changing fast. AI is here, and we need to make sure it benefits everyone, not just a few billionaires. We need to revamp our education for the new era that AI is ushering in. (Applause.)
We’re facing a housing shortage, and we need to build millions of homes. We need to rein in the cost of childcare so young families can afford it. We need to make sure no one has to worry about high healthcare premiums.
I get the frustration; I get the anger and the cynicism because the system is not working, partly because of gerrymandering, partly because rich and powerful folks are able to buy and sell elections like never before, pouring the kind of money we’ve never seen, partly because we’ve got a Republican Party that used to stand for smaller government and now seems to stand for corrupt government, or inept government, or no government — (Applause.) — and partly because this is also true too often, even among well-intentioned folks, including Democrats, there are times when we get so caught up in process and bureaucracy that we don’t deliver the goods fast enough to make a real difference in people’s lives. And people get frustrated. They don’t see enough change out there.
And that’s the reason we need serious people in Washington and in state capitals. These are serious times. (Applause.)
And what is striking about this moment is just how unserious the people in charge are right now, people who are more interested in performance, and flexing, and texting, and putting people down instead of lifting them up. (Applause.)
And what all that means is that when you see somebody like Sherrod, when you see somebody like Amy, somebody who genuinely cares about people, somebody who has a strong track record and is offering real solutions, somebody who isn’t in it to enrich themselves or because they want the limelight, but because they want to serve, then you’ve got to realize how precious that is.
And we’ve got to deliver for them. We’ve got to make sure we elect them as United States Senator and as governor. (Applause.)
Because Sherrod and Amy understand this election is not about them. It’s about you; it’s about us.
And there’s one other thing they understand. They understand that what ails us right now, what is throwing our country so out of kilter, it’s not just about prices. It’s not just about economics. Those things are really important, but it’s also about values. (Applause.)
There is a moral component to the choices we face right now. We are not going to fix the economic system or the political system that’s broken. We’re not going to unrig our economy, so long as we’ve got a culture where anything goes, and where people in the highest offices in the land think it’s okay to lie and cheat and bully, and where money is the only measure of our worth. (Applause.)
And that’s part of what’s going on right now. We have lost touch with those things that really matter in life, caring for our families, and helping our neighbors, and looking after our children, and laughing with them, and hugging them, and keeping our word, and having integrity, and treating other people with respect — (Applause.) — just basic stuff, stuff that used to be, it wasn’t Democratic or it wasn’t Republican. It was American. It was human. It was how we treat each other, just basic decency! (Cheers/applause.)
Yeah! That’s what we are missing in our public discourse, just basic decency.
We need to remember the words of a 25-year-old preacher who gave a sermon in 1954, where he said, “If we are to go forward today, we’ve got to go back and rediscover some mighty precious values that we’ve left behind.” That was Martin Luther King, Jr. at 25 years old. (Applause.)
He said, “We haven’t learned how to be just. We haven’t learned how to be honest and kind and true and loving, and that is the basis of our problem.” (Cheers/applause.)
“The real problem,” he said, “is that through our scientific genius, we have made a world of neighborhood, but through our moral and our spiritual genius, we failed to make it a brotherhood.”
And Ohio, what was true then is true today. Yes, we need to lower costs. We need to put money in people’s pockets. Yes, we need to end this war and the corruption in Washington, but we don’t do any of those things if we don’t fix our moral compass as a nation, if we don’t return to some of those old-fashioned virtues –(Applause.) — if our fundamental attitude to each other is to try and hurt other people so they don’t hurt us first, if we’re driven by fear instead of by hope, if we think it’s okay to snatch children from parents or cut programs for the aged or the infirm, so the powerful can get whatever they want, we will continue to fester in anger and division.
And I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of being angry, and I’m tired of being divided. (Applause.)
I want to reach out and shake my neighbor’s hand. I want to get to work doing something for somebody else.
We didn’t get into this moment overnight. We won’t get out of it overnight, and none of us should pretend that any single person in any single office is somehow going to save the day for us, and that the rest of us can just go back to acting the same way. We’re going to have to all make some changes.
But Ohio, here’s what I know. This election can be a start. This election can be an inflection point. This election can be a course correction in America’s long journey toward a more perfect union — (Applause.) — because if we’re willing to turn out in big numbers here in Ohio and across the country, if we’re willing to vote for change and vote for Democrats up and down the ballot, then this election might just mark the moment this country began moving in a better direction — (Cheers/applause.) — when we leave our worst impulses behind and start aligning our politics with our highest ideals!
Ohio, you and I have proved before that it is hard to stop a change whose time has come. (Applause.)
In 10 days, you have a chance to do it again! So, I’m asking you: Are you fired up?
AUDIENCE: Yeah!
PRES. BARACK OBAMA: Are you ready to go? (Cheers/applause.)
Let’s make Amy Acton governor! (Applause.)
Let’s make Sherrod Brown senator! (Applause.)
Let’s get on the path to making America better!
Thank you! I love you!. God bless you! God bless the United States of America!
Dirty Tricks and Desperation
We used to scorn Richard Nixon for his Dirty Tricks, called him Tricky Dick. This week the Republicans make Richard Nixon look benign. Ramaswamy invokes an abusive mother against his opponent, Amy Acton. Trump has the DOJ file a suit saying they are going to challenge the election of Mary Peltola in Alaska., and threatening to confiscate ballots in California. Locally, candidate Ashley Hofberger sends out postcards telling her electorate her opponent is a Unitarian and NOT A CHRISTIAN who wants to turn us all into Unitarians (gasp)! If it all didn’t have such serious consequences, we would have to laugh. It gets so tiring being outraged.
When you are a party whose entire time in power has been spent self-enriching, creating Executive Orders and laws that enrich your own family, stripping environmental protections from your citizens, and corrupting the objectivity of the Justice system, betraying historical allies, cozying up to dictators, FIRING THE WATCHDOGS, and vilifying the Free Press any time they expose an inconvenient truth, of course you sink to the vilest of responses – lying, cheating, bullying and changing the rules, the tools of the callous corrupt.
HIRAM HISANORI KANO: Another Extraordinary Immigrant
My American ancestors were immigrant, weren’t yours? Ancestry.com tells me I am mostly Swedish, but also Irish, German, French, and middle European. Most probably immigrated for the most common and mundane of reasons – the land was failing and they wanted an opportunity to create a new life and hopefully, eat regularly.
Today’s Lectionary readings highlight Hiram Hisanori Kano, another extraordinary immigrant. In every way, he served this country, in spite of unjust, untrue accusations of traiterous behavior. He used his time in the internment camps as an opportunity to teach others, and to serve God.
HIRAM HISANORI KANO
PRIEST, 24 OCT. 1988
The Rev. Hiram Hisanori Kano (1889-1986), an Episcopal priest known by some as the “Saint of Nebraska and Colorado,” was an agricultural missionary among Japanese Americans in western Nebraska and a pastor to American soldiers imprisoned for having been AWOL while he himself was a prisoner during the Japanese internment of WWII. Churches in the Dioceses of Nebraska and Colorado observe a Saint’s day for Fr. Kano annually.
Fr. Kano, who was from a well-known family in Tokyo, received a Master’s degree in agriculture from the University of Nebraska. In the early 1920’s, Bishop George Allen Beecher of the Missionary District of Western Nebraska discerned in farmer and educator Kano, the evangelist he was seeking to call Nebraska’s Japanese to be God’s people. A lay missionary first, Kano would become Deacon Kano in 1928 and Fr. Kano in 1936. By the spring of 1934 there were 250 baptized and 50 confirmed through Fr. Kano’s ministry.
On the morning of December 7, 1941, Fr. Kano had just celebrated the Eucharist at Episcopal Church of Our Savior in North Platte, Nebraska, 180 miles from his wife and children at their Scottsbluff home. On that morning he was arrested by the local police and not allowed to notify his family of his detention, but was sent to the district attorney in Omaha. He heard the terrible news of the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the declaration of war on Japan on the police car radio. Because his family in Japan had connections with the Japanese government, and he was so personally influential with the Japanese Americans as both a minister and a teacher of agriculture, he was rated “Class A – the most potentially dangerous of Japanese Americans.” He was the only Japanese of the 5,000 living in Nebraska, Colorado, and Wyoming to receive this rating and to be interned.
Despite his own defense and pleas from his bishop who knew Fr. Kano to be a dedicated Christian and loyal to his adopted country, he spent the next two years in internment camps. He spent time in four different states, always working to help the other internees and those imprisoned AWOL soldiers. He served as dean of a school for the internees and taught many courses in Agricultural Study and English, and he preached the gospel.
After the war, it was determined that Fr. Kano should not return to his ministry in Nebraska. He had been detained longer than most, and it was feared that folks in Nebraska would be unaware of his loyalty to the U.S. and only remember inflammatory headlines such as, “Alien Pastor Arrested by FBI … Admits Writing to Tokyo.” He was sent to an Episcopal Seminary in Wisconsin where he earned both Bachelors and Masters of Divinity degrees. He returned to Nebraska and his ministry in 1946.
Fr. Kano and Mrs. Kano earned their citizenship soon after the law permitted it in 1952, and then began teaching citizenship classes so that between 1953 and 1955, nearly 100 percent of the Nebraska Japanese became citizens. Forty years after WWII, when the U.S. government acknowledged that Japanese Americans had been wronged by the internments and offered to pay reparations, Fr. Kano told his bishop, “I don’t want the money. God just used that as another opportunity for me to preach the gospel.”
— From General Convention 2012
Opening a Can of Worms
One thing I loved the most when I started this blog, Lo those twenty years ago, was that most of my readers were foreign, but understood and spoke English. Once you have the basics, the idioms and metaphores are a lot of fun.
We do not literally kick a dead horse, or hit the rack, or open a can of worms, but we understand what those phrases imply. We will not literally open a can of worms if the Department of Justice opens an investigation into Corey Lewandowski. We will be looking at a situation which has gone unaddressed, the use of political office for self-enrichment.
In every society I’ve lived in, there are things we don’t talk about, because once you open that can of worms, or let that cat out of the bag, you can no longer contain the problem, and you have to deal with the consequences. Many times, the consequences are unanticipated.
When asked about the Lewandowski investigation, here is what the President said:
“If they’re not going to be honest, they have to be prosecuted,” Trump warned, adding that dishonesty amounts to “stealing from me as president.”
Actually, Mr. President, his dishonesty means he is stealing from the USA as a nation. It’s kind of like ignoring the laws against buying stock when you know you are going to announce a policy that will enhance its value. It’s kind of like accepting gifts from foreign countries – it’s compromising our integrity. It’s kind of like relying on business moguls with their own agendas to regulate Starlink access in the Ukraine, having to go hat in hand to them when you need a favor. It’s kind of like disregarding Congress when you commit acts of war against another sovereign nation. It’s kind of like they could expect a favor in return, It’s kind of like robbing the USA when the Supreme Court gives you immunity and using your very best judgement, you abuse it.
When the Homeland Security Inspector General refers a case to the DOJ, he probably has a strong case. When the evidence is produced, there may well be parallels in other dealings open to the public view.
In this case, maybe letting those worms out will provide some much needed transparency as to the state of collusion and co-option within our executive branch, his appointees, and the hamstringing of the Department of Justice so that it serves the President, and not the United States of America.
And on the subject of metaphors:
What Do You Expect When You Vote for a Misogynist?
More than 35% of female undergraduates surveyed at Cornell last year reported experiencing nonconsensual sexual contact, up from 23% in 2023.
You voted for a man who claimed to grab women by their private parts because he could. He said when you are rich and famous, you can do anything. He and his Tweedledum War Chief think manly equals testosterone and taking what you want.
To this point, increasingly civilized countries have prioritized manly qualities such as protecting women and children, providing for women and children, taking care of elderly parents, giving charity to those who are in need – being physically stronger comes with responsibilities.
Small wonder women are refusing to date or marry men who believe they are entitled to dominate and take what they want.
Consent is basic respect. An agreement to kiss is not an agreement to go further, Consent has degrees, and a manly man checks in, makes sure his partner wants to take the next step.
Tough Advice
Today’s Lectionary Reading from the Gospel is truly humbling for those who truly try to follow The Way:
Luke 6:27-38
27 ‘But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.29If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. 30Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. 31Do to others as you would have them do to you.
32 ‘If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return.* Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
37 ‘Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.’
Taxpayers Fund Pathetic Big Brother
According to several news agencies yesterday, an ad promoting Trump began airing this week. It says it was paid for by the government, despite a law banning taxpayer funds being used for propaganda.
I find Trump vulgar. I find his AI productions of himself as Jesus, as himself in a military uniform (applying honors to himself which he never earned), and his glowering portraits from public buildings inappropriate. Pathetic. Distasteful.
