The International Press Reviews Of Obama Getting Worse

Well year one of Obama is coming to a close and wonders how time has flown.

KEEP FLYING!!

One can sense some disappointment in the liberal ranks it seems. One of those issues is how Obama would renew America's place in the world. PEOPLE WILL LIKE US!!

Despite all the gushing over Obama's early speeches reality has hit. It is not producing results.

From Contentions:
The President is “Obama the Impotent,” according to Steven Hill of the Guardian. The Economist calls Obama the “Pacific (and pussyfooting) president.” The Financial Times refers to “relations between the U.S. and Europe, which started the year of talks as allies, near breakdown.” The German magazine Der Spiegel accuses the president of being “dishonest with Europe” on the subject of climate change. Another withering piece in Der Spiegel, titled “Obama’s Nice Guy Act Gets Him Nowhere on the World Stage,” lists the instances in which Obama is being rolled. The Jerusalem Post puts it this way: “Everybody is saying no to the American president these days. And it’s not just that they’re saying no, it’s also the way they’re saying no.” “He talks too much,” a Saudi academic who had once been smitten with Barack Obama tells the Middle East scholar Fouad Ajami. The Saudi “has wearied of Mr. Obama and now does not bother with the Obama oratory,” according to Ajami. But “he is hardly alone, this academic. In the endless chatter of this region, and in the commentaries offered by the press, the theme is one of disappointment. In the Arab-Islamic world, Barack Obama has come down to earth.”

Indeed he has — and only Obama and his increasingly clueless administration seem unaware of this. .....................

Much more at the link.

I by no means is celebrating this. I found this a very dangerous state of affairs and hoping and praying that Obama and staff can turn it around.

The End of Rod Dreher's Political Commentary

Sad news. Rod is moving on to a new exciting new job. A job that will have to make him curtail his political writing. I did not always agree with Rod but I enjoyed his contribution.

Also it was nice to see a LSU grad and son of Louisiana having a place in the nationwide debate on these issues. But it will be nice to see him in his new position which is a tribute to LSU and the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts (Class of 85).

Good Luck Rod!!! See I'm leaving newspapering -- but not journalism

Mean Vatican Says Church Can't Be Used to Ordain Anglican Women

Sometimes I really wonder what is happening in the Church "down Under". It seems the news is often very good but in some Diocese very bad. In this case the cherry on top is there bad reporting of the matter.

Father Z has Australia: Holy See tells Catholic diocese not to host Anglican ordination of women

I have love the usual Vatican bashing here -"Peter Bugden wrote that the decision was evidence that the Roman Curia was concerned with power and control, and that Christianity had been usurped by Churchianity"

Lets be clear here. You can bet there were a ton of Catholics complaining but as Father Z notes they are not mentioned. "Power and Control" are in the eye of the beholder I suppose. You can bet that the Catholic powers that be that are yelling the loudest about this have indeed their own theological and political agenda they are pushing. What about Catholics that have certain rights under Canon Law to object?

Also needless to say the issue of female ordination and orders is still a contested subject in large parts of the Anglican communion. So we not only have a Catholic angle here we also have the issue of the Church seeming to endorse something that is of great debate in the Anglican communion itself.



In fact it is a issue I believe in the very Evangelical Anglican Diocese of Sydney. Throw Anglo Catholics in the mix (please note there are quite a few in Australia), the Archbishop of Canterbury's recent remarks, the new Anglican provisions and it is a power keg.

Pope Benedict Does 2009 Advent Vespers (Full Text)

Full text on this page of the Papal Homily at Advent Vespers. Below is just a part.


Christian Advent becomes in this way an occasion to re-establish in us the true sense of waiting, returning to the heart of our faith which is the mystery of Christ. The Messiah who had been awaited for many centuries was born in poverty in Bethlehem.

In coming into our midst, he brought us and continues to offer us the gift of his love and his salvation. Present among us, he speaks to us in many ways: in Sacred Scripture, in the liturgical year, in the saints, in the events of daily life, in all of Creation which changes its aspect depending on whether Christ is behind it all or is obscured by a fog of uncertain origin and uncertain future. In turn, we can address ourselves to him, present him with the sufferings that afflict us, the impatience, the questions which gush forth from our heart.

We can be sure that he always listens to us! And if Jesus is present, there is no time that is empty or devoid of sense. If He is present, we can continue to hope even if others can no longer assure of us of any support, even when the present becomes arduous.

Andrew Sullivan Preaches to Republican Christians

Andrew Sullivan gives us his Advent sermon I guess. Vox Nova has the link at Quote of the Day.

“It’s staggering really that modern American Christianism supports wealth while Jesus demanded total poverty, fetishizes family while Jesus left his and urged his followers to abandon wives, husbands and children, champions politics while Jesus said his kingdom was emphatically not of this world, defends religious war where Jesus sought always peace, and backs torture, which is what the Romans did to Jesus. At some point these charlatans need to be chased out of the temple. Which these days means the Republican party.”

Well Ho Ho Ho!!. Of course the above is so theologically shallow in my view it is silly. "Fetish" family?

There is in the back and forth comments this at VOX NOVA

I’m always surprised at how many people defend the Republicans on these matters, and start by pointing fingers at Democrats. Here’s the difference – it is the Republicans who (blasphemously) wrap themselves in the mantle of Christianity. Democrats may pander, but they do not claim to be a Christian party.
And yes, Sullivan’s knee-jerk swipes at the Church on the issue of homosexuality can be irritating – but this is not the subject matter at hand.

Yes it is true I suppose Sullivan can be "irritating". His ever non ceasing slander of Pope Benedict is pretty annoying. Thankfully his phobia about all things Sarah Palin has distracted him the Holy Father for a bit.

The Democrats do not claim to be a Christian party? My goodness for decades and decades and decades they have claimed that. From issues realting to the poor, to immigration, to Unions, to the Great Society, to the New Deal, to opposition to various wars, to State Execution, to the increase in Head Start funding, to the environment, to what tax rates should be , etc etc all this has been at various times and by various times urged as the Christian position.

Though Christianity and some of it's central tenets seem to be on the outs lately in the Democrat party we still hear Democrats suing the force of the CHristian message (and it's authority) in making a case for numerous positions. . I am not saying that is correct or incorrect in all cases. Of course I am not one to call mosts Democrats "blasphemous" either.

If such over the top rethoric of Andrew Sullivan is endorsed ( Again I never knew Jesus was against Family) where is the hope for Catholic Social Justice. I think the Democrat position on abortion and gay marraige is very blasphemous.

However whenever I make Catholic Social Justice arguments against other matters in the DEM party I disagree with I am not so sure of my position that I call the other party "blasphemous" on these matters.

The Utah Holy Football War is Nasty- Max Hall Is One Mad Mormon

LOL you thought it was bad in the SEC. The coach of Tennessee could teach ettiqute lessons to these folks.

From the quarterback of BYU


"I don't like Utah. In fact, I hate them. I hate everything about them. I hate their program, their fans. I hate everything," Hall said. "It felt really good to send those guys home." .........

"I think the whole university and their fans and the organization is classless," Hall said. "They threw beer on my family and stuff last year and did a whole bunch of nasty things. I don't respect them and they deserved to lose."......

And this is after they won. Imagine what he would said if they lost!!!

Ten Facts About Advent You Need To Know!!

Canterbury Tales has them at Top Ten Things to Know about Advent!

Louisiana Baptists Buy 200 Year Nova Scotia Anglican Church

And are about to move it to Louisiana!!.

Louisiana Genealogy Blog has the very interesting news story at Nova Scotia to Louisiana . As you can tell there is a tad of controversy about this. However I rather see Christian Patrimony saved than allowed to just fade away because of neglect.

Even Atheists Need Christmas (Advent Day 1)

I guess I will try to do a ADVENT meditation everyday. This one is rather long and I suspect my others will be just short blurbs. Anne Rice the noted author was a Christian, then a atheist, then a unhappy atheist and now has found her Faith again. She wrote a incredible book Called Out of Darkness- a spiritual confession. I am only posting parts of her thoughts on Christmas . It is located on pages 94 to 99 of her book. Go read it all!! My thoughts on this after the quotes


It goes on and I could on, but as I am talking now about New Orleans let me return to that theme.

Christmas in the time of my school days was even more sumptuous than Easter. In the early days we didn't keep Advent , or the penitential four weeks before Christmas. So the Christmas manger scene was erected quite early in each Church, and it stood there resplendent for all too see for quite a few number of days....

