Rep. Herseth Sandlin one of few Dems against "Cash for Clunkers," Sen. Thune to deliver today's GOP address

Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin was one of only 14 House Democrats to vote against continued funding of "Cash for Clunkers."

Today, Sen. John Thune will deliver the weekly Republican address. His comments will be posted on his recently launched Health care blog.

SD Planned Parenthood in court over effort to evade state informed consent law

Sibby Online: SD Planned Parenthood under the gun Basically, the SD PP site in Sioux Falls is trying to use its own language on its consent form, ignoring the clear language called for in the State code:

'that the abortion will terminate the life of a whole, separate, unique, living human being.'

The Archbishop of York - Archbishop calls on Government to Respect the Spirit of the Military Covenant

The Archbishop of York - Archbishop calls on Government to Respect the Spirit of the Military Covenant He also made a parachute jump as a fundraiser for troops and their families, and visited Afghanistan.

In a sermon to mark Yorkshire Day on 1st August, Dr. Sentamu spoke of the role of British armed forces have played in Afghanistan "to bring liberty to those made captive by terror and oppressed by an ideology which masquerades as religion and governance..."

"...Soldiers will be called upon to make personal sacrifices - including the ultimate sacrifice - in the name and service of the Crown. In putting the needs of the Nation and their comrades before their own, they forego some of the rights enjoyed by those outside the Armed Forces."

"In return for putting the needs of the Nation before their own, and for being ready to make the ultimate sacrifice, members of our armed forces should always expect just treatment and respect by Her Majesty's Government and by us all. They have a right to believe that they (and their families) will be sustained and rewarded by commensurate terms and conditions of service."

via tweet from John Sentamu

General Convention: there were some good things (and some real howlers) beyond the stuff in the headlines

Some Good Things: a number of resolutions promise funding and other support for Native American ministry in South Dakota and around the country:

A148, Funding for Dioceses with substantial Native American Ministry

A149, A150, Support for leadership models and training that fit Indigenous cultures

A152, Preservation of burial sites

A155, Poverty alleviation, with special attention to Reservations

And then there was a Family Leave resolution I found refreshing: the church actually telling itself to engage the policy before issuing it as an edict to the rest of the world.

Some Real Howlers: far too many resolutions speak with absolute and extreme certainty to political issues (strange for a church that is ambivalent about God and claims to be "the thinking person's church"). And of course these are borrowed from only one political party. Some examples,

The Episcopal Church edict on Immigration: Everybody's entitled to everything.

Give the UN regulatory and law enforcement power over global commerce. (I'm serious. Go to the link and read it.)

You're an Episcopalian? Then it is an article of faith that you work to defeat Defense of Marriage laws.

A little farm/garden reflection in preparation for Sunday (or any day)

Via a tweet from turnbacktogod - you can see his site here.

Plant four rows of peace.
Prayer – Penitence – Patience – Preparation

Plant four rows of squash.
Squash gossip – Squash indifference – Squash criticism – Squash negative thinking

Plant four rows of turnips.
Turn up for Church – Turn up whenever needed – Turn up with a friendly smile – Turn up with determination to be a better person

Plant four rows of lettuce.
Let us soar to new heights – Let us come together in harmony – Let us share God’s love, and – Let us practice forgiveness

Enjoy the harvest!