Commonly held fallacies of the anti-Humanae Vitae Crowd.

I've had the opportunity to defend the church's teaching on contraption against other Catholics, non-Catholics and even Pagans. I got my start researching the "whys" of the church's position when friends and family members started getting permanent sterilization procedures within months of each other.

I didn't really get a chance to use what I had learned until I signed up for AOL and started participating on their debate boards. In 2003 when my pastor basically gave a pro-birth control speech during the homily, I felt driven to find more information on the web and I ran across this board. Ah, the happy hours of defending the church's beautiful teaching and then suffering the inevitable ad hominem attacks, and bannings. The good ole days!

One thing I have learned from these exchanges is that the liberal, "progressive," dissenting view has a few key points that they bring up over and over again. It's like watching the same play at three different theatres. You know what's coming because you've seen it before. I became acutely aware of this yesterday on JCecil's blog. Mr. Cecil brings up the following points. My comments in purple.

As I have said before, how is a condom, made from the stuff of nature, not natural?

Interestingly the first time I heard this argument it came from a Wiccan High Priestess over on the AOL debate board entitled Religious Experiences. I believe she still posts there so if you have AOL you can most certainly go to that board, ask for Harmony and verify with her that indeed that is a valid Wiccan position. I once teased her about visions of diaphram plants swaying gently in the wind like flowers in a field and she seemed to like that.

People who hold that view believe that because God made all the atoms, molecules etc. ever made and since all things are made from these atoms and molecules, then everything is natural. The atom bomb, spermacides, DDT, all natural simply because God created the matter they are made of. The aburdity of this argument is tht of course Atom boms, spermacides, DDT, even Clorox Bleach don't exist at all without the manipulation of man. It is that manipulation that generally takes things from the realm of "natural" or existing in nature to "man made."

Is it any less natural than taking temperatures, measuring mucus, and all the other stuff of NFP?

Duh.
Basal body temperature,mucus production, cervical changes are all normal functions of the female body. It's the way God designed the body. Thus they are truly natural because this is how they exist in nature. This is nothing immoral about recording these observations either any more than there would be in taking a weight, blood pressure, barometric readings or astronomy. Measuring and observing nature is part of the natural curiosity of man.

What about withdrawal, which is also "natural"?

Not everything that does not require manmade manipulated devices is necessarily "natural." Man is not driven to pullout during the height of the sexual experience unless he is driven further by a selfish desire to avoid offspring. Also, because an act may not require articial elements doesn't mean that it is not disordered. Coitius interuptus is as much a disordered act as binging and purging on food.

But these frustrate the act, you might say - the "sin of Onan" - spilling seed outside of the womb.

Most Biblical scholars - even those that support the Vatican position - agree that the sin of Onan really had to do with the responsibility to provide your kin with heirs, rather than contraception.

Uh... no. Just because most of the biblical scholars liberal,"progressive," dissident types are likely to read have re-interpreted the Onan story doesn't mean that ALL, or even MOST biblical scholars thorugh history have done the same. Casti Canubii even references the Onan passage.

The Bible has nothing to say about contraception.

Actually the biblical view of children is one of openness, welcoming, blessing. No where in the bible is having children considered a curse. Jesus himself welcomes the little children! The view of the bible is anything but contraceptive!!

What the bible does have to say about contraception it says inthe Onan story are here are two very good links to go into that in more depth.

Life issues on Onan
Onan revisited


The differences between artificial birth control ABC and Natural Family Planning, NFP, I will cover tomorrow if there is not a lot more disucsion on the scriptural points.


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Guess the pro-choice Democrats never counted on this

From the Opinion Journal.

I'm just posting the conclusion here:
Liberal Democrats are having both more abortions--and more abortions as a percentage of their ideological and political group--than either of the other groupings.

As liberals and Democrats fervently seek new voters and supporters through events, fund-raisers, direct mail and every other form of communication available, they achieve results minuscule in comparison to the loss of voters they suffer from their own abortion policies. It is a grim irony lost on them, for which they will pay dearly in elections to come.

Things that make you want to say, "Well duh!!!"

Via Mark Shea


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An interesting chapter at Apologia

Mr. Luse has included a chapter from a novel on is blog. Very interesting, but careful - he's away for a while so if you get hooked (as I did) you'll have to wait for the rest!

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Priest shortage hits home

For what it's worth, I don't really believe that we have a real shortage of vocations. I think in the West we do a good job in discouraging them, although I know some diocese have seminaries that are packed!

That is not the case in the Diocese of Cleveland. This year we only ordained three priests. Three. Two of those came from St. Francis DeSales church. In fact, for the past couple of years, if you were to look at the classes of new priests, you would see the home parish of St. Francis DeSales come up quite a bit. I don't know what they're doing right there, but it sure has paid of in an abundance of priestly vocations!

My church, on the other hand, with a K-8 school and a preschool, hasn't churned out a seminarian in decades. It boggles the mind. How can they have young minds open to them for 8+ years, for 6 hours or more a day and not inspire a single solitary vocation is just amazing to me. I have mentioned before they certainly seem to go out of their way to discourage them. The acceptance of young ladies at the altar certainly fills up the spaces a young man could fill and thus limits the young man's exposure to a possible vocation. The silly letter they send the incoming 9th graders that their services are no longer needed as altar servers is also a good way to keep a young man away from his possible vocation. After all, if the high school guys continued to serve into high school, we wouldn't have as much room for the giggly little 5th grade girls that want to sign up now would we!!?

I found out this week that the opportunities for service will be cut even more. Many of you remember the stories about the pot growing priest in Barberton, Ohio? Well, our associate pastor is going to be moved to that parish - his first big gig as THE pastor. I wish him well. Our pastor, who seems to have one foot on retirement and the other on a banana peel has decided to make some changes. The biggest change is that there will no longer be two daily masses, one in the morning and one at night. Entirely understandable. However, rather than pick one, either the well attended 8:00 a.m. mass, or the after work 5:30 p.m. mass, he has decided to disenfranchise both groups and go for a 10:00 a.m. mass. That way its smack dab in the middle of the morning when no one can come! Of course our funerals are always at 10:00 a.m., so that way if he has a funeral, he only has to do that mass. I always thought priests felt that saying mass was a privilege?

Anyway, we have a parish business manager, a finance committee, a secretary, tons of volunteers who work in the rectory, and a principal for the school. All this, we were told, was to free up the priest, to minister to the flock. Somehow I'm not feeling very ministered.

I remembered Father Tucker's post about a day in his life. Sounds like a full day. I was impressed that he also ran the wedding rehearsals because in my parish we also have "wedding coordinators" that do that. I'm one of them. Sigh...

Calvin just got back from the Steubenville Youth conference where the priests were not only willing to drop everything to hear a confession, but could also play a wicked game of Frisbee. At least he has that exposure. He doesn't get this doing less with less mentality and frankly, as a woman in a vocation with 5 kids and a husband in a business coming up in the business cycle, neither do I.

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This says it all baby!!

Again thanks Bob Waters.


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Blogs for Bush

From the Blogs for Bush site

Last month, on May 8th, I announced that the Blogs For Bush community had grown to over 500 blogs on the Blogroll For Bush.

Now, less than two months later, and less than 8 months since Blogs For Bush was launched back on Election Day 2003, our Blogroll For Bush has grown passed 600 blogs!

John Kerry's Official Campaign Blog has 55 blogs on its blogroll. A tremendous gain of 6 blogs since May 8th

Thanks Bob Waters for the link.



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A beautiful quote from Bishop Sheen

How dull life would be if a musician were always picking up a violin and a bow, but never producing a melody; or a sculptor were always picking up a chisel, applying it to marble, but never creating a statue; or a poet were putting pen to paper, but never wrote a thoughtful line. Would not the farmer go mad if, each spring after he had planted the seed, he immediately dug it up, went on repeating the silly process, and never waited for fruits and harvests? What would happen to the mind and heart of a woman who, just as soon as the buds began to appear in her garden, cut each of them off, so that she never fondled a rose. Love, by its very nature, wants to bear some fruit; thus is saves itself from a duality that is death... Love is then discovered to be, not like the serpent that crawls on the same level, but rather like a bird that has an ascension of love and begins to taste its sweetest moments in the higher summits of flight

This along with very nice commentary from Alan at Ad Altare Dei blog.


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Saturday I linked to this wonderful post by Steve over at The Fifth Column. I urge you to go and read that. A few of us in the comment section however opined that the conclusion need not be so gloomy. That there is a return to orthodoxy on the horizon and perhaps the future is not as bleak. This is Steve's reply:

Well, Tom, what can I say? When Simeon prophecied to Mary, he didn't exactly end on a high note either.

Your point about an increase in orthodoxy is well-taken, and that is precisely why I end the way I do. We could chastise Simeon, "What's with all the sword and piercing talk? The Saviour is here! Life will only get better now!"

Except we had to watch the crucifixion first.

The more orthodoxy becomes prevalent, that is, the more little Christs we have walking around, the more crucifixions we are going to see. That's what makes them little Christs, after all. I can predict that this culture will finish its descent this way precisely because I think we ARE getting more orthodoxy. The battle lines will become stark, even more stark than they already are. Our children will have to fight these battles. Pretending they won't is whistling in the dark, and it doesn't serve them or us or God.

He's right.

Now more than ever the best way we can prepare for this battle is prepare our children. To raise them in the faith, to do whatever it takes to make sure they are well catechized and that we have fully catechized ourselves.

To that end a lot of what I read around St. Blog's is disturbing in this way. You have bloggers searching for holiness, but they remain comfortable in the "dialogue," "I have a right to question" phase of their development. To coin an Amy Wellborn phrase, that's a bunch. Because you will never be truly mature and ready to do the hard work of becoming holy until you just will it. And that's not my philosophy, that's Aquinas. You want to be holy, you want to be spiritual, you want to go to heaven, then just do it and if you want to know how... then ask the church. All the rest of it is just a self-imposed blurring and obscuring to keep from doing the hard stuff, or as Steve calls it, the little crucifictions. Maybe we have the luxury of goofing off to spend years and years in purgatory, but our kids won't. The enemy is at the door.

The other thing at St. Blog's that bothers me is this bit about not judging. That too in my opinion is a protective layer that keeps one from moving to complete holiness. Christians aren't called to focus on themselves and even hermits pray for the welfare of others. To say, "well I can't tell someone they sinned because they had an abortion, or because they contracept, or because they miss mass etc. etc." pick the sin du jour doesn't help anyone It doesn't make you holier for keeping your mouth shut and it doesn't help the person that is in sin either. In fact for the no-judgement Joe, according to the catechism, it's really a sin of omission. Do folks get mad even you speak the truth in love, yep, you betcha! Offer it up.

Lastly, on the same topic, I ran across this very well thought out and articulate post on sexual moral issues through Alicia's Blog. This guy is definitely going on the blog roll. This was my favorite part:

Recall that we are made in the image of God. Part of being made in His image includes the ability to make other people in our image. We are fecund because God is fecund. It follows, then, that being fecund is good. In fact, every increase in being is inherently good, because there is no more fundamental a good than being itself, by sheer virtue of the fact that all things partake of God’s Being. Sex, then, is not merely a “Yes!” to our beloved – which, as an act of love, is also a “Yes!” to God – but is also a “Yes!” to being itself – which is, as I say, also a “Yes!” to God’s sheer goodness of being.

Amen!





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Bishop Burke makes his case.

And it's a good one.

An excerpt:



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Catholic politicians and bishops MOST REV. RAYMOND L. BURKE


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Some have accused me and other bishops of introducing division within the church and between the church and the political order of our country by our public declaration regarding the moral duty of Catholic politicians and their exclusion from Communion, in the case of their serious failure in carrying out their moral duty. I have often reflected upon these accusations, in examining my conscience regarding my action in the matter.
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Most Rev. Raymond L. Burke

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In his post-synodal apostolic exhortation Pastores Gregis (“On the Bishop, Servant of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the Hope of the World,” Oct. 16, 2003), Pope John Paul II underlines the scriptural boldness demanded of the bishop as shepherd (No. 66c). In this context, he describes the bishop as a “prophet of justice,” declaring: “He proclaims the church’s moral teaching by defending life from conception to its natural end” (No. 67a-b).
In proclaiming the church’s moral teaching, the bishop faces a challenge before the situation of a member of the flock who is engaged in political life and supports a position contrary to the moral law. The situation is especially serious when the position in question is contrary to the first precept of the natural and divinely revealed moral law, which requires us to safeguard and foster human life. It is made even more serious when the position espoused condones the taking of the innocent and defenseless life of the unborn child, a crime which “has characteristics making it particularly serious and deplorable” (John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae, “On the Value and Inviolability of Human Life,” 1995, No. 58a).

Teaching on Catholic Politicians

The Catholic bishops of the United States, at their meeting in November 1998, approved Living the Gospel of Life: A Challenge to American Catholics, a statement that constitutes a collective exercise of the episcopal responsibility to shepherd by speaking for justice. We declared: “No public official, especially one claiming to be a faithful and serious Catholic, can responsibly advocate for or actively support direct attacks on innocent human life” (No. 32). We acknowledged that the greatest good that a Catholic politician, “whose absolute personal opposition to procured abortion” is “well known,” may be able to accomplish, at a given time, is to limit the harm done by a “law which allows or promotes a moral evil.” At the same time, we made it clear that “no appeal to policy, procedure, majority will or pluralism ever excuses a public official from defending life to the greatest extent possible” (No. 32; see Evangelium Vitae, Nos. 73-4).

On Nov. 24, 2002, the Solemnity of Christ the King, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, with the approval of Pope John Paul II and by his order, published a Doctrinal Note on Some Questions Regarding the Participation of Catholics in Political Life for the purpose of recalling “some principles proper to the Christian conscience, which inspire the social and political involvement of Catholics in democratic societies” (No. 1d). The note states the constant teaching of the church “that those who are directly involved in lawmaking bodies have a ‘grave and clear obligation to oppose’ any law that attacks human life” (No. 4a). It further makes clear that “the rightful autonomy of the political or civil sphere from that of religion and the church” cannot mean an autonomy of the political order from morality, and that for the Catholic involved in political life, serving the common good certainly means “acting in conformity with one’s own conscience” (No. 6c). In this regard, the doctrinal note observes that it is “a form of intolerant secularism” that disqualifies Christians from political life because of their duty to act according to their conscience (No. 6d). It is understood that a correctly formed conscience cannot be “set in opposition to the moral law or the magisterium of the church” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 2039; see also No. 1783).

Pastoral Care of Catholic Politicians

It is the bishop’s duty to give pastoral care to Catholic politicians who offer a most important service to the whole of society. The bishop’s pastoral care in no way constitutes an unjust involvement of the church in politics. The bishop leaves to Catholic politicians and all politicians the practical decisions about the best way to serve the common good. A politician’s practical decision regarding how to safeguard the common good necessarily includes protecting the life of every individual. The failure to protect the life of the unborn, a violation of the moral law, violates the common good and betrays the trust given to elected officials. The bishop’s pastoral concern is for the spiritual good of the Catholic politician and of the many Catholics who are influenced by his or her exercise of political leadership. More fundamentally, the bishop’s concern is for the good of the innocent human lives threatened and taken by procured abortion.

The “intolerant secularism,” which tells a Catholic politician that he may not act according to his conscience, characterizes the exercise of the bishop’s pastoral responsibility as a violation of the legitimate autonomy of the political sphere from the church. Right reason, on the contrary, tells us that a bishop, if he truly cares for the flock, must admonish Catholic politicians “who choose to depart from church teaching on the inviolability of human life in their public life” regarding “the consequences for their own spiritual well being, as well as the scandal they risk by leading others into serious sin” (Living the Gospel of Life, No. 32). Once again, it must be noted that the bishop always has before his eyes the most fundamental good of life from the moment of conception.

The danger of scandal is real. In Evangelium Vitae, Pope John Paul II describes in a compelling way how the moral gravity of abortion “has become progressively obscured” in our time (No. 58b). It was brought home to me recently when a highly placed government official who is not Catholic, reflecting upon the great number of Catholic politicians who vote for laws that provide for abortion and the seeming acceptability of such a position in the church, asked me sincerely, “Is it possible, Archbishop, that a different pope would change the church’s teaching on abortion?” As a bishop, I cannot be naïve about the fact that the church’s clear and consistent teaching and discipline regarding procured abortion over nearly 2,000 years is, in our time, badly obscured in the minds of many, including Catholics. The bishop’s call to be “a prophet for justice” on behalf of the innocent and defenseless unborn is clarion clear.

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Speaking of Catholic schools being truly Catholic...

Here's what the Pope had to say:

Catholic schools, hospitals, welfare agencies, and other institutions "exist for one reason only: to proclaim the Gospel," the Pope reminded his American visitors. He insisted that these institutions "must always proceed ex corde Ecclesiae -- from the very heart of the Church."

