RANT!

There is nothing like retirement and illness to make someone experience their powerlessness. I read a facebook post this morning encouraging me to speak out—to take to the streets with Occupy Wall Street. And it has dawned upon me that I no longer have a voice that speaks loudly. It is one of the consequences of being retired. Even though I get to preach now and again, I don’t have that chance to develop theological ideas over a period of time with a congregation that makes for good communal response. And with the internet, most of the time I don’t know if my blog gets read by a group of people who can bring change in their respective areas. Most of the time, I feel like I am talking to the wind. Very frustrating to a preacher.


In the ‘60’s you knew who you were working with. You knew when your back was covered. You knew who your friends were as you confronted the evils of society. The evils of society were the same ones as they are today, but we are all a bit faceless to one another now. We often walked arm in arm to show our solidarity.

On the No Anglican Covenant web, we have done some amazing work to help people see the flaws in the Anglican Covenant. But there is not the feeling of camaraderie that we had back in the 60’s. I am sure that is why my friend Elizabeth decided to go down to the OWS group in NYC to celebrate her ordination anniversary.

The women’s movement in the 70’s and 80’s was definitely a movement of women together—face to face, arm and arm to meet the white, straight, male establishment. It was the convent strangely enough was the first place I began to understand the power of women united, that incredible intuitiveness of women of faith working together to better the world. Then it was the Women’s ordination movement and the work for parity in the workplace.

What I often find in the lgbt efforts is less a desire to address the inequities in life as it is for gay men to get parity with straight men. In some efforts I do find the linking of lesbians and gays to work together but it is a difficult yoking. Lesbians on the whole are some of the poorest of the poor in our nation and there are more of us in prison than the normal population. I don’t have any statistics; I am just speaking of what I personally have seen.

So for the first time I am in the majority in life—I am a part of the 99% but it doesn’t get me anything. It should garner me at least some solidarity but because I have white hair or because I can’t get around like I used to or because I have a colleague that needs care or because I am retired from a system that is fairly generous but not enough to live on with medical expenses, my voice is quieted. I can’t buy the gas that gets me to the rallies or afford the plane ticket to events. I am silenced. AND THE ONLY PLACE I CAN SHOUT IS HERE!