A burning love that stings like a bee

Last updated on: March 6, 2020 at 6:00 am by Fred Clark

A burning love that stings like a bee 2020-03-04T22:05:55-05:00 Fred Clark

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Here is your open thread for March 6, 2020.

Today is the 76th birthday of original Supreme Mary Wilson:

Remember the Alamo? That battle came to an end on this day in 1836. The slain defenders of the Alamo have become the stuff of legend here in America, where they’re regarded as heroes. Given that, perhaps it’s useful in 2020 to also remember they were illegal immigrants who had taken up arms, in part, in response to anti-immigrant rules imposed in the border region.

On this day 163 years ago, Roger Taney secured his eternal standing as a disgrace to himself, his country, his profession, and his entire branch of government by presenting the majority opinion in the Supreme Court case of Dred Scott v. Sanford.

According to his own words, Taney knew exactly what he was doing. “The question is simply this,” he wrote: “Can a negro, whose ancestors were imported into this country, and sold as slaves, become a member of the political community formed and brought into existence by the Constitution of the United States, and as such become entitled to all of the rights, and privileges, and immunities, guarantied by that instrument to the citizen?”

Taney thought the answer was, and ought to be, no. Today, 163 years later, many Americans still agree with that answer. Some of them are pastors, some are elected officials. Some even, like Taney, work as judges in federal courts.

The March 6, 1943 issue of The Saturday Evening Post featured on its cover Norman Rockwell’s famous painting “Freedom From Want.” It was part of Rockwell’s series illustrating the “Four Freedoms” that President Franklin D. Roosevelt had described in his 1941 State of the Union address: Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom From Want, and Freedom From Fear.

Those last two don’t get as much attention as they should. Speak up on their behalf in post-Reagan, post-Trump America and you’re likely to be condemned as some kind of commie socialist — as though it were un-American or anti-American to believe that Americans ought to be able to live free from want and free from fear. That’s nuts, of course, unless the people saying such rubbish think they stand to gain somehow from keeping Americans in want and in fear. (By which I mean that they do.)

It might be helpful or useful or smart to re-enlist Norman Rockwell in 2020, to remind our fellow Americans that the desire to ensure that we are all free from want and free from fear is as patriotically all-American as … well, as Norman Rockwell.

Here’s a bit of the essay the Post commissioned to accompany Rockwell’s “Freedom From Want.”

Our march toward security and peace is the march of freedom — the freedom that we should like to become a living part of. It is the dignity of the individual to live in a society of free men, where the spirit of understanding and belief exist; of understanding that all men are equal; that all men, whatever their color, race, religion or estate, should be given equal opportunity to serve themselves and each other according to their needs and abilities.

But we are not really free unless we use what we produce. So long as the fruit of our labor is denied us, so long will want manifest itself in a world of slaves. It is only when we have plenty to eat — plenty of everything — that we begin to understand what freedom means. To us, freedom is not an intangible thing. When we have enough to eat, then we are healthy enough to enjoy what we eat. Then we have the time and ability to read and think and discuss things. Then we are not merely living but also becoming a creative part of life. It is only then that we become a growing part of democracy.

That was written by Carlos Bulosan, an immigrant from the Philippines who was later blacklisted as a socialist and died in poverty in 1956. (“The free? Who said the free? Not me.”)

On March 6, 1983, the Los Angeles Express defeated the New Jersey Generals in the first-ever game of the USFL. The league slowly became more popular and financially successful over its next two seasons until it committed suicide thanks to Generals’ owner Donald J. Trump’s insistence that it switch from its NFL-off-season spring schedule to compete with the more established league head-to-head. That was the shart of the deal that killed the USFL.

March 6 is the birthday of great artists Michelangelo (1475), Cyrano de Bergerac (1619), Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806), and Lou Costello (1906). Hall-0f-famers Lefty Grove (1900) and Willie Stargell (1940) share a March 6 birthday.

Alan Greenspan turns 94 today. He’s presumably celebrating his birthday by devising some new scheme to ensure that Generation X never collects Social Security benefits. Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour turns 74. High-jump revolutionary Dick Fosbury turns 73.

Rob Reiner turns 73 today too. Here are the first seven movies he directed: This Is Spinal Tap, The Sure Thing, Stand By Me, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, Misery, A Few Good Men. That’s quite a run. (It’s his birthday, so we won’t mention the movie that followed those.)

Godspell composer Stephen Schwartz turns 71 today. Connie Britton turns 53. Rappers Shaquille O’Neal and Beanie Sigel turn 48 and 46, respectively. Tim Howard, America’s goalie, turns 41.

Finally, the cult-classic Coen brothers movie The Big Lebowski was released on this day, March 6, in 1988. The film later became a literal cult classic when it formed the basis and guiding philosophy for the Church of the Latter-Day Dude. More than 400,000 Dudeist priests have been ordained around the world, some of whom serve as legal marriage officiants in some US states. Dudeists commemorate today as their highest holy day, The Day of the Dude. You might choose to celebrate it with them. Or not, man, whatever.

Talk amongst yourselves.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

March 5, 2020

I'm gonna be the man who's havering to you

Next Post

March 6, 2020 LBCF, No. 264: 'Tossing cookies'

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category class warfare evangelicals Iraq Left Behind Mammon music Uncategorized

Select a Month November 2026 October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does the Bible warn about "idle chatter"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Is holy Leads to poverty Is entertaining Is educational