Creative Minority Reader: December 2009

Nelson Attacks Pro-lifers. Again.

Ben Nelson doesn't know when to quit:

Senator Ben Nelson is quickly digging himself into a hole from which he may never recover by continuing to attack pro-life advocates. In a new interview, he does that and also pledges to vote against the final health care bill if his already-compromised abortion language is watered down further.

Nelson brokered a deal with Senate Leader Harry Reid to include minor limits on abortion funding that don't truly ban taxpayer funding on abortion in exchange for becoming the 60th vote for the pro-abortion bill.

Since he announced the deal, every major pro-life group and the nation's Catholic bishops have denounced the language as forcing taxpayer funding of abortions.

Woo Hoo We're #2

Matt and I have been called #2 many times before but never in so nice a context!

Aggie Catholics ranks his top blogs of 2009 and CMR makes the grade! Check out the whole list!

A Wandering Jew's Christmas Eve Mass

I really enjoyed this. Robin of Berkeley, a recovering liberal goes to Mass on Christmas Eve to see what all of her new Christian friends are up to. The result is funny and touching.

As a Jewish child, I never celebrated Christmas. I found out what I was missing on Christmas Eve, 1973.

My high school boyfriend Brian invited me to join his family for their celebration. The event floored me. It wasn't just the illuminated tree, the music, and the pleasure of opening gifts. It was the power of the holiday to transform Brian's ordinary family.

Laughing, singing hymns, praying -- they were absolutely radiant. I had never seen them so joyful. And in their presence, I felt joyful, too.

That was my one and only Christmas experience, and it never occurred to have another one. But this year's Christmas felt different.

Continue Reading >>>>

Midnight Mass

Elizabeth's trip to Christmas Mass is a beautiful one:

The days from the Solstice to Christmas Eve were among the darkest and coldest of my life. Tears were shed, apologies said. Hard won peace felt fragile. I stumbled into Christmas Eve morning in a typical melancholy fashion. I set about making the customary magic happen, all while feeling like an utter failure at just about everything that mattered. It was not a pretty place to be.

Not All Catholic Groups are Equal

Get Religion is a great website. Here, it's watching how the media handles Caholic groups when it comes to the healthcare debate:

The Senate’s passage of health care reform legislation was a major victory, though there’s a big difference between winning a battle and winning the war. There’s no solid evidence as of yet that the House is going to accept the Senate’s legislation as it’s written. The President appears to concede the issue may not be resolved into February.

No Church on Christmas for Obamas

Who could've seen this coming?

The First Family’s Christmas White House traditions include 27 parties, delivering cookies to sick children and decorating the White House Christmas tree with an odd assortment of ornaments adorned with the mugs of Mao Tse Tung, a transvestite and Barack Obama transposed onto Mt. Rushmore.

But one tradition the Obama’s aren’t keeping is going to church on Christmas.

In Praise of Credulity

Mark Shea at Inside Catholic strives to avoid excesses of doubt:

St. Thomas Aquinas was once tricked by his fellow students who cried out, "Look! A flying ox!" Thomas dutifully went to the window to look, and his peers all laughed at him heartily. Thomas's reply (and one of the many reasons he's a saint): "I thought it more likely that an ox would fly than a Dominican would lie."

I thought of that story as I read a piece the other day on the Blessed Virgin Mary allegedly appearing in Egypt. I don't know if it's a real apparition or not, but the headline got me thinking. You see, I'm always rather leery of stuff on the Spirit Daily Web Site; I tend to think of it as Credulity Daily. But I'm also not altogether convinced that this speaks very well of me. I live in an age where making fun of the credulous is as easy as falling off a log, particularly when the credulity is directed at things having the savor of Christianity in its Catholic expression.

Obamacare Penalizes Marriage

What a shock! Obamacare will hurt families. Who'd a thunk it? Virtue Online has the details on how Obamacare discourages marriage:

While abortion and public plan aspects of health reform have been debated, a far more vexing issue for defenders of the traditional family should be the very substantial marriage penalties buried in the 2,457 page bill moving through Congress.

Indeed, the low and middle income subsidies in the "health insurance exchanges" are stacked against marriage - with penalties of up to 100 percent if a cohabiting couple decides to marry.

Individuals, who do not now have insurance, who have incomes up to $43,500, will be able to buy it at a very low cost due to federal subsidies.

For example, an individual earning $25,000 would pay only $1,538 in insurance premiums. But what if that person is cohabiting with a partner with the same income, and they decide to marry? Their premium is not $3,072, double the cost of one person, but $5,160.

That's a marriage penalty of $2,084.

It's a Wonderful Bill!

Iowahawk nails it. Again. Imagine It's a Wonderful Life meets...uhm...The Ben Nelson story. Or something like that. (Rated PG-13 for language and off-color humor)

Scene 14: Christmas Eve, inside Bedford Falls Town Hall. Senator George Bailey confronts an angry mob of constituents protesting his vote on the new health care bill.

MAN #1
Come on Bailey, you can't hide forever! Let us in!

WOMAN #1
Yeah, what is this mandatory insurance nonsense? Stop cowering behind that podium George! We want answers!

crowd erupts into shouting

GEORGE BAILEY
Now now now, everybody calm down, see? If you'll, well, see, just let me explain...

MAN #2
You should've explained these death panels before we elected you! Let's get 'em!

Shakespeare Studied for the Priesthood?

Fr. Longenecker has an interesting post about Shakespeare's Catholic background:

The literature on Shakespeare being a Catholic keeps mounting. Clare Asquith's book Shadowplay along with the scholarship of Fr.Peter Milward started the ball rolling, then Joseph Pearce's excellent, The Quest for Shakespeare gathered all the evidence together in a rollicking good read and the PBS documentary In Search of Shakespeare made it visual.

Now some mysterious evidence has emerged in the Venerable English College in Rome. You can read the article here and the Times reports here. They have found some documents that might have Shakespeare's name on them, indicating that during his 'lost years' from 1585 - 1592 he was in Rome, and if in Rome was he studying for the priesthood?

White House Pressuring Stupak

Breitbart TV has Stupak on video saying that the pressure on him is mounting. This guy, thus far, has been truly impressive. And he continues to be:

“They think I shouldn’t be expressing my views on this bill until they get a chance to try to sell me the language. Well, I don’t need anyone to sell me the language. I can read it. I’ve seen it. I’ve worked with it. I know what it says. I don’t need to have a conference with the White House. I have the legislation in front of me here.”

Young Latinos and the American Dream

Rachel Campos-Duffy at Headline Bistro

As an American of Hispanic decent, the recent Pew Hispanic Center study on young Latinos was of particular interest to me, since too often, depictions of Hispanics on the news, television shows and movies rarely reflect my own experience as a second generation Mexican-American.

As it turned out, this study was no different.

Continue Reading >>>>

A Smiting If I've Ever Seen One

Fr. Finigan brings us this wild story out of India.