Even Christmas shopping was part of this festive and holy time of year. For me it was a matter of roaming five-and--dime stores on Canal Street for the simple presents I could afford. But I well remember the Christmas carols playing in every store I entered and the gorgeous Christmas windows of the fine stores, Maison Blanche and D.H Holmes.

It seems to me in retrospect that the department stores did an excellent job of extending the "sacred space" of Christmas in those days. And I sometimes wonder whether for people of no religion, this might have been the only sacred place they knew. When people rail now against "the commercial nature of Christmas," I am conflicted and unable to respond. Because I think those who would banish commercialism from the holiday fail to understand how precious and comforting the shop displays and music can be...

There was nothing like Christmas. Not even Mardi Gras exceed Christmas in importance and my child's mind sought some understanding of the mystery I was experiencing in the haunting Celtic carols we sang....

In my later years , bleak years, years without God there were two films show on television every Christmas which became of remarkable importance to me. On was It's a wonderful Life with Jimmy Stewart, and Donna Reed; and the other was Scrooge. Year after year I waited anxiously for these films, and sometimes they were the only Christmas films offered on National Television and I cannot help but wonder how important they must have been to people everywhere who were trying to regain that deep mystery of Christmas, in a world that no longer perhaps believed in it, or were determined to blot it out....

Back to childhood: as I grew older, somebody or some group of people in the Church decided that we should observe the Advent season and so the cribs could not be placed in Churches until Christmas Eve. Because in America "nothing is more over than Christmas," this meant that the cribs didn't command an body's attention for very long. The radiant Christ Child came and went in a matter of a few days. This was a terrible loss.


However the celebration of Advent was an interesting idea in itself, involving an Advent wreath with four candles for the Sundays of Advent. But I mourn the days when manger scenes went up early and the sheer joy of the Christmas season went on for a long, long time.....

Anne Rice again does a wonderful job of reminding us that THE WORD sometimes cannot be expressed only by the written "Word". Many people are just not "wired" that way and they must experience it through the senses. The strange loss recently of the need for sacred space and beauty is something I think Christians across the board fail to contemplate enough.

What I like about this is it is challenging for us Christians.

I , like Anne Rice, am not bashing the Holy Advent season. I think it is important to return to that. Still there is a lesson here for the Liturgical purists among us.

Also the whole topic of commercialism and materialism is important. Yes it is a problem. However I am reminded of a conversation I had just last night with a friend of mine. We were talking about the serious sin of materialism and how it has affected Christians. We both agreed though that the sin of materialism is a very much personal one. It does not have bright lines like the sins of lying, murder, fornication etc. So it is difficult to preach on without becoming a slave of judgemental thought and legalism. I find a lot of folks that talk about this important issue often sadly are highly annoying and paint with too far of a brush.

Anne here is reminding us that this Holy Space is needed and yes even though it popular to "Rant" about bad ole Commercial Christmas it does or did provide a sacred space. A sacred space that perhaps leads to a much more authentic conversion.

How do we enable a sacred place in our lives and for our neighbors even in the most mundane of things?

British World War II Generation Wonders If It Was For Nothing

Oh what a sad article here. See This isn’t the Britain we fought for.

Tip of the Hat to Instapundit

New York Times Op Ed- Tax College Sports!!

I mean if it is successful it must be taxed right?

The Op-Ed does the regular arguments and does not address the real issues that opposes it's view of the world.

For instance:
College presidents contend that their hands are tied by confounding economic forces. To pay for non-revenue sports like volleyball and track, they depend on their football and basketball programs. But this Faustian line of logic obscures some important points.

Hey I got to use "Faustian" in a sentence so it must show that my points are good.

Football and basketball is the goose that pays for everything else in many cases. It seemed these non revenue sports were of the utmost importance to lets say the readership of the New York Times when we were dealing with college women sports. It did not matter in order to implement Title XI that a lot of men's sports had to hit the chopping block. Oh well women's basketball, soccer, and softball you were of the utmost importance a few years ago now it appears you are collateral damage.

What about the Olympics. Well I suppose a lot of Colleges would have to cut back on things such as track and field, swimming, and the other "Olympic Sports" .So I guess our medal count goes down. A small price to pay for a few bucks I guess.

The fact that many of these college programs don't have to take money from the legislature and thus other educational programs seems to be a point he wishes not to address. In fact the huge important fact that schools like LSU, Georgia, and South Carolina actually contribute direct payments to the general fund of the Universities is just ignored!!!

Where is this College Football mess the Op Ed writer is talking about?. Is it a mess that a Conference like the SEC has a television contract with ESPN where every school (From Vandy to Bama to LSU ) gets a nice 15 million dollars a year. Is it a mess that every school gets a equal share of the Bowl revenues post season. All this helps programs from not having to be funded by the taxpayer. What is the problem?

How are the citizens of Louisiana, Florida, Ohio, California, etc , etc helped by taxing College Sports revenue?So it goes into the hole that is the federal budget and our taxes have to go up?

What about the huge SALES tax revenue that these towns get. That is never on these people's radar because well these towns are often not Paris in the spring. They are the other towns like Baton Rouge, Knoxville, Rome,Columbia, and South Bend. Not exactly tourist destinations. Many of a local and county governments get a nice chuck of their revenue from these sales tax dollars.

So color me skeptical that taxing college sports so it can fund more "Cash For Clunker" schemes is somehow a net plus over the above.

It also has the effect of keeping other Athletic programs down that are trying to improve and also get off the taxpayer dollars. Think a program like Boise State.

BUT BUT WHAT ABOUT THESE COACHES SALARIES!! I mean Les Miles,and Nick Saban are making so much money and that is so so so bad. First while College Sports are exempt from taxes the Coaches are not.

A good hunk of this money is going to Feds. The coaches salary issue is a red herring in many ways. On the whole much more money has been spent on improving educational facilities for the student athlete and again funding and keeping healthy non revenue sports. In the end there is no magic money tree at these Universities.

Finally there is a lot less "fat" in College Athletic budgets than people think. Even the most blessed of programs had to cut back this economic cycle. This was coming after a year where transportation costs for the college sports programs went through the roof because of gas prices. The cost of transportation is where a college athletic budget is the most exposed. Unlike a regular business they just cannot announce to fans they are adding "x" dollars in the middle of a season to their ticket prices.

All these facts should be kept in mind before we tax college sports.

LSU Gets Back the Boot- Beats Arkansas !!!!

Can I get a great Amen on that. Nice photo gallery here.

What a game. It has been a tough week after the disaster that was the LSU loss. The Arkansas game is always tough and this year was no exception. I think winning a good close game at night in Tiger Stadium was just what the Les Miles, the fans, and the team needed.

ON top of that Mississippi State beats Ole Miss and our Bowl prospects of a good quality bowl go up!!!

Now for a perfect season all we need is to win the bowl game , Bama to lose in SEC Championship, and Bama again to lose at the Sugar Bowl versus Boise State.

Is Obama Another General George B. McClellan?

Well lets hope not. See Is Obama's dithering similar to that of Civil War general George B. McClellan?

Abortion and Capital Punishment Viewed Differently In Catholic Circles

It seems that even though it is very clear one still has to make this known to people. This is not to say there not not important issues regarding Captial Punishiment we must deal with. Still one is viewed as a intrinic evil and one is not.

American Catholic has Abortion, Capital Punishment and War – One of these things is not like the other …

San Diego Chargers NFL Football Player Will Run For Congress

Up in New Jersey!!

Perhaps fellow Charger Jacob Hester can have a fundraiser for him down here in Louisiana. I would go!!

President Obama's Weird Public Relations On Health Care Bill

It just gets to the point where it is beyond bizarre. What is scary is we are seeing this attitude go into other areas. THERE IS NO PLAN B FULL SPEED AHEAD AND DAMN THE TORPEDOS WE ARE ON A MISSION FROM GOD

Mickey Kaus, Dem and Comprehensive Care Supporter, has a devastating post at Obama Demands Staff Go Cocoon Themselves. Here is a part:

4) Is it a coincidence that ever since press secretary Gibbs announced a renewed emphasis on Orszag's "curve-bending" in early November support for health care reform has plunged downwards on an increasingly alarming slope? That's one curve they've bent! ... The pattern seems clear: They talk about curve-bending (in the spring) they get into trouble. They stop talking about curve-bending (in September), and health care is suddenly a fait accompli! They start again, and they're in trouble again. ... What was that about insanity being defined as doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results?.

