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Friday, October 31, 2008

Just say no to the Catholic Campaign for Human Development



Visit the Catholic Media Coalition for eye-opening articles on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) and to download a flyer you can share with your friends. Friends don't let friends give to CCHD. The collection is on November 22-23 in most dioceses. Drop in a note saying you're giving your hard-earned money to a real charity instead of to CCHD which a witty friend defines as "Catholic Cash Helping Democrats." Since the Democratic party these days is the party of abortion, infanticide, sodomy, and perversion do you really want to be an enabler? I'm giving my money to a local crisis pregnancy center, a Poor Clare monastery, and a medical missionary group that runs a hospital in Haiti. What's your favorite charity?

READ THE LABEL PART II


A number of sources are warning about chocolate coins made by Sherwood. The product contains melamine-tainted milk and is unsafe to eat. The FDA has a webpage with a growing list of items associated with melamine contamination. Check it out and be a label reader. Avoid any food products made in China or products that use ingredients produced in China including pet foods, milk products, and certain brands like Mr. Brown instant coffees. Shop at your local farmers' market and if you are fortunate enough to live near an Amish or Mennonite farm see what products you can purchase from them. We get our milk, eggs, and beef from such a farm and we know that they don't use hormones and grow most of their animal feed themselves.

And on St. Nicholas day if you want to put those chocolate coins in your children's shoes, check the source.

Buy American.

READ THE LABEL!

You heard about the babies in China who died because of contamination of formula with melamine. There are also concerns that it's in chocolate released here in Halloween candy and now in animal feed. The moral of the story: READ THE LABELS. Don't eat anything that comes from China. (Check out where your vitamin supplements are coming from as well.)Eat low on the food chain as well. The less processing, the fewer opportunities for contamination. And there's nothing like a tomato from your own garden.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Seen a good movie lately? I dare you to see Fireproof!


I'm a movie buff; which is a hard thing to be these days because there isn't much worth seeing. Who wants to plunk down eight to ten bucks for two hours of unrelenting violence and gratuitous sex? Not me!

But the past few years have given us some refreshing new material because Hollywood's big studios no longer have a stranglehold on the film industry. Little can be better. We saw Mel Gibson think outside the box with The Passion of the Christ and produce a blockbuster. He also taught all the little guys out there how to do it. So now we've had Therese, Expelled, Bella, Facing the Giants, Fireproof, etc. which all had a respectable showing at the box office.

In fact, Fireproof, a low-budget film produced by Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia, ranked number four during its release weekend. Pretty impressive for a film that only opened in 1,000 theatres and was made by 1200 volunteers including leading man, Kirk Cameron.

The movie tells the story of fire chief, Capt. Caleb Holt (played by Kirk Cameron), whose marriage is disintigrating partly due to his pornography addiction. Caleb takes a forty-day "love dare" from his dad to try to save his marriage. The movie sends a message of hope and inspiration to couples in trouble. I was particulary inspired by an interview with Cameron who says, as an actor, he promised his wife he would never kiss another woman even if it meant losing a film contract. The kissing scene in the movie was played with Kirk's wife, Chelsea, substituting for his on-screen wife wearing the same dress. The scene was shot in silouette and is very effective.

Not only that, but so many people are interested in The Love Dare that the pastors of Sherwood Baptist wrote a book after the movie was released. What started as a plot device is now taking on a life of its own with a best selling book and a website that offers help to troubled marriages.

I'm excited. A medium that has been used to do so much evil has the potential to save marriages. Testimonies coming in from couples indicate that's exactly what's happening.

Encourage your friends to see Fireproof and pray that couples in troubled marriages will be inspired to keep trying. Real love isn't for sissies. True love is not a feeling but a decision to work hard and grow in the virtues that water the garden and keep it growing: patience, kindness, perseverance, forgiveness, etc. Children need a happy home. Every married couple can have one. But it takes integrity, a commitment to keep trying, and the grace of God which is free for the asking!

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

The Village it takes to Raise a Child is the Traditional Extended Family!


Proposition 8 upholding traditional marriage, on the ballot in California, is a bellweather issue. The building block of every civilized country is the nuclear family. The family begins with the protection of marriage, a commitment of a man and woman to one another for life for the sake of the children born to the union and for their own growth in love. Pray that Proposition 8 passes.

One encouraging sign is its support by young people at American River College in Sacramento which is the largest community college in the state of California. California Catholic posted an article today about the effort to recall nine student council members because they endorsed Proposition 8. The student body soundly defeated the resolution. Kids who've grown up in solid families know that's the best place for kids. Those who've grown up in broken and dysfunctional families have the life experience to know what doesn't work. Pray for Proposition 8, for the protection of the American family, and for our poor, pitiful country. Homosexual activists have a very different plan for America than most people realize. Read Sodomizing the Culture for a wake-up call. Or go to my previous post, Same-sex Marriage and What it Means for Your Family. And vote for the traditional family on November 4th by supporting McCain/Palin. Not only does Barack Obama attack the most vulnerable member of the human family, the unborn, but he is a big supporter of same-sex "marriage," an abomination in the eyes of God. Lord Jesus, save us.

Monday, October 27, 2008

"Choose life that you and your children may live."



This video is so powerful I've decided to make an exception to my no YouTube rule to post it. Please pass it on to others. And please pray and fast that on election day God's will may be done.

Wil History Repeat Itself? - Part II: Another warning from Lori Kalner


When the Obama kids song came out showing darling youngsters singing their praises to "the one," Lori Kalner watched the video and remembered. Read her article, Hymn to Hitler below. And after you read it commit to praying the rosary novena. Say the five decade rosary every day and the prayer for our country:

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and all the instruments of His Holy Passion that Thou mayest put division in the camp of Thine enemies, for as Thy beloved Son hath said, "a kingdom divided against itself shall fail".

And now read Lori Kalner's article and take her warning to heart. Will we live in a country founded on the Judeo-Christian ethic with citizens who continue to put their trust in the Holy Trinity? Or will we become one country under godless values that moves inexorably toward a socialistic police state? The choice is yours.

"In Germany, when Hitler came to power, it was a time of terrible financial depression. Money was worth nothing. In Germany people lost homes and jobs, just like in the American Depression in the 1930s, which we have read about in Thoene's Shiloh books. In those days, in my homeland, Adolph Hitler was elected to power by promising "Change."
He blamed the "Zionists" around the world for all our problems. He told everyone it was greedy Zionist Bankers who had caused every problem we had. He promised when he was leader, the greedy Zionist bankers would be punished. The Zionists, he promised, would be wiped off the face of the earth.
So Hitler was elected to power by only 1/3 the popular vote. A coalition of other political parties in parliament made him supreme leader. Then, when he was leader, he disgraced and expelled everyone in parliament who did not go along with him.
Yes. Change came to my homeland as the new leader promised it would.
The teachers in German schools began to teach the children to sing songs in praise of Hitler. This was the beginning of the Hitler Youth movement. It began with praise of the Fuhrer's programs on the lips of innocent children. Hymns in praise of Hitler and his programs were being sung in the schoolrooms and in the playyard. Little girls and boys joined hands and sang these songs as they walked home from school.
My brother came home and told Papa what was happening at school. The political hymns of children proclaimed Change was coming to our homeland and the Fuhrer was a leader we could trust.
I will never forget my father's face. Grief and fear. He knew that the best propaganda of the Nazis was song on the lips of little children.
That evening before he said grace at the dinner table, he placed his hands upon the heads of my brothers and me and prayed the Living Word upon us from Jeremiah 1:4-5…

'Now the Word of the Lord came to me, saying,
"Before I formed you in the
womb I knew you,
and before you were born I
consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to
The nations."

