In more post-modern tyranny news

A bill, symbolic though it may be, heads for the Senate.  It shows the growing impatience that a sizable number of Americans have over this whole freedom garbage.  Like many in the post-modern Left, the desire is for a country founded on values-based rights: if you don't have the right values, you don't deserve the rights. 

I don't believe for a minute that most Americans are stupid enough to believe the word drool of folks like Senator Schumer as he invokes the classic 'they're coming to get you'! McCarthy style paranoia about the GOP and the Catholic Church wanting to take away birth control.  Americans, despite our best efforts, aren't that stupid.

Instead, like people who watch the news, knowing full well that it's agenda driven propaganda, we ignore the truth and facts altogether, and affirm whatever it is that gets us what we want.  So it will be interesting to watch what happens.  The Senate, Democrat controlled, looks poised to strike another blow against traditional freedom and inch us that much closer to good old leftist tyranny, with over 40% of the population giving their approval.  Maybe not.  We'll just have to see.

RIP Davey Jones

I just saw that Davey Jones, of the musical ensemble The Monkees, died today. They were a bit before my time, having a show that lasted only two seasons right at the time of my birth. I remember seeing reruns on Saturdays (I think) when I was little.

They made their biggest impression on me in 1986, when they came back with their first reunion tour sans Mike Nesmith. Their album Then and Now, The Best of the Monkees, the round the clock play that MTV gave to their TV episodes, the release of Daydream Believer in video that was played as often as any other video at that time (back when MTV played videos), all hold for me some fond memories. I've actually posted one of those, when they did a Christmas medley (on MTV no less!), that included a surprise appearance by Mr. Nesmith.

I'm sorry to hear this, and prayers for his family. I was not a huge fan, but in truth, when the dust settled, I considered their music more listenable and enjoyable than much that was seen as cool and hip in its day. RIP Mr. Jones, and thanks for the memories.  One more time, from the memories of that period of my life with which you will forever be inextricably linked:

One final post warning

Beware the dreaded Dog-headed Pig Monster!  Really, in Africa folks are getting worried.   Be honest, don't we all secretly wish there were such things, things that defy science and hearken back to a time where human beings huddled in their longhouses, candles flickering, while outside in the impenetrable darkness of forest and fen, unspeakable terrors waited to snatch away the unwary?  It sure beats worrying about the things we worry about today that appear all too real, and against which there seems to be no magical sword handed to us by a mysterious cleric.

Happy Birthday Dad

As usual, even in death, I'm late on the birthdays.  I've never been good at those things, cards and balloons and all.  But on February 23rd, my Dad would have celebrated his 82nd birthday.  Naturally, it being the first birthday since his passing, things were a bit somber.  Didn't help that by the time we made it to the cemetery, a little over an hour and a half north of here, the temperature had dropped and the winds were blowing.  Still, I saw that my sister, as always, came through with the decorations.  I stood in the snow and prayed that Dad is in the loving arms of God, and that peace be his and ours as we remember all the things he did for us, and all the love he showed. 

My sister comes through with flowers and balloons and Thomas the Tank Engine for all the Railroad memories

Sick and feeling bad, our 16 year old put on a brave face

A little more emotionally sensitive, our 13 year old tends to take these visits a little harder than the others

On the other hand, our 11 year old sets himself to a task, in this case building a snow wall to keep the winds at bay

Our youngest, who will never really remember Dad, gets into the act of helping with the snow wall

The flowers, balloons and finished wall with all our love.
Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen

On a stranger note.  The good news is it looks as though I got the position I applied for last week.  Not the highest management I was shooting for, but management nonetheless.  A decent salary, though Dee Dee will still need to get a full time position at this point (we were hoping, dare I say praying, that I could swing something with enough income for her to stay home and home school, but alas). 

Anyway, last night during a fitful night's sleep owing to thunderstorms and a frightened two year old, I dreamt of moving into the home that my Dad built when I was 2 years old, and refurbishing it.  The family and kids were there.  It was, as dreams go, of the more 'realistic' kind.  That type of dream where, upon waking, you have to shake yourself and convince yourself it was just a dream.  I thought it ironic that on the day I get some assurance I can, hopefully, continue to provide for my family, I dreamt of that place that always epitomized the care and provisions that my Dad made for us.  Thanks for everything Dad, you are missed!

The Rite of Election

This last Sunday, Catholics around the world celebrated the Rite of Election.  That's where those who are seeking full communion with the Catholic Church get the go ahead from their bishop. A reminder of the role played by bishops throughout the Church's history.  Many envision the Catholic Church as Church, Inc, with the Pope as Steve Jobs, directing the complete operations of the global institution from on high.  But, in fact, it's the bishops who have the say in so many ways, and it's through them that the final steps toward the Easter Vigil are given (see St. Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Smyrnaeans). 

FWIW, the Rite took place this year in Westerville's St. Paul Parish, in their brand new sanctuary.  I'm not usually given to oogling over modern architecture, but the pseudo-Byzantine flair, and the sheer immensity of the gathering space, was impressive.  I was glad for the RCIA that they were able to make this beautiful testimony to the magnificence of God a part of their journey.  Not that our St. Mary parish is anything to sneeze at, as I've said before.  But this  certainly was a space that said 'O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is thy name in all the earth.'

By the way, I absolutely adored the iconic imagery that adorned the head of the sanctuary over the Tabernacle.  Just looking at its pre-modern simplicity couldn't help but take one out of the here and now, and transport you in spirit to the consummation of our hopes. 

Thomas Peters seems like an intelligent fellow

So why he's so shocked that the Hunffington Post would call Catholics 'The Jesus Eating cult of Rick Santorum' is beyond me.  That's like being shocked that racial slurs were heard at a KKK rally, or that anti-Semitism seemed present at a Neo-Nazi march.  Come on Thomas.  This is the Huffington Post.  Like most of the post-liberal Left, it adheres to the policy that hatred is a good thing, as long as you hate the rotten, putrid guts of those who fail to conform to your infallible dogmas.  Consider this a wake up call.  That's one reason among others why I don't do the Huffington Post anymore.

