The Catholic Church's principle of celibacy has been defined as a spiritual process of imitating Christ. But controversy has created a situation that is far from Christlike.

Setting aside, for the moment, the current whirlwind that has whirred among Catholic churches everywhere and taking a look at the large married priest population lays out a map of where the church may go with its pressing issues. First, one must consider that there is a priest shortage, and second that there are many priests who are married that would like to come back to the church.

"This is a matter that can now be discussed," said Roman Catholic priest, Father Howard Lincoln of Sacred Heart Church in Palm Desert. "In the past it was a forbidden topic."

Today, there are thousands of priests who have left the priesthood to marry. They have taken on a variety of careers, many who still chose to devote their life to helping others in the name of their beliefs--from working in prisons to providing private counseling. Many of the careers that they have chosen use skills that they learned while they were priests.

There's even a group of priests who are involved in the organization of "Celibacy is the Issue" (CITI). These priests are part of "The Rent-a-Priest " referral program.

The purpose of this organization is to offer a solution to two issues: 1. The Church needs to eliminate the mandatory celibacy rules for priests and 2. The ordination of women. In doing so, the door will open for many more priests to fill the hole that's developed within the Catholic church.

Wrestling with the Vatican, though, can be a dicey process often leading to batches of hot air being blown at invisible targets.

"Now, it's a matter however that ultimately any decision about optional celibacy would come from Rome," explained Father Lincoln.

But there may be hope.

Scot Lehigh of the Boston Globe has reported that at one time the church was leading the universities. But now there's at least one catholic educational system that's influencing the church.

There was a deadline set for June 1 of this year whereby the Catholic Church would evaluate all professors of theology so that they were within the restraints of the church doctrine.

Apparently, with the church in crisis, the evaluation program has not taken place, according to Lehigh, and, even more notable, is that Boston College, one of the oldest Jesuit, Catholic universities in the United States, is taking the lead in an assessment of the church along with the crisis in Catholicism.

Alberto Godenzi, dean of the Graduate School of Social Work at Boston College and a member of the Boston Archdiocese's new Commission for the Protection of Children, has come up with lessons that the church can learn from the current crisis. From three tentative ideas, he arrives at the conclusion that "invites the Church to consider open, diverse, and participative environments and practices."

Optional Celibacy

Some have written that church greed has played a role in not letting priests marry.

Last May William Rourke wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times that the celibacy rule is an "inheritance question" and that the church wants the priest's family wealth to go to the church. The celibacy rule was instated, he wrote, when the church wanted to prevent married priests from passing on their inheritances to their offspring.

In reality, the rule as viewed by the Catholic hierarchy (the pope and bishops) is just about set in stone and based on the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians.

Just what did Paul say about marriage and priests?

"I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to please the Lord, but the married man is anxious about the worldly affairs, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided" (7:32-43).

His conclusion is that although marriage is good, celibacy is better (7:38).

One priest in the Valley disagrees with this assessment.

"Read the bible!" states Father Theophilos, a retired priest living in Palm Desert.
"All the apostles are married except for Paul."

"I believe the first Corinthians," said Father Theophilos, an Eastern Orthodox priest. "Where it says it is better to marry than to burn."

Although Father Theophilos is not Roman Catholic, his dissent regarding the issue of celibacy can be heard loud and clear.

He advises others to marry. "I'm married we (Eastern Orthodox priests) chose to marry or not to, (We must choose) before ordination. After we make the choice we remain in that category. If a priest marries after declaring celibacy, the church drops him. If you're married before being ordained, you made your choice, and its' okay, but you can only marry only once."

Father Theophilos has been married for 57 years. With the same wife and children.

CITI believes that a married priesthood during the first 1200 years of the Church's history should be reestablished.

The web site www.rentapriest.com reads "Married priests are still priests and that all priests, even those who are married, must provide the sacraments when asked."

Perhaps the church establishment will hear them now.