Soon the children's songs praising the Fuhrer were heard everywhere on the streets and over the radio. "With our Fuhrer to lead us, we can do it! We can change the world!"
Soon after that Papa, a pastor, was turned away from visiting elderly parishioners in hospitals. The people he had come to bring comfort of God's Word, were "no longer there."
Where had they vanished to while under nationalized health care? It became an open secret. The elderly and sick began to disappear from hospitals feet first as "mercy killing" became the policy. Children with disabilities and those who had Down syndrome were euthanized.
People whispered, "Maybe it is better for them now. Put them out of misery. They are no longer suffering…And, of course, their death is better for the treasury of our nation. Our taxes no longer must be spent to care for such a burden."
And so murder was called mercy.

The government took over private business. Industry and health care were "nationalized." (NA-ZI means National Socialist Party) The businesses of all Jews were seized. (Perhaps you remember our story in Berlin on Krystalnacht in the book Munich Signature)

The world and God's word were turned upside down. Hitler promised the people economic Change?
Not change. It was, rather, Lucifer's very ancient Delusion leading to Destruction.
What began with the propaganda of children singing a catchy tune ended in the deaths of millions of children. The reality of what came upon us is so horrible that you in this present generation cannot imagine it.
Our suffering is too great to ever tell in a book or show in a black and white newsreel.
When I spoke to Bodie about some of these things, she wept and said she could not bear to write them. Perhaps one day she will, but I asked her, "who could bear to read our suffering?"
Yet with my last breaths I warn every Christian and Jew now in the name of the Lord,
Unless your course of the church in America is spiritually changed now, returning to the Lord, there are new horrors yet to come.

I trembled last night when I heard the voices of American children raised in song, praising the name of Obama, the charismatic fellow who claims he is the American Messiah.
Yet I have heard what this man Obama says about abortion and the "mercy killing" of tiny babies who are not wanted.

There are so few of us left to warn you.
I have heard that there are 69 million Catholics in America and 70 million Evangelical Christians.
Where are your voices? Where is your outrage? Where is passion and your vote?
Do you vote based on an abortionist's empty promises and economics? Or do you vote according to the Bible?
Thus says the Lord about every living child still in the womb…

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you…"

I have experienced the signs of the politics of Death in my youth.
I see them again now.
Christians! Unless you stand up now, you will lose your freedom of religion.
In America priests and preachers have already lost their freedom to speak openly from their pulpits of moral danger in political candidates. They cannot legally instruct you of which candidate holds fast to the precepts of scripture! American law forbids this freedom of speech to conservative pastors or they will lose their "tax exempt" status.
And yet I have heard the words of Obama's pastor Damning America! I have heard the words of Obama damning and mocking all of you in small towns because you "Cling to your religion…"
But I am a woman whose name is unknown. My life is recorded as a work of fiction. I have no fear of reprisal when I speak truth to you from the pages of a book. (Though the Zion Covenant books are mocked and condemned by the Left in America.)
I am an old woman and will soon go to be with my Lord. I have no fear for myself, but for all of you and for your children, I tremble.
I tremble at the hymns to a political leaders which your children will sing at school. (Though even now a hymn or a prayer to God and our Lord Jesus is against the law in public school!)
Your vote must put a stop to what will come upon America if Barrack Obama is elected.
I pray you will personally heed this warning for the sake of your children and your grandchildren. Do not be deceived.
The Lord in Jeremiah 1:7-8 commands every believer to speak up!

"Do not say, 'I am only a youth,' for to all whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them for I am with you, declares the Lord!"

I am in Prayer for you, and for the Church!
Spoken to you in the authority of Jesus the Christ,
the Name Above All Names,"

Lori Kalner


Copyright © 2008 Thoenebooks.com

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Will History Repeat Itself? The Holocaust began with Abortion.


Authors Bodie and Brock Thoene are best-selling authors who have written over 45 works of historical fiction. One of their series, Zion Covenant, focuses on World War II. In the course of researching and writing the series, they told the story of a German woman, Lori Kalner, who was a child when Hitler came to power, the daughter of a pastor. Lori wrote a letter in September warning Americans not to vote for Barack Obama. I've quoted excerpts below but urge you to read her entire powerful warning:

"I was a young girl in Germany and lived through difficult times.The world...for many years remembered what happened politically in Germany with the Depression in the 1930s. You remember how it began and thus progressed with the horrors of war which followed.
The battle was at the beginning a Spiritual battle....

"Here is my warning to all: Perhaps it will be my last warning. (I wake up each day surprised that I am still here and not in heaven with those who wait for me!)
America and the whole world hangs in the balance now. I believe that America will stand or fall depending on who is elected President this year. Good Americans, like the good Germans of my youth, may think that the issues of their nation center around the economy. I tell you now that the fate of the greatest nation on earth does not depend on money.
"Every issue must only be judged worthy and true by the Word of God. Prosperity comes to a nation and a people who serves the Lord first. That is a basic spiritual principle which is seen in every book of Holy Scripture....

"This is where the healing of America begins: Friend, you must begin with examination of your own life first and the confession of your sins. Then pray for your nation. Ask yourself now: who supports the rights of the unborn babies and also of those who are handicapped?...

"Now, today, I hear the words and know the deeds of this Barack Obama and I know that he is a 'gifted,' convincing, fellow. He is telling you how bad you have it and saying to Americans he is their messiah and the answer to all problems. The propaganda machine loves Obama. The power of the media is much greater than in my childhood; a frightening thought. But here is TRUTH: of all men in the US government this Obama has most strongly encouraged and urged the on-going slaughter of the unborn 'the useless mouths' of America. This slaughter is performed in the name of 'A woman's reproductive rights.'

"In the land of my birth, the Holocaust all began with the first step of legalized abortion. Abortion was ENCOURAGED by a downturn in the world economics....

"I warn you, my dear American friends, with love in my heart and with my last breaths that no man or woman, Protestant or Catholic, can remain in God's favor or blessing if they vote for this Obama.... Now I say that you who are Catholic must not follow after this man Obama who is gifted in his words but NOT speaking the TRUE WORDS OF OUR LORD OR THE CHURCH! You cannot be a true Catholic Christian and vote for Obama. To vote for him is to vote for continued infanticide. To Protestant Christians, I say, you are not a Christian if you support the slaughter of the unborn!

"Christianity and abortion are spiritually impossible companions....

"Do you feel you cannot vote for Mr. McCain and Mrs. Palin, who are for the LIFE of the unborn and handicapped? If you cannot support these leaders, then for the sake of your soul, I, who have seen the spiritual destruction of many good people, Protestants and Catholics, urge you NOT TO VOTE for Obama or anyone who does not support protection of LIFE!...

"Most of my generation is gone now. You who are taking control of the world have a fight ahead of you as the memory of our peril dims. I have heard and listened closely to the voices of Sarah Palin and John McCain, and my spirit bears witness that they speak truth and are the true Hope-Bearers of your generation. Sarah is a true Deborah. Pray for her and her family and also for John McCain. You must all remember what happened to us and not repeat the same mistake of apathy. If I cannot write to you again I pray we will meet in heaven and you will tell me I helped you encourage others to do the right thing for the sake of your soul and for the nation."

Please, Catholics, take note. Lori Kalner calls on you to begin with CONFESSION. I also read an exhortation from a priest recently who said the same thing. Before the election get right with God. Go to confession and join the rosary novena that begins Monday October 27th to pray daily for God's will to be done on November 4th.

It's Sunday: "Let us go in unto the altar of God"


"The priest who ascends the altar in a state of mortal sin does not offer a sacrifice. He commits a murder." Fr. Leo Trese

It's Sunday morning and I hope you went to church and were fed with a wise sermon that you'll reflect on and share with others during the week. If you didn't, if your priest or pastor gave you pabluum from the pulpit, make up for it with some roast beef and mashed potatoes from one of the wonderful priests below:

Fr. Paul Weinberger

Fr. Joseph Wilson

Fr. Robert Altier

Fr. Noah Waldman

Don't keep the Good News to yourself....Pass it on!

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Meet "Joe the Baby"


A friend sent me an email this morning. Read what she said. I think she's onto something. Poor baby Joey. What's on your bumper?

"Recently (since 'Joe the plumber') my husband came up behind me in the kitchen and put on the counter a little 3x5 card I have had for a few years with the picture of a medically-gloved hand holding the remains of a poor little aborted baby. RW said, 'This is Joe the baby'. It struck me so hard--I had liked that photo but the name gave it even more power. So I arranged for a sign company to make 2 magnetic signs with the photo to go on the side of our vans.... I had them make 1"x12" strips which read, "Joe the Baby" and have been driving around with that poor little baby on my door for almost a week now. No one has stolen it, and although it has not gotten much exposure because we live in a very rural area and not on a busy street, it has been in parking lots several times. No persecution yet. I guess we must decide to take the risk of persecution and this we can do if we are doing what we are doing for the sake of God in charity. May He help us Soon and very soon, maybe. God Bless. Magnificat!"

Friday, October 24, 2008

Join the Rosary Crusade for Life!


Fr. John Corapi is calling for a rosary crusade like the one that defeated the Islamic assault on Europe in 1571 at the Battle of Lepanto. If you aren't praying the rosary daily for the election please at least join the crusade for the last nine days, October 27 to November 4.

Fr. Corapi says:

"The moral demise of a nation results in the ultimate demise of a nation. God is not a disinterested spectator to the affairs of man. Life begins at conception. This is an unalterable formal teaching of the Catholic Church.

"If you do not accept this you are a heretic in plain English. A single abortion is homicide. The more than 48,000,000 abortions since Roe v.Wade in the United States constitute genocide by definition. The group singled out for death unwanted unborn children.

"No other issue, not all other issues taken together, can constitute a
proportionate reason for voting for candidates that intend to preserve and
defend this holocaust of innocent human life that is abortion.

"I strongly urge every one of you to make a Novena and pray the Rosary to Our
Lady of Victory between October 27th and Election Day, November 4th. Pray that God's will be done and the most innocent and utterly vulnerable of our brothers and sisters will be protected from this barbaric and grossly sinful blight on society that is abortion."

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Homosexuals: They're after tiny tots!

A few days ago I blogged about a California school that took a group of first graders on a field trip to their lesbian teacher's "wedding."

Well, the indoctrination isn't just happening outside the school these days. The propaganda is inside the classroom, up close and personal. Did you think little Sally was learning to get along, be line leader, learn her letters, etc.? We can't vouch for that, but be assured that she knows what "coming out" is. Here's what a mother in Haywood, CA learned about her daughter's "education."

When one mother asked her daughter earlier this week what she was learning in kindergarten at the school, the 5-year-old replied, "We're learning to be allies [with homosexuals]." The mother also learned that her daughter's kindergarten classroom is regularly used during lunchtime for meetings of a Gay Straight Alliance club.

We're talking elementary school here, folks. That means the school is teaching kids in sixth grade (eleven and twelve-year-olds) that they're homosexuals. Talk about sick!

Brad Dacus, president of Pacific Justice Institute, commented, "Do we need any further proof that gay activists will target children as early as possible? Opponents of traditional marriage keep telling us that Prop. 8 has nothing to do with education. In reality, they want to push the gay lifestyle on kindergartners, and we can only imagine how much worse it will be if Prop. 8 is defeated. This is not a scenario most Californians want replayed in their elementary schools."

Any other parents whose elementary-age children have been subjected to pro-homosexual propaganda should contact Pacific Justice Institute for counsel and possible representation: Phone:(916) 857-6900, Fax:(916) 857-6902.

Read the complete article at California Catholic Daily. And pray the rosary daily for the innocence of our children.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Same-sex "marriage" and what it means for your family

Who is in the best position these days to know what the impact of same-sex marriage is on a culture? Massachusetts and California where citizens are living the reality. What are the eyewitnesses telling us? Mass Resistance recently posted the devastating impact on their website and I encourage you to read the whole sordid story. But here's a thumbnail of what you can expect if it comes to your home town -- and it will if Barack Obama has his way.
  • Schools at every level will celebrate homosexual marriage and will brainwash children to believe it's normal. In Mass high schools have assemblies, clubs, pass out tracts, etc. celebrating homosexuality. Middle schools have homosexual teachers discussing the most graphic details of gay sex in the classroom "because it's legal." Elementary schools use gay books like "King and King" to brainwash babies in Kindergarten.

  • Libraries (both school and community) will carry books advancing and celebrating homosexuality including some that are nothing but pornography. Kids browsing the stacks will be exposed the worst kind of filth.

  • Public health departments will downplay the devastating impact of same-sex practices.

  • Businesses will be forced to provide insurance for perverted behavior that causes catastrophic health problems. All types of businesses (restaurants, caterers, wedding photographers, etc.) will be forced to accept clients against their consciences or be accused of discrimination

  • Your tax dollars will fund homosexual activists groups (they already do) to a greater extend than ever. Public service employees will be forced to attend sensitivity training brainwashing sessions.

  • Lawyers will be tested on their knowledge of same-sex law issues.

  • "Gay pride" events will become more and more blatant and pervasive on Main Street U.S.A. If you want to see what this means, check out the Folsom Street Fair. (warning: photos have been sanitized but are still graphic)
The answer to this is pray and fight! Ephesians 6 tells us to put on the armour of God and hold our ground. We've already lost so much ground in the last 40 years that we've been pushed to the wall. But when the wall is the cross of Christ we can withstand anything and fight back with the truth in love. Spiritually adopt a homosexual activist. Pray for him (or her) every day. Defeat evil with good. And please support groups like Mass Resistance and Americans for Truth.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Call the White Coats, Sen. Bob Casey is delusional!

Ever since the Democratic convention trotted out Sen. Bob Casey, Jr. as their token pro-lifer to shill for Obama, he's had to answer criticism for his bogus claims that Obama will do more for women than McCain. Here's how the delusional senator framed the issue:



"We have a disagreement on that issue [abortion], but I do think there’s a lot of common ground that can be achieved. … I think that when you look at both candidates, I think there’s no question that Sen. Obama will be a much more effective president to help pregnant women, which is not only the right thing to do, but I think is one of the ways – maybe the only way in the short run – where you can actually reduce the number of abortions, which is something everyone agrees on.”



Let's see...here's how Obama plans to reduce abortion and assist women:

Sign the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) eliminating every shred of legislative protection for the unborn gained over 35 years of fighting. That means:

  • eliminating parental consent/notification laws

  • eliminating laws that protect minors from being taken over state lines for abortion

  • eliminating laws banning federal/state/local funding for abortion

  • eliminating laws requiring abortion mills to abide by the same health regulations governing other freestanding health facilities

  • eliminating all laws protecting health professionals from being forced to participate in child-killing
  • overturning the ban on partial birth abortion

Catholics in the Public Square describes it this way:


The bill flatly invalidates any "statute, ordinance, regulation, administrative order, decision, policy, practice, or other action" of any federal, state, or local government or governmental official (or any person acting under government authority) that would "deny or interfere with a woman's right to choose" abortion, or that would "discriminate against the exercise of the right . . . in the regulation or provision of benefits, facilities, services, or information."
This no-restriction policy would establish, in Senator Boxer's words, "the absolute right to choose" prior to fetal "viability."
The no-restriction policy would also apply after "viability" to any abortion sought on grounds of "health."


Anyone familiar with Roe's companion, Doe vs. Bolton, knows that "health" was defined to include not only medical issues, but the family situation, the woman's emotional state, and her age, a loophole big enough to allow abortion for any reason or no reason.


So exactly how is Sen. Obama going to reduce abortion? He isn't! He will advance it and force taxpayers to fund it. But listen to him yourself:


Barack Obama (in his Statement on 35th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade Decision):
"Throughout my career, I've been a consistent and strong supporter of reproductive justice, and have consistently had a 100% pro-choice rating with Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice America.
When South Dakota passed a law banning all abortions in a direct effort to have Roe overruled, I was the only candidate for President to raise money to help the citizens of South Dakota repeal that law. When anti-choice protesters blocked the opening of an Illinois Planned Parenthood clinic in a community where affordable health care is in short supply, I was the only candidate for President who spoke out against it. And I will continue to defend this right by passing the Freedom of Choice Act as president."


So is Bob Casey delusional or just part of the flimflam snake oil salesmen crowd surrounding Obama? Barack Obama -- champion of the culture of death!

Monday, October 20, 2008

Clanging the Bell: Catholics Can't Vote for Obama!


When the boat is sinking it's good to have a few loud voices warning the passengers. I told you about Bishop Hermann yesterday. Today the man clanging the bell and shouting the warning is Archbishop Chaput. He recently addressed a meeting of ENDOW (Engaging on the Nature and Dignity of Women). Speaking as a private citizen, the archbishop explained his reasons for writing Render Unto Caesar and directly addressed the arguments of Professor Douglas Kmiec's claim that Catholics can support Barak Obama despite his radical support for abortion. Following is an excerpt from Archbishop Chaput's address.


"Prof. Kmiec has a strong record of service to the Church and the nation in his past. He served in the Reagan administration, and he supported Mitt Romney's campaign for president before switching in a very public way to Barack Obama earlier this year. In his own book he quotes from Render Unto Caesar at some length. In fact, he suggests that his reasoning and mine are 'not far distant on the moral inquiry necessary in the election of 2008.' Unfortunately, he either misunderstands or misuses my words, and he couldn't be more mistaken.


"I believe that Senator Obama, whatever his other talents, is the most committed 'abortion-rights' presidential candidate of either major party since the Roe v. Wade abortion decision in 1973. Despite what Prof. Kmiec suggests, the party platform Senator Obama runs on this year is not only aggressively ''pro-choice;'' it has also removed any suggestion that killing an unborn child might be a regrettable thing. On the question of homicide against the unborn child - and let's remember that the great Lutheran pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer explicitly called abortion 'murder' - the Democratic platform that emerged from Denver in August 2008 is clearly anti-life.


"Prof. Kmiec argues that there are defensible motives to support Senator Obama. Speaking for myself, I do not know any proportionate reason that could outweigh more than 40 million unborn children killed by abortion and the many millions of women deeply wounded by the loss and regret abortion creates.


"To suggest - as some Catholics do - that Senator Obama is this year's 'real' prolife candidate requires a peculiar kind of self-hypnosis, or moral confusion, or worse. To portray the 2008 Democratic Party presidential ticket as the preferred 'prolife' option is to subvert what the word 'prolife' means. Anyone interested in Senator Obama's record on abortion and related issues should simply read Prof. Robert P. George's Public Discourse essay from earlier this week, Obama's Abortion Extremism, and his follow-up article, Obama and Infanticide.'They say everything that needs to be said....


"Democratic-friendly groups like Catholics United and Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, have done a disservice to the Church, confused the natural priorities of Catholic social teaching, undermined the progress prolifers have made, and provided an excuse for some Catholics to abandon the abortion issue instead of fighting within their parties and at the ballot box to protect the unborn.


"And here's the irony. None of the Catholic arguments advanced in favor of Senator Obama are new. They've been around, in one form or another, for more than 25 years. All of them seek to 'get beyond' abortion, or economically reduce the number of abortions, or create a better society where abortion won't be necessary. All of them involve a misuse of the seamless garment imagery in Catholic social teaching. And all of them, in practice, seek to contextualize, demote and then counterbalance the evil of abortion with other important but less foundational social issues.....


"The one genuinely new quality to Catholic arguments for Senator Obama is their packaging. Just as the abortion lobby fostered 'Catholics for a Free Choice' to challenge Catholic teaching on abortion more than two decades ago, so supporters of Senator Obama have done something similar in seeking to neutralize the witness of bishops and the pro-life movement by offering a 'Catholic' alternative to the Church's priority on sanctity of life issues. I think it's an intelligent strategy. I also think it's wrong and often dishonest....


"As I suggest throughout Render Unto Caesar, it's important for Catholics to be people of faith who pursue politics to achieve justice; not people of politics who use and misuse faith to achieve power. I have no doubt that Prof. Kmiec belongs to the former group. But I believe his arguments finally serve the latter....


"I think that people who claim that the abortion struggle is 'lost' as a matter of law, or that supporting an outspoken defender of legal abortion is somehow 'prolife,' are not just wrong; they're betraying the witness of every person who continues the work of defending the unborn child. And I hope they know how to explain that, because someday they'll be required to."


Early in his address, Archbishop Chaput reminded his audience of the need to have an informed conscience. It is a good place to close this post - with a reminder for readers to gently challenge someone in their own circle of family and acquaintances who is thinking of voting for Obama.


"As adults, each of us needs to form a strong Catholic conscience. Then we need to follow that conscience when we vote. And then we need to take responsibility for the consequences of the vote we cast. Nobody can do that for us. That's why really knowing and living our Catholic faith is so important. It's the only reliable guide we have for acting in the public square as disciples of Jesus Christ."

Saturday, October 18, 2008

A Real Shepherd Speaks!


Bishop Robert Hermann, Administrator of the St. Louis Archdiocese is setting the bar high for his brother bishops with his excellent teachings in The St. Louis Review, the diocesan weekly paper. In recent weeks he has written articles articulating the necessity of a correctly-formed conscience, another calling on "good Catholics" to vote to "save the children," and a reminder that "Judgment Day is on the way." After reading a number of his articles, I have decided that I love this bishop! If you're a faithful Catholic I think you will too after reading the excerpts below.




"'My conscience is my guide.' For many people, following this principle is a disaster. Some terrorists follow their conscience. Some suicide bombers follow their conscience. We can use this principle to justify whatever course of action suits us.... conscience must be informed by objective truth, not subjective desire.


"For anyone really willing to grow in the spiritual life, I would encourage such a person to select either the Scripture passage or a Church teaching that bothers them deeply. Then I encourage such a person to study all that the Catholic Church teaches about such an issue, especially in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. I also encourage such a person to prayerfully reflect as to why such a teaching bothers them so deeply. It usually points to rebellion or self will. Yet, such an approach has often resulted in a profound conversion. If a Scripture passage or a Church teaching rubs me the wrong way, then it is clear that I am called to transformation. There is no freedom in trying to justify myself if I disagree with the Church’s teaching. Such efforts are relentless and exhausting. Humbling myself to find out how embracing truth consecrates me in a deeper way leads me to repentance, freedom and joy. This is life uplifting!"




"Save our children! How can a so-called good Catholic vote for a candidate that supports laws that take the life of innocent children, when there is an alternative? If there were two candidates who supported abortion, but not equally, we would have the obligation to mitigate the evil by voting for the less-permissive candidate.


"Save our children! How can a so-called good Catholic vote for a candidate that supports laws that justify the killing of a child that survived a botched abortion? How can such a so-called good Catholic receive the Holy Eucharist?


"Save our children! Have some of our so-called good Catholics become so hardened against the Gospel of Life that they believe that other issues outweigh the Gospel of Life? Have some of our so-called good Catholics put politics ahead of the Fifth Commandment, in which God states: 'Thou shalt not kill'? Do some of our so-called good Catholics, who may go to Mass every Sunday and receive the Holy Eucharist, really believe that voting for a pro-abortion candidate, when there is a clear alternative and therefore no justifiable reason for so doing, is really not voting to have children killed? This election is all about saving our children!


"Save our children! You can see by now that I do not believe that this column by itself will change hearts. The issue of abortion involves serious sin, and to overcome serious patterns of sin requires grace. If you are still with me, may I suggest that you join me and many others in praying the daily Rosary from now until election day for the sake of life. Why not pray the family Rosary every night between now and the general election. The Rosary brought down the Iron Curtain. It can also help us turn around the culture of death to a culture of life.


