Is Anybody There?

National Curmudgeon Day 2012

2012-01-29T03:57:00.000-06:00

The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because they are generally the same people. - G.K. Chesterton

An income tax form is like a laundry list - either way you lose your shirt. - Fred Allen

If at first you don't succeed, try again. Then quit. There's no use being a damn fool about it. - WC Fields

Thbbft! - Bill the Cat

I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book. - Groucho Marx

Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much. - Oscar Wilde

The surest way to make a monkey of a man is to quote him. - Robert Benchley

Early to rise and early to bed makes a male healthy and wealthy and dead. - James Thurber

Thou Shalt Not Make a Monstance That Looks Like the Dalek Emperor

2012-01-28T00:48:00.001-06:00

Even if the Church does look like it is modeled after Stonehenge.

A couple weeks ago TH2 put up a post about a new Catholic Church building being built in Winnipeg, Manitoba for a parish named in honor of St. Gianna Beretta Molla. The nicest thing that can be said about the building's exterior is that it has a classic design, if you consider Stonehenge classic. See if you can guess which is which.

The interior isn't much better. You can check out more details here for what is clearly the prime example of why there is an urgent need for the new Vatican Commission of Church Architecture that will hopefully prevent future infamia like this.

But for me, perhaps the worst part of it was the monstrance in the alleged Adoration Chapel.

When I saw the design my 1st thought wasn't of a serene peaceful chapel where you could spend time in the Eucharistic presence of Jesus. It was what the monstrance reminded me of, this:

For those of you who may not be familiar with Doctor Who & especially the monsters/villians that he has faced over his various regenerations what you are seeing is the Imperial Dalek Emperor. The Daleks are the oldest reoccuring emeny of the Doctor.

The Daleks are known for their hatred (their only emotion) & desire to conquer the universe. Their usual response to anyone they see as an enemy, which is pretty much everyone is to say "Exterminate!"

Obviously, I am all for the promotion of Eucharistic adoration. I am NOT for a chapel that is more about focusing on self than Christ. & I am even less for a chapel that has you focusing on Doctor Who villians rather than Jesus.

This whole building is a New Age mockery of everything that St. Gianna stood for & believed in. Everything in this building is clearly aimed at focusing on self while pretending to promote the truth faith. I am sure that some of those behind this will take umbrage at what I am saying. I would advise them to get over themselves & start following Jesus instead.

I Told You So, Part 2 of This Year's MSM Coverage of the March for Life

2012-01-27T04:49:00.000-06:00

Well, I guess I should have gone a little farther & checked out CBS. If I had I would have found out just how far CBS News has sunk as well.

It turns out that CBS did do some coverage of the events on 23 January. But, as was pointed out by 2 blogs, CBS News exclusively focused on the pro-abort side, looking at the few of them that were there & initially ignoring the huge Pro-life side. (ninjas stealthy creep past media reporters at the annual March For Life… , CBS: Only abortion proponents attended the March for Life also covered by Newsbusters: CBS's DC Website: Only 'Pro-Choice Activists' Showed Up For Roe Anniversary ) The initial slide show consisted of 7 pictures, all of the small pro-abort crowd. Since then they have updated it to show 7 pictures. That must be CBS' idea of fair & balanced, eventually finding an equal number of pro-lifers & putting them up, but only later on. I will give CBS 1 bit of credit, they called the Pro-life side Pro-life instead of anti-abortion or anti-choice. But if it weren't for some of the pictures that show the few pro-abort protestors, you wouldn't know what the choice they are in favor of was.

I can see why CBS didn't want to put up pictures of the Pro-life side, they show, even without mentioning the numbers, how few pro-aborts were there, & how huge the Pro-life crowds were.

That wasn't the only example of bias I have come across. Besides the article I laready mentioned, Newsbusters also has a piece that points out how biased the Washington post coverage was as well. Ther story did make the front page of the metro section, below the fold. Given that this was a national protest, not a local one it should have been in the national news, not the metro. But even if you could justify the metro section, why wasn't it the headline since 400,000 Pro-lifers Marched? I think we all know the answer to that. It would show which side is winning. Instead, they paint the numbers as being more or less equal.

The article did much more than downplay the Pro-life side, it used the article as a forum to attack the Catholic Church. Here is how Post reporter Katherine Driessen describes what the Catholic Church is doing (emphasis mine): "The Catholic Church has increasingly focused on educating and mobilizing its youth base around its antiabortion ideology." She went on to use this quote from Cardinal Wuerl: “'The youth are at the heart of this,' said Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl, the archbishop of Washington, who spoke at the Verizon Center on Monday. 'They are just so important to us. We try to get them energized with that passion in the morning.'” Later she added: "With another presidential election looming, many antiabortion advocates at the event said educating youths in their ideology is more important than ever." Finally: "Group chaperone Karina Franco, 37, said this was the first real education in antiabortion ideology* for most of the youths, some of whom reacted strongly at a conference Sunday when they looked at images of fetuses." At best they make it sound like the young people are being indoctrinated. At worst, brainwashed. I am honestly surprized she even used the words educating & education to describe what was going on. That aside, why should the Catholic Church teach these children the truth about abortion? What the Church teaches isn't merely an ideology on a par with any other political ideology.
Next up, the anti-Catholic bias is focusing on how this indoctrination is developing extremists. (emphasis mine) "Mendoza’s brother, Jesse, 14, carried the most controversial of the signs. Not-so-jokingly referred to as the 'extremist' of the group, Jesse had drawn a fetus and gushing blood on his sign. Jesse wanted to attend the rally last year but was told he was too young. This year, he was the one who started the groups on chants such as 'Jesus' and 'Obama, your mama chose life.'” We see what Driessen's idea of an extremist is, someone who draws a picture that shows what abortion actually does to an unborn baby. But even before that he "Not-so-jokingly" comment is meant to clearly make things sound worse than they are. & chanting "Jesus" makes him an extremist. By her standards what does that make the Pope? & the quote about Obama is a pure fact. None of what he did is truly extremist. Jesse may speak out strongly on his views, but nothing he says or does is truly extremism. & she knows it.
But the Post doesn't stop there in its efforts to paint the Pro-life side, & especially the Catholic Church as the villians. The online photo montage continues this theme. Let's start with the picture of Sister Fran of the Salesian Sisters in Newton, N.J.

It describes her as criticizing "an abortion rights advocate at the March for Life."
Then there is this picture of Sara Brook, of Missouri:

She is described as an antiabortion advocate, showing how she "points her finger at an abortion rights advocate."
Next up is the picture of Josh Estes, that they describe as an "antiabortion advocate". The caption says that he is shouting at "abortion rights advocates in front of the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C." At least they did show some "abortion rights advocates" shouting back. & this is the most peaceful "clash" I have ever seen.
On the other hand we see this photo of Lauren Croll, abortion supporter, looking like she is in tears.

"What did those horrible anti-aborts do to her?" is the implied question.
Additionally, almost all of the other pictures of "Antiabortion protesters" make it look like this was merely a Catholic protest only. Even though it isn't totally clear, we can recognize the Knights of Columbus logo here. Here we see a picture of Our Lady of Guadeloupe in the background. Here & here we see people praying the Rosary.
So we see the Post not so subtlely painting the March for Life as a bunch of Catholics who have no qualms against yelling & shouting & driving their opponants to tears while doing so. It is implied that any clashes are the result of the actions of the "anti-aborts" & if the abortion rights are shouting back, it is simply to get their voices heard.
Another thing to notice is how the pictures show that both sides are about equal in number rather than any photos that truly show the huge number of Pro-lifers. On the other hand, probably almost every pro-abort that was there was in the photos shown of them.
None of the pictures in & of themselves are bad. But how do we know the Pro-lifers were shouting at the pro-aborts? They could be responding to a chant. Or yelling at a friend. & as for the 2 pointing their fingers, anyone pointing their finger can be made to look wild eyed when they are passionate about the truth. But you can be sure that isn't what the Post wants people to think.
Instead, they are trying to implant the idea that the Catholic Church is developing a bunch of wild-eyed automatons by indoctrinating the next generation to blindly follow what it teaches about abortion.
If they were truly interested in presenting an acurate picture, we would see stories about the women & men from Silent No More sharing their stories. We would see stories about the real numbers of Pro-lifers as opposed to pro-aborts. We would see stories about how main stream, how anything but extreme, how it is not only Catholics the Pro-life movement is about. We would see the truth, that those 400,000 people there are the main stream, are the real America. But that would mean they would have to admit they are the extremists, not us.
_________________
*I want to point out that she doesn't actually quote what Karina Franco says, Driessen gives her take on it. I would suspect that the actual quote by Franco was something quite different. I say this from personal experience of how the press has twisted what I say by taking what I said out of context or summarizing it like in this case. I suspect Franco said something more on the lines about this is the 1st real education on what abortion is really about & why it is wrong.

I Don't Want to Say I Told You So But. . . .

2012-01-24T06:47:00.001-06:00

Oh yes I do, or I wouldn't be doing this post.

On the other hand, I wish that the Main Stream Media had proved me wrong.

Saturday I put up a post talking about how I expected the MSM to cover the West Coast walk for Life & the March for Life.

I said the MSM would ignore the West Coast March & it did. I went on to say "The MSM will give its usual poor coverage of the events. They will downplay the size of the DC crowd, undercounting to ensure people don't know how big it actually is. They will also find the few pro-aborts & play up the size of their crowd. They will do so by a few key pictures that make it look like there is a huge number of pro-aborts rather than the few that actually are there."

On CNN's website I found this article about a rally @ Washington's Lafayette Park on Sunday. The story ended with the following: "Other Roe v. Wade-related events were planned elsewhere in Washington Sunday and Monday, by both anti-abortion activists and abortion rights advocates alike." Nothing about the Monday March for Life by name, just a mention of other events making it sound like they were all on the same level & size. But why mention the huge draw that puts the size of the few pro-aborts there to shame & shows how little support for abortion there is. Even with the bad weather the March for Life again drew 400,000+ people. (Keep that number in mind for later.) Additionally, I have not found any story on their website about Monday's March.

Next we have MSNBC. They have an article about Catholic High School students going to the March. But again nothing about the March.

FoxNews was the best. Although it didn't have a count, it did have an article on the March. They also had an opinion piece by Penny Young Nance is CEO of Concerned Women for America. There were also a couple videos (here, here) The article used anti-abortion, but the video said pro-life. 1 of them included an interview with an abortion survivor, Melissa Ohden.
The AP article is another prime example of the MSM bias. 1st there is the title, Abortion foes march with eye on fall elections, used in various permutations by various papers. Abortion foes says it all about their attitutde. Then there was the opening line: "Thousands of abortion opponents marched to the Supreme Court on Monday to mark the 39th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion,". Did you get that "thousands", talk about downplaying the 400,000 there. They make it sound like it was a few thousand, or maybe 10-20 thousand, way, way smaller. That isn't merely downplaying, that is out & out lying.

In a connected story, The Washington Post has an article about how Rand Paul was detained by the TSA at the Nashville airport. He was heading back to DC to give an speech at the March for Life. MSNBC reports the detention, but totally omits the reason he was going to DC. No surprize. CNN has 2 videos about the pat down, but nothing about why Paul was heading to DC. Ditto for the FoxNews article.
In many ways, the MSM has hit a new low in its coverage. In part I think it is because they know the tide is turning & they don't want the news to get out. The difference between the Fox & AP articles highlights that. The AP article talks about how the US is still divided on abortion & then goes on to add the following statement by Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, accusing politicians supporting the March for Life of ignoring more pressing issues."Anti-choice politicians and their allies promised to focus on creating jobs, yet they are attacking a woman's right to choose at near-record levels. This extreme agenda is out of touch with our country's values and priorities."
Sorry Nancy you are out of touch as the Fox article proves. Yes, it mentions her claim that "that our opponents would ignore the public's call to focus on immediate challenges, including the economy, and instead launch an all-out war against women." The Fox article goes on to say "According to Americans United for Life, more than 460 measures were considered in 47 states last year. The group predicts another heavy round of legislative activity this year."
Sounds to me like this is a lot of grass roots activity based on what the people want in response to all that has come out about the abortion industry covering up rape, incest, abortion mills being closed down for unsanitary conditions, abortionists charged with murder etc. No wonder Keenan wants to play the smoke & mirrors game. It isn't the politicians, it is the abortion industry that is out of touch with the country's values & priorities. They are the ones who have launched the all out war, not the Pro-life politicians. & that war is against women as well as the unborn.
& you can bet things won't be getting better any time soon. The MSM & the abortion industry has seen a huge change in how this country views abortion & the abortion industry. The industry has Obama in its back pocket. But they know he could be out by this time next year, in part because of his huge public support for abortion. So they are falling back on the same message they have unsuccessfully used since the 2010 elections about pro-life politicians ignoring the economy. The abortion industry makes it sound like it is an either or, not an and both. Fortunately the American public is smarter than that. Something the MSM seems to be forgetting as well. & they wonder why people are going to other sources of news in droves?????

Gary Carter, Hero of '86 Mets Team - Dying of Brain Cancer

2012-01-24T04:58:00.001-06:00

I have been a NY Mets fan since the 60s when they went from 1 of the world's worst teams to the winners of the 1969 World Series, the "Miracle Mets". (No apologies to Cubs fans who feel they was robbed that year.) Over the years I have followed their ups & downs, more downs than ups at times. In 1986 what was the almost perfect combination of players, manager & coaches came together that resulted in another World Series win. The team included Davey Johnson, Bud Harrelson, Mel Stottlemyre, Keith Hernandez, Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry, Lenny "Nails" Dykstra, HoJo (Howard Johnson) etc., but IMHO the brightest star of the '86 Mets constellation was Gary Carter. He was their primary catcher that year. More than any other position, catcher is the key defensive position of a team. & Carter proved himself to be 1 of the all time greats at that position.

& with all due respect to Ray Knight, Gary Carter was just as deserving of the World Series MVP award that year as he was.

I will never forget as I watched on TV what happenned in the 10th inning of the 6th game when the Mets were 1 out from losing the series. The score was 5-3, Boston. Hernandez had just made the 2nd out. Carter came up to bat & with a single to left he brought new life to the Mets fans hopes. Then pinch-hitter Kevin Mitchell singled to center. Shea Stadium started to get loud & so did things at my place. Ray Knight came up next. He went down in the count 0-2 bringing the Mets once again to the last strike away from losing. Then he hit the next pitch into center field for a single that scored Carter & advanced Mitchell to 3rd base. This made the score 5-4. Things got louder at Shea & at home. Mookie Wilson came up to bat. The Sox replaced Calvin Schiraldi with Bob Stanley. Once again things were down to 1 strike from the Mets losing. The 7th pitch forced Mookie to his knees, the ball sailed by & hit the backstop allowing Mitchell to bring in the tying run. On the 10th pitch Mookie hit a grounder towards 1st base that should have been easy to field. Somehow the ball went under 1st Baseman Bill Buckner's glove & between his knees. this allowed Knight to score the winning run as things errupted at shea & everywhere a Mets fan was watching the game.

Here is how

Vin Scully called the play:

"So the winning run is at second base, with two outs, three and two to Mookie Wilson. (A) little roller up along first... behind the bag! It gets through Buckner! Here comes Knight, and the Mets win it!"

Scully remained silent for more than 3 minutes, he then resumed with:

"If one picture is worth a thousand words, you have seen about a million words, but more than that, you have seen an absolutely bizarre finish to Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. The Mets are not only alive, they are well, and they will play the Red Sox in Game 7 tomorrow!"

The Mets went on to win that game & the series. Carter was awarded the Silver Slugger Award as National League Catcher that year. Carter wrote a book about his experiences that year called A Dream Season.

Carter went on to play with the Mets until '89. He eventually ended up at Montreal where he had started out. In 2001 he was inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame. In 2003 he was elected to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame as well as the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Because he spent more time with the Expos, he was inducted as an Expo.

In a lot of ways, Carter was out of tune with the direction sports was heading. While egos were growing, he was humble, while drugs were becoming more rampant, he didn't smoke & rarely drank. He is a family man. He did his best to live his Christian faith. His Gary Carter Foundation supports 8 Title I schools in Palm Beach County whose students live in poverty.

In May of 2011 Carter was diagnosed with four malignant tumors in his brain after complaining of headaches & forgetfulness. He had a grade IV primary brain tumor glioblastoma multiforme, which is an extremely aggressive cancer. It couldn't be dealt with by surgery. But other treatments were used. Sadly, on 20 Jan 2012 his daughter Kimmy posted on her blog that an MRI had revealed he had additional tumors. The WELL WISHES FOR GARY Official Greeting Card has been set up for fans to express their prayers & support for Carter & his family.

As I said, the Mets had many great players that year. They have also had many others before & after. But none of them ever captured my attention like Gary Carter. He is my all time favorite Met. I am saddened to see that this is how is life is ending. He is only 1-2 years older than I am. Which also makes him way too young.

My prayers are with him & his family.

Source: News of Gary Carter's inoperable brain cancer hits especially hard

If Yesterday's Movies Were Made Today

2012-01-24T00:40:00.000-06:00

LarryD recently put up a post about Peter Stults, an artist, who took some recent films & recast them with stars from yesteryear as well as designed retro movie posters for them. (If Today’s Movies Were Made Yesterday)

These days, all to often, Hollywood has taken some classic movies & poorly remade them because of a dirth of ideas. Well, I came across 1 idea for a remake that would be great. But I highly doubt Hollywood would have the intelligence to do it since it would show how foolish the majority of them in the industry were/are for supporting Obama.

Source: Moonbattery (Open Thread)

Obama Applauds Roe v Wade the 20th Century Dred Scott Decision

2012-01-23T07:55:00.002-06:00

Yesterday Obama issued a statement affirming his commitment to supporting the ongoing murder of millions of unborn babies a year & the ongoing promotion of Margaret Sanger's agenda to rid the world of undesirable minorities, like blacks. (Maafa 21)

Roe v Wade said that unborn babies were not citizens & had no constitutional protection. It was decided 7-2. Dred Scott v. Sandford said that blacks were not citizens & had no constitutional rights. It was decided 7-2

Justice Antonin Scalia saw a huge connection between the 2. He wrote the following in his opinion for the Supreme Court decision in Planned Parenthood of Southeastern PA. v. Casey, 505 U.S. 833 (1992): "[D]red Scott...rested upon the concept of "substantive due process" that the Court praises and employs today. Indeed, Dred Scott was very possibly the first application of substantive due process in the Supreme Court, the original precedent for...Roe v. Wade. You read that right, He said that Dred Scott was the precident for Roe v Wade.

Obama's statement is unbelievable to any sane person. It is filled with his usual arrogance & hypocricy. Here is the statement. I will add my comments in blue.

As we mark the 39^th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we must remember that this Supreme Court decision not only protects a woman’s health but only after she is born, before birth is a different matter, she gets no protection and reproductive freedom, but also affirms a broader principle: that government should not intrude on private family matters. Not intrude in family matters, yeah right!!! HOW ABOUT HIS OPPOSITION TO PARENTAL NOTIFICATION LAWS that would protect parental rights??? How about his & the Dems opposition to school vouchers? & that's only 2 examples. I remain committed to protecting a woman’s right to choose and this fundamental constitutional right. Would he say the same about the Scott decision that ruled that owning slaves was protected by the Constitution under the fundamental right of property? While this is a sensitive and often divisive issue- no matter what our views, we must stay united in our determination to prevent unintended pregnancies, which for Obama means free access to abortifaceant drugs, paying for abortions in ObamaCare & stopping any encouragement of chastisty while promoting promiscuity support pregnant woman and mothers, We saw the total opposite in how he opposed including pregnant women and their unborn children in the SCHIP program reduce the need for abortion, see above after unintended pregnancies encourage healthy relationships, and promote adoption. But only for gay couples. Otherwise, Obama & the Dems have done everything they can to discourage putting a child up for adoption instead of the woman having an abortion. The track record of Planned Parenthood for 2010 was 1 adoption referral for every 391 abortions. & his buddies in the abortion industry are doing all they can to shut down crisis pregnancy centers that do promote adoption. Not to mention doing all they can to drive Catholic instutuions out of adoption service. And as we remember this historic anniversary, we must also continue our efforts to ensure that our daughters have the same rights, freedoms, and opportunities as our sons to fulfill their dreams. OK, so how does this work since men don't get pregnant, they can't have an abortion? & getting pregnant denies no one their rights, freedoms or opportunities. It may temporarily put some obstacles in the way, but so do many other things. So abortion isn't about equality, it is about inequality for the unborn, by denying them any rights, freedoms or opportunitites.

Source: Obama Celebrates Roe vs. Wade Decision, 54 Million Abortions

Project Rachel - Bringing Hope, Healing & Forgiveness to Men & Women Harmed by Abortion

2012-01-23T02:11:00.000-06:00

The abortion industry likes to portray abortion as a surgery like any other & that once it is over then a person can go on as if nothing ever happenned. That is not true. Abortion does emotional, psycholgical & spiritual harm to the woman who has one. Over the years the evidence has mounted proving this. Project Rachel was started to "bring the Catholic Church’s healing ministry to those who have been involved in abortion." . It was founded in 1984 in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee by Vicki Thorn. It gets its name from Jeremiah 31:15-17: "In Ramah is heard the sound of moaning, of bitter weeping!
Rachel mourns her children, she refuses to be consoled because her children are no more.

Thus says the LORD: Cease your cries of mourning,
wipe the tears from your eyes.
The sorrow you have shown shall have its reward…
There is hope for your future."

For a long time the focus was on women & the harm abortion did to them. The fathers of the aborted babies were a different story. For the longest time they were ignored. this was because it was assumed that they weren't affected emotionally by abortion. It has only been in the past few years that an awareness that abortion has the same psychological & emotional effects on the father as the mother. I 1st became aware of the damage that abortion does to men when I took a class at DBQ Co Right to Life to train people to speak on abortion. I decided to look into how it affected men. At the time, as I said, there was little research done. 1 of the few that was out there was done by a man who took his girlfriend to have an abortion & was surprized at how it affected him. Since then more research has been done. & there has been an outreach to provide men with opportuinities for the spiritual & emotional healing they need as well.

Last Thursday night on EWTN's Life on the Rock, Project Rachel founder, Vicki Thorn was a guest. With her was Jason Jones, 1 of the producers of Bella, the movie I recently posted about. In that post I mentioned that I 1st met Jason when he was going arround promoting the movie before its release. Later I got to know him better when he was working on the Brownback campaign in 2008. What I didn't tell you the other day was the rest of his story. He is 1 of those fathers who lost his child to an abortion. He shares that story on the show. You can here it in the video of the program below so I won't go into detail. All I will say it that his story is a powerful one that brought home to me in a very real way what damage abortion does to all involved.

