Kakistocrat

I could not find Maria Campbell’s "Jacob" on the Internet anywhere, which truly suprised me, so I took the time (approximately 30 minutes) to transfer it from the "New Anthology of Canadian Literature in English," to Poemhunter.

Anyways, ‘Jacob’ can now be read by clicking on this: "Jacob"

‘Jacob’ centers own the lost identity of an abused people (the Native Americans) and on the interfernce of outside forces (the Church, ‘white people’) who bear responsibility for this lost identity and the problems that come as a consequence.

In the case of the speaker’s grandparents, one has remained constant and has resisted outside interference (and because of this the story of ‘Jacob’ can be told, for it is the telling or the verbal recounting of past events that creates one very visible differece between the Native population and the written records of those who interere with them) while the other has submitted to outsiders and now, instead of being able to tell past stories, can only tell his own story, and barely that, for all he can tell is of own new self, with his newly given name (Jim Boy). Jim Boy, formerly Kannap, has been recreated in the image of the whiteman (that certainly seems to be an affront to the Creator of all, wouldn’t it?) and himself cannot ‘tell’ the story of Jacob in the manner that he once could have (by song or dance for example).

Jim Boy has become Jim Boy when the whiteman renames him. The whiteman controls his identity, and upon his conversion to Christianity, he is no longer referred to by his birth name (Kannap). The speakers Grandmother however remains unfazed, but Grandfather Jim Boy/Kannap has lost his identity.

History and memory are very important to the identity of the speaker. The history we are given in the form of Jacob’s story is indeed a sad one. He is taken away to a residential school when he is a small boy and he is made to stay there for 12 years not being able to see his parents because there are no roads in those days, and his parents do not have a horse.

When he returns to where he once lived, his parents are dead, and nobody knows who he is because he has been given a new name, and because he has been recreated in the image of an outsider. Jacob can no longer speak the language he once knew, nor does he remember how to live in the bush. He survives because people are kind to him and help him when they can. A few summers after leaving school, Jacob marries.

He and his wife have a good life. Jacob begins to relearn his lost heritage. He and his wife raise two orphan girls as their own, and many people come to Jacob for advice. He and his wife are held in high esteem by those around them.

The Priests come to take the children away to the residential schools, but Jacob resists. The priest has a book that has all the names of the children and who they belong to and when he sees that Jacob himself went to a residential school he wonders why Jacob is resisting.

‘Jacob,’ he says. ‘You know better. You went to dah school an you know dah edjication hees important.’

‘Yes I go to dah school an dats why I don wan my kids to go. All dere is in dat place is suffering.’

Jacob and the Priest begin to talk about Jesus. The Priest invokes his name, but Jacob states that even "dah Jesus he never lose his langauge an hees peoples…Dah Jesus he knowed his Mommy and Daddy, an he always knowed who his people dey are.’

The Priest explains that if all Jacob is wondering is who his parents are, he would be happy to tell him. The Priest opens the book that contains information about the Native people (which should have been in their own memories, rather than in the pirests power to dispense), and tells him what his fathers name was. When Jacob’s wife hears who Jacob’s father is, she ’start to cry real hard,’ and because Jacob’s father is her father as well (something they both never knew), she goes into the forrest and kills herself.

The old women stay with Jacob a long time, and sing to him healing songs, but Jacob is ‘just dead inside.’ His hurts and pains affect the lives of his children, but one day Jacob’s daughter marries and has a child, and as Jacob holds his grandchild, Jacob finds healing.

When he is an old man, Jacob dies. In his final years he had  fought for his people against the government and demanded that schools be build for his people where they live so that they do not have to ever be taken away again. He claims that ‘the good God he wouldn of make babies come from Mommies and Daddies if he didn want dem to stay home an learn dere language an dere Indian ways.’

Jacob’s story is a sad one, and though sadness cripples him for some time, he does regain movement. Maria Campbell has given her readers a beatiful testament to the human spirt and its ability to overcome adversity. Her Jacob is able to find meaning in devoting the rest of his life to others, and one of the first things he begins by doing is writing down the old names of everyone and the new names of their kids, so that generational memory will never be forgotten. While this method of writing is different from the ‘telling’ as the speakers Grandmother would have done, I believe that the point Campbell is trying to make is that damage done is irreversible, and though we may wish to make things better, we can never go back to the way things were. But we can move forward.

K.

A decade after writing ‘Not Waving But Drowning,’ poet Stevie Smith claimed that her inspiration for it was an occurrence in which a man, believed to be waving to his friends on the shore, drowned.