This problem , along with the legitimate issues of how are we going to pay for this, is ignored by many of our Catholic Social Justice friends. The problem mentioned above is met with loud complaints of "Scare Tactics".

Wait till the American Public gets a full grip on the truly scary thing. That is the Independent Medicare board that will have powers similar to the military base closure committee if not more.

As Kaus says:
P.P.S.: Brownstein does unearth what seems to be a second Broder-shaking delegation of sweeping rule-making power by Reid:
[I]n a little known provision, the bill authorizes the HHS Secretary to implement nationwide, without any congressional action, any reform that department actuaries certify will reduce long-term spending [E.A.]
Wow. So we've got the independent Medicare board slashing spending, subject to a formalized Congressional meddling process, and we've got the Secretary of HHS slashing spending, subject to ... any check at all? ...What if the recommendations conflict? ... I smell a new Czar! ...

P.P.P.S.: Do we really think the "IMAB" board and a grant of equivalent power to HHS will survive in the final bill? Will Congressmen really give up their power over sensitive issues like ... mammograms ... and let bureaucrats deny popular Medicare treatments to their constituents? If they don't--and if they strip or water down the provisions-- will Obama regret having made independent, expert "curve bending" seem like such an essential part of his health bill? ... Or is the purpose of making a fuss about Brownsteinian reforms just to get the bill over the hump in the Senate.

Leading Catholic Social Justice activists seem very nonplussed about this animal for some reason. The fact that these board could one day give the most in need the shaft seems not to be on their radar. In fact they don't seem to understand it. Of course this is the same crew that was praising Obama on immigration reform and could not even understand how he used procedures in a cynical way to defeat it for short term political purposes. So they can be hoodwinked easily.

Perhaps Catholic Social Justice Activists have a huge belief and trust in "experts" and thus feel the love of Christ and compassion shall flow like honey from the this IMAB board. Color me skeptical.

The True History About Thanksgiving

The History Channel has taken a break from talking about 2012 doomsday predictions, killer comets, killer asteroids, masons, Kennedy conspiracy theories, catholic conspiracy theories and the such to have a nice show on the history of Thanksgiving. It was very instructive.

If you missed it well Pro Ecclesia has his own post on Thanksgiving facts which is good. See The First Thanksgiving

A Honest Look at the GOP Chances in the 2010 Senate Races

Lets Get It Right has a link to the bare facts. Even in this favorable climate it will not be easy for the GOP. See Early '10 Senate Races Projection

The Louisiana Vitter race is mentioned. I feel good about that race. Unless Vitter blows up I have a hard time seeing him lose that. Obama is the gift that keeps on giving down here for Vitter.

Go To India Governor Bobby Jindal

Jim Brown is touching on a point I made yesterday.

See Jindal and India-An important Friendship!

I am still a tad baffled why Jindal has not done this. Also does it not have huge added benefits to Jindal? It would allow him to have a profile visit that would be well covered and help him with his foriegn policy cred in the future. Seems like a win win.

This is Why Priests Get Moved Every 5 Years

Moving Priests from Parish to Parish every 5 to 7 years seems to be the norm in most Dioceses. There are very good reasons for that. One reason is shown here. See More vague, worthless Catholic labels via Get Religion.

The article as you see is the controversy a more "traditional" priest has caused in a large parish. He has replaced a priest that had been there over 30 years!!!

Bingo !!! As the poster points out that is the problem. We had a similar problem in the Diocese of Shreveport in a major Church. A huge progressive liberal (in all senses of the word) Catholic priest was at a Church for about 25 years. Needless to say it was time for a change and it was not easy.

As Get Religion notes:
The previous priest served the parish for more than three decades?!?!
There’s the story. Clearly, what we have here is an example of what is often called “great pastor” (or rabbi, or priest, or college president) syndrome. After that amount of time the structures of an organization — like the parish committees — truly reflect the beliefs, strengths and, yes, prejudices of the previous leader. Period.

We of course see this dynamic in Protestant Churches and the result is often a whole scale schism in the local church and a founding of a new one.

I expect we shall the above trauma repeat itself a lot more as more younger conservative priests replace more liberal progressive ones. The key for the younger priests is to realize Rome was not built in a day. It requires a Pastoral and Diplomatic touch which I suspect is sometimes lacking because of youth.

Bah Humbug-Corps of Engineers Say No Christmas Eve Bonfires on the Levee

This sounds like BS. The river is too high?. If they are worried a stack of wood and people walking on the levee is going to cause a collapse then perhaps we should already be evacuating major towns.

See Levee Concerns Douse Christmas Bonfire Plans

Tip of Hat to the Dead Pelican

Governor Jindal and First Lady Styling At White House State Dinner

It seemed liked a good State Dinner last night at the WHite House. My Governor Bobby Jindal and his lovely wife were there. They were some of the few Republicans. I did think the guest list for such a important visit was a tad too partisan. If I was Obama I would have had a few more important Republican there because he will need them on futre legilsation dealing with India.

Still the morning papers note no disasters Which is a huge blessing. . State Dinners are important and does allow a President to look Presidential. Something the President very much needs at this time.

Catholic Fashion Critic on Girl Altar Servers

Mantilla strikes gain. Father at Standing on My Head has the latest review from his correspondent at Mantilla the Hon on Girl Servers

Bishop Tobin Goes On Bill O’Reilly (VID)

See Bishop Tobin On The Factor via American Catholic.

More Bad Reporting- Jehovah Witness Are Fundamentalist?

I suppose this is news to Fundamentalists.

First it is time for my general rant that long time readers are familiar with. Why is the secular reporting on Religion So So So bad!!! I am amazed that people with journalism degrees are producing the stuff I see.

This is strange. From a money making standpoint for newspapers( and they need money) religion sells. Everyone has a opinion. However when it is reported these people can not even get the basic terms right.

See the latest example here at Three in one

Watching Andrew Sullivans Sad Downfall

It appears he has given again a few suggestions to Ann Althouse. See "But keep going, Ann. Debunk them all. With facts, not spin."

I love this comment


"Andrew Sullivan is employed to write for The Atlantic, a publication which was founded by and once published such writers as Harriet Beecher Stowe, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., and James Russell Lowell.

Think about that for a minute."

Yet this is a man many regard as someone people should listen too on from the left.

This is not new politics of course. It has been with us for some time. However there is a reason the American public nor history celebrates the mud slingers people like Jefferson and Adams had to use at those newspapers of the day. They served a useful political purpose for our Founders in the rough world of early American politics but in the end they are viewed as tools. Nothing serious and generally viewed as having no overall positive impact.

A sad downfall from when Andrew Sullivan was doing good and serious work at the New Republic (That also has seen better days).

Obama Appears to Have Made Right Choice on Afghanistan

If this news report is right.

Thank you Mr President. I really think politics wise there is no real liberal backlash on this if true.

I don't know about you but I am not seeing a ton of anti war rallies. Just gives us Health Care they are saying. All that war stuff was so Pre Obama Bush stuff. Sort of like bad ole Bush is the reason we can't have the Kyoto Accord (WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT). There will be a few committed anti war folks but they will not I predict cause a liberal backlash against Obama

Chris Matthews Grilling of Sinister Bishop Tobin Gets Praise

From the The Vatican Lobby blog. See Tobin on Hardball

The Hardball Show might have just doubled their viewship here by a new potential fan.

Governor Jindal Eating At the White House Tonight

Big Event.

I hope he does some networking with the India folks while there!!!

One of the few complaints I have about Jindal is he not cashing in the whole India connection thing. I think he is regarded well in India and people know he might be a contender for the big job one day. It would be nice that Bobby could perhaps entice one of the World's growing economies to perhaps build a plant here in Louisiana or enter into various enterprises with Louisiana Universities. I don't know it seems like a plausible thing to do.

Just a thought. We see the Governor of Mississippi going to Japan every other week it seems and bringing some good jobs. (In case you have noticed the Governor of Mississippi is not of Japanese descent either).

MSNBC Talks About Just White Folks Liking Sarah Palin

Oh those that throw stones in glass houses. See The indelible whiteness of MSNBC

Besides the sole Seattle Coffee Shop African American that heads up the Keith Olbermann fan club how many African Americans are tuning into to the talking heads at MSNBC?

