tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96732802024-03-06T21:43:00.124-06:00Is 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 1759Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721319432213055605noreply@blogger.comBlogger6476125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9673280.post-53693076855802237272020-08-03T23:46:00.002-05:002020-08-03T23:47:13.872-05:00Hurricane Isaias & the Prophet Isaiah<div style="text-align: center;">
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On 30 July 2020 the 9th named tropical storm for the years was designated with the name Isaias. A lot of English speaking people may not realize it, but Isaias is a form of Isaiah, the name of the Old Testament prophet. That is the spelling used by the Douay-Rheims Bible that all English speaking Catholics were encouraged to read before the newer translations came out.</div>
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That same day that it was named Isaias I had my weekly Holy Hour at the St. Joseph Guardian of the Redeemer Adoration Chapel in East Dubuque. As a part of my time there I decided to read a little of Isaiah. As I read Chapter 1 some of the versions sounded like Isaiah was describing the situation in the USA in the year 2020 AD.</div>
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<i>"Hear, O heavens, and listen, O earth, for the LORD speaks: Sons have I raised and reared, but they have disowned me!</i></div>
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<i>An ox knows its owner, and an ass, its master's manger; But Israel does not know, my people has not understood.</i></div>
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<i>Ah! sinful nation, people laden with wickedness, evil race, corrupt children! They have forsaken the LORD, spurned the Holy One of Israel, apostatized.</i></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><i>Where would you yet be struck, you that rebel again and again? The whole head is sick, the whole heart faint</i>.</span><i>"</i> Isaiah 1:2-5 (NAB unless stated otherwise)</div>
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Doesn't that describe the condition of the United States. Since the 60s, as a nation we have driven God out of the public square. We have used the false idea of separation of Church & State to justify it. That is something that is nowhere in the Constitution. The 1st Amendment makes it clear that people of faith are allowed to freely express their faith. That includes the public arena under the freedom of speech part of the Amendment as well as the free expression part of the 1st Amendment. </div>
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And before anyone says that Christians can't impose their morality, may I remind him or her that every law is an imposition of morality. Is it wrong then to have laws against murder because Christians & Jews have as a ?part of their faith the 10 Commandments that include "<i>Thou shalt not kill</i>" (Ex 20:13)?</div>
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Our Founding Fathers felt that morality & religion were a needed part of our nation suceeding.</div>
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George Washington said "<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #212529; text-align: center;"><i>It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible.</i></span>"</span></div>
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He also said "<span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.</span></i></span> " </div>
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And in the 1st proclamation of a national day of Thanksgiving he said "<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="background-color: white;">Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor, and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me "to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.</span></i></span>"</div>
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People like to point out that John Adams denied that the USA was a Christian nation. But they ignore the following statement: "<span style="background-color: white;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.</span></i></span> "</div>
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In verse 7 Isaiah goes on to describe as part of the fruit from turning away from God. "<span style="background-color: white;"><i>Your country is waste, your cities burnt with fire; Your land before your eyes strangers devour (a waste, like Sodom overthrown)</i></span>"</div>
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Doesn't that part about the country being laid to waste & cities burning with fire sound like what has been going on with the riots lead by the Marxist BLM as well as Antifa?</div>
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Then there is this from verse 21: "<i><span style="background-color: white;">How has she turned adulteress, the faithful city, so upright! Justice used to lodge within her, but now, murderers.</span></i>"</div>
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& from verse 23: "<span style="background-color: white;"><i>Your princes are rebels and comrades of thieves; Each one of them loves a bribe and looks for gifts. The fatherless they defend not, and the widow's plea does not reach them.</i></span>"</div>
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We have become a nation where the murder of the unborn by abortion is acceptable. We promote assisted suicide, rejected God's definition of marriage as being between a man & a woman only & that sexual relations are limited to marriage. How many of our politicians are corrupt. The Democratic party has sold out to Planned Parenthood & the abortion industry for political donations. </div>
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I could go on & on.</div>
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But God also offers out a bit of hope.</div>
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There is now, like then, a faithful remnant. "<span style="background-color: white;"><i>Unless the LORD of hosts had left us a scanty remnant, We had become as Sodom, we should be like Gomorrah.</i>"</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">But God also holds out hope to all, if they repent. </span></div>
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"<i>Wash yourselves clean! Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes; cease doing evil;</i></div>
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<i>learn to do good. Make justice your aim: redress the wronged, hear the orphan's plea, defend the widow.</i></div>
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<i>Come now, let us set things right, says the LORD: Though your sins be like scarlet, they may become white as snow; Though they be crimson red, they may become white as wool.</i></div>
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<i>If you are willing, and obey, you shall eat the good things of the land.</i>" (Isaiah 1:16-19)</div>
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God also warns us what will happen if we don't.<br /><br />"<span style="background-color: white;"><i>But if you refuse and resist, the sword shall consume you: for the mouth of the LORD has spoken!</i></span>" (Isaiah 1:20)</div>
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"<span style="background-color: white;"><i>Rebels and sinners alike shall be crushed, those who desert the LORD shall be consumed. . . .</i></span></div>
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<i>You shall become like a tree with falling leaves, like a garden that has no water.</i></div>
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<i>The strong man shall turn to tow, and his work shall become a spark; Both shall burn together, and there shall be none to quench the flames.</i>" (Isaiah 1: 28, 30-31)<br /><br />God's purpose is not to destroy, but to purify.</div>
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"<i>I will turn my hand against you, and refine your dross in the furnace, removing all your alloy.</i></div>
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<i>I will restore your judges as at first, and your counselors as in the beginning; After that you shall be called city of justice, faithful city.</i></div>
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<i>Zion shall be redeemed by judgment, and her repentant ones by justice</i>." (Isaiah 1:25-27)</div>
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Or as the Douay-Rheims puts verse 25: "<span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>smelting thee till thou art free from dross, purging away all that base alloy</i></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: "times cy", "times new roman", times, serif; font-size: 17.5px;">.</span> "</div>
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God had his way with Israel. They didn't repent, except for the remnant and they ended up in exile. God is warning us as well. He doesn't desire our destruction, He desires our salvation. Those of us who are faithful have a duty, like Isaiah, to proclaim the truth, even if it is rejected, like most of the Israelites rejected Isaiah's message. </div>
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<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There is more in Isaiah 1 that speaks to us today. Some to us as a whole, or individually, & some especially for our leadership. But I feel this is enough to think about for now. But more than think, please pray to hear what God wants you to do in response to His call to us as individuals & as a nation. None of us can do it all. Each of us can do our part though.</div>
Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721319432213055605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9673280.post-18293200652145716032015-05-19T22:18:00.000-05:002015-05-19T22:18:21.955-05:00Our Lady of Mary's Inn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfSg_gF1Dm2dQ_D32_-4zVRNj4ScKtkLGntpijTKYNC9OrRxechZWivMgCSI4cL1M_qATownH6K-r-RleYl761HTqSuRzXga9FnXzGHVow1S_VopMY3NAu_tDxB-phvlxrThKdhA/s1600/IMG_3823.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfSg_gF1Dm2dQ_D32_-4zVRNj4ScKtkLGntpijTKYNC9OrRxechZWivMgCSI4cL1M_qATownH6K-r-RleYl761HTqSuRzXga9FnXzGHVow1S_VopMY3NAu_tDxB-phvlxrThKdhA/s320/IMG_3823.JPG" width="180" /></a></div>
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Yes, the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary shown above is that of a 8-1/2 to 9 month pregnant Mary. I admit that is an image of Mary we rarely see. In fact for most people the only image of Mary pregnant is that of Our Lady of Guadelupe. & many people don't even realize she is depicted as pregnant.</div>
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When doing some research I saw the statue referred to by those selling it as Our Lady of Hope. While the places that sell it refer to it as that, I prefer to refer to her as Our Lady of <a href="http://marysinnmaternityhome.org/">Mary's Inn</a>. A major reason I have for justifying it is that Our Lady of Hope is the name given to the Virgin Mary after her appearance at Pontmain, France on 17 January 1871.</div>
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Now why, you ask, do I prefer to call her Our Lady of Mary's Inn. Simple, Mary's Inn Maternity Home here in Dubuque is where it will end up at. Mary's Inn is a maternity home for women in crisis pregnancies that is scheduled to open in June of 2015.</div>
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The story of Mary's Inn goes back to November of 2012 when Marian Bourek, executive director of <a href="http://www.dcrtl.org/">Dubuque County Right to Life</a>, Sue Lansing who is involved in the Dubuque Archdiocesan <a href="http://www.gabrielproject.us/">Gabriel Project</a> & Colleen Pasnik heard the call from God that there was a need for a maternity home for single mothers in crisis pregnancies in this area. </div>
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In 2014 a Board of Directors as well as an advisory Board was formed. They applied for & received 501(c)3 Non-Profit Status. Hanna House Maternity Home in Mishawaka, Indiana agreed to mentor them for 3 years. They applied for & received 2 grants to help pay for furniture for the home. Of course, speakers gave presentations at Churches & elsewhere to make people aware of their existence. Fundraising began. Representatives met with local agencies to make them aware of the services Mary's Inn would provide.</div>
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In February of 2015 Colleen Pasnik was hired as director of Mary's Inn. After much searching a house was found that was ideal for a maternity home. The owner agreed to sell contingent on Mary's Inn getting the needed rezoning for the home.</div>
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While prayer has obviously been a part of the entire process, it was at this point that people began special prayers for the rezoning to pass. Those prayers included visits to the 2 Eucharistic Adoration chapels in the Dubuque area.</div>
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The lot was zoned as single family residence & had to be rezoned to be multiple family. The process required 3 separate things to occur in order for the rezoning to go through as needed.</div>
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The 1st was on 4 March with a hearing by the Zoning Advisory Board. I wish I could say that the neighbors were welcoming & supported the rezoning, they didn't. They showed up at the meeting to express their opposition. The 2 main objections they had were that it would lower property values & that it would create parking & other problems that would disrupt the peacefulness of the neighborhood. </div>
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The Board voted for the rezoning with a recommendation of 1 condition to be imposed. The condition was that the current building could only be replaced by another single family home, no apartment buildings instead.</div>
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The next step was to get the approval of the Dubuque City Council. That meeting occurred on 16 March. Naturally the neighbors were there to repeat their objections. John Freund, esq. was the main spokesperson for Mary's Inn. The home's then owner also got up & spoke in favor of the sale. I also got up & gave what I can only describe as a Holy Spirit inspired speech in support of Mary's Inn. (I spent some time in prayer at 1 of the adoration chapels to prepare my notes.) While I made mention of how the claim it would adversely affect property values had no basis in similar situations in the past, my main focus was to build on the emphasis for an inclusive Dubuque that was (& still is) being promoted. I pointed out how making women in crisis pregnancy situations feel welcome fit in with the goal of making Dubuque a welcoming place for all. I also reminded them of how the lower property value argument was a not in my back yard argument as well as how it has been used in the past to not make certain minority groups welcome.</div>
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Harry Blewett, the realtor involved in finding the house made a presentation to answer the property value objection.</div>
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From the comments & questions it was very clear the City Council members were not buying the arguments by the neighbors. They voted to approve the rezoning as recommended by the Zoning Board. I talked to 4 Council members after the meeting & got a lot of positive feedback supporting the home. 1 member shared the experience of her parents being unwelcome when they moved to Dubuque in 1959. They were 1 of 5 African-American families at that time. The lower property value argument was 1 of those used to justify their not being welcome. Clearly the neighbors had shot themselves in the foot by using that argument.</div>
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But there was still 1 more hoop to go through. The final stop was the Zoning Board of Adjustment on 26 March. They had to issue a conditional use permit for it to be used as a maternity home. They granted the permit with a limit of 4 women & their children as residents at any time. Mary's Inn had a plan for eventually serving 7 women at a time. Down the road they will be able to go back & ask for the number to be increased if needed.</div>
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So Mary's Inn has taken possession of the home & has begun the remodelling & repairs needed. Staff is being hired. There will be a housemother on duty 24/7. Each housemother will work an 8 hour shift, some full, some part time.</div>
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As I said earlier, the goal is to open in mid June. They have 3 women waiting to take up residence. These women have had to apply & meet certain criteria in order to be accepted.</div>
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The home has 3 bedrooms, 2 will have 1 woman each, the other will hold 2 women. In addition there will be a kitchen for the women to prepare meals. There will also be a chapel.</div>
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The website says that Mary's Inn</div>
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Offers a stable home environment</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Offers physical, emotional and spiritual support for pregnant women of any age and of any (or no) faith</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Operates according to Catholic Church teachings</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Encourages women to choose life for their unborn babies through support, education, and resources</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Offers adoption options to every mom</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Teaches life skills, including decision- making and personal responsibility</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Supports women in completion of high school education and in developing continuing education plans based upon their personal goals</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Offers help in finding appropriate employment</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Provides counseling and connects women to prenatal care and community services</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Empowers young women to set realistic goals</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Hosts ongoing monthly support groups for former residents</i></span></li>
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By now I hope that you will want to do what you can to support Mary's Inn. Pray is very important, but financial support is also needed. You can contact them @ (563)552-6288, </div>
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<a href="mailto: director@marysinnmaternityhome.org" style="line-height: 24px; text-decoration: none;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Email</span></b></a><div>
<a href="mailto: director@marysinnmaternityhome.org" style="color: #56aed6; line-height: 24px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Director@marysinnmaternityhome.org</span></a><br style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 24px;" /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">
or write them:</div>
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<br />Mary's Inn </div>
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PO BOX 3338</div>
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Dubuque IA 52004-3338</div>
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More than ever places like Mary's Inn are needed to provide women in crisis pregnancies with an alternative to abortion. Along with <a href="http://www.dcrtl.org/">Dubuque County Right to Life</a>, <a href="http://www.clarityclinic.com/">Clarity Clinic</a>, <a href="http://birthright.org/en/landingpage/lp-dubuque">Birthright of Dubuque</a> & the <a href="http://www.gabrielproject.us/">Gabriel Project </a>, Mary's Inn will provide another way to fight the demonic "culture of death" & truly build a Culture of Life in the Tri-state area.</div>