It has been 39 years since the Supreme Court made the horrible decision to unleash abortion on the entire USA. In the years since over 55 million unborn babies have been murdered by abortion. Untold numbers of women have died as a result of botched abortions. Additionally untold numbers of women & men have also been victims of abortion because of the spiritual, psychological & emotional harm done to them. Many organizations like Project Rachel have sprung up to help bring God's healing love into the lives of those victims.

If you have been involved in an abortion or know someone who has & are hurting, God is reaching out to you to bring you His love & healing. For those who have had an abortion, God wants you to receive His forgiveness. For you men who forced, or at the least, cooperated with the woman getting the abortion, God wants to give you His forgiveness as well. He also wants you to receive the complete psychological, emotional & spiritual healing you need. In the right hand column I have links to many resources for you to receive the Post-Abortion Healing you need. Please, I beg you, don't put it off any longer. I pray that you will be open to God's Mercy & Love.

Jane Roe - Fighting to Right a Wrong Done In Her Name

2012-01-23T01:59:00.001-06:00

Source: The Abolitionist Society of Oklahoma (The Pawn who became Pro-Life the post includes Norma McCorvey's testimony on 23 June 2005 before the Senate Judiciary Committee.)

A Day of Prayer & Penance for the Sin of Abortion in the USA

2012-01-23T01:07:00.001-06:00

Today the Catholic Church calls us to a "day of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion, and of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life" in the USA.

Testimonies About the Harm Abortion Does

2012-01-23T00:02:00.000-06:00

These clips are taken from Bloodmoney. I have to warn you that the story of what happenned to one woman is graphic. Some of the others are almost as bad. 1 of those you will see in this video is Norma McCorvey, Roe of Roe v Wade who has since come over to the Pro-life side. Another is a former worker at an abortion mill. These are the stories that the abortion industry don't want you to hear because they tell the true story of the ongoing damage that abortion wrecks in the lives of all those involved in an abortion, men & women.

This segment should make it clear why the documentary was called Bloodmoney. As I have so often said, the abortion industry tries to paint themselves as concerned about women & their health. They are not, they are an industry out to make money by murdering unborn babies. For the most part, they care nothing about the women they victimize.

As time goes on & more stories get out, people will see that the NIWCs & Gosnells & Tillers are the rule, not the exception. Someday abortion mills will be looked on with the same horror that the Nazi death camps are looked on. Someday they will be seen as the evil they were for how they dehumanized people & turned them into a source of profit just like the slave ships of yore did.

39 years of legal abortion in the USA, abortion being pushed worldwide as a solution not the evil it really is. Well, I say BASTA!!!!!!! Enough is enough! This infamia MUST cease.

We cannot be silent. We must not let what the Obama regime is doing scare us into silence or surrender. Our cause is just. We are on God's side in this fight. & any cost we pay will, in the end, be worth it.

Let us pray that day will soon be here.

Black Genocide, a Fruit of Roe v Wade

2012-01-22T10:54:00.000-06:00

From Bloodmoney

2012 Dubuque Walk for Life

2012-01-22T06:57:00.000-06:00

Saturday morning @ 10:30 am DBQ Co Right to Life held its 27th annual Walk for Life. The walks usually begin with a rally at Washington Park followed by the walk to the Court House & then to KC Hall for a Chili lunch. Because of the frigid cold the program was rearranged. The people still gathered & Washington Park. Then they walked to the Court House. Then to the KC Hall where the rally was held.

Over 100 people participated in the walk. I wasn't one of them this year due to spme knee problems & the condition of the sidewalks & streets after Friday's 6-1/2 inches of snow. I did go directly to the KC Hall for the rally.

The rally began a little after 11 am. It was MCed by Steve Fuerst. He reminded everyone of the ongoing tragedy that abortion was. The number is now over 55 million & growing. He went on to tell the crowd that we are there to "remember not only the babies who have been lost, but the women who have been led to the abortion clinics by lies and outside pressures."

He introduced Becca Kennedy from Epworth who won the Junior High division of the March for Life Essay Contest. She read her winning essay. Here is a part of that essay:

"Just think about all of the people that we could use to make this world an even better place. Each of the 4,400 babies that are killed each day by the deadly sin of abortion could have been someone special. They could have found a cure for cancer or any other harmful disease, found life on an unknown planet or invented a new form of transportation.
By taking away each of their lives, you're taking away a bright future they could have had, but now never will." (You can read the entire essay here)

The runner up for the junior high division was also from the DBQ Co. area, Natalie Frasher of Cascade.

The Rev Dennis Schmitt of DBQ Community Church spoke next. He talked about the documentary movie 180. The message of that movie is how similar what we are doing today with abortion is to what Hitler did in Nazi Germany. Rev. Schmitt pointed out how the Jewish people were dehumanized, like unborn babies. he also pointed out how many people who claim to be Pro-life are more concerned about voting for "what that politician offers for our pocketbook," rather than Pro-life candidates.

Next up was Fr. Michael Barry, Parochial Vicar @ St Mary's in E DBQ. Fr. barry looked at the threats to our religious liberties made by the Obama administration. he talked about how Pro-lifers are classified as potential terrorist & that with the ;aw Obama signed in December we could be arrested & detained without trial. he also talked about the final ruling Friday by HHS Secretary Sibelius forcing Catholic Institutions to pay for birth control as a part the insurance coverage provided.

Colleen Pasnic, who will be leaving as executive assistant of DBQ Co Right to Life was recognozed for her years of service.

The program ended with Steve Brody, executive director. He encouraged more people who can to volunteer to picket at the local Planned Parenthood. The good news, they have reduced their hours on Wednesday. But they expect the new site to be open 40 hours when they start up.* He also talked about the Churches participating in Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, about the bus trip to DC & asking for our prayers for safety for those traveling to the March for Life.

I have to give the Telegraph Herald a pat on the back for their coverage of the event. & especially for the headline "Protesting an 'ongoing tragedy'." They also have a short video interviewing some of the people at the rally.

* So far I have not seen much activity at the news site which is 1-1/2 blocks from where I live. & definitely no evidince of any work being done to prepare the place for openning. I pray every time I go by that the place will never open as it will almost definitely offer telemed abortions.

Just A Reminder of What the Abortion Industry Sees as Safe & Rare

2012-01-22T05:24:00.000-06:00

"Legal, safe & rare".

That has been the mantra of the abortion industry for the last 39 years whenever anyone worked to overturn Roe v Wade & Doe v Bolton. We have seen what the abortion industry means by rare, opposing any limits, while encouraging women to have them.

Then there is safe. The abortion industry has plenty of reasons why legal abortions are safe & should remain legal. 1 of the top reasons you hear is that banning abortion will result in women going back to getting back alley abortions. & that means more women will die as a result.

While the truth is that the back alley was where the back entrance to the doctor's office was & that the death rate was reduced with the introduction of antibiotics, to hear the industry talk, every abortion mill is safe, clean & nothing ever goes wrong. Recent revelations like those about the NIWC abortion mill in Rockford & Kermit Gosnell among way too many others have proven that the average abortion mill doesn't even follow basic sanitary protocols that any health clinic must follow. (& showing why they oppose even minimum regulation as well.) There have also been many examples of botched abortions all across the USA. I have posted about some of them in the past.

Jill Stanek posted the latest horror story on her blog Saturday. Actually I could say horror stories just as easily. The story you are about to read is about 2 botched abortions, at the same Birmingham AL abortion mill, on the same day. & what until you see the conditions of the place that once again show the real reasons why the industry is so opposed to regulations. It sure isn't about a woman's health or safety or even ready access to an abortion (a bit of irony as you wil see). It is about letting the industry make as much money as possible with as little expense & total disregard for the safety or health of women.

Two botched abortions; no gurney access

Today pro-lifers gathered to commemorate the tragic anniversary of Roe v. Wade at the New Woman All Women abortion mill in Birmingham, Alabama, witnessed not one but two ambulance calls for botched abortions.

As if the botches weren’t dangerous enough, the abortion mill could not accommodate a gurney, forcing responders to carry the first victim out…

and bring the second victim out in a wheelchair…

Abortion proponents fight common sense abortion clinic regulations that for one thing force shoddy clinics to ensure entrances, doorways, and halls are wide enough to fit a gurney in the event of an emergency. The other side claims regulations are unnecessary.

Well, guess what? They’re necessary.

And guess what else? This mill is a dump. Surprise, surprise.

Pro-lifers pray that although their babies are dead, the moms will be ok.

[HT: Sue]

It Doesn't Take a Prophet to Make This Sure Thing Prediction

2012-01-21T05:24:00.001-06:00

This Monday, 23 Jan 2012, will see the 39th March for Life in Washington DC. It is being held on Monday because the actual anniversary date of Roe v Wade & Doe v Bolton, 22 January, is a Sunday. Since Congressional offices are closed on Sunday it is moved to Monday so participates can go to visit their Representatives in the House & Senate.

Also, today is the 8th Annual Walk for Life West Coast in San Francisco. While not as big as the East Coast March it is growing year by year. It is held on the Saturday closest to 22 Jan. That enables speakers to appear at both events. The West Coast Walk provides an opportunity for more people to get the word out that they are Pro-life.

Both events get full coverage from EWTN. & C-SPAN covers the DC event. Beyond that the West Coast Walk gets very little attention. The Main Stream Media does pay some attention to the DC March.

Now for my non-predidiction prediction. The MSM will give its usual poor coverage of the events. They will downplay the size of the DC crowd, undercounting to ensure people don't know how big it actually is. They will also find the few pro-aborts & play up the size of their crowd. They will do so by a few key pictures that make it look like there is a huge number of pro-aborts rather than the few that actually are there.

Of course, I could be wrong. This year the MSM could have a change of heart & give the Walk & the March the proper coverage, with accurate counts of those participating & counterprotestors.

NAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Theological Place of Eternal Damnation is likely to reach the temperature of Absolute 0 1st.

The 1% Who ARE the Real Bad Guys Out to Destroy America

2012-01-21T03:12:00.003-06:00

& guess what, it isn't who Obama & Operation Wall Street claim it is. It is those who are behind Obama & OWS. & it isn't like we haven't been warned about them, for decades.

I recently came across this 1952 short that was produced by The Christophers. In fact it was their 1st production. It features Christophers' founder Father James Keller, M.M. & several famous Hollywood stars of the time including Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Loretta Young, Bob Hope & Jack Benny. Fr. Keller founded the organization "to motivate men and women in all walks of life to bring Judeo-Christian principles to bear on the world around them."

In You Can Change the World he talks about the 1% who are out to undermine the United States. he also gives an accurate history lesson about our Founding Fathers & the Declaration of Indepepndence that would drive the "seperation of church & state" gang up the wall with the facts they don't want out there. But Fr. Keller's intention was much more than merely getting the truth about the 1% out. He wanted to encourage good people to get involved in their communities & government to counter the destruction they were attempting.

Sadly, things haven't changed much in the past 60 years. The same socialistic, communistic agenda to “tear the heart out of the Declaration of Independence” is being pushed by their successors. What Fr. Keller said back then is just as true today "We're either for God or against God, and if it's the latter, we'll pay the penalty and soon." The challenge for good people (& by good he means those who are Godly) to get involved is more urgent than ever.

Is This What You Mean By Choice 2012

2012-01-21T01:41:00.000-06:00

On 22 January 1973 the Supreme Court issued 2 rulings that will go down in history as the most horribly infamously wrong decisions the Court ever made. For the few people who have no idea what I am talking about that is the day that their rulings on Roe v Wade & Doe v Bolton allowed abortion for virtually every reason from the 1st mpment of conception to birth.

For the past 7 years NARAL Pro-Choice America has been running Blog for Choice Day as a way to celebrate a woman's right to choose abortion. However, the 1 word they carefully avoid in their celebration of abortion is abortion. They talk about "reproductive rights" or "choice". But they almost always avoid the choice they are talking about, abortion.

That avoidance of the word abortion is a bit ironic given that NARAL began as the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws. Later they became the National Abortion Rights Action League, & then the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League. It was in 2005 when they cut out the word abortion & added Pro-Choice instead.

They stopped using the word abortion because more & more people are waking up to the fact that abortion is wrong. So they talk about choice isntead because it sounds so innocent. But make no mistake, they are talking about abortion. & not as 1 option of many, but the only option. We have seen that with their recent attempts to shut down Crisis Pregnancy Centers, prevent women from having sonograms & the like. For them, it is abortion only.

This year they are putting special emphasis on working to elect candidates who support their position. They saw what happened last year as more & more of the truth about the abortion industry got out. That truth, that the abortion industry is willing to cover up rape, incest, white slavery as well as how unsafe many abortion mills are, coming out resulted in huge losses of support as well as funding. This year they know even more than ever they have to avoid the word abortion & paint this as something other than what it is.

Last year, Pro-Life bloggers said enough. Lead by Jill Stanek the 1st annual "Ask Them What They Mean By ‘Choice’ Blog Day,” aka “Blog Against Pro-Abort Cover-Up Rhetoric for Killing Children Day,” was held. 99 Pro-life bloggers, including me, & countless activists overwhelmed 90 pro-abortion bloggers. By midmorning NARAL had to abandon its Twitter hashtag #BlogforChoiceDay because us Pro-lifers took it over.

This year, the call has gone out to do it again. & again the charge is being led by Jill Stanek @ her blog. (Announcing 2nd Annual “Ask Them What They Mean by ‘Choice’” Blog Day, January 22 ) The process is simple. "On January 22, any time you read pro-aborts spouting obscure “choice” rhetoric on a blog, website, Facebook, or Twitter, call them out on it. Ask them to explain what the “choice” euphemism means. Tweeters plan to use their #Tweet4Choice hashtag.

If you are a blogger, plan on posting about “choice” on January 22."

If you do participate, Email Jill the name & url of your blog. She will post you as a participant. Feel free to use the graphic above. Thanks to pro-life graphic designer Kimberly of Spectacle Graphics for creating it.

NARAL has a list of those participating in their blog day that you can choose from to respond to their posts. Do not be surprized to find out your comments get deleted later if the blog automaticly posts them. Or that they don't get approved if the comments arer moderated. As I said in a post on this last year: "The truth is, they don't want to have an honest discussion about what they mean by choice. To do so means that they would admit what it is they want to happen is that an abortion will take place." All they want to do is promote their side & lie about the Pro-life side. As I pointed out in another post, they are afraid of a fair & honest debate. All they want to do when it comes to the Pro-life side is spew out huge amounts of hate & vitreol towards us.

However, we are not to respond in kind. Ask them what they mean by choice, point out where they are misrepresenting us & challenge their claims in a peaceful, respectful way. We have truth on our side so we don't need to resort to their tactics.

1 thing that this will do, is let those who are supporting "choice" know that they are not going to go unchallenged in their attempts to sugar coat what they want.

Bella - A Great Pro-Life Movie Still Going Strong & Saving Lives of the Unborn

2012-01-17T07:54:00.002-06:00

Before I go any further, if you have never seen the movie Bella, stop what you are doing & go out & buy a copy. No, not rent, buy. & watch it!!!! This IS a movie that belongs in your collection. I'll wait.

Welcome back for those of you who left. Seriously, if you have never seen it, please do. You will understand why this movie has been so powerful in saving the lives of unborn babies.

I was privledged to originally see it when Jason Jones, 1 of the producers, was going arround the country previewing it for various groups. The idea was to build up excitement & support for the movie when it came out.

The story is about the events of 1 day in New York City that changes the lives of 3 people. Jose works at his brother's Mexican restaurant. He has a secret from his past that is still affecting his life. Nina is a waitress at the restaurant. She gets some news that changes hers. It is that news that sets the day's events into motion. I don't want to give much more away other that to say that it has plenty of twists & surprizes.

The movie's message is strongly life affirming. It also gives some important lessons on the importance of famiglia. It is a love story, but that love is much more than romantic love.

The movie won several awards, including the 2006 People's Choice Awawd at the Toronto International Film Festival. Other winners if that award have been Hotel Rwanda (2004), La vita è bella (Life is Beautiful - 1998) & Chariots of Fire (1981)

& for those of you who still aren't sold on the movie, here is the trailer:

Like I said, I don't want to give away too much of the story for those of you who haven't seen it. But I can say that I am anything but surprized that it has saved 445 babies from abortion. As I already stated it is a powerful movie that speaks out to those women who are facing an unplanned pregnancy & gives them hope that there are other & better answers than abortion.

The same could be said about those men who are the fathers of those unplanned unborn children. Men, abortion is not the way to go to solve your problem or get out of your responsibilities. There are other alternatives.

Please support the efforts to get the movie into the hands of more women. This is 1 tool with proven success. If you can, donate to help pay the costs of getting it out there. & whether or not you can afford to donate, please spread the word to your family & friends.

445 babies saved from abortion thanks to free ‘Bella’ movie, popcorn

GREEN BAY, Wisconsin, January 12, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A pro-life organization has a novel strategy to reach out to a woman who is thinking of aborting her baby. The plan consists in handing out a ‘night at the movies’ that includes free popcorn, candy, and yes, a free DVD. The strategy has already saved the lives of 445 babies, says the group.

Bella HERO, a non-profit organization, views it as their mission to provide for free what they call the “powerful life-changing” film Bella to any pregnancy care centre that wants it. The program, launched in 2008 by Jason Jones, the producer of the awarding winning film Bella, has as its goal to give the pro-life movie to any woman with an unplanned pregnancy so as to help her in making what the pro-life organization calls “the most important decision in her life.”

The film Bella, released in 2007, is a story about how reaching out in a loving way to someone in a difficult situation can give them hope.

“What the movie does is touch the women where we can’t,” said Tracy Reynolds, program director of Bella HERO in an interview today with LifeSiteNews. “It really shows her what her opportunity would be either to be a ‘mom’ or to ‘choose adoption’ and give that child a home.”

Reynolds compared the film to a “mega ultrasound” which allows a troubled pregnant mother to really see the possibilities in choosing life.

Over 700 pregnancy centres across the USA, Canada, and Australia are now using the Bella film strategy to change hearts and save lives.

Counselors receive training how to use the film with pregnant women who are undecided about the fate of their baby and even considering abortion. Some centres have found that the “movie night in a bag” concept, which includes the “DVD, popcorn, candy, and other creative items,” is practically impossible for someone to turn down.

Heartwarming success stories leave no doubt that the strategy is effective.

Abortion minded 16-year-old Anna (name changed) received counseling over the phone from one centre. She was sent a packet which included Bella. Soon afterwards, Anna called the centre back saying, “Bella is the best movie I have ever seen! It helped me decide to keep my baby.”

Another woman, Tina, and her boyfriend came into one centre and discovered that she was pregnant. Not only was Tina in college at that time, but she was also far away from home. She did not think that she was ready or able to bring a child into the world. The abortion-bound couple was given a copy of Bella.

The couple surprisingly returned to the centre for an ultrasound. The staff were delighted to learn that they had decided to keep their baby and parent the child themselves. The father wanted to name his child ‘Bella’ if she was a girl. The couple’s choice did not swerve when the ultrasound revealed twin daughters. They are now the proud parents of Bella and Millie.

Cindy (name changed) visited a pregnancy centre very “confused and scared.” The 25 year-old woman was already the mother of a young son. She did not want to abort, but felt she had no choice since she “felt she loved her boyfriend too much to interrupt his college plans”. She went home with the film Bella, but not before agreeing to return for an ultrasound.

A few days later, Cindy returned to the centre crying. The staff heard that she had not slept for the last few days. The counsellor learned that Cindy had watched Bella and not only decided to keep her baby, but had broken off her relationship with her boyfriend and turned her life over to God. Just like the star in the film, Cindy chose adoption for her baby.

Peggy Hartshorn, President of Heartbeat International, a pro-life organization that works to make “abortion unwanted today and unthinkable for future generations,” endorsed the Bella HERO initiative, saying that many women who feel “pressured to abort an untimely pregnancy need someone to say that it is okay to have a baby.” She believes that the film is a lesson in “compassion, self-sacrifice and the unconditional love of family” and that it will give pregnant woman a “positive message.”

Cindy Collins, Director of a Crisis Pregnancy Center in Louisiana encourages pregnancy centres to put the film to use. “It has been received with enthusiasm at my center, and we already have 5 mothers who chose life after watching the movie,” she said.

Reynolds is convinced that all an abortion-minded woman needs to know so that they will cherish the life within them that there is that “there is hope, that they are not alone, and that somebody is out there who will help them”.

Many staff at pregnancy centres believe that the film captures the heart of their ministry. They look forward to more babies being saved as the story of Bella continues to reach troubled pregnant women with a powerful message of hope.

Click here to bring Bella HERO to a pro-life pregnancy centre near you.

Click here to financially support Bella HERO’s mission.

Contact:
HERO
P.O. Box 13094
Green Bay, WI 54307

Program Director:
Tracy Reynolds
Ph: (650) 400-0436
E-mail: tracy@BellaHERO.com

Once Again We See That NARAL Is More Concerned With Pushing Abortion That A Woman's Health

2012-01-17T01:05:00.000-06:00

On January 15, 2012, AUL President & CEO Dr. Charmaine Yoest appeared on Fox News Channel & debated a Texas sonogram law that was recently upheld by a federal court ruling. Debating against Yoest was Nancy Keenan of NARAL. Shannon Bream moderated the discussion. Here is that debate:

Pay attention to what Nancy Keenan of NARAL says about not letting a woman have all the information she needs. Then replace abortion with any other proeceedure, including getting your ears pierced, & you will see how felacious her argument really is. Following her logic, my "doctor" who I will be going to for my colonoscopy next month shouldn't have to tell me about the info I need of the dangers etc. I should be "capable" of asking for the information. Why is politicians & regulators interfering in that medical proceedure so that I am fully informed OK while setting up some basic regs for women to be fully informed about what an abortion is & does isn't?

