Sunday, May 30, 2010

How to make beautiful hair. Part 1.

Making the hair look very beautiful can be a challenge. I use Mohair yarn for many dolls (Alice and most Jazzy dolls). For Dora the Explorer and Kevvy I used acrylic yarn. Mohair is very thin and very good for making hair. It is best to use the thinnest yarn as possible. Thinner yarn makes smaller knots and spreads better: the hair will not stand out. It is much more work, but the result is worth it. 
I have made hair using the whole 4ply yarn (Fingering) and I have split the 4 ply yarn to thinner strands (see photos below).
Split strands for Little Red Riding Hood.

The thinner strands use less yarn than the whole 4 ply yarn and it looks nicer too. When you use yarn which is smaller than the yarn for the doll, you can use a smaller hook to get the yarn through the stitches. You can read how to insert the hair on the head on EssHaych blog.
Sometimes I create a hair cap in the color of the hair. Do this when you cannot insert a lot of hair strands. The hair cap gives a full look and hides the bold spots. For the Pippi doll I could not use many strands: otherwise the braids would be very big. To hide the bold spots she has a red hair cap.

(See photo left of the haircap for Pippi).

Pippi Longstocking

Instead of adding a hair cap you can also change the color of the head to the hair color. This I did with Jazzy the Mermaid and Nurse Jazzy. (This does not show on the photos below.)

Thursday, May 27, 2010

eleventh monkey GIVEAWAY!

My birthday is on the eleventh (of August) and my Chinese zodiac sign is monkey, hence the ‘eleventh monkey’. Under this name, I’ve already designed and hand sewn numerous felt creatures, and many of them were monkeys. Ten to be exact, so the next monkey I’ll make will be the eleventh! I feel like celebrating!
I’ve been wanting to organize a giveaway for ages and this seems like the perfect occasion! The winner of this giveaway gets to choose all the colors for the eleventh monkey. You get to decide the color of felt for the body, the face, and the nose. The color of buttons for the eyes and the colors of the embroidery floss used to sew it all together!
There are several ways to enter into this giveaway. You only have to do one of these to enter, but if you do more or all of these you’ll have a bigger chance of winning the custom made monkey! I’m so excited about this giveaway, and if things go well I’m sure I’ll host more giveaways in the future.

HOW TO ENTER
  1. Follow my blog and TELL ME about it in the comment section of this post
  2. Heart my shop on Etsy and TELL ME about it in the comment section of this post
  3. Like my facebook eleventh monkey fan page and TELL ME about it in the comment section of this post
  4. Choose your favorite eleventh monkey creature and LINK to its photo on Flickr in the comment section of this post
  5. Follow me on Twitter and TELL ME about it in the comment section of this post
  6. Grab my widget and put it on your blog and LINK to it in the comment section of this post
  7. Blog about my giveaway and LINK to it in the comment section of this post
  8. Facebook about my giveaway and LINK to it or TELL ME about it in the comment section of this post
  9. Tweet about my giveaway and LINK to it in the comment section of this post
  10. Buy something in my Etsy shop and TELL ME about in the comment section of this post
Numbers 1-9 all count as 1 entry each and number 10 counts as 3 entries! And if you've already done one of these things in the past (like follow my blog or heart my shop) it still counts, just comment about it here. If you enter in more than one way, you can just tell me in one comment, no need to create separate comments.
I will draw the winner on Sunday June 13th, so be sure to get all your entries in before 11:59 PM Japanese time (see the clock on this blog) on June 12th! Good luck everyone :).

See who won and what the actual 11th monkey looks like.

Lesson prep

I am very excited about the sewing classes I’ll be teaching in two weeks. A lot of students already signed up and these classes require a lot of preparation.
Like cutting felt, making personal material kits and a little bit of pre-sewing to make sure the students will be able to finish their plush brooches within an hour. But not to worry, it’s the kind of preparation I like love!

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Eeyore

In my shop is a Pooh Bear and Friends set which includes Eeyore. Eeyore is now available as a separate pattern for $1.99: kandjdolls.etsy.com. He makes a great keychain.

Almost sold out

The clearance sale is really going strong. I sold all these awkward friends just yesterday.
It's a great feeling to send so many creatures of to their new home somewhere on the other side of the world! I have just 6 more items left in my shop waiting for new friends and a new home: Hannah the Horse ($28 $11), Love skulls in brown, green and red ($11 $5.50), love skulls in white, purple and orange ($11 $5.50), Peggy the Monkey ($11 $5.50), Albert the Albino Bird ($11 $5.50) and George the Bird ($11 $5.50). I really hope they will all be adopted by someone very nice before I leave in July.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Sandy's Dolls

Many of you might know Sandy (Haekelkunstler on Etsy). She makes dolls for children in the hospital. She has a huge collection of patterns. The photo shows the latest collection she took to the hospital and gave to the children. Kevvy the Skater, Emily (girl in yellow) and Alice plus the Cheshire Cat are based on my patterns.