"Save our so-called good Catholics who ignore Catholic moral principles when applied to our political life. Pray the family Rosary daily. Pray the family Rosary for our so-called good Catholics who could use your love and your charity. Pray for our so-called good Catholics who ignore serious Catholic moral teachings and still receive Holy Communion. Love them by praying the family Rosary for them. Don’t debate with them. Intercede for them. Praying for them is more fun than fighting with them.


"Prayer is our protection. Let it also be a protection for our country. If you want to make Satan angry, pray the Rosary for the sake of Life. Pray that as a nation we will choose leaders that will say ‘no’ to the culture of death and say ‘yes’ to the culture of life. Save our children! Pray the Rosary!"




"Judgment Day is on its way. We cannot stop it. We don’t know when it will come, but just as surely as the sun rises daily, the Son of Man will come when we least expect.


"Judgment Day is on its way. For many, this coming election may very well be judgment day, for this election will measure us. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells us in 10:32-33: 'Everyone who acknowledges Me before others, I will acknowledge before My heavenly Father. But whoever denies Me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.'


"Judgment Day is on its way. When my time comes, I will be measured by my Savior for the decisions I have made. I will either be acknowledged by Jesus or denied by Him in the presence of our heavenly Father. The question I need to ask myself is this: What kind of witness will I give to Him when I go into the voting booth this election day? The decision I make in the voting booth will reflect my value system.


"If I value the good of the economy and my current lifestyle more than I do the right to life itself, then I am in trouble. Pope John Paul II, in his post-synodal apostolic exhortation Christifideles laici tells us: 'Above all, the common outcry, which is justly made on behalf of human rights — for example, the right to health, to home, to work, to family, to culture — is false and illusory if the right to life, the most basic and fundamental right and the condition for all other personal rights, is not defended with maximum determination.'


"The right of our children to be protected from destruction is greater than my right to a thriving economy.


"Judgment Day is on its way! I may deny it. I may pretend that it is still far away, I may deny that my actions are sinful, but that will not change God’s judgment of me.


"Perhaps having to face these issues during this coming election can turn out to be a grace that truly awakens our need to learn more about the teachings of the Catholic Church, and then to use the Sacrament of Reconciliation so that we can receive His mercy and bring our behavior into conformity with the mind and heart of Christ. It is not too late to admit our sinfulness and turn to the Lord in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. When we do this, both we and the heavens will be filled with joy!


"Judgment Day is on its way. Pray your way into conformity with the teachings of Christ and His Church."


And finally, let me leave you with one more quote from this dear bishop:


"My parents got married about one year before the stock market crash of 1929, and yet they raised 15 children in the midst of the Great Depression. They had no money. My mother made her own wedding gown and her own bouquet of flowers. I have my parents’ wedding picture on the wall of my office, and I am reminded every day of the sacrifices they made for life.


"We had no money, but we had each other! My parents were at home with us for three meals every day. We had plenty to eat because we raised almost all of our food. We seldom got new clothes, but we wore hand-me-downs, unless my mother would buy materials and make our clothes. We lived in poverty, but we learned the value of hard work. We had no running water or electricity. We had no TV, Internet or cell phone. Yet, we were very happy because we had life! We had each other! Today, all 15 children in my family of origin are most grateful for the sacrifices Mom and Dad made so that we could have life. Making sacrifices for each other brought us incredible joy and enhanced our dignity, because it gave us a chance to participate in serving each other!"


God bless you, dear Bishop Hermann, and thank you for giving us the example of your heroic Catholic parents!

Pray and Fast for Our Poor Country



A suffering friend who I believe is close to the heart of God, has suggested we pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet three times every day between now and election day focusing on our poor, distressed country. I echo her plea. Especially pray for the conversion of those who favor and work for the child-killing industry. Fr. Frank Pavone of Priests for Life urged those participating in the 40 Days for Life Campaign to follow the Daniel Fast for the next 21 days abstaining from wine and meat. Remember that some demons can only be driven out by prayer and fasting. Put power behind your prayer with at least some form of fasting.

Beg for God's mercy on America through the intercession of the Blessed Mother and the Guardian Angel of the United States:

1. Please pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet three times in a row. If you can, please put a high priority on doing this every day through Election Day.
2. On the Hail Mary beads, instead of saying: "For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us, and on the whole world" pray: "For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us (me), have mercy on our country, have mercy on the whole world."
3. On the Our Father beads, on which we would normally pray: V. "Eternal Father, I (we) offer You the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ." R. "In atonement for our sins, and the sins of the whole world." Change the response to: "In atonement for our sins, the sins of our country, the sins of the whole world."
4. End with: V. "Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One" (unchanged) R. "Have mercy on us, have mercy on our country, have mercy on the whole world." (changed)

Please note that this is in no way a proposed change for the Divine Mercy Chaplet, but is particularly to be said during this time (and times to come) when our country's future is in serious peril, and our closeness to God and following His commands as a nation in serious jeopardy.
God bless us all! Have mercy on us, O Lord. If You spare us, Your mercy will be pure mercy: since we have no deserving because of our own sins, and the sins of our country as we stood by and even cooperated by voting for those who would perpetuate and increase the evil of killing unborn babes, children and innocent people. We scarcely have the courage to pray for Your Divine mercy, if it were not for Your mercy. Amen.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Standing in the rain for the Lord


I received this message today from David Bereit, the man behind the 40 Days for Life Campaign. Read it and rejoice - another life saved by prayer and fasting. Check the 40 Days for Life website and see if there's a location near you. You may be God's hands to reach out to a woman considering abortion and her little unborn child.


FROM DAVID BEREIT:


One of the 40 Days for Life prayer vigil participants in Kalamazoo, Michigan tells an amazing story of what God can do with two guys standing in the rain.


On a recent morning, he went to spend time in prayer in front of the abortion facility. When he got there,it was pouring."I decided I would stay in the car and pray and when it lightened up I would get out and stand in frontof the abortion clinic and pray," he said. "After all, I could pray just as well in the car as in front of the clinic."


But then his prayer partner arrived. "I told him to get into the car -- we could pray here."


"No," he said politely. He wanted to pray in front of the clinic.


"I didn't need any more convincing." As they stood there praying in the rain, "we must have been an odd sight! What were we thinking? What good could be accomplished standing in the rain?"


The rain came down even harder as a young couple drove in with a baby in a car seat. One of the men made eye contact with the woman and he knew immediately -- she was there for an abortion.


She went into the clinic, but came out ten minutes later. The two men rushed to her with their umbrellas. She was pregnant, she told them, and the child was not her husband's. It was he who insisted on an abortion."She was a fallen away Christian who had just returned to God," said the volunteer. "We told her that God had never left her and that He was always with her and would always be with her in all of her decisions. She felt pressure from her husband, the abortion staff and the doctor and that's when she asked to go outside to see us. "It turns out the woman had made an appointment with her pastor that morning but something came up and it was canceled. So she kept her appointment for the abortion.


Her pastor was her last chance, she thought, and that had fallen through. Maybe God did not hear her prayer. Now, she said, it was too late."But just as they were turning into the abortion clinic she had seen us," said the volunteer. "Two guys standing in the pouring rain, wet and soaked --praying. She knew we were praying. She couldn't believe it; God had answered her prayer after all! He sent two strangers to stand out in the rain and wait for her!"The men consoled her, told her God loved her and that she was not alone. "We held hands and the three of us prayed the Lord's Prayer." She went back inside, and two minutes later, they all came out and drove away.She waved to the men as they left.


"What a powerful God we have!" said this 40 Days for Life vigil participant. "God had made his love and presence known to all of us that morning. Many lives were touched; a life may have been saved." Meanwhile, it kept raining. College students passed by as they ran to a nearby bus stop. "Some of the students looked at us kind of funny," he said. "After all, we were just two guys standing in the rain."