Last week, hundreds of people suffering from AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis and other terrible illnesses, along with their families, friends and supporters, peacefully protested at dozens of Drug Enforcement Administration offices around the country. They came with one simple request: Stop trying to take away our medicine.

As District Attorney of San Francisco, I support their effort, and I implore the DEA to stop its attack on the medical use of marijuana. In 1996, 56 percent of California voters -- some five million people -- endorsed legalizing medical marijuana by voting yes on Proposition 215. In my city the yes vote was 80 percent. The measure even carried Orange County, one of the most conservative areas of the state. Since then, seven other states have adopted similar laws, six of them by votes of the people.

George W. Bush recognized that public sentiment during his 2000 presidential campaign. He told the Dallas Morning News that, while he was personally opposed to medical marijuana, he believed states should be able to decide the issue "as they so choose."

As president, however, Mr. Bush has taken a different course. Justice Department lawyers -- continuing a Clinton administration policy -- have argued in federal court that the government has the right to take away the prescribing rights of doctors who recommend marijuana to patients. In other words, the administration believes that politicians and bureaucrats should be able to dictate to your doctor what advice he or she can give you.

Armed DEA agents have raided medical marijuana dispensaries operating legally under state law in San Francisco, Los Angeles and El Dorado counties, seizing patient records and sending waves of fear up and down California. Some of these facilities have been forced to close permanently.

These raids do not help local law enforcement or protect the public health or safety. Instead, they endanger our most vulnerable citizens and make my job as District Attorney more difficult.

From a law enforcement perspective, Proposition 215 has been implemented successfully in San Francisco. It has reduced crime as well as the costs associated with arrest, prosecution and incarceration. It contributes to public health and safety.

Our Department of Public Health has established a system of identification cards that protects patient confidentiality while helping law enforcement identify documented medical marijuana patients. Nonprofit medical marijuana dispensaries have become an important part of this system, providing a safe, quality-controlled supply of medicinal cannabis to seriously ill people and working closely with local law enforcement and public health officials. Many also function as support groups for people who often are very, very ill.

But it is precisely these dispensaries that the DEA has raided. Patients and their caregivers have been calling my office asking for reassurance that their access to a medicine they rely on will not be denied -- reassurance I would like to be able to give them, but cannot. At any moment the DEA could stage more raids, depriving sick people of their medicine or forcing them to turn to street drug dealers instead of safe, supportive providers.

I hope the DEA, the Justice Department and the entire Bush administration will heed the "Cease and Desist" orders delivered by yesterday's protesters. Surely at a time when we face so many real threats -- like the senders of anthrax-laced letters who still have not been caught -- the federal government has better things to do than to deprive sick people of their medicine.

Terence Hallinan is the district attorney of San Francisco.

His name was Jocko Graves and his sacrifice quite possibly saved George Washington's life. It was Dec. 25, 1776 and, facing disaster, Washington took a desperate chance in attempting to cross the Delaware River to launch a surprise attack on the Hessian encampment at Trenton, N.J. It was darkest night in the dead of winter and foggy as well, so steering the boat to the correct area would prove difficult at best.

Washington had an ace up his sleeve, however, in the form of a brave 12-year-old slave named Jocko Graves who stood with lantern and blankets in hand as a stationary beacon to guide Washington's ferry. Of Course, as history indicates, Washington did make it across the river, thanks to the help of Jocko's vigilant stand. Regrettably Jocko did not survive the incident, freezing to death as he stood in place. Washington was so touched by this ultimate sacrifice that he erected a statue of the young boy and placed it on his lawn. Little did he know that this action would result in the appearance of many "lawn jockeys" adorning the front yards of future America.

Jocko's statue is just one representation among many in a genre of art depicting black Americans through heroic or racist lenses; a line of collectible artwork known to many as Black Americana that was still being produced as late as the early 1980s. These pieces represent a de facto world of prejudice; a collection of work long since hidden or forgotten by Americans due to embarrassment or negligence. There is history in this artwork, such as the story of Jocko, of which most present-day Americans are unaware.

