Thought for the Day - 30 November 2010

"In reality there is perhaps no one of our natural Passions so hard to subdue as Pride. Disguise it, struggle with it, beat it down, stifle it, mortify it as much as one pleases, it is still alive, and will now and then peek out and show itself." --Benjamin Franklin, Autobiography, 1771

Bishop John Carroll Has Got to Be Turning Over In His Grave

The Cardinal Newman Society recently released this story. When I read it part of me said Bishop Carroll can't be too happy about this. FYI, Bishop Carroll founded Georgetown in 1789. It is Jesuit because Bishop Carroll was a Jesuit priest before the suppression in 1773 & he entrusted it to some fellow Jesuits as he has just been elected the 1st Catholic Bishop in America. (Thanks in part to a good word by Ben Franklin to the papal nuncio in France.)

I am pretty sure this isn't the direction he saw Georgertown heading when he began it. But, given the direction most "Catholic" colleges are going these days, esp most of the Jesuit ones, this isn't surprizing to see. This shouldn't even be on the table & the only discussion should be taking this opportunity to explain what the Catholic Church teaches & why it will never happen.

You don't "dialogue" with evil. What we are seeing is a part of the fruit of the 1967 Land O'Lakes Statement. But there is plenty of blame to lay at the feet of the USCCB & most individual Bishops as well for their playing games to avoid implimenting Ex Corde Ecclesiae as they should. The 10 year review for the implimentation of Ex Corde is scheduled for 2011. (USCCB Votes to Accept Recommendations for Ex Corde Review) At this point, I highly expect it to be just as disingenuous as the CCHD has been. Most "Catholic" colleges will probably claim they have done much to improve their "Catholic identity" when the truth is that they have put "lipstick on the pig" to make it look like they are Catholic. The real Catholic Colleges (see Cardinal Newman guide) didn't wait for the Bishops to dither until finally forced to act for appearances sake. They were already living out what Ex Corde talked about or in the process of cleaning up things to get there. Or, as is true in a few cases, newly started with what Ex Corde talked about in mind.

IMHO what is really needed is an Apostolic Vistation like the 1 the Vatican is doing of the Women Religious in the USA & the LCWR in particular. At the least it would put the Bishops on notice to shape things up.

Gender-Blind’ Student Housing Is Under Consideration at Georgetown University

According to The Hoya, Jesuit Georgetown University’s student newspaper, officials at the University have said they are willing to broach the topic of “gender-blind housing,” which would “not take into account gender when assigning housing to students.”
This past Sunday, Georgetown student senators voted to “take a closer look” at this suggestion for on-campus housing, the article reported, which “could lead to a more accepting atmosphere for LGBTQ students.”
Regarding the proposal, Todd Olsen, Vice President for Student Affairs, reportedly told The Hoya, “I am open to discussing ideas and interests with students as they pursue this dialogue.”
It seems that Georgetown students have mixed feelings about “gender-blind” housing on campus, as The Hoya reports:
As formal discussion of gender-blind housing begins at Georgetown, some students have questioned its viability.
“Though I think gender-blind housing would potentially be a positive thing to consider, we have to remember that if significant others chose to live with each other then broke up, we would have a higher number of people needing to change rooms, thus creating a housing nightmare,” Moriah Lenhart-Wees (COL ’13) said.
For other students, the benefits of a change in housing policy would be widespread for the campus.
“Gender-blind housing would be very beneficial to the Georgetown community. It would be helpful to the many people on campus who have friends of the opposite sex and who have different sexual orientations,” Eric Bulakites (COL ’13) said.
The GUSA resolution, which garnered 17 votes in favor and four abstentions, also spurred debate among senators.
“GUSA is responsible for allocating funds to various clubs and organizations. However, when you get into the issue of gender-blind housing, its gets dangerously political, and I don’t think that is where GUSA belongs,” Senator Colton Malkerson (COL ’13) said.
Get the full story here.
The article fails to even mention the fact that, as a Catholic university, Georgetown has a responsibility to promote the virtue of chastity on campus. Placing men and women together as roommates completely undermines this. It is disturbing that “officials” at the institution are even willing to broach this topic with students. The answer should be quite simple: No.
Unfortunately, many Catholic universities already have very lax, if not non-existent, male/female intervisitaion policies for dorm life. Allowing “gender-blind” housing would only serve to institutionalize the hook-up culture which sadly pervades much of Catholic higher education.
Fortunately for Catholic parents and students serious about living the Catholic faith and the virtues during the college years, there are institutions that make chastity a corner-stone of campus life. The Catholic colleges and universities profiled in The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College have student life policies in effect that severely curb and in most cases eliminate the hook-up culture from campus.
Georgetown and many other “prestigious” Catholic colleges would do well to study the policies of Newman Guide colleges in order to turn the tide of Catholic campus culture back to a practice of the virtues. Read The Newman Guide for free online here: http://www.thenewmanguide.com/

This Raises Some Interesting Questions About US Intelligence Gathering

With all the other stuff coming out on WikiLeaks that is compromising our security as well as embarrassing the Administration, while minor, in some ways the story about US Inteligence expecting the next Pope to be from South America is an interesting little side story that is making the rounds.



I will admit that this does raise some very important questions. Like if they missed something as obvious as this, what else did they miss & are they missing? OK, I know the obvious answer, Saddam's Weapons of Mass Destruction. But I am talking about much more than that.

Listening to Laura Ingraham discuss the leaks on Monday & the Obama Administration reaction brought some other thoughts to mind.

1st of all, I wonder how many of the same people who are now pushing to shut down WikiLeaks as a terrorist organization would have screamed if Nixon made a similar threat against the New York Times for publishing The Pentagon Papers? I suspect they would have been decrying Nixon for attacking freedom of the press.

Which raises some interesting questions about the threat to shut down WikiLeaks. In fact it gets to the heart of the long running debate of when does National Security override freedom of the Press? Or does it ever? I am not going to get into depth in that debate here. I am just going to say to release something just because it is classified may be within the letter of freedom of the press, if there is no overriding need for us to know it at this time (like what is being done is illegal, etc) & it does compromise American Security, then it shouldn't be published. Freedom isn't license to do whatever you want, esp if it endangers others. At the point where it puts national security at risk, leaking something can & does cross over to treason.

Obama's threat to declare WikiLeaks a terrorist organization does raise some Free Speech/Freedom of the Press concerns with me. If Obama can shut them down, what is to stop him from shutting down any talk show, any news organization or any blog that disagrees with him?

While I am not big on conspiracy theories, part of me wonders if this isn't intentional on the part of the Obama (mis)administration. & that he is setting things up to curtail free speech, just like he is using national security to justify the TSA violations of our 4th Amendment rights.* Did someone in the Obama administration intentionally leak them to WikiLeaks? is this the next prong in an attack on our freedom by an administration that is more comfortable with dictaors than democracies. Maybe those documents about Obama looking East rather than to the West, while true, were intentionally leaked to misdirect us.

I honestly hope I am wrong. But regardless of whether it is intentional on the part of the Obama administration or not, I still think that Obama will follow the Rahm Emanuel dictum "You never want a serious crisis to go to waste, and what I mean by that is an opportunity to do things that you didn't think you could do before." & the WikiLeaks crisis is a perfect opportunity for Obama to shut down as much of the opposition as he can. & use our desire for national security & preventing leaks like this from happenning to do so!

(Added @ 2:28 am) Was watching Red Eye on break & they raised an interesting point about what the reaction would be if this had been WWII & it was the names of the French underground that had been released. Like I said, just because you can release something doesn't mean you should.

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*BTW where are all these pro-aborts who talk about privacy rights to justify abortion? Why aren't they screaming about this? Oh yeah, it isn't about privacy, its about murdering the unborn & making money off of it.

