Jill Stanek On the Planned Parenthood Megamergers

While the latest megamerger involving Planned Parenthood of the Heartland is what sparked this column, (see story here) what is going on here in Iowa is a part of a nation wide trend of mergers , often forced, of smaller affiliates to make fewer larger ones.

1 bit of info I found especially interesting is that it is getting harder for PP to find medical directors. Why? Could it be because, despite the oft disproved claims to the contrary, the heart of the PP business model is abortion? & that acceptamce of abortion is not growing, but declining as more people learn the ugly truth?

In the end all these mergers are about PP's bottom line, doing what they can to increase profits. & especially by increasing the number of abortions they do.

Another Planned Parenthood merger: What do they mean?

On June 24 Planned Parenthood of the Heartland announced yet another merger, this one with Planned Parenthood of Arkansas and Eastern Oklahoma.
A month ago PP Heartland announced it was merging with Planned Parenthood of Southeast Iowa.
When these merges are complete, PP Heartland will have “approximately 30 health centers located throughout Nebraska, Iowa, Arkansas and Eastern Oklahoma,” according to its press release.
Planned Parenthood mergers are becoming more commonplace. PP Heartland is itself a merge less than 2 years old between Planned Parenthood of Greater Iowa and Planned Parenthood of Nebraska/Council Bluffs.
In 2008 all 5 Illinois Planned Parenthood affiliates merged into one: Planned Parenthood of Illinois. At that time National Right to Life reported this was “only one of several recent consolidations among Planned Parenthood affiliates in Kentucky, Michigan, Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio, and Arizona.”
I spoke with Jim Sedlak of American Life League today, which also runs the Planned Parenthood watchdog group STOPP.
Jim gave some interesting figures.
At its height in 1978, Planned Parenthood had 191 affiliates. After the 2 PP Heartland mergers it will be down to 82.
The number of Planned Parenthood clinics has likewise declined. In 1995 they peaked at 938, this after Planned Parenthood announced in 1993, when Bill and Hillary were attempting to pass nationalized healthcare, a goal of having “2,000 clinics by the year 2000.” Today there are 797.
This is not to say Planned Parenthood is itself in decline. It has reported an annual income of $1+ billion for its last 3 annual reports, since fiscal year 2005-06.
Sedlak and STOPP are able to get inside information. He told me PP recognized during the Bill/Hillary healthcare years it had a problem. At that time PP had affiliates of all sizes, taking in from $1 million to $20 million annually. Getting the small affiliates to agree with the large affiliates was difficult.
As described in an interesting 1995 New York Times article, the affiliates disagreed on then-PP President Pamela Maraldo’s plan to “‘reinvent’ Planned Parenthood” to provide broader healthcare. Sedlak said the smaller affiliates didn’t want anything to do with the new plan, while the larger affiliates jumped on it. Ultimately the plan failed and Maraldo resigned.
Sedlak told me PP initiated a concerted effort about 5 years ago to merge affiliates bringing in less than $2 million a year with other affiliates to get to a combined income of over $8 million, this to establish homogenous affiliates so that decisions would be more uniform across the organization.
Combining affiliates also means paying fewer CEOs, CFOs, and fewer medical directors, the latter of which are becoming harder and harder to come by.
At present the largest PP affiliate is Mar Monte of California, with an annual income of $84, Sedlak told me.
Bottom line: PP is simply getting leaner, and of course, meaner.
That 1995 NYT article let me know some things stay the same. Here’s the opening line:
At a time when both abortion rights and Federal financing of family planning are under attack in Congress, Planned Parenthood, which has long led the fight for both, is in upheaval.
That could have been written today.
[HT for PP Heartland merger: Steve Brody of Dubuque County Right to Life]

Live Action Catches Planned Parenthood In Another Lie

In this case it is the claim in Indiana that the taking away Medicaid funds from Planned Parenthood would deny women access to health care. Undercover phone calls released today by Live Action show Planned Parenthood of Indiana clinics admitting that they are not the only source of women’s health care for women on Medicaid. OOPS!!!! This is the total opposite of what was in an official press release fromPlanned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards where she claimed Indiana’s defunding of Planned Parenthood would “take away health care from thousands of women in Indiana.”

Last week, Live Action’s undercover investigators called 16 of the 28 Indiana Planned Parenthood clinics. The callers posed as women on Medicaid concerned about where they could receive services if Planned Parenthood’s funding was not restored.
The result was that Planned Parenthood staffers at all 16 locations admitted that Medicaid women would still have access to medical care after the defunding. Did you get that?, no loss of aceess as Richards claims. In fact, staffers suggested local health clinics or state-assigned primary care physicians for Medicaid patients: “Your primary care doctor should be able to do [a Well Woman exam,] I mean, that’s what they’re there for,” said a Planned Parenthood in Michigan City. Notice what the Merrillville Planned Parenthood said of a local community health center, “They have the same services we have.” Yet over the past few months how many times have we heard Planned Parenthood make just the opposite claim?

Their claims about women's health concerns is a scam. & this is just 1 more proof that PP is using tax monies to underwrite their abortion industry & increase their profits while doing it.

Bravo to Live Action in their continuing efforts to expose the lies that Planned Parenthood tells as well as get the truth out about how they actually operate.

Here is the latest video release from Live Action with those phone calls.

Source: VIDEO: Do Women Need Planned Parenthood?

The Battle of the Iowa Budget is Down to Defunding Certain Medicaid Abortions

Iowa's unusually long budget battle in the Iowa Legislature has come down to what types of abortions Medicaid will or won't pay for.

I 1st heard about this last nite on the radio. The Republicans want to cut out all Medicaid funding except to save the life of the mother. & with where medicine is these days that isn't too likely. They also want to allow abortions in cases when the unborn child with not survive. Republicans also want informed consent provisions in place that inform women of abortion risks and alternatives and allow an ultrasound to be shown to women before having an abortion. Currently Medicaid covers those plus in the case of rape & incest.

Naturally the Dems are totally oppsed to any changes on the law. I can't remember who the Democratic legislator was they interviewed last nite, but what she said shows how little they truly value life. She said that in the last 4 years there have only been 3 or 4 of them. (Actually there have only been 3 since 2005.) She went on to say that instead of cutting back on providing health care for the needy we should be expanding access to it. In her mind killing a baby (or should I say executing the innocent baby because of the crime of the father) is health care. Sick, isn't it?

She went on to say that forcing a woman "may" cause mental anguish that she shouldn't have to go through. Funny, but I've mostly heard the opposite story from those women who went through with the pregnancy after rape. & of course she totally ignores the by now proven, except to pro-aborts, fact that post-abortion syndrome can do much worse.

Sen. Jack Hatch, D-Des Moines, chairman of an Iowa Senate budget subcommittee called the Republicans radical for trying to stop what has been legal for 33 years in Iowa. I wonder if he would have said a similar thing about slavery in 1859? I suspect he would have given it was the Dems who were pro-slavery.

This isn't about denying women health care. This is about protecting the most helpless human beings of all, the unborn, from being murdered. & the Republicans know it. Rep. Matt Windschitl, R-Missouri Valley, said he was concerned about the lives of both the mother & the child. "I do believe a child is a sacred gift from God." Quite a different viewpoint from the it's only 3 0r 4, isn't it?

The Iowa Legislature was supposed to adjurn on 29 April. Meanwhile, if a budget isn't passed & signed by the Governor on Thursday Iowa will be operating without 1 as the new fiscal year begins 1 July. As of this point, nothing has been definitely settled yet but the Legislature is still in session. & God willing the Republican stand will win out.

While this doesn't completely ban tax monies from funding abortion, the Republicans are taking a step in the right direction. & with Democratic control of the Senate, probably this is about as far as they will be able to get. But, small as it is, it is another step in the Nationwide trend to put more & more limits on abortion until they can be totally banned. A day that, please God, will soon be here.

Sources: Abortion dispute threatens to derail Iowa budget compromise

Medicaid Abortion Funding Holds Up Iowa State Budget Deal

Saint Irenaeus of Lyon

Today is the feast day of St. Irenaeus of Lyon. He is the linchpin in my spiritually geneology as a Catholic. St. Irenaeus was a disciple of St. Polycarp of Smyrna. St. Polycarp was a disciple of St. John the Evangelist to whom Jesus entrusted the care of His mother Mary (thus making her our Mother as well). St Irenaeus talked about the stories St. Polycarp would share about being St. John's disciple.