At Black barber shops where politics are often discussed are people talking about what Chris Matthews said last night? They appear more likely to be talking about Sean Hannity if that graph is correct.

Archbishop Chaput Wins BCS- Bishop Championship Series

Well the Church Year comes to a close this week.

Acts of Apostasy has his take at BCS Rankings 2009

Let me say his flawed TOP Ten does not mean we should or have too resort to some Bishop's Playoff system.

I think it is apparent to anyone that Archbishop Chaput, Denver after playing Bishop D'Arcy, Fort Wayne/South Bend in the Championship game won.

All hail BCS Champion Chaput of Denver. Notre Dame/South Bend fails again.

I am hoping the Catholic SEC Bishops do better next year. I do have hopes for some of them Hopefully recruiting will go well this year

Did A Catholic Squanto Bail Out the Pilgrims!! (Update)

Who knew!!! At least according to this site. I figured we had to be involved.

I have heard this before. It sounds almost too good " American Catholic" to be true. Sort of like all those George Washington converted to Catholicism on his death bed stories that are still talked about.

I will have to research this more. I have to admit if Squanto was a Baptized believing Catholic helping out the the poor hapless starving English Protestants I think we would have heard more about it. What happen when the these English Separatist saw him saying the Rosary!!! :)

Update-
Well it seem the famous Evangelical Chuck Colson is buying part of it.

It appears this story is more widely believed than I thought. I will try to deleve into this more tonight and see what is up.

I see the Canterbury Tales talks about this too at The Catholic Origins of the First Thanksgiving

Pope Benedict: Man Can Live Without Science Not Without Beauty

The Pope was actually quoting Dostoevsky here but he seems to endorse it.

See via Ten Reasons - Beauty can save the world

Bush Bashing at A Biblical Conferences?

Well a third Louisiana post all in one day. I will try to move on after this.

I have been watching the post of my Baptist blogger friend as he attends a conference in New Orleans. He says in part:

I have noticed that some biblical scholars use cliches and buzz phrases without quite realizing what they are saying. In the Psalms sessions several references to “global warming” - I care very much about the environment but believe there is legitimate cause for questioning Anthropogenic Global Warming dogma. Many references to how Katrina “exposed injustice and inequalities in our community” along with some gratuitous and ill-informed Bush-bashing - but do people who throw that around really know what they are talking about? Plenty of middle and upper class New Orleans residents suffered and lost everything. It was in the recovery process that one sees more of the disparity. And although the Federal government responded poorly one should not overlook the colossal ineptitude of Louisiana authorities.

If some scholars engage in casual Bush-bashing and Global Warming kvetching during their talks - why do other scholars not engage in casual Obama-bashing and in digs against Anthropogenic Global Warming...

Again the subject of Louisiana being used by all sides as a political football. I am sure this was not the prime focus of this conference by any means. Still it is one of those things that set me off.

I do not queston the need to highlight the problems of the now famous mostly African American Ninth ward of New Orleans. But it does get tiresome that the same destruction and misery that occurred in mostly white Lakeview and across the canal in the mostly white St Bernard Parish is just ignored. It does not fit the memo!!! It does not fit the talking points. Though it is largely the same.

It would seem the problem in Lakeview would be of huge importance because that is where so much of the tax base of New Orleans resides. They stuck it out instead of running to the New Orleans burbs over the past decades. Now they don't even get a 10 second spot on tv.

Why is this?

I saw this within days after Katrina. Too much prime focus on who is to blame and not enough on focusing in correcting the problem. I can recall when the same liberal groups that were yelling about Bush were yelling to boycott New Orleans when Blanco signed a pro-life bill. Same thing when Jindal signed a bill to allow a little freedom for local school boards to have supplemental material on intelligent design. Those causes seemed to have taken bigger precedent among SOME of the "Bush Laughed People Drowned" crowd.

Politics is at times a depressing thing.

Is Obama Holding the Louisiana Poor Hostage Over the Health Care Bill

Since Bush has left office the liberals, the media, and a large part of the Democrat party have moved on from discussing New Orleans and Louisiana very much. It is back to the same old just pump the oil, keep the port open, the river cleared, and the food coming. We will do a photo op in New Orleans and ignore the looming National Crisis that is developing.

I have discussed the unseemly hardball Obama was playing as to the Health Care Bill and Louisiana in references to my posts on his visits to New Orleans and Cao's vote.

I touch on it here at the comments at my post Senator Mary Landrieu is Not A Crook or Corrupt . I always like the check the profiles of the people that comment (I love comments) and I noticed this particular person I am responding too also read a blog I enjoy. That is Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion

I noticed on that blog there is a good post. See Why Are Democrats Holding Louisiana Hostage?

He says in part:
But there is another, equally unseemly, angle.If the poor in Louisiana so badly need this assistance, why aren't Harry Reid and other Democrats who control Congress giving Louisiana the aid without the string attached of Landrieu's vote?Why is Harry Reid using the poor of Louisiana as a bargaining chip? We know why, but let's spread the blame around to all corners where it is deserved.When it comes to passing Obama-Pelosi-Reid-care, it seems hard to distinguish between hostage and hostage-taker.

Indeed!!! Now this hardball is going largely unnoticed even among my Catholic Social Justice friends. It might be that they are not aware. There is a good chance of that. I have noticed among various liberal groups they have a short attention span as to Louisiana issues. Again we are often a political football used by all sides.

I certainly hope this is the case and we are not viewed as just collateral damage in a far bigger worthy aim.

Still I am hoping this does not proceed further. Such as holding back needed money for Coastal Erosion projects so to get Cao and Landrieu's vote.

I would hate to see more Coastline wash away and a National Security situation develop when the next hurricane takes out Port Fourchon, and America wonders why they can't get gas at the pump. That might be collateral damage that even Americans in Iowa might notice.

Is Stephen A Douglas Leading the Current Democrat Party

There seems to a a lot of more silly charges of theocracy and now even the Bishops can't have a input on the Health Care bill. SEPARATION of CHURCH and STATE they say.

If one notices there are a lot of Jefferson/ Jackson dinners that Democrats have. No one seems to have Stephen A Douglas dinners. I don't expect Obama will be heading one up and praising him. However Douglas like many people should judged more in a more balance way.

Many historians say the election of Lincoln was what started the Civil war. Actually in my view it occured earlier. That is at the 1860 Democrat conventionin Charleston South Carolina. Douglaswhile trying to find a compromise stood firm on Southern Democrat demands that there be basically a nationwide federal slave code. A expansion of Federal power that would have been huge. That caused the southern Democrats to walk out, a split in the party, and ensured the election of Lincoln.

Still I can't help but think of Douglas and the current liberals , media , and the media led on by people like Chris Matthews.

Douglas said in the halls of the Senate in 1854.

Now, sir, what is this remonstrance ? These men do not protest as citizens. They do not protest in the name either of themselves or of their fellow-citizens. They do not even protest in their own names, as clergymen, against this act, but they say that ' WE Protest In THE Name Of Almighty God ;' and in order to make it more emphatic, that they claim to speak by authority in their remonstrance, they underscore, in broad black lines, the words ' In The Name Of Almighty GOD.' It is true, that they describe themselves as ministers of the Gospel, but they claim to speak in the name of the Almighty on a political question pending in the Congress of the United States.


It is an attempt to establish in this country the doctrine that a.body of men, organized and known among the people as clergymen, have a peculiar right to determine the will of God in relation to legislative action. It is an attempt to establish a theocracy to take charge of our politics and our legislation. It is an attempt to make the legislative power of this country subordinate to the Church. It is not only to unite Church and State, but it is to put the State in subordination to the dictates of the Church. Sir, you can not find, in the most despotic countries, in the darkest ages, a bolder attempt on the part of the ministers of the Gospel to usurp the power of government, and to say to the people : ' You must not think for yourselves; you must not dare to act for yourselves; you must, in all matters pertaining to the affairs of this life, as well as the next, receive instructions from us; and that, too, in the performance of your civil and official, as well as your religious duties.'

" Sir, I called attention to this matter for the purpose of showing that it involved a great principle subversive of our free institutions. If we recognize three thousand clergymen as having a higher right to interpret the will of God than we have, we destroy the right of self-action, of self-government, of self-thought, and we are merely to refer each of our political questions to this body of clergymen, to inquire of them whether it is in conformity with the law of God and the will of the Almighty, or not. This document, I repeat, purports to speak in the name of Almighty God. and then enters a protest in that name. We are put under the ban, we are excommunicated, the gates of heaven are closed, unless we obey this behest, and stop in our course and carry on these abolition views."