George Weigel dissects the corpse that is liberal Catholicism

It's a good read, in typical Weigel fashion.  Like 'liberals' of every background, those Catholics who cleaved unto the more noble promises of liberalism are going to have to wake up to the fact that the thing they call liberalism is dead, and has been replaced by a gross mutant, an abomination that combines much of the worst of history's most heinous and evil movements.  It would do a service to the best that liberalism had to offer if those who still hold to the title admit that evil can occur left of center, and is beginning to reveal itself in clear ways so that there will be no excuse when it has fully arrived.

The New York Times warns us about them Catholics

In an editorial taken straight from the pages of 1920s central European pamphleteering, the Gray Lady informs us that, while Catholic hospitals do have an important place in our health care system, we must keep them on the reservation for fear that they could, you know, jeopardize women's reproductive health.  It's the newest, latest fear mongering: 'Watch out!  They'll jeopardize women's reproductive health!'  Quick new drinking game suggestion.  Every time you hear the threat that the Catholics want to take away women's reproductive health, down a pint.  You'll be smashed in an hour. 

Lila Rose in her own words

Lila Rose, of Live Action fame, tells of her conversion to Catholicism.  I throw this out to add my own mite to the debate and at least give some little expansion to her platform.  The reason is due to the firestorm her actions caused about a year or so ago.  Beginning with a full broadside from Dawn Eden, the conversation quickly moved from 'wow, that could be serious if Planned Parenthood is breaking the law in order to help minors get abortions' to 'that lying bitch! how dare her sin when she's trying to save babies and teenagers.'  

Whether or not one should tell any lie ever in order to save the lives of innocents, or if such is ever prudent or could lead to moral dilemmas down the road, was of course fair game.  The Church, at this time, appears to fall on the side that lying is never - N.E.V.E.R. - right.  Fair enough.  But in typical Internet fashion, the comboxes became a sludge-pit of judgementalism, self-righteousness, and service to the pro-abortion crowd that was more than happy to join in the Lila-Trashing while agreeing that we should ignore the man behind the curtain.

So here's Lila.  Take her story for what it is.  I take it at face value and, even if I see the problems with her tactics, feel that a pastoral nudge toward the right way would be the better approach to helping her in her mission, rather than just hamstringing her because I didn't come up with a better way of fighting such gross injustices in the first place.

More news from the American Soviet

From a local news story.  Go to some place like the Huffington Post and say there have been attempts to ban religion in our society, including keeping kids from bringing Bibles to school or studying their Bibles during school hours.   Not so! will say the good progressives and secularists.  That's just right wing paranoia.  Nobody is saying kids can't bring their own Bibles to school and study on their own.  Ahem.  Of course it's been going on for some time. One of the characteristics of modern secularism that should give one pause is the tendency many have of denying what is plainly and visibly true. 

In conclusion

The conclusion to the previous post's subject matter:

"First, we do not put forward any claim about the moment at which after-birth abortion would no longer be permissible, and we do not think that in fact more than a few days would be necessary for doctors to detect any abnormality in the child. In cases where the after-birth abortion were requested for non-medical reasons, we do not suggest any threshold, as it depends on the neurological development of newborns, which is something neurologists and psychologists would be able to assess.

Second, we do not claim that after-birth abortions are good alternatives to abortion. Abortions at an early stage are the best option, for both psychological and physical reasons. However, if a disease has not been detected during the pregnancy, if something went wrong during the delivery, or if economical, social or psychological circumstances change such that taking care of the offspring becomes an unbearable burden on someone, then people should be given the chance of not being forced to do something they cannot afford."

I know.  I read the whole thing, and kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. The joke.  The punchline.  The ghost of Allen Funt jumping out and declaring I was being watched by a hidden camera.  But nope, just a Medical journal suggesting it's time to allow parents to kill newborn babies for any list of reasons, up to a time past birth not to be limited.

Brought to you by the scientists, medical researchers, and intellectuals in whom we have placed our undying trust and faith. 

Genocide without borders

In the 20th century, when taken as a whole, race and racism actually accounted for a relatively small proportion of the mass slaughter that defined that century. Not that the term 'small' should ever be used in such cases, even if one person died. But in a cold, hard look at the stats, race was not the major player behind most of the carnage and butchery of the last century.

Likewise, religion was not a major player either. Communism, the main contributor to the 20th century body count, was decidedly atheistic and anti-religious. Most of the wars and atrocities were based on economic, social, and political philosophies, movements and agendas. The great genocides of Nazi Germany were less founded on devotion to Holy Scripture as much as a warped and contorted twisting of eugenics, social Darwinism, Nationalism, the occult, and strange takes on Germanic mythology.

Despite this, thanks to our good friends in the national media, the entertainment industries, and our esteemed institutions of higher learning, most post-moderns have been raised to fear religion and see race as the only viable evil in the world, especially as it was manifested in Nazi Germany's attempts to exterminate the Jewish people.

What folks don't realize is that, in reality, there was little truly original in Germany's twisted theories. Sure, the whole 'Jews as subhuman and Aryan Master Race' twist was somewhat unique. But the idea that humans, being nothing other than evolved animals that should therefore be bred into a thoroughbred race by eliminating the weak, crippled, retarded, unwanted, poor, and racially impure was hardly the brainchild of Himmler. That was as common in the early 20th century academia and intelligentsia as tweeting is today.

And, of course, we saw the results. Or at least we should have. But we haven't. Instead, we've bought a strange brew of streamlined stories, packaged by Hollywood simplicity, that tells us racism is the only sin, the Nazis were evil because they killed 6 million Jews, it's all because of religious extremism, and everything else is open to interpretation or just not that important.

Because of this, we find ourselves starting to drift ever more quickly toward the same contempt for human life that was enjoyed by Europeans at the end of the 19th century. Unlike our forefathers across the pond, however, this is not contempt for human life based on national identity or race. It is not 'Europeans are at the top of the evolutionary ladder and everyone else deserves to be subjected to our awesomeness.' No, this is more along the lines of 'there are just enough of the people I think are worthwhile, and too much of everyone else'. This contempt for human life knows no race, nationality, or creed. Though religion is still as stupid and evil as always. It is contempt for humanity that crosses all borders.

