Room and Scored

Further evidence that our culture is going to hell in a hand-basket, some colleges are now allowing coed dorm rooms.

[AP] In the prim 1950s, college dorms were off-limits to members of the opposite sex. Then came the 1970s, when male and female students started crossing paths in coed dormitories. Now, to the astonishment of some Baby Boomer parents, a growing number of colleges are going even further: coed rooms.

At least two dozen schools, including Brown University, the University of Pennsylvania, Oberlin College, Clark University and the California Institute of Technology, allow some or all students to share a room with anyone they choose — including someone of the opposite sex. This spring, as students sign up for next year's room, more schools are following suit, including Stanford University.

There isn't enough coed copulation going on, now we need to put them in the same room together. Progressivism is a disease that rots the mind as well as the soul.

College kids call this nonsense "roomcest", enlightened educators call it "gender neutrality", the Church calls it "sin", I call it "stupid." Any bettors on when Georgetown will implement this policy?

Parents pay for "room and board" not "room and scored!"

Karen's Mad Parenting Skills at Best Buy

Karen, with 7 year old son in tow, makes a trip to Best Buy. Hilarity Ensues. She hopes a jury won't convict her but she may be willing to take the chance. Check her out over at Some Have Hats.

And that brings me to the point of this post, which is to give a little friendly advice to teenagers who work in retail. Let's call this lesson "How to Avoid Being Snarled At by a Woman with a Small Child."

So here comes Bob the friendly Best Buy Guy. Can he help us?

Me: No thanks, we're fine.
Caleb: (semi-crying) I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'll never do it again I swear I'm sorry I'm sorry...
Bob: Were you looking for a video game?
Me: We were, but we changed our minds. Thanks anyway.
Caleb: NOOOOO!!!! I'm sorry, I mean it, I'm really sorry, I just want one...etc.

Bob starts away, but then, out of the corner of my eye, I see him head back toward us. This can't be good, thinks I.

To find out Bob's fate, go check her out over at Some Have Hats.

Today on CMR - May 2, 2008

"Our Dad Takes Care Of Us"
—Eight Year Old Points out My Fashion Faux Pas

Pope Too Stupid To Be A Heretic
—Bishop Williamson of the SSPX has again displayed his dependable dyspepsia.

Town Vs. Church in Battle over Stained Glass
—A dispute between a Catholic Church and a township is getting fiery.

Even When We Are Wrong - We're Right
—As the earth cools, scientists tell us to stick our heads in the sand.

Priest: Jesus Was a Migrant
—Jesus: Borders...We don't need no stinkin' borders.

Smartest In A Room Full Of Dunces
—Ignorance of the Bible is a death sentence.

Disney Girls Gone Wild
—Now It's Miley Cyrus, Next It'll be Ariel

Nuns Invite Clinton to Campaign
—First daughter campaigns at home run by nuns.

Obama Shows Saintly Patience
—Angered and saddened presidential candidate displays patience of Job.

The Religion of (Hair) Piece
—Saudi Arabia plans to groom flirty perps.

Why Catholic Schools Are in Trouble
—In education as in politics, everything comes down to votes and money.

Why Women Can't Be Pope
—Certain types of gossip can get you excommunicated.

"Our Dad Takes Care Of Us"

My children had off from school Thursday and Friday. So I took them to see "Horton Hears a Who" yesterday which they all loved. And I liked it as well though I couldn't help but make the analogy to the abortion issue. Then we went to the park and had a great time there. As the children were going to sleep they were excitedly asking what we had planned for the next day.

This morning, I opened the refrigerator and saw we were out of eggs, pancake mix and even waffles (even though we buy them by the gross, I think). So being a lazy bones and wanting to give the kids a thrill I announced we were going to McDonalds for breakfast. (Don't you dare judge me.) I told everyone to get in the van which they all did in about four seconds.

While we were eating at McDonalds my eight year old suddenly looked up and began pointing out how inappropriately dressed they all were. We had one with red shorts and a pink top which is a big no-no she said because they don't just not match, they clash. We had all sorts of colors and headbands and ponytails tilted to the side of their head kinda like was in fashion in the 1980's. My three year old son had matching shoes but they were on the wrong feet.

My eight year old looks at me and says, "These outfits scream 'our Dad takes care of us." I had to agree. When we got home everyone got baths and now we're going to the library.

This story is only coming to you because my wife hardly ever reads the blog and I'm confident none of you will ever meet her.

Pope Too Stupid To Be A Heretic

The consistently cranky Bishop Richard Williamson of the SSPX has once again displayed his dependable dyspepsia. This week's derogatory dig is aimed at the post conciliar papacy.

Bishop Williamson takes issue with the sedevacantist notion embraced by a minority of radical traditionalists which holds that the Papal See has been vacant since the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958. So far so good. Williamson contends that in order for the seat to be vacant, the Popes would have to be firmly and formally heretical. Williamson quips that these conciliar Popes are clearly and truly legitimate Popes. Why? Well, because these moderns Popes are too stupid to be actual heretics. Yes, too addled to be heretics, so therefore they are legitimate Popes.