He was 1 of the first great Christian theologians. He was 1 of those leading the battle against the heresy of gnosticism. With gnosticism playing a huge part in the New Age movement & other heretical movements these days, his teachings as a Church Father are just as important as ever.

In his writing he emphasized the traditional elements in the Catholic Church that still are there today, especially the episcopate, Scripture, & Tradition. Obviously, St. Irenaeus was a supporter of the primacy of Rome (papal primacy). He wrote that the only way for Christians to retain unity was to humbly accept 1 doctrinal authority—episcopal councils in union with the bishop of Rome - Against Heresies (III.3) .

He also placed strong emphasis on the importance of apostolic succession as the sure protection of the authentic faith. "Wherefore we must obey the priests of the Church who have succession from the Apostles, as we have shown, who, together with succession in the episcopate, have received the certain mark of truth according to the will of the Father; all others, however, are to be suspected, who separated themselves from the principal succession." Adversus Haereses (Book IV, Chapter 26).

Which leads me to why I consider him a linchpin in my spiritual geneology as a Catholic. St. Irenaeus eventually ended up in Lyon (then known as Lugdunum, Gaul.) There he became the 2nd Bishop in 177 AD. In the 1st part of the 19th Century, on 12 November 1815, St. Irenaeus' successor ordained 2 priests. 1 of those priests we know as the Curé of Ars, St. John Vianney. The other was Matthias Loras. In the seminary Loras was St. John's Latin tutor. That was a difficult task as Vianney had trouble learning the language. 1 day Loras got so fustrated that he slapped the future saint. (They did remain friends throughout life.) Fr. Loras eventually ended up in the USA & on 28 July 1837 the then Diocese of Dubuque was created & Fr. Loras named the 1st Bishop. He was ordained Bishop on 10 December 1837.
Fast forward to 1955 when I was born. On 2 October 1955 I was baptised into the Catholic faith at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Oelwein, IA. As a part of the now Archdiocese of Dubuque I was now a part of the Catholic Church under the care of a successor to Bishop Loras. I am a part of the 1 true Holy, Catholic & Apostolic Church that was founded by Jesus with St Peter as it's head here on earth. & while not everyone is so blessed to know exactly how they are connected to the origins of the Church, every Catholic regardless of which sui iuris Church they are a part of in the Catholic Church can still claim that they are a part of the 1 true Church started by Jesus that has upheld the same Traditions & Teachings handed down by the Apostles.

Planned Parenthood Heartland Spreading It's Evil Tentacles to Oklahoma & Arkansas

On the heels of their recent takeover of Planned Parenthood of Southeast Iowa, Planned Parenthood of the Heartland (PPH) announced on Friday that they are taking over the running of Planned Parenthood of Arkansas & Eastern Oklahoma (PPAEO) & have signed a management contract with intent to merge into one affiliate by January 1, 2012. After the merger PPH will have about 30 centers in 4 states, Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma & Arkansas. & PPH has announced they want to ad 6 new sites in Iowa & 6 in Nebraska.

When I 1st saw the announcement in the TH on saturday I knew that this had to be the next step in both PPH's & the national organization's plan to extend telemed abortions. It also raises more questions about how well Planned Parenthood is really doing across the country even before the loss of funds in several states. These mergers usually are the result of the need for an affiliate that is having financial problems being taken over by a stonger one.

Steve Brody of DBQ Co Right to Life has shared his concerns with LifeNews about the expansion: “Planned Parenthood of the Heartland is positioning themselves to be the monster affiliate in the Midwest. Earlier this year, they swallowed up Planned Parenthood of East Central Iowa, and will consume Planned Parenthood of Southeast Iowa at the end of this week. Now comes word that Planned Parenthood of Arkansas and Eastern Oklahoma is next.
It would be interesting to know the true story behind all of these mergers, and learn if these are all underperforming according to Planned Parenthood’s standards,” Brody added. “It could also be due to the mandate of having all affiliates offer abortion services. It is even more troubling to know that telemed or webcam abortions are now poised to be exported out of the State of Iowa, putting even more vulnerable women at risk.”

Monster is a good word to describe PPH. Over the last few weeks they have had several supporters write letters to the DBQ paper twisting what DCRTL & the rest of us have said about opposing telemed abortions. They quickly drop the abortion aspect because they know that they can't actually defend it, especially since they do not follow FDA protocols. Instead they make it sound like we are trying to get completely rid of telemedicine, even though the staments by pro-lifers have made it clear that isn't true.

& of course, with the latest announcement, PPH makes it sound like they are the only ones in those areas providing access to affordable health care. Never mind that there are way more clinics in every state that provide much more real health care that the clinics that PP operates. For instance, in Indiana PP tried to make it sound like a huge number of medicaid recipients will suffer because PP was defunded. But in fact, if the 9300 they refer is correct that is only .91% of the total registered medicaid recipients in the state. (Source) Additionally, there are only 38 PP sites in Indiana & a total of 800 qualified medicaid providers.

The fact is, even what little real health care PP does occasionally provide, their main goal is us even that as a pipeline for doing more abortions. They extol those few people as a cover for the fact that abortions are the heart & soul of what they do. That they twist the numbers & facts should be no surprize to anyone who carefully examines their claims, annual reports, etc. So the fact that the latest announcement carefully omits the truth about this being a way to expand their abortion business shouldn't be a surprize either.

Planned Parenthood as a whole is losing support. The defunding of them in several states & what is going on elsewhere to limit what they do is making them desperate. & that means we can't simple sit back & stop fighting because it seems we are winning. I compare that depseration to that of a wounded wild animal. They will do all they can to fight back. So we must keep up the battle on all fronts, starting with prayer of course, until PP no longer exists in any way shape or form.

St. Cyril of Alexandria - Defending Mary As the Mother of God

Today is the feast of St. Cyril of Antioch. He played a leading role in the Council of Ephesus. In fact, he called it at the behest of Pope Celestine. (St. Cyril was a defender of the primacy of the Bishop of Rome.) The Council defined the dogma of Mary as the Mother of God. That doctrine had long been taught, but certain groups were denying that truth. Like all Marian dogma, the real focus is on Jesus. In this case, the denial by Nestorius & others that Jesus was 1 person with 2 natures, divine & human, what is called the hypostatic union.
After the Council St Cyril wrote Nestorius a letter letting him know that he had been deposed as Bishop of Constantinople. He started out the letter "To Nestorius, the new Judas". He went on to say "Know that by reason of thine impious preachings and of the disobedience to the canons" he was deposed as Bishop. Can you imagine how the liberal Catholycs who undermine authentic Catholic teaching would react to him if he were arround today? You can be sure they would be condemning him for standing up for absolute truth. St. Cyril would be right at the side of Papa Benedetto upholding him in his speaking out against relativism. & supporting Papa Benedetto's removal of Bishops that were not upholding Church teachings like Bishop William Morris of the Diocese of Toowoomba, Australia.
While St. Cyril was a defender of Mary as Mother of God, he also taught about the Eucharist & defended the "Real Presence". As you will see from this video he also put emphasis on the importances of being united with Christ:


Because of what he wrote defending & developing the truths of the Catholic Church he is considered a Greek Father of the Church. He was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIII. He is known as the Doctor Incarnationis (Doctor of the Incarnation). He has also been called Pillar of Faith & Seal of all the Fathers. In 1931 Pope Pius XI wrote an encyclical, Lux Veritatis, about the Council of Ephesus. In it he extolls the actions of St. Cyril in defending the orthodox faith & his obedience to the Pope. In 1944 Pope Pius XII wrote an encyclical on St Cyril, Orientalis Ecclesiae . In it he calls St. Cyril the "glory of the Eastern Church and celebrated champion of the Virgin Mother of God". In 2007 Papa Benedetto talked about St Cyril during his general audience on 3 October.

