Is Anybody There?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says Yahweh Sabaoth" Zach 4:6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dio di Signore, nella Sua volontà è nostra pace!" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." Ben Franklin 1759

Friday, August 31, 2012

Some Thoughts on Last Night's Closing of the 2012 Republican Convention



Last night at the DBQ Republican HQ there was a pizza party to watch the coverage of the closing session of the Republican Convention. We were watching it on C-Span as it was the only way to watch it without all the talking heads. I would like to share a few thoughts about what I saw.
I was impressed with how they handled presenting Mitt Romney. The Democrats have attacked him as being uncaring, willing to destroy jobs to make money & very anti-woman. Many of the speakers answered that, members of his Church who shared how he helped them in times of need; his lieutenant governor, Kerry Healey; Jane Edmonds, former secretary of Massachusetts' Department of Workforce Development; Olympic athletes from the 2002 Olympics that he took over & saved from disaster & people helped by Bain Capital, something Romney pointed out in his speech that he helped start out as a small business.
Romney's speech was 1 of the best I have heard. He did a good job  of telling about himself & his family. While he is a Morman, rather than focusing on the differences he emphasized the common values they share with Catholics & Protestants. He emphasized faith in God, family values & what made America great & how it can return to that greatnest. His best line was “As president, I will protect the sanctity of life. I will honor the institution of marriage. And I will guarantee America’s first liberty: the freedom of religion.” No speech is perfect, but this was about as good as it can get from a candidate.
Clint Eastwood is starting to show his age, but after last night's appearance, he could start a new career as a stand-up commedian. At times he did appear a bit rambling & a few lines didn't come across to well over the mic. But overall, I thought he was funny while getting across the message, it is a time for a change. As I listened to it, I knew that the talk heads in the Main Stream Media would rip him apart. & from what i heard this morning, they did. My advice to them, get over it.
My favorite part was where he said "I would just like to say something, ladies and gentlemen. Something that I think is very important. It is that, you, we -- we own this country. We -- we own it. It is not you owning it, and not politicians owning it. Politicians are employees of ours.
And -- so -- they are just going to come around and beg for votes every few years. It is the same old deal. But I just think it is important that you realize , that you’re the best in the world. Whether you are a Democrat or Republican or whether you’re libertarian or whatever, you are the best. And we should not ever forget that. And when somebody does not do the job, we got to let them go."
I could see that sound bite being used in an ad. At the end a group of our Founding Fathers & Mothers ( John Adams, Abigail Adams, Sam Adams, George Washington, Martha Washington, Tom Jefferson, John Hancock, Molly Pticher, Betsy Ross, Ben Franklin) appear & say "We approve of this message!"
Fla Sen Marco Rubio's speech was another good one. I would say he is one to watch in coming years. He shared his story about being the son of Cuban immigrants &the struugles of his family to make it so he was able to be where he is today. The part about his relationship with his maternal grandfather, who escaped from Cuba in 1962, especially hit home with me. It sounded exactly like that with my maternal grandfather who had immigrated from Italia. I could see his sitting & talking to his grandfather the way I did with mine. (PS both our fathers were bartenders as well.)
Finally, a comment about Archbishop Dolan's closing prayer. Perfect. I was not surprized to hear that the networks & cable news cut away from him. After all, what he prayed for isn't exactly what they want to see happen. He prayed for religious liberty & God's blessing of those unborn. I predict that at next week's Democratic convention, many of the delegates won't stick arround because they know they won't like what he will pray & those who do will mostly be unhappy because it will likely be similar to the prayer he said here.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

You Can't Make These Things Up - DBQ Frannies Edition

About 2 weeks ago, I did a post that took a bit of a look at what the Leadership Council of Women Religious' annual assembly might include. While it was definitely a spoof, I knew that there was some basis in reality. Especially with the heavy new age focus. So, I included plenty of emphasis of that in the workshops & what would be available for those participating.
Well today I came across some upcoming offerings at the Shalom Retreat Center here in DBQ. Shalom is run by the DBQ Franciscans, home to St. Pat Farrell, the LCWR head honcho. What I saw proved how close to home I hit in my post.
Let us start with this:
T’ai Chi Chih ClassesTuesdays, Sept. 11, 18, 25, Oct. 2, 9, 16; 9:30 – 10:15am
Instructor: Marian Klostermann OSF

T’ai Chi Chih is a series of 20 movements that are slow, gentle, and easily done by anyone regardless of age or physical condition. By circulating and balancing the “chi” or vital energy within us, the T’ai Chi movements promote physical, mental, emotional and spiritual harmony and well-being. Marian has practiced and taught T’ai Chi for more than 25 years. T’ai Chi Chih is a modified form
 
This is an new age as it gets.  Any doubts, you can check out this website about Chi Energy & see how it is tied in to New Age. Or how about this one at White Magic Way? I could go on, but I think I made my point.
 
Then there is an upcoming retreat about St. Clare of Assisi presented by Sr. Beth Lynn OSC that presents her as the "co-founder of the Franciscan way of life. Besides the historic revisionism the retreat includes the following:
1:00pm Clare As Servant: Foot Massage
(provided by massage therapists from Wellness on Davis)

- Clare’s Prayer: Gaze, Consider,
- Contemplate, Imitate
- Franciscan Charism Today
 
A foot massage sounds innocent enough, even if out of place at a retreat like this. That is until you look at who is providing it, Wellness on Davis. 1st of all, they are a part of the Shalom retreat center. 2ndly, their massage services include Energy work, Reflexology & Healing touch.
Again, need I point out the New Age emphasis in what they do. You can be sure that philosophy permeates all their massage services.
Something tells me that the take on how St. Clare prayed & contemplated witll contain little to no reference to her Eucharistic focus other than to say how it provides an example
 
Next we have this:
HIDDEN SPRINGS:
A Fountain-Making Workshop / ReflectionSaturday, Sept. 15, 9:00am – 1:00pm
Leader/Instructor: Diane Konshak

Wouldn’t you like to build your own unique tabletop fountain? They’re soothing, refreshing and relaxing, and they are easy to make and personalize. In scripture, the well is a rich symbol on various levels. During the fountain making process, participants will explore this symbol at each level of construction and hopefully gain insight into the “hidden springs” within each of us. At the end of the workshop each person will go home with a completed fountain.
Again, it sounds innocent, if a little out of place, yet I am aslo willing to bet the symbolism & the "hidden springs" being discovered have nothing to do with the really spring of Living Water that Jesus gives us through the Holy Spirit.
 
Finally, there is this series based on a book about Jesus. Sounds OK? Wait until you see how the author describes Jesus.
DAYS OF QUIET & PRAYER BOOK: "Jesus: Uncovering the Life, Teachings and Relevance
of a Religious Revolutionary" by Marcus J. BorgWednesdays, Sept. 12, Oct. 10, Nov. 14, Dec. 12
9:30am – 2:30 pm (9:15am – continental breakfast)
Facilitator: Eileen Miller OSF

Episcopalian Marcus J. Borg is internationally known as a respected biblical and Jesus scholar. This book is described as “a rounded and compelling portrait of Jesus as charismatic healer, sage, and prophet, a man living in the power of the Spirit and dedicated to radical social change.” In it, Borg reveals Jesus as a real man of his time, directing his teaching to the people of his time and place. The book, therefore, challenges readers who want to be true followers of Jesus to listen more carefully to how and what we are called in our own time and culture.
Each session will begin with prayer and each participant will be given a booklet to aid personal reflection throughout the day. Faith-sharing and prayer will conclude each day.

Jesus is described as "dedicated to radical social change", a "religious revolutionary" & "a real man of his time".  In short this book is the very type of historical Jesus that Papa Benedetto warned about avoiding, the type that denies his divinity & reduces him to a merely historical figure. Borg is a liberal Episcopal priest. He says that understanding Easter as being about Jesus’ resurrection as “physical” & “bodily.” "is a distraction."  He goes on to say "To reduce it to a spectacular miracle a long time ago and a hope for an afterlife is to diminish it and domesticate it. It is not about heaven. It is about the transformation of this world. Jesus was killed because of his passion for a different kind of world."In short 2000 years of Catholic & Christian teaching about Jesus' mission & what the Kingdom really is are a lie acccording to him. He undermines the magesterial teaching of the Catholic Church.
 
While not everything held at the Shalom Center is bad, that they would sponsor events like this shows more proof of how valid the complaints by the Vatican are & why the Vatican is right in calling the LCWR & their affiliated orders to clean up their act.

