For fun, this article about Pluto's reclassification http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/editorials/hc-lostnfound.artaug25,0,3939553.story had this comment: "The universe may have taken millions of years and billions of stars to evolve, but a committee of humans can complicate life in no time."

And this article from Ekklesia http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/content/news_syndication/article_060826pew.shtml is the results of the latest US Pew Survey, and includes in the summary “Fully 69% of Americans say that liberals have gone too far in keeping religion out of schools and government. But the proportion who express reservations about attempts by Christian conservatives to impose their religious values has edged up in the past year, with about half the public (49%) now expressing wariness about this.”

I found the Byham article helpful. I was aware, I think, that Puerto Rico had been, for a while, extraprovincial, and was now returned. I think it interesting in that light that the Liberians were back at General Covention in Columbus.

In any sense, requests for an alternate primate are requests for an alternate province. Canterbury has said again and again that, whatever his feelings are about unity (and the other topic for the day on Thinking Anglicans suggests they are more nuanced and subtle than any of us are comfortable with), he does not have the authority to take on or to arrange alternative oversight. That won't stop those committed to division from seeking it, and they will find those willing. It will make clear just who is redefining the Communion.

Simon:

Thanks for giving us the commentary on "Pluto"--it was much better (and much funnier) than I could have hoped.

Steven

Sorry, but this is an excellent piece of satire on why Pluto was relegated to a non-planet, it includes: "...the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy are constantly expanding their influence. But their love of power and conformity and God will not end on this planet. Anywhere there is evil and godlessness they must conquer, and nothing drips of godlessness like planets named after the ruler of the underworld and Satan's precursor (Pluto), the three-headed dog that guards the gateway to his domain (Ceres) and a fully employed lesbian woman who appears to neither cook nor rear children (Xena)."

http://wildcat.arizona.edu/media/storage/paper997/news/2006/08/30/News/Why-No.More.Pluto.Ask.The.Religious.Right-2251606.shtml?norewrite200608311718&sourcedomain=wildcat.arizona.edu