Random thoughts on GA from one who isn't there

1. I'm glad the article 2 revisions failed for reasons I've detailed here before, primarily because my favorite section of article 2, the one about freedom of belief, was so toned down as to barely exist.

My favorite thing about the new article 2 provisions is that they would be much harder to memorize, and much less compelling when put on the wall as a creed. That's not a lot to recommend them.

(For what it's worth, in the original version the bit about freedom of belief is written in equally lovely language but Katy-the-Wise and I are the only ones I know who have memorized it, I think in both cases not purposefully but as an accident of repetition. She might be able to rattle off the actual seven principles, I couldn't.)

2. The UUA elected the person I didn't want them to. Color me shocked. I'll save the snark for another time, congratulations President-Elect Morales.

3. Someone else asked if there was a service project and the response they got was that the "service project" was giving money to Utah Pride (a cause I support) and a "public witness action" for immigrants rights (a cause I also support). Is it true that there's no service project of the "help some local poor people" variety? If not, why not? They've has such things at previous GAs.

4. As Kate Clinton making jokes in a town full of Mormons go, what was said was pretty mild, and FAR less nasty than some of the things Sandra Bernhard said when she was in DC last fall. I wish Ms. Clinton hadn't said it because, well, it was stupid. But any annoyed Mormons can nurse their hurt feelings with the comfort that they are likely still legally married, and Kate Clinton's right to be treated as such in California was taken away, which has to be quite the balm. I have to say that if any group of people, religious or otherwise, starts lobbying to take away any of my civil rights in any state, Ms. Clinton's words will sound like a Jane Austen character's compared to what I have to say about it.

It's very UU that so many UUs are so embarrassed that she, a non-UU said that at a UU gathering* and some UUs laughed, while the Mormons have given no sign of caring one way or another as far as I've heard, because, well, every religion has been saying snotty things about every other religion since the beginning of time and Mormons know this as well as everyone else does. God knows the Mormons I used to work with gave me occasional guff about UUism**, though I didn't give it back because they were the bosses.

5. For all my bitching, I wish I were there, but it wasn't in the cards this year.

CC


*And fifty bucks said she was explicitly asked not to make fun of other religions and just decided to ignore that.



** "If there's no hell," I was once asked "why should people do good things? Why not just do evil since you might as well?"

And I thought 'Frankly, Lady, if you can't answer that for yourself, I'm not risking my job to enlighten you'

And that's one example of at least several.