Last July, as you may remember, Christians in the Indian state of Orissa were subjected to severe persecution. A 22 year old nun was burnt to death, an orphanage in Khuntpali village was burnt down by a mob, another nun was gang raped in Kandhamal, mobs attacked churches, torched vehicles, and destroyed the houses of Christians. Fr Thomas Chellen, director of the pastoral centre that was destroyed with a bomb, had a narrow escape after a Hindu mob nearly set him on fire. All together, more than 500 Christians were murdered, and thousands of others were injured.

In an extraordinary development, a herd of elephants has travelled some 300Km to attack villages that were the worst persecutors of the Christians, leaving Christian homes untouched

Continue Reading >>>>

Death Panels Cannot Be Killed?

A provision in Reid's bill makes death panels un-killable by future Congress.' The Weekly Standard has this very unusual and important story:

Senator Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) pointed out some rather astounding language in the Senate health care bill during floor remarks tonight. First, he noted that there are a number of changes to Senate rules in the bill--and it's supposed to take a 2/3 vote to change the rules. And then he pointed out that the Reid bill declares on page 1020 that the Independent Medicare Advisory Board cannot be repealed by future Congresses

Catholic Health Assoc. Endorses Obamacare

What is it about abortion that they don't understand?

Back in September John Allen Jr. and America Magazine took aim at comments by Jack Smith of the Catholic Key blog and his comments on Sr. Keehan and the Catholic Health Association. John Allen Jr. wrote:

"Over the years she's emerged as an important spokesperson for Catholic health care, including the church's unambiguously pro-life position
."
There were also comments about Raymond Arroyo concerning Sr. Keehan on his show. A week later Sr. Keehan appeared on Raymond's show and I can't say I was impressed.

Go Forth and Shoplift

I guess God didn't mean those Ten Commandments literally. My Pet Jawa has this weird story:

(York, England) Some people are outraged. Father Tim Jones of the St. Lawrence Church yesterday told his congregation to shoplift during a Nativity sermon.

Delivering his festive lesson, Father Jones told the congregation: 'My advice, as a Christian priest, is to shoplift. I do not offer such advice because I think that stealing is a good thing, or because I think it is harmless, for it is neither.

'I would ask that they do not steal from small family businesses, but from large national businesses, knowing that the costs are ultimately passed on to the rest of us in the form of higher prices.

Trademarking the Papacy?

Patrick Madrid reports:

Did the Holy See Just Patent, Trademark, and Copyright the Papacy? No, really. It looks like that's what at least somebody in the HS press office intends to do. I did a double take when I saw this on their website today, but here's the declaration in plain English, not to mention in plain German, Spanish, Italian, French, and Portuguese.

What do you make of it?

I really don't see how this measure could possibly be enforced. And I have to wonder if the press office is really ready to be inundated with tens of thousands of faxes, letters, and e-mails containing requests for permission from parishes, publishing houses, universities (well, at least one), journalists, and bloggers who, if they take this requirement seriously (many, maybe most, won't).

Senator: Obamacare Opponents Are Racists

Wesley Smith reports:

The picture at the right is of Secondhand Smoke–at least if one listens to Rhode Island Senator Whitehouse. He claims opponents of Obamacare are nothing but a bunch of racists and right wing fanatics who wish President Obama didn’t even exist.

Reconciliation in Rwanda

Faith and Family Live has a trailer to an upcoming documentary on Rwanda. Can there be forgiveness in a country that has seen such horrors? Look out for this one:

I know there are many Immaculee Ilibagizafans here, so this may interest you.

Here’s the trailer for a forthcoming documentary on the reconciliation process in Rwanda.

Nine Reasons ObamaCare may not Pass

RedState builds upon a piece by Rich Lowry to give the only reasons left that ObamaCare may yet be killed. A long long long shot, but at this point I will take it.

Richard Lowry writes of the five reasons ObamaCare may not pass (below) and I have added four more, after Lowry’s five:

1. Public Revulsion — see buying of votes and Dems tanking polling data.

2. Stupak — see the hard core dozen Dem pro-lifers.

3. Who Pays? — see the unions that hate the fact their health plans will be hit with a big tax.

4. Blue Dog Vote-Yes-Fatigue — as election year approaches, Dems begin to see that the election dynamics have gone from bad to worse.

5. The Left — the progressives are angry and are only waiting the outcome of the conference to determine if they will “kill the bill” or not, but some are, for reasons that mostly involve the public option, ready to kill the bill.

And here are four more:
Continue Reading >>>>

Can Stupak Stop the Bill?

This is the question of the day. And the Weekly Standard has some answers:

Are there enough votes in the House to pass a health care bill very close to the one the Senate is preparing to pass? Bart Stupak says the Senate bill's abortion language is "unacceptable" and has pledged to lead a group of pro-life Democrats to vote against final passage if the issue isn't resolved. How many votes can Stupak bring with him?

In November, House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) said that the Stupak amendment got them "10 votes" for the bill.

Bill Kristol Rips Dem's Suicide Mission

Bill Kristol pulls no punches. Gateway Pundit has the video:

Bill Kristol was in rare form this morning on FOX News Sunday. The conservative commentator and founder and editor of The Weekly Standard blasted the Obamacare “suicide mission.”

Nebraska Right to Life Responds

Kathryn Lopez has the reaction from Nebraska's right to lifers. Uhm. They're not happy.

Nebraska Right to Life on Nelson's choice:
Lincoln——Nebraska Right to Life and pro-life Nebraskans have been betrayed by Senator Ben Nelson's agreement with Democratic leadership to become their 60th vote for cloture on the Senate healthcare bill, propped up by abortion compromise language which in no way resembles the Stupak amendment in the House bill or the Nelson/Hatch amendment attempt in the Senate. Both of those amendments had protections against taxpayer funding of abortion.

USCCB on Abortion Compromise

The bishops are against this compromise and are a heck of a lot nicer to Bob Casey than I would be:

Responding to reports of a new “compromise” proposal on abortion in the U.S. Senate’s health care reform bill, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo today reaffirmed the position of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops that the legislation will be morally unacceptable “unless and until” it complies with longstanding current laws on abortion funding such as the Hyde amendment. Cardinal DiNardo is Archbishop of Galveston-Houston and Chairman of the Conference’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities.

Nelson.Bought and Paid For.

So this is what principles cost nowadays. Gateway Pundit has the story:

Bought and Paid For–Democrats bought off Senator Nelson’s vote with a special Medicaid break for the State of Nebraska that will last forever.

While most states will struggle with the rising costs of Medicaid under the democrat’s plan, Nebraska will be the lone exception… forever.

Pelosi Thanks God for Abortion Funding

Yeah, she's Catholic:

In yet another comment that will draw guffaws from pro-life advocates, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is thankful to God that the Senate bill include massive abortion funding. Pelosi also claims she has enough votes to pass a pro-abortion health care bill in the House, though that is disputed.

The Senate bill, unlike the House government-run health care measure, funds abortions though the public option and affordability credits.

