In case you didn’t know The Episcopal Church is insane . . .

Would you like a sexually very confused man/woman/??? leading your children’s Sunday School or your teen’s youth group?  Then The Episcopal Church is the place for you!

. . . the huge majority of Episcopal Bishops attending GC77 voted in favor of preventing their parishes from refusing to hire any cross-dressers, or even people who refuse to identify as either male or female (because they reject being forced to come down on one side or the other), as (a) their priests, (b) their deacons, (c) their Senior or Junior Wardens, (d) their Sunday School teachers, (e) their Youth Group leaders, or (f) any other positions—voluntary or paid—in their parish. You name it, and they have to be hired if there is no other reason to refuse them the position. (At least, that is what the Canons of General Convention will now say.)

Do read the whole post.  I do not know what is more amazing, the TEC HOB’s action or Mr. A. S. Haley, of all people, out-ranting even yours truly.

Demorats Video-stalk Republican Homes . . . With Party’s Blessing

Yet another reason not to believe in moral equivalency in politics.

Demorats are video recording the homes of Republican officials . . . and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is not only cool with it, they are posting the videos online.

“House Republicans have spent this entire Congress trying to hide that they’re protecting benefits for millionaires and perks for themselves instead of protecting the middle class, but we won’t let them keep it secret any longer,” Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesman Jesse Ferguson wrote in an email.

Democratic officials said placing the videos on the DCCC’s website and YouTube serve a useful purpose, most notably making the footage available to friendly outside groups for use in TV commercials. That way, they don’t violate laws against coordinating with those groups.

And this is the Democrat Congressional CC we are talking about.  It is under the control of House Democrats.

If I were a House Republican, I would be raising hell about this.

Synod Rewards the Vindictiveness of Church of England Feminists

Last month I noted the vindictiveness of Church of England feminists who so opposed giving traditionalists any reasonable space that they were prepared to kill women bishops legislation altogether.

Sadly, Synod has now rewarded that vindictiveness by postponing a vote on the legislation, which indeed did appear to be going down to defeat.

The rationale is that the postponement to November will give time to allow some acceptable compromise to come about.  But it is very hard to see that happening since the feminazis so clearly want to crush those traditionalists who cannot conscientiously recognize the ministry of women bishops.  Kiss my ring, or else!

Such power hunger and, yes, hate does not allow compromise, but only appeasement, if that.

Forward in Faith is right to be “disappointed.”

I would have much rather Rowan Williams actually showed some courage and told the feminists that if they are so uncharitable as to refuse to give modest and reasonable space to traditionalists, then they not only need to rethink their stand on women bishops but their faith as well.  And I would have wished he then refused to give ground and in effect dared them to kill the legislation. 

But we are talking Rowan Williams and other Church of England bishops here, aren’t we.

In Dependence Day

On the 4^th, I was watching a nice fireworks display, and the gloomy thought came to mind that the 4^th of July may soon become the celebration of a nation and a freedom that no long exists.

Then yesterday morning I came across an excellent op-ed in which Bill Frezza captures the current state of the United States all too well, saying the 4^th would now be better a day of atonement rather than a day of celebration.

This particularly resonated with me (i.e. I roared my agreement loud enough to be heard in several counties when I read it):

Little by little, the home of the brave and the land of the free has become a nation of rent-seeking dependents clamoring for their share of state largess. Even before the latest entitlement blowout called Obamacare, we crossed the line where more than half of Americans receive some kind of assistance from the government every month, paid for by the fewer than half that still pay income taxes. As we move into the future and the number of dependents grows while the taxpayer pool shrinks, we call the result social justice rather than its old name: theft.

And such a country is indeed more in dependence than independent.  I do not call that “freedom.”

Sorry to rain on your 4^th of July week, but we need to wake up to what is happening to America.

An Episcopalian Wine Scandal

The Episcopalian Cathedral of St. John in Albuquerque is having a bit of a scandal, of which I find the following most notable:

Bishop Michael L. Vono has spent months digging into allegations that the dean of his territorial cathedral misused Sunday collection money from parishioners for his personal enjoyment, including lots of expensive wine, which he was accused of imbibing to the extreme.

This reminds me of a certain Anglican vicar.

I do not want to jump to conclusions.  But I will say this puts to bed any talk that the Episcopal Church is not Anglican! 

I will be certain to stay on top of this fermenting scandal . . . after I finish this wine.

Report: John Roberts Switched his Vote (And who leaked?)

Over the weekend CBS News reported that Chief Justice John Roberts intended to strike down Obamacare but later switched his vote.  Yes, I believe the report and think CBS actually did a good job here.

What may be just as interesting is the question of who are the leakers at the Supreme Court.  Whoever leaked, and it had to have been insiders, must have been very motivated as this is something that is just not done.  It is a likely career-destroyer if a clerk does this and is discovered.  And if it is a justice . . .

In any case, it shows enormous discontent with and/or disrespect for Justice Roberts and his ruling.  And I agree that “this has the potential to be a major story that could tear open the Supreme Court, and not in a good way.”

A Few More Obamacare Ruling Links

I’ve given more sanguine views a hearing as reflected in my linkfest yesterday.  But I am convinced that, whatever his motives, John Roberts’ Obamacare ruling is an absurd and dangerous expansion of federal power.  Ace of Spades captures that very well:

It wasn't a tax for purposes of getting it passed politically, also wasn't a tax for purposes of delaying judgment based on the Anti-Injunction Act, but then magically became a tax in order to be upheld.

If the government now has the power under the taxing power to enforce its preferences regarding how citizens live their lives, Ed Morrissey proposes, modestly, a new tax on those who refuse to buy guns.

Allah[pundit] considered a similar question yesterday: Whether the government could put a punitive tax on you for owning a gun. Gun ownership is a right, he thought, so the ObamaTax logic wouldn't fully apply. You can't burden a right.

Well, owning a gun is a right, but not owning a gun is not a right. Or at least it's no more of a right than not owning insurance.

We can pass a great many laws like this, enforcing our preferences in any area that isn't an explicit (or penumbra-ish) right under the Constitution.

Don't go to Church regularly? Why, we can tax that. And before you say it's your right not to go to church -- of course it is, but we can compel all Americans to spend at least two hours each week on philosophical contemplation, whether it be at church or in Quiet Home Study of non-religious philosophical texts.

If a temporary majority in Congress thinks it's a good idea -- tax away!

The Constitution apparently gives the government the right to dictate almost all of our personal choices, so long as it enforces these preferences via punitive taxes. So let's get started.

And here is Ed Morrissey having some fun with Roberts’ ruling with a Modest Proposal.

Remember the Romney campaign raising $100,000 in less than an hour after the ruling?  It’s now over $4.3 million and counting.

But do not think it is all wine and roses between conservatives and the Republicans.  Ace again goes yard with a blunt (language warning) open letter to the GOP, “Dear GOP: You get one more chance.”

And that is my sentiment as well, which I intend to spell out in due time.

By the way, expect a fight next year in the Senate over reconciliation.  I expect that will be how repeal passes.

Initial polling does not look good for Obama on this subject. I find a Survey USA poll of Florida particularly notable: Voters disagree with the court 50/39, 47% expect their health care to get worse while only 20% expect it to improve, and 51% think it will get more expensive, too.  Only 6% of Florida seniors expect health-care costs to decline, while 44% expect costs to rise.