I have never believed any of the Conciliar Popes not to be truly popes. Modern thinking turns minds into mush, and I have always held the Conciliar Popes to be too modern to be capable of the clear firm thinking in matters of Faith necessary to make them such clear firm heretics as could no longer hold their high office in the Church.

Yes. Pope Benedict's thinking is manifestly muddled while Williamson's thinking is as unclouded as a Saharan afternoon. Right. After all, it was Williamson who alerted us to the hidden danger of the Sound of Music. He also displayed his preternatural prescience when he picked up on the Jews plot to dominate the world and that the Twin Towers were brought down not by terrorists in planes but by controlled explosions. What has Pope Benedict ever done to display his intellectual prowess? Hmmm...Can't think of a thing,

Yet, in a way akin to a broken clock giving the right time twice a day, Bishop Williamson might actually be onto something. If one displays obvious mental impairment, you cannot fairly judge them to be a heretic.

True Enough. I will never call Bishop Williamson a heretic again.

Town Vs. Church in Battle over Stained Glass

A dispute between a Catholic Church and a township is getting fiery including accusations and allegations of lying and misleading. If it gets any uglier someone may have to step in and separate the Church and the state.

The church congregation of St. Francis De Sales in Ajax township wants the 20 stained glass windows at the former St. Francis, on Church Street South, moved to the new site. However, the Town bought the building for $50,000 from the archdiocese and the sale, they say, included the windows.

Father Roy Roberts, the church's pastor, said the matter is "certainly unfortunate, says a small Canadian newspaper.

The dispute started over stained glass windows at the former St. Francis building but now the township is going after the church saying there's been complaints over the ringing of church bells. The bell-ringing, the township says, upsets neighbours of the new church building on Ravenscroft Road and led to the laying of a noise complaint by the Town. That complaint heads to court sometime later this spring.

Fr. Roberts said any negotiations with the Town over the windows is being handled by the Archdiocese of Toronto. So now before they can deal with the stained glass window issue, they have first to deal with the bell-ringing issue. One Church parishioner, Judy Marshall, said at the council meeting that the bells at the new church are rung at "the same pattern and frequency" going back to 1960.

Mayor Parish said last year the Town started receiving noise complaints from neighbours of the church.

Fr. Roberts said, "Contrary to the mayor's misinformation, the parish has not increased the volume of the bells, or been ringing them at very unusual times and at a very unusual frequency. The frequency has been consistent, a continuation of the practice established at the old church."

But oddly enough, the bell ringing complaints began after the window dispute flared up.

But back to the windows. During a recent town council meeting, Mayor Parish stated the old church building was given a heritage designation (at the request of parishioners) in 1999 and "one of six reasons for the heritage designation were the windows."

But the Church argues that the windows were paid for by families who helped build the original building in the 1870s. And they have plans for the windows in the new church.

"We had always intended to bring them with us," Fr. Roberts said of the windows. "We left a place for them, not as structural glass, but as art panels.

"There's a sequence of stories in eight of the panels," he added. "The panel of St. Francis, we have a prominent place at the entrance way."

Fr. Roberts also said the Mayor's claims are misleading. "The Town declared the old church historical at the parish's request. Half true. There was a minority group in the parish that went to the Town, but not in the parish's name. The Town claims the Archdiocese did not challenge it. True. Under the provincial legislation of the day, the designation would not have prevented the parish from removing the stained glass. When the parish was asked to allow an historical plaque on the church property, it refused because the Archdiocese did not officially recognize the historical designation. Provincial revisions in 2002 led to the present issues whereby the Town has been granted absolute power over the windows' removal."

Mayor Parish said he made a bona fide offer to the church for some of the windows, but Rev. Roberts "unequivocally" rejected that offer.

The Archdiocese has, according to Fr. Roberts, offered to replicate these windows for the township. "The Archdiocese presented an option whereby the windows can be easily replicated. In that situation, the parish desires to respect the intention of the original window donors. Descendants we have been in contact with have expressed great disappointment with the Town and its denial of the windows' place in the Catholic community."

Fr. Roberts wondered what the town would do with the stained glass windows anyway. "Certainly one of many issues that the parish has with the Town is that they cannot be vigilant custodians protecting the dignity and sacredness of those religious icons. "

This whole thing seems kind of odd. If I were to sell a house and then took all the windows with me, that would be a problem, right. But on the other hand, what possible use does the township have for the stained glass windows? Is it because they look pretty? Seems kind of weak especially in light of the fact that the Archdiocese has offered up the possibility of replicating the windows.

Let's hope something good comes out of this. As the saying goes, God doesn't close a door without opening a window, right?