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Catholics: not a sign of contradiction, but a voice of confusion

A new Zogby poll shows Obama leading among Catholic voters by about 5%. What gives? How can the most pro-abortion politician in the history of American government, a man who favors stabbing a partially delivered baby in the head and sucking out his brains - who won't even offer minimal protection to a living baby who survives an abortion - how can Catholics support him? This question is especially compelling when numerous bishops, the teachers of the faith, have stressed that it is seriously sinful, a threat to salvation, to vote for someone who advocates intrinisic evils like abortion, euthanasia, assisted suicide, etc.

Phil Lawler's book, The Faithful Departed, points to the answer by turning the jeweler's eye on the Church in Boston. In one generation Boston Catholics went from being a powerful voice in unity with their bishop's voice of authority to being eunuchs in the political process. Politicians once feared to flaunt them because it meant the death knell for their political interests. No more!
Those days are long gone, buried, not only in the sex abuse scandals, but in a long string of compromises with the world. The Land o' Lakes statement declared the freedom of Catholic colleges and universities from Catholic doctrine and the faith has all but disappeared at most so-called Catholic institutions; John Kennedy running for president declared the freedom of Catholic politicians from the moral authority of the Church and now we have pro-abortion politicians like Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden daring to teach their depraved theology on the evening news while they and others like Ted Kennedy, Rudy Giuliani, and John Kerry publicly desecrate the Eucharist by their sacrilegious reception; and dissenters spout their heresy with nary a whimper from the hierarchy even when the heretics, like Charlie Curran, wear Roman collars. It is a shameful picture!
Catholics in the upcoming election will speak with a divided voice thanks also to organizations like the Catholic Campaign for Human Development which has funded many of the voices clamoring for Obama including scandal-ridden ACORN. Catholic Cardinals and bishops who want a place at the table of the rich and powerful will - who want to walk down the aisle arm-in-arm with the likes of Ted Kennedy and Nancy Pelosi will be to blame as well.
The big losers, as always, will be the innocent: the tiny baby growing in secret under his mother's heart, the elderly men and women starved and dehydrated to death in nursing homes, the depressed pressured to believe they would be better off dead who opt for poisonous drugs, the Downs baby induced early and left to die in a soiled linen closet.
If Obama wins in this election it will be thanks to apostate Catholics and enabling clerics. God forgive them; they don't know what they're doing. And God have mercy on our poor country.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Brainwashing First Graders in California


Gays in California are working hard to sink Proposition 8, the defend traditional marriage bill. They call arguments that homosexuality will be taught to little ones in elementary school a scare tactic. Well folks, wake up and smell the coffee. Earlier this month 18 first-graders from the Creative Arts Charter School, a public school in San Francisco were taken to the lesbian "wedding" of their teacher at City Hall. Mayor Gavin Newsom who marches in gay parades and supports the gay orgy called the Folsom Street Fair (warning: graphic photos) officiated. The Protect Marriage organization supporting Proposition 8 sent out a press release alerting parents of what's coming. But will it matter? Only two parents opted their children out of this "field trip" to celebrate perversion where the innocent babies tossed rose petals and blew bubbles.

Little ones love their teachers. It's long overdue for parents to realize that the perverted public school system is beyond repair. Let the teacher your children love be you. Home school or send your children to a good private Catholic school.

I recommend Holy Family in Manassas Virginia for those fortunate enough to live nearby. They are sponsoring a fundraiser with Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz. I've printed their ad for the event below. Support faithful independent Catholic schools. They are a lifeline for families.

"Come and Enjoy a Festive Evening with Bishop Bruskewitz of Nebraska...to be held at the Officers' Club at Ft. Belvoir on Sunday, November 9 at 5:00 pm. The dinner will benefit the building of the St. Pio Chapel for Holy Family Academy. The evening will include dinner, a talk from the Bishop and the Holy Family Choir. Cost is $100 per seat or $150 per couple. Register through saintpiochapel@gmail.com or call Sue Francis at 703-830-2135."

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Can Catholics Vote for Obama? NO!


A number of bishops have released excellent voter guides and letters on the upcoming election. I particularly recommend Moral Principles for Catholic Voters coming out of Kansas and the pastoral letter of the two Kansas bishops, Most Rev. Joseph Naumann and Most Rev. Robert Finn.
It is clear from Moral Principles that the life issues are paramount and that, for example, a pro-abortion candidate is disqualified from consideration. In the upcoming election Barack Obama is rabidly pro-abortion. His support for partial birth infanticide and his four votes against the Born Alive Protection Act which demands treatment of babies born alive after failed abortions show just how extreme he is.
Obama also promised Planned Parenthood to sign the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) which will undo every protection for unborn babies put in place over the last 35 years including parental notification and consent laws and the ban on partial birth infanticide where the baby is partially delivered, stabbed in the neck, and has his brains sucked out. The bill invalidates all state laws against taxpayer funding of abortion as well. FOCA goes far beyond Roe v. Wade to eliminate the right of the states to put any limits on abortion or even require abortuaries to follow good medical practices to protect women's health. No Catholic can vote for Obama without cooperating with evil, a grave sin.
The bishops say it well:
"Could a Catholic in good conscience vote for a candidate who supports legalized abortion when there is a choice of another candidate who does not support abortion or any other intrinsically evil policy? Could a voter’s preference for the candidate’s positions on the pursuit of peace, economic policies benefiting the poor, support for universal health care, a more just immigration policy, etc. overcome a candidate’s support for legalized abortion? In such a case, the Catholic voter must ask and answer the question: What could possibly be a proportionate reason for the more than 45 million children killed by abortion in the past 35 years? Personally, we cannot conceive of such a proportionate reason. "
There is no proportionate reason that would allow a Catholic to vote for Obama. McCain is not a 100% pro-life candidate because of his stand on embryonic stem cell research, but his record on other life issues is pro-life. He also picked a staunchly pro-life running mate who not only talks the talk, but walks the walk.
The bishops tell us:
"When there is no choice of a candidate that avoids supporting intrinsically evil actions, especially elective abortion, we should vote in such a way as to allow the least harm to innocent human life and dignity. We would not be acting immorally therefore if we were to vote for a candidate who is not totally acceptable in order to defeat one who poses an even greater threat to human life and dignity."
Obama is the greatest threat to the unborn possible. Catholics cannot vote for him without endangering their immortal souls. Those who do illustrate the old saying: "Just because the mouse is in the cookie jar doesn't make him a cookie." Catholics who vote for Obama are mice in the cookie jar undermining the faith.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Randall Terry and his arrest at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More

In the past few days I have received at least a dozen emails decrying the arrest of Randall Terry and a few of his supporters at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More on October 5th. (Arrests also took place at the Cathedral in Baltimore in September.) All of the emails contained Terry's press release which starts, "It is with great grief that I report to you that I, Randall Terry, along with Brian Sherwood and Joseph Landry, were arrested on Respect Life Sunday, October 5, at St. Thomas More Cathedral in Arlington, VA...." While I'm not opposed to leafletting church lots I think Terry's tactics in these cases are disturbing and, frankly, I question his motives.

A friend of mine who was at the Cathedral both in the morning and in the afternoon when the arrests took place said that Fr. Lundberg, the associate pastor, did not want to have the leafletters arrested. The diocesan policy was explained to them and they were asked to move to the public sidewalk off the property where they could have continued giving out their fliers. (Incidentally, the pastor, Fr. Robert Rippy, was away and the associate is very pro-life.)But moving to the public sidewalk would have meant no publicity and without it Terry can't raise the big bucks to keep himself going. The press release was on the internet immediately after the arrests. Clearly, it was written and ready to go. So the leafletters WANTED THE ARRESTS.

I was involved in some of the earliest sit-ins at abortion mills back in the 1970s. I also participated in Operation Rescue in the 80s. I admired Randall Terry at the time. But his actions since then have cast a serious shadow on his credibility: his abandonment of his wife of 18 years, his Las Vegas divorce and remarriage to a staffer who worked on his Senate campaign, his claiming to have no money for child support while he was fundraising from the pro-life movement to build a $400,000+ house in a gated Florida community, his lawsuit over the name Operation Rescue, his use of confrontational tactics to gain publicity and use it for fundraising. All these things are seriously problematical.

