Prayer request update

My wife went to the doctor's last night and, in keeping with the typical trend, found out nothing but that it could be really bad, or just bad, or maybe not bad at all, and we'll have to wait to find out.  They did a biopsy (never something you like to hear), and the tests should be back in about a week.  Prayerfully there will be nothing terribly serious there.  Even so, surgery might be needed.  In fact, we've been told it will be needed, the only question is when.  How this will play with her new job, which I was almost ready to sing praises about, I don't know.  Truth be told, I've not had time to post about her new job since upon hearing about it, first my Mom and now my Wife have been hit with a series of health issues that have thrown everything - including homeschool - into the wings.  See my thoughts on how I feel at this point here.

Nonetheless, continued prayers.  Pray that it's not the obviously worse case scenario, pray that surgery will not be needed for a while, pray that  God grant us even a week of peace and happiness.  We won't be able to go through our boys' graduation and confirmation without these things pressing on us.  Sadly, that is no longer an option.  But if, at the end of it all, things might just work out reasonably well, and that we might even squeeze a week without the next round of hits coming at us, at this point after all these years is to us a prayer for a billion dollars and world power.  We'll take it, and appreciate it.

Prayer requests

My wife must go tomorrow and find out the results of some tests she had at the doctor.  She's been having some medical issues, things more at home being discussed among women.  Hopefully nothing serious, though there is always the possibility of the most serious of all. So prayers for her health.

Also for my Mom, who fell and dislocated her shoulder and has since been hit with a case of vertigo, which is actually a serious ailment.  This during the week between my eighth grader's Confirmation and my oldest's graduation.

Any prayers and all prayers would be appreciated.

Catholic schools in Oakland outrage critics

By wanting to be more Catholic.  It's a running joke that if you want to get a great education, go to a Catholic School.  If you want to learn about Catholicism, go anywhere else.  In recent years, some areas have been trying to put the brakes on that trend.  Especially centering around the LGBT issue, since that issue is the one being used by the post-Christian Left to bludgeon freedom and liberty.  So the Diocese of Oakland has sparked outrage - and dare I say, exposed some issues - by expecting its staffers to live up to certain expectations.  Like not living lives and promoting values that fly in the face of the Catholic Faith.

Naturally the East Bay Express zeroes in on a heroic program director who has refused to sign off on the new standards.  We all love a rebel in our hip post-modern world, don't we.  Well no.  Imagine the same director bucking a public school order to open up to and celebrate the LGBT lifestyle.  Would the same treatment be given?  There's no way of knowing.  But I sure have a hunch.

Looking at Pope Francis

In a balanced way is not easy.  On one hand you have those who have reduced the man to spawn of Satan, Second Class.  On the other you have those never said he was perfect...now stop saying he does anything wrong and call him Awesome!   Into the usual chorus of noise, Fr. Longenecker brings a sane and honest opinion.  Pope Francis is a great guy, but it takes more than that to be a great pope.  His 'off the cuff, say and do whatever, no rules just awesome' style might well be setting up his papacy for a fall.  You can't keep saying things that need reinterpreted and explained over and over again before the world will begin to yawn and turn away from anything you say.  Fair enough.  Whether Pope Francis's papacy is a revolutionary step in a new direction or simply an excuse for a great portion of the world to wash its hands of the whole 'Catholic matters' thing remains to be seen.  Right now, I'm inclined to follow the idea that to be a great pope, Pope Francis may need to stop working so hard at being a great and awesome 21st century man.

The Devil you say

There was quite a lot of talk about the Black Mass that was going to be celebrated at Harvard.  Most of it was anywhere but the mainstream media.  For obvious reasons.  The media is always nervous about pointing to extremes of those perspectives it tends to support.  By focusing on the extremists in opposing camps, the media is able to paint a portrait in which the only zealots and radicals are, in fact, in those ideals against which the media are fighting.  So you probably didn't hear much of that in most major national publications and outlets, save for Fox News.  

Nonetheless, the sheer evilness and Nazi-like contempt of the action was picked up on by Catholics, who had a variety of responses.  Praying wasn't bad, and the special Mass done in answer to this showed once more that prayer and worship are always acceptable alternatives, even if they take place around abortion clinics.  Here Thomas McDonald has an interesting take on the whole series of events.  That's good enough for me, and I don't have much else to contribute.

More movie musings

Here's something one of my boys brought up to compare movies then (when JAWS was released - see previous post) and movies now (from 2000 - 2010 at least).  The top movies of the year in the 1970s vs. those in the 2000s.  BTW, these are based on the receipts of about 10 years ago before Netflix and DVD may have skewed things for the older movies.  Some of those could have changed, and of course inflation as always.  So it's based on the number one films at the time.

Number 1 Movies from 2000 - 2010:
2000  Mission: Impossible II
2001  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
2002  Lord of the Rings: Two Towers
2003  Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
2004  Shrek 2
2005  Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
2006  Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
2007  Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
2008  The Dark Knight
2009  Avatar
2010  Toy Story 3


Number 1 Movies from 1970 - 1980
1970  Love Story
1971  Fiddler on the Roof
1972  The Godfather
1973  The Exorcist
1974  The Towering Inferno
1975  Jaws
1976  Rocky
1977  Star Wars
1978  Grease
1979  Kramer vs. Kramer
1980 Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

Pretty telling.  And it might mean something when pondering my boy's reaction to Jaws.  It's worth noting that in 1981 it was Raiders of the Lost Ark, 82 E.T., 83 Return of the Jedi, 84 Ghostbusters, and 85 Back to the Future.  So there is clearly a trend from earlier.  By now the Summer Blockbuster was in full swing.  It seems to have died down some in the late 80s and early 90s, as movies not necessarily aimed at Summer Blockbuster teens found their way to the top (Rain Man for instance).  But on the whole, from the 70s on, the trend in what movies make the top of the list gets pretty predicable, and once you get to the 00s, there is a definite content similarity if you get right down to it.

Remember when liberal meant open minded

Remember when colleges were where you went to get an education and broaden your mind by hearing opposing viewpoints?  As opposed to now, where it looks like a growing number of young people are going to hear their indisputable opinions and beliefs validated and confirmed.  Of course, it could be argued that scholarship has been going that way for a while, as has our media culture in general.  We don't look for facts to challenge our beliefs. We look for facts to conform with what we already know is true.

This will make sense down the road

But for now trust me, it's how my mind works.

The Rope

Dwight Longenecker comments on Hitchcock's The Rope.  I had never heard of it.  It was one a month or so ago and we caught the beginning of it.  My oldest then ordered it so we could watch the whole thing. My boys are Hitchcock fans all the way.  My oldest, who is kicking around the idea of journalism, likes to think his writing style is Hitchcock inspired.  The Rope was an interesting one set film about two men who decide to murder, more or less for the heck of it.  Rules don't apply.  It isn't hard to catch the parallels to Crime and Punishment.  Here is Fr. Longenecker unpacking it better than me.  Watch the film first, then read Fr. Longenecker's insightful take.  But only in that order.

FWIW, film buffs will recognize John Dall as Brandon Shaw.  Dall also is well known as the hapless Marcus Glabrus in Kubrick's Spartacus.

Gun nuts win

After following this thread for a couple days, I think I'll go buy a gun.  I don't own one, but I can see where the threats to liberty are.  And because of the tone and contempt and self-righteous scorn for gun owners, manipulation of facts, and general Jack Chick style approach to the issue, against most (not all, but most) of the gun owners who have tried to appeal to facts, call bad (even sinful) arguments for what they are, but also try to demonstrate why some solutions might not be good, I'll give it to the gun owners.  It's this style, increasingly popular in some quarters of the Catholic Blogosphere, that has me concerned.  For the record again, I don't own a gun.  But I don't think dropping inaccurate stats, followed by accusations that anyone disagreeing is a gun nut, stupid, doesn't care about dead innocents (especially if the innocents are dark skinned since they're likely racists, too), is the best way to represent the Catholic Faith.  If it is, then that says more about the Catholic Faith now than we might care to admit.

Obama hearts gays

Because only gay matters to culture, it's about the only thing Obama can turn to in order to deflect attention from his disastrous presidency.  Clearly one of the worst in our country's history, but you'd never know it, partly because of this embarrassing display, in which Obama gets into the NFL draft by heaping praise on the Rams for the most important thing anyone can focus on today.  There may be genocides, wars, poverty, starvation and disease in the world, but gay is all that matters.  And Obama knows it, and the propaganda ministry promotes it.  Sometimes I read about the Revolutionary War and I want to weep.  But then, like free will, freedom never guaranteed doing the right thing.  Or even not doing the dumb thing.

Chelsea Clinton is graduating from Oxford

Congrats to Chelsea.  This is brought to you by the Clinton Election Committee, otherwise known as the American Press.  Anyone who doubts that the press is fully committed to seeing Hilary elected is foolish or a liar.  Little things like consistency don't trouble the progressive world anyway, so overcoming the old is bad meme will be no problem.  Of course some would argue that it's common for politicians' children to get press coverage.  And you know what?  They're obviously right.  Oh, and lest you say 'those are comedians and they do it to everyone', find a similar page on 'Chelsea Clinton Jokes' and I'll readily concede the point.

