Saturday. Sofa. Coffee.
It snowed last night, a wet soupy snow. The weather guys called it a dusting. A bit paradoxical.
There is nothing dusty about this stuff. Very pretty, but so sloppy to walk in. Being a southern boy I still get excited when I get up and see something white on the ground. It requires personal inspection simply because it just doesn't snow much around here. But I've done my inspection and am back on the sofa.
I am too lazy this morning to look a bunch of stuff up. But if I had a little more energy I might write about any number of things.
"C Street" for instance. It is a brick building on the edge of the capitol complex, designated as a church, where many U. S. Senators and Congressmen reside. They are members of "the family" or as some of them have called themselves, "the Christian mafia." I have read a little bit about the group, and it disturbs me greatly. My own Congressman, Robert Aderholt, is a member of The Family. One member explained their view of bipartisanship.
"Jesus didn't come to take sides. He came to take over." http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2009/07/21/c_street/
That's wonderful, you may be thinking. But I hope not.
Another topic this morning might be Uganda. There is a constitutional provision proposed in Uganda that would criminalize homosexuality and make certain offenses capital. Having sex with someone of the same sex could be punished by death under certain circumstances. Touching someone in a gay way will get you put in jail. No kidding. And this is not lunatic fringe stuff in Uganda. It is mainstream. http://www.guardian.co.uk/katine/2009/nov/20/homosexuality-bill
And then there is Uganda and C Street. http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=120746516
The Family is playing a major role in the Uganda legislation to criminalize and incarcerate homosexuals.
It would be nice if U. S. Congressmen who are also members of The Family strongly condemned the proposed legislation. Some have. But it is difficult. A devoted member of the family, Senator James Inhofe (R, OK) has taken many trips to Uganda, befriending the sponsor of the legislation, and brought him, as well as other leaders in Uganda, into "The Family." http://www.examiner.com/x-4107-International-LGBT-Issues-Examiner~y2009m11d29-US-Congressmen-support-Uganda-AntiHomosexuality-Death-Penalty-Law-in-the-name-of-Jesus?cid=channel-rss-Society_and_Culture
Jeff Sharlet, whose new book, "The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power", exposes the existence and complexities of the Family, also explains these connections with other countries more fully.
The story seems too crazy. But it is true. I think that is one of the secrets of the continued existence of powerful secret groups in America. Most of us normal folk just can't believe it can really happen.
Kind of like when it snows in Alabama. Hard to believe. But it calls for inspection.
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For someone who was too lazy to "look stuff up"...you sure did throw out a bunch of references for the rest of us to look up!! :)
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