I also find Terry dishonest. He pulled out of the NOW vs. Scheidler case in 1998, but tried to capitalize on the publicity when it was finally resolved in 2006 as though he had remained a defendant. His defection actually hurt the remaining defendants. Randall Terry was also paid $10,000 from the Terri Schindler-Schiavo Foundation for his few months of work trying to prevent Terri's murder. As someone who also fought for Terri, that makes me somewhat nauseated.

I urge readers to look into Randall Terry's background and ask themselves what's really motivating these actions at churches. Is Randall Terry's first concern the defense of the unborn? Or is he looking for a new cash cow and media attention to rebuild his empire as a leader in the pro-life movement? The bishops certainly deserve plenty of criticism, but not for this I think.

If you have money to spare for the pro-life movement send it to a real pro-life hero, Joe Scheidler and his Pro-Life Action League, or to a local crisis pregnancy center. If you are thinking of giving to Randall Terry, get a financial statement first. When people visit his Society for Truth and Justice and click on the donation icon, exactly where is their money going? How much salary is Terry paying himself, what kind of expense account does he give himself, and what accounting procedures are being followed? Is he a good steward for the Lord? Or is he a steward for himself? It's a question that needs asking.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

True love - or lust and contraception: It's your choice.


Since the 1960s we've been in a sexual revolution launched by a wide range of artificial hormones generically described as "the pill." In recent years the drugs have also been delivered via hormone-filled tubes inserted in a woman's upper arm (NORPLANT) or a patch worn underneath her clothing.
What most women don't know is how dangerous these drugs are, particularly the birth control patch which delivers about 60% more estrogen than the pill. Hundreds of women have developed deep vein thrombosis (blood clots) in the legs or pulmonary embolisms (blood clost in the lungs). At least twenty women have died. This is consistent with the experience of the early high-dosage pill which also caused death in women leading to the development of lower-dose alternatives.
Johnson and Johnson, maker of the Ortho Evra birth control patch has settled hundreds of cases to the tune of $68 million in payouts. Unfortunately, most of those have been out-of-court settlments with confidentiality invoked letting the company continue to pretend the drugs have minimal risk.
The world continues to ignore or ridicule Humanae Vitae as the facts upholding its warnings mount. No one who follows Church teaching against the use of contraception will ever suffer like the 25-year-old assistant Volleyball Coach at the University of Cincinnatti, Stefanie Rosenfeld. She died of a heart attack less than a month after starting the patch. And there are dozens of other young women like her, some only teenagers, victims of a culture that encourages uncommitted copulation rather than the true spiritual intimacy and conjugal love of marriage and child-bearing.
Women are the big losers because they bear the most damage from the sexual revolution: physical damage to their bodies, but equally devastating spiritual damage to their souls. Women are naturally inclined toward love and nurturing. A man can more easily separate his sex drive from his soul-center. But for women, it can be shattering. If she gives herself out of a mistaken notion of love, the betrayal is deep and long-lasting. Is that not, perhaps, one explanation for the growing number of lesbians among us?
We need a return to the beautiful virtue of chastity. It's a manly virtue that requires courageous self-control on the part of young men who need to guard their eyes from a continuous barrage of lustful images thrown at them by the culture. It is also a womanly virtue wrapped in modesty that guards and protects true love. Pray the young and remind them that:
True love waits. Pass it on.


Friday, October 10, 2008

Marriage Matters

When I was in elementary school I remember a textbook with illustrations showing the family as the "building block" of the neighborhood, the community, the state, and ultimately the nation.

A few states around the country are now experimenting with a new definition of "marriage" that is so alien to its true nature that it will destroy that building block of the family --- I'm talking, of course, about same-sex marriage. That this perverse idea is growing is frightening for the future consequences to the moral values of the United States. People have been manipulated to see this as a civil rights issue, when, in fact, it is not. Gays no more have the right to marry than a man has a "right" to be a mother. In both cases the reality conflicts with the desire. Normally, when someone creates his own reality, unrelated to the truth, (e.g., the person who insists he is Napoleon or an alien from outer space) we consider him insane. And that's exactly what this entire movement toward same-sex marriage is -- insane.

Jesus blessed marriage at Cana because the stability of the family protects the love between husband and wife and the love between parents and children who bless the union. Same-sex "marriages" or civil unions between homosexuals do not contribute to the common good; in fact they undermine it. Children need both a mother and a father. The distortion to a child's view of life and relationships is clear from those raised in same-sex households. Dawn Stefanowicz has testified powerfully to the damage of being raised by her homosexual father and his partner.
Please support those fighting for marriage. Too many Americans today think everyone should have the "freedom" to do whatever he wants, but some things aren't freedom, they're lunacy. Gays are "playing marriage" just like children "play superhero." We don't let our children jump off the house because they think they can fly; neither should we let gays hurt themselves and the culture because they think they want to be a sex that doesn't match their body parts.
Please visit Marriage Matters, a group in California dedicated to protecting traditional marriage by passing proposition 8.

Please pass this information on. We need to re-form the consciences of millions of citizens who have bought into the lie of homosexual activists.
Please pray for our poor misguided country.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

A Message from Don Wildmon of the American Family Association

If you think things are bad now, just wait
October 8, 2008


The upcoming election is the most critical election in the history of our nation. The very future of our nation’s foundation is at stake. Every person will be affected. If the liberals win, then our foundation will no longer be based on the traditional Judeo-Christian morality. It will gradually but assuredly be based on an ever shifting, ever moving foundation. If the liberals win, the damage can’t be stopped with elections two, four or forty years from now. America will forever be changed. We will keep seeing a gradual and growing hostility toward people of faith, especially Christians. The morals of our nation will continue to decline. Our children and grandchildren will pay the price.
In case you may think I’m a “the sky is falling” type of person, you should know: When it comes to predictions, I am a very reserved person. But not on this one. I cannot overstate the damage a liberal victory will do to our country. The upcoming election is the most important in the history of our nation. Yes, if the liberals win you will lose some of your religious freedoms and free speech rights. Churches and pastors will not be exempt. You will not be allowed to say certain things about a particular group. Every item of the homosexual agenda will be approved. All the laws protecting the unborn will be wiped away.
I cannot overemphasize the importance of the Nov. 4 election. That is why I urge you to vote and encourage your family members, friends, Sunday School class and church members to vote. America’s future – the future of your children and grandchildren – is at stake.

Sincerely,

Donald E. Wildmon, Founder and Chairman American Family Association

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Our Lady of Akita - a warning


It has been years since the bishops have spoken with a single voice to uphold and defend the faith. As I was re-reading the message from Our Lady at Akita, Japan recently, approved apparitions to Sr. Agnes Sasagawa, the words about the cardinals and bishops leaped out at me. In 2004 when a few bishops spoke the truth about withholding the Holy Eucharist from pro-abortion Catholic politicians, other bishops immediately repudiated their words. The same with the cardinals (McCarrick comes immediately to mind).
The message of Akita is a solemn warning. We need to take it seriously and pray and do penance for our good shepherds and for the conversion of our many false shepherds. On this feast of the holy rosary please pray in reparation and ask the Blessed Mother to continue to intercede for her Son to withhold our well-deserved chastisement.
FROM OUR LADY'S APPARITIONS:
"As I told you, if men do not repent and better themselves, the Father will inflict a terrible punishment on all humanity. It will be a punishment greater than the deluge, such as one will never seen before. Fire will fall from the sky and will wipe out a great part of humanity, the good as well as the bad, sparing neither priests nor faithful. The survivors will find themselves so desolate that they will envy the dead.
"The only arms which will remain for you will be the Rosary and the Sign left by My Son. Each day recite the prayers of the Rosary. With the Rosary, pray for the Pope, the bishops and priests."The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against bishops. The priests who venerate me will be scorned and opposed by their confreres...churches and altars sacked; the Church will be full of those who accept compromises and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord."The demon will be especially implacable against souls consecrated to God. The thought of the loss of so many souls is the cause of my sadness. If sins increase in number and gravity, there will be no longer pardon for them.
With courage, speak to your superior. He will know how to encourage each one of you to pray and to accomplish works of reparation."