Today on CMR - May 1, 2008

Pope Too Stupid To Be A Heretic
—Bishop Williamson of the SSPX has again displayed his dependable dyspepsia.

Even When We Are Wrong - We're Right
—As the earth cools, scientists tell us to stick our heads in the sand.

Priest: Jesus Was a Migrant
—Jesus: Borders...We don't need no stinkin' borders.

Smartest In A Room Full Of Dunces
—Ignorance of the Bible is a death sentence.

Disney Girls Gone Wild
—Now It's Miley Cyrus, Next It'll be Ariel

Nuns Invite Clinton to Campaign
—First daughter campaigns at home run by nuns.

Obama Shows Saintly Patience
—Angered and saddened presidential candidate displays patience of Job.

The Religion of (Hair) Piece
—Saudi Arabia plans to groom flirty perps.

Why Catholic Schools Are in Trouble
—In education as in politics, everything comes down to votes and money.

Why Women Can't Be Pope
—Certain types of gossip can get you excommunicated.

Cardinal Criticizes Rudy Taking Communion
—"I deeply regret that Mr. Giuliani received the Eucharist during the Papal visit here in New York"

Even When We Are Wrong - We're Right

How dumb do these guys think we are?

In the face of overwhelming evidence that the earth is not only Not warming, it may even be cooling, "scientists" (and we use this term loosely) are now telling us that even if it gets colder for the next 10 years, it is really getting warmer.

[Bloomberg] Parts of North America and Europe may cool naturally over the next decade, as shifting ocean currents temporarily blunt the global-warming effect caused by mankind, Germany's Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences said.

Average temperatures in areas such as California and France may drop over the next 10 years, influenced by colder flows in the North Atlantic, said a report today by the institution based in Kiel, Germany. Temperatures worldwide may stabilize in the period.

The study was based on sea-surface temperatures of currents that move heat around the world, and vary from decade to decade. This regional cooling effect may temporarily neutralize the long- term warming phenomenon caused by heat-trapping greenhouse gases building up around the earth, said Richard Wood, a research scientist at the Met Office Hadley Centre, a U.K. provider of environmental and weather-related services.

``Those natural climate variations could be stronger than the global-warming trend over the next 10-year period,'' Wood said in an interview. ``Without knowing that, you might erroneously think there's no global warming going on.'

Heaven forbid that we pay attention to the facts rather than these scientific chicken littles. To them global warming just has to be there, has to! So even though other scientists who attribute the recent warming trend to solar activity accurately predicted this cooling period, we should all stick our heads in the sand for then next 10 years. If these "scientists" are lucky the will have one warmer year in the next decade and they will all scream in unison "Ah hah! See, we told you!"

How dumb do these people think that we are. Natural climate variations can may the climate cool, but it can't make the climate warm. I don't know about you, but this is all beginning to get a little tiresome. I really cannot stomach the idea that for the next decade as we all walk around wearing sweaters we will have to live with higher fuel prices, higher food prices, starving peoples, and economic mayhem because of policies based on this nonsense.

Enough!

Priest: Jesus Was a Migrant

The Rev. Daniel D. Groody, a University of Notre Dame theologian, has produced a new immigration documentary called “One Border, One Body: Immigration and the Eucharist” saying essentially that Jesus was a migrant so you have no right to enforce the border.

Logical, right?

The film highlights a Mass held at the United States-Mexico border with half of the community in the United States and the other half in Mexico. The altar for the service is joined at the fence. The Mass was celebrated in memory of thousands of undocumented immigrants who have died while attempting to cross the border.

If that were all this was, I wouldn't have any problem with this at all. Groody has been quoted saying, “Christ is the ultimate migrant," he said. "Jesus’ family were refugees in Egypt.”

Groody produced the film “Dying to Live,” which detailed the struggle of migrants crossing the border into America.

In an article, he wrote

According to the Judeo-Christian Scriptures, immigration is not simply a sociological fact but also a theological event. God revealed his Covenant to his people as they were in the process of immigrating. This Covenant was a gift and a responsibility; it reflected God's goodness to them but also called them to respond to newcomers in the same way Yahweh responded to them in their slavery: "So you too must befriend the alien, for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt" (Deuteronomy 10:19).

Building on this same foundation, Catholic social teaching has reiterated that the true moral worth of any society is how it treats its most vulnerable members. John Paul II has consistently underscored the moral responsibility of richer nations to help poor nations, particularly with regard to more open immigration policies. While some in America claim these undocumented immigrants have no right to be here, the church believes that a person's true homeland is that which provides a migrant with bread...

The Catholic church recognizes the right of a nation to control its borders, but it does not see this as an "absolute right," nor does it see sovereign rights as having priority over basic human rights. While acknowledging the ideal of people finding work in their home country, the church teaches that if their country of birth does not afford the conditions necessary to lead a fully human life, persons have a right to emigrate.

More info about the film can be found at One Border One Body.