In conclusion I would like to share a part of a letter he wrote on Mary as the Mother of God followed by a prayer to Mary he wrote:

"That anyone could doubt the right of the holy Virgin to be called the Mother of God fills with astonishment. Surely she must be the Mother of God if our Lord Jesus Christ is God, and she gave birth to him! Our Lord’s disciples may not have used those exact words, but they delivered to us the belief those words enshrine, and this has also been taught us by the holy fathers. The divinely inspired Scriptures affirm that the Word of God was made flesh, that is to say, he was united to a human body endowed with a rational soul. He undertook to help the descendants of Abraham, fashioning a body for himself from a woman and sharing our flesh and blood, to enable us to see in him not only God, but also, by reason of this union, a man like ourselves. It is held, therefore, that there is in Emmanuel two entities, divinity and humanity. Yet our Lord Jesus Christ is nonetheless one, the one true Son, both God and man; not a defied man on the same footing as those who share the divine nature by grace, but true God who for our sake appeared in human form. We are assured of this by Saint Paul’s declaration: 'When the fullness of time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law and to enable us to be adopted as sons.'"

(The prayer) "Hail, Mary, Mother of God, venerable treasure of the whole universe, lamp that is never extinguished, crown of virginity, support of the true faith, indestructible temple, dwelling of him whom no place can contain, O Mother and Virgin! Through you all the holy Gospels call blessed the one whom comes in the name of the Lord.

Hail, Mother of God. You enclosed under your heart the infinite God whom no space can contain. Through you the Most Holy Trinity is adored and glorified, the priceless cross is venerated throughout the universe. Through you the heavens rejoice, and the angels and archangels are filled with gladness. Through you the demons are banished, and the tempter fell from heaven. Through you the fallen human race is admitted to heaven.

Hail, Mother of God. Through you kings rule, and the only-begotten Son of God has become a star of light to those who were sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death."

My Only Post on Fr. Corapi

There has been so much said, good & bad, about Fr. Corapi's recent actions. Some of it has been less than charitable. EWTN's report has been then most balanced I have seen. I will only add that I feel Fr. Corapi should not be taking the path he is. He seems to be giving up & letting his enemies win. I will also add that, IMHO, the concerns listed by Fr. Corapi about how the US proceedure needs to be changed are valid. It is guilty until innocent & does not follow Canon law either. So, unless EWTN has another report, or something major changes where he is exhonorated, I honestly expect this to be my only post.

Reflection for Corpus Christi

This Raises an Interesting Question for Me

Would Tiller be alive today if Sibelius & the rest of her corrupt gang running Kansas for the abortion industry hadn't protected him from serious prosecution?

I say this because as I read the article linked to below, I saw the details of how they kept Tiller from jail even though he deserved to go there because of all the laws he had broken. & as I realized more & more that he would have been in jail, I began to realize that the person who murdered him wouldn't have been able to kill Tiller because he wouldn't have been able to get to Tiller. & thus instead of protecting him, they made it possible for the murder to take place.

Of course I find the murder of Tiller just as repulsive as his murder of the unborn. & I know that the pro-aborts tried to paint the entire pro-life movement as responsible for Tiller's murder by rightly calling him a baby killer*. Clearly, the murderer did NOT speak for the pro-life movement in any way, shape or form. Nor was there any blame on our part for what he did. But while this is pure speculation, the abortion industry may have played a part in his death, not the pro-lifers as they claim.

Flim Flam Flummox: How Tiller Escaped Justice and the Defense of Planned Parenthood

* As an aside, I find it ironic that the Health & Human Services under Sibelius wants to put a warning label on cigarettes about how smoking hurts the unborn baby. Smoking is bad because it may harm the unborn baby's health. But abortion is OK since it only kills the bay. What's wrong with this picture?

St. John the Baptist

The Vatican - Putting Its Money behind Its Teaching on Adult Stem Cells

Vatican Puts $1 Million Behind Adult Stem Cell Research
The Catholic Church is teaming up with a biotech firm that is engaging in adult stem cell research — helping prove its contention that it is supportive of stem cell research without destroying human life.

The Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Culture has announced steps forward in their partnership designed to advance adult stem cell research with NeoStem, an international biopharmaceutical company.

In a press conference at the Vatican, Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, President of the Pontifical Council for Culture, Dr. Robin L. Smith, Chairman and CEO of NeoStem, and Reverend Tomasz Trafny, Head of the Science and Faith Department at the Pontifical Council for Culture, provided further details on both their ongoing partnership and on a groundbreaking event the international Vatican conference on adult stem cells which is scheduled for November 9 – 11, 2011 at the Vatican.

“Today we are making history. I am here with you today because of an historic collaboration between the Vatican and NeoStem which is already underway, and also to tell you about our upcoming event in November to further these efforts,” NeoStem’s Chairman and CEO, Robin Smith said. “We believe Adult Stem Cells will be the answer to so many debilitating problems impacting people all over the world, of all ages, in all walks of life. We look forward to working together with Father Trafny, Cardinal Ravasi and other Church leaders to be able to demonstrate that faith and technology can work together to find ethical solutions to human kind’s most ancient problems.”

Reverend Tomasz Trafny added, “The unique collaboration with NeoStem must focus on two considerations.”

Trafny added, “The first one is related to the sharing of the same sensitivity for ethical values that has at its center the protection of human life at all stages of its existence. The second concerns investigation on cultural consequences that will be caused by scientific discoveries in the field of adult stem cell research and adult stem cell applications in regenerative medicine. For these reasons, we’ve entered into a long term formal agreement with NeoStem and are working together tracing paths of further developments, activities and additional collaborations.”

The joint mission of the partnership, with the complete support of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers and the Pontifical Academy for Life, will be to foster the highest levels of scientific research on adult stem cells and to explore the cultural, ethical and human implications of their use and to create awareness about the promise of scientific research in concordance with ethical values through the further development of adult stem cell technology.

The join venture will work to determine short-term and long-term actions which political, scientific, educational, and religious leaders can take to be part of the cultural paradigm shift arising from the next wave – regenerative medicine and to lay the groundwork for a collaborative network of scientists and patrons who embrace the promise of adult stem cells to reduce human suffering, advance scientific research on adult stem cells and explore their clinical application in the field of regenerative medicine, as well as the cultural impact of such research.

The November conference will include the foremost experts in adult stem cell research and recognized leaders in medicine, but, unlike a research-focused conference, attendees will include Church and scientific leaders, policymakers, ethicists, educators, Ministers of Health from around the world, ambassadors to the Holy See, and representatives of the stem cell therapeutic business community to foster a multidisciplinary approach to advance science as there are ethical, spiritual societal, religious and cultural impacts with every discovery creating the potential to influence many people worldwide.

Through keynote speakers, panel discussions, patient case studies, video, and breakout sessions, the conference will create greater awareness of adult stem cells and their applications, explore the latest research and developments in the field, and discuss and debate the implications for the future of culture, medicine, religion, and public policy. The event will reach an even wider audience than its 350 invited guests through radio and television broadcast. The event is detailed at a newly launched website, www.adultstemcellconference.org.

Is Al Gore Now Working For Planned Parenthood?

It sure sounds like it after the statement he made Monday @ New York City's Games For Change Festival:





Here is the text (emphasis mine) "One of the things we could do about it is to change the technologies, to put out less of this pollution, to stabilize the population, and one of the principle ways of doing that is to empower and educate girls and women. You have to have ubiquitous availability of fertility management so women can choose how many children have, the spacing of the children....You have to educate girls and empower women. And that’s the most powerful leveraging factor, and when that happens, then the population begins to stabilize and societies begin to make better choices and more balanced choices."

Sounds like it is right out of Planned Parenthood's playbook, doesn't it?
Al Gore has made it clear that he has completely sold out to the "culture of death" with this latest pronouncement. Nevermind the whole ClimateGate scandal that has shown the truth behind his Inconvenient (Un)Truth. He has now taken it 1 step further & has jumped on the human beings are the problem bandwagon. But when you buy 1 set of lies, why not another. Maybe he better go over to Population Research Instititute's website for what would definitely be for him some inconvenient truths. The biggest is that there is isn't an overpopulation threat. The 2nd is that many countries are not even having children at the replacement level. The result is that those societies are not stable, they are dying.

Of course, Al Gore ^ the rest of his liberal elitist buddies don't exactly practice what they preach. But that isn't a surprize since they think they are exempt because they are so much better than the rest of us in the unwashed masses who are too dumb to know better.