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Wednesday, August 29, 2012

The Republican Party Pro-Life Platform

Once again, the Republican Party has adopted a solidly Pro-life platform at the 2012 convention in Miami. While some Republicans are saying that this still leaves room for a rape/incest exception, a careful reading of what it says makes it clear that there is no room for that exception. That would be like saying there are exceptions to the 13th Amendment ban on slavery. There is a diference between being imprisoned for a crime you didn't commit (involuntary servitude)  & being killed via abortion because of a crime (rape, incest) that the parent or parents (in some cases of incest where both did it willingly) did. Our laws protect the children of criminals from being punished for the crimes of their parents. That MUST extend to the children who, through no fault of their own, were conceived through a crime of rape or incest done by the parent.  

THE SANCTITY AND DIGNITY OF HUMAN LIFE
Faithful to the “self-evident” truths enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, we assert the sanctity of human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed. We support a human life amendment to the Constitution and endorse legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment’s protections apply to unborn children. We oppose using public revenues to promote or perform abortion or fund organizations which perform or advocate it and will not fund or subsidize health care which includes abortion coverage. We support the appointment of judges who respect traditional family values and the sanctity of innocent human life. We oppose the non-consensual withholding or withdrawal of care or treatment, including food and water, from people with disabilities, including newborns, as well as the elderly and infirm, just as we oppose active and passive euthanasia and assisted suicide.
Republican leadership has led the effort to prohibit the barbaric practice of partial birth abortion, permitted States to extend health care coverage to children before birth. We urge Congress to strengthen the Born Alive Infant Protection Act by exacting appropriate civil and criminal penalties to health care providers who fail to provide treatment and care to an infant who survives and abortion, including early induction delivery where the death of the infant is intended. We call for legislation to ban sex-selective abortions – gender discrimination in its most lethal form – and to protect from abortion unborn children who are capable of feeling pain; and we applaud U.S. House Republicans for leading the effort to protect the lives of pain-capable unborn children in the District of Columbia. We call for a revision of federal law 42 U.S.C. 289.92 to bar the use of body parts from aborted fetuses for research. We support and applaud adult stem cell research to develop lifesaving therapies, and we oppose the killing of embryos for their stem cells. We oppose federal funding of embryonic stem cell research.
We also salute the many states that have passed laws for informed consent, mandatory waiting periods prior to an abortion, and health protective clinic regulation. We seek to protect young girls from exploitation through a parental consent requirement; and we affirm our moral obligation to assist, rather than penalize, women challenged by an unplanned pregnancy. We salute those who provide them with counseling and adoption alternatives and empower them to choose live, and we take comfort in the tremendous increase in adoptions that has followed Republican legislative initiatives.
 

Memo to Obama, His Administration, Planned Parenthood & All the "Culture of Death" Gang

Just thought you might what God has to say about what you are doing!
 
 "When the wicked are on the increase, sin multiplies, but the upright will witness their downfall." - Proverbs 29:16 (New Jerusalem Bible)
 
I came across this quote during my prayer time this morning. There is 1 small difference I need to mention, I use the 1966 edition which had the word virtuous in place of upright. But it still is the same idea.
Right now, everything looks like the 1st part of this verse. The wicked seem to be growing in numbers & in the control of everything. Sin is multiplying. TV is promoting all kinds of sinful lifestyles. Ditto movies. The Obama administration is promoting gay marriage, abortion, & the rest of the Planned Parenthood agenda. Meanwhile, virtuous living is being attacked. The Catholic Church, faithful Catholics, in fact all Christians who uphold the truth about sin, are seeing attempts to silence them or drive them totally out of the public square. They are even being forced to support things, like artificial birth control, that are against the teachings of the Church. Those that are attempting to speak out are being threatened with being treated as domestic terrorists. 
Given how things look, all those who are upright/virtuous could be justified for wanting to dispair. But God tells us not to give in. Instead, those of us who are following the truth taught by Jesus & are letting the Holy Spirit guide us & grace us with the gifts we need to live upright & virtuous lives are told to hold on to the hope that this won't last. The day is coming when the "culture of death" WILL be defeated & a Culture of Life will be there instead.
So, what are we to do in the meantime?
Nothing but wait & see is not an option.
But prayer is. We must pray for God's will to come about. We must pray that the hearts of those promoting these evils will be touched, they will repent of their sins & turn to Christ. But we must also do more.
The proverb says the virtuous/upright will see their downfall. So we must repent of our sins as well as those of our nation. Beyond that we must allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives so that we grow in the virtues God expects us to live in.
Also, we must speak out to proclaim the truth, whether it be about abortion, gay marriage or any of the other evils so prevelant in our society. We must do so, no matter the cost.
Today is the day the Catholic Church commemorates The Passion of St. John the Baptist (formerly the Beheading of St. John the Baptist). St. John's actions show us how we are to proclaim the truth in our time. Earlier in his prophetic ministry, he called people to repentance. When a group of Pharisees & Sadducees came to him he called them to show the fruit of true repentance, in short to live a truly virtuous life. He saw how King Herod had not only divorced his 1st wife, but then married his half-brother's wife. In short they were living in sin, adultry as well as incest. Add to this a good dose of lust that shows up again later with Salome.
Now John the Baptist could have remained silent. Instead he spoke out the truth about the situation. So Herod had him arrested to silence him. Even while in prison, John kept telling Herod the truth. Herodius got Salome to ask for his head from Herod after the promise he made to Salome while drunk.
For some of us, our lives may end in martyrdom if we keep speaking up. But even that shouldn't stop us. St. John didn't give into fear of what humans might do, instead he let the fear of the Lord operate in his life so he could grow in virtue. & that fear of the Lord gave him the courage to speak up no matter the cost. While some might say he was abit harsh at times, I counter by saying what he said was done out of love. He wanted even those he called vipers to repent rather than reject the truth. In that case, he knew that his calling them vipers was the truth about who they were.
But whether we are martyred or not, we will see the day when the "culture of death" is defeated, just as God has promised. All we must do is what I said, grow in virute & uprightness, bearing the fruit of doing so in our lives as I described above.
 
The head of St John the Baptist, enshrined in aside chapel in the San Silvestro in Capite, Rome.

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Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Our Tax Dollars At Work (In a Way They Weren't Meant To)

Working to re-elect Obama.
I have already pointed out many times the corrupt relationship between President Obama & Planned Parenthood, not to mention that he has with the rest of the abortion industry. I have even described it as worse than any corruption worked by the Mafia. I stand by that. Planned Parenthood & Obama with his administration are joined at the hip.
Over the past few months Obama has been paying back Planned Parenthood for their past help by giving them the HHS mandate forcing everyone to cover birth control & some abortifacient drugs. Additionally, when states have done the right thing & cut funds to Planned Parenthood off, he has either forced them to restore the funds, or directly give the local affiliates the money directly. Thanks to Obama, over the past year Planned Parenthood has received nearly a half billion dollars of our tax dollars.
You can be sure that if he is re-elected that the next HHS mandate will be to require all health insurance plans cover abortion, & probably with no co-pay either.
So you can definitely be sure that Planned Parenthood, through its Planned Parenthood Action Fund (PPAF) is doing all it can to get Obama re-elected. They know if Romney gets in, the cash flow will be cut off & they will face huge cutbacks & be forced to close down clinics. That means they won't be able to advance their demonic "culture of death" agenda as a result. The good news for the preborn is that those closings will mean many more of them won't be facing an early death in the womb.
Earlier this year, PPAF launched a $1.4 million telivision campaign aimed at getting Obama re-elected. & Obama paid them back literally stumping for them in appearances last June & July.
Now PPAF has launched a $3.2 million campaign will feature everything from online ads to old-fashioned door to door politics. It also includes a multi-state bus tour promoting their cause, although they will couch it in terms of women's health & choice rather than what it really is, keeping the money flowing in.
Additionally, NARAL will have its own anti-Romney effort, likely coming in at more than $2.5 million.
Fortunately, the Pro-life side isn't being silent.
Earlier today I heard a radio Ad by Catholic Vote, telling the truth about Paul Ryan & what he really stands for. Melissa Ohdean, abortion survivor, is featured in a new TV commercial sponsored by the Susan B. Anthony List. Americans United for Life & many others will also be speaking up.
So while Obama is trying to hide his pro-abortion record, the truth is getting out. & will continue to get out.
 
