Spock's mother was a hamster and Kirk's father smelt of elderberries
posted by Al @ 5:56 AM
1 Comments
Monday, November 30, 2009
This Christmas…Take Your Gifts to the Abortion Clinic
You read that right, but the gifts are not financial donations to an abortion clinic. Instead this is about a project by Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust & Pro-life Day of Silent Solidarity. The project is entitled A Pro-Life Christmas Carol & is an opportunity to witness to women who think abortion is the only answer that it isn't.
Just imagine . . .
It’s been a hard year – and now this. Your heart is heavy. With each step you take towards the abortion clinic, you rehearse why you are here: It’s the only answer. Nobody would understand. It’s the wrong time. It will be over soon and everything will be better. And yet you worry – after this appointment, will everything be better?
Suddenly you are roused from your troubled thoughts by the sound of – could it be? – singing. Christmas carols. Rounding the corner of the sidewalk you see carolers and remember happier Christmases. Why are they singing here?
Walking past them, a girl smiles at you warmly and says, “We have a gift for you,” as she hands you a beautifully wrapped basket. For me? “Why don’t you open it now,” she says. Opening the gift you see baby things – precious little booties and a soft newborn’s cap. You see a booklet with pictures of what your baby looks like right now – today! And suddenly you know with a certainty: Walking through those doors won’t make anything better.
It’s been a hard year – and now this. Your heart is heavy. With each step you take towards the abortion clinic, you rehearse why you are here: It’s the only answer. Nobody would understand. It’s the wrong time. It will be over soon and everything will be better. And yet you worry – after this appointment, will everything be better?
Suddenly you are roused from your troubled thoughts by the sound of – could it be? – singing. Christmas carols. Rounding the corner of the sidewalk you see carolers and remember happier Christmases. Why are they singing here?
Walking past them, a girl smiles at you warmly and says, “We have a gift for you,” as she hands you a beautifully wrapped basket. For me? “Why don’t you open it now,” she says. Opening the gift you see baby things – precious little booties and a soft newborn’s cap. You see a booklet with pictures of what your baby looks like right now – today! And suddenly you know with a certainty: Walking through those doors won’t make anything better.
Just imagine . . .
You can be part of Christmas miracles just like this one!
Join us for a ProLife Christmas Carol – a Christmas caroling project designed to bring the Good News to desperate people at abortion clinics this Christmas season. You can join the Survivors at two Southern California Caroling events or check to see if there is one scheduled near you, or you can start planning a Christmas Caroling event at an abortion clinic in your own community.
You will never hear Christmas carols the same way again.
What could be more moving than a carol of Mary with the Christ Child in her womb sung outside of an abortion mill where the innocents are murdered daily? The words pierce; the tunes seem unusually haunting, your soul cries out for the lives in danger just inside the killing center.
Melting Scrooge-Like Hearts this Christmas
Just as the sights and sounds of the Ghosts of Christmas Past and Christmas Yet-to-Come horrified Scrooge out of his selfish lifestyle, you have the opportunity to prevent the death of a child and free a woman from the chains of a much-regretted abortion. Scrooge needed intervention – something to awaken him to the reality of the consequences of his present decisions. How much more do abortion-minded women need a jolt of love to bring them to their senses and prevent a lifetime of grief?
The History of a ProLife Christmas Carol
The Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust, a pro-life youth activism group, is now in its 10th year of using the Christmas Caroling Project to save dozens of lives through the simple acts of singing and delivering gifts. We want to help you bring this powerful outreach to your own community!
Every Christmas, people just like you – High school students, college students, and families – bring gift baskets to abortion clinics for expectant mothers who are deciding whether to keep the child within them. The baskets are filled with baby blankets, bibs, rattles and booties; but more importantly, the baskets are filled with hope. Every basket contains information about the precious life growing inside each woman, offering hope in a desperate time.
But that isn’t all; the Survivors also bring gifts to the abortion clinic workers – sincere gifts of love for their hearts and souls. There is Christmas candy and a booklet sharing our faith in Christ, the very Baby about whom we are singing. Two Survivors walk right in and personally hand deliver gifts to the clinic workers while the others sing carols on the sidewalk and give baskets to the women entering the killing center.
posted by Al @ 2:34 AM
0 Comments
Why I Feel Sorry for Any Grandchildren the Obamas May Have
How would you like to grow up knowing that your grandparents loved you only if you met the right conditions they set for you being allowed to even be born? & if you didn't meet those criteria, your grandfather would have gladly helped to murder you?
posted by Al @ 1:29 AM
0 Comments
Big Surprize, NOT! - 2 Catholic in Name Only Governors Attack Archbishop Wuerl for Defending Catholic Teaching
Both governors pro-abortion: one has very mixed record on same-sex issue and other is supportive of gay "marriage"
By Kathleen Gilbert
WASHINGTON, D.C., November 25, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Catholic governors of Maryland and Virginia have teamed up to criticize the Catholic archdiocese of Washington, D.C. for stating that they would end their contractual relationship with the district, if a same-sex "marriage" law lacking religious protections was passed. Virginia's outgoing Governor Tim Kaine has been classified as pro-abortion by pro-life groups and has a very mixed record on same-sex issues. NARAL has labelled Maryland's Governor Martin O'Malley as "pro-choice" and the governor has been a supporter of marriage rights for homosexuals.
The city's proposed same-sex "marriage" law, the "Religious Freedom and Civil Equality Amendment Act of 2009," would require all groups receiving city funds to give spousal benefits to "married" partners of homosexual employees. While the Archdiocese has said they shall continue privately-funded social services programs, they say the law would force them to end programs that depend on funding from the District. Previous attempts at including stronger religious exemption language have failed.
The archdiocese's position has been widely denounced as an attempt at intimidating the district into not passing the law.
"I'm Catholic, and I think it's wrong. I don't think you take your ball and go home," Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine said on Washington's WTOP radio station Tuesday. "I think the strategy of threatening to pull back, it doesn't seem like the church I've come up in."
Joining Kaine on the Hands Across the Potomac program, Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley concurred, saying, "I have a hard time believing that the nuns and priests who taught me about the Corporal Works of Mercy would agree that this is an appropriate response for the Church."
"I would be very, very disappointed here or anywhere else if the Catholic Church decides 'Gosh, we don't like something that's happening in civil society, so we're going to retreat into our shell,'" said O'Malley.
In an op-ed piece for the Washington Post last week, D.C. Archbishop Donald Wuerl responded to critics of the diocese's position, saying that "despite the headlines, there has been no threat or ultimatum to end services, just a simple recognition that the new requirements by the city for religious organizations to recognize same-sex marriages in their policies could restrict our ability to provide the same level of services as we do now."
"It doesn't need to be that way," said Wuerl, who pointed out that the Archdiocese's request for stronger protections for religious freedom in the bill is supported by the ACLU, the InterFaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington, and nationally recognized legal scholars.
"We recognize that the council is likely to legalize same-sex marriage," wrote the archbishop. "It is the hope of the Archdiocese and Catholic Charities that council members will work with us to find a way to better balance interests so religious organizations that have served this city well for many decades may continue to provide services without compromising the tenets of their faith."
See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Lawmakers Refuse to Address D.C. Archdiocese's Concerns Regarding Same-Sex "Marriage" Law
WASHINGTON, D.C., November 25, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Catholic governors of Maryland and Virginia have teamed up to criticize the Catholic archdiocese of Washington, D.C. for stating that they would end their contractual relationship with the district, if a same-sex "marriage" law lacking religious protections was passed. Virginia's outgoing Governor Tim Kaine has been classified as pro-abortion by pro-life groups and has a very mixed record on same-sex issues. NARAL has labelled Maryland's Governor Martin O'Malley as "pro-choice" and the governor has been a supporter of marriage rights for homosexuals.
The city's proposed same-sex "marriage" law, the "Religious Freedom and Civil Equality Amendment Act of 2009," would require all groups receiving city funds to give spousal benefits to "married" partners of homosexual employees. While the Archdiocese has said they shall continue privately-funded social services programs, they say the law would force them to end programs that depend on funding from the District. Previous attempts at including stronger religious exemption language have failed.
The archdiocese's position has been widely denounced as an attempt at intimidating the district into not passing the law.
"I'm Catholic, and I think it's wrong. I don't think you take your ball and go home," Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine said on Washington's WTOP radio station Tuesday. "I think the strategy of threatening to pull back, it doesn't seem like the church I've come up in."
Joining Kaine on the Hands Across the Potomac program, Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley concurred, saying, "I have a hard time believing that the nuns and priests who taught me about the Corporal Works of Mercy would agree that this is an appropriate response for the Church."
"I would be very, very disappointed here or anywhere else if the Catholic Church decides 'Gosh, we don't like something that's happening in civil society, so we're going to retreat into our shell,'" said O'Malley.
In an op-ed piece for the Washington Post last week, D.C. Archbishop Donald Wuerl responded to critics of the diocese's position, saying that "despite the headlines, there has been no threat or ultimatum to end services, just a simple recognition that the new requirements by the city for religious organizations to recognize same-sex marriages in their policies could restrict our ability to provide the same level of services as we do now."
"It doesn't need to be that way," said Wuerl, who pointed out that the Archdiocese's request for stronger protections for religious freedom in the bill is supported by the ACLU, the InterFaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington, and nationally recognized legal scholars.
"We recognize that the council is likely to legalize same-sex marriage," wrote the archbishop. "It is the hope of the Archdiocese and Catholic Charities that council members will work with us to find a way to better balance interests so religious organizations that have served this city well for many decades may continue to provide services without compromising the tenets of their faith."
See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Lawmakers Refuse to Address D.C. Archdiocese's Concerns Regarding Same-Sex "Marriage" Law
posted by Al @ 12:28 AM
0 Comments
Sunday, November 29, 2009
More Bishops Critical of CCHD
& the number keeps on growing. As I said the other day, this is not going to go quietly away, despite the hopes of Bishop Morin & the CCHD.
By Patrick B. Craine
WASHINGTON, D.C., November 25, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - At least three U.S. bishops have called for reform of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), in addition to the five bishops (at last count) who chose not to take up the collection for the national organization this year.
This episcopal response follows the controversy that erupted after it was discovered earlier this year that the CCHD was funding numerous organizations that have promoted or are promoting activities contrary to Church teaching, including abortion, contraception, and same-sex "marriage." The Reform CCHD Now Coalition, which formed in response to these revelations about CCHD's funding practices, now contends that $1.3 million is allocated to questionable groups.
Bishop Paul S. Loverde of Arlington, Virginia wrote a letter to the faithful of his diocese on November 13th to express his support for the work of the CCHD, but, in so doing, made it clear that this support is only in light of the organization's promised reform.
"I have been deeply distressed by reports of the misuse of some national funds collected through the CCHD, specifically by their distribution to organizations which pursue policies and advance causes contrary to the teachings of our Church," he wrote.
While he accepts the commitment of the USCCB's CCHD subcommittee, chaired by Bishop Roger Morin, to ensure proper oversight of grantees, he said that he has written to Bishop Morin to insist on the need for policy reform.
