What kind is he?

I rescue pit bulls (sometimes they’re pit bullish). Further, I am a foster mom to up to four furbabies at a time and countless bottle babies, Bandit being my current. Of the little ones, always I am asked, “What is it?” (Sarcasm answers, “A dog.”) Notice the picture of Bandit in this post. Can you tell what he is? Better yet, how come it matters? Am I going to change my mind about helping him just because he might be a breed I don’t particularly care for?

Nope. I save all dogs, regardless. I pick up strays regularly. I have been known to chase a dog around my neighborhood for hours, hoping to get close enough to grab its collar. I believe every single animal on this planet deserves a fighting chance at a safe and happy life. Bandit is a baby who needs a little extra attention and I’m more than willing to help.

The constant inquiry about his breed got me thinking about humans and how we place people into categories, race and gender being the biggest, most obvious examples.

Think about it.

When we meet someone new, most of us try to “place them”, or slap on a label that often pigeon holes them into a type. Then forevermore we use those basic assumptions, aka stereotypes, to inform how we are to deal with them and others like them in the future. On occasion, when we find someone that doesn’t fit into a single category or for whom labels don’t apply, we cast them off as strange, weird, odd, and even scary. The propensity for ignoring said person is high because they make us uncomfortable.

Many of us feel a strong urge to ask about an individual’s ethnicity when it is not immediately obvious. When other aspects of their self are visually and/or audibly accessible yet we cannot place it, such as an accent or facial feature, we may feel a strong urge to ask.

Once I attended a camp session where a young British man was also in attendance. My friend kept asking him to say her name every time she saw him because she liked the way it sounded. After a full day of this, he grew weary and she didn’t get the hint. Noting his fatigue, I asked her to chill out for a bit, to give him a break, then reminded her she would have gotten equally as frustrated at being asked to repeat something over and over again just because she sounded cool.

In my own life, I do not like to be labeled. However, I’m easy to peg: white, lower middle class, single mom. On the outside, I took like the typical WASP. On the inside, I am anything but. Many of us attempt to project a certain appearance so as to fit in, keeping our inner most selves a secret until we get to know one another better.

And that is something I try to keep in mind when meeting new people as should you. Worry about labels later, if/when they might actually apply.

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Why I Won't be Voting for Bob McDonnell

In this article from yesterday’s Washington Post, it is purported that though Bob McDonnell, in his 1989 thesis, thought working women and feminists were detrimental to American families, he has changed since then.

Right.

Let the record show he hasn’t changed much.

He hails from Virginia Beach and graduated from CBN University, now known as Regent University. If anything should worry us, it’s someone coming from a staunchly Christian background who gives us no sign of seeing outside that narrow scope.

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The Assassination of Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto

Horrible news.

She was shot in the neck and back by an assassin who then blew himself up. Coward.

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Vick sentence too light?

For those of you questioning whether or not Michael Vick, who is currently suspended from the Atlanta Falcons indefinitely and the large paycheck that goes w/it, got a tough sentence yesterday for "just killing some dogs," let me remind you of one important fact:

Animal abuse has been linked to the abuse of humans for almost the same.exact.reasons.

I think he didn't get a harsh enough sentence, but then again, anyone found guilty of animal neglect and/or abuse is hardly given a tough enough punishment in my opinion.

If a person is willing to maim, torture or kill any type of animal, who or what is to stop them from doing the same to a human regardless of age, ability or gender?

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"Celebration"

The 400th Anniversary of Jamestown is coming up and here in Virginia, they've been on a 2 year campaign to promote what the PR team has dubbed a "celebration" and

showcase [of] Virginia's unique role as the birthplace of modern America and the cradle of American democratic traditions, cultures, ideologies and principles - 400 years strong.

Never mind how we almost completely decimated an entire culture that was doing just fine before we got here. And that was just at the beginning. We took land illegally, bought land that wasn't anybodies for the taking and introduced a slew of diseases and bad habits into a self-sustaining culture; diabetes is now the #1 disease among the Native American population.

On the Q & A section of the official Jamestown 2007 website, it tells us why Jamestown is so important, among other things. Whomever answered the question said

Traditions established at Jamestown - including representative government, the rule of law, free enterprise and cultural diversity - form the basis of American culture today.

Including representative government? Look at paintings from Colonial Williamsburg; every man is white and middle to upper class.

The rule of law? They freaked out over the spirituality indigenous peoples freely showed, made laws forbidding Colonials to have anything to do with them and eventually (but not always) slaughtered entire tribes. Those laws also included converting Indians to the Christian way hence the term 'colonials.'