 

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Monday, August 27, 2012

That's One Small Step for Man

One Giant Leap for Mankind!

With those words (accidently omiting the a before man), Neil Armstrong became the 1st human being to ever walk on the surface of the Moon.
This past Saturday, Neil Armstrong passed away at the age of 82.

 
His story is that of the early history of Space flight in America*. A Navy pilot in the Korean war, he later became a test pilot. The most famous aircraft he piloted was the X-15 rocket powered aircraft. He was a part of the 1950s Air Force Man In Space Soonest program. That was cancelled in 1958. He was a part of Project Mercury. But in 1962 he was chosen as one of the second group of NASA astronauts. He was command pilot of Gemini 8. Unfortunately the fligt was cut short due to problems when the Gemini capsule docked with the Agena Target vehicle.
He was selected as backup command pilot of Gemini 11. He also was backup commander for Apollo 8, the 1st manned spacecraft to orbit the moon. Fortunately, he didn't have to step in, so he was able to serve as commander of Apollo 11. The rest, as they say, is history.
After his flight he decided not to fly again. In 1970  he became deputy associate administrator for aeronautics at NASA. He also served on the panel that investigated the Apollo 13 explosion. In 1971 he resigned from NASA. He taught aerospace engineering at the University of Cincinnati for several years. He was on the commission that investigated the space shuttle Challenger disaster. He also served on the board of directors of several companies.
For the most part, he did his best to keep a low profile. But in 2010 he went public  with his concerns about President Barack Obama's space policy. He was concerned that it shifted attention away from a return to the moon & emphasized private companies developing spaceships. He also testified before Congress. In an email to The Associated Press, Armstrong said he had "substantial reservations." Along with more than two dozen Apollo-era veterans, he signed a letter calling the plan a "misguided proposal that forces NASA out of human space operations for the foreseeable future." (more on this later)
But no matter how much he accomplished, & it was a lot, he will always be remembered for his participation in Apollo 11 & the 1st landing on the Moon.
For me the events of 20 July 1969 are indelibly etched on my mind. It was a somewhat warm Sunday afternoon. My Grandpa & Dad had gone fishing. Like, many others I was watching the coverage of the landing that afternoon, CBS with Walter Cronkite of course. The Eagle (name of the lunar module) touched down at 4:17 pm CDT.
 

 
Having grown up with the space program (I was 12 at the time), this was the fullfillment of something I had longed looked forward to seeing.
Initially the EVA was scheduled for the middle of the night our time so the astronauts could get some rest. I was told I couldn't watch it because of the time. Thankfully, they decided to move it up. So I was thrilled I could get to watch it. The technology being what it was, the pictures were very definitely low def. Thankfully, they did have some better cameras to take pictures. & later flights did have color cameras.


Like I said, I grew up with the space program, from the launch of Mercury 3 with Alan Shepherd, through the Gemini program, thrrough the fire in Apollo 1 killing 3 astronauts to its culmination in our landing on the Moon. Like many a kid, I became addicted to orange Tang.



 I had built a model of the Apollo Space craft orbiting the moon with a detatchable lunar module. Thanks to my Uncle Sam, I had a moon globe so I could see exactly where the landing. I still have it, although the far side is lacking in the details now available.
The year before this, the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey came out. It showed mankind having a permanent presence in space, from a space station orbiting the Earth to a permanant manned presence on the Moon to preparing to go further out into the Solar System. Now it seemed to me & many others of my generation that 2001 was more reality than fiction.
We do have a space station. But it is nothing like that in the movie. We don't even have a shuttle, government or privately run flying to space. (PanAm doesn't even fly planes these days, it just runs a railroad.) We have no base on the Moon & no definite plans for anything beyond.
While I am sure Armstrong was not opposed to private companies developing spaceships, he was opposed, & rightly so, to Obama basicly gutting manned space flight for America. But the government does still have a huge role to play.
As John Steele Gordon said last in a lecture last February (published in the July/August 2012 issue of Imprimus) "government can be good at doing basic research, such as in space technology, where the costs were far beyond the reach of any private organization. Only government resources could have put men on the moon. Nevertheless, I’m encouraged to see that the next generation of rockets is being developed by private companies, not NASA. That’s a step in the right direction." The same could be said of going to Mars. Instead of making it a balanced both, Obama has basicly put limits on what we will be able to do in the immediate future.
I am very happy to see private companies step up. This is what has happenned throughout history. The 1st explorations of America by Europe were funded by governments. But later private enterprize stepped in. Sadly for many years after Apollo private development was discouraged & only recently encouraged. But we still need a manned space program from NASA as well.
Besides Tang (not invented by NASA, just made famous), much of what we take for granted today is a result of manned space flight. The list is too long to include but you can read about some of them here & here. These came about because of a proper cooperation between the government & the private sector.
Instead of wisely spending money, we are just getting further into debt. In doing so, we are destroying the possiblity for America to continue to be great & the leader in developing the technology of the future. While I suspect this is exactly what Obama wants, we can't let it stand. What we have done has been to the benifit of all, not just America. Without what we have done, much of the tools to aide those in the 3rd world to have clean water, be cured of diseases & help them lead a better life wouldn't exist.
Armstrong was a space pioneer & a hero. The best way we could honor him now is to go back to what made us great, the willingness to find challenges, like manned flight into space, & find solutions to what keeps us from overcoming them.
Yes, there will be risks, like there were for those who explored the oceans*, but the cost is worth it.

______________
*I don't think the average person really grasps the risks made by those pioneers in space flight. Even though I watched all the coverage of the Mercury, Gemini & Apollo flights, I know I didn't fully understand until I visited the US Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville AL in 1989. (Ditto with Columbus & the other exploratory voyages until I was on a replica of La Niña.) I got to see an actually Mercury capsule, a Gemini trainer capsule & an Apollo capsule. They were smaller than most cars. I got to stand besides 1 of the Saturn V rocket nozzles, which was 1/3 taller than me. Then to see a full sized replica of the Apollo 11 Saturn V. The Apollo capsule is miniscule in comparison to the rest of the rocket. The early astronauts were truly heros who bravely risked all so that I can be sitting here typing this on a computer that wouldn't be without their efforts & those who developed the equipment they used.

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Those of Us Speaking Up For Life & Liberty Will Not Go Away

Last Sunday, the following letter appeared in the DBQ TH: 

Letter: Stop your whining and do something FROM RUSSELL WISE 2291 HELLE COURT, ASBURY, IOWA Telegraph Herald| 13 comments
I really wish some of the citizens of Dubuque would stop their whining. Abortion, red-light cameras, City Council and the list goes on.
Abortion is legal, so just deal with it. If red-light cameras scare you, then take the new Jule and sell your car, as it would probably make the roads safer. If the City Council does not trip your trigger, then get off your lazy butt and run for office.
There are three types of people in this world: Those who make things happen, those who watch things happen and those who complain because they have no idea what happened.
We elect officials to represent the best interests of the people by the people and for the people, so let them do their job.

After reading it, I knew I had to reply. My response was printed in today's paper. It appeared exactly as I wrote it.

Letter: Protesters have right to speak for cause
FROM ALLEN TROUPE 2003 KEY WAY, APT. 2Telegraph Herald | 5 comments


After reading the letter from Russell Wise (TH, Aug. 19) I have to ask if he really understands what he is saying when he is telling people to shut up and stop protesting what our elected officials are doing. It seems that he is intentionally trying to silence us, keeping us from defending what the Declaration of Independence says are our "unalienable rights," including life and liberty that God, not government, endowed us with, because he disagrees with what we stand for?To protect our free exercise of them, the Constitution and especially the 1st Amendment are there.

First there is free expression of religion. Under Obamacare regulations, our religious liberty has come under attack. So people are exercising their free speech and assembly rights to speak up and protest this attack.
Pro-lifers are also speaking up to defend life from the moment it starts at fertilization. We have every right to peaceably assemble and protest in front of Planned Parenthood.
Another right is to petition the government when we disagree with what they are doing, like putting in the red-light cameras.
All we are doing is what those protesting slavery did in the 1800s. Following his logic, since slavery was legal they should have shut up. Ditto, the Civil Rights protests in the 1960s.
Sorry, we are not going to shut up. We vote, we run for office and we'll exercise our God-given right to speak up as well, to make things happen in our best interests.

