For those of you not on FB or Twitter, there is an effort today to voice outrage over the media’s failure to cover the Gosnell murder trial.

Who?  

If you said that you need to read this and this and this.

If you are also outraged, consider tweeting for a day.  I do not have a Twitter account, but today is the day.

Details here.

Whatever you do, do not remain silent.  Yes, I know, somebody might be a bit unhappy if you speak your mind.  They might not want to talk to you any more.  What do you think about the Germans who remained silent while Jews were slaughtered in neighboring extermination camps?  Had they spoken up, they might have been killed too.  You don’t have that worry.

Abortion is not safe, it is not rare, and in many cases it is not legal.  The only people who benefit are greedy corporations and gore-loving serial killers like Gosnell.  Think he’s the only one?  How would we know?  Nobody interferes in the abortion industry: not the media, not the local health department, nobody.

Off to learn how to tweet.

I don’t know why I bother to read the news anymore.  Can’t spend 5 minutes online without getting angry.

Bill Gates Worried About Deadlock of Government

Bill Gates is upset because all this arguing over the budget may mean less aid to other countries.  His foundation works alongside the government in helping others.  He’s hoping that extremists in our government move to a more centrist position (apparently “centrist” means “likes to give money away”).  blah blah blah.  I should have stopped reading there.  But, no, I went on.

We need to spend money on “public health,” he believes.  I’m all for that.  Let’s get rid of polio, shall we?  Let’s fix cleft palates and club feet and give these kids more productive lives.  Let’s train midwives in safe and hygienic childbirth procedures.  Better health means less premature death and longer lives, right?

I’m not so sure that’s what Bill Gates means by “public health.”  Let’s look at this quote:

The Microsoft co-founder also views public health spending as necessary for the nation’s security, making it in his opinion a particularly valuable category in terms of federal spending.

“By saving those lives you avoid the kind of population growth and instability that lead to huge national security issues. You know, countries like Nigeria, Yemen — if we let them triple in population because we don’t help out with their health issues, we’re going to have huge costs and instability,” he said.

If we “let them” triple in population?  We have people in this country who think that the U.S. has no right to tell another country that they can’t have nuclear weapons.  We have people in this country who think it is none of our business if another country imposes a death penalty on people who practice something other than the state religion.  We have people in this country who think it’s a violation of national sovereignty to tell another country that imprisoning their citizens for criticizing their government is wrong.  We can’t give arms to rebel troops, we can’t try to influence elections, we can’t import our pop culture, and we certainly can not try to market Christianity as an alternative to radical Islam.

But we will help with their “public health” by making sure that their fertility rates drop.  Let’s not deal with the political or social instability that causes tension and may lead to violent youth.  Let’s ignore the misogynist religion and culture that prevents women from receiving an education or from living independent lives.  We’ll just encourage them to sneak off to the clinic every now and then for birth control or an abortion.

All we really need to do is import fast food, video games and rock and roll. In twenty years, they’ll all be fat and happy and childless.

“We are all Catholics now.”

That’s from Glenn Beck, a person I don’t listen to often, for a variety of reasons.  Interesting clip, though, which I found via The Daily Eudemon.  That line is towards the end and echoes something I’ve been saying for months now regarding military chaplains and the now ended Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy of gays in the military.  The Catholic chaplains have a very large, very united, very explicit Magisterium to protect them from government pressure.

That’s not to say that the government won’t apply any pressure, or won’t try to use the typical American Catholic’s unorthodox attitude against it (see the HHS Mandate controversy as governmental SOP in how to divide and conquer the Catholic Church).  And it’s not to say that the government won’t win this battle, either.  But if the Magisterium, that is, the teaching authority of the Church as a whole (not just the American slice of it), remains firm (as I expect it should, since it is Divinely protected), then devout priests (and lay people) will have it to cling to, regardless of what happens in the American political scene.  The USCCB might lose, but the USCCB is not the Catholic Church.  A priest (or lay person) might be persecuted, but in the global picture, his side will win.  It is much easier to be a martyr foot soldier, if you know you are Right (with a capital R) and have confidence that your side will, eventually, be victorious.

Conservative, non-Catholic chaplains in the military are already fearing for their freedom of religion and facing perceived pressure to not be opposed to gay marriage.  Oh, the government hasn’t said – yet – that they must perform such weddings.  But some are getting the message that to be openly opposed to gay marriage would be harmful to their career.  And they have no Magisterium to shield them.  While American Catholics can point to the USCCB, who, frankly, is unproven and unpredictable in battle against the government, and say, “They aren’t where the buck stops,” few Protestants have an international church that is as clear and consistent in its teachings as the Catholic Church.  2000 years of saying the exact same thing over and over again has a lot of weight.

The burden of protecting religious freedom in America falls on the Catholic Church.  If the government can get the USCCB to submit to its demands, whether that be the HHS mandate or gay marriage or any other issue, true freedom of religion will cease to exist in the United States.  And compromise equates with submission.  There is no middle ground here when the government mandates things contrary to Church teaching: either we obey our God or we obey our government.

I started watching (again) a documentary on Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Protestant theologian in Germany during WWII.  I only watched about 15 minutes the last time I tried (before falling asleep), but last night got about halfway through before going to bed.  A good deal of the movie so far shows how the Protestant churches fell in line with the Nazis from the beginning for a variety of reasons, and how the Catholic bishops in Germany reached a “Konkordant,” an agreement where each organization would basically leave each other alone and not say anything bad about the other.