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Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721319432213055605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9673280.post-14642838909637130912015-05-14T15:05:00.000-05:002015-05-15T12:56:52.832-05:00Some Campaign Advice for Hillary Clinton<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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For some reason I was recently thinking about what was the difference between Bill Clinton's successful campaign in 1992 & Hillary's in 2008. Then it dawned on me, Willy boy had a rock & roll theme song, <i>Don't Stop (Thinking About Tomorrow)</i>. Hillary had nothing.</div>
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So, being the kind & charitable person that I am, I said to myself "<i>Self, what would be the perfect song for Hillary to use?</i>" It hit me like a bolt of lighning, Sir Elton John's classic <i>The Bitch is Back</i>. It completely captures her personality.</div>
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I went on to think she has 2 hit versions to chose from, Sir Elton's, or Tina Turner's cover version. Then I thought "<i>Perche no both?</i>" (<i>Why not both?)</i></div>
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Hillary could use Sir Elton's to reach out to the gay vote, especially the gay marriage gang she is courting.</div>
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Tina Turner's could be used to reach out to the feminists since Tina is a symbol of overcoming adversity & abuse. She could also use Tina to appeal to the men.</div>
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Also, the 2 of them have done it as a duet, so she could reach everyone with one version.</div>
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Or even better, maybe you can get Sir Elton to write you some new lyrics for the verses, keeping the refrain.</div>
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But that is not all, I have come up with a way for her to deal with all the scandals that are out there. The inspiration came from her line during her testimony about Benghazi where she said the following:</div>
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But rather than using that, I thought "<i>Why not use a bit of the scene from 'Meatballs' where Bill Murray is getting the campers psyched up for the 2nd day of the camp olympics?</i>"</div>
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She could show someone asking a question about the Clinton Foundation scandal followed by this:</div>
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The same with a question about Benghazi. or the private e-mail server, or the many others floating around out there.</div>
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So Hillary, I am sure you will not only see the wisdom in my suggestions but will gladly use them. I will be awaiting the payment of my $1 Million consultant's fee, in cash. </div>
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Hillary, you better also hope someone doesn't come up with some new lyrics to this classic 3 Dog Night song, no matter how true they would be:</div>
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Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721319432213055605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9673280.post-76458755620761062015-03-27T15:15:00.001-05:002015-03-27T15:18:35.252-05:00A Reminder to Me of Why Ultrasounds are a Powerful Pro-Life Tool<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB-q4FPdF1lPc8kIN-QVzriUOXwKSKFEqyrEZJnm09qE1AwFqjvGjk1moMdMNOggREBB9OLZ9uhv4jXb_yEPhvmmuW1qSgR-WVhb9_zTWnjNFg_WtyVpM7FcpV8HCCbPrc4J2CeA/s1600/38b9a76.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB-q4FPdF1lPc8kIN-QVzriUOXwKSKFEqyrEZJnm09qE1AwFqjvGjk1moMdMNOggREBB9OLZ9uhv4jXb_yEPhvmmuW1qSgR-WVhb9_zTWnjNFg_WtyVpM7FcpV8HCCbPrc4J2CeA/s1600/38b9a76.png" height="108" width="320" /></a></div>
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This afternoon I was out at Wal-Mart shopping. I got into a checkout line. The woman who was cashiering started talking about how she was about to become a great-grandmother. I thought "How nice. But why is she telling me?"</div>
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She then began talking about the ultrasound the mother of her great-grandchild had recently had. Then it clicked. I was wearing a Pro-life button with an ultrasound picture. </div>
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She went out to talk about the details of the 4D ultrasound. She talked about how she saw the hands & other parts of the body fully developed.with me about She even modeled some of the poses her great-grandchild had been caught in. She was very excited & very proud.</div>
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She also talked about how much they had improved from the grey blobs that the pictures were many years ago when her grandchildren were born.</div>
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I made a comment about the importance of ultrasounds to prove they are not just a blob of tissue before birth. She agreed & told me she has always been Pro-life as well. For her, the ultrasound pictures were clearly a confirmation that she was on the right side of the issue.</div>
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As I finished paying & was leaving I congratulated her on her 1st great-grandchild. But I also began reflecting on what had just happened & why.</div>
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As I was driving home I saw it as a reminder of why I was right to support the use of ultrasounds at crisis pregnancy centers as well as requiring abortion clinics to perform them & show the mother the results. When women considering an abortion see the pictures, about 80% or more of the women reject abortion as an option & allow the child to live.</div>
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This is also why abortion providers are so opposed to the law requiring them to peform ultrasounds. They know the results take away a huge portion of their murderous business.</div>
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After I got home, another thought crossed my mind. This was a good reminder of the importance of wearing things like Pro-life pins as a silent witness. I am not sure what the people behind me thought because I didn't look that way. But I know they heard all that was said. If they were Pro-life, hopefully this would encourage them to be bolder in their efforts, or even make their 1st efforts. If they were pro-abortion, then some seeds were planted that God can use to touch their hearts. Who knows?, maybe down the road God will use what was said to prevent an abortion because of those seeds He used us to plant.</div>
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I don't know for sure the full fruit of what occured today. What I do know is that this is a powerful reminder of why even the smallest Pro-life things we do, like wearing a Pro-life pin can bear fruit far beyond what we can know or imagine. </div>
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PS Her great-grandchild is due in July. Please pray for a safe & healthy birth.</div>
Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721319432213055605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9673280.post-2706043784649382942015-03-21T14:07:00.002-05:002015-03-21T14:07:43.454-05:00World Down Syndrome Day 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtbTkfBrDEV2ZKp3IwK90b4-uTMOgbWQRAxDi1Prt-Upuw96-kjOg-BYrvIt015Fz7RDhuVr3JxZhoxwZ93pNpAdOpvYDjWnnxkVSzVajt6E9jKihCRRi3qmDeSCu-1EnzOamPCQ/s1600/427180_10150677528944939_248843029938_9419790_604447475_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtbTkfBrDEV2ZKp3IwK90b4-uTMOgbWQRAxDi1Prt-Upuw96-kjOg-BYrvIt015Fz7RDhuVr3JxZhoxwZ93pNpAdOpvYDjWnnxkVSzVajt6E9jKihCRRi3qmDeSCu-1EnzOamPCQ/s1600/427180_10150677528944939_248843029938_9419790_604447475_n.jpg" /></a></div>
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Today is <a href="https://www.worlddownsyndromeday.org/">World<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Down syndrome Day</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">. Its purpose is to "<i><span style="line-height: 18px;">raise awareness of what Down syndrome is, what it means to have Down syndrome, and how people with Down </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">syndrome play a vital role in our lives and communities.</span></i>"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Down syndrome is also known as trisomy 21. It is called that because a person with the syndrome has 3 pairs of chromosome 21.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sadly, for too many, Down syndrome is seen as a curse & something to be eliminated via abortion. Over 90% of those children diagnosed with Down syndrome are aborted. The reasons include the false claim that these children will not have an acceptable quality of life & parents who do not want to be "saddled" with a child who is disabled. Some people, like <a href="https://liveactionnews.org/pregnant-couples-who-plan-to-abort-down-syndrome-babies-defend-their-choice/">Richard Dawkins</a>, say that 100% of all those diagnosed with Down syndrome should be aborted.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This is so horribly wrong. & why a day like this is sorely needed. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Studies, like those reported by an <a href="https://liveactionnews.org/pregnant-couples-who-plan-to-abort-down-syndrome-babies-defend-their-choice/">article</a> by Live Action News show just the opposite to the claims made to justify it. In 1 study "<span style="background-color: white; color: #2b2b2b; line-height: 25.5px; text-align: start;"><i>out of 2,044 parents or guardians surveyed, 79% re</i></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; line-height: 25.5px; text-align: start;"><i>ported their outlook on life was “more positive” because of their child with Down syndrome.</i></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Another study "</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b2b2b; line-height: 25.5px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>found that among siblings of children with Down syndrome, 97% expressed feelings of pride for their brother or sister and 88% were convinced that they were better people because of their sibling. This study polled siblings over the age of 12.</i></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">& in yet another study that focused on the feelings & attitudes of those people with Down syndrome. "</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b2b2b; line-height: 25.5px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Among adults with Down, 99% said they were happy with their lives and 97% said they liked who they were. 96% said they liked the way they looked. You would probably not find such high numbers among the general public. According to the study, Down syndrome children grow up to be happy adults</i></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b2b2b; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25.5px; text-align: start;">.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In high school & college I worked with children & adults who had Down syndrome. My life has been greatly enriched because of what they gave to me for the little I gave to them.</span><br />
A huge reason why we see the high rate of abortion for those with Down syndrome has to do with our "culture of death" so prevalent in the world today. This attitude towards them reminds me of the attitude seen in Nazi Germany before & during World War II. I can best bring that home by sharing a story that Corrie ten Boom told in her book "<i>The Hiding Place</i>" that was later repeated in the movie version.<br />
In the book she tells of an interrogation by a Nazi lieutenant after her arrest for helping to hide Jews from being arrested & sent to death camps. When asked about her work she began talking about her efforts to bring the Gospel to those who were then called "<i>retarded</i>" or "<i>feeble minded</i>." The officer finally exploded & said "<i>What a waste of time and energy! If you want converts, surely one normal person is worth all the half-wits in the world!</i>"<br />
Corrie ten Boom responded to what she calls an example of "<i>true National-Socialist philosophy</i>" by saying "<i>The truth, Sir, is that God's viewpoint is sometimes different from ours.</i>" She went on to add "<i>In the Bible I learned that God values us not for our strength or our brains but simply because He has made us. Who knows, in His eyes a half-wit may be worth more than a watchmaker. Or---a lieutenant.</i>" The interview quickly ended after that. But she had made her point that God's values were those of what we now call the Culture of Life, not the Nazi version of the "culture of death."<i> </i><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Today is the 10th anniversary of World Sown syndrome Day. It has been official celebrated by the UN since 2012. This is the same UN that pushed abortion </span>as a right. Their hypocrisy, in this case, knows no bounds. They are giving a death sentence to the very people they claim they are celebrating.<br />
Today is a day to celebrate the gifts God has given us in those with Down syndrome. It is a day to honor them. But we cannot let today go by & forget them the other 364 days of a year. We must continue to fight for their right to life from the moment of conception on. Their role as a vital part of our lifes & communities must be honored & welcomed. In our doing so, we will be truly be building that Culture of Life that values every human being the way God values them.</div>
Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721319432213055605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9673280.post-43835930968291352642015-02-25T17:07:00.001-06:002015-02-25T17:07:21.120-06:00Is Planned Parenthood Worse than ISIS?<div style="text-align: justify;">
South Dakota State Representative Isaac Laterell (R-Sioux Falls) recently created a firestorm when he said that <a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/planned-parenthood-is-worse-than-isis-lawmakers-bill-would-stop-the-beheadi">Planned Parenthood was worse than ISIS</a> because it Planned Parenthood beheads more Americans in a month than ISIS has during its entire existence. He was referring to a D&E (dilation & evacuation or extraction) abortion. Naturally Planned Parenthood has denied they do any of this type of abortion that dismember the unborn child. However South Dakota Department of Health records show something entirely different. Their website shows that a handful of D&E abortions have been performed in the state since at least 2008. Add to that that the only abortion clinic in SD is the Planned Parenthood clinic & it is clear that, as usual, Planned Parenthood is lying.</div>
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But that hasn't stopped the Pro-abortion reporters & bloggers from jumping on the PP support bandwagon & attacking Representative Laterell as a liar. (For example: <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/19/isaac-latterell-planned-parenthood_n_6710612.html">here</a>, <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2015/02/19/isaac_latterell_of_south_dakota_calls_planned_parenthood_worse_than_isis.html">here</a> & <a href="http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/02/19/this-republican-actually-believes-planned-parenthood-is-worse-than-isis/">here</a>) They not only repeat the PP lie, they deny that abortion is murder in the 1st place, despite all the scientific evidence to the contrary. Don't forget, these are the same people who support Obama when he denies that ISIS is a terrorist group as well.</div>
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But is Planned Parenthood worse than ISIS? Or merely just as evil? The short answer is, Planned Parenthood is worse. Here is why I say that.</div>
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To start with I want to share a Scripture reason that is the basis for what I am about to say to prove my point. Jesus said: "<i>Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; fear him rather who can destroy both body and soul in hell.</i>" (<i>Matthew</i> 10:28 <i>The Jerusalem Bible</i>) This quote is taking from a section of the Gospel where Jesus is talking about the persecution & possible martyrdom His followers will face.</div>
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It is obvious that ISIS is merely destroying the body. Pope Tawadros II head of the Coptic Church recently <a href="http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2015/02/23/coptic-church-recognises-martyrdom-of-21-egyptians-killed-by-isis/">declared</a> that the 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians killed by ISIS in Libya were martyrs & will now be recognised as saints in the Coptic Church. Pope Francis also said they were martyrs because they had their "<i>throats slit for the sole reason of being Christians.</i>" (Note: this does not mean that they are officially recognized as saints by the Catholic Church.)</div>
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If all Planned Parenthood did was kill unborn babies then they would be equal, not worse, than ISIS. But what Planned Parenthood does goes far beyond what ISIS does.</div>
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Planned Parenthood openly advocates premarital sex. It encourages young people to use condoms & other forms of birth control to have "safe sex". It also supports & promotes homosexual marriage & sex acts.</div>
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Unfortunately that goes contrary to the purpose for which God intended sex. He intended it to be between a man & a woman, & only after they were married. Any other form of sex, including masturbation (something else Planned Parenthood promotes), runs contrary to God's plan. Those acts are also mortal sins. That means that if a person dies unrepentant of those sins, he or she will spend eternity in Hell. In short the end result is the destruction of both body & soul in Hell.</div>
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Additionally abortion is murder & also a mortal sin. While not every woman willingly has an abortion, many are pressured into it by a parent, the father or others & thus not fully culpable. But even so abortion does emotional & spiritual damage to those involved, & not only the woman involved. Fathers & other family members are affected as well. That is why groups like <a href="http://www.rachelsvineyard.org/">Rachel's Vineyard</a>, <a href="http://www.silentnomoreawareness.org/">Project Rachel</a>, <a href="http://www.fatherhoodforever.org/">Fatherhood Forever</a> & <a href="http://www.silentnomoreawareness.org/">Silent No More Awareness</a> exist. They were founded to bring God's forgiveness & healing to those harmed by abortion.</div>
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ISIS can merely harm the body. Planned Parenthood can harm both the body & soul, not only here on Earth, but ensuring eternity in hell for those who buy what they sell & die unrepentant.</div>
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Planned Parenthood is a part of the demonic "culture of death." As I pointed out, much of what they claim are lies. They serve the "father of lies," Satan. Satan's goal, as well as that of Planned Parenthood & the rest of the abortion industry who serve him, is to destroy as many souls as possible. </div>
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Representative Latterell was right in calling Planned Parenthood worse than ISIS. He spoke the truth. But what he may not have realized is how much more there was to that truth beyond what he intended to say.</div>