In using that Latin phrase, the Pope left no doubt that he was thinking primarily of the Catholic universities, whose policies should be governed by the apostolic constitution Ex Corde (doc) Ecclesiae (doc) , promulgated by Pope John Paul in 1990. That document requires that professors teaching theology and philosophy in Catholic universities should have a teaching mandate from their local bishops. The American bishops have announced, however, that they will not require professors to obtain this mandatum .

I also blogged about Catholic Universities not making the grade earlier this year. Loyola was on the list.


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Prayer request from the Ragemonkeys.

Please pray for this mom who has already miscarried twice this year and finds herself pregnant again. Story and prayer request here.


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Great condition. A whole year of English study for the Catholic 4th grade student.

Still have the Voyages in English book available in my E-bay store

Auction ends tonight!

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An interesting medical development for older moms.

Women are born with an estimated 800,000 eggs but the number dwindles with age. At about 37, when there are about 25,000 eggs left, the decline speeds up and the ovaries shrink until most of the eggs are depleted and menopause occurs.


The age of menopause is generally around 50, plus or minus seven or eight years. Knowing a woman's reproductive lifespan will enable doctors to predict how long she will be fertile and whether she will have an early menopause.


Dr Thomas Kelsey, a computer expert at the University of St Andrews, said the main benefit of the research will be to improve fertility treatment and planning and to provide doctors with information about the likely success of such treatments.


"The ultrasound measurement is taken to work out the volume of the ovaries. If the ovaries are larger than average for her age, then she is likely to have a later menopause and if they are smaller she is likely to have an earlier one. Essentially we try to quantify by how much, by how many years," he said in an interview.

Thanks Jim Akin for the link.


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Is George Bush as bad as John Kerry on abortion issues? Of course not.

and Jim Akins explains why...
An excerpt:

During the Clinton administration, when President Clinton met with the pope, John Paul II was known for bringing up the topic of abortion and stressing the need to end it, which was widely recognized as a deliberate--if diplomatic--public scolding of the American president.

What has John Paul II said regarding President Bush when they have met? Has he similarly scolded Bush for failing to be 100% pro-life, or has he recognized that--though Bush (who is not a Catholic) is imperfect--that his position regarding abortion is nonetheless pariseworthy?

When the two met earlier this month, the pontiff had this to say to the president:

I also continue to follow with great appreciation your commitment to the promotion of moral values in American society, particularly with regard to respect for life and the family (source).

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Book covers, first impressions and all of that.

Yea, yea, I know. The old adage goes, "Don't Judge a Book by Its Cover." And overall in the library, 40 years ago, that was probably a good idea. My son recently rejected the book "Red Badge of Courage" because the copy I found at a yard sale was old, smelly, and the print was rather small. Still when we finally did get it he enjoyed it.

I don't think the adage is quite as true today. If you pick up a modern book, with modern illustrations and jacket covers you have a good idea what's inside. A Stephen King novel with his eerie jacket is just a precursor to the scary stuff inside the story. A romance novel with a hunky Fabio and lots of cleavage on the damsel is just a glimpse of more of the same inside in my opinion.

I think the same can be true with web pages and brochures, particularly from schools and universities that want to project a certain image. For example, my old high school, is obviously going for that ambiguous, "Are they Catholic or not" look. Their alumni newsletter is about the same. This didn't really bother me until I started getting news letters from the state homeschooling association. All of their literature was steeped in faith, and the name of Jesus was mentioned throughout. NACHE (National Association of Catholic Home Educators) also has a very faith-friendly feel about it both on its website and periodicals.

This brings me to my main point. I had a tiff on Friday with this blogger alumni of Loyola University. By their fruits you will know them. I am definitely looking for institutions that are going to produce faith-filled adults, who know, love, and live their faith. My first impression of Loyola is that that ain't it.

As my previous post indicated, we've had great experiences at the Franciscan University Youth conferences. I'd love for my children to go there if we can work it out. I can't help but note the strong statement of faith on their web page. If this blog is any indication the University bears good fruit.

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Lonely in a house full of people.

My oldest boy, Calvin, is at the Youth Conference in Steubenville,Ohio this weekend, and the house, believe it or not, seems a little emptier without him. I know the dog misses him. She has been hanging around my husband and me almost like a cat, under our legs, between us when we watch t.v. etc. I don't think having Sam the Second Son walk her is quite the same either since Sam hasn't even hit the 100 pound mark yet and Calvin is a nice adult size at 6' 200 pounds. I've noticed that my fridge still has food in which would not be the case if the Calvinator was here. A few less fights have ensued over the t.v. and the video games. In fact the younger ones are almost drunk with having absolute power over the game controllers sans Calvin's veto power.

Cal went to the conference last year for the first time, and although he didn't come back in a white garment with a halo, there were some subtle changes. He wanted to go to confession more often and didn't fight me when I suggested going. He was also more interested in doing the work for indulgences which I thought was wonderful. On his own volition he also picked out a scapular and has been wearing it since Christmas time. This scapular is a little different. It is made out of cord instead of ribbon and the two ends are smaller almost block like, but the images in them are clear images from religious art works. He wears it all the time, only taking it off at swim practice because of the chlorine. He never complains about attending mass either.

Internally I could also see differences. I know at almost 15 he is becoming a man and he wants more independence and to develop leadership skills. I understand that sometimes defering to me as his superior is difficult for him. Yet this year I noticed he does it, and that sometimes even when he initially says no, it means yes and I can live with that for now.

I can't wait to hear how his weekend went and I hope he had a wonderful time with his friends and comes back a little more fired up about his faith too because he will need that to sustain him a little bit.

This will be a difficult year of transition for him as he moves into high school. We made the transition from exclusive homeschool to the Public School sponsored Digital academy last year and he did well. He is a solid B student. But the school board does not allow students in the digital school to participate in any of their sports programs. (This boggles the mind - the Digital school cleared $500,000 last year that went back into the general school fund for the district. My taxes still support the school district so I remain unclear on why the digital kids are treated like second class citizens, but I digress.) He has aged out of the community soccer program because all of those kids go on to play for their schools. My son will be teamless which is sad because he truly loves playing soccer.

He won't be able to swim on the high school swim team although he can still participate in the United States Swim Sanctioned meets because he is a member. The cost to the family goes up however, which is another bit if disappointing news. If he were actually able to swim for the high school swim team they would have come down considerably. I don't know if he will find swimming just for the USS team challenging enough.

So maybe all of these crossroads are there for a reason. I'm sure God has a plan for my son. My job as a mom becomes a little different, as it has to when your son is now bigger than you. I have to protect him, but in different ways and maybe that protection goes more into the area of providing guidance, wisdom and prayerful discernment.

All that said though, I have to say having a teenager, so far, hasn't been nearly as horrible as I had anticipated. He's a wonderful kid and I have really missed him this weekend.

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Playing the numbers game

A primer on the politics of abortion statistics.
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Contraception's connection to Gay Marriage

Wonderful essay courtesy of the Fifth Column Blog.


An excerpt:

How can you convince a woman on the pill or a man with a wallet full of condoms that gay marriage is going to harm heterosexual marriage?

It can’t be done because it isn’t true. Marriage was dealt a death-blow when the Protestant Comstock laws were struck down. Once we were no longer permitted to forbid the manufacture or sale of contraceptives, we lost the ability to deal with deliberately sterilized sex in any form whatsoever. Like masturbation, gay sex and gay marriage are just another form of contraception. Indeed, the beauty of gay marriage is that their divorces are much less likely to impact children, since they will, by definition, tend not to have any. Contracepting heterosexuals know a kindred spirit when they see one. They certainly aren't going to cast a stone at gays.

The move to amend the Constitution to defend heterosexual marriage will fail. If it succeeds, it will follow Prohibition in being repealed. It cannot be otherwise.

No one quarrels about contraception anymore. The people who used to do so are mostly dead. Likewise, the only generation that quarrels about the gay issue will be dead in another thirty to sixty years. The next generation will care even less than this one about that topic. The next fight will be over pedophilia, bestiality, necrophilia, sado-masochism and the rest. And Christianity will lose those fights too. Pleasure is the measure. The war was over when we surrendered the Comstock laws. And that surrender could not have happened if Christians had not acquiesced.

# posted by steve @ 1:11 PM

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Baby boomer blog

Very interesting stuff on the Boomer Death Watch Blog:

This entry on "late boomer" Captain Ed's Captain's Quarters blog looks at the rightward shift of young people (which began almost imperceptibly, as far as my own experience showed, with the ideologically depressed denizens of Gen. X). It's a phenomenon that seems to confound the ideologues of the Democratic party this year, especially those in Howard Dean's campaign who expected tidal wave of support from the young that ... uh ... never came. (Cue sad, wilting 'understatement of the year' music.)

"This relentless focus on their own youth as a mythical Golden Age, combined with their greedy, ever-increasing grasp on public resources in the form of expanding retirement entitlements must strike the younger generation as ridiculous and tiresome. Even younger boomers such as myself wonder when my ge-ge-ge-generation will finally realize that they are not the center of the universe. In this environment, the Beatles and Tipper Gore are irrelevant, except as reminders of how narcissistic boomers remain."

Please feel free to leave a comment under the posting, or sign my Spiritbook (guestbook). You can chat with me on the tag board to the right!

Does the double standard exist?

Michael who blogs at Chasing the Wind opines:

So, on one hand a Democrat commits adultery, perjury, then fights to stay in office. On the other hand, a Republican suggests something kinky with his wife but doesn’t actually do anything and steps down from running for office.

If Clinton’s transgressions weren’t severe enough for him to step down, why was Ryan’s suggestion to his wife so bad? Is there a double standard here, or am I not understanding the seriousness of the charge against Ryan?

Yea I wonder the same thing Michael. I also wonder why the big need to unseal the records from his divorce, something both Ryan and his wife opposed for the sake of their child, unless it was to politically ruin Republican Ryan's chances in the election.

This double standard exists in the blogosphere as well. Jeff Davis gets mad at me here for commenting on his piece about Vice President Cheney using the F word last week. Says that the administration said they were going to "change the tone" in Washington and that this little demonstration of public profanity is just another "lie." Jeff states "John Kerry will restore honor and decency to the White House, and change the tone in Washington" I guess it really ticked Jeff off when I mentioned that John Kerry has also used the same profanity in public, and not in the heat of an argument, but in an interview for a magazine article.

Jeff says I don't get it. He's wrong. I see it very clearly. This election is going to be tight, the gloves are off, and anything goes. The standard is there are no standards and just because one side calls a foul doesn't mean it's above committing the same offense. And we haven't even had the conventions yet.

It's going to be a long 4+ months until November.


Please feel free to leave a comment under the posting, or sign my Spiritbook (guestbook). You can chat with me on the tag board to the right!

New feeds for My Domestic Church.

I found a place to get some really neat RSS feeds for blogs and web sites. Please feel free to use the ones I have added on the side bar. Found this from the Bible Software Review Weblog

My Feedburner link then looks like this. Works in Bloglines too for folks that use that service.

Please feel free to leave a comment under the posting, or sign my Spiritbook (guestbook). You can chat with me on the tag board to the right!

Review of the new Michael Moore Film.

From JamesBowman.net

A little over the top? You or I might think so, but Michael Moore was born over the top. In fact, the only top he’s ever been under is the Big Top, and his new film is every bit the circus that Bowling for Columbine or Roger and Me was. These are movies to pump up the faithful, not to persuade the wavering, to feed the prejudices of the haters, not to impress the genuinely open-minded

Thanks CERC board for the heads up on this review.

Please feel free to leave a comment under the posting, or sign my Spiritbook (guestbook). You can chat with me on the tag board to the right!

Note Gabe's feet at the end of the flag and Sam struggling to old up his end!! I told ya, this flag is big!!

Anyone need a nice flag for the 4th of July?

I've got one It's for sale on my ebay store over on the side bar. The interesting thing is I bought this flag at an estate sale. The owner had all kinds of baseball stuff - cards, autographs, jerseys. So it makes me wonder if this flag had any baseball significance. They said it been hanging in an auditorium so that makes me wonder as well. Anyway... it's a nice flag, very big - as you can see my boys trying to hold it up!

Please feel free to leave a comment under the posting, or sign my Spiritbook (guestbook). You can chat with me on the tag board to the right!

Kim Sun Il Rest in Peace

I found a link to an obituary about Mr. Kim who was beheaded this week. Perhaps more than the others Mr. Kim touched me because of his youth and because I empathized with the fear in his voice as he pleaded for his life. I feel so sorry for his family. Here is an excerpt:

The third and only son of four children, he was due to come home next month to celebrate his father's 70th birthday.

Those close to him said Kim was a diligent and generally quiet person who studied hard. Kim's family said that he dreamed of conducting missionary work in Arab countries and was soon to be ordained as a minister.

Thanks Bob Waters for the link.

Please feel free to leave a comment under the posting, or sign my Spiritbook (guestbook). You can chat with me on the tag board to the right!

President Bush's Pro-Life Record

This is courtesy of Fr. Peter Westfound at the Free Republic Web site. His pro-life judicial appointments are also on this site.

January 22, 2001 President Bush Reinstates Mexico City Policy (bans use of U.S. money for organizations that promote abortion overseas)
http://www.humaneventsonline.com/articles/01-29-01/mexicocity.html

March 22, 2001 President Bush Helps Dedicate Pope John Paul II Cultural Center http://www.nrlc.org/news/2001/NRL04/

"The Pope reminds us that while freedom defines our nation, responsibility must define our lives," the President said. "He challenges us to live up to our aspirations, to be a fair and just society where all are welcomed, all
are valued, and all are protected. And he is never more eloquent than when he speaks for a culture of life. The culture of life is a welcoming culture, never excluding, never dividing, never despairing and always affirming the
goodness of life in all its seasons."

March 28, 2001 Reuters reports "Bush issues abortion rule order, outflanks Senate"
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/DailyNews/bush_abortionrights010122.html

April 17, 2001 President Bush Restricts RU-86 Funding and Close White House Feminist Office
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2001/apr/01040303.html

April 24, 2001 Bush Bans Sex Films from Air Force One
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_270918.html

April 25, 2001 President Bush appoints Fatherhood proponent
http://www.familiesnorthwest.org/dynpage.cfm?DPID=65

April 30, 2001 Proclamation - National Day of Prayer
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/04/20010430-2.html

May 16, 2001 U.S. House Backs President Bush in Denying Funds to Overseas Groups That Promote Abortion Legalization
http://www.consistentlife.org/US%20House%20Upholds%20Pro-life%20Mexico%20City%20Policy.htm
May 17, 2001 Bush Administration Begins Effort to Put Pro-Life Advocates on International Panels Source: Washington Post

May 21, 2001 Further Analysis Shows Bush's First Judicial Picks Promising Source: Pro-Life Infonet

May 26 Bush Overrules Powell on Nominee Appoints Pro-lifer to Important State Department Post
http://tennesseerighttolife.org/news_center/archives/05262001-03.htm

June 1, 2001 Bush Won't Issue Gay Proclamation, Opts Out of Gay Pride Day Source: Associated Press

June 21, 2001 Bush Supports Strongest Pro-Life Ban on Human Cloning Source: Associated Press

July 6, 2001 Bush Administration Awards Abstinence Grants to CPCs, Pro-Life Groups

August 13, 2001 Bush Would Veto Any Funding of Additional ESCR

August 16, 2001 Attorney General John Ashcroft recently warned that less than 10 % of judges nominated by Bush have even had a hearing before the Democratically led Senate Judiciary Committee

August 28, 2001 Bush Won't Back Down to the United Nations on Abortion Source: Reuters

October 15, 2001 Bush Administration Awards Adoption Awareness Grants- HHS Press Release

November 7, 2001 White House and Lawmakers Fight Pro-Abortion Amendments

November 7, 2001 Democratically Led Senate Attempts to Weaken Pro-Life Policies Are Blocked by Veto Threats and Pro-Life Lawmakers

December 5, 2001 Bush Selects Pro-Life Ex-Gov to Head Republican Party

December 10, 2002 Changes in the White House (from the Patriot's Herald)
http://www.patriotsherald.com/content/changed.php

January 31, 2002 Bush Administration Proposes Coverage of Unborn Children in Health Insurance http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2002/jan/02013106.html

February 26, 2002 President Bush's Remarks at St. Luke's Catholic Church
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/02/images/20020226-11.html

September 27, 2002 Bush Administration Finalizes Coverage of Unborn Child in Health Insurance http://www.vshl.org/press/2002/nrlc_20020927.shtml

January 18, 2002 Bush Declares Sanctity of Life Day January 20, 2002
http://www.priestsforlife.org/government/02-01-18bush.htm

January 22, 2002 Remarks By President Bush in Phone Call to March For Life Participants http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2002/jan/020122a.html

January 20, 2002 President Bush Seeks Increased Abstinence Funding Source: Associated Press

January 31, 2002 Bush Administration Classifies Developing Fetus as Unborn Child Source: Associated Press

States may classify a developing fetus as an "unborn child" eligible for government health care, the Bush administration said Thursday, giving low-income women access to prenatal care and bolstering the arguments of
abortion opponents.

