Brian Williams Is a Caveman

Remember when some evangelist said that the hurricane in New Orleans was a punishment from God and everyone freaked out on him. Well, Brian Williams is essentially saying the same thing in his little cutesy paganesque way.

Williams, like a caveman, saw bad weather and destruction and assumed that man had done something to deserve such bad weather. Next thing you know, he's going to be seeking to offer a sacrifice to the gods to assuage them. I guess he'll seek to toss businesses and jobs on the sacrificial fire.

Blue Collar Philosopher writes:

Belief in man made global warming, the belief that man’s activity can create and change weather, is a religious belief. Brian Williams on NBC’s Nightly News affirmed it in the form of a question. He wonders what we are doing that lead to the tornadoes in Alabama.

And the claim that it is “irresponsible” not to mention climate change in this story is propagated by the Left. One would think there had never been any tornadoes or bad weather prior to the Industrial Revolution. Left wing religious fanaticism is reaching dangerous levels over the fear of global warming.

So let me get this right. According to Brian Williams, if we'd all just live like Brian Williams wants us to, there would be nothing but sunshiney days and cool breezy nights. And probably rainbows too.

Anything less and Brian Williams would be looking to blame somebody. And you don't want to be blamed by Brian Williams. Nobody does.



Exit thought: I wonder if Brian Williams took a jet down to Alabama? So maybe Brian Williams is to blame. Wonder if he ever thought of that.

Pro-Choice, Pro-Gay Marriage Laura Bush to Headline Church Fundraiser?

Laura Bush was a classy first lady. Very likable. But...and this is a big but... I'm not sure it's cool at all for her to headline a fundraiser for a Catholic church as she is publicly pro-abortion and pro-gay marriage.

But that seems to be what Saint Mark's Catholic Church in Lexington is doing. The fundraiser itself isn't being held on church grounds but as you can see on the poster it says, "Saint Mark's Catholic Church presents A Day Among Friends. Former First Lady Laura Bush."

Here's the poster:

The website Conversionem, which alerted CMR to this story, writes:

How can this individual’s appearance, which is sponsored by one of our Catholic parish communities, not be the source of serious scandal for all Christians irrespective of the topic addressed at the event? And, is it not perhaps even a bit more scandalous, if possible, that this gives the appearance that we as Catholics are happy to set aside our core beliefs with regard to Life and Family in order raise money?

I agree that this is exactly the message that will be heard by many who see this poster or even hear about the fundraiser.

I'm wondering what your thoughts are on this? Does it matter that it's not on church grounds? Does it matter that the parish is not honoring her or giving her an award. To me, it doesn't but I'm wondering what your thoughts are.

In case you doubt, here's the video of Laura Bush affirming her support for gay marriage and abortion which clearly contradicts Church teaching.


Check out Conversionem for more.

The First Annoying Vegan

This one made me laugh.




HT Wheat and Weeds

Fr. Pfleger Supporters Rally at Cardinal's Residence

I guess we should've seen this coming. Supporters of Fr. Pfleger protested outside the Cardinal's residence. The crowd was upset at the Cardinal's suspension of Father Michael Pfleger from ministry duties at St Sabina. Pfleger had previously said that he would consider leaving the Catholic church if he didn't like his reassignment. Let's hope there's a happy ending to this madness. I'm not predicting one but I will pray for one.

 

HT Hot Air Pundit

The Party Of Beta Males

Let's face it, there is a dearth of men in the leadership of the Republican party and the GOP presidential field has more beta males than a Star Trek convention.

After the spineless GOP congressional leadership lost the 2011 budget debate due to a bad case of testicular absencia, Governor Pawlenty made this wimpy comment.

When asked after the speech about ethanol subsidies—which have come under fired from some fiscal conservatives, but are considered crucial in Iowa, where Pawlenty’s campaign could live or die—he hedged.

“We can’t just pull the rug out from under the industry,’’ he said.”There are going to have to be some changes, but we have to be fair-minded about it.’’

Fair-minded? Ethanol subsidies have always been a disgrace but now they are downright immoral as food prices continue to soar.

I hate panderers. Hate 'em.

We need men. Men who tell the truth, even if people don't want to hear it.

Only in a party this wimpy could a bana braggart like Donald Trump seem like a man.

Four more years.

Philly: Free Condoms for 11 Year Olds!!!

A new website called Teens Take Control from the Philadelphia Department of Health is pushing free condoms to children as young as 11 years old by offering to mail them free. (Mind you, the kids just have to check that they're 11 in a box so they could be seriously any age.) They're also offering an App for kids to download so they can find the closest place to get free condoms. And they're pushing an animated condom movie.

Because of the outrage this is causing, they seem to have taken it down but there's about thirty seconds of it in this news video reacting to the madness. It's awful.



The website states:

You know you need to use condoms each and every time you have sexual contact with someone. You know how to use a condom correctly. But there is one more important step: do you know where to find condoms?

There are many, many, many places in Philadelphia where you can buy condoms. There are lots of places where you can get condoms for free! Click here for a full list of sites so you can find one near you.