The Senator from Texas says the people have a right to petition. I do not question it. I do not wish to deprive ministers of the Gospel of that right. I do not acknowledge that there is any member of this body who has a higher respect and veneration either for a minister of the Gospel, or for his holy calling, than I have ; but my respect is for him in his calling. I will not controvert what the Senator from Massachusetts has said as to there being, perhaps, no body of men in this country, three thousand in number, who combine more respectability than these clergymen.

Probably they combine all the respectability which he claims for them; but I will add, that I doubt whether there is a body of men in America who combine so much profound ignorance on the question upon which they attempt to enlighten the Senate, as this same body of preachers. How many of them, do you suppose, sir, have ever taken up and read the act of 1820, to which I allude? Do you think there is one of them who has done so ? How many of them ever read the votes by which the North repudiated that act of 1820? Do you think one of them ever did? How many of them ever read the various votes which I quoted on that act and the Arkansas act? Do you think one of them knew anything about them ? How many of them have ever traced the course of the compromise measures of 1850 on record? One of them ? Yet they assume, in the name of the Almighty, to judge of facts, and laws, and votes, of which they know nothing, and which they have no time to understand, if they perform their duties, as clergymen, to their respective flocks.............

So this over the top rehtroric is nothing new I suppose. MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!!! Douglas says to the meddling ignorant pastors.

Douglas like many others I suspect are ignoring the logic of morals and in real political terms. It cannot be ignored despite all the threats. The Law teaches moral lessons. It is rarely never moral neutral. Lincoln understood this.

Senator Mary Landrieu is Not A Crook or Corrupt (Updated)

Ok I am going to defend Landrieu here.

There has been a lot said about the "bribe" that Landrieu took for her vote to start debate on the Health Care Bill in the Senate. A move as I have posted on I not too happy about. The now so called infamous Louisiana purchase.

There are familiar storylines here when there is a story involving Louisiana. First is the whole "Well they are so corrupt down there". While Louisiana has had a history of corruption this not the Edward years. Things have vastly improved. I am not saying it is great but at this stage I don't think the corruption here is any worse than where else. Still a ways to go but there has been progress.

Further though I have opposed the Landrieus I am hard pressed to think for any serious charges of evidence of corruption against the new political Landrieu generation (Both Mary and Lt Governor Mitch Landrieu's dad was the powerful mayor of New Orleans at one time).

It is not being largely noted but Governor Jindal that has been screaming for these Medicare funds and has a difficult budget to balance is not exactly screaming in protest either.

People and the media have not asked if in fact this was something Louisiana needed or should have had. The controversy with the Federal Government over these funds has been going on for some time. In fact if you notice the GOP Senator of Louisiana David Vitter who opposes the Health Care bill has been pretty mute over the supposed Louisiana purchase.

This might not be the ideal way of running a Government. It is not Plato's republic for sure. But the horsetrading for votes when varied interest are at stake is nothing new in this Republic.

I have a hard time criticizing this as a bribe and getting on to Reid when the Bush White House and the Republican leaderships had to give all sort of "bribes" in the way of projects in order to get the troops funded in Iraq on a crucial vote. That of course was horrible that we had to do that.

Still we use the legislative process to further goals all the time that they were not designed for in a perfect world. During the Dubai Port controversy it should be recalled that leading Republicans and conservatives attached a bill prohibiting the Dubai Port Deal on a appropriation for the troops. Again all of us sort of at times have justified these moves .

I saw a good many projects for the most conservative districts attached to bills dealing with rebuilding the Gulf Coast after Katrina. Is this the best way of doing things? I suspect not. However I am sure for many people now complaining those projects were not seen as bribes but as something of the utmost importance.

Words matter and being from a State that has had a history of corruption I think throwing the words "crook" and "corrupt" too freely is damaging. In other words I don't think this approches some classic Thomas More moment- "You sold your Soul for Wales"

Will Landrieu be hurt by this in the real world of Louisiana politics? Well that remains to be seen. I think Louisiana like most of the nation is very much against the Health Care bill in its current form. If Landrieu is a part of defeating the bill at the end even while playing a smart game of getting funds that Republicans and Democrats are screaming for on a local level she will come out a winner I suspect.

Update-
I discuss another angle to this here at Is Obama Holding the Louisiana Poor Hostage Over the Health Care Bill

Patrick Kennedy Communion Controversy For Dummies

This story , largely through the miscommunication of Kennedy himself, got misreported from the start.

There are two Canons of Canon Laws at play here.

Canon 915 deals with an actual ban on Holy Communion. This is administered by an authority. Canon 916 instructs certain people not to present themselves for Holy Communion. One is enforced by the ministers of the sacrament and one places the burden on the communicant himself.

Get Religion has a good piece on which one we are dealing with here at Monday, November 23, 2009
Yes, we canon!

50 Years Ago The Virgin Mary Appeared at A Coptic Church in Egypt

American Catholic has a interesting post (and vid) on this event. See Zeitoun Marian Apparition 50 Year Anniversary

Governor Huckabee Stops In Monroe Louisiana

The book tour continues. I suspect a friendly audience forum a town that is less than a hours drive from the Arkansas border.

Tip of the Hat to the Dead Pelican.

Chris Matthews Goes All Postal on Bishop Tobin (VID)

I look at liberals like Matthews and Andrew Sullivan that used to be interesting and wonder what the hell happened.

Whispers has Tobin Does the Thunderdome

As Whispers mentioned some Catholics are saying YOU"RE FIRED to Matthews.

I am sure there will be a lot of that today. Many who do not watch him everyday will find this behavior of Matthews unprofessional . Sadly this happens all the time.

Of course whoever was in the Bishops Office that suggested he do this show should be taken to the levee and shot.

What Happen To the Screaming Obama Loving Germans?

Goodness a second bad review from Der Spiegel

Powerline reports at "Willing to Pay for It"

Man Arrested For Refusing to Twitter

What?

I think he will win a lawsuit

How Silent Monks Sing The Hallelujah Chorus (Humor)

Ohh too funny

Some Romney and Huckabee Supporters Need To Cool It

Really.

I have to admit I have a tad of bias here. I never was a big supporter of Mitt Romney and a lot of this is being stoked by a minority of Romney supporters. Still Huckabee people respond and the Romney people respond and it all escalates into silliness. At some point who right or worng in the beginning is no longer the point.

NO ONE IS INTERESTED IN RE FIGHTING IOWA AGAIN.

Race42012 is where some this all so inside baseball is occuring with all the talk of conspiracies or plots. In some ways it such a small corner of the universe that perhaps I should not note it. But this occuring day after day after day does infect a much larger part of the Universe after time.

See just from the last week
Huck’s Army Keeps on Marching Against the Smears
Responding to Kristofer Lorelli
The Truth Behind Huckabee, David Schmidt and ARTL
A Baseless Smear of Huckabee
More Huckabee and ARTL

It does seem we are going into Political Black helicopters areas here. I am really starting to think this has little to so with Huckabee or Romney. Just supporters that on both sides got their feeling hurt and MY GOD WILL NOT GIVE AN INCH. So some imagined plot, conspiracy or crisis is dreamed up to keep the fight going. Including this now bizarre theory that Huckabee hates Palin is Controlling the American Right to Life and their recent attacks on her. That is just the latest. I am sure the Hucakbee folks saw some plot by the Romney folks recently.


One post on RACE42012 actually makes a good bit of sense here and should be warning for all Huckabee and ROmney supporters

Today’s SurveyUSA polls, posted earlier today on the site, paint a pretty accurate picture of the race for the GOP nod right now. Much like in an old Western, the Big Three of the race for 2012 are metaphorically facing one another, each holding a pistol in either hand pointed directly at one of the other two. Mitt Romney seems to be the candidate of blue state Republicans, with the North and the West Coast giving him the edge over Huckabee. Meanwhile, the former Arkansas governor is besting Mitt in the South. Palin, meanwhile, has yet to break through in either region but is making a strong third place showing, hoping that Mitt and Huck will fire on each other and leave her as the only candidate left standing. But what if, in typical Old West fashion, the three fire on one another, leaving no viable candidate to take on Obama?