Well VP Gore, I have news for you, you may profess to be wise. but you are a living example of what St Paul said "For professing themselves to be wise, they became fools." Romans 1:22

St. Thomas More - Showing How A Catholic Polititician Should Act

If you have never seen the movie A Man for All Seasons I would highly recommend it. While not totally accurate (what historical movie can be due to time limits?), the movie does capture who St. Thomas More was & why he did what he did. Here is the last part of the trial where he finally speaks out after his conviction:




PS: IMHO Henry VIII was 1 of Robert Shaw's 3 greatest roles he played in the movies. The other 2 are Donald 'Red' Grant in From Russia With Love & Doyle Lonnegan in The Sting.

It's summertime summertime sum sum summertime

Fr. Pavone - The Sacrament of Abortion

Often, many of us have talked about how abortion is a sacrament for those in the "culture of death" & how it was a modern version of the ancient child sacrifices to the false gods of the era. I was unaware of this book, that out & out admits it, or the author until I say this post by Fr. Pavone. The author is a social psychologist who has devoted her life to promoting paganism & attacking Christianity. What is even worse is that she is a graduate school professor who is teaching others to promote her same agenda. Not surprizingly, Pacifica Institute where she teaches is associated with a major promoter of New Age ideas, Joseph Campbell. She is also associated with The International Association for Jungian Studies. Jung's philosophy as found in his version of psychology is huge in the New Age movement as well.

(For an excellent look at how Jung & the gnostic based New Age movement are tied in, I highly recommend Fr. Mitch Pacwa's book Catholics and the New Age as well as his audeo teachings on it for EWTN that can be found here.)

As Fr. Pavone so rightly points out, in the end the battle against abortion is a spiritual battle. & as I have said so many times before, why prayer must be at the root of all our efforts.

The “Sacrament” of Abortion
The Sacrament of Abortion is the title of a book written by Ginette Paris and published in 1992. In this short book, the author claims that abortion is a sacred act, a sacrifice to Artemis (known to the Romans as Diana).
Artemis is both a protector of wild animals and a hunter who kills them with deadly aim. How can these contradictory roles be found in the same female deity? The view proposed in this book is that a mother properly cares for life only if she possesses full power over life and death. Death is sometimes preferable. The one who can provide death, in order that one may escape an unfriendly life, is really loving the one who is being killed.
Abortion, then, is seen as “an expression of maternal responsibility and not a failure of maternal love” (p.8). “Artemis stands for the refusal to give life if the gift is not pure and untainted….As Artemis might kill a wounded animal rather than allow it to limp along miserably, so a mother wishes to spare the child a painful destiny” (p. 55).
Artemis, of course, is the same goddess whose worshippers felt so threatened by Paul’s proclamation of the Gospel in Ephesus, where a riot nearly broke out and a vast crowd shouted for two hours, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” (Acts 19:34). The worshippers of Artemis today should likewise feel that their beliefs are threatened, because the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ is that He alone has authority over life and death. Neither the mother, nor the father, nor the state, nor the individual herself, can claim absolute dominion over life. “Nobody lives as his own master, and nobody dies as his own master. While we live, we are responsible to the Lord, and when we die, we die as His servants. Both in life and death, we are the Lord’s” (Rom. 14:7-8).
The fact that some defend abortion as a sacred act should alert us to the depth of the spiritual warfare that is going on. Abortion has never been merely or even primarily a political issue. It is a false religion. When pro-life Christians, for example, pray in front of an abortion mill, it is not simply a matter of pro-life people opposing false medicine. It is the true Church in conflict with a false Church. One former clinic security guard, after being converted, admitted why he was angry at pro-life sidewalk counselors: “You were coming to protest in front of our church. That clinic was where we conducted our worship.”
May all believers, and their clergy, take renewed strength to speak out against abortion. Not only is doing so consistent with the proclamation of the Gospel; it is the proclamation of the Gospel.

If you want more examples of how she is promoting a paganistic mindset that justifies abortion you can go here.
You can read another post on feminism, the "sacrament of abortion" & those promoting it here.

Mille Grazie Rep. Steve King

I am NOT surprized to see Rep Steve King (R-IA) is behind this amendment (H. Amdt. 463). He knows how evil telemed abortions are.Nor was I surprized to see the vote by the Iowa delegation followed the party line with all 3 Democrats showing theat they prefer to represent Planned Parenthood over their constituents.

Now to see if it makes it through the Senate.

House approves FDA appropriations bill with telemed abortion funding ban

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 20, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A ban on federal funds for “telemedicine” medical abortions was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives last week as an amendment to an appropriations bill governing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which passed later the same day.
Republican Rep. Steve King of Iowa spearheaded the amendment to the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2012, HR 2112. The amendment stated that “none of the funds made available by this Act may be used for mifepristone, commonly known as RU-486, for any purpose.”
The broad language is designed to ensure that the bill’s allotment for the development of telemedicine services won’t be taken advantage of by the likes of Planned Parenthood, which has expressed strong interest in expanding its abortion business through the new technology.
In a telemed abortion, the abortionist speaks to the mother seeking an abortion in a distant location via an internet video link-up, and then dispenses the abortion drug RU-486 from a locked drawer with the push of a button.
Planned Parenthood of the Heartland has maintained a pilot telemedicine program in that state since 2008, which the Iowa Board of Medicine allowed despite complaints from pro-life leaders. Lawmakers in neighboring Nebraska passed a law last month making telemed abortions a felony.
The amendment passed 240-176 in Thursday’s vote, with 14 Democrats joining all but nine Republicans in support. The amendment will likely face a tougher battle for survival in the Democrat-led Senate.
“American taxpayers should not be asked to subsidize abortions, and federal telemedicine grants should not be used to enable abortion providers like Planned Parenthood to dispense the RU-486 abortion drug,” said King in a statement following the vote.
In February, King and several other congressmen asked Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius whether tax dollars were funding the remote abortions. The lawmaker said Sebelius in response asserted that the office had issued grants to Planned Parenthood for telemedicine.
While introducing the amendment, King called the “robo-Skype abortions” “abhorrent.”
“This is a dangerous drug, and to distributed it through robo-Skype abortions — I’m opposed to it philosophically for a lot of reasons, but practical minds who might disagree on the abortion issue should understand that this government should not be paying for it,” he said.
Former Planned Parenthood clinic director Abby Johnson has agreed that RU-486 is too dangerous to be compatible with telemedicine. The drug, also known as mifepristone, has been linked to the known deaths of at least a dozen U.S. women as well as hundreds of life-threatening complications.
“Planned Parenthood is certain to downplay these risks because abortion is the organization’s biggest moneymaker,” said Johnson last year.

Meet Blessed Bartolo Longo

Blessed Bartolo Longo, from Satanist priest to Apostle of the Rosary. Here is his story:


Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary in Pompei

33 Years & Still A Big Fat Hairy Deal!!!!!!!!!!!!!*

Happy 33rd Birthday to my favorite Fat Cat - Garfield.
(*emphasis on fat)

O Most Holy Trinity

Papa Benedetto's Revolution

At the end of May I put up 2 posts about how Papa Benedetto was trying to get Caritas International to shape up & be Catholic like it should. (here & here) Yesterday, via The Hermenutic of Continuity I came across an article that does an excellent look at what is going on in Caritas & what Papa Benedetto is doing to deal with it. (Challenges for the Caritas Network) The article was written by Matthew Hanley. In it he calls Papa Benedetto's "attempts to reform the Caritas network as revolutionary". He calls it that because the Pope is "is reasserting control over an entire area of the Church’s vital activity in agencies that have veered far off course."

Wow, talk about hitting the nail on the head.

While Hanley focuses on Caritas, he could just as easily be talking about Canada's Development + Peace or the USCCB" Campaign for Human Development. & he does bring up some interesting info about Catholic Relief Services that confirms some suspicions I have had about them for a while. Everytime I get a mailing from CRS, they seem to be permanantly in crisis mode. (& am I the only 1 sick of those angel coins?) In Africa he heard CRS refered to as "the non-Catholic Catholic Agency". OUCH!!!!! He goes on to show how much different the attitude is in the CRS HQ in Baltimore as compared to what the African Bishops really want CRS to be.