"I have written to [Bishop Morin] to convey my serious concerns and to urge that the criteria for evaluating grants be revised so as to ensure in advance, as far as is humanly possible, that grants will be awarded only to those programs and initiatives in accord with Church teaching," he wrote.
In concluding Bishop Loverde implies that failure to make the necessary improvements could lead him to stopping the collection in future years. "I am confident that the CCHD subcommittee will take advantage of this period of grace, so as to develop criteria which will lead to a faithful and fruitful future for CCHD," he wrote. "Therefore, I am authorizing the CCHD second collection to be taken this year on the weekend of November 21-22 in all the parishes of our diocese."
Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted of Phoenix, in a November 5th letter, applauded the CCHD's work over the last 40 years, but also maintained that "there have been some legitimate concerns over the funding of some programs by the CCHD."
"As a member of the USCCB, I am doing everything in my power to address these issues," he wrote, "and ensure that money donated in our diocese, and throughout the United States, is used for programs that respect the dignity of the human person from the moment of conception until natural death."
The bishop goes on to pledges his continued careful oversight of his diocese's grantees, and says that due to the large number of national grants awarded to his diocese, their local CCHD program "is uniquely positioned to be a model of the best of what the CCHD is about, moving people out of poverty and toward integral development."
Bishop Robert W. Finn of Kansas City - St. Joseph issued a statement to his diocese on November 19th relating the CCHD's commitment to upholding the Church's teaching, but insisting future support of the organization will depend on its success in living out this commitment.
He assured the faithful, as well, that he is diligent regarding the grantees in his diocese, only approving them "after a careful review." "I take every precaution to ensure that groups that receive CCHD funds are appropriate," he states.
The CCHD has "done much good" over the years, he says, but its "continuation ... will depend on how seriously the Campaign takes the mandate of its benefactors to act within the parameters of Church teaching."
"I expect the CCHD collection to be taken this year," he concludes, "but individual donors will show their support -- or lack thereof -- according to their own choice."
See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Bishop Bruskewitz on CCHD: Bishop Morin Was a "Bit Too Dismissive" of Concerns
Four US Bishops Did Not Take up Collection for Embattled CCHD
$1.3 Million in CCHD Funds Going to Questionable Groups: Reform Coalition
WASHINGTON, D.C., November 25, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - At least three U.S. bishops have called for reform of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), in addition to the five bishops (at last count) who chose not to take up the collection for the national organization this year.
This episcopal response follows the controversy that erupted after it was discovered earlier this year that the CCHD was funding numerous organizations that have promoted or are promoting activities contrary to Church teaching, including abortion, contraception, and same-sex "marriage." The Reform CCHD Now Coalition, which formed in response to these revelations about CCHD's funding practices, now contends that $1.3 million is allocated to questionable groups.
Bishop Paul S. Loverde of Arlington, Virginia wrote a letter to the faithful of his diocese on November 13th to express his support for the work of the CCHD, but, in so doing, made it clear that this support is only in light of the organization's promised reform.
"I have been deeply distressed by reports of the misuse of some national funds collected through the CCHD, specifically by their distribution to organizations which pursue policies and advance causes contrary to the teachings of our Church," he wrote.
While he accepts the commitment of the USCCB's CCHD subcommittee, chaired by Bishop Roger Morin, to ensure proper oversight of grantees, he said that he has written to Bishop Morin to insist on the need for policy reform.
"I have written to [Bishop Morin] to convey my serious concerns and to urge that the criteria for evaluating grants be revised so as to ensure in advance, as far as is humanly possible, that grants will be awarded only to those programs and initiatives in accord with Church teaching," he wrote.
In concluding Bishop Loverde implies that failure to make the necessary improvements could lead him to stopping the collection in future years. "I am confident that the CCHD subcommittee will take advantage of this period of grace, so as to develop criteria which will lead to a faithful and fruitful future for CCHD," he wrote. "Therefore, I am authorizing the CCHD second collection to be taken this year on the weekend of November 21-22 in all the parishes of our diocese."
Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted of Phoenix, in a November 5th letter, applauded the CCHD's work over the last 40 years, but also maintained that "there have been some legitimate concerns over the funding of some programs by the CCHD."
"As a member of the USCCB, I am doing everything in my power to address these issues," he wrote, "and ensure that money donated in our diocese, and throughout the United States, is used for programs that respect the dignity of the human person from the moment of conception until natural death."
The bishop goes on to pledges his continued careful oversight of his diocese's grantees, and says that due to the large number of national grants awarded to his diocese, their local CCHD program "is uniquely positioned to be a model of the best of what the CCHD is about, moving people out of poverty and toward integral development."
Bishop Robert W. Finn of Kansas City - St. Joseph issued a statement to his diocese on November 19th relating the CCHD's commitment to upholding the Church's teaching, but insisting future support of the organization will depend on its success in living out this commitment.
He assured the faithful, as well, that he is diligent regarding the grantees in his diocese, only approving them "after a careful review." "I take every precaution to ensure that groups that receive CCHD funds are appropriate," he states.
The CCHD has "done much good" over the years, he says, but its "continuation ... will depend on how seriously the Campaign takes the mandate of its benefactors to act within the parameters of Church teaching."
"I expect the CCHD collection to be taken this year," he concludes, "but individual donors will show their support -- or lack thereof -- according to their own choice."
See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Bishop Bruskewitz on CCHD: Bishop Morin Was a "Bit Too Dismissive" of Concerns
Four US Bishops Did Not Take up Collection for Embattled CCHD
$1.3 Million in CCHD Funds Going to Questionable Groups: Reform Coalition
Labels: Reform CCHD
posted by Al @ 3:36 AM
0 Comments
A 5th Bishop Disgarees W/ Bishop Morin's Assessment of CCHD
By Patrick B. Craine
ST. AUGUSTINE, Florida, November 25, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Bishop Victor Galeone of St. Augustine, Florida also decided to discontinue the CCHD collection, LifeSiteNews.com has confirmed, bringing the list of bishops who decided against holding this year's collection to five.
In a November article for his diocesan magazine, Bishop Galeone explains that he had made this decision in May - many months prior to the controversy that erupted this fall over reports that the CCHD is funding groups that support abortion, contraception, and same-sex "marriage."
The bishop lists three reasons for his decision.
First, he says, "over the years some CCHD funds were disbursed to certain organizations hostile to key Catholic positions." He specifically highlighted the funding of ACORN as an instance of this.
Second, he explains, "Catholic organizations or groups cannot receive CCHD funding since their guidelines exclude all 'organizations controlled by governmental, educational, or ecclesiastical bodies.'" While Catholic inner-city schools are "struggling to make ends meet," he says, "... they cannot receive a single dollar of our own CCHD donations for that purpose!"
Third, he decries the fact that CCHD does not fund projects that work to support family values. "If CCHD's mission is to address the root causes of poverty in America, why are no funds earmarked to address the greatest cause of poverty in our country today - single motherhood?" he asks. "Moreover, 80% of the male inmates incarcerated in America come from fatherless homes. Yet no CCHD funds go to groups striving to strengthen family values."
Diocesan chancellor Fr. Michael Morgan told LifeSiteNews.com that the bishop has replaced the annual CCHD collection with a new "Diocesan Schools & Social Action Appeal," which is meant to support similar initiatives as the CCHD, but at the diocesan level and without funding activities contrary to Catholic teaching.
"I think that the concern was that it would be better to support the same basic goals of the [CCHD], but to do it within the diocese exclusively," Fr. Morgan said. "We would have more control to make sure that the money collected went to, perhaps similar purposes, but organizations that would not have the problems that surface with the [CCHD]."
In his article, Bishop Galeone explains that the funds collected from the new appeal will be disbursed equally between (1) local pregnancy centers, (2) tuition assistance for needy students in Catholic schools, and (3) self-help community groups.
The collection for the appeal was held this past weekend, in lieu of the CCHD collection, and Fr. Morgan says Bishop Galeone plans to continue this approach in the years to come.
See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Bishop Bruskewitz on CCHD: Bishop Morin Was a "Bit Too Dismissive" of Concerns
Four US Bishops Did Not Take up Collection for Embattled CCHD
$1.3 Million in CCHD Funds Going to Questionable Groups: Reform Coalition List of Bishops:
Bishop Robert J. Baker - Birmingham, Alabama LSN coverage
Bishop John O. Barres - Allentown, Pennsylvania LSN coverage
Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz - Lincoln, Nebraska LSN coverage
Bishop Victor Galeone - St. Augustine, Florida Statement
Bishop Robert C. Morlino - Madison, Wisconsin Statement LSN coverage
ST. AUGUSTINE, Florida, November 25, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Bishop Victor Galeone of St. Augustine, Florida also decided to discontinue the CCHD collection, LifeSiteNews.com has confirmed, bringing the list of bishops who decided against holding this year's collection to five.
In a November article for his diocesan magazine, Bishop Galeone explains that he had made this decision in May - many months prior to the controversy that erupted this fall over reports that the CCHD is funding groups that support abortion, contraception, and same-sex "marriage."
The bishop lists three reasons for his decision.
First, he says, "over the years some CCHD funds were disbursed to certain organizations hostile to key Catholic positions." He specifically highlighted the funding of ACORN as an instance of this.
Second, he explains, "Catholic organizations or groups cannot receive CCHD funding since their guidelines exclude all 'organizations controlled by governmental, educational, or ecclesiastical bodies.'" While Catholic inner-city schools are "struggling to make ends meet," he says, "... they cannot receive a single dollar of our own CCHD donations for that purpose!"
Third, he decries the fact that CCHD does not fund projects that work to support family values. "If CCHD's mission is to address the root causes of poverty in America, why are no funds earmarked to address the greatest cause of poverty in our country today - single motherhood?" he asks. "Moreover, 80% of the male inmates incarcerated in America come from fatherless homes. Yet no CCHD funds go to groups striving to strengthen family values."
Diocesan chancellor Fr. Michael Morgan told LifeSiteNews.com that the bishop has replaced the annual CCHD collection with a new "Diocesan Schools & Social Action Appeal," which is meant to support similar initiatives as the CCHD, but at the diocesan level and without funding activities contrary to Catholic teaching.
"I think that the concern was that it would be better to support the same basic goals of the [CCHD], but to do it within the diocese exclusively," Fr. Morgan said. "We would have more control to make sure that the money collected went to, perhaps similar purposes, but organizations that would not have the problems that surface with the [CCHD]."
In his article, Bishop Galeone explains that the funds collected from the new appeal will be disbursed equally between (1) local pregnancy centers, (2) tuition assistance for needy students in Catholic schools, and (3) self-help community groups.
The collection for the appeal was held this past weekend, in lieu of the CCHD collection, and Fr. Morgan says Bishop Galeone plans to continue this approach in the years to come.