February 1, 2002 President Bush has chosen an advocate for the aging who once worked with Mother Teresa to head his revamped effort to provide federal funds to religious charities. See the interview with Jim Towey in Crisis Magazine http://www.crisismagazine.com/june2002/feature6.htm

February 2, 2002 President Bush's Sincere Appreciation For Prayers Said For Him http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/bushprayerreq.htm
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/624592/posts

February 26, 2002 The President's Welfare Reform focuses on families, abstinence and work http://www.family.org/cforum/feature/a0019805.html

March 6, 2002 Bush's National Institute of Health Nominee Supports Complete Ban on Human Cloning Source: Washington Post, Baltimore Sun

March 14, 2002 Democratically led Senate quashes Nomination of Pro-Life Judge Charles Pickering
http://www.reclaimamerica.org/PAGES/NEWS/newspage.asp?story=918

April 8, 2002 President Bush Will Speak to Pro-Life Leaders Wednesday Source: National Right to Life News

April 10, 2002 President Bush's Remarks in Opposition to Human Cloning
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/04/20020410-4.html

April 11, 2002 President Bush Calls on Senate to Back Human Cloning Ban http://www.nrlc.org/nv041102.html

April 11, 2002 UN Decides Against Cairo+10, Fears Bush Administration Source: Friday Fax

May 2, 2002 Proclamation National Day of Prayer http://www.nationaldayofprayer.org/media/president.cfm

May 2, 2002 Bush Administration Opposing Abortion at UN Child Conference Source: Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute

May 23, 2002 Pro-Life Judge D. Brook Smith confirmed for Third Circuit Court of Appeals http://www.reclaimamerica.org/PAGES/SHAKE/shakeHome.asp

May 26, 2002 Atheist loses bid to halt Bush's faith references
http://www.sacbee.com/content/politics/story/2882530p-3704157c.html

May 31, 2002 Crisis Magazine Editor Evaluates Bush's Relations With U.S.
Catholics http://www.cin.org/archives/cinjub/200206/0009.html

July 9, 2002 Pro-Abortion Groups Attack Bush Judicial Nominee- Priscilla Owen
Source: Reported by Associated Press

July 22, 2002 Bush Administration Withholds UNFPA Money Source: Associated Press

July 24, 2002 Bush Announces Initiavtive to Encourage Adoptoin of Children in Foster Care http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/07/20020723.html

July 29, 2002 Bush Inherited a Weak Economy: By January 2001 when Bush took office Nasdaq tumbled 46% off its peak and the GDP had decelerated to 1.9% in the quarter just ended from 5.7% just six months earlier.
Source: Editorial in Investors Business Daily

August 5, 2002 Bush Signs Born-Alive Infants Protection Act Source: National Right to Life Committee
http://www.nrlc.org/Federal/Born_Alive_Infants/

September 17, 2002 NARAL Opposes Michael McConnell's Nomination to the Tenth Circuit Court Of Appeals
Statement of NARAL President Kate Michelman
http://www.naral.org/mediaresources/press/2002/pr091702_mcconnell.html

October 3, 2002 Democrat-Controlled U.S. Senate Kills Pro-Life Bills Favored by President Bush and Passed by U.S. House
http://www.nrlc.org/Federal/LegUpdates/Congressionalwrapup100302.html

* The Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act (H.R. 4965), passed by the House on July 24, 2002, 274-151.

* The Weldon-Stupak-Brownback legislation to ban all human cloning, including the cloning of human embryos (H.R. 2505, S. 1899), passed by the House on July 31, 2001, 265-162.

* The Unborn Victims of Violence Act (H.R. 503), a bill to recognize as a legal victim any unborn child who is injured or killed during commission of a federal crime, passed by the House on April 26, 2001, 252-172.

* The Child Custody Protection Act (H.R. 476), to make it a crime to take a minor across state lines for a secret abortion, if this abridges her parents ' right to be involved under their home-state law, passed by the House on
April 17, 2002, 260-161.

* The Abortion Non-Discrimination Act (H.R. 4691), to prohibit state and local governments from discriminating against hospitals and other health care providers for refusing to participate in abortions, passed by the House
on September 25, 2002, 229-189.

October 6, 2002 President Bush Building Strong Pro-Life Record
Source: Boston Globe

October 14, 2002 White House staffers gather for Voluntary Bible Study Voluntary Meetings
Source: USA Today

October 17, 2002 Germany Attacks Bush Administration Position Against All Human Cloning
Source: Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute

October 29, 2002 Pro-Abortion Group and Senator Daschle jointly appeal for pro-abortion Senate- Reported by National Right to Life Source: Email Sent From NARAL

October 29, 2002 Pro-Abortion Group opposes nomination of Dr. W. David Hager to chair the Reproductive Health Drugs Advisory Committee. Hager is a member groups like Christian Medical Association and Physicians
Resource Council for Focus on the Family Source: California Abortion Rights Action League http://www.caral.org/alert_current.html

October 30, 2002 Bush Directs Advisory Committee to Protect Human Embryos
Source: Associated Press,Washington Post

October 31, 2002 Pro-Life Groups Applaud Bush Decision on Human Embryos
Source:Cybercast News Service

November 1, 2002 Bush backs away from reproductive health pact
Source: Knight Ridder Newspapers
http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/4424134.htm

November 8, 2002 Bush Administration Fights for UN to Oppose All Human Cloning
Source: Reuters

November 8, 2002 Bush Right to Oppose Abortion at International Meetings
Source: Population Resource Institute

November 14, 2002 White House Pressures Congress to Keep Military Abortion Ban
Source: Pro-Life Infonet

Novermber 18, 2002 Pro-Abortion Senators May Filibuster Pro-Life Judicial Nominee
Source: NY Times, National Review

November 19, 2002 Senate Approves Pro-Life Judicial Nominee
Source:Associated Press

November 19, 2002 Bush Administration Opposition Continues to Derail Fake UN Cloning Ban
Source: Associated Press

November 21, 2002 Bush Nominee for FDA Panel Says RU 486 Unsafe
Source: Cybercast News Service

November 25, 2002 Abortion Advocates Bash Bush's Pro-Life Foreign Policy
Source: Cybercast News Service

November 26, 2002 Don't Believe the Media Portrayal of Bush as Not Pro-Life
Source: by Paul Weyrich Cybercast News Service

November 27, 2002 Radicals Attack Bush Because of UN Pro-life Stance
Source: Austin Ruse of Friday Fax

December 3, 2002 Ralph Neas of the Pro-Abortion Group People For The American Way President Bush for Nominating Pro-Life Judges
Source: People For the American Way

December 9, 2002 Bush Administration Cracks Down on Illegally Imported Abortion Drugs
Source: Associated Press

December 10, 2002 Bush May Nominate Pro-Life Supreme Court, Appeals Court Justices
Source: New York Times, U.S. News and World Report

December 12, 2002 Bush Srongly Condemns Racism While Promoting Faith Based Initiatives
See the President's Remarks at
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/12/20021212-3.html

December 12, 2002 Congressional Letter Supports Bush Opposition to International Abortion Advocacy
Source: Pro-Life Infonet

December 15, 2002 UN Population Summit Begins, Bush Administration Battles Abortion Advocates
Source: Associated Press, Knight Ridder Newspapers

December 17, 2002 Bush Admin. Called 'Heroic' For Opposing Abortion At Population Summit
Source: Cybercast News Service

December 20, 2002 The chairman of President Bush's bioethics council , Dr.
Leon R. Kass of the University of Chicago, accused Stanford University
today of trying to conceal the true nature of its stem cell research plan.
Source: Associated Press:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A15872-2002Dec20?language=printer

December 26, 2002 Bush Admin Appoints Pro-Life Doc to FDA Panel
Source: Associated Press

December 27, 2002 US Attacked for Pro-life Stance at UN Conference in
Bangkok
Source: Friday Fax

December 31, 2002 Abortion Opponent Is Named to Panel On Women's Health
Source: Associated Press

January 3, 2003 Pro-Abortion Groups Hope Bush Won't Renominate Owens
Source: Associated Press

Lt Col. Rick Jones HQ USAF/ILMY speaks about meeting Bush at the Pentagon:
http://www.ahherald.com/window_redbank/wrb011101_close.htm

January 7, 2003 Bush Renominates Pro-Life Judicial Candidates
Source: Associated Press

Planned Parenthood Attacks Bush on Pro-Life Record
Source: Planned Parenthodd's Website:
http://www.saveroe.com/wow/chronology/wow_chronology_dec00.asp

January 14, 2003 President Bush Declares Sanctity of Human Life Day
Source: Associated Press Also see:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/01/20030114-13.html

January 22, 2003 Bush Addresses Pro-Lifers Assembled For March For Life
http://www.righttoliferoch.org/nmfl2003bush.htm

January 22, 2003 Bush Admin Diverts UNFPA Funds to Maternal Health Programs
Source: Reuters

January 25, 2003 Abortion Advocates Attack Another Bush Pro-Life Judicial
Nominee
Source: Los Angeles Times

January 27, 2003 Pro-Abortion Feminist Majority Opposes Bush's Latest
Pro-Life Woman Judicial Nominee
Source: Feminist Daily News Wire:
http://www.feminist.org/news/newsbyte/uswirestory.asp?id=7465

January 28, 2003 President Bush Calls for Ban on Partial-Birth Abortion and Human Cloning in His State of the Union Address Source: Pro-Life Infonet See also: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/01/20030128-19.html
"By caring for children who need mentors, and for addicted men and women who need treatment, we are building a more welcoming society - a culture that values every life. And in this work we must not overlook the weakest among us. I ask you to protect infants at the very hour of birth, and end the practice of partial-birth abortion. And because no human life should be started or ended as the object of an experiment, I ask you to set a high standard for humanity and pass a law against all human cloning."

January 28, 2003 NATIONAL RIGHT TO LIFE APPLAUDS BUSH STATEMENTS ON PARTIAL-BIRTH ABORTION, HUMAN CLONING, AND HEALTH CARE RATIONING
Source: Press Release from the National Right to Life Committee

January 30, 2003 Pro-Abortion Democrats Block Aid to Women in Afghanistan
Source: Friday Fax

January 30, 2003 PRESIDENT BUSH ANNOUNCES NEW $300 MILLION MENTORING PROGRAM FOR DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN
Source: Press release from the U.S. Department of Education
http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/01-2003/01302003a.html

February 1, 2003 Pro-Abortion Groups Urge Filibuster of Bush Judicial Nomination
Source: National Right to Life

February 6, 2003 Bush Will Veto Spending Bill That Doesn't Ban Abortion Funding
Source: Washington Times, Washington Post

February 11, 2003 Senate Democrats Say They Can Block Bush Judicial Nominee
Source: Associated Press

February 12, 2003 The new guidelines, part of President Bush's No Child Left
Behind Act of 2001, will affect schools across the country.

The guidelines state:Students may express their beliefs about religion in homework, artwork, and other written and oral assignments free from discrimination based on the religious content of their submissions.
Source: Courier Post Online
http://www.southjerseynews.com/issues/february/m022303d.htm

Max Lucado with President Bush (Bush says he feels stronger than ever because of all the people praying for him:
http://www.stjohnsmarysville.org/notes-n-news.htm

February 17, 2003 Bush may tap California Supreme Court Justice Janice Rogers Brown, a conservative judge who ruled against affirmative action and abortion rights, if a spot opens on the U.S. Supreme Court
Source: Newsweek

February 17, 2003 President Bush May Deny AIDS Funding to Pro-Abortion Groups
Source: Associated Press

Why and How the Military Salutes President Bush Source: The Patriot's Herald http://www.patriotsherald.com/content/salute.php

February 26, 2003 White House condemns "human embryo farms" amendment
Source: National Right to Life

February 26, 2003 President Bush Urges Congress to Vote for Pro-Life Cloning Ban
Source: Pro-Life Infonet

February 27, 2003 California Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League Urges Senators to Oppose Bush's Pro-Life Nominees to U.S. Court of appeals: Miguel Estrada and Jeffrey Sutton Source: email from California Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League

March 4, 2003 Paige lauds Stanford school-reform plan

Education Secretary Rod Paige yesterday applauded a report by a Stanford University think thank that calls on federal and state governments to "explore additional forms of school choice, pushing far beyond the boundaries of within-district public school choice."
Source: Washington Times

March 5, 2003 Newsweek Profiles Bush as Most Religious President of Recent Times
Source: Newsweek

March 11, 2003 Bush Administration Issues Statement Supporting Partial-Birth Abortion Ban
Source: Pro-Life Infonet

March 13, 2003 Senate G.O.P. Holds Firm as Vote on Abortion Nears
Source: New York Times
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30A10FA385A0C708DDDAA0894DB4
04482

March 13, 2003 Senate Passes Partial-Birth Abortion Ban by Wide Margin
Source: Pro-Life Infonet

March 13, 2003 Bush Pro-Life Judicial Nominee Texas Supreme Court Judge
Priscilla Owen May Receive Vote Soon
Source: Associated Press

March 24, 2003 Bush Administration Provides Record Funding for Abstinence
Education
Source: Washington Times

March 20, 2003 Another Bush Pro-Life Judicial Nominee - Carolyn Will Be
Smeared By Liberals
Source: Traditional Values Coalition
http://traditionalvalues.org/print.php?sid=818

March 27, 2003 Senate Judiciary Committee Confirms Bush Pro-Life Judicial
Nomineee - Priscilla Owen
Source: Associated Press

March 31, 2003 California Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League
Urges Senator Feinstein to Oppose Bush's Pro-Life Nominee to the Court of
the Appeals - Judge Carolyn Kuhl
Source: email from California Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League

April 8, 2003 California Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League
Urges Senators to Oppose Bush Pro-Life Judicial Nomineee - Priscilla Owen
Source: email from California Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League

April 12, 2003Touching Story About Bush Praying For Wounded Troops on Visit
to Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Source:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/04/20030417-3.html and
http://www.snopes.com/politics/bush/injured.asp

April 10, 2003 Senate Committee Will Vote This Month on Next Bush Pro-Life
Judicial Nominee - Carolyn Kuhl Source: Pro-Life Infonet

April 10, 2003 President Bush Nominates Another Pro-Lifer for Judicial Spot - Alabama's Pro-Life Attorney General Bill Pryor
Source: Mobile Register

April 15, 2003 God-Free School Zones U.S. Education Secretary Rod Paige is under fire for defending religious freedom OpinionJournal.Com

April 15, 2003 President Cites the "Power of Prayer" in POW Safety Returning from Camp David on Sunday, President Bush was asked after gettingoff the helicopter what role faith and prayer had in the rescue of the POWs and in comforting their families. He said, "A lot of them told me they had been sustained by prayer, been comforted by the Almighty during what had to have been very difficult times. They told me that they felt their prayers had been answered. Prayer is powerful
Source: Presidential Prayer Team [PrayerTeam@PresidentialPrayerTeam.org]

April 17, 2003 Schumer: Catholics Need Not Apply: Ken Connor President of Family Research Council Criticizes New York Senator Chuck Schumer for Opposing Bush's Catholic Pro-Life Judicial Nominees

April 17, 2003 President's Easter Message
For Christians, the life and death of Jesus are the ultimate expressions of love, and the supreme demonstrations of God's mercy, faithfulness, and redemption. Since Christ's miraculous Resurrection on Easter, more than 2,000 years ago, Christians have expressed joy and gratitude for this wondrous sacrifice and for God's promise of freedom for the oppressed, healing for the brokenhearted, and salvation. For the full message see:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/04/20030417-3.html

April 18, 2003 Another Judge Comes Under Attack Summary: Pro-abortion Democrats now have another Bush judicial target to smear: Leon Holmes. Source: A Note From Traditional Value Coalition's Executive Director Andrea Lafferty

April 19, 2003 Bush Admin Allows States to Insure Unborn Children Through CHIP
Source: Pro-Life Infonet

April 22, 2003 The Constitution Be Damned: Democrats try to impose a religious test on judges.
Source: Pro-Life Infonet

April 24, 2003 Bush's Pro-Life Judicial Appointments Need Your Help
Source: Pro-Life Infonet

Over the last few months, the Pro-Life Infonet has reported on several pro-life nominees President Bush has appointed to various judicial positions.

Some of these nominees have track records of upholding pro-life legislation or publicizing their view that Roe v. Wade is bad law. Others have pledged to uphold the rule of law and not legislatie from the bench -- attributes
that call for respecting the right of state legislatures to pass laws that limit abortion.