Vatican buys Obama's soul and he quashes US litigation against Benedict XVI who aided and abetted pedophile priest who sodomized 200 deaf boys

Read our sister weblog Benedict XVI Ratzinger: God's Rottweiler

Vatican buys Obama's soul and he quashes US litigation against Holy See http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/05/vatican-buys-obamas-soul-and-he-quashes.html

Vatican is burning under Benedict XVI http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/05/vatican-is-burning-under-benedict-xvi.html

Author Sam Harris joins British to have Pope arrested: an appeal to FUND a legal bid to have the Pope arrested when he visits Britain http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/05/author-sam-harris-joins-british-to-have.html

Videos of Pedophile Priests and Vatican GAY Prostitution ring http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/05/videos-of-pedophile-priests-and-vatican.html

Benedict campaigns against abortion but keeps pedophile priests active http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/05/benedict-campaigns-against-abortion-but.html

The John Paul II MIllstone

Vatican Pandora Pedophile Box and “The Myth of the Pedophile Priest” in Zenit.org in 2002 http://jp2m.blogspot.com/2010/05/vatican-pandora-pedophile-box-in-2002.html

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John L. Allen Jr, the highest paid journalist on earth, paid by the Vatican trillion dollars Bank and NCR can afford to sit all day and play with words to deceive his Catholic readers. Especially the Opus Dei Catholics - whose sole officially approved book he wrote after he was given exclusive access to Opus Dei archives and Opus Dei WORLD DOMINATION PLAN. Here he is at it again media spinning for the Vatican as the Pied Piper of Benedict XVI.

Lately after the Vatican buys the soul of Obama who quashed the American litigation against Benedict XVI, John L. Allen Jr. deceives his readers by referring to the Vatican as the “little guy” in the American priest pedophilia lawsuits against the Vatican. John L. Allen Jr. is a LIAR par excellence. See how he lies, lies, and lies, as he will to his grave and he will join the company of John Paul II in hell.

In Vatican lawsuits, who’s really the little guy?

by John L Allen Jr on Jun. 04, 2010

* All Things Catholic

Over the last decade, the Vatican has been hit with at least ten lawsuits in American courts, on matters ranging from an insurance scam to the sexual abuse crisis. Off and on I’ve written about these cases, and I’ve always been curious about one odd feature of the story: How is it that the Vatican’s legal brain trust in the States ended up concentrated in the notoriously left-leaning, anti-establishment haven of Berkeley, California?

In the abstract, Berkeley hardly seems the most obvious place to seek advocates for one of the world’s last remaining monarchies.

In search of an answer, I spent Tuesday of this week with Berkeley native son Jeffrey Lena, the principal architect of the Vatican’s legal strategy, and here’s what I discovered:

Understanding the Berkeley connection depends in part on answering the question, “Who’s really the little guy?”

As fate would have it, Tuesday was the day Lena and his colleagues filed a brief with the United States Supreme Court asking it to take up an Oregon case, Doe v. Holy See, in which a federal appeals court ruled last year that a lawsuit against the Vatican could proceed.

Lawyers for the victim in the Oregon case filed their own brief the same day, urging the Supreme Court to stay out of it. Both sides were reacting to a recent opinion from the Obama administration, signed by the Solicitor General’s Office, the Justice Department and the State Department, essentially endorsing the Vatican’s view that the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976 shields it from liability in the Oregon case.

The competing briefs are the latest development in the long-running saga of efforts to sue the Vatican in American courts. Of the ten suits brought to date, six have been resolved in the Vatican’s favor and four are still open. It’s not yet clear whether American courts will ultimately decide that they have jurisdiction over the remaining claims, three of which feature sex abuse victims seeking to hold the Vatican accountable.

For most Americans, these cases probably seem analogous to legal fights against Big Tobacco: The victims represent the “little guy,” struggling for justice against the institutional behemoth of the Holy See. The natural temptation is to cheer for the victims, and to see the Vatican’s assertion of immunity as yet another index of its arrogance.

Lena, however, says there’s another way to look at things.

What if we cast the Holy See, by consensus the smallest sovereign state on earth, as the “little guy” in these cases, defending the rights of all small states not to be pushed around by the court system of the world’s biggest superpower? In other words, what if we shift the context from the sex abuse crisis to equality in international relations?

For Lena, who did graduate work in history at UC-Berkeley, a framework based on concerns over the modern projection of American power around the world -- which, he says, can at times border on hegemony -- seems right on the money.

Understandably, Lena is reluctant to talk much about his own vision of these cases – his job, after all, is to represent his client. Moreover, Lena insists that he is determined to fight these claims because of the Vatican’s “factual innocence.” He says it’s just not true that decisions about transferring abuser priests or concealing their crimes were made in Rome, as these lawsuits generally allege. Lena insists that Vatican officials often never even knew these priests existed until they were being dismissed from the clerical state (usually long after the abuse had occurred), or their names popped up in the press.

But Lena also sees a bigger picture: Preserving a level playing field on the international scene. Respect for sovereign immunity (and international law generally), he argues, is a bulwark against strong states imposing their will on weaker ones.

Though Lena wouldn’t use this language, what’s really at stake in the Vatican lawsuits, from this point of view, is what diplomats often call a choice between the “force of law” and the “law of force” in relations among states. In other words, should nations which lack significant military and economic muscle be subject to the dictates of superpowers?

For the record, Lena says he can understand why it’s hard for victims to see things that way. He’s often said that he admires the courage of victims in coming forward, and he’s surprisingly gracious about the lawyers who represent them -- noting that their actions offer a classic example of the power of civil litigation in America to engender social reform.

Yet Lena also wants people to perceive a deeper drama to these cases, as American courts grapple with what is perhaps the most important legal question any court can ask: “What’s the extent of our power to hear a case?” An aggressively expansionist view of jurisdiction, he argues, can unwittingly produce a shift in the global balance of power.

That way of framing the issue is undoubtedly closer to the way many Vatican officials see things, and it also dovetails with the Holy See’s longstanding diplomatic efforts in favor of “multilateralism,” meaning a more equitable international system. A large part of the reason popes have repeatedly called for a stronger system of global governance -- as Benedict XVI put it in Caritas in Veritate, a global system with “real teeth” -- is to ensure that smaller states have a meaningful voice in global affairs, as opposed to being subject to superpower dictates. (That was also an important reason the Vatican opposed the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, insisting that any decision on a use of force should have come from the United Nations.)