So take, for instance, this abstract in the Medical Ethics Journal, proposing we shake off these silly puritan notions of 'made in the image of God' rubbish and ask if we can just start aborting babies after they're born. As the abstract makes clear:

Abortion is largely accepted even for reasons that do not have anything to do with the fetus' health. By showing that (1) both fetuses and newborns do not have the same moral status as actual persons, (2) the fact that both are potential persons is morally irrelevant and (3) adoption is not always in the best interest of actual people, the authors argue that what we call ‘after-birth abortion’ (killing a newborn) should be permissible in all the cases where abortion is, including cases where the newborn is not disabled.

Read the whole thing here. Be prepared to shudder. At least it's honest. Now we can sit back and see if our generation rises up and stops the carnage before it happens, or if the society obsessed with Angelina Jolie'sleg can lift its head from its Twitter Accounts long enough to even care.

The Candidate that most Republicans would rather not elect

Wins his home state!  A moral victory at best.  The GOP is clearly divided, as is everything that was once deemed 'conservatism.'   That's because, in the end, conservative is a strange and elusive term.   What one is 'conserving' may well be different than what another thinks is worth conserving. 

Against this is the juggernaut that is the movement sometimes called The Left, Progressivism, or even Liberalism (though as it adopts more draconian tactics of tyranny and oppression of non-conformity, it becomes more difficult to choke up the term 'liberal' to define it).  This movement of the Left is rather homogeneous.  There are no doubt small differences. Differences in tactics, priorities, techniques. But on the whole, a person who adopts this 'leftist' viewpoint of the world in Michigan is going to be very similar to a person who adopts the same in Uganda, or the Ukraine, or Utah.  Stances on religious revelation, sexual equality, family planning, and socio-economic policies will, in most cases, be very similar.

A conservative, on the other hand, has no such unity. A conservative Catholic in America seeks to conserve very different things than a conservative of fundamentalist Baptist stripes, even if that Baptist is also in America.   Forget any similarities between that conservative Catholic in America, and a Conservative atheist in Germany.  What few topics they can agree upon will be overshadowed by their deep differences on key issues such as, for instance, the existence of God.

There was a time when those who were 'conservative' banded together, looked the other way, and decided to unite to defeat what was perceived as a common threat.  But those days are gone.  Following the disastrous first decade of the 21st century, the movement split, as each sough to hold to the purer faith, and to distance its own segment from others of the same ilk, sometimes even to the point of joining with defenders of the most left leaning agendas to attack those once considered allies in need.

So you will have a conservative Catholic siding with rather left leaning Jon Stewart or even Andrew Sullivan as they trash and slash conservative Catholic Rick Santorum.  That's the fragmentation of the force seeking to preserve the past, and that's the guarantee that those wishing to change the past will, in all likelihood, win this November. 

My thoughts and prayers to the shooting victims at Chardon High School

It's not nearby, but in my heart it's right here.  Three families are now experiencing the most horrible nightmare a family can endure: the tragic and violent death of a child.  My God grant peace and strength to them through this time, and may He bring into his arms the souls of those taken too soon.  No other comments or suggestions at this time.  Such pontificating can wait.  Right now, prayers for the victims, the family of the killer, and the killer himself.  

Danica Patrick finishes 38th in Daytona!

Who came in before her?  Who were the other 37 drivers ahead of her?  Who won?  Heck, does it really matter?  Who takes off most of her clothes, that's what enlightened media representatives want us to focus on, that's what's important.  Other women drivers or other drivers in other races in general who don't strip just don't deserve our attention.  Enough of this winning garbage. Who is the one who titillates.  That's the post-modern question.

Happy Anniverary to us!

It's been 19 wonderful years with the world's most patient wife.  That, and many other things that have taken time over the last few days accounts for the lack of posting.  I'll get a few more things up in the next couple days, as I'll have a little time before the storm.  Just went to visit my Dad's grave for his birthday, the first since he passed last April.  School, jobs, kids, the usual.  Hopefully - and I'd appreciate the prayers - I'll have a mangement job in a few days.  Should hear soon.  In any event, will be back with a few observations, fun facts, and just some ramblings.  In the meantime, this being our anniversary night, I think I'll move onto more, shall we say, important things.  See everyone soon!

At a loss for words

Read this article, about a very brave and inspiring young man, one 12 year old Alex Rodriguez, who has decided to forgo further cancer treatments in order to spend his days with his family.  Warning, much facial tissue is needed.  May God bless this brave young man.  A miracle would be wonderful, and all praying for him should exercise courage in looking to God and asking that a miracle of miracles occur.  But also we should pray for peace and courage and strength for Alex and his family.   May the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, cover their hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord.  Amen.

Bill Maher is on Yahoo!

This has to be the most appropriate billing I've ever seen.  Bill Maher on Yahoo.  I can't think of anywhere else he should be.

Attention American Catholics

Does this picture ring a bell:

Yes, the famous writing on the wall.  If you don't see the coming storm at this point, it's either because you don't want to, or you welcome the assaults on the Catholic Church, and religious liberty in general.  Just saying.  Evidence?  Again, if you don't see it by now, there are reasons that any amount of links on this blog won't do any good overcoming.

Obama wins battle for oppressing rights

It's not easy to get a country founded on freedom and liberty to begin jettisoning those two ideals.  It takes a particularly useless generation to buy into it overnight.  Not to gradually evolve through a series of generations or even centuries, where things once shunned are accepted.  No, I'm saying getting people who only weeks earlier said 'the government has no right to keep people from enjoying their rights, no matter what the majority thinks!', to say 'I don't care if the government steps on someone's rights, the majority says it doesn't matter, so who cares?'  Read the poll.  The fact that the poll is supposed to mean something at all should be the news story. 