Below is an overview of eight judicial nominees that deserve your support and backgrounds on them and their nominations:

Miguel Estrada -- Nominated for the Circuit Court of Appeals for Washington D.C., the second highest court unde the Supreme Court and a stepping stone to a later Supreme Court appointed, Estrada was brought to the Senate floor earlier this year. He does not believe that the Constitution guarantees a right to abortion. Some senators are blocking Estrada's confirmation vote by engaging in a filibuster. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) failed in four attempts to cut off debate (known as cloture), garnering only 55 of the 60 votes needed. It is unclear whether he whether he will try again. Tell your Senators to stop the filibuster.

Jeffrey Sutton -- Sutton was nominated for the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, and approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee in February. The full Senate began consideration of the Sutton nomination before the Easter
recess, but did not vote. They will resume debate on Tuesday, April 29th and probably vote that same day. The pro-abortion Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice joined other organizations in a letter which says, in
part, "Jeffrey Sutton's ... confirmation to a lifetime position on the federal bench threatens to dismantle the important gains that have been critical to women's success and we urge you to reject his nomination."

Priscilla Owen -- Nominated for the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, Owen was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee in March in a straight party-line vote. As a Texas Supreme Court justice, Owen frequently voted to uphold Texas' parental notification statute and refused to allow teen girls to have abortions without their parents' knowledge. Unable to get opponents to agree not to filibuster Owen, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) has been indefinite about when he will seek a confirmation vote, but it may be in early May.

John Roberts -- Roberts was nominated for the Circuit Court of Appeals for Washington D.C., and was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee in February. As a Justice Department official in the 1990s, he argued that Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided and actively promoted efforts to get that decision overturned. In one brief he argued that pro-life protesters outside abortion businesses did not discriminate against women. He
supported a pro-life measure prohibiting federally-funded family planning facilities from referring for abortions. The Roberts nomination has not yet come to the Senate floor, but could come up in May.

Deborah Cook -- Cook was nominated by President Bush for the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, and approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee in February. As an elected justice of the Ohio Supreme Court, Cook's candidacy was endorsed by Ohio Right to Life. Her nomination is expected to come to the Senate floor in May.

Carolyn Kuhl -- Nominated for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The Senate Judiciary Committee has not yet to act on her nomination, but is expected to do so in May. As a Justice Department official in the 1980s Kuhl aggressively argued for the outright reversal of Roe v. Wade. As an attorney in private practice in the early 1990s she represented a pro-life physicians group and argued in support of limiting abortion referrals at
federally-funded family planning facilities.

Charles Pickering -- He has been nominated for the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. The Senate Judiciary Committee has not yet brought him in for a hearing, but is expected to do so in May. He once chaired a national
Republican initiative that approved a plank for the party platform decrying the Roe v. Wade decision "as an intrusion into the family structure," and calling for a right-to-life amendment to the constitution. His son Chip
Pickering is a pro-life Congressman from Mississippi.

J. Leon Holmes - Holmes has been nominated for the Federal District Court in Arkansas. The Senate Judiciary Committee has not yet acted on his nomination, but could do so in May. He is a strong pro-life advocate and
the former president of Arkansas Right to Life.

April 25, 2003 WHITE HOUSE CALLS FOR CONGRESSIONAL APPROVAL OF THE UNBORN
VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE ACT "THIS YEAR"-- PRESIDENT BUSH BELIEVES THAT WHEN AN
UNBORN CHILD IS INJURED OR KILLED IN A CRIME OF VIOLENCE, "SUCH A CRIME HAS
TWO VICTIMS"
Source: National Right to Life Committee

This is why I am supporting George W. Bush in November and I hope my readers will too.
Please consider supporting President Bush's re-election campaign with your time, talent and some of your treasure.

Pregnancy Books

Alicia the Catholic Midwife has a list of her favorite pregnancy books today. Definitely worth a look.

I would add Spiritual Midwifery just because it's a fun read but it has a good attitude about birth.
Also Hearts and Hands by Elizabeth Davis
Silent Knife and Open Season by Nancy Wainer Coen - just becasue I think every mom today needs to be prepared for the possibility of a Cesarean and what to expect and avoid.
And for VBAC moms- The VBAC Companion. And now you can have special incentive- the illustrator of that book was my doula for 4 births AND she used my likeness several times in the book. I'll let you figure out which one was me!

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"Sloppy, self-indulgent and often eye-crossingly dull"

The New York Times review of Bill Clinton's book.

Referring to the $US10 million advance the publishers paid the author, the NYT said the unprecedented sum was understandable, given Mr Clinton's obvious intelligence, charm and powerful grasp of language, coupled with his colourful life.

Unfortunately, the NYT said, the finished product reads more like a "messy pastiche" of everything Mr Clinton remembered, including lists of meals and a description of getting up early one morning to watch the inauguration of Nigeria's new president on television.

"It devolves into a hodgepodge of jottings: part policy primer, part 12 step confessional, part stump speech and part presidential archive," paper said.

"All, it seems, hurriedly written and even more hurriedly edited."

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The Mighty Barrister also weighs in on the Bishops Statement

The Mighty Barrister has a good outlined post on his blog about the statement. He sees a lot of positive out of the statement and he's right - it could have been a lot more watered down.
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Dale Price's contribution

to the bishops vs. the politicians issue is Priceless! Check it out!

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More on my Little Rant and St. Ignatius.

I can't say that rules by themselves inspire me exactly either. I know they don't inspire my kidlets, although the natural consequences of breaking rules usually get their attention.

I think that sometimes living "the rules", especially on matters of faith and morals as taught by the Catholic Church (the pillar of truth) builds the faith and eventually becomes inspiring. Further, I think this is true even when that rule is followed reluctantly and half heartedly at first.

It's kind of like a diet. Not fun being hungry and planning meals or even exercising. But maybe that first little nudge of the bathroom scale or the first half inch lost in the midsection is enough to "inspire" more effort, more dedication, maybe even inspiration to research more recipes and different exercises!

I think maybe Ignatius knew that. I think he also knew that it's hard to go from Joe Couch potato to an Olympic athlete (spiritually speaking of course) all at once. Still one must start somewhere and have a goal and a direction. The goal of Ignatius? Heaven. The guide and direction - the church.

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American Life League responds to the bishops.

WASHINGTON, June 19 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The following is a statement of the American Life League in response to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops statement on Catholics in political life:

"The American bishops have failed," said American Life League president Judie Brown. "The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops had an opportunity to provide strong leadership on the question of Catholic public figures who favor legal abortion. However, their statement misses the mark on several points. As a result, election year politics has trumped the right to life of the innocent and the protection of Christ from sacrilege."

As Pope John Paul II teaches in the encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia, "in cases of outward conduct which is seriously, clearly and steadfastly contrary to the moral norm, the Church, in her pastoral concern for the good order of the community and out of respect for the sacrament, cannot fail to feel directly involved. The Code of Canon Law refers to this situation of a manifest lack of proper moral disposition when it states that those who 'obstinately persist in manifest grave sin' are not to be admitted to Eucharistic communion (Canon 915)."

The Catholic bishops of the United States have a moral obligation to teach the truth, to preach it without apology and to defend it unto death, as St. Thomas More was ultimately called to do. "The 'polarizing tendencies of election year politics' cited in the bishops' statement have nothing to do with Catholic teaching and the infallibility of those teachings," said Brown. "Christ is truly present in Holy Communion; the act of abortion is intrinsically evil. To somehow suggest that politics alters either of these truths is to suggest that either the Holy Eucharist is really not all that good or abortion is not all that bad.

"Had the bishops united in their commitment to enforce Canon 915, they could have prevented Catholic teaching on the sanctity of human life from being misused for political ends by being represented as nothing more that a matter of "choice" in a pluralistic society. They failed to do that.

"Had the bishops united in their commitment to enforce Canon 915, they could have prevented abuse and desecration of the sacrament of Holy Eucharist by making it clear that allegedly Catholic public figures who support the direct killing of the innocent by acts of abortion cannot receive the body and blood of Christ in Holy Eucharist. They failed to do that as well.

"The wording of the USCCB statement represents a problem of enormous proportions," said Brown. "This statement does not adequately address the question. We call on each bishop to respond in a manner consistent with protecting the body and blood of Christ from sacrilege," concluded Brown



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Catholics in Political Life

From the USCCB:

We speak as bishops, as teachers of the Catholic faith and of the moral law. We have the duty to teach about human life and dignity, marriage and family, war and peace, the needs of the poor and the demands of justice. Today we continue our efforts to teach on a uniquely important matter that has recently been a source of concern for Catholics and others.

Well, O.K. I guess I would debate that they are "continuing" their efforts. It seems to me that there has been a big gap in catechizing the faithful for the last 30+ years or so. But, O.K. if they want to say embrace that duty given to them from the succesors of the apostles - I for one say GREAT! and about time!

It is the teaching of the Catholic Church from the very beginning, founded on her understanding of her Lord’s own witness to the sacredness of human life, that the killing of an unborn child is always intrinsically evil and can never be justified. If those who perform an abortion and those who cooperate willingly in the action are fully aware of the objective evil of what they do, they are guilty of grave sin and thereby separate themselves from God’s grace. This is the constant and received teaching of the Church. It is, as well, the conviction of many other people of good will.

What's wrong with the term "mortal sin?" I think that's the term that would really get some attention.

To make such intrinsically evil actions legal is itself wrong. This is the point most recently highlighted in official Catholic teaching. The legal system as such can be said to cooperate in evil when it fails to protect the lives of those who have no protection except the law. In the United States of America, abortion on demand has been made a constitutional right by a decision of the Supreme Court. Failing to protect the lives of innocent and defenseless members of the human race is to sin against justice.

Absolutely!

Those who formulate law therefore have an obligation in conscience to work toward correcting morally defective laws, lest they be guilty of cooperating in evil and in sinning against the common good.

I agree. Some "progressive types" seem to think that politicians have a higher obligation to represent the majority view even if it is immoral, but I digress...

As our conference has insisted in Faithful Citizenship, Catholics who bring their moral convictions into public life do not threaten democracy or pluralism but enrich them and the nation. The separation of church and state does not require division between belief and public action, between moral principles and political choices, but protects the right of believers and religious groups to practice their faith and act on their values in public life.

Good job! I especially liked the sentence that said "do not threaten democracy or pluralism but enrich them and the nation."

Our obligation as bishops at this time is to teach clearly.

Finally!!

It is with pastoral solicitude for everyone involved in the political process that we will also counsel Catholic public officials that their acting consistently to support abortion on demand risks making them cooperators in evil in a public manner. We will persist in this duty to counsel, in the hope that the scandal of their cooperating in evil can be resolved by the proper formation of their consciences.

I have no problem with that. The couseling should be continuous, ongoing, written and at times public.

Having received an extensive interim report from the Task Force on Catholic Bishops and Catholic Politicians, and looking forward to the full report, we highlight several points from the interim report that suggest some directions for our efforts:


We need to continue to teach clearly and help other Catholic leaders to teach clearly on our unequivocal commitment to the legal protection of human life from the moment of conception until natural death. Our teaching on human life and dignity should be reflected in our parishes and our educational, health care and human service ministries.


We need to do more to persuade all people that human life is precious and human dignity must be defended. This requires more effective dialogue and engagement with all public officials, especially Catholic public officials. We welcome conversation initiated by political leaders themselves

.

Catholics need to act in support of these principles and policies in public life. It is the particular vocation of the laity to transform the world. We have to encourage this vocation and do more to bring all believers to this mission. As bishops, we do not endorse or oppose candidates. Rather, we seek to form the consciences of our people so that they can examine the positions of candidates and make choices based on Catholic moral and social teaching.

O.K. as long as "not endorsing" doesn't turn into "not admonishing." IF they fall down on that in public or private, the rest of their efforts to lead and teach will be lame.

The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions.

TOTALLY AGREE!!

We commit ourselves to maintain communication with public officials who make decisions every day that touch issues of human life and dignity.
The Eucharist is the source and summit of Catholic life. Therefore, like every Catholic generation before us, we must be guided by the words of St. Paul, “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the Body and Blood of the Lord” (1 Cor 11:27). This means that all must examine their consciences as to their worthiness to receive the Body and Blood of our Lord. This examination includes fidelity to the moral teaching of the Church in personal and public life.

Yes it does and that point should be hammered home at every available opportunity, particularly in districts, diocese, states where these pro-abortion politicians campaign, live, and govern

The question has been raised as to whether the denial of Holy Communion to some Catholics in political life is necessary because of their public support for abortion on demand. Given the wide range of circumstances involved in arriving at a prudential judgment on a matter of this seriousness, we recognize that such decisions rest with the individual bishop in accord with the established canonical and pastoral principles.

blank stare... can we go back to the part where they wanted to teach with clarity? On the one hand I think this statement is rather wishy washy and will confuse the laity even more. It certainly will promote more division in the pews. On the other hand, it gives the thumbs up to the Bishops with testosterone to speak the truth cleary and take the proper action of withholding communion to lying hypocrites like John F. Kerry.

Bishops can legitimately make different judgments on the most prudent course of pastoral action.

I'm not sure "prudent" is the virtue we are going for here any more. this has been an ongoing problem for decades. Instead of prudence it's time to kick into "strong" and "effective" courses of action.

Nevertheless, we all share an unequivocal commitment to protect human life and dignity and to preach the Gospel in difficult times.

To coin an Amy Welborn phrase, that's a bunch. You can't have an unequivocal commitment when you are trying to be "prudently pastoral" to the very leaders who promote the murder of tiny babies in their mother's womb. I wonder if it was the slaughter of clerics and the ravaging of rectories if the bishops would want to be as "prudent."

The polarizing tendencies of election-year politics can lead to circumstances in which Catholic teaching and sacramental practice can be misused for political ends. Respect for the Holy Eucharist, in particular, demands that it be received worthily and that it be seen as the source for our common mission in the world.

Well there you have it. There is no greater abuser of Catholic teaching and sacramental practice in the USA than the USCCB.


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Take the Bible Challenge

This is a neat site. I thought I knew the old testament pretty well. O.K., pretty well for a cradle Catholic who went through the Catholic School System. But I only got 50% on this quiz focusing on the book of Kings. See how you do!

bible challenge

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Courtesy of Cox and Forhum political cartoons
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Chance to really participate in some Catholic Social Justice!

If you've been reading about Terri Shiavo and wondering how the heck that Judge Greer can rule that she is brain dead when she clearly isn't. If you've been wondering what is anti-life agenda is, wonder no more because it may not matter if enough citizens stand together and support his opponant in the upcoming election. Judge Greer is no longer running unopposed! Jan Govanis running for the bench, but as you can imagine, Judge Greer has a nice head start and has more money behind him. I thought the blogger at Vociferous Yawpings put it well.


Also this from Father Rob:

Speaking of victories and prayers, it appears that one prayer of mine and many others has been answered: Judge George Greer, the "unjust judge" who has repeatedly and sometimes unaccountably ruled in favor of Michael Schiavo's efforts to end Terri's life, is being challenged in this fall's election. Jan Govan, an attorney from Clearwater, Fla., is running against Greer. He reports that he has been motivated to run by Greer's activist rulings in the Terri Schiavo case. Govan faces an uphill battle, as Greer has already collected around $55,000 from area lawyers and supporters, according to LifeNews.com. Furthermore, judicial elections usually have poor response, which works in the favor of incumbents. But now that someone is actually willing to oppose Greer, we have cause to hope that didn't exist before. So let Govan's victory be the subject of our prayers.

Let it be the subject of our pocket books too! Donate to Jan Govan's campaing here.

There's no reason why we can't support Govan in the upcoming election and send him some cash. If the total cost of the election is only $55,000, then there's no reason that we can't toss some coin into Mr. Govan's election fund. Now is a chance to make a serious difference in the political and judicial process. I'm sure Fr. Rob will send back info on contributions when he can. As soon as I hear, I'll pass the information along. This is an opportunity that MUST NOT be passed up! This kind of activism begins with YOU, dear reader of these words!

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My two soccer champions!

just testing the bloggerbot system.

A little rant

I added a quote from St. Ignatius to my side bar yesterday. I remember finding it a few years ago when I wanted to find out who exactly was responsible for starting the Society of Jesus a.k.a. the Jesuits. Finding that quote nearly sent me backwards in my chair in peels of laughter. Did the Jesuits know how their founder felt about magesterial fidelity? Apparently not.

While reading the blogs of others, a couple of other items came up which made me decide to add this to the side bar. One blogger opined that Catholics seemed "brainwashed" and not open to "self discovery." I can't imagine that anyone who has tried the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, or the Liturgy of the Hours, said the Rosary or prepared for a good confession, has not been open to self discovery. That's the wondeful part I think of being Catholic, is that there are so many ways and opportunities to learn about yourself, and even more importantly, to learn what that means in coming closer to knowing God.