See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Bishop Bruskewitz on CCHD: Bishop Morin Was a "Bit Too Dismissive" of Concerns
Four US Bishops Did Not Take up Collection for Embattled CCHD
$1.3 Million in CCHD Funds Going to Questionable Groups: Reform Coalition List of Bishops:
Bishop Robert J. Baker - Birmingham, Alabama LSN coverage
Bishop John O. Barres - Allentown, Pennsylvania LSN coverage
Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz - Lincoln, Nebraska LSN coverage
Bishop Victor Galeone - St. Augustine, Florida Statement
Bishop Robert C. Morlino - Madison, Wisconsin Statement LSN coverage
Labels: Reform CCHD
posted by Al @ 2:17 AM
0 Comments
Vatican: Pro-Abortion Catholics ARE NOT Catholics in Good Standing As They Claim
By John-Henry Westen
November 27, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - With the Patrick Kennedy Communion flap and the recent action of the Bishops of Spain having opened up the issue of denying communion to pro-abortion politicians, it is worthwhile to review the position of the Vatican on the matter.
Since the controversy came to a head in 2004, the stance from the Vatican on the matter has been clear and consistent. For the Pope and top Curial Cardinals in charge of the matter there is no question about the responsibility to deny Holy Communion to Catholic politicians who obstinately support abortion. In fact, the issue was closed as early as 2004 with a letter from Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI.
The then-head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith intervened into a debate among the US Bishops on the issue. Simply put, Cardinal Ratzinger said in his letter titled "Worthiness to receive Holy Communion," that a Catholic politician who would vote for "permissive abortion and euthanasia laws" after being duly instructed and warned, "must" be denied Communion.
Ratzinger's letter explained that if such a politician "with obstinate persistence, still presents himself to receive the Holy Eucharist, the minister of Holy Communion must refuse to distribute it."
The letter even answered common objections such as how to deal with politicians that supported war or the death penalty in light of denial of Communion to pro-abortion politicians.
The man who is now Pope, explained: "Not all moral issues have the same moral weight as abortion and euthanasia. For example, if a Catholic were to be at odds with the Holy Father on the application of capital punishment or on the decision to wage war, he would not for that reason be considered unworthy to present himself to receive Holy Communion. While the Church exhorts civil authorities to seek peace, not war, and to exercise discretion and mercy in imposing punishment on criminals, it may still be permissible to take up arms to repel an aggressor or to have recourse to capital punishment. There may be a legitimate diversity of opinion even among Catholics about waging war and applying the death penalty, but not however with regard to abortion and euthanasia."
Since then, Pope Benedict XVI has confirmed this position speaking as Pope. Answering a reporter on an in-flight press conference in 2007, Pope Benedict addressed a question on the Mexican bishops excommunicating politicians who support legalizing abortion. "Yes, this excommunication was not an arbitrary one but is allowed by Canon law which says that the killing of an innocent child is incompatible with receiving communion, which is receiving the body of Christ," said the Pope.
In the comment, the Pope was referring to the Church's Canon law 915, which states: "Those upon whom the penalty of excommunication or interdict has been imposed or declared, and others who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin, are not to be admitted to Holy Communion."
The highest authority on the subject in the Vatican, next to the Pope, is the head (or Prefect) of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Cardinal Canizares. The head of that Congregation, appointed by Pope Benedict XVI a year ago, quoted the Ratzinger document on the question in a LifeSiteNews interview earlier this year.
In addition, Cardinal Antonio Canizares stated: "The strongest words are found in St. Paul: one who goes to the Eucharist and is not properly prepared, duly prepared, 'he eats his own condemnation.' This is the strongest thing that we can say and what is the most truthful statement."
This line is not only coming from Pope Benedict and his appointees, however. The Cardinal who preceded Cardinal Canizares in heading the Congregation was Nigerian-born Cardinal Francis Arinze.
Already in 2004, Cardinal Arinze said a pro-abortion politician "is not fit" to receive Communion. "If they should not receive, then they should not be given," he added. Cardinal Arinze was asked the question so frequently he began to joke about the matter. One such question and answer session even made it to youtube.
Arinze is seen on the video as saying that he is regularly asked if a person who votes for abortion can receive Holy Communion. He replies, "Do you really need a cardinal from the Vatican to answer that? Get the children for first Communion and say to them, 'Somebody votes for the killing of unborn babies, and says, I voted for that, I will vote for that every time.' And these babies are killed not one or two, but in millions, and that person says, 'I'm a practicing Catholic', should that person receive Communion next Sunday? The children will answer that at the drop of a hat. You don't need a cardinal to answer that."
Former St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke who has been appointed to head up the highest court in the Vatican remarked on the need for bishops to uphold this canon since without doing so they undermine belief in the truth of the evil of abortion.
"No matter how often a bishop or priest repeats the teaching of the Church regarding procured abortion, if he stands by and does nothing to discipline a Catholic who publicly supports legislation permitting the gravest of injustices and, at the same time, presents himself to receive Holy Communion, then his teaching rings hollow," wrote Burke. "To remain silent is to permit serious confusion regarding a fundamental truth of the moral law."
November 27, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - With the Patrick Kennedy Communion flap and the recent action of the Bishops of Spain having opened up the issue of denying communion to pro-abortion politicians, it is worthwhile to review the position of the Vatican on the matter.
Since the controversy came to a head in 2004, the stance from the Vatican on the matter has been clear and consistent. For the Pope and top Curial Cardinals in charge of the matter there is no question about the responsibility to deny Holy Communion to Catholic politicians who obstinately support abortion. In fact, the issue was closed as early as 2004 with a letter from Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI.
The then-head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith intervened into a debate among the US Bishops on the issue. Simply put, Cardinal Ratzinger said in his letter titled "Worthiness to receive Holy Communion," that a Catholic politician who would vote for "permissive abortion and euthanasia laws" after being duly instructed and warned, "must" be denied Communion.
Ratzinger's letter explained that if such a politician "with obstinate persistence, still presents himself to receive the Holy Eucharist, the minister of Holy Communion must refuse to distribute it."
The letter even answered common objections such as how to deal with politicians that supported war or the death penalty in light of denial of Communion to pro-abortion politicians.
The man who is now Pope, explained: "Not all moral issues have the same moral weight as abortion and euthanasia. For example, if a Catholic were to be at odds with the Holy Father on the application of capital punishment or on the decision to wage war, he would not for that reason be considered unworthy to present himself to receive Holy Communion. While the Church exhorts civil authorities to seek peace, not war, and to exercise discretion and mercy in imposing punishment on criminals, it may still be permissible to take up arms to repel an aggressor or to have recourse to capital punishment. There may be a legitimate diversity of opinion even among Catholics about waging war and applying the death penalty, but not however with regard to abortion and euthanasia."
Since then, Pope Benedict XVI has confirmed this position speaking as Pope. Answering a reporter on an in-flight press conference in 2007, Pope Benedict addressed a question on the Mexican bishops excommunicating politicians who support legalizing abortion. "Yes, this excommunication was not an arbitrary one but is allowed by Canon law which says that the killing of an innocent child is incompatible with receiving communion, which is receiving the body of Christ," said the Pope.
In the comment, the Pope was referring to the Church's Canon law 915, which states: "Those upon whom the penalty of excommunication or interdict has been imposed or declared, and others who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin, are not to be admitted to Holy Communion."
The highest authority on the subject in the Vatican, next to the Pope, is the head (or Prefect) of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Cardinal Canizares. The head of that Congregation, appointed by Pope Benedict XVI a year ago, quoted the Ratzinger document on the question in a LifeSiteNews interview earlier this year.
In addition, Cardinal Antonio Canizares stated: "The strongest words are found in St. Paul: one who goes to the Eucharist and is not properly prepared, duly prepared, 'he eats his own condemnation.' This is the strongest thing that we can say and what is the most truthful statement."
This line is not only coming from Pope Benedict and his appointees, however. The Cardinal who preceded Cardinal Canizares in heading the Congregation was Nigerian-born Cardinal Francis Arinze.
Already in 2004, Cardinal Arinze said a pro-abortion politician "is not fit" to receive Communion. "If they should not receive, then they should not be given," he added. Cardinal Arinze was asked the question so frequently he began to joke about the matter. One such question and answer session even made it to youtube.
Arinze is seen on the video as saying that he is regularly asked if a person who votes for abortion can receive Holy Communion. He replies, "Do you really need a cardinal from the Vatican to answer that? Get the children for first Communion and say to them, 'Somebody votes for the killing of unborn babies, and says, I voted for that, I will vote for that every time.' And these babies are killed not one or two, but in millions, and that person says, 'I'm a practicing Catholic', should that person receive Communion next Sunday? The children will answer that at the drop of a hat. You don't need a cardinal to answer that."
Former St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke who has been appointed to head up the highest court in the Vatican remarked on the need for bishops to uphold this canon since without doing so they undermine belief in the truth of the evil of abortion.
"No matter how often a bishop or priest repeats the teaching of the Church regarding procured abortion, if he stands by and does nothing to discipline a Catholic who publicly supports legislation permitting the gravest of injustices and, at the same time, presents himself to receive Holy Communion, then his teaching rings hollow," wrote Burke. "To remain silent is to permit serious confusion regarding a fundamental truth of the moral law."
posted by Al @ 2:07 AM
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Spanish Bishops Make It Clear: If You Are Pro-Abortion, No Communion!!!!!
I love the title of the declaration, "On the Proposed Abortion Law: An Assault against the Unborn Transformed into a 'Right.'" That is exactly what it is an assault (resulting in murder) that the pro-abortion crowd is trying to disguise as a right. They are right to call it a "poisoned source of immorality and injustice". While a few Bishops like Bishop Tobin in Rhode Island have had the courage to speak out strongly, the fact that most haven't has made it easier for pro-abortion Catholics to keep on doing what they want. The USCCB meeting this month missed a golden opportunity to issue an unequivocal statment about the health care debate & life issues & blew it by not doing so.
Another interesting point is the fact that they cite a memorandum from then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, to Cardinal McCarrick. That was the infamous memorandum the McCarrick intentionally left parts out so that they were able to put the wishy washy wording in the voting guide. In doing so, he helped those se that didn't want to take a strong stand make it easier for pro-abortion Catholics like the Kennedys to keep supporting abortion. & for Catholics to vote for them. The recent mess w/ Patrick Kennedy is a part of the fruit of that cover-up.
By James Tillman
MADRID, November 27, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) -- Today the Plenary Assembly of the Spanish Episcopal Conference issued a statement saying that politicians who vote for a proposed law liberalizing abortion in Spain place themselves in an "objective state of sin and, while the situation lasts, may not be admitted to Holy Communion."
The announcement from the Spanish bishops comes as the Spanish parliament is considering a law that would make it easier to get an abortion in Spain by allowing 16-year olds to get an abortion without parental consent, among other measures.
In their statement, the bishops endorse the June 17th declaration of the bishops' Permanent Commission, entitled: "On the Proposed Abortion Law: An Assault against the Unborn Transformed into a 'Right.'"
The document states that this transformation of abortion into a right is the "poisoned source of immorality and injustice that corrupts the entire text [of the proposed law]."