As for what Keenan says about the relationship between the doctor & the paitent, who is she kidding besides herself? I like what 1 of the commenters said about that on the YouTube comments for it: "The relationship with their doctor? GIVE ME A BREAK! The only relationship women have with an abortion doc is when she's in the stirrups. SHAME ON YOU, Nancy!"
That is 1 of the standard lies the abortion industry tries & push about the abortion industry, that the woman has a doctor/patient relationship with the abortionist. I have more of a relationship with the doctor doing the colonoscopy than the average woman has with the abortionist. In my case, the doctor is a part of the clinic my doctor is affiliated with.
I also have to ask who is she kidding when she says that the abortionist (or as she says, doctor) would ever recommend a sonogram? She knows full well that the abortionist would not do so because it more likely to make the woman not have the abortion than go ahead with it. The various stats I have seen place the number of women who decide against it after a sonogram at 80-90%. So why would an abortionist suggest something clearly against his financial interest? Keenan knows he won't.
That is the bottom line, the bottom line. This is not about a woman's health as NARAL & others in the abortion industry try & paint it. It is about their making money victimizing women & killing unborn babies. Nor is it about the woman getting truthful information. Did you notice how Keenan totally avoids the idea of truthful information. She also knows that if a woman would ask for a sonogram, it is likely the abortionist would do all he could to discourage the woman rather than agree to doing it. Keenan also knows that in what appears to the woman as a desperate situation she isn't always thinking strait. This info would help her to better cut through the confusion. The abortionist wants to woman to remain confused & desperate until it is too late for her to really think about what she is doing.
I also like how Dr. Charmaine Yoest brings up telemed abortions as the way the industry is going. Keenan totally avoids answering the challenge & goes back to her falacious claims about the industry wanting women to have choices. If that was true, Keenan knows they would welcome to sonogram as well as crisis pregnancy centers & what they do to provide true options.
I wish there had been more time to question Keenan directly on some of her claims. I would love to see her answer some questions about why abortion is different from other medical proceedures? Why is she setting it up to be treated differently? Why have they opposed even basic regulations that apply to other clinics if this is like other doctor/patient relationships? Since they want insurance to treat abortion/birth control the same as any other medical proceedure/precription, why should they be exempt from the same regulations? As for free speech, why are they attacking Crisis Pregnancy Centers that offer true options, unlike Planned Parenthood as the annual report they recently put out shows?
This battle isn't over. But the abortion industry has had a huge setback in their efforts to keep the truth hidden. & that in itself is a huge victory for the unborn.

Source: Charmaine Yoest debates Texas sonogram law with Nancy Keenan of NARAL on Fox News

Abbott & Costello - Socialism, Unions & "Loafing"

2012-01-16T03:58:00.002-06:00

Sound familiar???? Not much has changed, has it?

Don Rickles Got It Right On Obama As President

2012-01-15T07:15:00.001-06:00

11 Nov 2008

Try Topping This for a Saintly Family

2012-01-14T08:03:00.002-06:00

Today is the feast of St. Macrina the Elder. She was born some time before 270 & died c. 340. There is very little known about her. St. Gregory Thaumaturgus was her spiritual director and bishop of her home town during her youth. During the persecutions of Galerius & Diocletian, Macrina & her husband suffered greatly, During the Diocletian persecutions they spent some about 6 or so years in hiding along the shores of the Black Sea, in a forest at Pontus.

While most people don't know who she was, some of her family are quite familiar to us. It is that family that was the fruit of her holy life, her son, his wife & 5 of their children are all saints as well. 1 of her grandsons is recognized as a Doctor of the Church. Another is a Father of the Church & is known as the “Father of the Fathers” because of what he did at the Council of Constantinople in defending the Nicene creed against the Arians.

She was the mother of St. Basil the Elder, who was married to St. Emmelia. As I said, 5 of their 9 children are also saints. Thus she was the grandmother of St, Basil the Great (Doctor of the Church) & St. Gregory of Nyssa (Father of the Church) both of whom were friends with St Gregory of Nazianzus (another Doctor of the Church) as well as St. Peter of Sebaste, St. Naucratius & St. Macrina the Younger.

Like I said, try topping this for a saintly family.

Truly we can be grateful to God for what he did through her life. It is still bearing fruit to this day.

The Gates of Hell Did Not Prevail

2012-01-14T07:14:00.001-06:00

Earlier today I posted about the demonic Rockford abortion mill permanantly closing. A little while ago a friend of mine put a video up on my Facebook page. It was from 2011 & showed a large number of the prayer warriors who put in countless hours at the place doing spiritual battle through their prayers.

1 of the nicknames for the NIWC was "the gates of Hell". & 1 of the promises of Jesus that I refered to in some of my posts was that the gates of Hell shall not prevail against His Church. (Remember - Jesus Promised the "Gates of Hell" Shall NOT Prevail, The Latest From the "Gates of Hell" re: Matthew 16:18)

That promise has too often been taken to only mean that we would be protected when Hell came against us. But it is much more than that. It is a promise that when God's Church go on the offensive against evil, it is evil that will lose in the end. In the time of Jesus the gates were closed to protect the city from being conquered. If they fell, then those attack could storm the city & destroy it. It took time & effort by the warriors to knock down those gates.

I thought of that as I watched the video that I posted below. I saw a huge number of prayer warriors storming the 'gates of Hell" in Rockford. Like for Israel of old, God heard their prayers & gave them the victory. They stormed the gates & the gates fell.

As I said, this should serve us as a reminder that we will win the victory over abortion & the demonic "culture of death" if we remain faithful in prayer. Our other actions are important, but unless they begin, end & are undergirded by prayer they will not suceed. We must continue in prayer to repent for the sins of our nation against life, esp abortion, & plead with God to give us the victory. It won't be acording to out timetable, it will be in His timing. But it will be.

He's Right, the USA IS NOT & Never Has Been a Democracy

2012-01-14T05:30:00.001-06:00

It's a Republic, if we can keep it, as Benji said.

Praise God!!!! Satanic Abortion Clinic Permanantly Closed In Rockford

2012-01-14T01:35:00.003-06:00

Over the past few years I have written several posts on the Spiritual battle going on in Rockford involving the demonic abortion mill going by the benignly misleading name of the Northern Illinois Women's Center. I have shared how the owner has blasphemously mocked God & the peaceful Pro-lifers praying outside the site. I have shared how several priests of the Rockford diocese prayed the Catholic Church's prayers of exorcism for a building at least twice at the site (with Bishop Doran's approval of course). Then on 1 October 2011 I reported the happy news that the abortion mill had been shut down at least temporarily for health violations.

Last week the abortion mill's owner & the Illinois Department of Health came to an agreement that approved the abortion clinic’s request to reopen. The agreement was originally secret but it came out that as long as it pays a $9,750 fine the NIWC could reopen. They had originally planned on reopening in a couple of days, but days kept passing with no opening date in site.

Well, Friday the 13th turned out to be anything but the day of bad luck that it is supposed to be. It turned out to be a day of great blessing & rejoicing for the unborn of the Rockford area as well as all those Pro-lifers who have put in countless hours of praying & protesting outside the abortion mill. The reason, the abortion mill's director announced they would be permanantlt closing their doors. The reasons given for the decision were a "lack of support from the community, the political climate surrounding the abortion issue both locally and nationally and the challenge the clinic would face in rebuilding staff." & of course they couldn't let the opportunity pass to once more slander the peaceful Pro-lifers by describing their actions as "harassment, intimidation and hostility."

You will notice that they painted themselves as the innocent victim of the political climate rather than take responsibility for their failure to meet health standards. They paint themselves as only caring about the women rather than the hatefilled & racist gang that many a picture proves they are. Pictures that I have shared from many a Rockford Pro-Life Innitiative post on their site. Their racism was so blatent that Alveda King was scheduled to lead a prayer vigil on 17 January in from of the NIWC. You will also notice that, despite plenty of documentation to the contrary, they refused to admit they were the ones who did the harassment, intimidation & hostility aided by members of the Winnebago County Citizens for Choice as videos like this show:

The truth is far different from their claims.
Stephenson County Right To Life who is behind the blog & Rockford Pro-Life Innitiative had this to say about the closing: "Northern Illinois Women’s Center (NIWC) announced today that they would not be reopening their killing center. To God be the glory!!! NIWC said they would not reopen for many reasons, one of which is “lack of support”. Certainly their inability or their unwillingness to comply with existing laws is one of the major factors in their own demise. Some in the pro-abortion group would like to blame the pro-life community for this occurrence. Their unprofessionalism, their blatant disregard for the laws, and their lack of concern for the health and safety of women, to the point of contempt towards women, is another major part of this closing." They went on to rightly describe the closing as a "miraculous event."
The real reason for the closing is ultimately a sprirtual one. Yes it truly is a "miraculous event." It was an answer to the countless prayers I mentioned earlier in this post. Rockford Pro-Life Innitiative put it this way in a post: "A lot of people have asked what exactly led to the closing of Rockford's abortion mill. Many factors contributed to this once rich, arrogant, and powerful child-killing center turned into a national example of the sickening evil of abortion.
The idiotic signs that Wayne Webster posted in the clinic windows exposed to full public view the lies of abortion and hidden evil that motivate the murder of babies. The two out-of-state abortionists who seemingly had no standards for sanitation or care for women played a major part in the mill closing.

State of Illinois health inspectors who were greatly disturbed by the dangerous conditions inside the Northern Illinois Women's Center were essential to the closing of this mill.

But in the long run it was two factors that closed the Northern Illinois Women's Center in Rockford, Illinois. Jesus Christ and the many people who prayed and worked in countless ways for years for an end to the killing in the NIWC." (What Really Closed Rockford's Abortion Mill)

Later they issued the following Thank You: "The Rockford Pro-Life Initiative and Pro-Life corner would like to publicly thank God for closing the Rockford abortion mill. It is only by and through the grace and love of God the horror story known as the Rockford abortion mill has come to an end.

We also want to thank the countless people who spent years working, sacrificing, and praying for this day when the children of Rockford would be safe from the Northern Illinois Women's Center.We don't know what the future will bring but we have seen the hand of God close this demonic killing center today and that is what matters.
Please continue to pray for all the women and men harmed by NIWC and for all the babies whose lives were destroyed behind the walls of this disgraced killing center. Just as God closed the Rockford mill, God will heal the women and men harmed by abortion and hold in His heart for all eternity the babies who died there."
This victory over this demonic clinic is a reminder that we must continue in prayer. Ultimately, as I so often remind everyone, this is a spiritual battle & prayer is the ultimate spiritual weapon God has given us to use. All our actions must begin, end & be undergirded with prayer. It also reminds us that we are not to give up because our praayers seemingly go unanswered. The NIWC has been open since 1973 & people in the Rockford area have been praying ever since. I don't pretend to understand God's timing, or why he allowed this place to stay open as long as it did. But ultimately the prayers were answered & all their efforts blessed with success.
Praise God for this powerful victory in the battle against the demonic "culture of death"!!!!!! May He continue to guide & bless our efforts to build His "Culture of Life" so that 1 day America will once again be a place that protects every human being's inalienable right to life from the 1st moment of existance until natural death.

Additional coverage: Abortion Biz in Rockford, Illinois Shut Down Permanently
BREAKING: Bizarre Rockford abortion facility to close permanently
Notorious Abortion Clinic in Rockford, IL Closed for Good

Who Are the Vendee? & Why They DO Matter

2012-01-13T04:45:00.001-06:00

I came across this over @ The Badger Catholic (For God and King!!!!!). While I have read some on the French Revolution & especially the horrors done in the name of the Revolution, this is the 1st time I have ever heard the story of the Vendee & their counterrevolution.

This movie is made by Navis Pictures. It was filmed with a cast of over 250 young people. The true story takes place in the Vendée region of France. "In 1793, after enduring three and a half years of mounting persecution of the Church by the architects of the French Revolution, a small band of faithful peasants and nobles began a Catholic "counter-revolution". This is the largely unknown story of the valiant, six year struggle of the people of a small section of western France, to restore their Holy Religion and their King. Steeped in the influence of St. Louis de Montfort, and wearing their rosaries and emblems of the Sacred Heart, their sacrifices resulted in countless martyrdoms, and ultimately won the restoration of religious freedom for all of France. This film is a love-letter to the Vendean people, and was produced to honor the memory of these brave men and women who willingly sacrificed their lives, "for God and King"." (From the movie website)
It is scheduled to be released on DVD if February. The trailer has raised my curiosity to not only see the movie but to learn more about this oft forgotten part of the French Revolution.

The French Revolution era persecution resulted in a large number of martyrs, many of them have been beatified, including Blessed Laurent Batard & Martyrs of Compiègne. The latter have been immortalized in an opera, Dialogues of the Carmelites. They were fourteen French Discalced Carmelite nuns and lay sisters, along with two externs who composed the Carmel of Compiègne, France. The opera does make a few changes in the story. But it makes it clear that these women willingly sacrificed their lives for Christ. At the foot of the scaffold, the community jointly renewed their vows. They began to chant the Veni Creator Spiritus, the hymn sung at the ceremony for the profession of vows. They continued their singing as, one by one, they mounted the scaffold to meet their death.
1 of the things that is often ignored in the French Revolution by those who want to hold it up as an ideal that unfotrunately went wrong is why it almost imediately devolved into the Reign of Terror that it did. The reason was that it was a revolution against God as much as more than against the political order of the time in France.

This movie is a reminder of the huge difference between the French & American Revolutions. Here in the USA we made it clear that we were fighting to restore our rights that were endowed to us by our Creator*. & why, in the end, the American Revolution didn't end like the French Revolution or so many others that drove God out as well.

Recently, another movie came out that looked at the Cristeros. This group battled the persecution of the Catholic Church in Mexico DURING the Mexican Revolution. Like the French Revolution, the persecution of the Catholic Church in Mexico at that time produced several saints & beati, including Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez.

Then there was the the Spanish Revolution. It produced many martyrs as well. It also produced Saint Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer who founded Opus Dei.

Matt @ Badger Catholic asks "What next, Lepanto??!?" Good question. & hopefully there soon will be a movie made about lepanto that captures the whole story of the battle, including the role praying the Rosary played in bringing about that victory over Ottoman Empire by the Holy League. That victory prevented the Mediterranean Sea from becoming an uncontested highway for Muslim forces. It also protected Italy from a major Ottoman invasion, & prevented the Ottomans from advancing further into the southern flank of Europe.

We need to hear these stories to remind us that being faithful to the Catholic faith may very well cost us a similar price in the near future. & even if it doesn't cost us our lives, the fact is, the Catholic Church is coming under persecution as Cardinal Burke recently reminded us. We have seen that persecution in state laws like those in Illinois that have forced Catholic Charities to get out of providing adoptions etc because they have to provide those services to "gay couples" as well. We have seen that with the push by the Obama administration is forcing Catholic institutions to pay for birth control etc. We have seen that with how the Obama administration has defined those who are Pro-life as terrorists. The new terrorism law allows him to put us under arrest indefinitely.
& that is why this story does matter. & needs to be told.

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*"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Follow the link to the Wikipedia article on "Life, Liberty. . . ." for a prime example of how this difference is ignored, downplayed, or buried. It talks about how this phrase is comparable to "liberté, égalité, fraternité" (liberty, equality, fraternity) in France. Credit for the French motto has traditionally been given to Antoine-François Momoro (1756–1794), a Parisian printer & Hébertist organizer. But, as the Hébertists article points out, they were a leading force for the dechristianization of France & supported extreme measures in service of the Terror, including the Law of Suspects enacted in 1793.

What Obama Care Won't Cover

2012-01-11T03:52:00.000-06:00

After they get done paying for everything the abortion industry wants there won't be any money left for other things, like basic health care. But don't worry, Obama has thought of that:

see more epicfails

I Wouldn't Be Here Writing This If This Hadn't Happenned 250 Years Ago Today

2012-01-10T05:18:00.000-06:00

I am referring to the birth of Julien Dubueq (aka Dubuque) for whom the city I live in is named after. Today marks the 250th Anniversary of his birth in the village of St. Pierre les Brecquets (? Becquets), County of Nicolet, on the south bank of the St. Lawrence, about twenty leagues above Quebec.

Unfortunately, this important date has been all but ignored by the city named after him. Which is a shame. It would have been fun to party like it's 1762.

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In 2010 I put up a post about the 200th Anniversary of his death that has a little more about him. Or you can follow the link above to a more detailed bio.

No, I Will NOT Accept a Collect Call From Captain Kirk!

2012-01-10T03:52:00.001-06:00

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John 3:16

2012-01-10T03:25:00.001-06:00

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

As you probably know by now, in the Wild Card play-off game Sunday Tim Tebow threw for 316 yards, & set an NFL playoff record by averaging 31.6 yards per completion. 3, 1, 6, as in John 3:16.

Coincidence, maybe? But IMHO we are seeing a bit of God's Divine sense of humor.

This story has been making the rounds the past 24 hours. I have heard it everywhere from blogs to Rush Limbaugh. It has got to be driving the liberals who are already upset with how Tebow lives out his faith even crazier. Remember how wacko they went last year about the Focus on the Family ad featuring his Mother talking about her pregnancy? They were so upset about what they say was to be an anti-abortion ad. Gloria Allred was set to lodge a complaint with the FCC & FTC "if this ad airs and fails to disclose that abortions were illegal at the time Ms. Tebow made her choice." Then there was the egg on the Pro-aborts faces when the ad turned out to be nothing like they were screaming it would be. Then they began screaming about his tackling his Mother as promoting domestic violence to divert attention from their proving how out of it they were.

His kneeling in prayer at games, now known as Tebowing, hasn't exactly endeared him to those who want to drive God out of the public square. What is driving them even crazier is that he isn't just doing it for show, he is really living out his faith.
That is part of the reason I think the whole 3:16 thing Sunday is more than coincidence. Given the vagaries of any football game, it is highly unlikely that Tebow intentionally aimed for those numbers, esp since he couldn't know the game would go into overtime. & even further beyong his control was fact that the final quarter-hour television rating for the Broncos-Steelers game was, yup, 31.6. Like I said, God's Divine sense of humor.

Tebow @ the 2009 BCS Championship game

FYI: the same Yahoo article I got that ratings stat from also points out the following: "The television ratings for Broncos-Steelers could provide a clue: The game pulled in a whopping 25.9 rating for CBS, becoming the highest-rated AFC wild-card game since 1988. (That was 24 years ago, pre-Internet and before a majority of Americans had cable or satellite.) Variety estimates 45 million people watched Tebow's touchdown pass in overtime." While I am NOT a Broncos fan, (Jets & Vikings) I am beginning to hope they win the Super Bowl this year. & that Tebow gets the MVP.

Note: Another article points out another interesting fact about Sunday's game. "His favorite receiver Sunday was Demaryius Thomas.

Thomas had 204 receiving yards and was responsible for the game-winning touchdown in overtime. And when was Thomas born? Dec. 25, 1987. Hmm, who else has a birthday celebrated on Dec. 25? (The answer is not Santa Claus.)"

You can't buy this sort of PR. But for God "all things are possible". (Matthew 19:26)

I am fairly safe in assuming that God is NOT a Broncos fan. But I do think God is trying to let people know He still is in charge. That He will not be mocked, or silenced. & that He is on the side of Pro-lifers when it comes to abortion etc.

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Over at the NFL website there are a couple of stories about Tebow that show how far this has gone,
1st we have Tom Brady a prophet? The author points out how much of the media has misquoted Tom Brady's comment after the game between the Broncos & New England on 18 Dec. Brady said "Maybe we'll see you again." The media has been leaving the maybe out. When told that Brady said "we'll see you again," after Sunday's game Tebow eventually responded with "He might've said something like that. So I guess he's a prophet, I don't know." The author goes on to show how he misses the real connection. He says that there was no recognized prophet in the Bible named Thomas. Will someone explain to the author that Thomas was an Apostle? Who basically said "Maybe Jesus rose, but I'll have to see 1st before I believe." So, Brady's "maybe" sounds more like the saint he was named for at baptism than for any prophet in the Bible. (Brady is a Catholic. I know he had a child out of wedlock, he did get married in a Catholic ceremony & has had his child born in the marriage baptized. Beyond that, how well he lives his faith over all, I have no idea.)
Then there is Tebow: The Movie? They might, but I am not sure that Hollywood would be able to get it right unless those producing it are people who are devout Christians. Made for TV is more likely than big screen, but the same caveat applies. I think the author of the article was being a bit tongue in cheek when he had this casting suggestion, Chris D'Elia as Jesus. Some of his comments on other roles confirms that this isn't a serious piece. But if there was no mention of God needed, you can be sure the story would have been snapped up by now.

New Hampshire Primary Tuesday - Obama Is NOT Running Unopposed

2012-01-09T05:38:00.000-06:00

NOTE: This is not an endorsement of any candidate on the Democratic ballot, although I highly recommend truly Pro-life Dems in New Hampshire send as strong a message as possible to Obama.

Yes, you read that right. Obama's attempt to get the 2012 nomination for the Democratic candidate for president is NOT going unchallenged. In fact, there are 13 other candidates on the ballot besides The "Not So Great Dictator" .

Besides Barry the 0, the only other name most people might recognize is Randall Terry, the founder of Operation Rescue. He is intentionally running as a Democrat to challenge Obama, especially on the subject of abortion. & he is using his campaign to run ads on TV that show exactly what an abortion does to an unborn child. I know that won't sit well with some people, but as someone who supports getting those pictures out & supports what other groups do in that area, I have no problems with it.

The Republican side is pretty crowded as well with a record total of 30 names on their ballot.

There are some interesting names & some real characters running for the nomination in both parties.. Among the interesting names are Bear Betzler (R) & Craig "Tax Freeze" Fries (D).

But this is perhaps my favorite as far as his name & character is Vermin Supreme. Here is a segmant from the from Lesser-Known Presidential Candidates Forum held @ St. Anselm College in New Hampshire on 19 Dec 2011 to let you see what he is like (& yes, that is a boot he is wearing):

Getting on the New Hampshire ballot is fairly easy. All you have to do is be registered as a member of the party that you want to run for the nomination of. Then you fill out a short declaration of candidacy form, file it with the NH Secretary of State's Office & pay a $1000 fee when you do. But what about the person who wants to run, but is broke? If you can prove indigence then there is an alternative. After doing so, you file"with the secretary of state 10 primary petitions from each county of the state signed by registered voters of the party, who are domiciled in New Hampshire, together with one written assent to candidacy pursuant to RSA 655:25." (Since NH has 10 counties I assume that means 1 from each county.)
For anyone who IS interested, here is the entire debate. 1st up are the Republicans, then the Democrats have the stage. You will note that the major candidates were invited as well, but for whatever reason, decided to give this forum a pass.

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An interesting development in the Republican campaign, & I am not refering to the 2 televised debates, was reported on Sunday. According to the a Suffolk University/7NEWS poll released on Sunday, Ron Paul surged to 20 percent while Romney dropped to 35 percent. (Complete results here) If this is a sign of how things are trending, then Romney may not have the runaway victory he is hoping to have to justify his self crowning as the nominee on Tuesday nite. I can't see anything that will cause him to be kicked out of 1st place, but anything can happen in politics. & this campaign has had plenty of evidence of that.

A TRULY Valuable Life

2012-01-09T02:14:00.000-06:00

Cal Thomas has long been 1 of my favorite columnists. I may not always agree 100% with him but he always presents his reasons in a well thought out manner.

On 5 Jan 2012, his younger brother Marshall passed away. Marshall's story is a reminder of how our treatment of people with Down syndrome has changed in the past 60 years. In the 50s society as a whole placed little value on them as human beings. For many a "retarded" child was aproblem because they were considered an embarrassment to be hidden away. As Thomas points out, the solution was to lock them away in an institution where they received minimal care. Fortunately, things changed in the 60s, especially through the efforts of the Kennedy family, especially Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Sadly, things have once again changed for the worse. Instead of valuing them as God intends us to, they are again looked on as an embarrassment & even worse, an inconvenince for about 90-92% of their parents. The reason I say 90-92% is because that is the percent of people with Down syndrome who are aborted after prenatal tests diagnose them with it.