As one matures in the faith, one discovers that it takes discipline to grow in holiness. Even St. Theresa's little way included a discipline to deny ones self and making these offerings to God. The example of St. Theresa also shows us that these disciplines are little opportunities in our everyday lives. They aren't hard to find. Where are they? For Catholic Christians they are found in the Sacred Scriptures, (the ten commandments, the beatitudes) and in our Sacred Traditions. They are in living and believing in whatever is true, and we know what those things are when we follow the teachings of our church which is "the pillar of truth." For Catholics truly searching for this truth, their catholicism, holiness and spirituality must be rooted in the Catholic Church and ALL thatshe teaches.
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The last bits of the End of Marriage in Scandinavia Article.

In response to blogs I had been reading which questioned how Same Sex marriage could possibly affect heterosexual unions, I have been breaking this article down into small chunks this week. (Interestingly none of the bloggers I invited to comment have touched my posts.)

So far, I have covered the first 6 pages of the article. The author, Stanley Kurtz, makes some additional points in the second half of the article.

"Since its adoption, gay marriage has brough division and decline to Norway's Lutheran Church."

We've certainly seen division amongst Catholics on this issue. Certainly the legalization in this country of SSM will not end the division, only deepen it, much as the acceptance of contraception and abortion has.

"Gay marriage lessened the church's authority by splitting it into warring factions and providing the secular media with occaions to mock and expose divisions."

Gee, sounds familiar.

"Gay marriage also elevated the church's openly rebellious minority liberal faction to national visibility, alowing Norwegians to feel that thir proclivity for unmarried parenthood, if not fully approved by the church, was at least not strongly condemned. IF the "conservative case" for gay marriage had been valid, clergy who were supportive of gay marriage would have taken a strong public stand against unmarried heterosexual parenthood. This didn't happen. It was the conservative clergy who criticized the prince, while the liberal supporters of gay marriage tolerated his decisions. The message was not lost on the ordinary Norwegians, who continued their flight to unmarried parenthood."

"In making her case, Melby (Kari Melby a social historian) praised gay parenting, along with voluntary single motherhood, as equally worthy alternatives to the traditional family. So instad of noting that an expectant mother might want to follow the example of marriage that even gays were now setting, Melby invoked homosexual families as proof that a child can do well with one parent as two.

The article also explored somewhat the affect of SSM on parenthood. In my own opinion, when the laws support adoption by same sex couples, or when society gives the nod to reproductive technologies that allow same sex couples to use sperm donors or surrogate mothers, it is saying that the role of "mother" and "father" is not essential to a healthy child. I vehemently disagree with that. There simply is no substitute for the gifts that both the mother, the woman, the feminine half of a union can give to her children, just as there is no substitute for the father, man, masculine. The two in God's plan, compliment and support each other and give a well rounded foundation for offspring.






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The empty spots in the Garden

Alicia, the Catholic midwife, has written a beautiful piece on her blog about the stillbirth of one of her clients.

One of the rosebushes has started blooming and even the nasturtiums look happy.
True, there are empty spots in the garden where some anticipated plants just didn't make it through the strange weather or the depredations of whatever was nibbling. I haven't put new plants in those spots. I don't know yet if I will. Those empty spaces remind me that I am not the one in charge here, that God has given us a chance to nurture and harvest but that He alone really runs the show.

The empty spots in the beautiful garden - what an apt analogy.

I have always felt great sympathy for moms who have had stillbirths, ever since I was at least 10 years old and learned about "stillbirth" in a story I was reading. I remember how shocked I was to read that. That something could be so backward - to die before one was even born? I remember taking the book to my mom and grandma who were sitting together in the living room. Although I remember the knowing glances passing between them, I don't remember that they said anything that soothed my mind about this discovery. And Alicia is right in the title of her blog post- it did seem like an injustice and in someways still does.

Maybe my reading that book at that age, with that kind of sensitivity was God's way of preparing me in my life for things that would happen to me decades later. I don't know but I have often thought about that.

Of course having and sympathy and empathy isn't the same as being in the club. I had my own stillbirth 17 months ago and have since known the sorrow I had been so sympathetic for.

I love Alicia's analogy. It does feel like an empty spot that can't be filled, or maybe will never grow over. Even in the midst of the other beautiful plants that "spot" still stands out, even if only the mom can see it.

To take her analogy a bit farther, my garden ( my home, husband and 5 living kidlets) still need tending. There are weeds to pull and mulch to spread, grass to mow and new plants to bring in. Sometimes I can get so busy with all of it that the little bare spot isn't at the front of my mind. It's still there. I'm probably the only one that glances at it though or knows its significance.



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Sacred Heart of Jesus

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Third Bite Sized Chunk on The End of Marriage in Scandinavia

This week, I have blogged twice on this informative article, The End of Marriage in Scandinavia which is linked on my sidebar.

You can read those entries here and here


Today I want to briefly point out how the legalization of same sex marriage in Scandinavia DID have a significant impact on the culture and the institution of marriage. Stanley Kurtz, the author points out that there are three zones of countries regarding the state of marriage and cohabitation and same sex marriage.

The first zone are the leaders in cohabitation and out-of wedlock births. These include the Nordic countries.
The second zone include the Netherlands, Belgium, Great Britain and Germany. The United States and Canada also fall into this group.
The third group is the group most resistant to cohabitation, family dissolution and out-of-wedlock births and these include Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece

According to the article:

These three groupings closely track the movement for gay marriage. In the early nineties, gay marriage came to the Nordic countries, where the out-of-wedlock birthrate was already high. Ten years later, out-of-wedlock birth rates have risen significantly in the middle group of nations. Not coincidentally, nearly every country in that middle group has recently either legalized some form of gay marriage, or is seriously considering doing so. Only in the group with low out-of-wedlock birthrates has the gay marriage movement achieved relatively little success

And now we come to the crux of the issue.

This suggests that gay marriage is both an effect and a cause of the increasing separation between marriage and parenthood. As rising out-of-wedlock birthrates disassociate heterosexual marriage from parenting, gay marriage becomes conceivable. If marriage is only about a relationship between two people, and is not intrinsically connected to parenthood, why shouldn't same-sex couples be allowed to marry? It follows that once marriage is redefined to accommodate same-sex couples, that change cannot help but lock in and reinforce the very cultural separation between marriage and parenthood that makes gay marriage conceivable to begin with.

We see this process at work in the radical separation of marriage and parenthood that swept across Scandinavia in the nineties. If Scandinavian out-of-wedlock birthrates had not already been high in the late eighties, gay marriage would have been far more difficult to imagine. More than a decade into post-gay marriage Scandinavia, out-of-wedlock birthrates have passed 50 percent, and the effective end of marriage as a protective shield for children has become thinkable. Gay marriage hasn't blocked the separation of marriage and parenthood; it has advanced it.

I would just like to interject my own observations as a child of the 60s and 70s. One only has to look at the acceptance of contraception and the inevitable and eventual acceptance of premarital sex to know that attitudes change swiftly but surely once the government legislations or judiciates morality. In the late 50s and early 60s you never saw characters in movies and plays engaging in premarital sex. It may have been hinted at or alluded to but it wasn't acceptable to engage in or even talk about. Fast forward to the 21st century and now the big question isn't whether or not to kiss on the first date, but whether or not the couple will have sex. The attitude put forward by legalizing same sex marriage will also change the culture. In fact, I think we're half way there. If marriage isn't about children, but only about the wants and desires of two people, which indeed IS the message of SSM, then why bother with the institution of marriage to begin with.

Tomorrow I want to talk about how this affects the meaning of fatherhood, motherhood and children.




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When will I ever learn...

to follow my female intuition?

Yesterday, the coach of my 14 1/2 year son's champion soccer team thought it would be a fit ending for the season to have the yearly parent vs. kids soccer game. Now this use to be a lot of fun, especially when the kids were in DD. It wasn't too bad when they were 10 and 11 years old. It is NOT as much fun when the kids have facial hair, deep voices, weigh more than you, are well conditioned, have been playing all season and just won the championship while we, the parents have been cheering them on from the side lines, butts firmly implanted in our nifty folding chairs.

I had premonitions about the game all day, but I told myself, I'm a wise woman. I know it's only a game. If some kid wants to take the ball - he can have it. I'm too young for knee replacements but old enough to remember how a dislocated patella feels. I also forwarned my husband that this was only a game, it's for fun, let's not get too serious.

And then the coach reminded the parents that the kids had won for two years and the parents had won for two years and this, this was kind of like our own championship. You could feel the endorphines and electricity in the us geriatrics getting higher and higher as he spoke.

Whistle blew, game started. Our coach is from Ireland I think. You know over in those European countries when a baby is born he is handed a soccer ball. Toddlers aren't allowed to toddle unless they are kicking a little ball in front of them! They are born to play this game. The coach started off like he was playing for the finals of the World Cup. Another gentleman on our team was also quite competitive. His wife told me that as his sons got older, it was a real struggle for him to give up his own playing time to see his own kids play. The two of them could have taken on the entire team by themselves for the amount of help the rest of us 14 odd parents were able to provide.

I was careful, I was cautious. When the ball came for me I watched to see who was going for it. There are certain kids I just knew couldn't see the difference between me and the 14 year old kid they played against last week in terms of going after the competition. I wasn't really willing to push anybody.

When the half came we were tied 2 to 2. Sam and Gabe were over at the high school doing an extra swim practice so it was time for me to pick them up. My husband, Pete, said he would go.

"No, you stay, I'll get them."

But I knew he was much better for the team than I was. So I left picked up the kids and came right back. It took me about 20 minutes. In that amount of time, Mr. Pete got a surge of adrenaline/testosterone toxicity and made a brave play for the ball as it came streaking towards him. He reached, he missed, he pulled his knee.

When I came back he was sitting on the ground eating pizza and told me that he thought he messed up his knee a little, but he could walk on it. A little funny but not bad. By 4:00 a.m. it was bad. Red, swollen, scary. Doctor said to keep it iced, give him Motrin and come in tomorrow.

I'm hoping he'll be O.K. A couple of weeks in a knee immobilizer wouldn't be too terrible. I'm hoping we're not looking at surgery.

I think the lesson learned here is sometimes if something sounds a little daring and dangerous it probably is. And as two struggling breadwinners, maybe those are chances we just can't take any more.




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Fair Taxation

Here is the website with information about tax reform and HR 25

Here's a summary:
Fair Tax Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal subtitle A (Income Taxes), B (Estate and Gift Taxes), and C (Employment Taxes) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Imposes a tax on the use or consumption in the United States of taxable property or services. Sets the tax rate at 23 percent for the calendar year 2005. Sets the rate, for years after 2005, at the combined sum of the general revenue rate (14.91 percent), the old-age survivors and disability rate, and the hospital insurance rate.

Sets forth provisions concerning, among other things; (1) imports and exports; (2) definitions; (3) credits and refunds; (4) a "family consumption allowance"; (5) Federal and State cooperative tax administration; (6) administrative matters; (7) collections, appeals, and taxpayer rights; (8) special rules (hobbies, gaming, government purchases, non-profits, and etc.); (9) financial intermediation services; and (10) additional matters.

Sets forth provisions concerning the: (1) phase-out of administration of repealed taxes; (2) administration of other taxes (establishes an Excise Tax Bureau and a Sales Tax Bureau); and (3) sales tax inclusive social security benefits indexation.

Here is a thumbnail sketch:

Thumbnail Sketch of the FairTax


The FairTax is a consumption tax designed to replace the entire federal income tax system, including personal, payroll, corporate, self-employment, capital gains, gift, and inheritance taxes. The FairTax will allow Americans to keep 100% of their paychecks (minus any state income taxes), it will dramatically reduce pre-tax prices, and it will fully fund the Federal government, including Social Security and Medicare.

With the FairTax, you will get to take home 100% of your paycheck (minus any state income taxes). No federal income taxes or payroll taxes will be withheld from your paycheck, pension, or Social Security check.

Did you know that hidden income taxes currently make up 20% to 30% of all retail prices? It's true. According to Dr. Dale Jorgenson of Harvard, hidden income taxes are passed on to the consumer in the form of higher prices, from 20% to 30% higher than they would otherwise be for everything you buy.

Therefore, when the FairTax Act of 2001 abolishes the federal income tax system, prices will drop 20% to 30%. The proposed FairTax rate is 23%. So, instead of paying 15.3% of your paycheck in payroll taxes, plus an average of 18% of your paycheck in federal income tax, for a total of about 33% of your paycheck going to the federal government in Washington, you pay only a 23% consumption tax each time you purchase a new good or service for your own personal consumption above the federal poverty level.

At this 23% rate, the FairTax will pay for all current government operations, including Social Security and Medicare. With a consumption tax like the FairTax, government revenues will be even more stable than they are now because consumption tends to be more constant than income.

With the FairTax, if you choose to buy any new good or service for yourself, a consumption tax of 23%, will be added into the price. If you choose to buy used goods -- used car, used home, used clothing -- you do not pay the FairTax. If, as a business owner, you buy something for strictly business purposes (not for personal consumption), you pay no consumption tax. So, in deciding what to buy, you get to choose whether or not you will pay the federal consumption tax.

Perhaps most importantly, to ensure that no American will pay tax on necessities, the FairTax plan provides a prepaid, monthly rebate for every registered household to cover the 23% consumption tax spent on necessities up to the federal poverty level. This is how the FairTax completely untaxes the poor, and lowers the tax burden on everyone else. Can you see how much freer life will be with the FairTax instead of the income tax?

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Wictory Wednesday

There are only about 10 weeks left to the Republican national convention. After that, you can't donate to the Bush campaign because of campaign finance laws. If you want to make a contribution, now would be a good time.


Today is Wictory Wednesday.
There's been a lot of clucking about President Bush asking Pope John Paul II to encourage the bishops here to do the right thing in upholding the teachings of the church. You know... good for him. I think it showed a lot of humility and wisdom to go right to the Pope, the papa, to ask these guys to do what they are supposed to be doing anyway.

Another reason why I am supporting President Bush in November.
Please consider supporting President Bush's re-election campaign with your time, talent and some of your treasure.


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The media twisting Reagan's accomplishments.

Most of us remember President Reagan as the man responsible for revitalizing the American spirit, bringing the economy out of its tailspin, and defeating the Soviet Union--immense and daunting tasks at the time. The completion of any one of them would be cause enough to honor and respect the man; Ronald Reagan accomplished all three and more. The haters, as usual, focus exclusively on the negative, no matter how minor.

Reagan and AIDS

They want to paint a picture of a President who ''ignored'' AIDS, started wars for fun, and just happened to be in the White House when the Soviet Union collapsed of its own accord. It's a false portrait.

The whine that ''President Reagan ignored AIDS'' is simply ridiculous. AIDS was not identified until 1981, and Reagan's government spent $5.7 billion on AIDS research, beginning in 1983. In 1988 - the last year he was in office -- there were only 32,311 cases of AIDS diagnosed in the US, and a drug had already been approved that held the promise of treatment. By way of comparison, there were over 62,000 cases of diabetes diagnosed in the United States that same year, yet no outcry about this was heard from the Left then or now.

It amazes me that Liberals don't try to blame Reagan (or current President Bush, for that matter) for not halting the scourge of diabetes, a disease which has killed more people than AIDS. It's not about lives, of course, but lifestyle. Liberals have been trying to turn AIDS into a ''romantic disease'' (no pun intended, of course), much like consumption (tuberculosis) in the 19th Century. Unfortunately, AIDS is often spread by the deliberate actions of the infected. There's no romanticizing that, and no drug can stop it.

Liberals often excoriate Reagan for his liberation of Grenada and support of Nicaraguan rebels. His opposition to the spread of communism in Central America (as well as the rest of the world) seems to infuriate them. Generally, the people actually liberated from those communist regimes have a very different view of President Reagan. ''Nicaragua is free because of Ronald Reagan,'' said Nicaraguan banker Roberto Arguello. ''He was highly focused on getting rid of the Sandinistas. He made it part of his strategy to get rid of the evil empire that had planted seeds in Nicaragua, Cuba and Grenada. Ronald Reagan is revered by Nicaraguans.'' Reagan warned the nation of the growing Soviet threat in Central America in 1986. ''A few years ago, then-Soviet Foreign Minister Gromyko noted that Central America was, quote, 'boiling like a cauldron' and ripe for revolution,'' Reagan said. ''In a Moscow meeting in 1983, Soviet Chief of Staff Marshal Ogarkov declared: 'Over two decades ... there was only Cuba in Latin America. Today there are Nicaragua, Grenada, and a serious battle is going on in El Salvador.' ''

But we don't need their quotes; the American forces who liberated Grenada captured thousands of documents that demonstrated Soviet intent to bring communist revolution home to the Western Hemisphere. It was partly by halting the spread of Russia's influence and power that Reagan was able to defeat them.

