Category Archives: FETH

Who was St Patrick?

by D Gregory Smith

Happy St Patrick’s Day!

If you feel like you need a little brush-up on (one of) Ireland’s patron saint(s), check this out.

If you want a somewhat controversial take on St. Patrick, go here.

And if you want to know some interesting Irish Fun Facts, go here.

And yes, I’m mostly Irish. And yes I have pride in my heritage, but I’m not much of a fan of public drunken brawling and slurring. I find myself agreeing with Frank Delaney’s take on celebration of St Patrick’s Day…”Drowning The Shamrock”.

Sigh.

Here’s a picture of me in Ireland in 2007:

Dursey Island

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Candidates For Election Set Record

by D Gregory Smith

According to the Secretary Of State’s office, Montanans are filing in record numbers for public office. Yesterday there were a record 429 Montanan candidates filing for office. And that’s either a sign of increased participation among the population or increased activism- maybe both. Democrats are vying to regain lost Legislative seats and Republicans will be looking to take back the state Land Board, and make a dent in the higher offices of U S Senator, Governor and Attorney General- while trying to hold on to the seat vacated by Denny Rehberg in his bid for the Senate.

State Seal of Montana.

Image via Wikipedia

Democrats are optimistic.

“Our candidates are firefighters from Billings, moms from Missoula, farmers from Big Sandy, and other hard working Montanans around the state,” said Jim Elliott, Chairman of the Democratic Party.  “We are proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with a group of candidates who reflect the values of Montanans.”
Under Democrats’ leadership the state’s economy has maintained a budget in the black and a high record of job creation, higher than elsewhere in the nation.
“Attorney General Steve Bullock and Brigadier General John Walsh (retired) have what it takes to help small businesses create jobs, improve education and keep Montana’s economy on the right track,” said Elliott.  “Montanans have come to expect fiscal responsibility from the Governor’s office, and that’s what they’re going to get from Steve and John.”
The Party announces its field of candidates at a time when women’s rights have been under extradoridnary attack in Congress and the State Legislature.  Congressman Dennis Rehberg has been at the center of attempts to end women’s access to preventative care, and some Republican legislators went so far as to compare women to cattle.
“We are especially proud that we have dozens of strong women candidates running for office,” said Elliott. “We will not stand by while irresponsible political games threaten women’s health.  Our candidates are committed to honoring the important role women play in all our lives.”
Montana Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee chair Lauren Caldwell said during a news conference Monday that the large number of GOP candidates competing against each other in primary races is a telling sign of GOP disorganization and doesn’t send a message of unity.

“They’re struggling for the soul of their party right now,” Caldwell said. “They’re focused on political wrangling … and there is a struggle on their side to keep the candidates that they had in the last legislative session and to not have them challenged.”

Republicans aren’t having that. “Every single election cycle the Democrats try to use the same spin, and they are wrong every single time. Every one of those cycles we gain seats. It is a wrong interpretation of what goes on,” Montana GOP Executive Director Bowen Greenwood said. “We are a party that believes in competition and the free market of ideas. That produces winning candidates for us. It has in the past, and it will now.”

“We are committed to electing a legislature that advances the interests of Montanans in every community,” maintains Democrat Elliott.  “Our field of legislative candidates will hold themselves accountable to the people they’re supposed to represent.”

On Saturday, nearly 1,100 Montanans attended the Party’s annual fundraiser, headlined by Jon Tester. That number that exceeds any in recent memory, with the exception of the 2008 event, which featured Presidential candidates.
In a year when the (mostly) Republican craziness of the 2011 Legislature still rings fresh in the minds of Montana voters, the Democrats may have more than a fighting chance

A list of current candidate filings can be found on the Secretary of State’s website at sos.mt.gov/Elections.

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Why I Loved An Unquenchable Thirst

by D Gregory Smith

I recently read a book I want to tell you about. It is a book that has changed my life. Now before you roll your eyes at that dramatic statement, hear me out.

An Unquenchable Thirst by Mary Johnson.

From the author’s website:

“An Unquenchable Thirst is the story of my twenty years as a Missionary of Charity, a nun with Mother Teresa of Calcutta. People tell me that the book is more than a fascinating story about nuns; they say it’s a book about being human. That pleases me.

Mother Teresa always used to tell us:  “God made us to love and to be loved.” An Unquenchable Thirst is the story of the many ways love surprised and challenged me, and of how I came to understand myself as a woman with body, mind, desires, and what some would call soul. I hope you’ll enjoy my stories, and that my book will spark lively, honest discussion.”