This scenario isn’t particularly far-fetched, especially since Romney and Huckabee are about to enter a two-year-plus slug-fest that will almost certainly leave each candidate’s supporters pretty much despising the other candidate. Blue state Republicans will never choose a former Baptist minister with a Dixie accent over a fiscally tight businessman from Massachusetts. And red state Republicans will never pass up the guy with the drawl and southern swagger for a formerly pro-choice Mormon. But by the end of the campaign, with all the mud that is about to be slung, about half of the Republican Party will be convinced that Mitt is Nelson Rockefeller 2.0, while the other half of the GOP will come out believing that Huckabee is William Jennings Bryan or Huey Long. Mitt and Huck will almost certainly exploit all of the ways in which the other is “not a real conservative” for the next two and a half years, meaning that the winner will face guaranteed skepticism from Republicans and will be smarting among Independents after having to spend the entire primary season proving that they are too a “real conservative.”

With some caveats I think that makes some sense. I would just add I am not sure Huckabee or Romney are even thrilled with what some of their supporters are doing. People are going to tire of this "drama" after a while and might go looking elsewhere.

Needless to say 2009 is way to early to start it up again. Can we have a ceasefire for a while.

Foreign Policy Run Via Obama's Blackberry

Spengler says it is not working. See Chaos and Non-Being in American Foreign Policy

Is This A Glimpse of Hell- Man In Coma For 23 Years Aware of Everything!!!

I have no words for this. I cannot even imagine!!!


A man thought by doctors to be in a vegetative state for 23 years was actually conscious the whole time, it was revealed last night.

Student Rom Houben was misdiagnosed after a car crash left him totally paralysed. He had no way of letting experts, family or friends know he could hear every word they said. ‘I screamed, but there was nothing to hear,’ said Mr Houben, now 46.

Doctors used a range of coma tests, recognised worldwide, before reluctantly concluding that his consciousness was ‘extinct’. But three years ago, new hi-tech scans showed his brain was still functioning almost completely normally. Mr Houben said: ‘All that time I just literally dreamed of a better life. Frustration is too small a word to describe what I felt.’

His case has only just been revealed in a scientific paper released by the man who ’saved’ him, top neurological expert Dr Steven Laureys.
‘Medical advances caught up with him,’ said Dr Laureys, who believes there may be many similar cases of false comas around the world.

More here at Conscious in a Coma

Can you just imagine being ignored for 23 years like you were not there? If they only knew.

See also Reason Not to Dehydrate: Man Speaking After 23 Years in Locked-In State

Congressman Cao Says He Is a Republican Because They Are Pro-Life

An interesting interview in the New York Times with Congressman Cao of New Orleans. What I find really interesting is just the bold assertions the questioner takes as fact!! Cao does a good job of slamming those down. No wonder the New York Times has has such a cartoon version of us.

On why he is a Republican:
"Because of their strong pro-life stance. That alone".

On if he has been punished?

"Correct. Actually, I just had lunch with Eric Cantor down here in New Orleans, and he was very supportive of who I am and what I have to do to represent the district. He fully understands the politics of the district."

Now get this "Question"

Do you find it awkward being a Republican whose ideas on both economic and social policy diverge from those of your party?

It’s not awkward because we’re all professionals. We know that we are a diverse group.

Republicans need you precisely because they’re not a diverse group. They like having you because you’re not another pale white face.
I believe that they like me for who I am, not because they want the Republican Party to look something different than just white.

Again I have no illusion about Cao and I like him. I suspect he is more "liberal" than I am. He is basically Lindy Boggs with a (R) by his name. As I have said for that district I can very much live with a Lindy Boggs type person that is Pro-life and was concerned about communism and other tyranny. Two viewpoints that have now been downgraded in the other party. It helps that I like Lindy Boggs. The diminishing of of people like Lindy and her husband Hale real power is one reason the democrats had so many defections.

Victor Hanson on WHere the Obama Thrill Went

I will have my own thoughts later this morning. See Where Has the Thrill Gone?

The Rosary is A Bible on A String

What a wonderful way of putting it. A North Woods Anglican has The Rosary or the Bible on a String

Is the Pope Right Wing? The Manhatten Declaration

The whole tone of this America piece on the Manhatten Declaration is not only naive but depressing. See Social Conservatives take Manhattan! Bronx, S.I., rest of America up for grabs

Thankfully some in the comments bring the writer some needed reality. What is in that declaration is nothing more than what the Pope has been saying for ever. Heck it is the same thing John Paul the II has been saying.

It is depressing to see a Catholic writer at a major magazine to label core Catholic issues as just needless "culture wars".

Also why do some Catholic progressives jump to everything is about OBAMA. He is in the mix of course since he is Presdient but this fight is occurring in towns, cities , counties, and on the state level. Not everything revolves around the White House.

Update- I have reread the document and trying to see if various claims that this document is obsessed about President Obama is correct. I can only find on part where he is referenced and that is briefly

"The President and many in Congress favor the expansion of embryo-research to include the taxpayer funding of so-called "therapeutic cloning." This would result in the industrial mass production of human embryos to be killed for the purpose of producing genetically customized stem cell lines and tissues"

That is it. No where else is the President mentioned or even alluded to.

We have this passage:
We see this, for example, in the effort to weaken or eliminate conscience clauses, and therefore to compel pro-life institutions (including religiously affiliated hospitals and clinics), and pro-life physicians, surgeons, nurses, and other health care professionals, to refer for abortions and, in certain cases, even to perform or participate in abortions. We see it in the use of anti-discrimination statutes to force religious institutions, businesses, and service providers of various sorts to comply with activities they judge to be deeply immoral or go out of business. After the judicial imposition of "same-sex marriage" in Massachusetts, for example, Catholic Charities chose with great reluctance to end its century-long work of helping to place orphaned children in good homes rather than comply with a legal mandate that it place children in same-sex households in violation of Catholic moral teaching.

In New Jersey, after the establishment of a quasi-marital "civil unions" scheme, a Methodist institution was stripped of its tax exempt status when it declined, as a matter of religious conscience, to permit a facility it owned and operated to be used for ceremonies blessing homosexual unions. In Canada and some European nations, Christian clergy have been prosecuted for preaching Biblical norms against the practice of homosexuality. New hate-crime laws in America raise the specter of the same practice here.In recent decades a growing body of case law has paralleled the decline in respect for religious values in the media, the academy and political leadership, resulting in restrictions on the free exercise of religion.

We view this as an ominous development, not only because of its threat to the individual liberty guaranteed to every person, regardless of his or her faith, but because the trend also threatens the common welfare and the culture of freedom on which our system of republican government is founded. Restrictions on the freedom of conscience or the ability to hire people of one's own faith or conscientious moral convictions for religious institutions, for example, undermines the viability of the intermediate structures of society, the essential buffer against the overweening authority of the state, resulting in the soft despotism Tocqueville so prophetically warned of1 Disintegration of civil society is a prelude to tyranny.

Again President Obama (any President for that matter) and the Federal Government are in the mix but again there are many actors.

The Grades Are In- Obama's Trip to China A Failure

Even though I suppose I am part of the loyal opposition to our President there are places I want him to succeed. At the very least I want him to maintain the prestige of the United States abroad.

It appears that from a good many sources the trip was a huge failure. See Obama and the Virtues of Kowtowing

This was a rather bizarre trip on many fronts. It also seems we have done something to upset India (bad idea) while Obama was over there. However what was strange to me was how flat it was and the big lack of well buzz. Sarah Palin and her book tour seemed to take center stage. As some people noted perhaps Obama is glad that happened.

It seems for a depressing downgrading of human right concerns in this region by the administration we have got very little in return. All the while China seems to be expanding their Naval Presence in the region. A huge cause for alarm.

Can Policemen Lie and be Good Christians?

This is an area I have wanted to explore. On an argument on same sex marriage Robert George ends with this observation

Back to Michael Perry's post, he says that it "bears emphasis" that most American Catholics violate what Michael likes to call "official" Catholic teaching on contraception. That is, no doubt, true. It has the same relevance to the question of the truth and authority of the teaching that the fact that most American Catholics violate the Church's teaching on lying has. (Evangelicals seem to be in the same boat on this one, by the way. It seems that utilitarianism has seeped so deeply into the public's understanding of ethics that even Catholics and Evangelicals--who are supposed to be believers in moral absolutes--tend to think that lying is morally acceptable where it serves the "greater good" or is the "lesser evil.").

