ALL publishes disturbing report on Catholic Healthcare West

http://www.all.org/pdf/CHW_ALL_REPORT_20101220.pdf

Very distressing to hear this.  I thank God that Bishop Olmsted has taken action to repair the damage.

WT: Madoff trustee gets $7B settlement

Courtesy of the Washington Times

NEW YORK (AP) — The trustee recovering money for Bernard Madoff's burned investors has reached a $7.2 billion settlement with the estate of a Florida philanthropist and businessman who had been the single-largest beneficiary of the fraud.

The settlement with the estate of Jeffry Picower was detailed Friday in Manhattan court papers.

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara called it "a truly historic settlement" and a "game changer for Madoff's victims."

Barbara Picower, representing her late husband's estate, entered into the agreement with the U.S. attorney's office.

She said in a statement that her husband was "in no way complicit" with Madoff's fraud. She said the estate would "return every penny received" through Madoff investments.

Picower drowned after suffering a heart attack in the swimming pool of his Palm Beach, Fla., mansion on Oct. 25, 2009.

A recovery of that size would mean that a sizeable number of Madoff's victims could get at least half of their money back — a remarkable turnaround for people and institutions that thought two years ago that they had lost everything.

Picower, who was 67 when he died, invested many years ago with Madoff. Court-appointed trustee Irving
Picard's investigators said that, over time, he withdrew about $7 billion in bogus profits from his accounts. That amounts to more than a third of the dollars that disappeared in the scandal.

That money was supposedly made on stock trades, but authorities said that in reality it was simply stolen from other investors.

Picower's lawyers claimed he knew nothing about the scheme, but the trustee argued in court papers that he must have known that his returns were "implausibly high" and based on fraud.

I must say, it's about time that the victims of this monstrous crime received some just compensation.  The sheer amount of unadulterated greed that went into this is staggering and makes me physically ill.  I harbor no ill will toward Mr. Madoff and I will pray for his coversion and repentance, but I thoroughly condemn the enormous fraud he perpetuated on innocent people.  Life savings were wiped out in his scheme, and I welcome this effort to try to make things right.

Let us continue to pray for these poor souls.  With God, all things are possible.

Pax Christi.

Pray for Ireland!

http://www.lifesitenews.com/?/news/irelands-pro-life-laws-violated-womans-rights-european-court

Pray for Ireland!

LSN: Man threatens to shoot Rockford pro-lifers outside abortion facility

LINK

ROCKFORD, Illinois, December 6, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A man accompanying a woman into the notorious Rockford abortion mill on December 3 threatened to shoot pro-life sidewalk counselors, according to witnesses.
Rockford pro-life veteran Kevin Rilott told LifeSiteNews that the incident happened on Friday, when a group of five abortion supporters from the Chicago area showed up at the Northern Illinois Women’s Center. They stood at the driveway to the abortion facility shouting at mothers not to talk with pro-life sidewalk counselors.
Pro-lifers had parked a free mobile ultrasound motor home near the facility. Rilott said it appeared that the abortion supporters had come to Rockford with the sole purpose of trying to block mothers from using the free ultrasounds. In an attempt to confuse and turn away mothers, the abortion mill security guard had even placed a sign near the ultrasound motor home that said, “Free Abortions In Motor-home.”
At one point during the morning the pro-life counselors were confronted by a man who was bringing a young lady into the clinic for an abortion. Rilott said that the man appeared to be “emboldened” by the shouting of the pro-abortion protesters.
According to multiple witnesses, the man reached into his pocket and pretended that he had a gun. He then pulled his hand out of his pocket in the shape of a handgun and looked directly at the pro-lifers and said, “What would you do if I pulled out my .45 and put a bullet in your head?”
The pro-lifers called the police and filed a police report. A representative from the police department told LifeSiteNews that it would take up to five days to obtain a copy of the report, but said that no arrest was made at the time.
Donna Modica, among many of the pro-lifers who witnessed the incident, said, “It’s clear these abortion supporters think that because they can kill a baby in the womb, they can do whatever they want to anyone. The violence of abortion breeds more violence.”
A witness at the Rockford abortuary said that later on the morning of December 3, the owner of the facility, Wayne Webster, came out and taunted one of the pro-lifers saying, “Maybe he should have shot you.”
There have been a number of serious cases of pro-abortion violence in recent months. Last week LifeSiteNews reported on the attack on the home of pro-life leaders Joseph and Ann Scheidler, who live close to Rockford.
The Scheidler’s front windows were smashed in with bricks of asphalt. One of the bricks contained a note that said, “We are crazy feminist bi***es who will destroy your sexist ideas.”

And these hypocrites say WE'RE the violent ones?

The violence of the abortion industry and its supporters knows no bounds!  May God have mercy on them all.

St. Michael the Archangel, ora pro nobis!

Yahoo News: 'Programming error' caused Russian rocket failure

MOSCOW (AFP) – A programming error may have caused a rocket carrying three Russian navigation satellites to fail to reach orbit, a Russian space agency source told the RIA Novosti news agency on Monday.
"A number of specialists think that mistakes in the programming of the onboard computer system of the Proton rocket led to the engines sending the rocket too high and onto a faulty trajectory," the source said.
The rocket carrying satellites for the Russian government navigation system Glonass, failed to reach the correct orbit Sunday after blasting off from Baikonur cosmodrome, the Russian space agency said.

Oops.

Back to the drawing board there, comrades.

British guy creates super-chili

Reading Yahoo news this morning directed me to an article about a British chili farmer who's created a new claimant to the crown of world's hottest chili... or alternatively, the only chili hot enough to destroy your colon.

Fiery food mavens seeking to one-up each other now have to gear up for a whole new test of culinary bravado: the world's hottest chili pepper.

Yes, the Naga Viper, the latest claimant to the world's-hottest-pepper crown, outdistances its predecessor, the Bhut Jolokia, or "ghost chili," by more than 300,000 points on the famous Scoville scale of tongue-scorching chili hotness. Researchers at Warwick University testing the Naga Viper found that it measures 1,359,000 on the Scoville scale, which rates heat by tracking the presence of a chemical compound. In comparison, most varieties of jalapeño peppers measure in the 2,500 to 5,000 range -- milder than the Naga Viper by a factor of 270.

You hear that right, it's a full 300,000 points ahead of the infamous bhut jolokia, or ghost chili, on the Scoville scale. The pepper clocks in at 1,359,000 Scoville units, which works out to about 270 times hotter than a jalapeno. This thing is so fiery, the military is investigating its use potential as a weapon.

I wonder how long it will be before Adam Richman features a dish containing this colon-destroying pepper on his show?

My thoughts on the recent Smithsonian "art" exhibit

Just recently, the National Portrait Gallery at the venerable Smithsonian Institution put on an art display entitled "Hide/Seek:  Difference and Desire in American Portraiture".  Sounds innocent enough, until you realize the whole thing is basically a display of homoeroticism mixed with anti-Christianity in the form of a video that shows an ant-covered crucifix.  The Smithsonian eventually pulled that, although the rest of it remains up.

I can't say that I'm surprised.  Modern art nowadays is geared toward maximum shock and offense.  If your work doesn't ruffle any feathers, you can't consider yourself an artist.  You can only earn that coveted title if you create something blatantly vile and offensive, trampling on the cherished beliefs and values of the community in the process.  Take Chris Ofili, for instance; his most famous work is a portrait of the Virgin Mary plastered with pornographic images and sprinkled with a liberal amount of elephant dung (I didn't even know that was an art medium; move over paint and sculpture, here comes elephant crap!).  Instantly he was hailed as the next best thing; not because his work was any good, but because of the fact that people expressed offense at his vile work.  That's what passes as art nowadays; the kind of vile garbage normally associated with the thought processes of a snot-nosed teenager scrawling vulgar graffiti on the stalls of a public restroom.  As a matter of fact, it wouldn't shock me one bit if a photograph of THAT would be hailed as the next big thing in art, along with nice fat government grants to go with the acclaim from "artists". 

The Smithsonian exhibit isn't the worst example, but it is indicative of the state of modern art.  It's an anything goes, vile free-for-all where anything can be considered a great work of art, so long as it is vile and disgusting and offends the values of the community.  The fact that our tax dollars pay for the display of this sewage is simply icing on the garbage cake.  Long ago, such trash wouldn't NEVER had been displayed in public.  Art a long time ago was about capturing the grace and beauty of creation, and for some, it still is.  But now, it's all bile, all the time, and it's not getting better anytime soon.

The Macy's Parade is Sexist?

From the liberal blowhards at the Huffington Post comes this guffaw-worthy piece.

I've never been big on parades. Crowds of people crammed together, inevitably sweating or freezing, no one under six feet tall getting a good view. But from the comfort of my parents' kitchen, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is a tradition even I don't like to forgo. I don't get up early to watch, but with my whole family crowded into the one room, all vying for counter space or the good knife, it's the only acceptable accompaniment.

The parade attracts over 3.5 million people to the often frigid streets of New York, plus over 50 million people who watch the performers and balloons from home. But no matter whether these observers are avidly engrossed or peeking up from their poultry prep, all of them are absorbing one simple fact: from cartoon cats to historical heroes, there aren't many female figures floating by.

Look, no lady balloons!

Holidays are an obnoxious time to pick a fight. The holiday spirit implies not kicking your brother under the table and leaving partisan politics outside the dining room so your relatives can digest their meal in peace. But not everyone can afford to take the vacation.

On November 10 of this year, Lynnette Long, president of Equal Visibility Everywhere--a not-for-profit charmingly acronymed EVE--published a blog on the astounding under-representation of female characters among the Macy's parade balloons. For a few key feminists, despite the holiday, it was a call to action.

In the 84-year, 129-character history of the parade, only 10 female characters have ever sailed down the avenues. "Parade balloons are not a trivial issue," said Long. "Every year millions of young girls eagerly attend Macy's and other parades, only to look up and see nothing but male characters float by." Long concluded with a latent call for action: "Hopefully, one day, the parade skies of the United States will be filled with an equal number of male and female characters."

But the call didn't stay latent for long. The blog post got the attention of Lyn Mikal Brown at Hardy Girls Healthy Women, a nonprofit devoted to the health, well-being, and empowerment of girls and women. HGHW, in turn, reached out to SPARK, a newly formed coalition of feminist organizations helmed by Deb Tolman, a professor at Hunter College. SPARK had its first event right before Halloween, a conference I attended and wrote about.

For every holiday there could probably be an anti-holiday of feminist grievances. SPARK's first event was timed to raise consciousness about the sexualization of Halloween costumes for women and girls. Now it's the lack of women in the Thanksgiving Day parade. I suppose you could ask what's next? An awareness day for Mrs. Claus? St. Valentine's girlfriend? The Easter Bunny's mom? In some ways, the last thing even I want with the turkey is a side of feminist frustration.

But the truth is, the lack of visibility of women and girls in our culture and the media--while a year-round issue--is more insidious during the holidays. These are the moments for the stories we love, the characters we identify with and want to celebrate. If the characters are overwhelmingly male, what do we internalize about who matters?

This isn't just important for young girls: how we see females portrayed and whether we see them featured at all affects how boys and men--how all of us--understand and relate to girls and women.

So SPARK decided to step up the call for equal balloon representation and set a date for the goal. How's 2012 sound?

The answer is up to Terry J. Lundgren, CEO of Macy's, Inc, and the designated recipient of SPARK's petition demanding balance among the balloons. Maybe it's up to you, too, if you want to sign.

"This isn't just about the Macy's Day Parade," says Brown. "This is part of a larger pattern of girls underrepresented in the media."

"The parade is a concrete way to see the issue," explains Tolman.

The ability to pick up on this item and run with it is central to SPARK's mission: to create a feminist network. By connecting big organizations with small ones, SPARK lends the power of a greater voice to grassroots groups that are not encased in bureaucracy and therefore may be more creative with their energies.

Like the can of cranberry sauce that's sitting directly in the center of the shelf, often the most difficult issues to see are the ones that are right in front of us. But just recognizing them is perhaps the most important step toward change.

There's no good reason why female characters can't be equally represented in the Parade. True, the lack of parity reflects the general state of the media, but with a history of only 129 balloons total, it doesn't seem like a lot to ask. Given TV, books, movies, and all of history, I think most of us could come up with 64 characters to fill the ranks. Who knows... maybe even 65.

Which women, girls, and female characters would you like to see in The Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade? Post your ideas in the comments section below!

I've pretty much come to expect liberal nonsense from the HuffPo, but this one takes that cake. Seriously, this isn't a joke? Young girls are being disempowered because there aren't enough female cartoon character balloons in the Macy's parade? I think I speak for everyone when I say piffle. A young kid isn't going to care about what balloons they have in the parade; they're too busy enjoying themselves to care about uber-feminist pontificating.

So, to the fine folks at the Huffington Post I say; give it up.

Pax Christi.

Free Asia Bibi!

From CatholicVote.org

Pakistan woman sentenced to death for Christian beliefs
Asia Bibi is a Pakistani Christian who, following a discussion with several Muslim colleagues, was accused of having pronounced offensive words against the Prophet Mohammed and was denounced to the local Imam. Her offense: claiming that Christianity is true.
The Imam asked the police to intervene and an investigation began leading to her arrest on the accusation of violating code 295 of the penal code, which provides for the death penalty for blasphemy.
Pope Benedict has made a plea for her release saying:
"Over these days the international community is, with great concern, following the situation of Christians in Pakistan, who are often victims of violence or discrimination. In particular, I today express my spiritual closeness to Ms Asia Bibi and her family while asking that, as soon as possible, she may be restored to complete freedom. I also pray for people who find themselves in similar situations, that their human dignity and fundamental rights may be fully respected."
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has the ability to intervene to help save this woman. Call your legislators and tell them to urge Secretary Clinton to request the Ms. Bibi be pardoned, released, or exiled to the United States.
Your voice matters.  Do not delay.

Pray, pray, pray for this woman to be spared.  Pray for an end to dominance by Sharia law which does not recognize religious freedom, or any kind of real freedom for that matter.  Write to your Senators and Representatives and ask them to denounce this atrocity and pressure our government to intervene on her behalf.

Our voice really does count.

Animal rights zealots threaten trappers

From the "nothing new under the sun" files comes this.  Courtesy of Examiner.com

"But if we want to be a bit more strategic in our approach, let’s focus on the source of the horror: the trappers. Thus far, this community of violent inbreds has remained largely below our radar. The time to change that is now.

"Therefore, we have compiled a state-by-state list of trappers so that each of us may focus on the problem in our own communities. Eliminate them and we liberate those who would have been their future victims."— Gerald Hoffman & Camille Marino

This is a posting from an underground animal rights forum "Negotiationisover.com", as published in a column on Examiner.com.  The author of the column wonders if this is a death threat.  I say I'm certain of it; they're publishing a list of names and then suggested said people be "eliminated".  Doesn't this meet the definition of a terroristic threat?  And innocent holiday travelers are the ones getting groped by the TSA at airports.

I post this not because it is shocking, but because it so typifies the behavior of radical animal rights activists, the ones who refuse to recognize that humans are created in the image and likeness of God and place animals above them, contrary to the order of creation.  It is an attitude that is dangerous and needs to be opposed by all people of goodwill.

Pax Christi.

NCReporter: Australian priest publicly calls for women's ordination

Courtesy of WDTPRS and the NCDistor... excuse me "Reporter".

'I am convinced in my heart that it is God's will that we should have women priests … I feel prompted by the Holy Spirit to share my position publicly, and yet very reluctantly,'' the sermon said, according to a report on the Web site theage.com.au. ''I believe certain women are being called by God to the ministerial priesthood, and our official church is obstructing the work of the Holy Spirit. I feel I can no longer sit back and remain silent.''
He conceded that as ''an insignificant little parish priest'' he lacked the profound theological training to contradict papal teaching, ''but some things you just know in your heart, in the core of your being''.

Rubbish.

A spade needs to be called a spade, so that's what I'm going to do.  This priest is preaching heresy and needs to be disciplined.

PC LUNACY ALERT: School forces kid to remove American flag

13-year-old Cody Alicea rides with an American flag on the back of his bike. He says he does this to be patriotic and to honor veterans, like his own grandfather, Robert. He's had the flag on his bike for two months but Monday, was told to take it down.

A school official at Denair Middle School told Cody some students had been complaining about the flag and it was no longer allowed on school property.

"In this country we're supposed to be free," said Cody. "And I should be able to wave my flag wherever I want to. And they're telling me I can't." Cody had to take the flag off his bike and put it in his backpack, where he kept it all week.

Liberalism is a mental disorder.

Back from unplanned hiatus and WTH?

After having been on a non-intended hiatus for the past few days (I neglected my poor little blog), I am back.