Gay rights is about ending the First Amendment

Just thought I'd post a reminder of the bleeding obvious.  Of course some argue 'it's not the government, it's not censorship.'  Even though when I was in college I was told that it didn't have to be government to be censorship.  In fact, those old time liberal professors I had made a compelling case.  If you get society to accept crushing the rights of speech outside of the political sphere, then it's only a small step to make it official.  Once the government is doing it, you've already won the hearts and minds of the people to make it possible. So we have gay marriage, not about marriage equality at all (which is as much a B.S. phrase as I've ever heard), but really about training Americans to accept the idea that traditional religious (read: Christian) values should no longer have a place in our culture.  Given the polls, it looks like a growing number of Americans are warming up to the call.

UPDATE:  Just like that little gallimimus in Jurassic Park that frantically and hopelessly snarls back at the T-Rex about to devour it, some are trying to find ways to keep Gay Rights from becoming the tool with which the Progressive Left can finally and legally crush the Rights to not be Liberal.  As the article says, most initiatives have withered under the screams of a media-orchestrated outcry.  Who was it that said witch hunts and McCarthy and the Inquisition and Fascists were always warned against by our educational, media and cultural institutions, but not it's those very institutions behind the modern witch hunts?  Oh, that's be me.  But I'm afraid, too little, too late.

How not to discuss gun control on the Catholic blogosphere

Is demonstrated here.  Because you never know, when dealing in typical rhetoric involving gun loving nuts who don't care about murdered children especially if the children have dark skin, you might just run into a real life, real world example of why care and caution are needed, as in here.

You have to want abortion

I mean, really want it.  Celebrate it.  Enjoy it.  Have fun with it.  Make it one more spoke in the wheel of eternal entertainment that is the hub around which our lives rotate.  That's the latest strategy.  Abortion is no longer murder but a necessary evil.  Nope.  In our decaying culture, it's time to take the gloves off and learn to love the abortion.  Dr. Strangelove indeed.  Or how leftists learned to stop worrying and love the aborted baby.

The latest chapter in this sad march toward genocide?  An abortion counselor is all grins, smiles, giggles and laughs as she puts herself before the most important thing in our modern age: the camera.  As much yucking up as going to get a haircut, and probably not nearly as important to some.  I saw the story on a news ticker on TV.  I couldn't believe my eyes.  Then I remembered this is the world of the post-Christian secular Left.  What else did I expect?  Genocides in former ages were for national pride or ethnic cleansing or tribal allegiance or just plain acquisition of land and conquest.  The future genocides?  That would be for the only thing we value today, and that's our self.  Like I've told my boys a million times if I've told them once: I have no idea how horrifying the next global genocides will be, but I'm pretty damn sure while they will be.  Take heed America:

A small step for religious freedom

A very small step.  But given the tidal wave of support that ending religious rights and freedom of speech is achieving, even a small step is something.  If nothing else, a small spark that could ignite a flame?  Or maybe a small enough step that will drive those who should be alarmed back to apathy.  In any event, it's nice to see that banishing religious thought and other forms of non-progressive wrong think from the public forum is not a forgone conclusion. Well done 5 of 9 Supreme Court Justices.  

Doing dumb on the Catholic Blogosphere

Like so many things, the Catholic blogosphere ain't what it used to be; not what it was when I began my journey into the Church all those years ago.  In just ten years, the capacity for the Internet to engender amazing amounts of dumb is beyond imagining.  Combined with the gradual erosion of classical liberal education, we're a truly the most educated idiots in history.

And nowhere shows that more effectively than the Catholic blogosphere.  For the rich and deep philosophical traditions of Catholicism should allow the arguments and defenses, even by the most marginally educated Catholics, to rise head and shoulders above the din of the Internet market.

But alas.  Instead I've read some of the most egregious, stupid and unbelievable things in Catholic blogs over the recent years, so stupid that it can almost surpass the most ludicrous rants on a daytime talk show.  And since I like to expect the best from us followers of Christ (including myself), simply falling to the same level as everyone else is its own indictment.  Going lower is inexcusable.

And it's not just an occasional post here or comment there.  It is ongoing threads of thought, opinions which so many in the Catholic blogs seem to latch onto.  So for instance, we have the whole 'better to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert' motif.  Or in modern Catholic blog terms, 'why couldn't we go back to the glory days of monarchy instead of flirting with Democracy, which is the form of government that gives us Barabbas.'

