“So the last will be first, and the first last” (Matt. 20: 16).
There is a short story by the great American author and famed humorist, Mark Twain, which contains no humor at all. “A True Story Repeated Word for Word as I Heard It” is the life story of Mary Ann Cord, the family cook, as she told it one afternoon [1].
Born into slavery in Virginia, Mary Ann married and had seven children. Tragically, her family – like many other slave families – was torn asunder. Mary Ann’s husband and children were sold off in 1852, and lost to her. All connection with them was severed.
A dozen years later, in North Carolina during the chaos of the Civil War, Mary Ann was startled by a familiar face, while preparing a meal for black troops occupying her owner’s plantation. It was her youngest son Henry, now grown and fighting for the Union.
This is how Twain says Mary Ann described the scene:
“I was a-stoopin’ down by de stove, an’ I’d jist got de pan o’ hot biscuits in my han’ an’ was ‘bout to raise up, when I see a black face come aroun’ under mine, an’ de eyes a-lookin’ up into mine, an’ I jist stopped right dah, an’ never budged! Jist gazed, an’ gazed, an’ de pan begin to tremble, an’ all of a sudden I knowed! De pan drop’ on de flo’ an’ I grab his lef’ han’ an’ shove back his sleeve, an’ den I goes for his forehead an’ push de hair back so, an’ ‘Boy!’ I says, ‘if you ain’t my Henry, what is you doin’ wid dis welt on yo’ wris’ an’ dat sk-yar on yo’ forehead? De Lord God ob heaven be praise’, I got my own ag’in!”
After 150 years, we can still feel the grief – and incalculable joy – of this mother [2]. The patois Twain recorded is no obstacle at all [3]. If anything, it makes the moment more intimate. We are almost reluctant to intrude.
Federal Writers Project
From 1936 to 1938, the Federal Writers Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) interviewed over 2300 former slaves, recording the details of their lives under slavery.
These first-person accounts are preserved in the Library of Congress. They speak of destitute conditions, staggering workloads, whippings and beatings, a prohibition against literacy, and rigid restrictions on travel.
Above all, they reflect the humanity of enslaved people – their strength, their pride, their spirit of resistance, and their faith.
Here are excerpts from a few:
Alice Alexander, age 88, Oklahoma –
“We lived in a one room log hut, and slept on homemade rail bed steads wid cotton, an’ sum times straw, mos’ly straw summers an’ cotton winners… Yas, we had a overseers an’ my mother said he was the meanest man on earth. He’d jest go out in de fields and beat dem n_s, an’ my mother tole me one day he come out in de field beatin’ her sister an’ she jumped on ‘im an’ nelly beat ‘im half to death an’ ole Marster come up jest in time to see it all an’ fired dat overseer [4]. Said he diden want no man working fer ‘im dat a woman could whip.”
George Fleming, age 83, South Carolina –
“Slaves started to work by de time dey was old enough to tote water and pick up chips to start fires wid. Some of dem started to work in de fields when dey about ten, but most of ‘em was older… Women worked in de field same as de man. Some of dem plowed jes’ like de men and boys. Couldn’t tell ‘em apart in de field, as dey wore pantelets or breeches. Dey tied strings ‘round de bottom of de legs so de loose dirt wouldn’t git in deir shoes… Us didn’t pay much mind to de clock. We worked frum sun to sun.”
Slave ship diagram: Africans transported like cargo, Author Jbolden030170 (CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported)
WARNING: Graphic Images
“ ‘What profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? Come and let us sell him…and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother and our flesh’…[S]o the brothers pulled Joseph…out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt” (Gen. 37: 26-28).
Lonnie Bunch, director of the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture, and anthropologist, Steve Lubkemann, a founder of the Slave Wrecks Project, have joined forces to excavate a long lost Portuguese slave ship, the first of its kind to be located and studied.
The Sao Jose sank in a storm, off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa in 1794. More than 200 slaves – men, women, and children – perished [1]. Over 590 ships engaged in the slave trade are known to have gone down [2].
The Middle Passage
Viewed as cargo, slaves were laid side by side in the hold, like lumber, during the Middle Passage. Often shackled – with limited light and air, no room to move, and little or no provision for sanitation – slaves were forced to endure a trip which could last months. Women might be raped by the crew at will.
The freed slave and author, Olaudah Equiano, had this to say about the Middle Passage in his autobiography:
“This wretched situation was again aggravated by the galling of the chains, now become insupportable; and the filth of the necessary tubs, into which the children often fell, and were almost suffocated. The shrieks of the women, and the groans of the dying, rendered the whole a scene of horror almost inconceivable.”