Despite Stevie’s likely misremembering of the event, she has a deeper goal than simply poeticizing of the news. A psychological complexity is unmasked that allows for a certain Jessica’s simple (but correct) interpretation. She writes that the poem is about "the unanswered plea of an unknown individual who has not been killed physically, but mentally, emotionally…"

The moaning ‘dead’ man who is not heard by those around him should tip the reader to the central character’s feelings of isolation and loneliness. His first words to us (’I was much further out than you thought’) can certainly be read in light of the very literal dead-man drowning framework that Stevie claimed the poem was based on, but at its deeper level, the poem speaks of a man whose sadness, and pain and hurt have had a more powerful effect on his life than those around him realize. What they saw as ‘larking’ (joking) was actually his desperate attempts for attention to be brought to his plight. Even after his ‘death’ they still do not realize their missed opportunities, and they misdiagnose what put him beyond their help.

His heart has given way, as they suggest, but for different reasons. There is a certain emptiness or void brought on that was never filled by those around him who did not recognize his hurts, and now the void cannot be filled.

Though Stevie misremembers the previously referenced news story, her thoughts give the poem a certain perspective that lends to a proper reading. Explaining ‘Not Waving But Drowning,’ Stevie writes:

I thought that in a way it is true of life too [for many people] do not feel at all at home in the world [so some] joke a lot and laugh and people think they are quite allright and jolly nice too, but sometimes the brave pretense breaks down, and then, like the poor man in this poem, they are lost.

K.

In Ames, Iowa today, the Iowa Straw Poll will be held. Though several county polls have already shown the strength of particular Republican presidential candidates in particular areas, the Iowa Straw Poll draws voters from all across the state. The results are symbolic. They have no binding power, but they do show, in a very specific way, the organizational strength that each candidate has in the state, and previously lesser-known candidates, should they preform stronger than nationally expected, can have their campaigns reinvigorated, and their profiles enhanced, by the new found attention given to them by the party insiders, the media, and voters from other states.

Former NYC Mayor Rudi Giuliani is the clear front-runner to be the Republican candidate, but the undeclared former Law and Order actor Fred Thompson is still seen as alternative (though it is an alternative that I suspect will be passed over). Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, and perhaps Arizonae Senator John McCain (both of whom have national profiles), should be seen in the second tier of candidates, if there is a three-fold division, followed by the third tier that consists of Kansas Senator Brownback, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, Representative’s Hunter of California, Paul of Texas, and Tancredo of Colorado, as well as former Wisconsin Governor (who was also Dubya’s Health Secretary) Tommy Thompson.

Guiliani, McCain, and the undeclared Fred Thompson have bypassed the Poll, and because of this Mitt Romney will win the Poll. His victory will not be a major boost for him, as observers will rightly suggest that he only won because the stronger Giuliani bypassed the Poll.

Since Romney’s win this weekend is assumed, it is who runs second, and perhaps even third, that will be widely watched. The social conservative base of the Party (perhaps 65%) has not found comfort in any of the front-runners. Giuliani is not a social conservative, and voters have not (nor will they) warm to Romney. The social conservative base of the party (which is even stronger in Iowa), as a voting block, placed behind on of the second or third tier candidates, will be most interesting, and should a candidate emerge this weekend as the choice of the Iowa social conservatives, then this most definitely will have ramifications for future state polls.

The candidate that I have quietly been rooting for since last December is Senator Brownback. While the margin of error, if taken into account, could well put him into the statistical negatives, there is hope for him. Some of the candidates have no chance (Rep. Ron Paul, for example), and some are extremely well qualified but will likely be disappointed by the support placed in them (Tommy Thompson), but there is a serious possibility that Brownback (or perhaps Mike Huckabee) could emerge as the choice of the social conservative base of the Iowa Republican Party, and if one does that changes everything. Of the two of them, Brownback, who is hugely popular in the Midwest, has already topped a county poll, and a strong performance this weekend, will give him a better profile nationally, and give the conservative base an alternative to Guiliani, who despite his many strengths, differs in certain very important ways from this central base.

K.

UPDATE 8:35 PM (11/08/07)

Mitt Romney has won the Straw Poll garnering 31.5%. Mike Huckabee polled second (18.1%) with Sam Brownback (15.3%) coming in third.

Vatican II’s Nostra Aetate originally began as an attempt on the part of John XIII to mend the desperately strained relations between the Jewish people and the Catholics, most significantly by putting an end to the Church’s officially anti-Semitic line, which condemned all Jews at the time of Christ, and all Jews since, for the responsibility of his death. Nostra Aetate’s intention came to be extended as the Declaration on the Jews soon became, by the third session of Vatican II, the Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions. Those who penned the document justified its existence by highlighting mankinds’ being drawn closer together, and reflecting this reality, the Church in turn saw its own need to "examine more closely her relationship to the non-Christian religions." The declaration is an attempt to highlight what humans have in common and what can draw them together.