Playing it safe just got easier. If you live in Philadelphia and are between the ages of 11 and 19 you can now have condoms mailed directly to you for FREE.

Maybe it's difficult for you to stop by one of our sites to pick up condoms. Or maybe you're just shy or feeling weird about picking up condoms.

We understand this. That's why Philadelphia Department of Public Health is starting a new program: sending male condoms through the mail! If you live in Philadelphia and you are between the ages of 11 and 19, all you have to do is fill out the form below and we'll put together a package for you.

Now seriously, if a stranger said any of this stuff to your eleven year old or showed a video like that you'd punch them and call the cops. But because it's the government offering to mail condoms to your 11 year old without your knowledge, it's supposed to be OK?

You want the best part. At the bottom of the page they say "This site contains STD and HIV prevention messages that might not be appropriate for all audiences." Ya' think?

HT Story Balloon

The Good Goering

You probably know that Hermann Goering was one of the architects of the hellish Nazi concentration camps for political dissidents and Jews among others. You probably know that next to Hitler, Herman Goering was the man who played the largest role in the holocaust and The Final Solution.

You probably didn't know, however, that Herman Goering's little brother Albert, "a devout Catholic," was a hero who struggled against the Nazis and risked his life many times to save possibly hundreds of people from the grasp of the Nazis, to the point of being arrested four times and even had him fleeing an execution order. But his heroics have been hidden, obfuscated by the evil last name which he bore.

Continue reading at the National Catholic Register>>>

Junk DNA is the New Appendix

Remember for years and years we were told that appendixes were completely useless and proof that we lived in a godless world because no God would put something in us that was useless and could kill us. Well, remember it turned out that appendixes actually do serve a purpose. Oh well.

Robbed of their appendix theory, anti-theists have moved on to what they've termed "Junk DNA" that serves no purpose and is therefore evidence that we are simply biological accidents existing on a tiny rock in the infinite of space. But...not so fast.

Evolution News reports:

But are pseudogenes actually "nonfunctional ... faulty duplicates ... that do nothing" (Dawkins) or "broken DNA" (Giberson and Collins)? Consider the abstract of a new review article in the decidedly non-pro-ID journal RNA which sounds decidedly different from atheistic evolutionist Dawkins and theistic evolutionists Giberson and Collins:

Pseudogenes have long been labeled as "junk" DNA, failed copies of genes that arise during the evolution of genomes. However, recent results are challenging this moniker; indeed, some pseudogenes appear to harbor the potential to regulate their protein-coding cousins. Far from being silent relics, many pseudogenes are transcribed into RNA, some exhibiting a tissue-specific pattern of activation. Pseudogene transcripts can be processed into short interfering RNAs that regulate coding genes through the RNAi pathway. In another remarkable discovery, it has been shown that pseudogenes are capable of regulating tumor suppressors and oncogenes by acting as microRNA decoys. The finding that pseudogenes are often deregulated during cancer progression warrants further investigation into the true extent of pseudogene function. In this review, we describe the ways in which pseudogenes exert their effect on coding genes and explore the role of pseudogenes in the increasingly complex web of noncoding RNA that contributes to normal cellular regulation

Just seems to me that anytime anti-theists see something as purposeless perhaps they should wonder if its our own ignorance rather than quickly declaring a godless universe as scientific orthodoxy.

You can continue reading the piece called Et tu Pseudogenes at Evolution News.

Man Arrested for Preaching

The guy was preaching about fifty feet away from a DMV that people were standing outside waiting for it to open. The charges were "impeding an open business."

Two things:
1) They weren't impeding anyone. They might have been annoying some but they certainly weren't impeding.

2) And the DMV wasn't open yet which was why people were standing outside. How can you impede a business whose doors are locked? Duh!

So, in short, they weren't impeding and it was a closed business. But let's face it, they were arrested for preaching. Yeah, it's that simple. Can it be annoying to have some dude yelling at you early in the morning? Sure. But do we live in a country now that arrests people because people find them annoying? If so, that's pretty scary. And dangerous.

With this as precedent, anytime someone hears someone preaching and are annoyed by it, an arrest can be made.

Check out the vid:

Carrie Underwood "How Great Thou Art"

Carrie Underwood sang "How Great Thou Art" for a country music special "Girls Night Out: Superstar Women of Country," which aired Friday night on CBS and it's become a viral hit receiving over a million hits online. Pretty awesome. Wait. Not just pretty awesome. It's better than Elvis awesome. Gotta' watch.

I'm amazed CBS aired it.




Thanks to Zip Wire

Meatloaf, Should I Run for President?

This has got to be one of the greatest lines ever in the history of politics and/or television. In fact, in the history of the universe there's less than a micro milli-chance that the phrase, "Meatloaf should I run for President" could ever come up. But it did.



It's almost like God planned everything so that this moment of absolute improbable inanity could happen just to remind us how stupid we really are. The biggest egomaniac in the world asked Meatloaf, who just weeks before attacked Gary Busey, if he should run for President. Awesome.