Now I think George is right on this as very sound general principle. But strangely I have never heard this fleshed out. Thus I don't know all the answers to this. It would seem to me a average Catholic Priest would be confronted with a ton of cases in his flock where he would be confronted with this.

Lying is view as an acceptable part of business in various professions that have tons of Catholics. Here are few examples.

A Catholic Police Officer poses as either "hooker" or as a customer in sting operations in order to curb prostitution. This involves lying and deception

A Catholic DEA agent or policemen are involved in major deceptions in drug cases where not to do so would even put their lives in danger.

Undercover operation with the FBI and CIA involved by necessity lying and deception.

In order to get a "confession" from a person in custody lying is often used. For example "your buddy has already ratted on you and so help yourself tell us you did it".

A good many Police agencies have very good trained Christian ministers on staff. How do they deal with this?

Let us look at other professions. What about journalism that involves undercover work. The now famous Acorn tapes for example.

Again I don't know the answer to all the above. Maybe all of it is sinful and prohibited. But if it is it seems there is very little talking about it.

Just something I was thinking of this morning. I am a pretty educated Catholic I think and have to admit I don't the answers to the above.

Rep. Patrick Kennedy Banned Fom Receiving Kennedy In His Diocese

This I guess is just breaking a tad. This will get interesting. Creative Minority Report has Bp. Tobin Bans Kennedy From Communion

Unless I am totally out to lunch on this I don't think this affects Kennedy in other Dioceses. I always thought that needed to be changed but that is the state of affairs under the law. So I expect a full communion watch to start taking place around the D.C. area. I have mixed feelings about that but it will happen

Liberal Catholics in Full CYA Mode On Abortion and Health Care Bill

Hmm that is how I would categorize this post.

After doing the mandatory Republican bashing in the comments( which is silly and incorrect) the goal posts are moved to where there answer is to outlaw the paying of all abortion in private plans. Which of course is so UNconstitutional it is not even funny and would require a reversal of Roe V Wade and touches on many other matters.

If one wishes to concede the battle field then do so honestly. At least I could respect that beside the shell game being played here that is so transparent it is not even funny


Update on a related note
Keystone Disappointment [Kathryn Jean Lopez]
As expected — frankly, since before he was elected to the Senate — Senator Robert Casey just refused to cast a vote in defense of the most vulnerable among us. As Frank Cannon wrote earlier this week:
If he votes for cloture on the motion to proceed on the health-care bill, he will be making possible the greatest expansion of abortion since Roe v.Wade, and mandating that all citizens participate through federal funding. Senate majority leader Harry Reid needs all 60 Democratic senators to bring the legislation to the floor and make it the order of business. So Senator Casey has the fate of the bill completely in his power. If he adds his vote, that will mean that any effort to add the pro-life Stupak language from the House bill will require 60 pro-life votes, which, as Senator Casey knows, are not there. Casey’s original vote to proceed will have stacked the deck against defending life.
So much for taking that opportunity. So much for being a pro-life leader.
11/21 08:02 PMShare

Shameless Shameless. So many of these folks are ones that were praising Rep CAO and calling him in the anti Palin. They seemed to have forgotten in the midst of their Palin bashing the much need of following Cao's example as to pro life language. This is why Catholic Social Justice is at times treated as a joke.

Archbishop of Canterbury's Speech in Rome Shows Genetic Code of Anglicanism

I guess I will comment more in detail in the speech that the Archbishop of Canterbury gave at the Gregorian Pontifical University . It is a rather long speech and is worth some detailed looks.

I think Father at Standing On My Head has a good post that sort of gets to the core it thought. See Cracks in the Foundation . He says in part:

The Archbishop defended women's ordination and argued that more unites the two churches than divides them. He said issuess that are not of the 'first order' should not be points of division and he suggested that the Anglican communion, with its sharp internal differences on issues such as homosexuality, could offer a model for other Christian churches. The Anglicans, he argued, show that unity is possible despite such doctrinal disagreements. He argued that Christians are bound together by ties that are stronger than their disputes, and suggested that Christian unity could be achieved by, in effect, agreeing to disagree, in order to "maintain a degree of undoubtedly impaired communion."

This is all very Anglican, and it reveals the genetic code of Anglicanism. The genetic code is written in the Elizabethan Settlement. This is the legislation under Queen Elizabeth the first that established the Church of England as a relativist rather than a dogmatic institution. To put it in simple terms, the Elizabethan Settlement allowed Anglicans a measure of freedom to be 'Catholic' or 'Protestant' in their attitudes as long as they remained loyal to the Queen. This latitude of attitudes became the founding principle of Anglicanism and tolerance became the primary virtue. Dogma became suspect and relativism became the default setting.

Read the whole thing!!! The comments are interesting and Father clarifies that he does not mean that all Anglican thought is some wishy washy mush. Not at all. One just has to look at history to see that. Or to look at the writings of today such as from N.T. Wright.

However I think he hits on something. I am not sure at all Anglicans would disagree with the major point of Father's post at all.

This is one thing I noticed when I knew I was leaving the Baptist Church and was exploring Anglicanism.

There are too many Catholics that say something annoying like "Episcopalians are just like us except they have married Priests" or some other balderdash. Again they are confusing some Catholic looking stuff for a Catholic belief. On top of that they imagine a Anglo Catholic influence that's numbers is exaggerated.

I noticed this with how people in the same Parish can have a huge difference of opinion and belief of what is actually happening on that altar. You have some that believe in a very Catholic view of the Eucharist. Then you have others that thinks a Catholic view (it is Really the Blood and Body of Christ) is some Popish nonsense. You can have in the same Parish that has a Catholic view of the Priesthood. Other in the same Parish might have a much more reformed view of it. The list can go on and on. How religious education is done is some of these Parishes with all these theological tensions over such core issues I have no idea. It is true that in larger cites like thinking Anglicans to some extent group together into their own Parishes but in the average town one parish has to meet these varying theological views.

To the Catholic such a state of affairs is unthinkable. To an Anglican such a state of affairs is normal and ideal.

This is one reason why the Vatican is proceeding the way it is . That is throwing a lifeline to Anglo Catholics that Rome doubts can survive under the current administration or can survive in a new alternative Anglican communion dominated by reformed and evangelicals. Then on another front the Vatican wants as to the reformed and evangelicals a safe refuge from the troubles.

22,000 Youth March With Blessed Sacrament In Kansas City

Wow. More pics here at Pics - 22,000 Youth in Eucharistic Procession through Kansas City at NCYC

The State Records Inmate's Confession With Priest

No this did not occur in China but in Oregon. Father Z has Priest/penitent privilege and a state’s violation of the Seal

Seantor Mary Landrieu Is Such A Cheap Date (Update)

I figured she would vote this way on the Health Care bill. However all she got for her vote was a stinking 100 million dollars? I mean she is a U.S. Senator. That sounds like House of Represenatives chump change to me

Heck if I was Mary Landrieu I would held out for a billion in Coastal Restoration funds. Heck add a few more billion and even Vitter might vote it.

So not only are we screwed Louisiana 's vote gets sold cheap. LOSE LOSE.

Disappointing.

Updated-
It was 300 million it appears. Still seems Cheap. I hope if Mary does this again she at least gets Coastal Restoration money.

See also 'Louisiana Purchase' Landrieu Blames ABC Report of $100 Million Buyoff on 'Very Partisan Republican Bloggers'

The Klu Klux Klan will be at the LSU / Ole Myth Game (Updated with Photos)

Oh goodness.

Update- Klan Rally las a full ten minutes plus photos.

Note I disagree that Ole Miss could have just kept them off campus and I suspect what the police did in this situation was illegal.

Is the Episcopal Church Nationwide Ad Dishonest Advertising?

This ran in USA Today and appears to be a ad that the Episcopal Church wants to see run in local newspapers.

There is some Anglican discussion from the more conservative side about this ad here.

As noted in the comments it is pretty clear that this ad is also aimed at Catholics that disagree with their Church and no doubt is a response to all the news of the last month.

Here are the points (the bolding is mine).

As Episcopalians, we are followers of Jesus Christ, our Lord, and believe in
the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The Episcopal Church has members in the United States, as well as in Colombia,
the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy,
Switzerland, Haiti, Honduras, Micronesia, Puerto Rico, Taiwan, Venezuela,
and the Virgin Islands.


We strive to love our neighbors as ourselves and respect the dignity of every person.