While Liberals believed that the United States should be reconciled to the existence of the USSR and the continuation of the failed containment policy known as the Cold War, Ronald Reagan saw a way to bring that government to its knees--now, in our time. He increased our military budget, forcing the USSR to increase its own military spending to match. In fact, given the 28.3% increase in the Gross Domestic Product during the 1980's, the overall increase in military spending as a percentage of the GDP only increased by .6% during Reagan's term, though it nearly doubled in dollar amount from $158 billion to $304 billion (in 1987 dollars). To the Soviet economy, however, a drastic increase in spending was unsustainable, and Reagan's proposed anti-ballistic missile defense system (Strategic Defense Initiative) which was a death-blow. The USSR could never hope to match it. The moment that Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev insisted that SDI research be stopped at the summit in Reykjavik, and Reagan walked away from the table, the Soviet Union was doomed. The critics may have a point--if we had just waited another fifty or a hundred years, the Soviet Union may well have suffered an economic collapse. At what cost? During that time billions of people would have lived out their lives in fear and virtual slavery, and no one can tell how many would have died in its death throes. No collapsing government has ever gone quietly onto ''the ash heap of history'' of its own volition.

And Communist Russia needed to be defeated--totalitarian governments which rob their citizens of life, liberty, and the freedom to pursue happiness are the antithesis of what America is all about. We are by nature--or ought to be--opposed to such regimes.

Though there were and still are other oppressive governments in the world, Ronald Reagan defeated the chief of them all, the one that funded and fueled so many others. In a way, his economic and foreign policies were cut from the same conservative cloth. He believed in giving people a chance, not a handout.

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How to raise boys

Many times people will come up to me and comment on how polite, kind and well mannered my 4 boys are. This is an illusion. My boys are not well mannered - they're exhausted!! My secret? SWIMMING

When my oldest was 18 months old it was clear he was going to be a handful. When I was pregnant with my 2nd son I didn't think I was going to make it through what with chasing him everywhere and the strain and stress of the pregnancy. I can remember one time being on the bed with him and begging him to just go to sleep. Instead he was jumping all over the place and having a good time. I finally told him he could jump as much as he wanted too, but he couldn't jump on me AND he wasn't allowed to get off of the bed, and that if he did get off of the bed I was going to spank him. So there I lay, like a beached whale, bobbing up and down as my delighted toddler jumped enthusiastically around me. From a sheer lack of sleep and energy, I fell asleep, only to awake with a start. It was quiet!! Too QUIET! Something must be wrong!!!

Actually everything was fine. My toddler had jumped himself silly and was sleeping at my feet at the end of the bed. A light bulb went off in my head. After that I tried to get him to do some really really active stuff in the afternoon before naptime.

Calvin continued to be a challenge as he grew and when I compared him to other children his age he was very very active. I have no doubt that if I had sent him to regular school he would have been labeled as hyperactive.

When he was about 8 years old I discovered the local swim team and life changed. That kid was never the same after spending a couple of hours in the water practicing with the swim team. Note this is NOT the same as swim lessons at your local Y. I mean after Calvin knew all of the strokes, this was swimming laps and doing drills. He came home and was docile the rest of the evening.

So that's my secret and it has been with the other four, my curent 6- year-old has just started swimming classes. So this is how it plays out for this summer: At 6:30 a.m., my oldest is driven to the pool by my husband for an hour and a half of practice. At 8:00 my middle two go to swimming until 9:30 and then at 10:00 the littlest son has his swim class. I made Izzy wait a year because she's only four and because I needed to pace myself financially. Next year all 5 of them will be swimming.

They come back, they're ready to work, read, do a little school work and then at night they're ready for bed. Really... it's better than Ritalin. A couple of hours in the pool takes the fight out of em... I highly recommend it!

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The End of Marriage in Scandinavia - second bite sized chunk.

Yesterday, I blogged about the article by Stanley Kurtz and examined why this article is so important in understanding the undermining of the institution of marriage by legalized same sex unions. Mr. Kurtz discussed how contraception was one of the factors that started the downhill slide of marriage and I offered Pople Paul VI and Humanae Vitae as support for that perspective.

Interestingly, another factor in the decline in marriage in Scandinavia has been their huge socialist system. The welfare state has displaced the family as the provider.

By guaranteeing jobs and income to every citizen (even children), the welfare state renders each individual independent. It's easier to divorce your spouse when the state will support you instead.

We something like this in the War on Poverty that started under the Johnson Administration. The number of fatherless homes, particularly in welfare families soared.

Of course when you have a huge welfare state it is supported in higher taxes.

The taxes necessary to support the welfare state have had an enormous impact on the family. WIth taxes so high women must work. This reduces the time available for child rearing, thus encouraging the expansion of a day-care systm that takes a large part in raising nearly all Swedish children over age on. Here is at least a partial realization of Simone de Beavoir's dream of an enforced androgyy that pushes women from the home by turning children over to the state.

I believe that this is a similar view held by the Democratic party as I blogged last Wednesday in my Wictory Wednesday post. It is a view I do not share and another reason why I will not be supporting the Democrats in November.

So while the rise in cohabitation and out-of-wedlock births, divorce etc. or the contributing factors are unique to Scandinavia, the Scandinavian welfare state aggravates these problems.

Mr Kurt notes however that while this pattern is spreading in the world it is spreading unevenly.

A 2002 study by the Max Planch Institute for example, concluded that countries with the lowest rate of family dissolution and out of wedlock births are "strongly dominated by the Catholic confession.

I love it. The Catholic church still the pillar of truth.

Tomorrow will look at the how gay marriage fits into the picture.

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Sam wisdom

So I'm explaining to my 11-year-old Sam about infallibility, and what makes the pope and the bishops infallible.

"So you know Sam," I said, "the Pope is only infallible when he is speaking on matters of faith and morals. What if the Pope says that the Cleveland Indians will sweep the pennant and go on to win the world series? Is he infallible?"

And Sam says without missing a beat, "No mom, and that's a sin, no one is supposed to tell the future except God!"

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A Look at Marriage and a Deeper Study of the Article, "The End of Marriage in Scandinavia"

A month or so ago, Jeff Miller introduced me to the article, The End of Marriage in Scandinavia, by Stanley Kurtz. Mr. Kurtz is a research fellow at the Hoover Institution and this article appeared in The Weekly Standard.

I have since recommended this reading to bloggers, here here, here and here and commentators who have questioned why so many conservative, religious people were against the legalization of Same-sex unions. Some of these folks appear to have really believed that the opponents of SSM thought THEIR OWN marriages would start to disintegrate if SSMs were allowed.

Since I think the ideas and trends identified in the article, The End of Marriage in Scandinavia, are very important to an informed discussion on the matter, and since I got the impression that none of my discussion partners had actually read and digested the article, I am going to make the time to do that on my own blog. I also think that my own perspective as a Catholic wife and mother for almost 25 years can be helpful.

One commenter on an other blog here, wondered why one should look at Scandinavia at all, why not just stick with the United States? The answer is, because Scandinavia has allowed SSM for over 10 years and because it is a Western country with similar standards of living and economic conditions, it serves as a good indicator of the long-term effects of SSM on a society.

Just as a reminder, this is a Catholic blog. I am a Catholic blogger, and my perspective is one of orthodoxy. (I know others in St. Blog's don't like labels - I'm not one of them. When you have a blog ring that has every shade of the modern Catholic from the orthodox/practicing to the "haven't seen a monstrance in 40 years and I believe in stopping abortion on the supply side" it's good to know what perspective you are dealing with.


The beginning of the end of marriage in this article is pretty much where Paul VI said it would be - with contraception.
The End of Marriage in Scandinavia, on page 3 states:

In Sweden, as elsewhere, the sixties brought contraception, abortion, and growing individualism. Sex was separated from procreation, reducing the need for "shotgun weddings." These changes, along with the movement of women into the workforce, enabled and encouraged people to marry at later ages. With married couples putting off parenthood, early divorce had fewer consequences for children. That weakened the taboo against divorce.

This is reminiscent of the warning from Pope Paul VI in Humanae Vitae.

It is also to be feared that the man, growing used to the employment of anti-conceptive practices, may finally lose respect for the woman and, no longer caring for her physical and psychological equilibrium, may come to the point of considering her as a mere instrument of selfish enjoyment, and no longer as his respected and beloved companion.

It's no secret that the divorce rate in this country soared after the marketing of the pill. In Scandinavia, "marriage is now so weak that statistics on marriage and divorce no longer mean what they used to mean."

" the pool of married people has been shrinking for some time. You can't divorce without first getting married."

The article goes on then to discuss how once sex was separated from procreation, people could postpone marriage into later ages. When couples put off childbearing they can divorce easier and this further weakened, "the taboo against divorce." So if couples put of children, the next step was to postpone marriage until children were desired. "The Swedes have simply drawn the final conclusion: If we've come so far without marriage, why marry at all? Our love is what matters, not a piece of paper. Why should children change that?

Tomorrow I'll blog on the effect of religion on families and the economics of breaking a family apart.

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Need any printing or graphic art work done?

Then Jeff Culbreath is your man and if his little prayer book is any indication - he does good work. Check out the info on his blog.


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Heather Gemmen and her story of God's grace after rape.

Heather Gemmen has a new book out about her life, her family, and her marriage and how they survived a rape, and a resulting pregnancy. An inspiring story.


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Remembering President Reagan

Blog from the Core has some wonderful links and pictures of the beloved 40th president. Worth visiting.

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Summary of the discussion

My Wictory Wednesday speech generated a lot of comments. I believe this final exchange between Jeff and I was really the crux of the issue. My comments in blue.

But I don't believe that taxation for "entitlements" is good. I think a lot of it gets eaten up in pure administration.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with you 100% about a lot of tax money being eaten up in pure administration. I just don't see how giving Bill Gates a huge tax cut and giving average working people a couple hundred bucks does anything to fix that problem.


BECAUSE, Bill Gates can take that money and start his OWN foundations with it (which I understand he has done, he's quite the philanthropist!) He can also use that money to expand his business or start another business which makes more jobs. Even if he doesn't do either of the above, what he consumes in goods and services ALSO helps with providing jobs.

So those seem to be your options - let folks like Gates use THEIR money which helps grow the economy OR forcibly take their money away via taxes and let the Government piddle it away in that special way that only a bureaucratic quagmire can do.

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Bishop Sheridan tightens the "conscience" loop hole.

To those, then, who said that the Church teaches that we must follow our consciences, I say TRUE. But only a well-formed and informed conscience may be followed. Put bluntly, anyone who says he has a well-formed conscience that stands opposed to the most fundamental moral teachings of our Church simply does NOT have a well-formed conscience. And let’s not appeal to Vatican II to pretend that we do.

Good for him!! Someone finally said it!

Link via Mark Shea



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Doing my homework

Oh the life of a Domestic Church diva!!

Off to do my homework. Between loads of laundry, dinner (which is almost done) Jazzercise and transcribing one tape, I will be re-reading and analyzing a papal encyclical and The End of Marriage in Scandinavia article for two debates brewing elsewhere, although I'm probably going to use up my own bandwidth to respond.

Who says stay-at-home-moms aren't busy!


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Mrs. Reagan

I watched the coverage last night as the body of President Reagan was brought in to the capital to lie in state. I heard somewhere that President Lincoln was the first president to have that honor, and that President Reagan's casket has been placed in the same spot, on the same platform that was used for Mr. Lincoln. And as I wathced all the ceremonial protocols playing out I couldn't help but think how good we Americans have gotten at this. We have our traditions, we have our history, we have OUR way and it is a solemn, emotional and yet an awesome thing we do to honor our leaders, our heroes and our dead.

The hero yesterday of course was Mrs. Reagan. She looked like a dignified queen, a gracious lady. It was hard to believe she is almost 83 years old herself. She doesn't carry herself that way. She reminded me so much of Jacqueline Kennedy in similar circumstances. Both pictures of grace in grief.

After the end of the ceremonies and the speeches, Mrs. Reagan went up to touch the casket. She stroked it lovingly and I got the image of the years she must have spent smoothing lapels, brushing lint off of sweaters, just touching the chest of her husband of all those years. It wasn't ceremonial or planned. It was common and familiar in a good way, in a wife-touches-her-beloved-husband kind of way. It was beautiful.



When Mr. Pete came home last night after doing his extra pick up job I gave him a hug - a little longer than usual though.

I'm going to watch the funeral tomorrow. I'm MAKING my kids watch it too. They'll thank me later.



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Another reason to follow the teachings on contraception

Study Reveals Condoms are Carcinogenic
BERLIN, May 31, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Most condoms contain a potent carcinogen, N-Nitrosamine, a German research facility revealed Friday. Of 32 types tested, 29 contained the cancer-causing chemical at highly elevated levels, up to three times what could be found in food, the study showed.

Study scientists, who conducted the research at The Chemical and Veterinary Investigation Institute in Stuttgart, Germany, said "N-Nitrosamine is one of the most carcinogenic substances," as reported by the Reuters news service. "There is a pressing need for manufacturers to tackle this problem," the scientists recommended.

The chemical's purpose is to increase the elasticity of latex rubber, and is released when a condom comes in contact with body fluids.

Thanks smockmomma for the link.




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Stuff in my e-bay store

We're selling a very nice Maple Schrieber Bassoon this week in our eBay store- no reserve!

I'm also cleaning out the classroom and will be putting on some Learning Language Arts through Literature books if you are interested.

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Why I'm voting for Bush.

A conservative professor was teaching in a rather liberal college (Al Gore was one of the visiting faculty.) He did this little exercise to give his students an understanding of socialism and the socialist ideals espoused by the Democratic party.

His class had a big quiz that was worth a good chunk of the final grade. The students all took the quiz and a few days later the papers were handed back with their marks. Everyone in the class got a C.

One of the students, Jane, protested.

"But professor, I all of my answers were right! You even marked in the margin how much you agreed with my analysis. Why did I only get a C?"

"Well, you see Jane," said the professor, "Dick here didn't get all of the answers right. In fact Dick did rather poorly on the test, so I gave him credit for some of your correct answers to help him out, that way he can still pass the course. You still pass Jane with a C. What's the problem?"

Several of the students responded out loud - "IT'S NOT FAIR!!"

The professor responded with a grin, "Then welcome to the Republican Party."

This election is more than just a choice between two candidates, it's a choice between two world views. On the one side you have the Democratic party that is becoming more and more socialist every year. Their solution to social problems is to tax the rich and the middle class and "redistribute the wealth." But what we can see from the little scenario above, that point of view is flawed. It always has been. It was flawed when President Johnson tried it for the Great Society, it was flawed when the communists have tried it in the Soviet Union, Cuba etc. People need incentives, they need to know that more hard work brings greater reward and thus more incentive.

The view of the Republican party is simple. If you work hard, if you try hard you should be rewarded for it, and ultimately, if the businesses in America are doing well, they will create more jobs. This is how you truly distribute wealth and prosperty.

Today is Wicktory Wednesday.

If you support this way of life too, please consider supporting President Bush's re-election campaign with your time, talent and some of your treasure.

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New Iraqi Government THANKING the US.

While Senatory Kennedy continues to talk about the naked prisoner pictures (uh... what's up with that?) The Iraqi government is profusely thanking the US and Great Britain for a job well done!

REVIEW & OUTLOOK

Iraqi Gratitude
The new government is thanking America and Bush. Why are the media silent?

Tuesday, June 8, 2004 12:01 a.m. EDT

A myth has developed that Iraqis aren't grateful for their liberation from Saddam. So it's worth noting that the leaders of Iraq's new interim government have been explicit and gracious in their thanks, not that you've heard this from the U.S. media.

First in Arabic and then in English, Prime Minister Iyad Allawi said in his inaugural address to the Iraqi people last Tuesday that "I would like to record our profound gratitude and appreciation to the U.S.-led international coalition, which has made great sacrifices for the liberation of Iraq." In his own remarks, President Ghazi al-Yawer said: "Before I end my speech, I would like us to remember our martyrs who fell in defense of freedom and honor, as well as our friends who fell in the battle for the liberation of Iraq."

Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari told the U.N. Security Council much the same thing last Thursday: "We Iraqis are grateful to the coalition who helped liberate us from the persecution of Saddam Hussein's regime. We thank President Bush and Prime Minister Blair for their dedication and commitment."

Thanks Watersblogged for the link.


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Books for children

I have two books to recommend to young people for this summer. My family listened to these books over Memorial Day on our trip and they really held everyone's attention. I don't think my youngest three understood everything but they were very attentive and it brought good discussion with my older two, my husband and my self.

The first is The Year of Impossible GoodByes.

It is the story of a young girl living in occupied Northern Korean during World War II and the struggles she and her family went through under the Japanese and then under the Soviets. Near the end of the story the girl and her little brother make an exciting escape by themselves below the 48th parallel in to South Korea. Definitely a nail biter!!

The second is The Devil's Arithmetic. Same time frame- different continent.

Here's a brief review from the web site: The Devil's Arithmetic is about a girl, Hannah Stern, who is tired of remembering about the Holocaust and Passover. When her family goes to Grandma Belle and Grandpa Will's house for Passover, she wishes she were somewhere else. When she is asked to open the door for Elijah, she is transported back to World War II. She is called Chaya by her Aunt Gitl and Uncle Shmuel. Shmuel is going to be married the next day to Fayge, the rabbi's daughter, and Chaya is going, too. Gitl, Shmuel, and Chaya travel down the road to the wedding with all the wedding gifts and guests. When they reach the shul for the wedding, big black trucks block the way. At this point, Chaya realizes what year it is, and to whom those trucks belong.