Now, if everything else doesn't disqualify Donald Trump from the Presidency then this should, right? If you have any sanity or reason in you, you know that in your heart you should never elect a man to be the leader of the free world who ever said anything remotely close to, "Meatloaf, should I run for President?"

And mind you this is coming from a guy who actually owns every single one of Meatloaf's cd's. Every single one. And they're all awesome. I can sing along with "Give Me the Future with a Modern Girl." Oh yeah, I just admitted that.

Here's the deal -if I wrote a power ballad I might say, "Hey Meat, what do you think of this?" But if I were deciding whether or not to run for President, I wouldn't ask Meatloaf. No. No way. That's not his wheelhouse.

And I wouldn't ask Trump either.

Superman Renounces His Citizenship

Today I found out Obama actually is an American and that Superman isn't. Chalk it up as a bad bad day.



Weasel Zippers has the story but essentially it's a bunch of leftist anti-American idiot comic book writers playing out their own political fantasy and looking for publicity. In short, they're idiots.

Oh wait. Couldn't we blame Obama for this? Obama became President and halfway into his term he's even driven Superman out of the country with pictures like this one.



Jim Treacher writes that this may just prove Supes is racist.

We all know what this is really about. It’d be one thing if Superman renounced his U.S. citizenship under The Evil George Bush. But we put a black man in charge, and all of a sudden the Man of Steel heads for the exits? Nice try, Kracker-El. You might as well trade in that red cape for a white hood and join the Kryptonian Klux Klan.

HT Weasel Zippers

Military Chaplains for Atheists?

Atheists are pushing for the military to have chaplains for atheists in the military. Uhm, we already have them. They're called chaplains. An atheist has as much right to go see a chaplain as anyone else.

If an atheist wants an atheist to talk to, they're called psychologists or counselors.

The NY Times reports:

In the military, there are more than 3,000 chaplains who minister to the spiritual and emotional needs of active duty troops, regardless of their faiths. The vast majority are Christians, a few are Jews or Muslims, one is a Buddhist. A Hindu, possibly even a Wiccan may join their ranks soon.

But an atheist?

Strange as it sounds, groups representing atheists and secular humanists are pushing for the appointment of one of their own to the chaplaincy, hoping to give voice to what they say is a large — and largely underground — population of nonbelievers in the military.

Joining the chaplain corps is part of a broader campaign by atheists to win official acceptance in the military. Such recognition would make it easier for them to raise money and meet on military bases. It would help ensure that chaplains, religious or atheist, would distribute their literature, advertise their events and advocate for them with commanders.

But winning the appointment of an atheist chaplain will require support from senior chaplains, a tall order. Many chaplains are skeptical: Do atheists belong to a “faith group,” a requirement for a chaplain candidate? Can they provide support to religious troops of all faiths, a fundamental responsibility for chaplains?

As to the question of whether atheism is a "faith group" I would say that it takes a great amount of faith to be an atheist. Believing that the entire universe and every human being who ever lived was just a random act of crazy chance takes an enormous amount of faith. But it doesn't deserve a chaplaincy. This kind of foolish chase after some sort of elusive equality only seeks to make all things unintelligible. Words mean things. Chaplains are clergy. To expand the definition to atheism thins out the meaning of the word to non-existence.

Secularists are doing it with marriage. Marriage is between a man and a woman. But some don't want to get married to the opposite sex so they want to expand the term and the institution into meaninglessness.

If the military accedes to this atheist chaplaincy request, it wouldn't be expanding the use of chaplains, it would make it the entire institution meaningless. But isn't that what atheists are all about -meaninglessness?

Greatest and Worst UK Story Ever

Sorry UK. It's all over. Either emigrate out of there or be assimilated into the stale horrific world of rampant political correctness.

This is amazing. And by amazing I mean sad yet completely predictable. A pub singer named Simon Ledger in the UK was arrested on charges of racism for singing the classic "Kung Fu Fighting" which happened to be heard by a Chinese person passing the pub who phoned the police.

The Daily Mail reports:

‘We were performing Kung Fu Fighting, as we do during all our sets,’ he said.

‘People of all races were loving it. Chinese people have never been offended by it before.

‘But this lad walking past with his mum started swearing at us and making obscene hand gestures before taking a picture on his mobile phone.

'We hadn’t even seen them when we started the song. He must have phoned the police.’

Officers later called Mr Ledger while he was eating in a Chinese restaurant to arrange a meeting. The singer assumed it was a prank – but he was later arrested and is still under investigation.

‘They seemed pretty amazed but said the law is the law and it was their duty,’ he is reported to have said. ‘It’s political correctness gone potty. There are plenty of Welsh people at our shows – does it mean I can’t play any Tom Jones?’

I love the fact that he was at a Chinese restaurant when he was called by police about being arrested for racism against Chinese people.

When did freedom become the right not to be offended?

I've got to admit that this story makes me proud to be an American who can still highlight on my blog videos like...THIS!

Supply Side Confession

Have you given any thought to the economics of mercy?

The approach of Divine Mercy Sunday troubles me. What good is mercy if it is hardly ever available. The quality of mercy is certainly strained by the stinginess by which it is often granted.