Why You MUST See 2016: Obama's America

 
Earlier this month I wrote a post about a new movie coming out,  2016: Obama's America.  At the time I wrote "I feel fairly sure that Obama won't be cheering its release or seeing it as a positive for his re-election campaign. But it looks like a must see movie to enable those of us who are concerned to better defend our position & expose Obama'a goal of destroying America as we know & love it."
Without trying to sound like I am bragging, I was right. This is a movie that Obama doesn't want people to see because it tells the truth about who he is & what he believes in, as well as giving us insight into why he has done what he has as president as well as the direction he will take us if he gets reelected & he doesn't have to keep his real agenda hidden. That is why it is a MUST SEE!!!!!
I say that because the movie finally arrived in DBQ yesterday (it was rolled out over a period of weeks rather than all at once). & I went to see it in the afternoon. Several others I knew were at the same showing. Others went to a later showing.
The movie is a documentary. Unlike anything Michael Moore does, this one was balanced .Dinesh D'Souza didhis best to talk to family & friends. He wasn't always successful. But where he did talk to people he didn't use snippets, he ran extended conversations so that things were in context.
D'Souza, who is an immigrant from India, starts out sharing a bit of his experience in coming to America & the life he found here. He then shows the similarities between himself & Obama. This includes the fact that D'Souza came from post-colonial India & Obama's father was from post-colonial Kenya.
By the time this part was over, you began to wonder how 2 people with similar backgrounds could end up taking such diverse paths. The answer has a lot to do with Obama's father, what he stood for & the relationship, or lack thereof, they had.
For the most part, Obama's father was not there. So he was raised by his mother.  His mother,  Ann Dunham, remarried, & along with his step-father, Lolo Soetoro, they moved to Indonesia from Hawaii. As Lolo became more of a supporter of capitalism, the couple began fighting. Finally she sent Obama back to Hawaii.
D'Souza travels from Hawaii to Indonesia, back to Hawaii & finally ends up in Kenya. There they interviewed Obam's younger brother George. However, when he tries to meet with the part of the family where Obama's father is buried, they were told to leave after a call to find out about D'Souza. He did get to film the grave before being told to leave.
The movie looks at how Obama sold himself to get elected. It looks at some of what he has done during his 1st term. The scene with Nancy Pelosi speaking about passing the bill (ObamaCare) to find out what was in it literally caused me to shudder, twice. She is even scarier on the big screen than TV or YouTube video.  The movie ends with looking at what we can expect if Obama is re-elected when he has, as he told  Dmitry Medvedev, he has more flexability. What could happen is scary.
The movie looks at how Obama is working to downgrade our defense abilities while trying to ensure every rogue nation has access to nuclear weapons. It also shows how there is a rising United States of Islam that covers North Africa & the Middle East. (The only country I was surprized to see omitted was Sudan.) Then there is the looming financial crisis like Greece recently faced. If it happens, the damage done to the economy would be world wide.
Thinking about those facts later, I came to the conclusion that if all these things happen what is there to stop either a bunch of regional wars as nations try to get what they need for their people? Or even World War III set off by the jihad that the Arab States would definitely feel free to launch.
1 of the most interesting parts of the movie for me was where D'Souza looked at what could be considered Obama's founding fathers, Frank Marshall Davis, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, Bill Ayers, Edward Said, & Roberto Unger. While I was familiar with the Ayers & Wright connections, but not the others. I really wasn't that familiar with Said & Unger. But I was familiar with Davis. I was surprized & shocked that there was as close a  connection between him & Obama as there was.
As I said before, by the time you finish with this movie, you will have a much better idea of who Obama is based not only on his own writings, but by knowing what his father stood for & how much Obama buys into it, as well as that of his "founding fathers". It paints a picture of where he will take us if he gets a second term. & the picture is NOT a pretty one. It is downright scary. If reelected we could likely see the end of America & what made it so great. Yes, there are flaws & problems. D'Souza doesn't deny that in the movie. But Obama's final solution is not the answer. Like I pointed out, it could very well mean WW III.
Now I don't say this simply to scare people, but to say something MUST be done to stop Obama. Getting people to see the movie is part of it. Another part of it, in fact the most important, is to do what Fr. Parker said to us after the movie, we need to pray. Prayer, add to that repentance for the sins of the nation, & working to elect Pro-life candidates who want to make America the land of opportunity for all, like it was for my immigrant Italiano grandparents, not destroy it & the opportuinity it can still offer.

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Friday, August 24, 2012

Rebecca Kiessling v Gloria Allred on Piers Morgan

Whether you approve or disapprove of what Todd Akin said about rape it has brought the discussion about rape & abortion to the forefront.
Recently, Rebecca Kiessling, who was conceived as a result of rape, appeared on Piers Morgan's show on CNN to talk about whether rape is a justification for abortion. Also appearing was Gloria Allred, who had an illegal abortion after being raped. Rebecca Kiessling did her best, but it is clear the whole thing was slanted against her from start to finish. Allred is her typical self, ignoring facts, making outrageously false statements & is abetted by Morgan. You will see that Allred takes it beyond rape to defend abortion for any reason.

 

Among the statements made by Allred is the comment on deaths as a result of illegal abortions. That is based on numbers cooked up by Bernard Nathanson created for NARAL in the late 60s that he admitted were false after he became Pro-life.
Yes, Allred did have a botched abortion, but she ignores how that still regularly happens. See here for a story on 1 of the latests examples. As for how she puts her experience, she says  she underwent  abortion at a time when the operation could not legally be performed by a doctor. What she doesn't say is if she went to a doctor for it. Since most "back alley" abortions like hers were done in doctors' offices with the women coming in through the back alley door, it is likely that it was a doctor that botched it. Something those pushing the emphasis on safe totally ignore.
Notice also how Allred misrepresents the defense of the unborn child as giving him/her greater rights than the mother. No, not greater, just equal.
Also, a friend of mine pointed out how Allred claimed she would have killed herself if she hadn't had the abortion. Given how strong she is, & claims to always have been, that statment is questionable.
Those are just a few examples.
But, none of those facts presented by Allred were questioned. Yet, when Kiessling tried to present accurate facts, Allred dismissed them, calling them mind-numbing. This from 1 of the smartest lawyers in America???? They are only mindnumbing to those who don't want the truth because then they force those like Allred to face it.
Note: Rebecca Kiessling will be in Dubuque in October as a part of DBQ Co Right to Life's annual Pro-life Awareness month activities.

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Thursday, August 23, 2012

A Huge Spiritual Battle Is Brewing In Dubuque

Over the years I have posted about the 40 Days for Life Campaigns held twice a year. These campaigns are aimed at closing down abortion clinics, saving the lives of unborn babies & converting clinic workers through prayer & fasting. A huge part of the campaign is maintaining a peaceful prayer vigil in front of the clinic, usually 24 hrs, throughout the 40 days.
According to their website, since they started in 2004:
  • 1,894 individual campaigns have taken place in 440 cities
  • More than 525,000 have joined together in an historic display of unity to pray and fast for an end to abortion
  • More than 15,000 church congregations have participated in the 40 Days for Life campaigns
  • Reports document 5,928 lives that have been spared from abortion — and those are just the ones we know about
  • 69 abortion workers have quit their jobs and walked away from the abortion industry
  • 23 abortion facilities completely shut down following local 40 Days for Life campaigns
  • Hundreds of women and men have been spared from the tragic effects of abortion, including a lifetime of regrets
  • More than 2,100 news stories have been featured in newspapers, magazines, radio shows and TV programs from coast to coast ... and overseas
  • Many people with past abortion experiences have stepped forward to begin post-abortion healing and recovery
  • On 1 March 2012 the Planned Parenthood clinic in Storm Lake, IA closed (along with the nearby Knoxville site). This site was a location for a Fall 2011 vigil. That vigil was coordinated by Sue Thayer, who used to manage the Storm Lake site. You might also remember that Abby Johnson, a former director of  the Planned Parenthood clinic in Bryan, Texas. Bryan is where 40 Days started out.
    As I pointed out, the vigil in front of the clinics are peaceful & prayerful. Those who are involved are expected to be peaceful. they are expected to "show compassion and reflect Christ’s love to all abortion facility employees, volunteers, and customers."
    But in a sense, what they are doing is battling. The battle is spiritual & it uses spiritual weapons, prayer & fasting. Weapons that are much more effective than any violent act could every be. They are the weapons Christ told us to use. As the 40 Days site points out "Christ told us some demons can only be driven out by prayer and fasting. The two go hand in hand. Prayer keeps us rooted in the fact that it is our desire to carry out God's will. Fasting is a sacrifice that helps us reach beyond our own limitations with God's help."
    Now the 40 Days campaign is coming to DBQ. 4 years ago this month Planned Parenthood of East Central Iowa opened a clinic on Central Ave in DBQ. At the time they claimed there was a huge demand for their services. From the start DBQ Co Right to Life has coordinated a peaceful presence in front of the site during the hours they were open. It wasn't too long until they cut their hours from 40 to the 17 they now operate at. It was hoped that they would close after their lease was up last August. Instead they decided to buy a building (l) @ 3365 Hillcrest Rd. so they could start offering abortions. Jill June, CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Heartland who now operates it, has made it clear that she things she can outlast us, despite all the evidence to the contrary. The new site has not seen either an increase in hours or clients since moving out there. Up to now they have not officially offered abortions at the site. But by sometime in the middle of September, they will be officially providing telemed abortions.
    So DCRTL has decided it is time to step up to the next level in the fight to get Planned Parenthood out of town. So this Fall there will be a 40 Days campaign in DBQ. The dates are 26 Septemebr to 4 November.
    But there is much more to it than people just showing up & praying. Yes volunteers are needed. Anyone who wants to can go to the DBQ webpage to sign up. So if you are in the DBQ area, please do. If not, but you know someone here, encourage them to get involved.
    There will be a community outreach program. In addition, there will be several events put on. Among those events will be a kick-off rally planned for the 23 of September. This is in its early stages of planning, so I don't have any definite details. There will also be a Mass on the 25th & other events as well. I am the person coordinating the events so please keep me in your prayers as well.
    Please pray for the success of the campaign so that by 5 November Planned Parenthood is permanently out of DBQ. I want it to close on the 1st day, 26 Sept because that would make the perfect birthday present for me. But any time during the campaign will be fine.