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Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721319432213055605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9673280.post-87181219102899314992015-02-22T21:38:00.000-06:002015-02-22T21:38:30.072-06:00Dr. Jack Wilke 5 April 1925-20 February 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaC1L0_wYrMBChyphenhyphenCbgN7nODzqpjQFVL8SEbTVG_UwWswYaUZFqCLTtGV-6N1M6Y_f9r3gJhMlHal-5LRleyS3B6mh7tte_hhD8DULpOp1j8mJnjnrRpZYsO0nviqNU4n1BAP3BtQ/s1600/jackwillke.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaC1L0_wYrMBChyphenhyphenCbgN7nODzqpjQFVL8SEbTVG_UwWswYaUZFqCLTtGV-6N1M6Y_f9r3gJhMlHal-5LRleyS3B6mh7tte_hhD8DULpOp1j8mJnjnrRpZYsO0nviqNU4n1BAP3BtQ/s1600/jackwillke.png" height="233" width="320" /></a></div>
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The Pro-life movement lost a truly great man last Friday, Dr. Jack Wilke. Originally an obstetrician, he became the father of the Pro-life movement. He began travelling across country with his wife Barbara in the 60s. In 1988 he retired from his practice to devote himself full time to pro-life work.<br />
In 1971 he published his 1st book, <i>Handbook on Abortion</i>, co-written with his wife Barbara. Over the years the book was revised & expanded in 1975 & 1979. It went through 24 printings. It was also translated into 10 languages. It was the handbook, or bible for the Pro-life movement<br />
In 1985 it was replaced with <i>Abortion: Question & Answers</i>. It used the most up to date information & soon achieved the same status of its predecessor. It was revised in 1985, 1989 & 1991. It was translated into 20 languages.<br />
In 1997 they came out with a new book that retained part of its predecessor's name but also added new emphasis. It was called <i>Abortion Questions & Answers: Why Not Love Them Both</i>. That book has also been revised over the years & was again translated into many other languages. It proved a worthy successor to the earlier books.<br />
From 1984 to 1991 he was the president of the National Right to Life Committee. He was also a founding member & president emeritus of the International Right to Life. In 1991 he co-founded <a href="http://www.lifeissues.org/#">Life Issues Institute</a> with Bradley Mattes. It was started to provide updated information as well as the latest & best ways to provide people with the information & the Pro-life message as a whole. Dr. Wilke continued working, speaking & appearing on radio & TV to spread the Pro-life message. His wife passed away in April 203.<br />
Lest this sound just like an impersonal obituary, I have to add something about the effect his work has had on me.<br />
I 1st read his book <i>Handbook on Abortion</i> in the 80s. At the time I wasn't that familiar with Planned Parenthood & how they operated, let alone its founder Margaret Sanger. What I read was a real eye opener. What I read made me all the more determined to fight for life & to get out the truth about Sanger & her organization.<br />
The book talked about Sanger's eugenics views & her work to eliminate those whom she saw as unfit mainly through eugenic sterilization. Who did she consider unfit? "<i>Black people, Jews, Southern European immigrants <b>(especially Italians*)</b>, but also others of 'low I.Q.' These 'feebleminded' people where a menace to the race.'"</i><br />
What stopped me in my tracks was what she said about Southern European immigrants & those from Italia in particular. My maternal grandparents & one pair of my maternal great-grandparents were from Southern Italy. I realized that if Sanger had gotten her way, I would never have been born. At that point the battle became very personal. Over the years, especially through this blog & more recently via Facebook & Twitter, I have done my best to get the information about the real, racist goals of the abortion industry out.<br />
Over the years, his writings & work through the Life Issues Institute have provided me with many tools to use in my Pro-life work.<br />
Dr. Wilke has done much to save the lifes of the unborn & spread the entire Pro-life message. But now his work is done & he has entered into his rest.<br />
Thank Dr. Wilke for a job well done.<br />
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Sources: <i><a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/father-of-the-pro-life-movement-dr.-jack-wilke-passed-away-friday">Father of the pro-life movement Dr. Jack Willke passed away Friday</a></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i><a href="http://www.lifenews.com/2015/02/21/dr-jack-willke-father-of-the-modern-pro-life-movement-passes-away/">Dr. Jack Willke, Father of the Modern Pro-Life Movement, Passes Away</a></i></span></h2>
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Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721319432213055605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9673280.post-49975839978481114642015-02-19T14:53:00.000-06:002015-02-19T14:53:04.769-06:002015 Virtual St. Joseph Altar<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #351c75;">It is my happy privilege to announce that the <a href="http://thankevann.com/stjoseph/index.html">2015 Virtual St. Joseph Altar</a> is now open. It is an online version of the many St. Joseph Altars that are erected by Italians both in Italia as well as the USA & elsewhere.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">The tradition of the altars goes back to the Middle Ages. At the time, Sicilia was experiencing a very severe drought & thus in the midst of a severe famine. So the people of Sicilia prayed to their padrone, San Giuseppe for help. The rains came, putting an end to the famine.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">The thank San Giuseppe, they built an altar & the people brought food from the harvest. This food was distributed to the poor. As time went on the devotion spread. The altars grew in size & certain traditions about the shape & way it was built arose. Also certain foods became a part of the tradition as well.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">The altar has 3 tiers, in honor of the Trinity. A statue or image of San Giuseppe is placed on the top tier. The various foods brought as an offering are placed on the other two. Bread crumbs are sprinkled on the altar as a symbol of the sawdust in San Giuseppe's workshop. The fava bean is also present. Usually grown as fodder for the cattle, during the famine it was the only food available, so it serves as a reminder of the suffering San Giuseppe relieved them off.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Breads & pastries are baked into special shapes. These include that of a monstrance to honor the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Other shapes include a dove to symbolize the Holy Spirit, chalice, wreath (crown of thorns) & palms. Other</span><span style="color: #351c75;">s are shaped like a ladder, nails, a hammer, a saw, staff & lilies. These are traditional symbols of San Giuseppe.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">A huge variety of dishes, meatless of course since it is Lent, are also placed on the altar. There is usually a bottle or 2 of wine to symbolize the miracle at Cana. There are also flowers, candles & some citrus fruit.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Visitors to the altar are given a goody bag. The bag includes a San Giuseppe holy card & medal as well as a fava bean & a few of the cookies or pastries on the altar. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">San Giuseppe is the Patron of the Universal Church. He is also known as the Guardian of the Redeemer & terror of demons. In this day & age when human life, especially that of the unborn is under attack, enemies are trying to destroy the Catholic Church from within as well as without & purity seems to be a thing of the past, San Giuseppe's aid & protection is needed more than ever.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">So please visit the <a href="http://thankevann.com/stjoseph/index.html">altar</a>, make a virtual offering, leave your prayer requests & ask San Giuseppe's intercession for your beloved departed. & don't forget to pick up your virtual goody bag.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-size: x-large;"><b><u>VIVA SAN GIUSEPPE!</u></b></span></div>
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Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721319432213055605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9673280.post-42074613735121112832015-02-01T14:20:00.001-06:002015-02-01T14:20:24.162-06:00How the Abortion Industry Targets the Black Community<h1 id="blox-asset-title" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Recently, I was thinking of the damage done to the black community by the abortion industry. The holiday honoring Martin Luther King as well as the anniversary of <i>Roe v Wade</i> & <i>Doe v Bolton</i> fell in the same week. So on the Saturday before the MLK holiday I sent in the following letter to the Dubuque TH. It was published on 22 January which I felt was the perfect day.</span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">I will admit that I was very fustrated because the 250 word limit kept me from sharing so much more than I was able. I had to leave out such facts as Margaret Sanger's speaking to the Klu Klux Klan as well as many other of Sanger's racist quotes. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">The few comments are all positive, but I suspect that is due more to the fact that the TH now requires you to use your real name, not an avitar. Those who would hide behind the anonymity would now have to put their racism on display that they try to keep hidden.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Also, I had nothing to do with the title given it by the TH. IMHO their title makes it sound like I think <i>Roe v Wade</i> was a good thing instead of the evil it is.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">PS: If you can, please come to hear Dr. King speak here in DBQ on 1 May.</span></div>
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<span class="blox-headline entry-title" style="color: #222222; font-weight: 700; line-height: 38px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.thonline.com/news/opinion/article_fe6cf54e-316c-5f9d-9a44-8b4522e7743f.html">Letter: Parallels in Roe decision, MLK birthday</a></span></h1>
<ul class="blox-social-nav-horizontal" id="blox-body-nav" style="background: url(http://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/thonline.com/content/tncms/live/components/core_base_library/resources/images/body_tabs.png) rgb(255, 255, 255); clear: both; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; height: 28px; margin: 20px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">Posted:</span><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><span class="posted" style="color: #666666; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" title="2015-01-22T00:00:00-06:00">Thursday, January 22, 2015 12:00 am</span><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">|</span><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><em style="color: #666666; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Updated: 6:17 am, Thu Jan 22, 2015.</em></ul>
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<span class="author vcard" style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">FROM ALLEN TROUPE 2003 KEY WAY</span></div>
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<span class="first-paragraph" style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="paragraph-0" style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Jan. 22 marks the sad anniversary when the murder of unborn children by abortion became legal in the United States. The same week we honor the Rev. Martin Luther King, who fought for the civil rights of the black community.</span></span></div>
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Unfortunately, most people are unaware of how the abortion industry is working to destroy that black community.</div>
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Margaret Sanger, Planned Parenthood's founder, described blacks as "human weeds" and "reckless breeders" spawning "human beings who should never have been born." (Pivot of Civilization, 1922).</div>
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On Dec. 19, 1939, Sanger wrote Dr. Clarence Gambel about her Negro Project: "We don't want the word to go out that we want to eliminate the Negro population."</div>
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Planned Parenthood never repudiated those statements but continues her efforts by locating 78 percent of their clinics in or near minority communities. Blacks make up 12 percent of the population, but have 35 percent of the abortions annually. (Source: <a href="http://blackgenocide.com/" style="color: #457d9d; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">blackgenocide.com</a>).</div>
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Recently, a person told me he applauded Planned Parenthood's elimination of 170,000 blacks annually via abortion. This is only a small sample of the destruction the abortion industry does to the black community.</div>
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On May 1, Dr. Alveda King, niece of Rev. King, will speak in Dubuque. She heads Priests for Life's African-American Outreach. She is very outspoken on the damage the abortion industry has done to the black community.</div>
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I challenge everyone who wants the truth about blacks and abortion to come and hear her speak.</div>
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For more information, contact Dubuque County Right to Life, 563-556-5960.</div>
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Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721319432213055605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9673280.post-58857568077858922392014-10-23T15:10:00.000-05:002014-10-23T15:10:30.472-05:00These Doctors Have the Prescription for What Ails the Catholic Church<div style="text-align: justify;">
Back in 2010 I ordered a book from Tan Books entitled <i>The 33 Doctors of the Church</i>.* I got it because I was interested in finding out more about who those Doctors were, what they taught, & why they were made Doctors of the Church.</div>
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The book was written by the late Fr. Christopher Rengers, O.F.M. Cap. He passed away at the age of 92 in 2010. <a href="http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/postgazette/obituary.aspx?pid=138986632">Fr. Rengers</a> was a prolific author. He also had a deep devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe & led pilgrimages twice a year to Mexico City & the Shrine there. Additionally, & not surprisingly, he was also a strong defender of the rights of the unborn. On 21 January 1977, the eve of the annual March for Life, he said Mass in the Crypt Church of the Basilica of the National Shrine. That was followed by an all night prayer vigil. That was the start of the annual Mass that grew to include priests, Bishops & Cardinals from around the US. The all night vigil continues each year as well.<br />
The book had its origins in the naming of a fellow Capuchin, St Lawrence of Brindisi, as a Doctor of the Church by St. Pope John XXIII in 1959. The book was substantially finished in 1967. Then in 1971 Venerable (very soon to be Blessed) Pope Paul VI added St. Catherine of Siena & St. Teresa of Avila. Finally, St Therese of Lisieux was added by St. Pope John Paul II in 1997.* The finished work was published by TAN Books in 2000.* <br />
Now we usually think of someone in the medical profession when we hear the word doctor. But the word is actually derived from the Latin word <i>docere</i>. "to teach." It meant that the person was qualified to teach on the subject he had studied.<br />
The Doctors of the Church were clearly qualified to teach. & while some of them spent years in study others didn't. But the one common factor was that they were ultimately taught by the Holy Spirit no matter what other education they may have had.<br />
But their knowledge also had a spiritual ability to analyse<br />
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The book is organized into a chapter for each Doctor. The order was based on the birth of each doctor. In doing so, an interesting fact is noticed, with a couple of exceptions, the Doctors seem to appear in clusters & usually in periods where the truths taught by the Church were being questioned or even denied & often heresies offered to replace them.<br />
The 1st group of 13 wrote & taught in the 4th & 5th Centuries. That was the era of the Arian, Manichean, Monophysitism & Nestorian heresies.<br />
Another group of 6 appeared during the 16th & 17th Centuries. That was the time of the Protestant Reformation (rebellion) started by Martin Luther, Calvin, etc. Some of these Doctors wrote to defend the teachings of the Catholic Church. Some wrote with the aim of convincing people to return to the Church. Others wrote to help Catholics to grow stronger in their faith.<br />
Each chapter provides a biography of the saint as well as a look at some of what they wrote.<br />
While I have read the various chapters over the past 4 years, I recently decided to start reading the entire book in the order found in the book. As I have been rereading their stories I realized how they had plenty to say about the problems we are facing today. That also meant that they would face rejection by various factions in the Church today as well. & as I will show, that means those on the right as well as the left.<br />
Some of them faced exile, persecution & arrest for daring to speak the truth against those who claimed to be Catholic but supported heretical views instead. Others faced death threats. But all of them remained faithful to Jesus & His Catholic Church.<br />
I said that some would be criticised & condemned by both the left & the right. A good example is St. Ambrose. Yes, the same Ambrose who brought St. Augustine into the Catholic Church & has 1 of the Western rites named after him, The Ambrosian aka Milanese rite.<br />
Here is what he had to say about the social obligation of the rich:<br />
<i>"It is not from your own goods that you give largesses to the beggar; it is a portion of his own which you are restoring to him. What was given for all in common you usurp for your own benefit. The earth belongs to all, not to the rich only. You are consequently paying back a debt; do not go away and think you are making a gift to which you not bound." </i>(<i>De Nabuthe, </i>XII, 53)<br />
You will notice he didn't say a word about the government's obligation, just that of the rich.<br />
As for the beggar: <i>"Never were there so many beggars as today. We see coming to us strong, hearty fellows, who have no other title but their vagrancy, and who claim their right to despoil the poor of what they earn and empty their purses. A little does not satisfy them; they must have more. They trick themselves out in a way to render their demands more urgent, and make up false descriptions of their social condition in order to swell the gifts they receive. To give credence too benevolently to their stories means to exhaust in a short time the alms set aside for the subsistence of the poor. There must be, therefore, a limit. Let them not go away empty-handed, but let not him who helps the needy to live become the prey of schemers. Let us not be inhumane, but let us not deprive extreme indigence of all support."</i> (<i>De Officiis</i>, II, 16)</div>
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St. Ambrose makes it clear we have the responsibility to help the truly needy. But he would definitely condemn those who rip off the system along with those who abet them who blindly, & sometimes not so blindly, look the other way in the name of a false compassion.<br />
If you think they attacks on Cardinal Burke have been vicious because of his stand for authentic Catholic doctrine, then look at the example of St. Athanasius. At the Council of Nicea he helped to champion the doctrine of the divinity of Christ against the Arians. 5 months after the Council, the then about 30 year old Athenasius was made bishop of Alexandria, Egypt. But 5 times during his almost 47 years as Bishop he was driven into exile by his Arian enemies with the help of the emperor. The most active included a fellow bishop, & supporter of the Arian heresy, Eusebuius of Nicomedia.<br />
Then let us not forget St. Catherine of Siena. She was not afraid to correct civil leaders like Queen Joanna & the King of France & even Cardinals. Now we see too many politicians that abandon their faith for power, thus supporting things like legal abortion. What she said to Queen Joanna could just as easily be applied to Nancy Pelosi or VP Joe Biden. "<i>You have abandoned the councils of the Holy Spirit to listen to the Evil One; you were a branch of the true Vine, and have cut yourself off with the knife of self-love. You were the beloved daughter of your Father, the Vicar of Jesus Christ, and now you have abandoned him." </i><br />
St. Lawrence of Brindisi wrote at the time of the Protestant reformation. Some of what he wrote was to counter what Luther & the Protestant Reformation was proclaiming. But, he could also be considered as the father of not only modern Mariology, but modern Josephology. In <i>The Incarnational Circle </i>he talks about God's plan to not only have a virgin-mother for His Son, but that she would be united to a virgin-husband. This means that St. Joseph was predestined in the eternal plan of creation in the 1st place after Jesus & Mary. It also means, among other things, that Joseph was predestined to be the virgin Father of Christ.<br />
Sadly his writings on <i>The Incarnational Circle</i> are not readily available in English. This is also all too true of the writings of many of the other Doctors as well.<br />
Those are only a few examples of how relevant the lives & teachings of the Church Doctors are for us today. Some of their writings are aimed at the clergy, others for the laity. But all sought to uphold the eternal truths of the Catholic Church & help all members to live their faith to the fullest.<br />
What they have taught is sorely needed today. Like the times of the early Church Fathers when heresies were rampantly promoted in the Church, we see the errors of the Modernist heresy being promoted. Like the time of the Protestant Reformation there is confusion about what the Catholic Church actually teaches & how we are to live our lives. The now 35 Doctors* of the Church provide the clarity we need to answer those heresies & clear up the confusion. They truly have the prescription for what ails the Catholic Church today.</div>
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* The book was updated this year to include the 2 new Doctors, <span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">St. John of Ávila and St. Hildegard of Bingen, Papa Benedetto added </span></span>to the list. The book is now entitled <i>The 35 Doctors of the Church</i>.<br />
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The information about the latest to join the list was written by Dr. Matthew E. Bunson K.H.S. While TAN still has the older edition available at a reduced price, I would recommend that you get the <a href="https://tanbooks.benedictpress.com/index.php/page/shop:flypage/product_id/574/keywords/doctors/">updated edition</a> instead. I haven't had the chance to order it yet, but it is on my list.</div>
Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721319432213055605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9673280.post-1041773103700671602014-09-05T16:05:00.001-05:002014-09-05T16:05:36.343-05:00Did King Solomon Warn Us About the Dangers of the Modern Left?<div style="text-align: justify;">
The other day a friend of mine put up a quote from <i>Ecclesiastes</i> 10 that talk about the wise & the foolish: <span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"<i>The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left</i>." (<i>Ecclesiates</i> 10:2 NIV)</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">He also mentioned where Jesus said the goats would be on His left hand & the sheep on the right. Remember the goats are those heading to Hell.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">He raised the question about why liberals are called the "Left" & conservatives the "Right". Historically, it goes back to the French Revolution & the seating arrangement of the Estates General. The radicals who wanted to overthrow everything sat on the left. That included getting rid of religion. The result was the "Reign of Terror", a prime example, IMHO, of the left at its natural worst. Also a reminder that the same thing could happen today because once again the left is trying to throw out religion.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">But this also got me thinking about the apparent coincidence found in that quote from <i>Ecclesiastes</i>. So, haven taken 3 college level semesters of Biblical Hebrew I dug out my Hebrew Bible, what Christians call the Old Testament, & my Hebrew dictionary. Here is the original Hebrew:</span></span></div>
<span style="text-align: -webkit-right;"> </span><span style="text-align: -webkit-right;">ל</span><span style="text-align: -webkit-right;">ב חכם</span><span style="text-align: -webkit-right;"> </span><span style="text-align: -webkit-right;">לימינו ולב </span><span style="text-align: -webkit-right;">כסיל לשמא</span><span style="text-align: -webkit-right;">ל</span><span style="text-align: -webkit-right;"> </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Here is my translation: "</span><i style="color: #141823; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">(The) heart of the wise is to the right (side or hand may be added) but (the) heart of the foolish is to the left (again may add side or hand).</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">" So far so good, the NIV did a fair job of translating it. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">But I didn't stop there. I decided to see how St. Jerome translated it into Latin. Here is what I found: "<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>c</i></span></span><span style="text-indent: 14.399999618530273px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>or sapientis in dextera eius et cor stulti in sinistra illius</i>."</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">For those whose Latin is rusty cor means heart, dextera refers to the right & sinistra to the left. (The root words are</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; text-align: start;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; text-align: start;">sinister</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; text-align: start;"> for left & </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; text-align: start;">dexter</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; text-align: start;"> for right</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; text-align: start;">.</span><span style="color: #141823;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">) In fact the word sinister is still in use According to the <a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sinister">dictionary</a> it is an adjective that means "</span></span><span style="background-color: #e8ecf5; line-height: 20px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>having an evil appearance : looking likely to cause something bad, harmful, or dangerous to happen</i></span></span><span style="color: #141823;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">"</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #141823;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">When St. Jerome did the translation he used the vulgar, or common version of Latin used by the average speaker. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">The Douay-Rheims translation is based on the Vulgate. It says "</span></span><span style="font-family: ARIAL; text-align: start; text-indent: 14.399999618530273px;"><i>The heart of a wise man is in his right hand, and the heart of a fool is in his left hand</i></span><span style="font-family: ARIAL; font-size: medium; text-align: start; text-indent: 14.399999618530273px;">.</span><span style="color: #141823;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">"</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Many other modern translations also use refernece to the left for foolishness/fools & right for wisdom/wise. The New American Bible says "</span></span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>The wise man's understanding turns him to his right; the fool's understanding turns him to his left</i></span>.</span><span style="color: #141823;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">" The RSV-CE says "</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>A wise man's heart inclines him toward the right, but a fool's heart toward the left</i></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;">.</span><span style="color: #141823;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">" Finally, from La Sacra Bibbia - Edizione CEI, "</span></span><i><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;">La mente del sapiente si dirige a destra </span></i></span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>e quella dello stolto a sinistra</i></span>.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #141823;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">" (Translation: "</span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>The mind of the wise is directed to the right is the one of the fool to the left<span style="color: #5a5a5a;">.</span></i></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #141823;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">")</span></span></span><br />
As I already pointed out the Latin word for left, sinister, is also used for describing an evil, something harmful or something bad. So let's look at a few things the modern left is promoting that shows how they are living up to their sinister, or leftist, label.<br />
We could start with abortion, the murder of innocent unborn babies. Then there is the promotion of euthenasia, gay marriage, homosexual acts as being OK, etc. In short, what Pope John Paul labeled as the "culture of death." & that is only a part of the evils promoted these days by the modern left.<br />
So maybe King Solomon wasn't thinking of the modern left when he wrote what he did under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. But the Holy Spirit knew what things would be like in the early part of the 21st Century.<br />
Of course the left would say that what they are promoting is wisdom & good. In their minds it is, because it what they say the world calls wisdom. But as St Paul pointed out to the Corinthians "<i>For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God.</i>"<br />
So they proffess themselves to be wise. But as St. Paul told the Romans "<i>Proffessing themselves to be wise, they became fools.</i>"<br />
We are seeing the results of that foolishness in the destruction of our culture. We are also seeing where that is leading, to the destruction of America & Western civilization if they are allowed to continue taking us down the path they want us to follow.<br />
& we can't say we haven't been warned.</div>
Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721319432213055605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9673280.post-64347336853271355582014-08-19T18:04:00.000-05:002014-08-19T18:04:28.595-05:00Huge Setback for Planned Parenthood of the Heartland's Telemed Abortion Scheme<div style="text-align: justify;">
Polk County District Judge Jeffrey Farrell upheld the ban on telemed abortions (webcam abortions) that the Iowa Board of Medicine imposed last year. It was imposed based on FDA protocol for the use of RU-486 aka Mifeprex, the primary drug. The protocol call for a doctor to be actually be present:<br />
<i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; text-align: start;">“Mifeprex may be administered only in a clinic, medical office, or hospital, by or under the supervision of a physician, able to assess the gestational age of an embryo and to diagnose ectopic pregnancies. Physicians must also be able to provide surgical intervention in cases of incomplete abortion or severe bleeding, or have made plans to provide such care through others, and be able to assure patient access to medical facilities equipped to provide blood transfusions and resuscitation, if necessary.”</span></i><br />
As it was being done by Planned Parenthood of the Heartland (PPH), a minimal exam was done by a nurse that basically consisted of a sonogram. The sonogram was e-mailed to the PPH doctor in Des Moines. Then after a short talk with the woman via Skype about the drugs, the PPH doctor in Des Moines pressed a button that opened a drawer with the 2 drugs used. The 2nd drug was taken at home a few days later & rarely was there a followup as required by the protocols. (Note: I am assuming that that minimal exam etc, was followed based on their sides claims. Given their track record of covering up rape, etc, I am not sure how accurate that even that minimal claim of what they do is accurate.<br />
Many concerns were raised about this dangerous disregard for the safety of women. On 28 August 2013 the Iowa Board of Medicine held a public hearing on the regulation of telemed abortions that I, along with many other Pro-lifers from Dubuque attended. 1 of those who spoke was Marian Bourek, executive director of <a href="http://www.dcrtl.org/">Dubuque County Right to Life</a> (DCRTL). Marian had spent 2 terms as a lay member of the board. She talked about the use of dangerous chemicals for the women where "<i>there was not a patient-doctor relationship for the woman."</i> She went on to add "<i>If Planned Parenthood, or any doctor, truly cares about women they would follow the FDA recommendations and not use the procedure at all.</i>"<br />
The hearings were set up to allow each side to take turns. It was interesting to watch how it was a few of the pro-abortion supporters that tried to speak out of turn, especially from their seat in the audience. The Board quickly put an end to those attempts.<br />
As I listened to what the telemed abortion supporters said, I got very upset with some of the lies & half-truths they said. I didn't get up to speak in response to what they said. However, I did submit a written statement addressing those claims.<br />
About a month later the Board voted to require a doctor be actually present, effectively banning telemed abortions. The ruling was scheduled to go in effect about 3 November 2013. Naturally PPH wasn't happy & immediately filed a lawsuit to ban the rule from taking effect in November. A few days before the ruling was to go into effect, the judge allowed PPH to continue doing the procedure until his ruling was made.<br />
Today that ruling was made by Judge Farrell. In it he said that the Iowa Board of Medicine had the authority to make the rule. <i><span style="background-color: #f1f1f1; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Symbol, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 27.200000762939453px; text-align: start;">"There is no question that the board has the power to establish standards of practice for the medical profession. Those standards include the authority to adopt and enforce standards regarding the minimal standards of acceptable and prevailing practice."</span><span style="background-color: #f1f1f1; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Symbol, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 27.200000762939453px; text-align: start;"> </span></i><br />
He also said they followed all the legal requirements before making the rule. This ruling means that a doctor MUST physically examine the woman. The judge also said that despite the added cost and time required for some women, it did not create an undue burden on them.<br />
The ruling is scheduled to go into effect in 30 days.<br />
Another claim made by PPH in the lawsuit was that Monsignor Frank Bonanno played an "<i>outsized role</i>" in the ruling. The judge disagreed. He said <span style="background-color: #f1f1f1; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Symbol, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 27.200000762939453px; text-align: start;"> </span><span style="background-color: #f1f1f1; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Symbol, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 27.200000762939453px; text-align: start;">"</span><span style="background-color: #f1f1f1; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Symbol, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 27.200000762939453px; text-align: start;"><i>Monsignor Bognanno may oppose all abortion, but the record demonstrates that he focused his attention on medical abortion and the applicable standard of care.</i></span><span style="background-color: #f1f1f1; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Symbol, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 27.200000762939453px; text-align: start;">" </span><br />
The judge also replied to the complaint that Mnsr Bognanno inappropriately distributed antiabortion materials to other board members.<span style="background-color: #f1f1f1; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Symbol, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 27.200000762939453px; text-align: start;"> "<i>The materials he sent to other board members focused on medical abortion, and his public statements were limited to the standard of care for medical abortion.</i>"</span><br />
When I asked her about the ruling, DCRTL's Marian Bourek had the following to say: "<i>I'm thrilled with the judge's ruling. He obviously took into account the safety of women."</i><br />
Naturally PPH has said they will appeal the ruling to the Iowa Supreme Court.<br />
Throughout this whole time the big claim made by PPH about banning telemed abortions was that it was an attempt to limit rural women's access to abortion. Or as they put it, needed medical care. They said at the hearing & everywhere else that these women were unable to get to larger cities to have access to abortion.<br />
As usual. with PPH the reality is quite a bit different. They talk about their concerns for women in rural areas, but their actions say something else.<br />
According to PPH, these women were unable to get to the larger cities & needed the more convenient access that a PP site in rural communities would provide. This year PPH has closed the last few of their rural sites, including the only 2 that offered telemed abortions. The past few years before that they closed the other 6 rural sites they were running.<br />
1 of those was in Monticello. When they openned it about 8 years ago they used the same claim about women needing currently unavailable access to medical care. A couple of years later they closed it down saying that women were going to the Dubuque & Cedar Rapids sites instead. So much for the claim of the huge need.<br />
While we are on the claim of a huge need, 7 years ago this week, Planned Parenthood of Eastern Iowa (now a part of PPH) opened its Dubuque site on Central. At the time they were open 40+ hours a week. They moved about 2 years ago to their own building. At that time they claimed they were not planning on adding telemed abortions to their services They did so up to just before the addition of telemed abortions. Now the Dubuque site is only open 13-1/2 hours a week. What happened to the huge need in Dubuque & all those women from the Monticello area that were coming here? Sadly, about the only time they do have people is the day they offer abortions.<br />
According to the Des Moines Register story, in 2011 PPH had 16 sites that offered telemed abortions, earlier this year they said that only 7 sites offer them. PPH described the closings of various sites & the reduction of the number of sites offering telemed abortions as well as the closings as shifts being made for efficency reasons.<br />