And I found this on LSN:

CORDOBA, Spain, November 10, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A Spanish judge has ruled that a violent occupation of the Cathedral of Cordoba by a group of Muslims in March of this year did not violate the nation's law against offending religious sentiments.
According to Europa Press, the judge occupying the seat of the Fourth Court of Instruction of Cordoba ruled that the incursion into the cathedral, which culminated in an assault on several guards and a policeman, was merely a "public disorder" and was not intended to offend anyone's religious sentiments.
"There isn't so much an intention to minimize or harm the religious sentiments of the Catholic religion so much as an attempt to favor, not to say clearly impose, in a false gesture of tolerance, the possibility of carrying out joint worship [in the cathedral]," the judge declared. "It doesn't act to demerit or discredit the Catholic religion, but rather in favor of joint use."
Spanish Muslims have long demanded the right to carry out Islamic worship in the Cathedral of Cordoba, which was demolished by Muslims in the 8th century and replaced with a mosque following their conquest of the area.  The cathedral was rebuilt in the 13th century after Christians reconquered Cordoba. However, much of the original architecture of the mosque was left intact.
Despite a prohibition against Islamic worship in the cathedral, a group of approximately one hundred Muslims from Austria entered the building during Holy Week on March 31, led by an imam and sporting walkie-talkies.  After they began to carry out the rites of the Islamic religion they were confronted by security guards and police, several of whom suffered injuries after being attacked by eight members of the group, one of whom brandished a knife. The eight aggressors were arrested, while the rest were allowed to go free after being forcibly removed from the cathedral.

OK, let me see if I get this straight; A group of Muslims who (most likely illegally) occupied the Cathedral of Cordoba in order to hold Islamic religious rites, despite that the fact that it is a rebuilt Christian cathedral and meant for the celebration of Holy Mass, and they were NOT offending anyone's religious sensibilities?

We Catholics are VERY particular about what we use our churches for (well, most of us anyway) and let me tell you, it is VERY offensive when someone else invades a church to hold their own religious rites.  Not very politically correct, but the Truth isn't PC at all.  The Cathedral of Cordoba is NOT a mosque anymore, despite some remnants of the mosque today, and it is NOT meant for holding Islamic prayer services. 

Yet the Spanish courts seem to think that it wasn't meant to be offend Catholics?  Allow me to explain; they invaded the cathedral to use for their rites because in their minds, it's still a mosque.  In Islam, once something is taken over for Islam, it stays that way, and it can never be given back.  So, the Muslims invading the mosque were doing it to stick their fingers into the eyes of Christians by saying "See?  This is our building and we can walk in whenever we want!".

O Glorious Saint Benedict, pray for Europe.

The Holy Father is right!

Courtesy of Father Z.

A friend of mine, the great Roman Fabrizio noticed this and sent it along for our opportune knowledge.
The Holy Father, in his “Message” for the World Day for Migrants and Refugees, offered:

” The Church recognizes this right in every human person, in its dual aspect of the possibility to leave one’s country and the possibility to enter another country to look for better conditions of life” (Message for World Day of Migration 2001, 3; cf. John XXIII, Encyclical Mater et Magistra, 30; Paul VI, Encyclical Octogesima adveniens, 17). At the same time, States have the right to regulate migration flows and to defend their own frontiers, always guaranteeing the respect due to the dignity of each and every human person. Immigrants, moreover, have the duty to integrate into the host Country, respecting its laws and its national identity. “

The Holy Father is absolutely right in this regard.  Catholics, pay attention!

Real live marshemallow peeps

Apparently, the process of dyeing the chicks (they inject the dye into the egg yolk) is harmless and the chicks grow up naturally.

It's a wild and crazy world we live in, huh?

What is this?

Spirit day?  For me, it's October 21, aka Thursday of the 29th Week in Ordinary Time.  Why are you turning my DA purple?

Please change it back, dA

Letter to a Pro-Abortion "Catholic"

I will not reveal this person's name, because I 1) Do not want anyone going after her in a spirit of anything but charity, and 2) The last thing I need is pro-aborts spamming my blog with threats and foul language.

I read your post on your livejournal about how you believe abortion should remain legal.  I must say that I am disappointed that you would so willingly cooperate with a grave evil by saying it should be legal for a mother to murder her innocent baby.

Do you have any idea what an abortion looks like?  I won't post any graphic images on here, but I will tell you that there is nothing more horrible.  Victims of abortion are dismembered, burned with chemicals, destroyed with drugs, and even have their brain sucked out with a vacuum pump after first being stabbed in the head with a pair of surgical forceps (partial-birth abortion).  And, I don't have time to list them, but new studies have revealed that a fetus feels pain when this happens.  Can you honestly tell me that this should remain legal?

An unborn baby is not just a mass of tissue; it is a living, breathing human life.  It has it's own heartbeat, brain patterns and it's own unique genetic code, separate from the mother's.  In short, it IS a human life, and all human life is precious and has dignity.  THAT is why abortion is wrong; it is the deliberate killing, the MURDER, of an innocent human life, and the Bible tells us that "Thall shalt not kill" (Exodus 20:15).

Furthermore, can you see into the future?  I would bet all the gold in Fort Knox that you cannot.  We are not prophets.  Then, how can you tell me that you know what will happen should abortion be made illegal?  How do you know that we will not grow up as a society and see that abortion is a brutal act of murder (as we should)?  We cannot know the future for certain, so why should we let that stop us from protecting innocent human life by banning the butchery of abortion?  I don't see how we should.

I urge you as a fellow Catholic to rethink this.  One of the best bumper sticker slogans I ever read was one that said "You can't be Catholic and Pro-Choice".  It's true, you cannot call yourself a servant of the Lord and still support the slaughter of innocent life.  I will pray for you that the Lord may soften your heart and you will join us in the fight to end the American Genocide.

May the peace of Christ be with you always.

A Catholic in Virginia Beach

DFLA Attacks Fellow Pro-lifers

Via LifeNews.com

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The renegade "pro-life" organization Democrats for Life of America has set its sights on another pro-life group after initially attacking the National Right to Life Committee. DFLA is now going after the Susan B. Anthony List because SBA is letting voters know about candidates who voted for the abortion-funding health care bill.

At issue is whether or not the legislation funds abortion -- which every other pro-life group explains is no longer in dispute, especially after the Obama administration attempted to fund abortions in three states via ObamaCare before it was exposed.

It amazes me that now that every pro-lifer this side of Pluto can see that Obama's little health care scheme DOES in fact fund abortions, groups like DFLA and supposedly "pro-life" Democrats (biggest oxymoron in history) still try to claim that it doesn't.

Now it seems that they no longer have a valid argument since Obama has tried to use federal funds to pay for abortions via ObamaCare, so they resort to silencing their critics by getting them thrown in jail.  When last I looked, the First Amendment was still a part of the Constitution, which means you can't throw someone in jail because you don't like what they have to say.  Don't tell that to the "pro-life" Democrats though, because apparently they just don't seem to get it.

I urge everyone who reads this post to pray for the SBA List members who are being threatened with jail for telling the truth about Obama's monstrous abortion-funding law, and to pray for an end to the murder of babies in this country.

Pax Christi.

"Absurd overreach" is right!

I found this one in my e-mail inbox.

A school principal in California has filed a lawsuit against his school district, saying he's been punished and threatened with job termination for appearing in a video promoting a prayer breakfast to honor teachers.

Foothill Elementary principal Craig Richter is being represented by the Alliance Defense Fund. ADF senior counsel Joseph Infranco tells OneNewsNow the school district disciplined the principal, who is a Christian, for making a 30-second appearance in a video promotion of the event.

The principal wasn't proselytizing or promoting one particular form of prayer over another.  All he did was appear in a video promoting an event, one that happened to be a prayer breakfast.  How does THAT violate this "separation of church and state" folks keep talking about?

Just another example of how ridiculous PC lunacy has become in this country.

Christian Jack O' Lantern ideas

Looking for Christian designs to carve on a Jack O' Lantern this year.  If anyone has any resources, please direct me in the comments.

Gratias.

I might not live in Colorado...

But I heartily endorse this measure.

http://personhoodcolorado.com/

The text of Amendment 62 from the website.
 

Section 32. Person defined. As used in sections 3*, 6**, and 25*** of Article II of the state constitution, the term "person" shall apply to every human being from the beginning of the biological development of that human being.

In other words, the unborn will finally get legal protection.  Unborn babies will no longer be considered property and thereby able to be murdered by abortion.

Every person who reads this post, I encourage you to donate to this worthwhile cause to defeat the culture of death. 

Eco-propanganda vid reveals that the mask is coming off

Have you ever heard of something called the "10:10" initiative?  It's apparently something designed to get people around the world to reduce their carbon footprints by 10%.

They're also responsible for this gem.



Let me say right now that I support being good stewards of the environment.  The Bible supports it in the implications present in Genesis 1.  I'm all for reducing pollution and preserving our natural resources and wonders.

But this?  This is hate, plain and simple.

This type of homicidal misanthropy is all too commonplace in the radical environmentalist movement.  A while ago, Greenpeace made a video on "climate change" that showed a stone faced young man sneering threatingly while making patricidal and homicidal insinuations.

Jimmy Akin had this to say about it over at his blog.