Of course, Lena knows that “American Exceptionalism” is hardwired into our cultural DNA, and this can foster in our courts -- or our politicians, or our military -- some sense of moral duty to right wrongs around the world. Yet experience teaches that when America is perceived as unilaterally imposing its values, the consequences for its global reputation and the success of its diplomatic efforts can be toxic. There’s also a more pragmatic argument for restraint, which is that how American courts treat other nations today may be the way foreign courts treat the United States in the future.

Interestingly, Lena says that American reporters have essentially ignored this aspect of the story, whereas foreign reporters grasp it immediately. What this suggests, perhaps, is that understanding these cases in terms of weak states and superpowers, rather than just victims and the Vatican, comes more naturally outside American airspace.

Maybe it took a Berkeley guy whose orientation is internationalist and historical, rather than merely legal, to see defending the Vatican as a way of addressing concerns about unwarranted expansion of U.S. power. Nonetheless, Lena raises a question that’s at least worth pondering: Ultimately, what are these cases about? Are they about seeking justice for the victims, or are they about ensuring that American courts do not become the arbiters of all the world’s ills?

Even if the most convincing answer may be “both,” that alone suggests there’s more at stake in the business of suing the Vatican than meets the eye.

[John Allen is NCR senior correspondent. His e-mail address is jallen@ncronline.org.]
*
http://ncronline.org/blogs/all-things-catholic/vatican-lawsuits-who%E2%80%99s-really-little-guy

Follow the money. What does
Submitted by frère charles du désert OSB OBLAT (Congrégation de Subiaco) (not verified) on Jun. 04, 2010.

Follow the money.

What does the Vatican have?

The Vatican Bank, notoriously corrupt, bag boy for any mob, preserved in its corruption even if this required the neutralization of a supreme reformer.
What does the Vatican Bank know?

About the inner workings of US corruption?

Justice in anglo America is bought
and sold.

Justice goes to the bigger bucks.

The Vatican is now six out of ten with the other four still open.
going 100%.

The real estate might be small, just a few city blocks in Rome, but the Vatican Bank bears great power and influence.

The Vatican by anybody's "consensus" is not the "smallest sovereign state on earth" but a powerful bag boy who holds all the strings.

For a credible source see NCR correspondent Penny Lernoux's In Banks We Trust

* reply

I fail to comprehend how
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Jun. 04, 2010.

I fail to comprehend how priests that sexually abuse parishioners and/or their children and suing the Vatican, employer of these priests, can be construed as “American Exceptionalism”. Is it common practice to condone sexual abuse in other countries? Is it not the responsibility of the accused (Vatican) to prove their case? These abuse cases occurred in the United States of America, not another country. I find it hard to believe those who have experienced abuse are concerned about other countries, but more about seeking justice here at home by the company (Vatican) that employees the offenders.

How did Lena acquire insight as he stated: "He says it’s just not true that decisions about transferring abuser priests or concealing their crimes were made in Rome, as these lawsuits generally allege. Lena insists that Vatican officials often never even knew these priests existed until they were being dismissed from the clerical state (usually long after the abuse had occurred), or their names popped up in the press." Did he personally examine Vatican employees? Did he acquire sworn and witnessed testimony from these employees?

While it may be true that "What if we cast the Holy See, by consensus the smallest sovereign state on earth," I have a hard time seeing the Vatican as "the “little guy” in these cases, defending the rights of all small states not to be pushed around by the court system of the world’s biggest superpower?" I also fail to comprehend why he would conclude with the following statement: "In other words, what if we shift the context from the sex abuse crisis to equality in international relations?" To the best of my knowledge, the United States of America is not the entity suing the Vatican, rather it is individuals who have been harmed.
While the Vatican may be small in size, it is extremely wealthy and has access to an enormous army of religious and parishioners. Count the people and the money before claiming the Vatican is the "little guy".
It is time we get to the bottom line. I am pretty sure Matthew 25:40 did not refer to states, no matter how large or small.

* reply

The Church is a legal

Submitted by Rachel (not verified) on Jun. 04, 2010.
The Church is a legal chameleon...it's not a country with diplomatic privilege until they need to get out of a lawsuit; it doesn't employ bishops, but it is the only entity which can fire and hire bishops...
Chameleons aren't known for the trait of responsibility.

* reply

To position this as a
Submitted by G Bullough (not verified) on Jun. 04, 2010.
To position this as a question of sovereign immunity where, for example, someone might win a judgement in the future that would allow them to take over Monaco is just ridiculous.

That is the straw at which Lena is grasping. Unfortunately, for reasons other than the genuine principle of respecting sovereignty, other governments including ours seem prepared to help him to do so.

We should distinguish between The Vatican (the state) and The Vatican (the parent corporation of the largest multi-national non-profit corporation).

Imagine if BP purchased a privately-held island, declared it to be "The Republic of BP," and then moved its corporate headquarters there.
Would they be able to hide behind "soverign immunity" to avoid liability for the oil spill in the Gulf?

This is exactly what Lena and his client are trying to sell us.

* reply

Lena's claim of protecting
Submitted by david clohessy (not verified) on Jun. 04, 2010.

Lena's claim of protecting "small nations" is eerily reminiscent of Nixon's claim to be protecting "the presidency."


