A Profile in Courage? You Betcha!

While everyone's hyperventilating and getting their knickers in a bunch (especially the right wing who felt their poster boy was attacked) over Stephen Colbert's comments at the Washington Correspondents' Dinner last week, here's one voice of appreciation for the courage it took to face power eye to eye and use satire and parody so masterfully that even Mark Twain would have been envious.

satire, term applied to any work of literature or art whose objective is ridicule. It is more easily recognized than defined. From ancient times satirists have shared a common aim: to expose foolishness in all its guises - vanity, hypocrisy, pedantry, idolatry, bigotry, sentimentality, and to effect reform through such exposure. The many diverse forms their statements have taken reflect the origin of the word satire, which is derived from the Latin satura, meaning "dish of mixed fruits," hence a medley. - Columbia University Press

"Ouch!"

I don't think I could have done that, not sure I'm that brave.

The critique as to whether or not that was the proper venue for what he did has its place, I supppose, but isn't that the whole point of satire anyway? One critique was that he just wasn't funny. Of course, it's the press corps saying he wasn't funny. What do they know? They were skewered by his biting remarks just as dramatically as was the President.

Isn't satire meant to make you squirm?

Isn't satire meant to address real issues and follies in the guise of humor, or, in Colbert's case, the advocacy of positions he's criticizing?

Of course they didn't think it was funny...they were the punch line. But for the benefit of the powerless looking in - a measure of comeuppance is sweet, oh so sweet.

Take a look -







There is nothing more fundamentally American than what Colbert did.

Nothing.

And I would remind those who think we don't do such things to the President - contrary to how we've had to live with the unabashed abuse of power in the executive branch, we do not have a King of America (Check out "King W" post of some time ago for more on that one), we have the product of a democracy. (And yes, we can debate the validity of that one, too).

But it is what it is.

And when we can no longer face power and call it into account, we might as well close the doors, cause this experiment in democracy will be over.

"Parodies and caricatures are the most penetrating of criticisms." - Aldous Huxley

Colbert's "truthiness" - Colbert introduced the word "truthiness" on the premiere episode of The Colbert Report, on October 17, 2005. He came up with the idea of "truthiness" just moments before filming for the show began. [2] He used "truthiness" in a monologue that emphasized its role as an ironic political polemic compressed into a single word, as demonstrated in the following excerpts:
"I will speak to you in plain, simple English. And that brings us to tonight's word: 'truthiness.' Now I'm sure some of the 'word police,' the 'wordanistas' over at Webster's are gonna say, 'Hey, that's not a word.' Well, anyone who knows me knows I'm no fan of dictionaries or reference books....
"I don't trust books. They're all fact, no heart. And that's exactly what's pulling our country apart today. 'Cause face it, folks; we are a divided nation. Not between Democrats and Republicans, or conservatives and liberals, or tops and bottoms. No, we are divided between those who think with their head, and those who know with their heart...
"Consider Harriet Miers. If you 'think' about Harriet Miers, of course her nomination's absurd. But the president didn't say he 'thought' about his selection. He said this:
(video clip of President Bush:) 'I know her heart.'
"Notice he didn't say anything about her brain? He didn't have to. He 'feels' the truth about Harriet Miers.
"And what about Iraq? If you 'think' about it, maybe there are a few missing pieces to the rationale for war. But doesn't taking Saddam out 'feel' like the right thing?..."
Colbert gave an out-of-character interview with The Onion's A.V. Club, in which he responded to the question, "What's your take on the 'truthiness' imbroglio that's tearing our country apart?" by elaborating on the critique he intended to convey with the word "truthiness":
"Truthiness is tearing apart our country, and I don't mean the argument over who came up with the word...
"It used to be, everyone was entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts. But that's not the case anymore. Facts matter not at all. Perception is everything. It's certainty. People love the President because he's certain of his choices as a leader, even if the facts that back him up don't seem to exist. It's the fact that he's certain that is very appealing to a certain section of the country. I really feel a dichotomy in the American populace. What is important? What you want to be true, or what is true?...
"Truthiness is 'What I say is right, and [nothing] anyone else says could possibly be true.' It's not only that I feel it to be true, but that I feel it to be true. There's not only an emotional quality, but there's a selfish quality." [3] from Wikpedia.com

A New #34

I have new favorite NFL team.
For one reason, and one reason only.













No, it's not #20.

But #34 is just as good.



In fact, I own a #34 jersey from someone they called "Sweetness," because when he ran, it was a thing of beauty to behold. Walter, another great runner will be wearing your number. I believe he can live up to the legacy you left.
Rest in peace, Sweetness.

And don't get me started about another #34 who ran with power wearing Houston's powder blue (Of course, that's back when I actually liked Bud Adams' team). Earl's power was awesome.

And he wore #20 during college, too.





That's not bad company to keep.

Go get 'em De!

"City of God" Easter 3

Luke tells us to stay in the city - from where power is received from on high.

Words we need to hear now more than ever.

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"Breath Support" Easter 2

Isn't it interesting that Jesus' first post-resurrection encounter with his disciples in John involves - forgiveness, peace, breath, belief?



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"The Rolling Stones" Easter, 2006

Homily for Easter Sunday, 2006
Based on Mark 16.1-8

Fear to Faith to Conviction

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"We May Not Know What Footwashing Is, But..." Maundy Thursday, 2006

This is my homily for Maundy Thursday, based on John 13.
An act of footwashing followed this message, and it was a beautiful act of mutual love and care.

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Faith in America

I record Meet the Press every Sunday and watch it when I get home from Church while reading the Sunday paper.

I love the theme song - composed by John Williams.

My wife and children think I'm weird.

Maybe I am.

Most the time, if all I'm hearing are carefully constructed talking points and sound bites, I'll just erase it without watching the whole thing.

But not this past week.

On Easter Sunday, Meet the Press featured a full hour on the topic "Faith in America." The link below will take you to the transcipt of the conversations featuring an ecumenical panel. You can also go to msnbc.com, follow the links to Meet the Press and watch the show through their video viewer.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12283802/

A couple of comments of note. I'm a huge fan of Joan Chittister, and have been for years. She is a Benedictine nun and, in my judgment, gets it. Her life and example set a bar high for me to aspire to reach. Watch the dynamic at play between Father Richard John Neuhaus and her. It's telling.

Also, watch or read the contributions of Joel Osteen and the rest of the panel. The depth of his theological contributions in the vast ocean of theological conversation is about a teaspoon deep, and that's being kind.

The other is a comment exerpted from John Meachem's new book "American Gospel." Given our current climate on issues of church, state, politics and religion - it is as cogent a comment on the nature of the American enterprise that you'll find.

Look these over, and offer comments for the sake of conversation and mutual edification.

“As it was in the beginning, so it has been since: an American acknowledgement of God in the public sphere, with men of good will struggling to be reverent yet tolerant and ecumenical. That the Founding Fathers debated whether to open the American saga with prayer is wonderfully fitting, for their conflicts are our conflicts, their dilemmas our dilemmas. Largely faithful, they knew religious wars had long been a destructive force in the lives of nations, and they had no wish to repeat the mistakes of the world they were rebelling against. And yet they bowed their heads.
“More than two centuries on, as millions of Americans observe Passover and commemorate Easter, the role of faith in public life is a subject of particularly pitched debate. From stem cells and science to the Supreme Court, from foreign policy and the 2008 presidential campaign to evangelical “Justice Sundays,” the questions of God and politics generates much heat but little light. Some Americans think the country has strayed too far from God; others fear that religious zealots (from the White House to the school board) are waging holy war on American liberty; and many, if not most, seem to believe that we are a nation hopelessly divided between believers and secularists.
“History suggests, though, that there is hope, for we have been fighting these battles from our earliest days and yet the American experiment endures.”