Christianity, I believe, calls us to love all but I don't believe it means our country is not allowed to have borders, as Fr. Groody seems to believe. And I'm not sure that using the Eucharist as a way to advance a political agenda or stoke a media frenzy is the way to go.

Smartest In A Room Full Of Dunces

A recent poll carried out in nine countries -- the United States, Britain, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Russia, Italy, Spain and Poland showed that Americans are among the most literate when it comes to Bible knowledge. That seems like good news. Unfortunately this is like having the best eyesight among a roomful of blind people.

[Reuters]The international poll, conducted by Eurisko for the Catholic Biblical Federation, showed that in Italy only 14 per cent of those questioned were able to answer a series of questions about the Bible correctly. They included whether Moses or St Paul featured in the Old Testament, whether Jesus had written any of the Gospels, and whether the Gospels form part of the Bible. Another question which defeated most Italians was: which of the following - Luke, John, Peter and Paul - wrote the Gospels?

Only 14% of Italians could answer those questions. How sad. The Americans did better, but not much. Americans were able to answer the questions correctly 17% of the time. The Poles topped the list at 20%. The Russians took the bottom ranking. In fairness though, 70 years of mandated atheism will do that to you. Not so for the Italians, Spaniards, and the French. They can blame their smug self-imposed secularism for their collective ignorance.

But this survey is not all downside. Not coincidentally, the countries with the lowest rankings in the survey are also the same countries un-breeding themselves out of existence with dramatically less than replacement level birth rates. So the numbers should be going up real soon. In this case, ignorance of the Word is literally death. Just few more years and natural selection will do for religion what the crusades could not.

If this society of suicidal socialists actually read the bible, they would know that is who it is that inherits the earth(Matthew 5:5). Cliff Notes version, it is not you.

Today on CMR - April 30, 2008

Disney Girls Gone Wild
—Now It's Miley Cyrus, Next It'll be Ariel

Nuns Invite Clinton to Campaign
—First daughter campaigns at home run by nuns.

Obama Shows Saintly Patience
—Angered and saddened presidential candidate displays patience of Job.

The Religion of (Hair) Piece
—Saudi Arabia plans to groom flirty perps.

Why Catholic Schools Are in Trouble
—In education as in politics, everything comes down to votes and money.

Why Women Can't Be Pope
—Certain types of gossip can get you excommunicated.

Cardinal Criticizes Rudy Taking Communion
—"I deeply regret that Mr. Giuliani received the Eucharist during the Papal visit here in New York"

The Race
—How Padre Pio is hurting my self esteem and why that may be a good thing.

My Daughter's Communion Was For The Birds
—A fully reverential and moving affair. But the priest did ruffle some feathers.

Disney Girls Gone Wild

What's in the water over at Disney? I'm truly confused about it.

Britney Spears was a Mickey Mouse Club girl and a self professed virgin before...well you know what happened to her.

Christina Aguilera essentially went from little girl to dirty sexpot in two months.

Lindsay Lohan was the star of many Disney movies including "The Parent Trap" and "Freaky Friday" before she became a drug addled party girl.

Hilary Duff was the star of "Lizzie McGuire" before, at age 16, she began dating rocker Joel Madden, age 24; she shortly thereafter denied that she had claimed that she was a virgin, stating, "Whose business is that?"

Vanessa Hudgens, star of the huge hit High School Musical, appeared nude in a scandalous photo that hit the internet.

Now we have 15 year old Miley Cyrus in her tousled hair, bed sheet pose.

I wonder what's going on over at Disney. Let's first talk about on a business scale. These girls were all at the top of their careers when they were "good girls." Then for some reason people sell them that the way for real money is in being bad. And one after the other go running off that cliff into oblivion, rehab, and VH1's "Where are they Now?"

What's next? Ariel will be found in a Motel 6 bathtub in an drug-related coma?
Belle brawling in a "Youtube" catfight?
In fact, has anyone heard anything about Tinkerbell lately?

But in the real sense, is there nobody there for these children? I mean, they all seem to go wildly off the tracks. Now I understand parenting has to come into play here and parents who push their children into show business probably have a screw loose somewhere but wouldn't you think a corporation that owes its billion dollar product to child stars has some responsibility for protecting them...even a little.

Nuns Invite Clinton to Campaign

With little more than a month to go before Puerto Rico's June 1 primary, the former first daughter Chelsea Clinton toured the U.S. territory's capital of San Juan and shook hands with well-wishers, posed for snapshots and tried to charm voters on behalf of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, says the Associated Press.

In the day's first campaign push, the 28-year-old met with roughly 250 senior citizens at a residence run by an order of Catholic nuns. She touted her mother's health care proposals and stressed her electability.

Ok. Come on now. I'm shocked when I hear that Chelsea or Obama came to Villanova or Georgetown but a senior home run by nuns?! What is the deal there?