Unintentionally, This Catches the Abortion Industry Mindset

The sign was put up because the site is a safe surrender site. The garbage bin just happenned to be placed below the sign. But, it does give us an insite into the abortion industry mindset that sees children as disposable waste rather than the human beings their really are. It also catches the mindset of those like Peter Singer who believe that a child is disposable, even after birth.

Source: Baby Drop Off FAIL

10 Bishops Aren't Buying CCHD Promise of Reform

While I view thier actions as a good thing, it is only a drop in the bucket. As I said the other day, I see Bishop Soto's appointment to oversee the CCHD as a positive, but 1 that will probably create a lot of fireworks long before any real change comes about. & as long as there are a huge number of Bishops willing to go along without rocking the boat or even supporting the CCHD's agenda that is undermining Catholic teaching, Bishop Soto will be fighting a very difficult battle.

Many Bishops won't do anything as long as they don't see the people in the pew making it an issue. In those dioceses the people need to speak up. Some Bishops, as I pointed out, don't care to change things. In those dioceses the people still need to speak out, esp by not giving & letting the Bishop know why.

As many may have figured out by now, the CCHD scandal is just a part of a larger problem at the USCCB. & much of how that problem is solved will be determined by the type of Bishops that are appointed over the next few years. I don't expect that all the appointments will be perfect, history shows me that, but we are far from the critical mass needed for true reform. In the meantime, we must pray for our current Bishops no matter how bad things are.

At least 10 bishops skip national collection for U.S. bishop’s social justice arm
by Patrick B. Craine

WASHINGTON, D.C., November 26, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Despite a recent “review and renewal” of the U.S. Bishops’ Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), designed in part to “woo back” bishops upset over their distribution of funds to groups advocating abortion and same-sex “marriage,” at least 10 bishops opted not to contribute to the national collection this year.
(If your diocese did not hold the CCHD national collection this year, let us know here.)
The U.S. Bishops’ domestic social justice arm launched a large-scale renewal this fall with a commitment to strengthen their Catholic identity and funding protocols after widespread criticism from numerous bishops, as well as a coalition of Catholic and pro-life groups.
Nevertheless, many of the bishops who had discontinued contributing to the national pot maintained their position this year, and at least two more were added to their ranks.
Bishop Salvatore R. Matano of Burlington, Vermont has replaced the CCHD collection with the Bishop deGoesbriand Appeal for Human Advancement. Named after the diocese’s first bishop, it seeks to “help Vermonters achieve self-sufficiency and recognize their dignity in life” through funding local initiatives.
The decision came after a review of CCHD by the Diocesan Presbyteral Council. “All of the monies collected through this annual appeal will remain here in Vermont and 100% of the funds will be distributed to worthy grant applicants,” a diocesan statement explains.
Bishop James Johnston of Springfield, Missouri has replaced the annual pre-Thanksgiving CCHD collection with one for the diocese’s new Catholic Charities agency. In a November 5th column the bishop explains that his decision was motivated by the desire to serve “the needs of the poor at the local level.”
He notes that CCHD “has undergone criticism in the past year because of the misuse of some of the grants by organizations that have supported issues which are in opposition to Catholic teaching.” At the same time, he assures the faithful that funds designated for CCHD will be forwarded, and indicates that he will consider whether to hold the CCHD collection next year.
Bishop Robert Vasa of Baker, Oregon told LifeSiteNews by e-mail that his diocese sends a “nominal amount” to CCHD, but has not taken national collections “for many years.”
The nationwide collection for CCHD takes place annually the Sunday before Thanksgiving, though some dioceses do it at other times. Traditionally, dioceses keep 25% of the funds to distribute locally, and send 75% to the national pot. The local bishop vets the grants - both local and national - distributed in his diocese, but has no say in how the national funds are distributed outside his diocese.
Bishops Joseph Adamec (Altoona-Johnstown, PA), Victor Galeone (St. Augustine, FL), Lawrence Brandt (Greensburg, PA), John Barres (Allentown, PA), Fabian Bruskewitz (Lincoln, NE), and Robert Morlino (Madison WI) have again chosen not to contribute to the national collection.
Bishop Joseph McFadden of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, who replaced Bishop Kevin Rhoades after the latter moved to Fort Wayne-South Bend, has maintained his predecessor’s decision to institute instead a “Matthew 25 collection” to serve the needy of the diocese. Bishop Rhoades’ new diocese took up the collection this year.
Bishop Bruskewitz told LifeSiteNews last fall that they “question the ideology of [CCHD],” and so had already not been taking up the collection. His diocese was “shocked at the scandalous participation” with groups “of questionable moral values or standards,” he said, and he would only reconsider the collection if there were “some changes in the organization itself, or its purposes, or its goals.”
Bishop Galeone replaced the collection with a Diocesan Schools & Social Action Appeal in May 2009, prior to the launch of the major reform movement. In a letter at the time, he criticized CCHD not only for disbursing funds to groups working against Catholic teaching, but also because they do not support “family values,” and had prohibited funding Catholic organizations.
“Why are no funds earmarked to address the greatest cause of poverty in our country today - single motherhood?” he asked. “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.”
LifeSiteNews still awaits response about three further bishops who stopped taking up the collection last year - Bishops Robert Baker of Birmingham, AL; David Ricken of Green Bay, WI; and Edward Slattery of Tulsa, OK.
U.S. bishops not contributing to CCHD’s national collection:
1. Bishop Joseph Adamec (Altoona-Johnstown, PA)

2. Bishop John Barres (Allentown, PA)

3. Bishop Lawrence Brandt (Greensburg, PA)

4. Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz (Lincoln, NE)

5. Bishop Victor Galeone (St. Augustine, FL)

6. Bishop James Johnston (Springfield, MO)

7. Bishop Salvatore R. Matano (Burlington, VT)

8. Bishop Joseph McFadden (Harrisburg, PA)

9. Bishop Robert Morlino (Madison, WI)

10. Bishop Robert Vasa (Baker, OR)

Padre Pio Home Movies

I came across this video @ Custos Fidei (Rare Video of Padre Pio!) who found it @ The Hermeneutic of Continuity (Rare footage of St Pio). It shows Padre Pio & his brother Capuchin Friars as they work, play & pray. This was filmed at Our Lady of Grace Capuchin Friary which is located in the Gargano Mountains at San Giovanni Rotondo. This video serves as a reminder that the journey to sainthood means not only sacrifice & penance but also enjoying the people as well as things that God has blessed you with.

A World Without Lesley Nielson - Surely You Jest

Fans of Airplane will get my tribute in the title of this post. The line is adopted from a bit used in the movie Airplane:



Leslie Nielson will probably be best remembered for his role as Lt. Frank Drebin in Police Squad/The Naked Gun:




But what is often forgotten is that he started out as a serious actor with roles that included Sci-Fi classic Forbidden Planet where he played the space ship commander J.J. Adams. Many say that his best dramatic role was as the captain of the overturned ocean liner in the 1972 disaster movie, The Poseidon Adventure. & he appeared in many TV shows, drama as well as comedy, over the years.

I will grant that many of the jokes in his later movies were scatalogical & often crossed the line when they didn't need to. & most of his recent movies didn't appeal to me for that reason. But there is still plenty of things he did that are worth seeing, esp the earlier movies I mentioned.

Papa Benedetto - Homily from First Vespers of the First Sunday of Advent (Vigil for All Nascent Human Life)

Dear brothers and sisters,

With this evening's celebration, the Lord gives us the grace and joy of opening the new liturgical year beginning with its first stage: Advent, the period that commemorates the coming of God among us. Every beginning brings a special grace, because it is blessed by the Lord. In this Advent period we will once again experience the closeness of the One who created the world, who guides history and cared for us to the point of becoming a man. This great and fascinating mystery of God with us, moreover of God who becomes one of us, is what we celebrate in the coming weeks journeying towards holy Christmas. During the season of Advent we feel the Church that takes us by the hand and - in the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary - expresses her motherhood allowing us to experience the joyful expectation of the coming of the Lord, who embraces us all in his love that saves and consoles.