O's Nominee Lived with Cuban Spy

Call me old fashioned but to me, living with a Cuban spy, rules you out of being an American ambassador. Big Government shows that President Obama disagrees:

Today, the Obama White House announced the nomination of Mari Del Carmen Aponte as U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador. It is not Ms. Aponte’s first brush with an ambassadorship. In 1998, President Clinton nominated her to be Ambassador to the Dominican Republic. She was forced to withdraw her name from consideration over allegations of ties to the Cuban spy agency.

Great. Bob Casey and Barbara Boxer are working on an abortion compromise. This should be great. And dangerous because it looks like Senator Ben Nelson's people are involved as well. Michelle Malkin has the details and the response of a pro-life group:

We still haven’t seen Harry Reid’s Demcare legislation or the CBO scoring of said vapor bill or the language on how illegal aliens would be handled or the text of the so-called “compromise” on abortion coverage/subsidies.

Gotta love the transparent, deliberative process, eh?

Late tonight, Nebraskans for Life sent me a statement on what they are hearing from Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson’s office about the abortion amendment being cooked up by Sens. Nelson, Bob Casey, and Barbara Boxer (red flag):

Dems Threaten Nelson

The White House is leaning on Ben Nelson.

While the Democrats appease Senator Lieberman, they still have to worry about other recalcitrant Democrats including Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson. Though Lieberman has been out front in the fight against the public option and the Medicare buy-in, Nelson was critical of both. Now that those provisions appear to have been stripped from the bill, Lieberman may get on board, but Nelson's demand that taxpayer money not be used to fund abortion has still not been met. According to a Senate aide, the White House is now threatening to put Nebraska's Offutt Air Force Base on the BRAC list if Nelson doesn't fall into line.

Pope Blocked Cardinal from House of Lords

Something about priests in elected office always make me a bit wary. So it looks like the Pope agrees with me. Yes! Damian Thompson has an intriguing story about this issue:

Pope Benedict XVI personally turned down Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor’s request to be allowed to accept Gordon Brown’s offer of a seat in the House of Lords, according to a report today by Paolo Rodari, one of Italy’s leading Vatican commentators.

Rodari, writing (in Italian) on his blog Palazzo Apostolico, says the Cardinal wanted the honour, and that Vatican permission was regarded as a “done deal” until recently. But the Holy Father, after consulting several cardinals, chose to “stop the Cardinal on the threshold of the House of Lords”, as Rodari’s headline puts it.

Check Out Diogenes' Latest

This story by Diogenes disturbs me to no end. Check it out:

Hey folks, do your acquaintances include any consequentialist Safe-Sin ethicians of the type who argue that the Church is proved wrong by AIDS infection rates in Africa? Well round them up to take a look at this BBC report on field-testing their moral theology:

A major trial of a vaginal microbicide has produced no evidence that its use reduces the risk of HIV infection in women.

The gel, PRO 2000, is intended for use before sexual intercourse to help reduce HIV infection.

It was tested in a trial involving 9,385 women in four African countries.

The risk of HIV infection was not significantly different among women supplied with the gel than in women given a placebo gel.

The Road to Hitler is Paved with Abortions

This is absolutely fascinating. A must read at the New Oxford Review:

In her research for Cultures of Abortion, Cornelie Usborne examined literary works, movies, trial documents, medical records, social workers' notes, police interviews, and newspapers from the years of the Weimar Republic, 1918-1933. She consulted archives both in Protestant Prussia and Saxony and in Catholic Bavaria and the Prussian Rhineland. Although she is pro-abortion and thinks reality is "socially constructed," her research is valuable because it shows how the groundwork for Adolf Hitler's eugenic-abortion policies was laid.

The Acid Reflux of the Questioning Church

If you want to know who's winning just check who looks angry. The Catholic Thing thinks so anyway:

There is so much good news in the Church these days that it is hard to know where to start. One could tick off half a dozen cases, including the visit of Barack Obama to Notre Dame, which became the occasion for seventy bishops to issue public condemnations. Amazing.

But let’s look at all the good news through the dyspepsia of the Ever-Questioning Church. I hesitate to call them the Left because that is a political category, and I don’t want to call them heterodox, though many of them are. Let’s give them benefit of the doubt. For the Questioning Church, there are no settled questions. Everything is up for endless and oh-so-thoughtful debate. And just now the Questioning Church is in a tizzy. No, a howl. They are fuming. And cranky.

Supreme Ct. on Christian College Groups

Is all discrimination evil? It's not as easy to answer as you might think. Mary's Aggies has the details on a case in front of the Supreme Court that could affect Christian groups everywhere:

A case coming before the Supreme Court could have reverberations throughout Universities, churches, and organizations in the USA. The court case will determine whether Christian organizations at public universities have the right to determine their membership. More details on the case:

Carter Blames Catholics for Abuse of Women

You know how there are many parts in the world where women are abused. Well that's the Catholics fault. Yup. LarryD has the story:

It turns out that America's worst-ever president is also a really bad theologian. And not just bad, but horribly, historically, logically and politically-correct bad. He makes Bishop Spong look almost intelligent.

Last Friday, he gave an address to the participants of the Parliament of World's Religions that was held in Melbourne Australia, and his talk centered on the urgent need for religious equality for women and girls. Now, that's just code for "women's ordination", which is why he singles out Roman Catholicism and the Southern Baptists.

Sen. Casey, You Are Not Pro-life.

Sen. Bob Casey is faux pro-life. Nothing real about his commitment to the unborn:

According to yahoo.com Sen. Bob Casey is trying to negotiate a compromise with Sen. Bill Nelson on the abortion issue and funding in the healthcare bill. Last week, the Nelson amendment which would have prevented Federal funding of abortion went down in the Senate. Casey has met with the President today is trying to negotiate the compromise with Nelson.

Weigel on the Just War Tradition

I make it a practice to read as much of George Weigel's articles I can find:

In November, the president of the United States ordered a surge of U.S. forces into Afghanistan and called on other countries to do their duty in bringing that war to a successful conclusion. A few weeks later, the same president traveled to Oslo to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. The notion that the juxtaposition of these two events involves a “contradiction” (as the Washington Post subhead put it, and as the president’s speech tacitly acknowledged) is, in fact, a neat illustration of just how badly the just-war way of thinking has deteriorated in our culture, and just how attenuated the idea of the pursuit of peace has become. In the just-war tradition, as rightly interpreted, the justified use of proportionate and discriminate armed force was always understood to be in the pursuit of peace, which was the fruit of justice, security, and freedom.

If You Believe in Nothing You'll Fall For...

Democrats see ghosts. Republicans...not so much. Gabriel Malor has the details:

Byron York digs into the latest Pew poll on religion and faith and finds some interesting stats:
"Conservatives and Republicans report fewer experiences than liberals or Democrats communicating with the dead, seeing ghosts and consulting fortunetellers or psychics," the Pew study says. For example, 21 percent of Republicans report that they have been in touch with someone who is dead, while 36 percent of Democrats say they have done so. Eleven percent of Republicans say they have seen a ghost, while 21 percent of Democrats say so. And nine percent of Republicans say they have consulted a fortuneteller, while 22 percent of Democrats have.

