It's just not fair to say we don't celebrate patriotism in San Francisco. Check out this display!
San Francisco writer Tamim Ansary explains what it means to him to be an American in West of Kabul, East of New York.Can we remember our otherness as well as our common culture?Growing up bicultural is like straddling a crack in the earth. If the cultures are far apart -- like those of Afghanistan and America -- one feels an urge to get entirely over to one side or the other. ... I ... tried to straddle the fault line, although, to be sure, I shifted my weight quite definitively over to my American foot. ...And I wonder why.
... being an Afghan among Americans made me no less American. After all, most Americans are something else, as well. America's characteristic flavor is made of the otherness we all bring to this stew.
Until July 18, I'll be working my butt off at the General Convention of the Episcopal Church, trying to move us closer to full inclusion of all baptized people, including LGBT people, in all the life of the Church. This time is what we political junkies call "campaign mode" -- the crazy, exhausting 18 hour days of frenetic activity that sometimes win changes we seek and sometimes lead only to deep disappointment. I'm hopeful about how this project will work out. If you are curious about how we're doing, you can follow all the General Convention news at the LGBT advocacy group Integrity's GC portal. I don't expect to blog during this time except perhaps a few photos, but I've got at least a rudimentary post set up for every day, many of them more reflective than the time-sensitive political commentary I often write here. Enjoy.
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