According to African-American student and dealer of Black Americana Gerald Diggs, one of the primary reasons many of the once-abundant items are now scarce, and therefore largely unknown to most Americans, is that many of them were bought by wealthy African-Americans in the 1970's and promptly destroyed. Diggs, who is black, sees this as a tragedy for many reasons.

"In my opinion these things were important to both whites and blacks because they force us to be honest with ourselves and our feelings to each other," said Diggs. "The ugliness of hate is only truly broached and dealt with when you bring yourself face to face with it. The destruction of these derogatory pieces serves to turn a social monster that could be faced honestly into a silhouette that hovers over us all, ever more powerful without challenge."

Diggs, who is in the process of writing a book on Black Americana, believes there is something deeper to be found in these pieces; something painful and at the same time oddly beautiful. "Martin Luther King Jr. once said that 'it is not the positive images that made me who I am' and I believe a similar understanding is evident when people see these things. I am fascinated with the detail of work that has gone into building some of the more elaborate pieces. It truly is a testament to what hate can do and how it can manifest itself. I've seen reactions from joy to sorrow to anger when people first see these images. And the kicker is it wasn't that long ago that these pieces were mainstream. People need to wake up to that hard fact," he said.

One of the more surprising facts about Black Americana is that many of the pieces are simply replications of images taken from a select few models. "There are a few stereotypical images that see a lot of use among Black Americana, black supermodels of a sort" explained Diggs. "The reason for this is that it was less expensive and just generally easier to replicate the same image over and over again. Also, it helped to strengthen the racist paradigm: These people all look alike, all do the same things, etc. From the slave's perspective, modeling for one of these artists was just one more day they didn't have to pick cotton and if they were posing with chickens or watermelons or whatever, that might have meant they got to take home some more food that night to their family."

Indeed, according to Diggs, some of America's most successful companies have either used Black Americana images in the past or were somehow involved in the exploitation of blacks in the manufacture and commercialization of their products. "Firestone (Tire Co.) for example, used to be Firestone Plantation and then there is Aunt Jemima maple syrup," said Diggs. "I mean a lot of these companies that used racist iconagraphy have been swallowed up into larger conglomerates, but the influence of the past is still there, and probably always will be as a shadow legacy. Without proof, history can be manipulated to whoever's advantage, and that's why I collect Black Americana and photos. It is a tangible form of an irreconcilable truth that cannot be denied."

Sifting Through a Peculiar Legacy

"People should understand that these images of blacks with exaggerated racial features, such as red-painted full lips and super dark skin, were commonplace in all areas of American life from the period of about 1850's up until about 1930," explained auctioneer Alan Liffman, of New York, N.Y., one of the largest dealers of Black Americana in the country and a self-proclaimed expert in the field of Black Americana. "These were some of the most prolific graphics used in illustrations, in toys, in advertising and such. Blacks of the time were seen by most whites as both comic and servile, so many of these pieces depict blacks being lazy, being chased or chasing something, dancing or stealing chickens or watermelons."

Liffman is quick to point out that blacks are not the only race that received similarly derogatory treatment in artwork of the period. "The Irish were made to look like little leprechaun trolls. Jews were often depicted with severe hook noses and money in hand. Whenever a minority became a threat to the white middle class, they immediately began to show up in these kinds of characatures as salesman and others that would profit off of the whites used the scapegoat illustrations to garner business. A good example would be a company selling apples painting a large, smiling black face on their crates with the pejorative 'sure am good.' What to us may seem prejudice was to earlier Americans just plain good business practice."

What was profitable then is still profitable today in a way the original distributors may never have intended. Black Americana is big business, say people who trade in the merchandise. "These items can be obtained all over the internet," admitted David Markarian, who lives near Idyllwild and an antiques dealer who owns a few pieces of Black Americana. "A lot of Black Americana can be found on eBay and other auction web sites as people who are into collecting these things are either unloading their own collections or are buying up items put up by those who want to unload them, for whatever reason." To substantiate this, Markarian suggested checking auction site "code words" which brought up hundreds of eBay auctions of these kinds of collectibles.