Back in my hign school & college days, I did a lot of volunteer work with Down syndrome children & adults. At the time they were still labelled "retarded" but it wasn't seen as a negative like it is today. Yes, there were some difficulties, just like with any children or adults at times. But for the most part, they are as close to pure love as you can get here on Earth.

Thomas' tribute to his brother catches exactly why EVERY human being, EVERY life, has value. & why we have lost so much because our society no longer puts value on anyone that may ask of us a little more & requiring us to make even a little sacrifice to do so.

My brother’s valuable life

By Cal Thomas

Tribune Media Services

How does one measure whether a life was a success, or a failure?

Some would measure it by recognition, that is, how many knew the person’s name. For others, the measure of a successful life would be the amount of wealth accumulated, or possessions held. Still others would say a life was successful if the person made a major contribution to society — in medicine, sports, politics, or the arts.

By that standard my brother, Marshall Stephen Thomas, who died January 5, was a failure. If, however, your standard for a successful life is how that life positively touched others, then my brother’s life was a resounding success.

Shortly after he was born in 1950, Marshall was diagnosed with Down syndrome. Some in the medical community referred to the intellectually disabled as “retarded” back then, long before the word became a common schoolyard epithet. His doctors told our parents he would never amount to anything and advised them to place him in an institution. Back then, this was advice too often taken by parents who were so embarrassed about having a disabled child that they often refused to take them out in public.

Continued here

Jill Stanek Raises an Excellent Question @ Her Blog

2012-01-08T04:02:00.002-06:00

That question is "Will the day come when politicians covering up for the abortion industry face Nuremburg-like trials?" It turns out that there is a twist to the recent arraignment of abortionist  Steven Brigham Maryland on 10 counts of first- and second-degree murder in the deaths of viable preborn babies who were among 36 discovered in a freezer in Brigham’s Elkton, Maryland, mill.
As you will see from the post below, what happenned in Kansas with Kathleen Sibelius & her cronies in helping cover up for Planned Parenthood has a horrible parallel in New York with Elliot Spitzer & the Albany Democratic machine.
Let's see now, Democratic Kansas Governor Sibelius & her fellow Dems in her administration worked to cover up crimes committed by George Tiller & Planned Parenthood to the point of shredding documents. The crimes included covering up child rape as well as performing illegal partial-birth & late-term abortions.
Now it looks like Spitzer went down the same route & helped to cover up the murder of 17 babies 15 years ago when investigators discovered 17 late-term frozen aborted babies in one of his New York mills. Rather than doing the right thing & enforce the law, at the behest of the Albany Democratic machine, including a judge who had ties to the Colonie clinic’s landlord he opted to do nothing. Spitzer claims they pressured him. Something tells me that they didn't have to twist his arm too hard.
To be fair, when the investigation of Brigham in New York began, it was under Republican AG Dennis C. Vacco & Republican Pro-abort Governor George Pataki. Spitzer took over as AG on 1 Jan 1999. Given that it often takes 2-3 years for an investigation of this sort to go forward to the point of an arrest/arraignment, it is probable that Vacco was keeping the investigation going. He had to, otherwise Spitzer wouldn't have stopped the investigation.
I am disgusted by this latest corrupt bargain between the Democratic party & the abortion industry. Sadly, I am not at all that surprized. Again, to be fair, there are many pro-abort Republicans who have done what they can to aid the abortion industry as well
Now as to the question Jill asks. Will they face Nuremburg-like trials? Probably not. At least in the forseeable future. Does Sibelius, Spitzer, et al deserve to be tried? YES!!!!!!!!!!!!! Their actions are clearly aiding & abetting in the comitment of murder under state law of the time as well as in Sibelius & cronies, rape. Who knows what else will come out that Spitzer helped bury?
As for Obama, at this point there is no evidence he directly helped to cover up crimes. But he did reward Sibelius for her pro-abort actions as Kansas' Governor. You can be sure part of the reason Planned parenthood supported her nomination has to do with the destruction of the documents. So, he does have some share in the guilt as well.
Something tells me this is just the tip of the iceberg. Remember Kermit Gosnell in Pennsylvania. It was under Gov. Tom Ridge, a Republican, that the Health Department investigations of clinics like Gosnell's were discontinued in 1993. Attorneys under the administration of Ridge "interpreted the same regulations that had permitted annual inspections for years to no longer authorize those inspections." Until recently, only inspections triggered by complaints were authorized. Given that Ridge is pro-abort, this is not surprizing. Like I said, while over all, the rank & file as well as a huge number of the politicians in the Republican party are Pro-life, there is a segment that is just as dirty as the Dems when it comes to corrupt alliances with the abortion industry.
But I suspect that most of the future scandals will involve Dems. Regardless of the party, somewhere down the road, justice demands these politicians/elected officials be tried for their roles in aiding the evils done by the abortion industry to be covered up. They have helped the abortion industry to break a multitude of laws with little or no consequences. Tried, found guilty & made to pay the price.

Will the day come when politicians covering up for the abortion industry face Nuremburg-like trials?

TimesUnion.com published a shocking story January 5 alleging that the New York Democrat machine, including Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, gave late-term abortionist Steven Brigham a pass 15 years ago when investigators discovered 17 late-term frozen aborted babies in one of his New York mills.

Brigham was arraigned in Maryland yesterday morning on 10 counts of first- and second-degree murder in the deaths of viable preborn babies who were among 36 discovered in a freezer in Brigham’s Elkton, Maryland, mill.

But these weren’t the first bodies discovered by authorities in one of Brigham’s clinics. According to TimesUnion.com:

A New Jersey doctor charged with murder last week for performing several late-term abortions in Maryland had once operated an abortion clinic in Albany County at which state investigators discovered 17 frozen fetuses in 1996.
The discovery was part of a broader investigation by the New York attorney general’s office, which declined to pursue criminal charges related to allegations that late-term abortions, in violation of New York’s fetal homicide law, were being performed at the Colonie clinic then owned by Dr. Steven Chase Brigham.

Why weren’t murder charges brought against Brigham? The assistant attorney general at the time told TimesUnion.com “he encountered political pressure against the investigation from the Albany Democratic machine, including a judge who had ties to the Colonie clinic’s landlord.”

Someday a horrifying book will be written on just how far local, state, and federal Democrats went to cover malpractice, negligence, corruption, fraud, and murder on behalf of the abortion industry.

Thankfully, it appears that with the exposure of the industry’s most heinous crimes, the collusion between Democrats and the abortion industry is beginning to collapse.

The collapse will be linked back to revelations that former Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius covered up crimes committed by George Tiller and Planned Parenthood to the point of shredding documents.

Blogger Rusty Weiss at BigGovernmentcom asked, “Could hindering an investigation of Dr. Brigham make Democrats in Albany an accessory to murder?”

I wonder.

Can you foresee a day when Democrats like Sebelius, Spitzer, and even Barack Obama are brought to justice in a fashion similar to the Nuremberg Trials, when Nazi collaborators were prosecuted?

[Brigham photo via CecilWhig.com]

Saint André Bessette, CSC

2012-01-06T08:01:00.000-06:00

It Looks Like Bad News - Planned Parenthood Will Be Doing Abortions in DBQ

2012-01-06T05:50:00.000-06:00

Every week the local paper puts out what it calls the THExtra. It goes to the homes of those who don't get the TH with the Wed ads & 4 page mini-paper. Page 1 is usually 2 ads, 1 for each side of the fold. This time it was a 2 part ad for Planned parenthood, something that haven't done for a while. On 1 side it had a bit about the new center coming soon. No definite date. But that is no surprize. It is SOP for PP to keep that close to the vest.

What was a bit surprizing is what it listed under their "wide range of women's health services" for the DBQ site. In the center column between "Prenatal Care" & "Adoption" was "Abortion". No not "Abortion Referal" but ABORTION. When I saw that I called the person who in in charge of the scheduling of protesters to tell her about it. DBQ Co Right to Life was already aware of the ad when I called them Wed AM.

Now what does this mean? They could have left referal out of abortion to mislead about the fact that they do occasionally do an adoption referal not actually do adoptions. Or it could be that they have accidently let slip their future plans for the new clinic. Either way, it was clearly meant to imply that abortion is only 1 of many services they offer. & not their bread & butter. I may be doing a bit too much psychoanalizing, but the fact that it was right at the center of all the services they offer stikes me as at least a subconscious admission that abortion IS at the center of their business.

IMHO, I think that this was, however accidental, an admission that they will be offering abortions (telemed probably) at the new DBQ site.

& their placing it between adoption & prenatal care was meant to be misleading. It was their way of pushing abortion while, as I said, trying to make it appear as only 1 of many services they offer women. (Although I have no idea why they put "Male Health Services" in the list of women's services rather than seperately.)

The recently released Planned Parenthood annual report for 2009-2010 shows that abortion is their raison d'être. The report showed 329,445 abortions to 841 adoption referals & 31,098 prenatal services. (On that last 1 I have to wonder how infalted that number is by their usual practice of multiple counting 1 person several times if they received more than 1 "service".)

That comes to a ratio of 391.73 to 1 of abortions to adoption referals. It also shows that PP is more than 10 times as likely to abort a baby that provide real health care to a pregnant woman.

There was some good news in all this. The number of abortions they did declined from 331,796 they year before (2351 less). & they have seen a drop in donations from private sources.

An $85 million drop is not a good thing for them. But it does say that more people are waking up to the truth about PP & cutting down what they give. It also makes the $487.4 million in tax dollars they get even more important to underwrite their profitablility. & the last year has seen that amount drop as well, to 0 in some states. Now wonder they are panicking as they are seeing their taxpayer funded profits go down. In 2009-10 various government bodies used our tax money to provide 46% of their revenue. & the non-profit made an $18.5 million profit. But this does show how dependant they are on tax monies to keep running.

Note: The number of prenatal services also dropped from 40,489 the year before to 31,098, an even bigger drop percentage wise than the drop in the number of abortions. & the number of adoption referals dropped from 977 to 841. On the other hand, the ratio of abortions to adoptions increased from 339.61 to 1 to 391.73 to 1. In 1 sense that is a good thing because it shows that women are no longer buying into the myth that it isn't just about abortions.

Another good bit of news is the number of closings of PP clinics due in part to cuts in taxpayer funding. LifeNews reports the following from Stop Planned Parenthood (STOPP): "'The number of Planned Parenthood affiliates continued to decline from the 1977-1978 all-time high of 191. At the close of the fiscal year in mid 2010, PP reports it had 88 affiliates, operating 840 facilities,' the group adds. 'STOPP research shows that by the end of January 2011, Planned Parenthood had only 86 affiliates operating 785 centers. This decline in facilities can be directly attributed to unprecedented grassroots activism directly targeting Planned Parenthood facilities, and attacks on government funding.'”

But no matter what, 1 fact still remains, abortion is their bread & butter since abortion income was 51.5 percent of its clinic income this last year.

But we ARE winning. & this IS 1 more reminder that we must continue the battle not rest on our successes. You can be sure PP won't surrender. 1st of all by prayer. But then by all the other legal/moral means at our disposal as God leads us. A huge part of that is to continue getting the truth out every way possible.

Sources: New Planned Parenthood Annual Report Confirms Abortions Total 91% of Pregnancy Services

Planned Parenthood Sees 85 Million Dollar Decline in Private Contributions

Planned Parenthood: A Holocaust on Our Dime Every Three Years

Planned Parenthood: 51% of Its Income Comes From Abortions

The 2012 Iowa Caucus - The Results

2012-01-06T00:30:00.000-06:00

Tuesday, I put up a post with my look at the state of Iowa before the Republican caucuses. & I included my predictions. I got some things right, others wrong. Iowa isn't always easy to read, even for a lifelong Iowan.

I saw it as a tossup between Paul & Santorum with Romney coming in third. & after hearing WHO's Jan Mickelson on Laura Ingraham Tuesday I felt even more confident in my view. He predicted that Ron Paul would win. Well, I got 1 thing right, it was a tossup, literally. But between Romney & Santorum. As more returns came in the lead went back & forth between the 2. Finally at about 2:30 am today the smoke settled. Romney had 30,015 (24.55%) & Santorum had 30,007 (24.54%). Ron Paul Came in 3rd with 26,219 (21.45%) & Gingrich came in as expected in 4th place with 16,251 (13.29%) Perry came in 5th with 12,604 (10.31%) & Bachmann 6th with 6,073 (4.98%).

As I expected, Bachmann came in 6th.. That so-called huge undecided she kept talking about never materialized for her, or anyone else in the race. It was not surprizing that she announced Tuesday morning that she is out of the race. OK, technically she has suspended her campaign. But I honestly cannot remember a suspended campaign that returned to being active.

I said Rick Perry had to break the 10% barrier to keep going past S. Carolina. As you can see he barely did that. At 1st it looked like he might drop out as well Wednesday. Then he announced it was full steam ahead for S. Carolina. But he also showed a huge sour grapes attitude towards Iowa. He said “(T)his is a quirky place, a quirky process to say the least.” & went on to add that self-proclaimed Democrats voted in Tuesday night’s contest, skewing the results. “And not that there aren’t real republicans here in Iowa but the fact it is was a pretty loosey-goosey process.”

Yes, some Democrats do show up. But I don't see that as a bad thing. Back in 1988 I was still a Democrat. I showed up for the Republican Caucus & switched back after the caucus. It wasn't until the early 90s I switched permanantly to the Republican party. I switched to be sure a strong Pro-life Republican won because I knew the Dems wouldn't have a Pro-lifer at the helm. (It was that fact that lead to the permanant switch.) Perry did as expected by most of the polls. & I don't see any proof that the ones that did show up this year did any skewing.

Perry is now putting all his eggs in the S Carolina basket. & if he doesn't do good there, that is it. Bluntly, I think he should drop out now like Bachmann did. All he is doing is keeping the conservative vote from coalescing & helping to ensure Romney gets the nomination. Something a lot of us aren't too comfortable with Romney because he is the Republican Establishment favorite. & as I said the other day, the Establishment seems to be out of touch with the rank & file.
Ron Paul came in 3rd when I expected a 1st or 2nd place showing. & as I pointed out, I wasn't the only 1 to expect him to do better than 3rd. That he came in 3rd doesn't tell the whole story. When you look back to 4 years ago you see how much more his message is resonating now than then. He more than doubled the number of votes he going, going from 11,841 in 2008 to 26,219 this year. But what gets things across even more is when you compare the maps that show who won what counties in 2008 & 2012. (Maps are from the Wikipedia articles)
In 2008 he won only 1 county, Jefferson. This year he won 18 counties. & while some of them were the ones won by Huckabee in 2008 some went for Romney in 2008. Romney won 24 counties in 2008. In 2012 he won 7 counties won by Huckabee in 2008. But he lost 14 of the counties he won in 2008 for a total of 17 counties. Not exactly a gain in popularity. This is even more evident when you realize he got 30,021 votes in 2008 & 6 less this year. If the story from Appanoose County is true, than maybe 26 less & a 2nd place finish making him a 2 time loser in Iowa. More on this later. But any way you look at it, Romney didn't do as stellar as expected. Some of his counties went to Paul, the rest to Santorum who won in 62 counties. Perry took 2 of the 2008 Huckabee counties.
It will be interesting to see how the Appanoose Co. story plays out. If what Edward True, of Moulton is right, then Romney didn't win. He may be wrong, but he may be right. & the way the Iowa GOP is handling the story isn't exactly going to give people confidence that they will ensure the right count. While they are right to say they won't give comments on possible discrepencies, the rest of their comments don't totally ring true.
Iowa GOP Chairman Matt Strawn in a statement Thursday that said: “Out of respect to the candidates involved, party officials will not respond to every rumor, innuendo or allegation during the two week process."
OK, but they are responding to this one. According to the Des Moines Register Republican Party of Iowa officials said that they have talked with Appanoose County GOP officials. They added that they don’t have any reason to believe the final results in the county will change the outcome of Tuesday’s vote. Why did they seek assurance that the outcome won't change. They only thing they should have done is issued a statement calling on Appanoose officials to ensure that everything is handled in such a way to ensure that the correct results are reported & to do so in a way that was open & above board.
1 of the ways they can ensure that is to be sure the actual form that had to be filled out is released. As chair of my precinct I had to fill out & sign a form, along with the precinct secretary, with the final result of the ballot count. The ballots had to be turned in as well. So a public recount of the ballots might be in order as well. That is assuming they still exist.
Additionally, a spokeswoman with the Iowa Republican Party said that True is not a precinct captain & he is not a county chairperson so he has no business talking about election results. True, he isn't the county chair or precinct captain, but why so testy about him raising what may be a valid concern? Why doesn't he have any business raising concerns unless there is something you don't want to get out? Are they saying only the Iowa GOP establishment, not the rank & file can talk about the results?
Like True, I hope this is an honest mistake. & if it is these things happen. If the count was off then Santorum won by 12 instead of losing by 8. This is still a statistical tie, esp when it comes to allocating delegates. Iowa is no longer winner take all. This year the delegates will be apportioned.
But by the way they are handling it, the Iowa GOP is ensuring that they will alienate not reassure many people who already feel the state leadership is just as out of touch as the National party leadership/establishment.
& as I said Tuesday, a lot of us see Romney as the GOP Establishment choice. & that if he gets it, a lot of the Tea Party & social conservatives won't give him the support he needs during the campaign. It is clear that the enthusiasm for him isn't there. Given what he & his SuperPAC buddies spent, he should have won big, even with Santorum's late surge. He didn't. As a column @ JoeMiller.US points out "75% of Republican voters in poll after poll across the nation are simply not interested in Mitt Romney. Those Republicans want a different candidate, and one with a more conservative record." 75%, just like in Iowa.
1 of the things that comes up a lot is Iowa doesn't reflect the Nation & doesn't deserve to be 1st. Instead it seems to be that Iowa does a pretty good job of reflecting the country. & especially where the Republican Party is really at these days. & it isn't with the establishment pick. & McCain's endorsement Wednesday isn't going to help Romney any more than Bob Dole's did. In huge part because both Dole & McCain have the "establishment" connection. Dole & McCain are nice guys, but they were not the best choices in '96 or '08. In 1996 I supported Alan Keyes (ditto in 2000). In 2008 I started out with Brownback & after he got out went to Paul.
I am not saying this is the best solution, but Wednesday's Laura Ingraham show had her run an idea by Gingrich that has been gaining some ground, that Gingrich & Santorum form a stop Romney alliance. She has since suggested Perry join as well. She is right in saying Ron Paul won't join. & he shouldn't. He is doing what he needs to to ensure his voice is heard at the convention as it is. But the conservative bunch isn't. I know that there is no such thing as the perfect, or even near ideal "Reagan" conservative out there. & Gingrich is no where near my top. but Santorum is. & I could vote for him without holding my nose, like I would have to for Romney. I am not in the mood to repeat doing that like I did in "08. (I highly recommend reading the entire piece by Laura on the alliance as it makes many good points & I won't have to repeat them all here.)
Before I go on to take a look at how things went Tuesday nite at my site & the rest of DBQ I have to make 1 comment. It dawned on me that in a sense not much has changed with me from my youth in the 60s. I'm still fighting the establishment. Back then it was for different reasons, mostly just because. But these days I have some solid reasons, the biggest of which is Pro-life, closely followed by wanting to restore the USA to its Constitutional roots.
Now to DBQ.
When I came here in 73 to go to college, DBQ was a strong union/Democratic party stronghold, in that order. The 1st precinct caucus I attended where I could vote was in 1976. At the county convention I had my 1st run in with the "I'm personally opposed to abortion but I can't impose my morality" BS. From a Franciscan nun of course, who later showed her hypocricy time after time by publicly protesting that war was immoral & should be stopped. She was willing to impose her morality about war, but the murder of untold innocent babies was different. Eventually I left the Democratic party for the Republican party. Pro-life was the main reason, but there were other things as well. I hadn't really changed, but the Democratic party had drifted so far to the left & I couldn't fit it. & while I am a Republican, I am not tied to the party, but my issues. Life comes 1st & formost.
Anyhow, when I 1st came to Republican caucuses, there was 1 site for the entire city of DBQ & the Democrats were still holding theirs at individual sites for most precincts. This year the Republicans had 3 sites for the city & surrounding area, a 4th for the western part of the county. The Democrats had 4 sites for DBQ (2 of which included a few rural precincts) & 1 for the western part of the county. There are 2 reasons for the decline of the Dems. 1st of all, a decline in union membership that ensured that people would stay Democratic. 2ndly, a lot of people have left the Dems because of Pro-life issues.
The site for my precinct (4) was at the DBQ Co Fairgrounds Ballroom. It was SRO, literally. Something that was repeated at the other sites. Dyersville was packed as well. But he fairgrounds drew the largest turnout. & we had reporters from WMTV - 15 Madison there as well. I was working check in. The process was simple. If you were registered you went to the table with the list of Repulicans from that precinct. We had people with precinct finders for those who didn't know. If you were on the list for that precinct, you signed in & got a ballot. Those who weren't registered, or were regesterd Dem or Ind had to go to a seperate table to get a voter registration form & fill it out. They then returned to the proper precinct & turned it in for a ballot. (These forms will be sent on the the County Auditor.) After that you went to the section of the ballroom for your precinct.
At 7 pm people were still coming in. But the caucus started. The 1st halk fhour was set aside for speakers for the candidates. By about 7:20 the last people had signed in. & when the speakers ended I was able to wend my way to the area for Precinct 4. Since I was the temporary chair, it couldn't start without me. I had all the materials. Another fact of life at caucuses is that the temporary chair almost always becomes permanant chair. Usually because he or she is the 1 who knows what has to happen. Not surprizingly, some (most) people just wanted to vote & leave. But the permanant chair & secretary had to be elected. Yup, I became permanat chair. After the secretary was elected & the Lincoln Bag (aka the 5 buck bag) was passed arround, the voting could begin. I had several people gather the ballots. then we counted them out loud with those who opted to stay watching. Once the count was done we had a form to fill out & sign. Then the results were passed on to be added to the rest of the county results. Romney got 27 votes, followed by Paul with 19, Santorum with 17, Gingrich got 10.
Romney did end up winning the county with Ron Paul 2nd, Santorum 3rd & Gingrich 4th. Romney does have a strong following in DBQ so it wasn't surprizing. Nor was Paul's 2nd place finish. At 1 of the other sites someone wrote in a vote for Obama. There's always 1 in every crowd.
Of course, since a huge number of people came only to vote, things thinned down a bit. But not enough to keep me from having to turn arround & speak loudly. There were 3 other things to be done. 1 was to elect 2 committee persons & 2 alternates to the Central Committee. FYI: I opted to be an alternate this time arround. The 2nd was to elect delegates to the County Convention on 10 March. Yes, I am a delegate. The 3rd was to submit possible planks for the county platform committee to look at & meld into a proposed set of planks for the county convention. There were some Pro-life planks as well as some on the Fed, the Constitution & taxes from Ron Paul supporters along with a few others.
By the time it was over in my precinct it was about 8:45 pm. We were 1 of the last to wrap up. I stayed a bit to talk to some of the others there. When I got home, I was relieved to be done with it for another year. & the last 2 days have been amazingly quite as the number of phone calls has dropped to almost 0. The calm before November.
What will happen from here is hard to say. If Santorum can make a dent in Romney's lead in New Hampshire it could hurt Romney's aura of inevitability, esp if Romney then does bad in S. Carolina. Conservatives have to take a hard look at who will best carry their message & coalesce arround him. IMHO it is Santorum who is the best bet. At the least it will, along with Ron Paul's supporters, ensure that our voices are heard & that we have a place at the table if Romney should win. & if not, then the Republican establishment just might find out Romney isn't going to beat Obama. Something that must NOT happen. But, as I said the other day, something that the Establishment doesn't seem to be getting in their rush to maintain power at all costs.
the same could be said about the potential error in the Iowa Caucus results. Should it turn out to be a mistake, it happenned. Given everything that was going on, etc, it is a wonder more mistakes haven't happenned over the years. So 1 happenned this time arround. Yes, some will use it to justify their wanting to get rid of Iowa as the starting gate. But, this will be a cover for the reality that Iowa for the most part is the average American, not the establishment or elite. & if it should turn out that there was an error & the Iowa GOP was more concerned about appearances than accuracy, they they will be the reason we deserve to lose it.
At this point certain things need to be kept in persepective. Yes, we need to get Obama out of the White House. But we need to be sure there is someone in there that will fight for the unborn & the Culture of Life. This is not merely about gaining power. Esp if it means totally selling out our values. The end does not justify the means. I am aware that we may not get everything. But if we don't have strong Pro-life, Pro-Constitution Republicans in Congress as well as the White House than it isn't much different than with Obama in for 4 more years. I don't say this to be discouraging. But to encourage those who are Pro-life, social conservatives to fight for the right person to get in because of how high the stakes are. Of course, we must undergird, as always, our efforts with prayer.
We have to face facts that Obama is working hard to turn this country into his version of the USSR or Nazi Germany. & both parties in Congress have helped him out with the law he recently signed allowing the president to hold anyone he deams a terrorist, even a US citizen who is considered a terror suspect, to be detained indefinitely in military custody. Despite protests to the contrary, we need to remember that the Obama administration buys into the Abortion industry designation of Pro-lifers as domestic terrorists. When I heard that Obama said "I want to clarify that my Administration will not authorize the indefinite military detention without trial of American citizens," I asked myself why do I feel like I am in Pre-WWII Germany & it is Hitler making the promise he would later break.
I hope he is telling the truth. But that law should never have been signed, no matter what else was in the defense bill. I hope the courts throw it out ASAP.
That aside, this si another reason why it isn't just about power, it is about the right people being elected. & why we MUST pray, pray PRAY!!!!!

