As if it does not exist

The latest message from Rebuilding the American Dream is "America is being robbed." They ask all of us to commit to promoting these ideas:

* I won't accept the lie that "America is broke."
* I reject the myth that the only path left is cuts that cost jobs and lives
* I believe the truth is that the worst of the 1% are robbing America
* I commit to helping spread this message far and wide

The GOP is pushing "America is broke" hard and frequently as an excuse not to do anything to help the poor and middle class.

Over 33,000 have already signed the petition. Yes, once you agree to sign they ask you for money.



Timothy Kincaid and some commenters list the countries that are on the verge of enacting marriage equality. They are:

Scotland, hoping to enact equality before Britain as a whole.
France
Ireland
New Zealand, seeming to come out of nowhere.
Australia
Nepal

And perhaps:
Colombia
Brazil
Ecuador
Taiwan
Vietnam
Uruguay
Luxembourg
Germany



Follow this link to a wonderful song about inclusion, titled "For All the Children." The tune might be a bit repetitive, but the words are outstanding. Here's the clincher: in this video it is being sung by a gathering of Catholic congregations in opposition to the marriage amendment on the ballot in Minnesota in November. And during the third verse when the camera pulled back to reveal the size of the crowd I had to grab a tissue. You can find the music here.



I've told about my time at the United Methodist General Conference in May and the failure to remove the "incompatibility" clause in the Book of Discipline. In July the various jurisdictions of the American UMC held conferences, where the top order of business is to elect new bishops and to assign bishops to the regions they will administer over the next four years.

I found a news article posted on the website of More Light Presbyterians (their counterpart to the Methodist's Reconciling Ministries Network) that says the Western Jurisdiction (roughly Colorado and west) of the UMC also passed, by an overwhelming majority, a Statement of Biblical Obedience (distinct from obedience to the Book of Discipline) that said all regions and all local churches should operate as if the "incompatibility" clause "does not exist, creating a church where all people are truly welcome."

Yes, this is very much in defiance of General Conference.

One of the bishops gave support from the College of Bishops. That phrase got me wondering if it was the bishops of the Western Jurisdiction or bishops from across America.

There are five jurisdictions of the UMC in America. This link includes a map.