Estimates vary, but the number of those transported like this may have been as high as 12.5 million. Many died en route, either from sickness, violence, or despair.
Valuable Property
Ships were equipped with netting that stretched from the hull to catch slaves who might attempt to jump overboard [3]. Slaves could though be tossed overboard to lighten a ship’s load, when weather threatened. This was a last resort, since slaves were recognized as valuable property.
According to Lonnie Bunch:
“In the years before the Civil War, the amount of money invested in slaves was more than the amount of money invested in railroads, banks, and businesses combined. This was the economic engine of Europe and the United States.”
Fifteen years ago today, the World Trade Center was destroyed in New York City, the Pentagon attacked in Washington, DC, and United Airlines Flight 93 downed at Shanksville, PA.
But the human spirit shone brightly in the days, weeks, and months that followed.
The post below (now updated) was originally published 9/11/12
Ground Zero Cross, Author Samuel Li (CC-BY-2.0)
WARNING: Graphic Images
“For the Lord will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places; He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord…” (Is. 51: 3).
Covering 2200 acres and taller than the Statue of Liberty, the Fresh Kills landfill in Staten Island, NY can be seen from space.
At one time the primary waste disposal site for the City of New York, Fresh Kills was closed to dumping early in 2001, but reopened to process the 2 million tons of debris from the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.
Mass Destruction
“You could not comprehend the massive destruction [at Ground Zero]. Even though there was an enormous amount of toxic debris and smoke, your skin was on fire you couldn’t breathe your eyes were tearing, you just kept going on and on. You didn’t care – you just wanted to find somebody [1].”
– former EMS Paramedic, Freddie Noboa, now suffering from PTSD, asthma, and many other illnesses
Twisted girders, broken concrete, bricks, glass, shredded paper, and human remains were shipped by truck and barge to Fresh Kills.
A Miniature City
Work at Fresh Kills went on 24/7 consuming over 1.7 million man hours. A miniature city grew up to accommodate the NYC Police Department, FBI, 25 state and federal agencies, and 14 contractors sorting through the material.
Though recovery workers at Ground Zero toiled without respirators, those at Fresh Kills landfill were provided them, along with safety gear which included protective suits and gloves; goggles; hard hats; and steel-toe boots.
In view of the high stress environment, psychological counseling was, also, made available.
Like Being in Hell
“We found 150 full bodies and 20,000 body parts. It was like being in hell down there – arms, legs, people cut in half – a gruesome job. There were guys down there spitting up blood [2].”
– former FDNY Deputy Chief, Jim Riches, who found his son’s body on “the pile” at Ground Zero in March 2002
Under strict security protocols, piece after piece of material was passed along assembly lines and closely examined. Thousands of fragmentary human remains were recovered from which 300 persons were identified. More than 1600 personal effects were retrieved.
Toxic Debris
The toxic debris from the collapse of the Twin Towers was found to contain more than 2500 contaminants. These included glass and other fibers, asbestos, lead, and mercury.
About 70% of first responders developed cancers and serious respiratory conditions. Along with EMS and firefighters, construction workers, health care professionals, clergy, and others continue to suffer from medical issues a decade later. Read more…
“Skipjack” style fishing boat, HM Krentz, at Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, Author Acroterion (CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported)
I have lived in the Chesapeake Bay area for a year now. Born and raised in New York City, I worked for many years as a lawyer there and Philadelphia. The shift from urban to rural was deliberate on my part. But it’s been dramatic.
Most residents here are farmers. There are chicken houses and cornfields right outside town. This time of year, the corn stands 7’ high. What with the heat, it’s a wonder the crop doesn’t pop in the field! But you can see the Milky Way at night.
The pace of things is slower here. There’s one mall in town, and a pretty little park with no name. People smile and hold the door. Businesses still close on Sundays.
There are few McMansions. You come across some homes so tiny that they’re basically studio apartments with a roof. People gather in the school parking lot to watch fireworks on the 4th of July. But we have the amenities. There’s a Walmart and a Home Depot.
Chains like Red Lobster and Longhorn Steak are about the fanciest restaurants around. But you can find water in any direction, and catch your own lunch.
Fishermen – called “watermen” locally – have a long history on the Chesapeake. Theirs though is a dying profession. They can’t compete with the huge floating canneries. Most kids go off to college, and pursue a different line of work than their fathers. The Chesapeake, itself, is under assault from pollution. Read more…
Anti-Irish political cartoon (“Usual Irish Way of Doing Things”) run in Harper’s Weekly, (1871), Author Thomas Nast, (PD-Age)
Between 1845 and 1854, 2.9 million men, women, and children fled to the United States due to economic and social hardship.