"African bishops would tell me (after my talks about AIDS) how surprising it was to hear a young Western CRS employee speak the common Catholic language, whereas my superiors back in Baltimore told me that I would change my thinking about the way we should approach AIDS prevention – that I’d begin to oppose Church teachings – once I spent yet more time in Africa." (emphasis mine)

The African Bishops want Catholic teaching upheld, yet what purports to be a Catholic organization is encouraging dissent from Catholic teachings. This pretty much confirms my decision to no longer give to CRS & stick with a couple other private "Catholic" organizations that work with groups that do uphold Catholic teaching.

The article goes on to take a look at the problems with Caritas, problems that equally apply to CCHD, CRS & D+P, as well as how to correct them. Rather than repeat what he says, I suggest following the link below to read the entire piece.

But I will add that I agree with his conclusion wholeheartedly. Papa Benedetto has made it clear how Catholic charitable organizations are supposed to operate. CRS et al would do well to pay attention to & impliment "Benedict’s original and enlightening vision of charity." & espicially to uphold & promote the “non-negotiables.”

As Hanley says: "The “non-negotiables” may represent sources of contention between Catholics and the rest of the “development community”, but they are, in fact, nothing short of indispensible to authentic human development. Catholic charities need to be led by people who really believe that." I can add nothing more to that.
Read the entire article here: Challenges for the Caritas Network

Let Me See If I've Got This Right. . . .

According to Gabriela Valle, senior director of California Latinas for Reproductive Justice, if you are a Pro-Life Latino/a or Pro-Life Black then you are a racist who hates your own race. Well that is what it sounds like from the comments she made about some billboards recently put up in Los Angeles that say: "The most dangerous place for a Latino is in the womb." The billboards are sponsored by Unidos Por La Vida, a pro-lige organization from Mexico. They are affiliated with the Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles.
If you haven't figured out by now, the group Valle represents is pro-abortion, so they are going to attack any group that is trying to tell the truth about how abortion targets minorities. But, when you see what she said, you will just shake your head at the total lack of logic in her comments. & I do mean total lack of logic.
She said that they are in the "same vein" as another recent anti-choice campaign that targeted African American women. She went on to add "This is the second rolling out of the same message. We're taking a strong stance against theses ads. They're completely racist. An attack to one community is an attack to all."
Remember the sponsor of the billboards is from Mexico & is Latino. Her is how she deals with that: "This organization is out of Mexico. That's another layer that's touchy." At least Valle the group behind it is Latino. But why is it touchy? But get her next line where you truly see her twisted logic. "The fact that they're hiding behind a Latino-led organization doesn't make the message any less racist." Who is hiding behind who?? The organization is hiding behind itself????? Is that what she is saying? It sure sounds like it since she doen't come up with any other group. Is she just so sold out to the "culture of death" that she has thrown all logic out the window? Again that is what it sure sounds like to me.
According to Valle, if you are black or latino/a then you MUST be pro-abortion or you hate your own race. Never mind the facts show that abortion does target minorities. & it is racist groups like Planned Parenthood that promote this genocide.
Just when you think the "culture of death" mindset can't get any more bizarre, something like this comes along.
Source: Anti-Choice Billboards Pop Up in California, Call a Latina's Womb 'Dangerous' (H/T: Jill Stanek - Breaking: Pro-abortion groups force removal of pro-life Latino billboards in L.A.)

Just When You Think Blasphemous Masses Couldn't Get Any Worse

We have this from Austria:


& apparently Christoph Cardinal Schönborn is allowing it again this year.
H/T: Christopher Johnson (MY WORK HERE IS DONE)

3 Down - 47 To Go

The move to defund Planned Parenthood on the state level is gaining momentum. The Indiana & Kansas legislatures voted to defund Planned Parenthood & the governors signed the bills. In North Carolina the governor vetoed the bill. The NC House & Senate both voted to override the veto & now there are 3 states that have made it clear that they will no longer support what Planned Parenthood stands for.

Source: North Carolina Becomes Third State to De-Fund Planned Parenthood
North Carolina poised to defund Planned Parenthood after House votes to override veto

On a Pilgimage

Today & tommorrow I will be out of state & with little to no access to a computer. I am heading up to the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help in Campion, WI. The shrine is the site of a Marian appartition that was approved last year by Green Bay Bishop David Ricken. We will also be stopping at the Shrine of St. Joseph in De Pere, WI.

This This Would Have Been My Baby If The Mother Had Decided To Not KILL Our Child

He says his ex-girlfriend had an abortion against his wishes. She says it was a miscarriage. She is taking him to court. He is using the recent Westboro Baptist Church ruling to say he can. While I hate what Westboro does, I did agree with the ruling. & even more so this is the type of political speech that the 1st amendment was meant to protect.

Source: This Would Have Been My Baby If The Mother Had Decided To Not KILL

Business As Usual At Planned Parenthood in Kansas - Covering Up Criminal Activity

We see one more example of how afraid Planned Parenthood is of even a little light being shined on their practices. They don't even want info to get out that is public information.

Of course, the real danger here for PP is what losing the case could mean, the loss of their precious federal funds. & without a single state having to vote it up or down. Also, their losing this case would just be 1 more nail in their coffin. With what Live Action & others have uncovered, we are seeing how ready states are to cut of PP's access to the trough. However, even should PP lose, I am sure the Obama administration will fight to keep PP getting federal funds since he has made it clear they own him already. HHS Secretary Sibelius would be leading the charge since it was her administration that allowed PP to get away with this for so long in Kansas. To not fight for PP at this point would be to admit that the actions to stop Phill Kline's investigation were a cover-up orchestrated between PP & the Governor's office.

Planned Parenthood Files To Keep Evidence Secret In Criminal Trial

Prosecution questions the constitutionality of Planned Parenthood’s demands
Overland Park, Kansas – In a case involving 107 criminal charges related to illegal late-term abortions, attorneys for Comprehensive Health of Planned Parenthood, located in Overland Park, Kansas, have filed two motions for “protective orders” in advance of a scheduled motion hearing on July 15.
The Planned Parenthood motions request that the court set up a complicated computer system to insure that no one attending the public trial can see the evidence except for the judge, jury, and attorneys, even though all evidence has already been heavily redacted to prevent the identification of any particular patient. In some cases, the data in question is public information available on a web site operated by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE).
Assistant Johnson County District Attorney Christopher L. McMullin objects to the Planned Parenthood demands in a formal response filed with the Court on May 25, 2011.
“Notwithstanding the competing rights – of the defendant to a public trial, of the media to a public trial, of the public to a public trial – these measures are unnecessary (and perhaps unconstitutional),” wrote McMullin, who is the prosecutor of record.
Planned Parenthood also demands to be immediately notified if the prosecution decides to seek further subpoenas if KDHE records so it may object. However, McMullin, insists that Planned Parenthood “has no standing to object to the issuance of such a subpoena, and no authority to insinuate itself into the process for handling the forms should they be retained.”
“This is nothing more than a continuation of Planned Parenthood’s 8-year effort to cover-up – and ultimately destroy – the evidence against them. They are wrongly hiding behind the skirts of their patients’ privacy rights in order to conceal their crimes,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. “These documents have all been so censored that no one could ever guess a patient’s identity, especially after eight years. Planned Parenthood’s motions are really an underhanded attempt to subvert justice.”
The motions for protective orders concern two types of documents. The first are abortion records dating back to 2003, which were obtained through subpoena and have already been heavily redacted “beyond HIPAA requirements.” These documents are in compliance with strict redaction rules imposed by the pro-abortion Kansas Supreme Court to assure the protection of the identity of abortion patients.
The second class of documents is KDHE Reports of Induced Termination of Pregnancy (TOPs). These are KDHE-generated forms that abortionists must fill out for each abortion. The forms do not contain patient names or the name of the abortion provider, but contain generic information that is compiled and released to the public.
So heavily redacted are the TOPs forms currently in evidence that even the box labels are redacted despite the fact that copies of the form are public and online on the KDHE Web Site. An example of actual redacted TOPs forms can be viewed here.
“After viewing an example of the redactions that are already in place, Planned Parenthood’s demands for special treatment become ludicrous, if not comical,” said Newman. “They are using ‘smoke-and-mirrors’ arguments to make it appear that privacy is at issue when it is not. There’s no doubt that Planned Parenthood is more concerned about keeping ‘private’ evidence of their guilt, than they are about women.”
Assistant District Attorney McMullin agrees that Planned Parenthood’s concerns are baseless.
“The Office of District Attorney for the Tenth Judicial District has vast experience in presenting evidence of a sensitive nature in open Court,” wrote McMullin in his response. “For instance, this office routinely prosecutes sexual assault cases. Victim records, including colposcope photographs of genitals, are presented in court, in a discrete manner. Pornography depicting minors is routinely presented in court. Are these items any less deserving of privacy and respect? The litigants have clear direction from this State’s highest Court regarding the handling of the patient records, and these directions will be followed. There is no need for expensive, complicated additional procedures to correct a problem that does not exist.”
A hearing on the motions is scheduled for July 15, 2011, in the courtroom of Judge Stephen Tatum at the Johnson County Courthouse in Olathe, Kansas.
In addition to two Kansas Attorneys, two attorneys from Planned Parenthood Federation of America are representing the Kansas abortion clinic, which shows the importance of this case on a national scale. If convicted, Planned Parenthood could face hefty fees and the loss of Federal funding nationwide since groups that receive Federal tax-dollars must be in compliance with all Local, State, and Federal laws.
“Operation Rescue has worked for eight years to expose Planned Parenthood’s wrong-doing in Kansas and prevent this case from being swept under the rug,” said Newman. “We continue to work to help the public understand the often complicated legal twists and turns, and keep this criminal prosecution in the public eye. There is a lot at stake, not the least of which are the innocent lives of pre-born babies.”
View Planned Parenthood’s Motions for “Protective Orders”
View the State’s Response
View Timeline History of the case against Planned Parenthood

