Allah Is Just Alright With Me

Malaysia's highest court has finally ruled that Catholics (in particular a Catholic newspaper) has the right to use the word "Allah" to refer to God. The government had attempted to stop the long running custom of Catholics in Malaysia saying that it could cause confusion.

KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia's high court ruled Thursday that a Catholic paper had the right to use the word "Allah" after a long-running dispute between the government and the weekly in the Muslim-majority nation.

The ruling overturns the government's controversial threat to cancel The Herald's annual publishing permit.

"The applicant has the constitutional right to use the word 'Allah'," Judge Lau Bee Lan told a packed courtroom, declaring the government's ban on the paper's use of the word "illegal, null and void".

The weekly used the word "Allah" as a translation for "God" in its Malay-language section but the government argued "Allah" should be used only by Muslims.

Now you may be asking yourself "Patrick, sure I am happy for those Malays, but what does this have to do with us here in the good ol' US of A?" Well I will tell you. I have considered that perhaps we should adopt the same practice here. Well, if we do and then when all these radical atheists and secularists mock God (Allah), our Muslim brothers and sisters might just express their, um, dissatisfaction.

"Hey Aftab, did you hear what this PZ Meyers guy and Maureen Dowd just said about Allah? Just thought you should know."

Then just sit back.

PBS on Religion & Ethics. I Am Serious.

Did you know that PBS has a Religion & Ethics show? Watching PBS to get your info on religion and ethics seems strangely akin to watch the Food Network for thoughtful drama, but maybe that just me.

Anyway, they recently had a round-table discussion about what we can expect in 2010 and lefty Catholic E.J. Dionne participated. This is not one of those fun outrage posts where I mock something dopey a liberal Catholic said. However, I did find it interesting in that I agreed with a little he said and scratched my head at the rest. A few excerpts.

ABERNETHY: E.J., it is an election year again. What do you see as a result of that that will be of particular importance to believers?

DIONNE: I think, first of all, we may have the discussion on morality and the economy that was, I think, a little bit delayed, that people were trying to come to terms with what the downturn meant. I think there is going to be now a real look back and look forward as to why did we get into this mess—how much of it were practical problems, how much of it were about people not taking responsibilities seriously that they should have—the stewards of our economy, the people with a strong position in our economy. I think that debate will very much affect the elections.

Funny thing is that I think he is wrong but I actually wish he was right. I agree that we have not adequately dealt with the moral aspects of the behavior that led to the crash. I think that the excessive risk taking by individuals and businesses during the period was immoral in many cases. Much has been said about this but it has probably not been adequately addressed. What definitely has not been adequately addressed is the role government played in exacerbating and even causing many of these problems. The truth of this can be seen in the blind eye that the government has taken to Fannie and Freddie resuming their previous risky and quite possibly immoral behavior. That said, I don't think that a debate on the morality of these individual, corporate, and governmental practices will have any impact on the election. Most people are sadly not interested in the morality of it all. If things are going up, they are happy. Inf things are going down, they are not. Period.

That's about all the agreeing I will be doing today. Dionne goes on to frame the Catholic debate on healthcare in a way that I think is problematic in that he defines health insurance (not health care) as a moral imperative but abortion as a narrow issue. Suffice it to say I think he has it backwards.

I think what you saw among religious groups, particularly Christian religious groups, were a real difference between those who laid the heaviest stress on the moral imperative to getting everyone, or as many people as possible, covered through insurance, versus those who felt that the major emphasis on whether abortion is or is not funded and how in this health care debate. I think that’s going to have a continuing effect, because I think there is this running dialogue, certainly in the Catholic Church that I’m part of, but I think in all of our traditions, between those who believe the central emphasis of our religious group should be on a certain relatively narrow—though they would say very important—list of moral questions: abortion, gay marriage, stem cell research versus those who say that the emphasis should be on a much broader agenda having to do with social justice and how we organize our lives together in the economy. I think that discussion is going to very alive, made all the more so by the controversy of an election year.

And lastly I found humorous his defense of those poor catholic nuns who are being investigated by the bad ol' Vatican followed by an even more humorous question by Jayson Byassee of the Duke Divinity School. Follow this discussion.

LAWTON: The Vatican says that it wants to look into the quality of life for US sisters. That has created a huge amount of consternation here in the US, as there are questionnaires that have been sent to different communities of sisters with a lot of questions. Many of them feel like we’re not going to answer some of these. So that’s going to be moving forward throughout this year, as that sort of give-and-take moves forward. Do they answer these questions? What do they say? How do they say it? What’s really behind all of these questions in the first place? That’s what a lot of people, not just among nuns but across the Catholic community, want to know. What’s really behind this study, this investigation?

DIONNE: There’s a great danger here. I think this could prove a very, very divisive move inside the church. There is enormous affection toward nuns among people who are Catholics. Many of us owe enormous debts to them for our educations and for so many other things they did. They are among the most activist—that’s a bad term in the eyes of some conservatives—as in giving comfort to the poor, helping the sick, doing all the things the Gospel says we should do. And so they risk, I think, a real backlash, if they don’t handle this very carefully. I think they are already confronting it, to some degree. They’ve got to be very careful with the nuns. I’ve got some nuns that sent that message.

BYASSEE: It is an interesting question. If you have an enormously radical form of life, based on what Jesus said we should do, can you be liberal doctrinally? It sounds like the answer may be no, right? That’s a very risky answer…

DIONNE: The answer from the Vatican may be no. It’s not clear to me that there is, first of all, any consistent sort of liberal doctrinal positions, and to the extent that they are somewhat more liberal—for example, in asserting that perhaps there is a bigger role for women to play in the authority structure of the church—it shouldn’t surprise that perhaps that the nuns, who have taken so much responsibility for helping run the church, just might have a view like that.

"They’ve got to be very careful with the nuns. I’ve got some nuns that sent that message." That about sums it up.

NARAL's Hall of Fame

You thought the baseball Hall of Fame had image problems get a load of the NARAL Hall of Fame inductees which has announced it's incoming class.

And late-term abortionist Dr. LeRoy Carhart, whose clinic is under investigation, made the cut. Woot. Woot! NARAL (who I'm not linking to) writes:

Hall of Fame 2009: Dr. LeRoy Carhart: Even in the face of continued harassment and threats, Dr. LeRoy Carhart, an abortion provider in Nebraska, isn't giving up. Operation Rescue and other anti-choice groups have increased their protests outside his health center to block women's access to safe, legal care. We salute Dr. Carhart's steadfast commitment to women's health, and he deserves your consideration for winning the Hall of Fame of the year.

So mad kudos to inductee Carhart for his lockstep marching under the banner of dehumanization.

The folks at Operation Rescue wrote:

"It is hard to believe that even radical abortion proponents would do anything but slink away in shame from Carhart and his disreputable and shoddy abortion business," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. "It is shameful that NARAL would endanger women by misleading them about Carhart to advance their political agenda. If they truly cared about women, they should be warning women to stay away from him."

Events generated by Operation Rescue's campaign prompted several of Carhart's own employees to come forward to tell The Omaha World-Herald of illegal practices and dangerous conditions at Carhart's Bellevue, Nebraska, abortion clinic, including allegations that drugs were missing and surgical instruments were filthy. Three of these women have submitted sworn affidavits detailing their allegations to the Nebraska Attorney General.

NARAL also neglected to mention other shame-worthy Carhart news:

· Carhart was caught by pro-lifers illegally operating his abortion clinic on a generator and extension cord after a fire caused by his own slovenly storage practices gutted the garage portion of his run-down abortion building. He was reported to authorities who immediately ordered him to close until the unsafe conditions could be addressed.

· After a brief petition launched by Operation Rescue, Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, Kansas, said it would not extend hospital privileges or a transfer agreement to Carhart should he attempt to reopen a late-term abortion mill in the Wichita area.

· Carhart was forced to abandon announced plans for a late-term abortion clinic in Kansas when he was unable to secure facilities or support.