The Episcopal Church is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and traces
its heritage to the beginnings of Christianity.

Our liturgy retains ancient structure and traditions, and is celebrated in many languages.

We welcome men and women, married or celibate, to be ordained as bishops,
priests, and deacons.

We believe in amendment of life, the forgiveness of sin, and life everlasting.

Lay people exercise a vital role in the governance and ministry of our Church.


Holy Communion may be received by all baptized Christians, not only members
of the Episcopal Church.

We uphold the Bible and worship with the Book of Common Prayer.

We affirm that committed relationships are lifelong and monogamous.

Episcopalians also recognize that there is grace after divorce and do not deny
the sacraments to those who have been divorced.

We affirm that issues such as birth control are matters of personal
informed conscience.

We celebrate our unity in Christ while honoring our differences, always putting the work of love before uniformity of opinion.

All are welcome to find a spiritual home in the Episcopal Church.

Again by what it touches on it is apparent who this is aimed at. I like the ad because for the most part it is honest with perhaps one exception. (Actually two. Everyone knows that it is common in many areas for the Unbaptized to receive communion and not much of a fuss is raised)

That is:

We celebrate our unity in Christ while honoring our differences, always putting
the work of love before uniformity of opinion.

Is this actually true at all beyond the nice window dressing? These seems to the the talking points of the media and a many good folks. Lets look at the inclusive all welcoming Episcopal Church.

After watching this saga now for decades how much honoring of differences is actually done. In fact is not a uniformity of opinion being forced. I guess it is all how one views it and what side you are on.

Again what was deemed optional at one point is now the new "Orthodoxy".

That is why Bishop Spong can make outrageous comments that he would will no longer talk to people that have the tradition Christian view toward sexuality.

One wonders how many differences and different opinions are honored in the placement of key positions in the Episcopal Church.

What about the crucial area of Episcopal seminaries? As a Catholic I saw how the more progressive Catholics branch for many decades ruled with a iron fist there. Many priests had to learn to give the "right answers" back in those days to get ordained. It appears to me that for the most part that is the rule of thumb in some of the Episcopal seminaries too.

Let us look at The Reverend Katherine Ragsdale who is the new Dean of the Episcopal Divinity School who said:

And when a woman becomes pregnant within a loving, supportive, respectful relationship; has every option open to her; decides she does not wish to bear a child; and has access to a safe, affordable abortion – there is not a tragedy in sight — only blessing. The ability to enjoy God’s good gift of sexuality without compromising one’s education, life’s work, or ability to put to use God’s gifts and call is simply blessing.

These are the two things I want you, please, to remember – abortion is a blessing and our work is not done. Let me hear you say it: abortion is a blessing and our work is not done. Abortion is a blessing and our work is not done. Abortion is a blessing and our work is not done.

I want to thank all of you who protect this blessing – who do this work every day: the health care providers, doctors, nurses, technicians, receptionists, who put your lives on the line to care for others (you are heroes — in my eyes, you are saints); the escorts and the activists; the lobbyists and the clinic defenders; all of you. You’re engaged in holy work.

We learn also learn:
The Rt. Rev. M. Thomas Shaw, EDS trustee[and Episcopal Bishop of Massachusetts], said, “I am thrilled with the appointment of Katharine Ragsdale as the president and dean of EDS. She brings a wealth of small parish ministry to her new position and it is critical that the new president and dean be able to train and form parish priests for the growth of progressive parishes across the country. She brings a wealth of experience, talent and creativity to this new position.”

Let be honest here. What are the chances that a Episcopal seminarian that is against legal abortion, against homosexual marriage and does not think women should be ordained to the Priesthood is going to be able to graduate from there?

Let us talk about these "progressive parishes" that are mentioned. What happens if you are a pretty traditional Episcopalian that moves to a new town where the "progressive" Episcopal Church is the only Anglican church in town.

In the above ad there is a lot of talk of lay control and lay ministry. I highly suspected that if you are a "conservative" Anglican you are likely to find yourself frozen out. That is just the way of things.

When I see major Episcopal voices ranting against the Catholic Church involvement in the abortion debate one wonders how people in the Episcopal Church themselves that support the traditional pro life view.

Where was this "Why Can't we all Get Along Episcopal Church" around the date of the Obama inauguration and the controversy over poor ole Rick Warren. From the Episcopal Bishop of D.C.

The Right Reverend John Bryson Chane Bishop of Washington D.C. said and I think it is worth quoting in full:
December 18, 2008
I am profoundly disappointed by President-elect Barack Obama’s decision to invite Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church to offer the invocation at his inauguration. The president-elect has bestowed a great honor on a man whose recent comments suggest he is both homophobic, xenophobic, and willing to use the machinery of the state to enforce his prejudices—even going so far as to support the assassination of foreign leaders.

In his home state of California, Mr. Warren’s campaigned aggressively to deny gay and lesbian couples equal rights under the law, relying on arguments that are both morally offensive and theologically crude. Christian leaders differ passionately with one another over the morality of same-sex relationships, but only the most extreme liken the loving, lifelong partnerships of their fellow citizens to incest and pedophilia, as Mr. Warren has done.

The president-elect’s willingness to associate himself with a man who espouses these views as a means of reaching out to religious conservatives suggests a willingness to use the aspirations of gay and lesbian Americans as bargaining chips, and I find this deeply troubling.

Mr. Warren has been rightly praised for his efforts to deepen the engagement of evangelical Christians with impoverished Africans. He has been justifiably lauded for putting the AIDS epidemic and global warming on the political agenda of the Christian right.

Yet extravagant compassion toward some of God’s people does not justify the repression of others. Jesus came to save all of humankind, and as Archbishop Desmond Tutu has pointed out, “All means all.” But rather than embrace the wisdom of Archbishop Tutu, Mr. Warren has allied himself with men such as Archbishop Henry Orombi of Uganda who seek to “purify” the Anglican Communion, of which my Church is a member, by driving out gay and lesbian Christians and their supporters.

In choosing Mr. Warren, the president-elect has sent a distressing message internationally as well. In a recent television interview, Mr. Warren voiced his support for the assassination of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. These bizarre and regrettable remarks come at a time when much of the Muslim world already fears a Christian crusade against Islamic countries. Imagine our justifiable outrage if an Iranian cleric who advocated the assassination of President Bush had been selected to offer prayers when Ahmadinejad was sworn in.

I have worked with former Iranian President Mohammed Khatami to improve the relationship between our two countries as hawkish members of the Bush administration pushed for another war. He has spoken at the National Cathedral, which will host the president-elect’s inaugural prayer service, and I have visited with him several times in Iran and elsewhere. Iranian clerics are intensely interested in the religious attitudes of America’s leaders.

In choosing Mr. Warren to offer the invocation at his inauguration, the president-elect has sent the chilling, and, I feel certain, unintended message that he is comfortable with Christians who can justify lethal violence against Muslims.I understand that in selecting Mr. Warren, Mr. Obama is signaling a willingness to work with both sides in our country’s culture wars.

I appreciate that there is political advantage in elevating the relatively moderate Mr. Warren above some of his brethren on the Religious Right. But in honoring Mr. Warren, the president-elect confers legitimacy on attitudes that are deeply contrary to the all-inclusive love of God. He is courting the powerful at the expense of the marginalized, and in doing so, he stands the Gospel on its head.

Can one just imagine in their wildest dreams the Catholic Archbishop of Washington D.C. attacking someone like this? By the way he was from from being alone. If this is how they view Rick Warren how do they deal with more "traditional" Episcopalians in their own flock?

I could go on and on about lawsuits to the current Episcopal Church leader repeatedly violating their version of Canon law and even dishonestly over and over trying to imply that Bishops that have disagree with her have given up their orders.

Again this is a important fight. People that truly believe in their stance have fought for it and are fighting tooth and nail for it today. They have played some Church political hardball and will continue to do it. This hardball will continued to be used against people they disagree with in the Episcopal Church.

I respect that!!!

However lets have some truth in advertising shall we about the talking point of :

We celebrate our unity in Christ while honoring our differences, always putting
the work of love before uniformity of opinion.

Finally it should be noted that the folks that talk about "honoring differences and always putting the work of love before uniformity of opinion" have because of the stubborn attitude about their beliefs have now caused a practical world wide schism in the Anglican Communion. The biggest crisis the Anglican Church has ever faced.

Does anyone see a contradiction?