For more about the results see also:
Des Moines Resgister Iowa Caucus 2012

CR Gazette coverage
Gazette Map with details of each county results

Videos from WMTV-15:
6 pm live report: At this point I am behind the screen behind the Christmas tree signing people in.
For some reason I can't get the video to embed for the 6 pm story so here is the link.

10 pm report: At 1:10 in you can see the area to the right of the screen where precinct 4 was located. At this point people were still signing in & it was just as she describes. At 3:07 you can see the tally board for our site.

La Befana

2012-01-05T21:00:00.000-06:00

6 years ago for Epiphany I shared my version of the story of La Befana, the old woman who gives gifts to the bambini in Italia on the Eve of Epiphany (5 January). Those who have been good get caramelle (candy) & toys. But if you have been bad you get carbone, cipolle o aglio (coal, onions or garlic). 2 years ago I slightly revised my version. I originally wrote my version in order to correct what I think is a long standing libel in the legend about her. I think it is time to once again tell her story, so here it is.

Even though the bones of St. Nicholas were stolen from Myra in 1087 by Italiano sailors and brought to Bari, Santa Claus doesn't visit the children of Italia. Instead, each year the children look forward to the visit of La Befana. This is her story.

Long ago, at the time Christ was born, there lived near Jerusalem una vecchia (an old woman). She was living alone. Her husband had died & she had no children to care for her. Each day she would clean her house, gather the twigs she needed to cook & do her baking. Still, she was very lonely.

One day as she was leaving her house to gather wood she saw a caravan approaching. It was the Magi. One of the servants came over and asked if his master could talk to her. She approached the wise man. It was Melchior. He told her that they had traveled far in search of Il Bambino, the newborn King of the Jews, the Christ Child. They had come with gifts to honor him. She told him that she had heard nothing about him. Then Melchior invited her to join them on their journey.

She apologized. "I'm sorry, but I haven't the time to join you. I have too much work to get done. I need to gather wood so that I might get my baking done." With that, they said farewell and left.

Almost immediately she began to regret not going with the Magi. Dropping the few twigs she had found, she quickly went home. There she gathered the few small items she had that she knew a small child might like. She put them in a bag, took her broom to use as a walking staff, & began to travel in the same direction as the Magi.

Whenever she met anyone, she inquired about the Magi. Always she was told that she had just missed them. But she didn't give up. She kept searching and searching.

Time passed, weeks, months, years, decades, centuries. Still she searched. She traveled further & further from her home. At times she was very tired & weary. But she refused to stop searching.

Eventually she reached Italia. On Christmas Eve of 1223 she approached thr town of Asissi. When she got there, there was a big commotion. She asked someone what was going on.

He replied: "The Holy Man, Francesco Bernadone (We know him as St. Francis) has set up a presipio (manger). There you can see the newborn King of the Jews."

She was excited. At last she had reached her goal. As she approached the site she saw a camel. The man next to it looked familiar. He was wearing the same clothing as Melchior with whom she had talked to so long ago. Waiting her turn she drew near to the crib. It was then that she saw that Il Bambino was a wax figure. Puzzled, she asked someone why this was so. She was told that this was merely a reenactment of an event that had occured over 1200 years ago.

Disappointed and in shock she just stood there. When everyone else had left, she began to cry. Her heart was breaking from the sorrow she felt.

As she sobbed, she heard a noise and saw a glow from the crib. A gentle voice told her to come near. Scared, she slowly approached and looked into the crib. The wax figure had come to life.

"Why are you crying?" it asked.

She replied: "I have been looking all these years for Il Bambino. I thought I had finally found Him. But all I found was a wax figure. I am so tired and weary from searching. The disappointment is just too much."

Il Bambino said: "Dry your tears. From heaven I heard you cry and have come to you. I am grateful for the gifts you have brought me, but I no longer have any use for them. However, there are many children who have no toys. You can give the toys to them."

Overjoyed, she began to do as she was told. She began visiting the Italiano homes where there were children. At first people were afraid of her. Because she was old and traveled with a broom, they thought she was a witch. So they refused to welcome her. Some even threw stones at her to drive her away. Eventually people began to realize the truth. Soon children began to look forward to her visit on the Eve of Epiphany. Since no one knew her name people began to call her La Befana from the Italian word for Epiphany. To this day, she still travels all over Italy honoring Il Bambino, the Christ Child by leaving presents for all the children. She is no longer lonely, but is very happy to bring joy and to share her love of Christ with them.

The Iowa Caucus Results - A Quick Look

2012-01-04T17:49:00.001-06:00

Just a quick look, I'll have more on Friday when I have more time. It turned out to be a tossup, literally. But between Romney & Santorum. As more returns came in the lead went back & forth between the 2. Finally at about 2:30 am today the smoke settled. Romney had 30,015 (24.55%) & Santorum had 30,007 (24.54%). Ron Paul Came in 3rd with 26,219 (21.45%) & Gingrich came in as expected in 4th place with 16,251 (13.29%) Perry came in 5th with 12,604 (10.31%) & Bachmann 6th with 6,073 (4.98%).

I thought it would be a tossup between Paul & Santorum. Well, it was, just not as I thought. 1 of the interesting developments was what Gingrich said today on Laura Ingraham about a coalition between him & Santorum. & it was not surprizing to see Bachmann drop out today either.

I'll have more on everything tommorrow as I said, including the local angle from DBQ.

The Big Day - Iowa Caucuses 2012

2012-01-03T03:25:00.000-06:00

I know I haven't blogged much on the openning salvos of the 2012 election, but I have a good excuse. I have been too busy answering all the robocalls I've been getting. OK while that isn't true, thank God for caller ID, the last few days have seen a plethora of calls, 18 on Saturday, 19 on Monday & God only knows how many today. The mailings have been coming fast & furious as well. & so has the mudthrowing as well.

The mailings have been interesting. 1 accused Ron Paul of being a Washington insider. OK, given how long he has been in Congress that may be technically true. But, he hasn't exactly followed the insider path if he is. But if you are merely slinging mud & trying guilt by association, then that is the way to go. Then there were 3 mailings by Romney that left me a bit puzzled. They all supposedly listed my caucus site for tonite. I live in DBQ precinct 4. Yet 2 of the mailings had me going to a caucus site in Bellevue, the 3rd sent me down to Bettendorf. How do you screw something as simple as that up????? The Iowa GOP has a website to find your caucus site & the Iowa Secretary of Stae has a way to find your precinct. & that is only 1 of many ways to do so. (Note: The GOP site does have 1 glaring error, for someone from Oelwein. Oelwein's 4 wards will all meet at my cousin's restaurant, Luigi's. But the GOP has the location as 120 S Frederick, instead of 1020 S Frederick. Fortunately Oelwein is small enough that people will know the right address.

As for the mudslinging, I already talked a little about that in relation to Newt Gingrich a few weeks ago. It hasn't gotten any better. It isn't bringing up the concerns with Gingrich's record, that is fair game, it is how the mud has been thrown at him & others (see above on Ron Paul). But what has really hurt Gingrich is the poor way he has handling those concerns about his past. His early comments on supporting embryonic stem cell research didn't help his stand with Pro-lifers. He later changed on that. But it does help those who question how much he really has changed to make their point that he really hasn't. He should have had a response in place. Monday, Laura Ingraham brought up how she had warned him last year. His response was that he wasn't going to respond to mudslinging. According to a Des Moines Register story, Gingrich has since realized he was wrong to not respond. In response to a question at a campaign stop about his greatest weakness, he told someone in Waterloo “Probably that I’m too reasonable and I should have responded to the negative ads sooner.”
Reasonable or not, he should have dealt better with his past. I am willing to give him the benefit of the dount for the most part. But that doesn't mean blindly going forward with blind support either. Gingrich does have to prove he has sincerely changed. & he hasn't done that.

Speaking of NOT dealing with the past as he should, that leads us to Mitt Romney & RomneyCare as well as his more liberal past. Like for Gingrich, I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt that he has changed. But he does need to show more evidence to get past my concerns as well as those of many others that he won't be a strong concervative. Another concern I have is how Romney seems to be the Establishment candidate. Given that they want to maintain power without upsetting the status quo, that doesn't give me a lot of reassuraince that Romney will follow through as he claims. In fact, I see the establishment as more concerned about maintaining power than winning the election. The strongest candidates for true change, like Paul (& others) on the budget & other constitutional issues, are the ones who are tapping into the grass roots especially that of the Tea Party. The Establishment doesn't seem to get it, that their agenda is no longer a winning one. The Establishment seems to be willing to let Obama win as long as they stay in control. Much of the Establishment is still the East Coast more liberal agenda gang that has produced such Pro-abort Republicans as Maine's Maine Senators Olympia Snowe & Susan Collins.

The Establishment better embrace the needed change symbolized by Ron Paul , the Tea Party & the Pro-life Movement or they may find themselves left behind as a new party forms that will offer needed change, & will win elections & bring it about.
On the other hand, I don't think Romney's endorsement by the Des Moines Register will mean that much among the rank & file Republicans. It might have in the 60s when the Regester truly was the "Newspaper Iowa Depends On" as well as being seen as Republican leaning. They are owned by Gannett this days & seen as anything but conservative. Additionally, the DMRegisdter has all but abandoned much of Iowa outside of central Iowa.

Speaking of Ron Paul, I have to start by once again reminding people that he is who I am supporting. 4 years ago after Brownback dropped out I switched over to him as the best in the pack when it came to fiscal & Pro-life issues. & it has pleased me that he has made Pro-life a stronger part of his campaign. In fact, it helps to disprove 1 of the myths the media has pushed about the Tea Party movement, that they don't care about the unborn. Never mind that over 60% of those involved are Pro-life as well.

What has hurt Ron Paul the most is how he often comes across when it comes to foreign affairs. While he doesn't always clearly articulate it, or the media accurately report it, his stand is closely aligned to that of our Founding Fathers who had huge concerns about foreign entanglements. On the other hand, he isn't opposed to a proper defense. As his son Rand pointed out in an interview, about 80% of his proposed fedearl budget would be for defense. He needs to better clarify the difference between the US being policeman for the world, which we shouldn't & our valid defense of our interests.

But perhaps the biggest effect Ron Paul has had, IMHO, & 1 of the reasons the Establishment isn't too kean on him, is that he has brought issues, like the Fed, into the spotlight & forced politicians to pay attention to them. He brought that home at 1 of the debates before Christmas when he pointed out how long he had been speaking about his stands on some of the issues that have since been taken up by others on the podium. If nothing else, he has done that much needed service to the Republican Party & the USA.

As for Jon Huntsman, well, if he wants to skip Iowa he can. We may not pick the final winner. But we do help cull the pack, a very importanst service. I found his justification interesting (we'll get to the slam in a munute). According to a Politico piece he said that New Hampshire residents "don’t like to be told who to vote for.

“They don’t want the establishment teeing up somebody that they feel they have to vote for,” Huntsman said. “They want the candidates to earn it. So we’re proving the point, I think in real time here, that politics and successful politics must be earned on the ground.”

Well, the same can be said about Iowa. Even more so that in New Hampshire. Huntsman said on CBS' The Early Show the other day that "They pick corn in Iowa, and pick presidents here in New Hampshire." His comment showed arrogance as well as ingorance. & if he should get the nomination will hurt him in Iowa like McCain' negative statements on Iowa did him. We take the process just as seriously here in Iowa as they do in New Hampshire. Huntsman's statements ring too much of the elisist attitude towards Iowa & the Midwest in general. & bluntly, I think they are wrong. Iowa as painted as a bunch of hicks. We aren't we do more than grow corn. We grow soybeans, cattle & hogs as well. We have industry as well as agriculture. We have culture, symphonies, orchestras, quality theatrical orginizations, even opera. If anything, Iowa is probably as good a cross section of the US population than most states, esp those on either coast.
Michelle Bachmann seems to be fading fast. Her big day was the Ames Straw Poll last August. Since then she has burnt out badly. Some of her gaffes hurt, but there is much more than that. It strikes me that as people take a 2nd look they see others they like better. & while she does still have a base, how much will stick with her tonite? Some, but probably not all. The fact that last week Sen. Kent Sorenson, her campaign chair has gone over to Ron Paul won't help her hold on to her supporters. Some will follow to Paul, others will go, I suspect, to Rick Perry & Rick Santorum.
Rick Perry hasn't taken off as well in Iowa as some might expect him to given his strong evangelical background. I see 2 things hurting him. The 1st is there is a huge batch of buyers remorse in the Republican Party for President Bush. He turned out to be a lot less conservative & 1 of the main causes for the loss of Congress in 06' & the presidency in "08. & they see Perry in a similar light. The fact that he issued an an executive order mandating that Texas girls receive human papillomavirus vaccine in 2007 despite the huge unpopularity of it among Pro-lifers didn't help his credentials. Then, on the same day that Perry’s aides met to discuss the vaccine, the makers of Gardasil, then the only approved option on the market, donated $5,000 to Perry’s campaign. Fortunately, state lawmakers overturned the mandate months later. But that has hurt his image more than people realize. & he really doesn't seem to have done enough to overcome those doubts. Neither have some of his actions when it comes to illegal immigrants.
There are a few others too far back or to obscure to really comment on, which leaves Rick Santorum. I will admit that his recent surge has surprized even me. I wasn't sure he would be able to overcome the damage he did in supporting endorsement for his Senate pro-abort colleague Arlen Specter over Congressman Pat Toomey in the 2004 Republican primary. In the short run it may have helped John Roberts & Sam Alito get on the Supreme Court. But he left too many Pro-lifers upset at the betrayal & enabled Bob Casey Jr. to paint himself as a better Pro-life Catholic resulting in Santorum losing in 2006. It has since been shown how Casey is not as Pro-life as he claims (& shown how he was willing to milk his father's real Pro-life stand for political power.) Spector's abandonment of the Republican Party in 2009 didn't help either. Fortunately, Santorum has seemed to overcome that by being very strong & clear in standing up for life.
1 thing that hasn't got much air play in the MSM is the recent attack by Alan Colmes for how Santorum & his wife Karen handled the death of their child Gabriel shortly after birth. He has since apologized but Colmes gave real insight into the left's anti-left stand. Colme's refered to the dead child as an "it". The way Colmes put it, he makes it sound like Santorum should have let the doctors dispose of the child as a piece of garbage rather than treating him with the dignity every human being deserves. Taking the body home for the family to view, having a funeral etc isn't crazy, it is Santorum being true to his Catholic faith.
If the Santorum surge carries through to tonite, it will help him in New Hampshire & elsewhere. He is going to have to really psuh his conservative credentials & evn more so that he can beat Obama. & in the end that is about as important as having the right positions.
I see Romney as weakest on Pro-life, but all of the candidates I have looked in this post at are a lot better than Obama. Getting a strong Pro-life president is important. But there is more. A strong Pro-life Congress is needed as well. & getting strict constructionist judges put in is another.
At this point I am going to step out & say how I see things playing out tonite, barring any last minute surprizes. 1st of all, Romney has made it his to lose. & I suspect he just might. The major polls have Romney & Paul in a statistical tie. Public Policy Polling's latest (the most recent to come out) adds Santorum to that statistical tie. I see it as a toss up between Santorum & Paul. A lot of Paul's supporters are falling under the radar because they are younger & have cell phones. Thus they are more likely to be missed in polling. Santorum will take away from Bachmann's supporters as will Paul. Romney will need to do all he can to get his supporters out while hoping that Paul & Santorum don't do as well. Something I can't see happenning. Especially with Santorum's huge surge among evangelicals.
Gingrich will probably come in 4th. & he might still do better than expected. If he gets over 15-16% then he will definitely be able to keep going, for at least a while. I don't expect it, but if he comes in a solid 3rd then his fortunes will truly be on an upturn. Perry will need to break the 10-12% barrier to keep his campaign going much beyond S. Carolina. I will be surprized if Bachmann gets better than 6th or more than 5-8% of the vote. She may stay in for a while, but her campaign will be on life support if she does.
The 1 mystery I keep trying to solve is who are all these undecideds that Bachmann & others have been talking about. For most polls they are less that 5%,not the huge numbers some people claim.
In the end, what Iowa will do is end up solidifying who are the best candidates & getting some of the lower ones to drop out, as they should. By about 7:30 to 8 pm tonite we will know. & we will see how far off I actually am.
Then the rest of the work will have to be done. & this is just as important. electing the Central Committee people, proposing planks for the platform & electing delegates to the county convention. These things get lost in the shuffle. But they need to happen. Each is important. The Central committee is the heart of the local party, the convention goers hone the platform to set the direction of the party (even if some candidates do ignore it) & ultimately the convention goesr go on to district & state conventions where they continue honing the platform, elect the state central committee as well as Iowa's members on the national committee & the delegates to the national convention. & I bet you thought it was just about the presidential nominee.
1 comment on the Central Committee. The early date is creating a bit of a problem. We are using the old precincts because the new ones aren't supposed to go into effect until later this month. So we will be elcting people to precincts that will soon not exist. In the case of 2 DBQ city precincts literally as they are cutting down from 22 to 20. (IMHO they should have done that instead of cutting down from 24 to 22 while keeping 4 wards.) I really think that the info could have been made ready a few days sooner. But the real blame lies on all those other states who pushed things up pushing Iowa to today. The original date was in February. The good thing about the earlier date is the madness is over sooner. But something has got to be done to deal with the other states jealousy over Iowa & New Hampshire. Seriously, some changes do need to be made to ensure that the later states have more of a say, like rotating them. But bunching them up isn't the answer either as it really takes canddidates away from the voters in some of them. Whatever is decided on, it won't be perfect either. They have been honing this since day 1. & there always will be the need to adjust things as times change.
That aside, I am ready for a last barrage of calls today. & ready for the caucuses to start. I will be helping out getting people signed in at my site so I will be there early. It may be a long nite ahead, but it will be an interesting one. & one that will affect the rest of the campaign.

The Holy Name of Jesus

2012-01-03T02:25:00.001-06:00

If Jesus Was Born Today, This is How the Media Likely Would Cover It

2012-01-03T00:53:00.001-06:00

Click on to enlarge

H/T: Patrick Archbold @ Creative Minority Report (If Jesus Was Born Today)

Welcome Home to the Barque of Peter

2012-01-02T06:03:00.002-06:00

Yesterday (1 Jan 2012) Papa Benedetto officially established the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter for those groups of Anglicans in the United States who seek to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church. It was created in light of the apostolic constitution Anglicanorum coetibus. It is the 2nd Personal Ordinariate formed under Anglicanorum coetibus. It was almost a year ago on 15 January 2011 when the 1st Personal Ordinariate, The Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, was established for England & Wales.

Pope Benedict XVI appointed Rev. Jeffrey N. Steenson as the first Ordinary. He was ordained an Anglican priest in 1980, he served Episcopal parishes in suburban Philadelphia, Pa. (from 1983), & Fort Worth, Texas (from 1989), before becoming canon to the ordinary in the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande (New Mexico & far west Texas) (in 2000). In 2004, he was elected bishop of that diocese. Fr. Steenson was educated at Trinity College, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Harvard Divinity School & the University of Oxford, where he received a doctor of philosophy degree in 1983.

Fr. Steenson & his wife Debra were received into the Catholic Church in 2007, after 28 years of ministry in the Church of England & the Episcopal Church. Fr. Steenson was ordained for the Catholic priesthood in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe in 2009. He was instrumental in establishing the formation program for Anglican priests applying for the Catholic priesthood as part of the ordinariate. Fr. Steenson teaches patristics (the study of the early church fathers) at the University of St. Thomas & St. Mary’s Seminary in Houston, TX.