· Carhart admits that his Bellevue abortion clinic does not show a profit and that he has failed to draw more than a small fraction George Tiller's late-term abortion business to his Nebraska clinic.

· Operation Rescue documented that Carhart was responsible for most of the frequent abortion injuries that required emergency hospitalization in Kansas, including the third-trimester abortion death of 19-year old Christin Gilbert.

Think about this. The reason NARAL is hyping Carhart is because he's outspokenly willing to perform late term abortions. Think about that. You're awarding someone because of their willingness to rip late-term babies apart. Think about that giving an award to them.

China's Saving the Earth, One Baby at a Time

China's at the forefront of saving the planet. And they're doing it one baby at a time. That is, killing one baby at a time, according to Max Schulz from the Washington Examiner:

Want to save the planet from global warming? Forget about getting rid of coal plants or the internal combustion engine. Get rid of the humans. They're the true problem.

That insidious message gained new currency with the United Nations Copenhagen climate change circus this month. While the conference likely will be remembered for participants' failure to reach a binding emissions reduction agreement, its legacy may be that it brought mainstream respectability to the fringe left-wing notion that mankind is a scourge on the planet.

In so doing, it has breathed new life into population control proposals that had seemed discredited since the population bomb alarmists warned about in the 1960s and '70s failed to detonate.

During the Copenhagen summit, Chinese representatives chillingly claimed credit for stifling 400 million births since the implementation of their one-child policy in 1979. That policy, which generally limits couples to no more than one offspring, is enforced by government mechanisms including coerced abortion and sterilization.

By Beijing's calculations, its fascistic family planning regime has prevented 18 million tons of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere. Snuffing out lives to snuff out emissions seems a perfectly fair tradeoff not just to Beijing, but to opinion makers who have come to regard China as the global green exemplar.

That was the position taken by Peggy Liu, chairwoman of the Joint U.S.-China Collaboration on Clean Energy in a recent debate sponsored by the Economist. Liu, a 2008 Time magazine "Hero of the Environment," argued that China must be given credit not just for what it is doing on climate change, but "for what it is not doing." By that she explained, "China's one-child policy reduces energy demand and is arguably the most effective way the country can mitigate climate change."

It kind of figures that CNN would call this person a hero, doesn't it?

Can you imagine being present at a conference where they're boasting about 400 million forced abortions and not storming out or at least slamming the door. But no, our President and the elite of the world sat on their hands or worse...even approved. 400 million?! That's not environmentalism, that's a holocaust.

You know, I'm starting to think that these people who tout the environment so much maybe don't like humans too much.

Our Miss South Carolina Foreign Policy

Obama Administration: Oh. We are so very upset that somebody—definitely not us—leaked to CNN that we were considering a retaliatory strike against Yemen.

I mean, we were very serious about it, which definitely proves that we are not soft on national security (even though we refuse to call terrorists terrorists and we mirandize them and stuff).

And yes, the guy's father did tell us about him over a month ago and we were like totally watching him, like while he was in Yemen. But nobody told us we should watch him like after he left. Dick Cheney totally bogarted all the manuals when he left so we are just like totally inventing new procedures and stuff.

So like we were saying, we are not soft on national security cause we were really talking about bombing Yemen as soon as we figured out where it actually was. But of course now that someone leaked this highly critical information to CNN—again, definitely not us—we can't do it anymore.

But we were gonna. Really. Seriously.

All this just goes to show that the system worked.

(reading memo)

Like I was saying, this all goes to show that the system is totally broken. But we are gonna get on fixing this broken system that George Bush broke and fix it right away. Well, as soon as we get back from vacation.

In the meantime, Janet Napolitano has everything under control. Don't worry.

Well you should worry if you live in Yemen 'cause we are like totally gonna bomb you, before. But you are probably ok now.

But if you don't live in Yemen, don't worry cause , cause, um well... cause we don't think many Yemenis or Nigerians can afford underwear, either the exploding kind or the regular kind. Which is something we should totally do something about since underwear is a human right and you might be a terrorist too if you couldn't afford underwear. Or something.

Something Rotten In Denmark

Whoa boy!

Somebody in Denmark is gonna have some 'splainin to do to St. Peter one day.

Jim Geraghty reports on an editorial in a Danish newspaper says that Obama is greater than Jesus. This is not a paraphrase folks, this is what they said.

From the start, Obama’s critics have claimed that his supporters have idolised him as a saviour, thus attempting to dismantle the concrete hope that Obama has represented for most Americans.

The idea was naturally that the comparison between Jesus and Obama – which is something that the critics developed themselves – would be comical, blasphemous, or both.

If such a comparison were to be made, it would, of course, inevitably be to Obama’s advantage.

Today, his historic Health Reform is being passed through the American Senate – a welfare policy breakthrough that several of his predecessors have been unable to manage.

Despite all the compromises, it has finally been possible to ensure something so fundamental, as the right of every American not to be financially shipwrecked when their health fails them. Add to that the biggest ever financial support package in America’s history, a major disarmament agreement and the quickest-ever re-establishment of American reputation.

On the other hand, we have Jesus’ miracles that everyone still remembers, but which only benefitted a few. At the same time, we have the wonderful parables about his life and deeds that we know from the New Testament, but which have been interpreted so differently over the past 2000 years that it is impossible to give an unequivocal result of his work.

Obama is, of course, greater than Jesus – if we have to play that absurd Christmas game.

Our man Chesterton famously said ""When people stop believing in God, they don't believe in nothing — they believe in anything," and this is certainly the case here. Secular Europeans have a messiah shaped hole in their hearts that if not filled with the Truth is inevitably filled with something—or as in many cases in European history—someone else.

So Obama is their messiah of the day. My fear is that when they inevitably are disappointed in the deliverer not delivering, they may turn to something or someone much worse.

Obama on the Baby Jesus

Pewsitter visitors please click here for Brit Hume / Tiger Woods

You've got to check this out. This guy is unbelievable. Obama discusses the true meaning of Christmas:David Brody of CBN has the source video and the transcript. We have excerpted the relevant part here.

Leave it to The Brody File to bring you the transcription of President Obama talking about Christmas and baby Jesus. he made the following remarks at The Boys and Girls Club in Washington DC Monday afternoon. I'd be curious about your comments. Video is below as well ( go about 12 minutes in or so) or go to this link.


THE PRESIDENT: I think one thing that's important to remember is that, even though there's a lot of fun at Christmas, you know, you got -- especially when it's snowy like this, so it's pretty outside, you got the Christmas tree, you got the Christmas cookies, you've got presents. You know, I think that the most important thing is just to remember why we celebrate Christmas.

CHILD: I know!

THE PRESIDENT: Do you know?

CHILD: The birth of baby Jesus.

THE PRESIDENT: The birth of baby Jesus, and what he symbolizes for people all around the world is the possibility of peace and people treating each other with respect. And so I just hope that spirit of giving that's so important at Christmas, I hope all of you guys remember that as well. You know, it's not just about getting gifts but it's also doing something for other people. So being nice to your mom and dad and grandma and aunties and showing respect to people -- that's really important too, that's part of the Christmas spirit, don't you think? Do you agree with me?

CHILDREN: Yes.

THE PRESIDENT: You do? Do you have an interesting observation?

CHILD: I know why we give gifts to other people.

THE PRESIDENT: Why is that?

CHILD: Because the three wise men gave gifts to baby Jesus.

THE PRESIDENT: That's exactly right. But the three wise men -- the reason -- (sign falls off wall) -- uh-oh, I thought that was the cookies going down. We couldn't have that. You know, the three wise men, if you think about it, here are these guys, they have all this money, they've got all this wealth and power, and yet they took a long trip to a manger just to see a little baby. And it just shows you that just because you're powerful or you're wealthy, that's not what's important. What's important is what's -- the kind of spirit you have.

So I hope everybody has a spirit of kindness and thoughtfulness, and everybody is really thinking about how can they do for other people -- treating them well, because that's really the spirit of Christmas.