The 16 & 7 counts don't tell the whole story. In 2011 the Dubuque site didn't offer telemed abortions, now it does. Also, since PPH"s Cedar Rapids site just stopped offering them. That would make the number 17 at one time & now 6, for a reduction of 11 sites. But that 6, or even 7, isn't correct according to PP's website. The <a href="http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-center/IA">listing of Iowa sites</a> shows that 9 sites currently offer telemed abortions. Or as they describe it "<i>abortion pill (medication abortion)</i>." (<b>Note</b>: this number is subject to change.) So why don't the 2 numbers match up? Why the downplay on the actual number of sites?<br />
PPH started offering telemed abortions in 2008. In 2007 there were 6649 abortions, all surgical. In 2012 there were 4648 surgical & medical abortions, a drop of 30%. PPH claims that this is due to an increased use of contraception, including longer acting ones. <br />
The reality is different. There are more crisis pregnancy centers in Iowa that provide real alternatives. I can't speak for every PP site, but I do know the peaceful prayerful picketers at the Dubuque site also try & talk to the women as they go by. That includes making them aware of the alternatives in Dubuque like <a href="http://www.clarityclinic.com/">The Clarity Clinic</a> & <a href="http://birthright.org/en/landingpage/lp-dubuque">Birthright of Dubuque</a>. The Clarity Clinic has seen an increase in the number of unborn babies saved over the past year. & they have now opened a 2nd location in Platteville WI near UW-Platteville.<br />
Another fact that PPH ignores when it talks about efficency reasons is the power that prayer has played in shutting down most of the sites & the reduction of hours at the Dubuque site. As I already mentioned, every hour that PPH is open in Dubuque people are out there praying. The same is true elsewhere in Iowa. There have been 2 <a href="http://40daysforlife.com/">40 Days for Life</a> campaigns across the state that have seen several of the sites where they took place close.<br />
The battle isn't over yet. As I pointed out, PPH said they will appeal. They will. We must keep praying that the Iowas Supreme Court does the right thing & uphold Judge Farrell's ruling.<br />
But for now, there is a pause among Pro-lifers to celebrate & thank God for the victory won today.<br />
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Sources: <i><a href="http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/health/2014/08/19/planned-parenthood-telemedicine-abortions-iowa-board-of-medicine/14281889/">Judge rules against use of telemed abortion system</a></i><br />
<a href="http://www.lifenews.com/2014/08/19/judge-upholds-iowa-pro-life-law-banning-dangerous-webcam-abortions/"><i>Judge Upholds Iowa Pro-Life Law Banning Dangerous Webcam Abortions</i></a><br />
<i><a href="http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/judge-upholds-iowa-law-telemed-abortion-to-end-in-30-days">Judge upholds Iowa law; telemed abortion to end in 30 days</a></i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/health/2014/08/19/msgr-frank-bognannos-role-in-iowa-board-of-medicine-telemed-abortion-vote-was-ok-judge-rules/14299685/">Judge: Priest's role in telemed-abortion vote was OK</a></i></div>
Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721319432213055605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9673280.post-84401996753817843652014-07-04T00:00:00.000-05:002014-07-04T00:00:00.014-05:00What Really Happened in 1776<div style="text-align: justify;">
In 1976 Bob Hope put out this record to celebrate America's Bicentenial. 38 years later it is still as fresh & funny as ever. In fact some of the jokes are even more topical today...</div>
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<br />Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721319432213055605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9673280.post-63407556363150117372014-06-23T22:17:00.000-05:002014-06-23T22:17:04.138-05:00A Pope, an Empress, an Archbishop & Queen Nancy<div style="text-align: justify;">
OK, I am sure I have your attention. & some of you are wondering where I am heading. Well hold on because you are about to see how history is repeating itself.</div>
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Our story begins with Pope St. Silverius. 20 June was his feast day & I came across his story in Butler's <i>Lives of the Saints</i> on that day.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Pope Silverius</i></span></div>
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A little background on Pope Silverius before I get to his story. His father was Pope St. Hormisdas. Back then men who were married could be ordained priests. Silverius had followed his father in the ministry. At the time of his election, 8 June 536, he was only a subdeacon. There was some possible political intrigue involving his election. But nothing like what happened later when Silverius got on the wrong side of the Empress Theodora.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Empr</i>ess <i>Theodora</i> </span></div>
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While in Constantinople, Silverius's predecessor, Pope St. Agapiyus I had brought about the deposition of the then patriarch of Constantino<span style="font-family: inherit;">ple, Anthimus I.<span style="font-size: x-small;">*</span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">He <span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; text-align: start;">was a Miaphysite</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; text-align: start;"> (a form of the </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; text-align: start;">monophysite heresy). The heresy denied that Jesus had 2 seperate natures, man & God, in one person.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In doing so, he got on the wrong side of Empress Thodora who was a monophysite & supporter of Anthimus. After Silverius' election, the empress wrote him a letter. In it she ordered Silverius to acknowledge Anthimus as the Bishop of Constantinople or come to Constantinople & reexamine the case. Silverius wrote a short letter to Theodora saying he neither could or would obey her unjust demands. Doing so, he said, would betray the cause of the Catholic faith.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Theodora then resolved to have him deposed. I won't go into the whole sordid story here I will say that she wrote a letter to General Belisarius ordering him to get rid of Silverius. He made false accusations including a fake letter that was supposedly written by Silverius to the king of the Goths. It accused him of inviting the king to take over Rome. As I said, it was a fake, as were all the other charges. But he was deposed in a very shameful way. All I will add is that the new pope whom she contrived to get elected, Vigilus, didn't play along & upheld the Catholic faith as well.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Why did Pope St. Silverius' story draw my attention? Simple, because of how Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone was drawing the ire of Nancy Pelosi, among others for speaking on 19 June 2014 at a National Orginization for Marriage event in Washington DC. He was accused of </span></span> participating in an anti-LGBT event & that some of those participating were hate groups.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Queen (aka Pope) Nancy</i></span></div>
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Like the empress, Pelosi wrote Archbishop Cordileone telling him that what he was doing was wrong. She repeated the anti-LGBT charges & even misused Pope Francis's quote, "<i>Who am I to judge?</i>" to get him to support her heretical stand in support of so-called "gay-marriage." I say misused becase she, like her friends in the liberal main stream media, ignored the rest of the statement where the Pope talked about the person trying to follow Jesus. In saying that, the Pope was talking about someone who was trying to live a celebate & chaste life, not someone who was openly living in sin by having sex outside of marriage between one man & one woman. In fact, defending marriage is something the Pope has spoken loud & clear about, both as Pope & as Cardinal in Argentina.<br />
Pelosi has a long record of promoting stands that counter authentic Catholic teachings while claiming her heresies, like abortion is a sacrament & sacred are authentincly Catholic.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone</i></span></div>
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But rather than give in to her, like Pope Sliverius, Archbishop Cordileone refuses to back down from upholding authentic Catholic teachings on marriage & said as much. He said that the event is<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; text-align: start;"> simply affirming "<i>marriage as the conjugal union of a husband and wife.</i>" He added </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; text-align: start;">"<i>Rest assured that if the point of this event were to single out a group of individuals and target them for hatred, I would not be there</i>."</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; text-align: start;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; text-align: start;">He went & he spoke clearly, calling on those to love their opponants, a message repeated by others, just the opposite of what those attacking this event claimed it was.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; text-align: start;">That they make this claim is no surprise. Those supporting "gay rights" including that to marry, have long painted the Catholic Church's teaching on homosexual acts as hateful. They ignore the fact that the Church has always taught that any sexual act outside of marriage, including adultry, fornication & mastubation, are sinful as well.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; text-align: start;">1 of Pelosi's media supporters, SFGate, did an <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/nevius/article/Archbishop-doubles-down-on-anti-gay-stance-with-5560213.php">attack piece</a> on the Archbishop dated 18 June. In it they said that they were suprised that the Archbishop was still going to speak at the event. Like so often in the past, those groups, like Family Research Council were painted as hatefilled because they spoke the truth about what the real LGBT agenda. In doing so, they ignored groups like NAMBLA that do push for legalizing pedophilia. I won't go into all their false charges made. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; text-align: start;">Up to the end of the hit piece, they totally ignore that all he is doing is upholding authentic Catholic teaching. But if they did acknowledge it then they couldn't justify their claims that the Archbishop's actions were puzzling.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; text-align: start;">So when they finally get to what the Church teaches, they basically tell the Archbishop to shut up. The article says "</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; text-align: start;"><i>Cordileone is flying across the country as the only announced representative of the Catholic Church to participate in an event that surely has little support in San Francisco. If the archbishop would like to take on gang violence or homelessness - the church-affiliated St. Vincent de Paul homeless shelter is one of the largest in the city - that would be fine.</i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; text-align: start;"><i>But the fact is that this marriage crusade is his issue, not San Francisco's. There may be a place where his views would represent the community. This isn't it.</i>"</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; text-align: start;">Yes, you read right, because they disagree with Church teaching on marriage they demand he not speak out on it. Let's just do the nice social justice things. Of course, without any mention of Jesus. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; text-align: start;">They want 1 of the Church's shepherds to conform to their agenda & not go out & seek the lost sheep like Jesus did. Archbishop Cordeleone's responsibility is NOT to represent the views of the community. He is to call people to repentance, just like Jesus. That is what he is doing & they don't like it.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; text-align: start;">But it gets even worse. What do they say in the final line of the article? "</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; text-align: start;"><i>Time for Cordileone to move on from San Francisco</i>." In short they are working to drive him out, just like the empress used her minions to drive out Pope St. Silverious.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">SFGate had better accept the fact that they won't get their way. He will not leave unless the Pope needs him more elsewhere. He will stay & keep speaking out. Given how things are going, he made come under physical attack including an attempt or 2 on his life. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">Archbishop Cordileone is clearly following in the steps of many brave Bishops, like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clemens_August_Graf_von_Galen">Blessed Cardinal von Galen</a>, & Pope Silverius. He has made it clear he will not be silent, no matter what those opposing him try.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">Empress Theodora didn't get her way. Neither will Pelosi & her gang.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">Finally, please pray for Archbishop Cordileone,<span style="font-size: xx-small;">#</span> especially that God will protect him & continue to give him the strength & courage he needs to be a faithful shepherd.</span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; text-align: start;">________________</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">* As a sidenote, this removal of the patriarch of Constantinople by the Pope took place in the 6th Century. Clearly even then the Pope was recognized as more than just the 1st among equals. He had some authority over other Bishops that they didn't have over him.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"># Cordileone is Italiano for heart of the lion. Clearly the Archbishop is living up to his name by showing courage in the face of these attacks.</span></span></div>
Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721319432213055605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9673280.post-79903418699245107492014-06-08T16:48:00.000-05:002014-06-08T16:48:27.439-05:00Planned Parenthood of the Heartland - The Facts Belie Their Claims<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVS6W4FNMn7t8JmFJc9mud_2-SmeVYpPkLEb1nKwkUVjVhbPPUYMB5tNYp54Ail5OrAL9m4A9iy8r63X7j3zUx0SmPb19t-yt8012fiH-JfeeOa3HK8HrBCHhxf9FMraL6JZujdg/s1600/IMG_20140608_162407.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVS6W4FNMn7t8JmFJc9mud_2-SmeVYpPkLEb1nKwkUVjVhbPPUYMB5tNYp54Ail5OrAL9m4A9iy8r63X7j3zUx0SmPb19t-yt8012fiH-JfeeOa3HK8HrBCHhxf9FMraL6JZujdg/s1600/IMG_20140608_162407.jpg" height="57" width="320" /></a></div>
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1 thing that is absolutely certain about Planned Parenthood of the Heartland (PPH) is that they lie &/or obfuscate things to make them look like they are providing much needed services rather that being the abortion giant they are.</div>
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1 of those lies has been the need for their "clinics" in smaller communities to provide needed health care in rural areas. They said that the attacks on "telemed abortions" was an attack on the health care of those women's because banning them would cause them to have to close the smaller centers. Yet over the last few years, with "telemed abortions" still available, they have closed about 11 sites, mostly rural. Despite their claim there is a shifting need of services, the reality is that the sites are losing money & eating into profits.. They just <a href="http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/health/2014/06/04/planned-parenthood-closes-clinics-in-creston-red-oak/9978693/">announced</a> the closing of 2 more rural sites.</div>
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The Des Moines Register brought up the Iowa Board of Medicine decision about "telemed abortions. It said <i><span style="font-family: inherit;">"<span style="background-color: #f1f1f1; color: #333333; line-height: 27.200000762939453px;">Planned Parenthood supporters say the decision was an attempt to limit rural women's access to a safe and legal method of abortion."</span></span><span style="background-color: #f1f1f1; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Symbol, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 27.200000762939453px;"> </span></i></div>
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It seems to me that PPH is the one limiting the access not the state or those of us who are Pro-life.</div>
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Also, the same PPH that said women need & want those services said about the latest closings "<span style="background-color: #f1f1f1; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Symbol, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 27.200000762939453px;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="background-color: #f1f1f1; color: #333333; line-height: 27.200000762939453px;">"The decision to close the health centers was based on an effort to eliminate inefficiency in resources - shifting the staff and equipment required for certain services from health centers where request for those services was low to areas where our patients are more densely located and availing themselves of our services,"</span><span style="background-color: #f1f1f1; color: #333333; line-height: 27.200000762939453px;"> </span></i></span>So much for the need they claim is there. If there truly was a need they would be expanding in rural areas not closing them.</div>
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This raises an interesting question: <i>"What happened to the money they raised in a capital fund drive they were having?"</i> Part of the money was supposed to expand into new rural areas where there was the so-called need for their services. As Jill June <a href="http://ppheartland.info/breakingnewground/home/from-the-president/">said</a> on the Breaking New Ground website <i>"</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><i>we will break new ground with state-of-the-art health centers across our affiliate, including rural communities where there is a desperate need for our services.</i>" </span><br />
Speaking of so-called need, in Dubuque when they opened they operated a 40 hour schedule. That shrunk over the next couple of years. Now, at their new site, allegedly state-of-the-art, the still are not open full time. It only operates about 15 hours a week. & 2 of the 3 days it is open are the days they do "telemed abortions".<br />
The reality is, the need they claim exists is only a cover to gain sympathy for their continued offering of telemed abortions in those areas where they can make huge profits off of it.<br />
The last time anything was said about the campaign was in the <a href="http://issuu.com/ppheartland/docs/fy12_annual_report_issuu_web?e=6481433/2039397">2012 Annual Report</a> when they claimed to have raised $9.05 million of the $11.5 million goal. Yet <a href="http://issuu.com/ppheartland/docs/ppheartland_fy13_ar?e=0/8040530#">the latest (2013) report</a> says nothing about the drive or how the money has been used. It is as if it no longer exists. Additionally, the <a href="http://ppheartland.info/breakingnewground/">campaign website</a> shows no update from the 2012 amount.</div>
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Speaking of the 2013 report, it gives a very minimal look at what their income/expenses where. Not that any past year has been that detailed. To maybe be a bit clearer minimal means only 1 pie chart for expenses, a minimal listing of income sources with no major details & no pie chart for revenue like they have in the past.<br />