While our hearts reach out towards the annual celebration of the birth of Christ, the Church's liturgy directs our gaze to the final goal: our encounter with the Lord in the splendour of glory. This is why we, in every Eucharist, "announce his death, proclaim his resurrection until he comes again" we hold vigil in prayer. The liturgy does not cease to encourage and support us, putting on our lips, in the days of Advent, the cry with which the whole Bible concludes, the last page of the Revelation of Saint John: "Come, Lord Jesus "(22:20).
Dear brothers and sisters, our coming together this evening to begin the Advent journey is enriched by another important reason: with the entire Church, we want to solemnly celebrate a prayer vigil for unborn life. I wish to express my thanks to all who have taken up this invitation and those who are specifically dedicated to welcoming and safeguarding human life in different situations of fragility, especially in its early days and in its early stages. The beginning of the liturgical year helps us to relive the expectation of God made flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary, God who makes himself small, He becomes a child, it speaks to us of the coming of a God who is near, who wanted to experience the life of man, from the very beginning, to save it completely, fully. And so the mystery of the Incarnation of the Lord and the beginning of human life are intimately connected and in harmony with each other within the one saving plan of God, the Lord of life of each and every one of us. The Incarnation reveals to us, with intense light and in an amazing way, that every human life has an incomparable, a most elevated dignity.

Man has an unmistakable originality compared to all other living beings that inhabit the earth. He presents himself as a unique and singular entity, endowed with intelligence and free will, as well as being composed of a material reality. He lives simultaneously and inseparably in the spiritual dimension and the corporal dimension. This is also suggested in the text of the First letter to the Thessalonians which was just proclaimed: "May the God of peace himself - St. Paul writes - make you perfectly holy and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body, be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ "(5:23). Therefore, we are spirit, soul and body. We are part of this world, tied to the possibilities and limits of our material condition, at the same time we are open to an infinite horizon, able to converse with God and to welcome Him in us. We operate in earthly realities and through them we can perceive the presence of God and seek Him, truth, goodness and absolute beauty. We savour fragments of life and happiness and we long for total fulfilment.

God loves us so deeply, totally, without distinction, He calls us to friendship with him, He makes us part of a reality beyond all imagination, thought and word; His own divine life. With emotion and gratitude we acknowledge the value of the incomparable dignity of every human person and the great responsibility we have toward all. " Christ, the final Adam, - says the Second Vatican Council - by the revelation of the mystery of the Father and His love, fully reveals man to man himself and makes his supreme calling clear.... by His incarnation the Son of God has united Himself in some fashion with every man. "(Gaudium et Spes, 22).

Believing in Jesus Christ also means having a new outlook on man, a look of trust and hope. Moreover, experience itself and reason show that the human being is a subject capable of discernment, self-conscious and free, unique and irreplaceable, the summit of all earthly things, that must be recognized in his innate value and always accepted with respect and love. He has the right not to be treated as an object of possession or something to manipulate at will, not to be reduced to a mere instrument for the benefit of others and their interests. The human person is a good in and of himself and his integral development should always be sought. Love for all, if it is sincere, naturally tends to become a preferential attention to the weakest and poorest. In this vein we find the Church's concern for the unborn, the most fragile, the most threatened by the selfishness of adults and the darkening of consciences. The Church continually reiterates what was declared by the Second Vatican Council against abortion and all violations of unborn life: "from the moment of its conception life must be guarded with the greatest care " (ibid., n. 51).

There are cultural tendencies that seek to anesthetize consciences with misleading motivations. With regard to the embryo in the womb, science itself highlights its autonomy capable of interaction with the mother, the coordination of biological processes, the continuity of development, the growing complexity of the organism. This is not an accumulation of biological material, but a new living being, dynamic and wonderfully ordered, a new unique human being. So was Jesus in Mary's womb, so it was for all of us in our mother’s womb. With the ancient Christian writer Tertullian we can say: " he who will be a man is already one" (Apologeticum IX, 8), there is no reason not to consider him a person from conception.
Unfortunately, even after birth, the lives of children continue to be exposed to abandonment, hunger, poverty, disease, abuse, violence or exploitation. The many violations of their rights that are committed in the world sorely hurt the conscience of every man of good will. Before the sad landscape of the injustices committed against human life, before and after birth, I make mine Pope John Paul II’s passionate appeal to the responsibility of each and every individual: " respect, protect, love and serve life, every human life! Only in this direction will you find justice, development, true freedom, peace and happiness!"(Encyclical Evangelium vitae, 5). I urge the protagonists of politics, economic and social communications to do everything in their power to promote a culture which respects human life, to provide favorable conditions and support networks for the reception and development of life.

To the Virgin Mary, who welcomed the Son of God made man with faith, with her maternal womb, with loving care, with nurturing support and vibrant with love, we entrust our commitment and prayer in favour of unborn life . We do in the liturgy - which is the place where we live the truth and where truth lives with us - worshiping the divine Eucharist, we contemplate Christ's body, that body who took flesh from Mary by the Holy Spirit, and from her was born in Bethlehem for our salvation. Ave, verum Corpus, natum de Maria Virgine!

Source: Vatican Radio - Pope on the “miracle of life” and the “darkening of souls”

It Is Just Never Too Soon to Explain to Your Kids These Facts of Life

(Note: If it won't work for you follow link below to LarryD's to view video)
H/T: LarryD (It's Never Too Early To Talk To Your Kids About...)

1st Sunday of Advent

The Nebula Creeps in On Little Cat's Paw*

This new portrait of NGC 6334 (the Cat's Paw Nebula) was created from images taken with the Wide Field Imager instrument at the 2.2-metre MPG/ESO telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile, combining images taken through blue, green and red filters, as well as a special filter designed to let through the light of glowing hydrogen. Credit: ESO

More here: Glowing Nebula Reveals Cosmic Cat's Paw

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* With a tip of the hat to Carl Sandburg whose poem, Fog, inspired the title.

You Know, This Just Might Explain the Popularity of Showtime's "Dexter"

OK, I have to start by making it clear that I have never seen the series. But I have heard enough to be familiar with the plotline. The main character, Dexter Morgan, is a psychopatic killer. Dexter has his own code that defines who he will or won't kill. The method he uses to capture his victims shows how he dehumanizes them before killing them. he injects them with an animal tranquilizer called etorphine hydrochloride, or M99. I know that they try & justify what he does by the fact that he only kills serial killers who have gotten away with murder. 1at of all, that is not totally true. & besides, evn though they are guilty, he has no right to kill them using vigilante justice.

But, doesn't the justification of his actions sound a lot like the justification of murdering unborn children & even those Peter Singer say don't deserve to live after birth. But then Margaret Sanger did the same dehumanization. Her agenda was taken to its logic conclusion by Hitler who dehumanized the Jews & others he wanted to get rid of. The same with Stalin & others.

Dexter may be a fictional character, but he is also symbolic of the "culture of death" attitude out there. Dexter has a ritual he follows when murdering his victims. Abortion has become the ultimate sacrament for the culture of death. Abortion has demonic roots, Dexter talks about his "Dark Passenger", an inner voice that urges him on. & while it isn't popular in some circles, there is a definite spiritual part to mental illness. No, not always possession or even obsession, but the acts they do are evil & have some sort of demonic root.

I could go on making comparisons, but I think by now you get the point. The "culture of death" operating in our society has turned our values upside down, calling evil good.