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    Wednesday, August 22, 2012

    Announcing Dubuque County Right to Life's New Executive Director

    It was announced earlier this week that Marian Bourek will be taking over as Executive Director of DBQ Co Right to Life, replacing Steve Brody who left the position in May.
    I have known Marian for longer than I can remember. In that time I have found her to be a woman of deep faith as well as strongly committed to the Pro-life movement. I can think of no one better to take over as director of DCRTL. Her work in the Pro-life movement over the years (see list at bottom of post) uniquely qualifies her for the position. May God richly bless her efforts in the weeks & months ahead.
    Here is the story about her taking over as director from today's TH:
    Founder of Dubuque County Right to Life takes over as director
    BY MARY NEVANS-PEDERSON TH STAFF WRITER


    Marian Bourek plans to use her skills as a teacher to lead the pro-life group she helped found 24 years ago.Bourek was recently hired by Dubuque County Right to Life Inc. as executive director, replacing Steve Brody, who left the position suddenly in May. Neither Brody nor the group's board of directors would comment on why he left.
    "Now I will put my own education and training into my passion -- restoring respect for all human life in all of its stages," said Bourek, 57, of Farley, Iowa, who plans to find additional appearance venues for the group's speakers. She also hopes to attract new members.
    Bourek plans no major changes in the group's direction.
    "My vision is the same as it has always been -- to bring an end to all abortions and to restore respect for human life," she said. "People need to know the dangers of abortion, euthanasia and infanticide."
    Bourek's main target will continue to be Planned Parenthood, particularly its Dubuque clinic. Dubuque County Right to Life has picketers in front of the clinic daily.
    "For the first time, we're joining with the national '40 Days of Prayer' from Sept. 26 to Nov. 4," she said.
    The group will schedule people to pray in one-hour shifts at the clinic each of the 40 days. The goal is to "close the doors of Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion committer in the world, not only here but everywhere. It's the total opposite of what we stand for," she said.
    The pro-life movement is seeing a resurgence, Bourek said.
    "Right after Roe versus Wade (the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortions), momentum built hard and fast, but then people got used to it and enthusiasm declined," she said. "But the pendulum is swinging our way again and exciting things are happening."
    For example, the first trips organized by Bourek from Dubuque to Washington, D.C., to the March for Life started with one bus 17 years ago. Now the annual pro-life pilgrimage attracts enough marchers to fill nine buses every January.

    Marian Bourek
    Age: 57
    Lives in: Farley, Iowa
    Family: Husband, Virgil, a Dyersville veterinarian, and five grown children
    Job: Starts as the executive director of Dubuque County Right to Life Inc. on Sept. 10. Formerly a special-education teacher, religious education director and stay-at-home mother.
    Previous pro-life activity: Founded right-to-life groups in Ames, Farley and Dubuque; held leadership positions with Dubuque County Right to Life; member of Iowans for Life and held leadership positions; on the board of directors of Life Decisions International.


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    Tuesday, August 21, 2012