Pray for our brothers and sisters in the Middle East

As they withstand wave after wave of assault, persecution, and death from members of the Religion of Peace.  Of course it's only a few thousand Muslims in this case.  And some Christians probably did something back in the day, so serves these folks right.  And of course it doesn't mean anything about Islam itself.  Now when Pastor Jones threatened to burn a Koran despite overwhelming public opposition to his plans, that just proved America has always been a racist nation.  But that's just obvious.  Which is why, I'm afraid, more Americans aren't focusing on what's really happening to Christians around the world, since we spend all of our time focusing on the sins of our fathers.  So pray for those forgotten by so many here at home, may the Lord protect them and keep them from the fury of their neighbors. 

Obama administration lying or just ignorant?

It's pretty well known at this point that, in response to the Bishops' continued resistance to Obama's naked assault on the Catholic Church, his White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said that the problem is the Bishops have never supported health care reform.  Here is the quote:

"And I would simply note with regard to the bishops that they never supported health care reform to begin with, of which this is an important element."

Now anyone with more than a 'Reality 101' class under their belts knows that if nothing else, the Catholic Church has been behind the push for many social justice related issues, the reform and coverage of people by way of health care being just one among many.  This dates back decades, arguably for most of the last century. 

So, is Mr. Carney, who represents the Obama administration, ignorant of this?  Does this demonstrate a gross lack of desire to actually understand the very Faith that this legislation so directly impacts?  Or is it merely a lie, told to a complacent and willing press corps whose only primary ethical consideration at this point is Reelect Obama At All Costs?  Hard to say. It might just be that the White House is counting on our country of pundits, not principles; hoping that people don't care if it's right or true or wrong or false, just so they win in the end.  We'll have to wait and see. 

Why do we need to know Obama has caught Lin-sanity?

So that the media can continue with the meme that all is well with the economy, so vote Obama 2012!  And while the media continues to ignore things like struggling home ownership, rising food prices, and an unemployment rate that doesn't include those who have fallen off the long end of benefits, we have our administration trying to talk out of both sides of its mouth.  On one hand, at the Supreme Court, we're told the mandate that all must purchase health care is, in fact, constitutional since it's not a mandate at all.  It's really just a tax, which the government can obviously impose. But at a congressional hearing, when President Obama's acting budget director Jeffrey Zients is asked repeatidly if the mandate is actually a tax, he informs us that it isn't a tax at all.

Thus, while such dalliances under a GOP presidency, not to mention threatening constitutional rights by telling outright contradictory statements at the same time, would warrant round the clock network news coverage preempting all other programing, the media must continue to keep our eyes off the man behind the curtain by such fluff stories as Obama's new love affair with Mr. Lin.

50 million female McCarthys

According to Bill O'Reilly's valiant defense of JCPenney's decision to hire Ellen DeGeneres as their spokesperson.  OK, I don't care one way or another because I don't shop at Penny's anymore.  Haven't in a long time.  But why did he compare them to McCarthy?  Well, it could be that O'Reilly's limited knowledge leaves him only with that name to use whenever someone says censorship.  Or it could be that O'Reilly is first and foremost a multi-millionaire celebrity that wants to keep company with other celebrities in a predominantly liberal cultural environment.  I don't know.  I just think that if he disagreed with those angry about Penney's hiring a lesbian activist as their spokesperson, he could have refrained from such inflamed name calling.

But wait, this is cable news.  This is what defines cable news.  And when it comes to FOX, I'm not an idiot.  FOX's first loyalty is to the freedom and liberty of multi-millionaire business interests above all things.  Social issues?  Not so much.  It's not for no reason I've often said that everything I ever wanted to learn about porn stars, I learned on FOX News. 

Looking for Mr. Tumnus

So it finally began to look like winter.  It couldn't have been prettier.  We immediately grabbed some cloaks and out we went to listen to that hushed, muffled quiet that only a windless, nighttime snow can bring.  Lacking the proper photographic paraphernalia, I couldn't capture the scene as we experienced it.  But I did get this, a nice shot of the snow drifting down around a streetlamp outside our house.  My first reaction was to look for that little faun laden with packages to see if I was missing something.

Chelsea Handler invokes her inner Goebbels

And goes to bat for the right to slaughter babies for the sake of narcissism and hedonism.  Well done Ms. Handler.  I have counseled women who've had abortions, and with no exception, they were at least somewhat bothered by what they did. But apparently, you aren't.  Even some level of regret or appreciation for what you did would mean a lot.  Something.  But like most who indulge in the Great Lie, you see that lump of flesh as an inconvenient mass to be ditched so you can continue the 'I'd abort six million babies for more sex and money' gospel of the modern Great Evil:

An example of that mass of tissue that so many modern women just don't care about ditching

And apparently, in addition to the usual slop pile of smut and dirt you shovel on the way to the bank, you've decided to take on the mantel of 'abortion advocate, third class.'  Fine. From now on, whenever I see this picture:

I will think of this:

Sorry, I know it sounds harsh.  But as I watch this emerging lust for celebrating abortions beyond merely advocating the right to have them, I'm reminded about the last time we decided humans were best defined was what was convenient for me to let live.  

So what do Conservatives at CPAC do to demonstrate their fealty to conservative values?

They cast the most votes for the least conservative candidate of the GOP field.  Yep, it's not easy exceeding the popular media narrative of 'conservative equals idiot', but I find modern Conservatives manage quite nicely. 

A biology lesson from the good Katherine Ragsdale

President of the Episcopal Divinity School. A diseased organ:

A diseased lung

Not a diseased organ:

A good, healthy lung

A diseased organ:

Our youngest, about two months before his birth

Not a diseased organ (or so we assume):

Our youngest son, less than a year after his birth

This from her recent appearance on FOX News, in which she was asked to clarify how an abortion can be a blessing*.  Easy, she explained.  If a person has a heart attack or other diseased organ, it is dealt with and we celebrate.  If a woman's health is in question, the diseased organ is dealt with and we celebrate.  Of course in most cases, doctors will fight like a mad dog to avoid actually removing an organ unless there are no other options, but apparently since it's only a pre-born baby (see third picture above), it's no big deal.  Actually, the health of the baby wasn't even brought up in Ms. Ragsdale's explanation.