Here's my favorite line from the article: "Later Tuesday, Clinton toured the colonial district of Old San Juan. She also was scheduled to meet with a Christian youth group, followed by a visit to a gay rights organization."

Do I have to start a Cardinal Newman Society for old age homes now? I really don't want to. I'm very busy. Am I crazy here or are these nuns off their rockers?

Obama Shows Saintly Patience

Showing nearly eternal patience, Democrat Barack Obama after twenty years of biting his tongue finally said he was outraged and saddened by the comments of his former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

Obama regretfully said,

"I am outraged by the comments that were made and saddened by the spectacle that we saw yesterday...The person I saw yesterday was not the person that I met 20 years ago...But when he states and then amplifies such ridiculous propositions as the U.S. government somehow being involved in AIDS. ... There are no excuses. They offended me. They rightly offend all Americans and they should be denounced."

“What became clear to me was that he was presenting a worldview that contradicts who I am and what I stand for...And the fact that Rev. Wright would somehow think it is appropriate to command the stage for three or four days in the midst of this major debate it not only makes me angry but it saddens me.”

“I want to make it absolutely clear that I do not subscribe to the views that he expressed...I do not expect those views to be attributed to me...I don’t think anyone could attribute those ideas to me.”

Many experts think Obama's twenty years of silence reflect his Job-like patience. (Not that he knows who Job is) And it is this patience, according to voters across the country, which would make him one of the greatest Presidents the country has ever seen.

Said one anonymous voter: "Do you know how many politicians would just immediately get angry if their pastor said G%#Damn America? They'd probably get up and walk right out of that church. But not Barack Obama. He listened to it for twenty years before finally losing his patience. He's amazing."

It is this same kind of patience that Obama seems willing to extend to terrorist countries like Iran by sitting down and talking with them despite their constant threats of marching Jews into the sea or attacking America.

One Democratic consultant said he felt bad for Obama because of this experience. "That poor man was obviously in pain listening to Rev. Wright for all those years and he never said a word," he said. "He's my hero."

Wright's incendiary comments have dogged Obama's presidential campaign and he still waited almost two months before rejecting his former pastor.

But some recalcitrant obnoxious right wing Christian conservatives like Patrick Archbold of CMR continue to attack Obama, even after this display of saintly patience. "Hey look, originally Obama said that he could no more disown Rev. Wright than he could the black community or his white grandmother. As he is now disowning Rev. Wright, I would like to put out an Amber alert for Obama's grandmother. She probably shouldn't be expecting a Christmas Card this year."

The Religion of (Hair) Piece

In case you needed a reminder of how life would be in a world run by the religion of peace, look no further than home of our ally, Saudi Arabia.

In a province of northern Saudi Arabia, the local governor has ordered the religious police to cut the hair of any (long haired) men caught flirting with women in public.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) - A governor in northern Saudi Arabia has ordered authorities to punish men who flirt with women in public places by cutting their hair, local media said Tuesday.

Prince Fahd bin Badr, governor of the northern al-Jof region, ordered police to carry out the punishment after seeing a group of men with long hair pestering female students as they left school in the northern al-Qurayat province, Al-Hayat newspaper said.

It said the prince told a gathering at his palace in the northern town of Skaka on Sunday he has instructed police to apply the punishment to all youths guilty of flirting, including "the sons of senior military and civil officials."

The police referred to in the article are not your run of the mill flatfoots. No, these police are specialists in enforcing Islamic law.

Saudi Arabia has long imposed a strict Islamic lifestyle in which men and women are segregated in public. That lifestyle is enforced by the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, a government body that runs the country's powerful religious police.

Its members patrol public places to make sure women are covered and not wearing make up, the sexes don't mingle, shops close five times a day for Muslim prayers and men go to the mosque and worship.

Anyway, color me skeptical but I don't think that this plan will work very well. Girls are always attracted to the bad boys. So when these young burqa babes see a guy with a shaved head, they will be drawn to them like flies to Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. Then the religion of peace will need to force all the boys to wear toupee's. Then we will have to call it the religion of hair piece.

Now if they wanted to shave the Sheikh, then they might be on to something.

Today on CMR - April 29, 2008

Why Catholic Schools Are in Trouble
—In education as in politics, everything comes down to votes and money.

Why Women Can't Be Pope
—Certain types of gossip can get you excommunicated.

Cardinal Criticizes Rudy Taking Communion
—"I deeply regret that Mr. Giuliani received the Eucharist during the Papal visit here in New York"

Obama's Got a Running Mate
—Barack Obama has a running mate -whether he wants one or not.

The Race
—How Padre Pio is hurting my self esteem and why that may be a good thing.

My Daughter's Communion Was For The Birds
—A fully reverential and moving affair. But the priest did ruffle some feathers.

More Scripture from Pelosi's Personal Bible
—“And God said unto Moses, ‘Let not my people’s carbonite footprint exceed that of thine cattle. For to do so would cause me to warmeth the Earth.”

