A Centrifuge of thoughts...


American Airline canceled 900 flights today. One of those was mine. Departing DFW at 8:15 arriving in hippie loving, all granola, Denver, Colorado at 9:15 pm. This flight no longer exists and I am not complaining. First, it allowed me to spend another much needed day reading and laying in the sun while contemplating all the little bugs I saw. This is important. Next, I will be home tonight to see the next person voted off of American Idol. I am very nervous for tonight's show. Who is going home? What if I am dreadfully disappointed with the results? I will follow this nerve racking hour up with a family reunion. An Office reunion that is. Don't get me started on how excited I am to see Jim, Pam, Micheal, Dwight, Angela and the rest of the gang. Finally, my flight was rescheduled for tomorrow at 1pm...in first class. And it gets me into to Denver only 3 hours before we go on stage, no lolly gagging, just the way I like it.

More importantly though I am OK with the massive airline cancellations this week because I get tired of the watered down, ineffective state of our government that is run by lobbyists and insider deals and crooked politicians and everyone buying everyone else a favor (and a prostitute as well it seems). It has to stop. So says the idealist.

And when it does stop, it is going to screw a lot of people over. But what is worse, living in the land of the "free" but knowing that every vote and every bill comes with a gift, price tag, bribe, or other insider trade that has nothing to do with the responsible welfare of our citizens and our world? Or stopping this system once and for all, and suffering for a while as we correct our mistakes? I will take the latter. Which means that when people are caught, like the FAA, overlooking whether my plane is safe or not for the betterment of American Airlines and the hooked up FAA employees, and we finally put a stop to it, um, we put a stop to flying as well.

Unfortunate, but these will be the things we will experience as the "good guys" fight for legitimate policies, checks and balances, and the end of Washington's most elusively slick and dirty deal makers working for their own interests.

Don't get me wrong, many good women and men reside in Washington and do their best to protect us, keep us safe, and to defend the the human rights of all people, here and abroad. I hope to be one of them one day. They sacrifice much. But there are many who do not take their commitments as seriously. They are bought out for money, pride, ego, religion, partisanship, hate, revenge, or simply because they will do as they feel with the policies they have crafted. There are some bullies in Washington. We will say good-bye to some of them shortly, and not a day too soon. But at the end of the day it is not only this administration, but many others who contribute to the unethical use of their powers. And it will take a long time to purge Washington of doing dirty business, if that is even possible.

Until then, I will take a cancelled flight if it means that the proper checks and balances are flowing smoothly again and not being overlooked or traded for some under the table bribe. And I will hope that this is just the beginning of what could prove to be a new day for the future of our government. Honesty. Integrity. For the people, by the people. And yes, admitting mistakes and fixing them. Even if it means the airlines have to shut down for a few days.

If you want to read what I have been boiling over this week pick up a copy of President Jimmy Carter's book, Our Endangered Values...if that does not speak a million words of truth and conviction for us as the church (and if it does not make us angry at what we have allowed to happen), I do not know what will.

And now I am started on my next read...Anne Lamott's newest book, GRACE (eventually) Thoughts on Faith. If you want to pick up a copy and read it with me over the weekend, I'd love to talk about it next week! Happy Thursday!