If you hear this and other pontificating by the post-liberal Left, and you begin entertaining images of:

Don't worry.  It shows that either you've done your homework, or you still have not squelched that divine spark within yourself that has produce a spirit and heart that screams for justice at the thought of such horror.  Maybe both!  May God soften the hearts of those who lay the bedrock for future genocides, and protect the innocent from their machinations.  Amen.

*At about the 5:00 mark, the issue comes up of her idea about 'abortion as blessing.'

Catholics against Post-Modern Tyranny

Can be rest assured that the Bishops were not fooled by the persecutor-in-chief's latest time out.  Yes, it was a time out.  It was meant to rally the troops and stop the opposition's momentum.  When you have Chris Matthews saying you've overstepped the line, and you have Jews, Protestants, Catholics, and even liberal secularists jumping on board saying you've overstepped the line, it's time to call time out.

That's what Obama did.  It worked, to a point.  Liberal and leftist Catholics and non-Catholics immediately praised the decision, moved on, and called for us to get back to important things. But the Bishops appear to see this for what it is, a small inching movement toward post-Christian tyranny, where the Church is forced to conform to a government that opposes its foundational beliefs.  Many will join, as they always have.  Whether is was aligning with Hugo Chavez, the Nazis, Henry VIII, or whatever, you always have those Christians willing to join forces with the executioners that they may avoid being executed. 

But so far, at least enough haven't been fooled as to comfort non-conformists that the hour of their persecution has not yet arrived.  We'll see how this unfolds.

When Rights became majority based again

Remember back in the day, like a few days ago, when things like the right for non-polygamist non-heterosexuals to be married was absolute, and it didn't matter one rip over how many Americans disagreed, weren't homosexual, or any such thing?  Ever since the Civil Rights era, one of the things pounded into the minds of Americans is the fact that what the majority thinks is never - EVER - to be taken into account when considering a person's rights.  That's why one crank can decide his daughter shouldn't be forced to say Under God in the pledge of allegiance, and many feel the other 300 million Americans are suddenly irrelevant to the fact that his rights are being violated.

Fair enough.  But now, suddenly, we have the much vaunted, worshipped, celebrated and venerated 98%.  No, not the 99% which are set in juxtaposition to the 1% of wealthy who are routinely screwing the rest of Americans in order to fill their own pockets.  This is the 98%, that is 98% of Catholics who use contraceptives.  This, of course, in addition to the rest of America that, according to Democrats, enjoys sex as well.

OK, so let's give the 98% statistic.  Let's assume Americans have sex.  Let's assume they don't always want it to lead to babies.  Let's assume 98% of Catholics give the high middle one to the Church and use contraceptives anyway.  My question?  So what the hell does that mean?   That's like saying, as best as I can tell, that since the majority of Americans, including Catholics, don't seem to give a damn about contraceptives, we shouldn't care what that 2% think.  I mean, that seems to be what they're saying. I mean, it seems like pro-Obama supporters are reaching back to their pre-civil rights days to remind us that it's time to resurrect the old 'rights by majority' argument.

I don't know.  Maybe that's not what they mean.  But if it isn't, I'd like to know just what they mean by constantly bringing up the legendary 98% of Americans who don't care what the Catholic Church teaches about contraceptives.  If there are 60 million Catholics in the country, and say 30 million are adults, that still means 600,000 Catholics don't use contraceptives, and may very well see this as a gross imposition on their religious rights.  Yet, apparently, that doesn't matter.  Or I think. If that's not the point, then what does the 98% mean I wonders?  Why do they keep bringing it up?  If it's not to suggest that rights are based on what the majority cares about, then what other purpose is behind bringing it up?  Just saying.

He's a genius!

No, not President Obama for trying to deftly pull the wool over our eyes as he still labors to find a way to mandate a contraception culture.  It's our youngest at the computer, finding ways to help NASA achieve that life long dream that Newt has for Mars Colonies!  No, not really.  He's playing some pop-the-bubble game.  But still, to us his proud mom and pop, he's every bit the little Einstein, taking to something that only existed in science fiction when I was his age.

Death panels? Nah. Would never happen.

How do I know this?  Because when the paranoid religious fanatics were afraid that the new Healthcare Legislation would lead to religious institutions being forced to provide coverage for procedures that violate their religious conscience, we were assured it would never come to that.

When non-heterosexuals insisted they only wished to live in peace, and would never impose their own relational preferences on society by demanding something like officially sanctioned marriages, we all sighed in relief.

When proponents of government mandated services insisted they were not trying to push America toward a European Socialist model, we relaxed and knew everything was OK.

When proponents of Separation of Church and State insisted they only wanted to keep government sponsored religious events out of institutions mandated by the government, and would never suggest a person be excluded from the rightful access to political office because they were of the wrong religion or held the wrong beleifs, we went on our merry way, knowing that all was right with the world.

When right wing nuts ran around screaming 'Death Panels! Death Panels!', everyone chuckled and reminded us that such a ludicrous thing would never happen, that nobody in their right minds would...wait.  Wait a minute.  Why, it looks like some really super-smart scholar types with degrees in science and lab coats are suggesting it might be time for us to let doctors hasten the earthly departure of those deemed unworthy to continue fighting for life in order that their organs be used for those who have earned the right to have a life worth fighting for. 

Why, come to think about it, every time we've been assured by some progressive force of social change that all they're asking for is an inch, and once they get the inch they will never take a mile, that's exactly what's happened: they ask for the light year.  The very thing they insisted would never happen is exactly what happens.  And more to the point, those pushing for these progressive ideals are becoming more brazen in their call for the iron gauntlet of government power to come crashing down on any who think that America is a place of freedom for those who are not liberal.

Who knows, maybe I'm just paranoid.  But fool me once after all.  And the overall trend, matched with the general bird's eye view of history, suggests only an idiot at this point would believe anyone pushing a post-Christian progressive agenda when they insist 'don't worry, it will never come to that!'