Shhh. Christian Persecution Is Happening...

Shiela Liaugminas wonders why nobody's talking about anti-Christian violence around the globe:

Christian churches are under attack at an epidemic rate right now. Why aren’t we hearing about this?

Killings in the Congo have church leaders worried about an organized campaign.

A Catholic priest and a nun were killed in the Bukavu archdiocese, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in separate incidents that took place within hours on December 6 and 7...

Alphonse: Issue #2 Is Out

I'm intrigued. I remember reading about this a bit ago. Edgy but something about its in-your-face attitude I like. Chelsea Zimmerman has the story:

The second issue of Alphonse, the comic book created to foster discussion about abortion, is now available! About the issue:

Issue Two: Murder Sleep. The past weighs heavily on the present. The hunt begins. Sleep is disturbed. And love proves dangerous, but also brings hope.

Did He Not See a Christmas Story?

Only kid in America who hasn't seen "A Christmas Story" gets tongue frozen to pole. Seriously. Sardonic Dad has the story and that's fitting as he admits that he's missing some of his own tongue from a similar experience:

It's become an annual winter tale: A young boy gets his tongue stuck to a metal pole, perhaps as the result of a dare. This year, the scene straight out of the movie "A Christmas Story" unfolded Tuesday morning in Boise with a boy of about 10. Boise firefighters used a glass of warm water to free the unidentified boy from the metal fence pole.

Fire Capt. Bill Tinsley says the boy's tongue was bleeding a little, but he was OK and allowed to continue walking to school. Firefighters estimate the boy was 10 years old.

Shock! Avatar is Anti-American

I hadn't planned to see this mainly because Cameron's ridiculous attempt last year to say he discovered Jesus' tomb but now it seems he's not only anti-Christian but anti-American too. Big Hollywood has the review::

Absent from the big screen for over a decade now, Oscar-winning director James Cameron returns armed with a reported half-billion dollars, a story he’s been desperate to tell for 15 years, and the very latest in cutting-edge visual technology. The result is “Avatar,” a sanctimonious thud of a movie so infested with one-dimensional characters and PC clichés that not a single plot turn – small or large – surprises. I call it the “liberal tell,” where the early and obvious politics of the film gives away the entire story before the second act begins, and “Avatar” might be the sorriest example of this yet. For all the time and money and technology that went into its making, the thing that matters most – character and story – are strictly Afterschool Special.

Jen F. Cheated on her Christmas Cards

If Jen F. is willing to cheat on Christmas cards, who knows what else she's willing to do. Somebody stop her now.

Guilty confession: I totally cheated on our Christmas card picture this year. I Photoshopped the baby's head. I tried to keep it real and be satisfied with an imperfect yet realistic picture, I did, but between the series of shots where the toddlers were screaming and hitting each other and the series where at least one of my children managed to have a finger in his or her nose at all times, only this one shot was semi-normal. Except for the fact that the baby was crying and looked like a sullen troll with her head turned away from the camera.

We Don't Need No Stinkin' Democracy!

Right Wing Sparkle wonders what happened to democracy? Silly Sparkle, we elected Obama.

A lefty friend of mine, dave bones, across the pond sent me to this lefty site about Copenhagen's Climate Change summit. I came across this interesting tidbit:

(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) Lisa Jackson appeared yesterday at the UN Climate Change Summit to assure the international community that the EPA will not let democracy get in the way of regulating the deadly toxic gas known as carbon dioxide at home. Her “endangerment” declaration means that CO2 will still be subject to intense regulation under the Clean Air Act, giving the White House executive power to limit CO2 emissions- even if Congress does not pass a definitive climate bill in 2010.

I could hardly believe that. She is saying that even if Cap and Trade doesn't pass, the Obama administration will implement these regulations anyway.

Cries for Population Control

Does anyone think we're even a decade away from planetary population control being considered at the highest levels? Jonah Goldberg details the latest disturbing call for stopping all those darn babies from being born:

One of the simultaneously heartening and dismaying aspects of the Obama era is how it demonstrates that bad ideas never, ever, ever, die. They can go into remission, to be sure, but the the bacillus lives on. Via Drudge, I just read this hideous call for a planetary one-child policy.

I don't have the time to go through all of the arguments why Diane Francis's supposedly brave truth-telling is disgusting and idiotic, but the good news is that I'll have plenty of opportunities in the future!

Remain Calm About Nelson?

I really hope Jill's right on this one:

On October 30 I wrote a "Remain calm about Stupak" post, based in large part on communications with Kristen Day, president of Democrats for Life. Kristen is in direct contact with Democrat pro-life legislators and their offices.

Turns out Kristen was right about MI Congressman Bart Stupak, as we now know.

Kristen has sent another email, this one about NE Sen. Ben Nelson, the Senate go-to guy to keep abortion out of socialized healthcare. I admit it doesn't take much for me to lose faith in politicians professing to be pro-life. There aren't many I 100% believe in, such as Congressman Chris Smith.

Top 10 TV Shows of the 2000's

I don't know Joe Carter at First Things at all. But I can safely say that Joe Carter is a geek. Anyone with 'Firefly' and 'Veronica Mars' in their top ten list qualifies. I, of course, agree, with his list for the most part except I would've put in "The Shield" over "Big Love." So go give him your opinion and tell him why he's wrong:

Over the past ten years television—long considered the most embarrassing form of mass media—has come to surpass films and novels as the dominant form of narrative fiction. The advent of the DVD revolutionized television, making it possible (and profitable) to combine the depth of novels with the visual storytelling of film. The result was the greatest period of quality and innovation in the medium’s history—and some of the greatest works of pop culture produced in a hundred years.

In compiling this list, I’ve had to stray significantly from the purpose of this series. Normally, these posts are presented in order to spur debate about pop culture. But because this top ten list is perfect there really is nothing to argue about. All people of superior taste and wisdom will completely agree with the selections, so the only remaining point of debate is where on the list they should be ranked.

Global Warming=Less Hygiene?

Cleanliness is next to godliness and smelly stinky people are close to Gaia, I guess. Right Wing News has the stinky story:

The beauty of the global warming hoax is that it allows liberals to wallow in their trademark neurotic guilt, baseless sanctimony, and hostility to civilization while imposing all elements of their agenda — including deliberately excessive taxation, suppression of the private sector, totalitarian power for Big Government, degradation of our standard of living, elevation of animals over humans, and even the rejection of personal hygiene that progressives indulged in so flagrantly and so fragrantly during their halcyon days in the 60s.

NYT's Separate But Equal Gift Guide

Here's the irony. The New York Times is politically correct enough to call their gift guide their "Holiday Gift Guide" but then proceeds to display the least culturally sensitive guide for people "of color" I've seen in a long long time. Mary Katherine Ham has the full story:

Yes, from our moral and intellectual betters at the New York Times comes the culmination of diversity awareness—the separate but equal holiday gift guide. Mediaite reports:

What I would like to know is who thought this was a good idea? In this year’s NYT’s Annual Holiday Gift Guide there is a section devoted to “Of Color | Stylish Gifts.” From the intro to the section.