So no mention of Jesus' divinity and the three wise men are important because it's a good ol' 'soak the rich' story. But in Obama's story weren't the wise men punished with a baby.

Pelosi: Bishop Has Tried To Change My Mind

In an interview with Newsweek's Eleanor Clift, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi criticized the Church for its position on abortion and gays rights and stated that her Bishop has "tried to change my mind"

Pelosi responds to questions about abortion in the health-care bill and her insistence that the original pre-Stupak bill did not fund abortion and says of the Bishops "they are not willing to accept facts."

It was reported that you were negotiating with the conference of bishops.

I talked to one of the cardinals. I said to him that I believe that what we are doing honors the principles we talked about: we want to pass a health-care bill, we want it to be abortion neutral, and we want it to [have] no federal funding [for abortion], which is the law. And we believe that our language does that. They said, "We believe that it does not." I said, let's sit down at the table and our lawyers can compare language. That's what the meeting was about—to make our case. Clearly, the people at that table were not willing to accept what we know to be a fact.

Pelosi goes on to criticize the Church for its position on abortion and gay marriage while still claiming to be a "practicing" Catholic

I think you have had some brushes with [church] hierarchy.

I have some concerns about the church's position respecting a woman's right to choose. I have some concerns about the church's position on gay rights. I am a practicing Catholic, although they're probably not too happy about that. But it is my faith. I practically mourn this difference of opinion because I feel what I was raised to believe is consistent with what I profess, and that is that we are all endowed with a free will and a responsibility to answer for our actions. And that women should have that opportunity to exercise their free will.

And finally admits that her Bishop has tried to change her mind on the subject, but she is not listening.

Is it difficult for you to reconcile your faith with the role you have in public life?

You know, I had five children in six years. The day I brought my fifth baby home, that week my daughter turned 6. So I appreciate and value all that they want to talk about in terms of family and the rest. When I speak to my archbishop in San Francisco and his role is to try to change my mind on the subject, well then he is exercising his pastoral duty to me as one of his flock. When they call me on the phone here to talk about, or come to see me about an issue, that's a different story. Then they are advocates, and I am a public official, and I have a different responsibility.

What we know is that Nancy Pelosi continues to publicly represent herself as a faithful and practicing Catholic while continuing to to publicly oppose the Church on grave moral matters. We also know that her Bishop has apparently contacted her privately to try and change her mind, to which she has responded publicly by saying she will not be swayed. This is a text-book definition of scandal and should, at this point, be dealt with in a direct and public way lest no one else think that you can hold these positions and consider yourself a "practicing" Catholic.

ht to Newsbusters for the interview.

Me and MTV? Together at Last?

When I was a teenager and Mtv began, I was addicted. I loved music and delighted in the "Men at Work" videos. I thought A-ha's "Take on Me" video was going to change the world. We were a perfect match.

But over the years, I changed and Mtv changed. We grew apart. Irreconcilable differences, you might say. MTV, instead of being a music video channel, became a culture channel. It became the top profiteer of the "industry of cool." It was extraordinarily liberal, even hedonistic and I gave it up.

Now, I'm an incessant channel changer so I breeze through everything. That's my way of telling you I unwittingly stumbled across a show on MTV. And I stopped on it because there was a kid being lectured to by a man about taking responsibility and being kind. And he even mentioned...God?!

Now, I've watched two and a half episodes of an MTV show called "The World's Strictest Parents" and I'm feeling those ol' good feelings for MTV. When I saw the title of the show I figured that it was a show about outrageously strict parents who have to be set straight be liberal hippy dippy kids. But it couldn't be further from that.

In each episode two teens are committed to the care of ‘the world’s strictest parents.’ In the episodes I've seen the kids come into the house and bristle at all the rules. They roll their eyes. They yell. They scream. They even run out of the house. But soon, changes begin to occur through a mixture of discipline, respect and nurturing. And it's actually kind of wonderful.

By the end of the episode the parents have made a connection with the kids and the kids don't seem so unmanageable. It often becomes clear that these kids are desperate for strong consistent and nurturing guidance. And then the children's parents come to the house and are amazed at the change in their child after just a few days.

Pretty amazing show for MTV. Now, I'm going to try "Sixteen and Pregnant." Wish me luck.

It's not that I'm jumping back into my relationship with Mtv. But...you know...we have a history together. And it really seems to be trying to change and meet me halfway. Maybe with a little counseling and some trust building exercises...

Will Iran Fall?

One person who isn't sure is Ayatollah Khamenei. Reports say that he has a plane fueled and ready to go if things go from bad to worse.

By way of Gateway Pundit we see this letter posted via Planet Iran.



The letter reads.

Re: Response to a letter number [redacted] written on the 5th of Dey (December 26th).

Salam Aleykom

With respect, we would like to inform you of the inspection, check up and preparation of the aircraft, destination Russia, for the purpose of transporting the Supreme Leader, his esteemed family and various officials of the Revolutionary Guards. Should the commanding forces lose control, direct your attention to the attached permit, number [redacted] of the National Security Agency and the Bureau of Revolutionary Guard’s Intelligence Security in order for the necessary steps to be taken.

Va al-salam

Office of the high assembly of the Islamic Republic’s national security

Commander, Brigadier-General, Revolutionary Guard

Stamped by Secretary General of the High Assembly of the Islamic Republic’s National Security

Stamped by Dr. Saeed Jalili

CC: [redacted]

I don't what we would end up with in Iran if the regime falls, but it is hard to imagine it could be worse that what we have now.

We should pray for the Iranian people that this bloody clash ends with minimal casualties and with freedom as the victor.

Better Late Than Never - Obama Condemns Iran

Better late than never.

President Obama has finally condemned Iran for the brutal repression of the rightful aspirations of its people. I am not naive enough to think that this represents any kind of sea change in Obama's policy of "If I am nice enough and turn a blind eye to reality, gosh darnit these countries will like us" foreign policy. Rather it is more likely that Obama has rightly concluded that further silence on this issue will damage his credibility even further and that the risks of speaking out are outweighed - in this one instance.

All that said, this was, even if late, the right thing to say.



ht to AceofSpades

Abstinence is GrrrrEat!!!!

You can't stop kids from having sex we're told all the time. But Tony the Tiger can!

While the U.S. government and the the United Nations have gone cuckoo for the condoms, it seems that there might be a very different answer to stopping kids from having sex.

I've always been told that breakfast was the most important meal of the day but that may be much more true than you thought. A little helping of Cocoa Puffs or breakfast of any sort keeps away teen pregnancy and all sorts of venereal diseases. Let's put Cap'n Crunch in charge of the HHS instead of Sebelius.

Reuters reports:

Teens who skip breakfast as middle school students tend to have sex at an earlier age than those who start the day with a proper meal, a government-backed Japanese medical researcher said on Friday.

The link between breakfast and sex probably lies in the teens' family life, said Kunio Kitamura, executive director of the Japan Family Planning Association, who conducted the survey.

The survey examined sexual experiences as well as family relationships and lifestyle habits of Japanese females and males aged 16 to 49. It was carried out in September and was based on about 1,500 people.

The average age of first-time sex for those who said they ate breakfast every day as a middle school student was 19.4, while for those who skipped breakfast, the average age was 17.5.

"The fact that people can't eat breakfast may show something about their family environment," said Kitamura. "Before blaming individuals for having sex at an early age, it may be necessary to look into the sort of homes they are from."

If the United Nations saw this study, they'd probably start a program where each box of Sugar Smacks had a free condom inside.

I'm sure this study will be ignored and while this should lend credence to the belief that governments should be working to strengthen families, they'll continue to fund programs to weaken them. So while kids scarfing Sugar Bombs down their gullet may not be the picture of health, it might be the healthiest thing they can do.

Abortion's Side Effects? What Side Effects?