According to the 10:10 initiative, the script for this video was written by “Britain’s leading comedy writer, Richard Curtis,” who is the director of the 2003 romantic comedy, “Love Actually.” What the video displays, however, is hate, actually. Hatred of those who disagree with you such that you find it funny to ironically lie to them (“No pressure”) and then depict their bloody and explosive deaths in graphic detail (shlurppp!) . . . even if they are children.

And that's what it boils down to.  The movement has been so drenched in anti-human rhetoric that now the mask is coming off and the horrific misanthropy that's been seething under the surface, and that breeds groups like Sea Shepherd and the Earth Liberation Front (which has a fetish for arson and death threats) and the so called "Voluntary Human Extinction Movement" which seeks to rid the Earth of humans by convincing us not to have children, and which leads to make propaganda like this making not-so-veiled threats against those who question you, is spilling out in a torrent.

The Gospel of life has never been needed more badly that it has now.

LSN: FBI, Obama Admin Join Pro-Abort Groups to Host Training Seminar against Pro-Life Activity

PORTLAND, Oregon, September 30, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Obama administration has teamed up with leading pro-abortion lobbyist groups to host a training seminar aimed at combating pro-life "violence" against the abortion industry, which is defined to include even free-speech activities such as pro-life picketing, boycotting, and signage.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Justice sponsored an August 29 seminar in the FBI's Portland headquarters. The names of Planned Parenthood, the National Abortion Federation (NAF), and the Feminist Majority Foundation appear prominently on the front page of a document prepared for the event which compiled statistics, a list of pro-life websites, and case summaries, among other data. The 84-page document was handed out by FBI and DOJ officials to participants, according to a source in attendance.

I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but all I see in this regard is the pro-abortion industry trying to silence pro-lifers using the power of government.  We tell the truth about their evil business, so they wish to shut us up and keep us from bringing the truth to those who would otherwise kill their unborn children.

I pray for my country.

LSN: U.S. General: Don't Like Homosexuality? Leave the Army

For the "utterly outrageous" files:

WASHINGTON, D.C., September 20, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - As Senate Democrats eye a repeal of the military’s "don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) policy Tuesday, the Washington Times is standing by potentially explosive comments it published from an Army general, calling service members opposed to open homosexuality in the military "bigots" that "need to get out."
"Unfortunately, we have a minority of service members who are still racists and bigoted and you will never be able to get rid of all of them," said Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Bostick, deputy chief of staff for personnel matters, as quoted in a Times editorial Thursday. 
"But these people opposing this new policy will need to get with the program, and if they can't, they need to get out," Bostick told U.S. troops, referring to DADT. "No matter how much training and education of those in opposition, you're always going to have those that oppose this on moral and religious grounds just like you still have racists today."   
Bostick was reported to have given the remarks at the European Command headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany. The Times noted that "the strong words take additional significance from Lt. Gen. Bostick's direct involvement with a Pentagon panel charged with shaping military policy on this issue."
The Department of Defense issued a statement by Bostick to reporters Friday, in which the general stated that he "simply did not make those statements," and has "been extremely careful" not to express opinions that might influence the Pentagon panel, of which he is a member, currently reviewing the DADT repeal. Bostick also called the statements attributed to him "personally reprehensible."
 
However, the Times staff has stood by the quotations.
"He either forgot what he said, is confused, or is lying," Washington Times editorial page editor Brett Decker said of Bostick, adding that the quotation came from "a member of the military who was there" and was verified by several sources. He said he would not reveal the source for fear of retribution.
Meanwhile, the Senate is scheduled to take up a vote on repealing DADT on Tuesday at 2:15 pm. Although Democrat leaders have expressed confidence in repealing the policy, it is unclear whether Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has gathered the 60 votes needed to overturn a GOP filibuster over the issue. Vice President Joe Biden said last week that at least 55 votes have been secured.
Elaine Donnelly of the pro-family Center for Military Readiness (CMR) noted that, if a filibuster were to succeed, the chances of a DADT repeal "will diminish and possibly be ended for good."
"The four military service chiefs of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines have asked Congress not to vote for this legislation before the Pentagon releases a report on what repeal would mean," noted Donnelly in a letter to supporters. "The opinions of active duty military men and women have not been heard, and Congress should heed the professional advice of our military leadership before taking any legislative action, as they have requested."
Dale O'Leary, an internationally recognized pro-family researcher and author, said Monday that any DADT repeal should be accompanied by amendments rejecting homosexual "affirmative action" programs in the military, and the freedom of Christian members of the military from being "censored, disciplined, demoted, denied promotion, or in any way discriminated against for voicing opposition to homosexual behavior, voicing the opinion that same-sex attraction is a developmental disorder that can be treated, or defending traditional marriage."
Also, said O'Leary, officers must be explicitly allowed to discipline or discharge a homosexual service member in connection with physical or mental disorder associated with homosexuality.
"Because a number of large, well-designed studies have found that persons who self-identify as GLBTQ are more likely than the general public to suffer from psychological disorders, substance abuse problems, suicidal ideation, and sexually transmitted diseases, it can be expected that a significant percentage of GLBTQ persons will be rejected for service, disciplined for certain violations, or discharged for cause," she wrote. "Therefore, no officer shall be charged with discrimination against self-identified GLBTQ persons for rejecting, disciplining, or discharging such persons for cause."

I never thought I'd live to see an American general express such contempt for the concerns of the soldiers under his command.

I'm deeply outraged by this.

Fox Sports: Cubs player hit by shard from broken bat

MIAMI (AP)

Cubs rookie Tyler Colvin was hospitalized Sunday after his chest was punctured by part of a shattered bat.

Colvin was standing on third base in the second inning of Chicago's 13-3 victory at Florida when he was struck by a sliver of Welington Castillo's maple bat. Castillo doubled on the play and Colvin scored, but was replaced in the field in the bottom half.

This is just too scary.

By the grace of God, the kid is OK and is expected to recover, but this incident raises an important question, one that's been ignored for too long; Are maple bats safe?

I think it's become quite obvious that they are not.  Maple bats break into huge chunks that when they hit someone have the potential to kill, as so demonstrated by Colvin's injury.  In the past, the MLB used bats made from ash wood, which is lighter and breaks into tiny splinters that are not as dangerous.

Granted, any type of flying projectile is dangerous, but the question is, what is safer for players?  The answer to that question is for the MLB to go back to it's previous practice of using ash bats and phase out the use of maple bats.

Prayers will be said for Colvin and his family as he recovers.

Oremus pro Pontifice: Papal visit to UK edition

Let us pray for His Holiness Benedict XVI, as he finishes his visit to the UK amidst both joy and overt hostility.

V. Let us pray for our Pontiff, Pope Benedict.
R. May the Lord preserve him, and give him life, and bless him upon earth, and deliver him not to the will of his enemies.

Our Father.  Hail Mary.

Let us pray.

O God, Shepherd and Ruler of all Thy faithful people, look mercifully upon Thy servant Benedict, whom Thou hast chosen as shepherd to preside over Thy Church. Grant him, we beseech Thee, that by his word and example, he may edify those over whom he hath charge, so that together with the flock committed to him, may he attain everlasting life. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Sen. Warner Responds

Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) has responded to a recent message I sent him.

 

Dear Mr. Jurek,

Thank you for contacting me with your views on the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. In order to best represent you as your United States Senator, it is vital that I hear your views on this and other important matters.

In 1993, President Clinton, in conjunction with senior military leadership and the Senate and House Armed Service Committees, instituted the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy which bars openly gay and lesbian individuals from serving in the military.  On January 27, 2010, President Obama said in the State of the Union Address that he plans to work with senior military leadership and Congress to repeal the 1993 law.

Since then, the Senate Armed Services Committee has held a series of hearings to address the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy and has solicited the views of the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and each of the Service Chiefs.  The Committee then passed a provision that would provide the Department of Defense the ability to repeal the policy after concurrence from the President, the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff that the repeal would not negatively impact readiness. The House of Representatives passed a similar version in their FY 2011 National Defense Authorization Bill that also includes repeal. The bill has yet to come before the whole Senate for a vote. 

I support repeal of "Don't Ask Don't Tell" in an orderly way, working with members of the uniformed services and our military leadership.   Given the complexity and sensitivity of the matter, I believe we must place great weight on the opinions of our military leadership and ensure that we are treating all service members with dignity and respect. 

Again, thank you for taking the time to contact me with your views. I will continue to keep your thoughts in mind as the situation unfolds.  As we move forward with the 111th Congress, please continue to be in touch with your opinions and concerns.

Sincerely,
MARK R. WARNER
United States Senator 

The views of our uniformed services must be taken into account eh?  Well, he must not have gotten the message yet, because from what I recall, most of our military's senior flag officers oppose the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell".

Please take a moment to speak with them, Mr. Warner.

OK, if I might be permitted to rant a bit...

Am I the only one who notices a wave of vitriol and venom being directed at Catholic Republicans by their fellow Catholics?