The document goes on to question the logic by which the new law would regulate abortion. Under the new law, abortion would be permitted on demand for up to fourteen weeks after conception, but in cases of grave and incurable fetal conditions it would be permitted at any time.
Yet such regulation is artificial, the document points out: "Why not, then, [allow abortion] at the moment of birth, or a minute later?" The only reasonable moment to mark the beginning of life, they continue, is at conception: "Where there is a living human body, there is a person and therefore inviolable human dignity."
Thus, the bishops said that politicians who vote for a bill so contrary to the "requirements of right reason" publicly place themselves in a state of sin and ought not to receive Communion.
In support of this position, the Spanish bishops cite a memorandum from then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, to Cardinal McCarrick. This document states that after precautionary and private measures have been exhausted, ministers ought to refuse Communion to politicians that promote abortion because of the "person's public unworthiness to receive Holy Communion due to an objective situation of sin."
The Socialist government under Prime Minister Luis Zapatero has worked tirelessly to undermine the traditionally Catholic culture of Spain. In 2005 same-sex "marriage" and adoption by such couples was legalized by his government; the same year the government announced that homosexualist "diversity" training would be mandatory in schools.
The government's current push to liberalize abortion laws has been resisted by many of Spain's Catholic citizens. Approximately half a million citizens protested the proposed legislation in cities across Spain last March. A similar event in October attracted as many as a million participants.
Abortion in Spain is currently permitted at up to 12 weeks in cases of rape and up to 22 weeks in cases of a malformed infant. It is also permitted if the pregnancy is judged to endanger the physical or mental health of the mother. In practice a supposed threat to the mental health of the mother has allowed abortions to proceed nearly unrestricted, with some abortionists having arrangements with psychologists who sign off on their abortions.
The Spanish bishops end their statement on the law by asking people to work tirelessly for the lives of unborn babies and not to cease in their prayers.
See related stories on LifeSiteNews.com:
Spanish Bishop Says Catholic Politicians Who Vote for Abortion Excommunicate Themselves
Spanish Socialist Leadership Urges Rethinking of Abortion Policy as Scandal Grows
Spanish Socialists Seek to Further Loosen already Liberal Abortion Law
MADRID, November 27, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) -- Today the Plenary Assembly of the Spanish Episcopal Conference issued a statement saying that politicians who vote for a proposed law liberalizing abortion in Spain place themselves in an "objective state of sin and, while the situation lasts, may not be admitted to Holy Communion."
The announcement from the Spanish bishops comes as the Spanish parliament is considering a law that would make it easier to get an abortion in Spain by allowing 16-year olds to get an abortion without parental consent, among other measures.
In their statement, the bishops endorse the June 17th declaration of the bishops' Permanent Commission, entitled: "On the Proposed Abortion Law: An Assault against the Unborn Transformed into a 'Right.'"
The document states that this transformation of abortion into a right is the "poisoned source of immorality and injustice that corrupts the entire text [of the proposed law]."
The document goes on to question the logic by which the new law would regulate abortion. Under the new law, abortion would be permitted on demand for up to fourteen weeks after conception, but in cases of grave and incurable fetal conditions it would be permitted at any time.
Yet such regulation is artificial, the document points out: "Why not, then, [allow abortion] at the moment of birth, or a minute later?" The only reasonable moment to mark the beginning of life, they continue, is at conception: "Where there is a living human body, there is a person and therefore inviolable human dignity."
Thus, the bishops said that politicians who vote for a bill so contrary to the "requirements of right reason" publicly place themselves in a state of sin and ought not to receive Communion.
In support of this position, the Spanish bishops cite a memorandum from then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, to Cardinal McCarrick. This document states that after precautionary and private measures have been exhausted, ministers ought to refuse Communion to politicians that promote abortion because of the "person's public unworthiness to receive Holy Communion due to an objective situation of sin."
The Socialist government under Prime Minister Luis Zapatero has worked tirelessly to undermine the traditionally Catholic culture of Spain. In 2005 same-sex "marriage" and adoption by such couples was legalized by his government; the same year the government announced that homosexualist "diversity" training would be mandatory in schools.
The government's current push to liberalize abortion laws has been resisted by many of Spain's Catholic citizens. Approximately half a million citizens protested the proposed legislation in cities across Spain last March. A similar event in October attracted as many as a million participants.
Abortion in Spain is currently permitted at up to 12 weeks in cases of rape and up to 22 weeks in cases of a malformed infant. It is also permitted if the pregnancy is judged to endanger the physical or mental health of the mother. In practice a supposed threat to the mental health of the mother has allowed abortions to proceed nearly unrestricted, with some abortionists having arrangements with psychologists who sign off on their abortions.
The Spanish bishops end their statement on the law by asking people to work tirelessly for the lives of unborn babies and not to cease in their prayers.
See related stories on LifeSiteNews.com:
Spanish Bishop Says Catholic Politicians Who Vote for Abortion Excommunicate Themselves
Spanish Socialist Leadership Urges Rethinking of Abortion Policy as Scandal Grows
Spanish Socialists Seek to Further Loosen already Liberal Abortion Law
posted by Al @ 1:01 AM
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Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord!!!!!
The First Sunday of Advent, November 29th, 2009
I: Jer 33:14-16;
II: 1 Thes 3:12-4:2
Gospel: Lk 21:25-28, 34-36
Click here for video of Fr. Euteneuer presenting this Spirit & Life, the first of a four-part Advent Reflection Series.
Beware! Stay awake!
These admonitions are the first trumpet blasts of the Advent season, and they echo in every way the call to be prepared for the magnificent mystery of Christ Who is coming into the world. The prophet Jeremiah tells us that God is fulfilling the centuries-old promises that He made to the house of Israel for a Savior, and the Gospel cautions us not to let the great and glorious day of Christ's arrival catch us unprepared. We can't possibly stay in our comfort zones this Advent season - we must be ready!
When I went through Marine Corps boot camp I was told at the beginning that "the General" was going to come at the end of the six weeks and give us an inspection. We had better be ready to pass his test. At every point of the training we were reminded that "the General" was coming, and it was drilled into us that we were preparing for a grand test. At the end of the six weeks "the General" came, but no one saw him do the inspection. We figured it was all a ruse to keep us on our toes and preparing for - well - battle! There is nothing better than the anticipation of a General inspection to get your life and things in order.
During this Advent we must also prepare for battle - a spiritual battle, that is - and we have to get our lives in order for it. The Second Vatican Council says, "The whole of man's history has been the story of dour combat with the powers of evil, stretching, so our Lord tells us, from the very dawn of history until the last day." (Vatican II, Gaudium et spes 37:2) We are soldiers of the Church Militant, and we fight for all that is good and true and holy.
In our day and age, the greatest war we fight is the struggle to protect the sanctity of life, marriage and family. The attacks grow more relentless each day and the number of casualties is enormous. Will we fight with Him to defend the life of each and every unborn child? Advent is a time to ask ourselves that question and make sure that we are prepared for the battle and not playing into the hands of the Enemy through sloth or apathy. Will we defend marriage and the sanctity of the marital act from all immoral practices such as homosexuality, contraception, pornography and adultery? These are the main challenges of a slothful generation that has long ago given up fighting the most important battle - that is, the fight to save our immortal souls.
All Christ asks of us this Advent season is that we go back to basic training and prepare ourselves for those battles which only the Christian Church has the resources to fight. Remember that our "General" is coming soon - and we will want to be ready.
Sincerely,
Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer,
President, Human Life International
posted by Al @ 12:04 AM
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Saturday, November 28, 2009
Obligatory HD Muppets Bohemian Rhapsody Video
Given that this is popping up all over the place it must be required posting. Far being for me to not take my part in getting it out there, esp since I am a Muppets fan & this is definitely a great version.
OK, it isn't quite Weird Al,
But who is!!!!
posted by Al @ 10:57 PM
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Pray for Uraguay's Presidential Election Sunday
Your prayers today could save an entire country from legalized abortion.
Rarely have your prayers been more urgently needed to save lives. The South American nation of Uruguay faces a crucial turning point on Sunday November 29, 2009.
If the people vote for the Frente Amplio or Broad Front candidate for president, he has promised to legalize abortion-on-demand in Uruguay and will have the votes to do it. If the National Party candidate wins, abortion will be blocked. Currently the opinion polls show almost 50% on each side.
It is a thousand times easier to prevent legal abortion than it is to reverse it once it has taken root. Spain recently had their second rally for life with over 1 million people on the streets in Madrid and their socialist government still insists on keeping abortion-on-demand.
Human Life International's Uruguayan affiliates are working day and night to educate and mobilize their fellow citizens to defend innocent human life. The picture above is from a march for life they organized on Monday in the capital of Montevideo and other cities.
Please join with us in praying for a pro-life outcome to this election by adding this important intention to your Mass and Rosary prayers for the next few days. Even a single Hail Mary and Our Father will be valuable contributions. We need an outpouring of grace on Uruguay as we all collaborate prayerfully to stop the global advance of death that threatens to overtake our entire world. This Thanksgiving holiday in the USA and Sunday let us storm Heaven for life.
Thank you for your concern for God's precious children. Please forward this to friends and contact convents to ask for their prayers.
Rarely have your prayers been more urgently needed to save lives. The South American nation of Uruguay faces a crucial turning point on Sunday November 29, 2009.
If the people vote for the Frente Amplio or Broad Front candidate for president, he has promised to legalize abortion-on-demand in Uruguay and will have the votes to do it. If the National Party candidate wins, abortion will be blocked. Currently the opinion polls show almost 50% on each side.
It is a thousand times easier to prevent legal abortion than it is to reverse it once it has taken root. Spain recently had their second rally for life with over 1 million people on the streets in Madrid and their socialist government still insists on keeping abortion-on-demand.
Human Life International's Uruguayan affiliates are working day and night to educate and mobilize their fellow citizens to defend innocent human life. The picture above is from a march for life they organized on Monday in the capital of Montevideo and other cities.
Please join with us in praying for a pro-life outcome to this election by adding this important intention to your Mass and Rosary prayers for the next few days. Even a single Hail Mary and Our Father will be valuable contributions. We need an outpouring of grace on Uruguay as we all collaborate prayerfully to stop the global advance of death that threatens to overtake our entire world. This Thanksgiving holiday in the USA and Sunday let us storm Heaven for life.
Thank you for your concern for God's precious children. Please forward this to friends and contact convents to ask for their prayers.
posted by Al @ 7:20 AM
0 Comments
It's Official, The Grey Lady* Has a New Motto: All the A**kissing of Obama That Is Unfit to Print
If you’re feeling queasy, look away now. The New York Times scales new heights of sycophancy in its report of the White House state dinner last night, which by their account was the most charming, imaginative, glittering – yet tasteful! – social event since Jackie Kennedy was Queen of Camelot. Indeed, it may even have surpassed Jackie’s standards, since Barack and Michelle added a deeply appropriate and thoughtful element of multiculturalism to the glamorous proceedings. And the decorative magnolia branches, I’m relieved to report, were “sustainably harvested”.
