washington DC 4

These are photos taken during the prayer vigil at the Episcopalian National Cathedral in Washington DC last March 16, 2007.

I was there with the family of Jim and Joy Wallis whose eldest of two sons, Luke, is my godson.

It was a truly inspiring evening with more than 3,000 people attending.

There is a letter I sent to the members of the Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians that go with these photos.

Washington DC 3

It is snowing as I write you this letter. The "winter wonderland of a White Christmas" is only coming in February here in Washington DC. A few days ago, there was heavy snow of two inches - small in comparison to 120 inches in other places of the USA, especially upstate New York and those towns around Lake Ontario. The snow has turned to ice but it is still white out there. There might be more snow tonight. So it is quite cold since it is the equivalent of living inside a freezer, although it can be quite lovely at night when the sky is clear and the stars are out. Of course, it is only nice if one is inside a warm room with adequate heating. There are a lot of homeless people here and other parts of the USA, so one's heart reaches out to them. Some congregations open their churches to the homeless at night so they don't have to sleep in the streets.

Two days from now is Ash Wednesday. How time flies! It seems as if Christmas/New Year were just a few weeks ago. Tuesday is Mardi Gras in New Orleans and other parts of the south. There was a storm that recently hit New Orleans; and to think that the city has not recovered from Katrina. But the papers say that the Mardi Gras this year will be bigger than last year although the one million visitors expected in the pre-Katrina period may not converge there anymore as the city remains quite neglected by the State.

There's no money for the homeless here, but billions of dollars ae still being appropriated and spent for the war in Iraq. This war remains a central issue for the American people. When it began on March 18, 2003, George W. Bush was a popular president and his policy on this war was very much supported by the majority of the American people. This is no longer true, of course, and the results of the last elections manifested the shift in most Americans' perception of this war.

Part of the reason is the more than 3,000 U.S. troops who have been killed there, and about 2,500 of them died in combat. Very little is said in mainstream media here about the number of Iraqis who have died in this war - especially the civilian men, women and children. The actual number of those who have died is impossible to know, but the United Nations said that more than 34,000 civilians died in 2006 alone.

A survey was recently undertaken and the results published in The Washington Post as to the Americans' view on Iraq. A total of 70% of the people are opposed to how Bush is handling Iraq and 65% are opposed to sending more troops there. Despite the growing unpopularity of this war, Bush still wants to send more troops. There are presently 133,000 US troops in Iraq; Bush wants to add 20,000 new troops there. And possibly, what Bush wants, Bush gets.

The Democrats and a few of the Republican congresspersons have opposed Bush's plan to send more troops. Last Friday, a sharply divided House of Representatives passed a resolution formally repudiating Bush's decision to send more troops to Iraq. A total of 246 approved this resolution compared to 182 who opposed it. Unfortunately, this is a nonbiding measure, that is, even if Congress is against the sending of more troops, the US President could still go ahead and send more troops. The only consolation is that the passing of this resolution carries symbolic significance; it is a rare wartime rebuke to Bush as commander-in-chief. The struggle, however, is not over as Congress has the power to approve the money for such operations. However, the Democrats are in a quandary as a move to disapprove the funds could put the troops in Iraq in more danger by cutting off needed supplies.

So, it will be interesting how the political turmoil here in Washington DC will play out in the next few weeks. But there is no question that the mood of most Americans on this war is a bit pessimistic. And part of the reason is that more and more Americans are convinced they are losing the war in Iraq. Media's coverage of the war - even among mainstream print and broadcast media that used to be gung-ho about this war - show that it is becoming less and less a winnable war for the Americans. The images of violence - especially in the internet - are just so gruesome. It is Vietnam all over again. Even the likes of the Fox News could no longer romanticize this war and convince its audience that the US troops are doing very well there.