1 of those details is where they brag about providing $8,235,442 in uncompensated charity care . But when you look at the income they list for patient services v the expenses for health services the numbers do not add up.<br />
On page 5 of the 2013 report the refer to the uncompensated amount as coming from health care services. On page 10 they list $22,693,241 for Health Services under expenses. Under income they list $17,219,377 for patient services. Since they have no details, I assume that amount would include cash, insurance, & medicaid. Now let's do the math. When you subtract the income from expenses you come up with $5,473,864 that was uncompensated. That is $2,761,578 less than the $8.25 million they claim. or 33.5% of the total amount they claim.<br />
The only other place you might possibly put uncompensated services in expenses is Advocacy & Education. Just 1 problem there. It comes to $1,980,873. Even if you count 100% of that number as uncompensated care (very doubtful) you still end up about $.7 million short. Like I said the numbers don't add up.<br />
Since we are on the subject of numbers, lets look at a few of the stats they give about the services they provide.<br />
1 of those is the claim that abortions are only 2% of the services they provide. Is that true? Well, again that depends on how you play with the numbers.<br />
They list contraceptive services at 146,775. Since they count each monthly prescription of the pill, 71% of the contraceptive services, that number is already inflated.<br />
Add the fact that the same person who has an abortion also has had some of the other services, like birth control 1st, abortion may technically be 2%, but if you look at it as the percentage of people served you get another number<br />
They claim to have served 72,948 people, male & female. They also say they provided 6367 abortions. That means that 8.7% of those they served had abortions. But even that may be inflated. That depends on whether they list each person only once, or the same person separately for each visit. Given their track record, I suspect the latter. So the number of those having abortions may be an even higher percentage, maybe even up to 50% based on what the average cost of an abortion is.<br />
Since PPH doesn't list how much it made from abortions we have no idea what the actual income from them was or how much more than 2 of 8.5% it actually is. But I suspect it is much higher, maybe even up to 40% of their income.<br />
Now let's look at the number of prescriptions for the pill, 104,210, omitting the other long range contraceptives & the morning after pill. That averages out to 8684 prescriptions a month. Now let's add that number to the other forms of contraception that aren't distributed monthly & you have approximately 51249 women served. I feel safe saying women as condoms are not listed at all.<br />
Let's make 1 other assumption, everyone of the women who had an abortion also came to PPH for birth control we see that 12.4% of those who got cheap, low profit, birth control, mostly the low estrogen pill, came back for a more expensive, highly profitable abortion when it failed.<br />
There is 1 last statistic I would like to look at, the tenure of the medical staff. The average tenure is 6.7 years. Given how long most of the sites have been open, at least 5 years, that makes for a pretty high turnover IMHO. & a lot less experience than PPH tries to make it sound like.</div>
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I could go on & on, but you get the idea. PPH isn't exactly as honest & forthcoming as they pretend to be.</div>
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Before I go, I would like to mention 1 more thing. On 21 June 2013 Jill June <a href="http://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-heartland/newsroom/press-releases/jill-june-retire-ceo-planned-parenthood-heartland">announced</a> she would be leaving as president of PPH on 30 June 2014. The reason given for the early announcement was to give PPH plenty of time to find a "<i>strong & dedicated successor</i>." As of this date (8 June 2014) no announcement has been forthcoming as to who that person is. Given that June is making over $274,000 annually, it can't be poor pay that is the problem. So maybe they have found someone & don't want to give those of us on the Pro-life side any advance notice that will enable us to prepare for how that person will operate.<br />
I will make 1 prediction, you can be sure that person will be just as adept at lying & deception as Jill June is.</div>
Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721319432213055605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9673280.post-19570814346129241082014-02-22T18:57:00.001-06:002014-03-25T10:11:35.927-05:00Felice Compleanno to George Washington - <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_TIcPeqGKdcADCE4sBDxO0-hSFAa05jqG7YWWTn1k8wHjQ1y-V9U_VTZzBuSoVkpXXk0sIvJLPvndEiQii0X0y_lMW2S0BP-QBLIXZ47b21cXUYaw58DV4Xz0MNCEfeiceqStlg/s1600/IMG_20140222_105119.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_TIcPeqGKdcADCE4sBDxO0-hSFAa05jqG7YWWTn1k8wHjQ1y-V9U_VTZzBuSoVkpXXk0sIvJLPvndEiQii0X0y_lMW2S0BP-QBLIXZ47b21cXUYaw58DV4Xz0MNCEfeiceqStlg/s1600/IMG_20140222_105119.jpg" height="400" width="313" /></a></div>
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George Washington Troup, my grandfather, that is.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">He was born 150 years ago today in Haggerstown, MD.</span></div>
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This is the only known picture of him & my grandmother Bertha Titlow Troup Mishler. Grandma was h<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">is 2nd wife. He had 16 children* & died on 1 Oct 1940 in Oelwein.</span></div>
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For those of you who wonder about the difference in the spelling of our last names here is the story I was told to explain it. When my father was in school at Sacred Heart along with a brother of his (can't remember which) , one of the Sisters of Mercy started adding the "e". He is supposed to have talked to the sister who refused to change it & told him he didn't know how to spell his own name.</div>
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He worked for the Chicago Great Western Railroad.</div>
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This is the only known picture of him & my grandmother together. I was told it was taken at a booth at a fair.</div>
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Sadly, I never knew him since he died 15 years before I was born.</div>
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* His 1st wife died & he then married my grandma. She remarried after his death & died in 1965. The 1st few children were by his 1st wife. The 16th was actually his granddaughter that was born out of wedlock & Grandma & Grandpa raised her as their own.</div>
</span></span>Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721319432213055605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9673280.post-21153381201901845652014-02-19T17:19:00.000-06:002014-02-19T17:25:05.809-06:002014 Virtual San Giuseppe Altar<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Rbx0s3lkwjq6ga0YAvBkr3hcjPhXE1K6Dpf23IRhzehyphenhyphen2nS7MABi2zmzcmPGR5qA51-9M0TaG6MsZMGS2DEWWbW8zzvQZYFOEf0IQ6N7n1gwepJtp4IB8gIVUgULnReRrG103w/s1600/1625454_783160058366109_56119930_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Rbx0s3lkwjq6ga0YAvBkr3hcjPhXE1K6Dpf23IRhzehyphenhyphen2nS7MABi2zmzcmPGR5qA51-9M0TaG6MsZMGS2DEWWbW8zzvQZYFOEf0IQ6N7n1gwepJtp4IB8gIVUgULnReRrG103w/s1600/1625454_783160058366109_56119930_n.jpg" height="147" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: red;">Over the past few years it has been my blessed privledge to honor San Giuseppe by putting in a plug for the <span style="color: red;"><a href="http://www.thankevann.com/stjoseph/altar.html"><span style="color: red;">Virtual St. Joseph Altar</span></a> </span>that was started by Evann Duplantier in 1999. (This is the 16th year.) It was started in the tradition of the Sicilian St. Joseph Altars (aka tavola di San Giuseppe) in New Orleans. & while I am Calabrese, not Siciliano, I see no reason to let that stop me from spreading this great devotion to San Giuseppe. Especially since many of us from other parts of Italia or have their heritage there, have adopted it as well.</span><br />
<span style="color: red;">Now for those of you who are unfamiliar with the tradition that is celebrated in many parts of the USA as well as Italia, let me explain. We need to go back to the Middle Ages, when the island of Sicily was suffering from a very severe drought. It reached the point that there was almost nothing left to eat but fava beans. In short, a famine.</span><br />
<span style="color: red;">So the people of Sicily began praying to San Giuseppe, begging him to intercede with God for an end to the drought. (As I type this I can help but think that maybe there is a lesson for California here.) San Giuseppe came through & the drought ended. Crops were planted & the famine ended.</span><br />
<span style="color: red;">Naturally, the Sicilians were grateful to San Giuseppe & wanted to express their thanks in a visible way. So a table was set up with the fruits of the harvest on it. After they had done so, the food was distributed to the less fortunate.</span><br />
<span style="color: red;">From that simple table, the altar grew & developed into what it is today.</span><br />
<span style="color: red;">They can range from the simple</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYHtszRN0CCfzJuWPz0ffa-1dc8FthY5CPbe6rNfTZKn4bUKIf2nV0JjgRBGrLfm1WTvX-nKEYJ60WqtFOP206h3g4Isxv_wAl9IOJ1DcWeJRAYJZkwIVE1nir8mk7rJfswYzIRw/s1600/IMG_20140219_162920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYHtszRN0CCfzJuWPz0ffa-1dc8FthY5CPbe6rNfTZKn4bUKIf2nV0JjgRBGrLfm1WTvX-nKEYJ60WqtFOP206h3g4Isxv_wAl9IOJ1DcWeJRAYJZkwIVE1nir8mk7rJfswYzIRw/s1600/IMG_20140219_162920.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: red;">to the ornate,</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqQQ0XJh9IsMupUc36hjGboIhdbJrw57BxpaucSRVsJwpYnNmGe6mfW1fAuM8MWSSmEKIOkzIpEmj7tfUjYpfMm95b6I4-zYWmQOKi6ZsrYGl3L_CpbJgsgoGJ0b8dmyqJ9RPkzw/s1600/IMG_20140219_162934.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqQQ0XJh9IsMupUc36hjGboIhdbJrw57BxpaucSRVsJwpYnNmGe6mfW1fAuM8MWSSmEKIOkzIpEmj7tfUjYpfMm95b6I4-zYWmQOKi6ZsrYGl3L_CpbJgsgoGJ0b8dmyqJ9RPkzw/s1600/IMG_20140219_162934.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: red;">but certain things remain the same.</span><br />
<span style="color: red;">The 1st is that the altar must be made with 3 levels. This is done to honor the Holy Trinity.</span><br />
<span style="color: red;">On the top level a image of San Giuseppe is placed. This can be a statue or a painting or an icon. It is surrounded by flowers & greenery. Votive candles can be placed there as well as on the other levels.</span><br />
<span style="color: red;">On the other levels a variety of food, with the exception of meat dishes because it is Lent, are placed on the other levels. These offerings include citrus fruit, breads, pastries, seafood, olives, grapes, fava beans, & figs. In addition you will find bread crumbs sprinkled about as a reminder of the sawdust in San Giuseppe's carpenter's <span style="font-family: inherit;">shop.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: red;">Now the breads & many of the pastries are baked in special shapes. The breads can be shaped as </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.176000595092773px; text-align: start;"><span style="color: red;">lilies, sandals, ladder, saw, hammer, nail, beard, ladder, & the cane or staff of St. Joseph. The pastries</span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: start;"><span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> are made in the shapes of monstrances, chalices, crosses, doves</span>, lambs, fish, bibles, hearts, wreaths & palms. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: start;"><span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;">The fava beans are there as a reminder that during the famine the people were down to eating fava beans which was normally used back then as a fodder for the cattle.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: start;"><span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;">Additionally, there is a basket placed near or on the altar where visitors can leave their prayer requests, as well as the names of deceased family & friends. Sometime pictures of those who are deceased are placed on the altar as well.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">All visitors receive a small goodie bag. It includes a blessed San Giuseppe medal, a holy card with San Giuseppe's image on it & of course, a fava bean. It can also include a small pastry or two.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">On San Giuseppe's actual feast day, 19 March, many of the families who erect an altar in their home will invite friends& neighbors over for a meal that includes what was offered on the altar. Children are selected to play the Holy Family. They go from door to door in the neighborhood until they reach the house with the altar. The Holy family is allowed to eat 1st. After the meal any food that remains, along with any money donated is given to the poor, just like the 1st table.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">So please visit the virtual altar which opened today for the year.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">At the <a href="http://www.thankevann.com/stjoseph/altar.html">virtual altar</a>, you can make a <a href="http://www.thankevann.com/stjoseph/offering.html"><span style="color: red;">virtual offering</span></a> as well as any prayer requests for <span style="color: red;"><a href="http://stjosephaltar.blogspot.com/2014/02/prayers-for-dead-2014.html">deceased loved ones</a> </span>or for <a href="http://stjosephaltar.blogspot.com/2014/02/general-prayer-requests-2013.html">your needs or to express gratitude to San Giuseppe for prayers answered</a>. You can do this any time between now & San Giuseppe's feast on 19 March 2014. When you do, don't forget to pick up your <a href="http://www.thankevann.com/stjoseph/goodiebag.html">virtual goodie bag</a> before you leave.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: purple; font-size: x-large;"><b>VIVA SAN GIUSEPPE!!!!!</b></span></span></div>
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Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721319432213055605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9673280.post-34690202844324629412014-02-11T21:14:00.001-06:002014-02-11T21:14:18.283-06:00Using Good to Justify Evil<div style="text-align: justify;">
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Over the last few years the connections between the abortion industry, especially Planned Parenthood & the Girl Scouts have been coming out. The GSUSA has tried to distance themselves by saying "<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>No, Girl Scouts of the USA does not have a relationship or partnership with Planned Parenthood</i>." </span></span>That is technically true. But for many local councils & through many other groups they associate with, there is that connection to Planned Parenthood. Recently 1 of their spokeswomen commended pro-abortion politician Wendy Davis & Secretary of HHS Kathleen Sibelius as women to emulate. </div>
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There are many local Girl Scout councils that do not have any association with the abortion industry. Among those who do not is the local council here in Dubuque. But because part of their dues goes to the GSUSA as well as a licencing fee for each box of cookies does, there is still that indirect support.</div>
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That is why the recent <a href="http://cookiecott.com/">CookieCott</a> was organized, to make people aware of the connection as well as ensure Pro-lifers are not supporting Planned Parenthood etc through it. This is a simplifiedexplanaition. You can get the details <a href="http://cookiecott.com/concerns/">here</a>.</div>
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Part of the CookieCott was a tweetfest for those of us who are on Twitter to get the word out. It was held on 6 February 2014, just before the weekend that the Girl Scouts had their cookie sales in front of grocery & other stores, etc.<br />
I participated in it. My 1st tweet was "<i>I'll keep saying no to Girl Scout cookies until they publicly repudiate their connection to Planned Parenthood</i>". Well, it didn't take to long for a person^ to try & claim they had. I countered with facts, links etc, but this person either ignored (mostly) the evidence I presented, refused to answer my questions about that evidence, or out & out denied the truth.<br />
Additionally, the person tried to use guilt on me. "<i>Your issue is w/ GSNY*, not the girls who. . . </i>(continued in next tweet due to space limitations) <i>who use their cookie proceeds to help the homeless, veterans, schools, nursing homes and many othercharities. You hurt them too.</i>"<br />
Obviously I wasn't going to fall for that ploy. So I responded with the following tweets:<br />
"<i>Pleae don't play this false sympathy card. The ends never justify the means if they are evil.</i>"<br />
"<i>There are many other groups that I support that help the homeless, hungry etc without ties to Planned Parenthood. So GS not needed.</i>"<br />
I knew that this person wouldn't like what I said. The response was as follows:<br />"<i>Shame on you for saying the needy should be helped by others because you don't like something. I'm finished with you.</i>"<br />Talk about an attempt to flame & demonize. I obviously hit a nerve with a fact that person didn't like because it totally undermined the justification used to continue buying GS cookies. Apparently the defending of the unborn is simply a dislike on my part, not the moral evil it really is.<br />
Actually this person knows I am right & doesn't like the truth about how evil abortion is as well as the GSUSA connection to it. So saying it was something I don't like was an attempt to deny that truth, as well as try & paint me as the bad guy instead.<br />
I knew that I wouldn't get a reply, but I did have to respond.<br />
"<i>There are plenty of other groups to support that do those same things, but doen't abet abortion like the GSUSA does.</i>"<br />"<i>So cut out the self righteousness. I am not ashamed of the truth, but you seem to be willing to help murder unborn babies.</i>"<br />
"<i>Why are you afraid to face the facts/truth. The GSUSA is affiliated with groups that push abortion.</i>"<br />
"<i>That good that the GSUSA may do never absolves the evil they are associated with, you know that. I pray God opens your eyes to the truth</i>"<br />
These last few were sent yesterday. Of course I haven't gotten a reply. Nor do I expect to. This person knows I will not back down from speaking the truth. Please join in my prayers for an openness & acceptance of the truth by this person.<br />
There are many good organizations out there that do not work with the abortion industry that deserve our support. The Girls Scouts is, sadly, not one of them. Fortunately, there is a good alternative, <a href="http://ahgonline.org/">The American Heritage Girls</a>. In fact they have even <a href="http://www.lifenews.com/2014/02/10/girl-scouts-alternative-american-heritage-girls-announces-new-respect-life-patch/">created a "Respect Life" patch</a> for the girls to earn. So, until the GSUSA returns to its original values, the money I would spend on Girl Scout cookies will go to buying the candy bars sold by the American Heritage Girls instead.<br />
