[Episcopal News Service] Diocese of Los Angeles Bishop Suffragan-elect Mary Douglas Glasspool has received the required number of consents from diocesan standing committees and bishops with jurisdiction to her ordination and consecration, the presiding bishop's office has confirmed.
Glasspool, 56, was elected bishop suffragan on Dec. 5. Her consecration is set for May 15.

Glasspool is the second openly gay partnered priest to be elected a bishop in the Episcopal Church.

An ENS story will follow.

Following are statements from Bishop J. Jon Bruno, and Bishops Suffragan-elect Diane Jardine Bruce and Mary Douglas Glasspool:

From the Rt. Rev. J. Jon Bishop Bruno “I give thanks for the Standing Committees and Bishops who have consented to the elections of Diane Jardine Bruce and Mary Douglas Glasspool as bishops suffragan in the Diocese of Los Angeles. “The committee members and bishops have offered their consents in prayerful discernment and by doing so have joined the Diocese of Los Angeles in recognizing and affirming the many gifts and skills of these highly qualified and experienced clerics. “Both Bishops-elect Bruce and Glasspool have been clear in stating that their new ministries will be focused on the work of the Diocese of Los Angeles as a priority, and the clergy and laity of this Diocese are eager to begin new collaboration with them. “These historic elections bring the first women to the episcopate in the Diocese of Los Angeles. I give thanks for this, and that the Standing Committees and Bishops have demonstrated through their consents that the Episcopal Church, by canon, creates no barrier for ministry on the basis of gender and sexual orientation, among other factors.” From Bishop-elect Diane Jardine Bruce “I am excited about working with both Bishop Jon and Mary as we move forward in mission and ministry in the Diocese of Los Angeles. Receiving the consents from the Bishops and Standing Committees has been, again, humbling for me. As we begin with this new team, I am encouraged by the support I have received from Bishop Jon and Mary and from clergy and laity throughout the Diocese. Rooted in prayer, with the help of the Holy Spirit, I pray we all grow and flourish in Christ’s love.”

From Bishop-elect Mary Douglas Glasspool “It is a privilege to serve in a Church gathered around the life, ministry, death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Our Church takes seriously its leadership, and so engages in a process whereby the lay and clerical members of Standing Committees of The Episcopal Church, as well as bishops from each of its dioceses, have the opportunity through prayer and discernment, to confirm the appropriateness of the election to leadership of each bishop. Thus, I am overjoyed that a majority of Standing Committees and bishops with jurisdiction have given their consent to the elections of both Bishops Suffragan of the Diocese of Los Angeles. “I am profoundly grateful for the many people -- in Los Angeles, in Maryland, and around the world -- who have given their prayers, love, and support during this time of discernment. I am also aware that not everyone rejoices in this election and consent, and will work, pray, and continue to extend my own hands and heart to bridge those gaps, and strengthen the bonds of affection among all people, in the Name of Jesus Christ. I am so very blessed to be working with Bishop Jon, Bishop-elect Diane, and the incredible people of the Diocese of Los Angeles; and I offer deep gratitude, as well, to Bishops Chester Talton and Sergio Carranza, whose Christ-centered leadership have moved the Church closer to God’s Reign on earth.”

When benefits claimant Chris Jarvis was asked to put down his hood in a Jobcentre, he said he was entitled to wear it because of his Jedi 'faith'.

When he continued to wear the cowl despite repeated warnings, he was escorted from the premises by security guards.

Yet in a case which sums up the march of political correctness in the public sector, he has now received a grovelling apology saying that the government agency 'embraces diversity and respects a customer's religion'. 'Jediism' was made up for the Star Wars films.

'I was told by security staff to remove my hood. I was told, not asked. I said, "It's my religion, I'm a Jedi Knight",' said Mr Jarvis, 31.

What this means is the majority of The Episcopal Church's leaders - down to the diocesan level throughout America - are exercising no restraint as requested by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the primates of the Anglican Communion. Despite pleas to the contrary, they have given their consent for a partnered lesbian to become a bishop, not just for Los Angeles, but for the whole church.

...more

Recently my colleague Jay Nordlinger wrote about a new edition of the Federalist Papers that comes equipped with a disclaimer for unwary readers:

This book is a product of its time and does not reflect the same values as it would if it were written today. Parents might wish to discuss with their children how views on race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and interpersonal relations have changed since this book was written before allowing them to read this classic work.

As the reader who tipped Jay off writes, “I will be rereading this work very carefully — it seems that the first few times through I’ve completely missed the sex!” To be sure, the Federalist Papers were written in the 1780s and embody the customs and beliefs of the times. “Man” is used generically to mean “person,” and the existence of slavery, while not endorsed, is accepted as a given (among other things, slavery was still legal in New York, whose citizens the papers were addressed to). If that bothers you, and your kids are sensitive and easily influenced, it might be a good idea to explain these points beforehand — subtly stressing the “sexuality” part if you want them to pay close attention.

Yet the warning is not as overblown as it seems, because the Federalist Papers do, in fact, contain messages that, if taken seriously by impressionable youths, could upset the very basis on which our society is founded. Consider, for example, this passage from the 23rd Federalist about the role of the federal government:

The principal purposes to be answered by union are these — the common defence of the members; the preservation of the public peace, as well against internal convulsions as external attacks; the regulation of commerce with other nations and between the States; the superintendence of our intercourse, political and commercial, with foreign countries.