Pro-Gay Rights Advocate Roland Martin Suspended

Over "homophobic" comments at the behest of GLAAD (nobody enjoys raw censorship and thought control nowadays more than GLAAD).  I'm not a fan of Mr. Martin.  But I have to admit, my first reaction to what he said was that it was petty, stupid, but nothing more.  I had to have someone say it was homophobic, and then try to look at it that way, in order to see it that way - and I still don't see it that way.  But such is life in the great post-Christian liberal paradise.  All things sex, drugs, and bathroom humor are A-OK.  Trashing religion is as good as always.  But never, ever blaspheme the true (TM) gospel of the Left.  This especially includes the celebration of all that is non-heterosexual. 

The irony here is that Mr. Martin is a professional at being aggrieved over any one of a thousand comments or slights that involve homosexuality, women's rights, minority sensitives and the like.  As so many on the Left are wont to do, he has always been happy to suggest that it's time to put an end to such "hate"; a convenient way to call for censorship and oppression of diverse opinions. Now, he has fallen to his own sword.  He who lives by the Glorious Censorship will inevitably die by the Glorious Censorship.  Perhaps CNN will come around and bring him back to the fold. We'll have to see.  If it does, then perhaps Mr. Martin will return a wiser man for his troubles.

A can of worms

Has been opened.  Looks like Edward Peters is saying it's time to stop horsing around with Nancy Pelosi, and others who are joining forces with those who would invoke the power of the state to crush the right to hold non-liberal Catholic beliefs in America.  I know, I know.  That's a tough one.  It's easy to say 'exciommunicate the sinner!', assuming that it will stop before it gets to me.  But there is also a danger in the great 'moral equivelancy' that so many turn to nowadays. 

When Ron Paul is asked about American foreign policy, he makes it clear that other countries would be offended at what we've done.  Fair enough.  Hitler was, too.  So was Mussolini and so was Tojo.  What does that mean?  Did what America do to the American Indians equal the Holocaust?  To some, yeah.  Is Christianity no different than Radical Islam?  Sure, some would say.

And in some general, overarching way that's probably true.  But is it completely true?  Do we really think we should look at things from Hitler's point of view?  Not really.  Maybe in the years leading up to the war, but not too often do we weep for Hitler's rage against the allied war on his nation.  Likewise, most Christians at least like to point out differences between little old ladies in Bible studies and Islamic terrorists who fly jets filled with innocent people into skyscrapers filled with innocent people.  Somehow, we know there are differences.

Same here.  I wouldn't want the Church to go crazy and start dropping the axe on anyone who fails to live up to the perfection to which Christ calls us.  That would be the end of me!  Nor do I want to see the Church going after anyone over diverse opinions, or even disagreements; even if those disagreements are with the Church.  And I would extend that to folks who openly disagree with the Church.  And maybe even those who openly oppose the Church and act on it.  But when the State makes such a flagrant move against the Church, a move that is only to crush the right not to be liberal in America, and threatens to openly persecute the Church for failing to conform to this mandate, that's serious.  And it is serious when a Catholic politician not only openly opposes the Church, and acts on that opposition, but agrees to get the kindling for the fire that will be used to burn non-liberal heretics at the stake.  Then it might be time to take action.

I don't know.  But I know the Faith has had its share of Quislings over the years, those who have cozied up to the latest tyranny that seeks to destroy the Orthodox faith and force it to conform to the latest, hippest heresy or nightmare philosophy.  I also know that when these folks do such things, many have suffered as a result.  Perhaps something should be done.  I'll say that since I've been a Catholic, it's the first time I could honestly say that in this case, it might be time for the Church to do something drastic.  That, in itself, shows my concern for what this mandate portends.

Duh

In one of those weird 'huh?' moments that comes with being Catholic, it looks like the Vatican’s top prosecutor in sex-abuse cases says Bishops should be held accountable for their roles in the sexual abuse scandal.  Well, yeah.  Hello.  Of course they should.  Was this news?  Was anyone disagreeing?  I would like to think this was a non-story that wasn't worth reporting.  But knowing how things can be in that strange, wonderful, and sometimes confusing world of Catholic living, it might actually be a story worth reading.

Washington Legislature has its priorities right

While wars and terrorism continue to sweep the world, while uprisings and brutal crushing of demonstrators shocks, while children starve and millions flounder, while natural disasters and the potential unraveling of Western Civilization loom on the horizon, the good lawmakers in Washington have what's important on their minds.  Remember kids, the only reason God created the universe was for homosexuality, and the enlightened leaders of our north-westernmost neighbors have finally seen the light.  Well done.  Another group of lawmakers ensuring that a thousand years from now, we will be the era that gave it all for gay sex.  I know I'm proud to be an American at this time!

Well done Rick Santorum

I'm not sold on Rick Santorum at this point.  But I give credit where it's due.  Nobody, and I mean nobody, thought he would make it this far. Remember, folks were calling for him to drop out before the Iowa Caucus.  That's a turn in events.  He's still against the multi-zillion dollar Romney Campaign Machine.  And who knows, he may not make it another round.  It's just enjoyable watching the MSM try to adjust its narrative of "Romney vs. The One" when the good voters of the country appear to have minds of their own. 

Obama administration offers deal with the Devil

And Michael Sean Winters will have none of it.  Good for him.  No hardcore right-wing fanatic, Mr. Winters sees the writing on the wall.  Any notion of 'compromise' is nothing other than a slap in the face to the First Amendment.  It's saying 'we won't charge you money when we demand you compromise your deeply held religious beliefs, but we will demand you compromise your deeply held religious beliefs.'  Hopefully folks are waking up to the lie that was post-Christian liberalism.  Notions of tolerance, diversity, everyone living in harmony and peace, respecting each other's diverse opinions, was a lie.  Either stupidity, naivete, or a boldface lie.  So good for Mr. Winters, and good for the growing outcry against this heavy handed, flagrant crushing of the Constitutional rights guaranteed by our founding documents.  And shame on those, including Catholics!, who are either slaves to party loyalty, their own libidos, or the tired and demonstrably false notion of the promises that belonged to that which once called itself Liberalism.