But as I pointed out in a different post, there is 1 difference between the 2. It is acceptable to show what Dexter does on TV, it is also acceptable to show him spattered with blood on DVD covers. But it is still not acceptable to the pro-aborts to show the victims of an abortion. Instead, they want to keep that hidden, just like Dexter hides the bodies of his victims. For all the "culture of death" has done to make abortion acceptable, it still hasn't been able to totally get rid of the guilt people feel who support the murder of unborn babies. But, with shows like "Dexter" it is trying to do so. God help us should that day arrive when even the picture of an aborted baby is socially acceptable to view. Because then we will have totally destroyed our cultre & deserve the destruction that is sure to follow.

& this is why we can never let up in the fight. Again, as I mentioned earlier, there is a spiritual aspect. So I again remind you of the importance of ongoing prayer & using all the spiritual weapons like the Rosary & the Mass, to fight this evil.

The pro-abortion movement and the psychopathic mentality
by Matthew Hoffman

November 24, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - When I read the words of pro-abortion leaders like Colombian psychologist Florence Thomas, who calls unborn babies “tumors” and says that they are only human if their mother wants them, a disturbing question comes to mind: what is, fundamentally, the difference between this type of perspective, so often expressed by abortionists, and the clinical definition of a “psychopath”?
Although the stereotypical image of a psychopath is that of a serial killer, or a dangerous madman locked in an asylum, psychologists tell us that such people only represent a small minority of those who fall under the category of a “psychopath.” In fact, we are told, our society contains a larger number of psychopaths than we may suspect, and psychopaths may even disproportionately occupy positions of importance in business, government, and other important fields.
While psychopaths are theoretically capable of committing murder and other acts of cruelty without remorse, the definition of a psychopath is much broader than the image evoked by popular culture. According to mental health professionals, a psychopath is someone who is fundamentally lacking in human empathy, who sees other human beings as mere objects of manipulation. The relationships of a psychopath are typically superficial and fluid, and are often sexually promiscuous. The psychopath has a fundamentally egoistic, selfish personality, unable to transcend his own personal sense of self to recognize the dignity of others.
Psychologists estimate that up to four percent of the population falls under the definition of a “psychopath,” ranging from the more tame manifestations, which are included in the broad category of sociopathy or anti-social personality disorders, to the more extreme cases of serial killers. They are often able to deceive others with a veneer of sanity and reasonableness that hides their fundamentally predatory nature.
“Psychopathic” movements
The four percent figure, if accurate, implies that the United States includes a population of more than twelve million psychopaths or sociopaths, and globally the figure would theoretically reach into the hundreds of millions. This startling statistic inevitably raises the question: is it possible for psychopaths to group themselves into movements based on their common inclinations? History suggests that this can, and indeed does happen.
The classic candidate for a “psychopathic movement” is that of the National Socialist or Nazi Party, which came to power in Germany in the 1930s through a series of economic catastrophes and inept decisions by the German political establishment. Adolf Hitler himself has been diagnosed posthumously with psychopathic tendencies, and many Nazis exhibited symptoms of the same. Moreover, although the majority of Nazis and the Germans who cooperated with them were probably not clinically psychopathic, the movement as a whole seemed to be predicated on a fundamentally psychopathic mentality, one that disposed of human beings as mere fodder for the racial aspirations of the German state.
The same tendencies have been found in other mass movements arising in the last century, especially Marxism, which left an unprecedented toll of tens of millions of deaths by execution and induced starvation in order to achieve its political ends. Again, although it is unlikely that most Marxists are clinical psychopaths, their movement has repeatedly spawned regimes that behave precisely the way one would expect of the most extreme sufferers of the disorder.

The troubled mentality of the pro-abortion movement
In light of the clinical definition of a psychopath, and the historic manifestations of “psychopathic” movements, it is difficult to avoid the comparison between psychopathy and the perspective that is openly expressed by many leaders in the global pro-abortion movement.
Florence Thomas is only one example of the troubled thinking that seems to characterize pro-abortion leaders. Her comparison of her own unborn child to a “tumor,” that is, a diseased piece of tissue, is not only unscientific; it suggests a mind that is unwilling, or perhaps unable, to transcend itself and empathize with the humanity of another. Her claim that a fetus is only human if it is desired by its parents is almost a caricature of ego-centrism, implying that one’s personal wishes confer dignity and rights on other people. The conclusion of Thomas flows inevitably from her premises; she believes that women should be free to kill their unborn children for any reason, in order to preserve their “freedom.”
Thomas’ thinking is echoed throughout the anti-life and anti-family movements of our age. Margaret Sanger, the founder of the modern birth control movement, spoke with the chilling rhetoric of eugenics when she dismissed children who are “unwanted” by their parents, referring to them as “human waste” in her 1920 work, “Women and the New Race.”
“Each and every unwanted child is likely to be in some way a social liability. It is only the wanted child who is likely to be a social asset,” wrote Sanger, who also asked, “Can the children of these unfortunate mothers be other than a burden to society—a burden which reflects itself in innumerable phases of cost, crime and general social detriment?” In another chapter she infamously states that “the most merciful thing that the large family does to one of its infant members is to kill it.”
The famous Princeton “bioethicist” Peter Singer applies the same fundamental principle embraced by Thomas, Sanger, and others, but takes it to a more explicit conclusion. Singer acknowledges that unborn children are human beings, but openly denies that they have a right to life, unless their parents want them. Moreover, Singer extends this reasoning to infants after birth as well, offering a moral endorsement of infanticide.
“The difference between killing disabled and normal infants lies not in any supposed right to life that the latter has and the former lacks, but in other considerations about killing,” writes Singer in the second edition of his book, “Practical Ethics.” “Most obviously there is the difference that often exists in the attitudes of the parents. The birth of a child is usually a happy event for the parents ... So one important reason why it is normally a terrible thing to kill an infant is the effect the killing will have on its parents.”
“It is different when the infant is born with a serious disability,” Singer continues. “Birth abnormalities vary, of course. Some are trivial and have little effect on the child or its parents; but others turn the normally joyful event of birth into a threat to the happiness of the parents, and any other children they may have. Parents may, with good reason, regret that a disabled child was ever born. In that event the effect that the death of the child will have on its parents can be a reason for, rather than against killing it.”
Singer’s explicit endorsement of infanticide should be unsurprising to pro-life activists, who are aware that children who survive abortions are often left to die without medical help. A fundamental indifference to human life and the personhood of others is endemic among pro-abortion thinkers, which should bring pro-lifers to ask ourselves if we are really understanding our opponents in this debate.
In reading Florence Thomas’ recent account of her abortion, a tragically flawed personality comes to the surface. A brilliant woman with much to offer the world, Thomas faced a profound moral dilemma at the age of 22, and was hardly able to recognize it as such. She blithely refers to sexual intercourse with her boyfriend as “love,” as if she has no inkling of the concept beyond a physical act of pleasure, without any commitment or spiritual dimension. She dismisses her unborn child as a “tumor,” and says that she has never felt the slightest remorse for her decision to kill it.
As a human life and family news reporter, I have become all too accustomed to this mentality, and my response has changed over the years from feelings of outrage to a calm, resolute commitment to fight the culture of death and its perverse mentality by systematically exposing it. However, I increasingly find myself experiencing another response when I report such stories: a great sadness in the face of people who seem to be missing something fundamental in the deepest levels of their psyche, something that they may never have known by experience.
Are they suffering in silent desperation or are they utterly oblivious to their loss? Did they freely choose this path, or are they victims of something beyond their control? Ultimately, is there anything that can be done for them, or are they doomed to play their grim role in the global empire of death? I do not know, and cannot know. I can only pray for them, and leave it in the hands of a merciful God.
Related links:
Famous pro-abortion feminist calls unborn child a ‘tumor’
Women and the New Race, by Margaret Sanger (full text)
Excerpts from Practical Ethics, by Peter Singer, 2nd edition, Cambridge, 1993, pp. 175-217

1 More Cure That Keeps Proving There IS NO Need to Kill Babies for Their Embryonic Stem Cells

It was just a couple weeks ago I posted about another umbilical cord blood stem cell success, in that case, what looked like improvement in a person that has cerebral palsy. While there is still a long way to go with that research, this latest news is a definite cure. & the latest in a long line of kept promises for umbilical &/or adult stem cells. Meanwhile embryonic stem cells continue to produce only empty promises.

