Let us pray. We meditate on the transcendental Glory of the Deity Supreme, who is inside the heart of the Earth, inside the life of the sky, and inside the soul of the Heaven. May He stimulate and illuminate our minds.
Lead us from the unreal to the real, from darkness to light, and from death to immortality. May we be protected together. May we be nourished together. May we work together with great vigor. May our study be enlightening. May no obstacle arise between us.
May the Senators strive constantly to serve the welfare of the world, performing their duties with the welfare of others always in mind, because by devotion to selfless work one attains the supreme goal of life. May they work carefully and wisely, guided by compassion and without thought for themselves.
United your resolve, united your hearts, may your spirits be as one, that you may long dwell in unity and concord.
Peace, peace, peace be unto all. Lord, we ask You to comfort the family of former First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson. Amen.
-- Chaplain Rajan Zed, courtesy of USA Today's On Deadline
Shocking, huh? Zed delivered this prayer -- a meditation, really -- to the Senate Friday and was shouted down by three zealots who proved that the religious right doesn't really get this whole religious freedom thing. "Ante Pavkovic, Katherine Pavkovic and their daughter Christan Sugar were removed from the Senate observation gallery Thursday morning when they began praying loudly during the Senate's routine opening prayer," reads a report on the incident. "For the first time in recorded history, the morning invocation was being delivered by a Hindu chaplain."
The Pavkovics were members of Operation Save America -- formerly named Operation Rescue. These people are deliberately offensive and narrowminded -- think Rev. Fred Phelps and Westboro Baptist without all the balls. Readers of this blog may remember them as the good folks who destroyed a Q'uran and a gay pride flag during an abortion protest in Jackson, Mississippi. Apparently, they don't really get this whole gay thing. Otherwise, they'd realize that gays don't really get many abortions. But, then again, logic isn't really the religious fanatic's strong suit...
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