You watch a television commercial for a medicine that cures something simple like a runny nose and there is a telethon of side effects said in quick speak that they're legally bound to mention. But a surgery to remove and destroy a human being in a woman's womb and we're supposed to believe that has absolutely no side effects?

Today, Americans United for Life (AUL) filed an amicus brief in the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals, detailing the links between abortion and the increased risk of depression and suicide. The brief seeks to overturn a lower court’s decision that abortion providers in South Dakota are not required to inform women of these risks.

“Abortion is not a safe choice for women,” noted Dr. Charmaine Yoest, President of AUL, “and the mounting evidence of its negative physical and psychological impact cannot be ignored. We have a legal and moral responsibility to inform them about the well-documented, increased risks of depression and suicide associated with abortion.”

In June 2005, Planned Parenthood filed suit against a newly-enacted South Dakota law requiring abortion providers to inform women that abortion increases the risk of suicide, that women have an existing relationship with an unborn child, and that abortion terminates “the life of a whole, separate, unique, living human being.” Later, in August 2009, a federal district court invalidated the first two requirements, but permitted the requirement that women be told that abortion ends a human life to be enforced.

AUL Attorney Mailee Smith explained, “In challenging this law, Planned Parenthood has demonstrated – yet again – that it is not a defender of women’s health. If this were the case, Planned Parenthood would fight for laws that protect women rather than advocating for laws that attempt to hide risks from them.”

Several studies have indicated higher rates of depression and suicide but they've been ignored by so-called women's advocates.

It always seems to be the case that pro-aborts constantly call conservatives anti-science while we're the ones who want to utilize the latest technology to show women what's in their womb and publicize studies which show possible side effects of abortion.

Pro-aborts can only keep the truth hidden for so long. They know the clock is ticking so their efforts will become increasingly outrageous and manic. Keep watchin'.

Do You Know What Liars Do?

Do you know what liars do? They lie. That's what they do.

Back in September Obama spoke to a joint session of Congress and took issue with something he said is not true, the suggestion that the health-care plan would pay for abortions. "Not true!" he said. He lied.

[LifeNews] Following up on the impending battle, ABC News correspondent Jake Tapper spoke with White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs after their interview on "This Week" about health care.

"So, does the Senate language come closer to what the president wants than the House language?" he said he asked Gibbs. "Gibbs told me this morning: 'Yes.'"

I know it always comes as a shock when known liars are caught lying. In September, when health-care was on the ropes, he took issue with even the suggestion that the health-care bill would cover abortion, because he knows how vastly unpopular that notion is. Today, when the bill looks to be in the bag, no longer is it not in the bill, but now it is even his "preference."

Translation, I will say whatever I need to say to get what I want and I do not give a whit about what the American people want.

Obama lied and babies died.

Sebelius: Everyone Pays for Abortion

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius admits in this video that everyone will be funding abortion in the Senate "compromise."

This must come as quite a shock to "pro-life" Senator Bob Casey who seemed to think otherwise in an interview with Greta..

VAN SUSTEREN: With the language about abortion, what's your level of certainty federal funds won't be used either directly or collaterally or through the back door for abortions?

CASEY: I think you can achieve that in the context of an exchange, which is much different than we had prior to this. We...

VAN SUSTEREN: So 100 percent?

CASEY: I think we've done it...

So you have one of two choices. Bob Casey is insanely and ridiculously wrong or he's lying. Which one?

A Very CMR Christmas Message

In the spirit of the season we bring you the following very special Christmas message from the CMR brother-in-law, Pat Shay. Pat reminds of the timeless truth that while Santa may wear red and white, he's no pinko.

Merry Christmas!

A Special Request For Prayers

Matthew and I have a request. Our beloved brother Kevin is extremely ill with brain cancer. Without going into much detail, this is the type of situation that now requires a miracle and we believe in miracles.

We ask you to join us in praying for our brother.

If I may, we ask to you to pray, in particular, for the intercession of Rose Hawthorne. I found out about Rose from my brother-in-law Denis (Dmac) and the wonderful Fr. Barron. Rose Hawthorne, whose cause for sainthood was opened in 2003, is the daughter of famed author Nathaniel Hawthorne and a Catholic convert. In 1998, she opened a refuge for cancer victims on New York's Lower East Side and made her vows as a Dominican nun on Dec. 8, 1900, taking the name Alphonsa. More can be found out here.

As a New Yorker who took care of Cancer patients, we believe her intercession is special. Kevin, who is 43, has a wonderful wife of great faith, a daughter of eleven years, and a son of eight years. We ask you to pray for Kevin and his family and ask Rose Hawthorne to pray for him as well.

Lord God, in your special love for the sick, the poor and the lonely, you raised up Rose Hawthorne (Mother Mary Alphonsa) to be the servant of those afflicted with incurable cancer with no one to care for them. In serving the outcast and the abandoned, she strove to see in them the face of your Son. In her eyes, those in need were always “Christ’s Poor.”

Grant that her example of selfless charity and her courage in the face of great obstacles will inspire us to be generous in our service of neighbor. We humbly ask that you glorify your servant, Rose Hawthorne, on earth according to the designs of your holy will. Through her intercession, grant that Kevin Archbold will be healed of the cancer that now afflicts him.

Thank you so much.

Bob Casey is More Pro-Life Than You

Senator Bob Casey, who is still awaiting his much needed spine implentation surgery, is saying he's more pro-life than you. Yup. He went there.

Taking a cue from Patrick Kennedy who accused the Church of not being pro-life because it didn't want federal funding of abortion, Casey took his turn at bat.

In an interview with Greta Van Susteren Senator Bob Casey called out pro-life conservatives for...well not being as pro-life as he is:

Casey: After all, if you really say you're pro-life, you should want to cover 31 million Americans and provide all kinds of preventative services that will make women and their children a lot more healthy. So I don't think you can have it both ways and say you're pro-life but you don't want to support health care reform. But we'll see what happens in the House.

So Bob Casey is more pro-life than you because he voted for federal funding for abortion and unkillable death panels. Got it? I knew you would.

Under Casey's definition, Ben Nelson is considered pro-life while Bart Stupak is only fake pro-life? These folks are shameless.

Jimmy Carter's Well Timed Apology

Jimmy Carter is sorry. (Or maybe not...)

Jimma, when not spooning with Hugo Chavez, has said and written many bad things about Israel. He has substantially blamed Israel for much of what is wrong in the world and for just about all that is wrong in the Holy Land. In his book “Palestine: Peace not Apartheid," Carter called Jewish settlement practices "apartheid" and substantially blamed Israel for every rock thrown and rocket launched by a Palestinian.

But now he is really, really sorry. Carter issued this apology for any feelings he may have hurt with his reflexive anti-semitism.

In a letter to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency published Monday, Carter offered a holiday message wishing for an Arab-Israeli peace.

"We must recognize Israel's achievements under difficult circumstances, even as we strive in a positive way to help Israel continue to improve its relations with its Arab populations, but we must not permit criticisms for improvement to stigmatize Israel," Carter's message said. "As I would have noted at Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, but which is appropriate at any time of the year, I offer an Al Het (a plea for forgiveness) for any words or deeds of mine that may have done so."

Isn't that nice. Oh, in a not-at-all related story, Jimmy Carter's grandson is running for Congress in a Georgia district that has a significant (at least for Georgia) Jewish population.

"Hey, I am really sorry for all that anti-Israel stuff I have been doing for years and years. I am also really sorry that I left that Holocaust thing out of my book on Israel and all the other things. Yeah, really sorry about that. Have you met my Grandson Jason, he is running for Congress and he really likes Jews."

The only thing worse than no apology is a convenient apology. Funny, I didn't think I could like Jimmy Carter less, I guess I was wrong.

Abortion: "A Simple Solution"

The Maryland Women's Abortion Clinic is running an ad highlighting that abortion offers a "simple solution to a complex problem." Does that make anyone else sick?