"Somali fashion, do-it-yourself henna kits, children’s books that draw inspiration from the lives of Barack Obama and Sonia Sotomayor: it’s not hard to find gifts created for and by people of color this holiday season. Here are some possibilities."

The section runs along such idea lists as "Frugal Travel," "Chic and Cheerful," and "Cosmetic Enhancements."

5 Ways to Stop Obamacare

If you're looking to get a little active in the fight against Obamacare, Hugh Hewitt has five suggestions.

Democrats are throwing stuff off their sinking boat, but they are rowing hard. Much depends on the public's actions over the next few days. Please:

1. Hit the "Take Additional Action" button in the Free Our Health Care Box and send calls and e-mails to your two senators and Congressman.

2. Call 202-224-3121 and ask for the office of Senator Blanche Lincoln from Arkansas and urge a no vote or you will support her opponent Senator Gilbert Baker. Use Baker's name to prove you know what you are doing. In fact, you can contribute to Baker and e-mail or fax the receipt to Lincoln. His website is www.SenatorGilbertBaker.com.

The Palin Palimpsest

This piece at American Thinker actually gave me hope for the future of America. So I'm just going to enjoy it for a while.

Sarah Palin is an authentic American phenomenon. She resonates with a majority of the American people as authentic -- because she is authentic. She is a no-BS, stand-for-the-truth, take-a-licking-and-keep-on-ticking kind of gal. In other words, she is not like the ordinary, everyday, go-along-to-get-along professional politicians who control our national political parties. And it is precisely for that reason that she can now spearhead an American political renaissance.

The Roe V. Wade of Europe

Isn't it ironic that the European Court of Human Rights seems poised to remove human rights granted to the unborn in Ireland. Bench Memos has the inside scoop:

Today, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) is hearing arguments in a case that some have dubbed the potential “Roe v. Wade of Europe.” The plaintiffs in ABC v. Ireland are challenging the right to life Ireland affords the unborn human members of its State.

While ECHR case law and the European Convention on Human Rights (the Convention) would decide the merits of the case in favor of Ireland, the mere fact that the Court is entertaining arguments is troubling.

The Rubrics Of The Gunfight

Father Z. really made me laugh with this one!

From a reader:

I have a question for you. Suppose during a EF Mass, a gunman or threatening person enters the church, and opens fire. What can be done within the rubrics to protect the Blessed Sacrament, the priest, the servers, and the congregation? Please keep in mind that the congregation is made up of slow, aging men, who no offense to them, really can’t protect anyone.

Lemme get this straight… what rubrics are followed in case of gunfire...?

Continue Reading >>>>

Zero Tolerance for Christians

If this story at Newsbusters doesn't scare Christians in America I don't know what will:

The censorious intolerance of the gay left is on display again – a reporter was fired in Waterville, Maine. His offense? Sending an angry private e-mail to the Human Rights Campaign in Washington. The HRC wanted the reporter dismissed – and bang, he was terminated.

Via the Romenesko media news site, I found Al Diamon of Downeast.com reported that Larry Grard was fired after 17 years at the Waterville Sentinel and 35 years in journalism:

Sen. Hatch Writes Hannukah Song

Something completely surreal about this but it's also pretty darn catchy. Check out the vid at Hot Air:

A palate cleanser offered as proof that the GOP’s leadership isn’t totally useless. Hatch wrote the lyrics after Jeffrey Goldberg of the Atlantic urged him to do so — ten years ago. Flash forward to today:

Dietrich Von Hildebrand: A Knight for Truth

Dietrich von Hildebrand: A Knight for Truth in a Relativistic World

He was chased by Nazis. He was a philosopher before his time. His revolutionary thoughts on the nature of marriage and sexuality left a lasting mark on modern Church teachings. One day, he might be a Doctor of the Church.

Who is this unsung hero? His name is Dietrich von Hildebrand.

Sometimes referred to as a “Knight for Truth,” von Hildebrand stands out as a much-needed voice of Catholic faith, reason and courage in today’s over-sexualized, relativistic world.
Continue Reading >>>>

The Union that Stole Christmas

Always remember. It's not about the children. Right Wing News has the sad story:

The Weekly Standard has an excellent new article in its latest issue that reports on the discouraging story of the Washington D.C. teachers union that is rushing headlong toward destroying the successful and popular federally-funded D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP).

The program has helped many disadvantaged D.C. are kids get a better and safer education than they would have gotten in the violence plagued public schools system. But Democratic lawmakers in Congress have continually announced their lack of support for the voucher plan despite the inner city kids that have benefited from it all.

Predators of Planned Parenthood, Pt. 99,997

Michelle Malkin has the story of how Lila Rose has done it again.

The government-subsidized abortion racket is at it again — and undercover journalist Lila Rose and her Live Aciton team are exposing the Planned Parenthood predators in full effect.

The latest investigative video shows doctors and nurses in Appleton, WI advising a young girl that having an abortion is “much safer than having a baby.”
Check out the rest of the story and video! >>>>

New Bishop in Brownsville, Texas

I hung out in Brownsville Texas once for a few days with an elephant, a congressional candidate, a mariachi band, and an elephant. Long story. But I think they were glad to see me go. And I'm sure they're very happy that they're getting a new bishop. American Papist has the details:

Christmas has come early this year to the Catholics of South Texas.

Pope Benedict has named the young (48), charismatic auxiliary bishop of Detroit, Daniel Flores, to be the next bishop of Brownsville, Texas:
Daniel Ernest Flores was born in Palacios, Texas, August 28, 1961. He studied for the seminary at Holy Trinity Seminary at the University of Dallas, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy and a Master of Divinity degree with a specialty in theology. He was ordained for the Diocese of Corpus Christi, Texas, in 1988.

OhBahMa Humbug!

Surprise. Surprise. The Obamas don't seem to like Christmas. Bill Donahue, however, does:

In yesterday’s New York Times, there was an article about White House social secretary Desirée Rogers. In it, reporter Sheryl Gay Stolberg wrote: “When former social secretaries gave a luncheon to welcome Ms. Rogers earlier this year, one participant said, she surprised them by suggesting the Obamas were planning a ‘non-religious Christmas….’”

This same participant said that “the Obamas did not intend to put the manger scene on display” (this was confirmed by the White House). Indeed, as Stolberg wrote, “there had been internal discussions about making Christmas more inclusive and whether to display the crèche.”

Catholic League president Bill Donohue addressed this issue today:

Boxer: Abortion is Like Viagra

Outrageous. Check out the video at Pundette:

We see that she's able to speak and (presumably) dress herself, so she can't possibly be as mentally challenged as she sounds here, can she?

Babies!: The Movie

The trailer over at Chelsea's blog looks intriguing and of course, very very cute:

This. Looks. FABULOUS! A movie celebrating the gift of life around the world. How cute are these babies?!

Is Jesus Mary's Savior?

