Chowchilla Family Express.

Some of you may recall my involvement with Get On The Bus.  It began 5 years ago when, through a local Catholic nun, I got involved in the program which organizes bus trips on Mother's Day to take kids to visit their mothers.  We coordinate with the families and prisons, provide transportation, meals and gifts for the kids, etc.  The program has grown from one bus nine years ago to over 50 this year.  And, my parish now sponsors 3 buses each year.

Three years ago we added a few buses on Father's Day to several men's prisons and then, 18 months ago the state of CA began to fund an expansion called the Chowchilla Family Express, which runs buses throughout the year (each weekend) from various starting points to Chowchilla, where the two main women prisons are located.  This program has grown and is a big success helping to provide intact families inmates, thereby helping reduce recidivism.

See the video below regarding the CFE.

Now the program is being expanded to provide transportation to the men's prison and I have been asked to help coordinate the launch this test year.  Initially we will run 4 buses over the next 12 months to the 4 prisons that are the farthest from LA.  Pelican Bay is a 12+ hour ride and will require an overnight stay, so we will be coordinating with local parishes to provide showers and meals when the families arrive, overnight stays, etc.  If this is as successful as expected the state will add budget to fund the program.  Given the numbers of men in the 33 state prisons, this program could be big.

I will keep you posted.

(And, here's a video of the GOTB program for Mother's Day 2007.)

Approved Obama Jokes.

For those who think there is nothing to joke about regarding Barack Obama, the campaign has released a list of approved jokes.   Here is one:

A Christian, a Jew and Barack Obama are in a rowboat in the middle of the ocean. Barack Obama says, "This joke isn't going to work because there's no Muslim in this boat."

See Andy Borowitz for the full scoop.

He's Older Than Dirt, Dumber Than ....

Continuing the apparent theme of the week, here's a video that proves even McCain agrees (from Jed). We don't need another one like Bush.

The Comedy of John McCain.

I guess I am in a mood to pick on Senator McCain; he makes it so easy. Below are two "jokes" by the man who would be President.  The first from 1998:

Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly? Because her father is Janet Reno.

And, one from 1986:

Did you hear the one about the woman who is attacked on the street by a gorilla, beaten senseless, raped repeatedly and left to die? When she finally regains consciousness and tries to speak, her doctor leans over to hear her sigh contently and to feebly ask, ‘Where is that marvelous ape?’

Not so funny. And, he thinks he can win the women who were Hillary supporters?

Hat tip: Rum, Romanism and Rebellion.

Quote For The Day.

"I'm 62, I'm having trouble remembering things."

-- President Bush, at a news conference earlier today.

Not helpful to his buddy, McCain. Time for a new generation to take over.

I Can't Resist Sharing This One.

Again from Mr. Fish.

What's So Funny About Barack Obama?

From this story in the NY Times, I guess it's hard to develop jokes about a presidential candidate about whom:

there has been little humor about Mr. Obama: about his age, his speaking ability, his intelligence, his family, his physique.

I'm sure it's coming, but it's nice to think we may have a President who is intelligent and can speak well.

Here's To You, Mr. Robinson.

In case you missed it, I reprint completely a great comment by Giles Frasier, rector St. Mary's Church, Putney, from Monday's Guardian.

The emails have been coming in all day. My favourite begins: "Dear sodomite supporter, you are nothing but a dirty sodomite-loving ugly stain of a man who is a disgrace to humanity." It ends "Burn in hell, Mr K." Well, thank you for that, Mr K. I have had a fair number of letters and emails from people who think like you. One suggested that I ought to be executed at Tyburn. Another graphically described the details of fisting.

My crime had been to offer the Bishop of New Hampshire a pulpit to preach the word of God. I usually have the emotional hide of a rhino, but even I was upset by the unpleasantness of the reaction, hiding my hurt in a few too many vodkas at lunchtime. How on earth does Gene Robinson cope with the disgusting abuse to which he is subjected most days – the protester who interrupted his sermon in my church on Sunday being a pretty mild example? Day after day, buckets of spiritual shit are thrown at him, sometimes by fellow bishops, and he just keeps going.

