Crankeverend (CR) was lucky in the fact that CR was able to get to know his grandparents fairly well before they passed from this life. Not many people have that opportunity. Crankeverend (CR) spent summer days with one grandfather, spent many overnights with the other set of grandparents, and in more recent times spent time with the last grandmother before she passed from this life. The really endearing thing about this grandmother was her willingness to give her opinion about issues — the older she got, the less her filter worked — that filter we all have (some more than others) that keeps us from saying exactly what is on our minds. She was not afraid to tell you if she thought you were getting fat, and to express her shock when you told her you were having “another” baby. As CR watches the spectacle that is ongoing in the realm of politics today whether it is in the state of Pennsylvania, or nationally, CR keeps hearing his grandmother in his head. So, here are two things CR thinks his grandmother would tell the politicians if she had the opportunity.
Let’s begin locally, since CR is almost embarrassed to tell people that he lives in the state of Pennsylvania, with the budget impasse that has continued now some 200 plus days, and the spectacle that is occurring with the Attorney General’s Office. If CR were to ask grandmother what she thought of the politicians in Pennsylvania, she would express “Oh my stars”. Translated into the 21st century vernacular my grandmother would be telling them “WHAT THE H _ _ _ ARE YOU THINKING?” What has moved our country and politicians today to the point where they take the attitude “I’m going to hold my breath until you agree with me.”? I think the problem is we have a generation of politicians who were not raised in the era of the Great Depression, who were not forced to practice the “duck and cover” maneuver for the impending nuclear blast that would have disintegrated all kinds of kids hiding under desks all across our country, and therefore they have not lived in an era where everyone anticipated the end to come at any time, where people lived together with a collective concern for their ultimate demise, and have no idea what it means to compromise, or see the other’s point of view, because today all of us might see Jesus face to face — or as Jesus might say “Do you not fear G-d, for you are under the same condemnation” (Luke 23:40),and “Unless you repent you will all perish as they did” (Luke 13:5). CR is really getting cranky with the inability of local politicians to put their egos aside and try to work together for the benefit of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania — and therefore writes long run on sentences to get out the crankiness.
But let’s speak of the spectacle that is happening nationally, in the Democratic and Republican primaries for the next POTUS election. If I were go to my grandmother and ask her what she thought of last night’s debate between the remaining Republican candidates, she would simply say “Oh my lands”. Again, translated into the 21st century vernacular, my grandmother is saying “Your mother should give you a dope slap for the way you are behaving.” CR’s grandmother was a woman of few words, usually, but in the few words she spoke she said volumes. Sort of like Jesus in the Gospel lesson appointed for this coming Sunday (3rd Sunday in Lent Year C Luke 13:1-9).
Some people come to Jesus asking for clarity about actions that had happened on the steps of the Temple (Pilate killing people coming to worship G-d), and locally with the Tower of Siloam collapsing and killing eighteen people and probably injuring countless more. People were suffering and dying, and they wanted some answers. Jesus basically turns to them and says “Oh my stars….get a grip on reality”. OK, so Jesus did not say that. But he does say “..do you think they were worse offenders than all the others living….?” In other words, Jesus is telling them that those who were killed — both through violence and others by sheer “bad Karma” — well it was too late for them — but for the rest of you, do you have your spiritual and your domestic house in order? Quit arguing with one another, quit pointing fingers, quit seeing the speck in the other person’s eye and realize that we live on this planet together and no one is better than another. “Oh my stars — WHAT THE H _ _ _ ARE YOU ALL THINKING? No, Jesus would not have sworn at them, but “Oh my lands” he sure wanted to give some dope slaps once in a while, don’t you think?
There isn’t much that CR, you, my grandmother if she were still alive bless her soul and all of my grandparent’s souls, there isn’t much that we can do about the random events of this life, like bridges collapsing, or volcanoes exploding, or tornadoes that wreak havoc on towns all across our country. But we can do something about the acts of violence, the roadblocks in our political highways and bi-ways across this land, and the inattentiveness of most people to care about what is happening. How about we begin by learning to walk together into the future — one that should be forged by love, instead of condemnation — hope, not blame — and grace, not judgment. Until we can learn to love one another, remove our egos from the playing field, and learn to listen to one another instead of shouting each other down, then CR will continue to hear his grandmother saying “Oh My Stars”. And Crankeverend agrees, grandmother — “What the H _ _ _ are they thinking?”
Crankeverend……Oh My Stars!
The "Frowning Glory" 
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