And with federal funding for abortion coming down the pike, we're coming into the days where the simple solution will be likely used increasingly. Instead of "simple solution" why don't we just call it...uhm...I don't know..."the final solution?" Or would that be too telling?

I'm assuming "simple" doesn't refer to the abortion/breast cancer link?
Or the high depression rates? Suicide rates?

I guess they just want to keep their ad simple.

Neb. Governor: Give The Bribe Back!

Nebraska Governor Heineman told Senat(wh)or Ben Nelson to give Harry Reid's bribe back, Nebraska doesn't want it. Good for him!



ht to Gateway Pundit for the vid.

Plus. While I think it is a long long shot, Bill Kristol thinks that outrage of this blatant bribery and the cavalier defense by Harry Reid that this is just how business is done might still derail the bill. I dunno, but I like to think that America might still stand up and shout NO!

I’ve assumed for the last couple of days that the Democrats would succeed in passing the health care bill, and that our job was to make sure it turned out to be a Pyrrhic victory. Now I’m not so sure the legislation can’t still be derailed.

Two reasons:

First: the reaction to the deal-making. One friend e-mails, “uncharacteristically, I'm getting calls from relatives who want to talk about all the unseemly deals being cut to get the health bill through...that seems to have hit a nerve, as much as the price-tag.” That’s my sense too. Now combine the unseemly deals with Reid’s pathetic defense of them yesterday. According to Reid, “this legislation is no different than the defense bill we just spent $600 billion on." As Dana Milbank points out in the Washington Post, “That would be the bill with more than 1,700 pet-project earmarks.” So when Reid says, "It's no different than other pieces of legislation," he’s giving up a lot—health care reform was supposed to be different. It was special, historic, a moral imperative, and so forth. If it’s no different, if it’s just another piece of cobbled-together legislation, why not kill this mess and start over?

Second: the issue Jim DeMint raised on the floor of the Senate last night. Why did the authors of the legislation want to specially protect the Independent Medicare Advisory Board by making it difficult for future Congresses to legislate in that area? Because the heart of the bill is the attempt to get control of our health care permanently in the hands of federal bureaucrats, who would allegedly know better than doctors and patients what’s good for them, and who would cut access to care and the quality of care so there’s more money left over for various big government liberal social programs.

As people learn more about the sleazy sweetheart deals and the creepy permanent death panels—this thing could still go down in the House next month in the face of popular outrage.

Here's to hoping the bill gets stuck on Stupak.

Build-A-Bah-Humbug

You know that cute little store in the mall where kids can build cute little bears all their own? Well, they have a new feature this year. Its called "EcoNazi Indoctrination Through Fear and Threat Of Loss"

Build-A-Bear has this nice little video in which they scare kids into believing in Global Warming by threatening Christmas, Santa, and the North Pole.

This attempt at coercion and brainwashing is despicable. BigGovernment.com says boycott. I am not sure that is the answer. Instead, why don't we all go in and build laughing polar bears with "Copenhagen 2009" t-shirts or maybe "Polar Bears Make Good Eats"

On second thought, why don't you skip right past Build-A-Bear, go around Ben & Jerry's, avoid the "American Girl" store, and go right to your SUV load up your six kids and go to Church. That'll show 'em.

Adoptive Parents Want To Return Son

The defining attribute of be a parent is that the welfare of your child is more important than anything else. Anything else.

When, in 2007, Melissa and Tony Wescott of Oklahoma adopted their son they became his parents. After the adoption they discovered that the boy had several mental disorders that required treatment. Of course, more than anything else, a boy with such problems needs the unconditional love of his parents.

The good news is that after a year of institutionalization the boy is doing better and the Doctors say he is no longer a danger to himself or anyone else. His parents, however, say they do not want him back and want to return him to the state like faulty merchandise. I wonder if they want a store credit or a cash refund.

The State, rightly, says no way. Parents are parents and there are no give backsies.



Parents all over the world deal every day with unexpected hardship and heartbreak due to the suffering of their children. I am sorry to say, in a world afflicted with the ravages of original sin, this is part of the deal. Even the Mother of God suffered tremendous heartache so none of us are exempted.

But the bottom line is that once you have signed on to be the parent, that's it, you are the parent. So stop worrying about yourself and start worrying about what is best for your child. I can say one thing unequivocally, running around to every news organization you can find talking about how you want to return your child is NOT in the best interest of your child.

Now its time for you to do two things, be a parent and shut up.

Funny: Dad Makes Rookie Mistake

I made similar mistakes with my first two children but then I learned my lesson. You must always have an exit strategy! This is a classic rookie mistake made all that much funnier by the fact that he actually climbed into the crib. Priceless.

ht to RightWingVideo

EcoNazis: Dogs Guilty by Association

We all know that the Green Movement's ultimate enemy is mankind. There are just too many of us, that is where all this leads. But animals are all fine and dandy because they are part of nature. But it turns out that all animals are not created equal. Some animals are just as guilty of environmental terror as us humans because, as we all know, they are our best friends. Guilt by association.

PARIS (AFP) – Man's best friend could be one of the environment's worst enemies, according to a new study which says the carbon pawprint of a pet dog is more than double that of a gas-guzzling sports utility vehicle.

But the revelation in the book "Time to Eat the Dog: The Real Guide to Sustainable Living" by New Zealanders Robert and Brenda Vale has angered pet owners who feel they are being singled out as troublemakers.

The Vales, specialists in sustainable living at Victoria University of Wellington, analysed popular brands of pet food and calculated that a medium-sized dog eats around 164 kilos (360 pounds) of meat and 95 kilos of cereal a year.

Combine the land required to generate its food and a "medium" sized dog has an annual footprint of 0.84 hectares (2.07 acres) -- around twice the 0.41 hectares required by a 4x4 driving 10,000 kilometres (6,200 miles) a year, including energy to build the car.

Just in case you were wondering, there is no end to this stupidity. Now you can cap this and trade that, you can make my car smaller and less safe, you can even inundate me with "green" propaganda during football games and I will shake my head and laugh it off. You go after a man's dog, well then you have just gone too far.

If they take away my dog, I gonna have git me a new pet. I was thinking maybe a pet that is moody, needy, and never happy no matter how much I give it. No not a cat, I was thinking of a pet Marxist. I wonder how many hectares is the footprint of a pet Marxist?

Anyway, if one of these future pet Marxists tries to take away my dog one thing is for sure, they are gonna see a whole lot more of my footprint.


Thanks to Susan for the Heads up!

Some Christmas Music To Put You In The Mood

"What Child Is This" by Mercy Me - btw - this is in my top five of Christmas songs.

Last year some of the young folk went on the youtubes and sang some Christmas songs. I liked this one.

Silent Night

Here is a beautiful song by Kristin Chenoweth.

Do You Hear What I Hear?

And finally, Mel Torme & Judy Garland sing the Christmas Song (which we all know really isn't about Christmas but we like it anyway)

A Santa to Remember

Back in the days when I was a reporter I remember interviewing this man. Needless to say, I came away impressed. This was a very special man.


The Philadelphia Bulletin writes that this is the first Christmas in 58 years where Santa won't be writing back to children:

We will feel less glum over the death of Santa if only we recall his joyous life.

You didn’t know? Yes, the man left us this past May, age 86. And though in his own rich imagination as well as ours, he toiled in deep snows of the far north, his workshop all these years had really been right here in Pennsylvania.

Grover Gouker returned to his hometown of Hanover, in south-central Pennsylvania, following his time in the Army during World War II. He took a job in the local Post Office, and for several years he observed that letters addressed to Santa got tossed into a wastebasket.

Why don’t I write back to these kids, he asked, not quite knowing, as he himself would later say, what he was getting into. Soon enough he was granted his wish, a post box for Santa: P.O. Box 188, Hanover, Pa.

So began a correspondence of 58 years, 1950 through 2008, the kids to Santa and Santa back to them. First came letters from children in Hanover, then from neighboring communities, ultimately from the 50 states and even from other countries. Never did a child receive a form letter, and seldom a letter shorter than a full page.