"Some of the things people need to look out for are counterfeits and reproductions," Markarian advised. "Reproductions are certainly available, but if you are in the market for the increasingly rare originals you need to be cautious about what you may be picking up."

Indeed, because of this rarity and the tendency for some to destroy this artwork, Liffman says that, "individual pieces are known to appreciate anywhere from 15-25 percent a year. Americana with the racial perjoritives, such as 'nigger' drawn onto them can fetch even more." When asked how he identifies counterfeits, Liffman acknowledged that, "My 15 years of dealing in Black Americana has made me very familiar with how each item is supposed to look. It's just a matter of knowing what details to look for that will authenticate the piece."

If the use of black stereotypes were such a prevalent theme in the manufacturers' images of yesteryear, why are there so few today and where can they be found? "Most of the bric-a-brac pieces, like the Aunt Jemima and Uncle Remus pottery," relates Liffman "can be found at yard sales and antique stores across the country. Most of the time people are reluctant to put it on display with the other things they have for sale, but when I tell them what I'm looking for they almost always trudge something out for me to look at. They are embarrassed that they own such things and that's one of the reasons many of these things don't often see the light of day."

A Painful Past, An Uncertain Future

Are these pieces vestiges of a racist past that should be mined for the benefit of today's idealistic multiethnic society? With many African-Americans having attained an unparalleled social status, is this truly the best time for these images to make a comeback? Some prominent members of the African-American community definitely think that should be the case. Filmmaker Spike Lee's recent film, "Bamboozled," tells the story of Pierre Delacroix (Damon Wayans), a hip, young Harvard-educated television writer who is the sole person of color working for an upstart network with floundering ratings. Despite many attempts, Delacroix has yet to achieve any commercial success and is put on the wire by his white boss to come up with a hit or lose his position.

Feeling hopeless, Delacroix decides to present the most outrageous, unbelievable farce he can imagine -- a variety show hosted by "black face" minstrels Manray (Savion Glover) and his sidekick Womack (Tommy Davidson). Incredibly, Delacroix's spoof turns into a ratings gold mine, a cultural phenomenon that has the media critics raving and audiences of all types howling. But, for Delacroix, the runaway success of "Mantan: The New Millennium Minstrel Show" is the start of a rapid unraveling.

There is a dynamic continuity between Lee's movie and the artifacts of Black Americana. According to Liffman, many of the background pieces used in the filming of "Bamboozled" were taken from the dealer's personal collection. So it stands that these mementos of a racist past live on in the hearts and minds of many Americans as reminders of something so horrific that it cannot be denied or undone.

It is hard to say what these pockmarks of the past are worth, both in a monetary and a sociological sense. But they are as powerful a part of American history as any other document or icon. They tell the story of one people's struggle to survive and another's to keep them in place. As Diggs put it, "These pieces have a strong energy to them. They force me to be honest about who I am, where I come from and what's outside my front door. They are there to be reconciled with and that's ultimately why I collect them."

Sidebar: Famous Faces Grace Black Americana

They are some of the most famous of cultural icons, and yet few know who they are. People such as Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben, well-known faces and names, but largely unknown beyond that. Their stories give insight into our cultural and business history, showing both the stains of exploitation and the stripes reformation.

Aunt Jemima: There were at least three different Aunt Jemima models. Quaker Oats' first Aunt Jemima was based on the life of Nancy Green, a former slave and famed pancake chef from Kentucky in the late 1880s. During the 1893 Colombian exposition in Chicago, she served more than one million pancakes. Dressed in a uniform of a crisp white apron and red bandanna, her warmth and personality soon captivated a nation. The first Aunt Jemima Doll appeared in 1905, and millions followed.

Originally the spitting image of Green, Aunt Jemima evolved over the next 100 years, as she was re-drawn by various artists, including N.C. Wyeth. The Uncle Moses character was based on Green's real life husband, and other figurines were created using her children as models. The additional figures were rarely, if ever, featured in the company's advertising, and were developed primarily as premiums.