Both of these tapes were well narrated. Books or tapes- good choices for summer time reading and education.


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Some tips for debating dissenting Catholics.

I've been debating folks who dissent from Church teaching on line now since 1998. I got my start on AOL debate boards, moved over to a very liberal board on Catholicism and birth control, and then finally over to blogdom. Along the way I've picked up a few tips that I have found helpful and thought I would record them here.

1. Carefully read the argument of your opponant before responding and take your time to make a response. For me, some of the posts and comments I have read from my debate opponants have been so inflammatory my first reaction is to flame back, but a cooler head will help you think about and find the flaw in the argument presented.

2. Dissenters do not like appeals to authority - unless its a topic that they espouse like the church's social justice stand or abortion. Hold their feet to the fire on this. If they reject the magesterium in one case, they can't hold to it on another.

3. Dissenters also like to talk about the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is good idea to have the teachings of the church with regard to the Holy Spirit and the office of the Papacy and the bishops in hand and then ask your opponent how they Holy Spirit could be guiding them in the opposite direction!

4. If a dissenter presents you with a quote from an article, or from a famous person, even scripture - GO AND CHECK IT OUT YOURSELF. I have caught several debators in their own web this way with their own resources. Of special note would be the Neumann quote on conscience and more recently the misuse of Aquinas on the appeal to authority.

5. If you are debating someone who is a real Jesuit lover, it's good to throw in the quote from St. Ignatius.

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A New Blog

At least it's new to me. My sister found it and sent it to me and shewas right - it's a good read. The Happy Husband.

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Being an Altar server

My boy, Calvin, has been a server since the 5th grade. That's when we start them at our parish - 5th grade. His cousin in upper Michigan started a few years before that, but in my parish where we have to accommodate all of the young ladies who want to serve, there simply isn't room for 3rd and 4th grade boys too. So they start in 5th grade. (Tongue firmly implanted in cheek!)

At my parish, we also send a letter out at the end of 8th grade telling the 8th graders that we appreciate their 4 years of service and realize that now as they are going into high school, getting more involved in their community, discerning careers, that they no longer have to be on the regular serving schedule. It they WANT to continue to serve they have to notify the powers that be to stay on - otherwise they are going off of the schedule. (Tongue starting to bore a hole through said cheek!)

When we got that letter for my oldest, I immediately called the nice lady in charge and asked her to please keep my oldest on, that I would like him to continue to serve on the regular Sunday rotation with his little brother who was now old enough to serve. No problem. He was on.

Now, my kid is a big guy. Not fat. Big. He is 6 foot tall, weighs 205 pounds and wears a size 14 shoe. He plays soccer and he is on a swim team so this isn't "flab" but "fab" as they say.

On Sunday he was supposed to serve mass and a couple of interesting things happened.

First there are supposed to be four servers - my two boys and two others. My younger boy had a stomach ache (big soccer game where he was the goalie and they got their butts kicked the day before followed by an all-you-can eat Barbecue at a team mates house) so he stayed home. I don't know what happened to the third server, but the fourth one had mysteriously disappeared and VOILA!! in his/her place was the young lady who has been courting, stalking, bugging my son for the past 6 months. She obviously had traded masses! I have to admire her determination, tenacity and overall good taste and I am beyond annoyed and into awe at her perseverance. Calvin, at least for the next 90 minutes, was trapped.

Secondly, when Cal went to get his servers alb he made the inevitable discovery - NONE of them fit him anymore. The largest one still pulled across his back. He wisely went up to Father and told him what happened and Father gave him one of the priest's to wear. Aside from the fact that it is obviously a nicer alb, without a hood, it worked fine and looked very nice.

Thirdly, as the three of them stood up there, Calvin, Father and this young lady, my husband and I noticed that Calvin was now a good half inch or more taller than Father. (Calvin apparently noticed this too and was trying to slouch as much as he could which is why I don't have a clear measure of what the difference was.) If you were new in the parish you might have wondered who that young deacon was, or who was the new seminarian! I was proud. Calvin was mortified.

So after mass, Calvin told us he wasn't going to serve any more. Serving was for "little kids" and for "girls" and obviously the parish thought so too as they don't have the robes for bigger guys.

And I think what a shame. High school is the time they need to be accelerating the service and the opportunity for their MALE servers, not letting them drift out of the picture. This is how vocations are discerned and I would quickly add to help support my point - we haven't had a vocation come out of my parish in decades!!

My husband and I might have to insist that he will continue to serve with his brother. I think my husband is going to express our concerns to the pastor. My son might have a vocation, he might not, but I sure don't want to snuff out the potential at the tender age of 14!


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Rush's 35 Undeniable truths. Some of them are funny. Most of them are right on.
Thanks Jeff Burden's blog.1: There is a distinct singular American culture - rugged individualism and self-reliance - which made America great.
#2: The vast majority of the rich in this country did not inherit their wealth; they earned it. They are the country's achievers, producers, and job creators.
#3: No nation has ever taxed itself into prosperity.
#4: Evidence refutes liberalism.
#5: There is no such thing as a New Democrat.
#6: The Earth's eco-system is not fragile.
#7: Character matters; leadership descends from character.
#8: The most beautiful thing about a tree is what you do with it after you cut it down.
#9: Ronald Reagan was the greatest president of the twentieth century.
#10: The 1980s was not a decade of greed but a decade of prosperity - it was the longest period of peacetime growth in American history.
#11: Abstinence prevents sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy - every time it's tried.
#12: Condoms only work during the school year.
#13: Poverty is not the root ("rut") cause of crime.
#14: There's a simple way to solve the crime problem: obey the law; punish those who do not.
#15: If you commit a crime, you are guilty.
#16: Women should not be allowed on juries where the accused is a stud.
#17: The way to improve schools is not more money. It's introduction of moral and spiritual values, as well as the "4 R's": reading, 'riting, 'rithmatic, and Rush.
#18: I am not arrogant.
#19: My first 35 Undeniable Truths are still undeniably true.
#20: There is a God.
#21: There is something wrong when critics say the problem with America is too much religion.
#22: Morality is not defined by individual choice.
#23: The only way liberals win national elections is by pretending they're not liberals.
#24: Feminism was established as to allow unattractive women easier access to the mainstream of society.
#25: Follow the money. When somebody says, "It's not the money," it's always the money.
#26: Liberals attempt through judicial activism what they cannot win at the ballot box.
#27: Using federal dollars as a measure, our cities have not been neglected, but poisoned with welfare dependency funds.
#28: Progress is not striving for economic justice or fairness, but economic growth.
#29: Liberals measure compassion by how many people are given welfare. Conservatives measure compassion by how many people no longer need it.
#30: Compassion is no substitute for justice.
#31: The culture war is between the winners and those who think they're losers who want to become winners. The losers think the only way they can become winners is by banding together all the losers and then empowering a leader of the losers to make things right for them.
#32: The Los Angeles riots were not caused by the Rodney King verdict. The Los Angeles riots were caused by rioters.
#33: You could afford your house without your government - if it weren't for your government.
#34: Words mean things.
#35: Too many Americans can't laugh at themselves anymore.

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Why running from Jesuits is now almost a knee jerk reaction.

Here you can read Fr. Ken Overberg, SJ misguided attempt to give same-sex marriage the theological thumbs up.

I don't trust a priest who doesn't wear his Roman Collar with pride anyway. It would be like me not walking around with my wedding ring - it's dishonest in my opinion.

You can read the discussion that is about to ensue over this here.
Here's my first comment to get the ball rolling!
Our four gospels never describe Jesus addressing the topic of homosexuality; he says nothing.

My reply:

EXCEPT that Jesus clearly BLESSES the union of a man and a woman in marriage by his presence and his actions in Cana. He also says he comes to fulfill the law. There is no reason whatsoever in the gospels that would lead one to believe that Jesus blessed homosexual unions.

The rest of the priests argument seems to be based on the lack of knowledge of the early biblical writers and theologians. Yet, John Paul the II, whom one could hardly call uninformed or out of touch, has come up with probably one of the most outstanding works on Human sexuality from a Catholic perspective called the Theology of the Body. I notice that Father Overberg doesn't go near that with a 10 foot pole!! How honest or brave is his article when he doesn't take on one of the most insightful works on the topic by one of the most beloved and respected popes in modern times?

I found this like particularly amusing

All this in the context of trust in the Spirit’s guidance.

And who is guided more than the Pope? And he has produced this great work. Gosh, maybe the spirit is trying to tell Father Overberg something!!

And here is where Father, in my opinion, just steps into the realm of (gasp) heresy.
What a wonderful example and grace for our society and Church such an event would be! And isn’t something terribly wrong if it is not even possible?

No Father, there is nothing wrong with the church being unwilling to bend for every passing carnal pleasure that comes into vogue. Its' not her job to do that. What's wonderful that no matter what direction the winds of secular society blow, the church stands strong in the face of them. That's wonderful.

And to you Steve - I kinda don't think St. Ignatius (you know, the guy who said he would believe black was white if the church said it was so) would back you on this one and I'm pretty sure he'd hand out some pretty severe spiritual exercises to Father Overberg

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A tribute to President Reagan

Bob at Wattersblogged gave this beautiful tribute

One of history's truly great men died today.

Truman and Ike and LBJ were clearly near-greats, and George W. Bush may well, in a second term, achieve the next level beyond them. But Ronald Wilson Reagan will go down in history as the one truly great president of my lifetime. It isn't simply that, like President Bush, he brought us out of a cyclical recession. It was his determination that brought down not only the Iron Curtain, but the Soviet Union itself. There are millions of people who tonight will mourn their liberator, and who can have a better epitaph than that?

I didn't always agree with President Reagan. In fact, I voted against him twice. More than that, I opposed Mr. Reagan throughout his eight years as strongly as I would oppose Bill Clinton four years afterward. In retrospect, I was wrong. I didn't appreciate Mr. Reagan at the time. Those of you who did were wiser than I. Not until the buildup to the current war did I realize just how much greater a leader Mr. Reagan was than the man whose defeat at his hands I so resented in 1980.

We miss you already, Mr. President. You made a difference as few presidents do. You brought us out of that "malaise" with your Churchillian vision and single-mindedness, coupled with a sense of humor which disarmed even your opponents.

When President Lincoln died, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton went to great lengths to ensure that history remembered him (whether or not it was true) as sitting by Lincoln's deathbed, uttering at the final moment the words which appear above Lincoln's last resting place in the tomb in Springfield: "Now he belongs to the ages."

They mocked Mr. Reagan, as they mock our current leader. They questioned his intelligence. If they didn't compare him to a chimpanzee, they remembered his association with one in a role he played as an actor. But he had the last laugh, not so much over his enemies- I don't think he was the type to have enjoyed the discomfiture of those who disagreed with him- as over one of the most evil systems in human history. And now, he belongs to the ages.

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President Reagan

I admit it. I wasn't thrilled when Ronald Reagan became president for his first term. I loved Jimmy Carter, and I strongly disliked Reagan for, in my view, stealing the election from him. I remember sitting in the dance studio with my friends complaining about the new president elect. "And he was only a B actor at that!!" we lamented.

True to my Democratic party roots I also voted against him for his second term, not really because of anything he did or didn't do, but because I was raised in a strong Democratic family and that's just what we did - we voted for Democrats.

As I became a young adult, I grew to like the man. I liked how he handled people, I enjoyed his sense of humor and his view of Reaganomics was starting to make sense to me. I remember feeling fearful when the assassination attempt was made on his life. I remember chuckling as I read the quips he was making in the hospital while his doctors were trying to stabilize his condition. He's reported to have said, "I hope you're a Republican" to the chief surgeon who replied, "Today, Mr. President, we're all Republicans."

I liked that.

The day the Challenger blew up I was in middle management for an HMO in Ohio. The event stunned me. Shuttle missions had become so routine I had quit following them on the news. This disaster was a reality check for the nation I think. As I drove home that evening I listened to the President's speech and sobbed. His voice, tinged with genuine sadness, touched me deeply and I felt like if he were there with me he probably wouldn't have minded if I just put my head on his chest and wept with him and the rest of the nation.

"The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and 'slipped the surly bonds of earth' to 'touch the face of God."

I loved President Reagan for saying that.

So this morning I've been sitting on the couch watching the coverage and sobbing. I told John B, I feel as if my grandpa has died in a way. I'm remembering about the jelly beans, and about Mr. Gorbachev, and watching pictures of a president and a much younger pope as they talked and really seemed to enjoy each other's company, and I'm really feeling a personal loss as well as a loss for the whole country.



I also get the sense that God, in His perfect timing, has done it again. It's no coincidence I think that we remember the 60th anniversary of D-day at the same time we lose the Gipper.

Eternal rest grant to him oh Lord, and May pepetual light shine upon him.

Amen.




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My EcoSystem ranking

I just noticed that my standing in the EcoSystem went up. I was just getting use to being a mauruding marsupial but today I noticed I've been promoted to Large Mammal!!

I tried to explain the significance of this to my oldest son, Calvin. He asked some interesting questions.

"Well, what's the #1 blog in the system?"

Good question. It appears to be a mormon web ring. I don't think a web ring is really the same thing - after all that's a bunch of little blogs banding together - sort of like St. Blog's. I noticed ANdrew Sullivan's blog is also in that "Divine Being" category. My Domestic Church, - written by a straight, middle aged homeschooling mom probably will never get to compete against that.

Nonetheless, I noticed that I am in good company. Amy Welborn's Open Book- yep - Large Mammal. So is The Curt Jester. Pretty cool. When I told Calvin and Pete that I was a Large Mammal and so was The Curt Jester, they were somewhat surprised, and they both said they liked the Curt Jester better!! (So much for support on the homefront!)

Still I could tell Mr. Pete was kind of proud. I'd hit him up for another steak dinner but I think I might ask for a plant or something instead!!

Anyway, thanks for reading and stopping by. And if you can, sign the Guestbook - I really like knowing who my guests are.



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Text of Pope's comments

Link via Curt Jester

Excerpts:

Mr. President, your visit to Rome takes place at a moment of great concern for the continuing situation of grave unrest in the Middle East, both in Iraq and in the Holy Land. You are very familiar with the unequivocal position of the Holy See in this regard, expressed in numerous documents, through direct and indirect contacts, and in the many diplomatic efforts which have been made since you visited me, first at Castelgandolfo on 23 July 2001, and again in this Apostolic Palace on 28 May 2002.

It is the evident desire of everyone that this situation now be normalized as quickly as possible with the active participation of the international community and, in particular, the United Nations organization, in order to ensure a speedy return of Iraq's sovereignty, in conditions of security for all its people. The recent appointment of a head of state in Iraq and the formation of an interim Iraqi government are an encouraging step toward the attainment of this goal. May a similar hope for peace also be rekindled in the Holy Land and lead to new negotiations, dictated by a sincere and determined commitment to dialogue, between the government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

The threat of international terrorism remains a source of constant concern. It has seriously affected normal and peaceful relations between states and peoples since the tragic date of 11 September 2001, which I have not hesitated to call "a dark day in the history of humanity". In the past few weeks other deplorable events have come to light which have troubled the civic and religious conscience of all, and made more difficult a serene and resolute commitment to shared human values: in the absence of such a commitment neither war nor terrorism will ever be overcome. May God grant strength and success to all those who do not cease to hope and work for understanding between peoples, in respect for the security and rights of all nations and of every man and woman.

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The Pope and the President

Excerpts

Vatican, Jun. 04 (CWNews.com) - Pope John Paul II (bio - news) called for a rapid "normalization" of the situation in Iraq, under international supervision, as he met on June 4 with US President George W. Bush.

Although many observers expected a clash, a Vatican spokesman said that the two were in agreement on the situation in Iraq.

The Holy Father also spoke of the need to confront the threat of terrorism, saying that this could be done effectively only through "a serene and resolute commitment to shared human values." He praised American humanitarian work, especially in the fight against AIDS in Africa. And he saluted President Bush for his "promotion of moral values in American society, particularly with regard to respect for life and the family."

Bush, in his turn, warmly thanked the Pope for receiving his delegation, which included his wife, Laura Bush, Secretary of State Colin Powell, and security adviser Condoleeza Rice. He told the Pontiff that he brought the best wishes of "my country, where you are respected, admired, and very much loved."

During his visit, the American leader presented John Paul II with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor bestowed by the United States. Bush read aloud the citation that accompanied the honor, which cited the Pope as "a hero of our times."

Briefing reporters after the meeting, Joaquin Navarro-Valls said that the Pope and President Bush had found "points of convergence, especially regarding the process of normalization in Iraq." The director of the Vatican press office said that Bush and the Pontiff had held a "very cordial" private talk before their public exchange.