Like Bishops, the ordinaries are appointed by the pope. The head of an ordinariate has similar responsibilities in canon law to a diocesan bishop & is a member of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. But if he is married, he may not be ordained a bishop That means he cannot ordain priests (a bishop would assist in doing this as needed). He does have permission to wear a pectoral cross & miter, & to carry a crozier.

With the exception of married former Anglican & Episcopal clergy (deacon, priest bishop) who are joining the Catholic Church, the discipline of a celibate clergy in the Roman Catholic Church, will, as a rule, be followed. However, the ordinary “may also petition the Roman Pontiff, as a derogation from canon 277, para 1, for the admission of married men to the order of presbyter on a case by case basis, according to objective criteria approved by the Holy See.” (Anglicanorum coetibus, Article VI). (Notes: a) This means all current Anglican/Episcopal bishops will be ordained as priests, not bishops. If, as in the case of Fr. Steenson, a former bishop is named ordinary down the road & is married he will remain only a priest. b) But somewhere down the road it is likely that the new ordinary will be celebate. From what I read, I assume that he will then be ordained a bishop.)

Our Lady of Walsingham, an Anglican Use Catholic Church in Houston TX is the Principal Church of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter.

This is really only a 1st step in the journey. Over the next few months the "lay faithful will be engaged in a process of catechetical formation, following the Catechism of the Catholic Church, to prepare them for reception and full communion. The clergy will be enrolled in an intensive program of priestly formation, based at St. Mary’s Seminary in Houston, that will run concurrent with the spring academic semester. The Ordinariate will need a set of norms to govern its life, and the assistance of the Canon Law Society of America is proving invaluable. Financial resources must be secured, but the prayers, encouragement, and support of so many in the Catholic Church have already been a tremendous blessing." (About the Ordinariate) There will be difficulties as there have been in England, but that is to be expected.

These are exciting times for those of us who are serious about Christian unity. Papa Benedetto is working to bring about true ecumenism & unity. He is doing so by standing up for what the Catholic Church teaches unapologeticly. This new ordinariate is 1 of the fruits of his effort. He knows that this is only a beginning. He knows that full fruition of his efforts will come after he is gone. That doesn't matter. He is simply doing what he must as chief shepherd & allowing it to come to full fruition in God's timing, not his.
It was not surprizing that the 1st ordinariate was named in honor of Mary under the title of Our Lady of Walsingham given the millenial long devotion to her under that title. Nor was the fact that it was placed under the patronage of Blessed Cardinal Newman. The title of the US Ordinariate is a reference to the authority given to St. Peter as the 1st Pope. The chair stands for the teaching authority of the Pope. Also, that Our Lady of Walsingham was made patron isn't surprizing. (Note, for those who are unaware, every Catholic diocese has a patron saint(s). Usually the Cathederal is named after that saint.) The coat of arms for the Chair of St. Peter Ordinariate reflects both the name of the ordinariate by the Keys of St. Peter & Our Lady of Walsingham's patronage by the lily that is like the one held by Our Lady of Walsingham.

You can read the official decree here.

This Headline Is More Proof of How the Media Doesn't Get the Catholic Church

2012-01-01T04:15:00.000-06:00

& it plays into anti-Catholic bias of some fundamential Christians as well.

This was the headline in a story of how Cuban Catholics celebrated a Mass at Havana Bay with Cardinal Jaime Ortega to mark the end of a 16-month island tour of the statue of La Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre (Our Lady of Charity of Cobre), Cuba's patron saint.

Cuba Catholics worship patron saint in seaside mass

The article itself was fairly accurate. But how many people who already think Catholics worship Mary will see the headline as confirmation that we do put Mary up above Jesus & worship her as a goddess????

La Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre

For those who are unfamiliar with the story attached to the statue we have to go back to arround 1608 AD. One day 2 brothers, Rodrigo & Juan de Hoyos, along with a 10-year-old slave boy named Juan Moreno, left Santiago del Prado (modern El Cobre, named after the copper mines), Cuba in search of salt to preserve meat for the copper miners of Barajagua . They were half way accross the Bay of Nipe when a storm arose. The tiny boat was tossed violently on the waves. They began praying to Mary for her protection.

At once, the skies cleared, & the storm was gone. They saw a strange object floating in the water at a distance. They rowed towards it as the waves brought it towards them. As thery got closer, hey saw that it was a statue of the Virgin Mary holding the child Jesus on her right arm & holding a gold cross in her left hand. The statue was fastened to a board with an inscription saying "Yo Soy la Virgen de la Caridad" ("I am the Virgin of Charity"). Much to their surprise, the statue remained completely dry while afloat in the water.

They returned to Barajagua. A small chapel was built there to honor her. However, the statue kept disappearing & reappearing. It was determined that the statue was supposed to be kept at El Cobre. However, the statue kept disappearing there as well. 1 day, a young girl named Apolonia was playing outside, pursuing butterflies & picking flowers. She headed towards the mountains of the Sierra Maestra. There she came across the statue on top of a small hill. Eventually, the Virgin was taken to the spot of her discovery, where a church was erected for her.

Many feel that it was no accident, that the Virgin purposely chose to have her sanctuary in El Cobre because it is located in Oriente; the natural beauty there is the most stunning in Cuba, with its mountains, beaches, rivers, & thick forests. Additionally, it was in Oriente that the first settlement in Cuba was made, Baracoa; it was in Oriente where the slaves were set free for the first time in 1868; it was in Oriente where Cubans first began to revolt against the Spaniards.

At the request of the veterans of the War of Independence, Our Lady of Charity was declared the patroness of Cuba by Pope Benedict XV in 1916 The statue was solemnly crowned in the Eucharistic Congress held in Santiago de Cuba in 1936. Pope Paul VI raised her sanctuary to the category of Basilica in 1977.

Since We Are Supposed to Start of the New Year With Predictions of What Lies Ahead. . . .

2012-01-01T02:54:00.000-06:00

Here are a few for your musical enjoyment:

I take no responsibility for their accuracy, I merely share them for their entertainment value.

FELICE ANNO NUOVO 2012!!!!!

2012-01-01T00:00:00.000-06:00

Starting out 2012 the right way, with Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians playing Auld Lang Syne.*

* & as an Italiano with a wee bit o' Scots in me this combines the best of both worlds. (Note: On my father's side I am mostly Pennsylvania Dutch German with a bit of English & Scots. On my mother's side I am 100% Italian. However, as Mother Angelica once put it, there is no such thing as a half-Italian. You ARE Italiano!!!!!

The End (of 2011) is Here!!!!!

2011-12-31T23:59:00.000-06:00

Things That Made Baby Jesus Smile In 2011

2011-12-31T05:42:00.001-06:00

OK, I looked at some things that made Baby Jesus cry this last year. But there was also plenty that made him smile as well. Here are a just a few of those things:

1. Probably 1 of the biggest things was the widespread defunding of Planned Parenthood in many states as well as huge cuts in funding in others. The U.S. House of Representatives voted to federally de-fund Planned Parenthood as well but it got nowhere in the Senate. In September the U.S. House of Representatives launched a formal investigation into Planned Parenthood’s practices. These actions were the result of investigations by Live Action & Operation Rescue among others. 1 of the fruits of that defunding was the closing of many Planning Parenthood sites that put some huge crimps in the abortion pipeline. In fact, 1 leader of Planned Parenthood has called 2011 "one of the most discouraging years ever". & other leaders aren't very optimistic in their evaluation of 2011 either (Planned Parenthood Leaders Say 2011 Was Worst Year Ever)

2. As LifeNews story also pointed out: "The Guttmacher Institute reported for the first 6 months of 2011, states enacted a record number of pro-life laws, more than 80, more than triple the 23 enacted in 2010. States like Nebraska, Idaho, and Ohio are three who have already enacted fetal pain laws that protect preborn children from abortion after 20 weeks. Arizona and Virginia have enacted a law to regulate abortion facilities, forcing them to comply with the same set of medical standards that other types of medical facilities must follow. And others like South Carolina and Texas passed ultrasound laws that require abortionists to mothers the opportunity to see her preborn child. All of these laws will reduce abortions, and they enjoy broad support with more than 60% of Americans supporting these laws." No wonder PP calls 2011 discouraging.

3. Attempts to silence Pro-life Crisis Pregnancy Centers in the state of Maryland & the cities of Baltimore & New York got shot down by the courts for what they were, attacks on free speech. Meanwhile, all across the nation these centers continued to offer multitudes of women alternatives to abortion & saved countless lives as a result. These successes are what lead to abortion industry cronies to pass those laws there as well as start the process elsewhere.

4. The continued peaceful, prayful presence of Pro-life protestors outside Planned Parenthood sites & other abortion clinics that has lead to saving many more lives by their being able to share the truth with women as they entered.

5. The shut down in October of the Rockford Abortion Mill by the Illinois Department of Health of the dangerous conditions inside and its being a threat to public health. This has resulted in the saving of hundreds of lives in the Rockford area. (Note: a hearing is scheduled for 4 Jan 2012 on whether to allow it to reopen. Please pray that it will stay closed.)

6. The continued work of groups like Project Rachel, Silent No More & others to bring God's forgiveness & emotional healing to women & men scared by their participation in an abortion

7. More defections of Planned Parenthood workers to the Pro-life movement.

Not everything that made Baby Jesus smile is abortion related.

8. On the 1st Sunday in Advent, the new & definitely improved translation of the Novus Ordo Mass in English speaking countries took effect. The discomfort it caused to the dissidents who opposed it & attempted to sabatoge its implimentation over the past year & their failure had to bring a smile or 2 to His face as well.

9. Everytime Cardinal Burke openned his mouth to defend Catholic Church teaching.

10. EWTN celebrating 30 years of being on the air defending the authentic teaching of the Catholic Church & proclaiming the Gospel.

Finally, I can't end this post without mentioning 2 other things that I am absolutely certain made Baby jesus smile more than once over the past year.

11: I am refering to 2 blogs, Acts of the Apostasty written by the (in)famous LarryD (occasionally abetted by thesisterpatricia ) & The Curt Jester aka Jeff Miller. Using humor they defend the Catholic Church as well as occasionally taking a lighthearted look at living "la vita Cattolica".

Let us pray that 2012 will plenty of smiles to Baby Jesus' face.

FELICE ANNO NUOVO CARI AMICI!!!!!

Making Baby Jesus Cry in 2011

2011-12-31T03:43:00.001-06:00

Last year I decided to do a year end post about things that made Baby Jesus Cry in 2010. Well, There was plenty in 2011 to ensure that Baby Jesus shed more than a few tears as well. & some of them involved the same people as those in 2010.

1. Once again Nancy Pelosi did her best to keep Jesus in tears. While continuing to claim she was a devoit Catholic, she attacked the USCCB for daring to speak up about their concerns with ObamaCare & how it would force Catholic doctors & hospitals to provide birth control, abortifacient drugs, & abortions, even though providing birth control and performing abortions runs counter to Roman Catholic teaching. She dismissed their concerns as lobbying. Then there was her statement where she said "I’m a devout Catholic and I honor my faith and love it . . . but they have this conscience thing’’ that she insists put women at physical risk" & went on to say that risk was to let women die on the floor rather than give them health care after a botched abortion. Then there was the blasphemous statement where she claimed embryonic stem cells "really have the biblical power to cure in a very, very special way."

2. Speaking of politicians who claim to be Catholic, our next stop is Illinois. In particular the governor, Pat Quinn. In January he signed a bill legalizing same-sex unions & requiring Catholic (and other religious) adoption & foster care agencies to place kids with same-sex couples or to beguilty of “discrimination” if they refuse. The result was the basic shutting down of Catholic Charities foster care & adoption agencies in Illinois. Then in November he came under fire from the Illinois Bishops for agreeing to present an award at a November 17th lunch held by Personal PAC, a group dedicated to supporting pro-abortion candidates for political office. His response to the Bishops was that he was going to go ahead & do it (which he did. He claimed doing it was “the proper Christian thing to do.” In short he was defying the Bishops in their upholding of authentic Catholic teaching

3. & while we are speaking about Catholics who are doing their best to undermine the Catholic Church & its teachings, let us not forget HHS Secretary Kathleen Sibelius. She continued her long record of doing what the abortion industry wants that goes back to her time as governor of Kansas. The fact that under her administration vital evidence that was needed for a prosecution of Planned Parenthood for covering up child sex abuse was shredded enabled Planned Parenthood to have some charges dropped earlier this year. But not one to sit on her corrupt laurels, she also announced new regs in August that would force almost every Catholic institution to provide insurance coverage of contraceptives, which include abortion-inducing drugs such as Plan B & Ella, as well as elective sterilizations.

4. Which leads us to the Catholic Health Association lead by Sr. Carol Keehan. They recently came out with a statement calling for a so-called compromise in the insurance mandate that was anything but a compromise. They recomended applying Section 414(e) of the IRS Code as the standard. The trouble is, that standard still forces almost every Catholic college or university to pay for contraceptives etc. This follows a statement in September lauding ObamaCare. & in February while claiming to support Bishop Olmsted's right to declare a hospital in Phoenix no longer Catholic for allowing an abortion, she basicly said he was wrong to do so. & even though the hospital can no longer call itself Catholic it was allowed to remain a memeber of the CHA.

5. Then there was the aiding & abetting of the CHA by Notre Dame in their call to apply Section 414(e).

6. & let us not forget a huge part of the reason why Nancy Pelosi continues her claims to be a devout Catholic, her bishop. Archbishop Niederauer has not only been mostly silent when it comes to her actions, he was recently thanked by the Rainbow Sash Movement for for tolerating a San Francisco church’s activism for their cause. For those unfamiliar with the group, they work to undermine Catholic teaching on homosexuality. Their thanks to Niederauer was for allowing Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church to promote an agenda contrary to Catholic teaching.

7: & Lest I forget, there was Jon O'Brien, president of ---- for Choice*. In November he appeared on the Laura Ingraham show. Despite Laura's attempts to get a straight answer he refused to answer her questions about unborn children. He also misrepresented Catholic teaching on Family Planning by equating all family planning with artificial birth control. he also did his best to undermine the magesterial teaching office of the Pope & Bishops by making it sound like he new more about what the Church actually taght than they did.
I could go on, but many of them would be repeats from last year's list that have continued into 2011. So rather than repeat them just follow the link to read the list from last year.

I am not trying to be self-righteous with this list. Remember that whenever any of us sin we also make Baby Jesus unhappy & sometimes cry.& whenever Baby Jesus cries it makes the Blessed Virgin Mary & St. Joseph unhappy & cry as well.

But most of us are not causing public scandal & leading others into sin in the same way these people are. Their actions need to be pointed out for what they are in order to call people to turn away from where they are heading & to listen to & obey what Jesus is telling us through the Pope & the Magesterium of the Catholic Church. Doing so will help to dry some of those tears shed.

*Catholics should be the 1st word, but I refuse to use it since they are anything but Catholic.

On the 6th Day of Christmas, a Little Christmas Cheer From the 70s.

2011-12-30T05:59:00.001-06:00

Many moons ago, back in the mid '70s, I came across a gospel singer of Norwegian descent by the name of Evie (full name Evie Tornquist & from 79 on on Tornquist-Karlsson). She was a 4ft eleven dynamo that truly sang from the heart. In 1977 she came out with a Christmas album, Come On Ring Those Bells. Since I don't currently have a working turntable, I haven't heard the music from that album in years. I recently came across a few of the songs from that album on YouTube that brought back some memories of those younger simpler times when Christmas hadn't been affected by my years of working in retail..

1st of all, the title song from the album:

Next up is One Small Child (The video features the album cover):

Oh Holy Night from a '78 Dutch Christmas appearance:

& from that same Christmas Special, Mary's Boychild

Next up, No Room

& one more from that special, 1000 Candles

Finally a more recent version of Come On Ring Those Bells:

These days many artists come out with a holiday album that will be mostly forgotten in a year or 2. Evie's music not only is still fresh, it is a much needed antidote to the secularization we see the world pushing on us to forget what Christmas is really about.

Have a blessed 6th Day of Christmas.

In the Beginning GOD Created the Heavens & the Earth, NOT chance!

2011-12-28T16:53:00.001-06:00

Killing the Holy Innocents - 2000 Years Ago & Now

2011-12-28T03:07:00.000-06:00

Then it was done under the orders of King Herod because he was afraid of any rival that might cause him to lose his power as ruler.

Now it is done by Planned Parenthood & the abortion industry with the approval of President Obama whom they helped elect & he is doing his best to keep happy so that they will help him stay in power.

Pictures of aborted babies here

The names may have changed, but the story is the same one, people sold out to evil working to create a "culture of death" in opposition to God's plans for a Culture of Life. Of course there is 1 huge difference. Herod probably had only 20-30 babies murdered. Planned Parenthood alone murders an unborn baby every 96 seconds, day in & day out. There are about 3-4 thousand total abortions done daily in the USA alone.

But just as back then, the children were not the only victims. The story of the Holy Innocents in Matthew 2 ends with the following: "Then were fulfilled the words spoken through the prophet Jeremiah: 'A voice is heard in Ramah, lamenting and weeping bitterly: it is Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted because they are no more.'" (Matthew 2:17-18)

These days, despite claims by the abortion industry to the contrary, there are many other victims of abortion. They include the women who had the abortion as well as the fathers of the aborted children. The damage done to them is emotional, just like that described in the prophecy from Jeremiah. Studies, many of them done by abortion supporters, have shown that men & women feel emptiness & isolation after abortion. Additionally, there is the guilt often felt knowing that what they have done was wrong. & while the abortion industry attempts to deny or downplay this damage, it isn't. That is why many groups have sprung up to help people find the spiritual & emotional healing they need. I have links to many of them in the right hand column under Post-abortion healing.

History for the most part has ignored what Herod did. Some even try to deny it because they say there is no contemporary evidence outside the Bible. Given the total track record of Herod, it is easy to see how this would be seen as just another in the long list of atrocities done by Herod, & a minor one at that.

These days, the abortion industry has shown that they are deserving to be called modern day heirs to the Herodian dynasty, not only by the number of abortions, but by the many other atrocities they have done as well. I have reported many times about the coverups of rape & incest, the horrific conditions of abortion clinics etc. & like Herod, they are doing all they can to maintain their power, no matter how illegal, immoral, or corrupt the actions they use.

Herod the Great killed the Holy Innocents & even his children to maintain his corrupt reign. His granddaughter Herodius had John the Baptist killed because he proclaimed the truth about her sinful relationship with Herod Antipas. Today, the modern Herods do not like the message that the Catholic Church & others are proclaiming about what they do. So they try to get bubble laws passed, they try to pass laws attacking crisis pregnancy centers, they paint all pro-lifers as violent while they are the truly violent ones. (As a reminder, those few who do commit violent acts like arson, assault & murder in the name of ending abortion are not truly representative of the Pro-life movement. In fact they are antithetical to what we stand for.)

On this day, as we remember those 1st martyrs for Christ let us rededicate ourselves to fighting to put an end to abortion. Let us ask God to give us the courage to proclaim the truth in word & deed. May He guide & bless our efforts to build a Culture of Life. May we soon see an end to the "culture of death".

Holy Innocents we ask your intercession for those of us who are working to put an end to abortion. Plead with God for His blessings on our efforts to put an end to this modern day slaughter of innocents. Pray too for those men & women who are suffering from the emotional damage done to them as a result of participating in an abortion. Lead them to those groups who offer God's healing forgiveness they so sorely need.

The Feast of St. Stephen

2011-12-26T01:38:00.000-06:00

Good King Wenceslas looked out
On the feast of Stephen
When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and even
Brightly shone the moon that night
Though the frost was cruel
When a poor man came in sight
Gath'ring winter fuel

"Hither, page, and stand by me
If thou know'st it, telling
Yonder peasant, who is he?
Where and what his dwelling?"
"Sire, he lives a good league hence
Underneath the mountain
Right against the forest fence
By Saint Agnes' fountain."

"Bring me bread and bring me wine
Bring me pine logs hither
Thou and I will see him dine
When we bear him thither."
Page and monarch forth they went
Forth they went together
Through the rude wind's wild lament
And the bitter weather

In his master's steps he trod
Where the snow lay dinted
Heat was in the very sod
Which the Saint had printed
Therefore, Christian men, be sure
Wealth or rank possessing
Ye who now will bless the poor
Shall yourselves find blessing

What Happenned After Washington Beat the Hessians

2011-12-26T00:29:00.000-06:00

see more Historic LOL

Padre Pio's Christmas Meditation

2011-12-25T02:24:00.000-06:00

Padre Pio's Christmas Meditation

Far into the night, at the coldest time of the year, in a chilly grotto, more suitable for a flock of beasts than for humans, the promised Messiah – Jesus – the savior of mankind, comes into the world in the fullness of time.
There are none who clamor around him: only an ox and an ass lending their warmth to the newborn infant; with a humble woman, and a poor and tired man, in adoration beside him.
Nothing can be heard except the sobs and whimpers of the infant God. And by means of his crying and weeping he offers to the Divine justice the first ransom for our redemption.
He had been expected for forty centuries; with longing sighs the ancient Fathers had implored his arrival. The sacred scriptures clearly prophesy the time and the place of his birth, and yet the world is silent and no one seems aware of the great event. Only some shepherds, who had been busy watching over their sheep in the meadows, come to visit him. Heavenly visitors had alerted them to the wondrous event, inviting them to approach his cave.
So plentiful, O Christians, are the lessons that shine forth from the grotto of Bethlehem! Oh how our hearts should be on fire with love for the one who with such tenderness was made flesh for our sakes! Oh how we should burn with desire to lead the whole world to this lowly cave, refuge of the King of kings, greater than any worldly palace, because it is the throne and dwelling place of God! Let us ask this Divine child to clothe us with humility, because only by means of this virtue can we taste the fullness of this mystery of Divine tenderness.
Glittering were the palaces of the proud Hebrews. Yet, the light of the world did not appear in one of them. Ostentatious with worldly grandeur, swimming in gold and in delights, were the great ones of the Hebrew nation; filled with vain knowledge and pride were the priests of the sanctuary. In opposition to the true meaning of Divine revelation, they awaited an officious savoir, who would come into the world with human renown and power.
But God, always ready to confound the wisdom of the world, shatters their plans. Contrary to the expectations of those lacking in Divine wisdom, he appears among us in the greatest abjection, renouncing even birth in St. Joseph’s humble home, denying himself a modest abode among relatives and friends in a city of Palestine. Refused lodging among men, he seeks refuge and comfort among mere animals, choosing their habitation as the place of his birth, allowing their breath to give warmth to his tender body. He permits simple and rustic shepherds to be the first to pay their respects to him, after he himself informed them, by means of his angels, of the wonderful mystery.
Oh wisdom and power of God, we are constrained to exclaim – enraptured along with your Apostle – how incomprehensible are your judgments and unsearchable your ways! Poverty, humility, abjection, contempt, all surround the Word made flesh. But we, out of the darkness that envelops the incarnate Word, understand one thing, hear one voice, perceive one sublime truth: you have done everything out of love, you invite us to nothing else but love, speak of nothing except love, give us naught except proofs of love.
The heavenly babe suffers and cries in the crib so that for us suffering would be sweet, meritorious and accepted. He deprives himself of everything, in order that we may learn from him the renunciation of worldly goods and comforts. He is satisfied with humble and poor adorers, to encourage us to love poverty, and to prefer the company of the little and simple rather than the great ones of the world.
This celestial child, all meekness and sweetness, wishes to impress in our hearts by his example these sublime virtues, so that from a world that is torn and devastated an era of peace and love may spring forth. Even from the moment of his birth he reveals to us our mission, which is to scorn that which the world loves and seeks.
Oh let us prostrate ourselves before the manger, and along with the great St. Jerome, who was enflamed with the love of the infant Jesus, let us offer him all our hearts without reserve. Let us promise to follow the precepts which come to us from the grotto of Bethlehem, which teach us that everything here below is vanity of vanities, nothing but vanity.
_____________________
Appearing in volume four of the Italian-language edition of Padre Pio's letters, this essay was taken from Padre Pio's hand-written notebooks. To the best of my knowledge, it is presented here for the first time in English.
Translated by Frank M. Rega, December 2005.
"Padre Pio da Pietrelcina: Epistolario IV," Edizioni Padre Pio, San Giovanni Rotondo, 2002, pages 1007-1009.

