Thoughts on Sen. Kennedy's Legacy

"...I fear that in any assembly, members will obtain an influence by noise, not sense. By meanness, not greatness. By ignorance, not learning. By contracted hearts, not large souls... There is one thing, my dear sir, that must be attempted and most sacredly observed or we are all undone. There must be decency and respect, and veneration introduced for persons of authority of every rank, or we are undone. In a popular government, this is our only way." -- John Adams, in reply to concerns by Massachusetts friend John Warren, on the slow pace of the Congress' vote for independence from the British crown.

Events of the past several weeks have made me wonder about the future of this country, as cable news hosts, with no special political, journalistic or other credentials (but hubris), stir people into a frenzy against the President of this country based on distorted facts or just plain lies. I believe, as the Bible clearly states, that the truth will set us free, but sometimes it takes quite a while for the truth to come out.

Glenn Beck's histrionics reminded me of the vitriol of the McCarthy era, when people were attacked for being "Communists" and blacklisted, even though the claims were completely false in many cases. It was also reminiscent of the lunacy of Morton Downey, Jr., the '80s talk show host who specialized in whipping up rage and hatred over the issue of the day. After his show was canceled, he was so desperate for attention he claimed that neo-Nazis attacked him in a public bathroom.

When I heard the news of Senator Kennedy's death this morning, and watched the long-prepared footage of historic moments in his life, it seemed that the timing was ordained; that in his death as in his life, history will be made just as it was after his brother John's passing. Perhaps, even more quickly.

Kennedy put national health insurance and coverage for the poor on the public agenda decades ago, and insurance and pharmaceutical companies have spent hundreds of millions in lobbying dollars and campaign funds to block any meaningful action. For the first time, though, I think that Congress may have enough momentum to act.

Changing the dialogue from personal, inane attacks to well thought-out discussions will make it possible to come up with real solutions. Labeling everyone who wants to solve these problems as "socialist" is absurd. Are all Canadians, Japanese and Europeans Socialist? No, they are not, yet they have reasonable national health insurance plans.

As I read David McCullough's Pulitzer Prize-winning book, John Adams, I am becoming aware that the arguments for and against issues in this country have often been heated and sometimes personal when they should have been about the facts. In a democracy, we have to be reminded sometimes that all voices should be heard -- not shouted down by a barbaric minority, with no intelligent points to make.

Week of Troubles Overcome by Blessings

It's been one of those weeks.

I haven't written for two weeks for two good reasons: I spent one week preparing for a house closing and all of the attending paperwork; I spent the second week trying to endure a lot of the Murphy's Law problems that make life so interesting.

Working my way forward, last week -- exactly seven days ago -- I came down with a stomach virus after a day of learning how to can vegetables with Betty of Bible.com (not that there's any connection.) So I was laid up for two days and still didn't feel great on Tuesday. Then on Tuesday afternoon, my car overheated and had to be towed that night. Luckily, Bud of Bible.com was able to pick up me, Andy and our dog Lucky and take us home. We were disappointed because we weren't able to go to the premiere of our friends' movie. It's a Christian film that was being shown at Scottsdale Bible Church. We'll have to see it later and I'll report on it.

Then on Wednesday, Bud drove me into town, but I wasn't able to get a rental car until Thursday. There's some Cowboy Poet convention or something in Prescott this week.

On Friday, I drove to Scottsdale and met with the charming group of people who operate Sunbelt Vacations, a house rental company, to talk about the guide that I will be writing and editing. That was the bright spot of the week -- and having a scrumptious lunch with the head of the company, Chad Sullivan.

Today started out well, but quickly went south when I went into the vegetable garden, wearing mules on my feet -- as most gardeners do -- and was stung on both feet by the prodigious number of bees there. I am recuperating today and counting my blessings that I am not allergic to bees. My Epi-pen, which I use for reactions to food that contains unknown amounts of shellfish, is actually in my car at the garage (that is unable to diagnose the problem with it). I will be moving it to the Chrysler dealer on Monday. Also, some incredibly loud lightning struck somewhere up here in the mountains and made us wonder if something or someone was a victim. So far, no casualties reported.

In the meantime, I am looking forward to overcoming the minor setbacks of the week and moving on to the house closing on Monday (yea!) and working on many various and fascinating projects that are in the offing. My dog Lucky is relieved that I am OK now, and is laying at my side to protect me from further lightning. Dogs are a blessing, and I think that the primitive history of them as helpers for humans was ordained. They are our companions from long ago, and they are mentioned in the Bible as creatures that console and heal. I am thankful for Lucky.

I missed church services last week, which always is disconcerting, but Andy and I prayed this week and counted our blessings, as always, and are prepared for whatever major or minor calamity is to come. Hallelujah, Jesus. Thanks for always being there.

'Love' Keeps Journalists Going in N. Korea

The New York Times photo

This was a momentous week for America. Not only was the first Hispanic person confirmed for the Supreme Court, but Congress also resuscitated the moribund auto industry while removing thousands of polluting cars from the road with the Cash for Clunkers program. Today, too, unemployment figures showed signs of dipping slightly, and it seems that the worst may be over.

The most moving, news-clip worthy event, however, was the release of two journalists from a North Korean prison. The women, who had accused of spying, had been sentenced to 12 years of hard labor. Through the intervention of former President Clinton, and the grace of God, Euna Lee and Laura Ling were freed and back on American soil to tell the tale.

When I heard about the release of the women on the radio, though, what struck me most was the emotional remark made by Ling, which I felt just as strongly when I saw the news broadcast.

“We could feel your love all the way in North Korea,” she said during the press conference. “It is what kept us going in the darkest of hours.”

Love was what sustained them. Love. It’s so rare for people to say that in public, when that’s the most powerful force in the world, and what Christianity is all about. To me, it was the most meaningful statement made all week. They were saved by the love of those who knew them who would not give up -- and who thereby made it possible for something of a miracle to happen in their return. That's the kind of love that Christians feel in fellowship in a tightknit parish. It's the kind of love that causes people to lay down their lives for strangers.

It made me reflect on the role of love in the Bible. Also on the latest scientific research on love's healing properties, which I plan to write about in the coming weeks. Mostly, though, it made me feel love for all of those strangers out there who cared about the fate of these women who they'd never met. When so much of the news is taken up by reports of terrorism, murder and theft, it was a welcome change.

Julia Child As Patron Saint? Not Exactly

There's no doubt that the book "Julie/Julia" (soon to be a major movie) is mostly hilarious. Based on the bloggings about the author's year of cooking all of the recipes of Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," the author mixes her personal life, her cooking disasters and her job as a lowly secretary for the Homeland Security department in the wake of the World Trade Center collapses with great aplomb.

In fact, she is as brave in her writing as she was in her cooking, despite some harrowing days.

The only failing that the book has is its dubious view of faith, God and especially Christianity. Perhaps because Julie Powell was raised in Texas, where there's no ignoring the Bible Belt sensibility, she felt more of a need to diss traditional religion as a nonbeliever. Or perhaps it's because to most people in Generation X, religion is an embarrassment, if not downright irrelevant to them at their young ages. Given that, it's still a harsh take on Christians to write about them as though they are mentally deficient, pathetic or both.

When her girlfriends ask for advice about sleeping with married men or are about to embark on an affair, she has no courage to speak up and tell them that it's wrong. As much as she seems to love her own husband and her life with him, somehow these moral failings apparently don't bother her much.

We are who we choose to spend time with as much as we are what we do. In that sense, Julie did a great job in being like Julia Child, but a poor job as a friend and as someone who takes life seriously.

All of those silly rules in the Bible were created for a reason -- just like Julia Child put down each painstaking step for a reason in her impossibly complicated recipes. They lead to a life that is worth living and which improves the lives of those around us. The rules cannot be skipped for a book or a cookbook. Eventually ignoring the basics, like, oh, say, the Ten Commandments, leads to real disaster, not the drama queen wailing-on-the-floor-with-a-ruined-Cuisinart kind.