David Clohessy, Director, SNAP, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, 7234 Arsenal Street, St. Louis MO 63143, 314 566 9790 cell (SNAPclohessy@aol.com)

* reply

Leave it to a lawyer to slyly
Submitted by Aileen (not verified) on Jun. 04, 2010.
Leave it to a lawyer to slyly cast the egregiously guilty into the role of victim… all for some nebulous international and political 'greater good'.
.
1. Over the centuries the Vatican has engaged in its own brand of “hegemony” — welding its political and military power like a sledgehammer of torture and murder until it finally lost its vast territories… reduced to land holding that can be measured in acres as the result of its own political arrogance. Now it wants to posture as poor “little guy” me. Of course the Vatican wants to “shift the context from the sex abuse crisis to equality in international relations”. Shifting the focus has been the ongoing game-plan since the tidal wave of abuse revelations began.
.
2. What about “Vatican Exceptionalism”? A “level playing field”? Really? What sort of 'level field' do we have when those sexually abused during their minor years are up against the affluence and political/religious exceptionalism of an arrogant Vatican State — a state which claims diplomatic immunity, and shields sexual predators and their accomplices within its confines. Of course the Vatican wants “smaller states to have a meaningful voice in global affairs” since the Vatican itself is now a “small state” among many nations. What they don’t want is accountability and consequences for their criminal behavior. That is the bottom line at the end of all the parsed legal-speak.
.
3. Yes indeed the United States government has a vested interest in not setting precedent for international accountability for crimes committed. Sadly, our own government has shamelessly committed wars crimes in the name of its own perceived “exceptionalism” — torturing prisoners, and violating our own federal laws and international laws. To this day our own predator drones are bombing entire villages of civilians (including women, children and the unborn) off the map, in the bizarre hope of killing perhaps one designated “terrorist”. Our own government, like the Vatican, claims the superior moral high ground while simultaneously engaging in, or tacitly condoning, the most heinous of crimes.
.
John, surely you and your lawyer pal can do better than what is reflected in your commentary.

Lights Please

Image Courtesy Lombardi Custom Homes

I am on the hunt for some spectacular (affordable - key word) light fittings for my new store. After the feedback and requests I have received from the Home Beautiful article, I have realised that maybe I should be only trading in affordable (key word), Hampton's style, light fixtures! The beauties that are out there have waiting lists attached to them!
A-M xx

 Yep - waiting list - unless you want brass - then there's plenty!

Chococat and Ducky crochet pattern

My latest pattern is Chococat. He comes from the Hello Kitty family. I love this cute and charming cat.

Crochet pattern is for sale on kandjdolls.etsy.com
May 17, 2010

NRAAC's National Chair
Dr. Jean Howard-Hill

National Republican African American Caucus [NRAAC] Blog
http://nraac.blogspot.com
http://www.nraacaucus.org

The National Republican African American Caucus Has Its Say!: 18 Day Political Revival


Day 18: The need for a true spiritual and political revival of thought and practices within the GOP, if it is to continue to make claims of being the party of moral values.


[Every good preacher ought to know when it is time to end a revival. I should hope I am among the good preachers. So today ends the 18 Day Political Revival.]


This last political sermon I want to spend talking about the need for a true spiritual and political revival of thought and practices within the GOP, if it is to continue to make claims of being the party of moral values.


There are a lot of benefits of being a united party that returns to its historic roots not just for the purposes of embracing African Americans, but also to restore its core values.


As I have talked about the history of the Republican Party, inclusion, and the redeeming values of the original Republican Party of Lincoln, many have been shocked to know the rich history of the Republican Party and its core values, that makes it the right party for the right times.


With America being in such a political upheaval, where many citizens are openly expressing their displeasure, GOP core values are exactly what most Americans are searching for. These values are something which are needed, not just within the Republican Party, but also across partisan lines. We are a party blessed to have values such as these:


That the right of the individual to achieve the best that is within him, as long as he respects the rights of others, is the source of our nation's strength.


That government exists to protect the freedom of opportunity in which each individual's creative ability can flourish.


That government activities should be limited to those things which people cannot do at all, or cannot do so well for themselves.


That the most effective government is government closest to the people.


That those who cannot provide for themselves should be assisted by both government and society, but that every effort should be made to help them become self-supporting, productive citizens with pride in their independence.


That equal rights, equal justice and equal opportunity belong to all, regardless of race, creed, age, sex or national origin.


That the preservation of our nation and the security of our citizens depend upon the Constitution, the laws and the courts, and that respect for these, is the responsibility of every individual.


That government is accountable for maintaining sound money and a responsible economy. Individual rights, liberties and properties are continually eroded when citizens are oppressed by excessive taxation, inflation, government waste and over regulation.


That government is responsible for national defense and that only a strong America can remain a free America.


That it is absolutely essential to maintain a strong national defense posture in order that we may at all times negotiate from a position of strength, not weakness, in our continuing efforts toward world peace and friendship.


That these concepts are the foundation of our national strength and that the Republican Party, which is committed to their preservation, is the Party of today and the Party for the Future.


These are the core values that have caused so many of us to stay and fight, and even endure racism and humiliation in hopes that we can cause the party to take a look at itself and see where it has veered off track and where it has allowed the tare to overtake the wheat.


These values are pure. They are patriotic and American. They embody the American spirit of freedom, liberty and justice for all. They are honorable, compassionate, responsible, strong in resolve, accountable, just, and good. They are powerful and compelling. They have the power to even cross partisan lines and to end its bickering, because they are not just the core values of Republicans, they are the values of Americans.