I suppose it is easy to look back now and point out their naivete.  The point is that if the government can marginalize religion, remove it as a player in the political scene, then it becomes free to violate all human freedoms, not just religious ones.

My bishop had his pastors read another letter this past Sunday, and my pastor concluded the reading by asking that we be aware and informed of what is going on.  The bishop asked for prayers for the Catholic groups who have filed suit against the government and the HHS Mandate, although our diocese is not one of them.  I fear too many Catholics, even those who attend Mass every Sunday, do not see the big picture, don’t know the issues, or listen to the media who portrays the HHS Mandate issue as a freedom to use birth control issue, and not a freedom of religion issue.  The government is banking on this.  If the bishops do not have the support of the lay people, it will be a much harder battle.

Just ask any lay Catholic who has been fighting these issues for decades with no help from the bishops.

Not only are the Supreme Court justices unelected, and hence rouge authoritarian usurpers of power, they are stupid, too.

I guess I’m pretty stupid, too, for thinking that lawyers who stand before the Supreme Court are supposed to know their stuff and argue persuasively.  And I’m also confused about the whole coverage issue, too: I mean, the government is actually only forcing people to buy a tiny bit of coverage, not a whole lot, and that makes so much difference.  Yeah, now that we’ve cleared up that issue, I’m all for socialized medicine.

Sorry, politics make me sarcastic.

…even for an optimist like me:

The Truly Dismal State of the Union

Envy is a feeling of sorrow at another’s good fortune and joy at the evil which befalls him; as if we ourselves were injured by the good and benefited by the evil that comes to him.

So, let’s say the rule is that you are supposed to wear a uniform to work, and so are your co-workers.  And let’s say that one of your co-workers has been getting away with not wearing the correct uniform to work.  That’s totally not fair, right?  It’s an injustice that needs to be fixed, and you are just the right person to go whining to the boss to point out that he is failing in his duties as a manager in upholding corporate rules and regulations.  And the boss listens to you and decides that he has no choice but to make your co-worker comply with the dress code.  Congratulations.  You have scored such a high moral victory.  (Yes, that is sarcasm.)

Because, let’s suppose that this coworker has a long white beard and long white hair (not against the rules), and let’s suppose he wears wire-rimmed glasses (also, within regulations), and let’s suppose the alternative outfit he wears is a red, fuzzy suit which makes him look just like Santa Claus.  And let’s suppose the reason he got away with breaking the rules is because everybody, from all your co-workers and the bosses to people who live on his route, especially little children, thinks he is the most wonderful man on the planet and feel happier for a few minutes whenever they see him.

And whenever people see you, they walk away with a sour taste in their mouth, because you don’t know how to create joy, so you steal it.

I hope you are happy.  But thousands of people are sad, including people like me who read this article and now have a sour taste in their mouth.

US Postal Service Tells Carrier to Stop Dressing Like Santa

Twice this week, my dog has been attacked while we were out for our morning jog.  In both instances, we were fully on the street and not on the property line.  My dog is fine, in case you were worried.  I have to admit, that I don’t care about yours.  In one instance, my dog must have made contact with a sensitive body part, because one of the two dogs present yelped.  In this latest situation, I at first thought the animal was a cat, but I’ve never known a cat to attack a moving dog six times its size.  Only dogs are that stupid.  I did not hear any yelping, but I did have to pull my dog off yours.  What really bothered me was that there was no owner within earshot, not that the other dog owner shouting an apology as her dogs came hurtling down their drive at us was acceptable either.

This letter is to inform you that I have purchased Halt!, a pepper spray for dogs.  It will hurt them, but the pain is only temporary.  Any dog who approaches my dog while we are on the public roadway will be sprayed.  I have no desire for my own dog to suffer injury, nor do I truly want her to inflict serious injuries on another animal.  In addition, I am not interested in being pulled off balance and having my own ankles, knees or other body parts twisted, scraped or broken.  If your dog will not remain on your property, I suggest you keep your dog indoors or on a leash, especially between the hours of 6 and 7 am.  For those of you with “friendly” dogs, I am sorry to say that I can not differentiate between “friendly” coming-to-say-hello running and aggressive running, especially when it is still dark out, so all dogs will be subject to the spray.

If you have any concerns, feel free to stop by my home to discuss the matter in person.  I will keep the can near the door in the event that aggressive humans require encouragement to remain “friendly”.

I just read about a high school girls’ basketball team that had a pre-game chant that included the “N-word.”  That’s pretty bad.  They only got found out because a new girl on the team happened to be African-American, and they didn’t seem to think that her presence warranted skipping that part of their routine.  When she pointed out that the chant was offensive, they blew off her concerns.  So, she got a little physical, and her “brawling” got her a suspension.  But it also brought the situation to the light of school officials.

I’m not a fan of fighting, and definitely consider it unladylike behavior.  However, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

Reminds me of this fabulous poem about St. Nicholas, which is so very clever I have to link to it so I can find it again.

And yet there is a time, one feels
To strike and not to speak.
When Reason with Unreason deals,
It’s reason which is weak.

For who can mould a brain of mud
With philosophic lore?
Better to thump the stupid crud.
His place is on the floor.

The corporal works of mercy:

• To feed the hungry;
• To give drink to the thirsty;
• To clothe the naked;
• To harbour the harbourless;
• To visit the sick;
• To ransom the captive;
• To bury the dead. 

 I am certain that the last one does not include landfill dumping.


Remains of 274 Troops Reportedly Dumped in Virginia Landfill



Outrageous.

Florida Hotel Fires Employee for Refusing to Remove American Flag Pin

The email I sent Casa Monica: