The 2013 NRA Convention: An Exercise in Neurotic Reinforcement

Today in Huston Texas, the NRA is holding its 2013 National Convention.  After puppeteering the recent defeat of the Manchin – Toomey Background Check Bill in the United States Senate, the NRA is in a joyous celebratory mood, along with all those who manufacture and sell guns and bullets.

In his book Mein Kampf, Adolph Hitler wrote “The great masses of the people will more easily fall victim to a big lie than to a small one.”

When Hitler published this in 1925, I wonder if he had any idea how many others would apply this principle in the future.  Eighty-eight years later the NRA has, thus far, successfully applied this psychological scam on the American public and the American political system.

The Hitlerian-based scheme of the NRA is to con the American public and political system with the concept that any form of gun regulation is a direct attack on the Second Amendment of the United States and must be defeated at all cost to defend the rights of Americans to bear arms.  The fluke of this Hitlerian-based scheme is that all respected public opinion polls shows that over 80% of the American public, despite political affiliations, supported the Manchin – Toomey Background Check Bill and yet the NRA was successful in killing this legislation in the Senate.

Form my fallible role within the greater pastoral community, I am amazed as to the ability of the NRA to create and maintain their control over our society and political system.  In many ways, the controls exercised over our society and political system has enslaved such just as the philosophy of Apartheid held over South Africa – a system in which a neurotic minority controlled the majority of the country.

Over 80% of Americans believed in and supported the concepts articulated in the Manchin – Toomey Background Check Bill.  This begs the question of whose rights are actually being denied – the majority or the minority?  Given the supposed fidelity of the NRA to the Second Amendment I am forced to ask where is their fidelity to the wishes to the majority of the citizens in this democracy.

Captain Mark Kelly, husband of Representative-emeritus Gabriel Giffords of Arizona, has reminded us that NRA Vice President Wayne LaPierre and the gun manufacturers he represents exploit people's fears and in return gun manufacturers gave LaPierre and the NRA tens of millions of dollars last year alone - and he spent almost $1 million of it on his own salary.   Nice work if you can get it.

In its infancy, the original purpose of the NRA was to promote and educate gun owners on the safe usage of firearms.  It now seems that the principle role of the NRA has evolved to being the industrial pimps for gun manufacturers.

I have no personal or professional desire to delete the Second Amendment from our Constitution of the United States, but I do have a desire to embrace and ensure that each and every person in this country has the right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  Sadly, the apartheid stranglehold which the NRA has over our political system failed the children of Sandy Hook and all other locations where the slaughter of the innocents has taken place.  I believe that the Manchin – Toomey Background Check Bill would have protected the rights of our national family to experience life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness at NO expense to the Second Amendment.

I must confess my sadness at the political cowardness recently exhibited by the democratic members of the United States Senate.  I am not sure what strings the NRA employed to manipulate their votes, but they did indeed know which ones to pull.  I must also extend my gratitude to those members of the Republican party who supported Mancin – Toomey.  These individuals demonstrated their understanding that saving lives comes before politics.

History has taught us that us that the evils of Hitler and Apartheid had limited life spans.  I can only hope and pray that the current stranglehold which the NRA has over our country shall also have a limited life span. For as long as the NRA continues to endanger our rights to experience life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, the body county will surely continue to grow.

Let me conclude with a suggestion.

To those families who will loose their loved ones due to the failure of the passage of Manchin – Toomey, I recommend that you send the bill for their funerals to the NRA and also to those members of Congress who opposed the Manchin – Toomey Background Check Bill.

They have enough blood money to cover the costs.

Father, forgive them; even though they know what they are doing.

The following is an Abstract for the upcoming Pastoral Essay entitled "Father, forgive them; even though they know what they are doing."

“If you want someone to be marginalized, enable a bully.

If you want to eliminate the sin of marginalization, enable Grace”

This personal essay focuses on the events that led up to the termination of Bishop James Wilkowski from his secular position with the office of the Cook County Clerk in August of 2012.

During the last two years of the Bishop's nine year employment with the Cook County Clerk, he was transferred into a different department where he encountered multiple forms of marginalization because of his race, clerical status and health.  When repeated acts of supervisional bullying failed to force the Bishop's resignation, a scheme to manipulate grounds for termination began and where completed on August 12th, 2013.

This essay witnesses acts of bullying, prejudice and racism within the workplace.

Why, Pastor Morris - Why?

I cannot think of any member of our national family who has not been affected by the tragic events in Newtown CT.  It was my hope that during this past weekend, all members of the pastoral community would offer words of comfort and healing to their congregations.

This evening I was presented with a story about a minister in Tennessee and his sermon this past weekend that is beyond my professional and pastoral understanding.

Old Paths Baptist Church Pastoral Sam Morris told his congregation that the number of mass shooting were escalating because of schools were government “mind-control centers” that taught “junk about evolution” and “how to be a homo.”  Mr. Morris went on to say “We get all up in arms about 20 children being shot in a day care but we don’t give one good-glory rip about the 4,000 that were removed violently from the wombs of their mothers on the same day,” he explained. “I believe they use children and Christmas and all that to pull on our heart strings about gun control. That’s what it’s all about.”

In additional remarks, Morris said “We’re going to see more of this because notice, the first thing in America we start yelling about is gun control is gun control. Have you noticed that? Gun control. No one’s even thought about the fact that these shootings only happened at places where guns are banned. Have you noticed that? They have never had a mass shooting at a gun show, where you can find over a thousand loaded guns at one time.”

“Why do you still send your kids to the governmental schools?” the pastor asked the congregation. “What’s behind this shooting that we saw on Dec. 14 in Newtown, Connecticut and the other one’s like it? What’s going on. Well, number one, deception… I got news for you, when you kicked God out of schools, you’re going to be judged for that.”

How about that?

A few days ago, I committed myself to working with two of my colleagues from the independent catholic movement to form an ecumenical committee named “Bishops for the Prevention of Violence.”  I hope that not only we will be successful in helping to bring about an end to gun violence, but we may also counteract the damage done by the words of Sam Morris.

Pope bestows Blessings upon Rebecca Kadaga, Speaker of the Ugandan Parliament

After ending my canonical relationship with the Roman Catholic Church, I promised myself that I would never engage in any form of "bad-mouthing" the jurisdiction I once belonged to and I re-affirmed that promise after I became a bishop within the Evangelical Catholic Church.

Today I read a news story that is forcing me to go back on that promise.

John Becker recently wrote a story in the Huffington Post titled: "Pope Blesses Uganda's Top "Kill the Gays" Lawmaker"  Rebecca Kadaga, Speaker of the Ugandan Parliament was in Rome with a delegation of Ugandan lawmakers.  Speaker Kadaga has proposed "Kill the Gays" legislation in the Ugandan Parliament and hopes to see it past before the end of this year.

Upon presenting Pope Benedict XVI with a gift, Speaker Kadaga received a Papal Blessing from the Pope. Let me repeat this:  The Bishop of Rome publicly bestowed a Papal Blessing to a political leader working to enact a Holocaust of gay and lesbian Ugandans.  

As a result, Speaker Kadaga can now return to Uganda with pictures of her receiving her Papal Blessings and use it as a tool to push through her "Kill the Gays" legislation.  

Where is the outrage?  Why have so many voices elected to remain silent - just as they did so many years ago when Hitler came to power. 

Benedict XVI has sent a clear message to the world.  Will there be a response? 

This is just beyond me.

"They" couldn't get Obama, so they got Susan Rice instead

I was sorry to hear that UN Ambassador Susan Rice has asked to have her name removed from consideration at the next United States Secretary of State. Few individuals have the credentials or experience to step in the role of Secretary of State as Ambassador Rice. While I am convinced that President Obama will nominate someone who will serve our country well, it is a shame that John McCain and his band of thugs got away with the hatchet job they did on Ambassador Rice. Since McCain and Company could not defeat President Obama's re-election, they had to settle on Ambassador Rice as a surrogate.

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn must appeal the order of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals to force Illinois to enact legislation permitting Illinoisans to carry concealed handguns.

Today I sent a letter to Illinois Governor Pat Quinn urging him in the strongest of terms to appeal the decision of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals to mandate the Illinois legislature to enact legislation permitting the people of Illinois to carry concealed handguns.

In my letter to the Governor, I said "We are at a time in our history when it is apparent to all that the plague of handgun violence must be addressed and steps must be taken to reduce the number of handguns and assault weapons that currently infest our cities and towns and which contributes to the number of premature deaths of our statewide family members.  Permitting Illinoisans to carry concealed handguns will guarantee a deadly surge in the “Rambo mentality,” thus insuring a drain on our law enforcement agencies, hospital emergency rooms and offices of our medical examiners. 

Permitting Illinoisans to carry concealed weapons will contribute to a loss of jobs in our states because small business owners will close their shops because of the higher cost of insurance and force their employees on the unemployment rolls.  Our state economy cannot afford this.