Free enterprise? Huh? I thought only acceptable jobs could be practiced and again, only if you were a white man. Not everyone could do the same thing and if I recall correctly, they struggled for at least the first 5 years to make a village much less allow free enterprise. The people were supposedly fleeing persecution on all sorts of issues but exacted the same punishment once here.

Cultural diversity? Did I miss something in history class because I don't recall this ever being the norm or our past wouldn't be what it is what with mass killings, slavery, Jim Crow laws and all that.Yeah, that's definitely something to celebrate alright.

P.S. A conservative Christian group (scroll to An Alternative Jamestown Celebration) feels the "commemoration" is too mired in political correctness and is holding an alternative celebration "of the 400th anniversary of Jamestown because the official proceedings are mired in political correctness and ignore the hand of God in bringing Christianity into the New World." Seriously. Who'd have thought it would be politically correct to acknowledge our assholish behavior and basic assumption the "pagan Indians" needed to be saved 400 years ago, eh?

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Pat Robertson is starting off the year with a bang

Or rather, a prediction that will surely send his followers into a chaotic tailspin.

"There will be some very serious terrorist attacks," he said. "The evil people will come after this country, and there's a possibility - not a possibility, a definite certainty - that chaos is going to rule." Robertson did not say where the attacks would occur.

Like I told my mom, the only chaos that is going to rule is the mass hysteria of the folks who actually believe him.

Wouldn't it be lovely if the "evil people" were his next door neighbors?

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How do I divide thee, let me count the ways

On Sunday, 9 Episcopal churches decided to leave the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia and the U.S. Episcopal Church on Monday because they do not condone the ordination of openly gay bishops, such as Bishop Gene Robinson who now resides in New Hampshire, nor do they believe same-sex couples should be afforded the same rights as those of the opposite-sex, especially when it comes to marriage.

I like what one opinionated columnist decided to call our Northern foes: Fairfax Phobics.

Deciding to leave the diocese is a big decision and was not made lightly and there have been whispers about it since Bishop Robinson was elected. It seems they don't mind being led by a woman whose beliefs differ from theirs but hey, maybe that was the straw that broke the camel's back, to use a cliche.

So you ask, where will they be going? Well dear reader, those 9 churches have decided to become members of the Episcopal Church of Nigeria, led by Peter Akinola. Yay! They went from "just saying no" to downright exclusion, intolerance and bigotry .

And some people say they are embarrassed to be Episcopalian because the majority of us prefer to take several progressive steps forward.

I honestly hope those 9 churches, as well as the rest in the nation that have also separated, regret their decision and aren't allowed back in, leaving them to wallow in their own self-destructive pity.

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Guess where I was Saturday?

At the Investiture ceremony for now Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and it was a fantastic experience indeed. She is the first woman to ever be elected to such a position in the 400years+ Anglicans have been around.

I spent the night at my parents house as I knew my mom and I would be leaving at 7am, meeting our assistant priest and another priest friend at the church in Fredericksburg, then driving to DC from there, which was about an hours drive. We reached the Cathedral at about 9:15 then stood in line (it was 25degrees outside) until they opened the doors at 10am. Then 3500 of us flocked inside to get a good seat and that would have been accomplished on our part had other people not been so tall and had there been plasma TV's on the wings as well as the length of the church.

While we sat and waiting for the ceremony to begin, an African Gospel Choir sang to us and wow was the music excellent and celebratory. It definitely got the place jumpin'. They stayed in the choral section for the entirety of the service as they got to be the choir for the church that day which I was extremely happy to learn and have as a part of the experience (Episcopal music, on the whole, can be rather dry and sedentary).

At 11am sharp the ceremony began with Native American drummers and smudgers, acolytes waving large streamers and a procession of Bishops in all their regalia. It gave me goose bumps, chills and a variety of other emotions that I wasn't expecting.

Her tenure is 10years and who knows, a woman being elected this time around might have been only the beginning of great changes and I'm so glad I got to be a part of this great history making event.

Below are some articles/links about Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and the varying opinions held about this momentous occasion:

Some images from the service.

An excerpt from her sermon.

Pat Robertson knocked off his rocker. Again.

Washington Post titles their article, "Leading an embattled church."

The Free-Lance Star titles the same article, "First woman leader of Episcopal Church a risk-taker."

The LA Times, always the one for liberal news and general acceptance, has a different spin, "First woman takes helm of Episcopal Church."

From CNN an interesting article yet they felt the need to put "She's for ordination of gays, but won't impose view" and "Some conservative dioceses have rejected her" as section headings.

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