Interesting post from Taylor Marshall:

Today (Dec 8) commemorates the Immaculate Conception - the Catholic teaching that Mary was conceived without original sin. This often begs the question: If Mary is without sin, is Christ the Savior of His Mother Mary? The Catholic Church answers, "Yes, Christ is the Savior of His Mother Mary."

Here is the exact quote from Pope Pius IX's Apostolic Constitution Ineffabilis Deus from December 8, 1854 in which the Pope infallibly declared the immaculate conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary:

And So Say We All!

A tribute to Shawn Tribe.

The world wide web is a rough, wooly, and sometimes dangerous place. The New Liturgical Movement site is a place of enlightenment, peace, coherence, and stability -- and this tendency is sustained year after year. And the stability comes not from being static and dull. On the contrary, it is hugely active, with a long list of contributors and relentless commentary activity. It is one of the most active sites anywhere on the Catholic web.

Continue Reading >>>>

Behar and Sullivan on Palin. Oy!

Wow. Two lunatics attacking Palin and questioning if she's Trig's real Mom. Newsbusters has the vid:

Palin Derangement Syndrome was on full display Monday evening when HLN's Joy Behar invited the Atlantic's Andrew Sullivan on to trash the former Governor of Alaska.

At issue fully fifteen months after Sarah Palin was thrust into the limelight as John McCain's running mate was whether or not Trig is actually her son.

Behar began the segment: "Sarah Palin may have been coy on the Oprah Show about a possible White House run in 2012. But new poll numbers show she`s a contender. Oy."

Pope on Fall of the Berlin Wall

Ignatius Insight has Pope Benedict's words on the implications of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Good read:

BENEDICT XVI RECALLS THE FALL OF THE BERLIN WALL

VATICAN CITY, 5 DEC 2009 (VIS) - Yesterday evening in the Sistine Chapel, the Pope attended a concert offered by Horst Kohler, president of the Federal Republic of Germany, to mark the sixtieth anniversary of the foundation of that State, and the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The "Augsburger Domsingknaben" and the "Residenz-Kammerorchester Munchen", conducted by Reinhard Kammler, played Johann Sebastian Bach's Christmas Oratorio BWV 248 (Cantatas I-III).

In his remarks at the end of the concert, the Holy Father recalled how the Berlin Wall was "a frontier of death which for many years divided our homeland, forcibly separating people, families, neighbours and friends. Many at the time saw the events of 9 November 1989 as an unexpected dawn of freedom after a long and harsh night of violence and oppression due to a totalitarian system which, in the end, led to nihilism, to an emptying of souls.

Calling All Episcopaleontologists

What to make of this strange species?

So… a bunch of Anglicans, tired of the ongoing implosion due to sheer anti-Christian stupidity in the Anglican communion, asks the Holy See whether it couldn’t be possible to embrace the fullness of the Catholic Faith and keep their traditions.

The Holy Father, the Vicar of Christ, the Supreme Pontiff, the Bishop of Rome, the Patriarch of the West (yah… I know), says, "Sure!"

And now I read this:

Anglicans split over election of lesbian bishop
Love that headline.

They "split"... get it?

How many ways can we interpret that?

Sooooo….

Continue Reading >>>>

Best Quotes from CS Lewis' "Miracles"

John Hawkins pulls some great quotes out of a CS Lewis work:

"Miracles" is a meticulously reasoned, shorter than average book of theology by the great C.S. Lewis. Although the book doesn't really lend itself to clever quips, it has more than a few profound quotes in it that deserve to get out to a wider audience. Enjoy!

With God As Their Cover

Kathryn Lopez writes that liberals are seeing Bart Stupak as their Herod:

Liberal feminist Democrats are as mad as hell and they’re not going to take it any more. That was their angry-in-Planned-Parenthood-pink message on Capitol Hill during their anti-Stupak lobbying day last Thursday.

As we approach the Christmas season, Bart Stupak was their Herod. The pro-life Democratic congressman from Michigan had authored an amendment that would keep abortion out of the Democratic party’s health-care revolution. The amendment is a protection against taxpayers’ money being used to finance abortions. (So, ironically, this “Herod” isn’t killing the youngest; he is saving them.) But for these angry women — and some fellow-traveling men — the hopes and dreams and singular obsession of the feminist revolution are on the line: the Supreme Court–issued right to an abortion.

Isn’t It Bromantic?

Man With Black Hat

I read a reference to an upcoming television series, as a "bromance." I was sure I knew what that meant, but I looked it up in Wikipedia anyway:

A bromance or "man-crush" is a close but non-sexual relationship between two (or more) men, a form of homosocial intimacy. Coined in the 1990s, the term has historically referred to a relationship between heterosexuals.

Continue Reading >>>

Must Read of the Day

I think this is the most important political story of the weekend. This story, in a sane world, would bring down another Obama Czar. Check out Gateway Pundit:

BREAKING: Gateway Pundit blog came under at least two cyber attacks tonight that shut down the First Things website.
This came after the report today on Barack Obama’s Safe Schools Czar’s child porn books.

Scott Baker from Breitbart-TV.com and Co-Host of ‘The B-Cast‘ submitted a shocking report today on Obama’s deviant Safe Schools Czar Kevin Jennings.

Scott Baker reported: I was recently approached by a team of independent researchers that I have known for some time and have come to trust. They prepared this report involving ‘Safe Schools Czar’ Kevin Jennings and the organization he founded, GLSEN, and asked that I find a way to help draw attention to what they uncovered. Knowing that Gateway Pundit has followed Kevin Jennings since his appointment, as we have on The B-Cast (here, here, and here), and on Breitbart.tv (here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here), I felt this would be an appropriate place for this report.

Frosty the Porn-Man

This is pretty bad.

From the network that brought you the Janet Jackson-Justin Timberlake “wardrobe malfunction” in the middle of a B&D Super Bowl dance number comes a web promo for the children’s holiday classic Frosty the Snowman. Mediate’s Rachel Sklar can barely contain her disgust at the NSFW promo, which uses the Frosty animation to discuss porn, women’s breasts, and sadomasochism. Maybe CBS should have taken its own advice and left this classic untouched:

Do Monkeys Sense the Moral Law?

Funny video from Fallible Blogma.

Even a monkey has a sense of the universal and objective moral law.

Some Funny Random Thoughts

These are some pretty funny random thoughts from Sardonic Catholic Dad:

1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

2. Nothing stinks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.

5. How the heck are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

Now the American Flag Is Illegal?

The guy with the coolest name in the world who also happens to be a decroated war hero goes up against a bunch of weenies in a homeowners association. Who's your money on?

90 year-old Colonel Van Barfoot has until Friday to remove the flagpole from his yard.

Since this saga began, it's been played out on the radio from Washington D.C. to Boston, but many believe what is happening to this true American hero is tarnishing the image of Richmond.

Barfoot lives in the Sussex Square community in western Henrico County. He moved there in July, and was ordered to remove the flagpole from his front lawn when he flew the flag on Labor Day, and again on Veterans Day.