Cardinal: No Communion in the Hand!
—Archbishop in Peru bans communion in the hand.

Anti-Social Man Hopes Company Arrives Soon
—In an act of anti-social desperation, Matthew interviews himself.

Oh No! Yoko
—Yoko Ono sues the producers of Ben Stein's documentary Expelled.

Why Catholic Schools Are in Trouble

Catholic schools are in trouble in America and in these darkening economic times, we should expect it only to get worse as families find it increasingly difficult to afford private school tuition. In the last two decades, at least 1,300 Catholic schools have closed. Most were located in our cities, where many children attend low-performing public schools.

Pundits are pushing Sen. John McCain to make vouchers a key fight in the upcoming election. Kathryn Jean Lopez of National Review writes convincingly of the need for vouchers. The Washington Post even came out for vouchers today saying, "What's at stake is not a political point of honor but the opportunity for children to go to schools that work for them. Second, it's a program that is supported by District leaders and embraced by their constituents. A measure of its popularity is how demand for the scholarships outstrips capacity."

Yes. Among many, vouchers are very popular. But here's the sad truth. It's probably not going to happen. Why? Because there's little in it for the politicians.

In politics everything comes down to votes and money. Republicans would love to make vouchers a reality. Democrats, who believe in choice when it comes to killing children but not when it comes to educating them, are tied in to the teacher's unions because of their huge political donations.

So what's left for the Republicans if all the money goes to the Dems? The votes? African Americans, for the most part, are the ones who most need the vouchers to escape failing inner city schools. So the Republicans would need to get African Americans to vote Republican to support vouchers and that hasn't happened and it's certainly not going to happen in this cycle with Sen. Barack Obama on the top of the ticket.

So for Republicans there's no votes or money in the deal so that would seem to be ballgame. But wait, what about Catholic voters? Sadly, many of them want vouchers in theory but don't want voucher students in their children's schools.

I've run a few political campaigns in urban/suburban areas and I've seen that many white middle class voters have moved out of the cities and into the suburbs in order to escape the worst aspects of city schools for their children. In short, they don't want vouchers. They love their children and want to protect them. And quite frankly, many don't want busloads of African American kids being bussed out to the their children's schools which they pay such high taxes to keep. And those suburbs around major cities in swing states like Pennsylvania and Michigan are crucial in the upcoming election.

Sen. McCain has favored vouchers but favoring them and making them a staple of his campaign are two different things. One hope is that his pushing vouchers is one of his much needed olive branches to Christian conservatives but I think McCain is also going to be the recipient of anti-Obama votes from Christian conservatives so we've yet to see how strongly McCain is going to court the right wing of his party.

Sadly, Catholic schools are going to have an increasingly difficult time of things until a champion can come along to push vouchers as a social justice issue. That someone may just be the Governor of Louisiana Bobby Jindal who is pushing either vouchers or tax credits for parents for their children's education. If it works in Louisiana and minority voters there see an appreciable improvement in their children's education then Republicans may push Jindal for nationwide office as a candidate who can make real inroads to minority populations.

Why Women Can't Be Pope

The Pontifical Secret.

There is some intrigue afoot after Tim Walker at the UK Telegraph reported that someone inside the Archbishop of Westminster's house has leaked the contents of the terna which contains the short list of names to be submitted by the Papal Nuncio to the Pope as suggestions for succession to the Archbishopric of Westminster.

The candidates to succeed Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor as Archbishop of Westminster have been whittled down to three.

Mandrake hears that the names on the official list - the terna - are Archbishop Vincent Nichols, Archbishop Peter Smith and Bishop Arthur Roche.

"It will disappoint those who were hoping for someone outside of the current crop of bishops," whispers my man at Archbishop's House.

"Benedict XVI is not, however, obliged to pick one of the names that Archbishop Faustino Munoz, the Papal Nuncio, submits to him so we will have to wait and see."

Now what is most intriguing about this is that the contents of the terna is no ordinary secret and leaking its contents no ordinary gossip. The terna is protected by the Pontifical Secret. To reveal the contents of such a secret, one would incur latae sententiae excommunication. Pretty serious business for someone in the Archbishop's house. Granted, we have politicians up the ying yang walking around in a state of latae sententiae excommunication without a care in the world. No biggie, right? However, one would expect that someone with access to the terna would most likely know better.

This is why women can't be the Pope or even Bishops, they would all be excommunicated! Imagine a conversation between one lady bishop and another:

Listen, I am not supposed to tell you this, but did you hear who is on the short list for Westminster? Now, I am not one for gossip, but this is just too juicy......Oh I know! I can't believe that SHE is on the short list! Marge down in social services, who used to work for Her Excellency, told me that one time that she.....And did you see the shoes she was wearing at last weeks ordinations....I am not saying she is a tramp, but I would never wear those shoes...

See, God in His infinite wisdom chose only men for the priesthood simply to prevent all ordained women from being excommunicated.