It seems that a Catholic who votes Republican is viewed as a traitor to his faith.  It's said he (or she) supports "corporatism" at the expense of the poor and working people, and doesn't believe in taking care of the poor and destitute. 

Is it really that bad to believe that the poor are better served by people working to help each other under the principle of subsidiarity in place of reliance on the government, which is incapable of authentic charity?  That policies designed to reduce taxes and spending to benefit the small businesses which really drive our economy are a good thing?  To question whether Big Labor really is good?

Really, is that really an anti-Catholic principle to hold?  Ask some folks and they may say yes.  I say no. 

Our Lady of Sorrows

Today is the memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows.

From catholicculture.org

Our Lady of Sorrows
This feast dates back to the 12th century. It was especially promoted by the Cistercians and the Servites, so much so that in the 14th and 15th centuries it was widely celebrated throughout the Catholic Church. In 1482 the feast was added to the Missal under the title of "Our Lady of Compassion." Pope Benedict XIII added it to the Roman Calendar in 1727 on the Friday before Palm Sunday. In 1913, Pope Pius X fixed the date on September 15. The title "Our Lady of Sorrows" focuses on Mary's intense suffering during the passion and death of Christ. "The Seven Dolors," the title by which it was celebrated in the 17th century, referred to the seven swords that pierced the Heart of Mary. The feast is like an octave for the birthday of Our Lady on September 8th. — Excerpted from Our Lady of Sorrows by Fr. Paul Haffner (Inside the Vatican, September 2004)
This feast is dedicated to the spiritual martyrdom of Mary, Mother of God, and her compassion with the sufferings of her Divine Son, Jesus. In her suffering as co-redeemer, she reminds us of the tremendous evil of sin and shows us the way of true repentance. May the numerous tears of the Mother of God be conducive to our salvation; with which tears Thou, O God, art able to wash away the sins of the whole world.
As Mary stood at the foot of the Cross on which Jesus hung, the sword of sorrow Simeon had foretold pierced her soul. Below are the seven sorrows of Mary:

1. The prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2:25-35)
2. The flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15)
3. Loss of the Child Jesus for three days (Luke 2:41-50)
4. Mary meets Jesus on his way to Calvary (Luke 23:27-31; John 19:17)
5. Crucifixion and Death of Jesus (John 19:25-30)
6. The body of Jesus being taken from the Cross (Psalm 130; Luke 23:50-54; John 19:31-37)
7. The burial of Jesus (Isaiah 53:8; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42; Mark 15:40-47)

Symbols: heart pierced with a sword; heart pierced by seven swords; winged heart pierced with a sword; flowers: red rose, iris (meaning: "sword-lily"), cyclamen.
Patron: people named Dolores, Dolais, Deloris, Dolorita, Maria Dolorosa, Pia, and Pieta.

On this day, let us not only remember Mary's sorrow on seeing the suffering of her Son, but also her sorrow at the sins of the world and the blasphemies committed daily against our Lord, and her sorrow at the unborn innocents being killed in abortion mills.

Prayer In Honor of the Seven Sorrows
O Mary, Mother of Sorrows, I beseech Thee, by the bitter agony thou didst endure at the foot of the Cross offer to the Eternal Father, in my name, thy Beloved Son, Jesus, all covered with Blood and Wounds, in satisfaction for my sins, for the needs of Holy Church, the conversion of sinners, the relief of the Souls in Purgatory and for the special grace I now implore. Mention your request. Amen.

Stabat Mater
Stabat Mater dolorosa
Juxta Crucem lacrimosa,
Dum pendebat Filius.

Cujus animam gementem,
Contristatam et dolentem,
Pertransivit gladius.

O quam tristis et afflicta
Fuit illa benedicta
Mater Unigeniti!

Quem maerebat, et dolebat,
Pia Mater, dum videbat
Nati paenas inclyti.

Quis est homo, qui non fleret,
Matrem Christi si videret
In tanto supplicio?

Quis non posset contristari,
Christi Matrem contemplari
Dolentem cum Filio?

Pro peccatis suae gentis
Vidit Jesum in tormentis,
Et flagellis subditum.

Vidit suum dulcem natum
Moriendo desolatum,
Dum emisit spiritum.

Eia Mater, fons amoris,
Me sentire vim doloris
Fac, ut tecum lugeam.

Fac, ut ardeat cor meum
In amando Christum Deum,
Ut sibi complaceam.

Sancta Mater, istud agas,
Crucifixi fige plagas
Cordi meo valide.

Tui nati vulnerati,
Tam dignati pro me pati,
Paenas rnecum divide.

Fac me tecum pie flere,
Crucifixo condolere,
Donec ego vixero.

Juxta Crucem tecum stare,
Et me tibi sociare
In planctu desidero.

Virgo virginum praeclara,
Mihi jam non sis amara:
Fac me tecum plangere.

Fac, ut portem Christi mortem
Passionis fac consortum,
Et plagas recolere.

Fac me plagis vulnerari
Fac me cruce inebriari,
Et cruore Filii.

Flammis ne urar succensus
Per te, Virgo, sim defensus
In die judicii.

Christe, cum sit hinc exire,
Da per Matrem me venire,
Ad palmam victoriae.

Quando corpus morietur,
Fac, ut animae donetur
Paradisi gloria.

Sometimes even vegetables can be flabbergasted

They must have just watched a Eucharist desecration video on Youtube.

Pic belongs to the original creator.

In Memoriam 09/11/2001

For those who remember, on this day 3,000 of our fellow Americans, who had committed no crime and harmed no one, were murdered by a band of barbarous terrorists who were convinced that paradise would be there's if they slaughtered the "infidel". But this journal is not about the murderers, it's about those 3,000 people who died.

They were innocent. They had done nothing to nobody. Yet, they were murdered.

Many said they weren't innocent. A college professor wrote an essay that compared them to the infamous Nazi mass murderer Adolf Eichmann, and their killers didn't see them as innocent because they were "non-believers". But they were innocent, just ordinary men and women who were doing their jobs, oblivious to the hell that was about to be unleashed.

We must never forget them. They still need us. They need us to never forget what transpired, to honor their memory. They need us to pray for their souls so they may enjoy the bliss of heaven, and they need us to make sure such a massacre may never happen again.

Oremus
Father, hear us as we pray for those who died on this terrible day. Bring then into your heavenly abode that they may praise you with all the angels and saints who have done your will throughout the ages. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Réquiem ætérnam dona eis Dómine;
et lux perpétua lúceat eis.
Requiéscant in pace.
Amen.

MSNBC: "Beetlejuice" Actor Glenn Shadix dies in Alabama

Glenn Shadix, best remembered for his portrayal of a portly, pretentious designer in the metaphysical comedy "Beetlejuice," died Tuesday at his home in Birmingham. He was 58.

Personal manager Juliet Green told The Associated Press that Shadix had returned to his home state after many years living in Los Angeles.
A cause of death was not immediately known, but his sister, Susan Gagne, told The Birmingham News that he had been using a wheelchair for mobility and appeared to have fallen in his kitchen and struck his head.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord
and let perpetual light shine upon him.
May he rest in peace.
Amen.

Congressman Nye Seems to think Prop 8 ruling is no big deal

A while ago, I wrote to my Congressional Representative, Glenn Nye (D-VA) asking him to oppose the Prop 8 ruling of Judge Walker.  This is what I got from him.

Dear Mr. Jurek,

Thank you for contacting me in opposition to Judge Walker's ruling in the case of Perry v. Schwarzenegger, which, if upheld, would overturn Proposition 8's ban on same-sex marriage.  It is helpful to learn the views of my friends and neighbors in Hampton Roads and on the Eastern Shore, and I appreciate having your input.

On Wednesday, August 4th Judge Vaughn R. Walker ruled that California Proposition 8's ban on same-sex marriage "cannot withstand any level of scrutiny under the Equal Protection Clause" and that "excluding same-sex couples from marriage is simply not rationally related to a legitimate state interest."  However, immediately following the ruling, Judge Walker put a stay on his own opinion, pending the expected higher court challenge.  The opinion only applies to California and does not affect federal law, which does not recognize same-sex marriages.
Judge Walker was first nominated to the federal bench by President Ronald Reagan in 1987.  Due to his conservative record, his confirmation was delayed for two years by Congress. 

I believe in the balance of power between the three branches of government and have confidence in the process of the Judicial Branch. Should Congress consider any related legislation, I will be certain to factor your recommendations into the decisions I make. 

Thank you again for sharing your views.  I am proud to serve Virginia's Second District, and I am committed to working hard for you.  If you would like more information about the issues I am working on in Congress, or if you would like to sign up to receive my monthly e-newsletter, I encourage you to visit my website at www.nye.house.gov.