Congress may be bitterly divided over the resolution vote and how they view the Iraq war, but popular culture is not. At the last Grammy awards, the most awarded group was the Dixie Chicks, winning five awards including the three most coveted: best record, best song and best album. The song is "Not Ready to Make Nice", a defiant song sung by lead singer Natalie Maines who in 2003 was quoted in London as saying that they were so ashamed of Bush being from their home state of Texas, a rebuke of Bush's war in Iraq. That comment of Ms. Maines had made Dixie Chicks like Jane Fonda during the Vietnam War. Their winning of the major Grammy awards could be construed as popular music's defense of their position not just in terms of the Iraq war but on freedom of expression.

(I did saw Jane Fonda from afar during the anti-Iraq war rally at the National Mall here in Washington DC a few Saturdays ago. Half a million people joined that rally, which was quite an experience. Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins and Sean Penn were also around.)

If you watched the Grammy awards you must have heard John Legend singing "Soldier's Song", another anti-war song.

If you've seen the Clint Eastwood films of 2007 - "Flags of our Fathers" and "Letters from Iwo Jima" both of which are up for Oscar awards - one knows this is Hollywood's attempt to convince people about the futility of the war. These films deal with WW II in the l940s in the Orient, but they might as well be the Iraq war of today. Even Guillermo del Toro's "Pan's Labyrinth" in its own way also deal with the barbarity of war and of totalitarianism. (If you haven't seen these films, go see them). What Bush and his cronies did in the wake of 9/11 that has led to hundreds being abducted and tortured are certainly moves towards a totalitarian perspective.

Not that popular culture here in the USA - especially the tabloids and many of the TV stations - is a beckon of hope and ideals. Just in the last few weeks, most of the stories cover by this side of popular culture dealt with Lisa Nowak, the austronaut who was out to do something about her love rival and the death of A. Nicole Smith. If one thinks that in countries such as the Philippines, popular media could be so celebrity-centered, you better be here during the week of Nicole's death. Even CNN went out of its way to cover it for days! Of course, their ratings went sky high!

Anyway, as I've written earlier, part of the "privilege" of having a renewal program here in Washington DC is that one feels all the big events of the world are just playing out in the neighborhood. No wonder when one listens to the radio, it is common to hear a disc jockey identifying Washington as the most powerful city in the world. And rightly so in some aspects, as wars that take place out there - big and small - do take place owing to some of the interests that are being protected by the decision-makers in this part of the globe.

I'm glad I don't live here for it can also be a city to cause despair.

As I write this letter, I am counting the days of my remaining stay and I am so pleased to let you know that in less than a month I will be out of here. On March 17, I leave for Germany and from there to the Holy Land and then Rome. I still have 3 more months of my sabbatical year and I intend to take advantage of the remaining time for a continuing pilgrimage. I will be in the Holy Land during the Holy Week. I just hope and pray nothing will keep us from going there as the situation there, too, is not all that peaceful.

Meanwhile, I will go to the museums I have not been able to visit yet and maybe go once more to those I did. There is an interesting Jasper Johns exhibit at the National Art Gallery. Then say goodbye to the people here who have made my stay in and around Washington DC memorable. No, Bush, is not one of them. Then pack up.

Possibly, there might be cherry blossoms already in bloom by then across the mall.
It would be nice to see the blossoms before saying goodbye.

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It is Saturday afternoon, the usual time when I write once more from the library here at the Catholic U in Washington DC. As I look out of the window, the sun is setting. However, it has been a warm and sunny day. The climactic changes in the USA and many other parts of the world have been really quite dramatic this year. So far, it's been a very very mild winter. There has been no snow in this part of the USA. My brother Fred who is up in Nova Scotia, Canada, has also informed me they've had no snow until today.

Many days during the Christmas holidays seemed like the days of late summer and early fall. This climate has been quite confusing not just for human beings but the animal and plant world. Last week-end, as my companions and I went around Washington DC, especially around the memorials, we were surprised to see cherry blossom trees already in bloom. Ordinarily, the trees only bloom by late March and early April. But this year, in January, some of the trees are already in bloom! And flowers are just sprouting everywhere. The plants think it is already spring!