Monday, October 6, 2008

Pray the rosary on October 7th, the Feast of the Holy Rosary

Tomorrow is the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, a great day to pray the rosary for the upcoming election - that God's will be done, that our country be preserved from destruction, that unborn children and other vulnerable individuals may be protected, and above all that we might be a people united under the banner of Christ the King. OUR LADY AND ISLAM: HEAVEN’S PEACE PLAN Fr Ladis J. Cizik, Blue Army National Executive Director

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Desecration of the Eucharist on YouTube




As of today, I'm not posting any more YouTube videos on my blog. Desecration of the Eucharist is apparently the approved policy of the video channel. Starting with PZ Myers desecration, there are now a series of such acts on YouTube and Catholics can expect to see more. Until YouTube changes its policy to halt these obscenities, I'm through with YouTube.

These desecrations are a powerful witness of why we must return to Communion on the tongue which offers much less opportunity to steal hosts for desecration. Of course, if a disturbed or wicked individual is intent on this behavior, nothing will stop him. Please make acts of reparation for the blasphemies and sacrileges against Jesus Christ and our Blessed Mother. Recite the Litany of Reparation and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for the deluded souls who engage in what is a true hate crime against the Lord of universe. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy.








Friday, October 3, 2008

Congratulations, taxpayers, you are $700 billion MORE in debt!

Well, Congress did it. They signed the bailout bill, the biggest government takeover in the history of the United States. Barney Frank who is a primary culprit in this debacle should be impeached, but instead the democrats on the hill are making him a savior. The fella whose boyfriend was pimping from his townhouse has (with help from the rest of the gang) financially raped our children and grandchildren, but will anyone in government call him to account? Not likely. And liberal Massachusetts voters will probably send him back with bigger margins than ever in the next election. Ditto for Connecticut's Chris Dodd.

I hope people will take the time to peruse this bill. It is the biggest barrel of pork ever. Michelle Malkin talks about it saying, "They put a gun to our heads....Washington’s pork-stuffed panic mob forked over $700billion/$850billion/$1 trillion-plus of our money over to the Chicken Littles, who handed it over to Foxy Loxy at the Treasury Department."
And they're already oinking for more and the Democrats are doing a good job of convincing people that this is the Republicans' (read George Bush's) fault. It's not, it started with Jimmy Carter and was exacerbated by Clinton, but the "solution" may be. Bush could have backed a real, economically-sensible strategy instead of this monster filled with earmarks, but he's a big-government guy and this let's government grow exponentially. Christian economist Dave Ramsey will discuss the aftermath of the bailout on his radio program Monday. You may want to listen.
One thing's for sure, panic reactions generally lead to bad solutions and this is a case in point. It's just the beginning, folks...watch for more bailouts to come. By the way, did you know that while the focus was on the banks, Congress voted to give a $25 billion bailout to the auto industry in September? Of course, it was ONLY $25 billion.
For Christians I think the message is pray and get out of debt. Give the country a good example. If you can't afford it, don't buy it. Continue to share what you have with the poor through charities you know are trustworthy (the Missionaries of Charity come to mind). Don't give your hard-earned money to the Catholic Campaign for Human Development which funds some of the very organizations that contributed to this mess and do not help the poor. Also, be sure to see how your senators and congressman voted. If they supported the bailout bill, boot them out in the next election. I'm happy to say, my Virginia Congressman, Bob Goodlatte, was one of the brave house members who said NO! Outgoing Senator John Warner and Democrat Jim Webb both voted yes. SHAME!
One last piece of advice. If you live in the country it might be a good idea to raise some pigs. At least you can eat that kind of pork when things get really tough -- maybe some chickens too for bacon and eggs.

Joseph Goebbels would be proud of Obama's kids!

No doubt you've heard about and probably seen the YouTube of Obama's kids singing about how Obama is going to change the world. I couldn't bring myself to post the original video. You'll have to go to YouTube if you want to see it. I posted the takeoff with the audio from the original applied to a film from Hitler's Youth. Is that fair? In view of the evidence that this was a propaganda piece I think so. The video purports to be the kids' effort. They just love Obama so much they wanted to sing. And their dear Mommies and Daddies just helped. It's this cutesie amateur effort. Right?



Well, not exactly. The chorus director in the video (according to News Busters) is Kathy Sawada, a member of the piano faculty at the the Colburn School of Performing Arts in Los Angeles, and a concert-level pianist. NewsBusters reports a "partial list" of Hollywood professionals who helped produce this "grassroots" video:

*Jeff Zucker - Gaffer, Chief Lighting Technician in Boogie Nights.

*Post-producer (former choreographer?) Holly Shiffer.

*Motion picture camera operator/steadicam specialist Peter Rosenfeld (appropriately enough, worked in Yes Man, a movie about "a guy challenges himself to say 'yes' to everything for an entire year.")

*Darin Moran, another motion picture industry professional, who just finished filming - how appropriate - Land of the Lost.

*Andy Blumenthal, Hollywood film editor.

This entire campaign is a Hollywood/media/community organizer production from start to finish. I give Obama and buddies credit for the most massive propaganda effort since Joseph Goebbels. Add the incredible voter fraud that is likely to take place (google ACORN, Obama, and voter fraud) that is bringing in millions of new voter registrations and, voila!

If you love this country, you'd better be praying because the fix is in. Our democracy is sinking right before our eyes.

Get out your rosaries and pray in front of the tabernacle and in front of an abortion mill. We can't (and wouldn't want to) outlie and outcheat the Obama/Biden juggernaut. But our power is not ours and "all things work together for good to those who love the Lord and serve according to his purpose."

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Fr. Corapi describes AMERICA'S DEATH WISH!

Listen to this fifteen minute teaching on the disintegration of American culture. If you love our country, listen to Father's words, take them to heart, and begin to transform your own family, your parish and your precinct, your diocese and your county. Fight for the faith! How to begin? Join in the 40 Days for Life Campaign to start. If there is no activity in a city near you, join in spirit. Go to daily Mass and raise up your prayers with all those fighting for the unborn. We cannot save our country, but God through the intercession of the Blessed Mother will. Devote yourself to the message of Fatima. Put on the armour of God and wield the sword of the spirit, the word of God through Holy Scripture. On this feast of the guardian angels join your prayers with all the angels and saints for our poor country and our poor world.



Wednesday, October 1, 2008

TELL CONGRESS NO ON THE $700 BILLION BAILOUT

The video below gives a ten minute summary of the economic crisis and how we got there. Watch it with the cursor on the pause button so you can stop it and read the article headlines, etc. And after you watch it go to Ross Perot's alternate plan called the Mainstreet Rescue. The 700 billion bailout isn't the only answer. If you don't want to foot the bill for the folks who caused this crisis, let your senators and representative know you oppose the big bucks bailout for the culprits who caused this problem.



Election Prayer


O Most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy,


at this most critical time,
we entrust the United States of America to your loving care
Most Holy Mother, we beg you to reclaim this land


for the glory of your Son.
Overwhelmed with the burden of the sins of our nation,


we cry to you from depths of our hearts


and seek refuge in your motherly protection.


Look down with mercy upon us


and touch the hearts of our people.


Open our minds to the great worth of human life


and to the responsibilities that accompany human freedom.


Free us from the falsehoods that lead to the evil of abortion


and threaten the sanctity of family life.


Grant our country the wisdom to proclaim that God's law


is the foundation on which this nation was founded,


and that He alone is the True Source of our cherished rights


to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.


O Merciful Mother,


give us the courage to reject the culture of death






and build a new culture of life.




Men of the Sacred Hearts


For Prayer Cards call 586-446-3521