Yet, it is the embryonic cells that get all the attention. & the successes using adult or umbilical cord blood stem cells are denied or downplayed. Since the media plays a huge part in promoting the agenda of the "culture of death", this should be no surprize.

& then there is the painting Pro-lifers as being against all stem cell research. They muddy the waters because making it clear we oppose only embryonic research also points out the fact that there are different kinds & that the other types have succeeded.

What is saddest of all, is that because of this misleading info, people who have treatments available are being denied true hope now by the very people who offer false hope for the future. Once again proving the real agenda isn't life, but death.

Again, it should be no surprize that those promoting embryonic stem cell research would use lies & falsehood to promote their agenda. The "culture of death" they operate in is demonic in origin. Satan is father of lies who is the thief Jesus told us comes only to steal, kill & destroy. & he is using the "culture of death" to do so.

Amazing first: leukemia patient completely cured with cord blood stem cells

BERLIN, November 26, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Doctors associated with the German umbilical cord blood bank Vita 34 say that they have cured a child’s leukemia completely using an infusion of stem cells from umbilical cord blood.
The procedure was reportedly performed in 2005 on a four-year-old girl whose chemotherapy treatment had failed and who had a prognosis of only three months to live. The procedure was possible because the parents had decided to preserve their child’s umbilical cord blood at the time of birth.
After continuous monitoring of the child for five years now, with no sign of leukemia cells in her blood, doctors say that they have confirmed that the treatment worked.
“Seventy-five months have passed and we can speak of a cure with certainty,” said Eberhard Lampeter of Vita 34.
According to the Chilean newspaper La Tercera, this is the first case in the world of a child cured of leukemia by her own stem cells. In most cases the child’s umbilical cord blood is not available, and the stem cells of close family members must be used.
The new treatment is the latest in a long string of hundreds of successes in the science of stem cell treatments that use mature cells rather than embryonic stem cells. Embryonic stem cell treatments, which destroy a human life, have never been proven effective in any medical treatment to date. Treatments with mature stem cells do not cause harm to the donor of the cells.
Stem cell pioneer Dr. Colin McGuckin recently told LifeSiteNews that, despite amazing success with umbilical cord blood treatments, it remains difficult to obtain funding for research because of the “cult of celebrity” in science, which rewards controversial research over research that is truly effective in saving lives.
“People aren’t talking about cord blood because it’s not controversial,” McGuckin told LSN. “Consequently, it does not make headlines and therefore researchers who want to use the cells from cord blood do not receive funding.”

Related Stories
Cord Blood Stem Cells Significantly Improved Cerebral Palsy Symptoms Claim Parents
Cult of Celebrity Drives Research, Leaves Ethical Researchers in the Cold: Stem Cell Pioneer
U.S. House Reapproves Funding for Ethical Cord Blood Stem Cells
Umbilical Cord Blood Cell Therapy May Reduce Signs and Symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease
Adult Stem Cells From Human Cord Umbilical Cord Blood Successfully Engineered to Make Insulin
Human Liver Grown from Cord Blood Stem Cells—Media Ignores UK Breakthrough
US Congressman and 18 Co-Sponsors Back Bill to Set Up National Cord Blood Bank

Finally, A Coexist Bumper Sticker I Can Live With

I know that the Walther logo wouldn't fit the theme, but since Smith & Wesson is the USA distributor of the Walther PPK & they did include Beretta, I'll let it pass.

Source: Coexist Sticker Update
See also: Finally, An Explanation of What Those Coexist Bumper Stickers Really Mean

Obama to Address the Nation On Pressing Issue

Down through history presidential pardons have often entailed controversy. But leave it to Obama to turn the annual pardoning of a turkey into a controversy.

2010

2009

From the only reliable news source on the net:

An Interesting Battle May Be Brewing at the CCHD

I have posted several times about the problems at the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. & quite bluntly, I don't see much hope for reform from within because it is the same bureaucracy that wrote the document that is responsible for the mess things are now.

But there is a development that could create some interesting fireworks. & that is the Bishop who was appointed last week as the new head of the CCHD, Bishop Jaime Soto. I have posted about his courageous Pro-life stand before (Bishop Soto Criticises Poor Catholic Catechisis About Marriage/Sexuality, Bishop Jaime Soto “It is sinful”) His appointment promises to create some fireworks because I am sure he will do what he says, do his best to monitor the reforms. & I am just as sure the CCHD bureaucracy will do their best to keep things hidden. & that is why I expect a huge battle to brew. Anyhow:

LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!!!!!

Outspokenly pro-life, pro-family bishop new head of US Bishops’ beleaguered CCHD

by Patrick B. Craine

WASHINGTON, D.C., November 24, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has appointed a prelate with a strong reputation for defending the Church’s teachings on life and family to head the beleaguered Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD).

Bishop Jaime Soto of Sacramento, who, for example, is known to lead prayerful processions to abortion facilities, will be charged especially with overseeing the implementation of the organization’s recently-launched “review and renewal”.
In a USCCB press release, the bishop said he is “honored” to have been entrusted with the position by his brother bishops. “CCHD has been an important national pastoral enterprise dedicated to infusing American Society with the Catholic values of human dignity, solidarity, and communion,” he said.
Bishop Soto earned praise from faithful Catholics in 2008 after he shocked attendees at a conference for homosexualist ‘Catholics’ with an address insisting the homosexual lifestyle is “sinful.”
“Sexual relations between people of the same sex can be alluring for homosexuals,” he said, “but it deviates from the true meaning of the act and distracts them from the true nature of love to which God has called us all. For this reason, it is sinful.”
In January, the bishop organized a day of penance on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade to offer reparation for “the sinful national scourge of abortion.”
And last month, in a column for the diocese’s magazine, he bemoaned the fact that contraception has become “the unquestioned default mode of marriage.” “Marriage is no longer understood as the covenant of love between a man and a woman that creates life, because procreation is no longer associated with sexual intercourse,” he wrote.
CCHD, long criticized for its funding practices, has come under intense pressure in the last year after reports that the organization has funded numerous groups advocating abortion, same-sex “marriage,” contraception, and other questionable activities.
These reports led a coalition of Catholic and pro-life groups to launch a boycott of the national collection, and at least ten bishops chose to cease contributing to the national pot.
In response, the organization launched a “review and renewal” this fall, pledging to strengthen their Catholic identity and tighten the funding protocols. At the same time, the reform’s authenticity was questioned - and the boycott reinstituted - because CCHD continues to dismiss evidence about many of their grantees’ questionable positions.
“I am grateful for the work of the previous committee that has re-tooled CCHD so that it can be even more effective in its mission,” said Bishop Soto. “My committee will continue to monitor the progress for the implementations of the new guidelines.”
“God’s people are the Church’s best resource for the mission of New Evangelization,” he added. “CCHD will continue to invest in them so that they can be the protagonists of the Gospel, announcing the joy and hope of the Lord Jesus to a weary world.”