Pentecost 2011

IMHO - The Only Self-Help Book You Will Ever Need

SOINTENLY!!!!!!!!!

Memo To "Progressive" Catholycs

This is what God has to say about you:

"Anyone who is so "progressive" as not to remain in the teaching of the Christ does not have God; whoever remains in the teaching has the Father and the Son."

As for the rest of us, God tells us how to treat the messenger & what He thinks of what that "Progressive" Catholyc is doing:
If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, (authentic Catholic teaching from the magesterium) do not receive him in your house or even greet him; for whoever greets him shares in his evil works." 2 John 9-11 (New American Bible)
FYI: John was refering to those promoting gnosticism, which is at the heart of what most "progressive" Catholycs are promoting today.

(Note: This was a part of the 1st reading from the office of Readings on Thursday.)

The Free Speech Right to Protest Is 1 Thing

But this is just downright ingnorance & it shows the true face of the left. Remember, these unions are pro-abortion & the majority of the protestors probably think all these innocent kids participating in the Special Olympics should have been aborted. At the least it is clear that these union protesters don't give a damn about anyone but themselves. & if it ruins what should be a great day for a few kids they see as useless, then so what.

Like I said, they were free to protest, but doing so at this event, & especially the way they did is not going to win them any sympathy. It is just going to serve to alienate they very people they should be trying to get support from. They have no right to demand respect when it is clear they have no respect for others.

H/T: Matthew Archbold (Protestors Disrupt Special Olympics )

Just a Reminder of How Intolerant the left Really Is Towards Those Who Disagree With Them

Don't Like a Ban On Abortion at 20 Weeks, Then How About 18

Tuesday I posted about the Iowa House Republicans response to the attempt by Senate majority leader Gronstal's attempt to welcome late term abortions while making it look like he was trying to keep Carhart out of Council Bluffs. On Monday the House Ways & Means Committee said the Senate bill was unacceptable & suggested some amendments to restore it to the original intent.

On Wednesday the Iowa House voted on the amendment & passed them. The amended bill passed 54-37. The result, a bill that now bans abortions after 18 weeks instead of 20. It does so by basing the time line on the "gestation period of twenty completed weeks". Gestation period is based on when a woman had her last period, which is usually 2 weeks before the child is conceived.

The revised bill calls those abortions that result in the death of the unborn child "feticide" & makes it a class C felony. The abortionist would face up to 10 years in prison & a $10,000 fine. Should the child survive the abortion attempt it will be labels "attempted feticide" & is defined as a class D felony.

The bill does include a "life of the mother" exception. Life, not health, which also closes the loophole of finding any excuse to do an abortion thus sidestepping the law. The life exception says that every reasonable effort must be made to save the life of both. Given that medicine has come far enough along that usually both lives can be saved, this law virtually bans all abortions after 18 weeks. (Note: This seems to be an attempt to apply the principle of double effect, although not perfectly.)

When the leader of the bill, Rep. Dawn Pettengill, R-Mount Auburn was told that this bill would ultimately create the toughest abortion restrictions in the nation, she was pleased. “I believe life begins at conceptions so, to me, I say great. I’m glad that is true,” Pettengill said to the Des Moines Register about the terminology.

Another supporter of the amended bill, Rep. Dwayne Alons, R-Hull, told the Register that every House member should have viewed an abortion (I assume a video like Silent Scream). “Seeing the dismembered bloody bodies taken out before their time, seeing the insertion of an instrument in the skull of a baby and suctioning out the brains would leave us aghast.” While I doubt that it would have changed many votes on the Democratic side, it would at least force them to face what it is they are saying they support.

1 of thos opposed to this bill is Rep. Janet Petersen, D-Des Moines. She told the Register “It disgusts me. . . . Their approach is to criminalize doctors of these loving young mothers who are facing horrific, heart-wrenching decisions.” I wonder what she would say about what an abortion actually does to the child if she saw the video of one? I aslo wonder how willing she is to support Crisis Pregnancy Centers that would provide true alternatives to abortions? I suspect she wouldn't. In fact I am willing to bet that Petersen is simply trying to play on people's emotions & that she really doesn't care about the women like she claims.

Of course Planned Parenthood of the Heartland CEO Jill June wasn't happy with this bill either. She said those supporting it “seem to be on a reckless attack of Iowa women.” Given her willingness to lie about the dangers of "telemed abortions" & what Planned Parenthood does or doesn't do (including a piece in Thursday's TH where she lies about how PP follows all the guidelines for "telemed abortions"), she is the one guilty of leading a reckless attack on women, not these lawmakers.

It will be interesting to see what happens next. I am sure Gronstal is not to happy with this latest development as it puts an unwelcome spotlight back on him. I am not going to hold out much hope that this will get through the Iowa Senate. But it will now make it more difficult for Gronstal to hide behind the Senate bill that was merely a smoke-screen. & make it more likely he will be out after next year's election.

Sources: Iowa Republicans pass nation’s toughest abortion restrictions

Iowa House Passes Abortion Ban at 18 Weeks of Pregnancy

Another Major League Success Using Adult Stem Cells

Once again using adult stem cells for a treatment has hit a home run, while embryonic stem cells continue to strike out. For those of you who may be groaning about now, I refuse to apologize for the puns.

But seriously, once again we are shown there is absolutely no need for creating babies in a test tube so you can kill them as a source of stem cells.

The treatment is coming under some scrutiny because sometimes Dr. Purita uses Human Growth Hormone (HGH) as a part of the treatment. (Pitcher’s Treatment Draws Scrutiny) But in this case, the doctor didn't use it because the use of human growth hormone is banned by baseball. But HGH isn't illegal. It can be prescribed as a treatment in some circumstances.

While the concerns about the use of HGH in sports is valid, the real agenda by the NY Times is totally different. They are attempting to undermine the success of a treatment using adult stem cells. & the article clearly shows their biased attempt at that. The article attempts to paint Dr. Purita as no different than other doctors who have provided athletes with HGH & other unapproved drugs.

Also, the NY Times article uses a Dr. Freddie H. Fu to undermine the success of the treatment. While Sr. Fu is an export in sports medicine, he isn't exactly unbiased as this treatment could serve as an alternative to his newly developed approach to repairing one of the most common sports knee injuries: the torn anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL. Dr. Fu is also connected with the Arthritis Foundation. & they have clearly shown their bias towards embryonic stem cells while downplaying adult stem cells. An article on their website lists only 3 Milestones in Stem Cell Research. 2 of them focus on embryonic stem cells. The 3rd is the Discovery of ways to reprogram specialized adult cells to assume a stem cell-like state. Absolutely nothing about adult stem cells.