The homeowner's association doesn't explicitly forbid flagpoles but they must be "aesthetically appropriate". Short flags are allowed on porches, but Barfoot says that's not the way he was raised to respect the flag.

Catholic Colleges and Planned Parenthood

This is awful. Getting increasingly commonplace. But still awful. Acts of the Apostasy has the details:

Would an Orthodox Jew run a pork sausage company? Would a PETA activist operate a fishing charter boat? Or, would an Amish farmer have a car dealership on the side?

The answers to each, of course, would be "no", presuming the people in question were true to their beliefs and values. They are simply incompatible.

Now...would a Catholic college post job openings at Planned Parenthood facilities for their nursing students.

Alas, the answer is yes...

Open Lesbian on USCCB Health Committee

I guess there's such a shortage of health experts out there that the bishops have to accept people who stand against Catholic teaching. James Todd at Pewsitter has more:

According to the USCCB website Mary Kay Henry was appointed to the USCCB Subcommittee for Health Care and Work in 1998. Now more than a decade later, Ms. Henry continues to provide consultation to the USCCB in this capacity – in spite of her open dissent from Church teaching on homosexuality.

Shea On Darwinism

Mark Shea proves that miracles are real. Over 2500 words and I didn't shout at my computer screen once! Mark Shea, in a magnificent post, puts into words better than just about anyone my views on Darwinsm and Intelligent design. Truly the veil is thin here.

Scholars Aim to Disprove Darwin
Good luck with that.

Me: I'm highly skeptical that they're gonna land any punches that overthrow the basic arguments for stuff like an old earth and some sort of evolutionary growth of life on earth over the past 3 billion years or so. But they are welcome to give it their best shot. I don't have any religious faith invested in the theory of biological evolution, so I don't think skeptics about it are heretics who need to be silenced and shouted down as monsters, fools or wicked people. If somebody is wrong or dubious about, say, quantum mechanics or special relativity (which likewise present us with claims about the universe that are a bit hard to comprehend or swallow), the answer to their dubiousness or confusion is not "SHUT UP!"

Continue Reading >>>>

Oh Nooooo! Martha Stewart Hates Palin

My two favorite women can't get along? Why!? Why?! This reminds me exactly of the time I brought home my Goth girlfriend to my mother.

I'm Sure Palin is Crushed by This. Convicted felon finds Sarah Palin "boring" and "dangerous."

Scientist: Porn is Great

Pundette proves once again that she hates science. She attacks a scientists just because he makes sweeping and unverifiable claims with little data.

This strikes me as very sad:
“We started our research seeking men in their 20s who had never consumed pornography,” said Professor Simon Louis Lajeunesse. “We couldn't find any.”
I don't know how hard they looked but I do know there are at least a few young men out there who don't consume pornography.

Nelson to Filibuster?

I hope this is true. I hope that Sen. Nelson has the courage of his convictions:

Senator Ben Nelson, a pro-life Nebraska Democrat, confirmed again today that he will filibuster the Senate government-run health care bill if it contains abortion funding. Nelson is sponsoring an amendment along with Sen. Orrin Hatch, that would remove the funding from the bill.

Global Warming the Next Piltdown Man?

Great analogy from Vivificat:

Folks, according to the Wall Street Journal:
For anyone who doubts the power of the Internet to shine light on darkness, the news of the month is how digital technology helped uncover a secretive group of scientists who suppressed data, froze others out of the debate, and flouted freedom-of-information laws. Their behavior was brought to light when more than 1,000 emails,and some 3,500 additional files were published online, many of which boasted about how they suppressed hard questions about their data.

Supreme Ct. Recognizes Unborn as Child

Illustrating that the pro-choice side of the abortion argument is untethered to logic in any meaningful sense, the Supreme Court writes something that I'd likely find encouraging if I didn't find it so sad. Ed Whelan has the story:

On Monday, the Supreme Court issued a unanimous per curiam opinion in Porter v. McCollum in favor of the habeas petition filed by a death-row inmate. Specifically, the Court ruled that the inmate was deprived of his Sixth Amendment right to counsel when his counsel failed to discover significant mitigating evidence and to present that evidence at the sentencing phase of his trial.

By e-mail, Walter Weber of the American Center for Law and Justice highlights an interesting phrase in the Court’s opinion...

Gov't To Bail Out Newspapers?

Darn it. Looks like I got out of the newspaper industry too soon. I didn't know the government would be cutting checks to them. I would say this is the first step towards government controlled media but aren't we kinda' there already. Hot Air has the story:

The push to provide newspapers a government bailout to save “independent” media got another boost from a rather likely source yesterday. As Danny Glover reports for Accuracy in Media, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) spoke at an FTC seminar on the crisis in media markets, at which other speakers insisted that government has routinely intervened in media, even newspapers, and that opposition to it somehow violates the American tradition. But first, Waxman said, newspapers had to ask Congress for a handout:

ND Football as Metaphor for the Church

Some scary similarities:

A Vortex commentary from http://www.RealCatholicTV.com Notre Dame football and the Church in America - how similar are they?

Tridentine Observations from Fr. Erik

Fr. Erik Richsteig has some opinions on the Mass:

For over a year, I have been celebrating the Extraordinary Form of the Mass, publicly, at least once a week. I have also been able to celebrate several of the sacraments according to that form. I must confess that I have been interested in the Old Mass since before my conversion. I have collected (i. e. rescued) old missals and altar cards. One of the things that attracted me to the Catholic Faith was its history and continuity. It was established by Christ and our practices stand in continuity with those of the Apostolic Church. While I recognize the validity of the new liturgy, what bothered Cardinal Ratzinger also bothers me. It was an artificial construct, not an organic development. (One should also not the archeologism and romanticism on the Bugnini crowd.) Intellectually, I knew about the traditional rite. I knew what it said and looked like. However, I have become convinced that one cannot really say one knows a liturgy until one has celebrated it. So, over the next little while, I will post at least three reflections on the Ordinary Form.

Media Not Feeling The Tingle Anymore?

Some in the media seem disappointed in their President. And Pundette can't help but point and laugh.

Tom Shales, who has positively drooled over Obama in past columns, is just not that into him anymore. He's dropped the pet names ("President Wonderful") and the gushing declamations about how "we like our Obama tough even though we also like, and probably prefer, our Obama gentle." (Thanks for sharing!) Instead Shales wonders whether Obama has lost his gift of magical persuasion:

Sandra Bullock Meets a True Christian

It's sad that so many people see Christians as hypocritical loudmouths. But here's an instance where upon meeting a real Christian, Sandra Bullock said she noticed it. I guess there aren't a lot of Christians in Hollywood. Who'd a thunk it? Taylor Marshall found this story:

Last weekend my wife and I saw a great movie: The Blindside. We loved it. I laughed. I cried. For once, I got my money out of a movie ticket.

Without spoiling the film for those who haven't seen it, it's about a family who adopts an enormously sized under-privileged teenager who doesn't have a home. The young man turns out to be Michael Oher, the present left tackle for the Baltimore Ravens. It's based on a true story and as my father used to say, "truth is better than fiction." And if you don't count the lamentable movie Speed, Sandra Bullock, who plays the feisty but philanthropic mother, is one of my favorite actresses. This is her best role. She deserves to win an award for performance.

