Only some clergy members are acceptable and thus will be promoted by traditional media, and the DFH must understand which kind is acceptable and which kind is not.
After days of controversy and outrage from the religious right, openly gay Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson opened Barack Obama’s inauguration concert on the National Mall today with a request that the nation pray for “understanding that our president is a human being and not a messiah.”
But only the people AT the concert heard that, because HBO did not televise Robinson’s message. Who engineered this blackout of Robinson? I suspect we’ll hear lots about this in days to come.
Yeah, I know. Fighting over Rick Warren, or religion itself, is generally a waste of energy. Still, nobody can really be surprised that anyone who raises questions about Rick Warren’s batshit insane views is condemned as intolerant, even as a gay bishop is excluded from an inaugural broadcast. The more things change…
It’ll be interesting to see how many columnists get in high dudgeon about Gene Robinson.
I wondered abut that as well.
There were some other oddities. The concert was notably Christian and the was an interesting plurality of African Americans.
Seemed odd to that the worship of America’s civic religion, excluded the labor movement and native Americans.
I saw the event as focused on the history of civil rights.
I think the whole subject of invocation speakers at the Inaugural events has been completely over analyzed.
With only a very few exceptions over my oldest of boomers lifetime, the homilies I have heard are mostly banal, predictable and uninspired. Robinson’s was not an exception to that observation.
We and the preachers should be satisfied with the honor of them being selected to speak and leave the on camera honors to the presenters, whether they’re politicians or entertainers. If a sermon is what you want to witness, ask for the services at the National Cathedral.
It’s all just a silly game of throwing rattles and bones to the silly religionists each of whom think they have the monopoly on the word of god. they are stupid American political rituals — OK when the religion is a harmless, but when they are wacked-so out they think they can steer the ship of state, we’re in trouble.
HBO didn’t cover it?? You mean like how Democrat Goldy didn’t cover Democrat Richard McIver being arrested for domestic violence?
Don’t recall Native American participation, but Joe Biden’s remarks before John Mellencamp first sang were specifically made to celebrate American working people.
What Will The Inauguration Cost Taxpayers?
Not the $170 million figure our lying troll friends have been flinging around. Here’s a general breakdown.
The actual swearing-in will cost the federal government $1.24 million — which is less in actual dollars than spent on Bush’s 2005 inauguration, despite inflation.
Construction (e.g., reviewing stands) will cost the federal government about $3.5 million.
Total costs to the federal government are $49 million, including a $15 million grant to the District of Columbia for local law enforcement expenses, and the wages and salaries of Capitol Police, Secret Service agents, and military personnel that would be paid anyway.
State and local governments — $75 million for transportation and law enforcement, including $47 million being spent by the District of Columbia (including the $15 million reimbursed by the federal government) with the other $28 million split between the states of Virginia and Maryland. Here again, much of this expenditure is for wages and salaries that would be paid by those governments anyway.
Parades and events — $49 million, paid for entirely by private donations.
(Source: CNN)
Aren’t two preachers at this inauguration, two too many anyway?
So Warren is controversial because he doesn’t think highly of gays? So? If you look back at the last dozen inaugurations, can anyway even REMEMBER any of the preachers, or what they said? Who cares? So the guy is a lunatic who seriously believes (really) that a magical invisible sky being that no one can see created a trillion galaxies, but cares if I eat bacon and who I have sex with. Sure it “sounds” crazy (and it is) but the “masses” have always (ALWAYS) believed in some god/goddess/demons/etc. Whether it’s Thor, Isis, Zeus, Vishnu, Jehovah, Ra, Muhammad or Jesus, the masses have always wanted some magical being to praise or blame for their situation. It matters not which magic invisible being you follow, they’re all the same to me. So arguing their ‘beliefs’ is just a waste of energy.
Same principle as the Fed Way schools needing permissions slips, being afraid of new ideas, being afraid to show change.
Or maybe it’s just money. Showing the new president, good for ratings. Show the gay bishop, bad for ratings. It’s not about the news, it’s about the dollars.
Or maybe it was Obama.
I hope this is not a continued trend.
Oh well, I hope Obama can fix the economy. You can purchase a lot of tolerance if you have money.
since you either dont believe in god, or at least dont believe religion should be part of public life, then by what reasoning is being intolerant bad? by whose authority?