Another episode in our “Little Town of Summerland” series Watching from a distance, it was hard to hear what was happening at the Remembrance Day Ceremony 2024 in our little town of Summerland, for two reasons. As often happens the amplification system could not project sound to the southern-most area of the jam packed Memorial... Continue Reading →
I plan to attend Remembrance Day ceremonies tomorrow
In small towns like ours here in Summerland, throughout most of Canada Remembrance Day observance is a major event. Shortly before 11:00 tomorrow downtown at the Memorial Park cenotaph literally hundreds of folks of all ages will brave rain, wind, or occasionally snow, all bundled up to join the parade or watch from the sidelines—veterans,... Continue Reading →
Finding our proper place — An ancient scene revisited
Walter Brueggemann is one of the foremost interpreters of the Old Testament of our day. As an American Christian educator he reflects here a day after the recent US federal election. He turns to Holy Scripture and to the prophet Elijah In the wake of the 2024 presidential election and its acute disappointment for many,... Continue Reading →
Andrew Coyne is frightened, and so am I
Shared on Facebook by the author, Andrew Coyne Nothing mattered, in the end. Not the probable dementia, the unfathomable ignorance, the emotional incontinence; not, certainly, the shambling, hate-filled campaign, or the ludicrously unworkable anti-policies. The candidate out on bail in four jurisdictions, the convicted fraud artist, the adjudicated rapist and serial sexual predator, the habitual... Continue Reading →
Resistance
Thanks Jim Hodgson for sharing stories of those who are shaping a response to the incoming Trump administration. I encourage readers to read Jim’s blog in full; I share only extracts below. You are right — the time for grumbling and finger-pointing is over; it is time to develop a response to a new US... Continue Reading →
A Letter to the Church
Letter from Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe on the U.S. presidential election / Bishop Rowe is the recently installed Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church (USA and affiliated territories) Issued November 6, 2024 / Reprinted from here Dear People of God in The Episcopal Church, Early this morning, we learned that President Trump has been elected... Continue Reading →
US voters — The decision is yours
US senator Bernie Sanders is chair of the health education labor and pensions committee. He represents the state of Vermont, and is the longest-serving independent in the history of Congress. The following opinion piece from is The Guardian, Wed 30 Oct 2024. I strongly recommend that you read the full article here complete with links... Continue Reading →
Peace Train – Get on board
On this the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, the effects of which remain deadly and destructive on all sides today, I want to promote peace, but how? There have been many peace walks, peace protests, peace initiatives in recent decades; there have also been peace trains: Cue Jusuf Islam (Cat Stevens). Why... Continue Reading →
Is non-violence possible in Middle Eastern states? And everywhere else?
Given my recent comments on social turmoil in the United States, specially evident in the presidential election (see Opposites) I am delighted to follow these posts up with the following post from the Centre for Action and Contemplation (Richard Rohr), all very much to the point as conflict between Hezbollah and Israel is about to... Continue Reading →
A special post-debate edition of electoral art — and a few additional thoughts
The debate is over. There is no debate—Harris won; even Fox News agrees. Of course they blame the hosts who knew what, and who they were facing, and were prepared. Nothing less that letting time and the tape play out would please conservative commentators. Harris was intelligent, careful, needling, emotive, engaging, real, appropriately reactive, and... Continue Reading →