It is very interesting to be here in Washington DC during my sabbatical. Through the more than 3 months that I've been here, many events have unfolded. Since the Center where I stay is just outside Washington DC, and given the easy access to media (in the Center we have 5 daily newspapers and the 5 TVs can access a dozen news channels), one can just assume that events that have such global impact seem to be events only taking place in the neighborhood.

I couldn't help but compare how life was in the interior of Mindanao, in places in San Fernando, Bukidnon or Josefina, Zamboanga del Sur and Kulaman, Sultan Kudarat. In these places, Washington DC might as well be in the moon. And if - through the magic of cable TV and CNN - one is able to see tidbits of news coming out of Washington DC, one still felt how far, far away this center of power is from the very isolated villages of Third World countries.

But right now, my feeling is that I'm right at the very center. And while here, there's been no let-up in terms of political events that could easily find their way into the pages of history books. These events included the November elections which saw power shifting from the Republicans to the Democrats (the latter now have the majority in both Houses), the eroding popularity of George W. Bush (who only a few years ago seemed invincible), the death of ex-President Gerald Ford and the wake that was held here, the media coverage of the Iraq Study Report which was quite critical of the Bush policy in Iraq, the growing anti-Iraq war sentiment among the people which have impacted the positions of Senators and Congresspersons (especially those who voted for this war years ago), the swearing-in ceremonies of the new government officials, the positioning of those who aim to run as President in 2008 (with Hilary Clinton - a woman, and Obama Barack - a black person as leading contenders), a movement towards the impeachment of Bush (an ad was printed in the New York Times yesterday calling for more signatures), etc. etc.

One is, indeed, in a very privileged position here given the ringside view of the goings on in Washington D.C.

However, all I could do is update myself about the goings on, but not intensely. I do not read all the newspapers and my TV viewing is quite limited. And, most certainly, I can only be a bystander since I'll be out of here in less than 3 months from now. Besides there are other better things to do while I am around.

At our renewal Center, I continue to do art (who knows I might have an exhibit of my pastel drawings when I return home..... Abangan!), yoga, aerobics, meditation, attend sessions on spirituality, eat more organic food, learn more about the mysteries of life and sustain my efforts at self-care and healing! I've been really blessed with this sabbatical year and here at this Center, I'm taking full advantage of the gift. After all, it comes only in such rare times; I don't even know if I'll ever get a chance to have this year of rest, recreation, relaxation and rejuvenation.

And Washington DC is the ideal place for our week-ends and holidays. There are just so many galleries, memorials and places of interest; I don't think I could see all of them before I leave. And most of these are Free, paid for by the taxes of the American people! The ones that are not are the theatre, opera and films. The costs, of course, are beyond my means; still, there are many places one can go to because ART is just so alive in this place.

Considering all of the above, my Christmas-New Year turned out to be quite a memorable experience. Imagine, I have two godchildren here and I met both of them. One is Camille Dowling, who is now 25, the daughter of John and Esper Dowling. I met with her and her sister Christine. Then there is Luke Wallis, the son of Jim Wallis of Sojourners. There is also a Pinoy family here I could visit and there is good Pinoy food when I visit them. This is the Francia-Reyes family; Judy is Myrna's ICM's sister. Henry, the former writer for the Inquirer Magazine came to visit his sister, so I met him, too. And because the telephone is cheaper here, it is easy enough to call on friends.

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Photos taken during the late winter in Washington DC in February 2007.

Standing outside the library at Catholic University of America where I did emailing

and in front of the

Immaculate Conception

Basilica inside the

CUA campus.

With my goddaughter

Camille Dowling, her elder

sister Christine and

her brother-in-law

Marbin.

At the graveyard of

JFK at the

Arlington Cemetery.

The graveyard markers

of JFK and to the right

side is that of Jackie

Kennedy-Onassis.

Fr. Roy Eco of

the Diocese of

Florida.