It sparked something, all right. It sparked a long overdue look at some of the painful memories of my past. I was in the seminary in Rome at the same time the author was a sister there. I don’t remember if our paths crossed or not, but the similarities of experience and the struggles came back vividly as I read.

It has also sparked a correspondence with the author. We met through Twitter and have had some engaging letters about the book and about life in general. By way of a review, I would like to share a bit from a note that I wrote to her after I finished An Unquenchable Thirst:

First of all, I think it’s important for me to acknowledge the difficulty in which your book has placed me- I was allowed to confront the (sometimes) harsh realities of my Roman years gently through your own- but I have realized all of the unfinished work before me. I, too have dreams of those days that push me and pull me and wake me up panting for steady breath. There’s obviously more for me to do- and the difficulty is finding my own way to process the lessons of those years. I can’t put it off any longer, and I’m really grateful to you for kickstarting the process for me.

Having said that, I loved your book. The affection I feel for your experience and the way you tell your story is very real. With a very few changes of detail, nuance, situation and character, it is my story. It is the story of more than one of my classmates at the NAC- and of more than one sister I’ve met who has left. It’s the story of all people who strive to give love according to rules- and find that there are none. The institutions to which we innocently entrusted ourselves often became the painfully dramatic catalyst for a process of birthing a life-giving truth. You tell it beautifully, honestly and respectfully. I really appreciate that honesty and respect- especially for the women with whom you shared a great part of your life. You didn’t let the pain become the motivation, I think you correctly allowed it to appear as a symptom of your desire for love. But you didn’t gloss over the real issues, either. Power is always hard to talk about without descending into pontificating (irony intended). But you did it well, with the grace of concern and conviction.
 
The hard part for me was leaving the people of the church- the folks in the pews who believed in goodness and the message of Jesus. I loved being a part of their lives, I loved being a voice against fear. I loved being an advocate of justice, compassion and peace. I loved the sacraments- the true sense of sacrament which is mediating ‘The Divine’ to the world. But not being allowed to be myself nearly killed me. I tried to reconcile my experience of love to the church’s- and all I got was depression and malaise. When I finally figured out that my desire to give life was forcing me to contemplate the ending of my own, I found relief. The realization of that fallacy set me free. The church gave me a lot of excellent language to describe my true self- but it still does not accept me or my experience as valid expressions of truth love or meaning. Much like your love for Mother (Theresa), I also confused the need for love and acceptance with my own need for myself….

This book changed my life because it forced me to realize the work I had left to do in processing my own time in the church, work that I’ve now taken up again in earnest. It continues to change my life by providing words to some of those experiences. But mostly, I think, it changed my life by giving me a friend, a sister in the best sense of the word- someone who I’m getting to know better through correspondence and mutual support in our “lives outside”.

This book is not a Catholic-bashing fest. It is a respectfully honest and forthright memoir reflecting not only the experience of the author, but the experience of many others.  Mary Johnson’s chronicle is a must-read for anyone interested in spirituality, integrity and the struggle of the self-awakening heart. I recommend it unreservedly.
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“Silence Equals Death”

by D Gregory Smith

The Utah Legislature has defied science, reason and decency in passing a bill which would, in the words of The Salt Lake Tribune,

let schools skip teaching sex education and prohibit instruction in the use of contraception.

Senate debate over HB363 was relatively short Tuesday afternoon before senators passed it 19-10. In the end, many senators felt schools shouldn’t teach the subject.

“To replace the parent in the school setting, among people who we have no idea what their morals are, we have no ideas what their values are, yet we turn our children over to them to instruct them in the most sensitive sexual activities in their lives, I think is wrongheaded,” said Sen. Stuart Reid, R-Ogden.

A number of lawmakers, all Democrats, rose to speak against the bill Tuesday and ask questions. But Senate bill sponsor Sen. Margaret Datyon, R-Orem, refused to answer questions about the bill, saying “I think everybody basically knows where they are on this issue. Obviously, the senators may speak, but I don’t know that it’s going to be beneficial for me to try to debate or answer questions.” (emphasis mine)

Seriously? When is debate not beneficial? When are unanswered questions helpful? 

Carol Spackman Moss ,  a member of the Utah House of Representatives takes issue with the process and the results of it, invoking a very familiar (to those outside the Utah Bubble) slogan:

Silence equals death. Once a slogan for AIDS activists, today it articulates the stakes in a legislative battle over sex education in Utah’s public schools. HB363, Health Education Amendments , has passed the House and Senate. Gov. Gary Herbert should veto it.