California Court rules against democracy

Citing once again the notion that what 300 million Americans want is irrelevant, only free sex matters, the California Courts have - quit predictably - said that it's time for our krytocracy, or rule by an elite band of judges.  No government.  No congress.  No representation.  While the Obama administration continues to champion its crusade against the right not-to-be-liberal, we see the post-modern progressive movement score a victory along the other flank.  Welcome to post-Christian, post-modern America:  In all things sex, drugs and bathroom humor, unlimited freedom and liberty; in all other things - especially non-liberal religions - unbridled censorship, oppression and tyranny.  Well done America.  You sold your birthright for your libidos. 

The Gay Rights Movement has found its Poster-Child

Lloyd Blankfein has thrown his support behind gay marriage!  Wow!  Didn't see that one coming.  Gay Rights pundits are justly proud for making this big catch, because it demonstrates just how broad and diverse is the support for gay marriage in our country. After all, what demonstrates this diversity of support more than when liberal Democrat Blankfein joins the ideological eclecticism of liberal Democrat Al Franken and liberal comedian Mo'Nique?  Sometimes it just parodies itself, doesn't it?

Of course there's no better image for gay marriage than a man who came to exemplify the worst of the Wall Street corruption that led to the economic collapse of 2008.  The man who, at the helm of Goldman Sachs, came to stand for all that was wrong in big business, as he appeared to stuff his pockets while the policies of GS, both moral and allegedly not-so-moral, helped devastate the lives and dreams and hopes of endless tens of thousands, if not millions, of innocent people.  I know when I'm jockeying for a cause, that's the type of fellow I want representing my side.

Still, it might be appropriate after all.  First, gay marriage is about a lifestyle that says 'I want it, I want it, and I don't care about nuthin' but I want it.'  So what better example to head the cause?  Plus, it demonstrates that post-modern leftist values are as eternal as the next Faustian bargain.  Wall Street and its CEOs the image of modern Satan?  The most horrible demonstration of evil in the last decade?  You betcha!  That is until it benefits us to have their endless billions at our disposal.  Now we're all better now, and really good eggs.  Is it unique to the post-modern left?  No.  This sort of devil's alliance has long been demonstrative of human interactions and agendas.  It just goes to show how the thing that was once liberalism was nothing more than a myth and lie, and just the same-old same-old that has been seen throughout the ages.

More McCarthyism Irish Style

Read it and laugh, or weep, as the case may be.  The Post-Christian West: Where anything is welcome but the Christian Faith.

Heh

Looks like Alec Baldwin is picking up some pointers on Tebowing from the master himself.  Fun stuff.   Of course the usual Internet Cranks rush to the story to display their post-modern puritanism and contempt for this.  It is the Internet after all.  To me, Tebow seems to be the real deal, all the more reason to root him on next year.

Associated Press photos by Marcio Sanchez

More chutzpah from King Obama

Turns out the Obama administration put the muzzle on Army chaplains who were, according to the dictates of their bishops, wanting to read the letter sent out against the HHS mandate against religious liberty.  I know, this is the army.  They have a right to monitor things, and have monitored things in the past.  Fair enough. It's just a little warning shot, however, to those who still labor under the illusion that liberalism was ever about tolerance, diversity, open-mindedness, and living together despite our differences.  It's about conformity to a new set of absolute values, standards, and ethics that demand obedience and group-think.  It's bowing before the new Faith of post-Christian progressive secularism.  It's, in its most fundamental form, realizing that we are no longer free not to be liberal, but must venerate at the alter of the official belief system of the New American Order. 

The United Nations continues to impress

Amid one of the most flagrant affronts to civil rights in the last decade, Russia and China have once again affirmed their commitment to mass-murdering dictators by refusing to support a UN Security Council resolution calling for Syria's President Assad to step down.  Of course we all know that the United States must be the culprit behind it all.  After all, it's not like we're not the most evil nation in history, so there must be something going on.  Still, it does show that once again, the UN fails to deliver on the least of its obligations.

In other Big Brother news

Cynthia Nixon, who blasphemed the pro-gay gospel a few days ago, has been brought into line.  You see, she originally said that she is gay by choice, which goes against the brainwashing teaching that God puts a gene in you that makes you gay which is just like being black or Asian.  This, obviously, created an uproar of tolerance and diverse thinking.  In light of this uproar, she recanted...sort of.  She said she is actually bi-sexual by birth.  Meaning, well, something.  But given the two choices that her genes gives her no choice of having, she chooses gay.  Not sure that's good enough to maintain the illusion, and expect some more gnashing of teeth.  But it goes a long way to show the ludicrous joke that is modern 'research and scholarship', that so many are willing to believe the absurd simply because it's convenient.  Yep, like I say, somewhere up there are millions of medieval peasants blowing mead out their noses laughing at our generation's self-congratulatory view of our intellectual superiority.

Susan G. Komen begs for mercy

Against the juggernaut of liberal tolerance.  Sad.  But as I tell my boys, at the rate we're going, it won't be long before it's illegal not to be liberal.  The biggest mistake the Komen charity made was forgetting one of the most important dogmas of the post-Christian left: Women's health issues are important, but the right to abort babies is sacred.  Oh well.  You lose a few and you lose a few.  For me, I'll still support the Komen foundation since I'd like to show that helping cure breast cancer is actually important, rather than a convenient spoke on the pro-abortion wheel.

Candlemas not Groundhog Day

For those who missed it, this day, the 2nd of February, is also the day known as Candlemas.  It's a Catholic thing.  For those in Protestant-land who lament the replacing of Christmas with that abstract, non-committal winter holiday that happens to be centered around a shopping day that occurs six days before the New Year, it's time to get a little of what was given.  I have no idea if the reason for Groundhog Day was simply to replace an old Catholic Tradition with anything that wasn't a Catholic Tradition.  But over the generations, I can guarantee that few if any are aware that this date actually should carry some meaning.  It comes, the 40th day after Christmas, with the usual stockpile of traditions, foods, customs, and all those bells and whistles that once marked a civilization seeped in the story of the Christian faith.  Now, its greatest moment for reflection is a groundhog.  Here, at the always informative, if not a bit traditional, Fisheaters, we have a  breakdown of some traditional meanings and approaches to this forgotten day.