Related Stories
Sacramento Bishop: Catholics Must Realize Church Teaching on Marriage Benefits Society
Sacramento Bishop Calls for Day of Penance Jan 22 for ‘Sinful Scourge’ of Abortion
Bishop Soto Crashes National Homosexual Ministries Conference with the Truth: Homosexuality “is Sin”

Peter Kreeft on the "Abolition of Man"

Busting Another Myth - The True Story of Tofurkey

Many of us know some self-righteous vegans who have been bragging that they had tofurkey for Thanksgiving yesterday. & they love to brag that rather than killing a poor turkey they used a tofu product instead. Sorry folks, I hate to break it to you but tofurkey isn't made from tofu as those marketing it would like you to believe. The reality is quite different. In fact the picture you see below is a real live genuine Tofurkey:

My sources also report that the Tofurkey is actually an endangered species (Save the Tofurkey!!!) In fact, the above "photo of a Tofurkey taken at a farm in Rhode Island just moments before it was skinned, torn limb from limb, had its eyes removed while still alive, and was finally dipped in boiling oil."

My sources go on to report: A tofurkey farm is not a typical farm. The tofurkey is extraordinarily cute and very inexpensive to keep because they're fed exclusively by hugs and smiles. "That's all they need," said one tofurkey farmer. "And they've got these huge expressive eyes that melt your heart." It's those expressive eyes that make "slaughter season" very hard for tofurkey owners.
Most tofurkeys spend their days playing with balloons, blowing bubbles, and singing in high pitched angelic voices. "They don't speak English or nothing but sometimes just listenin' to 'em makes me think about puppies and angels," said one tofurkey owner.
The misunderstanding for vegetarians originated because of the similarities between the names Tofurkey and Tofu. One Tofurkey farmer said he never lied about where Tofurkey came from but he's glad to profit from the misunderstanding. "I think those wacky vegetarians just wanted to believe they were eating Tofu and I wasn't about to tell 'em no different."
He said that back when his "product" began doing brisk business he wondered why. "I know those little cute tofurkeys don't really taste so good so I wondered why so many people was eating 'em. But hey, who am I to complain?"
Vegans and vegetarians have been shocked and horrified at the discovery of this Tofurkey farm. "Every time I ate Tofurkey on Thanksgiving I felt so principled and better than everyone else," said one vegetarian. "I'm going to miss that feeling."

OK, I am sure by now some of you have figured out the truth. But the next time someone tries to make you feel guilty about enjoying a turkey, feel free to try this out on them.

H/T: Matthew Archbold @ Creative Minority Report

Felice Festa del Ringraziamento!!!!!

General Thanksgiving
By the PRESIDENT of the United States Of America
A PROCLAMATION


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favour; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me "to recommend to the people of the United States a DAY OF PUBLICK THANKSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"

NOW THEREFORE, I do recommend and assign THURSDAY, the TWENTY-SIXTH DAY of NOVEMBER next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed;-- for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish Constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted;-- for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge;-- and, in general, for all the great and various favours which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also, that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions;-- to enable us all, whether in publick or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us); and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

GIVEN under my hand, at the city of New-York, the third day of October, in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine.

(signed) G. Washington

& remember, the 1st Thanksgiving wasn't in Massachussetts. It was at st. Augustine, FL 5o years earlier, & it was Catholic!!!!!: Was first Thanksgiving in St. Augustine, Fla.

Mary Wagner Back In Jail for Showing God's Love to Women Contemplating Abortion

As of this posting, I have yet to find any news about how the court appearance went Tuesday.
Please keep her in your prayers. She is boldly living out her faith.

Young Canadian pro-lifer arrested outside Toronto abortion facility
by John Bulsza

(Note: This is an eyewitness account of Mary Wagner’s arrest by friend of Mary and pro-life activist, John Bulsza.)
November 22, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Yesterday, November 21, 2010, Mary Wagner, a citizen from British Columbia, was arrested at Women’s Care Abortion Clinic at 960 Lawrence Street, West in Toronto. Her court appearance is scheduled for today, Tuesday, Nov. 23, at College Park courts, at 10:00 am. Mary was acquitted in July of a previous arrest in April of this year at a different abortion clinic in Toronto. She was incarcerated for nearly four months at the Milton Vanier Centre for Women.
Mary entered the building the houses the abortion clinic at approximately 9:00 am. Mary’s desire was to be with the women who went there to abort their children, to let them know that they had not been forgotten, nor their babies, and to encourage them to reconsider their decisions.
Mary brought with her a dozen pairs of red and white long stem roses, each with an attached religious Marian medallion and a card addressed to the women with a message of love, some factual details of the early stages of development, an image of a first trimester developing baby, and hot-line phone numbers for pro-life counseling assistance. These roses and medallions were blessed by the priest who presided at a mass just an hour earlier at the nearby church. The roses symbolize the expression of love and peace, the unity meant by God to exist between the mother and child, and the love of Christ as seen through the two rays in the image of Divine Mercy.
Mary’s support team of Wilma Debruyn of Ingersol and myself of London (and many others behind the scenes) provided sidewalk counseling to the women and some of their partners who were entering from the street and pamphlets were distributed.
Approximately one hour later Mary was arrested with a trespassing charge and was released, but not without some rough handling by the two officers, who forced Mary against her will to walk towards us who were on the sidewalk. Their intentions seemed to be good however, wanting to spare Mary a second arrest with the greater consequence of a possible charge of criminal harassment.
At one point Mary was in tears because she felt she was abandoning the women and their pre-born babies. At one point Mary was with us for a brief few minutes and Wilma noted, in a later reflection on the morning, Mary’s passion for the pre-born: “She is really following her call. She is passionate with them [the pre-born babies]”. Quoting Mary she said: “I have to go back to save the babies, I feel my heart is still with them, I have to go back.”
After considering her options with us, Mary returned to the building while in the process of counseling a mother and her partner who was pushing a stroller with a nine-month-old child inside. She was successful in turning back the couple, but not before being arrested again. While Mary was in the police cruiser, sadly the couple returned to the clinic. The two of us on the sidewalk just couldn’t convince the couple with their young child not to return to the clinic. We prayed fervently that they would change their minds. Their fate is unknown.
In between arrests, during the few minutes Mary had with us, she reported to us that at least one woman had turned back from the clinic after her counseling. There may have been others too.
What is the price of one’s life? How much is a life worth? For any child saved by Mary’s actions, and any mother’s conscience being spared the memory of an abortion, it is the price of her freedom, and time spent in jail! God bless you Mary. Thank you for your great sacrifice for the pre-born, their mothers and their significant others. Thank you for being a shining example to us of the kind of love Christ gave to us - his cross, and his resurrection!

Slip Sliding Away or What Next Legalizing Bestiality? Pedophilia?

I remember the mocking comments made years ago to those of us who said abortion was setting us on a slippery slope that would lead to euthenasi & other evils. Well folks, anyone who has been paying attention has seen how far down that slope we have slid.

& now we are starting to see how right those of us were who said the same thing about allowing gay marriage & where it would lead. So what is next now that we are seeing a return of polygamy (& of course bigamy)? Of course if a man can have more than 1 wife a woman will be allowed several hubbies (Polyandry). Then why not group marriages or marrying an underaged person, or even you doggie? It could happen & probably will if we continue heading the way we are. God help us all. (& add this to what I talked about yesterday with the "culture of death" in a post, & the end of our culture is nigh. God help us all!)