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^ The tweets are public, so I could use the person's name &/or gender. But instead I will keep it generic since it could be a man or woman saying the same thing to you someday. Hopefully this will help you see the real agenda, to justify the continued support of abortion by wrapping it in a cloak of good. As St. Paul pointed out in <i>2 Corinthians 11:14</i>, Satan & hs demons can disguise themselves as an angel of light. This is exactly what is going on with the abortion industry through the GSUSA They are appearing as something good rather than the evil they are.<br />
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* The group involved in 1 of the many examples I used, not the only one. </div>
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Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721319432213055605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9673280.post-69081270977858846712014-02-08T22:31:00.001-06:002014-02-08T22:31:12.663-06:00Lord of the Worldby Monsignor Robert Hugh Benson<br />
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I 1st heard of this book after Papa Francesco mentioned this book in <a href="http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=19721">18 November 2013 homily</a> at his daily Mass. The Pope says that Benson <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">speaks in the book of the spirit of the world that leads to apostasy “<i>almost as though it were a prophecy, as though he envisioned what would happen</i>”.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">Soon many others began talking about it as well. My curiousity was peeked. So I went to Amazon & found it was available on Kindle for free. Naturally I downloaded it & recently finished reading it. I was not disappointed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;"><i>Lord of the World </i>was written in 1907 by Monsignor Benson. Benson was the son of Edward Benson (Archbishop of Canterbury). Benson was ordained an Anglican priest by his father in 1895. Sfter Archbisop Benson died suddenly in 1896, Fr. Benson traveled to the Middle East to recover his health. While there he began considering the claims of the Catholic Church as well as the status of the Church of England. Finally on 11 September 1903 he was received into the Catholic Church & ordained as a Catholic priest in 1904. He died in 1914.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;"><i>Lord of the World</i> is an apocalyptic novel set in the 1st part of the 21st Century. However, unlike most modern novels, it is written from a Catholic viewpoint. So I will warn you in advance, there is no rapture as many modern evangelicals describe it.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">The story itself takes place in 3 locations, London, Rome & the Holy Land. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">In the early part of the 20th Century a form of Marxism called Herveism came into power in England. It was tied into a form of humanism & behind it all was Freemasonry. By the start of the 21st Century,except for those who were still faithful Catholics, a spirit of hopelessness has fallen over England as well as most of the rest of the world. Euthenasia has become an accepted way to end your life. But not only for physical illness. It is also allowed for those who just do not want to go on living.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">Rome has been ceded to the Vatican in return for their surrender of all other Church buildings in Italy. The Catholic Church, headed by Pope John XXVIV. (This numbering was based on the fact that the last John was antipope John XXIII, something that was ignored when the Blessed John XXIII took his name in 1958. Only Ireland & Rome have remained faithfully Catholic. Throughout the rest of the world there is only a small percentage who are still Catholic. For the most part, people have become freemasons. There are some strongholds of Eastern religions, but there are no longer any protestant churches in existance. The only Christian Church is the Catholic Church. & all the Eastern rites have been surpressed. The only rite celebrated is the Tridentine rite. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">I found that last fact a bit unbelievable. Even if the reason was unity. But this was, I suspect based on a bit of prejudice on the part of the author. Back then most Roman Catholics knew little about the Eastern Catholics & there was much prejudice against the differences in their rites, etc. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">As far as the political landscape, there existed 3 basic powers, the Eastern Empire, the American Republic & the European Union. At the opening of the book the Eastern Empire is threatening Europe. Additionally, all royal houses have been deposed. The royal families have all moved to Rome, including the Chinese emperor. & all those that weren't Catholic have converted to Catholicism.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">It is probably the technological part where this book is the most dated. Long distance travel is done via a form of air ship, volor, that is like the zeppelin. There are no computers. Communication is done mainly by letter & telegraph.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">There are 3 main characters in the book. Fr. Perry Franklin, a priest living in London. Part of his responsibilities are to observe what is going on & report it to the Pope. He is a devout Catholic who is troubled by the huge falling away, apostasy, of Catholics, lay & ordained. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">Next there is Julian Felsenburgh. He is a mystery man who seems to have come from nowhere & rises ultimately to control the world. While I am not saying Obama is the antiChrist, it struck me that there are many similarities between Obama & Felsenburgh. Felsenburgh & Fr. Franklin are virtually identical in their looks.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">Then ast of the 3 is Oliver Brand. He starts out as the new member from Croydon. He hooks his wagon to Felsenburgh & rises in power as a result. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">The main supporting characters, besides the Pope include Brand's wife Mabel & his dying mother. Another is Mr. Francis. He starts the book as a priest. Later he leaves the faith & ends up being the main liturgest for the new world religion being set up.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">With the obvious exception of Felsenburgh, the main characters & many of the supporting characters are well developed. We get to know what they are thinking, what motivates them, there hopes & even their dreams.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">The novel is divided into 4 parts, the Prologue, Book I The Advent, Book II The Encounter, & Book III The Victory.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">The Prologue serves to set the scene for what will develop in the main body of the novel. At times it drags, but despite what the author said, it should not be skipped, even by those who dislike prologues.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">The 1st part of the book looks at the rise of Felsenburgh from obscurity as an unknown from America to, although the term is never used, the AntiChrist ruling the world. The 2nd part focuses on the development of the World religion as well as the attempts to wipe out the Pope & the Catholic Church. Without giving anything away, the last part focuses on the final attack on the Catholic Church & the end of the World. The way Benson describes it has a very strong Eucharistic foundation, something I found very satisfying as I thought about it afterwords.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">I will say I found what Papa Francesco said, that the book is prophetic in its way. It does capture the spirit of the world we find growing in this day & age, the time the book is set in. We see many Catholics giving up the tenets of the faith. People are denying the faith. Euthenasia is becoming acceptable. The recent UN Committee attack on the Church's teachings on abortion, contraception & sexuality could be seen as the 1st major shot across the bow by that spirit of the world. Again, I am not saying we are seeing the rise of the actual AntiChrist. But the book does give us insight into where we could be heading. & why it is all the more important for us faithful Catholics to defend the faith as well as boldly proclaim the truths that God has handed on to us through the Church.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">I have tried not to give away too much of the plot. Part of what makes the book so good is how he develops the story to bring us to the end of the world. Benson has interwoven the stories of the main characters in a way that is anything but contrived. Yes there are coincidences that bring about the meeting of Brand & Fr. Franklin. But they are anything but contrived. In fact, they help add to the believability of the story.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">So if you are looking for a solid read, with a story that holds your interest, <i>Lord of the World</i> is well worth it.</span></span></div>
Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721319432213055605noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9673280.post-31945444417854388282014-01-24T21:04:00.000-06:002014-01-24T21:04:06.631-06:00Everything You Always Wanted to Know About How Mozzarella is Made*<div style="text-align: justify;">
* But Were Afraid to Ask (Well maybe not everything, but most people will know a lot more.)</div>
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Until recently, most people's idea of mozzarella was that rectangle bought in the grocery store. They also had some vague idea it was Italiano in origin, & mostly used for pizza.</div>
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While to some extent that is true, that is only a small part of the mozzarella story.</div>
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Over the past few years fresh mozzarella has been showing up in the cheese isle. While it is closer to the original, it still is only a small part of the story.</div>
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The old standard is actually a low moisture verson, often made from skim milk. </div>
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The type we now often see in the form of balls, packed either in brine or vacuum packs is also made in Italia. It is called <i>mozzarella fior di latte</i> (flower of the milk).</div>
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But the original & the one that produced in Italia is <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="it" style="background-color: white;" xml:lang="it"><i>Mozzarella di bufala campana DOP.</i></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.948436737060547px;"> It is a type of mozzarella made from the milk of the </span>Italian water buffalo (</span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Bufala mediterranea italiana</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.948436737060547px;">) that are raised in designated areas of </span>Campania<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.948436737060547px;">, </span>Lazio<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.948436737060547px;">, </span>Apulia<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.948436737060547px;">, </span>Molise<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.948436737060547px;"> in Italy.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 22.948436737060547px;"> </span>The DOP at the end of the name signifies that it was only made in the designated areas.</div>
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There is a 4th type called <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="it" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.5em;" xml:lang="it"><i>mozzarella affumicata</i></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.5em;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.5em;">(smoked mozzarella).</span></span></div>
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Regardless of the type they are all made the same basic way, with the addition of smoking for the last type.</div>
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It is from this process, <i>pasta filata,</i> that mozzarella gets its name. The name is derived from the Italiano verb, <i>mozzare</i>, meaning "to cut". You will see why as I describe the process.</div>
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But before I get to that I have to explain the origin of the pictures I will be using. The Hy-Vee store on Dodge Street in Dubuque recently added a huge cheese section with a wide variety of domestc & imported cheeses. No, they don't have the Mozzarella di bufala yet, but the person that runs it has ordered it.</div>
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As a part of the expansion, they have begun making their own fresh mozzarella every Friday. Actually the 2nd half of the process as they get the curd, made from whole milk, elsewhere.</div>
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To the milk is added a whey starter that contains thermophilic bacteria. The milk is left to ripen so that the bacteria can multiply. When it is ripe, rennet is added so the milk can coagulate. This curd is then cut & allowed to "heal" (firm up). It is then cut again, heated & the whey is seperated from the curd. The curd is then put into hoops so it can form a solid mass with a pH of 5.2-5.</div>
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It then looks like this:</div>
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It is now ready for the <i>pasta filata</i> process.</div>
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The curd is now cut up into cubes.</div>
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Meanwhile water is being heated up to pour on the curd.</div>
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At this point the kneeding process begins.</div>
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As the kneeding continues the curds melt together.</div>
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When it reaches the point where it can be easily stretched & not fall apart, it is ready for the final shaping. It must be pliable, but definitely not rubbery.</div>
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To shape it an end is grabbed & stretched out.</div>
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The piece is folded over & over on itself.</div>
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Finally it is ready to be shaped. In this case into a ball. Sometimes three stands are woven together. Or it is shaped into blocks. The blocks is partially dried to become the low moisture version.</div>
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It is then put into water to cool. Then it is put into containers with some of the brine.</div>
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This is the 2nd week they made their own mozzarella at the store. I didn't have my camera to take pictures to show you the learning process. It takes practice to get the skill down. Last week there was a definite progression from the poorly done 1st batch to the good third batch. This week was even better.</div>
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While the low moisture mozzarella is OK, the fresh is so much better. Hopefully they will soon be able to get some of the imported buffalo mozzarella so I can finally taste it the way my maternal grandparents did in the Old Country.</div>
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My thanks to Kathy for allowing me to photograph her efforts.</div>
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Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721319432213055605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9673280.post-86515380162668153412014-01-22T23:16:00.002-06:002014-01-22T23:16:46.132-06:002014 March for Life Rally<div style="text-align: justify;">
While I wasn't able to participate in the 2014 <a href="http://marchforlife.org/">March for Life</a>, I was able to watch what was going on via <a href="http://www.ewtn.com/">EWTN</a>.</div>
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Because of the weather, many people who had hoped to attend were unable to. Still it looked like a huge crowd, much larger than the thousands the little coverage by the Main Stream Media (MSM) claims. It was definitely more like Tens of thousands. Jranne Monahan, president of March for Life said it looks like it was near last year's attendance.</div>
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Here are a couple shots of the crowd from different angles, you decide.<br />
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The pre-walk rally began shortly after Noon (EST). There was a theme focusing on adoption as the alternative to abortion. The opening prayer was given by Bishop Demetrios, auxiliary bishop of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago.<br />
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Next up was Jeanne Monahan.<br />
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She shared Papa Francesco's Tweet about the March: <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>“I join the March for Life in Washington with my prayers. May God help us respect all life, especially the most vulnerable.</i></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; text-align: start;">” </span></div>
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She went on to talk about what the real War on Women is. It is actually a War on Motherhood being pushed by those who support abortion. She pointed out that in the USA 1 child is adopted for every 64 aborted. She also said that abortion is anti-mother, anti-father, anti-family.<br />
The next speaker was House Majority Leader, Eric Cantor.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqklyPHFbS63-NS_xr3rtEjz5AlnZhnfm1aZEudShghFBHUjpK-iEmF_oktwJCtBdv9VfCRauLvJKCxrQnYRM6XiVVkZM1WUp65GlmEf4BTHwqQJvQLRbd4s-xEX_akMU8CtU_FA/s1600/Screenshot_2014-01-22-11-27-45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqklyPHFbS63-NS_xr3rtEjz5AlnZhnfm1aZEudShghFBHUjpK-iEmF_oktwJCtBdv9VfCRauLvJKCxrQnYRM6XiVVkZM1WUp65GlmEf4BTHwqQJvQLRbd4s-xEX_akMU8CtU_FA/s1600/Screenshot_2014-01-22-11-27-45.jpg" height="200" width="320" /></a></div>
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He talked about how the unalienable right to life extends to the unborn. He said this is a moral truth that was pointed out in a document written by a fellow Virginian severl centuries ago when he said these rights were given "<i>by our creator."</i><br />
He added that we cannot allow opponants of life to weaken the moral fiber of our nation.<br />
He was followed by Representative Chris Smith, Pro-life Caucus Chair.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8QHAajYi7XSqOE-XDSNnfAlUDH8mubcUXJ8STbwd9xd5U9VQTbOAH1F15Zv_vCVXSk0m8x4YcRLxpCPb3rD-1pUpcnIUE49ub_20Ror_wIwyeBTWQrvhw1p-orfI7CSBKGICPBA/s1600/IMG_20140122_211304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8QHAajYi7XSqOE-XDSNnfAlUDH8mubcUXJ8STbwd9xd5U9VQTbOAH1F15Zv_vCVXSk0m8x4YcRLxpCPb3rD-1pUpcnIUE49ub_20Ror_wIwyeBTWQrvhw1p-orfI7CSBKGICPBA/s1600/IMG_20140122_211304.jpg" height="142" width="320" /></a></div>
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Rep. Smith said that abortionists are the victim makers. On the other hand, Pro-lifers are welcoming of those victims. The victims are welcomed, embraced, loved & cherished as are all women & children.<br />
Represntative Vicky Hartzler spoke next.<br />
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Her theme was that abortion hurts everyone. It hurts the woman. It also robs the men of the privilege of fatherhood. She called on our nation's leaders to stop upholding abortion & to start encouraging abortion. This is something she has done by example. She shared the story of how she was able to adopt.<br />
Molly Ann Dutton spoke next.<br />
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She was there to talk about those conceived in rape. She wasn't speaking theoretically. She had been conceived as a result of a sexual assault on her birth mother. Her mother's husband demanded she get an abortion. Instead her birth mother went to Birmingham, AL where a Christian adoption agengy helped her. 22 years later Molly Ann Dutton was elected Auburn's 100th homecoming queen.<br />
