We are living in abortion politics of Casey Mattox and Gloria Morgan world now

 Casey Mattox was in sixth grade when I moved to Collinsville Alabama in December of 1986. since then he has graduated from UVA, Boston Las School and done time with Alliance Defending Freedom now with the Koch Brothers.

   Gloria Morgan was the preacher's wife, about 37 that year, native of Mississippi and Nashville Tn. Her husband was the pastor of the church where my Mother's family went back to the early 1900 s my grandfather born in 1881.

     Gloria and a lot of the folks in town including Irma Coker marches on the statenst capitol early 90s against abortion. A member of the community had a wife related to the fellow who wrote George Wallace famous Segregation Forever Speech of 63

     John and Gloria devoted three Sundays every year to preach against abortion; including their Sunday school class and evening Bible Study 

      I dissented one Sunday School and half the Sunday class walked out including the preacher's son Mark who went to Duke. I asked the pastor if he were a trustee of Southern Seminary would he vote to fire PaulSimmons a theologian who supported a woman right to choose on strong theological grounds.

    Rev Morgan had classes under Simmons in Seminary. Theh question got under his skin.

   One Morgan son went to Yale div and had some visiting proff courses with my Dartmouth Friend Randall Balmer, one of the leading scholars of evangelical politics in America. Balmer says Paul Weyrich papers began to crackle when Weyrich got the insight abortion politics could replace Race Baiting as a political strategy.

     More detail later but for the moment the SBC Voted yesterday against IVF which would have taken two of the Morgan's grandchildren out of this world. And last night a segment on PBS Newshour was devoted to a new book on the politics of abortion which would have nullified the life work of Casey Mattox.

    Read the piece at Baptist news global and watch the piece on PBS Newshour.

     I feel vindicated.

     The Morgans and I get along for the most part. They let me play volleyball with them on a few occasions when I was not qualified, could not play at the level of play as the others. And we otherwise enjoyed some choir specials and other shenanigans.

Mah fuybah and Upstate congressional delegation

    You remember mah fybah, moral fibre, from Oh Brother Where Art thou. I went to the Congressional Forum for Third District Thursday at clemson Madden Center sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. Ten Candidates were invited, seven pledged to be there, and four showed up all GOP. I wanted to see Stewart Jones and confront him about his diabolical Anti immigration ad but he didnt show up.she

      I got on Upstate Fox with Kari Beal. She was real nice from Syracuse. Said she is gonna try Bridges BBQ in Shelby been down here for five years and appreciates the BBQ > For a minute I thought she hsd to be a fifth cousin of Debbie Medaris.

   Candidates played it close to the vest. I did however talk to three of of them before or arter the forum. Here is the news. Kevin Bishop long time staffer for Lindsey Graham told me he stands with friend From Easley now in the state house, Neal Collins now under political assault from Palmetto Gun Rights because Neal is not ready to call open season on every public school student in Pickens County with Open Carry. Neal has the backing of his pastor I am certain, John Adams at FBC Easley and most of the congregation. I hope this conversation has legs.

     Ms Elspath running on agriculture concerns had the nerve to say, lets' be honest, Climate Change is for Real.  I wish the trustees at Clemson had her nerve, especially Nikki Haley.

     Franky Franco, A Cuban Baptist and Bob Jones Grad is a charm and has a future if the party every comes back toward the Bush Family. But he said he was not aware of Project 2025, The MAGA, Demint Heritage Foundation plan to dumb down Anerican history on Race and Jim Crow politics

   About thirty minutes later I voted in the GOP primary, Voted for Franco cause he has some integrity and lot of potential in poliitcs. He just has to break wirth Demint and The Bob Jones agenda which of course will be hard for him to do

    Susan Shaw of Rome Ga was able to do it. Raised in West Rome Baptist church under the preaching of Jerry Vines she had a piece at Baptist News Global todal How Low will they Go about SBTS President Al Mohler.

     Kari Beals and Jane Robelot should be visiting that site twice weekley. And read Randall Balmer on the politics of Abortion, Jill Lepore on the Gun Lobby in Deadline collection as well as Miguel de la Torre, and Cynthia Tucker and Frye Galliard on the big frame of how the GOP got to his point.

     Nice people but I fear I was only the person in the room who could distinguish between my A dbl SS and a Hole in the Ground.

     Robert Jones, Shutting down CRT Debate, Religion News.

Where were you when the Verdict came down

I was in the parking lot of the colonial fish market on Cherokee Ave in Gaffney SC right down from the church where WJ Cash was baptized.  Had heard on way in and hoped to be back in the car at five for the top of the hour NPR report. I was also in Gaffney in Ms Goforth's Sixth grade  in 1963 when Kennedy was assasinated and home in time after Church on Anthony Street to see Oswald killed. It was on Anthony Street in 62 on way to church I heard Marilyn Monroe had died on a Sunday Morming. George Singleton says his grandmother used to work as a bartender for Jack Ruby but he was only four years old at the time.

      That's an aside the title of Singleton new collection of true stories which arent much different from his fiction. Said his Daddy made a big scene and walked out of a Baptist church Singleton names in Asides cause the racist mill workers didnt want any "niggers" in the church. Singleton uses that one incident to cast aspersions on all of Christianity but he has a Guggenheim and I don't so what can you say.

     Reason I was in Gaffney was nice day and had lunch with two Gaffney high classmates in Spartanburg then rode on down to Pacolet to meet their acclaimend administrator but she had retired. Jolly Rogers BBQ was closed so went up the Gaffney Pacolet HWY passed Goucher and Jimmy Baker region of Cherokee County on to medidtate in the parking lot of Bethany Baptist Church where my Dad was the pastor from 62-78.

     Went over to Cherokee Avenue for the Midway Food Truck Hash but they didnt show up so got some perch at the Colonial to go. Kind Priee and I will be back.

     Tried to outsmsrt the Pelham Rd exit traffic on my return to no avail. Dicey six miles every time.

    I was an hour early so went to Barnes and Noble on Woodruff Road. Saw a new word in a poem in the New yorker I will have to retrieve.

     Had great lunch. Names of some white women came up as did Al Mohler and Russell Moore as one classmate was on financial advisory committee for SBTS. Indian Food was kinda bland purposely as they are doing lunch buffett for first months. Kinda pricey for my upbringing but I will go back for the spice later.