Vatican II identifies "unsolved riddles of the human condition [which] deeply stir the hearts of men," as something that very different religious adherents still contemplate.

What is man? What is the meaning, the aim of our life? What is moral good, what is sin? Whence suffering came and what purpose does it serve? Which is the road to true happiness? What are death, judgement, and retribution after death? What finally, is that ultimate inexpressible mystery which encompasses our existence: whence do we come, and where are we going?

These questions bring people together, even if they come to very different answers. In Eastern thought, for example, in Hinduism, ‘men contemplate the divine mystery and express it through an inexhaustible abundance of myths and through searching philosophical inquiry. They seek freedom from the anguish of our human condition either through ascetical practises or profound meditation or a flight to God with love and trust." In Buddhism we see a realization "of the radical insufficiency of this changeable world," and we see a Buddhism which "teaches a way by which men, in a devout and confident spirit, may be able to either acquire the state of perfect liberation, or attain, by their own efforts or through higher help, supreme illumination."

While not endorsing such faiths (in light of the Catholic belief that it is Jesus, in whom the fullness of religious life may be found, as it is in Jesus that God has reconciled all things to himself), it must be remembered (though it is often forgotten that)

The Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions. She regards with sincere reverence those ways of conduct and of life, those precepts and teachings which, though differing in many aspects from the ones she holds and sets forth, nonetheless often reflect ray of the Truth which enlightens all men.

Turning to Muslims, Nostra Aetate writes:

The Church regards with esteem also the Muslims. They adore the one God, living and subsisting in himself, merciful and all-powerful, the Creator of heaven and earth who has spoken to men; they take pains to submit wholeheartedly to even his inscrutable decrees, just as Abraham, with whom the faith of Islam takes pleasure in linking itself, submitted to God. Though they do not acknowledge Jesus as God, they revere him as a prophet. They also honor Mary, His Virgin Mother; at times they even call on her with devotion. In addition they await the day of judgement when God will render their deserts to all those who have been raised up from the dead. Finally, they value a moral life and worship God especially through prayer, almsgiving and fasting.

Closing with the Jewish people, the document states that what happened to Christ cannot be pinned on all Jews of his time without distinction, nor against the Jews of today. Among other statements made, the Church, while seeing itself as the ‘new People’ of God, cannot allow for the Jewish people to be  presented as "rejected or accursed by God."

The document concludes with the conviction that it is wrong for anyone to call on God, while still refusing to treat in a brotherly way any man, as all men (and women) are created in the image of God. "Man’s relation to God the Father and his relation to men his brothers are so linked together that Scripture says: He who does not love does not know God" (I John 4:8).

K.

After a few very quiet posts, I expect things to pick back up again.

An article on the person of St. Peter Claver recently appeared in the July/August edition of editor Fr. Alphonse De Valk’s Catholic Insight. The article happened to be written by a person who shares not only my name, but my residing province, the college I graduated from and my particular denominational allegiances. The only difference between the author and I, is that I am a male, the article was mine, and the author was identified as a ’she.’

Father De Valk quickly heard back from me:

Fr. De Valk,

While I wasn’t indifferent to the fact that my article on St. Peter Claver appeared in your most recent publication, unfortunately, in the biographical side-box, I was identified as a female.

This is unfortunate because despite the technological advancements that seem to offer some solution to those suffering from gender identity disorder, I am happily male. As I have every intention of remaining male, should you ever publish another article of mine, perhaps at that point, when describing me, the correct pronoun ‘he’ can instead be attached.

Deal?

Kelly Wilson

It took less than 24 hours for Fr. De Valk (though it may have been an aide of his) to respond, expressing regrets, and promising a correction in the upcoming issue.

While I appreciate this, months before, I called them to task for the misrepresentation of Fr. Joseph Girzone, in one of their reviews of his most recent book My Struggle with Faith. Not only did they never respond to my correcting of their factual errors regarding Fr. Girzone, but they never acknowledged in a future publication these errors that have been allowed to remain unchallenged in their publication.

Regarding Fr. Girzone’s book, Fr. De Valk had this to say on pg. 43 of the April edition:

"The author of this book is a former Catholic priest who has written sixteen popular earlier books, beginning with Joshua. He retired from the active priesthood in 1971. In this book he tells the story of his life of faith.