Uh huh.  Because monarchies were always so wonderful, as opposed to mean and vicious and evil U.S.  Granted, it's not uncommon in Catholic circles to trash (beyond constructive Christian criticism) the U.S.  Ironically in more hardcore traditionalist circles you can really see this.  In liberal circles, as in liberalism in general, it's also popular.  And naturally a good monarchy is better than a bad democracy.  That goes without saying.  Anything good is better than anything bad.  Duh. 

But think of it.  Back to the glory days of monarchy?  And it isn't just your typical combox fare.  Years ago I remember a link to a Catholic Bishop saying how warfare in the glory days of monarchy was always better than now.   Why?  Because some convoluted reason about it not being about land.  WTH?   Monarchies.  There's a reason republicanism and representative democracies rose out of such governmental structures. 

Yep, the Catholic tradition is rich indeed, and I defy anyone to find a broader and more profound expression of the Christian heritage anywhere else.  But the Internet has allowed us to, as with everything else, find ways to ignore that depth and instead pop off some unbelievable, if not typical, levels of dumb.  

Gay marriage has served its purpose

Gene Robinson is getting a divorce.  A second one that is.  The first one was, of course,  a celebration of post-traditional values as he left his wife for his gay lover.  The two then made history by dragging the issue of gay rights and Christian values into the media circus.  From when it was actually believed you could oppose this and be a decent person, to now when the slight majority of Americans who just threw values out the window because of a lack of solid principles and intellectual foundations, we've seen a swing from one extreme to another.

Sixty years ago, if you stood up and said gays should be married, you'd be skinned.  Or at least laughed off the stage. Today, if you say gay marriage ain't natural and probably shouldn't be the basis for overthrowing one of the foundations of Western Civilization, it could be the end.  See my previous post for our growing love of witch hunts.

And more than any other issue, more than even race and racism, it's been gay rights and gay marriage that have been the main instruments used to turn back the clock on all this freedom and liberty stuff.  Despite the fact that a relatively few percentage of gays even bother to get married, and that gays in any culture seem to make up a relatively few number of people, it was an issue many felt justified a reexamination of what rights are important, and what rights can be qualified.

Now, the poster child of Christian gaydom is divorcing his gay husband.  And not just him.  There is a sudden growth in those few marriages ending in divorce.  Nothing unusual given the disaster that was no fault divorce (something that, itself, probably aided in redefining marriage to include any combination of carbon based lifeforms).  But the point is, we were already dealing with such a tiny number of people.  And now that number is seeing even its ranks compromised by those few leaving what most others in that demographic don't even want.

And for that, we've come to a point where a growing number of people think that freedom of speech, religion and conscience just have to go where other freedoms (like sex) are concerned.  Gay has served its purpose.  It was the weapon with which the post modern Left bludgeoned what were once believed to be the most important freedoms mankind had ever obtained.  Well done.  I enjoy a well played card.  And no card more demonstrated the judicious use of the joker card than the obvious use of gay sex to undo centuries of struggle for basic human rights.  

Post modern witch hunts

Yes, I'm afraid it's all the rage.  McCarthy is the patron saint and witch hunts all the rage as our decaying culture continues its apathetic and lazy denial of the inevitable.  I don't think persecution and decline are connected, since such things have happened in the dawn of, or at the peak of, various cultures and civilizations.  But in ours, it marks one of the characteristics of the country we're passing on to our posterity.  Thomas McDonald quotes Kareem Abdul-Jabber who tried to step in and inject a little sanity into our growing self-righteous rage based insanity.  He, and others who made the point, were ignored.

Remember that growing up, the Inquisition, witch hunts and McCarthy were roundly condemned by our educational, cultural and media institutions.  And it was those institutions that kept the knowledge alive as warnings and lessons so that such horrors would never be repeated. Today, however, it's precisely those institutions that are behind the phenomenon.  So who will ring the warning bell?

An apology

I didn't realize how many grammar and spelling errors were in my recent posts.  Still using a borrowed computer, and blogging is sparse right now.  Hopefully things will turn around when my wife begins working full time.  And just as hopefully no more shoes will drop.  In the meantime, I don't have that much time, and my posts are just off the cuff.  They always were, but I could sometimes take a little time to think things through.  Now it's just type first, think later (a dangerous habit I prefer to avoid).  Again, I'm hoping things settle soon.  Then I can get back to figuring where I want to go with things, and do so in a grammatically pleasing way.