FROG HOSPITAL – June 28, 2015 – unsubscribe anytime
It Happened in a Church
By Fred Owens
President Obama got it right when he
spoke about grace on Friday. The killings were about race, but it happened in a
church. Obama did not give a speech, he gave a sermon. A Christian message of
grace was coming down the road and it fell to Obama to deliver it. It was all
or nothing and Obama gave all. Grace for the killer, and grace for
all of us, unearned. Such a prayer has
not been heard from a President in recent memory.
The Confederate Flag. Obama
called for the flag to come down from the South Carolina state capitol. I
pondered this flag and what means it to me. I came up with three parts. The
first part is a message of white supremacy and the history of slavery and
segregation. This is what we abhor. The
second part is a symbol of Southern tradition, which for me is about
literature, from Thomas Jefferson to Truman Capote, William Faulkner, Harper Lee, Flannery O’Conner and so many
others. Tradition is the good part, and it
is joined intimately with the bad part of racist brutality. How to separate
Jefferson the writer from Jefferson the slaveholder?
But the third part came to me only
yesterday. The Confederate flag represents sheer cussedness. Obstinance.
Defiance. Rebellion. To hell with you. Take this job and shove it. This
cussedness adds an abrasive texture to our American life. To smooth it over with a bland corporate
message from Amazon and Wal-Mart – this is not a good thing.
Those are the three parts. You sort it out, I cannot.
The Supremes, Nino
and Ruth. Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia
and Ruth Bader Ginsburg are unlikely friends, yet they have been “seeing each
other” after work, having dinner together and going to concerts together. Of
course it’s not a date, but isn’t it cute? I admire them both for being able to
leave their differences at work. For Ruth and Nino the personal is not
political.
It’s hard to hate Scalia knowing
that Ruth is friends with him. He lost on Obamacare and he lost on same sex
marriage, but as he said on his way home, “Don’t worry about me. I have nine
children. In the long run, I win.”
Tanning for Tunisia. Sunbathing
European tourists were slaughtered by an Islamic terrorist at a beach resort in
Tunisia, 38 in number. It was an assault on civilization and decency. Being so
far away from us, we barely took notice, but this is a very frightening
situation. The people and the government of Tunisia have made such a good
effort to develop a more modern society and they have welcomed Europeans to
their country to relax and to see the sights. This crime is just too savage.
Would it be brave or foolish to take a vacation in Tunisia?
You will get a good price at hotels by the beach. Lying
on the beach with a rum and coke could be an act of heroic resistance….. Call
It Tanning for Tunisia. Book your flight today...... Probably no one
will go to Tunisia for years and that is very sad. I hear it is a beautiful
country.
Avocado, a drought-stricken crop in Santa Barbara. Last year Santa Barbara farmers grew
26,000 tons of avocados on 7,300 acres for a market value of $59,000,000. That’s
a lot of guacamole..But the harvest will be reduced this
year. I can give you more numbers but the forecast is easy – scant rainfall and
sky-rocketing water bills means fewer avocados.
Local growers are searching for stingier
watering techniques and looking for alternate crops on their hillside acres.
It’s a tough situation. Growers can’t raise the price to reflect their costs,
because shoppers will easily switch to Mexican avocados.
It’s a tough problem. Not that I feel
sorry for farmers -- I don’t. When was
it ever easy?
The long-term forecast calls for
substantial rain in November thanks to El Nino. Let us hope.
Amen. In the
spirit of President Obama’s sermon, let us accept the grace God gives us. Join me in singing this old gospel
tune:
Reach out your hand if your cup be empty
If your cup is full may it be again
Let it be known there is a fountain
That was not made by the hands of men
If your cup is full may it be again
Let it be known there is a fountain
That was not made by the hands of men
Frog
Hospital Subscriptions
Go to the Frog Hospital blog and hit the PayPal
button for $25, orSend a check for $25 to
Fred Owens
1105 Veronica Springs RD
Santa Barbara, CA 93105
No comments:
Post a Comment