We called this political revival of "our" beloved Republican Party, not just because we seek to be included at the table, but also because as a political party, we have lost our values and in doing so, we have lost our vision and our way. Our core values are missing and until they are restored, the party lies in ruins, contrary to its own nature and beliefs.


If the GOP can humbly bring itself to the political altar, see its failure to adhere to its own core values, repent of that, change the paths it is taking, turn from the foolishness it has allowed to tarnish its image, then it will not only hear from heaven, but it would hear the sounds of those who once left running swiftly to return home! It also would cause others to join at its side to preserve the true spirit of America. This of itself would heal the land!


This is the power of true Political Revival!


As members of the National Republican African American Caucus, we look forward to this day, and will continue to preach the message of Revival of the Republican Party! We also will not fail to do our part to re-gather those who share this birthright. We will continue to extend the olive branch and to preach a message of civility, integrity and inclusion - a message to return to the very core values in which we were a part of, in the birthing of this Grand Ole Party.


If we can return to those original core values, not only would we cause African Americans to migrate back to the party, but I am convinced that along side them a host of others would come as well.


I also challenge white Republican clergy to join with us and take a stand for what is right. You no longer can sit on the sideline and do and say NOTHING! Nor can you raise other issues, without also dealing with race and the erosion of core values within the GOP. You too are just as much a part of this political revival as black clergy. Therefore, you are obligated to preach the same message of racial inclusion and values. To do anything less, is to compromise and tarnish the call that is on your lives, which is to "cry loud and spare not, lift up your voice like the trumpet of Zion and show the people to whom you shepherd their errors, so that they can find a better way of governing with integrity".


Thank you for listening so attentively over the past few days, as we have had our say in preaching a message of Political Revival for our Grand Ole Party - the true Party of Lincoln.

This brings to a close the NRAAC's Political Revival! ...At least for right now.


One final thing from the preacher: With arms stretched out wide, bring them in to yourself, ...and what you have is a big hug from me!


I love you all from a deep place within my heart - even those who may have been offended by the sermons. But sometimes it takes being offended, before you can get it right. It is my prayer that God will grant us the humility to do what is right and to open our arms to each other in the American spirit of being one nation.


To reach the NRAAC national chair:


Jean Howard-Hill
423-702-5622 NRAAC office
nraachowardhill@gmail.com
Jean.howard.hill@gmail.com

[Dr. Jean Howard-Hill is the author of Black Eyes Shut, White Lips Sealed. She has serves as the national chair for the National Black Republican Women with her late husband, Attorney Bobby Lee Hill serving as the head of the Black Republican Men for Change from 1987 to his death in 1991. After his death up until 1993, she remained head of the organization, and in 1999 combined the two groups to form the National Republican African American Caucus.

She has taught full time and as an adjunct, American Government, State and Local Government, and International Politics and Culture of Nonwestern Countries at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga, and was voted 2006 Outstanding Professor of the year. Additionally, from 1976 to 1979, she designed and directed the "Democracy In Action" Program, which was a civics program taught in the local school systems. Howard-Hill also is a local political commentator and holds a law degree from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville College of Law. She also is ordained clergy and heads The Healing Place Ministries International, overseeing 47 ministries throughout Africa.

She also is a TN third district congressional candidate. If elected, she would be the first African American Republican and female to be elected from the third district. Her campaign website can be found at: http://ladyjforcongress.com and http://jeanhowardhillforcongress.com; http://jeanhowardhillcampaignnews.blogspot.com; http://blogwithladyjforcongress.blogspot.com; http://jeanhowardhillforcongress.ning.com; http://www.youtube.com/JHHCongress; http://twitter.com/ JHHCongress.]
The National Republican African-American Caucus is an organization that is comprised of Spirit filled people of faith within the African American community, that works in conjunction with local, state and national party efforts to embrace, and offer African-American Republicans opportunities for inclusion and involvement in the Republican Party, and builds bridges between the African-American community and the Republican Party. In doing so, it seeks to carry out the philosophy and mission set before President Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglas to build a stronger and more inclusive Republican Party, where those guiding principles are more important than politics.

More information on the NRAACcan be found at:
http://www.nraacaucus.org; http://nraacaucus.ning.com [NRAAC] National Republican African American Caucus Social Issue Network (members only); http://nraac.blogspot.com [NRAAC Blog]; http://youthonthehorizons.blogspot.com [NRAAC Youth on the Horizons Blog]; http://the-twig.blogspot.com [NRAAC New Generation-New Direction Blog]; and
http://theblackolivebranch.blogspot.com [NRAAC National Chair's Blog]. Each State Caucus can be accessed by state. See related links at http://www.nraacaucus.org/index_files/Page816.htm. Also can be found on the RNC group page at http://our.gop.com/Groups/National_Republican_African-American_Caucus_NRAAC.

Monday, May 24, 2010

May 14, 2010

NRAAC's National Chair
Dr. Jean Howard-Hill

National Republican African American Caucus [NRAAC] Blog
http://nraac.blogspot.com
http://www.nraacaucus.org

The National Republican African American Caucus Has Its

Say!: 18 Day Political Revival



Day 17: What an organization like the National Republican African American Caucus with a 76% clergy membership could offer the Republican Party, if they had the good sense to be more welcoming and less concerned with gate keeping and fear of changing the complexion of the party!


The American black preacher and the black church throughout history always have played a very integral part in the lives of those within the African American community. In no other race of people, have we seen this kind of influence. This relationship was forged during slavery and has continued to remain intact.


During slavery the only time slaves were allowed some degree of freedom was in worship services. Sometimes there were slave churches, and at other times slaves were made to worship in the loft of white churches or held services after whites held theirs.