    Paul Ryan for VP - Putting the Cafeteria Catholics on Notice


    Paul Ryan has been a thorn in the side of the liberal, pro-abort, cafeteria Catholycs in Name Only for a long time. They have done everything to attack him & mislead people into thinking that his budget & other things he has pushed for are contrary to Catholic teaching & should be stopped. Yet these are the same people who claim it is OK to support abortion & still be a good Catholic. 1 of the gangs leading those attacks are the Nuns on the Bus sponsered ny NETWORK who are affiliated with the Leadership Council of Women Religious, a group that is not known for being faithful to the magestrial teachings of the Catholic Church. They forget that there is a difference between what the Catholic Church teaches is intrinsicly evil & always wrong, like abortion or its teachings on dealing with the poor which allow for prudential judgment as to what is best.
    Another area they often attack him on (as do some on the right) is how he sometimes references Ayn Rand. He makes it clear however, that he doesn't blindly buy into what she says. Rather he points out what is good in her writings. As he told the National Catholic Reguister "I am by no means an objectivist; I am a Catholic, you know. I am nothing close to an objectivist, but I do think Ayn Rand did a service, did a great job of outlining the morality of capitalism, of making the moral case for freedom, free enterprise and capitalism. You don’t have to buy into all the objectivist stuff to appreciate what she did on that front.” The irony here is that these same people on the left attacking him for this are the ones who point to Vatican II's statements on truth as a justification for their relativistic views. Yet they attack Ryan for properly following that teaching.
    In the past few days, several Bishops have spoken out in defense of Paul Ryan & how he is being a faithful Catholic. Being very careful (& rightly so) to not make it sound like they are endorsing him. While they aren't endorsing him, you can be sure that the left will attack them & say they have. Yet, they applaud a Bishop or Bishop who supports their side. Can you say double standard?
    The 1st Bishop to defend him was, naturally enoough, his own Bishop, Robert Morlino of Madison. (You may remember that Morlino has been making liberals in his diocese upset by working to clean up the mess in the Platteville parishes.) Last Thursday (16 Aug) Bishop Morlino published a column on the Diocese of Madison Catholic Herald website, Subsidiarity, solidarity, and the lay mission.
    In it he starts out by saying how proud he is of Ryan's accomplishments. Then he goes on to say "It is the role of bishops and priests to teach principles of our faith, such that those who seek elected offices, if they are Catholics, are to form their consciences according to these principles about particular policy issues."
    The Bishop adds "However, the formation of conscience regarding particular policy issues is different depending on how fundamental to the ecology of human nature or the Catholic faith a particular issue is. Some of the most fundamental issues for the formation of a Catholic conscience are as follows: sacredness of human life from conception to natural death, marriage, religious freedom and freedom of conscience, and a right to private property.
    Violations of the above involve intrinsic evil — that is, an evil which cannot be justified by any circumstances whatsoever. These evils are examples of direct pollution of the ecology of human nature and can be discerned as such by human reason alone. Thus, all people of good will who wish to follow human reason should deplore any and all violations in the above areas, without exception. The violations would be: abortion, euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide, same-sex marriage, government-coerced secularism, and socialism."
    In short, all the things that Ryan does follow the teachings on by opposing & the catholycs on the left see as things that are OK to support.
    Then Bishop Morlino goes in for the kill. "In these most fundamental matters, a well-formed Catholic conscience, or the well-formed conscience of a person of good will, simply follows the conclusions demanded by the ecology of human nature and the reasoning process. A Catholic conscience can never take exception to the prohibition of actions which are intrinsically evil. Nor may a conscience well-formed by reason or the Catholic faith ever choose to vote for someone who clearly, consistently, persistently promotes that which is intrinsically evil." He totally undermines all the relativistic justifacation those catholycs use to support Obama.
    But the good Bishop doesn't stop there. Next he talks about a well formed conscience & how you know it is. "However, a conscience well-formed according to reason or the Catholic faith, must also make choices where intrinsic evil is not involved. How best to care for the poor is probably the finest current example of this, though another would be how best to create jobs at a time when so many are suffering from the ravages of unemployment. In matters such as these, where intrinsic evil is not involved, the rational principles of solidarity and subsidiarity come into play."
    Then He goes on to explain what the authentic Catholic teaching is on subsidiary & solidarity are. Next he explains how to apply them in the examples mentioned.  "As one looks at issues such as the two mentioned above and seeks to apply the principles of solidarity and subsidiarity, Catholics and others of good will can arrive at different conclusions. These are conclusions about the best means to promote the preferential option for the poor, or the best means to reach a lower percentage of unemployment throughout our country. No one is contesting here anyone’s right to the basic needs of food, clothing, shelter, healthcare, etc. Nor is anyone contesting someone’s right to work and so provide for self and family. However there can be difference according to how best to follow the principles which the Church offers."
    After expanding a bit on this he goes on to defend Paul Ryan as a good Catholic. "But, as I’ve said, Vice Presidential Candidate Ryan is aware of Catholic Social Teaching and is very careful to fashion and form his conclusions in accord with the principles mentioned above. Of that I have no doubt. (I mention this matter in obedience to Church Law regarding one’s right to a good reputation.)" Not only does he defend Ryan, he points out how those attacking him by claiming he isn't a good Catholic are the ones disobeying Catholic law in the way they are doing so. This after showing several other times how they haven't been the good catholics in other ways. Bishop Morlino did so in a way that didn't point fingers, rather he held up the truth & allowed their actions to speak for themselves.
    But it is not only Bishop Morlino who has spoken out in support of Ryan. Denver Archbishop Samuel Aquila wrote in a column about Ryan "Ryan is a Catholic and a fiscal conservative. Over the past few months he been has the subject of considerable criticism for his political views. His fiscal perspective has been roundly condemned as being somehow anti-Catholic- even by a few American bishops. At the core of this charge is the idea that Ryan is compassionless to the poor." Archbishop Aquila looks at some of Ryan's fiscal plans. He admits that he doesn't "know whether Paul Ryan’s fiscal plans are the right plans for America’s present- or her future."Then he goes on to say "But claims that Paul Ryan’s plan run deeply counter to Catholic social teaching are unfounded and unreasonable. Some criticisms are so insidious that one wonders whether the critics have actually read Ryan’s plans."
    Like Bishop Morlino, Archbishop Aquila looks at the difference between between what is non-negotionable & what requires prudential judgment. He goes on to explain how to properly debate these issues. "But a primary element of the debate for Catholics- for all reasonable adults- must be the long-term consequences of our choices. St. Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologica insists that strategic decisions take place in light of our end, or purpose, and the means to get there- rather than the dictates of immediate sentimental inclinations."
    He concludes by saying "We should have a serious debate about whether Paul Ryan’s plans- and those of his political opponents- serve our national purpose. We should discuss seriously whether they utilize just means. But we should also discuss whether his plans, and those of his opponents, prudently steward the resources we have.
    Paul Ryan is concerned that America will soon be bankrupt, and so we must make hard choices. If he is right, and we ignore the message because the consequences seem compassionless, our sentimental affections may cripple the ones our Lord loves the most- our children
    ."
    These last two paragraphs make it clear that what Ryan is doing in his budget proposals is an attempt to apply authentic Catholic teaching. IMHO, he is also saying those attacking him & putting forth what they say should be done are ignoring what Ryan is following.
    Next we have New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. He recently had praise for Ryan came in an interview with Sirius Catholic Radio wherein he noted his close personal friendship with the candidate. That came about when Dolan was Archbishop of Milwaukee. Dolan said "I have immense regard and admiration and affection for him, just personally.”
    Dolan went on to share some of the coversation Ryan & him have had about the budget. "He (Ryan) did say, 'I bristle when any Catholic politician who dares to suggest that we need to get our fiscal house in order, that we need to balance the budget, that we need to show some frugality and restraint, is automatically branded as anti-poor. . . . I am passionate about the poor. That, too, comes from my religious conviction. . . . Nobody suffers more from runaway deficits and a poor economy than the poor. And the best way we can help the poor is by getting our financial house in order — meaning jobs will go up, employment will go up, and they’ll be helped.'”
    And I wrote back and said, ‘You’ve got a good point.’ ‘And,’ I said, ‘let me applaud some of the things you are doing, namely your call for financial accountability and restraint and a balanced budget . . . and . . . let me also applaud your obvious solicitude for the poor.”
    Dolan added “Once again it comes down to that prudential judgment. How are we going to do it?”
    "He and I had a good, heated conversation and I offered some criticism which he was gracious in accepting. . . . [Ryan said he believes it is] 'probably time to ask a big question . . . whether so-called entitlement programs are the best way to help the poor. . . . I’m for the entitlement programs. We always have to have a vigorous safety net. But if we don’t do something to save them, our huge entitlement programs, like Medicare and Social Security' — to which he is committed, by the way —  are going to flounder. So I’m kind of the only one saying what we’ve got to do to save them. Please don’t say to me that I’m the one about to undo them. Actually, if we don’t do this, they’re going to be undone.'”
    "So I admire him. He’s honest. He’s refreshing. Do I agree with everything? No, but . . . I’m anxious to see him in action."
    Ryan wrote the following to Cardinal Dolan in April: "The vast network of centralized bureaucracies under a government that grows without limits has reached the point where an increasing majority of citizens are now receiving more in government payments than they provide in revenues. We believe human dignity is undermined when citizens become passive clients living on redistributions from government bureaucracies. Twenty years ago Blessed Pope John Paul the Great identified these problems as the “Social Assistance State” in his encyclical Centesimus Annus: “By intervening directly and depriving society of its responsibility, the Social Assistance State leads to a loss of human energies and an inordinate increase of public agencies, which are dominated more by bureaucratic ways of thinking than by concern for serving their clients, and which are accompanied by an enormous increase in spending.” . . . What he warned against as a threat to human dignity is now being realized in America."
     Cardinal Dolan affirmed on his radio show this week that the social-assistance state is “not the end-all, be-all. And it shouldn’t become an end in itself, and sometimes, it can become strangling.” He went on to credit Ryan with considering subsidiarity & solidarity in his approach to public policy. “It’s a both-and, not an either-or,” consideration, as most things in Catholic chemistry are.” Dolan also explained the proper application of subsidiary & solidarity.  "The subsidiarity would seem to say, “Hey, we need to work at the local level: families, neighborhood, churches, volunteer associations. The closer we can get to the folks, and the more we can avoid ‘Big Brother’ government, the better off we are.” That’s subsidiarity, and that’s always been a classic part of Catholic social justice. . . . Solidarity, though, also balances it out to say, “By the way, a civil, virtuous society is going to come together to take care of those most in need.” Now, somewhere between the two — which is another great classic of Catholic social justice — usually in the middle stands virtue."
    These 3 Bishops are doing what they are supposed to do, exercising their teaching ministry to show the proper way to live the teachings of the Catholic Church. They make it clear that Ryan IS doing just that, supporting the non-negotiables, like opposing abortion & gay-marriage, while trying to arrive at a prudential judgment when it comes to the budget. Ryan is being held up as an example of what a Catholic politician should be.
    As time goes on, it will be interesting to see how this plays out. You can be sure the Main Stream Media will ignore these statements, or downplay them if forced to face them. But they do give Ryan plenty to use to stand up & defend himself while giving those on the other side no grounds to claim Ryan isn't a good Catholic. So, unless they want to admit that the truth is, it is they who aren't following Catholic teachings, the leftist catholycs had better shut up because the truth is NOT on their side.


    Monday, August 20, 2012

    Arab Spring or Christian Winter????