The most recent model (a modernized version has since replaced her face), Rosa Washington Riles, was born in 1901 near Red Oak, Ohio, riles became Aunt Jemima in the 1950s while employed as a cook in the home of a Quaker Oats executive and went out for pancake demonstration at her employer's request. Inspired by her efforts, Quaker Oats commissioned and used a portrait of Riles, which showed a smiling, laughing, good-humored face meant to bring instant thoughts of delicious goodies and the anticipation of steaming hot pancakes smothered with fresh butter and maple syrup.

Riles rose to fame because of her jovial personality. In the beginning of Riles' career as Aunt Jemima, the pancake mix was packaged and sold in one-pound cardboard cartons, with her portrait covering an entire side of the carton. Later redesigns of the package reduced her portrait to a silver-dollar sized medallion in the upper left corner of the box.

Uncle Ben: According to the Uncle Ben's Inc. web site, Uncle Ben was "an African-American rice farmer known to rice millers in and around Houston for consistently producing the highest quality rice." Unfortunately, the site explains, the details of Uncle Ben's life are lost to history, although they seem to be aware that he died sometime before the end of the 1940s, when Gordon L. Harwell, the first president of Converted Rice, Inc. (the predecessor of Uncle Ben's Inc.) and his partner decided to call the rice that they had been supplying exclusively to the Armed Forces during World War II Uncle Ben's Converted Brand Rice.

Amos 'n Andy: In the early 1920s, Charles Correll and Freeman Gosden were working at WGN in Chicago as "harmony boys," playing ukulele and piano and singing along providing entertainment in between "happy banter and jesting" for Chicago area listeners. Who came up with the idea to change the format by adding dramatic dialogue is not clear. Gosden and Correll proposed to use their backgrounds in minstrel show by creating what Correll called "a colored comedy" about two black characters called Sam and Henry.

WGN liked the proposal and the program debuted on Jan. 12, 1926. The storyline featured two men from Alabama who came to Chicago to find their fortunes. The program, in serial form, sealed its popularity as listeners tuned in daily to follow the lives of both men. In addition, the Chicago Tribune, which owned WGN, promoted its own program through ads urging listeners to tune in daily to the adventures of the hapless men.

By 1927, the program was so popular, various promotional materials (candy bars, short recordings, books and toys) were in huge demand, well beyond WGN's listening reach. The station was not part of the NBC network and so Gosden and Correll proposed the concept of recording the program on disc and distributing it to radio stations around the country. For reasons still unclear, WGN refused permission to do this.

Judith Waller, program director for the Chicago Daily News' radio station, WMAQ, offered the boys a contract that included distribution rights. The two accepted, but WGN refused to give up the rights to "Sam n' Henry," and "Amos and Andy" were created. The scripts were written by Gosden and Correll; and with only minor changes, the storylines were the same as the previous WGN series.

The impact of the show was phenomenal. At its peak, it was said cities literally came to a halt while the show was broadcast, including shows recorded in the bell tower studio of the El Mirador Hotel in Palm Springs. While the peak of their popularity came during the '30s, the series remained on the air for nearly 30 years.

Have you ever promised yourself you'll never become a butt kissing brown noser like some of the people you work with? Even when I was a teenager, sweating in the dish room of a cafeteria kitchen to pay my way to Europe, I refused to kiss ass. I knew a little butt smooching to the manager could land me a cushy position bussing tables in the air-conditioned dining room. Or better yet, sitting on a stool taking money. But I swore I would never have a job where ass kissing (to be referred to forthwith as AK) was required.

Somewhere around 26, I realized this was impossible. Everyone else was doing it to get ahead and I didn't want to be left in the dust. So I figured if AK was going to be a requirement, I might as well find a job that paid me well to do it. Sales was the perfect answer -- tons of puckering, but mucho diniero.