Apparently he hasn't done much thought about this, because anyone with an  inkling of how things work in this regard, he'd know the ruling sets a precedent that any and all attempts to defend marriage are "unconstitutional" including federal law, and now homosexualist activists have a legal precedent to argue for the recognition of homosexual "marriage".

Yes, the ruling is a big deal, because now any defense of marriage is out.

Mr. Nye, please, for the good of society, oppose this ruling on it's face and fight for marriage in Congress, resist any attempt to redefine marriage.

Pax Christi.

CNA: Cardinal O’Brien accuses BBC of attempting to 'humiliate' Pope, says is time for religion editor

From CNA:

London, England, Sep 6, 2010 / 09:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Cardinal Keith O’Brien, the senior Catholic authority in Scotland, accused the BBC on Sunday  of  being contaminated by “a radically secular and socially liberal mindset.” Then prelate added that the public corporation headed by Mark Thompson, a 52-year-old Jesuit educated Catholic, should appoint a religion editor immediately.
Cardinal O'Brian, who is Archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh also accused the BBC of plotting a “hatchet job” on the Vatican in a documentary about clerical sex abuse on the eve of Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Britain.
“This week the BBC’s director general admitted that the corporation had displayed ‘massive bias’ in its political coverage throughout the 1980s, acknowledging the existence of an institutional political bias,” the cardinal said.
“Our detailed research into BBC news coverage of Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular, together with a systematic analysis of output by the Catholic church, has revealed a consistent anti-Christian institutional bias,” he added.
As proof, Cardinal O'Brian pointed out to 15 percent decline in religious programming over the past 20 years. Also, he added, insiders at the BBC have privately admitted that there is a cultural intolerance of Christianity at the corporation.
“Senior news managers have admitted to the Catholic Church that a radically secular and socially liberal mindset pervades their newsrooms. This sadly taints BBC news and current affairs coverage of religious issues, particularly matters of Christian beliefs.”
The Archbishop of Edinburgh voiced his fears that the BBC will use a forthcoming documentary called "Benedict –Trials of a Pope" to "humiliate the Pontiff on the eve of his visit to Britain."  The program was created by Mark Dowd, a homosexual former Dominican friar, and will be aired on September 15.
The cardinal joined the recent Church of England's demand that the broadcaster appoint a religion editor to address the issue of the decline and the bias on religious information.
The BBC immediately dismissed Cardinal O’Brien’s criticism of its religious coverage. A spokeswoman told The Telegraph that “BBC news and current affairs has a dedicated religion correspondent.”
In fact, the BBC appointed Mr. Aaqil Ahmed last year as head of religious broadcasting, the first Muslim to hold that position.
Nevertheless,  Roger Bolton, who presents BBC's Radio 4’s "Feedback," said early this year at an awards ceremony in London that the religious perspective was often "bafflingly absent" both on air and behind the scenes in editorial discussions.
“BBC television, unlike BBC Radio, seems to be in the hands of the secular and skeptical, who view religious coverage as a rather tiresome obligation to be minimized rather than a rich and promising area to explore,” said Bolton.
He also noted that Aaqil Ahmed had a proven record in his previous job at Channel 4, but that at the BBC, his “playing field" was "more the size of a fives court than a football pitch.”
Bolton added that BBC News should appoint a religion editor of a similar seniority and prominence to business editor Robert Peston, to appear prominently on its radio and TV bulletins.
“BBC News requires a religion editor, able to appear on the networks to interpret the latest religious story at home and abroad, but more importantly to bring a religious perspective to the vast range of areas such as foreign affairs and medical dilemmas where that perspective is so often, and so bafflingly, absent,” said Bolton.

 With all due respect to the good cardinal, I highly doubt a religion editor will do much to root out the bias against Christianity at the BBC.  The network is so beholden to secularism, it'll take fundamental reform to root it out, and reform is painful.

Nevertheless, it's clear something needs to be done.  The attacks against the Holy Father leading up to his visit to the UK is a shameful episode and highlights the clear need for reform in the major media.

Man Threatens Pro-Lifers

From LSN comes this shocking story:

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Sept. 1, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A man was arrested Saturday, August 28, outside a late-term abortion facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico, after he allegedly threatened to shoot two pro-life women who were offering help to abortion-bound women.
According to Operation Rescue (OR), the unidentified man and his wife were escorting their daughter into the abortion clinic when the wife and daughter walked over to the pro-life women to discuss alternatives to abortion. The man became angry and ushered his family members toward the building.
 
"When we come out, I'm going to put a bullet in your head if you talk to her," the man reportedly told the pro-life women, whose identities are being withheld for their security.
 
Witnesses said that the man then lifted his shirt to show the women a dark object that was partially tucked into his trousers. The women say they recognized the object as a gun and called the police.
 
"The police responded appropriately and took him away in handcuffs," said former OR intern Bud Shaver, who arrived on the scene in time to witness the arrest and the clearing of the clinic by police.
 
"They cleared Boyd's clinic to search for the gun SWAT style. Everyone, including staff, had to come out with their hands up."
 
The area was cordoned off and the facility was closed to patients for nearly two hours while police conducted their investigation.
 
It is currently unknown if a gun was recovered by police or what charges were brought against the man.
 
Death threats against pro-lifers have been viewed with greater concern in the wake of the shooting death of activist Jim Pouillon of Owosso, Michigan, who was gunned down last year as he held a pro-life sign outside a local high school. The killer admitted that he murdered Pouillon because he did not agree with his public abortion protests.
 
Shaver told OR that he has been threatened a number of times since he has been in Albuquerque, but the police never responded in the way they did on Saturday.
 
"We are thankful that no one was injured and that the police took appropriate action," said OR's Troy Newman. "Violence against pro-lifers has become something that we have to guard against every day. Those who reach out to women in front of abortion clinics should not be afraid to continue to do so, but should always have security and an awareness of their surroundings in mind."

And they say that pro-lifers are the violent ones?  Give me a break...

British Professor says sterilize the undesirables

From LSN:

LONDON, August 30, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The mentally and morally “unfit” should be sterilized, Professor David Marsland, a sociologist and health expert, said this weekend. The professor made the remarks on the BBC radio program Iconoclasts, which advertises itself as the place to “think the unthinkable.”
Pro-life advocates and disability rights campaigners have responded by saying that Marsland’s proposed system is a straightforward throwback to the coercive eugenics practices of the past.
Marsland, Emeritus Scholar of Sociology and Health Sciences at Brunel University, London and Professorial Research Fellow in Sociology at the University of Buckingham, told the BBC that “permanent sterilization” is the solution to child neglect and abuse.
“Children are abused or grossly neglected by a very small minority of inadequate parents.” Such parents, he said, are not distinguished by “disadvantage, poverty or exploitation,” he said, but by “a number or moral and mental inadequacies” caused by “serious mental defect,” “chronic mental illness” and drug addiction and alcoholism.
“Short of lifetime incarceration,” he said, the solution is “permanent sterilization.”
The debate, chaired by the BBC’s Edward Stourton, was held in response to a request by a local council in the West Midlands that wanted to force contraception on a 29-year-old woman who members of the council judged was mentally incapable of making decisions about childrearing. The judge in the case refused to permit it, saying such a decision would “raise profound questions about state intervention in private and family life.”
Children whose parents are alcoholics or drug addicts can be rescued from abusive situations, but, Marlsand said, “Why should we allow further predictable victims to be harmed by the same perpetrators? Here too, sterilization provides a dependable answer.”
He dismissed possible objections based on human rights, saying that “Rights is a grossly overused and fundamentally incoherent concept … Neither philosophers nor political activists can agree on the nature of human rights or on their extent.”
Complaints that court-ordered sterilization could be abused “should be ignored,” he added. “This argument would inhibit any and every action of social defense.”
Brian Clowes, director of research for Human Life International (HLI), told LifeSiteNews (LSN) that in his view Professor Marsland is just one more in a long line of eugenicists who want to solve human problems by erasing the humans who have them. Clowes compared Marsland to Lothrop Stoddard and Margaret Sanger, prominent early 20th century eugenicists who promoted contraception and sterilization for blacks, Catholics, the poor and the mentally ill and disabled whom they classified as “human weeds.”
He told LSN, “It does not seem to occur to Marsland that most severe child abuse is committed by people he might consider ‘perfectly normal,’ people like his elitist friends and neighbors.”
“Most frightening of all,” he said, “is Marsland’s dismissal of human rights. In essence, he is saying people have no rights whatsoever, because there is no universal agreement on what those rights actually are.”
The program, which aired on Saturday, August 28, also featured a professor of ethics and philosophy at Oxford, who expressed concern about Marland’s proposal, saying, “There are serious problems about who makes the decisions, and abuses.” Janet Radcliffe Richards, a Professor of Practical Philosophy at Oxford, continued, “I would dispute the argument that this is for the sake of the children.
 