    This morning on the radio I heard that showed me that the true face of what was called the Arab Spring in Egypt has reared its ugly head. We have had the media proclaim how the election last May was a triumph for democracy. Well, after hearing what I am about to share, I would say it has the potential to be more in line with the appointing of Hitler as chancellor of Germany or appointing Mussolini as Prime Minister of Italy.
    According to a report, Muslim Brotherhood operativescrucified those opposing Egyptian President Muhammad Morsi naked on trees in front of the presidential palace while abusing others.”
    Raymond Ibrahim, a fellow with the Middle East Forum and the Investigative Project on Terrorism, said “It’s anyone who is resisting the new government. In this particular case, the people attacked and crucified were secular protesters upset because of Morsi’s hostile campaign against the media, especially of Tawfik Okasha, who was constantly exposing him on his station, until Morsi shut him down.” Ibrahim went on to add that extra brutality is reserved for Christians, but the crucifixions are because of Islamic doctrine are required by the Quran.
    Center for Security Policy Senior Fellow Clare Lopez explained that crucifixions are not simply normal for Islam, they’re demanded by the Quran. “Crucifixion is a hadd punishment, stipulated in the Quran, Sura 5:33, and therefore an obligatory part of Shariah. It’s been a traditional punishment within Islam since the beginning."
    Lopez went on to add “So, the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood haven’t the option to not include crucifixion within their legal code. It’s obligatory to comply with Shariah. And yes, it’s for shock value also to be sure.”
    So much for democracy. What we are seeing instead appears to be full blown implimenting of Sariah & what it may mean elsewhere as it is allowed, including what may lie in store should it be allowed to be implimented here.
    Lopez also had a warning for Egypt’s Christians. She compares the coming treatment of the Christians to the Jews in Germany. “The Copts must get out of Egypt as soon as possible – for the many millions who will not be able to get out, I expect things will continue to deteriorate – just as they did for Germany’s and Europe’s Jews from the 1930s onward.”
    Author Pamela Geller of Atlas Shrugs, an analyst of the Middle East and Islam, also agrees that the Quran requires it. In addition to refernecing Sura 5:33 she said “The Christians are in serious trouble, because the Quran in Sura 9:29 commands Muslims to wage war against them and subjugate them, and they’re also identified with the hated West and the U.S..
    Recently Coptic Christian Bishop Paul of Tanta said that he will tell Copts to leave Egypt if the Church is not guaranteed religious jurisdiction. Bishop Paul, who is a representative of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the Constituent Assembly, is also threatening to leave the Assembly if Article II is not modified to his liking. Bishop Paul wants Article II of the constitution, which deals with the nature of the state as it relates to religious authority and principles, to include text guaranteeing that the Church will be given the mantel of authority for issues concerning Copts.
    Many of the Copts haven't waited & are already leaving Egypt.
    One of the leading Catholic experts on the Middle East has also issued an alarm. Father Samir Khalil Samir, an Egyptian Jesuit who teaches at Rome’s Pontifical Oriental Institute, said last May that "the situation is no more a spring." He also cites what is happenning in Libya & Bahrain as examples of why he was making the claims about the end of Arab Spring.
    Naturally the Main Stream Media (MSM) is so far ignoring this. Just like they have ignored the genocidal attacks by the Muslims controling Sudan against the Catholics in South Sudan. The only real coverage has been by FoxNews who recently pointed out how the UN is considering appointing Sudan"s resident, Omar al-Bashir, to the Human Rights Council.
    What we are seeing now with the killing & driving out of Christians  is nothing new for the Middle East. We need to remember that the Middle is is where Christianity started out & spread from. Yet most Middle East countries now have only a small number of Christians living there. The asnwer is simple, as Robert Spencer, director of Jihad Watch, pointed out in his book, The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (And the Crusades), it was a direct result of how Muslims treated the Christians (at that time all branches of Catholicism) after they took over. They were either forcibly converted, killed or forced to flee to avoid the other 2 alternatives.
    To put it bluntly, we are seeing the same thing happenning today in Egypt & elsewhere. The MSM isn't likely to say much about it because of their anti-Christian bias. So it is up to us to help get the word out. We also must pray for our persectued brothers & sisters that God will give them the strength to remain faithful in the face of these attacks. We are in a new age of martyrs. What is going on now in the Middle East especially, but also elsewhere, is just the beginning. With how things are going here in the USA, this is something we may soon be facing ourselves. Pray that we be ready should we have to face the same possiblity.

    (Added @ 3:12 PM) I just came across an article that talks about what is going on in Lybia. According to the article "over the past 10 years "approximately 12 Christian children, some as young as 10, have been abducted and murdered, then crucified near their homes in an effort to torment their parents and warn the Christian community at large." The article also looks at what has been going on in Iraq as well. IMHO, it just confirms what I said above.

    Friday, August 17, 2012

    A Report From the 2012 Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) Assembly

    As you may be aware, last week The Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) had its annual assembly in St. Louis, MO. The media focus was on the battle between the LCWR & the Vatican (slanted towards the LCWR & against the Vatican of course). What most people are NOT aware of is what was really going on down there. But between the theme, Mystery Unfolding: Leading in the Evolutionary Now, & the keynote speaker Barbara Marx Hubbard who is a huge leader in the New Age Movement*, you can be sure it was more about New Age beliefs & practices than authenticly Catholic.
    While what actually went on was a closely guarded secret from outsiders so that more proof the Vatican was right wouldn't get out, I was able to get the inside scoop as to what actually went on down there. 2 of my friends were able to get in posing as employees of the site & were able to sneak out a copy of the booklet given to everyone attending. They were also able to get some pictures of the opening prayer service. (NOTE: The wife of one of my friends told me to ask if there was a genuine, real honest to goodness, authentic princess out there. She is getting sick of the croaking. As for my other friend, they turned him into a newt, but he got better.)
    While I can't share everything in the booklet, I would like to share a few things to give you an idea of what went on down there. When I am summarizing something it will be printed in blue rather than black. Any explanations by me will be in blue italics.

    1st of all here is a part of the welcome message by Sr. Pat Farrell, president of the LCWR:
    I would like to welcome all of you to the annual assembly of the Leadership Council of Women Religious, or as we prefer to call ourselves, the Honorable American Gaian# Sisterhood (HAGS). We are really looking forward to what Ms Hubbard and the other speakers will be sharing with us to aid us on our journey as we continue our work to restore Gaia as well as overthrow the male patriarchy that has so long held us in bondage.
    Speaking of that patriarchy, you are all aware of what the Vatican has done over the past few years in its attempts to silence us and keep us under their male control. Things really came to a head earlier this year when the final report came out and they demanded that we submit ourselves to a committee of 3 male bishops to get us to return to what they call authentic catholicism rather than allowing our own truths to have equal value with what they label as truth.
    I want to pause here & thank the Main Stream Media for rallying to our cause & showing us as the victims of persecution we really are rather than dissidents the Vatican claims we are. We are especially grateful for how they painted all our efforts as good works and the Vatican as the bad guys.
    However, the leadership team is also aware of how much distress this has caused all of you because of having to deal with the Vatican attacks rather than going on searching for the truth as each of you sees it. These attacks have thrown your chakras out of alignment as well as causing great damage to your auras. We are also aware that the fact that we even have to discuss what the Vatican is doing may cause more harm to your inner peace & enlightenment. So, we have set up special rooms for you to go to to repair that damage. Several of them are set aside for the leading Reiki practitioners to set up shop to help with your healing. Of course there will be rooms for you to do your tantric Hatha Yoga exercises. We have set up a room with a maze where you can go to meditate and send out positive thoughts to our sisters who are unable to be here with us. You can also use the maze as an opportunity to pray to the goddess of your choice. Additionally we are providing each of you with your personal aroma therapist who will be on call  24 hours a day should the need arise.
    Here are a sample of some of the workshops for those attending:
    Making It Crystal Clear - This will help you to ensure that the crytal you pick out is perfectly attuned to your wavelength so that the energy of the universe can perfectly flow into you and empower you. The right crystal is also important for your being able to send out positive thoughts to those who need them.

    It's In the Cards (pts 1 & 2) -  Having the right tools and the skills to use them is important if you are to give your clients the best possible counciling for how to deal with their difficulties as well as find the answers to their questions and their own personal truth. One of those tools is the Tarot cards. Yes, any deck will work in a crunch. But there are a variety of sizes & styles of the images on them. So if you can find the deck that best reflects your personality, you will acheive optimum efficency in your use of them. The second part of this workshop will help you to hone your skills in reading the cards so you can give your clients a better reading.
    Discovering Your Inner Jezabel - Over the years she has been much maligned. However, Jezabel is a role model we can and should all learn from. This workshop will start with showing you how Astarte guided her and how she can guide us as well. Letting Astarte guide us we can reach the heights of power we were meant to have. We will also learn to avoid the pitfalls that Jezabel fell into thus allowing the patriarchal powers that be to destroy her efforts as well as herself while they claimed it was that false male god, הוה‎ (Yahweh), that did it.