Often white preachers distorted passages of scripture used to indoctrinate slaves to accept their forced lot of being enslaved. Jenny Proctor, William W. Brown and West Turner tell of those experiences.


They wasn't no church for the slaves, but we goes to the white folks' arbor on Sunday evening, and a white man he gits up there to preach to the niggers. He say, "Now I takes my text, which is, Nigger obey your master and your mistress, 'cause what you git from them here in this world am all you ever going to git, 'cause you just like the hogs and the other animals - when you dies you ain't no more, after you been throwed in that hole." I guess we believed that for a while 'cause we didn't have no way finding out different. We didn't see no Bibles.

Jenny Proctor

Lay My Burden Down: A Folk History of Slavery, B. A. Botkin, ed.


...in Missouri, and as far as I have knowledge of slavery in the other states, the religious teachings consists of teaching the slaves that he must never strike a white man; that God made him for a slave; and that, when whipped, he must not find fault - for the Bible says, "He that knoweth his master's will and doeth it not, shall be beaten with many stripes!" And slaveholders find such religion very profitable to them.

William W. Brown

Narrative of William W. Brown


This the way it go: Be nice to massa and missus; don't be mean; be obedient, and work hard. That was all the Sunday school lesson they taught us.

West Turner

The Negro in Virginia


It wasn't until slaves learned to read that they found there was a different gospel in the Bible - one which spoke of a man named Moses, who God sent to Egypt to let God's people go. Of course the white master did not know this was being preached, so it had to be coded out in messages and in songs we now call Negro Spirituals. When slaves sung, "Still Away to Jesus", or the slave preacher gave a sermon on going home to live with King Jesus, they really meant it was time to run away with hopes of reaching the North. When another slave had news that the master was the wiser, they sung, "King Jesus is a Listening".


The black preacher was seen as a messenger of God who had the real truth of what the Bible said. There are stories of slave preachers being divinely taught how to read, as in the case of Rev. Jea. Therefore, they were greatly revered.


[Although it makes this blog even more lengthy, I thought it prudent that I share at least a portion of Rev. Jea's story from Chapter 10 of my book, Black Eyes Shut - White Lips Sealed, entitled, Black Bearers of the Gospel Bound By Chains of Prejudice.]


My master's sons also endeavoured to convince me, by their reading in the behalf of their father; but I could not comprehend their dark sayings, for it surprised me much, how they could take that blessed book into their hands, and to be so superstitious as to want to make me believe that the book did talk with them; so that every opportunity when they were out of the way, I took the book, and held it up to my ears, to try whether the book would talk with me or not, but it proved to be all in vain, for I could not hear it speak one word, which caused me to grieve and lament, that after God had done so much for me as he had in pardoning my sins, and blotting out my iniquities and transgressions, and making me a new creature, the book would not talk with me; but the Spirit of the Lord brought this passage of Scripture to my mind, where Jesus Christ says, "Whatever ye shall ask the Father in my name, ye shall receive. Ask in faith nothing doubting: for according unto your faith it shall be unto you. For unto him that believeth, all things are possible." Then I began to ask God in faithful and fervent prayer, as the Spirit of the Lord gave me utterance, begging earnestly of the Lord to give me the knowledge of his word, that I might be enabled to understand it in its pure light, and be able to speak it in the Dutch and English languages, that I might convince my master that he and his sons had not spoken to me as they ought, when I was their slave.

Thus I wrestled with God by faithful and fervent prayer, for five or six weeks, like Jacob of old, Gen. xxxii. 24. Hosea xii. 4. My master and mistress, and all people, laughed me to scorn, for being such a fool, to think that God would hear my prayer and grant unto me my request. But I gave God no rest day nor night, and I was so earnest, that I can truly say, I shed as many tears for this blessing, as I did when I was begging God to grant me the pardon and forgiveness of my sins. During the time I was pouring out my supplications and prayers unto the Lord, my hands were employed, labouring for the bread that perisheth, and my heart within me still famishing for the word of God; as spoken of in the Scriptures, "There shall be a famine in the land; not a famine of bread, nor of water, but of the word of God." And thus blessed be the Lord, that he sent a famine into my heart, and caused me to call upon him by his Spirit's assistance, in the time of my trouble.

The Lord heard my groans and cries at the end of six weeks, and sent the blessed angel of the covenant to my heart and soul, to release me from all my distress and troubles, and delivered me from all mine enemies, which were ready to destroy me; thus the Lord was pleased in his in finite mercy, to send an angel, in a vision, in shining raiment, and his countenance shining as the sun, with a large bible in his hands, and brought it unto me, and said, "I am come to bless thee, and to grant thee thy request," as you read in the Scriptures. Thus my eyes were opened at the end of six weeks, while I was praying, in the place where I slept; although the place was as dark as a dungeon, I awoke, as the Scripture saith, and found it illuminated with the light of the glory of God, and the angel standing by me, with the large book open, which was the Holy Bible, and said unto me, "Thou hast desired to read and understand this book, and to speak the language of it both in English and in Dutch; I will therefore teach thee, and now read;" and then he taught me to read the first chapter of the gospel according to St. John; and when I had read the whole chapter, the angel and the book were both gone in the twinkling of an eye, which astonished me very much, for the place was dark immediately; being about four o'clock in the morning in the winter season. After my astonishment had a little subsided, I began to think whether it was a fact that an angel had taught me to read, or only a dream; for I was in such a strait, like Peter was in the prison, when the angel smote him on the side, and said unto Peter, "Arise, Peter, and take thy garment, and spread it around thee, and follow me." And Peter knew not whether it was a dream or not; and when the angel touched him the second time, Peter arose, took his garment, folded it around him, and followed the angel, and the gates opened unto him of their own accord. So it was with me when the room was darkened again, that I wondered within myself whether I could read or not, but the Spirit of the Lord convinced me that I could; I then went out of the house to a secret place, and there rendered thanksgivings and praises unto God's holy name, for his goodness in showing me to read his holy word, to understand it, and to speak it, both in the English and Dutch languages.