Read the rest here.

Most Awkward Moment of TV...Ever!

I guess the only thing that makes this video OK is that I guess it was consensual. Call me uncultured but sometimes a man reading a poem to another man that isn't the "Charge of the Light Brigade" or "Casey at the Bat" seems a little...well...funny. And what makes this extra icky is how clearly moved Harry Smith is by this awful and ridiculous poem by Al Gore.

I needed to take a shower after watching this. And not a regular one but a Karen Silkwood haz-mat-team power shower. And yet I still can't get all the ick off me. I fear the ick is now in me. And I will be forever tainted.

HT Viral Footage

Christmas Conversation with My 4 Year Old

My four year old son walked up to me yesterday while I was setting the table for dinner.

"Uhm" he asked hesitangly"Is it too late to add things to my Christmas list?"

"I think so," I said, eyeing the three feet of snow piled up outside the window.

"OK," he said resignedly and then looked out past me, deep in thought. "Dad can we run out to the store and buy a whip?"

"Why?" I asked.

"Uhm. I put a lion on my Christmas list but I forgot to put down a whip. And if the lion shows up and I don't have a whip we could all be in trouble."

"Oh," I said because I couldn't think of what else to say to his perfectly logical question.

Wait. I Thought Abstinence Was Unrealistic

Remember when abstinence was unrealistic. Well that was before Obama. Now liberals are all for it. But only for punishing conservatives.

The Rock the Vote campaign is encouraging young people to abstain from sex with anyone who's against healthcare reform. Noel Sheppard writes:

The political advocacy group "Rock the Vote" has a new video out encouraging young people to abstain from having sex with folks opposed to healthcare reform.

Sadly, this isn't your run of the mill call for celibacy, for the video also instructs youth to use sex to get people to change their minds on this issue.

The group's YouTube posting asks: "What would you withhold from someone who opposes health care reform? Cookies, a Christmas gift, sex?"

Ironically, Obama doesn't support abstinence funding. But maybe he'll change his mind now. Something tells me that seeing his supporters using sex as a weapon, he'll find the first weapon he actually likes.

But in short, here's the important nugget: abstinence is unrealistic if you want to live your life worshiping God but realistic if you live your life worshiping Obama.

Avatar Or Apocalypto

I don't have much time so I am going to keep this short. In the middle of the worst blizzard to hit the Northeast in recent memory, I went to the movies. Since it took me nearly six hours to get home, I had some time to think about it.

Let me get this out of the way, it is one of the most visually stunning things I have seen. Truly amazing. It had to be because the story was a textbook liberal guilt trip. Somebody called it Dances with Wolves - In SPACE! That about sums it up.

I read some interesting commentary on the movie which talks about the potentially racist nature of the white liberal guilt trip fantasy and I think there are some valid points in there. The closing paragraph of the piece struck me because it hit upon the thread of my blizzard driving musings.

Whites need to stop remaking the white guilt story, which is a sneaky way of turning every story about people of color into a story about being white. Speaking as a white person, I don't need to hear more about my own racial experience. I'd like to watch some movies about people of color (ahem, aliens), from the perspective of that group, without injecting a random white (erm, human) character to explain everything to me. Science fiction is exciting because it promises to show the world and the universe from perspectives radically unlike what we've seen before. But until white people stop making movies like Avatar, I fear that I'm doomed to see the same old story again and again.

Leaving science fiction out of it, I'd also like to watch some movies about people of color involved in a civilization ending conflict of cultures told through the eyes of the participants rather than through the eyes of a tired liberal avatar. I'd like the movie to be visually stunning and spectacularly told. Then I remembered that I had recently seen just that in Mel Gibson's "Apocalypto". For all the magnificent effects and visual storytelling in Avatar—and it really is spectacular to watch—the story left me disengaged. See it, but know what you are getting. Its ok, but it is no Apocalypto.

Fr. Barron on Abortion and the Law

It's hard to beat rational thinking.

It's all on Stupak Now

The Politico reports:

An aide to Rep. Bart Stupak (D. Mich.) coordinated opposition to a Senate compromise on the place of abortion in health care legislation this morning with the Republican Senate leadership, the Conference Catholic Bishops, and other anti-abortion groups, according to a chain of frantic emails obtained this morning by POLITICO.

The emails show that Stupak — who has so far remained silent on language accepted by Senator Ben Nelson (D. Neb.) and faces intense pressure from the White House to accept it — is already working behind the scenes to oppose the compromise.

They also demonstrate a previously unseen degree of coordination between Stupak and the office of Republican leader Mitch McConnell.

Stupak would have to get a good number of Democrats to stand with him and at this point I'll admit my faith is shaken on pro-life Democrats. But Stupak could still put an end to this lunacy. Not looking good but some small hope remains.

Hot Air has more on Stupak and on how the numbers shake down.

Oh Nooooo! Nelson Cracking? Deal Likely?

That sound you're hearing may be the cracking of Senator Ben Nelson's moral fiber. Ace is reporting that Ben Nelson may be on the brink of breaking and turning into a weaker version of Senator Bob Casey Jr. Reports are saying that Dems are throwing all sorts of goodies at Nelson. This would be bad news as it would give the Dems in the Senate their 60th vote to pass Obamacare.

After marathon talks, the Obama administration and Democratic leaders appeared near agreement with Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson late Friday night to provide the crucial 60th vote needed for Senate passage of health care legislation.

Majority Leader Harry Reid intends to unveil a final package of changes in the long-debated legislation on Saturday "and is confident that it will prevail," his spokesman, Jim Manley, said in a late-night statement.

Nelson, the Senate's most conservative Democrat, has been seeking fresh concessions to restrict access to abortion coverage in the legislation, as well as more money for his home state of Nebraska and other changes.

He told reporters "real progress" had been made, but he offered no details and said nothing final had emerged from the talks.

I really hope this isn't true. If it happens I am never ever going to believe in the myth of the Blue Dog Democrat again. They will be relegated to the file of Bigfoot and Chupacabra. (But not the Montauk Monster because that's real) The tale of the Blue Dogs will essentially be a tale told over campfires to scare little liberals.

I'll try to update but I'm about to start a crazy day. Maybe Patrick will wake up before noon and actually post something for once.

In the meantime, check out Ace for more.

JPII and Pius XII Declared Venerable

As expected

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The late Pope John Paul II moved closer to sainthood in the Catholic Church on Sunday when his successor, Pope Benedict, approved a decree recognising that John Paul had lived the Christian faith heroically.
The Vatican said Benedict had approved the "heroic virtues decree," one of the key steps in the procedure by which the Church recognises its saints, after a recommendation by a Vatican panel of experts.

In addition, Pope Pius XII, who reigned from 1939 to 1958 was also declared venerable. We should expect to get some grief on this one.

And for the record, there were others as well. Catholic Culture reports:

Five of the December 19 decrees testified to the authenticity of miracles attributed to candidates who have already been beatified, and are now qualified for canonization. They are:

Bl. Stanislaus Soltys (Kazimierczyk) (1433-89), whose liturgical cult was formally recognized by Pope John Paul in 1993

Bl. André Bessette (1845-1937), a Canadian renowned for his devotion to St. Joseph who developed a reputation as a miracle worker in his lifetime

Bl. Mary MacKillop (1842-1909), who founded the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart and will become Australia’s first canonized saint

Bl. Giulia Salzano , foundress of the Congregation of the Catechetical Sisters of the Sacred Heart (1846-1929)

Bl. Camilla Battista da Varano (1458-1524), a Poor Clare nun

The Congregation also approved miracles for five other candidates who, like Father Popieluszko, will now be scheduled for beatification:

Father José Tous y Soler (1811-71), a Capuchin Franciscan

Brother Leopoldo de Alpandeire (1866-1956), a Capuchin Franciscan

Manuel Lozano Garrido (1920-71), a Spanish layman

Teresa Manganiello (1849-76), a Third Order Franciscan

Chiara Badano (1971-90), a laywoman of the Focolare Movement

In addition, the Congregation declared the heroic virtue of Bl. Giacomo Illirico da Bitetto, a Franciscan.

