Adventures in Bureaucracy
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Reading the news these days makes me feel like I'm living in some parallel universe, one where logic was never discovered. Maybe I'll write about it in this space, but then again, I may just stick to walking away from the computer, the television, the radio and all other electronic devices.
I've heard some people demanding in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings that actions be taken pre-emptively to prevent anything like this from happening again. All the warning signs were there long before the horrifying crime, and that could have been prevented if there was some sort of intervention before the situation went out of control.
Well.
I wonder, does the same philosophy apply to foreign affairs?
Just asking.
Well.
I wonder, does the same philosophy apply to foreign affairs?
Just asking.
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Someone else was at my church last night. Actually, a LOT of someone elses were at my church last night, but most of them didn't write about it. It's a pretty good assessment of the Mass.
As I get older, I find myself looking forward to the Easter Vigil Mass even more than the Christmas one. The Easter Vigil is so much more of a visceral experience. The vigil starts off with the cathedral in darkness, with only the faint whispers of the assembled crowd. Then the fire is lit in front of St. Matthew's, throwing shadows onto the high walls at the front of the cathedral, as the voice of the Archbishop begins the Mass. A single candle seems to float in the darkness up the aisle, then the light spreads to hundreds of candles as the procession moves into the church. The Exsultet sets the tone of both solemnity and joy, and the moment when the Gloria is sung, the bells are rung and all the lights and candles are lit never fails to give me a thrill, even though I know what's coming.
Then the new people are welcomed into the Church. I was born Catholic, so it's something I tend to take for granted, but seeing new people professing the faith is a reminder that there's so much more to it than just getting sprinkled with water as a baby and confirming it at age 13.
As I get older, I find myself looking forward to the Easter Vigil Mass even more than the Christmas one. The Easter Vigil is so much more of a visceral experience. The vigil starts off with the cathedral in darkness, with only the faint whispers of the assembled crowd. Then the fire is lit in front of St. Matthew's, throwing shadows onto the high walls at the front of the cathedral, as the voice of the Archbishop begins the Mass. A single candle seems to float in the darkness up the aisle, then the light spreads to hundreds of candles as the procession moves into the church. The Exsultet sets the tone of both solemnity and joy, and the moment when the Gloria is sung, the bells are rung and all the lights and candles are lit never fails to give me a thrill, even though I know what's coming.
Then the new people are welcomed into the Church. I was born Catholic, so it's something I tend to take for granted, but seeing new people professing the faith is a reminder that there's so much more to it than just getting sprinkled with water as a baby and confirming it at age 13.
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Washington is a company town, and the company business is getting pretty tiresome, what with the political class deciding to declare a war of attrition to wear down the American people. The elections that are still nineteen months away, so why is this front page news now? The first candidate who declared should be tarred and feathered.But even though the political calendar is totally screwed up, at least the arrival of spring is right on schedule. The cherry blossoms are out, people! This is the best time of year to be a Washingtonian, and a good reminder that there is more to life in this city than politics and government.