An article about Sandra Bullock recently caught my eye as it relates to Christianity and popular culture.

City Fines Catholic Church $14 Million

This is outrageous so expect more of it:

The City of San Francisco is hard up for cash, so they’ve decided to steal it from the Archdiocese of San Francisco because they can – nakedly, in broad daylight, without the slightest plausible legal pretense. The Church is openly hated and condemned in San Francisco for its support of Proposition 8 and its defense of human sexual morality in general. The City can steal from the Archdiocese because the City needs the money and because it makes the citizenry happy to stick it to the evil Catholic Church.

Jesuit In India Appeals for Help

I know times are tight but every little bit helps:

My Jesuit friend Fr. John Deeney, whom I visited in India last year, has asked for our help so that the The Jamshedpur Province of the Society of Jesus may build a proper school for the tribal children in the town of Pandabir, West Singhbhum, Jharkhand. The current state of the church/school is most inadequate, as the pictures above indicate. The schools set up by the Indian government in the long neglected tribal regions are subpar, and according to my friends there -- are simply glorified baby-sitting services. As in any country the best way to break the cycle of poverty, in my opinion, is through education.

While many of us have felt the pinch of the recession remember that a donation of just $50 equals 2,221 Rupees -- and that can go a long way in India! So please don't feel that smaller donations won't help... they will, and will be greatly appreciated.

Holy Krupa! What A Terrible Ad!

The Deacon's Bench has the skinny on a disgustingly anti-Catholic PETA ad.

PETA -- the group known for its provocative ads touting the need to treat animals ethically -- might want to consider its own advertising ethics.
The latest ads are an assault on Christianity in general, and Catholics in particular: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has done it again with their "Be An Angel For Animals" campaign that features celebs as angels. Coming so close to Christmas, the latest ad featuring Playboy's Joanna Krupa naked but hidden behind a well-placed holy cross has sent the Catholic League into battle mode.
Continue Reading >>>>

Matthews Calls West Point "Enemy Camp."

Kathryn Jean Lopez calls out MSNBC for calling West Point an "enemy camp." She's got the short video:

MSNBC reached a new shameful low tonight when Chris Matthews referred to West Point as an "enemy camp." He was trying to convey his surprise that Barack Obama would go to such a place, somewhere, he said, where Paul Wolfowitz would be more comfortable.

Chris, he's commander-in-chief.

Bill Donohue: Effective or Embarrassment?

Russel Shaw of Our Sunday Visitor defends Bill Donohue of the Catholic League. Donohue doesn't take prisoners and I know some people who don't believe he sets an appropriate tone all the time but I actually think that the man understands the stakes of the culture war and he calls people out on their attacks on Catholicism.

For 16 of the 36 years the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights has been in business, it’s been headed by William Donohue. In that time Bill Donohue has put his own distinctive mark on this feisty anti-defamation organization, on the Catholic Church in the United States and on American culture as a whole. No small achievement, to say the least.

What does Donohue do? Here is a sentence from a recent League news release quoting its leader: “The real story here is not the corruption of Harvard — that’s old hat — the real story is the president of the United States choosing a morally challenged anti-Catholic homosexual to join his team.”

Kyrie Brand

Blogger RobK and his wife are regulars over here and they're starting a new business that seems pretty interesting. Check it out:

My wife and I are starting a new business – Kyrie Brand. It is based on the idea that we are surrounded by, identify with, and even wear a variety of brands. The idea of Kyrie Brand is that we should be marked or “branded” for the Lord (Kyrie means Lord in Greek).

We have also found that sometimes there are great t-shirts that scream Christianity. These are great, in the right place. But sometimes, what we need is something that is appropriate to more occasions, something more subtle – perhaps an ichthys in place of a tiger or Nike swoosh on a polo shirt. Here is what is on the website about branding and the concept:

Banning Divorce in California

Michael Hirsh takes on those mocking marriage:

Why is marriage a joke only if you take it seriously?

Til death do us part? The vow would really hold true in California if a Sacramento Web designer gets his way in a movement that seems ripped from the pages of Comedy Channel writers, John Marcotte wants to put a measure on the ballot next year to ban divorce in California.

The effort is meant to be a satirical statement after California voters outlawed gay marriage in 2008, largely on the argument that a ban is needed to protect the sanctity of traditional marriage. If that's the case,then Marcotte reasons voters should have no problem banning divorce."Since California has decided to protect traditional marriage, I think it would be hypocritical of us not to sacrifice some of our own rights to protect traditional marriage even more,"the 38-year-old married father of two said.

Happy Birthday Novus Ordo

Anyone who might be allergic to snark should not read Damian Thompson's latest. Me, I'm addicted to snark so I can't help but love it:

It is 40 years ago today since the New Mass of Paul VI was introduced into our parishes, writes Margery Popinstar, editor of The Capsule. We knew at the time that this liturgy was as close to perfection as humanly possible, but little did we guess what an efflorescence of art, architecture, music and worship lay ahead!

There were fears at first that the vernacular service would damage the solemnity of the Mass. How silly! Far from leading to liturgical abuses, the New Mass nurtured a koinonia that revived Catholic culture and packed our reordered churches to the rafters.

The Other Father Z

I saw something about this last night on television. Patrick Madrid is, of course, all over it.

For the last several years, I've been following with great interest the astonishing success that Father Zakaria Botros, a Coptic priest, has had in evangelizing the Muslim world — in Arabic, using the Koran. As an Arab, he understands the mindset that so many Muslims have toward Christianity, and he exploits that knowledge quite effectively, not by simply presenting the claims for the divinity of Christ, as an example. Rather, he firmly turns the tables on Muslim apologists by relentlessly critiquing and refuting their own claims, using mainly the Koran as his tool. The reports are, he is successfully converting large numbers of Muslims (albeit secretly, for fear of deadly reprisals from their erstwhile co-religionists), and this is causing a lot of consternation among many Muslims who see Father Z as a real threat to Muslim hegemony.

Is MSNBC Anti-Catholic?

The St. Michael Society says MSNBC isn't just bad television and liberal hackery, it's anti-Catholic too.

The public attacks on the Catholic Church by Rhode Island Representative Patrick Kennedy, and Rhode Island Bishop Thomas Tobin’s defense of the faith and prayerful concern for Mr. Kennedy, have drawn the fire from the center left and its allies in the media. SMS has written a few times about this conflict, most recently yesterday, when the Bishop responded to yet another public attack on the Church from Mr. Kennedy.

MSNBC has worked hard for years to be the anti-Fox — the network that appeals to the center-left of American society just as Fox News appeals to the center right. SMS will leave it to media analysts to determine if that strategy is working or failing, but the latest attacks by four prominent MSNBC Talk Show Hosts suggests that MSNBC is not just anti-conservative, it is fanning the flames of anti-Catholicism.

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