Polygamy case opens in British Columbia Supreme Court
by Patrick B. Craine

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, November 22, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A court case that could determine the fate of Canada’s ban on polygamy opened today in Vancouver.
After numerous unsuccessful attempts to prosecute polygamy in the province, going back to the early 1990s, the province’s attorney general has asked the B.C. Supreme Court to determine whether the law against polygamy is consistent with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and if charges may only be laid when the polygamous relationship is with a minor or involves abuse.
The case was brought forward after the B.C. Supreme Court threw out the province’s case against William Blackmore and James Oler, the leaders of rivalling Mormon sects in Bountiful, B.C., in September 2009. The court made its decision because of a technical issue over the province’s choice of special prosecutor.
At the time, British Columbia attorney general Michael De Jong said it would be “inadvisable” to appeal the ruling “while questions persist concerning the constitutionality of Section 293 of the Criminal Code of Canada.”
Blackmore has claimed the province’s action against him was a violation of religious freedom.
Chief Justice Robert Bauman will hear from over 30 witnesses, including legal experts, sociologists, and people living in polygamous relationships. There are also twelve interveners in the case.
Supporting the current law are the Christian Legal Fellowship, REAL Women of Canada, the B.C. Teachers Federation, West Coast LEAF, the Canadian Coalition for the Rights of the Child, the David Asper Centre for Constitutional Rights, and Stop Polygamy in Canada.
The law’s opponents are: the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Canadian Polyamory Advocacy Association, B.C. Civil Liberties Association, and the Canadian Association for Free Expression.
Justice Bauman’s decision, while not binding, will have a major impact on prosecutors’ willingness to charge polygamists and on the fate of future court battles.
Pro-family advocates have long warned that the recognition of same-sex civil unions and “marriage” would open the door also to the legalization of polygamy. Blackmore himself has questioned the polygamy ban in light of same-sex “marriage.”
The case is expected to last until the end of January.

Justice Scalia Defends Original Intent, Slams "Living Constitution" For Lie It Is

My paisan nails this 1 right on the head. The Constitution was meant to limit government. It was not meant to be a license to to anything the Courts want to do either. They are just as limitted as the other branches to sticking with original intent.

Justice Scalia slams high court for inventing ‘living constitution,’ right to abortion

RICHMOND, Virginia, November 23, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia slammed the modern U.S. judiciary and the high court for using the idea of a “living constitution” to invent new rules and meanings that have led to a “right” to abortion and decriminalized homosexual conduct.
Scalia made his remarks last Friday during a University of Richmond luncheon lecture entitled “Do Words Matter?” The event was covered both by the Associated Press.
“The Constitution says what it says and it doesn’t say anything more,” said Scalia to an audience of 250 people, most of them legal professionals and academics.
The 74-year-old jurist, appointed to the high court by President Ronald Reagan in 1986, warned that government by judges is inevitable when the original meaning of legal language in laws and constitutions is not respected. This attitude, he said, allows “five out of nine hotshot lawyers to run the country.”
“Under the guise of interpreting the Constitution and under the banner of a living Constitution, judges, especially those on the Supreme Court, now wield an enormous amount of political power,” continued Scalia, “because they don’t just apply the rules that have been written, they create new rules.”
Scalia pointed out that the high court distorted the meaning of “due process” (referring to legal procedure) in the 14th Amendment to invent new rights under a “made up” concept of “substantial due process.” That has allowed the 14th Amendment to become the gateway to legal abortion and other behaviors, which the constitutional authors never intended and viewed as criminal.
“The due process clause has been distorted so it’s no longer a guarantee of process but a guarantee of liberty,” Scalia expounded. “But some of the liberties the Supreme Court has found to be protected by that word - liberty - nobody thought constituted a liberty when the 14th Amendment was adopted. Homosexual sodomy? It was criminal in all the states. Abortion? It was criminal in all the states.”
He also commented on the modern confirmation process of Supreme Court justices, saying it was akin to a “mini-constitutional convention” because Senators are fighting about how a justice will interpret words.
“The way to change the Constitution is through amendments approved by the people, not by judges altering the meaning of its words,” he added.
The AP reports that after the lecture, Scalia signed copies of his new book, “Making Your Case: The Art of Persuading Judges,” and was going to lecture a class on the constitution’s separation of powers at UR’s law school.
Justice Scalia, along with Justice Clarence Thomas, are the high court’s two jurists that firmly embrace an “originalist” doctrine - abiding by the original intent and context of legal language - when it comes to interpreting the U.S. Constitution and federal laws.
Scalia has criticized the high court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision as an “improper” ruling, saying the founding charter of the U.S. federal government had nothing to do either with abortion or even things like homosexual activity.
If the U.S. Supreme Court reversed its position on Roe, abortion would once again become a criminal matter for the states to decide how to regulate or prohibit.

Related Stories
Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg: ‘We Will Never Go Back’ to Outlawing Abortion
Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg: I Thought Roe Would Help Eradicate Unwanted Populations Through Abor
U.S. Constitution Does Not Address Abortion, Suicide Rights, Says Justice Scalia
Scalia Says Roe vs. Wade Abortion Decision Was “improper” Action of Liberal Judges

Council Bluffs, IA To Carhart: We Don't Want You Crossing the Missouri & Coming Here

The headline is from the Omaha World Herald, hence the wording. But the news behind it is still great news. It will be interesting to see what Carhart does next, if anything since it will cost him money to fight it in court, money he doesn't have.

Now if they could only get rid of the Planned Parenthood where they do the "telemed abortions".

Abortion foes fill Bluffs meeting

COUNCIL BLUFFS — If LeRoy Carhart wants to build an abortion clinic in Council Bluffs, it won't come without a fight.
That was made clear Monday evening by those who jammed City Hall as well as by the City Council's action on a vacant piece of ground.
Carhart, the Bellevue doctor who once performed late-term abortions in Nebraska, recently said he plans to open an abortion clinic in Council Bluffs.
If so, it won't be on Avenue G and North 15th Street. At its meeting Monday, the council unanimously agreed to dispose of 24,393 square feet of vacant city ground near that intersection, but with the stipulation that an abortion clinic could not be built there.
“I think the council is unified on this,” Councilman Matt Schultz said. “We'll try to do what we can to prevent this type of activity.”
That drew loud applause from abortion opponents who filled the council room and spilled outside it. There were so many people who came — an estimated 300 — that a police officer stood watch at the door to ensure no overcrowding.
The turnout apparently was prompted by a rumor that the land might be among the parcels that Carhart is considering. There was no indication at the meeting, however, that it was in fact a site he wanted to use.
Jean Plourde — who, along with his wife, Kathy, founded Gabriel's Corner, a pregnancy counseling center — told the council the city currently has an abortion clinic on Second Avenue.
“We've already betrayed the fundamental goodness of life,” he said.
“Life is just so precious,” said Council Bluffs resident Connie Pritchett.
“We do take this seriously,” Schultz told the audience. “Over the five years I've been here, we've worked hard to make this a positive place to work and live.”
Mayor Tom Hanafan said that no one has come forward to seek city approval for an abortion clinic.
Now that the council has agreed to dispose of the land, its value will be assessed and it will be put up for sale.
The land is zoned for commercial use.

See also: City council unanimously votes to stop Carhart late-term abortion plans

Cardinal Burke: Let Me Make This Perfectly Clear "No Communion If You Are Pro-Abort!"

The other day I read an article where the author tried to claim Cardinal Burke was kicked upstairs to get him out of the limelight. The funny part was, since being brought to Rome has has been showing up place after place here in the USA speaking even louder & clearer than ever. & this interview is just the latest.

IMHO I think he was promoted so that he could be even more visible. & at the same time unhindered by the limitations that being in charge of a diocese put on that visibility.

& despite what some Bishops may think, Cardinal Burke is following in a very well respected path by speaking out against Catholics who are in government. St. Thomas a Becket stands out, but there are many others up to & including Popes who have done the same thing. They have often faced danger, arrest & even death for doing so, but that never stopped them. & Cardinal Burke is clearly following in their footsteps.

So, much as they may not like it, Rome did not do what the liberal pro-abort "Catholycs" hope happenned, you are NOT "Rid of that meddlesome priest!" Nor are you likely to be for a long time.