Modern Flourishes at Obamas’ State Dinner
By RACHEL L. SWARNS
WASHINGTON — It is an old tradition, a White House dinner governed by ritual and protocol that happens to be this city’s hottest social event. But at their first state dinner on Tuesday night, President Obama and his wife, Michelle, made sure to infuse the glittering gala with distinctive touches.
They hired a new florist, Laura Dowling, who bedecked the tented outdoor dining room with locally grown, sustainably harvested magnolia branches and ivy. They selected a guest chef, Marcus Samuelsson of Aquavit in New York, an American citizen who was born in Ethiopia, reared in Sweden and cooks up melting pots of flavors and cuisines …
And at the tables, the meatless menu included a mix of Indian and American favorites, including some African-American standards. Collard greens and curried prawns, chickpeas and okra, nan and cornbread were served to the 320 guests — including some well-known Republicans and prominent Indian-Americans — who started off with arugula from the White House garden and finished up with pumpkin pie tart. (After a tasting at the White House on Sunday, the Obamas gave the dishes their stamp of approval, Mr. Samuelsson said.)
And don’t forget the dinner plates. For an administration that publicly prizes bipartisanship, what could be finer than an eclectic mix of Clinton and Bush china?
“He wants to set a tone that’s different,” Vishakha N. Desai, a dinner guest and the Indian-born president of the Asia Society, said of the president. “Obama’s celebrating not just his African-American heritage, but the cultural diversity of America. And that’s a powerful message to send to the world.” …
Mrs. Obama made a splash by showcasing deep, rich colors — apple green for the tablecloths and varying shades of plum, purple and fuchsia in the hydrangea, roses and sweet peas in the centerpieces.
There was White House honey and sage from the garden and a menu that gave vegetables and beans — including eggplants and lentils — top billing. (For a White House keen on promoting fresh fruits and vegetables, what could be more serendipitous than a guest of honor who happens to be a vegetarian?)
Sounds to me like the Obamas filled their guests with piles of wind-inducing vegetables. Hardly necessary, you would have thought.
Modern Flourishes at Obamas’ State Dinner
By RACHEL L. SWARNS
WASHINGTON — It is an old tradition, a White House dinner governed by ritual and protocol that happens to be this city’s hottest social event. But at their first state dinner on Tuesday night, President Obama and his wife, Michelle, made sure to infuse the glittering gala with distinctive touches.
They hired a new florist, Laura Dowling, who bedecked the tented outdoor dining room with locally grown, sustainably harvested magnolia branches and ivy. They selected a guest chef, Marcus Samuelsson of Aquavit in New York, an American citizen who was born in Ethiopia, reared in Sweden and cooks up melting pots of flavors and cuisines …
And at the tables, the meatless menu included a mix of Indian and American favorites, including some African-American standards. Collard greens and curried prawns, chickpeas and okra, nan and cornbread were served to the 320 guests — including some well-known Republicans and prominent Indian-Americans — who started off with arugula from the White House garden and finished up with pumpkin pie tart. (After a tasting at the White House on Sunday, the Obamas gave the dishes their stamp of approval, Mr. Samuelsson said.)
And don’t forget the dinner plates. For an administration that publicly prizes bipartisanship, what could be finer than an eclectic mix of Clinton and Bush china?
“He wants to set a tone that’s different,” Vishakha N. Desai, a dinner guest and the Indian-born president of the Asia Society, said of the president. “Obama’s celebrating not just his African-American heritage, but the cultural diversity of America. And that’s a powerful message to send to the world.” …
Mrs. Obama made a splash by showcasing deep, rich colors — apple green for the tablecloths and varying shades of plum, purple and fuchsia in the hydrangea, roses and sweet peas in the centerpieces.
There was White House honey and sage from the garden and a menu that gave vegetables and beans — including eggplants and lentils — top billing. (For a White House keen on promoting fresh fruits and vegetables, what could be more serendipitous than a guest of honor who happens to be a vegetarian?)
Sounds to me like the Obamas filled their guests with piles of wind-inducing vegetables. Hardly necessary, you would have thought.
___________
*She may also want to change her nickname. Maybe the "Brownest Nose Lady"?
*She may also want to change her nickname. Maybe the "Brownest Nose Lady"?
posted by Al @ 6:53 AM
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Liberal Guilt/PC Language Girls Gone Wild
This is 1 of those times when Whoopie says the right thing & puts PC speak in its place. If Joyce Behar was seriously concerned about the use of the term "black Friday" then she has proven herself to be even more ignorant & foolish then previously suspected. & that would be quite the feat as she doesn't have much lower ot go as it is.
posted by Al @ 5:32 AM
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Carbon Offsets, Not Just for Algore Any More
Good news for those of us who don't have the big bucks like Algore to buy carbon credits. Now you can burn your lights all night long & try to waste as much energy al Algore does by hiding behind the same fraudulant carbon credit scheme he does. & while he does so by buying them from a corporation that he owns it won't cost you a cent.
You can go to Free Carbon Offsets & get as many credits as you need, or want. & they even come with a certificate suitable for framing.
& what will those offsets get you?
For:
- 1-100 offsets: We will try our hardest to turn off the water for an extra ten seconds while we brush our teeth.
- 101-1000 offsets: We will think about possibly using one less square of toilet paper every time we use the rest room. So you don't have to!
- 1001-10000 offsets: At this level, we will think about not going out to lunch for one day. Gas savings, plus savings on one less burger made that day!
- 10000+ offsets: Premium offsets. We will consider not taking a shower for a whole week!
- 101-1000 offsets: We will think about possibly using one less square of toilet paper every time we use the rest room. So you don't have to!
- 1001-10000 offsets: At this level, we will think about not going out to lunch for one day. Gas savings, plus savings on one less burger made that day!
- 10000+ offsets: Premium offsets. We will consider not taking a shower for a whole week!
& to make you feel even better about what you are doing, they let you see how many others in your country/region/city are also on board. So you can be sure that you are not alone.
These certificates also make a great Christmas gift for those relatives of yours who make Clark Griswold seem like a slacker.
____________________
I am sure the PC gang is going into their Queen Victioria "We are not amused!" mode. & that is because of what they are really about. While this is a bit tongue in cheek, they website exists to make a point, the debate about global warming isn't over. & with all that is coming out recently, it is clear that the debate has not been an honest, straight forward 1.
posted by Al @ 3:42 AM
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Bishop Bruskewitz: Morin Dismissive of CCHD Concerns
As I have pointed out before, this is looking more & more like the CCCB Development and Peace scandal every day. It isn't going to go away either. Esp w/ Bishops like this & Reform CCHD Now making sure it doesn't.
By Patrick B. Craine
LINCOLN, Nebraska, November 24, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz of Lincoln, Nebraska explained in an interview with LifeSiteNews.com today his reasons for dropping the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) collection in his diocese, saying that CCHD head Bishop Roger Morin was "a little bit too dismissive" of concerns brought against the organization.
Bishop Bruskewitz is one of four bishops confirmed so far to have chosen not to take up the collection this year for the national CCHD, the USCCB's domestic anti-poverty arm.
"We question the ideology of [CCHD]," the bishop explained in the interview, "and ... we are shocked at the scandalous participation with the ACORN organization and also the participation with other organizations of questionable moral values or standards."
The organization came under fire in the months leading up to this past weekend's national collection due to reports documenting how numerous grantees have promoted or are promoting activities contrary to Church teaching, including abortion, contraception, and same-sex "marriage." In fact, the Reform CCHD Now coalition announced last week that $1.3 million is allocated to questionable groups. Additionally, critics have charged CCHD with favoring "left-leaning" groups in the spirit of infamous community organizer Saul Alinksy.
CCHD ceased funding ACORN (the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now), a liberal network of community activism groups, last year due to concerns about "financial management" and "political partisanship." CCHD had given ACORN over $7 million in grants during the previous ten years. ACORN came under renewed scrutiny this year after sting operations caught several ACORN offices condoning child prostitution and sex trafficking.
"It's so extremely controversial," the bishop said about CCHD. There have been "many negative resonances about it from people throughout the diocese and beyond the diocese," he said, adding that the "controversial character made it appear that [CCHD] was not effective" in meeting its purposes.
His diocese doesn't "rule [CCHD] out entirely," he said, but he would only reconsider the collection if there were "some changes in the organization itself, or its purposes, or its goals."
The collection "served very little purpose for us," he said, noting that the Lincoln diocese has not received funds from CCHD. "We do have a very extensive Catholic Social Services, St. Vincent de Paul activity here in the diocese," he said, "which supplies the needs of those who are impoverished, of those who need assistance to come out of poverty."
Bishop Roger Morin, chairman of the USCCB's subcommittee on the CCHD, delivered a passionate plea in defense of the organization at last week's USCCB plenary meeting. While pledging their commitment to ensure grantees' respect for Catholic teaching, he decried the "outrageous" allegations made by CCHD's critics that it funds pro-abortion or anti-family organizations.
But Bishop Bruskewitz expressed displeasure with Bishop Morin's report, saying the bishop did not adequately consider the criticisms brought against the CCHD.
"I didn't think [the report] took into account sufficiently the negatives that have been bantered about with regard to the organization," he said. He said Bishop Morin was "obviously defending the organization he had been involved in different areas," and now for which he's the chairman.
The report, further, "lacked some of the interests" that concerned people "have brought to the fore," he said. "I think he was perhaps a little bit too dismissive of them."
Nevertheless, he maintained that he has "no objection" to people supporting CCHD should they choose. If "people [who] like this organization ... want to send money to it, even from my diocese, they can," he said. "But I'm not going to take up the collection."
See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Four US Bishops Did Not Take up Collection for Embattled CCHD
LINCOLN, Nebraska, November 24, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz of Lincoln, Nebraska explained in an interview with LifeSiteNews.com today his reasons for dropping the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) collection in his diocese, saying that CCHD head Bishop Roger Morin was "a little bit too dismissive" of concerns brought against the organization.
Bishop Bruskewitz is one of four bishops confirmed so far to have chosen not to take up the collection this year for the national CCHD, the USCCB's domestic anti-poverty arm.
"We question the ideology of [CCHD]," the bishop explained in the interview, "and ... we are shocked at the scandalous participation with the ACORN organization and also the participation with other organizations of questionable moral values or standards."
The organization came under fire in the months leading up to this past weekend's national collection due to reports documenting how numerous grantees have promoted or are promoting activities contrary to Church teaching, including abortion, contraception, and same-sex "marriage." In fact, the Reform CCHD Now coalition announced last week that $1.3 million is allocated to questionable groups. Additionally, critics have charged CCHD with favoring "left-leaning" groups in the spirit of infamous community organizer Saul Alinksy.
CCHD ceased funding ACORN (the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now), a liberal network of community activism groups, last year due to concerns about "financial management" and "political partisanship." CCHD had given ACORN over $7 million in grants during the previous ten years. ACORN came under renewed scrutiny this year after sting operations caught several ACORN offices condoning child prostitution and sex trafficking.