The bill is an effort to silence teachers from giving Utah teens accurate information about sex, contraceptives and homosexuality. It would even empower school districts to withdraw any education at all about human sexuality. In fact, withholding this vital information could result in death for some teenagers and undoubtedly would result in life-altering consequences for countless others, including unplanned pregnancies, STDs and even increased suicides.

Supporters of the bill want to deny Utah teens the knowledge that would assist them in making appropriate decisions, including abstinence. Unplanned parenthood will be just one consequence of purposeful ignorance about sex.

Unfortunately, more teenage pregnancies will likely lead to abortions. Silence about safer sex will do nothing to reduce the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases among young people. The archaic — and unconstitutional — stigma on homosexuality will stain our community, promote the bullying of vulnerable teens, and contribute to the epidemic of suicide by gay teens.

These are some of the reasons HB363 is not only unwise, but dangerous, even immoral. The ban on information about sexuality endangers the lives of vulnerable children by prohibiting teachers from providing responses to spontaneous questions from students that might constitute “advocacy of homosexuality” or “the use of contraceptive methods or devices.”

These restrictions are unconstitutionally vague and ambiguous. Would a teacher violate this mandate by confirming for a student that the use of condoms significantly reduces the risk of pregnancy and the transmission of many diseases? If a student comes out to a teacher, can the teacher express support for the student? What about counseling a student about coming out to his parents? Would that be “advocacy of homosexuality” in violation of the proposed law?

The Utah Legislature should not command its schools to pretend that contraception, pre-marital sex and homosexuality do not exist. These issues are simply facts of life, and public schools should prepare students to live in the real world by providing age-appropriate information.

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Swamped

by D Gregory Smith
English: Swans' nest The warm winter may have ...

Image via Wikipedia

Sorry for the lack of content today- dealing with a deluge of work- personally and professionally.

I’ll make up for it tonight or tomorrow!

~G

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Quote Of The Day- Maureen Dowd

by D Gregory Smith

From her column on the lackluster Republican Candidates:

In an interview with ABC News’s George Stephanopoulos, Santorum offended the Catholics he’s courting by saying that the J.F.K. speech ratifying the separation of church and state made him want “to throw up” because Kennedy had thrown “his faith under the bus.”

“I don’t believe in an America where the separation of church and state are absolute,” Sanctorum said.

If he is willing to cross that line, the only two possibilities are that he doesn’t understand the nature of the United States or that he wants to do damage to the United States. Neither is acceptable.

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Infographic: Climate Change Hoax

by D Gregory Smith
Image

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Catholic Nuns File Amicus Brief Supporting Affordable Care Act

by D Gregory Smith

Some sisters have come out in favor of The Affordable Care Act, saying

(We) believe that a civilized society must ensure the provision of basic healthcare to its citizens regardless of their ability to pay for it. (We) further believe it is a moral imperative that all levels of government institute programs that ensure the poor receive such care. (We) believe Medicaid expansion under the Act is critical to the communities (we) serve.

Predictably, some “Catholic” websites are leading with headlines like “Liberal Nuns Support Obamacare”, and “Liberal Activist Nuns Want Socialized Medicine”.

Sigh. What’s wrong with these people? What do they think Jesus would charge for healthcare? And they’re theologically out of step with their church.

From ThinkProgress:

As further proof that conservative efforts to paint President Obama as the enemy of religion are a red herring, nearly two dozen leading Catholic nuns filed a brief in the Supreme Court last week supporting the president’s signature legislative accomplishment. The Catholic sisters who joined the brief include the leaders of many prominent religious orders providing health care and other services to the needy.

These nuns have unique stature to explain why their support for the Affordable Care Act flows from their faith, given that so many of them have devoted their lives to providing care to those most in need. Nevertheless, their views are hardly unique within their church’s hierarchy. Pope Benedict XVI called health care an “inalienable right,” and added that it is the “moral responsibility of nations to guarantee access to health care for all of their citizens.”

Duh. “Is the Pope Catholic?” may no longer be a rhetorical question- especially for catholic fanatics.

Oh- and Jesus healed for free….