The author continues to hold some of the teachings of the Catholic Church, though he disagrees with most of them. For example, he says that the Vatican makes final decisions about doctrines or practises without allowing sufficient dialogue; that Catholics should take part in non-Catholic liturgies and vice versa; that divorced people should be allowed to decide on their own whether they are free to remarry; that Catholics should be allowed to remarry without a regular liturgy; and that it is unfortunate that the Catholic Church is infallible since this scares off Protestants from joining. Also, he himself uses a joint creed of faith when worshipping with non-Catholic believers.

I would definitely advice Catholics no to read this book unless you would like to know how far a former priest has travelled away from the Church. He acknowledges in words the Magisterium of the Catholic Church but then refuses to accept many of its teachings."

Being familiar with Father Girzone’s previous writings, this review was difficult to stomach, and so on May 24, again on June 10, and once more today, Fr. De Valk was sent the following message:

Father De Valk,

Please read this as a response to your own Notes on Joseph Girzone’s My Struggle with Faith, which appeared on pg. 43 on the Catholic Insight (April, 2007).

The factual errors in your Notes (i.e. Girzone is not a ‘former priest’ as you allege, but rather one who retired from the active priesthood [for health reasons], and his retirement did not occur in 1971 as you state, but rather 10 years later) led me to consider the possibility that your interpretation of the Book’s contents, which space no doubt did not allow you to qualify, was both mistaken and insufficient. After reading the Book, my suspicion was confirmed.

It is my further belief that while you encourage Catholics not to read this book (unless the want to see how far a ‘former priest’ has travelled away from the Church) your own reading of it was superficial (likely due to what I suspect was an incomplete reading of this Book), for had the Book in its entirety been read, I can think of several other sections that would have garnered your attention, as these missed sections raise more serious questions than the ones you chose to offer a flawed identification of.

Father Girzone’s previous writings have positively influenced millions of people. The Jesus presented in his Joshua novels have allowed for a deeper understanding of the same Jesus that the Church teaches about, to emerge in lives that might otherwise have remained apathetic. Further, Girzone has always called for faithfulness to the Church he represents, and My Struggle with Faith does not chart a new course in this regard.

Father Girzone’s work does not warrant (however well-intentioned) the incorrect assertion that "he disagrees with most of [Church teaching],’ or that his latest book is valuable only to those ‘who would like to know how far a former priest has travelled away from the Church.’

So that you are better able to speak about this book in the future (should occasion arise) I would like to offer three suggestions. First, you may find an accurate review of the book more helpful to your readers. I would at the very lest submit one myself, though I make no claims for its literary value. Second, I would like to qualify the list of problems that you have with this book by setting them beside what Girzone actually says. Along with this, I would introduce a number of other issues (certainly more pressing in light of a proper interpretation of what he has written) that are overlooked in your own Notes. This would be sent privately to you. Finally, I think that there should be some sort of correction notice in a future edition, if, after reflection, you see that your own identification of the book’s errors, are flawed. At the very least, the claim that he is a ‘former priest’ should be immediately corrected, or supported, in light of the common knowledge that he has instead retired from the active priesthood for health reasons.

Respectfully,

Kelly Wilson……

For those less long-winded than yours truly (I suspect that would be the majority of readers, except for a few that I can think of), I would suggest the following message be sent to Fr. De Valk at reach@catholicinsight.com :

Fr. De Valk,

Your identification of Fr. Girzone as a ‘former priest’ is incorrect, as is your generally negative critique of the work, which reflects more on the negative consequences of not reading a book that one is charged to reveiw, than of Fr. Girzone’s views. I believe you owe it to your readers to read the book you review. A retraction is in order.

Sincerely,

(Insert Name).

Thanks in advance

K.

UPDATE:

Friday, August 3, at 11:29 AM, Fr. De Valk responds

I have no intention of retracting my book note. Girzone is a person who left the priesthood, then began to churn out fiction about Jesus and other areas of Church teaching, and through his so-called ‘fiction’–including such ‘fictional’ elements that Jesus was married and had children—has done a great deal of harm.

I like Fr. De Valk and didn’t enjoy calling him to task, but since he won’t retract the factual errors regarding the review (not the fact that he disagreed with the contents) I don’t mind bringing this issue to readers attention. While it’s possible I am mistaken, I think it is even less likely in light of the fact that a married Jesus with children has now been attached to Girzone, a view I have never encountered in his writings.

The element that really put me off (besides a review of the book, when the Book hadn’t been read in its entirety), was the term ‘former priest.’ I can think of a number of priests who have retired from the active ministry (some of whom, like Girzone, retired for health reasons) who are still validly able to aminister the sacraments that their ordination gave them a right to administer. They are not former priests and when one is identified as one, a retraction is in order.