You can bet that if the treatment had used embryonic stem cells the NY Times would be cheering the breakthrough. They would also say that the HGH concern should be ignored.

The reality is that we are seeing another adult stem cell success. & the "culture of death" isn't happy since they don't want cures, just the right to use embryos as a resource. So they are using their minions in the media to do the dirty work. & one of the dirtiest these days is the NY Times.

Adult stem cell treatment brings major league pitcher back to the mound

BOCA RATON, Florida, June 7, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Bartolo Colon’s career seemed to be going down the drains, after being one of major league baseball’s top starting pitchers. In 2005 Colon won the American League Cy Young award, but a series of shoulder and elbow injuries sidelined him until, in 2010, he didn’t play in the majors at all.
By 2009, Colon’s astonishing 97 mph fastball had slowed down considerably and every pitch he threw resulted in agonizing pain: so he went home to the Dominican Republic, defeated.
But in March of 2010, a doctor in the Dominican Republic, Leonel Liriano, contacted Dr. Joseph R. Purita, an orthopedic surgeon who runs a regenerative medicine clinic in Boca Raton. Dr. Liriano asked Purita if he would help in treating Colon.
Purita has used adult stem cell therapy to help numerous athletes with sports injuries, including athletes with the Baltimore Ravens, the Miami Dolphins, the Chicago White Sox and the Texas Rangers.
The treatments involve adult stem cells and platelet-rich plasma therapy, or P.R.P., as an alternative to surgery or in combination with it.
In April 2010 Dr. Purita agreed to Dr. Liriano’s request and flew to the Dominican Republic to interview Colon.
“It was not that it was illegal to do the procedure here in the United States,” Purita said. “He was just living in the Dominican Republic. Everything was above board.”
“Colon said he wanted to get back into baseball,” Purita told the NY Times. “He could not throw the ball without horrible pain, but he felt he still had something left in the can, so to speak. I told Colon this will be a lot less painful than facing Derek Jeter. He said: ‘Derek Jeter? He has never been a problem for me. I always strike him out.’ ”
The procedure performed at the Clinica Union Medica in the city of Santiago involved extracting fat and bone marrow stem cells from Colon and injecting them back into the pitcher’s elbow and shoulder to help repair ligament damage and a torn rotator cuff.
Dr. Purita, who did not charge for his services, said the procedure took only 45 minutes to complete and positive results were evident almost immediately.
“We had him start working out within the first month,” Purita said. “Then I am hearing that he is starting to pitch, and then I hear that he is starting to tear them up in the Dominican league. But I said with a rotator cuff tear and a bad elbow, I don’t know about him getting back into the majors.”
Colon was playing for a Dominican ball team managed by former Yankee coach Tony Pena. But in January of this year, the New York Yankees signed Colon to a contract worth $900,000.
“I feel in my heart and my soul, his performance has been because of the treatment,” Dr. Liriano said. “You see that his fastball is about 95 or 96 miles per hour. It is a miracle, no?”
“This is not hocus-pocus,” Dr. Purita said in an interview back in Florida. “This is the future of sports medicine, in particular. Here it is that I got a guy back playing baseball and throwing pitches at 95 miles an hour.”

3 Illinois Catholic Dioceses Are Fighting Back

Last week I put up a post about how Illinois' new "civil unions" law was forcing the Rockford Diocese to stop providing adoption & foster care services. At the time none of the other Catholic dioceses in the state had made any announcement about what actions they would take. Yesterday 3 of them, Springfield, Peoria, & Joliet, banded together & filed a lawsuit in Sangamon County Circuit Court. The suit was in response to the law as well a letter sent out in March by the Attorney General’s office. It stated that the office “received notice that Catholic Charities ... discriminates against Illinois citizens based on race, marital status and sexual orientation” in the provision of foster care & adoption services & demanded that Catholic Charities turn over a wide range of documents in response.

The lawsuit seeks a declaration that the charities are in full compliance with Illinois law in their current practices. They area also asking for an injunction against further action by Illinois government officials to the contrary. According to the lawsuit both the Illinois Human Rights Act exempts religious adoption agencies from the provisions relied upon by the Attorney General’s office. Additionally it says that the new Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act includes an express protection for the religious freedom of entities like Catholic Charities.

Tom Brejcha of the Thomas More Society, which is representing the charities in the lawsuit had this to say about the lawsuit: “Religious and faith-based entities need not check their beliefs at the door when providing vital social services for the benefit of needy and vulnerable children and families in Illinois. Catholic Charities has a clear right under Illinois law to pursue its charitable good works in the true spirit of the Gospels and the Sermon on the Mount, faithful to the essential tenets of its Catholic faith. We will advocate strongly to protect Catholic Charities’ continuing its mission of social service.”

As I said last week what this boils down to is an attack on the Catholic Church & what it stands for. It is persecution by the government, plain & simple. While there is no threat of physical torture or death, what is going on in Illinois (& elesewhere) is no different than what went on in the Roman Empire when Christians were told they had to worship the pagan gods. If they offered a bit of incense they could go free, if not then they lost their freedom. But the early Christians knew they couldn't give in without betraying their faith. In Illinois we are seeing 4 of the Catholic Dioceses following in their footsteps & refusing to comprimise the faith.

As I was working on this post, I couldn't help but think of what St Polycarp said when he faced death. As Polycarp was being brought into the city, the Irenarch Herod, accompanied by his father Nicetes, met him. They took him up into the chariot, they seated themselves beside him, & said "What harm is there in saying, Lord Cæsar, & in sacrificing, with the other ceremonies observed on such occasions, and so make sure of safety?" Polycarp refused.

Polycarp was brought before the procouncil. The procouncil said "Swear by the fortune of Cæsar; repent, and say, Away with the Atheists." (Under the definition of the term at the time, atheist meant those who denied the Roman Gods, not someone who didn't believe in a god or gods.) Polycarp did say "Away with the atheists," while pointing at the pagan crowd making it clear he thought they were the atheists not him. Then the proconsul urging him, "Swear, and I will set you at liberty, reproach Christ." Polycarp declared "Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me any injury: how then can I blaspheme my King and my Saviour?" Additional attempst met with the same resistance on Polycarp's part. At 1 point before he said "You threaten me with fire which burns for an hour, and after a little is extinguished, but are ignorant of the fire of the coming judgment and of eternal punishment, reserved for the ungodly. But why do you tarry? Bring forth what you will."

Those people in Illinois attacking the Catholic Church would do well to remember what Polycarp said. They may do harm in the short run, but in the long run it is themselves that they will do eternal harm to if they don't repent.

Source: Illinois Catholic dioceses take state to court over right to refuse homosexual adoption

Iowa House Republicans Playing Hardball, Won't Be Played by Gronstal

When last we left the Iowa Legislature in mid-May the Senate had refused to have an honest vote on HF 657 that would keep late term abortionists like Carhart out of Iowa. (here & here) Instead, Senate Majority leader Gronstal handed off the responsibilty of creating a cover bill to Sen Joe Bolkcom. Bolkcom was the perfect one to come up with a bill that would make it look like they were doing something while doing nothing. Bolkcom's wife used to run the Emma Goldman abortion mill in Iowa City. Bolkcom came up with a bill (SF 534) that would make it look like Gronstal was keeping Carhart out of Coucil Bluffs while actually openning the door to welcome them elsewhere in the state.

Whatever happenned, the bill would provide political cover for Gronstal because he could pass any blame off on the Republicans. However, the House Republicans have decided not to roll over & let him get away with it. On Monday the House Ways & Means Committee reviewed SF 534. They sent out a report with recommended amendments before passage. Those amendments would basicly put back the ban on abortions after 20 weeks & cut the Senate added Certificate of Need process to require that “a new abortion facility which performs abortions after 20 weeks post-fertilization is in close proximity to an Iowa hospital, with the appropriate level of perinatal care to protect the life or health of the woman and the fetus.”