Tu scendi dalle stelle

2011-12-25T01:04:00.000-06:00

In keeping with what has become a tradition here at my blog I share what is my favorite of all the Christmas carols out there, "Tu scendi dalle stelle" (You came down from the stars).The melody & lyrics for the hymn were written by St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori. The hymn is traditionally sung at the end of Midnight Mass at St. Peter's.
There are many versions out there of this hymn, some serious & some a bit more lighthearted. Part of the tradition is to share 1 lighthearted version that I love followed by some other versions. The verses in Italiano & an accurate translation in English are at the end of this post.

Next I Piccolo Coro Santa Maria Ausiliatrice di Milano, al concerto di Cassano Magnago del 13 dicembre 2008

& our final stop is St Peter's at the end of the 2009 Mass:

AUGURI di BUON NATALE

Tu scendi dalle stelle
(Italian)

Tu scendi dalle stelle
O Re del Cielo
E vieni in una grotta
Al freddo al gelo
E vieni in una grotta
Al freddo al gelo.

O Bambino mio Divino
Io ti vedo qui a tremar,
O Dio Beato!
Ah, quanto ti costò
L’avermi amato.
Ah, quanto ti costò
L’avermi amato.

A te che sei del mondo,
Il creatore,
Mancano panni e fuoco,
O mio Signore.
Mancano panni e fuoco,
O mio Signore.

Caro eletto pargoletto,
Quanto questa povertà
Più mi innamora,
Giacchè ti fece amor
Povero ancora.
Giacchè ti fece amor
Povero ancora.

You Come Down from the Stars
(English Translation)

You come down from the stars
Oh King of Heavens,
And you come in a cave
In the cold, in the frost.
And you come in a cave
In the cold, in the frost.

Oh my Divine Baby
I see you trembling here,
Oh Blessed God
Ah, how much it cost you,
Your loving me.
Ah, how much it cost you,
Your loving me.

For you, who are of all the world
The creator,
No robes and fire,
Oh my Lord,
No robes and fire,
Oh my Lord.

Dear chosen one, little infant,
This dire poverty,
Makes me love you more,
Since Love made you
Poor now,
Since Love made you
Poor now.

A Very Democratic Party Christmas Special

2011-12-24T03:02:00.000-06:00

Not sure to call this a Christmas Jape or a realistic look at how the Dems/left ACTUALLY see things.

This Would Explain a Lot About Chicago Politics

2011-12-23T01:02:00.001-06:00

The actual location of Mordor has been found!

Click on to enlarge

Notred Dame, Catholic Health Association Continue Their Sell Out to Obama Administration

2011-12-21T17:06:00.004-06:00

Given how both Notre Dame lead by Fr. Jenkins & the the Catholic Health Association lead by Sr. Carol Keehan have already sold their souls to Satan, that they would continue to sell out the authentic teachings of the Catholic Church to continue currying favor with Obama should be no surprize. This whole thing smacks of trying to look like they are defending the Church's teachings while doing nothing at all to really protect Catholic organizations. It is PR spin pure & simple, nothing else.

Notre Dame has not recovered from the PR disaster that inviting Obama was. Jenkins et al showed that they had no regrets for thumbing their nose at both Catholic teaching ^ USCCB regulations, especially with how it treated those protestors that were arrested by refusing to request leniency for the Notre Dame 88. (Charges dropped against ‘Notre Dame 88’)

The CHA has continued to cheerlead for ObamaCare ( Catholic Health Association lauds ObamaCare) & condoned the abortion at the Phoenix Hospital that resulting in Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix revoking the hospital’s Catholic status .(Catholic Health Association reiterates support for former Catholic hospital’s abortion).

So both of them need something to make it look like they have returned to the fold while they really haven't. Thank God for the work of the Cardinal Newman Society in getting the truth out.

Catholic Health Ass’n, Notre Dame pushing dangerous compromise on birth control mandate: watchdog

WASHINGTON, December 21, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A proposal made by the University of Notre Dame and the Catholic Health Association (CHA) to dodge the Obama administration’s birth control insurance mandate could undermine the religious liberty of many Catholic colleges and universities, says one watchdog of Catholic higher education.

Under the new law, as announced by the Obama administration this summer, virtually all private employers will be required to cover sterilization and all contraception, including abortifacient drugs. The religious exemption currently applies only to organizations that mainly hire and cater to individuals within their own sects, which would exclude most religious colleges, schools, hospitals, charities and other organizations.

In public letters to the Obama Administration, both the Catholic Health Association (CHA) and Fr. John Jenkins of the University of Notre Dame have pointed to Section 414(e) of the IRS Code, which exempts church-related pension plans from the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). They recommend the language in 414(e) as an improvement over the strict and narrow religious exemption published by HHS.

But in a letter to federal health officials Dec 20, the Cardinal Newman Society said the proposed revision would still leave many faith-based colleges out in the cold, “just like the flawed religious exemption it is intended to replace.”

Under Section 414(e), notes CNS, exemption from federal law is available only to an organization that is “controlled by or associated with a church or a convention or association of churches,” meaning that the organization must at least share “common religious bonds and convictions with [its] church or convention or association of churches.”

However, under federal court precedent “common religious bonds” has been interpreted to rely on three factors: that the church play an official role in the governance of the organization, that the organization receive assistance from the church, and whether a denominational requirement exists for any of the organization’s employees or customers.

This litmus test, CNS notes, is not one that most Catholic colleges and universities are likely to meet. Some of the most orthodox Catholic colleges are entirely controlled by the laity, they point out, and few impose religious tests when hiring employees or accepting students. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops already argued against the 414(e) option in its September 17th comment to federal health officials, calling it “inadequate.”

Other Christian organizations also face problems with the 414(e) language, because it exempts only religious organizations with denominational affiliations.

“While some of our institutions are affiliated with larger church organizational or denominational structures, many are independent religious organizations,” Dr. Paul Corts, President of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities, told CNS. “They are religious not because they are associated with a church or denomination but rather because of their legitimate religious beliefs and practices that are openly held out to the public as such—the critical legal characteristics of a religious entity—and yet, would not be recognized as such under [414(e) language].”

The Society’s concerns were repeated in letters to Archbishop Timothy Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), and Bishop William Lori, chairman of the USCCB committee on religious liberty.

In an op-ed Wednesday in The Washington Times, Cardinal Newman Society President Patrick J. Reilly writes that the practical effect of the Notre Dame and CHA proposal “would be to slam the door on most religious organizations while providing political cover to the Obama Administration.” But he also recalls that neither the University of Notre Dame nor CHA “is a stranger to controversy when it comes to President Barack Obama and his support for abortion rights.”

Notre Dame president Rev. John Jenkins honored Obama with an honorary law degree at the school’s commencement ceremony in 2009, drawing condemnations from 80 active U.S. bishops and over 300,000 petitioning U.S. Catholics.

Months later, CHA president Sr. Carol Keehan emerged as a key supporter of Obama’s health care overhaul, earning accolades from the administration for flouting the USCCB’s direct opposition to the abortion-expanding law.

The full Cardinal Newman Society letter to Secretary Sebelius is below.

December 20, 2011

The Honorable Kathleen Sebelius
Secretary of Health and Human Services
United States Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, SW, Room 120F
Washington, DC 20201

Dear Secretary Sebelius:

We are writing with concern about the dangerous implications of a proposal that has been presented to you by the University of Notre Dame and the Catholic Health Association, which could violate the religious liberty of the faithful Catholic colleges and universities that The Cardinal Newman Society promotes to Catholic families.

As you know, many religious organizations have sought the repeal of the Interim Final Rule on Preventive Services published in the Federal Register on August 3, 2011 (76 Fed. Reg. 46621), which mandates health insurance coverage for sterilization and contraceptives, including some that cause abortions. At the least, religious organizations and individuals seek conscience protection to be exempted from this mandate.

The Cardinal Newman Society, which works to help renew and strengthen the Catholic identity of Catholic colleges and universities, is especially concerned about the impact of this mandate on Catholic higher education. As we noted in our September 29th comment to your department, joined by 18 Catholic colleges and universities and the chairman of the U.S. bishops’ committee on Catholic education: “No federal rule has defined being “religious” as narrowly and discriminatorily as the Mandate appears to do, and no regulation has ever so directly proposed to violate plain statutory and constitutional religious freedoms.” Of great concern is the impact on Catholic college health plans for students, which are not currently exempt from the regulation.

The religious exemption in the regulations is inadequate, but so is the replacement proposed by the University of Notre Dame and the Catholic Health Association in their own comments to your department. They propose language similar to Internal Revenue Service Code Section 414(e), which describes organizations exempt from provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. Embracing 414(e)-like language would mean leaving many Catholic colleges unprotected, just like the flawed religious exemption it is intended to replace.

A religious exemption similar to 414(e) would only marginally expand the current HHS exemption and would undermine religious liberty. Under the 414(e) rule, exemption is available only to an organization that is “controlled by or associated with a church or a convention or association of churches,” meaning that the organization must at least share “common religious bonds and convictions with [its] church or convention or association of churches.” In 2001 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit said that three factors bear primary consideration when deciding whether an organization shares “common religious bonds and convictions” with a church:

1) whether the religious institution plays any official role in the governance of the organization; 2) whether the organization receives assistance from the religious institution; and 3) whether a denominational requirement exists for any employee or patient/customer of the organization.

The Fourth Circuit set a precedent that has been followed by other federal courts, and it is not a test that most Catholic colleges and universities are likely to meet. Many are unaffiliated with a religious order; indeed, some of the most faithfully Catholic colleges are entirely lay-controlled. Few impose religious tests when hiring employees or accepting students. It is even an open question as to whether Notre Dame would meet the criteria for a 414(e) exemption, which the university has never sought, according to Notre Dame spokesman Dennis Brown.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops argued against the 414(e) option in its September 17th comment to your department: “…[S]uch an exemption would be inadequate, because it would fail to protect many stakeholders with a moral or religious objection to contraceptives or sterilization, including individuals, insurers, and even many religiously affiliated organizations.”

While our mission relates to Catholic education, we also support the concerns of religious organizations that are inter-denominational or non-denominational. As explained by Dr. Paul Corts, President of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities, in a note to The Cardinal Newman Society yesterday: “While some of our institutions… are religious not because they are associated with a church or denomination but rather because of their legitimate religious beliefs and practices that are openly held out to the public as such—the critical legal characteristics of a religious entity—and yet, would not be recognized as such under an exemption requiring conformity with the requirements of IRS Code Section 414(e).”

Secretary Sebelius, the fact is that the 414(e) language would fail to protect the religious liberty of too many religious organizations that object to sterilization, contraception or abortion, including many faithful Catholic colleges and universities. This is unacceptable.

We continue to urge you to repeal the mandate altogether, or at minimum to protect the consciences of all individuals and organizations that oppose sterilization, contraception or abortion because of their religious beliefs.

Sincerely,

Patrick J. Reilly
President

cc: Joshua DuBois, Executive Director, Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Enterprises

See also: Notre Dame, CHA Push Dangerous Compromise on Religious Liberty

Lily of the Mohawks to Be Declared a Saint

2011-12-20T00:30:00.000-06:00

The USA is about to get 2 more saints added to the list. Along with the miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed Kateri, a miracle attributed to Blessed Marianne Cope were approved by Papa Benedetto. While Blessed Kateri is fairly well known, Blessed Marianne isn't so well known. She worked with St. Damian of Molokaʻi toward the end of his life.

Pope approves miracles of Blesseds Marianne Cope and Kateri Tekakwitha

Vatican City, Dec 19, 2011 / 07:32 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Benedict XVI formally recognized miracles attributed to Bl. Marianne Cope and Bl. Kateri Tekakwitha on Dec. 19, clearing the way for both women to be canonized.

The two women, who both lived in the United States, were among numerous individuals whose sainthood causes were advanced by decrees authorized by Pope Benedict XVI on Monday.

Sister Grace Anne Dillenschneider, vice postulator for the Cause for the Diocese of Syracuse, told CNA on Dec. 19 that the date for Bl. Cope’s canonization has not yet been confirmed.

The Congregation for the Causes of Saints had already approved Bl. Cope’s second official miracle, which involved the medical recovery of a woman in Syracuse who was cured of a fatal and irreversible health condition.

Born in western Germany in 1838, Bl. Marianne Cope entered religious life in Syracuse, N.Y., where she served as a teacher and principal and established two hospitals before traveling to Hawaii, where she spent several years caring for lepers.

She died in 1918 and was beatified in 2005.

Bl. Kateri Tekakwitha, known as "the Lily of the Mohawks," was born in 1656 in upstate New York.

Her father was a Mohawk chief and her mother was an Algonquin who was raised Catholic.

A smallpox epidemic killed both of her parents and left her with poor eyesight and a badly disfigured face at a young age.

Despite objections from her relatives, she was baptized at age 20, after meeting several Catholic priests.

An outcast from her community, Bl. Tekakwitha lived a life of deep prayer, with a strong devotion to the Blessed Sacrament.

She died in 1680 at the age of 24. Witnesses said that the scars on her face disappeared after her death.

Bl. Tekakwitha was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1980, the first Native American to be declared blessed.

On Dec. 19, Pope Benedict also authorized promulgations recognizing miracles attributed to the intercession of 10 other individuals, allowing them to move forward towards beatification or canonization.

In addition, he recognized the martyrdom of more than 60 individuals, including priests, religious and laymen, who can now move forward in the process towards beatification.

The Pope also approved decrees recognizing seven individuals as having lived out heroic virtue and being venerable. These individuals will each need a miracle attributed to their intercession before they can be beatified.

Christmas At Our House

2011-12-18T06:46:00.005-06:00

2 versions of the song that truly captures what it was like this time of year growing up in an Italiano-American home.

1st Lou Monte's version. (Note: No, the houses weren't lit up like this, so ignore the pictures & just listen to the music.)

Then we have Joe Dolce's take.

BUON NATALE!!!!

What's In A Name

2011-12-18T06:25:00.001-06:00

Where Is the Line to See Jesus????

2011-12-18T01:30:00.000-06:00

Christian Bale Attacked for Trying to Visit Opponant of China's Forced Abortion & Sterilization Policy

2011-12-17T07:13:00.002-06:00

Amazingly, the video news report mentions that it is China's abortion policy that Chen Guangcheng is protesting. Chen Guangcheng exposed the systematic use of forced abortion & sterilization in Linyi City in 2005. For four years & three months, he was jailed, tortured & denied medical treatment. Since his release he has languished under strict house arrest. He was also nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize this year.

I said amazing given the Main Stream Media's pro-abort stand & their reluctance to shed any negative light on abortion. The AP story simply calls Chen a human rights activist. & CNN's written story talks about Chen's exposing "abusive practices by China's family-planning officials".

I have to admit thar even more amazing is the fact that Hilary Clinton has actually spoken out in support of him. Not only would you think the Obama administration would be supportive of a fellow socialist regime, you would think he would not want any attention drawn to this ugly side of the abortion issue, esp since the abortion industry has remained silent on the issue of forced abortions.

As I said, this story hasn't really gotten the coverage it should in the Main Stream Media because of what Chen is protesting, forced abortions & forced steralizations. Given how the MSM is publicly pushing the need for population control message it doesn't want the ugly, dark side of what is included in that agenda to get out.

For more on the myth of overpopulation & the coercion, deception, & racism inherent in promotion of abortion, abortifacient contraception, & chemical & surgical sterilization being labeled as “population stabilization,” “family planning,” & “reproductive health” programs go to Population Research Institute's website.

For more on this story: Batman Star Christian Bale Attacked for Visiting Chen Guangcheng

Batman star Christian Bale roughed up while trying to visit China pro-life activist

Blind lawyer makes Chinese officials jittery

'Batman' star Bale punched, stopped from visiting blind Chinese activist

Lying About Gingrich Is Getting Worse

2011-12-17T05:13:00.001-06:00

Earlier this week I put up 2 posts (here & here) about the attacks on Newt Gingrich's Pro-life record & how much of what was being said was innacurate. Well, it has since gotten worse. Now someone is putting out fliers & claiming that they were put out by Iowans for Life. There is 1 problem with that claim. Iowans for LIFE had nothing to do with them (Fliers Claiming Newt Not Pro-Life Falsely Use Group’s Name) But since they are lying about Gingrich's record, it should be no surprize that they are lying about where they came from as well.

Maggie DeWitte, the executive director of the Iowans for LIFE said the following in an e-mail that I received on Thursday: “Iowans for LIFE had no involvement in producing or having these flyers distributed. If the party or parties responsible for putting this information together intended association with Iowans for LIFE in conveying their message, they have done so fraudulently in an apparent reckless effort to cut down a presidential candidate.
Iowans for LIFE is not responsible for producing this material or placing it on vehicles at the event at Hoyt Sherman Theater in Des Moines.”

She added: “Iowans for LIFE is the oldest pro-life organization in the state, beginning in 1972. IFL has a long history of providing education on the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death. Our education is fact-based and we do not attack the character of anyone. While we feel that all the candidates that attended this event are solidly pro-life, Iowans for LIFE is not endorsing any presidential candidate. Iowans for LIFE condemns any actions taken in our name without permission and for the purpose of disparagement of any individual as reprehensible and intolerable.”

I can't say I am surprized by this. It seems like it is open season on Gingrich. & mudslinging is in fashion for doing it. OK, I will admit Gingrich's record isn't perfect, but it is clearly documentable that it is no where near as bad as those RoboCalls or this flier paint it. As a reminder, I am supporting Ron Paul. But I also am concerned about the damage whoever is behind this is doing to the Pro-Life movement.

The original LifeNews article had a link to the story source. In the comments section someone who calls himself "Real_Republican" (RD) is throwing the mud not only at Gingrich, but at any & everyoneone who tried to get the real record out there. Steve Ertelt of Life News put the following comment with a link to the article: "Never mind that Gingrich had a pro-life record in Congress, voting pro-life 98% of the time." RD's response started out like this: "You can't cover Gingrich's tracks Ertelt. Your phony "98% pro-life record" doesn't wash. It is more than the voting record that counts, and Gingrich worked overtime to make sure pro-life legislation didn't get passed or was watered down:" & then he goes on to give an example from 92.

So I decided to point out how we need to give Gingrich the benefit of the doubt about his conversion etc. & I came under fire. I won't go into all the details of the vitreolic attacks on me. I will just share the following: "Clearly, your agenda is the same as his, and you are just trying to cover up Gingrich's past because you yourself have no conscience when it comes to the murder of the innocent in the womb."

Never mind that I have made it totally clear I am not a Gingrich supporter & talked a bit about my Pro-Life stands, that I am not kowtowing to his positon gives him the right to slander & libel me & accuse me of being Pro-abort. Anyone who regularly reads this blog, & a lot of people in the Pro-life movement, locally as well as a few nationally, know how strongly Pro-Life I am. To state that I have no conscience is an out & out lie, slanderous, libelous & an attempt to ruin my good name with those who might read his comments. God have mercy on him.

Now I am not saying this to get sympathy. But why is this person throwing all this vitreol & mud & claiming that he is right & anyone who disagrees with him is NOT Pro-Life or a real Republican? & why did someone come out with these fliers claiming Iowans for LIFE put them out when they clearly didn't? In both cases there is 1 huge thing in common, the anonymity of the real source. Who is doing it? Why is he out to destroy Gingrich at all costs, even if it means lying about his record? Is this a personal vendetta? & why is this person (these persons) willing to destroy the reputation of anyone who is truly Pro-life to do it?
Is this someone who is supporting another candidate but doesn't want that fact out because of the backlash? Is it someone who is really pro-abort & is trying to sabotage the Pro-Life movement? Is there some other reason? I have no idea. What I do know is that we have to be sure that the person or persons behind this do NOT suceed in doing damage to the Pro-Life movement. There are plenty good Pro-life candidates running for the Republican nomination. None of them are perfect, but all of them are better than Obama. & we can't let people like those behind the attacks derail us from our real goal, to end abortion & save the lives of millions of unborn children.

A Voters Guide to Republicans

2011-12-16T02:38:00.002-06:00

Maybe the Gang at Susan G. Koman Might Want to Read Exodus 20:13

2011-12-13T07:06:00.000-06:00

or: Susan G Koman, blasphemously using the Bible to promote abortion.

I kid you not, the Koman Foundation, whose connection to Planned Parenthood is well documented, has come out with an edition of the Bible (I am assuming a protestant translation here folks) that is being used as a fundraiser for Koman. $1 from the sale of each copy goes to Koman to use for their programs.

(From the WalMart website description) “The Here’s Hope Breast Cancer Bible is a reminder that God has not forgotten you, a friend, or loved one who has been impacted by breast cancer. Not only will you find encouragement and inspiration through testimonies from breast cancer survivors but more importantly you’ll encounter God’s life-sustaining words for you.”

While their reason behind this special edition sounds good, as I have mentioned here many a time before, Koman gives plenty of money to Planned Parenthood. & while they claim it is to promote mamograms, it has been well documented that PP does not do them, merely gives referals. Thus this money is going into PP coffers to underwrite their abortion business.

Koman would do well to remember that abortion is murder & banned by 1 of the 10 Commandments, Thou shalt not kill! (yup, Exodus 20:13).

Additionally, despite denials by PP, Koman & other abortion supporters, there is strong evidence linking abortion to breast cancer. So, Koman is basicly defeating the purpose they claim they exist for.