As Catholics, we naturally wish for as much mercy as possible to be doled out to all who would seek it. In theory. In practice, we wish to dole as much mercy as can be doled out between the hours of 4:00 and 4:45 pm on Saturdays or by appointment.

Defenders of this woeful practice argue that even during the 45 minutes a week confession is available, not that many people take advantage of it, so why increase the hours?

People who think like this completely miss the boat.

Let's think of the mercy of confession as economic activity. If I had a store that was only open for 45 minutes on Saturday afternoon, I don't care how great the product I am selling might be, I am going out of business--fast.

What we need is nice big dose of supply side economics for the mercy business.

Supply side theory postulates that ...

Continue Reading @ National Catholic Register>>>

Pro-Life Display Vandalized

On Holy Thursday, pro-lifer students at Clarion University found that their pro-life display had been gruesomely vandalized. I mean, this is just abhorrent. Pro-lifers are used to their displays being vandalized but honestly this takes it to a new level. There's smatterings of fake blood, inverted crosses, bloody baby footprints. It's disgusting.

Here's some pictures:





Check out Jill Stanek for the horrific details.

7 Habits of People Who Radically Trust God

Jen Fulwiler is one of my favorite bloggers. She's smart, insightful, funny and faithful.

Check this one out from Jen called the 7 Habits of People Who Radically Trust God:

I read a lot of biographies and memoirs about inspiring people who place radical trust in God. (By “radical” I don’t mean reckless or imprudent, but am referring to the difficult, very counter-cultural act of recognizing God’s sovereignty over every area of our lives. More on that here.) From He Leadeth Me to God’s Smuggler, Mother Angelica to The Heavenly Man to The Shadow of His Wings, these true stories are about people from all walks of the Christian life: Catholic and Protestant, consecrated religious and lay people, men and women. And yet they all have distinct similarities in their approaches to life and the Lord.

I found it fascinating to see what common threads could be found in the lives of these incredible people who place so much trust in the Lord, and thought I’d share in case others find it inspiring as well.

Continue reading at Conversion Diary.

O'Donnell: Jesus Was a Socialist

Lawrence O' Donnell says Jesus was "the First Recorded Advocate of a Progressive Income Tax."

And then O'Donnell calls those against progressive income taxes "the damned." Yup. The damned. He talks about Jesus praising the widow who puts in all she has. Well, I'm thinking wouldn't that make Jesus an advocate of soaking the poor, rather than the rich as O'Donnell believes. But Jesus was actually talking about GIVING, not TAKING, which is what O'Donnell is prescribing.

Honestly, there's no way to watch this and come away with any other thought than O'Donnell is completely insane. I'm actually not kidding. Check it out.



HT Newsbusters
Weasel Zippers

Child Denied First Communion Due to Cerebral Palsy

A child has been denied first Communion due to a rather severe cognitive disability which, according to the pastor, made him unable to understand the Eucharist.

I don't know the right answer here but it seems to me that the Church should do everything we can to offer the sacraments but the bishops have said:

It is important to note, however, that the criterion for reception of holy communion is the same for persons with developmental and mental disabilities as for all persons, namely, that the person be able to distinguish the Body of Christ from ordinary food, even if this recognition is evidenced through manner, gesture, or reverential silence rather than verbally.

It seems to me to be up to the priest to make the call.

Here's the television report:


I do get a bit weary of the exit line from the reporter saying that this incident makes the mother question not only her pastor but her faith. And Anointing of the Sick isn't just for those dying, despite what the woman says. And her calling it "discrimination" is a bit awkward in that the Church must be discriminating as to who receives Communion.

In the end, this is a terrible situation but I think you have to trust the pastor.

HT The Blaze

Gay McGreevey Denied Priesthood For Being "Jackass"

Former Governor, Gay American, and New Jersey Corruptacrat has beeen denied the priesthood by the Episcopalians because, and I quote, he is a "jackass."

Do I hear an amen?

No longer governor of New Jersey, Jim McGreevey, 53, thought he could become a priest. However, he can’t — at least not yet. The Episcopal Church has denied McGreevey his bid to join the priesthood.

McGreevey drew national attention in August 2004 when he abruptly announced his plans to resign in November 2004. He told the world “I am a gay American” as he stood on stage with his ex-wife Dina. After that, their sensational divorce proceedings played out publicly.
...
Another source said that McGreevey was rejected not for being gay, but for being a “jackass” in his divorce proceedings, which damaged his reputation. They feared that McGreevey was possibly using the clergy as a tool to rebuild his tarnished image rather than focus on God. Both McGreevey and Newark Diocese’s Bishop Mark Beck declined to comment.

Being denied priesthood in the Episcopalian Church is humiliating. I mean, this lady is in charge of the Episcopalian Church.

I mean how lame do you have to be turned down by the organization headed by the lady in the clown outfit? I mean even people who were turned down for entrance into clown college look down on McGreevey.

How lame? This lame.
Maybe Jefferts Schori didn't think he was man enough. Who are we to argue?

Drive Thru Jesus?