Characterizing these immigrants as unsavory and dangerous, the nativist Know Nothing Movement arose, in response. The goals of this movement were to safeguard “real” American values (including a Protestant heritage), and to end – or at least sharply curtail – the influence of immigrants and Catholics, whether native-born or not.
A Protestant minister described the Catholic faith as “the ally of tyranny, the opponent of material prosperity, the foe of thrift, the enemy of the railroad, the caucus, and the school [1].” Catholics were seen as trying to overthrow the government.
The Irish, in particular, were viewed as drunkards and degenerates, mentally impaired, and loyal to a foreign pope. The New York Sun ran 15 job ads labeled “No Irish Need Apply” in 1842 alone [2]. The practice continued for some 80 years [3].
Despite all that, over 150,000 Irish served in the Union Army during the Civil War. In Pennsylvania, they dug the canals and the coal mines. The Irish laid track for both ends of the Transcontinental Railroad (the western branch of which was completed by Chinese immigrants).
Irish immigrants established labor unions, charitable societies, and parochial schools. They eventually came to dominate police and politics in New York and Chicago. In 1960, they helped elect an Irish Catholic president in the person of John F. Kennedy. Read more…
Bread and butter, Author stu_spivack, Source https://www.flickr.com/photos/35034346243@N01/292742953/ (CC BY-SA 2.0 Generic)
It is all too human to compare ourselves with others. She has better hair. He has a better car.
Even Christians do this…whether they should or not [1]. Oftentimes, the comparison is in spiritual terms. He is always speaking up at bible study. She has headed the Christian women’s group for years.
Calculating Spirituality
This, of course, is foolishness. We may be able to count our blessings. But we cannot calculate our spirituality.
We cannot grade our relationship with Christ any more than assign a numeric value to our other relationships. There simply is no formula. How often should a good husband take out the garbage? How tall is a good wife?
Paul said, on this subject:
“For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise” (2 Cor. 10: 12).
Visions, Dreams, and Speaking in Tongues
Still, we fall into the trap. Bread and butter Christianity is not enough. Love of God and neighbor is not enough. We should see apocalyptic visions, have prophetic dreams. We should speak in tongues, heal by the laying on of hands, and hear God’s voice audibly.
If we do not have these gifts, we must be failed Christians. So we presume. Read more…
Statue of Molossian mastiff (so called “Jennings Dog” or “Dog of Alcibiades”), Author Marie-Lan Nguyen, Source British Museum (Accession No. GR 2001.10-10.1), (CC BY 2.5 Generic)
“Blood and destruction shall be so in use And dreadful objects so familiar That mothers shall but smile when they behold Their infants quarter’d with the hands of war… And Caesar’s spirit… Shall in these confines with a monarch’s voice Cry ‘Havoc,’ and let slip the dogs of war…”
– Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar (1601)
The Roman military used Molossian mastiffs much as the US military uses German shepherds today. With time, the phrase “dogs of war” became a synonym for soldiers. The term “havoc” originated as an order during the Middle Ages. It was an instruction to sack and burn.
This presidential campaign has let loose the dogs of war.
Until recently, political animus was considered on the fringes of acceptable behavior. However, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have together set forces in motion that are not likely to be easily corralled.
Neither respects the truth; neither respects the law. As a result, causes, characters, and practices previously frowned on have come out of the shadows.
Despicable Causes and Characters
White nationalists have formed a PAC on behalf of Trump, and initiated robocalls.
Former KKK leader, David Duke, and Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin have openly praised the Republican candidate. Trump has, in turn, praised Saddam Hussein and quoted Benito Mussolini.
Disgraced former congressman, Mark Foley, who sexually propositioned underage pages, attended a Trump rally. The father of the Orlando shooter attended a Clinton rally.
Deplorable Practices
Hyperbole is the rule. According to Trump, Pres. Barack Obama is the “founder” of ISIS, with Hillary Clinton the “co-founder”. According to Clinton, Trump’s rhetoric is making him the “recruiting sergeant” for ISIS. These may or may not have been sarcastic remarks. Believe whatever you like.
Racial, ethnic, class, and religious warfare are seen as political tools. Mexicans are rapists or so they say. Muslim immigrants must be banned for our safety; a Muslim registry should be established. A Muslim Gold Star family that presumes to take issue with this can be sharply criticized.
The integrity of the judiciary and electoral process have been called into question. A judge of Mexican heritage, we are informed, cannot be objective. The election will be “rigged” (no specifics necessary).
Violence threatens at political rallies. Trump supporters chant “Lock her up” (something we fear may turn to “Hang her high”). Anti-Trump protesters trash property, and brawl in the streets.
