Thursday, July 23, 2009

Lord, have mercy: 2 Mayors Arrested in Broad N.J. Corruption Sweep - NYTimes.com

2 Mayors Arrested in Broad N.J. Corruption Sweep - NYTimes.com Apparently a major money laundering ring, involving a number of Rabbis as well as public officials.

The moral infrastructure of this country is a shambles. Most of us "think" with our feelings and then engage our brains only for the practicalities of satisfying our wants. The old moral consensus is gone, which is why mainline denominations like the Episcopal Church are torn apart over "issues." When even the "mainline" is ruptured, chaos wells up from the fissures.

Psalm 50 was appointed for this morning in The Book of Common Prayer:

16 But to the wicked God says: *
"Why do you recite my statutes,
and take my covenant upon your lips;
17 Since you refuse discipline, *
and toss my words behind your back?
18 When you see a thief, you make him your friend, *
and you cast in your lot with adulterers.
19 You have loosed your lips for evil, *
and harnessed your tongue to a lie.

1 comment:

Tregonsee said...

Whenever somebody asks me how I feel about something, I always politely reply that is unimportant. What matters is how I think about something. There was a time when the usual reply was something along the lines of "that's what I meant." The ",dummy!" at the end was unspoken but there." These days, I am about as likely to get some sort of lecture on how that is "male, patriarchal, linear thinking," with the ",dummy!" or equivalent at the end often loudly spoken. There is a strong correlation between those who respond this way and those who berate "Christianists" for being irrational. Hmmm.