Madness. Pure madness. Some churches will do anything for press and media coverage. Methinks this one went a teeeeeeeny bit far. Just a bit.

Jesus died on the cross for you and you slowed down to honk your horn for Jesus. Fair trade, right?

MSNBC reports:

An Old Hickory church is offering a drive-thru Good Friday service until midnight.

North Point Community Church is set up inside a former bank building on Donelson Avenue. From midnight Thursday to midnight Friday, people can drive up to the building to drop a burden or sin at the first window. Then they can pull up to the second window and receive a blessing.

Church members said they hope this will be a bright spot in someone's busy day. "We want people to know we care because we know Jesus," said church member Lee Fesler.

They want this to be a "bright spot?" It'll be a blur. It's a freaking drive thru.

The dumbing down of Christianity. That's what it is. At some point you make things so "convenient" that it ceases to be worship or prayer.

I wonder if you order the supersize Jesus you get a toy.

New Vocations Video from the Dominican Friars

A lot of people have heard of the vocations boom among Dominican sisters, especially the communities in Nashville and Ann Arbor. Even Oprah knows about the Ann Arbor sisters. But the "eastern" province of Dominican Friars, officially the Province of St. Joseph, has been having a quiet renaissance of late as well. 21 novices entered last summer. This video, with its serious content and joyful tone, shows why men are flocking to the Dominican Order.

Dumbest Criminal...Evah!!! Seriously.

You ever watch the show "Prison Break?" Essentially, it's about a dude who gets himself arrested and put into prison so that he can break out his brother who's been wrongfully convicted. All over his body, the hero tattooed the blueprints for the prison as a map to escape the prison.

Well one California criminal used his tattoos to get him INTO prison. For a loooong time.

The LA Times reports:

L.A. County Sheriff's homicide investigator Kevin Lloyd was flipping through snapshots of tattooed gang members.

Then one caught his attention.

Inked on the pudgy chest of a young Pico Rivera gangster who had been picked up and released on a minor offense was the scene of a 2004 liquor store slaying that had stumped Lloyd for more than four years.

Each key detail was right there: the Christmas lights that lined the roof of the liquor store where 23-year-old John Juarez was gunned down, the direction his body fell, the bowed street lamp across the way and the street sign — all under the chilling banner of RIVERA KILLS, a reference to the gang Rivera-13.

The police investigated and now the guy's in the can for murder.

OK. It's not like I want to help murderers or anything but guys, come on. Rule #1 for murderers -Do NOT under any circumstances draw pictures of your crime. But if you feel you must, then do not draw a picture of your crime permanently on your body. Try a piece of paper which you can immediately burn or otherwise destroy. If you're an artistically minded murderer perhaps you could create a paper mache still life of your crime...which you could immediately destroy after completing it.

Dude, use your head.

If I ever meet this guy I vow to say, "Man that's a killer tattoo." And then I'll run.

Batman Tried to Save Jesus

My three year old daughter is a Batman nut. She kinda' thinks she is Batman. Not Batgirl mind you. Batman. Most days, she pretends to be Batman leaping from cushion to cushion saving us all from evil of some sort or another. She has an assortment of Batman shirts she wears when she changes out of her Batman pajamas. When we go to the beach she wears her bathing suit and a batman mask. I've got pictures. I'm not proud of that you see, I'm just explaining. When I'm forced to peel her Batman shirt off and wash it she stands in the laundry room waiting. Impatiently.

Well, on Good Friday I suggested she wear a dress to church as we were going to pray for an hour. My three year old at first resisted this idea. And by resisted I mean she ran upstairs in an attempt to hide as she does every time she hears the word "dress." (My efforts to dress her for a birthday tea party at an Aunt's house are legendary and are still discussed by neighbors, a mailman, and the local branch of the SPCA. I'll explain that some other time.)

So when I went up the stairs on Good Friday I half expected to find a little girl threatening the life of a stuffed animal if I took one step closer...

Continue reading at the National Catholic Register>>>

Folks, We Are In Big Trouble

I will keep this short because every time I write about economic issues on this site I am greeted by a rousing chorus of crickets.

But I wish to take a minute to say that we might be in very big trouble. I know, I know, everyone says this, long term if we continue spending we are in big trouble. Although undoubtedly true, that's not what I am saying here. I think we might be in big trouble right now. Big trouble.

Our currency is under incredible pressure right now. Incredible pressure. While we argue over the debt ceiling, some really bad things are afoot.

First, we continue to monetize our debt. And...As your heard, the S&P has downgraded the US. No great surprise there, probably should have been done a while ago, but it puts additional pressure on us. And...

China is preparing to dump a lotta lotta dollars (2 trillion) in a effort to move away from the dollar. And...

There is continuing pressure to move away from the US Dollar as a reserve currency.

If this happens, we are dead meat. Dead meat. $5 gasoline will be the good old days.

Because of our irresponsible handling of the currency that underpins the world's financial system, we are at the brink of having our advantage taken away. This would mean a large, possibly out of control, devaluation of our dollar and make the high prices of today look like "the good old days!"
..