"It's so extremely controversial," the bishop said about CCHD. There have been "many negative resonances about it from people throughout the diocese and beyond the diocese," he said, adding that the "controversial character made it appear that [CCHD] was not effective" in meeting its purposes.
His diocese doesn't "rule [CCHD] out entirely," he said, but he would only reconsider the collection if there were "some changes in the organization itself, or its purposes, or its goals."
The collection "served very little purpose for us," he said, noting that the Lincoln diocese has not received funds from CCHD. "We do have a very extensive Catholic Social Services, St. Vincent de Paul activity here in the diocese," he said, "which supplies the needs of those who are impoverished, of those who need assistance to come out of poverty."
Bishop Roger Morin, chairman of the USCCB's subcommittee on the CCHD, delivered a passionate plea in defense of the organization at last week's USCCB plenary meeting. While pledging their commitment to ensure grantees' respect for Catholic teaching, he decried the "outrageous" allegations made by CCHD's critics that it funds pro-abortion or anti-family organizations.
But Bishop Bruskewitz expressed displeasure with Bishop Morin's report, saying the bishop did not adequately consider the criticisms brought against the CCHD.
"I didn't think [the report] took into account sufficiently the negatives that have been bantered about with regard to the organization," he said. He said Bishop Morin was "obviously defending the organization he had been involved in different areas," and now for which he's the chairman.
The report, further, "lacked some of the interests" that concerned people "have brought to the fore," he said. "I think he was perhaps a little bit too dismissive of them."
Nevertheless, he maintained that he has "no objection" to people supporting CCHD should they choose. If "people [who] like this organization ... want to send money to it, even from my diocese, they can," he said. "But I'm not going to take up the collection."
See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Four US Bishops Did Not Take up Collection for Embattled CCHD
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/nov/09112305.html
$1.3 Million in CCHD Funds Going to Questionable Groups: Reform Coalition
$1.3 Million in CCHD Funds Going to Questionable Groups: Reform Coalition
Labels: Reform CCHD
posted by Al @ 2:21 AM
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Newly Discovered Alternative Ending to Star Trek 2
Apparently, they were afraid this ending would have given away too much of the plot of the 3rd film so they reworked it to what was finally seen on the screen.
posted by Al @ 1:06 AM
0 Comments
Planned Parenthood: Using ObamaCare to Invade Every Community on Our Dime
PP calls for PP health care for every community
If you think Planned Parenthood doesn’t have a huge amount to gain from the proposed health care reform, take a look at its web site.
There you will find pictures of abortion supporters holding pink signs and wearing pink T- shirts, emblazoned with “Planned Parenthood Health Care for Every Community.”
The web site features the call to action on the home page: “Pass Health Care Reform – Stop Stupak.”
The abortion giant is issuing a call to its supporters to descend on Washington, D.C., December 2 to lobby senators to insure child-killing by abortion is a covered benefit in health care reform.
The New York Times quotes PP’s president: “We have seen money coming in at every level,” said Cecile Richards of Planned Parenthood, which is also patching calls into lawmakers’ offices in several states. “Congressman Stupak managed to crystallize this movement in a way that is hard to replicate.”
As the debate moves now to the Senate, Senator Harry Reid’s bill authorizes abortion supporter Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of Health and Human Service, to authorize the federal funding of elective abortions, and provides subsidies for those who obtain private insurance that covers abortion.
Labels: ObamaCare, Planned Parenthood
posted by Al @ 12:06 AM
0 Comments
Friday, November 27, 2009
Is This What Sr. Donna Meant By Not Exposing Women at Abortion Mills to Violence?*
For that matter, where is the Main Stream Media coverage or the abortion industry's condemnation of this action? (Purely rhetorical question of course.)
By John-Henry Westen
DULUTH, MN, November 26, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Less than two months after the gunning down of pro-life activist Jim Pouillon in September, a young pro-life activist has had a knife put to her throat by a woman entering an abortion facility in Duluth, Minnesota. 21-year-old pro-life activist Leah Winandy, her mother Sarah and the director of a local pro-life group, spoke with LifeSiteNews.com (LSN) about the harrowing incident which took place early Tuesday morning.
Leah's mother, Sarah Winandy, was present with her daughter at the time of the attack, but each were standing at opposite sides of a large opening to the Building for Women in Duluth, inside of which the Women's Health Center of Duluth abortuary is located.
When a woman approached, Leah was set to speak to her, but says that the woman then snapped out a long-bladed folding pink-camouflage knife and ordered Leah to not to move or to speak. Leah did not move, but before the woman left earshot said, "Please don't kill your baby." At that point, recalls Leah, the woman turned around and approached Leah with the knife.
Leah told LSN that the woman was facing her, with the knife at Leah's neck. Leah said that she was initially scared, thinking, "what if she stabs me?" But then, she thought, "If she stabs me that's okay, I will go to heaven to be with Jesus." Leah recalled she was then given peace. She said, "After that I was not afraid, I was concerned for her soul."
"I looked in her eyes and said, 'Fear God, you have to fear God, Ma'am," she recalled. After which the woman turned and walked toward the building. As she passed Leah's mother Sarah, who had not seen the knife previously, Sarah says she pleaded with the woman, saying, "Please, we love you, we care about you," at which point the woman also waved the knife at her threateningly.
Sarah then approached her daughter with concern. When she learned of the threat with the knife to her daughter, she said she was shocked and alarmed. In retrospect, she says that she's thankful she did not recognize the object as a knife at first since she would have run over to her daughter and "perhaps something terrible would have happened."
Sarah, a homeschooling mother of five, told LSN that despite the incident she is undeterred from counseling at the facility or allowing her children to do the same. While her elder three children have families of their own, her daughter Leah and her youngest son Michael, 20, accompany her to the abortion center to counsel at least once a week. She said that she and her husband and family "truly believe it's the Lord who protects us wherever we are."
Sarah said that the Winandy family forgives, and continues to pray for the woman. Jim Tuttle, the director of Pro-Life Ministries of Duluth was also at the abortion mill Tuesday morning, but he did not witness the incident as he was counseling at the alley entrance to the center. Tuttle told LSN that his organization has arranged for pro-life witness and counseling outside the abortion center every day of its operation for the past 11 years. The group's efforts, he said, have saved at least six or seven lives a year. Tuttle holds the Winandy family among his most faithful volunteers.
Duluth Police arrested the suspect, 25-year-old Mechelle Talluah Hall, inside the abortuary and found a knife in her purse matching Leah's description. She has been charged with second-degree assault. Hall told the judge considering the conditions of her release, "I know what I did was wrong."
The Winandy's say they still hope to minister to Mechelle despite the incident, and may get their chance. After police departed with Mechelle, a friend who had come to the center to support her was only told by abortuary staff that she had left quickly. The Winandys approached her and when they realized who she was there for they explained the situation. They spoke with the friend about the love of Christ and gave her a Bible. They exchanged phone numbers and hope to follow up with the friend and perhaps even with Mechelle herself one day.
Anyone wishing to contact Leah and her family may do so through
Pro-life Ministry of Duluth
DULUTH, MN, November 26, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Less than two months after the gunning down of pro-life activist Jim Pouillon in September, a young pro-life activist has had a knife put to her throat by a woman entering an abortion facility in Duluth, Minnesota. 21-year-old pro-life activist Leah Winandy, her mother Sarah and the director of a local pro-life group, spoke with LifeSiteNews.com (LSN) about the harrowing incident which took place early Tuesday morning.
Leah's mother, Sarah Winandy, was present with her daughter at the time of the attack, but each were standing at opposite sides of a large opening to the Building for Women in Duluth, inside of which the Women's Health Center of Duluth abortuary is located.
When a woman approached, Leah was set to speak to her, but says that the woman then snapped out a long-bladed folding pink-camouflage knife and ordered Leah to not to move or to speak. Leah did not move, but before the woman left earshot said, "Please don't kill your baby." At that point, recalls Leah, the woman turned around and approached Leah with the knife.Leah told LSN that the woman was facing her, with the knife at Leah's neck. Leah said that she was initially scared, thinking, "what if she stabs me?" But then, she thought, "If she stabs me that's okay, I will go to heaven to be with Jesus." Leah recalled she was then given peace. She said, "After that I was not afraid, I was concerned for her soul."
"I looked in her eyes and said, 'Fear God, you have to fear God, Ma'am," she recalled. After which the woman turned and walked toward the building. As she passed Leah's mother Sarah, who had not seen the knife previously, Sarah says she pleaded with the woman, saying, "Please, we love you, we care about you," at which point the woman also waved the knife at her threateningly.
Sarah then approached her daughter with concern. When she learned of the threat with the knife to her daughter, she said she was shocked and alarmed. In retrospect, she says that she's thankful she did not recognize the object as a knife at first since she would have run over to her daughter and "perhaps something terrible would have happened."
Sarah, a homeschooling mother of five, told LSN that despite the incident she is undeterred from counseling at the facility or allowing her children to do the same. While her elder three children have families of their own, her daughter Leah and her youngest son Michael, 20, accompany her to the abortion center to counsel at least once a week. She said that she and her husband and family "truly believe it's the Lord who protects us wherever we are."
Sarah said that the Winandy family forgives, and continues to pray for the woman. Jim Tuttle, the director of Pro-Life Ministries of Duluth was also at the abortion mill Tuesday morning, but he did not witness the incident as he was counseling at the alley entrance to the center. Tuttle told LSN that his organization has arranged for pro-life witness and counseling outside the abortion center every day of its operation for the past 11 years. The group's efforts, he said, have saved at least six or seven lives a year. Tuttle holds the Winandy family among his most faithful volunteers.
Duluth Police arrested the suspect, 25-year-old Mechelle Talluah Hall, inside the abortuary and found a knife in her purse matching Leah's description. She has been charged with second-degree assault. Hall told the judge considering the conditions of her release, "I know what I did was wrong."
The Winandy's say they still hope to minister to Mechelle despite the incident, and may get their chance. After police departed with Mechelle, a friend who had come to the center to support her was only told by abortuary staff that she had left quickly. The Winandys approached her and when they realized who she was there for they explained the situation. They spoke with the friend about the love of Christ and gave her a Bible. They exchanged phone numbers and hope to follow up with the friend and perhaps even with Mechelle herself one day.
Anyone wishing to contact Leah and her family may do so through
Pro-life Ministry of Duluth
P.O. Box 161018
Duluth, MN 55816
E-mail: prolife4duluth@gmail.com
_______________________
*See Nun Defiant Following Rebuke, but Stops Abortion Escorting
*See Nun Defiant Following Rebuke, but Stops Abortion Escorting
posted by Al @ 7:08 AM
1 Comments
A Treasure In Clay On the Web
The other day I put up a link where you could go to here John Cleese's recording of CS Lewis' The Screwtape Letters. I was exploring the site & discovered that it also has a bunch of Bishop Fulton J. Sheen's radio programs. Some of the links don't work, but the majority do. Click on the above banner to go to the site. I promise you that you will be truly blessed, spiritually nourished & challenged to grow in your faith if you do.