Spending some time with him over the last few days, I have discovered how he does it. He is the real deal. He is a believer. Responding to attacks that he had a "homosexual agenda", he insisted: "Here and now, in St Mary's Church, Putney, I want to reveal to you the homosexual agenda. The homosexual agenda is: Jesus." He went on to preach a fiery, almost revivalist, sermon, calling on Anglicans to take Jesus into their heart and to allow Him to cast out their fear.

What makes this person so interesting is that he has lost any sense that he is able to support himself spiritually through his own effort alone. His recognition of his "failure" to cope is precisely his strength. The theology is pure Luther: only when you recognise that you are unable to make yourself acceptable to God under your own steam can you collapse back upon God as the sole source of salvation. Later in the sermon, he described going from a meeting of the US House of Bishops to a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous, and being relieved that, at this second meeting, he could at last speak about God.

Forget what you think you know about Gene Robinson – his is Gospel Christianity of a very traditional kind. This is what Christianity looks like once it has got over its obsession with respectability.

More Satire...

to balance out The New Yorker cover.  Although given my point of view, you may find more satire about McCain going forward. Imagine that.

From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Senator McCain And The Internets.

I think this is pretty funny.  And, a bit sad too.  

Terrorists At The Gas Pump.

NozzleRage: Attack of the Pump.

Check it out.

Happy Bastille Day

California Same Sex Marriage Ban On The Rocks.

From a Republican Strategist in today's LA Times:

Today, the momentum favors same-sex marriage. Polls show that the electorate has become more used to the idea of same-sex marriage; women in particular see it as stabilizing for society, not destabilizing.

And, in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling, homosexuals are marrying at a fast pace. That means it is gay-marriage advocates who are defending the status quo, while traditional-marriage advocates must upset it. At the least, for many voters, the idea of voting against what is already legal could create confusion, and confusion often yields a "no" vote.

And then there's the matter of timing. Proposition 8's supporters should have put their remedial measure on a primary ballot years ago. Failing that, they should have started early enough to gather sufficient signatures to qualify the measure for last month's primary ballot, not the Nov. 4 general election ballot. That's because with no statewide offices contested, and coming after the high-turnout presidential primary, the June 3 primary was guaranteed to be a low-turnout affair (i.e., older, more socially conservative voters).

On top of that, while no one could have known precisely when the Supreme Court would rule on gay marriage, as it turned out, the May 15 decision also would have energized the traditional-marriage voters who, before the first same-sex marriage licenses were issued June 15, could have stopped the whole megillah by voting for Proposition 8 on June 3.

Putting Proposition 8 on a high-turnout November presidential election ballot is dumb. Trying to pass it once same-sex marriages have become a legal, daily occurrence throughout the state is dumber. And now, if Californians vote it down, conservatives can't blame judicial tyranny for imposing same-sex marriage on the unhappy masses.

Will Californians now vote to render those marriages invalid? I don't think so.

That's good news and is certainly what I see.  

More Satire.

I guess one man's satire is another man's tastelessness and I guess it depends upon your point of view. From Mr. Fish.

With Friends Like The New Yorker...

Have you seen the cover of the new New Yorker?  According to the magazine:

"On the cover of the July 21, 2008 issue of The New Yorker, in 'The Politics of Fear,' artist Barry Blitt satirizes the use of scare tactics and misinformation in the Presidential election to derail Barack Obama's campaign."

Obama's campaign spokesperson says:

"The New Yorker may think...that their cover is a satirical lampoon of the the caricature Senator Obama's right-wing critics have tried to create.  But most readers will see it as tasteless and offensive.  And we agree."

I think it may be intended as satirical but can just imagine the conversation on right wing talk shows, etc. What do you think?  

The feature story in the same issue is, however, worth a good read.

Coming Back

I've been threatening a return to the world of blogging for a while now, but given the fact that things have changed a bit for me recently--work, health, etc.--it seems like a time to restart the old blog.  

I need a few days to try to figure out what I now want this to be but, the old smart ass Clyde is coming back. Along with the old caring Clyde.  And the old Clyde, now fighting a new battle.

Three old farts in one!

Been Away For A Long Time Now

Watch It!

Bill Maher's New Rules.

Finally watched this Friday night's show. This is worth passing along. Take a look.

When I Grow Up I Wanna Work In Advertising.

I saw this a while ago but a friend just sent me the link again and I thought I'd share it. Having be there for 20+ years it. makes me LOL every time I see it.