Cardinal Burke: It’s ‘very clear’ pro-abort politicians should be refused Communion

ROME, November 22, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - On the eve his elevation to the Cardinalate on November 20, Archbishop Raymond (now Cardinal) Burke told a Vatican Radio interviewer that his stand on refusal of Communion to pro-abort politicians or public figures is based on “the God-centered thinking which has marked the discipline of the church” – namely, that a person who persists publicly in grave sin is to be denied Holy Communion.
Cardinal Burke spoke to Tracey McClure on November 19 about some of the challenges faced by the Church in the United States.
Cardinal Burke has never hesitated to make bold public statements in defense of the culture of life, and is viewed as a personal hero and the best of allies by those who are active in promoting faithful Catholic education, as well as those within the pro-life and pro-family movements. Notably, he has upheld and defended Cardinal Ratzinger’s instruction that persistently pro-abortion politicians or public figures must not be admitted to communion until they publicly repent.
McClure first described Burke “as a man with very firm ideas about the moral rectitude of those who profess Catholicism - ideas that don’t always sit comfortably with everyone - and I’m thinking of some of the remarks you’ve made about pro-abortion politicians, for example, receiving Communion - the Holy Eucharist - in the United States.” He then asked the Cardinal if he ever feels discouraged because people “aren’t getting the message.”
“I think it’s only natural to be tempted to discouragement, and I’ve had those temptations,” Cardinal Burke responded. “For instance, on the question of a person who publicly and obstinately espouses the right of a woman to choose to abort the infant in her womb receiving Holy Communion, strikes me as something very clear in the 2,000 years of the church’s tradition - she’s always firmly held that a person who is publicly and obstinately in grave sin should not approach to receive Holy Communion and, if he or she does, should be denied Holy Communion.”
Cardinal Burke explained that the sanction on receiving Communion for a person who publicly dissents from Church teaching is intended to “avoid for the person - himself or herself - committing a sacrilege: in other words, receiving the Sacrament unworthily, and also because the holiness of the Sacrament itself demands that one be in a state of grace to receive the Body and Blood of Christ.”
“It is discouraging that either members of the Church claim not to understand this or they claim that in some way there is an excuse for someone who is publicly and obstinately in grave sin to receive Holy Communion,” Cardinal Burke said.
“I look at it this way,” he continued. “This response on the part of many in the church comes from living in a society that’s completely secularized, and the thinking that is marked - the God-centered thinking which has marked the discipline of the church - is not easily understood by those who are bombarded day in and day out with a kind of God-less approach to the world and to many questions. So, I try not to get discouraged but try to continue to speak the message in a way that people can understand.”
Cardinal Burke expressed his understanding of the difficulty faced by his fellow priests in dealing with this issue.
“It’s difficult ... it hasn’t been easy for me to face this question with a certain number of Catholic politicians. And, I’ve had a number of priests speak to me and tell me how difficult it is when they have individuals in their parish who are in a situation of public and grave sin ... and so, they look ... to the bishop for encouragement and inspiration in dealing with this.”
However, the cleric said that is necessary to preach this message “in season and out of season, and whether it’s being warmly received or not being received or being resisted or criticized.” He stated that his committed stand on Church teaching is not only “speaking the truth with love as the Holy Scriptures say,” but that “when a bishop takes appropriate pastoral measures in this regard, he’s also helping very much brother bishops, and also the priests.”
Listen to the Vatican Radio interview with Cardinal Burke here.

Josef Mengele* Has Got to be This Company's Patron Demon

* & if he was capable of smiling in Hell, he would be doing that also as he saw how the Obama Administration is putting into practice his way of doing things.

I can't imagine any more perverted way of spending our tax dollars, the abortion industry excepted, than this.

1. Use ObamaCare "health care" tax dollars to fund this profination in the 1st place

2. Reward them with tax breaks for murdering these unborn children as well as an exclusive license to market their murder based product

The article says that the "FDA approved ACT’s application only after the company said its embryo cell technique eliminated the danger of tumor-causing cells." OK, what proof did they offer besides the claim they did? Or did the FDA just take their word? I suspect the latter is the case. Then, when the tumors show up, & they likely will, I am sure ACT will be able to find a way to avoid legal liability like they are currently trying to sidestep their moral liablity is the search for greater profits.

Do you notice that adult stem cell research isn't looking for federal funding, or tax breaks. & you know why, because they are able to find financial backing for their reseach. & why are they able to find financial backing? Simple, as I have pointed out time after time, adult stem cells work, they save lives, not take them & without the tumors & other problems. It is not hard to find backers for a proven winner that will make money.

Another fact that has been kept low key is that state money in California that was supposed to go to embryonic stem cell research has been quietly refunnelled to adult stem cell research. (So Much For the Claims About Embryonic Stem Cell Research Being Needed) Meanwhile that same California state agency is applauding the expansion of funding on the federal level. I suspect it is because they know California is about to go belly up & they won't survive without their share. Another interesting fact I discovered in looking at the CIRM website is the large number of grants that are going to California run universities. (List of CIRM funded institutions) It is almost like a shell game. The fact that the money is funnelled through 1 state agency to another means that the bureaucracy is eating up a (un)fair share of that tax money that it shouldn't be spending in the 1st place.

I am sick & tired of the evil that is being foisted on this country. We pay the abortion industry to promote the murder of our children. Then we pay other companies to bring children into existance in a way that is totally against God's designs to kill them to try & find a way to "save" lives. & then we create death panels to deny most people the right to moral health care because it isn't cost effective. Hopefully, it isn't too late to turn things arround. But if the newly elected officials don't even try, then I cannot see how much longer before we hear a voice from Heaven shouting "BASTA!" & judgment falling upon this country because we have exausted God's mercy.

Feds approve human embryo stem cell trial for ObamaCare-funded company

by Peter Smith

BETHSADA, Maryland, November 22, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The US Food and Drug Administration has given the go-ahead for a company to begin clinical trials for a therapy derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). The efforts of the Marlborough, Massachusetts-based Advanced Cell Technology (ACT) are being funded in part by the new national health care reform law.
The approval for ACT’s clinical trials marks the second time federal regulators have approved a therapy derived from the stem cells of destroyed human embryos for testing on human subjects.
The company announced earlier in November that the federal government awarded them nearly $1 million in grant money for their embryo-destroying research, thanks to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), also known as ObamaCare.
Each of ACT’s four programs, according to a press release, received $244,479.25: the Blastomere Program, the Myoblast Program, the RPE Program for Stargardt’s Disease, and the iPS Program.
ACT will be testing the safety of its therapy for Stargardt’s disease, juvenile macular degeneration that is estimated to effect 1 out of 10,000 youths in the United States. The disease mainly occurs in children between the ages of 10 – 20.
Vision loss occurs when the retinal layer called the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) begins to break down.
The ACT therapy would replace degenerated RPE cells with new RPE cells produced from human embryonic stem cells. The FDA approved ACT’s application only after the company said its embryo cell technique eliminated the danger of tumor-causing cells. Past attempts at using embryo-derived cells have been plagued by the onset of tumors.
Phases I and II of the trial will involve 12 individuals over 18 years old receiving injections directly into the eyes.
“We’ve tested these cells in animal models of eye disease. In rats, we’ve seen 100 percent improvement in visual performance over untreated animals without any adverse effects,” said Dr. Robert Lanza, ACT’s Chief Scientific Officer.
“We hope to see a similar benefit in patients with various forms of macular degeneration.”
However, ACT is also poised for major profit-making from its hESC therapy. Earlier in the year, the FDA deemed that the RPE cell therapy will have “Orphan Drug” designation. This means the company will have access to tax credits, grants, and seven years of exclusive marketing of their product in a global market which the company believes to represent $25-30 billion dollars.
The only other company with approval for hESC trials in human beings is the California-based Geron Corp., which is conducting safety tests in patients with spinal cord injuries less than 14 days old.
Critics of embryonic stem cell research have pointed out that, aside from destroying human lives at a very early stage of development, so far it has yielded little therapeutic benefit and has struggled to overcome the tendency for such cells to produce tumors. Embryonic stem cell research has been massively outstripped by breakthroughs in adult stem cell research, which has yielded dozens of therapies and benefits for previously untreatable conditions.