__________________
There are many more treasures I will be hiliting in the days ahead.
Labels: Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen
posted by Al @ 6:24 AM
1 Comments
ClimateGate Grows
More & more facts about the manipulation of data to create a global warming myth are coming out. The latest news comes from New Zealand. It involves th New Zealand's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric research (NIWA) which is that nation's chief climate advisory unit.
The figures published on NIWA’s website suggest a strong warming trend in New Zealand over the past century. However, analysis of the raw climate data from the same temperature stations has just turned up a very different result. Gone is the relentless rising temperature trend, and instead there appears to have been a much smaller growth in warming, consistent with the warming up of the planet after the end of the Little Ice Age in 1850. (Climategate Scandal Spreads to New Zealand as MSM Continues Ostrich Act)
Of course the Main Stream Media is on this, NOT!!!!! Except for Fox News, it has been given short shrift, even with Obama's upcoming trip to attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. & when someone from the MSM does bring it up, there is the usual spin to cover up for the PC crowd (CNN FINALLY Reports ClimateGate -- To Downplay It Of Course)
As I said, except for Fox. 1 of my favorite lines was 1 recently made about upcoming legislation on cap-and-trade. Charles Krauthammer called it a dead parrot. (Krauthammer: Pending Climate Change Legislation a 'Dead Parrot')
So without further ado I offer part of the Dead Parrot Sketch by Monty Python for those who still think it has a chance (Algore et al) to emphasis his point:
Mr. Praline : It's not pinin,' it's passed on! This parrot is no more! It has ceased to be! It's expired and gone to meet its maker! This is a late parrot! It's a stiff! Bereft of life, it rests in peace! If you hadn't nailed him to the perch he would be pushing up the daisies! Its metabolical processes are of interest only to historians! It's hopped the twig! It's shuffled off this mortal coil! It's run down the curtain and joined the choir invisible! This.... is an EX-PARROT!
& now for something completely different, here is a little tune saluting all those who have manipulated the facts to promote their part of the "culture of death" agenda*:
Makin' up data the old hard way
Fudgin the numbers day by day
Hiding the snow and the cold and a downward line
Hide the decline (hide the decline)
Michael Mann thinks he so smart
totally inventing the hockey stick chart
Hiding the snow and the cold and a downward line
Hide the decline (hide the decline)
Hide the decline (hide the decline)
Oh Climategate I think you have sealed your fate
I hope you do a lot of time, cuz what you did was such a crime
Hide the decline (hide the decline)
Hide the decline (hide the decline)
The tree ring data was very thin
The tree ring data was very thin
you shoulda chopped more trees instead of hugging them.
Hiding the snow and the cold and a downward line
Hide the decline (hide the decline)
Oh Climategate I think you have sealed your fate
Oh Climategate I think you have sealed your fate
Well you know its a crime and hope you do a lot of time
Hide the decline (hide the decline)
Hide the decline (hide the decline)
More on the truth here: ClimateGate Smoking Gun Found, American Thinker Does Media's Job
____________
* I am refering to all those who are using this to promote birth control & abortion as a part of how we can reduce global warming, esp in 3rd world countries. In that case, as I have pointed out before, they are hiding their racism behind a false concern for the environment.
Labels: ClimateGate
posted by Al @ 3:10 AM
1 Comments
In A World of Their Own????
For those few loyal Catholics who think that the Leadership Council for Women Religious (& the Non-Catholic Reporter) have a grasp on reality let alone what it really means to be a Catholic I present the following quote from a recent NonCR article on the Vatican visitation:
"The vast majority of U.S. women religious are not complying with a Vatican request to answer questions in a document of inquiry that is part of a three-year study of the congregations. Leaders of congregations, instead, are leaving questions unanswered or sending in letters or copies of their communities' constitutions.
'There's been almost universal resistance," said one women religious familiar with the responses compiled by the congregation leaders. "We are saying 'enough!' In my 40 years in religious life I have never seen such unanimity.'" (Women religious not complying with Vatican study)
'There's been almost universal resistance," said one women religious familiar with the responses compiled by the congregation leaders. "We are saying 'enough!' In my 40 years in religious life I have never seen such unanimity.'" (Women religious not complying with Vatican study)
While the article does admit there has been some responses, it downplays the amount & makes it sound like virtually every religious order is on the same page. That would be true if every order belonged to the LCWR. But they don't, something the dissident LCWR gang doesn't want to admit.
The article says "With about half of the responses from the nation's 59,000 women religious accounted for, only about one percent answered, as directed, most or all of the questions contained in the study's working paper, officially called an Instrumentum Laboris, according to one informed source."
The LCWR has about 292 communities in it. The Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious has 90. That comes to a ratio 0f 3.24 communities to 1. I suspect a good majority of the CMSWR have responded or are in the process. 59,000 is the approximate number of woman in all the communities. I have a feeling that some finagalling in the stats to make it sound worse than it is. Esp since this info is from an anonymous source that may not even be a part of the actual visitation. I suspect the source is someone from the LCWR who is only reporting what there members have done & manipulating the info at that to support their claims of almost universal resistance.
The dissident gang is living in their own little world. In his post of the article (DOG BITES MAN! SUN RISES AT DAWN! LIBERAL SISTERS UNCOOPERATIVE! ) Fr. Z provides more evidence of their disconnect with reality.
"All along, said one woman religious, the challenge has been to respond to the Vatican in a way that breaks a cycle of violence. [ROFL!] She said that the women religious communities have attempted to respond by using a language "devoid of the violence" they found in the Vatican questionnaire and within the wider study. She characterized the congregation responses as "creative and affirming," and part of an effort to set a positive example in "nonviolent resistance."
"On the one hand we didn’t want to roll over and play dead," she said. "So the question was, "How do you step outside a violent framework and do something new?’ That was the challenge that emerged." One congregation, she said, cited a U.S. bishops’ statement concerning domestic abuse in its response letter to Millea. "The point is, there have to be more than two choices: Take the abuse and offer it up, or kill the abuser." (Hilites Fr. Z)"
Asking questions about how you operate is violence???? So, are they saying that any visitation is wrong? Or just this 1? So was it wrong for the Vatican to institute a visitation in 1999 where they investigation Mother Angelica, Our Lady of the Angels Monastery & EWTN? Or is it only wrong when the Vatican tries to investigate rebellious dissidents & show that what they are doing is why they are dying in the 1st place?
There is 1 little bit of truth I suspect that the anonymous source let out that she didn't mean to, that they are trying to destroy the Catholic Church, not be faithful to it. & that is found in the phrase "kill the abuser."
As Fr. Z says: "So… we have reason #7356485 for why the Visitation was necessary."
Labels: Habitless Hussies, LCWR
posted by Al @ 1:39 AM
1 Comments
Bishop Tobin Keeps the Heat Up
& it looks like Catholics in Name Only will not be getting a pass from him any time soon.
1st there was an interview he gave on Tuesday during an interview with talk-show host Buddy Cianci on WPRO-AM. "If he cannot abide by the teaching of this church, not just this one but others and ... what it means to be a Catholic ... maybe he should find another fine Christian denomination where he can be more comfortable." However, Bishop Tobin would prefer a different outcome. He said that the best outcome would be for Kennedy to understand why this human life issue is so "very, very important to us, as it should be to him." In other words, he is still holding out his hand to Kennedy & offering him the opportunity to repent of his pro-abortion stand & be reconciled to God & the Catholic Church.
Then on Wednesday Bishop Tobin appeared on The O'Reilly Factor. There he challenged not only Kennedy, but every politician in elective office to make a choice, if you cannot uphold Catholic teaching while holding office, then quit. The choice is theirs.
"Every Catholic has certain obligations, it means something to say you are a Catholic. No one is forced to be a Catholic. If you choose freely to be a Catholic it means you do certain things, and you believe certain things, and I think all I'm trying to say to Congressman Kennedy and others who might be involved, say: if you're a Catholic, live up to your faith. Understand what the Church teaches, accept those teachings, and live that faith."
He went on to say "The most important commitment we can make is our faith, because that defines our relationship with God. Nothing is more important than that. And if your job, your profession, your vocation gets in the way of that, you have to quit your job and save your soul."
Another thing I liked about this interview was how Bishop Tobin refused to fall into the trap of equating abortion with the death penalty. He makes it clear that there are circumstances where the death penalty is OK. I am sure this didn't sit too well with those who are already unhappy with the Bishop for going after Kennedy as he should.
Here is that interview:
posted by Al @ 12:23 AM
0 Comments
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Felice Festa del Ringraziamento!!!!!
Labels: Festa del Ringraziamento
posted by Al @ 2:27 AM
0 Comments
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A Thanksgiving Blessing
This short rite of blessing comes from the Book of Blessings, chapter 58, and as such is one of the sacramentals, which is to say that it is liturgical prayer, though it may be led by lay people.
All make the sign of the cross as the leader says:
Blessed be the name of the Lord.
All reply:
Now and forever.
One of those present reads the following Scripture text from I Cor 1:3-9
Brothers and sisters, listen to the words of the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I give thanks to my God always on your account for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus, that in him you were enriched in every way, with all discourse and all knowledge, as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you, so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will keep you firm to the end, irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
A priest or deacons says the following prayer of blessing with hands outstretched; a lay minister says the prayer with hands joined and does not make the sign of the cross.
God most provident, we join all creation in raising to you a hymn of thanksgiving through Jesus Christ your son.
For generation upon generation peoples of this land have sung of your bounty; we too offer you praise for the rich harvest we have received at your hands.
Bless us and this food which we share with grateful hearts.
Continue to make our land fruitful and let our love for you be seen in our pursuit of peace and justice and in our generous response to those in need.
Praise and glory to you, Lord God, now and for ever. Amen.
Blessed be the name of the Lord.
All reply:
Now and forever.
One of those present reads the following Scripture text from I Cor 1:3-9
Brothers and sisters, listen to the words of the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I give thanks to my God always on your account for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus, that in him you were enriched in every way, with all discourse and all knowledge, as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you, so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will keep you firm to the end, irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
A priest or deacons says the following prayer of blessing with hands outstretched; a lay minister says the prayer with hands joined and does not make the sign of the cross.
God most provident, we join all creation in raising to you a hymn of thanksgiving through Jesus Christ your son.
For generation upon generation peoples of this land have sung of your bounty; we too offer you praise for the rich harvest we have received at your hands.
Bless us and this food which we share with grateful hearts.
Continue to make our land fruitful and let our love for you be seen in our pursuit of peace and justice and in our generous response to those in need.
Praise and glory to you, Lord God, now and for ever. Amen.
Labels: Festa del Ringraziamento
posted by Al @ 12:32 AM
0 Comments
Giving "Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens"
Abraham Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1863
The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle, or the ship; the axe had enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American People.