As a catholic bishop, I unconditionally beg you to also consider the moral and ethical obligations our elected officials have to protect the welfare and safety of our state wide community.  I have had to hold the hands of too many parents and spouses who have lost their loved ones to handgun violence and I have no desire to have those numbers increase because of the 7^th Circuit Court of Appeals.  The morticians and undertakers of our state will always have their clients and I believe that the only positive outcome of this mandate would be an increase in their business.   Every person born into this world has the right to a life of possibilities and not destined to be a statistic in the book of victims. 

Many years ago, I stood with you in front of the Prudential Building in Chicago in the dead of winter fighting for those who were about to have their electricity shut off.  I said to you that “I hope that we here might make a difference.”  Your response to my statement was “We are obligated to protect the health and welfare for the people.”

For the sake of all Illinoisans I beg you to embrace those words and to fight this mandate in the United States Supreme Court.  I pledge to you all my help and support in such a fight.”

I fear that I need to begin to brace myself for the worst to come.

The Advent Season for Gender-Common Marriage

Sometimes the gift of humor helps individuals and the community at large along its way in a discernment process.

"Soon we may live in a world where the only people opposed to gay marriage will be gay people who are married." –Craig Ferguson

"You know who is really against the president's position on gay marriage? Gay men afraid of commitment. Now they have no excuse." –Jay Leno

"Rev. Pat Robertson says that if more states legalize gay marriage, God will destroy America. He did say that afterwards, gays will come in and do a beautiful renovation." –Conan O'Brien

"When you're a gay couple getting married, who gets the bachelor party? Who goes downstairs in the middle of the night to check on the noise? Who forgets the anniversary? Who refuses to stop and ask for directions? And which one of you will take forever to get ready?" –David Letterman

and

"Recently, the highest court in South Africa handed down a decision ordering the country s parliament to extend marriage rights to all gay couples. So just to reiterate, American is now less progressive than South Africa." --Jon Stewart

While the Christian community is focused on the spirituality of Advent, there is another advent - a secular one which is building momentum towards its eventual birth.

Just for a quick reference, The word 'Advent' is from the Latin 'Adventus,' which means 'coming.'

I am speaking of the Advent for the legalization of gender-common marriages.

It seems to me that once the last votes (including Florida) were counted and President Obama was re-elected to a second term as President, the momentum to finally resolve the question of marriage equality has become almost as important a national concern as is the "fiscal-cliff" issue. I believe what has freed this momentum on its course is because the vocal minority in opposition to marriage equality and many other forms of human and civil rights has expounded its last roar.

This past weekend, George Will, the patriarch of conservative commentators and writers spoke the obvious on the ABC Sunday talk-show "This Week" said:

"There is something like an emerging consensus. Quite literally, the opposition to gay marriage is dying. It’s old people."

Mr. Will's assessment is correct.  The sadness is that it has taken so long for this matter of human rights and dignity to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

The older I become, the more distinction I see between "human time" and "God's time."  To be human and subservient to God's clock can be very difficult.  As marriage equality becomes a finalized realization, I cannot help thinking about countless numbers of those who never lived long enough to see this approaching day.  Like the former slaves who died just before the implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, the women who died just before the 15th Amendment to the Constitution or all those who died before the enactment of the 1965 Voting Rights Act - those who did not live to experience marriage equality must never be forgotten for it was their dream that kept the ember of hope alive through so many difficult years.

There is a sense of sadness in the reality of Mr. Will's comments because I think that it is indeed sad that we have to wait for the death of a generation in order for our society to progress and evolve forward.  As a bishop I have to ask myself where did the pastoral community fail in the spiritual formation of our people.  Why did we allow so many teachable moments to reform social and spiritual attitudes to slip through our fingers?  Why were we silent when we should have, as shepherds, been shouting out against injustice from the rooftops?  Why did we permit the power of bigotry and prejudice to prevail over goodness?  For these failures, many of us will have to answer in the next life.

I find some solace in the fact that my catholic jurisdiction went "against the current" and followed the call of the Holy Spirit to permit gender-common marriage in 1997 and I find additional comfort by seeing other jurisdictions beginning to welcome gender-common couples to marriage.

It is my hope and prayer that as human time and God's time has converged on the question of marriage equality we will not have to wait for generations to die before all of humanity has the opportunity to experience full and complete human rights and equality.

Thank you, God for this Advent.