The thing that's detrimental about pursing your lips together to plant one on someone's posterior is how you feel later. Performed in the conventional manner, it means doing something to get what you want with no regard for how you will feel after behaving in such a self-deprecating fashion. One of the other negatives to AK is the fact that you need to deny how you feel in order to continue doing it.

My friend Gretchen is the Queen of AK. I've watched her numerous times stroke clients, allowing them to make callous or inappropriate remarks, while maintaining a gritted-tooth grin. She'll smile and nod in agreement, her eyes vacant, with whatever garbage the client espouses. But I know it eats her up inside.

Then there's the opposite end of the spectrum, my friend Charlie, who wouldn't kiss ass if someone offered him a million dollars and threatened a trip to the guillotine if he didn't. Because of lack of AK skill, he works at a job he's not very fond of but is proud of his lack of the aforementioned skill.

"What do I do then?" You cry. "How can I do something I enjoy, make lots of cash while doing it and not perform the dreaded AK?" It's all in your perspective. Here are some simple guidelines that will allow you to flourish in a world where it seems AK is a necessity while still retaining possession of your soul.

1) Always try to see your boss, clients and co-workers as human beings, subject to the same insecurities, self-doubt and insanities that you are. I don't believe it's human nature to AK; it's ego nature. Adding humanity to the equation makes AK seem unnatural.

2) Communicate, communicate, communicate. And I don't mean discuss the weather. If you have an opinion that goes crossgrain to your client's or boss's, try something like "I understand your position on X. I feel Y and I was hoping we could discuss it."

It may not work all the time, but at least you won't go home at night kicking yourself in the rear for not standing up for what you believed.

3) Remember that you're entitled to your opinion, but so is your client or boss. They may have reasons for making a decision that you're not privy to. Instead of giving in and telling them how great their idea is when you don't understand why something is the way it is, ask. The worst they'll do is not answer you. But again, you haven't acquiesced without politely making your voice heard.

4) Think before you open your mouth. Why are getting ready to say that particular thing? Are you afraid your client/boss won't like you if you don't? Or do you think they'll like you more if you do? Are you saying it so you appear to be smarter or better or a more proficient AK than anyone else involved in the discussion? Motivation is key. If you have something to say that will make a significant contribution to the conversation, go for it. If not, maybe it's best left unsaid.

5) Realize that most people don't really respect an AK. They may like having their posterior kissed, but how much do they respect the person doing it? Speak your truth in a kind, thoughtful, informative manner and you'll earn a lot more respect than you will for leaving a perfect lip imprint on your client's buttocks.

6) Let it go. Sometimes the ego holds onto things when it's banged up. And for some reason, a bruised ego causes an insatiable desire to engage in more AK. I know I'm going out on a limb here, but be honest with the people you work with. If your boss or client has done something to upset you, wait for the emotional tornado to subside and then discuss it. I know it's a novel concept, truth in the workplace. But it's the only way I know not to get sucked into the vortex of resentment and anger that will eventually lead to either a prolific string of AK or a felony. Neither of which will make you feel good about you.

7) Quit gossiping. Wow -- two limbs. But I believe part of the reason we gossip is to alleviate the internal pressure that builds up from AK. My theory is that if you stop gossiping, you'll eventually start telling the truth. Either that or blow up.

8) Allow for the possibility that you may actually develop a fondness for your client or boss or anyone else whose booty you seem to be providing lip service to. If you like them, it's just conversation, not AK.

9) Tap dance. If you don't want to do something, you don't have to tell your boss that you wouldn't be caught dead or alive following through on her suggestion. You can say that you have several pressing matters that require your attention if you're to make that deadline she gave you last week and politely decline. This saves you from the dreaded conversation with the mirror in the ladies room after you've checked to make sure all the stalls are empty.

10) There are other ways to get what you want. Be informed, educated and prepared to present your thoughts so you are able to persuade your boss or client to see things from your point of view. AK is a copout. It takes work to debate your position authoritatively. But the resulting self-respect is worth it.