Iconic image of our President from Selma, Alabama.

Courtesy of Vox:  

This image from Saturday's commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday captures a moment that instantly became iconic: when the United States' first black president walked hand-in-hand with civl rights heroes whose demands for full equality for African-Americans he knows still haven't been met, even as he spoke to the incredible progress made. 

In it, Obama walks alongside Amelia Boynton Robinson, a key organizer of and participant in the march, who's now over 100 years old, Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights activist-turned-congressman, who's said he thought he was going to die on Bloody Sunday, and others who were brutally attacked by police as they attempted to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge in their march from Selma to Montgomery to demand voting rights for African-Americans, on March 7, 1965. 

On Obama's other side, a third generation — his two daughters — are marching, too. They are holding hands with their grandmother, Marian Shields Robinson, and their mom, First Lady Michelle Obama.

I thought we could all use a sense of pride this early Monday morning. 

And if that picture is not enough to accomplish that, perhaps this will do the trick.

Pastor dares to give sermon criticizing the "American Sniper" movie, loses his job. Just a coincidence of course.

Courtesy of Alternet:  

On February 10th, MidAmerica Nazarene University's (MNU) chaplain Randy Beckum gave his morning sermon, which wasn't unusual – it was his job. But what was different that day was the response to the sermon – as one student paper put it, the sermon sparked an “outcry” and a torrent of criticism particularly on social media. The criticism ranged from complaints that Beckum had politicized his sermons to the idea that he had insulted Christians who served in the military.

...

Beckum's sermon that day was about America's addiction to violence, citing the film “American Sniper” as a symptom of that, and how this was problematic for Christianity, a religion founded on the ideals of nonviolence. Here's an excerpt: 

"As you know two movies came out recently. Selma, the story of one of the 20th century most influential Christian leaders, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who led a non-violent movement that changed the course of American History forever. And American Sniper, the story of the most deadly Navy SEAL sniper in American history. Selma has made 29-30 million so far. American Sniper made over 103 million in the first 4 days. Gives you an idea about who our heroes are. I don’t think it is an under-statement to say that our culture is addicted to violence, guns, war, revenge and retaliation. Unfortunately, so are a lot of Christians."

He went on to say that we have to “be very careful about equating patriotism with Christianity,” and implored his flock to be “controlled by love, compelled by love for everyone.” 

Shortly after Beckum's sermon, it was announced that he would no longer be the vice president of the university's Community Foundation.

Of course the university president claims that the sermon had nothing to do with Beckum's job loss, and that he was thinking of retiring from that position anyhow, but the pastor's daughter calls BS on that assertion.

Of course this should surprise none of us.

After all in this country you can suggest from the pulpit that Atheists are destroying the fabric of America, or suggest that Barack Obama is the antichrist, but when you dare to suggest that super duper sniper Chris Kyle was a violent thug, well then my friends THAT is when you cross the line!