Remember when a pastor's arrest was a good thing?

I remember when I used to look up to pastors like James H. Bryant. It was not that long ago. I miss those days. Religion can be a force for good.

Bryant was arrested in Ferguson protesting against police brutality and misconduct.

Bryant was on the front lines of a crowd of hundreds of protesters and faith leaders marching from a church to the Police Department in Ferguson, the town where unarmed teenager Michael Brown was fatally shot by police two months ago.

In a tweet posted Monday afternoon, Bryant said he had been released.

"Just released from St Louis county!" the message read. "We are being charged with assaulting police & disturbing the peace #NoJusticeNoPeace"

Baltimore pastor arrested at Ferguson protest by Justin George & Justin Fenton. The Baltimore Sun. 

It is a rare thing for me to promote the arrest of a pastor as a good thing, but I do so willingly. Go pastor James H. Bryant!

Celebrating a decent human being

I saw this via Dave Gamble at Skeptical Science and thought I’d pass it on.

From Uintah Elementary School in the Salt Lake City School District comes the appalling news that a few dozen students where refused lunch because their school lunch accounts did not have enough money in them

Link to the story: Kenny Thompson – A decent human being:

Least we forget

It is easy to lump all clergy into one bucket, but that is wrong. I know good priests and pastors who I am proud of. I never get a chance to tell their stories. Here is one.

Suspected rapist 61, turns himself in after talking to his pastor

The search for a 61-year-old male suspect accused of engaging in sexual conduct with a teenage relative is over. 

That's because William Marton, of 9512 Ohio 60, Birmingham turned himself into the Erie County Sheriff's Office on Monday afternoon. He will be arraigned today in Vermilion Municipal Court. 

"He had made some admissions," Chief Deputy Jared Oliver said. "He left the state. He came back (Sunday) and after he talked to his pastor, he decided to come to the station."

Priests and pastors do stuff like this all the time. It rarely makes the press.

Smart people doing smart things

What's not to like?

John saves me again

My computer died last night. I awoke this morning to find a dead system. A few lights flashed, but no noise (and no fan). Unfortunately, it is the computer I use to manage my photography library. It is also the one use for blogging. I was not sure if it was the computer's power supply or the motherboard. The fainy smell of burnt electronics was not encouraging.  I went into work worrying about losses that may not have yet occurred. It was stress I did not need.

Did I mention I'm an IT Manager? No? Well… I'm not technical. I manage projects mostly. Hardware is for people with nimble fingers and good small motor skills, and not some fat fingers oaf like me. John saved me. He always does. He's the best IT guy I know. He knows everything. I tell him my problem and he gives me advice. It almost always works. I followed his advice tonight and changed out my power supply. I'm sitting here watching my 100,000 plus image library backup to my new 1tb external hard drive, which means I'm a happy man.

Thanks John! I know you don't read my blog, but you are the best.

Help support The Bicycle City

I’m on the lookout for good stores and good causes. The documentary film The Bicycle City is a good story about a good cause – Pedals for Progress. The documentary is telling the story of the great work done by a secular charity. Both efforts need our help. The filmmaker needs funds to finish the project, Pedals for Progress needs our old bikes.

From The Bicycle City

Over the past 20 years, more than 20,000 bicycles have been brought into Rivas, a city on Nicaragua's Pacific coast, by the non-profit Pedals for Progress, which collects donated bicycles in the United States and distributes them in impoverished communities worldwide. Since the first was unloaded in Rivas in 1991, the bicycle has become an integral part of daily life.

Told from the vantage points of Julia, the street vendor; Xiomara, the young mother; Joaquin, the entrepreneur; and David, the unlikely philanthropist, The Bicycle City is the story of how an idealistic experiment has helped the war-ravaged city of Rivas find its own path to recovery and normalcy through the introduction of cheap, reliable transportation in the form of the bicycle.

Help if you can or pass on the story.

Technorati Tags: Charity,Social Action,Activism

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