The Vatican Forgives Lennon

But did Lennon want to be forgiven?  It’s easy to do what you want with someone’s reputation once they’re dead, but what if John Lennon didn’t want to be forgiven for saying that the Beatles were bigger than Jesus Christ.  It may have started as an off the cuff remark, but when Catholics and Christians condemned his and his music for the statement, burned albums, refusing to let their children by records, etc… it became something deeper.

In many ways, Lennon became more like Christ than most Christians, professing peace, harmony, and love at a time when Christians themselves were fighting against the idea of equality for all races based on… the Bible.  He brought people together in a time when churches were tearing them apart under the “believe this or you don’t belong” doctrine.  Lennon was closer to the second coming than most Christians will ever be, and to decry his music because of a statement is reprehensible at best.  I’m glad the Vatican is moving on.  I only hope Lennon can forgive THEM.

Parent’s Night

Most years I dread Parent’s Night.  Teachers sit for hours on end visiting the few parents who care enough to schow up, unless, of course, you teach in the suburbs.  This year I knew what to expect because last year I was busy.  At my school, our kids want their parents to show up for parent’s night.  For many of them, this is the first time in a long time their teachers have anything good to say about them.  On parent’s night, no matter how frustrated I may be, no matter how exhausted, I am reminded that our program works.

After being told that their kids were on Honor Roll, parents cried.  When we announced the new appointments to Student Government*, the students cried.  I got a lot of hugs, and a lot of the parents made sure to thank us for what we do for their kids.  Half of our parents showed up.  In a city where half of the kids drop out and schools can go years without seeing their parents, that is amazing.  We have a program that works, teachers who care, and parents who show up.  And I have to quit my job because I don’t get enough health care.

*teachers appoint government members, students don’t vote.

Yes WE Can!

And we should.  The Democrats winning this election had little to do with McCain or Obama.  It was about the American people needing a leader who could inspire them again.  They were tired of being told there was nothing they could do.  The were tired of being asked to let the government do what government does. They wanted change and they went out and made it happen.

We elected a community organizer as our President, and I can only hope that he will continue to inspire all of us to help organize our own communities.  I really hope that, like Kennedy, he’s able to inspire the young people to get invloved, not just in politics, but in taking control of their own lives and working with local and state organzations to change their little peice of the world.

Barak Obama’s Victory Speech

National Novel Writing Month

I wrote my first novel in 9th grade.  I did it mostly during my creative writing class and my teacher said that few people my age had takled such a thing.  I later found that there were reasons for that.  Writing a novel is was not as easy as I thought it would be.  I’d probably be embarrassed to read it now.  I was highly influenced by S.E. Hinton and several other authors that I can’t remember now because I didn’t have enough life experience to have many original ideas.

Now I’m thinking about doing it again and I keep making up excuses.  It won’t be good enough.  Someone has already thought of that idea.  I don’t have enough time to invest in writing what I really want.  But I need a break from politics and an outlet to keep my mind off of work.  It’s National Novel Writing Month, and I get to go to a Writer’s Conference next weekend for work.  This might not be a bad time to give it another shot and see if I can come up with my own style.

The Audacity of Hope

I’ve been waiting years for this night and I’m absolutely terrified.  I really, really want to believe that Obama’s going to win, but I’m afraid that he won’t and I’ll be crushed.  A world in which McCain is President is scary for me.  I believe that he and his party want to control as much of my life as they possibly can including who I can marry and what I can do with my reproductive organs.  I believe that if he wins, people will die from a lack of healh care and young women who have been raped will be forced to endure back rooom procedures or deal with the possible cconsequences of being a victim. I believe that funding for alternative education will be cut, putting me out of a job and stem cell research will be stunted, putting me out of a sister.

I don’t believe things will be perfect under Obama.  I don’t even necessarily believe they’ll be all that better than they are now.  But they will be better.  If we’re lucky, we’ll get to keep the civil rights we have and gain a few more.  I don’t expect to see a revolution.  I just don’t want to feel like we’re in a hole that we’ll never climb out of.  I need hope, and McCain can’t give it to me.