    Does the Enneigram Still Count? - Lately the enneigram has fallen into disuse as a counseling tool in many places. It shouldn't. It is still one of the most effective tools to use to help those who come to you understand themselves. In fact it is needed now more than ever, especially since the male patriarchy at the Vatican raised questions about its use.

    There was also a list of exhibitors at the convention. It included this intro:

    We are glad to announce that once again we had every booth in our exhibitors hall is filled. This exhibitors range from publishers as well as retailers. There are also individual booths where some of the authors of the latest in New Age books & feminist theology will be available to talk to as well as autograph their works.
    The exhibtor we are most excited to have this year is that of Beelzebub, LTD (a division of Lucifer, Inc.). They will have on display the original copy of the contract that President Obama signed in his own blood when he sold his soul to Satan.

    Here is a part of the opening prayer service. It was held on Tuesday evening in an open field in a secluded rural area. The nuns got off the buses & gathered arround a huge cauldron. It is resting on a huge pile of wood that is unlit. Many of the nuns are carrying various items.  So you can follow along I have included a list of abbreviations for those who said various parts of the prayers. I have also included a couple of pictures of the goings on.

    P - Pat Farrell, OSF President of LCWR
    PE - Florence Deacon, OSF President-Elect of LCWR
    PP - Mary Hughes, OP Past President of LCWR
    ALL - The entire group assembled

    After everyone has gathered arround the cauldron & it is the proper time, Pat, accompanied by Flo & Mary will enter, each carrying a torch.

    Picture of the three leaders before lighting their torches

    P Thrice the brinded cat hath mew'd.
    PE Thrice and once the hedge-pig whined.
    PP Harpier cries 'Tis time, 'tis time.

    The torches are now thrown on the wood, lighting it. As the flames rise the chant begins. We ask that when the time comes, each person bring froth the item mentioned she is carrying & throw it in the cauldron.

    P Round about the cauldron go;
    In the poison'd entrails throw.
    Toad, that under cold stone
    Days and nights has thirty-one
    Swelter'd venom sleeping got,
    Boil thou first i' the charmed pot.
    ALL Double, double toil and trouble;
    Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.
    PE Fillet of a fenny snake,
    In the cauldron boil and bake;
    Eye of newt and toe of frog,
    Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
    Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting,
    Lizard's leg and owlet's wing,
    For a charm of powerful trouble,
    Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.
    ALL Double, double toil and trouble;
    Fire burn and cauldron bubble.
    PP Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf,
    Witches' mummy, maw and gulf
    Of the ravin'd salt-sea shark,
    Root of hemlock digg'd i' the dark,
    Liver of orthodox Catholic^,
    Gall of goat, and slips of yew
    Silver'd in the moon's eclipse,
    Nose of Papist and his lips,
    Finger of aborted babe
    Done by Planned Parenthhood,
    Make the gruel thick and slab:
    Add thereto a tiger's chaudron,
    For the ingredients of our cauldron.
    ALL Double, double toil and trouble;
    Fire burn and cauldron bubble.
    PE Cool it with a male priest's blood,
    Then the charm is firm and good.
    P O well done! I commend your pains;
    And every one shall share i' the gains;
    And now about the cauldron sing,
    Live elves and fairies in a ring,
    Enchanting all that you put in.

    Some of the dancing nuns
    All danced arround the cauldron as the sang Imagine by John Lennon.
    Next Pat says the following prayer, as she mentions a name, a nun brought up a picture of the person named. I won't include them all for reasons of space & time.
    P Oh great goddess Astarte, we ask thee to smite our enemies that they might forever burn and suffer for daring to try to stop us from from accomplishing Gaia's will. Since we cannot burn them ourselves here and now, we throw their pictures into the flames as a sign of our faith that you will see this done.
    First we curse those who control the Catholic Church and oppose what we are doing.
    Here they brought forth pictures of Pope Benedict, Cardinal Burke, Archbishop Peter Sartain (leader of bishops who are to work with LCWR to clean up act) Bishop Burkewitz, Bishop Cordeleone & many others

    Next we bring those women who claim to be nuns yet have betrayed our cause by siding with the patriarchy.
    Mother Angelica, Mother Miraim of the Lamb of God & leaders of other faithful orders like Ann Arbor Dominicans & Nashville Dominican.

    Finally we bring those male bloggers who have mocked us or lied about who we are by twisting our truths to match their lies.
    LarryD of Acts of the Apostasy, Fr. Zuhlsdorf of What Does the Prayer Really Say?, & way too many others to mention.

    Each day included a prayer service. The nuns were required to be skyclad+ at the Friday one, for the rest it was optional (Thank God!).

    Saturday Night Banquet
    The guest of honor at the banquet was Marie Laveau, New Orleans voodoo priestess. Instead of an opening prayer, Madonna came out in 1 of her infamous bustiers & sang "Like a Prayer." & instead of a closing prayer Lady Gaga sang "Born This Way" wearing only a Saran Wrap outfit. After the dinner there was a dance with the music provided by Baron Samedi & His Zombies.

    Sunday Mass
    Sunday Mass (or at least what they claim was a Mass) was co-presided by Olivia Doko, MA, OSB, Cam. Oblate (a womynpriest gang's alledged bishop) & Katharine Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church. Several other womynpriests concelebrated. They were born in on a litter carried by Cardinal Mahoney, Archbishop Weakland, & Bishops Gumbleton & Trautman. The men were dressed as slaves.
    I won't go into all the gory details, Ill just share what passed as the penitential rite.
    At the time of what they called the penitental rite the four bisops who carried the litter were stripped to the waist & chained to posts. by the concelebrants. At that time Fathers Richard Rohr, Ron Rolheiser, Thomas Rosica & Hans Kung (yes he still is a priest even if banned from teaching), also dressed as slaves) came out. They carrying a silver charger with a whip on it. The co-presiders, Sr. Pat Farrell & Barbara Marx Hubbard each took one. As what they called each sin against women by the male patriarchy of the Catholic Church was recited by one of the 4 women, all four bishops were whipped & then responded with "We are guilty. May Gaia & Sophia have mercy on us."
    For those who are curious, yes there was plenty of litugical dancing & giant puppets throughout the whole "liturgy".
    ________________
    * I am sure by the time you get down here you have realized this is a satire. Sadly, there is probably more truth than satire in some of it. The LCWR assemblies of late have had a strong dose of New Age beliefs and practices & have been very weak on authenthic Catholicism, just as the Vatican said.
    For those of who are unfamiliar with the New Age movement let me explain some things about what it is & why it is wrong for Catholics to be involved.
    1st of all, in one sense, New Age is not a single movement. Instead it describes a sycretistic set of beliefs & practices that have their roots in gnosticism, Eastern religions & Wicca.
    Gnosticism was the 1st major heresy to invade Catholicism in the late 1st Century AD. But it has some preChristain roots in the East as well. The main goal in gnosticism is realisation of Gnosis (esoteric or intuitive knowledge), called by some enlightenment. Unfortunately, this inner light, truth or knowledge isn't that promised by Jesus who is really THE TRUTH & THE LIFE. History is repleat with examples of what goes wrong when people seek enlightenment from other sources than that God established through His Church. A prime example is what happenned as a result of the French Age of Enlightenment in the mid 18th Century, the Reign of Terror.
    Next, mix in with gnosticism a return to worship of pagan gods, which included sacrificing children to Molech. Toss in a return to Gaia worship,  sometimes disguised as radical environmentalism. Then toss in some spiritualism like crystals. Add to that some wiccan beliefs & practices. & with groups like this, add radical feminism that includes abortion as its sacramental return to worshipping Molech.
    For more I recommend JESUS CHRIST THE BEARER OF THE WATER OF LIFE, A Christian reflection on the “New Age” put out by the Vatican a few years ago.
    # Gaia is the ancient Greek name for the goddess that personified the Earth.
    ^ A few of the lines have been changed. In part because the mention of Turk & Tartar wouldn't be PC. In part because they would approve of blasphemy. Finally, the part that mentions a birth strangled babe was replaced by that of a child aborted because these ARE radical feminists for which abortion is the sacrament of their religion.
    + Skyclad = Nude

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