Special drawing rights are an international reserve asset, created by the IMF in 1969 to supplement its member countries' official reserves. Its value is based on a basket of four key international currencies, and SDRs can be exchanged for freely usable currencies.

• Another Reuters article shows that the IMF supports replacing the U.S. dollar with their special drawing right as the world's reserve currency.
• There is yet another article, again on Reuters, that shows a Chinese press release that states that the current five-year communist plan calls for the Chinese yuan to be a world reserve currency in 2011.

In the past few months, the Chinese have been trading with Latin America, Asian countries, Russia and settling their trades in their own currencies. That means as Russia sends oil, gas, etc. to China they are paid in yuan rather than dollars.

Two weeks ago, China also started trading with India and bypassing the use of the dollar. This creates less demand for the dollar as our supply of dollars is increasing at a very high rate and is forcing the price lower.

With all of the unrest in the Middle East, soaring oil and commodity prices (all things that make the dollar rise in value because it creates more demand) the dollar has fallen. This is a horrible sign for our future purchasing power here in the U.S.

We are having our attention diverted from this monstrous issue. In the next few months this could be THE issue that can change our way of life.

Change our way of life is right. If we lose this advantage, we are toast people. Toast. Our currency becomes worthless. Toast, I say. And I don't see how we can avoid it.

Mother Teresa on Suffering

During Easter we often consider the meaning of suffering. Check out this pretty extraordinary video of Mother Teresa being interviewed by William F. Buckley on the question of suffering. Definitely worth it.

Watch the video at the National Catholic Register>>>

Leonard Porter: Jesus Laid in the Tomb

In the last of New York painter Leonard Porter's Stations of the Cross, we see Christ's body laid in the tomb. Though lifeless, Christ's body is lit up, eerily white amid the muted colors of the background and other figures. His body, stiff with rigor mortis, still shows the shape of the cross, his arms outstretched. The two henchmen on the left, far from driving Christ on to his death, now look at each other saying "Have we done?" Mary Magdalene sits has fallen to the ground in her grief, bring a jar of ointment once again, this time to anoint Christ's lifeless body.

Joseph of Arimethea stands partially hidden in the rear. Here Porter took an ancient convention from mythological belief systems in which Zeus would appear on earth in human form. So Joseph here wears especially regal dress, not just because he was a wealthy man, but to give the viewer an image of what the Father sees without actually representing the Father. In this way, the viewer gets to imagine the grief of God the Father without fear of idolatry.

Christ's right hand points into the tomb, just as Pilate's pointed finger began the sorrowful walk in station 1. The next phase of Christ's mission will begin in the tomb, gathering the souls of the dead.

Vid on the Passion of Christ

Check this out. Bob Rice of Franciscan University at Steubenville wrote it. Check out the vid, it's really well made.



Check out PalmSundayFilm or Bob-rice.com.

Holy Week Horror!

Live Action reports:

Early this morning, Live Action Investigator and sidewalk counselor Gaby Federico discovered a dead, dismembered baby in the parking lot of Hilltop Family Planning Clinic, an abortion clinic in El Paso, TX. The Hilltop clinic advertises abortions up to 15 weeks.

Federico and a fellow pro-life sidewalk counselor at the clinic were alerted to the find by a man who lives next door to the clinic. He said the night before, his dog had been sniffing around the parking lot and found the baby’s body parts lying on the ground. The man placed the body parts in a plastic bag next to the clinic and alerted Federico this morning. At approximately 9:15 AM, Federico and others found disarticulated tissue, two bloody legs with feet, and a severed hand in the bag.

Police arrived at the clinic around 11:30 AM and are investigating and interviewing clinic staff. Abortion clinic staff have claimed the body is not “theirs” and that they “dispose of bodies properly.” The Bishop of El Paso, Armando Achoa, is also at the clinic and has asked for the body to for a funeral and burial.

Continue reading at Live Action.

Big Bird Asks Michelle O Some Good Questions

Too funny.

If this was real, I would vote to fund PBS!! Ht. to WeaselZippers

Good Friday

As a child I always wondered why it was called "Good Friday" when it seemed to me to be a pretty awful day. But this day for me explains Catholicism better than any other. Ours is a faith where pain and suffering are not signs that we are not connected enough to God or that we've done something wrong. Faith doesn't mean easy living. In fact, we only have to look at the cross to see that. Through Christ's sufferings we are redeemed. But if we take up our crosses God can accomplish so much good through us.

Then the whole assembly of them arose and brought him before Pilate. They brought charges against him, saying, "We found this man misleading our people; he opposes the payment of taxes to Caesar and maintains that he is the Messiah, a king."

Pilate asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" He said to him in reply, "You say so." Pilate then addressed the chief priests and the crowds, "I find this man not guilty." But they were adamant and said, "He is inciting the people with his teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee where he began even to here."

On hearing this Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean; and upon learning that he was under Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod who was in Jerusalem at that time. Herod was very glad to see Jesus; he had been wanting to see him for a long time, for he had heard about him and had been hoping to see him perform some sign.