The Bible does give us hope & comfort, especially in times of trial. It is God speaking to us to tell of His love for us. It also tells us how we are to live. As I pointed out, 1 of the things were are forbidden to do is commit murder. & abortion IS murder. & to use the Word of God as a fundraiser to support the abortion industry leader, Planned Parenthood strikes me as nothing less than blasphemy.

Source: Sales of New Bible Help Planned Parenthood-Funding Komen via LarryD (Buy A Bible, And Fund…Abortion?)

A Bit More on the RoboCalls About Newt

2011-12-13T05:23:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I put up a post about several RoboCalls I had gotten about Newt Gingrich & the group behind them. (What Is the Real Reason behind These Calls) Later I found out who is the person actually behind Iowa ProLife Action. The person is Aaron Dorr. I have also found out that these calls are part of a 2-pronged attack on Newt Gingrich. He is also the person behind a gun owner rights group (Iowa Gun Owners) that is also making RoboCalls about his votes on gun owner issues. (UPDATED: Robo-calls in Iowa accuse Newt Gingrich of ‘anti-gun record’)

That call script follows a similar tact. It focuses on Gingrich's failure to return a presidential gun rights survey & then goes on to give what they see as the reason. In this case, Gingrich's support for the Brady bill. While not as inaccurate, it doesn't perfectly reflect Gingrich's record either.

I can't speak as to why Gingrich hasn't responded. I do know that Gingrich is a member of the NRA

That lead me to something interseting. I also found that this group is affiliated with another group that seems to think the NRA isn't strong enough on gun rights.

Another fact that is interesting is that Dorr's name does not appear anywhere, at least as far as I can tell, on either of the websites of the groups he started. It isn't like he isn't known to be a part of the groups. So why isn't he as out front as he should be?

Which leads me back to my question, what is the real reason behind these calls? I have no problem with Dorr being opposed to Gingrich. I do object to resorting to lies & half-truths however as they damage to the efforts to defend gun owners rights & defend the unborn. & why does Dorr feel he has to use them to get his message across when there are other ways.

As a reminder, as I pointed out yesterday, I am a Ron paul supporter. But I am willing to give Gingrich the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise that he is telling the truth, esp on the Pro-Life issues. Looking at his record in Congress is fair game for raising questions. But to say that he is lying now because he took the wrong stands then isn't right, or fair. So I repeat that I think there is more behind this than meets the eye. Dorr's actions are coming accross as a personal vendetta that has to do with a lot more than any Gingrich stands, past or present. I have no idea what the reasons behind that vendetta are. & I could be wrong about there being more. But I still think it looks like there is a whole lot more than meets the eye.

What Is the Real Reason behind These Calls

2011-12-12T06:07:00.001-06:00

Before I start my commenting, I have to state that I am supporting Ron Paul & plan on voting for him @ my Iowa caucus site next month.

When I saw this article headline on LifeNews it caught my eye immediately. The reason is because over the last week I have gotten several of these calls with the message left on my answering machne, sometimes several times in 1 day. In listening to it, I knew it didn't accurately reflect Gingrich's stand, especially his present. I began thinking there was something more to this than merely going after Newt's record. & I had to also wonder why it was only Gingrich they were going after, especially since Romney's stand has been even more inconsistant than Gingrich's.

Not too long before I started getting these calls, I got a fundraising letter from Ia. Senator Kent Sorenson for Iowa Pro-Life Action. The group is promoting an Iowa personhood amendment that Sorenson in the Iowa Senate & Kim Pearson in the Iowa House plan to introduce. They are both strong on the Pro-Life issues.
I began wondering if there might be some ulterior motive for these calls which seemed to be hijacking the group for a purpose unrelated to their claim to be single issue, personhood. So I decided to see who Pearson & Sorenson are endorsing for the Republican nominee. Sorenson has endorsed Bachmann & Pearson has endorsed Ron Paul. The fact that they endorsing different candidates eased my doubts, but only a little.

At this point I am hoping that I am wrong, but I still have a feeling that there is more to this than meets the eye. It still looks to me like it is a deliberate attempt to sabotage Gingrich's candidacy in Iowa. But again, why Gingrich & not Romney? If it is an attempt to sabotage Gingrich's, it is going to eventually come out. & when it does, then it will do huge damage to the personhood amendment movement here in Iowa. & for me, that is intolerable.
That aside, back to why the mudslinging?, because that is exactly what I see this as. Is it because of Gingrich's past, especially his divorces? Or is it because Gingrich wasn't as pro-life as he claims to be now. OK, even if Gingrich wasn't as strong as he could of been in the past, he could change (ditto Romney). After all, Reagan did. When he was governor of California he signed the legislation legalizing abortion. He later realized his mistake & became vocally pro-life to the point of writing piece on the subject while president. It later cmae out as a small book, & sitting presidents don't normally write books. But Reagan did.
One thing I AM sure about is that these robocalls are not accurate, not even close. & that they are a waste of money that should be used to promote the Iowa personhood amendment instead. So other than forcing me to delete 2 or 3 of them a day from my answering machine as well as having the Ginrich campaign waste time their workers could be putting towards the campaign, these calls are accomplishing nothing worthwhile. Except maybe for someone who wants to sabotage Gingrich's campaign. & is willing to harrass Pro-lifers with multiple calls to do it.

Misleading Calls Claim Newt Gingrich Not Pro-Life on Abortion

little-known Iowa “pro-life” organization is running misleading robocalls in Iowa telling republican voters that former Speaker Newt Gingrich, the leading GOP presidential candidate in most polls now, is not pro-life on abortion.

An organization calling itself Iowa Pro-Life Action, which supports a personhood amendment in the state, is behind the calls — which attempt to make it appear Gingrich promoted abortion during his time as a Georgia congressman even though he maintained a 98% pro-life voting record on more than 70 votes.

“Dear friend of the unborn as we approach the Iowa Caucuses, it’s important for is to know who supports the rights of the unborn and who just talks the talk,” the calls claim, according to pro-life Daily Caller reporter Matt Lewis, who obtained a transcript of them.

The call continues: “You see while multiple GOP nominees may be trying to hide their views on life Newt Gingrich’s record is clear. Gingrich used his power as Speaker of the House to fight for abortion rights for women in nearly all cases. Gingrich threatened pro-life legislators who were fighting for unborn babies, calling those pro-life legislators “extreme”. Newt said they were going to “get hurt”. Gingrich even taught pro-abortion legislators how to use parliamentary tools to help pass pro-abortion bills. Please take a moment to call Newt’s Iowa office today.”

The calls are inaccurate, as Gingrich compiled a 98.6 percent pro-life voting record on pro-life issues ranging from abortion to embryonic research during his time in Congress. For the 20 years that Gingrich served in Congress (1979-1999), Gingrich supported the pro-life position in 70 out of 71 votes.

Gingrich voted in favor of a ban on partial-birth abortion and also voted to cut federal funding to organizations that perform or promote abortions abroad, including the United Nations Population Fund, which is complicit in carrying out China’s One Child Policy. In addition, Gingrich supported restrictions on funding for assisted suicide.

Gingrich recently restated his pro-life views, saying he believes life begins at conception, or fertilization.

“As I have stated many times throughout the course of my public life, I believe that human life begins at conception,” Gingrich said in the statement. “I believe that every unborn life is precious, no matter how conceived. I also believe that we should work for the day when there will be no abortions for any reason, and that every unborn child will be welcomed into life and protected by law.”

“That is why I have supported, and will continue to support, pro-life legislation that not only limits, but also reduces, the total number of abortions, with a view to the eventual legal protection of all unborn human life,” Gingrich continued.

Talking about what he would do initially as president, Gingrich said: “As I have also stated in the past, on day one of my administration, I will sign an executive order reinstating Ronald Reagan’s Mexico City policy that prevents taxpayer dollars from being used to fund abortions overseas. I will also work with Congress to repeal Obamacare, defund Planned Parenthood so that no taxpayer dollars are being used to fund abortions but rather transfer the money so it is used to promote adoption and other pro-family policies, and to enact legislation that provides greater protections for the unborn.”

Gingrich again noted he believes human life begins at conception, saying, “In terms of new pro-life legislation, I stated as recently as November 19 at a public form of candidates in Iowa that I support Congress enacting pro-life legislation under the 14th Amendment, including legislation that would define personhood as beginning at conception.”

In the 2012 presidential race, Gingrich has pledged to appoint pro-life judges to the Supreme Court, end taxpayer funding of abortion, de-fund Planned Parenthood and sign into law a federal Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. Gingrich is also committed to repealing the pro-abortion Obama healthcare law, which contains massive abortion funding and threats of rationing.

On Gingrich’s campaign website he lists the executive orders he would sign on his first day in office if elected president. Two of these include reinstating the pro-life Mexico City Policy and restoring conscience clause protections for pro-life healthcare workers.

On the issue of conscience protections, Gingrich’s website states; “No American working in a medical environment should be forced to perform any procedure that he or she finds morally or ethically objectionable based on religious teaching. This protection should include, but not be limited to abortion. Existing conscience clause protections need to be strengthened.”

Our Lady of Guadalupe, Queen of the Pro-Life Movement

2011-12-12T05:17:00.000-06:00

(Note: This is a part of the "From the Pastor" written by Fr. Parker for the 11 Dec 2011 St. Mary's/Nativity BVM parish bulletin.)

+JMJ+

On Monday, December 12, we celebrate Our Lady of Guadalupe. She has become the patroness of the Pro-Life Movement. She appeared in Mexico in 1531 & consequently the Aztecs put an end to their practice of human sacrifice. In a ten year period, since her first apparition to St. Juan Diego, nearly ten million Indians converted to the Catholic Faith. Along with the conversion to Jesus Christ & His Church they recognized the sanctity of life. Let us pray that our nation & world will come to respect God's precious gift of life.

Human life is sacred from the moment of conception until natural death. Anyone who claims to be Catholic must obviously vote for pro-life candidates. We must follow God's loving ways & respect His rights, wishes & the gift of life. If our nation would do this & make the direct killing of an innocent child in the womb illegal, we would be blessed by Almighty God. "Draw near to God & He will draw near to you" (James 4:8) There is no way arround it, abortion is murder. It must be stated that those who say "I am pro-choice" are wrong. Our Lord Jesus Christ says, "You belong to your father, the devil & you willingly carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning & does not stand in the truth." (John 8:44)

2011-12-11T06:30:00.000-06:00

Rejoice Today is GAUDETE SUNDAY & Bambinelli Sunday

The Ugly Fact of Sex Selective Abortions

2011-12-11T06:26:00.004-06:00

PRI President Steven Mosher testifies before the Subcommittee on the Constitution of the House Committee on the Judiciary on December 7th, 2011, on the topic of sex-selective abortion.

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum, How lovely are your branches!

2011-12-11T00:59:00.004-06:00

Your boughs so green in summertime
Stay bravely green in wintertime.

see more epicfails

Mary & the Church

2011-12-11T00:12:00.000-06:00

From a sermon by Blessed Isaac of Stella, abbot

The Son of God is the first-born of many brothers. Although by nature he is the only-begotten, by grace he has joined many to himself and made them one with him. For to those who receive him he has given the power to become the sons of God.

He became the Son of man and made many men sons of God, uniting them to himself by his love and power, so that they became as one. In themselves they are many by reason of their human descent, but in him they are one by divine rebirth.

The whole Christ and the unique Christ – the body and the head – are one: one because born of the same God in heaven, and of the same mother on earth. They are many sons, yet one son. Head and members are one son, yet many sons; in the same way, Mary and the Church are one mother, yet more than one mother; one virgin, yet more than one virgin.

Both are mothers, both are virgins. Each conceives of the same Spirit, without concupiscence. Each gives birth to a child of God the Father, without sin. Without any sin, Mary gave birth to Christ the head for the sake of his body. By the forgiveness of every sin, the Church gave birth to the body, for the sake of its head. Each is Christ’s mother, but neither gives birth to the whole Christ without the cooperation of the other.

In the inspired Scriptures, what is said in a universal sense of the virgin mother, the Church, is understood in an individual sense of the Virgin Mary, and what is said in a particular sense of the virgin mother Mary is rightly understood in a general sense of the virgin mother, the Church. When either is spoken of, the meaning can be understood of both, almost without qualification.

In a way, every Christian is also believed to be a bride of God’s Word, a mother of Christ, his daughter and sister, at once virginal and fruitful. These words are used in a universal sense of the Church, in a special sense of Mary, in a particular sense of the individual Christian. They are used by God’s Wisdom in person, the Word of the Father.

This is why Scripture says: I will dwell in the inheritance of the Lord. The Lord’s inheritance is, in a general sense, the Church; in a special sense, Mary; in an individual sense, the Christian.

Christ dwelt for nine months in the tabernacle of Mary’s womb. He dwells until the end of the ages in the tabernacle of the Church’s faith. He will dwell for ever in the knowledge and love of each faithful soul.

Where Are the Churches in the Battle to End Abortion?

2011-12-10T04:51:00.004-06:00

This piece was written by Steve & appeared last Sunday in the Cedar Rapids Gazette. In it he raises a very good point, the lack of unity in the Body of Christ & how it is hindering the fight to defend life & put an end to abortion.

In John 17 we read how Jesus prayed for the unity of those who followed them as well as to preserve them in the truth. Sadly, as Steve points out, many of those who claim to be Christian are rejecting both the unity as well as the truth about abortion. The Church has always taught that abortion is wrong. 1 of the earliest non-Scriptural writings we have, the Didache (or Teaching of the 12 Apostles) makes it quite clear that abortion is wrong: " thou shalt not murder a child by abortion nor kill them when born". (2:2)

None of the experiences that Steve had in dealing with DBQ Churches came as a surprize to me. & the least surprizing of all was what he discovered about many of the "Catholic" Churches in the area. Not only do some of the priests & leaders in those parishes consider abortion an unimportant issue compared to their liberal socialist agenda, some actually have people who support abortion on their staff. & this reaches up to the Archdiocese of DBQ Chancery. & I won't go into where most of the religious orders in the area are these days when it comes to supporting abortion. All I will say is that what I reported a couple years ago about Sr. Donna OP is more the rule than the exception. Note: even among the worst, there are some faithful sisters who are pro-life. & even a few who actually show up to protest @ the local Planned Parenthood.

As for those Churches who see their mission as that of "saving souls", I have 1 question. "Isn't a part of saving souls calling them to repentance from sin, including the sin of abortion?"

Saving souls also means saving lives
By Steven N. Brody
The longer that I am involved in the pro-life movement, the more I am convinced that the battle cannot be won without a more unified involvement from our church community.
When I began my role as executive director of Dubuque County Right to Life back in 2008, one of the priorities I wanted to focus on was meeting with church leaders to broaden and expand our relationships. I had the naive notion that Dubuque’s churches were pro-life, but for some reason, not all were involved with our organization. What followed was an eye-opening experience to me.
I learned of the rifts and schisms within denominations that caused some to support abortion and some to oppose abortion. Within the Lutheran Church, those affiliated with the Missouri Synod were pro-life. However, if the church was affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA), they were pro-abortion/pro-choice. Within the Presbyterian Church, same issue. Affiliate churches belonging to Presbyterian Church USA are pro-abortion/pro-choice, while affiliate churches belonging to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church are pro-life.
Some Baptist churches in town have no problem partnering with our organization. But others choose not to because of our relationship with Catholic churches.
A Methodist church in town declined to work with us because, in their words, “Our discipline differs from your point of view.”
And it may come as a surprise that although we may be viewed as a Catholic organization, some Catholic parishes do not uphold the sanctity of life to a level higher than other issues.
Finally, I will never truly understand why so many of the Jewish faith are pro-abortion/pro-choice, given the holocaust they suffered in Europe and the abortion holocaust going on today.
Within the evangelical Christian community, I have found more support, even though their congregations tend to be smaller than some of the other mainline churches in town. But even so, I have been turned away by some. They usually say something like: “We are pro-life but that is not something we focus on. We focus on bringing people to Christ. You respect what we do, and we’ll respect what you do.”
While speaking recently at an Assembly of God Church, I had an epiphany that will no longer allow me to accept this excuse. We are both in the business of saving lives! Our role is to save babies from being killed in the womb, so they can have an opportunity to live and perhaps one day enter into a relationship with Christ. If churches wish to succeed in saving lives and saving souls, they should understand and endorse the commitment of saving lives in the womb as potential lives to be saved later in life.
I am pleased to say that our church partnerships have grown and we are grateful. However, there are plenty more we would love to enter into fellowship with.
If you believe in the sanctity of life, and know it is a fight worth fighting, please join us. Together as a united front, we will succeed.
Steven N. Brody is executive director of Dubuque County Right to Life. Comments: dcrtl@dcrtl.org.

2 Bishops & "The Vortex"

2011-12-09T06:39:00.001-06:00

Is It Any Wonder Pelosi Isn't Being Corrected by Her Archbishop

2011-12-09T05:33:00.001-06:00

When it becoming more & more apparent he is willing to totally undermine everything the Catholic Church teaches on sexuality?

Someone might want to remind the Archbishop that his not correcting Pelosi & allowing things like this are actions that are, IMHO, actions that are causing grave scandal. As sections 2284-2287 of the Catechism make it clear, that is a sin against the 5th Commandment.

Section 2285 is aimed specifocly at those who have roles of leadership inside or outside of the Catholic Church. "Scandal takes on a particular gravity by reason of the authority of those who cause it or the weakness of those who are scandalized. It prompted our Lord to utter this curse: 'Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea' Scandal is grave when given by those who by nature or office are obliged to teach and educate others. Jesus reproaches the scribes and Pharisees on this account: he likens them to wolves in sheep's clothing." (EMPHASIS MINE)

Archbishop Neiderauer is, by his office as Bishop, clearly obliged to teach & educate others. It is done not only by what a person says or does, by by what that person doesn't do or say as well. & his silence when it comes to correcting Pelosi or dealing with this is speaking volumes. He is saying abortion is OK. He is saying that homosexual acts are OK as well. & in doing so, he is also endorsing gay marriage as well

Then there is this from 2286: "Therefore, they are guilty of scandal who establish laws or social structures leading to the decline of morals and the corruption of religious practice." (emphasis mine) By his not correcting Pelosi as well as his allowing what is going on at Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in San Francisco he is allowing the establishment of laws & social structures that are clearly leading "to the decline of morals and the corruption of religious practice".
Given his unwillingness to do anything & the fact that he is 75 what we need to do is pray that a successor will be swiftly appointed whho will be in the mold of Bishps like Cardinal Burke.

Rainbow Sash Movement thanks Archbishop Niederauer for tolerating parish’s homosexual activism

WASHINGTON, DC, December 6, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – An organization dedicated to advancing acceptance of homosexuality in the Catholic Church is thanking the archbishop of San Francisco for tolerating a San Francisco church’s activism for their cause.

Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in San Francisco, a parish that is known nationally for its homosexual activism, invited Otis Charles, the former Episcopal bishop of Utah, to preach at its November 30 Advent Vespers service.

Charles is well-known for having publicly ended his marriage of 42 years in 1993 and announcing he was homosexual. In April 2004, he “married” his partner in a ceremony attended by his nine-year-old grandson.

The Rainbow Sash Movement, which lobbies for the Roman Catholic Church to give its homosexual and transgendered members Holy Communion, says it is “encouraged” that Archbishop George Hugh Niederauer made no move to prevent the non-catholic homosexualist spokesman from delivering the homily. “We believe this is significant step in courage on the part of the Archbishop, and he should be applauded for not being panicked into canceling the planed Advent service,” they wrote.

The organization stated the archbishop “appears to be defusing homophobia in his archdiocese” and hoped his nonfeasance meant “there is division among the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in the Church on how to openly and honestly welcome gays and lesbians into the Church.”

Another pro-homosexual, non-Catholic cleric is scheduled to address Holy Redeemer’s December 14 Advent Vespers. The parish’s bulletin states the speaker will be retired Presbyterian Church (USA) minister Jane Spahr. Last year the PCUSA found that Spahr violated her ordination by performing 16 same-sex “marriage” services in contradiction to church discipline.

The San Francisco archdiocese has not yet signaled it will prevent her from speaking.

Abp. Niederauer has a troubled history with Holy Redeemer church. In 2007, he was filmed at the church giving Holy Communion to the “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence,” a group of pro-homosexual men who wear outrageous makeup and dress as nuns in public. When asked at the time, the archdiocese told LifeSiteNews.com that the archbishop did not notice the communicants’ “mock religious garb.” Abp. Niederauer later apologized for his actions and asked that a notice thanking the archbishop for being “so welcoming” from one of the mock sisters, “Delta Goodhand,” be removed from the parish’s online newsletter.

Abp. Neiderauer’s record on homosexual issues has been criticized by concerned Catholics. In 1992-4, Neiderauer served as a priest at St. Victor’s Catholic Church, a largely homosexual church in West Hollywood, where parishioners say they had no conflicts with him over the issue. In 1996 as bishop of Salt Lake City, he demonstrated against a bill banning “gay-straight alliances” in Utah’s high schools. In 2004, he opposed Utah’s ballot initiative defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman. In December 2005, he said it was “seriously mistaken” to name sexual orientation as “the cause of the recent scandal regarding the sexual abuse of minors by priests.” In 2006, he called the film Brokeback Mountain “very powerful.”

The parish, Most Holy Redeemer, has become infamous for inviting pro-homosexual speakers to address its vespers series. Retired auxiliary bishop of Detroit Thomas Gumbleton spoke at a 2008 Advent vespers service. Although the Catechism of the Catholic Church states homosexuality is “grave depravity” that is “objectively disordered,” Bp. Gumbleton had stated, “homosexual people are not disordered people.” In 1994, he wore a bishop’s miter that featured a cross, a homosexual rainbow, and a pink triangle, and has long favored the ordination of homosexuals. The Vatican forced him to resign in 2006.

Homosexual websites have dubbed Holy Redeemer one of the most “gay-friendly” parishes in the United States. Its website describes the church membership as “married, gay, lesbian, transgender…radical, traditional, questioning, fervent.” Its pastor, Fr. Stephen Meriwether, was placed on temporary leave after allowing the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to hold a bingo fundraiser that observers reported gave away pornographic DVDs and “sex toys.” Fr. Meriwether previously blessed his parish’s representatives in a Gay Pride March. In 2008, the parish’ lector, Philip Carrizosa, “married” his homosexual partner.

LifeSiteNews.com contacted George Wesolek of the archdiocesan communications office but did not receive a reply as of press time.
Contact information:
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco
One Peter Yorke Way
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 614-5500
info@sfarchdiocese.org

A Great White North Chritsmas

2011-12-09T02:59:00.000-06:00

Which leads me to this since we are in Canada:

Merry Christmas - Eh!

& to keep things PC: