Blog Archive » 2006 » December

The execution of the dictator Saddam Hussein calls to mind "Ozymandias" by Percy Bysshe Shelley:

"I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: `Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear –
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away."

Written in 1818 as a meditation on the desert ruins of temples exalting Pharoah Ramesses II of Egypt, commentators also note obvious metaphors for other tyrants — Napoleon's demise in Shelley's frame of reference. Many notorious 20th Century dictators could have first built those "vast and trunkless legs of stone." Even recent history is littered with the decaying colossal wrecks of the malevolent abuse of power: Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Marco, Amin, Milosevic, Pinochet, Hussein.

Hussein's execution is a classic case of retribution, the ultimate punishment for unspeakable crimes against humanity. Whether it leads the way to some resolution of the mess in Iraq remains to be seen.

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August 9, 1974 — the day Gerald Ford became president of the United States — was one of the strangest days I ever experienced in Washington. Having graduated from Trinity that May, and anticipating enrolling at Georgetown Law School later in August, I remained in town that summer working at Trinity in a position that we would call "conference assistant" today.

Trouble had been brewing downtown on Capitol Hill and at the White House all summer. A tangled web of lies and cover-ups known as "Watergate" cast a pall over the political city — the nation was not as cynical then as it is today about egregiously bad behavior in the Oval Office. Richard Nixon's presidency was unraveling NOT because of the ugly war in Vietnam, but because of the pettiest of all circumstances: he tried to cover-up the involvement of his agents in the burglary of the Democratic headquarters at the Watergate Hotel. Nixon resigned on August 9, 1974, and his Vice President Gerald Ford took the oath of office that day.

I went to the White House that morning to witness the historical events as closely as possible. In those days, it was relatively easy to get close to major public events. I remember walking through Lafayette Park and seeing CBS News Reporter Dan Rather doing a stand-up commentary with the White House in the background. There were a lot of people milling about, but everyone was somewhat hushed. TV reporters like Rather were accepted as part of the scene in those days, there was not a big crowd around him. He was famous at that time for being a brash young White House reporter who often challenged President Nixon at televised press conferences. But on this historic day, even Rather seemed subdued. (Little did he know that, 30 years later, his own scandal would drive him from the anchor chair at CBS as a result of sloppy source-checking on a story about President Bush.)

After the news floated through the crowd that President Nixon had resigned and would be leaving shortly, I went around back of the White House onto the ellipse where tens of thousands of people had gathered. What was most remarkable about this scene was the silence of so large a crowd. Nobody was festive, nobody was celebrating the end of a much-despised presidency. In a place where war protesters often gathered, where the aroma of tear gas and marijuana sometimes co-mingled, on August 9 there was just a hush.

Then came the sound of helicopter blades chopping the hot summer air, and the presidential chopper lifted from the south lawn of the White House. Nixon was history. The crowd actually waved, still silent, mindful of history flying above us.

President Ford held a unique place in history as the only president never elected to either high office he held — he had been appointed as vice president after Spiro Agnew resigned in another scandal, and then he succeeded Nixon after that resignation. He later pardoned President Nixon, which sowed the seeds of his later defeat in the 1976 presidential election, paving the way for Jimmy Carter's presidency.

Gerald Ford today is widely remembered and eulogized as a good man who led the nation through one of our more bizarre political episodes. I remember the one time I encountered him personally, in 1973 during his time as vice president. He spoke to a group of college students at the Center for the Study of the Presidency. After his speech, I asked him this question: given the Watergate scandal and the anti-war sentiments of so many college students, how could he encourage any young person to choose a career in government? The people who were running the conference were very unhappy that I would ask such an impertinent question. But Ford didn't seem to mind. Instead of taking offense, he took the offensive. His response went like this: we are counting on a new generation of precisely young people to bring new levels of dedication and ethics to the idea of public service. Don't criticize, get involved. Make the changes you think should occur!

Good advice in 1973 — even better advice on the cusp of 2007!

President Gerald Ford's legacy is that of a citizen who answered the call to public service on many occasions. His low-key, steady leadership made it possible for the nation to navigate the aftermath of Watergate successfully.

First Christmas: Luke 2:1-20

"In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled…Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered. And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

"And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, "Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!"

"When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they saw it they made known the saying which had been told them concerning this child; and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them."

A very merry Christmas to all!

Yes, I know, too much noise right now, too much stress, too many commercial Christmas carols filling the air….but stop for a minute, hear the bells and chimes, let your stress subside while listening to the music and reflecting on the true meaning of this season.

A few of my favorites…

The Coventry Carol:

04%20-%20Coventry%20Carol.mp3
(Mannheim Steamroller)

Wassail Song:

06%20-%20Wassail%2C%20Wassail.mp3
(Mannheim Steamroller)

Greensleeves:

06%20-%20Greensleeves.mp3
(Westwind Ensemble)

Gloria:

01%20-%20Gloria-%20Gloria%20in%20Excelsis%20Deo.mp3
(Vivaldi, by Pro Musica Choir & Orchestra)

Even as we celebrate the birth of a child venerated through two millenia as the Prince of Peace, conflict rages among the Christians who are the heirs of that first Christmas. In Virginia last Sunday, nine Episcopalian congregations voted to secede from the national Episcopal Church over a variety of issues that might be characterized as a liberal trend in the national Church: the election of a gay bishop, ordination of women priests, approval of same-sex relationships. Now, as often happens in nasty divorces, battles are likely to rage over money and property.

Catholics — not-so-distant cousins from Episcopalians — might view these developments with mixed feelings. Knowing of our own deep disagreements over some of the very same issues, we might wonder whether some of the Catholic faithful might take their arguments to the point of schism. At the same time, we also know that Catholics have a remarkable resilience to fractious arguments — like some of the very loud conversations that can go on in our great big families, we may holler and stomp our feet and wave our arms wildly, but at the end of the day we are all still at the table of faith. And we keep coming back. Catholics are the single largest American denomination and growing.

The Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church is the first woman ever to hold that position, Dr. Katharine Jefferts Schori. She has pointed out that there are 7,200 Episcopalian congregations, and these nine in Virginia are a relatively small group. She said in a statement on the website of the Episcopal Church: "There's plenty to heal in this world of ours," she said. "Most of us are concerned about that and are working to follow Jesus' call to love our neighbor. At this time of year it's appropriate to remember that Jesus came among us and he wasn't welcomed everywhere he went. If some people feel some rejection in these actions, it's not unlike that which Jesus experienced. That's part of the Christian journey. It is what it means to pick up your cross."

This is a sacred time of year for Christians, a time to reflect on the true meaning of faith and how we practice that faith through the organizations we call church. The true meaning of Christmas is not about power or authority or proof of one form of righteousness over another. The real meaning of Christmas is found in the ways we serve others and live in true Christian community, offering hope, working for justice, extending our charity and bringing peace to our contentious world.

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