Brian’s Reflection: Tuesday, July 24, 2007


The establishment is made up of little men, very frightened.

- Bella Savitsky Abzug, fabulous gutsy woman,
Representative from NY, sporter of great hats,
born on this day, 1920


Bella was the Representative from the 19th district when I was in seminary in the early seventies. I loved her. She was smart, straight-talking, and very funny. I think the only political candidate meeting I ever actually went to in my life (shame on me! But, I just don’t believe anything politicians say) was one for her in the West Village. When I told her that my phone at the seminary was being tapped, and my mail opened, presumably because of my stance on the Vietnam War (later to be confirmed by a clandestine picture of me taken by US agents outside the American consulate in Toronto), she took my info - and actually got back to me about it a few days later! She is the one and only. No one else has even answered a letter. It was Bella who famously said that her place as a woman was in the House.

Alas, her comment is I believe still true. The “establishment” in all parts of the World is still made up of little men (pretending to be Big Guys). What galls me most is that many of them claim their right by virtue of the “fact” that God made woman inferior - or so they seem to interpret their religious texts (and that means most religions) - which only goes to prove that patriarchy has more staying power than the Divine.

What frightens me more, however, is that these men are indeed frightened. Frightened of what will happen to their prerogatives and privileges if they let women “in”. And I am frightened of what frightened men are capable of doing - no, have done and are doing to this world of ours. It was to my great delight the other night that an 80 year old male parishioner said he was going to vote for ….. Hillary! (Ok, ok, I admit I’m a little anxious about the power of power to corrupt!)

Everyone’s equal. There’s no “inferior” and “superior” in the category of Human. God does not hold men in higher regard than women, or vice versa. The sooner we live this truth, the sooner no one need be frightened. Fear is the greatest warper of human nature. One of Jesus’ central messages was, “Be not afraid”. He understood.

Brian+