He questioned him at length, but he gave him no answer. The chief priests and scribes, meanwhile, stood by accusing him harshly. (Even) Herod and his soldiers treated him contemptuously and mocked him, and after clothing him in resplendent garb, he sent him back to Pilate.

Herod and Pilate became friends that very day, even though they had been enemies formerly. Pilate then summoned the chief priests, the rulers, and the people and said to them, "You brought this man to me and accused him of inciting the people to revolt. I have conducted my investigation in your presence and have not found this man guilty of the charges you have brought against him, nor did Herod, for he sent him back to us. So no capital crime has been committed by him.

Therefore I shall have him flogged and then release him." But all together they shouted out, "Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us." (Now Barabbas had been imprisoned for a rebellion that had taken place in the city and for murder.) Again Pilate addressed them, still wishing to release Jesus, but they continued their shouting, "Crucify him! Crucify him!"

Pilate addressed them a third time, "What evil has this man done? I found him guilty of no capital crime. Therefore I shall have him flogged and then release him."

With loud shouts, however, they persisted in calling for his crucifixion, and their voices prevailed. The verdict of Pilate was that their demand should be granted.

So he released the man who had been imprisoned for rebellion and murder, for whom they asked, and he handed Jesus over to them to deal with as they wished.

As they led him away they took hold of a certain Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country; and after laying the cross on him, they made him carry it behind Jesus. A large crowd of people followed Jesus, including many women who mourned and lamented him.

Jesus turned to them and said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep instead for yourselves and for your children, for indeed, the days are coming when people will say, 'Blessed are the barren, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed.'

At that time people will say to the mountains, 'Fall upon us!' and to the hills, 'Cover us!' for if these things are done when the wood is green what will happen when it is dry?"

Now two others, both criminals, were led away with him to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him and the criminals there, one on his right, the other on his left.

[Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do."] They divided his garments by casting lots.

The people stood by and watched; the rulers, meanwhile, sneered at him and said, "He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Messiah of God."

Even the soldiers jeered at him. As they approached to offer him wine they called out, "If you are King of the Jews, save yourself."

Above him there was an inscription that read, "This is the King of the Jews."

Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us."

The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, "Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation?

And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal."

Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

He replied to him, "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." It was now about noon and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon because of an eclipse of the sun. Then the veil of the temple was torn down the middle.

Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit"; and when he had said this he breathed his last.

The centurion who witnessed what had happened glorified God and said, "This man was innocent beyond doubt."

When all the people who had gathered for this spectacle saw what had happened, they returned home beating their breasts; but all his acquaintances stood at a distance, including the women who had followed him from Galilee and saw these events.

Church Burning Was "Deliberate"

A fire that destroyed a Catholic Church in California is being called "deliberate" by authorities, according to the California Catholic Daily.

Investigators suspect arson in a fire that destroyed St. John Vianney Church in Hacienda Heights over the weekend.

"The investigators have been quite definitive to me, this was very definitely a deliberate act," Steve Whitmore, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, told the Los Angeles Times.

The fire, which began shortly after midnight on Saturday, left only a burned out shell where the 5000-member parish’s sanctuary once stood.

This is the latest in a series of anti-Catholic incidents in California the past couple of years including vandalism which read “Kill the Cathlics” on the walls of a Catholic church and the destruction of a 60-year-old statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary dedicated to the memory of veterans.

Have you heard anything about this in the media? Could you imagine if someone had burned down a mosque? Or wrote "Kill the Muslims?" It would be the lede in every news program. The President would hold a press conference, the ladies from The View would cluck their concern, and Anderson Cooper would be reporting from outside a Mosque somewhere. But it's just a Catholic Church that got burned down. It's just a Catholics that people are threatening to kill. It's just Catholic statues being vandalized. So shhhhhh.

Christians all over the globe are suffering terribly and...nothing. Blogs write about it but nowhere else do you see even an eyebrow lifted in concern. Methinks this is all going to get a lot worse before it gets better.

Station 9 By Leonard Porter

New meditations based on the set of the Stations of the Cross recently completed by New York painter Leonard Porter.

In Station 9 Jesus falls the third time. Here we see Christ even farther beyond the city wall, storm brewing and wind blowing.

Four henchmen now torment the fallen Christ after only two appeared in the previous stations, indicating the increase in the violence of the sins of mankind that rain down upon him. Using a classical convention, the henchmen have differing physical features and dress representing the “Four Races of Man,” indicating that all of humanity brought Christ to the crucifixion, and conversely that Christ died for all. The colors of the clothing have all be elevated, increasing the visual dynamism of the painting.

The unrepentant centurion lords over the scene, the rising storm blowing his cloak. He looks with a scowl directly at Christ while even his horse is forced to look away in terror. By contrast, Longinus has dismounted from his horse, becoming almost lost in the crowd on the left side of the painting, looking at Christ with sadness. At the far right, a shadowy woman in brown runs away with her baby, an allusion to the Massacre of the Innocents which occurred at the beginning of Christ’s life, indicating that the innocent Christ is indeed accepting the violence of men.

Christ’s face remains resolute even in his weakness, and his cross is beginning to appear more tree-like at the bottom, indicating its transformation from instrument of torture to Tree of Life.