The Congregation also proclaimed the heroic virtue of nine others, who now qualify for the title "Venerable" and may be beatified with the approval of a miracle:

Pope Pius XII (Eugenio Pacelli) (1876-1958)

Pope John Paul II (Karol Wojtyla) (1920-2005)

Father Louis Brisson (1817-1908), founder of the Oblates of Saint Francis de Sales

Father Giuseppe Quadrio (1921-63), a Salesian

Sister Mary Ward (1545-1615), an Englishwoman who founded the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Loreto Sisters)

Sister Antonia Maria Verna (1773-1838), foundress of the Sisters of Charity of the Immaculate Conception of Ivrea

Sister Francesca Farolfi (Maria Chiara Serafina of Jesus) (1853-1917), foundress of the Missionary Franciscan Clarists of the Blessed Sacrament

Sister Enrichetta Alfieri (1891-1951)

Giunio Tinarelli (1912-56), a layman and member of the Silent Workers of the Cross

Pro-Life Ads Target Casey

Nobody has come up shorter in this whole healthcare fiasco than Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey. And I'm glad to see two pro-life groups are starting up some pretty effective advertising to out Casey as masquerading as a pro-lifer. Here they are:

Susan B. Anthony List



Casey at the Bat by CatholicVoteAction.org

Rocket Scientist - Not!

She should be a climatologist. Be sure to watch it until the end.

80's Chicks With Guns

With a bonus appearance by Major Dad! I laughed until I cried.



ht RightWingVideo!

Inspirational Vid: The Taylor Haugen Story

Thanks to ESPN for covering this.

Cold-Blooded Child Murder and the Loophole

I warn you, this story is very disturbing.

In Virginia, a mother gave birth to her baby and then suffocated it. Virginia law enforcement is powerless to charge her. As Investigator Tracy Emerson put it:

"In the state of Virginia, as long as the umbilical cord is attached and [the] placenta is still in the mother, if the baby comes out alive, the mother can do whatever she wants to that baby to kill it," Emerson reports. "She can shoot the baby, stab the baby or anything as long as it is still attached to her in some form by umbilical cord or something, and it's no crime in the state of Virginia."

This not the first time that this has happened in Virginia, but the abortion lobby has legislators too scared to act. As long as the baby is "attached" to the mother and it is not a person.

This case highlights the abhorrent absurdity of defining down "personhood" to protect abortion. The abortion lobby will let many more babies die this way rather than enter the discussion on when the baby becomes a person.

Terrible are the wages of sin.

tip to Kristen.

Anglican Archdeacon: God Was A Sperm Donor

With Anglicans like these, who needs Unitarians.

This is bad folks, so if you are prone to fainting or complaining in the combox, read no further.

We have multiple layers of offensive here. First, let's start with the obvious. The billboard. St Matthew-in-the-City Church in Auckland erected a billboard. Not much commentary needed, just don't scream at me for posting it.


The suggestion is obvious and offensive. Within hours someone painted over it. Good.

Not content to let the billboard speak for itself the offender, Archdeacon Glynn Cardy, decided to double down. Cardy refers to the Incarnation as God as "sending down sperm."

The church's vicar, Archdeacon Glynn Cardy, said the aim of the billboard had been to lampoon the literal interpretation of the Christmas conception story.

"What we're trying to do is to get people to think more about what Christmas is all about," he told the New Zealand Press Association (NZPA).

"Is it about a spiritual male God sending down sperm so a child would be born, or is it about the power of love in our midst as seen in Jesus?"

"Hark the Herald Angels sing, the spiritual male god has sent down his sperm." Is this really what people think Christmas is about or is it just what heretical morons say they think. Heck, it doesn't even rhyme and we know how us unthinking rubes like rhymes. Personally, I am more in the "Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled," camp.

It seems to me that we need to have a term for the such self-loathing and heretical Christians. Something that really conveys the adolescent and ridiculous nature of this type of absurd behavior. Of course, Milingoism comes to mind but it seems too obvious. Gnosticrucians has a nice ring to it but may be too esoteric. I suppose that for now I will just stick to jackass.

Priest Joins Atheists and Sues Church

A New Jersey priest has joined with an atheist group in a lawsuit against a Catholic bishop in Brooklyn. Together they are seeking to have the Church's tax exemption removed because Bishop Nicholas Di Marzio may have "subtly" endorsed a political officeholder.

Oddly, this isn't the first time Fr. Robert Hoatson is suing the church. But let's deal with this lawsuit first.

Here's the press release from NYC Atheists:

Charging the Catholic church with making Robo-calls during the last election subtly backing the candidate picked by a politician who had done favors for the church, New York City Atheists Inc. is suing the church, Bishop Nicholas Di Marzio and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn.

NYC Atheists is suing on separation-of-church-and-state grounds, pointing out that the Catholic Church receives tax exempt status as a non-profit and therefore must follow the terms and conditions of the Internal Revenue laws and the U.S. Constitution which prohibit a 501C non-profit organization to advocate, promote, advertise or endorse any particular candidate.

A little ironic that they're arguing for the separation of church and state while they're asking for the state to have the right to take money from the church. Maybe they don't know what separation means.

Now, while I don't like that Bishop Nicholas Di Marzio made those robo-calls he likely didn't endorse anyone. The press release from the atheists even said that the priest "subtly" endorsed. Subtly?

And nobody involved in the lawsuit has actually heard the call. The whole thing is based on a report in the New York Times. Fr. Hoatson even admits he's never even heard the robocall. Nor has the President of NYC Atheists, according to the Brooklyn Paper.

The anger over the calls seems to be directed at the fact that the call thanks Assemblyman Vito Lopez, the county’s Democrat Party boss for his support of the church by opposing legislation that would give alleged sex-abuse victims more time to file old claims.

Fr. Hoatson and the atheists are saying this was political backscratching at its worst. And on that point they might be right. But the fact of the matter is that the bishop likely didn't officially endorse Lopez by publicly thanking him for his vote.

But Fr. Hoatson has seemed to make quite the practice of suing the archdiocese of New York. He sued Newark Archdiocese, Archbishop John Myers, the New York Archdiocese, Cardinal Edward Egan, the Albany Diocese, Bishop Howard Hubbard, and others a few years ago claiming that he was harassed for being outspoken against the abuse of children by priests.

Just last month that lawsuit was thrown out of court, according to a media release dated last month.

In 2005, the Director of Communications for the Archdiocese of Newark called Fr. Hoatson a "troubled individual" who makes "preposterous" allegations to "draw attention to himself."

I fear that it wouldn't appear things have changed.

"Bernadette" Actress Jennifer Jones Dies At 90

The actress Jennifer Jones, who will be forever remembered for her role as St. Bernadette in the classic "Song of Bernadette" has passed away at the age of 90. I know thatr parts of her life were troubled, but I hope that she rests in peace.

I absolutely adored Jones in her role as Bernadette. This movie, now over sixty years old, is the standard by which all such movies are measured and are invariably found wanting.

A clip:

Casey Compromise "Unacceptable" - Updated

Interesting news from the Congressional Quartlerly via NRO. Sen. Bob Casey, the pretend pro-life Senator from Pennsylvania, is working on a compromise to bring Sen. Ben Nelson on board the healthcare bill.

According to CQ, what Casey is proposing is a abortion fund segregation scheme. The babies still end up dead, but we have the moral superiority of the hiring the hitman rather than pulling the trigger. So far, this ploy does not seem to be fooling anyone.

Bishop DiNardo of the USCCB secretariat of pro-life activities is not falling for it.

“Attempts to achieve such segregation are irrelevant to current policy, which bars federal funds from being used for any part of a package that covers elective abortions,” the archbishop of Galveston-Houston, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, wrote.