I tarried at a distance from the house, blessing and praising God, until the dawning of the day, and by that time the rest of the slaves were called to their labour; they were all very much surprised to see me there so early in the morning, rejoicing as if I had found a pearl of great price, for they used to see me very sad and grieved on other mornings, but now rejoicing, and they asked me what was the reason of my rejoicing more now than at other times, but I answered I would not tell them. After I had finished my day's work I went to the minister's house, and told him that I could read, but he doubted greatly of it, and said unto me, "How is it possible that you can read? For when you were a slave your master would not suffer any one, whatever, to come near you to teach you, nor any of the slaves, to read; and it is not long since you had your liberty, not long enough to learn to read." But I told him, that the Lord had learnt me to read last night. He said it was impossible. I said, "Nothing is impossible with God, for all things are possible with him; but the thing impossible with man is possible with God: for he doth with the host of heaven, and with the inhabitants of the earth, as he pleaseth, and there is none that can with stay his hand, nor dare to say what dost thou? And so did the Lord with me as it pleased him, in shewing me to read his word, and to speak it, and if you have a large bible, as the Lord showed me last night, I can read it." But he said, "No, it is not possible that you can read." This grieved me greatly, which caused me to cry. His wife then spoke in my behalf, and said unto him, "You have a large bible, fetch it, and let him try and see whether he can read it or not, and you will then be convinced." The minister then brought the bible to me, in order that I should read; and as he opened the bible for me to read, it appeared unto me, that a person said, "That is the place, read it." Which was the first chapter of the gospel of St. John, the same the Lord had taught me to read. So I read to the minister; and he said to me, "You read very well and very distinct;" and asked me who had learnt me. I said the Lord had learnt me last night. He said that it was impossible; but, if it were so, he should find it out. On saying this he went and got other books, to see whether I could read them; I tried, but could not. He then brought a spelling book, to see if I could spell; but he found to his great astonishment, that I could not. This convinced him and his wife that it was the Lord's work, and it was marvellous in their eyes.

This caused them to spread a rumour all over the city of New York, saying, that the Lord had worked great miracles on a poor black man. The people flocked from all parts to know whether it was true or not; and some of them took me before the magistrates, and had me examined concerning the rumour that was spread abroad, to prevent me, if possible, from saying the Lord had taught me to read in one night, in about fifteen minutes; for they were afraid that I should teach, the other slaves to call upon the name of the Lord, as I did aforetime, and that they should come to the knowledge of the truth.

The magistrates examined me strictly, to see if I could read, as the report stated; they brought a bible for me to read in, and I read unto them the same chapter the Lord had taught me, as before-mentioned, and they said I read very well and very distinct, and asked me who had taught me to read. I still replied, that the Lord had taught me. They said that it was impossible; but brought forth spelling and other books, to see if I could read them, or whether I could spell, but they found to their great surprise, that I could not read other books, neither could I spell a word; then they said, it was the work of the Lord, and a very great miracle indeed; whilst others exclaimed and said that it was not right that I should have my liberty.

The magistrates said that it was right and just that I should have my liberty, for they believed that I was of God, for they were persuaded that no man could read in such a manner, unless he was taught of God.

From that hour, in which the Lord taught me to read, until the present, I have not been able to read in any book, nor any reading whatever, but such as contain the word of God.


Also the black preacher was the only one of whom the master allowed to congregate slaves. When they were in the presence of the master, they adhered to the same script as the white preachers of "obey your master". However, when they won the confidence of the master to be left alone, they preached of Moses, the deliverer message - one which God broke fetters and set them free! Where the black preacher was forbidden to gather slaves for worship, often they stole away and worshiped in secret without the master being the wiser.


In dese meetin's ole Jim Bennett, de preacher, didn't know a letter in a book, but he sho' could preach. Dar wasn't no Bible in dem days 'cept what de white folks had, and' dey wan't qwine let no slave see hit even if he could read.

Old Jim would keep a knot of lightwood handy, an' he'd stick hit close to de fire to draw de pitch out it. When de patrollers come to de door 'twas already hot, you see. Preacher would run to de fireplace, git him a light an' take dat torch an' wave hit back an' fo'th so dat de pitch an' fire would be flyin' ev'y which a way in dese patterollers' faces. Out de doors de slaves would go; dar was a mighty scramble an' scuffle in de dark, an' de slaves would scatter in all directions. You see, patterollers was mostly atter de preacher 'cause he was de leader o' de meetin'. Was a terrible lashin' comin' to him dat got cught.