Mitch Daniels to Defund Planned Parenthood?

Is the truce over?

According to The Politico, a bill defunding Planned Parenthood may be landing on Indiana Governor Mitch "The Truce" Daniels' desk in the next two weeks.

Sources in Indiana tell PULSE the governor will most likely be forced to swerve away from his long-touted "truce" on social issues when a bill to defund Planned Parenthood and set up new abortion restrictions lands on his desk within the next two weeks. The Indiana State Senate passed the bill this week and groups on both sides of the issue expect the governor to sign off on it. "Both fiscal and social conservatives are united behind the call to defund Planned Parenthood of our tax dollars," SBA List's Marjorie Dannenfelser tells PULSE. "We expect that Mitch Daniels has heard the message loud and clear that the only acceptable truce should be on truces themselves."

This is a pretty big deal in that Daniels ticked off social conservatives pretty badly in talking about a "truce" on social issues. So his action here will decide the viability of his candidacy. Make no mistake, even if he does defund Planned Parenthood his indications that there are more important issues other than life bug me. They bug the heck out of me. But let's face it, you've gotta' have a soft spot in your heart for a governor that defunds Planned Parenthood.

I hope and pray that Governor Daniels will do the right thing here and defund Planned Parenthood in Indiana.

HT Jill Stanek

THE Most Horrific Tweet Ever

Think about what these pro-aborts are writing. It's Good Friday so...we need abortion escorts. It's the day our Lord was escorted to His death so let's commemorate it by escorting mothers in to kill their children.



And then on Facebook:


HT Pro-Life Wisconsin and Badger Catholic.

Kathleen Turner Plays Nun. WHat Could Go Wrong?

The virulently pro-abortion and generally skeevy Kathleen Turner is set to play a Catholic Nun on Broadway. What could go wrong? Lots.

Turner plays Sister Jamison Connelly, a foul-mouthed recovering alcoholic who is asked to treat a 19-year-old crystal meth addict and prostitute. Nice.
She's making her first appearance as a Roman Catholic nun when the play "High" opens this month on Broadway. And, in a divine bit of coincidence, the actress best known for "Body Heat" and "Romancing the Stone" also stars as a suburban mom striving to be named Catholic Woman of the Year in a new film opening at the same time at the Tribeca Film Festival.

"For some reason this year it's my year of Catholicism. Who knew?" says the 56-year-old actress in her rose-filled dressing room at the Booth Theater where she's putting the finishing touches on Matthew Lombardo's play.

"I must confess that I don't believe in any organized religion," she says. "I happen to think that they're all men putting words in God's mouth. That doesn't work for me, but I certainly believe in belief and faith."

I personally can't stand Kathleen Turner. To me, she always seems like the hyper-annoying love child of Brenda Vaccaro and Harvey Fierstein (if such a thing were possible), except without the talent and the good looks. Blech.

You know how they say there are not enough parts for talented middle-aged women? That is obviously not true.

Station 8 by Leonard Porter

New meditations based on the set of the Stations of the Cross recently completed by New York painter Leonard Porter.

Station 8 shows Christ meeting the women of Jerusalem and giving them the difficult words “Do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and your children,” alluding the coming destruction of the Temple and indeed of Jerusalem itself. An overturned brazier at Christ’s feet speak of the Temple’s destruction, the end of shadowy worship of the Old Testament and the birthing pains of a new daughter, the Church, who sings right praise.

Porter’s painting shows the increased chaos of sin entering the walk of the via crucis. The setting is outside the city walls, progressing ever closer to the hill of Calvary. Roman soldiers file out of the city, bringing all earthly power against Christ, carrying the Roman standard of military power. Soldiers seem to rain down on Christ, just as the clouds darken and the wind picks up and begins to blow the centurion’s cloak. The centurions on horseback clearly show their respective understanding of the event. In the gold helmet, Longinus ponders Christ’s death and travels with him. The other centurion bares his arm in a display of earthly power, turning his horse away from Christ.

Porter intentionally gives the scene a simultaneous calm and frenzy made possible in classical painting. Though the figures are in deep mourning, their poses are carefully and beautifully composed. Though Christ suffers, his divinity remains evident.

The daughters of Jerusalem come from many races and social classes, with arms reaching out to Christ inspired by David’s Brutus. In common biblical symbolism, women, like the woman at the well or the Virgin Mary, represent the Church, and here they are clustered like an edifice of great strength. Like Christ, they glow with vibrant Easter colors, while the rest of the scene is pulled back in darkness by Porter’s addition of smoky glazes over the paint.

On the extreme right, a woman almost invisible in deep shadow weeps at the destruction of Jerusalem at the foot of a statue figure known as a caryatid, another woman-figure emblem of the Church. This example, based on an original from Hadrian’s Villa, wears a castle on her head. The image of a woman with a castle on her head is a long standing image of a city, or polis. The Church is therefore represented as a person – a woman as pillar of the Church – yet simultaneously as a city, pouring out a libation bowl in her right hand, just as the Church will dispenses divine life in the sacraments after the destruction of the Temple.