“It’s curious case that if the child doesn’t exist, it can’t be harmed. And to say that it would be better for the child not to exist, you need to be able to say that its life is worse than nothing. Now I think that’s a difficult thing to do because most people are glad they exist.”
But Radcliffe Richards refused to reject categorically the notion of forced sterilization as a solution to social problems. She said there “is a really serious argument” about the “cost to the rest of society of allowing people to have children when you can pretty strongly predict that those children are going to be a nuisance.”
Marsland’s remarks also drew a response from Alison Davis, head of the campaign group No Less Human, who rejected his entire argument, saying that compulsory sterilization would itself be “an abuse of some of the most vulnerable people in society.”
 
Marsland’s closing comments, Davis said, were indicative of his anti-human perspective. In those remarks he said that nothing in the discussion had changed his mind, and that the reduction of births would be desirable since “there are too many people anyway.”
Davis commented, “As a disabled person myself I find his comments offensive, degrading and eugenic in content.
“The BBC is supposed to stand against prejudicial comments against any minority group. As such it is against it’s own code of conduct, as well as a breach of basic human decency, to broadcast such inflammatory and ableist views.”

And the Nazis said the same things against not only the disabled, but also the Jews and other minorities.  Horrifying.

Cardinal Danneels betrayed us

As Catholics, we must be willing and able to defend our faith whenever it is attacked, and do so with zeal and charity.  Such as when Holy Mother Church was being bombarded on all sides by a hostile media and money hungry attorneys looking to cash in by portraying her as a worldwide network of child rapers and falsely accusing our beloved Pope of cover-up and crime.

But we must also not lose sigh of the fact that abuse, though a minority of priests, did happen, that there were real live victims who were hurt, and that there were real live abusers who went unpunished, either because no one said anything or the truth was never told.

Such was the case of Cardinal Danneels, the former leader of the Church in Belgium, when he counseled a genuine victim of sex abuse to keep silent in order that his friend, the man's uncle and a bishop, could retire without the black mark on him.

This is not Catholicism.

Our Holy Father has stressed that their is filth in the Church that needs cleaning up, and God willing, it will be.  A perfect example is Cardinal Danneels.  This man betrayed our faith, our Church, and a victim who had been hurt and needed help, only to be told to keep silent.  A massive conspiracy isn't to blame, liberalism isn't to blame, clerical celibacy isn't to blame.  The only thing to blame here is a cardinal who betrayed his office, his Church, his Pope, his flock, and most importantly, his Lord.

I will pray that Danneels repents of this sin and seeks forgiveness and performs appropriate penance.  I pray that the victim will find healing in the Sacred Heart of our Lord and the Eucharist.  I pray that our Holy Father is successful in dealing with this filth.

Pax Christi, and stay strong in the faith.

Novena Against the Hatred of Religion

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Prayer
Remember, O Father, those who so ardently reject you, and in so doing, hate and despise those who believe in you.  Have mercy on them all and in your loving kindness, extend to them the gift of faith and increase their love for You and for all mankind.  Through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary, 1 Glory Be 

Life Site News weighs in on new heretic group

James Tillman Life Site news has printed a very good article on the  new pro-homosexuality group "Catholics for Equality" (you don't know how much it pains me that they use the word "Catholic" in their name):

WASHINGTON, August 23, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A cadre of homosexualist activists are preparing to launch a new group, Catholics for Equality, whose self-proclaimed mission is to lead lay Catholics away from the institutional Church's teaching on sexuality and encourage support for homosexual "marriage."

The Catholic News Agency broke the news of the nascient group Sunday. Although Catholics for Equality will not officially launch until September 14th, and their  website is still under construction, their goals are already quite clear. 

The group proclaims that American Catholic laymen support “LGBT equality,” and deplores that the "official voice of the hierarchy is increasingly one favoring discrimination and opposing just, humane, and reasonable efforts to secure legal equality for LGBT Americans."
"We believe this trend is a repudiation of Catholic teaching about the equal dignity of every person as well as the American and constitutional values of fairness and equality under the law," it states.
While the Vatican has often insisted that homosexual individuals must be treated with love and equal dignity as human persons, Church teaching has been unanimous in rejecting homosexual acts themselves, and the new "rights" that are demanded on their account, as immoral and illegitimate.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered, contrary to the natural law, and presented in Sacred Scripture as "acts of grave depravity."
"Under no circumstances can they be approved," it states.  The Catholic Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has also affirmed that legal recognition of homosexual "marriage" is never to be condoned, as have the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Catholics for Equality, however, plans to hold campus outreach and help support lectures at “Catholic colleges and universities and at Newman Centers across the country” to promote the idea that “LGBT Equality is an American Catholic value.” They have also announced their intent to find “pro-equality Catholics in the entertainment, civic, business and sports worlds” and use them to promote their agenda.
Their plan of action also includes methods explicitly designed to counteract the influence of bishops upon those within their dioceses.
For instance, Catholics for Equality's webpage contains an under-construction page on which people will be able to "report anti-equality activity."  The page states that "our church hierarchy is becoming increasingly aggressive in forcing priests at the parish level to distribute anti-equality materials and deliver anti-equality sermons from the pulpit.

"It is important for these activities to be reported so that pro-equality Catholics can respond." A request by LifeSiteNews.com for comment from Catholics for Equality went unanswered Monday.

According to the March edition of the group's online newsletter, several well-known dissidents and homosexualist activists met in Washington, DC, on January 30-31, 2010, for an organizational meeting that gave birth to the new organization.

Mark Matson, president of the dissident Catholic group Dignity USA, attended the meeting.  Dignity USA defies the teaching of the Catholic Church regarding the objective disorder of homosexuality and runs projects such as the "Leather Ministry," which has as a self-proclaimed goal "intergrating leather sexuality with Christian spirituality."

Matson  described the new organization "as a Catholic equivalent to HRC (Human Rights Campaign)."  The HRC is notorious for pushing an extreme homosexualist agenda. Sharon Groves, the Deputy Director of the Religion and Faith Program at the HRC, was also present at the organizational meeting.
Matson said that the meeting was convened by Phil Attey, a Washington attorney and homosexualist activist, and Fr. Joseph Palacios, an openly gay Georgetown University professor. Attey has previously been the "Obama Pride" DC coordinator, and founded a website devoted to uncovering homosexual priests to help bring them to campaign for the homosexualist agenda. Both Attey and Palacios are now members of the board of Catholics for Equality.
Other notorious dissidents attending the meeting included Sr. Jeannine Gramick, a cofounder of the homosexualist “Catholic” organization New Ways Ministry; she represented the National Coalition of American Nuns, which advocates for abortion and homosexuality. Sr. Gramick was silenced by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) in 1999 for her work with homosexuals, although she refused to obey the order. 
New Ways Ministry has also been denounced by Cardinal Francis George, head of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), as a pseudo-Catholic organization.

The USCCB had not responded to LifeSiteNews.com’s request for comment on Catholics for Equality at press time.

The heretics are back in town

From CNA:

Washington D.C., Aug 22, 2010 / 06:12 pm (CNA).- Prominent Catholic dissenters have created an organization to promote homosexual political causes and to change Catholic opinion through coordination with other activists. Organized explicitly to oppose the U.S. bishops, the group’s website asks for reports of “anti-equality activity” in Catholic parishes.
The group Catholics for Equality’s website, which is still under construction, reports that the organization is dedicated to “support, educate, and mobilize equality-supporting Catholics to advance LGBT equality at federal, state, and local levels.”
The group claims the “official voice of the hierarchy” favors discrimination and opposes “just” efforts to secure “legal equality for LGBT Americans.” This “anti-equality voice” is “far too often” portrayed as representative of American Catholics, according to the website.
One page on the site, titled “Report anti-equality activity!” contains an incomplete template for a submission form. It asks informers to describe the purported anti-equality activity and to categorize whether it took place in the parish, diocese or community “so that pro-equality Catholics can respond.”
The information generates an e-mail sent to the organization and also “an entry into private ‘report’ database,” the website says.
Mark Matson, president of the dissenting Catholic group DignityUSA, reported in a March 2010 newsletter on the group's website that an organizational meeting for Catholics for Equality took place on January 30 and 31 in Washington, D.C.
He said the meeting was convened to address the “increasing role” of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and state bishops’ conference in opposing “LGBT” political causes. Another purpose of the meeting was to “coordinate efforts to shift Catholic public opinion and voter behaviors.”
Matson said he attended in lieu of executive director Marianne Duddy-Burke because the meeting was held on short notice. He added that other DignityUSA attendees included its board members Mark Clark and Tom Yates, both from Dignity/Washington (District of Columbia), and Ray Panas, president of Dignity/Washington.
According to Matson, Catholics for Equality will “focus on influencing legislation and the behavior of Catholic voters in a way that DignityUSA cannot” because of its tax designation. It will also develop an outreach strategy to include “influential theologians.” In his words, the new group “complements” DignityUSA’s mission and will be a counterpart to the homosexual advocacy group Human Rights Campaign (HRC). He and Duddy-Burke will hold two seats on the group’s board of advisors.
Also in attendance at the organizing meeting were Frank DeBernardo and Matthew Myers of New Ways Ministry. Sr. Jeannine Gramick, co-founder of the group and present co-director of the National Coalition of American Nuns (NCAN), also attended.
In a recent interview with a Dallas-based homosexual paper, Sr. Gramick claimed that there was a disconnect between the Catholic hierarchy and the laity on homosexual issues. She also estimated that about half of Catholic priests were homosexual.
In its interview with the religious sister, the Dallas Voice reported that New Ways Ministry is experimenting with a new program to target legislators as well as Catholic grassroots voters in Maryland.
According to Matson, Catholics for Equality’s organizational meeting was convened by Washington attorney Phil Attey and Rev. Dr. Joe Palacios, described as a Jesuit priest from Los Angeles who is currently on the Georgetown University faculty.
Last year Attey created a website to “aggregate reports on every gay priest” in the Archdiocese of Washington to help them “stand up to the church hierarchy” on homosexual issues. According to a WhoIs lookup, the website shares the same 12th Street, NW D.C. mailing address as Catholics for Equality.
In the 1990s Attey served as HRC’s electronic media manager. According to the gay publication Metro Weekly, he also co-chaired the Obama Pride Metro D.C. group to support the current U.S. president’s election bid.
For his part, Palaicos is a board member of Catholics for Equality and also political co-chair of the HRC’s D.C. Steering Community. According to his biography at the Georgetown University website, in 2009 he was appointed by the White House to serve on the board of visitors supervising what is commonly known as the School of the Americas, a U.S. training facility for Latin American military officers which has been criticized for its alumni’s alleged participation in human rights violations.
Issues listed on the Catholics for Equality website include “marriage equality.” Claiming that same-sex “marriage” does not coerce any religious faith, it invokes the “separation of Church and State” and says “we affirm civil marriage for same-sex couples throughout the United States.”
The group criticizes the U.S. bishops’ opposition to the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), and advocates opening military service to open homosexuals.
“Catholics in the United States live in this social context that allows the free exercise of conscience rather than enforced scriptural fundamentalism or bishops’ and pastors’ exhortations in making decisions regarding homosexuality and gay rights— as is often exercised in Protestant fundamentalist and evangelical denominations and now by increasingly doctrinaire Catholic bishops,” the website argues.
It also claims that Catholic priests rarely mention homosexuality or homosexual issues in sermons “except when forced to by the bishops,” saying this coercion happened during the campaign to pass California’s Proposition 8 and Maine’s Proposition 1. Both successful ballot measures restored the definition of marriage to be a union of a man and a woman.
Other attendees at the Catholics for Equality organizing meeting included Joanna Blotner, coordinator of the HRC’s Religion and Faith Program; Sharon Groves, deputy director for the HRC’s Religion and Faith Program; Chuck Colbert, a journalist and contributor to the National Catholic Reporter; Shiva Subbaraman of the Georgetown LGBTQ Resource Center; and Peter Montgomery, a senior fellow at People for the American Way who facilitated the discussion.
The homosexual blogger Anthony Adams, who was ordained as a Catholic priest, attended the meeting as did Anne Underwood of Catholics for Marriage Equality in Maine and Charles Martel of Catholics for Marriage Equality in Massachusetts. California priest Fr. Geoffrey Farrow, who was disciplined by his bishop for opposing Proposition 8, also attended.
According to DignityUSA’s Matson, Cathy Renna, media relations director of Renna Communications, advised attendees on communications strategy. She praised Duddy-Burke’s lobbying related to the sexual abuse scandal.
While Catholics for Equality is a 501(c)(4) non-profit which can lobby on political issues, it has also planned a parallel non-political foundation to engage in campus outreach and to reach out to “prominent pro-equality Catholics in the entertainment, civic, business and sports areas, providing them a national platform as leading American Catholics to voice their support for LGBT equality.”

Yes, I said back there in the title that the heretics were back in town.  Yes, heretics.  There's no other real word to describe them, IMO.  "Dissenter" just doesn't quite cover it.

And what's this about "reporting anti-equality activity"?  What, now we're supposed to snitch on people who are faithful to the magisterium?  So much for being freethinkers, eh?  Freedom of thought for me, but not for thee; the mantra of the modern heretic.

CNA: Catholic Dissenters Back Empire State Building Building's Refusal to Honor Mother Teresa

From CNA:

New York City, N.Y., Aug 21, 2010 / 08:21 pm (CNA).- In another development in the dispute over the Empire State Building’s refusal of a request to honor the 100th birthday of Mother Teresa in its lighting scheme, a coalition of Catholic dissenters has issued a statement affirming the decision and characterizing advocates of the honor as serving “the radical right.”
The head of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights responded by noting the variety of people who support the honors, including some bishops of India.
The Catholic League had asked the building to light up the skyscraper in the blue and white colors of Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity, but the operating company of the building declined the request.
Led by the Catholic League, objectors to the decision pointed to the landmark’s previous lighting scheme honors for the 60th anniversary of the communist revolution in China, the 125th anniversary of the Salvation Army, and the deaths of Cardinal John O’Connor and Pope John Paul II.
Now backing the Empire State Building management is a coalition of dissenting Catholic groups including Catholics for Choice, Call to Action, DignityUSA, the National Coalition of American Nuns (NCAN), New Ways Ministry, and the Women’s Ordination Conference.
The group praises Anthony E. Malkin, head of the company which operates the building, for opposing what the letter calls “the bullying tactics” of the Catholic League and its president Bill Donohue.
“The Catholic League serves as an attack dog for the radical right, helping to promote its misogynist and homophobic agenda,” the letter claimed, accusing Donohue of seeking publicity.
The letter claimed that Mother Teresa rarely celebrated her birthday and would be “appalled” to hear it had become a source of controversy.
Donohue responded to the letter in a Friday statement, claiming the membership of the coalition’s organizations was so small their members “would easily fit into a phone booth” if gathered together.
“No matter, these ex-Catholics are so pro-abortion that they are now on record of wanting to deny Mother Teresa a tribute on the 100th anniversary of her birthday,” he charged.
Donohue reported that a rally on behalf of Mother Teresa would proceed outside the Empire State Building on August 26. He also claimed support from people “all over the world” and from all religions.
The Catholic League president also noted that he would meet with Bishop A.A.S. Durairaj of Khandwa, India. “Like all the other bishops from India that have contacted us, he supports our campaign to honor Mother Teresa,” Donohue remarked.
“Even those who are not pro-life are on our side, which just goes to show how extreme the dissenters are,” his Friday statement concluded. “But as long as they remain marginalized, they are of no historic moment.”

Let's take a look at this.

I haven't been following this story much, but I felt this piece deserves a comment.  A quick glance at the organizations backing the owners of the Empire State Building show the who's-who of dissenter groups in the US.

Catholics for Choice:  Pro-abortion, pro-contraception group; the USCCB has repeatedly stated that the group is not Catholic, with Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz of Lincoln going as far as to issue an interdict forbidding Catholics in his diocese from joining or supporting them.

Call to Action:  Probably one of the most well known dissenter groups in the country; advocates women's ordination, end to priestly celibacy, a change in the Church's teaching on sexuality (especially in regard's to homosexuality and contraception), etc.  Also under Bishop Bruskewitz' interdict in Lincoln.

DignityUSA:  Homosexualist group; works to change the Church's 2,000 year old teaching on homosexual acts as a grave sin and force the acceptance of homosexual acts in the Church.

New Ways Ministry:  Another pro-homosexuality group; refuses to assent to Church teaching on homosexuality.

Women's Ordination Conference:  Works for the ordination of women in the Church in defiance of magisterial teaching on the matter (see Ordinatio Sacerdotalis);  some of it's members who have participated in "ordinations" of women have been subject to latae sententiae excommunication.

They claim that Blessed Teresa would be appalled that her birthday has become a politically charged event.  Perhaps, but I think she would be even more appalled (and rightly so) that groups which promote dissent and heresy would claim to speak for her.  Blessed Teresa was a tireless advocate for the poor and helpless, especially the sick and unborn, and did everything she could to ensure that those with no one to care for them in their dying days were comforted and cared for.  What have any of these groups done in that regard?  From what I can tell, nothing.

I pray that these groups realize the error of their ways, and may the Lord grant them the grace of repentance and conversion, and may they be reconciled with the Church.

"It is poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish."
- Blessed Teresa of Calcutta