Doug Johnson of the NRLC is having none of it either.

Douglas Johnson, legislative director for the National Right to Life Committee, has seen a summary of the Casey proposal. He called the language “entirely unacceptable.”

That a "pro-life" Senator would be the source of such reprehensible bait and switch murderous middleman scheme proves how little life actually means to Sen. Casey.

So far, Sen. Nelson is sticking to his guns and it is my prayer that he will not be bought off by any such murderous ruse.

Keep hope alive and keep praying.

Update: Sen. Ben Nelson is also saying that the language is "unacceptable."

In an interview Thursday with a Nebraska radio station, Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) said new compromise language on abortion funding is unacceptable.

"As it is right now, without further modifications, it isn't sufficient," Nelson told KLIN radio in Lincoln, NE.

This could be a significant blow to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's effort to line up 60 votes in the coming days for the health care bill. Nelson has said he would filibuster the bill unless the abortion language mirrored what was included in the House bill.

Even if abortion is addressed to his satisfaction, "that is not enough" for Nelson commit to voting for the bill, he said.

Interview With An Anglican Convert

As I have followed the developments in the Anglican situation over the past few years, I have become aware of a number of Anglican websites that amaze me. I am amazed in that these sites endeavour to report and opine on a very difficult time in Anglicanism, but manage to do so fairly and without vitriol. This is even more amazing when they look at things Catholic, Anglo or Roman. They are seekers after truth and I have great respect for them.

Among these wonderful discoveries is the site VirtueOnline by David Virtue which headlines itself as the "voice for Global Orthodox Anglicanism." This site posts an interesting interview with Joshua Whitfield, former Rector of St. Gregory's, Mansfield, in the Diocese of Fort Worth. He is married and now serves as a lay assistant at St. Rita's Roman Catholic Church, in Dallas.

This interview is fascinating and should be read in its entirety. I wish to note a few quotes that amaze me.

VOL: What made you convert?

Whitfield: Discovering the true Church. In the real sense, concrete, communal, Petrine. I'm no longer chasing after an idea of the Church should be.

VOL: When did you discover this?

Whitfield: Over the past two years; the reality has haunted me since GAFCON. I know this sounds trite, but Newman does say "be my soul the saints", he realizes that the Church is real and you can't construct the Church by historical investigation.

VOL: Are you saying that Anglo-Catholicism is unreal, a sort of 'Church as Platonic Ideal'?

Whitfield: Yes. I think Anglicans are chasing something that's unreal, an idea.

VOL: What's wrong with GAFCON?

Whitfield: It's Protestant. Its attitude towards the Councils and the historic Church is presumptuous. Who are Anglicans to judge?

VOL: Do you think that you're still a priest?

Whitfield: I don't know. I accept the living voice of the Church.

VOL: You came to believe your priestly orders were ambiguously valid?

Whitfield: Yes, irregular.

VOL: So you accept Apostolicae Curae which states that Anglican orders are null and void?

Whitfield: I do, particularly paragraphs thirty eight and thirty nine.

VOL: What do they say?

Whitfield: Pope Leo addresses Anglican clergy, saying that we clergy should be the first to make the sacrifice for unity, and that sacrifice would be honored and rewarded with great merit by both the Church, Anglicans and God.

I am amazed by the courage and conviction that it must take to accept that your orders, arguably the thing that most defines you, may not be valid and for the sake of unity to submit to the teaching of the Church. I am awe of men like this and must acknowledge that in comparison, I find my faith wanting.

Thank you also to VirtueOnline for bringing this interview to us.

Obama Leaves Kim Jong Il a Voicemail

A little Obama humor at the expense of Tiger Woods.

The Immorality of Intelligent Design

I found this discussion between Daniel Dennett, co-director of the Center for Cognitive Studies, the Austin B. Fletcher Professor of Philosophy, and a University Professor at Tufts University, and Dr. John F. Haught, theologian and Senior Research Fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University, on the topic of intelligent design to be interesting.

Dennett takes issue with the preaching of the concept of intelligent design from the pulpit. Nothing surprising there. But his language strikes a rather ironic note methinks. While he lambastes pastors preaching "bad science" from the pulpit, he uses the language of bad religion to do it. Dennett frames his query in terms of immorality and forgiveness. Implicitly he acknowledges that his "darwinism" has many of the same attributes of religious doctrine.

Haught, for his part, rightfully asserts that the concept of "intelligent design" is not a mainstream Christian idea and that it seems unhelpful for the advocates of "darwinsim" to always be picking a fight with what amounts to a straw man. The real debate is a theological one and should not be confined to the fringes of Christian thought.

Now while intelligent design and ol' fashioned creationism may be theologically weak, what is missing from this discussion (albeit a short one) is any mention of the deficiencies of "darwinism" from a theological and, dare I say, scientific point of view.

Further, as my own general rule, when a scientific theory acquires the doctrinally telling suffix of "ism," there is more at work than simple science.

For sure, there is good science and there is bad science. When a "philosopher" such as Dennett seriously asks whether science is sinful, you can be sure we are not really talking about science anymore.

Abortion is Their Bedrock Belief

I've always wondered what was more important to secularist liberals, abortion or socialism. Sure, the two seem to be linked but when it comes down to it, which one, I wondered, was the principal which liberals would cling to no matter what.

And this week gave me my answer. The Senate Democrats needed 60 votes to pass healthcare but Senators Ben Nelson and Joe Lieberman stood in the way for different reasons, presenting the White House and Senate leadership with a choice. Lieberman swore he wouldn't vote for a public option while Nelson said he couldn't vote for public funding of abortion.

And this week, Harry Reid did what seemed unthinkable just a month ago. He told Lieberman that they would take out the public option out of the healthcare bill. It's telling that the Democrats in the White House and the Senate surrendered the public option before they were willing to take abortion out.

Let's remember, the whole point of this healthcare bill and the main focus of Barack Obama's first year in the Presidency was the public option. And they just gave it away so that they wouldn't have to take out federal funding of abortion.

So in short, while liberals say that they believe that everyone is entitled to healthcare even at taxpayer expense what they really mean is that everyone is entitled to an abortion at taxpayer expense. They have proven with their actions that abortion is the bedrock principal of the Democratic Party.

Census Poster Depicts Joseph and Mary

The award for most shameless use of religious imagery in an effort to garner political power goes to...well Barack Obama.

But the National Association of Latino Elected Officials comes in a close second with this stunt.

The Washington Post is reporting:

A poster showing Mary and Joseph heading to Bethlehem for a census and the birth of Jesus is raising eyebrows among some evangelicals, who consider it an inappropriate use of Christian symbolism for the headcount the government will conduct next year.

The posters, created by the National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO), have been distributed to more than 7,000 churches in an effort to raise awareness of the census among Hispanics. Most were printed in Spanish.

The poster says "This is how Jesus was born, Joseph and Mary participated in the Census.” That alone is hilarious. I think the Holy Spirit had something to do with it as well. Believe it or not Jesus was not a direct result of the census. I know. I know. Something amazing happened without government intervention? Who'd a thunk it?

Believe me if the government were in charge of the savior's birth it would've been all messed up and it would've taken like 2,000 years longer than it really did and he probably would've been born in Kenya or something and instead of actually healing people he would've just promised universal healthcare...or something.

And the wise men would've been climatologists. And creches would have endangered polar bears instead of sheep.

But the bottom quote on the poster really typifies liberal sentiments when it says "It's time. Make yourself count." Typical liberals. They think the only way you count is when government counts you. You know Herod did some counting as well. That didn't work out too well, you know.

But overall this is just a ridiculous display of using religion to score political power. And make no mistake, this is about race-based political power. Isn't it weird how liberals are always complaining about separating church and state and then they come out with something like this which shows they're not against religious imagery. They're just against your political power.

The ironic part here is that it was the government's cruelty and insatiable hunger for taxes and power which forced Joseph and Mary from their homes. Hey, some things never change.