Fr. Barron brings clarity

To the lame arguments and frightening lunacy that is supporting the Obama attack on religious freedom.  As can be expected, he says it far better than I ever could, so allow me to step aside.  Enjoy, and learn something along the way:

More life control from our post-modern culture

Sugar, it just needs to be controlled.  It needs controlled just like everything else, except, of course, sex, drugs, and bathroom humor.  In those things there is no call for control, censorship, oppression, or regulation.  Just in everything else.  It would take a stunningly idiotic society to fall for such obvious attempts to strip away freedom and liberty.  Glad to see we are able to fulfill the expectations.

The economy is great, all is well

So says the AP headlines.  Of course companies are cutting left and right, and there are indicators that things are in rough times ahead.  This also ignoring the fact that each month shows more and more Americans falling off the other end of unemployment - having been far too long on unemployment and having exhausted their last benefits.  But hey!  This is the AP, it's primary focus is to get us to ignore the piles of garbage and refuse littering the streets in order to get The One reelected.  So all of us who are struggling to stay on the sinking ship, to all those who are trying to stay alive, afloat, or whatever - shut up.  You're ruining the narrative that salvation is through Obama alone, and therefore his anti-Christian despotic regime must be continued.  Well done, o ministry of propaganda. 

BTW, you have to read to the end of the shining article of happiness and prosperity to find the obligatory qualifier that avoids the flagrant 'we lied!' charge:

"Most economists expected the combination of weaker inventory growth and tepid consumer spending to lead to slower growth in the current January-March quarter. Many are predicting 2 percent annualized growth this quarter."

Public schools love bullying

Especially when it's against a kid who speaks out against the sacrament of gay sex. Here, the good superintendent at Shawano School District pushes thugs and lesser bullies aside to show how it's really done. Desiring censorship and thought control on behalf of homosexuality, a student who merely wrote an editorial against gay adoption was subject to a grueling hours long interrogation where he was informed of his status as mouthpiece of evil:

"He said the 15-year-old was ordered to the superintendent’s office where he was subjected to hours of meetings and was accused of violating the school’s bullying policy" 
The scene put me in mind of nothing so much as this:




Reading what happened to him made me want to cheer the boy on all the more.  Press on you who do not conform to the dogmas of gay "rights", take a stand for liberty, freedom, and the right to disagree with these dogmas of absolute truth being hoisted on us on a daily basis.

I've read good things about "The Woman in Black" so far

So maybe I'll go and see it.  I'm pulling for Mr. Radcliffe, if only because he still puts me in mind of our oldest boy.  Which is why, though I think he did a wonderful job in My Boy Jack, my wife can't watch it due to his battlefield death scene.  Still, I do hope he doesn't go the way of the tired and predictable 'defiant Brit actor' and attempt to do anything and everything under the sun to buddy up to the movement growing increasingly warm with 'can't we just ban all non-us religions, if not religion in general?' attitudes.  We'll see.  Right now, it looks like a good turn, and maybe proof that he can do something without being naked with horses, or portraying men who corrupted generations of brainless teens. 

My oldest as Harry Potter

Daniel Radcliffe stealing a ride on my oldest son's bike

Death takes a holiday

Or so we can hope.  Looks like the Susan G. Komen for the Cure charity has severed its ties to Planned Parenthood.   Kudos to the brave ones!  Expect those who are more concerned about aborting babies than curing breast cancer, however, to attempt an end run.  Sure, they will say it is because of the breast screenings that Planned Parenthood does.  Fact is, there are places women with no money can go for help with that - I know first hand.  The real issue is that abortion is the foundation upon which the post-Christian progressive movement is based.

Think about it.  Every day, in the name of this 'progressive' ideology, we hear more and more about how folks want the government to regulate this, that, and everything else (but sex).  We need more regulations on what we eat, wear, drive, how we walk, talk, sleep, worship, think, believe, act, what foods we can have, how we raise our children, and any one of a million other restrictions. What idiot generation would comply with that?  Well, there's the meat and circus, the peace and bread.  It's sex, tons and tons of sex.  Glorious, unadulterated, consequence-free, responsibility-free sex.  Group sex, orgies, online pornography, threesomes, one night stands, three night stands, one night stands with three people, why the list goes on and on!

Of course there are STDs, and HIV/AIDS, but those mostly are ignored nowadays, or through billions of dollars of drugs and medications, we can reduce their effects.  Birth control can reduce the chances of pregnancy, but there's still a chance....a slight chance, that it can happen.  This possibility of Woman having her social life, her financial future thwarted by nine months of carrying the result of one's libido is too much of a threat, enough to make the fantasy promises of the progressive movement give at least most people cause to think.

And that's where abortion comes in.  It's the safety net.  The final score.  The ultimate promise from our post-Christian progressives.  Sure, most would prefer not to have an abortion.  But that would somehow mean we have to restrain ourselves, think of others, and live a life of some measure of discipline and sacrifice.  And we can't have that in the post-Christian Utopia!  So abortion is waved as the ultimate 'don't worry, just do it.'  Over a million a year, and the vast majority having zilch to do with dying mothers, raped girls, or deformed babies doomed to die.  The vast majority there so that the mom can continue to jump on every Tom and Harry's you-know-what while not letting the disease known as pregnancy interfere with the climb up the financial ladder. 

Some have speculated that abortion, being a multi-billion dollar industry with all its sideline venues involved, is all about money.  That Planned Parenthood, and others behind abortion rights, are in it for the money.  I disagree.  It's about seizing our civilization and replacing it with tyranny that promises orgasms and drugs to a generation intoxicated on the promises of narcissism and hedonism.  Make it illegal to make money off abortions tomorrow, and I can almost promise that the same who will launch assault after assault on the Susan G. Komen for the Cure charity today, would do the same two days from now.  It's about the power to seize a civilization (and BTW, once the power is gained, expect the land of hedonism and narcissism to be reigned in just the same).