The Pink Flamingo :: You Gotta to Know When to Fold ‘em!

I don’t’ know which is worse, Barack Obama defending his racist minister, Jeremiah Wright or showing abject disrespect toward his white grandmother. It is time for honesty here. If Barack Obama were a Republican, he’d be buried under the Capitol by now, unless they weren’t running him out of Dodge on a rail. No Republican could ever get away with such associations. As for what he did to his grandmother, the man ought to be ashamed. If there was ever a reason he should not be President of the United States, that is enough for me.

In the South there is an old term ‘raised up right’. Well, Barack Obama was not ‘raised up right’. Either his raising did not take or his grandmother failed him, grievously. How dare he say what he did about his grandmother.

I think about Obama’s Jeremiah Wright and I think about my Fr. Ron. The Very Reverend Ronald Thomson is one of those legendary Episcopalian priests who gives the Episcopal church a good name. He is the perfect priest, the kind everyone wants but rarely has. The day he and his wife, Doris (when I grow up I want to be like her) moved, I swear all the light and joy was sucked out of our parish. He took a splintered parish where people were at one another’s throats and through love and laughter (and a heck of a lot of coffee and candy) repaired our parish. He taught people to love and respect one another – and he did it after losing the sight in one eye from a freak accident.

(Disclaimer – I was his “parish secretary” while he was the interim).

Fr. Ron loves this country. Every morning during the 2004 campaign he would come in and ask what the polls were. I swear the only reason he learned how to use a computer was to keep track of the electoral count. I also swear he would stop and say a prayer for our country (and GWB). On certain special days he would allow our organist, Dr. Fillimore, to indulge himself by waxing organically patriotic. We would have prayer for the election, our country, and every service have special prayers for those serving in the military. (To date, since 9/11, no member of the military who has been on our parish prayer list has even been injured).

As much as he loves this country, he loves the Lord even more. He would never have used our parish as a propaganda organ to even begin to express his feelings, pro or con about anything our nation was doing other than a prayer. Our rector who had recently retired, The Reverend Canon John Penn was the same way. Fiercely Republican and patriotic, never a political word would slip through his lips. Fr. Penn had and still has this theory, that he passed on to and basically required of anyone doing a service in our parish. You never know, he said, if someone in the congregation that day would be attending a church service for the only time in their life. If that is the case, they must, absolutely MUST hear the Gospel about Christ and Salvation.

Until “My Way or the Highway” AKS the Recently Departed accepted the position as rector of the parish, that was the norm – Salvation Every Sunday. Formerly a Baptist, My Way or the Highway (I hit the highway) rarely preached on salvation. Funny about that. Our parish began to lose money and shrink.

One day, about 6 months after taking control of the parish, My Way or the Highway delivered an ultimatum to me. I hit the highway, i.e. I laid low until I had cooled off and knew I wouldn’t shoot off my big mouth. For once I listened to someone, Fr. Penn, and behaved myself. But – I walked away and let everyone know I walked away, I had to. I had to stand up for what I believed, no how badly it hurt. When My Way or the Highway became the Recently Departed as he hit the highway, I returned, immediately, letting everyone know I was back. This lead some of the newer members of the vestry to complain that I was not to be allowed to have a position within the parish – ever again – because I had too much power at one time. (What a crock).

They were furious because I did not kiss up to My Way or the Highway. I couldn’t. I do what I think is right, no matter how bad it hurt me. (Could be they are also still angry because I instigated a little fund-giving boycott - $1.00 per week – until the vestry did what was right). I’ve already given my $52 for the year, and have a canceled check to prove it. Don’t worry, I put in quite a bit over at St. Paul’s in Tombstone.

There is a bottom line here. I had to walk out of a parish that I loved because the priest was not doing what I thought was right. If a man running for POTUS could not do the same – then he either agreed with Rev. Wright or he lacked the courage to do so. Either way – he lacks the you know what to be President of the United States of America.