Now I know what you are thinking, the article in the Telegraph referred to a "man" in the Archbishop's house. Maybe, maybe not. All I know is that real men don't gossip.

Oh by the way, did I tell you what I heard about....

Cardinal Criticizes Rudy Taking Communion

New York Cardinal Edward Egan says Rudy Giuliani should not have received Holy Communion during the pope's visit. Egan said he had "an understanding" with the former presidential candidate and New York mayor that he is not to receive the Eucharist. Giuliani is pro-choice, never mind he didn't receive an annulment for his second marriage.

"The Catholic Church clearly teaches that abortion is a grave offense against the will of God," Egan said. "Throughout my years as Archbishop of New York, I have repeated this teaching in sermons, articles, addresses, and interviews without hesitation or compromise of any kind."

"Thus it was that I had an understanding with Mr. Rudolph Giuliani, when I became Archbishop of New York and he was serving as Mayor of New York, that he was not to receive the Eucharist because of his well-known support of abortion," Cardinal Egan explained.

"I deeply regret that Mr. Giuliani received the Eucharist during the Papal visit here in New York, and I will be seeking a meeting with him to insist that he abide by our understanding," the Catholic leader added.

Giuliani's spokeswoman told the media late Monday that he is available to meet with the Catholic official. She said he says his faith "is a deeply personal matter and should remain confidential."

You've gotta love that. He takes Communion at an internationally televised Mass with the Pope and then he turns around and says its private. Shameless.

Today on CMR - April 28, 2008

Obama's Got a Running Mate
—Barack Obama has a running mate -whether he wants one or not.

The Race
—How Padre Pio is hurting my self esteem and why that may be a good thing.

My Daughter's Communion Was For The Birds
—A fully reverential and moving affair. But the priest did ruffle some feathers.

More Scripture from Pelosi's Personal Bible
—“And God said unto Moses, ‘Let not my people’s carbonite footprint exceed that of thine cattle. For to do so would cause me to warmeth the Earth.”

Cardinal: No Communion in the Hand!
—Archbishop in Peru bans communion in the hand.

Anti-Social Man Hopes Company Arrives Soon
—In an act of anti-social desperation, Matthew interviews himself.

Oh No! Yoko
—Yoko Ono sues the producers of Ben Stein's documentary Expelled.

I Like What Obama Says about America
—In small town America, people don't like Obama for all the right reasons.

Pelosi's Fake Bible Joins Fake Catholicism
—Nancy Pelosi takes cafeteria catholicism to a whole new level. Don't try this at home.

Obama Supports Gay Marriage
—Obama calls for repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act.

Obama's Got a Running Mate

Barack Obama has a running mate -whether he wants one or not.

The Rev. Jeremiah Wright was thrown into the bright white hot lights of the national spotlight last month and discovered something. He liked it.

And that is very bad news for Obama.

The Wright controversy exploded into our consciousness last month with incriminating quotes about that anyone with a television set or a radio have memorized by now.

And then Obama gave a speech about race and everything was said to be hunky-dory. Then Obama lost Texas and Ohio. But even the the Wright thing was believed to be fading into the rearview mirror. Then Obama lost Pennsylvania.

Commercials began airing about Wright's comments in North Carolina and McCain denounced them as racist which made the national media focus on it even more.

And now the talk has started. Hey, Obama hasn't won in a while. Can he close the deal? In fact, Obama hasn't won anything since the Rev. Wright scandal started.

And now the Rev. Wright is back and feeling wronged. He's got something to say. A PBS interview. A nationally televised speech at the NAACP.

And now, this: The Rev. Jeremiah Wright said Monday that he will try to change national policy by “coming after” Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) if he is elected president. That means Obama and Wright are a package deal.

Like I said. Bad news. Obama and Wright will not be seeing much of each other over the next few months but they'll be seen together by anyone and everyone with a television set or a radio.

The Race

You have heard the phrase that life isn't fair. Well, now death isn't fair either. Well, now that I think about it, maybe it is.

I have been feeling my age lately. I am in my early forties so it is not unusual that I have been experiencing some new aches, pains, and ailments. Things just don't work the same way any more.

This feeling that age is beginning to get the better of me is exacerbated by recent changes in my lifestyle. Just two years ago I was in the best shape of my life. After several years of triathlons and marathons, I fulfilled a life long dream. For one year I trained for and eventually completed an Ironman triathlon. For the uninitiated, that is a triathlon that consists of 2.4 miles swimming, 112 miles biking, and 26.2 miles of running on one glorious day.

I was in great shape back then, I could go out and do a 15 mile run or a 100 mile bike ride on a whim. But life changes. Training at that level is quite time consuming and sometimes in life you really do have to make choices. After one year of 15-20 hrs per week of training, we had our fifth child on the way. There just wasn't time for advanced training and racing. So, in order to dedicate more time to the family I agreed that I would stop racing for a while.