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A Catholic Case For Same-Sex Marriage

by D Gregory Smith

Marriage Equality USA logo

Friends Jeannine Gramick and Frank DeBernardo from New Ways Ministry had an excellent Valentine’s Day Op-Ed in The Washington Post. In one of the most well prepared (both theologically and sociologically) essays I’ve read, they make the case for marriage equality:

This month in Maryland and the state of Washington, an extraordinary dynamic is playing itself out:  Two Catholic governors are prodding legislators to pass bills legalizing same-gender marriage. Like Govs. Andrew Cuomo in New York and Pat Quinn in Illinois — whose states recently legalized same-sex civil unions — Govs. Martin O’Malley and Christine Gregoire are acting against the strongly expressed opposition of their church’s bishops.As Catholics who are involved in lesbian and gay ministry and outreach, we are aware that many people, some of them Catholics, believe that Catholics cannot faithfully disobey the public policies of the church’s hierarchy. But this is not the case.The Catholic Church is not a democracy, but neither is it a dictatorship. Ideally, our bishops should strive to proclaim the sensus fidelium , the faith as it is understood by the whole church. At the moment, however, thebishops and the majority of the church are at odds. A survey published in September by the Public Religion Research Institute found that 52 percent of Catholics support marriage equality and 69 percent support civil unions.Those numbers shouldn’t surprise people who are familiar with the Catholic theological tradition. For example, Catholic thinking dictates that we should use the evidence we find in the natural world to help us reach our conclusions. Many Catholics have reflected on the scientific evidence that homosexuality is a natural variant in human sexuality, and understand that lesbian and gay love is as natural as heterosexual love.

In forming our consciences, Catholics also consult scripture and our theological tradition. Here, again, there is little firm reason to oppose marriage equality. The Bible presents us with a marital landscape that includes polygamy, concubinage, temple prostitution and Levirate marriages (in which a man is bound to marry his brother’s widow.) Jesus disputed the Mosaic law on divorce, saying that what God has joined man must not separate, but this dictum was modified in the letters of St. Paul.

When we see the manifold changes that marriage has undergone throughout history, many Catholics wonder why our bishops believe that heterosexual marriage in its current 21stcentury state is a matter of divine revelation.

Those who delve into the theology of marriage will encounter the writings of St. Augustine of Hippo, who articulated what Christians have come to call “the goods of marriage.” These are enumerated in contemporary terms as partnership, permanence, fidelity and fruitfulness. Same-sex couples demonstrate all of these attributes just as opposite-sex couples do, unless one defines “fruitfulness” narrowly as the ability to procreate. But many heterosexual couples cannot or choose not to procreate, and the church marries them anyway.

English: St. Augustine of Hippo

Image via Wikipedia

The deeper one looks into the church’s core teachings, the more one realizes that the bishops are not representing the breadth of the Catholic tradition in their campaign against marriage equality. Nowhere is that more true than in the area of Catholic social justice teaching.Catholic social teaching requires that all people be treated with dignity, regardless of their state in life or their beliefs. It upholds the importance of access to health-care benefits, the protection of children, dignity in end of life choices, and, most importantly, the promotion of stable family units. Marriage equality legislation would be an obvious boon to same-sex couples and their children in each of these areas, yet the bishops are spending millions of dollars opposing it.

Brilliant. If you’re a pray-er, these two deserve all you can give them.

Full story here

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Montana’s Last Best Chance

by D Gregory Smith

Washington State is soon to add itself to the list of states that have legislated for marriage equality- arguably the most democratic way to achieve human rights there is. Forget referendums- most people don’t know what they’re actually voting for, they just read the synopsis on the ballot and make a two second decision. But I digress.

The question for me is this: Now that the State of Washington has voted for Marriage Equality, what does that mean for Oregon, Idaho, Alaska and Montana?

It means we need to keep up the momentum for full LGBT equality. This is not the time to sit on our laurels. This is the time to step it up.

Kris Hermanns in Red Lodge

The Pride Foundation is the only LGBT organization actively involved for LGBT Equality throughout the entire Pacific Northwest- and it is deeply committed. New Executive Director Kris Hermanns last week said to a gathering of Montanans in Bozeman, “Our commitment to you is clear, and together we will have full equality throughout the Pacific Northwest.”

I am a proud member of the Pride Foundation’s Montana Leadership Action Team- along with a number of amazing people- and we have big plans for Montana.

But without the organizing and financial power of Pride Foundation, this amazing group of people would never have been recruited, organized and utilized- and the tens of thousands of  dollars would never have been spent to support LGBTQ causes, events and organizations in 2011.

I believe that the Pride Foundation is Montana’s last best chance to achieve dignity and rights in the state of Montana.

We can’t do it without you. And I’m going to blatantly ask for your support.

If you believe in equal rights for all, support us. Join us here on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. And please consider financially supporting Pride Foundation- Ken and I are monthly givers.

To do that, click here.

And thank you.

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