But there was ways of beating the patterollers. De best way was to head 'em off. I 'member once when we was gonna have a meetin' down in de woods near de river. Well, dey made me de lookout boy, an' wne de paddyrollers come down de lane past de church - you see dey was 'sepctin dat de niggers gonna hold a meetin' dat night - well, sir, dey tell me to step out f'm de woods an' let 'em see me. Well, I does, an' de paddyrollers datr was on horse back came a chasin' arter me, jus' a-gallopin' down de lane to beat de band. Well I was jus' ahead of 'em, an' when they got almost up wid me I jus' ducked into de woods. Course de paddyrollers couldn't stop so quick an' kep' on 'round de ben', an' den dere came a-screamin' an' cryin' dat make you think dat hell done bust loose. Dem old paddyrollers done ride plumb into a great line of grape vines tripped up de horses an' throwned de ole paddyrollers off in de bushes. An' some done landed mighty hard, cause dey was a-limpin' roun' an' cussin' an' callin' fo' de slaves to come an' help dem, but dem slaves got plenty o' sense. Dey lay in de bushes an' hole dere sides a-laughin' but ain't none o' 'em gonna risk bein' seen. All right dat night, but in de mornin' he done forgot all 'bout how you help him. All he know is dat you was out. So after ole paddyrollers go on limpin' back to de town, we go on to de woods an' hold ourmeetin'.


Arter dat, ole paddyroller got wise an' used to tie dey horses an' come creepin' thew de woods on foot, tell dey fin' whar dis meetin' was gwine on. Den day would rush in an' start whippin' an' beatin' de slaves unmerciful. All dis was done to keep you f'om servin' God an' do you know some o' dem devils was mean an' sinful 'nough to say, "If I ketch you here servin' God, I'll beat you. You ain't got no time to serve God. We bought you to serve us."

West Turner

The Negro in Virginia


The one thing that slavery could not do - it could not separate the slave from his or her relationship with God. Even a good beating could not do it!


We also see the influence the black preacher and the black church have had on the black community during the Civil Rights Movement. It was black preachers who led the protests and the black church was the central location for meetings to think through, offer prayer and plan protests. Although that influence may not be as necessary in the 21st Century, without a doubt, black preachers, especially within certain Protestant denominations, still have considerable influence and the church remains the core of black culture.


In the black community, very seldom does anyone speak against a black preacher. It takes a lot for that to be done. This is why a Jesse Jackson or an Al Sharpton , so long as they have a "Rev," in front of their names are not likely to be criticized, regardless of whether they are right or wrong. Unless it is done by a fellow clergy, it almost never happens.


Congregations also have great respect for the opinions of their spiritual leadership. Whether a preacher says who to vote for from the pulpit or not, a church's membership more than likely sees his or her decision as being Godly orchestrated and will follow that lead.


Knowing all of this, the black preacher and the black church is a ripe vineyard for the GOP to bring its message. This is what leads us to believe that the Republican Party does not truly want an integrated party. Because if it did, an organization such as the National Republican African American Caucus with 76 percent of its membership being clergy, would not only be welcomed, but the Party would be thrilled to have us!


Perhaps a lesson in history might be in order for the GOP to get it! ...Then again, if the lessons of history have shown the courage of the black preacher to stand up against racism, and testifies of the strength of the bond that blacks had with God, which resulted in their miraculous endurance and deliverance, maybe this is all the more reason why some within the GOP might steer clear of this kind of inclusion. Could it be a fear of spiritual vs. political power that can indeed bring down political strongholds?


This is an interesting way of viewing this, which up until now, even I had not considered.


To reach the NRAAC national chair:


Jean Howard-Hill
423-702-5622 NRAAC office
nraachowardhill@gmail.com
Jean.howard.hill@gmail.com

[Dr. Jean Howard-Hill is the author of Black Eyes Shut, White Lips Sealed. She has serves as the national chair for the National Black Republican Women with her late husband, Attorney Bobby Lee Hill serving as the head of the Black Republican Men for Change from 1987 to his death in 1991. After his death up until 1993, she remained head of the organization, and in 1999 combined the two groups to form the National Republican African American Caucus.

She has taught full time and as an adjunct, American Government, State and Local Government, and International Politics and Culture of Nonwestern Countries at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga, and was voted 2006 Outstanding Professor of the year. Additionally, from 1976 to 1979, she designed and directed the "Democracy In Action" Program, which was a civics program taught in the local school systems. Howard-Hill also is a local political commentator and holds a law degree from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville College of Law. She also is ordained clergy and heads The Healing Place Ministries International, overseeing 47 ministries throughout Africa.

She also is a TN third district congressional candidate. If elected, she would be the first African American Republican and female to be elected from the third district. Her campaign website can be found at: http://ladyjforcongress.com and http://jeanhowardhillforcongress.com; http://jeanhowardhillcampaignnews.blogspot.com; http://blogwithladyjforcongress.blogspot.com; http://jeanhowardhillforcongress.ning.com; http://www.youtube.com/JHHCongress; http://twitter.com/ JHHCongress.]
The National Republican African-American Caucus is an organization that is comprised of Spirit filled people of faith within the African American community, that works in conjunction with local, state and national party efforts to embrace, and offer African-American Republicans opportunities for inclusion and involvement in the Republican Party, and builds bridges between the African-American community and the Republican Party. In doing so, it seeks to carry out the philosophy and mission set before President Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglas to build a stronger and more inclusive Republican Party, where those guiding principles are more important than politics.

More information on the NRAACcan be found at:
http://www.nraacaucus.org; http://nraacaucus.ning.com [NRAAC] National Republican African American Caucus Social Issue Network (members only); http://nraac.blogspot.com [NRAAC Blog]; http://youthonthehorizons.blogspot.com [NRAAC Youth on the Horizons Blog]; http://the-twig.blogspot.com [NRAAC New Generation-New Direction Blog]; and
http://theblackolivebranch.blogspot.com [NRAAC National Chair's Blog]. Each State Caucus can be accessed by state. See related links at http://www.nraacaucus.org/index_files/Page816.htm. Also can be found on the RNC group page at http://our.gop.com/Groups/National_Republican_African-American_Caucus_NRAAC.