Nothing in there about redistribution of wealth, insulating houses, selling insurance, running car companies, or making kids eat their vegetables. Imagine the mischief this antiquated line of thought could inspire!

Then there are these extracts, from the 32nd . . .

As the plan of the convention aims only at a partial union or consolidation, the State governments would clearly retain all the rights of sovereignty which they before had, and which were not, by that act, exclusively delegated to the United States.

Sampras, Agassi needed a timeout, jokes Federer March 15, 2010
Roger Federer admits that it got uncomfortable on court during the Hit for Haiti when Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras traded ill-conceived impersonations and appeared to get angry at each other.

The Swiss said his hands were largely tied, though he tried to lighten the atmosphere. “I don't think it was that crazy bad, but it was a bit awkward because you didn't know, was it just fun, was it not fun? What was it?” Federer commented after navigating through his opening match at Indian Wells.

“Sure, you try to loosen up the moment, because for us to play tennis with microphones on is not something we're used to. I mean, I couldn't even talk to Pete after that because we were having the microphones on. The whole time to have the microphone right there it's kind of tricky and dangerous at times, I think as we saw the other night. But I tried to help with the situation. And now being a father, I thought maybe we have to give both guys like a timeout or something. We didn't have to go that far.”

American Andy Roddick, who has played Davis Cup with both Sampras and Agassi, heard about the controversy and decided to watch it on YouTube.

“I think they would probably both tell you it got away from them a little bit there,” Roddick said. “I think all the years of kind of intense competition might have come out a little bit there. With any great rivalry where you play that long there's going to be a boiling point. Unfortunately, I think we might have seen that the other night.”

1. TRUST IS EVERYTHING.

Tell the truth, be honest, and practice what you preach. Too many people in my industry are just in it for the money. When you're in business, you should have only one thing on your mind, and that is helping the customer.

2. ANYTHING SUCCESSFUL TAKES A LOT OF WORK.

You can't believe what I went through in starting my business. In 1936, when I opened my first gym in Oakland, I had doctors telling people, "If you start working out with Jack LaLanne, the women will start looking like men, and the old guys will die of heart attacks." They thought I was just a dumb, musclebound guy. Now every doctor wants you to exercise and eat more fruits and vegetables.

The board majority's conservative approach to “culture, government and the changing political landscape” was impossible 13 years ago when the social studies curriculum last was updated, said David Bradley, R-Beaumont.

“There's been a cultural and political shift in Texas, at least in the policy-making level,” he said. “We all represent a constituency. Elections matter.”

In 1997, Bradley was on the losing end of an 11-4 vote. Every conservative-pushed amendment got tabled then, he recalled.

Shifting demographics and political winds likely will produce yet another outcome when Texas tackles the standards again sometime after 2020, Bradley acknowledged.

“Mary Helen may have her wish, and it will be the Hispanic Education Agency,” he said.

Dr. McLeroy, a dentist by training, pushed through a change to the teaching of the civil rights movement to ensure that students study the violent philosophy of the Black Panthers in addition to the nonviolent approach of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He also made sure that textbooks would mention the votes in Congress on civil rights legislation, which Republicans supported.

“Republicans need a little credit for that,” he said. “I think it’s going to surprise some students.”

Mr. Bradley won approval for an amendment saying students should study “the unintended consequences” of the Great Society legislation, affirmative action and Title IX legislation. He also won approval for an amendment stressing that Germans and Italians as well as Japanese were interned in the United States during World War II, to counter the idea that the internment of Japanese was motivated by racism.

Other changes seem aimed at tamping down criticism of the right. Conservatives passed one amendment, for instance, requiring that the history of McCarthyism include “how the later release of the Venona papers confirmed suspicions of communist infiltration in U.S. government.” The Venona papers were transcripts of some 3,000 communications between the Soviet Union and its agents in the United States.

“She was not bashful or anything. She liked to talk. I used to say she could sell an Eskimo ice,” recalled Ilese Dixon, 88, Goggins' last surviving sibling. “She was just lively and smart. She thought she could fix the world.”

Her colleagues say they never learned the specifics of her illness and, since she didn't talk about it, they didn't press.

Several years after leaving the Legislature, Goggins divorced and then moved to Columbia in the early 1990s, renting the brick ranch house in a quiet neighborhood off North Main Street where she lived for 16 years.

Her son said she worked several years as a case manager for the state Department of Health and Environmental Control, although a spokesman said the agency had no records of her employment. At one point, she also started a nonprofit tutoring service called the Juanita W. Goggins School of Excellence.

Neighbors said she was always a private person. One neighbor said she would return her waves, but refused to let visitors in the door.

Last year, about the same time the Legislature voted to name part of a state highway after her, Goggins was mugged near her home. She changed the locks on her door and stopped taking walks, according her neighbors and landlord.

Police found Goggins' body March 3 — two weeks after she was last seen. Her landlord contacted police after a next-door neighbor realized he had not seen her lights on in some time.

Coroner Gary Watts said she died of hypothermia, probably about Feb. 20, and said he found indications of dementia. When she died, during a cold snap, Goggins was wearing several layers of clothing, yet her heat was working at the time.

She had money to pay her bills, but the utility company said it shut off the electricity for nonpayment Feb. 23. Watts said it appeared Goggins was using Sterno to cook, but her stove was still functioning when police climbed through a window and found her.