I find his fripperies and vanity projects disgusting. The man has no taste. He is erecting monuments to himself. He would destroy the Kennedy Center because he is jealous – he wrecked it.
I’m careful with my money. What offends me the most is that I am not reluctant to pay taxes; we earned government salaries, we respect the need for a government to provide services, and that good citizens pay their fair taxes. I object to paying for self-glorification, or “love-me” ads. I believe this is illegal – just as I believe our fight in Iran is illegal, was not discussed with Congress, and that the citizens paying for this war should be given accurate information, such as the tolls taken on our servicemen and women and on our installations during this war.
Why do we continue to let this fraudster operate with impunity?
He dares to put his face on the corrupts Justice Department, filling it with loyalists who submit to Trump’s policy of vengeance against his perceived enemies – those who would disagree with him.
He puts his face on the Labor Department, at a time when mortgages are once again hitting an all time high, inflation is hitting food and gas prices, and our young people cannot find jobs nor buy houses.
His vanity knows no boundaries. His ignorance is wrecking our economy. His vulgarity shreds our efforts at civility. His greed takes the food out of the mouths of the hungry, and medical care out of the hands of the sick and dying. He refuses to disperse funds already allocated to the powerless. He sells off our National Parklands, or leases off lands, for commercial exploitation, and invalidates environmental rules put into place to keep our food, water, and emergency systems in place.
In the previous entry in this blog, we see Trump and Melania glaring suspiciously at the camera, and the President of China looking at Trump with a look that appears to be pity.
Pity instead the poor taxpayers, footing the bill for this monstrous, vain, big baby.
“But What If I Never See Pomegranate Syrup Again?”
I had a tough weekend. You know, one of those dealing with emotions kind. Exhausting.
I’ve been chasing moths in our pantry for weeks now, and AdventureMan has volunteered to clean out the pantry totally and get to the root of the situation. I am so grateful. He was soon so sorry he volunteered. It’s a mammoth job. I know, I’ve done it before to get rid of our last infestation.
Even that word is a trigger for me. We have a moth infestation translates to I AM A BAD HOUSEKEEPER. I hear my Mother’s judgement. She raised me better. I do the best I can, but . . . I have an INFESTATION. I feel like a failure.
So I listen to my husband huffing and puffing and even cursing now and then, and I don’t feel appreciation as much as I feel guilt.
It gets worse. He wants to have “a talk.” Just the words make my heart pound. But the truth is, he is very kind. He doesn’t blame me for this at all; he just wants to find where these beasties are coming from. We wash every crevice (there are cocoons), inspect every package, put all grains and open-package wares in glass or hard plastic containers, and we crush every sign of the beasties. Yet still they appear.
AnventureMan snuggles up and says “we are buying too much food. We have a pantry full of food, just for the two of us. We eat out often, and cook less. We waste food; we throw out bread that molds, vegetables that shrink, and foods that have expired. We need to buy less food.”
I agree. I know he is right.
“I know it is hard for you to break decades of behavior,” he says, “but we have changed our habits and now we have to change our shopping.”
I agree. I know he is right.
Living on a frugal island in Alaska, then living overseas where we couldn’t get many of the goods Americans take for granted, I lived by two rules:
- If you see it, buy it. You may never see it again. This was true in Alaska, Germany, Tunisia, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar. During COVID it was briefly true in the United States, as the supply chain went off the wheel, and toilet paper was absent from the shelves as people bought it up like treasure.
- If you need it, buy a back-up. This explains why I have excessive amounts of peanut butter, mustard, relish, tuna fish, dish detergent and beans. It’s no longer a question of when the boat will come in, it’s also a question of if a hurricane strikes and we are on our own for days, or weeks, or months.
I agree with AdventureMan. I need to buy less; we need to waste less.
Today, with his felafel salad, he started to grab the pomegranate syrup from the pantry and I said “Stop! We have one open in the refrigerator!” I could see it was getting low, and mentally I was thinking “put that on the list, we don’t want to run out of pomegranate syrup.”
And then my rational brain kicked in. How often do I really use pomegranate syrup? For Muhammara, which I make maybe once every three months. For Fesenjan, which I have made once, ever. And today AdventureMan wanted some for his salad. Our bottle in the refrigerator could last a year or more.
And my lizard brain screamed “But what if you never see pomegranate syrup again?”
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Early Voting in Florida