I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.Abraham Lincoln , 1863
Labels: Festa del Ringraziamento
posted by Al @ 12:01 AM
0 Comments
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Memo To All You Who Think Otherwise:
By Damian Thompson
Thanks to technical problems, I wasn’t able to comment on Rowan Williams (”Archbishop of Canterbury” in the Henrician usurpation tradition, as Gerald Warner calls him) lecturing the Vatican on the virtues of women priests. I’m glad he did, because it is high time that the Church of England stopped apologising for this innovation. Anglicans have women priests; Catholics and Orthodox don’t. End of story, so far as corporate reunion is concerned.
“Oh, but the Roman Catholic Church will certainly ordain women one day,” Dr George Carey once told me. No it won’t. Why do Anglicans find this so hard to grasp? When Pope John Paul II decreed that the Church does not have the authority to ordain women, he was reiterating a teaching that has never changed. It was, nonetheless, a historic declaration, for it meant that henceforth the Church could ordain women only by denying that the Pope has the divine authority to define an unalterable doctrine. (NB: doctrine, not discipline.)
Interestingly, many liberal Catholics reluctantly obeyed the Pope. What JPII was doing was closing down a debate that, from the point of view of orthodox Catholicism, was always illegitimate. And, by and large, it has indeed closed: these days, the tiny “Catholic” women’s ordination movement is drifting towards either Anglicanism or the world of episcopi vagantes.
As they don modern chasubles that, fortunately, already look as if they were designed for the larger lady, these excommunicated womenpriests declare that they have been led out of the offical structures of the Church by the Holy Spirit. And I’m far too much of a gentleman to contradict them.
“Oh, but the Roman Catholic Church will certainly ordain women one day,” Dr George Carey once told me. No it won’t. Why do Anglicans find this so hard to grasp? When Pope John Paul II decreed that the Church does not have the authority to ordain women, he was reiterating a teaching that has never changed. It was, nonetheless, a historic declaration, for it meant that henceforth the Church could ordain women only by denying that the Pope has the divine authority to define an unalterable doctrine. (NB: doctrine, not discipline.)
Interestingly, many liberal Catholics reluctantly obeyed the Pope. What JPII was doing was closing down a debate that, from the point of view of orthodox Catholicism, was always illegitimate. And, by and large, it has indeed closed: these days, the tiny “Catholic” women’s ordination movement is drifting towards either Anglicanism or the world of episcopi vagantes.
As they don modern chasubles that, fortunately, already look as if they were designed for the larger lady, these excommunicated womenpriests declare that they have been led out of the offical structures of the Church by the Holy Spirit. And I’m far too much of a gentleman to contradict them.
posted by Al @ 6:23 AM
0 Comments
Taking Christ Out Of Christmas
It's Not Just for Nazis anymore!
Nazi Germany celebrated Christmas without Christ with the help of swastika tree baubles, 'Germanic' cookies and a host of manufactured traditions, a new exhibition has shown.
The way the celebration was gradually taken over and exploited for propaganda purposes by Hitler's Nazis is detailed in a new exhibition.
Rita Breuer has spent years scouring flea markets for old German Christmas ornaments.
She and her daughter Judith developed a fascination with the way Christmas was used by the atheist Nazis, who tried to turn it into a pagan winter solstice celebration.
The way the celebration was gradually taken over and exploited for propaganda purposes by Hitler's Nazis is detailed in a new exhibition.
Rita Breuer has spent years scouring flea markets for old German Christmas ornaments.
She and her daughter Judith developed a fascination with the way Christmas was used by the atheist Nazis, who tried to turn it into a pagan winter solstice celebration.
Selected objects from the family's enormous collection have gone on show at the National Socialism Documentation Centre in Cologne.
'Christmas was a provocation for the Nazis - after all, the baby Jesus was a Jewish child,' Judith Breuer told the German newspaper Spiegel. 'The most important celebration in the year didn't fit with their racist beliefs so they had to react, by trying to make it less Christian.'
The exhibition includes swastika-shaped cookie-cutters and Christmas tree baubles shaped like Iron Cross medals.
The Nazis attempted to persuade housewives to bake cookies in the shape of swastikas, and they replaced the Christian figure of Saint Nicholas, who traditionally brings German children treats on December 6, with the Norse god Odin.
The symbol that posed a particular problem for the Nazis was the star, which traditionally decorates Christmas trees.
'Christmas was a provocation for the Nazis - after all, the baby Jesus was a Jewish child,' Judith Breuer told the German newspaper Spiegel. 'The most important celebration in the year didn't fit with their racist beliefs so they had to react, by trying to make it less Christian.'
The exhibition includes swastika-shaped cookie-cutters and Christmas tree baubles shaped like Iron Cross medals.
The Nazis attempted to persuade housewives to bake cookies in the shape of swastikas, and they replaced the Christian figure of Saint Nicholas, who traditionally brings German children treats on December 6, with the Norse god Odin.
The symbol that posed a particular problem for the Nazis was the star, which traditionally decorates Christmas trees.
'Either it was a six-pointed star, which was a symbol of the Jews, or it was a five-pointed star, which represented the Soviets,' Breuer said. It had to go.
In the 1930s, the Nazis tried to change the ideology of Christmas. But when World War II started, the focus became more practical.
Civilians were ordered to send Christmas cards to the soldiers at the front. There were also tips on how to make Christmas cookies in the face of food shortages.
In 1944-1945, the Nazis tried to reinvent the festival once again as a day to commemorate the dead, in particular fallen soldiers. 'By then nobody felt like celebrating,' Breuer explained.
Happily, t5he German people mostly ignored the clumsy propaganda efforts and continued with the same traditions as before.
The is a legacy of the Nazi Christmas. The wartime version of the traditional Christmas carol 'Unto us a time has come' is still sung. 'The Nazis took out the references to Jesus and made it into a song about walking through the snow,' Breuer said.
Surprisingly, German churches put up little opposition to the Nazification of Christmas. 'You would have expected them to protest loudly and insist that it was a Christian festival,' said Breuer. 'But instead they largely kept quiet, out of fear.'
In the 1930s, the Nazis tried to change the ideology of Christmas. But when World War II started, the focus became more practical.
Civilians were ordered to send Christmas cards to the soldiers at the front. There were also tips on how to make Christmas cookies in the face of food shortages.
In 1944-1945, the Nazis tried to reinvent the festival once again as a day to commemorate the dead, in particular fallen soldiers. 'By then nobody felt like celebrating,' Breuer explained.
Happily, t5he German people mostly ignored the clumsy propaganda efforts and continued with the same traditions as before.
The is a legacy of the Nazi Christmas. The wartime version of the traditional Christmas carol 'Unto us a time has come' is still sung. 'The Nazis took out the references to Jesus and made it into a song about walking through the snow,' Breuer said.
Surprisingly, German churches put up little opposition to the Nazification of Christmas. 'You would have expected them to protest loudly and insist that it was a Christian festival,' said Breuer. 'But instead they largely kept quiet, out of fear.'
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Some of the comments make reference to the fact that Christmas is celebrated on the day that used to be the Winter Solstice celebration. While it is true they share a date, the commentors forget that the celebration of Christmas is a whole different thing & that it was an attack on Christianity because of what it stood for. Without Christ Christmas is pagan, & if it is pagan, then it is demonic in origin. Just like Naziism was.
The date for Christmas was likely chosen to counter the Winter Solstice festival in Rome, not a Germanic festival as the commentators claim. (historians are not 100% certain.) That festival was Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, festival of Sol, the invincible sun god. Thus celebrating the birth of Jesus on that date was done to show who the truely invincible God was. The celebrated the Son, not the sun.
Yes, there was also several Northern European festivals under the name Yule or Jul. The word Yule did get adapted as a name for the season in Christianity, but not until arround 900 AD & 25 December was associated with Christ's birth as far back as the 3rd century.
posted by Al @ 3:59 AM
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A Thurible I Could Go For
The Botafumeiro is 1 of the world's largest censers. It is definitely not 1 of those whimpy ones that you see (when you even do see) in many of the liturgies. & IMHO truly worthy of being used to offer up prayers God as they should be. It holds about 40 kg of charcoal & incense.
Links for more info:
The official site of the Santiago de Compostela cathedral
The Botafumeiro
Botafumeiro pictures
posted by Al @ 1:51 AM
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Hey Kool-Aid!!!!
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Global Warming Kool-Aid& after what was discovered from the recent hacking of the e-mail @ the University of East Anglia’s Climatic Research Unit even fewer people will be buying it.
posted by Al @ 12:16 AM
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Tuesday, November 24, 2009
They Are Not Vegetables - They Are Human Beings
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
London, England (LifeNews.com) -- After he was the victim of an automobile accident, doctors said 23-year-old Rom Houben was in a comatose state and unable to communicate with those around him. Now, 23 years later, the 46-year-old says he felt trapped as he was conscious the entire time and attempted to communicate.Houben became paralyzed after the crash but, thanks to advances in medical technology, he is now able to tell the world his thoughts via computer.
"I screamed, but there was nothing to hear," he told the London Daily Mail newspaper.
"I dreamed myself away," he said of how he coped with the situation. "All that time I just literally dreamed of a better life. Frustration is too small a word to describe what I felt."
Although tests at the time showed that he was essentially "extinct," newer tests conducted just three years ago showed Houben's brain was functioning normally -- and his renewed ability to communicate is something he describes as a "second birth."
"I shall never forget the day when they discovered what was truly wrong with me - it was my second birth," he told the paper. "I want to read, talk with my friends via the computer and enjoy my life now that people know I am not dead."
British neurological expert Dr. Steven Laureys has described Houben's case in a new paper and said, "Medical advances caught up with him."
The paper indicates doctors used the internationally accepted Glasgow Coma Scale to assess his eye, verbal and motor responses, but the results were incorrect.
Laureys says physicians need to not be so quick to label patients as in a vegetative state, because such a diagnosis can be incorrect.
"'Anyone who bears the stamp of "unconscious" just one time hardly ever gets rid of it again," he said.
American bioethicist Wesley J. Smith commented today on the case and said it has significant implications for the euthanasia and assisted suicide debate.
"We hear constantly that people diagnosed as being persistently unconscious should be dehydrated to death because they are not 'persons,' or are actually 'dead' -- and so should be available for organ harvesting," he said.
"We hear that even if the family resists, futile care theory should permit bioethics committees to impose unilateral withdrawal. And we hear this even as repeated studies demonstrate that 40 or more percent of patients diagnosed as PVS really aren't," he continued.
Smith says "there are abundant reasons to treat people with profound cognitive disabilities as fully human beings."
"First and foremost, because they are us. Second, because we don't know enough about how the brain works to know that there won't be some regeneration to permit eventual restoration of some function. But also, because there is always hope," he said.
"Houben is here today only because he wasn't dehydrated to death," Smith concludes.
"There is no doubt he went through a horrendous experience, but thanks to treating him as a fully equal human being by caring for him all those years and giving him tests late into his disability–explicitly refused to Terri Schiavo–he is here today to tell tale and live the rest of his life," he said.
"And for goodness sake, whatever you believe about these issues, don't talk in the presence of PVS or other apparently unconscious patients as if they aren't there. Rather, always treat such people as if they can hear you, because sometimes they can," Smith said.
posted by Al @ 5:42 AM
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