The Lincoln

Memorial at

the
National Mall

in Washington DC.

The Vietnam

War Memorial.

At the Mall with

the Capitol at

the background.

Again with Fr. Roy.

A Letter to Friends:

I'm writing this letter from the house of Judy Francia-Reyes, who lives in Virginia, just outside Washington DC. She is the sister of the former Provincial of the ICM, Myrna and I knew her from way back the time when I worked with Maryknoll in the l970s.
It's her birthday today and it is great to be in her house for this occasion as there is rice, adobo, pancit, palitaw, letche plan and the rest of the Pinoy cuisine that one misses very much when one is in the USA.

It's our week-end off and there are many places to visit around here. Fortunately, the Center where I am doing my sabbatical is quite near a subway stop and from that stop one can get around practically the whole of Washington DC and parts of Maryland and Virginia. Saturdays, I do get a chance to find a computer with internet, so somehow I get to have some contact with confreres, family members and friends.

It is a wonderful day today, with the sunshine very much like back home. Here in this room, one needs air-conditioning even if it is winter outside. The beginnning of winter in the eastern side of the USA remains quite mild. One prays it remains like this until the first few months next year. But there could be the rare snow later. I've been only two months here in the USA and it is difficult not to be like the natives here who are most conscious of the weather. Back home, of course, everyone takes the weather for granted. Unless there is a major typhoon or the pito-pito rains, one hardly has time to bother with the weather. Here, it is the most common of topics to talk about.

The big day for the Americans was last Thursday - Thanksgiving Day. My companions at the Renewal Center all wished they were home; but since we had sessions, they all felt bad they had to stay here and not be home. They say it is a much bigger fiesta than Christmas; most families would rather have their reunions on thanksgiving Day than during Christmas-New Year season.

Naturally, we had turkey in its various forms, I was surprised there is turkey bacon here too. And tastes much better than pork bacon. One wonders how many thousands of turkeys got massacred for the Thanksgivng dinners last Thursday. If travel around the Philippines becomes chaotic during the Christmas season, think how it is here durign their Thanksgiving week-end, considering that airports have remain paranoid about security. One was glad he or she was not travelling during that week-end as crowds descended on airports.

Yesterday was Black Friday, another Day that is of interest to foreign anthropologists when they come to the USA. Like boxing Day after Christmas. Black Friday is known as Black because most malls and businesses turn black (versus turn red or lose money) on this day as thousands upon thousands of consumers attack the stores given the big discounts. At Macy's New York, 250,000 people were expected to shop at that store on one day alone. You can imagine the stampede; no wonder,it made the front page of The new YOrk Times today. There is your best image of consumerist America! The dream scene for not just Americans but would-be Americans from the rest of the world!

Thanksgiving day was a bit dreary as it was cold, dark and gloomy. On that day, many Americans do have many reasons to be grateful for. The Democrats, of course, are quite grateful that they have once again taken over Congress and the Senate. However, I wondered how many American families prayed for the Iraqi people on that day and for peace in that troubled land as well as other places like Sudan, Afghanistan and other places of strife. Despite the Democrats' major victory in the last elections, no one can really push for the withdrawal of US troops in Iraq. And despite the fact that most Americans would like to make that happen - thus the shift in the voters' preference - there is something about the decision-making processes in Washington that will not make that happen. It is Vietnam all over again. Unless the US troops really are booted out, perhaps they won't leave Iraq.

This is getting to be a longer letter than I intended. I end by writing that things are really fine with me in terms of my sabbatical. This is such a major gift to me by my congregation and my higher Power. It is not so often that one can have the time to rest, relax, recreate, do art work, read as much as one wants, have all the time to pray and meditate and be in touch with one's core being. I'm so glad there are no major upsets, problems, disturbances affecting confreres, family and friends which can get in the way of me fully enjoying my sabbatical. I pray it remains so until it is time for me to pack up and go home.

And one last thing: rest assured that I do have a lot of time to remember you in my prayers.