Another powerful story was shared by Nichole Peck, Regional Coordinator, <a href="http://www.silentnomoreawareness.org/">Silent No More</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ1rX0TNskDtAf8O0BBFNoP-9xR8vrcozfJrTBfvd9FnWq9xafiY-yziYcSHUnRqU88buswtx6JNFufMGtmwy-kIGkUlBnrZLAL3RfdYWCwBd1Ig3397GJ6sMc9rBScYO370G8-A/s1600/IMG_20140122_211929.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ1rX0TNskDtAf8O0BBFNoP-9xR8vrcozfJrTBfvd9FnWq9xafiY-yziYcSHUnRqU88buswtx6JNFufMGtmwy-kIGkUlBnrZLAL3RfdYWCwBd1Ig3397GJ6sMc9rBScYO370G8-A/s1600/IMG_20140122_211929.jpg" height="170" width="320" /></a></div>
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She talked about how she was treated by the abortion clinic. She said they took her money, they took her baby, they took her self-respect. She talked about the damage done. She had a quiet shame. She felt inadequate, unworthy of love. It wasn't until she went through a Life in the Spirit seminar that she found forgiveness. She was then able to name the baby Peter.<br />
Another result of the abortion was infertility. But she has been able to adopt 2 babies. She also mentioned <a href="http://abortiontestimonies.com/">abortiontestimonies.com</a> where you can read more stories like hers.<br />
After Timothy Saccoccia of the March for Life Education & Defense Fund announced the student essay contest & poster contest winners, Giovanna Romero, <a href="http://latinosporlavida.com/">Latinos Por La Vita,</a> spoke.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpdAEz4tJnjFneeBRrf3p-KoB8_xYTZlukUz1iza6K4pg_bbs0BxT16dQpsY_MkzkLLtxt_wiHjoriBv10ZHV4nFy5QDJT2Eb3B2K7b9WAnpKhmCFx8Ax9QvkTneUkQ5AiLCEhyphenhyphenw/s1600/Screenshot_2014-01-22-11-54-42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpdAEz4tJnjFneeBRrf3p-KoB8_xYTZlukUz1iza6K4pg_bbs0BxT16dQpsY_MkzkLLtxt_wiHjoriBv10ZHV4nFy5QDJT2Eb3B2K7b9WAnpKhmCFx8Ax9QvkTneUkQ5AiLCEhyphenhyphenw/s1600/Screenshot_2014-01-22-11-54-42.jpg" height="200" width="320" /></a></div>
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She talked about how, through abortion, Latinos & African-Americans are being sytematically assaulted. We must end this genocide. She ended by saying "<i>We will make an end to abortion!</i>"<br />
Dr. Donna Harrison spoke next.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixm5bZyAttIm7deN0csw3GaR5GyJVzi5zp7vkkOIpiZUAJ8rLPM8ofbZT2xdoiXUcOwrDJ2TC65rqUMOtCOjZbgi4d-czFkHZ0ELijYcEmcz97bE_ff0EzFKPl0gV8MgO0AC5nlw/s1600/IMG_20140122_212206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixm5bZyAttIm7deN0csw3GaR5GyJVzi5zp7vkkOIpiZUAJ8rLPM8ofbZT2xdoiXUcOwrDJ2TC65rqUMOtCOjZbgi4d-czFkHZ0ELijYcEmcz97bE_ff0EzFKPl0gV8MgO0AC5nlw/s1600/IMG_20140122_212206.jpg" height="172" width="320" /></a></div>
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She talked about how, in her practice, she saw many patients harmed by abortion. She went on to talk about how the front linesof abortion are changing to places like dorm rooms. Women are now given drugs that the go home to take. Pro-lifers need to tell the truth about those drugs, how dangerous they are & the harm they can do.<br />
Before going on to the last 2 speakers a list of other Pro-life groups participating in the March for Life was read. It was way too long for me to share.*<br />
The next to the last speaker was Ryan Dobson. He works with his father, Dr. James Dobson.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj57Ek8IVXdnvWPjOeL9R0uLHYEKe1KOrCosKnl90mnsSZ5cKlqP4No-Z_hxhJFCrTFTYkZR1wOzE2Y2GLD-BXSxgyKIrrGhsjPLlCqdxExlLB1uUqkbKtXt0zTFY4CZdBO8Ria9w/s1600/Screenshot_2014-01-22-12-02-55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj57Ek8IVXdnvWPjOeL9R0uLHYEKe1KOrCosKnl90mnsSZ5cKlqP4No-Z_hxhJFCrTFTYkZR1wOzE2Y2GLD-BXSxgyKIrrGhsjPLlCqdxExlLB1uUqkbKtXt0zTFY4CZdBO8Ria9w/s1600/Screenshot_2014-01-22-12-02-55.jpg" height="200" width="320" /></a></div>
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He shared his story of how the Dobsons adopted him. He then introduced his father, Dr. James Dobson.<br />
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Dr. Dobson shared how a couple came to him 28 years ago. The woman was suffering from abdominal pains. The doctors had done many tests & taken may x-rays. Finally the figured out she was pregnant. The couple was then told that because of all the x-rays etc, the child would probably not be healthy because of the damage done. Dr. Dobson told them to give the child life, no matter the outcome. The couple has a healthy baby girl. She is now married. The couple work in an inner city feeding & caring for the homeless. Dr. Dobson said to those listening that no matter what others say "<i>Let your baby live!</i>"<br />
Dr Dobson lead the closing prayer. Then everyone went to line up for the march to the Supreme Court building.<br />
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At the Supreme Court speakers from Slent No More shared their testimonies.<br />
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As I said at the beginning the little coverage by the MSM painted it as a very small number. But they also missed the point, whether it was thousands, tens of thousands, or even near last year's number, the real story is the commitment of the Pro-lifers. No matter the weather, those who got there did their best to get there. & those that were planning to go but didn't make it only missed because the weather prevented them.<br />
Usually there are about 10 or so pro-abortion counter protesters at the Supreme Court. The MSM tries to build it up to make it look like there are more. This year there were only 2 & according to a friend of mine, they were silently leaving when the DBQ group got there.<br />
It is that commitment, plus the fact that we are on the right side of the battle are the reasons we must keep on fighting, even if things look dark at times. In the end we will win.<br />
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* 1 of the groups listed caught my attention, Italians for Life. Haven't found anything about them yet, but will keep looking.<br />
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<b>Note</b>: The pictures were screenshots of the EWTN live streaming of their coverage that I took via my tablet.<br />
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Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721319432213055605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9673280.post-28697625996150800422014-01-20T20:59:00.002-06:002014-01-20T20:59:24.978-06:00A Fruit of Praying in Front of Abortion Clinics<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="http://www.abbyjohnson.org/">Abby Johnson</a>, former Planned Parenthood abortion clinic director & Catholic convert was the guest on tonight's episode of <i>The Journey Home</i> on <a href="http://www.ewtn.com/">EWTN</a>. She shared her powerful story. She also talked about how to reach out to those involved in the abortion industry as well as those men & women who have aborted their child. But there was 1 thing that especially stood out because I had never heard this statistic before.</div>
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Abby shared something she was told at 1 of the last conferences she attended as a Planned Parenthood employee. At that conference she was told that when there are people praying in front of an abortion clinic 75% of those who have an appointment to have an abortion don't show up.</div>
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Yup, 75% do NOT show up for the appointment. While some may go elsewhere, it is fairly certain that a large number never have the abortion. So, if you ever wonder what fruit your prayer is bearing, this is just one of them.</div>
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As I was thinking about it, a question popped into my mind. Planned Parenthood & other abortion providers push for bubble laws that require Pro-lifers to stay so far away from the clinic, sometimes up to 35 feet away. They say it is to protect their clients from being hassled & threatened by the Pro-lifers. Those of us on the Pro-life side have always assumed that this was to limit our effectiveness in stopping a woman from making the terrible mistake of aborting her child. But maybe there is more.</div>
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Could it be that they figure the further away we are, the less likelihood there is of a woman being a no-show?</div>
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Irregardless, we see once again the importance of prayer as the start, end & undergirding of our efforts to end the abortion holocaust. It also reminds us that even if we don't see the results now, our prayers are bearing fruit, in more ways than we realize.</div>
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Not all of us can stand in front of a clinic to pray. But all of us can & should pray daily for an end to abortion. We should also pray for the workers at abortion clinics, those who are contemplating an abortion & those who have had one.</div>
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In conclusion I would like to share a prayer I have prayed daily for many years. It is a prayer many of us in the Pro-life movement pray. This prayer was written by Venerable Fulton J. Sheen. I have no idea how many children have been saved through my praying it. But I know that it has been successful. </div>
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<i><b><a href="http://fultonsheen.blogspot.com/2014/01/prayer-to-spiritually-adopt-unborn-child.html"><span style="color: red;">Prayer to Spritually Adopt an Unborn Child</span></a></b></i></div>
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<b style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">“Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I love you very much. I beg you to spare the life of the unborn baby that I have spiritually adopted who is in danger of abortion.”</span></i></b></div>
Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721319432213055605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9673280.post-78444465872447201142014-01-19T17:14:00.000-06:002014-01-19T17:14:15.104-06:002014 Dubuque Walk for Life<div style="text-align: justify;">
On Saturday, 18 January 2014 <a href="http://www.dcrtl.org/">Dubuque Co. Right to Life</a> held its 30th Walk for Life. The walk is a prayful witness to the community of the value of every life, born & unborn. In part it is also to publicly mourn the loss of what is now about 56 million lives to abortion. </div>
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Most years it has been cold, sometimes bitterly cold during the event. This year was a little different. While the temperatures were milder this year, in the hours before the 10:30 am start time about 4-5 inches of snow fell in the area. Most of the roads were still snowy & at times hard to travel. That didn't stop the 120 plus people from showing up. (Note: this is an about average turn out.) Many drove in from outside the city limits. </div>
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The walk usually begins with a rally at the Washington Park Gazebo, then the walk to the Courthouse is held. This year things were slightly rearranged because it was still snowing. The talks were held after the walk at the KC Hall.</div>
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People gathered in the park in preperation for the walk.</div>
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Among those who particpated was the new Archbishop of Dubuque, Michael Jackels.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Archbishop Jackels (center right) </i></span></div>
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As people were waiting to start many of the children there took advantage of the snow to have a little fun.</div>
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Each person who wanted was also given an artificial rose to carry. The rose is a symbol of those who lost their lives to abortion. At 10:30 am Marian Bourek, executive director of DCRTL, called everyone to prayer. After the prayer & led by the KCs, the group began their walk to the DBQ Co. Courthouse.</div>
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Some of the sidewalks were partially clear, others not yet cleared. But that didn't deter anyone from walking & praying along the way. When they arrived at the Courthouse, 2 of the Knights formed an honor guard on each side of a bassinet. The roses were placed in it. As the <a href="http://www.thonline.com/news/tri-state/article_89144d9b-17be-5876-8e63-d6d7601de1f9.html">article</a> in today's TH described it "<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15.006000518798828px; text-align: left;">Snowflakes softly kissed red roses lovingly placed inside a bassinet in front of the Dubuque County courthouse on Saturday.</span></i></span>"</div>
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Everyone then continued on until the reached the Knights of Columbus Hall. They then went upstairs to the room where the rally was held.</div>
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Marian served as MC to welcome everybody. Then she invited the Rev John Hulsizer, Church of the Nazarene, up to give the opening prayer.</div>
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Througout the program Marian shared some information about what DCRTL was doing. 1 of the things shared was the good news that the lives of at least 15 unborn babies had been saved through the prayful protest held in front of the local Planned Parenthood abortion clinic. I say at least because those are the ones we know of. There are probably several others who haven't told us that our being there, praying, & when they were willing, talking to the people considering abortion about the alternatives.</div>
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The 1st speaker was <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">Liz Cushman, chair of the DCRTL</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"> Board. She talked about having the heart of a mother for those babies that are being aborted.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">She was followed by Steve Fuerst. He spoke on the reasons like gender & abnormalities that are used to justify an abortion He talked about how it is often justified as a reason to "alleviate further burden" of the parents or chld. But, as he showed, that isn't so.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Next up was <span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px;">Josephine Smith, a student at Aquin in Cascade, IA. She was winner of the annual essay contest. She read her winning composition. </span></span></div>
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The keynote speaker was Archbishop Jackels. He was welcomed with a standing ovation.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">Archbishop Jackels said he had prepared a talk. But after hearing the mention of roses earlier he started out by talking about "<i>Roses in December.</i>" </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">He talked the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe to St. Juan Diego. He pointed out how Our Lady used "<i>Roses in December</i>" to convince an <i>"old, fat, grumpy Bishop</i>" of her message.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">He went on to say that those "<i>Roses in December</i>" are a reminder to all of us of God's love, tenderness & compassion for all people. That compassion is for born & unborn, old & young, ill or healthy. He said that we must have the same compassion.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">Next he shared some of what Blessed Pope John Paul II said in Oct 1979 at the Capital Mall in DC. Part of what the Pope said was "<i>We will stand up every time life is attacked</i>."</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">The Archbishop said we all must do just that, stand up for life. Not everyone can stand out in front of Planned Parenthood, not everyone can walk. But all can pray. He went on to say that all can vote. They must do so in accord with right thinking. That thinking must be formed by being properly educated in Catholic values. At the conclusion, the Archbishop received another standing ovation.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">After some closing remarks by Marian, a chili luncheon was served to provide a time of fellowship for those attending this year's Walk.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">Several busloads of people will be leaving from DBQ to attend the <a href="http://marchforlife.org/">March for Life</a> in DC. On 25 January 2014 there will be the <a href="http://www.walkforlifewc.com/">Walk for Life West Coast</a> in San Francisco. Additionally many communities across the USA had their own walks & marches. For the most part, the Main Stream Media will ignore them, downplay the numbers &/or play up the pro-abortion side. While it would be nice to get the media coverage it should, the most important thing is that we keep standing up for life. In the end, we will win because we are on the right side of history. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">56+ million unborn babies denied the right to life due to abortion is 56+ million too many. This holocaust must end. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">Let us not give in to dispair or fustration. & let us pray that soon we will no longer need to hold events like these because people will see the truth about the evil that calls itself abortion. May the USA acknowledge the truth stated in the Declaration of Independence. That every human being from the moment of conception (fertilization) is endowed by the Creator with the unalienable right to life.</span></span></div>
Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721319432213055605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9673280.post-15733109255018312292013-12-25T16:54:00.001-06:002013-12-25T17:03:19.644-06:00Tu Scendi Dalle StelleBuon Natale!<br />
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Once again it is time for my annual post featuring my favorite Italiano Christmas carol. Tu Scendi Dalle Stelle was written by St Alfonso de' Ligouri, Doctor of the Church.</div>
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As usual, I start out with a slightly humorous version, the one that started this annual post in the 1st place:<br />
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This version is by Friar Allesandro & was filmed at the Grotto of the Nativity:</div>
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At the end of the Mass Duriing the Night (Midnight Mass) the hymn that has been sung has been Tu Scendi Dalle Stelle. Here it is from the last Christmas Mass said by Papa emeritus Benedetto XVI before he resigned:</div>
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A tradition in Italia is for the shepherds to come down from the mountains & play their zampogne (bagpipes) for the Christ Child. Here are some from the region of Italia mia famiglia came from:</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: red;">BUON</span><span style="color: #274e13;"> NATALE!</span></span></b></div>
Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721319432213055605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9673280.post-70080620262756198572013-11-28T11:34:00.003-06:002013-11-28T11:34:55.779-06:00Happy Thanksgiving Pilgrim<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2xc5txbUBftqAllQBIR-H_hBS4uXoPRGwW68520zTjAYf4Sxt0uvnHQRUci5eUPwHPwLloKh2hV6VxJcAtgdKsqRwJl4VMvbnonjxJZGj9Dgt-6sKM2ihtsx6F5JehOR0M54m7A/s1600/IMG_20131128_113232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2xc5txbUBftqAllQBIR-H_hBS4uXoPRGwW68520zTjAYf4Sxt0uvnHQRUci5eUPwHPwLloKh2hV6VxJcAtgdKsqRwJl4VMvbnonjxJZGj9Dgt-6sKM2ihtsx6F5JehOR0M54m7A/s400/IMG_20131128_113232.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721319432213055605noreply@blogger.com0