And assassination has been directly or indirectly encouraged. We are told that “Second Amendment people” may be the only ones able to stop Hillary Clinton from taking away their weapons, and destroying the Constitution in the process. This may or may not have been a bad joke.
Scandals
The twin scandals of Benghazi and Clinton’s emails hang in the air like a foul odor. The Clinton Foundation scandal looms. Some of us even remember Whitewater.
We are not any more likely to see the text of those very expensive speeches Hillary Clinton gave Wall Street, than we are to see Donald Trump’s tax returns. The chances of either candidate bringing Wall Street to heel are precisely nil.
The fraud claims against Trump University are a fitting, if pitiable, footnote. Read more…
Marble bust of Aristotle (Roman copy of lost Greek original), Louvre Museum (Atlas database: entry 922), Photographer Eric Gaba (Wikimedia Commons user: Sting) (CC BY-SA 2.5 Generic)
“A public official may not appoint, employ, promote, advance, or advocate for appointment, employment, promotion, or advancement, in or to a civilian position in the agency in which he is serving or over which he exercises jurisdiction or control any individual who is a relative of the public official…”
– 5 USC 3110 – Employment of relatives; restrictions
Asked this week what women he might consider for his Cabinet, if elected, Donald Trump put forward his daughter, Ivanka [1]. Trump’s children have been highly visible, taking an active part in his campaign. Hillary Clinton’s daughter, Chelsea, has, also, in recent years hinted at political aspirations [2].
Nepotism – defined by Merriam-Webster as favoritism based on kinship – places personal interest ahead of the public good. The practice is a way of consolidating power. It secures financial advantage for the trusted members of a family, while extending control by that family over a given function or area of interest.
John F. Kennedy, you may remember, nominated his brother, Robert, for the position of Attorney General of the United States, though the younger Kennedy had little or no trial experience. JFK was not the first to appoint a family member to public office. Some 40 of Ulysses S. Grant’s relations benefited directly or indirectly while he was president. Read more…
Remaining gates at Marshalsea Debtors Prison, London, Author Russell Kenny, Source http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2122/2119466639_5695691755.jpg?v=o (CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported)
“At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release of debts” (Deut. 15: 1).
The Israelites were directed to forgive debts every seventh year to reflect God’s forgiveness of sin and avoid the development of a permanent debtor class. Debtors prisons, however, existed in England as late as the 19th Century [1].
Men and women owing money could be imprisoned at the discretion of their creditors, until those debts were paid. Unlike other European nations, England placed no time limit on such imprisonment which might last for decades. That often meant entire families lived in prison, actually raising children there for lack of a viable alternative.
Since English prisons were privately run, prisoners were charged for rent, food, and clothing. The charges were simply added to their existing debts. Many debtors never regained their freedom.
Debtors Prison Today
“And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors” (Matt. 6: 12).
Though debtors prisons have been outlawed for some 200 years in the United States, they exist today.
The Supreme Court in Bearden v. Georgia made clear that those too poor to pay court fines could not be imprisoned for their failure to do so. The 1983 decision stated that a judge first had to determine if a defendant had the ability to pay, so that the refusal to pay was willful. Read more…
Defendants in the dock at Nuremberg Trials (front row: Hermann Goring, Rudolf Hess, Joachim von Ribbentrop, and Wilhelm Keitel), National Archives and Records Administration (Identifier 540128), (PD- Federal Govt.)
“Of one thing we may be sure. The future will never have to ask, with misgiving: ‘What could the Nazis have said in their favor?’ History will know that whatever could be said, they were allowed to say. They have been given the kind of a trial which they, in the days of their pomp and power, never gave to any man.
But fairness is not weakness. The extraordinary fairness of these hearings is an attribute of our strength.”
– Excerpt from the closing argument by Robert Jackson at the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials
Last year marked the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. This year, Pres. Francois Hollande of France commemorated International Holocaust Remembrance Day by meeting with Pres. Hasan Rouhani of Iran, a nation that denies the Holocaust.
Everywhere, antisemitism and antisemitic violence are on the rise.
According to the Kantor Center for the Study of European Jewry, there has been at least a 40% increase in such incidents worldwide, since 2013 [1]. Violence against Jews has included the killing of four men in a kosher supermarket in Paris, the stabbing of a rabbi in Marseilles, the killing of a guard at a Copenhagen synagogue, the beating of a man in a Berlin subway, and an attack on congregants at a London synagogue.
The EU has chosen to interject itself into the Palestinian conflict by labeling Jewish goods as from occupied Judea, Samaria a/k/a the West Bank, and the Golan Heights – never mind that there are 200 other territorial disputes across the globe which have not received this attention, including China’s occupation of Tibet [2]. Read more…
