NRU

Dear religious extremists of all varieties (yes, that means you too intolerant Christians), when you threaten violence against a person, persons or institutions, that is terrorism.  We cannot counter terrorism with terrorism, we can only counter it with compassion.  That should be a no brainer for those who follow Jesus.  He said, turn the other cheek, he said do it over and over again (seven times seventy).  Oh, yes, I just quoted some scripture to you.  May you all acknowledge abundance.  There is enough room in this world for calls to the faithful of all persuasions -- there is enough room even for those who choose not to believe.

Proving that no one is perfect, the pope made a decision that I cannot endorse in any way.  The indigenous people of California were not converted, they were forcibly baptized (as were all other indigenous people in the moments of contact)... it was much more than forceful assimilation.  This is not something that we should celebrate, laud or shade with pink.  The LATimes, at least, did some work to present the opposite view of those celebrating this elevation.  Let's set aside the horrible events this man's presence brought to California, he is also not a saint as, even by the church's standard, he has not brought about the necessary TWO miracles.  I am not a fan of the whole process, but I have been particularly disheartened by the canonization of both Serra and John Paul.  For those that believe, I am guessing that there is a serious conversation in purgatory going on right now.

Ugh, how can you write a long, piece on Winslow, Arizona and not mention La Posada and the artist community that revitalized it?!  I love me some Winslow, but not just because of the song.  Yes, the first time I heard about Winslow was in the song.  But the first time I visited was because of a series of NPR stories about La Posada and Mary Colter.  And it is the reason why I have made Winslow my stop whenever possible between LA and Albuquerque.  I even try to wake up to catch a glimpse of it when I travel by train... huge miss by the Times writer, huge.  And I wasn't the only one to notice as it shows up in the comments.

Rest in peace, Mr. Tijerina.