The Pope concluded his remarks by praising US initiatives to help the needy, especially in Africa. And as he gratefully accepted the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Pope said: "May the desire for freedom, peace and a more humane world symbolized by this medal inspire men and women of good will in every time and place."

Pope John Paul ended his remarks simply: "God bless America!"

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Bribing John B

John, consider this your bribe!!



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A bittersweet evening.

Wednesday night, the music ministry at my church played for the 8th grade graduation from the parish school. I was honored to play with the group for a couple of reasons. My friend Kathy, who plays the trumpet, (I'm the flute so together we make the entire wind section!) had her youngest son graduating, so I wanted to be there for her.

My neighbor Jenni was also attending the graduation. Her daughter had passed away when the class was in kindergarten. I didn't know the family then, even though they lived just around the corner. But because of our proximity, I did get to know her and her other kids. I got to watch her as she grew past her grief.

When I lost my baby at 23 weeks of pregnancy, I can only describe that kind of grief as crushing. I had lost people I loved before, particularly my grandparents who raised me, and my uncle who lived with us while I was growing up. I also lost my flute teacher who was my mentor for almost 20 years, and both my father-in-law and mother-in-law. All of those losses were sad, difficult, life alterning. But none of them felt the same as losing a child. We're just not supposed to lose our children and the grief is indescribable. It's like having something cut out of you. You know that feeling when you have misplaced something important... I mean really important and you just can't find it? The feeling is very similar to that only a thousand times worse.

Many mornings when I lay in bed after the stillbirth and just wanted to die, I thought of Jenni, and how she was so vibrant, and so energetic. How she always waved hello, had a smile, and how she was busy with her life and with the lives of her other two children. And that image made me get up in the morning, for months, and even now still occasionally.

So on Wednesday I watched as a mature young lady about to enter high school, the best friend of the little girl that died, read a tribute to her classmate and then present Jenni with some flowers, and we all wept. I wept with sorrow, shared grief, but also with some pride that my neighbor had been able to live and live fully and well. Sometimes that's a huge accomplishment in and of itself.

I finally e-mailed Jenni with how much her example had meant to me and she sent me some words of wisdom that I knew, but it really had meaning coming from her.

I hope that you have made peace with what happened to your baby. She (sic)is always Gods child. We just get to borrow them for a little while. But I wanted you to know I still have my moments of insanity over it. Like the insomnia and crying fits. It is a never ending battle. I just pick my battles a little more wisely and live each day as though it might be my other childrens last one also. God is letting us have them for a little while. We learn from the death of our loved ones and we learn to help others through our grief

Maybe this will help someone else who comes upon it as well, and that's why I'm posting it.

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A catholic fashion article.

It took Alyssa Webster ``forever'' to find the perfect dress for her confirmation at her Catholic church.

``I went to six or seven stores. I saw tight, tight skirts and dresses that were really, really tight. It was really hard to find the right length skirts. They were either really short and they were low slung, around my hips,'' says the 16-year-old Kirkland teen who attends the Holy Names Academy in Seattle.

She settled on a black and white floral dress. But it was strapless. Her solution to make it fit her more conservative look -- a pink cardigan. With the cardigan and a dress length just below her knees, she felt it was the perfect look for her April confirmation.

She'll also wear the outfit May 23 when she and members of the Kirkland-based Challenge Club of Greater Seattle, a Catholic group for girls ages 10 to 16, will model what they call ``tasteful'' clothes with a focus on modesty. The ``Pure Fashion'' show begins at 2 p.m. May 23 at the Bellevue Hyatt Regency Wintergarden. Tickets are $25 and include dessert and coffee. The keynote speaker, Dr. Coleen Kelly Mast, will give a speech called ``What a Girl Wants and How to Get It.''

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My response to "the letter" comments.

I found these comments on the Disputations blog as well as some others around St. Blogs, in regard to the letter from Human Life International to Nancy Pelosi, very troublesome.


I can't think of a letter better calculated to drive her into formal heresy.

Even is someone is wrong--as she clearly is--that doesn't mean that you can treat her disrespectfully. Like Patrick just said, there aren't many better ways to drive her further from the Church.


Isn't there also some theological error, beyond the pastoral error, in the ushering of a baptized Catholic (however confused/wrong/unfaithful) out the door in this manner?


Have we forgotten what these pro-abortion politicians are really standing for? Have we forgotten the horrors of abortion? You can't drive this woman from the church - she's already there and she's making her stand on the bodies of the unborn. I guess I'm confused by the lack of moral outrage for that!

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Friendly light hearted banter with Tom of Disputations!

Tom doesn't entirely agree with my take on Father E's letter to Nancy Pelosi. He made the following comments to my reply

Paul, Elena, and LRS:

Thank you for clarifying for the rest of us the meaning of the expression "if it feels good, do it."

Not only do your comments manifest an utterly infantile understanding of public discourse, they were intellectually dishonest in the extreme.

You don't care about how Nancy Pelosi, or anyone who agrees with her, reacts to the letter. Just admit it.

I hold out hope that some day you will see the light and want to reconcile with the Church you have so brazenly misrepresented. If so, email me. I will post your confession. But get ready to feel some serious humiliation.

My reply

You don't care about how Nancy Pelosi, or anyone who agrees with her, reacts to the letter. Just admit it.

Not quite. I actually hope she reacts to it as I HAVE WHEN SIMILAR STATEMENTS (which were true) WERE MADE TO ME. Like an electrical shock through the body, like a bucket of ice over the head... did I use the naked in a room of mirrors analogy yet? That too.

Sometimes Tom, the heart is so hardened it needs a good JOLT to get it going again.

On the other hand, your statment isn't entirely untrue either. I care more about the slaughter of the babies that Ms. Pelosi and her ilk ALLOW and SUPPORT than her freely chosen path too hell.

If her feelings have to be bruised a little to save lives - so be it.

Tom also had some problems with this phrase from Father E's letter:
You have lost your faith. Just admit it.

He considers it taunting.

That was the part that made me weep. Finally. Finally someone is noticing the elephant in the room! The awful truth. What everyone knows deep down but has been unable or unwilling to put into the awful words. Yes, the faith has been lost. Maybe it was never there to begin with. Maybe this is the result of years of watered down religion classes, Mickey Mouse religion texts and milk toast sermons. Maybe it's all of the above. The point is, the truth is out there now. It's been spoken. This isn't a matter of conscience, or the right to "question" church teaching. It's the challenge - Do you believe? or don't you? That's challenging.




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Keepsake rosaries

I'm posting this mainly so I'll have a record of this!

These are three sites where you can send in flower petals and they will grind the petals down into the material to make rosary beads. What a nice keepsake.

http://www.sistersrosaries.com/

http://www.inthelighturns.com/rosary.html

http://www.rosaryshop.com/description.php/part/BU-0025TC/itemType/search/que


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Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer's latest.

You have lost your faith. Just admit it. One either accepts the hierarchy of truths and the hierarchy of authority, or she doesn't. You obviously don't. In such case by continuing to call yourself Catholic you are gambling with the most precious of all birthrights, your own soul; and it's yours to lose. I can understand that it is not politically correct to care about your immortal soul-prescription drug benefits are more popular in Washington-but at least have the decency not to make the souls of others "twice as fit for hell" as you. Have you forgotten about the millstone? The Lord delivered that image to another group of sophisticated public officials who scandalized the weak in faith.

All those who dare call themselves Catholic while shamelessly advocating the death of Christ's "least brethren" will not have the Supreme Court to appeal to on the Day of Judgment. There is a Supreme Judge that you should be more concerned about. However, He obliges no one to remain in the Catholic Church. Membership is, above all, a free "choice." The door of the Church that opens wide to welcome every repentant sinner swings both ways. In the Name of Jesus, use it and spare the rest of us your perversity.

There's a lot of hand ringing around St. Blog's about what a meanie Father Tom apparently is. Frankly, it makes me sick to my stomach. Here are my comments on that blog.

Here are my comments on the Disputations blog.

I found the letter refreshingly frank and to the point, not like some of the "pastoral" letters that make you rub your head and go "what the heck does he mean?!!

What most of the commenters seems to forget is that these 48 legislators support the slaughter of tiny babies in their mother's womb and use their positions accordingly. I can't imagine that if it were the murder of 1-year-old babies, or the elderly, or homosexuals, or minorities, or the mentally retarded, or any other group, that any of you would demand anything less than the strongest of words of admonishment - especially from a leaderin Human LIFE International.

I'm with Paul - I'm going to send a donation to HLI!!

I rather imagine Father Tom to be a lot like St. John Vianney. St. John was known to kick people out of the confessional for not being truly sorry yet for the sins they were confessing!!

Related Tags: St. John Vianney, Catholicism, Abortion, Liberal Catholics, Debate, Disputations, Human Life International, Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer's



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1 Corinthians for Homeschooling moms and dads

Though I teach with the very best skills
But do not have love
I am just drawing attention to myself.
And if I have experience and knowledge of all the best techniques, and test results proving my effectiveness,
But do not have love,
I am wasting my time.
And f I work hard, sacrificing all my money, my time, and my energy
But do not have love,
It adds up to nothing.

The loving teacher is patient with her children, allowing them to learn according to their God-given temperaments and developmental rate.
She is kind, treating her children respectfully.
She does not compare herself with others.
She does not brag about her accomplishments, and is not smug about teaching her own children.
She does not try to be like anyone else, but acts appropriate to the way God made her.
She is not irritable and push and insistent upon making her children fit into her lesson plans.
She is more concerned with promoting truth and beauty than with criticizing those who don’t.
She perseveres in developing her own character, believing that God’s ways are always best. She is not a quitter.
Love never fails.

If there are creative ideas, they will be replaced
If there are great curricula, they will be superseded.
If there are effective techniques, they will be improved.
All that we know now is only a part.
Only later will God reveal education at its best.
When I was a child, I had unrealistic expectations.
As an adult, I know better.
Now abideth faith, hope and love
But the greatest of these is love.

From the Konos Compass

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Osama at the Pearly Gates!

Osama at the Pearly Gates
When Osama bin Laden died, he was met at the Pearly Gates by George Washington, who slapped him across the face and yelled, "How dare you try to destroy the nation I helped conceive!"

Patrick Henry approached, punched him in the nose and shouted, "You wanted to end our liberties but you failed."

James Madison followed, kicked him in the groin and said, "This is why I allowed our government to provide for the common defense!"

Thomas Jefferson was next, beat Osama with a long cane and snarled, "It was evil men like you who inspired me to write the Declaration of Independence."

The beatings and thrashings continued as George Mason, James Monroe and 66 other early Americans unleashed their anger on the terrorist leader.

As Osama lay bleeding and in pain, an Angel appeared. Bin Laden wept and said, "This is not what you promised me."

The Angel replied, "I told you there would be 72 Virginians waiting for you in Heaven. What did you think I said?"


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Want to know which bishops said what!

Here's your guide!
Thanks Catholic Light for the link!



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A Catholic voting guide.

A little gem I found from TSO's blog. I'm putting the logo and the links on the sidebar.



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Ugh...

Today I am officially ontop of that downward slide known as my birthday. nuff said

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The Al Qaida/Iraq Connection

Always believed it existed. Now more and more it's coming to light.

An excerpt:

We have seen important elements of the pre-September 11 intelligence available to the Bush administration; it's time for the American public to see more of the intelligence on Iraq and al Qaeda from the 1990s, especially the reporting about the August 1998 attacks in Kenya and Tanzania and the U.S. counterstrikes two weeks later.

Until this material is declassified, there will be gaps in our knowledge. Indeed, even after the full record is made public, some uncertainties will no doubt remain.

The connection between Saddam and al Qaeda isn't one of them

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My Domestic Church and the Memorial Day Weekend.

To me, part of living the Catholic Faith in the Domestic Church is holding fast to our traditions and Traditions and teaching them well to our children. And face it, a lot of that T(t)radition stuff came to us from our families – extended, immediate and other. When my mother-in-law passed away in late 2002, she had a little bit of money left, and not being a rich woman, at least in a material sense, it wasn’t enough to bequeath a small fortune or even a bit of mad money to each of her 9 children. It was enough however, to make a memory with and my brothers and sisters-in-law set out do to just that by having a big family party on Mom! In a very real sense, that was better! Memories after all last forever, long after money has been spent.

So family traveled from across the country to meet in Frankenmuth, Michigan for this grand event. Considering that only one out of the nine branch of the family couldn’t be there, I thought that a very good turn out. So there we were, the youngest being 1 month old – a new great-grandson! The oldest being Irene in her 50s, the first daughter and in some ways the family matriarch being the beloved maiden Aunt to all of the 30 grandchildren of her parents. In that respect then, I guess we are still a very young family with several decades of memory making left in us.

Izzy played with her first cousin once removed who is also a 4 year old girl. Cousin shmuzin, they only know that in that sea of adults and boys (and I mean lots and lots of boys- the family is in no risk of vanishing from the planet any time soon!) that they have each other to giggle with, color and do stuff that little girls do. The boys 14 and under between my family and my closest sister-in-law, Rita, filled one table. There were 7 of them and then went through 6 huge pitchers of Pepsi and ate fried chicken like it was going out of style.

It was nice to sit across from my niece and nephew Patrick and Katie and hear what was going on in their lives. I sat next to my niece’s new husband and listened to their excitement about the new baby coming in November. Yep, I saw the ultrasound pictures! That her father, MY brother-in-law is going to be a grandpa sort of blows my mind, although not as much as the realization that this young lady was the newborn baby in my wedding photos!! When did she grow up? Overall I’d say that my brothers and sisters –in-law did wonderful jobs in raising their children. The older nieces and nephews I spoke to have become very interesting, respectful and fun adults to talk to.

On Sunday we worshipped together as a family. Uh… more on that later, but the important thing is we were there as family.

Rita’s kids and my kids as well as Patrick and Katie got to spend some quality time together later in the weekend. They made up some games of tag and played basketball. Patrick has a cute perspective on it here. I just watched and hoped the cousins would always try to be there for each other, that they would always try to find ways to get together and keep that family connection. Maybe that started this weekend.

We also did the cemetery thing. My mother and father-in-law have a lovely pink granite stone with their names and dates. My father-in-law also has the special military foot stone to honor his service. We found my husband’s grandparents and two of his uncles too. Someone had planted flowers at all of these sites – they are being well cared for and loved, which made me feel kind of sad for the stones that looked like they had no visitors any more. One stone fell over and my brother-in-law John helped me try to set it right. There were zillions of ants swarming over where the stone laid but that didn’t deter John from trying to set the stone straight. When it was clear it wouldn’t stand on its base any more John set it in front of the base instead of behind it and I was grateful for that. I wondered what was behind the stone or in the ground that made it possible for all of those ants to live and thrive.

That evening I did get to spend sometime with my goddaughter – well with her parents anyway. We caught up on each other’s lives and it was great to see them. My god-daughter will be a senior in high school next year but this summer she is going to spend 4 weeks in SanFrancisco by herself for further training in dance and choreography. That scares me, but I am a fully admitted worry wart.

Finally yesterday, after saying our goodbyes to all, we wandered over to find my grandparents graves in a different cemetery in a different part of the county. I never understood why my grandparents picked their grave site. I remember as a child going out to look at the plots when they purchased them. It’s a pretty site but it was no where near where we lived even then. It’s not a Catholic cemetery either, although there was lots of Christian statuary and symbols throughout. I don’t get to their grave sites very often. After I had the baby’s grave site to care for it started to bother me that I had neglected theirs even when I lived in that state. Part of that was when my grandmother died I wasn’t a very good driver yet and I don’t think I trusted myself to find the place and get back in one piece. By the time my grandfather and uncle died I was already in Ohio.

Many times I would go out to Raphael’s grave and see other graves that looked like they were never visited and I wondered if they had been forgotten, or if the nearest family was also dead? I didn’t want to judge. I loved my grandparents and my uncle very much, but I hadn’t been there in years.

So we made it a point to go on Memorial Day as we were leaving for home. This cemetery is HUGE. They had 5 people on staff to help visitors find the graves or their love ones. Apparently my folks had died before they had a computer system and the worker had to go look in some archaic card file in the back before she could give me their grave sites. Grandpa just died 18 years ago – how things have changed!

We found the section and wandered round in it for about 10 minutes before we found their site. The stones were muddy and overgrown. My husband cut the grass and dirt back and we used our Kool Aid cooler to carry water back and forth to clean them off. After much effort they looked better although not as clean as I would have liked. I think I have decided that there is some merit to having an all granite stone – bronze is much harder to wipe down!. We put some flowers in a vase for my grandparents and some decorations for my uncle who doesn’t have a vase. We prayed, I cried and then we left.

Overall, I think we had a good weekend. I hope my kids got a taste of what it is they were born to, what it means to be part of family and cultivate long-term friendships, and how our faith is the connecting fiber to all of this, past, present and future.


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