But for me, the race was everything. Don't get me wrong, on my best day I was only a middle of the pack kind of guy and I have never been anywhere near a podium. But I loved races. I loved the feel of them. I loved thinking about them. The races always kept me motivated. I would no sooner finish one race than I would sign up for another. I needed the races to be me focused, motivated. This is the problem with me. I need that focus. But I had to choose and the races had to wait. But with no race to keep me motivated, I eventually stopped training altogether.

Now, two years later and I am 40 lbs heavier and I find that when once I could run 10 miles and be fresh as a daisy, now I breathe heavily when I go up the stairs. To tell the truth, I have been feeling rather down about my rapid physical decline. Just when I thought that I couldn't feel any lower, Padre Pio has managed to make me feel even worse.

Blessed Padre Pio has been dead almost as long as I have been alive yet he still looks better than I do right now. How is that fair? I mean look at the guy! I lay around for two years and I am a mess, he lays around for forty years and he looks great. Oh sure they used a little wax to help with the skin tone, but who couldn't use a little makeup now and then.

My wife and I have been talking about the need for exercise. Moderate yet steady. She agrees that I need to start getting back in shape. Maybe I will never be where I was two years ago, but it is time to start training again. If you don't use it, you will certainly lose it and I am not ready to lose it yet.

Yet, Padre Pio's pulchritudinous physiognomy precipitated some pondering. Why is that he looks so good after forty years? The answer seems obvious. When he was alive, he exercised his soul. He prayed, he fasted, he was obedient, and he loved. He did all the spiritual exercise necessary to get him to the finish line. So when his race was finally over, he received a reward much greater than any Ironman medal.

So, this week as I dust of my running shoes and take the first creaky steps back to physical fitness, I am also going to dust of my rosary and take the first steps toward better spiritual fitness as well. I am motivated again, I just realized I have a very important race for I which I need to train. See you at the finish line.

My Daughter's Communion Was For The Birds

My daughter's first communion was yesterday. Unlike Patrick's tale of woe, it was a fully reverential and moving affair. All the children bowed low before the Eucharist. And after receiving the Eucharist my daughter didn't even make eye contact with us even though we were seated nearby. She was solemn and prayerful. I was very proud.

She read the Prayer of the Faithful beautifully and when I asked her afterwards if she'd been nervous she looked at me like I was crazy. (Just the way her mother does)

But one odd and funny thing happened I wanted to share. Actually two. When we came in to Church we noticed two birds flying around the altar. They were attracted to the altar, I think, because of the flowers. (I don't think they were Catholic as they didn't genuflect but that doesn't mean anything anymore) But they were swishing and zooming around our Pastor's head.

Now mind you, the church was a heck of a lot more packed than is typical for our parish and I know this greatly upsets the priests at my parish because they bend over backwards trying to do anything and everything to get people to come to Mass regularly. But our Pastor at the beginning of Mass said he tried all night to get the birds out, including turning all the lights off and leaving the front doors wide open, running, chasing, and screaming after them, and making crow noises into the microphone system. I half think the birds stayed just to see what he would do next.

So our Pastor concluded we would just have to ignore them. And then he said a thought just struck him. "I know what I'll do," he said. "I'll baptize them so that way they'll only come to Church twice a year at Christmas and Easter."

Some people laughed. Many didn't.

But overall it was a great, beautiful and prayerful day.

More Scripture from Pelosi's Personal Bible

Fresh on the heels of Nancy Pelosi's pretend Bible quote, The Daily Danet has uncovered several more quotes from scripture only to be found in the Speaker's brain.

Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi (D-Ranged) is fond of quoting her own personal bible to underscore her belief in high gas prices, government mandated largesse and greener and greener policies, no matter the cost...

Speaker Pelosi has acknowledged that the verse is not easily found, as it appears only in her own apocryphal copy of the Bible, given to her personally by God (here taking multiple Earthly forms, including AFL-CIO President John Sweeney and Internet pioneer Al Gore). Among the lost Pelosi passages of the Holy Bible are:

“Woe betide the man who, having money, giveth not to thine most progressive party.”

The Greenest Commandment: “And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is Global Warming. And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy wallet, and with all thy tax revenue, and with all thy Hollywood special effects: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt tax thy neighbor unlike thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.”

“And on the recess of the 10th Day, God cast out the evil spirits of the kingdom of Beegoil, the Chloroflorenes, the Carbonites, the Antiozonites and the Essyouveans. And God saw that the world contained no commerce, and it was good.”

“Blessed are the elected officials, for thine is the kingdom of taxation and spendation.”

“And He sayeth unto the congregation of nonbelievers, ‘I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you and drinketh your Royal Crown and eateth thine waffles?’”

“And God said unto Moses, ‘Let not my people’s carbonite footprint exceed that of thine cattle. For to do so would cause me to warmeth the Earth.”