The amended bill is likely to pass & then be tossed back to the Senate. At that point what will happen this time remains to be seen. But whatever does happen, you can be sure that Gronstal will continue to try to cover his backside rather than do the right thing.

Meanwhile, the only reason the bill is still up for debate is because the Iowa Legislature is still in session due to gridlock over the budget. Under Iowa law for the 1st year of a General Assembly the legislators get paid for expenses for the 1st 110 calendar days of the session. That limit was placed there years ago to encourage the members to get their work done quickly. The 110th Day was on 29 April. & while they have occasionally gone over a few days, I cannot remember the last time a session went this long. Of course they won't admit it, but much of the problem with the gridlock can be laid at the feet of the Senate Democrats.

Source: Iowa House May Bring Back Ban on Abortions After 20-Weeks

Didn't They Condemn Mengele for Doing What Kervorkian Did

It has been interesting to watch the way that Kervorkian has been glorified by the main stream media as a hero since his death a few days ago. Now, I am not judging where he will spend eternity. We have no idea what happenned during those last few minutes. he may have repented. We don't know.

But that doesn't change the facts about what his lifetime track record was. It goes way beyond simply being a huge promoter of the evil of assisted suicide. & it isn't anything to emulate. In fact, when I read some of what he did & tried to do, what Mengele & his buddies in the NAZI death camps did comes to mind.

As 1 obit pointed out "Kevorkian’s medical career was unconventional from the start. As an intern in the mid-1950s, he began photographing the eyes of patients at the moment of death, a practice that led his hospital colleagues to give him his nickname. Later he gained notoriety for advocating unorthodox medical practices such as live operations on death-row prisoners and blood transfusions from corpses to living patients." (emphasis mine)

Did you get that? If it still isn't clear what he wanted to so, then this should make it perfectly clear: "His next crusade was to persuade government officials to allow vivisection — live operations — of death-row prisoners. His plan was to anesthetize the inmates, and then cut them open for testing, transplants and organ harvesting before killing them with a lethal injection." (emphasis mine) If that doesn't send a chill up your spine as well as a sense of de ja vu then you better follow the link to Mengele & see exactly how similar they are.

He tried to justify it by saying the prisoners would allow it voluntarily as an alternative form of execution. In 1959, Kevorkian wrote this in the Journal of Criminal Law and Criminal Political Science: "Capital punishment as it exists today offers a golden opportunity to break…limits [on human experimentation] by introducing into the situation an involuntary factor without destroying the necessary safeguard of consent. I propose that a prisoner condemned to death by due process of law be allowed to submit, by his own free choice, to medical experimentation under complete anesthesia (at the time appointed for administering the penalty) as a form of execution in lieu of conventional methods."

In 1984 he was still pushing for it. In an article he wrote he talked about prisoners donating organs. I will admit that I have no problem with a death row prisoner who, of his own volition, wants to freely donate his organs being allowed to do so. However, Kervorkian's approach would be more that off putting pressure on them that comes accross more as coersion.

He knew that what he wanted to do wasn't so much voluntary cooperation by the prisoners, but actions that were identical to Mengele's & banned by the Nuremburg Code. In 1985 in the Journal of the National Medical Association he wrote: "Postwar analysis of Nazi experimentation on human beings seems to have been so excruciating that it blinded the civilized world to a very important point in the formulation of the Nuremberg Code. Nowhere in the code is there any reference to experimentation (under anesthesia) on those who chose and desire it as an act of atonement when condemned to death by due process of peacetime jurisprudence…In the United States where death rows are once again becoming over populated, all condemned persons should be allowed to choose to submit to experimentation, or to organ donation, under strictly controlled anesthesia before ultimate death by lethal thiopental injection."

Writing an article in a 1986 edition of Medicine and Law, Kevorkian went even farther, making it clear, as you will see, that voluntary was simply a cover he used to give him the freedom to experiment on whoever he wanted. (Caution: some of what you are about to read will turn your stomach, it did mine.) "The so-called Nuremberg Code and all its derivatives completely ignore the extraordinary opportunities for terminal experimentation on humans facing imminent and inevitable death…[including] the extraction of medical benefit from the process of judicial execution from those dying of irremediable illness or trauma and from suicide mandated by inflexible religious or philosophical principles or by irrevocable personal choice. Other potential subjects include comatose, brain dead, or totally incapacitated individuals as well as live fetuses in or out of the womb." (emphasis mine) So much for voluntary. His comment putting down personal choice as well as the list of others he wants to experiment on makes it clear that he was looking to do exactly what Mengele did, on whoever he wanted, regardless of their own wishes. The last bit about live fetuses is especially sick & twisted.

As I said earlier, I have no problem with someone who truly wants to donate to be allowed to. However, I can also understand why the rules are there that don't allow it. They are there as a protection from getting onto the slippery slope Kervorkian wanted to take us down.

Kervorkian even came up with a term for what he wanted to do "Obitiatry". In his 1993 book Prescription Medicide: The Goodness of Planned Death (Talk about a title that could be straight out of MiniTrue Orwell's 1984!!!) we find his definition (pg 214) "I feel it is only decent and fair to explain my ultimate aim….It is not simply to help suffering and doomed persons kill themselves—that is merely the first step, an early distasteful professional obligation (now called medicide) that nobody in his or her right mind could savor. [W]hat I find most satisfying is the prospect of making possible the performance of invaluable experiments or other beneficial medical acts under conditions that this first unpleasant step can help establish—in a word obitiatry." (emphasis mine) By now it should be absolutely clear that Kervorkian was anything but a hero seeking to help those suffering to ease their pain. He was a sick & twisted monster who only cared about what he could get out of using others for his own sick & sordid experiments.

& what type of experiments? Well here is what he wrote about that in the book: "If we are ever to penetrate the mystery of death—even superficially—it will have to be through obitiatry. Research using cultured cells and tissues and live animals may yield objective biological data, and eventually perhaps even some clues about the essence of mere vitality or existence. But knowledge about the essence of human death will of necessity require insight into the nature of the unique awareness of or consciousness that characterizes cognitive human life. That is possible only through obitiatric research on living human bodies, and most likely centering on the nervous system…on anesthetized subjects [to] pinpoint the exact onset of extinction of an unknown cognitive mechanism that energizes life." This almost sounds like your stereotypical evil scientist from a SciFi movie or TV show. Except in this case, the scientist is a real person, not a fictional character.

But for those who still may have some doubts about how evil Kervorkian really was then I add the following facts: "He never limited his killing practice to people with terminal illnesses. About 70% were disabled. Five of Kevorkian’s patients were not sick upon autopsy."

"Kevorkian took the kidneys from one assisted suicide victim–a man with quadriplegia–and held a press conference offering them “first come, first served.”
"Janet Good, conspired with Kevorkian in his reign of lawlessness, even planning to help kill a patient and then, with Kevorkian, rush the cadaver into a hospital, so organs could be procured. (They never carried out the plan)."

Like so many in the "culture of death", he put higher value on animals that humans. On pg 211 of the same book where he defined obitiatry he wrote: "On reflection, however, I came to the conclusion that rather than a setback, rejection of my request actually saved me from a serious breach of what I personally consider to be correct conduct of clinical researach. That is, never do an any live animal anything aimed solely or primarily for human benefit, and for the performance of which live human subjects are available under ethically unassailable circumstances. That was the case when in the early 1960s, I carried out cadaver blood transfusions on human recipients, even for the first time." In his twisted ethics, he sees experiments on animals is bad. But following in the steps of Mengele is is morally OK since they are only humans, born or unborn, & thus he should be able to do whatever he wants to them.

I have said before that what I see going on these days reminds me of NAZI Germany. After reading these facts on Kervorkian, as well as that fact that the media is holding him & what he did up as a role model, I am more convinced than ever this country has lost it's moral compass & we are on exactlt the same road that Germany was pre WW II.

So once again I have to call us to prayer & repentance. Pray (especially the Rosary & Divine Mercy Chaplet) for the conversion of those who are promoting the "culture of death". Pray, do some sort of penance, like fasting, then speak out, educate others about the truth, & pray some more. We cannot just sit back & do nothing. We must act or we will have to answer to God for the inaction on our part.

Source: Media Obituaries on Jack Kevorkian Use Revisionist History